I remember the sense of panic as if it were this morning. I’d sent a piece of golf writing to those nice folk at Cookie Jar Golf, half-expecting them to politely ignore it. But a message arrived to say “It’s going out tomorrow”, and so this strange, underground dream of mine of somehow writing publicly about this game I love became an imminent, terrifying reality.
That was December 2021, and in the months since, I have sent out 91 of these Stymies. The first one reached two people (neither of which was my mother; such a basic oversight); the latest was sent to (somehow) over 650. People are either very bored, or they share the same fascination with this daft game that I have sought to rekindle in this last year or so. Or perhaps a mix of those two factors.
In order to get a few of the earlier ones in front of a few more eyes, and to buy myself some time for other writing, I will be sharing a selection of re-issued Stymies daily until Christmas Eve; a Stymied Advent Calendar - just click on the link below. If you have enjoyed reading them, please subscribe and share with a few of your golfing mates. I’d love to know which ones you enjoy, and why. Thank you very much indeed!
2nd January 2022: “New Zealand, Surrey”
“…as the game - and at New Zealand, the ghost of Tom Simpson - will always retain the upper hand, but if we approach it as our teacher, perhaps even our mentor, it will show us how to behave, how to take care of ourselves and others, and the environment around us”