The optimism which prompted 40 seniors to even turn up at the club this week soon evaporated as they braced themselves to face the cutting easterly wind, with the promise of rain around mid-morning.
The accuracy of forecasting has certainly improved and the rain arrived on cue to make a difficult situation almost impossible.
Typically most groups were a long way from the clubhouse, leaving a long walk in to the comforting warmth of the locker room. Paul Bradley did not venture out in shirt sleeves this week, in fact he did not venture out at all. The cold symptoms that had kept him at home last week had not dissipated, so he only came in to watch the suffering of his mates.
The last group to call it a day fought against the wind with reddened faces and numb fingers as they passed the only group to complete 14 holes. Nigel Rimell, Brian Morgan and Paul Nixon, whose game was not up to last week's standard, managed 10 holes, while everyone else played nine holes or less. Two or three groups only played three holes.
One such player to finish early was Jim Martin, but that was only to make sure that he had his chips this week. Last week he claimed that he had bought a bowl of chips and only left them momentarily to check the computer. When he returned, there were only three left - poor Jim!
The misery caused by the weather was compounded by the fact that the greens had been tined. While they were running fast, they were certainly not running true and many a tale of missed putts was exchanged in the warmth of the clubhouse. A typical example was played out by Tony Ranoe, Allen Watts and Ken Gouldsbrough. They had all reached the first green in three, only to walk off with seven shots each.
Back in the clubhouse, the competition was declared 'dull and void', but scores were entered for eclectic purposes. Roy Morgan and Brian Waters were both a bit miffed as they had struggled to complete 14 holes and Brian had some good scores. It was Roy who had urged his playing partners to cross the railway line, but they declined his offer.
John Hayhoe's suffering epitomised how everyone else was feeling. With cherry red face from battling the wind and rain, he eased himself out of his wet weather gear in the locker room with painfully numb fingers. He made the mistake of trying to bring them back to life in warm water, only to experience excruciating pain as they recovered.
His suffering was not over, as he folded his trolley to pack it into his car he trapped his thumb and even admitted to using a four letter word - like 'dash' or 'flip.' Never mind, he is off on holiday in a few days - to Funchal in Madeira!
Once the raffle was drawn, won by Judy Brew and Mike Fox, most members left the warmth of the building to return home to loved ones, leaving behind a select hardy group to witness the presentation of a donation to charity.
Rosie Swale-Pope breezed into the clubhouse after a strenuous training run to receive a cheque for £200. This was part of the proceeds from the weekly raffle donated to one of her charitable causes, the Prostate Cancer Charity. She was both generous in her praise for the efforts of the seniors and grateful to accept the donation on behalf of the charity.
Surrounded by admirers, she stayed to talk about her next venture of 26 marathons in 26 days. All this for a group of hardy participants who had walked in out of the cold!