I received a lovely text message from a chap I met only yesterday during a corporate lunch, at St
Georges Hill , Axel was his name. He took the time to send me a message saying after our lunch he
took a look at my website, I guess to work out who I was, and he read a few of my blogs. He
thought they were a reasonable read which was high enough praise for me to think next time I
have half an hour I will pen another one, so here we are.

Three kids safely tucked into bed, Freddie the 5 year old has refused to sleep in his own bed, so he’s tucked up in mine. Then there’s the twins Charlie and Sam, the latter of whom was insistent he
wouldn’t get into bed until he had read a book to his twin brother, nice touch I thought, until I
realised this was just another ploy to say awake for as long as possible, he’s three you see, for a
second he had me fooled.

Sorry I’ve just caught myself, this is a blog about my life as a golfer isn’t it, I’d totally forgotten. For a
moment I thought I was one of those bloggers called Dad of three or parent of boys or something
lame. Two months straight I’ve been at home now, injured, no golf, well not for me any way, the
boys are playing plenty, more of that in a moment, just some home time and normal life. Imagine a
stay at home Dad, except with the curve ball of there being a stay at home Mum too. Its been nice,
all apart from the not earning a living part, oh and seeing my world ranking fall through the floor-
mind you I see I’m still just about ahead of Tiger so thats something. Oh and the part when the wife
shouted “get off my turf, the utility room cupboard is my domain, get out of the house immediately”.

Meddling in things I shouldn’t has become a constant problem, ignoring the jobs that need doing by
me has become an art form- so how has it come to this…….

At the Porsche European Open whilst others were winning 911”s for holes in one and my fellow
Wiltshireman Jordan Smith was fulfilling his tremendous potential by notching his first victory, I was
withdrawing with a back problem that left me being unable to hit a 6 iron more than 160 yards, not
whats required on a 7700 yard monster of a course. Tail between legs and back in spasm I went
on my holidays for a week, then proceeded to get no better at all for a month. Scans then
injections, rest then rehab have got me to this point, writing this piece in a wonderfully peaceful
kitchen, having played 9 holes this morning, hopefully the start of the final run in to being fit and
healthy once again. God my boys are cute once they are asleep.

I believe its two years since my last blog, I realise all my followers may well have deserted me, but
for those that are here it feels like this should be a catch up between old friends, so it would only
be right to make a mention of my Father. In my blogging years you may remember him being
affectionately called Raymondo, well it saddens me to say that Raymondo is no longer with us, this
is the biggest and most tragic thing that has happened to me since we last spoke.

In June, in Castellon Spain, below a beautiful clear blue mediterranean sky our kind, larger than
life, daft as a brush, showman of a father passed away with his two sons by his side, he went too
early, and I miss him. Im going to miss many things, I’ve been oh so proud when I have heard him
sing over the years, but if there is one thing that struck me about my father it was his ability to
leave an impression on all who met him. The amount of marshals from tournaments across the
globe that have asked about my father over the years is incredible, that is the biggest testament to
the kind of man he was, oh and the church that was full to the rafters for his send off. What a crying
bloody shame that I wont see him hobble along down the rope line any more, he really did love
doing that.

He was delighted to have three little boys as his grandchildren, and he will be smiling looking down
at the Practice ground of St Georges Hill, watching all three cause havoc amongst the members.
What a lovely bunch they are by the way, when they decided to give me Honorary membership
something I am so grateful for, I don’t think they bargained on three toddlers becoming members
too, they say you cant start too young, but the moment I saw the club secretary talking to a
member of the committee on the practice tee, at the very moment Sam, dressed as Batman was
swishing a flag above his head whilst Charlie dressed as spiderman was rolling down the hill into
the practice bunker I thought maybe three is too young too start. Thankfully superman, aged five
was spanking three woods down the middle, to save the day, and my membership. Ankle length
socks are now allowed, apparently superhero costumes are on the agenda for the the next
committee meeting, who said golf is not modernising fast enough.

So next week is the Dunhill Links, I’m a former champion did you know, and I would love to be back
doing what I once did fairly well, and that is my hope, but if not then perhaps sometime soon I will
be back striding the links again. I cant leave without mentioning the support of my long suffering
sponsors, National rent a car, don’t know if you noticed but they didn’t get mentioned in all the
newspaper stories about poor practice earlier this year, and rightly so, so if you need a car, go to
them, or enterprise for that matter, their other brand, top company and lovely people I can tell you.
If you fancy a nice bolthole down in the Exeter M5 corridor I can point you in the direction of
Burrington Estates, top quality new build homes, stylish and contemporary quality all the way, I
wouldn’t represent anything less of course, as Raymondo used to say, you cant buy a fillet steak
for the price of a pound of sausages madam.

Mind you disproving that point from my dearly departed father I point you in the direction of
Eurocams, who have stood by me for years now too. If you have ever bought a spare part for a car
then your probably already a customer without knowing it thanks to them, and The Grove who I’m
proud to have started to represent this year also, I’ve yet to see the Grove’s course in anything
other than superb condition, in all my years, not sure how they do it but they do. If you fancy a treat
I can recommend it.

So I’m lucky, with Taylor Made and Titleist too I’ve got great support, and I thank them all for it, and
with any luck I can start to pay them back with some birdies very very soon. So far 2017 has
frankly been crap, but its not over yet, and we live in hope of turning it around. It wouldn’t be a blog
without mention of Bro my caddy, since our stellar year of 2015 he has had to sell the range rover,
set up a business pimping out caddies (tourcaddyexperience.co.uk) an awesome idea as it turns
out and another thing I can genuinely recommend and recently he has dumped me to try and turn
Marc Warren’s year around. By jove would you believe it he did as well, nothing to do with Marc of
course but Bro finished runner up last week in Portugal saving Marc’s tour card for next season,
congratulations Bro great work, but i know you couldn’t have done it without Marc listening as well
as he did.