During this second installment of Challenge Accepted, Joel Tadman travels to Cambridgeshire’s Gog Magog with the goal of scoring below 80. While that might sound like an easy task for a golfer with a 3 handicap index, the mysterious white envelope holds a massive twist that turns this objective into a much tougher trial…
Transcript of the Video
Oh, wow.
That isn’t great.
Everything is falling apart.
Oh goodness me.
It has vanished.
That is not a good sign.
Hi there, everyone, and welcome back to our second installment of Challenge Accepted with myself, Joel Tadman.
I hope you managed to catch our premiere episode that was released recently.
In case you missed it, make sure to take a look.
For today’s video, we are visiting the stunning Gog Magog Golf Club located here in Cambridgeshire.
To me, it ranks right at the top, easily one of the finest, if not the absolute best course in the county.
I am highly anticipating what kind of test the white envelope is going to present to me today.
Let’s make our way towards the clubhouse now and discover what is hidden inside.
Not over there.
Well, hello.
We are ready to roll.
Another poem for me.
Shooting under 80 in today’s match will secure your victory, but stay alert for the twist.
Card a bogey or higher, and you forfeit a club or a pair.
Earn a birdie, and you win one back to help carry you home.
All right.
It seems quite straightforward to me.
I must score under 80, but the catch is that any bogey costs me a club.
Recording a double bogey means sacrificing two of them.
On the other hand, a birdie allows me to reclaim one.
Unbelievable.
Reflecting on my performance this past Sunday.
If I had attempted this ruleset with my Sunday score, I would have ended up finishing with only three clubs in my bag.
I am not feeling overly optimistic.
I lost track of the ball immediately, but the contact felt straight.
Due to the blinding sunlight, I couldn’t track its flight path, but let’s go search for it.
Let’s find out if it’s recoverable.
Right on the fairway.
An excellent beginning.
I have zero clue where that ball ended up.
I struck that with far too much pace.
Settle down, settle down, please stop.
An uphill putt curving right to left to save par.
Ah.
Okay.
Starting off with a bogey on the opening hole.
Pretty typical for me.
Now let’s find out which club I have to forfeit.
Well, here we go.
Behold the hat of doom, put together for me by our challenge coordinator.
As shown, every single club except my putter has been noted on these slips of paper.
Oh goodness.
My 54-degree wedge.
That is my go-to club for chipping around the greens.
It’s basically the only wedge I rely on for those shots.
This is a terrible development.
Okay then.
So the 54-degree is officially out of play.
I will set aside any lost club right here to keep things clear and prevent any accidental usage.
Moving on.
Here on the second tee.
We have to carry the ball across this small gorge.
The strategy is to play a slight fade starting off the trees on the left side.
It is 128 yards playing uphill.
A standard pitching wedge should do nicely.
Get up there, get up.
We’re safely on the putting surface.
I just need to cozy this one up near the cup and see if it falls.
No need to put extra pressure on myself.
Ah, I genuinely believed I was earning my wedge back right there.
Nicely played.
A solid par.
Pars are exactly what I need to keep grinding today.
On to the third hole.
Some truly breathtaking scenery of the Cambridgeshire landscape here.
So.
If we look at Arccos data tracking countless golf shots, a typical five-handicap player cards a bogey or worse on roughly 44% of their holes.
The mathematical odds are clearly stacked against me.
Statistically speaking, I am on track to surrender about seven or eight clubs over the course of 18 holes.
That sounds daunting, but with a decent start so far, I hope to defy the statistics and beat this challenge.
We have 135 yards remaining.
I will go with a smooth nine-iron.
Fly.
It bounced hard to the left.
I cannot tell if it struck the flagstick, but it should be fine.
It looks to be on the putting green.
I saw it break sharply left, and as it turns out, it landed just six inches short of the cup, banged off the pin, and deflected away.
I am completely devastated by that luck.
That was nearly a direct eagle hole-out.
I would have reclaimed two clubs with that shot.
Unbelievable.
I cannot believe that did not drop.
Just a par.
A safe score, though I was desperate to get that 54-degree wedge returned.
Next up, the fourth hole.
Stunning vistas from this vantage point.
A highly elevated tee shot on this par three.
Playing 164 yards.
Ah, that drifted a bit to the right.
Sit down, please sit down.
I desperately want to avoid dropping another club on this hole.
This should be a highly manageable putt.
Are you kidding me?
How did that ball not drop into the cup?
Okay.
Following that heartbreaking lip-out, I have to lose another club.
Let’s draw this one.
As long as it isn’t my driver, I can manage.
Ah, the three-wood.
I can handle losing that one.
Now for the par-four fifth.
Aiming down the left is crucial because the slope funnels everything to the right.
I completely lost sight of it.
It went straight into the sun’s glare.
I have 114 yards to go.
I’ll attempt to hit a controlled gap wedge up toward the green.
Keep moving.
Get up.
It must have taken a favorable kick, leaving me with a decent uphill putt.
This putt has a significant amount of break from left to right.
It didn’t break enough.
Another par.
Moving right along.
At 180 yards.
Just a quick moment to gather myself and strategize my next move, which is…
Avoid bogeys at all costs and hunt for birdies.
Still quite a distance from the putting surface.
Ordinarily, I would chip this with my 54-degree, but that’s gone.
So, I believe my best option is to putt it through the fringe.
That is the safest statistical choice.
Keep rolling.
Wow, it fell well short.
Oh, you must be joking.
That’s a bogey.
Time to lose another club.
Drawing from the hat of doom once more.
The 6-iron. The very club I just played off the tee. That hurts, but those are the rules.
Out goes the 6-iron.
That is absolutely perfect.
A magnificent shot.
Please don’t bounce off to the right.
It just needed to roll out. Did you catch that bounce?
How on earth did the ball settle in that spot?
Oh dear.
Leaving 160 yards.
I pulled it.
What is happening to my game?
I am completely ruining this par five.
The ball just refused to fade back.
Which club is next?
The 9-iron.
I suppose I can get by without it.
Farewell to the 9-iron.
I have now forfeited four clubs.
How many holes are we in?
Just seven holes played, and I have lost four of my tools. Not a great start.
That is a terrible average.
The eighth hole presents another par five.
I need to avoid the mistakes of the previous hole and start with a solid drive.
That was a terrible swing.
On the bright side, we recovered the ball.
We are still alive in this hole.
With no direct line to the green, my only play is to lay up.
Wow, still 280 yards remaining.
With no three-wood available, this is tough.
I am clueless here.
Reaching the eighth green, I originally calculated 280 yards to the flag.
It turns out my laser rangefinder targeted the wrong flagstick.
I accidentally measured the distance to the adjacent green.
This green was much closer, and my shot actually finished on the back collar.
Ah, it just veered off at the very end.
At least my bag is safe for this hole.
Following that drive, things were looking quite bleak.
So, through eight holes, I am down four clubs.
It could certainly be going better.
It’s 140 yards to the target.
Ordinarily a perfect distance for my missing 9-iron.
Since there’s a helpful breeze behind us, I hope a aggressive pitching wedge reaches.
Let’s aim to stick this close and convert a birdie.
The trajectory looks spot on.
Have the right distance.
Please be enough.
Now we are talking.
The back nine begins right now.
I am going to attack this par-four with an aggressive driver off the tee.
Absolutely flawless.
That is a massive strike.
Incredible distance.
Please sit, sit down.
That looks great.
That was quite poor.
Was that too aggressive?
Okay, I blocked that shot.
I would prefer a 9-iron, but since it is gone, I will take an 8-iron instead.
That was a clean hit.
It found the bunker on the left side.
Not a great spot.
There is a massive slope running off the left of this green.
I need to land this softly on the left collar and let it trickle down.
Spin, please check up.
Get there, get there.
Wow.
Oh my word.
How did that escape the hole?
What an incredible effort.
It stopped just an inch past the cup.
To secure a par.
No damage inflicted.
I definitely got lucky on that one.
Man, what a recovery.
Now we are on the 12th hole.
Here at Gog Magog.
I just need to fade it off the trees on the left.
Hold the line.
Keep it in play.
That is dangerously close to the OB line.
It stayed safe, just about three yards inside the line—the wind helped.
Yes, sit down.
This might be my first birdie opportunity.
That was a really weak effort.
The flatstick is usually my reliable asset, but it has completely failed me today.
On a brighter note, we are still on target to shoot sub-80.
Let’s check the position.
We are on the 13th, and I am currently 4-over par after 12 holes.
This 13th is a par three.
Offering stunning vistas across the landscape.
It measures 190 yards.
It is tracking right at the flag.
Get there, keep flying.
I would love nothing more than to recover my 54-degree wedge.
Let’s go.
Boom!
We got it.
Finally, a birdie!
It took us 13 holes to find one, but we did it.
Now I get to reclaim a club.
The major decision is which one I want back.
My initial thought is the 54-degree, but I should scan the scorecard to see if any upcoming par threes require a 6-iron distance before making my choice.
Let’s decide.
I will stick with my 54-degree wedge to ensure I have a reliable option for green-side chipping.
So, we rescue it from the sidelines and put it back in play.
That brings my total up to 11 clubs.
I have to admit, I am managing reasonably well.
Sitting at 3-over par with five holes remaining on this par-70 layout.
I feel optimistic about finishing this successfully.
Let’s do this.
Now on the 14th, the final par five of the round here at Gog Magog.
Playing 500 yards today.
This should offer a realistic birdie opportunity.
I am not sure who designed these rules, but they really could have made this a bit more challenging for me.
That is a beauty right down the center of the fairway.
Oh, perfect.
Just 60 yards remaining.
Wait, I don’t have my—oh wait, I actually do have my 54-degree back, don’t I?
I completely blanked on that.
I was thinking, “Ah, I can actually pull that club out now.”
I had accepted that it was gone, but I forgot that I just earned it back on the last hole.
That simplifies this shot immensely because I was concerned about sliding a lob wedge under it.
We are putting now.
This is a putt for a birdie.
It broke in that direction.
I suspected it would take that line.
It’s heading toward the sand trap.
Alright, we have 136 yards.
More gorgeous views here on the 15th.
This is an ideal distance for a pitching wedge.
Please be as precise as that swing felt.
It drifted quite a bit to the left.
We secure a par on the 15th.
Currently 1-under on the back nine, which puts us in great shape.
The 16th is a lengthy par four, measuring 447 yards.
To recap the situation: I am 3-over par overall with three holes to play and 11 clubs available.
I just need to play the final stretch in 6-over or better to beat the challenge.
That ball is moving.
I am unsure about the line, but it might turn out okay.
It is heading right toward the cross bunkers.
Oh no.
It ended up in the sand.
Check, check, check.
This surface is incredibly fast, so I must tread carefully.
I think I was slightly too cautious.
A double bogey.
That means I lose two clubs, which I will draw randomly.
First out is the 60-degree wedge, the very tool I just used in the sand.
It’s out of the bag.
I cannot believe my luck.
So now I am playing without a driver or a three-wood.
Fortunately, with only a par three and a par four left, I will only miss a wood for one hole, but that was definitely not the club I wanted to draw.
I am completely devastated.
The pressure is definitely on now.
It is going to be very tight.
On the 17th hole.
I must admit, the nerves are starting to set in.
I expected a simple finish, but that double bogey has really shaken things up.
Please clear that bunker.
Come on.
Hoping for a good bounce.
It barely made it.
That needs to keep moving too.
Keep going.
It actually ended up quite well.
Indeed, that turned out beautifully.
Well, here we stand.
The 18th hole.
A gorgeous setting for our final hole of the day.
With my driver and three-wood out of commission, playing an iron might seem like the safe play, but my driver is usually my most accurate club.
Carding a five or a six will seal the challenge, so I feel reasonably secure, though anything can happen.
Please stay out of that sand trap.
Stop rolling.
Oh my goodness.
I didn’t even realize that bunker was there.
Excellent.
Hit a firm gap wedge.
Fly.
Go strong.
Hit it hard.
Oh, I struck that with way too much force.
Ah, I was trying to make a heroic play.
Oh man, I tried to be a hero.
There we go.
We finish with a bogey, but a final score of 76 means the task was handled and the challenge is officially complete.
Thank you so much to everyone for tuning in.
A huge thanks to Gog Magog Golf Club for letting us play here today.
It has been a truly fantastic experience.
Be sure to drop a comment below with ideas on what challenge I should tackle next, perhaps something even more demanding.
I look forward to reading your suggestions.
That wraps things up for me from Gog Magog Golf Club.
I will see you all in the next episode.
