The LOWEST HANDICAPPER I’ve Ever Challenged! Crail Balcomie Match

The LOWEST HANDICAPPER I’ve Ever Challenged! Crail Balcomie Match

Today we are taking on the lowest handicapper we’ve ever had on the channel. Jen Saxton of plus four is going to be heading out with us over the Balcomi Lyns at the Crayle Golf Society in a 9hole match play. This stunning golf course founded in 1786 dates back to the very origins of the game. It’s time to see if I can beat Jen over the back nine of the Balcomi links. Right, Matt. Back nine. New challenge. Me, V, you see how it goes. All right, then. How far is that B? 230. 230 to 240 to fly it. It’s a bit windy. That is a great shot. That shouldn’t reach it. Miss it. Miss it. Should be short. Class. Little cut down the right edge of the fairway. thinks to play. Oh no, something’s going on here. Well, it’s in play. I’ve seen it both. It’s a terrible shot, but I think injury is more the uh Mhm. Nepori at the minute. Today’s match format is real simple. It’s a ninehole match play with zero strokes. Jen is off plus four, as we’ve said. So, I’ve got to be on my best game to try and beat her. Right, I am definitely I’ve got a little trap nerve in my neck at the moment. So, I’m going to keep getting I just feel like I just can’t swing fully at the moment. So, it’s going to be a battle. 143 to the front. What can I get out of that Y? Cuz it’s it’s okay. I’m going to try a nine. Get out back. Get up there. Don’t go in that trap. Yeah. Oh, no way. Stay, stay, stay, stay. Yeah. Battle of the wedges. 20 to the front. It’s like a 30 yard pitch this. Ah. Totally intended to catch that bottom groove. And that one spun. Get it spinning. It’ll do. Chances just missed the bank. At least you left yourself the uphill putt. Go on. Oh, it was always going to be soft to make hard from that bond. Go on then. Oh, I hardly hit that. That was class one up to you. One up to me and I saw sort the del as you came in just like touch it and it kind of went big back and I was like, “Oh no.” Just drop it onto it and let it gather with the hill. Right. 11th hole. We’ve had a limited number of birdies today, but this is the most birdieable hole on the course. One in five golfers make a birdie here. Between us, I’d like to think at least one of us can make one. I’ll leave that one up to you for today. I’m just hoping to get it airborne is my mission. It’s a wide open par five. Great shot. Straight at it as well. Doesn’t move. That’s perfect. Great shot. Thank you. Don’t even know where that’s gone. I can’t see. Imagine right in line with the bunkers up the right. I’m not seeing it bounce, but should be all right. 200 y. Normally, I’d hit four iron. I’m just going to poke a rescue up there with a cuty chop is the plan. Not sure where that’s gone. 197 pin, 190 front. I’m going to try and just drill a five iron and get it chasing up to the front. Short’s not that bad here. Good bounce. Go on. Go on. Go on. Go on. Go on. That should be really good. That was a real Scottish Lynx fly, wasn’t it? Didn’t get above my head then. That might actually be all right. How’s it got this far? This is a long 50 yards. I’ve got to go like at the bags almost to let it come back in. Yeah. A good line. Wow. It’s a good line. Should have taken driver there with you in a minute. It’s always one of those you feel like you just have to hit it so much harder than you’d think. I’ll give you that one. Right online in the jaws. Good from 50 yards. Oh, what a three. A three. Don’t mind losing to that. There you go. Wow. That’s why she’s off plus four, folks. They help from time to time. Plus four. So, technically that’s a hard cuz I get a shot there. Straight down. 529. Back into the wind as well. There’s a ditch just short. That’s usually on my carry for my second shot. So, you might get by it. I’ll probably be laying up today. I’ll be in it today. I will visit that ditch in spectacular fashion. In fact, I might lay down in it and if you could put a little bit of sod and soil over me. Slow one. Shot that. That’s brilliant. Well done. Hit through the trapped nerve. Let’s snap the nerve in fact. Nice. Definitely the T-R the T-Rex finish is the way to go. Just in there though, right, John, if you can just hit it in the burn for me, that would be great. It is a 220 to the burn. I don’t even think I’m making that. But if you’re going to lay up, lay up. 10 11 12 3 4 5 6 17 paces at fairway. And we’re both down the middle. The the punishment isn’t that bad if you miss it right or left. There are pot bunkers sort of sneakily hidden. We’re going to play boring and sensible 17. Just a simple layup. Is that short of it? Stay. Yeah. Yeah. On that stripe. I thought you’d ripped it into it then. Almost to my board. Enjoy. Up into a ditch, right? How far is that ditch from here? We’re 250 out. 190. It’s only a couple of yards wide. You’ve got it. I don’t think I’ve got past here yet. I can actually feel my arm. You’re hitting them good, too, though. That’s the coping mechanism. If I stretch my arm, I can’t I can get to there. That hurts already. So, pull it in. T-Rex the life out of it. Everything goes left. So, you just got to allow for it. That’s how you play golf with a trap nerve, folks. 112 into the wind. Maybe like a one I think you should like 90 yards just short right would be 90. sabotage. Probably hit it to 9 ft. Yeah, a little punchy wedge. Or just kind of clip it a bit clean. That is going to be close as you like. Go. Stalled. It’s just a bit. Every shot you hit like has one bounce and then just rips. Is that cuz you find the middle of the club face? Sometimes it might help. Yeah. I need to try and figure this thing out. Right. So, we want to play a bumper roll. We got a big Yeah. You got to get it over that ridge. So, I’m going to play a pitching wedge. Bumper roll. Land it about 15 ft on and let it scurry up. That looks good. Go on. It’s doing all right. Spun a little bit on you. A lot of these uh greens are the original greens from when Tom Morris laid the course out. So he did nine and then then they added more holes later on. But typical Tom Morris green, swely as you like. Lots of tears, lots of falloffs. That was actually his house there. It’s in good port. All right. To win a hole. Woo! Finally leave another put in the jaws online. I’m going to have a stir as though. We’re making progress. Yeah, we’re doing okay. Right, two down still. You are off plus four. Just got to tell myself that. So, I’m happy being beaten five and four today. Right. 207 middle. This is a a proper golf all the way up the hill here. I’m going to lay up to par three and I’m going to wedge over wind off the right. This has got lot of club. I’m thinking like three would for me. Going to hit a hybrid. I think yeah if you get it right in the wind. Yeah. To be fair, I was pretty much pin high on that last I think that pin looks like it’s on the right. 250. I think if we can start it on the pin and end left, it’s not the worst. But yeah, that looks tight, right? That one very swely swy green. This that is crunched. Is it up? I think front edge maybe. I think it to the back. Hit it pretty good. Come on, wind. [Music] Maybe a bunch of over the top of the trap and then I saw it running. Nice shortsided downwind chip perhaps. Well, nothing. Yeah, nothing to be surprised about by there. It was a good shot though. Good strike. Yeah, look at that for a view. You’ll see this on the next one we play down. You’re playing down to that red flag, but the front nine of the course is out there. we filmed a while back. So, fancied a back n match today. I’ve got to land this about here with very little pace on it would be ideal. Go. I got it to stop there. Such a tough up and down. Just cannot leave it on the right. Let’s see what Jen can do, though. She’s got quite a lot of swely daily to contend with. No doubt this is going to be two foot, I reckon. Yeah. Go. Oh, little bit of meat on the bone. Break, break, break, break. Oh, what a three. Always looked like a three, didn’t it? Good putt. Pressure is on now, Jen. I know. Just when you think you’ve got this and then leave yourself a three-foot slider. Always expect the unexpected. Never in doubt. Hands of steel. That went in quite firm. That was a great up and down. Well done. We survived. Right, we move on. This is one of the uh sort of signature holes down here. Five and 14. And you’ve got the old boat house in the back. That’s from like 1800s, that boat house. Yeah. Better than some homes that are built today. Um 151. If you just come forwards with us here. Come on. I’m going to push you over the edge. You can see the uh bunker with the railway sleepers guarding it. And the the where the green is, it’s a McKenzie, so false front. You probably got to get it what? 146 to get on top. Yeah, looks like that. Five yards over that ridge. Wishing off the left. I’m going to hit a little seven, I think. I’ve got seven and eight out. Hit a really good sort of fat eight that just flops out. I’m going to go for the low punchy one. Yeah, that’s what I’m get a bit more out it. 150 down. It’s like one plane like one 138 with a slope. 138 with slope edge of the boat house. You can get her products from a shot scope that will tell you slope if you need those. Jen will give you a discount code if you ask nicely. Oh, I’ve just hit that little chunky. It’s going to do everything for you. Get up. Told you that little fat one. This is a nice toy one, but it’s worked. All you know these like the good golfers, they just get all the look. That’s what it is. They’re not actually any better than us. If it was If you can’t be good, be lucky. Yeah. I’m going to try something similar. But you got to run it up that tear. I’m going to T-Rex it to hold your good. Oh, it pretty good shot there though. Thank you. It’s annoying when someone hits it like me and it’s closer though, isn’t it? That’s called the middle of the face though. for the first time this this game. How good’s that view? Just look at that. It actually looks as if the course stops here. You can see King’s Barns in the distance. And actually where these farmer’s fields are, there’s another four or is it will be four holes back down there that are tucked behind there. It goes all the way around the bay. So you play like four, five, six, seven, eight all the way back and then you’re back on top here. Yeah. And that’s what the par three at Kingsburns beside the trees. Yeah, you can see the the trees. How can you get the zoom there? Can you see where the flag is today? I need to hold this cuz I feel Jen’s going to just bury the knife in me here. Not much in this. Oh, pull. That’s good though. I’d take a three on that hole most days, but sadly today against our plus four handicap superstar, it may not be enough. Oh, that was just right at the end. One’s mouth was in his heart then when that got to near the hole. Right, two still. Two up with four to go. I need to claw a wind from somewhere. We’re going to go around the little bay here. There is also a little pirates cove, isn’t there? Here. It’s called Botney Bay. I’ve never been in it. Have you not? No. A few nights on the side are in there back in the day. According to local tradition, King Constantine the first was killed in this cave called the speckus or black cave after a battle with the dub dub dup gall, however you pronounce that. Dark foreigners or dames killed in here. Okay, so 15th hole here. Four holes left to play. I’m currently two up on mat. This is statistically the easiest hole according to Shot Scope. Reason being it is 260 to the middle of the green. H relatively short par4 and that is why 75% of Shot Scope users hit this green in two. So it’s going to take a birdie to win this hole, I reckon. See what Matt’s up to. I uh I hope I hit the green in two now. Otherwise, I’ll be uh very disappointed. Right, fire away, Jen. Cool. I will be winning this hole. It’s in the contract. Worth mentioning there is OB all up the left and behind the green so kind of want to keep it right but it’s a harder shot into the green. Oh no, I’ve just blocked it so bad. That was safe. It’s like the ultra. There’s OB left when you’re here. That could be Jen missing the green in two. She could be she could be a stats killer. It’s a tricky shot from the right. Green slopes away. wind. Well, it’s sociable. I think we’ll both do well to hit the green from there. To be honest, we’re not in the 75% of shot scope users. Need to land this literally about three paces over the air bunker and let it bounce down. If you did miss that left, it’s just a no man zone. So, we’ll see. Could make this a little bit more complicated by trying to hit it too high and leave it short in the trap. Soft, soft, soft. Wow, that’s gone. Soft. Oh my god. You see what I mean? It’s so tricky. I actually thought I’d played that pretty well then. I landed it a couple over. That landed in a fringe, didn’t it? That’s a better shot. Oh, wow. Look at that go. Look at that go. I mean, that was almost a flop. Go on, get off. Don’t let me be the only one. Like, you don’t think it looks that hard a shot? No. Like, looking at I thought, oh, this will be quite receptive, but where did mine land? Like here, couple there, and it just off it goes. Go on. Not bad. It’s just outside the friendship circle, I think. No, we’re all friends here. That looked good for a while. Very, very good. Thank you. Solid. Good putt. Remember that one when she’s got a three-footer on the last for a half. Right. Good par three up the hill here now. Remarkably long par three with this wind and the uphill. But 40% of shot scope users actually hit the screen which is quite a lot. Yeah. Given how uphill it is, I would imagine. I think just right edge of the green and it’ll it’ll bounce around. Yeah. Right. I’m going to give a five iron a go. Or just pull it left. Oh my god, that’s gone. Didn’t even see it. Well, folks, there’s an open to make my fall. Do you think that’s in play or I have no idea where it ended up? I’m going to go six iron up the right T-Rex. I think yours scared me. Click. It’s all right there. I did think the wind was going to Yeah. ho that more. I seem to be allowing for a lot of wind and not really seeing any movement. This is a place where you’d most commonly find Matt Frier wallowing in misery with a prickle in his eye. I was hoping, you know, it was going to be one of those lucky members bounces and just be sitting in this nice little opening, but I can see a golf ball, but not sure if I want to know that it’s mine. Yeah, you owe me a kneecap. I think I’m just going to have to give you this old sad times. Ironically, this is a royal dork with MF on it. That’s one I planted earlier. We have found ourselves on the famous road hole. Not the one at St. Andrews on the old course. The one here at Cray on the Balcomi links. It’s a par 4. That is 400. Is it par 4? Yeah. Yeah. 462 y bunkers down this fairway. First one’s 273. So, it shouldn’t really bother us with this sort of interwindness. Right. Come on. One down at the trap on the left and Rex it. Come on, Rexi. Turn and pull. It’s a shot. Perfect. Yeah, maybe this should be your new swing. I’ve been driving it a lot better with a a normal swing and about 20 yards longer. Tell you what, so impressive. I hit that one quite nice. So imp your game’s so tidy, isn’t it? It’s not always. I wish it was. Hit it well. Hit your irons. Great. You chip and put magnificently. It’s probably why you’re off plus four and why I can’t break 80. 196 in downhill downwind pins relatively middle of the green. I think I’m going to go for a five iron again. Just let it bounce up from the left. Hopefully it rolls up close. Great shot. Stay there. Oh, don’t know if that’s on or if it’s short of it. Hopefully short of it. What did you hit? Five. I had 196. Yeah, I’ve got 159. Downwind though, is it? I’m going to hit a little nine. Choker T-Rex nine. He’s going right at it. Oh, took too much off. Don’t think wind affects the golf ball. Didn’t seem to. I need to up and down this. You do indeed. Lucky that’s part of my strong part of my game. It’s nice. Just run out a wee bit. You got a chance? Yeah. Quite happy with how I played that. Little bit of bite on it. Tiny bit. Gives me a 10footer maybe up the hill. I don’t see Jen not making any worse than a four. So, all comes down that to that putt to take it down the last. Right. I got quite a bit of grass to get through, but I still feel like it’s a putter. Oh dear. Oh, I’ve just murdered it. Nervy. Oh dear. It’s not quite still me. Say, is it is it Jen or not? Thought I’d hit that hard out of that grass, but got a bit excited. Pulled that. It’s good. Sigh of relief from me there. Shame from that drive. All right. Thought the iron would have gone a bit more, but you live and learn. Oh, all day, Jen. Fantastic. Fantastic golf. Lovely to see how it’s meant to be done. Well done. Thank you very much, guys. Hope you’ve enjoyed that video. If you have, watch another one here. And why not check out Cray when you’re around and check out Shot Scope as well.

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