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!