Sunday sees the start of Round #183 of this fine game and also the beginning of another challenge as well, the annual TURF Ultimate Region Fight 2025, which has nine teams battling it out this year, including one from Germany, one from NW England and, of course, bonnie turf-daft Scotland. The remaining teams are from Sweden.
This friendly(ish) fight takes place over four weeks starting Sunday 7th September and finishing Sunday 5th October. Points are awarded for the usual turf points, the number of zones taken and the number of round unique zones (zones taken once during the September Round). Scores for each category are calculated weekly each Sunday. Further information of the rules can be viewed here.
I wasn’t going to take part initially but when I saw the final call on the Turf Scotland WhatsApp group for participants yesterday, I changed my mind and asked to be added to the team, which now stands at 46 eager members as I write. And to be honest, I have an ulterior motive for doing so. Yet again recently I’ve lost my turf mojo, finding little interest in the game of turf but would love to find the initial excitement I had when I first started the game back in December 2020. Perhaps the TURF Ultimate Region Fight 2025 might just be the thing to help me achieve that.
In addition, I might even be able to combine the event with one or two of the more difficult turf medals from my long-standing turf medal to-do list. The first is the Diversiest medal, taking 1000 different (round unique) zones during a round. The other is the Roundpointer-750k medal which is something of a long shot requiring the turfer to collect 750,000 points during the same Round and this is only a four-week Round. I recall the Roundpointer-500k medal was tough going but this takes you into a different league of effort entirely, though still within the realms of possibility. We shall see how things go.
The good thing about the TURF Ultimate Region Fight 2025 is that you don’t need to be totally committed to it, you can simply do the best you can within what time you have available, your own abilities and what is available turf-wise in your own local. Such things as holidays, work and family commitments and life in general may mean you cannot commit to all four weeks of the challenge. But that does not matter, you just do what you can, when you can. It all helps. Even those turfers not taking part in the challenge can also help, for example, by clearing zones for other team members and providing passing team members with coffee and freshly baked fruit scones. (Please, no cheese scones!)
So, what can you do to prepare for the TURF Ultimate Region Fight 2025? Well, if you are a cyclist, you can make sure your trusty steed is in tip-top condition. Check your tyres are at the correct pressure, your chain is lubricated and everything is in good working order with nothing about to fall off the bike. Contact our very own Scott, aka MuttsCycles, intrepid turfer and bicycle repair man in Newtongrange if you require assistance. Even if you are a foot turfer, you can check your laces are not about to snap, your tread is going to provide good traction, and dig out those waterproofs, this is Scotland after all.
One final suggestion is to prep your mental state of mind. Get yourself psyched up to go for those zones when you wouldn’t normally go turfing. Set that alarm clock an hour earlier each morning and take a few zones. Instead of watching that late night horror movie, brave the darkness and go turfing instead. Do you find yourself lying awake some nights? Well, get your lazy arse out of bed and go turfing. Yes, it’s dark, cold and perhaps even scary outside at night but so what. Good luck and may the turf be with you.
Copyright ©2025 Gary Buckham. All rights reserved.
