Dungannon

“No,” he said, gruffly.
I had walked into the pro shop, introduced myself and been told only holes 1 to 8 and 18 were open. I then asked if I could walk the 9 holes that were not in play.
“I just want to walk them,” I repeated.
“No.”
No explanation, no smile. Fair enough.
Holes 9 to 17 are closed at the moment as six new greens are being introduced, so I had to satisfy myself with the remaining 9. When I arrived on the 8th tee box – the only hole of any interest – I happened to bump into the very helpful Hon Sec. He explained that I couldn’t see the other holes for health and safety reasons.
Now, if the guy in the pro shop had said that I wouldn’t have felt so disgruntled.
The Hon Sec sent me back to the clubhouse (the 8th tee sits on the edge of the car park and could easily be mistaken for the 1st) to get the centenary book from the office, and to ask if Paddy, the head green keeper, was around. Paddy would take me around the other holes in a buggy. But Paddy wasn’t around.

[Photo: the Trolleys’ graveyard]