Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2017. Round 4 and 5 at Stoke By Naylands

The Artist Trophy at Stoke-by-Naylands

It was a day of firsts on the RNSG tour last Thursday as events moved down to the Suffolk Essex border for the inaugural double header event at Stoke by Naylands. Day 1 was on the more challenging Constable course which had attracted a strong field of 6 golfers. As the players lined up on the first tee there was the traditional outcry that the men's tee was one side of the lake and the Women's the other. Not surprisingly John and Kevin's opening drive went way left (away from the water but out of position) whereas final group member Sandie hit hers safely down the fairway.

With the use of a large telephoto lens the ladies first tee can just be spotted from the Mens

Sandie went on to par the hole but there was not much else for her to write home about as she struggled on the greens gaining only 12 points at half way.

Sandie's drive on the second was the start of a poor run on the front 9

Kevin was playing well off the tee but got stuck in a bunker on the second fairway (never to get out) and hooked a ball oob on the 5th to restrict a potential good 9 to 13 pts.

Kevin about to thin his chip back into the reeds

John was also driving the ball well but struggled with the pace of the greens leaving nearly every chip and putt short. This meant that, despite no blobs, he only had 14 at halfway but should have had more.

John's opening drive across the water on the first

While the golf was the main focus in the front group the one behind kept getting distracted from the matter in hand and not surprisingly their golf suffered.

An unnecessary non golf related selfie putting group once again brining group two's attitude into question

Chris had her new lob wedge to try out and it got many outings but a mistake littered front 9 left her with only 8 points.

Chris probably using her new lob wedge off the tee

Bob and Mike were also struggling to score well although Bob did register the only 3 pointer with a par on the 5th. This was despite letting his trolley roll away and crash while he was putting. He had 13 at the turn.

Bob' tee shot on the first

Mike was having a sloppy round too managing to put his ball in ta he pond in front of the 3rd green after an excellent drive. He entered the second 9 on only 12 pts.

Mike's second and more successful attempt to clear the pond on the third hole

In the group ahead Sandie was still struggling to hole out after a lot of good opportunities. At one point having 7 consecutive 1 point holes. She eventually got the hang of the greens and with a tidy finish had 26 pts but out the prizes.

Good bunker shot on 13 but followed up with 3 putts

Kevin and John had at last got their games together and it became more of a match play comp as the lead between them kept swapping. 

Kevin getting out of the bunker by the 10th.

Both had opportunities to take control on the 16th but turned birdie opportunities into 5's. Coming to the last they were both on the same points and when John hit the green fringe and Kevin the trees it looked all over. However luck was on Kevin's side as the ball bounced off a tree just short of the green and both secured 2 pts to be tidied in the lead with 31pts.

Long bunker shot on 11.

Chris was now playing a bit better but putting the ball in the water on 13 and messing up round the green on 17 restricted her to 22 points and today's wooden spoon. 

Bob was on a Bob charge with a birdie on 13 putting him back in contention. Then for some reason Mike inexplicably announced he had recently found he could not stand on one leg with his eye's shut (why you would ever need to do this is still unclear) but Chris and Mike spent sometime trying while Bob tried to concentrate on golf. This seemed to put him off as he fell away (golf wise not through standing on one leg) finishing on 29 pts.

Bob struggling in trees on 15 as Mike and Chris hopped down the fairway ahead

Mike was having a much better 9 and inspired by his yoga charged up the leaderboard with 2 back 9 birdies. A par on the last would win it for him but like Kevin he hit the trees and although his ball also bounced out his round winning putt never looked like going in.

Mike failing to hole the putt that would have won him the round

It was the first time in tour history that there had been a three way tie but each player pocket £1.33 to add to their earnings on this years money list. 

For day 2 the Gainsburgh course was played. John had gone back to Norwich which left 5 players competing for the prize.  However there was a further shock when Bob called an early morning press conference to announce his withdrawal due to a reoccurrence of his recurring 'injury' which anyone who has played golf with him in the last year will know every detail of.

With just one group of four left it was off to the first tee where the RNSG executive made it clear that both feet needed to be on the ground during any extended period of eye closing so as not to put other players off.

Things didn't start well on the first with duffed shots and visits to the bunkers meaning only two points were scored between the four players. Sandie suffered a blob here and followed up with another on the next. However from then on she found her game and made the most of her two front 9 two shot holes scoring 7 points across them shooting her up to 17 pts at half way.

Sandie teeshot on short 13th was first hole she scored on in the round

Chris was having a similar day to yesterday as she wasted a number of good drives with poor approach shots and tentative putting with only 12 front 9 points to show.

Chris getting out of one of many bunkers she found during the round

Mike was having similar issues finding the greens hard to read which he pointed out to his fellow players at the end of every hole as another putt broke the wrong way. He also could only manage 12 pts.

Mike And Chris looking for their balls after poor second shots on the second hole.
Fortunately both were found.

Kevin also started in the same way as he failed to capitalise on good work to the edge of the greens as clumsy play restricted his scoring. After thinning an easy chip on the second he went produced a cataclysmic display of huffing, puffing, effing and jeffing before sheepishly scoring 2 points which was as good as the other 3 put together. There was further controversy on the 6th as Kevin used his special 'curved lines between whit posts' to claim his ball had not gone out of bounds. It turned out to be a waste of time as he recorded a blob there anyway.  His round then turned with a long birdie putt on the 8th bringing him back in contention on 17 pts.

Kevin chipping over a pond onto the 4th green

The back 9 quickly developed into two games of match play as Chris and Mike battled for third place whilst Sandie and Kevin competed for the main prize.

It was looking good for Chris when Mike managed to go out of bounds twice on the same hole for his only blob of the day. Mike had to have a little moment to himself before returning to play the next hole. . However Chris failed to fully capitalise as she decided to see how many different bunkers she could go in over the remaining holes so they were all square standing on the last tee.

Chris in bunker shock

Both hit poor tee shots but Mike's recovery was better and he claimed the extra point need to take the 50p third place prize.

Shot of the day as mike chipped from under the tree and over the bunker to hit the pin,
 although he missed the putt because he hadn't got the feel of the greens blah, blah, yawn yawn etc etc

The battled between Sandie and Kevin was of much higher quality with each player scoring well and with two holes to play they were both on level handicap with 32 points. Sadly Sandie had some bunker trouble on 17 giving Kevin a 1 point lead coming to the last.

Pressure from the cameraman led to a fluffed chip

Kevin found the greenside bunker on the last but Sandie could only equal his 2 points as he was declared todays champion with 36 pts. The first time this year anyone has managed to play to handicap.

Kevin needed to get two points after going in the bunker on the last (although photo is from the 11th)

It was agreed the first RNSG tour trip was a great success and the tour executive could already be heard discussing the arrangements for a repeat visit next year.

Next week the tour returns to the more familiar setting of Costessey where the players are already lining up to moan about how rubbish the new holes and course layout is, unless of course they play well when it will be great.