By Bipin Patel
The thought of playing 72 holes had never crossed my mind and under normal circumstances this is not something I would consider.
At our first Provincial Golf event I met Paul McGuirk, who looks after the golf in East Kent. He sent me details of the challenge.
I did think at the time that it would be tall order but the benefit of doing it and being able to raise money for our 2026 Festival prompted me to sign up for the challenge, hoping that I might have been able to persuade other to join me to make up a 4 -ball. Unfortunately, this wasn’t possible and I joined with Paul and two other Brethren from East Kent to make up a 4 ball.
We all signed up for the challenge and decided that we would individually promote it to our friends and family. I managed to set up a JustGiving page for the donations which would immediately be sent to Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) to be put to good use. This was done with the help of our Communications team, in particular Fernando Caicedo, who created a flyer for me together with a QR code and a Bitly link for the JustGiving page. This made promoting it very easy. I promoted it with friends, family and Brethren in West Kent, using our Facebook and Instagram channels. I raised awareness of the challenge whenever I visited a Lodge or Chapter.
All of these means have helped me raise over £3000 for the West Kent 2026 Festival and the MCF. A massive thank you to all for the support and encouragement. Without you, this would not have been possible.
The actual day, 21st June 2023, went well. Leading up to the big day we had to look for a new venue as East Sussex National Golf Club cancelled the event. Fortunately, my home club Shirley Park Golf Club agreed to accommodate us. Having not participated in a similar event before, I wasn’t sure how I would cope physically. I prepared as best as I could.
The weather had been hot the previous week, it rained heavily on the Monday before when the course had to be closed to allow the puddles created by the heavy rainfall to drain. The weather on the day was true to the forecast - warm and sunny, not too hot. The stifling heat of the previous week would have made it impossible to enjoy the day.
The day started at about 3.00 am, getting ready and being prepared to tee off at 4.30 am, at first light. We completed 36 holes by about 12.15 pm when we had lunch, commencing the second half of the challenge at about 1.15 pm and completing 72 holes at about 8.45 pm. Coming down 18th fairway for the fourth and last time was very satisfying.
I was absolutely delighted and thrilled to see our Provincial Grand Master accompanied with our Deputy Grand Superintendent and Assistant Provincial Grand Masters, Andrew Waddington and David Huntley, waiting for me as we finished. Thank you for giving up your time, I am truly grateful.
Just for the record, I scored 78, 86, 92 and 88 with 27 par and 3 birdies. Definitely room for improvement.
Who knows what 2024 has in store for my golf game and me. Thank you everyone for helping to create this memory, without you this would not have been possible.
