Friday, 21 January 2011

100 days and counting...

Time is ticking and we now get down to some serious planning.

I need some input on a couple of things:

1. Hotel has now been reserved for the nights of 28th/29th and 30th May, with the booking made for 7 people, 3 twin rooms and one single.  As yet, no deposit has been requested, but this will probably change. Trust this is all ok.

2. Intention would be to drive to Folkestone, take euroTunnel and then from Calais to the hotel (this leg is ~2 hrs).  Rates on the tunnel crossing are not too bad at the moment so I want to look at making a reservation (once I have clarity on tee time for the Saturday).  From previous discussions, I believe that there is a business case for taking THREE cars, thereby allowing us to take our own trolleys (this covers the cost of the extra car, plus allows more flexibility and greater travelling comfort).  I need volunteers to drive therefore, noting that such cars would need to check that their insurance covers European travel.  With 7 of us going, this would mean one car with 3 people and two each with 2.  Once we arrive there, depending on the fleet composition, we should be able to drive to/from golf with only two cars. Grateful any volunteers....

3. I have booked us into the hotel restaurant for the Sunday evening.  I was hoping to find room at http://www.amandier.be/ for the Saturday night but have yet to make a booking for the Monday.  I was thinking of looking for somewhere in Brussels, but happy to take any suggestions.

Posted by at

28 comments:

  1. Martin L24 January 2011 at 12:04

    Finding a restaurant open on a Monday night is not quite so easy. Proposal is to go into the City and try http://www.restaurantjaloa.com/ after which we could have a drink in the Grande Place (See http://www.ilotsacre.be/images/virtualvisit/grand_place-grote_markt.htm) if we're up for it: any thoughts?

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  2. Martin L31 January 2011 at 07:01

    Gents - I need some help.

    I want to book the tunnel tickets but we do not have the necessary volunteers,

    Responses so far:

    Adrian - Astra available (but probably a squeeze)
    Colin - Trusty van on the way to be recycled
    Rolf - concerned driving may impact his ability to concentrate on the golf on the first day
    Robert - Mercedes available (thanks!)
    Nigel and Roland - no response

    I am prepared to take our Tiguan, so assuming we take up Robert's kind offer we need another car...

    Or should I look to hiring a van?

    Or flying instead?

    Your thoughts welcome

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  3. Rolf C31 January 2011 at 08:37

    regardless who drives, it would be fairer to make the first day a non-qualifying round (6 hours driving is a tall order), in which case I am happy to drive as well...

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  4. Nigel31 January 2011 at 08:49

    Rolf! Good joke - you really are a wag.... you were joking, right? I take it that Rolf is the 3rd driver then. If required I don't mind driving, although I did 100% of the driving in Norn Iron. Only slight concern is that I won't know what car I will be driving as Eddy Merc might have been usurped by then, and Mark Polo only really has the capacity for a medium sized woman, her handbag and a weekly Waitrose shop.

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  5. Rolf C31 January 2011 at 09:20

    Rather than turning this into a competition how old / close to collapsing everybody's car is, why not make the first round a non-qualifying round?! ... no need to bully...

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  6. Rolf C31 January 2011 at 09:27

    Hi Martin, on a more practical note: My understanding is that you can always book the train based on some assumptions and change the car registration later (same as with airport parking); just double-check...

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  7. ColinJ31 January 2011 at 11:43

    Van will not be sold by end of May, but as it will only accommodate 4 in reasonable comfortably with bags and golf stuff, it is only a means of reducing transport to 2 vehicles if we have a guaranteed 3 in another vehicle.

    As for 6 hours on the road followed by competitive golf, pahh, I laugh at journeys like that! I don't need a good night's sleep and a pamper session to play at the top of my game (although I admit it's a low bar :-) )

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  8. Rolf C31 January 2011 at 12:14

    that's why I love the JLC crowd: It's all heroes, ... like in the good old days.

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  9. Martin L31 January 2011 at 19:48

    Dr Morley....where are you?

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  10. Adrian F31 January 2011 at 20:36

    Wife will let me borrow old Alhambra for the week-end which should get us there and back (Belgium is quite flat isn't it?). With back two seats out should comfortably take clubs and bags x 3 I think. Will Frau C need a note from mummy about wee-wee stops and not staying up too late in order to maintain his handicap?

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  11. rolyrat31 January 2011 at 23:23

    Working .......you silly bugger!

    Have just heard that freelander is free for the weekend in question.

    Rolf....you'll need a sleep before teeing off! six hour drive too much?

    Where's your staying power?

    on a more serious note, would prefer 36 holes on 2nd day and relaxing on first!

    The jaloa restaurant looks great,fine for me, but let's decide whether we want Bistro or fine dining? you lot don't seem to be able to make your minds up.

    Let me know if the freelander needed

    roland

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  12. Nigel1 February 2011 at 06:54

    Relaxing on the first day? What's happening to this world? I think the relevant expression is MTFU. On a far more serious note, as far as eating is concerned I personally, and it's only my view et etc, is that the more casual and bistroesque the better. But I'm relaxed.

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  13. Martin L1 February 2011 at 06:55

    Thanks for all the offers guys: we now have cars sufficient available. I shall take up Rolf's suggestion to look to make bookings with flexibility on licence plate numbers. I am also going to enquire about possible van hire, complete with feather beds and massage option to ensure all JLC participants arrive fit and well.... Seriously though, I have made this journey and it is no more tiring than struggling through Terminal 1 at 0630 in the morning onto a Ryan air flight...

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  14. Rolf C1 February 2011 at 07:13

    glad to have been of help bringing people out of the woodwork on the car front.
    Lets move on to another serious issue then. Who will get the single room, and will it be "on the house"?

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  15. Rolf C1 February 2011 at 08:18

    I agree with Nigel with respect to restaurants. The more informal the better...

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  16. Robert1 February 2011 at 08:49

    I just love this pre tour banter - like prize fighters we psyche our opponents up before the big match....in response to Rolf "the Shark" Scholl - I am happy to share with either Rolf or Nigel but if you must toss for it please do so somewhere quietly on your own. Restaurants - I go with Nigel on this, I will be very happy with a decent Bistro, as long as the food's OK. Cars - Martin have you made any final decision? As I mentiond the E320 wil happily take 2 or at a squeeze 3. Robert

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  17. Nigel1 February 2011 at 09:04

    Robert - are you not happy to share with any of the others? Do you know something I don't? Hmmm.
    As for the single room, I should point out that historically (well last year anyway) the single premium was paid by the occupant.

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  18. ColinJ1 February 2011 at 09:14

    I'm for informal dining - we've had some great meals in reasonably priced restaurants in the past and in Belgium, I'm sure you can't swing a cat without bumping into some reasonable grub and an agreeable bottle of vino!

    Happy to do some Internet research to back up my assertion.

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  19. Rolf C1 February 2011 at 09:24

    I am happy to share with Robert or Nigel ... on the basis that the others are already spoken for...

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  20. Rolf C1 February 2011 at 09:31

    Joking aside (and after all the abuse I would obviously volunteer my car as well!): wouldn't it be more relaxing, if we made the first round a non-qualifying round, like in Le Touquet?

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  21. Nigel1 February 2011 at 09:38

    Why don't we compensate the drivers for the onerous and tiring 2 hour journey from Calais? Perhaps they could EITHER have, say, 4 points added to their Stableford score for the first round, OR they could have the option of discarding the first day score, whilst non-drivers would have to count that score, and we have 3 scores counting out of four, as usual, with the final round counting.

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  22. Rolf C1 February 2011 at 10:16

    the 4 points added to the Stabelford score sound a bit too generous, but the second proposal looks very acceptable indeed. I would definitely be a volunteer on that basis.

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  23. Adrian F1 February 2011 at 20:22

    Not only do you city types not have enough work to do, as evidenced by the ridiculous number of messages on the board each day, you have clearly all gone soft as well. Four extra points for being a driver, warm-up rounds that don't count - whatever next? Extended gimme's for anyone whose hotel bogroll is a little coarse? Playing off the ladies tee if anyone is a ickle bit ty-tyed because the nasty man next door snored a bit? Get a grip!
    Anyway, solved the car/single room problem. Rolf drives and sleeps in his car. Sorted.

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  24. Nigel2 February 2011 at 09:39

    RolfC "I would definitely be a volunteer on that basis."
    I had a feeling you might!

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  25. Rolf C2 February 2011 at 10:10

    no time to comment, ... having cold showers and extended work-out sessions in the gym to shed my image as a "softy" :-)

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  26. rolyrat3 February 2011 at 00:16

    So rolf , your sleeping in the car then? hard man eh?

    Have i got to sleep with adrian again? .......... joking!

    Why not have variety. ... and pick sleeping partners out of a hat?

    Martin, are you setting up golf blog for this weekend?

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  27. rolyrat3 February 2011 at 01:06

    Happy birthday martin

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  28. rolyrat3 February 2011 at 01:06

    Happy Birthday Martin

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