Round Norfolk summer golf round 25 took place at West Suffolk golf centre on Wednesday. It turned out to be a day of records. With 6 players turning up the first record was set as it was only £7 each to play, the cheapest green fee to date. However at that price the expectation of a well kempt course were low with those expectations not only met but exceeded as we found the fairways were a blanket of weeds and greens had been cored with the world's largest coring machine.
After groups were selected Vince got things underway as Kevin helpfully reminded him he needed to try and par the 10th hole (on the 20th time of asking) to take back the eclectic lead. The thought of the 10th obviously affected him as he played much better after that hole. Despite it being a short course off the yellows Vince failed to score well ending the 9 on 13 points.
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| Vince gets the tournament underway |
Jo's last round had been on the highly manicured fairways at Valderrama so the shock of having to play her fairway shots off the top of dandelions seemed too much as she struggled with 4 blobs in the first 6 holes to have only 9 points at halfway.
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| Jo struggled hitting off the 'fairways' |
Chris has never been able to tell a weed from a plant (and is currently banned from weeding in her garden after 'weeding' a freshly planted bed of petunias) so seemed quite happy with the conditions and easily racked up 18 points on the front 9.
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| Yes that is a tee-box Chris is on |
In the second group Kevin was keen to show off his shiny new 'wooden' clubs although the short length of the course meant his driver had limited opportunities. On the par 5 3rd he decided to give it a try but topped the ball 10 yards into a nearby ditch. The driver was immediately sent back to the bag for the rest of the round so it could think about what it had done. With just 6 points after the first 5 holes it was to everyone's surprise when he then parred the next 5 holes to put him back on handicap.
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| Kevin successfully leaves the a bunker, as did the ball |
However some dodgy fairway wood work led to just 1 point (and a lost bright red ball) over the next 3 holes to eventually finish on 30 pts.
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| Kevin Tees off on the 13th just before losing his red ball with his next shot |
Sandie was going along nicely although like all the players sometimes had difficulty hitting the ball off the weeds. Her only blob came on the 9th when she put her ball into a dried up water hazard.
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| Sandie chips on to the 2nd |
As she was searching for her ball Vince had reached his nemesis, the 10th hole. His teeshot was a beautifully shaped slice that headed straight into the same dried up hazard Sandie was in and his chance of a par was gone (shame).
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| Vinces ball after his drive on the 10th |
Bob likes to tell everyone how he practices chipping in his back garden. Well it's clear he isn't much of a gardener as his lawn must be a weed bed because he absolutely loved today's conditions. He just couldn't stop scoring points and racked up 23 on the front 9.
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| Bob managed to par this hole despite nearly driving into a hedge |
History tells us that if Bob has an outstanding front 9 the wheels will soon be coming off but after a par and birdie on the 10th and 11th he had 30 pts and was 8 under handicap. Although he did drop 1 shot over the closing holes he did finish with a new tour record of 43 points. It also put him in the lead for most points in a round and best 3 front and back 9's. His third win in a row meant he closed the gap to just £2 pounds at top of the money list, which now won't be decided until the final round at Sheringham. All of a sudden it looks like Vince may not win the majority of this years comps after all, although Bob might.
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| Bob chips on the green for more points |
Meanwhile Vince recovered well from the disappointment of the 10th coming in on 17 points for 30 in all and a share of 3rd place.
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| Vince tries to hit ball over trees on short 6th but doesn't and gets a blob |
Chris blew her chances with a run of just 3 points in the middle 5 holes as the condition of the course finally wore her down. Her 29 pts meant she missed out of the prizes and out of the running to win the money list.
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| Chris putting up ridge on 16th |
Jo improved slightly on the back 9 but her 23 points means she won't be cleaning up on the RNSG prizes as she had done last year.
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| Jo chips out of a bunker |
Sandie had an excellent back 9 as she got to grips with the greens and had a blob free back 9 of 19 pts and into second place.
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| Sandie putting on the 10th |
It was an interesting experience which everyone but Bob is likely to quickly forget as the tour returns to a favourite venue at Thetford next week.
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