Ian Coley Sporting

Meg's brother CJ had just got his gun license and is now taking up lessons at Ian Coley. Shooting is something we got into this year after Meg's parents bought us both a round for Christmas last year. A perfect man present ladies! So, I thought I'd tag along to CJ's lesson to give it another go and show him a thing or two. 

Ryder Cup Fever

With the ultimate date in the Golfing diary giving everybody golfing fever, our boys are no different! The Ryder Cup is taking over our households and the boys are regularly leaving us at the weekends to play a round or 2. 

#themandrawer 

 

Our favourite place to play in The Cotswolds is just down the road at Naunton Downs Golf Club. A traditional, 18 hole, 71 par golf course. 

 

It's a challenging course with a mixed variety of holes, with some great par 5's and a particularly stunning par 3 where you play over the valley.  The Green Keepers are clearly good at their jobs with the green conditions being very good, creating fast play and adding to the challenge! 

You can purchase a membership or play as a visitor for £34 over Friday and the weekend. We usually go for a Twilight visitors round, on a Sunday afternoon for £24. The clubhouse is a great place to grab a bite to eat afterwards particularly on a sunny day. Eating burger and chips and sipping on a cold beer outside whilst looking over the course...Man heaven!
 

 

Alternatively we pop down to Shipton Oliffe Golf Course, which is a great practice course as it allows you to play a wide variety of shots making use of all the clubs in your bag. This is unusual for a cheaper practice course and so we would highly recommend it! We say cheaper as it costs £12 for 18 holes on a weekday evening... Giving us the excuse to go for a pint at a The Frogmill afterwards, without getting into trouble with the girls!
 

Where is your favourite Cotswold spot to play golf?



Earl's & Co

Welcome to James and Harry's first post in The Man Drawer, a review of an award winning Barber Shop and Nail bar, located in Cheltenham.

Take it away chap's! #TheManDrawer

Walking up the red carpet to Earl's & Co for the first time for our monthly hair cut we felt like the paparazzi should be there! This was going to be an all singing, all dancing, experience that we weren't sure we were going to enjoy. How wrong were we. As soon as we spotted the Whiskey bar and traditional barber chairs we knew we were in for a good time.

Earl's & Co is far from our past barber experiences which have resulted in some hair style faux pas such as the time Harry came back looking like a Lego man and James came back with a short back and sides... oh wait, that was a long back and longer sides. Disaster! 

First of all, walking into a whiskey bar instead of a cold reception with a colder receptionist was right up our streets. A complimentary Famous Grouse Black Label whiskey for James and a double espresso for Harry (the driver) was a good start. 

James - I liked the friendly and knowledgeable staff (Jess has cut my hair both times) and liked how comfortable the traditional "Takara Belmont" chairs were . Rather than a rush in rush out experience, this was a place where the staff made time to get to know you, to give advice and for you to feel part of the atmosphere. I also couldn't believe it was only £18.50 for a smart haircut, complimentary glass of whiskey and a shoeshine! I'm genuinely not going to anywhere else from now on.

Harry - I can't stand awkward hairdresser chat, the boring "where are you off on your holiday's?" routine just isn't for me. Instead, the staff at Earl's & Co are attentive and welcoming but without wanting to know the ins and outs about your life. I also like the fact the barbers know their stuff enough to make sensible suggestions and give helpful tips but you know you're not going to come out with some uber trendy/ridiculous hair cut. Jess and Jason have cut my hair and results were just as good both times. Highly recommend Earl's & Co to anyone for a consistent and enjoyable experience. 

Earl's & Co offer gift vouchers. Emily recently purchased a traditional close shave and hair cut with facial massage as a Father's Day Gift for £35. 

Emily and Meg will be reviewing the champagne nail bar, also found at Earl's & Co soon!

Don't make the mistake Harry made, remember to wear your shoes for complimentary shining, not your flip flops.