Welcome to the Machine ....

 

Titan of the Tee-box, Führer of the Fairways and Godfather of the Greens. Sartorially elegant (especially the Goldfinger suit), salaciously eloquent, deferential to Browning, Keats and Wordsworth, what more can be said of this gentle giant?

 

Born in the love ‘n peace culture of the swinging sixties, little is known of his the early years, but it is understood that his father was the driving force and inspiration behind his developing obsession in golf  ...  his rattle and mobiles were quickly replaced by mashie and niblick. The writer first met and did battle with Eddie in the 90’s during a series of FGC society golf days which led to an enduring rivalry – a rivalry that has seen fiercely contested battles on the field but generous gestures and much derring-do at the bar.  After a couple of ding dong matches with the writer (a notable classic at East Brighton) and after hooking up as a fourball with Snakecharmer and Valise, thus was the ethos, code, virtue and ambition of the Last Hoorah Golf Society borne. Battle commenced in earnest in January 2005.

 

DA, aka Eddie "the Eagle" Aspey, the Doctor, DA, Herr Durchsprung vor Teknik, is the engine room that drives our esteemed society forward with his ever-increasing buffoonish obsession with all things golf. He is now the main contributor of the Minutes that record for posterity the highs and lows of our outings, event organiser and general golfing guru.

 

Hotly fancied in its inaugural year, he disappointed in 2005 and was the butt of numerous and well-deserved WD40 jokes, his wheels habitually falling off over the closing holes - leaving the Good Doctor to bring the up the rear of the HOOM 2005 to everyone's surprise.

 

All that was thankfully laid to rest as he passed into legend at the 3rd hole on the Woosnam Course at Dale Hill by holing his 80 yard 4 iron to register the first Hoorah eagle. He followed up his bright start in 2006 with a succession of good returns, culminating in a champion-like performance at Royal St George’s, including a gritty and priceless sand save at the 17th, to win the HOOM 2006 and don the Red Jacket. But most memorable of all will be his machine-like performance on  the Old Course at Royal Ashdown, shooting a gross two over par (still a Hoorah record) as the driving rain bounced off his impervious broad shoulders – a sight which will be indelibly etched in the author's memory and may be Eddie the Eagle’s defining moment.

 

In 2007, he introduced us to his highly successful "whore-grip" putting action, fending off many a jest in the process, and finally emerging with a memorable back nine at the RSG to tie the HOOM 2007 with his arch-nemesis, HO. In the same year his trophy cabinet became swollen with wins at Sunningdale at one of the main surveyor bashes, winning the National Surveyors Matchplay championship, and scooping the Southover too! Shares in duraglit soared.

 

In 2008 doubts returned into his game and the whore-grip disappeared temporarily, only to return reinvigorated in the second half the season. He produced his best form perhaps outside Hoorah in 2008, but still fought tooth and nail to the end, only to miss out by a couple of points at the RSG to take a worthy second place.

 

Extolling the virtues of gentlemanly conduct, he was also awarded the Hoorah fair play award after calling a foul on his bunker short at the 5^th at Tilgate Forest in 2006 for feathering the sand with his wedge before playing his stroke .

  

Also known for his obsessively anal knowledge of golfing trivia, passion for the links and all round buffoonishness. He is in summary, the essence of Hoorah!

 

His personal combined all time Hoorah stats can be viewed here