Round Norfolk Summer Golf Tour. Round 10 at Wensum Valley

The Outer Norwich Cup

First Time Winner Claims Wensum Valley Honours

A field of 9 met at Wensum and amongst threats of un-forecasted rain and some dodgy looking clouds. 3 people went for shorts, 3 trousers and 3 waterproofs. It was a day where most of the action seemed to surround the changing weather rather than the excitement of the golf. 

The traditional order of play and groupings were drawn. First up Greg, Mike and Tim, next Chris, Sandie and John, and then Bob, Vince, and Kevin. However controversy struck as the 3^rd group muscled their way onto the tee to go off first, relegated the original 1^st group to last place, and then to the irritation of others proceeded to slow the pace of play to 4 ¼ hours for 3 ball play.

 

Groups 2 and 3 or is it 1 can't believe a bunch of slow old blokes have nipped in front of them on the first tee 

There was no controversy on the standard scratch difference for ladies and men though. We’ve nailed that one now – only for it to be meaningless at todays evenly matched courses.

In that first group Vince put together a tidy first 9 with 17 points and no blobs, Kevin had 13 points and Bob 14 with no great dramas to report. 

Kevin hitting one of his shinny red balls (fortunately the whole box has not been lost)

The second grouping were far more consistent showing promising signs. Sandie was in equal second place at the halfway stage with her 17 points (no blobs) and Chris (no blobs) and John on 16. 

Chris misses the putt as John offers some advie

John abandoned the driver after blobbing 2 of the first 3 holes and played just one over handicap for the last 15 holes…. And that according to the players was the most exciting thing to happen. Chris kept her privates private today as far as we know, and Sandie’s approach of wearing a cap over a woolly hat in May seemed to work for her. Sandie nearly fell in the pond when balancing perilously near the edge to play a shot, but didn’t so that’s a far less exciting outcome than it could have been.

 

Much to everyone's disappointment Sandie didn't fall in

In the third group (which should have been first in case you’d missed that point earlier) Tim drained putts from all over the place, combining it with solid steady play to get to 19 points (no blobs). Mike had a mare including some shanks and heels to get 4 points after 5 holes…. at which point Greg tried to confuse Mike by relaying there were actually 12 causes of a shank. Fortunately for Mike the first of the 12 swing adjustments he tried seemed to work. Mike had 10 points in 4 holes to end on 14 for the 9 holes. Greg meantime had lost his driving reliability and frustratingly for him found himself in unplayable lies every time he made the trees but scrambled and putted well to get to 16 points.

At halfway it was all to play for: 1. Tim 19 points, 2. Sandie, Vince 17 points, 3. Greg, Chris, John 16 points. As we approached the tricky water holes on the back 9 the wind strengthened making it double trouble for those off their games.

At the front of the field  (should have been at the back) Bob snuck in a 2 for 4 points on the 10^th, and Vince had a 3 for 49 points (actually it was 3 for 3 but that’s not as amusing and after a barren run on the prizes for Vince it’s getting hard to keep up the barrage of high handicap abuse). Kevin’s wheels (wait for the shock of this)…began to come off. Who would have thought? Bob stormed away with 11 points in 3 holes before Kevin put the hoodoo on him talking of course records – Bob then blobbed and had 1 point to take away his momentum. That’s what mates are for hey Kevin?  Vince was well poised and ready to stake his claim.

 

Bob on his way to a Blob after Kevin had brought up the possibility of a course record (Tee Hee)

Sandie kept her form up with 9 solid points in 5 holes, Chris wobbled badly but got only the second birdie of the whole day with a 4 at the 14^th par 5. John meantime was filling his card with blobs, 1, 2 and 3 points to keep himself entertained. 

Group 2 starting to struggle on the water holes

Greg managed 1 point in the first 2 holes to ruin his chances, Tim had his only blob early on in the back 9 and Mike started a run of 9 successive 2 pointers on the back 9. Golf is all about consistency and Mike certainly found it. Watching it was a little dull though to be honest, and the debate about Brexit (or not) was well beyond quite depressing…. so Greg, Tim and Mike eventually got blankets and hampers out for a picnic whilst they waited for the slow moving course to clear.

As we came to the finishing straight Vince had his traditional blow up with 3 points in 6 holes. There was some debate whether nice-guy Vince only does this to make Kevin feel less bad, but the consensus was probably that is not the case. Bob played the back 9 well with a days best equalling 18 points and Kevin, hmmm,  better luck at Yarmouth and Caister where there are no trees and the gorse has been trimmed. Bob’s 32 points looked like it could be on the cusp of the money… but was it? The combined team score of 82 points was the low point of the day (you’ll note the editor has created a new imaginary team competition because they didn’t actually win a proper prize).

 

Vince surprises everyone by not duffing the ball into the pond (this time)

Sandie meantime alas, bottled it. With 1 point in the last 4 holes a winning position became an also rans spot as she petered out to end with just 10 points on the back 9. Chris with 11 points (4 on one hole) fared little better and John’s back-9 16 was the highlight of this group. John’s 31 points fell just 1 short of Bob. Their total team score of 85 points made them second best group of the day in the coveted, just made up, team comp. 

John scrambles a point after his tee shot on the nearest the pin hole

Coming in last home (should have been first home), with some better back 9 scores the final group had 97 team points – so in one way at least the last group were rightly first. Thank you Golfing Gods.  Greg fluffed a simple wedge on the last hole for 15 points and 31 points. That proved to be a costly mistake. It was not Greg’s day as he had a good 9 medium to long putts that seemed destined to drop but didn’t.  Mike’s 9 x 2 points (zzzzzzz) equalled the back 9 best with 18, and also equalled the most boring back 9 ever for people scoring that card. Tim just about held on to his slice control in the wind for 15 points too. When Tim found the bunker at 17 it was the only bunker the team had been in. Alas that can’t be said for water hazards where we had a team score of 6.

That all meant that Tim claimed his maiden tour win with 34 points. Well done Tim both for the win and battling through the rain. Tim was a model of consistency today, just a couple of mistakes on a difficult track so a worthy winner. It’s great to see different winners on the Tour to keep it fresh – what’s the record for different winners across a season statto?

Mike and Bob drew with 32 points for 2^nd place, and John (I’m off to my villa next week) and Greg (I’m back from my villa last week) missed out by 1 point – both clearly used to warmer climes and suffering from lack of Estrella.

Bob claimed the nearest the hole prize being about 15 foot away. Not quite as good as holing it when you have no idea where the flag is, but rewarding with a £4 take away prize.

The devilish stroke index 1, 11^th hole certainly caught us out today  - as a tour we must do better to ready ourselves for the day when 9 ball competitions are the norm.  Our 9 scores were 7,7,8,7,7,7,6,5,0. Such was our introduction to the water complex where the competition was decided… and we amassed on the day 17 lost balls between 9 of us.

That’s about the same number of swan poohs that we each accumulated on our trolley wheels. Yuk. Better than the dog poohs at Beccles though to be fair! We move on to Yarmouth and Caister where we are hoping race horse pooh won’t be on the cards. Get your bucket and spade ready, and be excited at the lack of water hazards ahead.

Round Norfolk Summer Golf Tour. Round 9 at Thorpeness

The Gorse Bush Goblet

The RNSG Tour rolled into Thorpeness this week, supported by an excellent turn out of 11. What was more remarkable was the fact that 4 players were celebrating birthdays this week and, for Sandie and Andrew, it was their actual birthday; a clear indication that RNSG is an important part of everyone's schedule and not even the opening a numerous cards and presents could keep them away. Many thanks must go to Tracey for the fabulous banana cake that she had made and individually wrapped for all the players; attention quickly turned as to when the cake should be eaten and whether performances would be improved post-eating!

The draw was made and, after a slight alteration of tee-time order, Andrew, Mike and Chris headed out first. There was little to excite the crowds following this group in the early stages, and the failure of all three to score any points on the 5th hole did nothing to improve the mood. However, Chris hit a superb approach shot to the 6th and secured a birdie to almost double her points total so far. She nearly had back-to-back birdies but her putt on the short 7th just slipped by. A par on the next saw 10 points in 3 holes and Chris finished the front nine with 16.

Chris getting things underway on the first

Andrew, meantime, had woken up and consecutive pars on 7, 8 and 9 saw him reach 15 points. 

Andrew chips towards the tricky 6th green

Mike was still struggling, ending the front 9 on 12 points, but better was to come.

Mike tees off on the 5th

The second group, of Kevin, David, Tracey and Sandie also got off to an indifferent start, though Sandie was the more consistent and the only one to secure a 3-pointer in the first 6 holes. 

Sandie had her game face on during the early stages

The firm conditions of the course, and some wayward shots, were certainly cause for concern for David who ended the front on just 8 points. 

David gets stuck in the bunker, and not for the first time today,
while Sandie sneaks off to hide the rake (tee hee)

Kevin putting for par on the 5th (it didn't go in)

The others all managed to scramble a credible 15 points but, for Kevin, worse was to come!

Tracey managed to turn 3 birdie putts into bogeys (although this wasn't one of them)

Early scores in the final grouping of Jill, Jo, Bob and Vince seemed to be indicate where the prizes would be decided, especially after the events on the par-3 second hole. Bob hit, what he later described as a poor tee-shot which no-one saw. However, being a par-3, there was no need to play a provisional ball as they would soon find it. This was not the case, so Bob trudged back to the tee to play another. It was only when Jo holed out that she found another ball in the bottom the cup - it was Bob's first ball … a HOLE-IN-ONE! More importantantly, 5 (FIVE) points which would later prove crucial. Buoyed by this event, the group moved through the front 9 with ease. 

Bob finally finds his ball on the second

Jill and Bob ended with 18 points and Jo with 17; Vince was struggling somewhat back on 13 points, but better was to come.

Vince had a few problems with the trees and bushes today

The early 3-ball were, by now, well into their back 9. Andrew continued his good form with 2 more pars but than seem to lose control of his famed straight driver. Thanks to the efforts of Mike and Chris, he didn't lose a ball but points were hard to come by and a poor 12 points left him on just 27 for the day. 

Andrew losing control of his famed straight drive

Meantime, Mike found his game buried deeply in his golf bag on the 12th tee and the next few holes saw a new man, the birdie 2 on the par-3 16th for 4 points being the highlight, and helped him to 16 points and a total of 28. 

Mike eventually found his game, but a bit too late

Chris continued her consistency and excellent pars on the short par-5's got her to another 16 points and 32 for the day. Her 3rd shot on the 17th, where the ball had stuck on the edge of a greenside bunker meant Mike had to have a sit down at the end of the round. The attached photo doesn't show him on the other side of the green trying to avert his eyes!

I think the photo speaks for itself 

The trials and tribulations of the second group continued with David and Sandie (or at least their golf balls) ending up in the same gorse bush on more than one occasion. 

David's and Sandies balls nestle at the bottom of the same bush

David's game did turn up eventually and, with 11 points after 13 holes, he did well to finish with 5 2-pointers for a total of 21.

David started to get his game back together on the back 9
although not on this hole where heather and gorse were involved

Tracey was getting the ball round but too many 1-pointers saw her score only 12 points on the back 9, and 27 in total. Maybe she had extra cake that she didn't share which eventually took it's toll. 

Another powerful teeshot from Tracey, the majority of which went in the right direction

Sandie, maintained her performance-levels and a couple of 3-pointer pars gave her another 15 points for a very respectable total of 30. 

Sandie gets a nice drive away down the last

As for Kevin, things were not going well. It appears that the coloured golf balls are just as easy to lose as the white ones, especially when directed into - and over - some of the meanest gorse bushes the RNSG Tour will encounter this year. 6 blobs and just 4 points on the back 9 meant a less than happy Kevin's only duty would be to hand out the prizes and research whether either of these facts was a new "record" unwanted on tour!

Lots of gorse bush trouble for Kevin on the back 9 as after finding his ball and taking line relief
 he recorded his 6th blob of the back 9. 

Still excited by the early highlight of Bob's round, the final group marched on, though the failure for anyone to score on the 15th did dampen spirits somewhat. Vince started the back 9 with a couple of 3-pointer pars and even managed a 4-pointer par on the par-3 16th, ending the 9 with 16 points and 29 in total. 

Bob looks unimpressed with Vinces leaning back technique

Jo found the going a bit tougher on the back 9, only scoring 11 points for a total of 28. Jill played well but 3 blobs meant she scored 14 points and tied with Chris for 2nd place with 32.

Jill had a profitable back 9 leading to second place and nearest the pin winner

 Bob is having an excellent season and not even another 2 blobs (4 for the day) could stop him. He scored another 17 points giving him a 3-point margin with a total of 35 - how that 1 for 5 helped!

Bob finishes with a par on the tricky last to claim first place

The final matter to resolve, and the most significant prize of the day financially, was the nearest the pin on the par-3 16th. Mike, from the first group, set a very good mark only to be beaten by Tracey's effort. However, Jill used her skill to roll her ball up to Tracey's NTP marker and gently bounce off it to finish slightly nearer and so take the spoils. 

And so, prizes were presented, congratulations given and cream teas enjoyed by some of the players. However, we are left with an important, and perhaps controversial, question to answer. Does Bob's hole-in-one actually count? On the one hand, he didn't find his ball in the allotted 3 minutes and had to play another, meaning the second ball was in play. On the other hand, as his ball was at the bottom of the hole, he had already completed the hole and, therefore, the second ball was irrelevant. Did it count? Did he sign his card for a wrong score? Should he be disqualified?

Well Bob, following an EGM with Golf Dinosaur Monster (and a review of the Rules of Golf), the answer is clear. The first ball (the one that was holed-out) counts. The second ball was played erroneously and can be discounted. So CONGRATULATIONS - we all now look forward to the customary drink! 

Round Norfolk Summer Golf Tour. Round 8 The USPGA at Ely

US PGA

Round Norfolk Summer Golf Tour round 8 took place at Ely on Wednesday. The RNSG had decided to move the USPGA early in the year putting it into May. This forced the US PGA to move their tournament forward as well and they were not happy.

It was the first time the tour had been to Ely after Greg suggested it at course voting time. He was therefore asked to be tournament host for the day, a role he took very seriously as he greeted all the players on arrival before going off to deal with the media.

It was almost perfect conditions with clear blue skies and little wind, however Tim had heard a rumour of a possible cloud mid afternoon so had decided not to risk it.

Perfect conditions at Ely for USPGA

The groups were drawn and Andrew, making a welcome return to the regular tour, got things underway. He was hitting it nice and straight but did have some tree issues on the 4th for the first of two front 9 blobs. However with the help of a few pars he was still in the running with 15 after 9.

Andrew opens up with a disappointing 6 for 1

After starting the 2018 season strongly then Robert has had a slow start to 2019 but like Brooks Koepka (without the distance, short game or putting skills, so nothing like him really) he always targets the majors so it was no surprise when he tore the front 9 to pieces with an excellent 21 points and the halfway lead.

Robert starts with a par setting the tone for the front 9

Bob has been in top form in recent weeks so was the bookies favourite to lift the trophy. It was therefore a surprise when he only managed 5 points over the last 6 back 9 holes as the course echoed to the sound of ball on tree. With only 12 points it looked like he was out of the running but like his team Spurs Bob is up for a 2nd half comeback.

A poor teeshot on a poor front 9 for bandit Bob

The other form player was Greg who was looking for his first major title. He hot footed it back from the media tent to start proceedings in group 2 but was obviously distracted by his hosting duties as his normal solid game fell apart on the front 9. In his previous 5 rounds he had recorded only 2 blobs but had double that day in the first 10 holes. After giving himself a talking two he began to recover his form but his 25 points total left him in last place.

Greg thins his bunker shot needing another go which summed up Greg's first
bad round on the tour this year

Chris just couldn’t get her round going as good holes were followed by blobs. Her round highlight was finding the first bunker on the par 3 15th (nearest the pin hole), before catching the second bunker and then holing out from there for a par. Not surprisingly this was followed by a blob and total of 27 pts.

Chris playing to the par 3 13th where she scrambled a good point

Vince had won the first major of the year, The Masters at Hunstanton, so was looking to be the first player to complete the Grand Slam. By half way and with only 14 points this looked unlikely, and as more wooded areas were explored it was clearly not going to be his day as he also finished with 27 points.

It wasn't only the willow weeping as Vince struggled to find his A game,
 or any game at all really

On the long par 3 6th both Greg and Vince had already launched their balls into farmer Browns field so the pressure was off Kevin, or so he thought, as he too put his shinny red ball over the hedge. However with Vince’s next effort going through rather than over the hedge, Kevin was the only one to get a point with his second ball and thanks to some other good scrambles he was still in the running with 17 points after the front 9.

Kevin surprised everyone (including himself) by getting up and down from
 the edge of the 5th green fo a 5 for 2.

Bob started the back 9 with a blob but then went on a Bob charge scoring 19 more points over the next 8 holes but would 31 be enough for the prizes?

Bob playing round the tree on the 5th

Robert did the opposite from Bob as he parred the 10th before his game started to fade and he could only muster 12 more points for a 36 point total. Still a very good score on such a tight course.

Although not scoring as well Robert Kept it together on back 9

Andrew had a 6 point gap to make up on robert but rolled up his sleeves (even if he was wearing a T-shirt) and got down to business. With a fine display of straight hitting he was just one point behind Robert as they stood on the 18th tee. However with all the experience of being a previous major winner then Robert knew how to handle the pressure and his par to Andrews bogey sealed the deal.

First of two trees and no points on the 4th for Andrew

This just left Kevin to see if he could creep into the prizes. However first there was the matter of the nearest the pin rollover jackpot to take care of. Although a long long way from the flag his shot was the only one of 16 attempts in the last two rounds to find the green and the £5.50 rollover jackpot was his. In the today's round 4 1 pointers on the back 9 left him just off the pace in 3rd place on 33 points. For such a tight course you would have got long odds on Kevin having the only blob free round of the day.

Although he made this putt Kevin never got to grips with the fast greens

With none of the top 3 getting in the prizes today then the money list has really tightened up so all to play for at Thorpeness next week where a large field is expected.

Well done to Robert on his second career major and setting a challenging course record for when the tour is sure to return next year.

Round Norfolk Summer Golf Tour. Round 7 at Gorleston

The Far East Trophy

Round Norfolk summer golf tour round 7 moved East for it's second seaside venue in a row. You may not realise this yet as our special correspondent covering round 6 at Cromer seems to have had his report eaten by the dog (although I know he doesn't even have a dog) as it is yet to be handed in, hopefully it will be with us soon.

Anyway Tuesday saw 8 tour members turn up at Gorleston on a mild and surprisingly windless day with conditions looking set for some good scoring. The two remaining tour members not to make an appearance so far this year, David and John H, were both in the starting line up meaning Golf Dinosaur monster now had a full set of tour membership fees.

With group's selected Vince (on his return from the rival Round Scotland Summer Tour) got things underway and again agreed to restrict his handicap to just (yes just) 28. But he really didn't need that many shots as he holed a monster putt on the 2nd for a birdie 4 pts, chipped in from the long rough on the 3rd for 4 more points and then birdied the 7th for another 4 pts. His two birdies on the first 7 holes equalling his total 2018 birdie count. With 22 points at half way then todays title and Ian's course record of 37 both looked sewn up. But golf is a game of two halfs (or is that football) and maybe the fat lady hadn't sung yet, as there is many a slip 'twixt cup and lip etc etc etc

Ballester was on fire as he got his round underway

Meanwhile 2018 average points and blobs champion David got started in his normal solid style but then had unprecedented back to back blobs on holes 7 and 8 for only 15 points at half way.

David looking solid on his return to the tour with a perfect drive down the second

Kevin started his round by duffing his drive down the short first before recovering with a good iron to the green and sinking the putt for an unexpected birdie. Greg reminded him that every great round of golf starts with a birdie, never, and this proved to be the case as Kevin matched his collection of 3 and 4 points holes with an equal number (6 in fact) blobs to finish the day in last place on 28 points. His biggest mistake was to tell David that he had started to putt well and then 3 putted 2 of the next 3 holes.

Kevin have a round of some very good and bad holes in equal measure

Greg was the final member of the group and once again was aiming to avoid any blobs for the 4th time this year. He comfortably achieved this in a very impressive front 9 racking up 19 points.

Greg sinks his putt for a parr on the tricky 3rd.

Group 2 had John H playing his first round back on these shores and clearly his warm weather training had paid off as he opened with 3 pars before normal service was resumed and once again some excellent effing and jeffing echoed round the course although he was still in the running with 17 at halfway.

Group 2 approaching the 4th Green

Chris was another player with a solid opening 9 and had 18 points. However on the 14th tee she was about to tee off when a lady approached the rest of the group saying she had lost her dog. Too much interested was then shown in finding the dog (pictures shared, should they put it on a lead, what number to call if they found it, does it like bananas etc) so with no one watching her Chris got distracted and recorded her only blob of the round as the day then petered out with just 30 points. (Bloody Dogs!).  Note: the cute little doggy woggy was never found.

Tim was never really at the races today and although he had some good holes he was clearly put off by the occasional spot of rain as he was unsure if to put full waterproofs on, keep them off or ask for the round to be suspended his 29 pts (with another score card error) was never in the running.

Tim tees of on the 5th for his first blob of the day

Bob was not at his bandit best as he drove the first green before going on to 3 putt it, a blob soon followed on the 3rd but he recovered to stay in the running with 16 points at the turn.

Bob tees off on 6th leading to his first blob of the day

Meanwhile up ahead the wheels were coming off on Vinces round. After reaching the rough by the edge of the 10th green he thinned his chip over it and cleared the 18th green as well. His return shot landed on the green, although sadly the wrong one before another duff into the bunker which was thinned back to where his ball was 4 shots earlier and it was time to move on. This was followed by a run of 5 1 pointers over the next 6 holes and out of the running. However the drama wasn’t over yet as when hitting out of the rough on the short 17th his ball made it to the edge of the green but the head flew off his club into deep rough. After looking for it for 3 minutes no one was sure what the penalty was for not finding your club head when fortunately it was located. A closing blob meant his 32 point total kept him out the prizes, when well he ever put two good nines together?

You may think Vince was chipping on to this green but in fact he had to chip over this one (the 18th)
to get back to the 10th green, which he failed to do

David soon had has game face on and opened up the back 9 with back to back pars. He kept scoring points throughout the rest of the round to finish on a credible 33 points and what turned out to be a share of 3rd place and 25p on the money list.

David shows his liking of long range putting on the 12th

Greg continued in imperial style completing another blob free round. His 36 points were not enough for the course record but would they be enough for victory today?

Greg doesn't hit the nearest the pin green, as did everyone else meaning it's a £3 rollover

John had got himself back in the running with a run of 6 2 point holes only to then give it away on the pesky short 17th before a par on the last also got him to 33 points and 25p.

John tees off on the dog leg 13th just before dogate

This just left Bob in with a shout especially after a birdie on the 10th. As the points stacked up he found himself on the 18th tee with 35 points just needing a bogey 6 for victory. But then his mind wandered back to the lost little doggy and poor lady searching for her and he struggled to hold back the tears. With eyes welling up with water he miscues his drive and ended up blobbing the hole to finish second. Maybe next time he should concentrate on playing golf, which is why we came and not get involved in pets rescue. Greg (who hates dogs, probably, although I’ve never asked him) was the worthy winner.

Bob was leader on course for most of second round

With the money list beginning to take shape there is a real opportunity for someone next week as there is £5 on offer at the 2nd major of the year. Which is the US PGA to be played at Ely.