Bisque

I have frequently been in a situation where I have been unable to participate in a discussion or argument because of  being unfamiliar with a particular term and being, I guess, too embarrassed to admit that I’m unsure of what is being spoken about. I frequently have had the impression that other people have also been in such a position.

Naturally, if I do not understand what sort of “pragmatic” solutions are being sought, I can put pride in my pocket and simply ask the speaker what he means by the term. And then ask why he hadn’t used the word “practical” or “sensible” instead…

With the advent of the Internet and development of institutions such as efficient search engines and resources like Wikipedia, there is really no excuse for us to remain in the dark about anything anymore. There are those among us, of course, will tell you that everything you read on the Internet is a pack of lies in any case…

Bisque. A French word related to the concept of “two” (I think). A biscuit is a cookie which had been baked twice. A bisque is a crab or shellfish soup  in which the fish is effectively “cooked” twice. But, a bisque is also an extra turn in golf croquet.

We have entered our names for a club plate competition to take place early in February for club novices, of which there appears to be a fair number. I have never played a round in the singles one-ball format, only singles two-ball. I can see that the tactics can be quite a bit different, so I guess I should get some pointers from players of experience…

We are automatically allocated an “11” handicap where there is no previous performance history. The bisques which we may have, should we encounter lower handicaps in later rounds, is probably less than anything to write home about, but one extra turn at a critical moment, could mean the difference between winning and moving up to the next round or losing and going home.

Our club fields in Waikanae have been selected as one of the three venues for the 2014 Golf Croquet Nationals to be held at the end of the month. My opportunities of getting some pointers about best tactics and hints for good play is therefore rather reduced.