Ponies, Rabbits, Cows, Birdies, and the Olympic Games

It has been a busy week with a surprising number of animals involved. I was at St. Andrews for the Open Championship where I mowed fairways and collected performance data from the greens, and I saw a lot of rabbits in Scotland in addition to the previously mentioned sheep. As an aside, I highly recommend the famous award-winning Anstruther Fish Bar in Fife. Look no further for the best chippie in Britain.

After the Open I went to England, visited a number of golf courses, and
was particularly impressed with Bramshaw Golf Club’s Forest Course in
the New Forest National Park, Hampshire. I made three birdies in the
first seven holes at this fun course. I saw ponies everywhere at the New
Forest including many of them on the golf course.

July days are long in Britain, and that was useful on 21 July when I went from the New Forest to Salisbury (pictured at the cathedral at right), Bath, Minchinhampton, and then all the way back to London. I managed to fit in a round of golf at Minchinhampton that day, enjoying the scenery and history of Gloucestershire while making another birdie, seeing hundred of cows grazing on Minchinhampton Common where the golf course is laid out, and having a post-round pint of Black Rat cider, which reminded me in many ways of last years’ Sam Khok diet.

Then I made a visit to Greenwich Park, site of the 2012 Olympics equestrian events and the Royal Observatory. Ive studied cool-season grasses for the past two weeks and am ready to see the tropical grasses again. It has been a whirlwind tour of Britain.