San Miguel GS at La Finca (2 September 2026) – A Grape Day on the Course

Forget the usual banana and bottle of water. Today we were treated to bowls of ice-cold grapes grown right there on the golf course by the 10th tee, all picked, chilled and waiting for us to tuck in. No effort required whatsoever, which was fortunate as some of us were already using all our energy looking for golf balls.

They were absolutely delicious and a very welcome treat in the heat. We did ask whether the next stage of the crop was wine, but apparently you have to play all 18 holes before they start serving that. One complaint, mind you: they had seeds!

A cooler, cloudier start than previous weeks was very welcome, and there were certainly no complaints about that. After the recent run of hot, bright mornings, it made a pleasant change not to feel cooked before the first putt had even been lined up. The greens, however, had other ideas. They had been heavily sanded, but it must have been the super-fast type of sand, because the ball seemed to gather pace from nowhere.

Ayrton Senna fast would be about right, and it took more than a couple of holes for most of us to work out whether we were putting or simply giving the ball a gentle suggestion and watching it disappear.

For the beginning of September, we had expected a few more members to emerge from their summer hiding places, but in the end we had 32 members and three guests, which still made for a very respectable field. On paper, that should have meant a slightly earlier finish and perhaps an extra few minutes on the terrace. Golf, of course, rarely reads the paper.

The Pairs Matchplay Final provided the drama of the day, going to two extra holes before Dave Rowe and John Osborne finally overcame Phil de Lacy and Robin Eastman to become this year’s champions. It was gripping stuff, with just enough tension to keep everyone interested and just enough delay to remind us that golf has very little respect for dinner plans. Congratulations to Dave and John, and commiserations to Phil and Robin after what sounded like a proper final.

Refreshments were taken in the shade on the terrace, where the presentation was held. As usual, the “Finca Boys”, who seem to have perfected this pretty difficult course, came in with some cracking scores.

Gold: Drew Niblock (41 pts and best score of the day)
.Silver: Guy Wade Palmer (38 pts)
Bronze: Ken Flaherty (36 pts)

There were five “Twos” today, so that pot was spread quite thinly between Darren Strugnell, Colin Rispin, Kenny Cunningham, Barry “The Illegitimate One” Roehrig and Nigel Hinds. Nearest the Pin on the 3rd from Barry “TIO” Roehrig, Will Hammond on the 6th, Peter Harding on the 13th, and Ian Benzie on the 16th.

Tommy McGinn (coming back from surgery, we shall add here) took the McBride Bottle by default but not really actually earning it. John Osborne decided the Doubles Matchplay wasn’t quite sufficient and had Celtic on the much loved football card pot. Sean Davey was Best Guest.

Keep up to date with SMGS at www.smgs.org. Sponsorship opportunities are available for upcoming games, so please contact smgs91info@gmail.com if you are interested. We are also proud to be supported by Michaela Schmidt at www.golf-hotspots.com for all your golf travel needs.

Next week we remain at La Finca and have our AGM afterwards.

Pictured L-R: Ian Benzie(NTP), Mick Pryke (Captain), John Osborne (Doubles & Footie Card), Dave Rowe (Doubles), Ken Flaherty (Bronze 1st), Drew Niblock (Gold 1st), Guy Wade Palmer (Silver 1st), Sean Davey (Best Guest), Andrew Jones (Silver 3rd), Charlie Jackson (Bronze 2nd) and John Simmons (Silver 2nd)

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