Petersham Nurseries

 

Christmas Eve - The Sporting Page

 

University of Cambridge day trip and tour

 

We appreciate Kyle's boss at Park Walk, Chris Aylard, for setting us up with a special tour of the University of Cambridge. Learn about Cambridge here. We visited Gonville and Caius College, where Chris and his wife attended. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the fourth-oldest university in the world and is made up of 31 constituent Colleges. Special thanks to Guy Lawrenson, Deputy Director of Development at Gonville & Caius College, for an 'inside the ropes' tour when the campus was pretty quiet. After the tour, we enjoyed a great lunch at the oldest pub in Cambridge, The Eagle. Sat at a table frequently used by Cambridge scientists (Watson and Crick) credited with discovering the structure of DNA, known as the Double Helix. Ate well and felt 1000 times more brilliant by the end of the day!

Lucy representing at Parker's graduation - Congrats Parker McDowell!

Kyle takes on the London restaurant scene

 
Click here to see Kyle's take on London restaurants. We are looking forward to having him stay with us (in Richmond) later this week.

Beginning to look a lot like Christmas

 

WPW - Great photos from Lucy's Chi O formal

 

YETI cups for the boys - Take Dead Aim!

 

Cathy and I left behind some YETI swag for a few of our golf buddies at ACC. We enjoyed getting this photo from the boys. Notice the difference in what they are wearing, compared to my December golf last weekend at Sudbury Golf Club in London.

Lucy's Ring Weekend

Proud of Kyle - Inducted into his high school Hall of Fame!

 

Tube to Tee: Sudbury Golf Club

Dear Harvey:

I Googled 'golf courses close to train stations' (in London) and found ten such places. Today's adventure was Earl's Court to Sudbury Station (the Piccadilly Line) and Sudbury Golf Club. The first time I've gone from a 'tube' to the first tee, and it sure was easy and fun.

I loved the golf course, and it was in superb shape, especially the greens. Harry Colt designed the original layout in 1920, two years after he teamed with George Crump to design Pine Valley. The weather was perfect (70 degrees and sunny) with a light breeze, which was a welcome feeling after swinging in the howling winds at North Berwick last week.

Played my game. Carded an 86. Then sat in the bar overlooking the course, next to an OLD rock, for a BLT, some cheesy chips, and a local IPA before zipping back by tube to our temporary Air BnB. The whole trip cost around 50 pounds.

Taking dead aim,

gPage

Letters to Harvey from The Kingdom:

• Dear Harvey: Ernie Els or Ernie the Milk Man 🥛🍼🥛
• Dear Harvey: Grateful is the right word (#GDTBATH)
• Dear Harvey: The Jack Burke Sr. Golf Legacy Tree
• Dear Harvey: gPage-A-Palooza 2022
• Dear Harvey: The Stage Golfing Society (London)
• Dear Harvey: First Woman Captain (The Richmond Golf Club)
• A couple of gems: Muirfield and North Berwick
• Tube to Tee: Sudbury Golf Club
• Hugging Harvey Goodbye and off to London for a Bit

Other 'golfy' scribblings:

• I Knew Harvey Invitational Golf and Dinner + Ode to Harvey (tribute poem)
• Dear Harvey: "Up against a kid" by Bo Links (slightly modified for gender)
• Dear Harvey: Life is long if you know how to use it
• Stay Whole Tuesday: Stillness, Rome, Herb Brooks, and Harvey Penick
• Patty Sheehan: "Some kind of peacefulness about what you are doing."
• Oscillate, as in Oscillating Dynamic Variable Resistance
• All bets are won or lost on the first tee
• 5.5.05 - 5.5.20 It has been 15 (Bart Star) years since I wrote this . . . Stay Whole!
• Pete Dye (1925 - 2020)
• Dear Harvey: Ace on 16
• Swing sequence - 4th of July (thanks, Emily)
• Fit as a Fiddle Friday: Deceleration with Tom Kite
• My Flat Ass Fitness Rules (12 of them)
• Rudy's 360 boys with Tom Kite - two-time NCAA champions!
• Roane Puett: Austin CC Legendary Golf Member and Friend
• It's complicated: A special video clip from Emily's college golf experience
• Celebrating Dan Bates: Why do men have a hard time getting to know each other?

"Millions of people were charmed by the homespun golf advice dispensed in Harvey Penick's Little Red Book, a sports classic that became the best-selling sports book of all time. Yet, beyond the Texas golf courses where Penick happily toiled for the better part of eight decades, few people knew the self-made golf pro who coaxed the best out of countless greats -- Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright -- all champions who considered Penick their coach and lifelong friend." - Kevin Robbins, author of Harvey Penick: The Life and Wisdom of the Man Who Wrote the Book on Golf.

"And if you play golf, you are my friend." - Harvey Penick

A couple of gems: Muirfield and North Berwick

 
Dear Harvey:

We have had an incredible second week in the UK thanks to excellent planning by Taylor. We took the train to Edinburgh (with the girls) and played Muirfield and North Berwick. Above, photos from Muirfield, where the caddies, their stories, and excellent weather made the whole experience all the better.

Yes, we did the famous lunch in 'smart' clothes; but not the afternoon foursomes, and honestly, I am not certain I could have gotten around again after the lunch! The property is stunning. I loved the paths between holes, where I am told you can get anywhere on the golf course within a 10-minute walk. I managed to break 90, and Taylor bested me by a few, so all-in-all, an incredible day.

After a relatively calm day at Muirfield, we were greeted with 35-40 MPH gusts the next day at North Berwick. Our caddy said, "Swing easy and try to survive the first nine." I heard, "Swing out of your shoes, Page!" You can imagine how that turned out on the outward nine. I did have a solid inward nine, carding a 42, so righted the ship a bit. Taylor with another solid round in the 80s.

Edinburgh did not disappoint. We did a challenging hike known as Arthur's Seat - an ancient volcano sitting 251m above sea level with great city views. We also walked the Royal Mile in the heart of the city.

Plus some outstanding dining with the last night being the best at a place called Dishoom - Bombay Cafe Bar and Dining Room. 

The train rides with the beautiful countryside and coastal views were equally memorable.

And the town of North Berwick was extraordinary as the golf course and town are all one. The beach shot below is right beside the first tee. Around the bend, we found the marina and the lobster shack. Feels a lot like Maine, which is a good feel.

Excited for more bucket-list courses ahead,

gPage

Letters to Harvey from The Kingdom:

• Dear Harvey: Ernie Els or Ernie the Milk Man 🥛🍼🥛
• Dear Harvey: Grateful is the right word (#GDTBATH)
• Dear Harvey: The Jack Burke Sr. Golf Legacy Tree
• Dear Harvey: gPage-A-Palooza 2022
• Dear Harvey: The Stage Golfing Society (London)
• Dear Harvey: First Woman Captain (The Richmond Golf Club)
• A couple of gems: Muirfield and North Berwick
• Tube to Tee: Sudbury Golf Club
• Hugging Harvey Goodbye and off to London for a Bit

Other 'golfy' scribblings:

• I Knew Harvey Invitational Golf and Dinner + Ode to Harvey (tribute poem)
• Dear Harvey: "Up against a kid" by Bo Links (slightly modified for gender)
• Dear Harvey: Life is long if you know how to use it
• Stay Whole Tuesday: Stillness, Rome, Herb Brooks, and Harvey Penick
• Patty Sheehan: "Some kind of peacefulness about what you are doing."
• Oscillate, as in Oscillating Dynamic Variable Resistance
• All bets are won or lost on the first tee
• 5.5.05 - 5.5.20 It has been 15 (Bart Star) years since I wrote this . . . Stay Whole!
• Pete Dye (1925 - 2020)
• Dear Harvey: Ace on 16
• Swing sequence - 4th of July (thanks, Emily)
• Fit as a Fiddle Friday: Deceleration with Tom Kite
• My Flat Ass Fitness Rules (12 of them)
• Rudy's 360 boys with Tom Kite - two-time NCAA champions!
• Roane Puett: Austin CC Legendary Golf Member and Friend
• It's complicated: A special video clip from Emily's college golf experience
• Celebrating Dan Bates: Why do men have a hard time getting to know each other?

"Millions of people were charmed by the homespun golf advice dispensed in Harvey Penick's Little Red Book, a sports classic that became the best-selling sports book of all time. Yet, beyond the Texas golf courses where Penick happily toiled for the better part of eight decades, few people knew the self-made golf pro who coaxed the best out of countless greats -- Tom Kite, Ben Crenshaw, Betsy Rawls, Mickey Wright -- all champions who considered Penick their coach and lifelong friend." - Kevin Robbins, author of Harvey Penick: The Life and Wisdom of the Man Who Wrote the Book on Golf.

"And if you play golf, you are my friend." - Harvey Penick