In February this year, I was told that I was losing my job. At 52 and with one son at university and two in their last year at school, this wasn’t great news. I did, however, have the benefit of a 12 month notice period and , at the beginning of June I went on garden leave. What a strange expression that is. Of the many things I planned to do during that period, gardening was not one of them. I did intend to lose weight, go to the gym and lower my golf handicap. None of those have happened. It has been a difficult few months but there have been some very good things come out of it.
Some friends have proven to be very good friends indeed. The support I have received from them has been unexpected and a great help. Others, who I thought were good friends, have gone missing in action. I have had time to sort out a few things in life and, I think, get a better perspective on what matters. My family have been fantastic, particularly my wife, who, in what has been a stressful time for her, has been a rock. This blog is her idea and it is a blog about another idea of hers.
When we learned I was going to have perhaps 9 months of gardening leave, my wife suggested that I should take the opportunity to spend some time travelling, to get away and to take an opportunity that might not present itself again until I retire. I’d always wanted to play golf in Australia on what I fully expect to be some of the world’s best courses. I have a few mates in Australia and a few other acquaintances, so the idea was born. Four weeks travelling Australia, just me, my clubs and a camera. I’m not just going to play golf. I’m really looking forward to seeing Sydney, I’m fascinated to see a bit of Tasmania and the Great Ocean Road from Melbourne to Adelaide looks stunning. I’m going to take the opportunity to see a bit of wine country and sample some of the product, and I’m expecting to be impressed by the food. Finally, I’m finishing my trip with a couple of days watching the Day/Night third Test between Australia and South Africa at the Adelaide Oval. I love Test cricket and have always wanted to watch a game in Australia, the day/night version of the game is new and compelling and will, I’m sure, be a great spectator experience.
I’m starting in Sydney, where I’ll be for a week and a bit, before flying to Launceston, to take a couple of days at Barnbougle in Northern Tasmania, before driving down for a get together with members of the Australian The Golf Forum internet group at Royal Hobart, from Hobart I fly to Melbourne, where I have just over a week in what must be one of the world’s great golf cities. From there, I’m driving the Great Ocean Road and up to Adelaide, where my trip ends.
Of course, the problem with visiting Australia is getting here and I’m writing this first entry sitting in the food hall at Changi airport in Singapore, where I have a 5 hour layover as part of my 30 hour journey, with two layovers (Dubai being the other) and three 7 hour or so flights.
I was quite nervous before setting off. A month ago we thought I had found a new role, to start the week after my return. However, an unexpected setback has put that in doubt (and, at the same time, undermined by faith in human nature) and I was concerned that perhaps this was not a good time to be setting off on this trip. My wife, however, was clear that, with everything booked and with so much anticipation for this adventure, I should go. Once actually on the first plane, however, that anxiety has almost completely vanished. In ten hours I’ll be in Sydney. In another 6 I’ll have met up with my mate Scott and I’ll have played my first few holes of golf in Australia. I’m tired but so excited by the month that lies ahead.
One final thought in this opening post. I’m currently scheduled to play 22 rounds of golf. It’s almost certain that others will be added. Some of those are at some of Australia’s best and most exclusive courses. Organising a trip like this takes some doing and getting easy access to many of the courses is not straightforward. I have a couple of good friends in Australia and a few other acquaintances. They have all been really helpful in setting this trip up. What has really blown me away, however, has been the generosity of strangers in helping make the trip happen. One bloke who I have never met has taken the time and made the effort to sort out games at three of Melbourne’s top courses, another has managed to get me a game at Kingston Heath only a week before some of the world’s best players play the World Cup there. People I haven’t met have taken the time to introduce me to other people I have never met to help me play great courses. If all Australians are as generous and open as those then I’m going to have a great time getting to know them.
A Golfing Sabbatical in Australia 