Tippy knows everybody of any consequence in the world personally, has been to their house for dinner and once spent an evening swapping stories and getting drunk with them. 

Tippy is always first rate company and he always has an excellent new tale to share, is always ready to lift everyone's spirits and, crucially, is always first at the bar.  

John is very steady, very reliable and a great choice to play dependable foursomes with. He is still, despite advancing years very able to be highly competitive and, frustratingly, not likely to make a huge error (such as knobbing his drive into a bush).

The very embodiment of the well known French proverb..

When struck, the ball does not appear to go all that far but, when compared to some of the younger more thrusting and enthusiastic strikers, it sometimes goes embarrassingly further than they would like.  Tippy will often out drive the harder hitters.

The reason for this is that the swing is pretty good, the fundamentals are all in place, there is not much to go wrong and the quality of the strike usually very good. As a result the ball will go quite a long way and it will be in play.

Upon that much at least you can rely. 

Tippy can get round the golf course quite well even on days when he isn't playing too well because of the sound technique. Thus it is that Tippy is possibly the most consistent golfer on the tour apart, of course, from the old putting problem of which we do not speak. 

Now a solid 9. Was cut to 8 at a time when, by common consent, he was one too many. (Every year in the usual pre tour preamble of handicap squabbles and last minute renegotiations he attempts to claim a new handicap of 9.5 "Call it Ten" following a run of bad luck and a recent poor return in some competition or other.

This pleading buttered no parsnips (but it did neatly avoid the discussion about being cut to eight)

This year Tippy has made a fundamental error.  Having qualified for the 36 hole final medal, he went out and shot net 68 and net 70. Oh dear. An immediate cut to 9 handicap followed a week later by a committee review and a further cut to 8. In truth, eight or nine is about right providing of course is that the perennial short putting problem does not return to haunt yet again. Tippy is very good in all of the required disciplines and holes a lot of putts when the pressure is on. But, every now and again (less frequently these days but still in the back of the mind and for no apparent reason) the missed short ones return.

Tippy was raring to go this year. Perhaps an early night or two might guarantee a return to the winner's rostrum but that is not Tippy's style. Sometimes this involves missing his footing on the way home and taking an early bath in the harbour.

An opening 27 in the prequel did not set the place on fire but ensured that he was "nicely placed". Once the tour began there were some average scores of 34,31,29,29,and 3. But a brace of closing 30 pointers meant 8th place.  s

Distinguishing Marks

Catchphrase

"Physically I'm in good shape but my dignity is in tatters".