Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016. Round 10 at Weston Park.

Yesterday saw Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016 Round 10 take place at Weston Park. Two new players (Mike and Sandie) had recently earned their tour cards (by correctly responding to Bobs emails) so joined a massive field of 6 players for today's event. After the excitement of last weeks US Open at Woodbridge it was back to normal this week. Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016 treasurer (golf pig) was very excited by both the extra entry fees and 2 more tour subscriptions. This swelled the end of year competition prize funds to over £12 meaning it would be all to play for to become this years tour earnings winner on the race to Sheringham.

It was balls in the air to decide the groupings meaning Mike, Ian and Chris headed off first.

First group setting off to get teeshots behind the big tree

All 3 players surprisingly choose to lay up behind the big tree blocking out the green Chris going on to hit it and start off with a disappointing blob. From here normal service was resumed with some tidy golf and playing the next 8 holes to her handicap and 16 at half way.

Chris tee shot on the stupid short eighth with no sand in its ridiculous bunker 

Ian was playing the course for the first time and took the first 3 holes to work out that it was best to stay away from the trees rather than put the ball behind him. This held back early progress but he still score on every front 9 hole. An excellent birdie on the stupid short eighth with no sand in its ridiculous bunker meant he had the half way lead on 17 pts.

Ian with tree trouble on the 3rd

Mike was struggling getting his putts up to the hole as the greens were playing slow after last nights heavy rain. This meant no pars were achieved and only 13 pts. 

Mike failing to make it to the hole

In the group behind they had also decided to hit their opening drives behind the big tree but all managed to secure 2 pts. Kevin had left his putting boots at Woodbridge, where he informed his group (on every hole) he had won last week, with a number of 3 putts. Over the round he hit 4 greens from over 180 yards but only parred one of them. He was still doing ok until a blob on the stupid short eighth with no sand in its ridiculous bunker meant he shared last place with only 13 pts.

Kevins tee shot on 5th coming up short

Andrew was playing some good golf with several front 9 pars but he hit 3 trees on the 3rd and took 4 shots to get down on the 5th to blob both these and restrict his score to 15 at the turn.

Excellent up and down from Andrew on par 3 2nd hole

Sandie was driving exceptionally well with taking the tiger line on the 4th leading to an excellent par. However just as she looked like taking the lead she had to field some urgent phone calls which distracted her and she finished with 14 pts.

Sandie getting things underway on the first

As the phone action continued over the next few holes Sandie not surprisingly lost focus and started with 3 blobs. In amongst this there were still a number of good shots and she added another 13 pts on the last 6 holes to finish on 27 pts but well out of the prizes. However her generosity with the wine gums and banana chips made her a popular partner.

Sandie on the way to another Blob on the 1tth

Kevin seemed to be living in the past still taking every opportunity to mention that he won at Woodbridge last week. On the 12th he invented a new game of seeing how many times you can bounce the ball off the trees into the middle of the fairway. After successfully managing it twice he ran out of trees to aim for in securing his point. He was less successful when trying to play the game on the 17th ending up with a blob. A good par on the last meant he secured joint last with 27 pts.

Kevin missing bogey putt after playing hit the tree on the 12th

Meanwhile it was all to play for with the remaining players especially after some generous gimmes on the 10th put Chris into an early back 9 lead. However her progress stalled when picking up just one point in the middle 3 holes and with no further pars she finished out of the prizes on 30 pts.

Chris putting on the 17th

Mike got back in contention chipping in for a birdie on the 12th and scoring on every hole with the best back 9 of 18. However his 31 point total only secured him 3rd place. He did win 50p getting him onto the money list so a promising debut.

Mikes tee shot on 13

It was left to Ian and Andrew to battle it out and with both players on 30 pts after 16 holes but they missed the opportunity to secure the win as neither scored a point on the 17th. 

Andrew chiping on way to par on 10th

Ian regained his composure to bogey the last and with 32 points was the leader on the bench under the tree by be 18th green.

Ians putt not dropping on 16.

With no shot to play with Andrew would need a birdie for the outright win. Three good shots on the closing par 5 meant he just had to sink a 6 foot putt for the win. But he completely bottled it meaning the round was tiedwith both players adding £1.75 to their tour winnings.

Andrew missing birdie putt on 18 to tie with Ian

With only 5 pts separating all the players today and the top 3 on the money list out of the prizes then there was little movement on the overall standings. Next week the tour moves to Eaton where (due to the attraction of free golf) a record equaling 7 players have entered (although last time there were 7 starters there were only 6 finishers so hopefully a record number of completed rounds too). 

Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016. Round 9 at Woodbridge

Today saw Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016 round 9, the US Open, take place at Woodbridge. It was disappointing that only 4 players had signed up for this prestigious event but as heavy rain was forecast maybe they had made the right choice. Kevin, the defending US Open Champion had turned up to try and defend his title.

Chris and Bob prepare for tricky down hill putts on the 11th hole at Woodridge during the US Open

Due to some old ladies just ahead Chris opted to get things underway on the first tee and started off with a useful par. Sadly this was quickly followed by a visit to the pond on the second and gorse bush on the 4th leading to 4 successive 1 pointers before a strong finish left her on 16 points at half way.

Chris teeiig off up the first

John had the opposite start by parring 2 of the first 4 holes before falling away thanks to a few wayward tee shots. On the par 3 9th he hit his teeshot and said "well it's not perfect....." as it flew towards the woods and gorse and he was proved right as the ball was never seen again. He finished on 14 pts.

A nice chip by John over the bunker on the 5th

Bob was playing well and was proving a dab hand at hitting the ball out of the rough and still scoring highly with some excellent recovery shots. He managed to rack up an impressive 20 pts at the turn.

Bob hitting out of short rough into long rough on 2nd hole before getting up
and down for 5

Kevin was obviously keen to retain his title as he started with 3 straight pars. As someone who doesn't use his own Golf GPS he decided to take the yardage off the sprinkler heads on the 4th only to find the distances shown were completely random as he hit a good wedge into a green side bunker. The GPS users told him the real distance (after he hit his ball) which was 20 yards further. Despite this a birdie on the 8th left him in the lead on 22pts.

Kevin admiring his wedge on the 4th before being surprised it was in a bunker
as the sprinkler head distances were wrong (or so he says)

As the back 9 got underway John's game started to fade as his 'always reliable 19 degree rescue' proved to be anything but. The 17th proved particularly painful as after looking for his teeshot for sometime it was found in the middle of the fairway only for him to plonk it from there straight into a ditch. After much more searching, 2 hacks and a good chip he had a makable putt for an unlikely point. So unlikely in fact that he missed the putt and it was all for nothing. He finished the day on 25 points and therefore out the prizes.

John carting his second shot into the woods and lost forever, on the 11th

Bob's challenge also started to fall away as his teeshots found the rough and he left several balls on the course for other golfers to find and use (as long as they are called Bob). When the rain did arrive for a brief shower during the 12th hole Bob was the only player to leave the green with any points but normal service resumed once the rain had stopped. He could only muster another 11 points over the back 9 to finish on 31. 

Bob in trouble on the 10th, apparently the presence of the paparazzi was why he shanked it
and not the fact he was in long rough behind a gorse bush

With Bobs challenge fading  Kevin took control with 4 pars (and a blob) in the opening 5 back 9 holes, despite blobbing again on the par 3 15th he still managed 18 on the back 9 and 40pts in all to retain his title and collect the big £5 first prize. It was also a course record for Woodbridge.

Kevin putting for Birdie on 13, he missed

The main event now was to see if Chris could overhaul Bob and claim second place. Looking on the scorecard the ladies card had 3 back 9 par 5s compared to none on the men's card. There was much outrage and to add insult to injury Chris went on to par all 3 of these mini par 5 holes for 9 pts compared with the 4 pts Bob got on these long par 4's. This was enough to make all difference as Chris got 18 on the back 9 and 34 in all to win the £2 second place prize.

Tee shot on 9 came up a bit short but still secured 2 points

It's all change at the top of the leader boards as Kevin has headed to the front of all but average blobs per round competition, where Chris's inability to hit it far enough into the trees means she has a commanding lead on the lack of blobs front.

Next week the tour moves onto Weston Park where 7 entrants have signed up before the players then take on Eaton the follow week and a record entry of 8. Winnings will be hard to come by on these days so the tour earnings leaderboard could be set to change.

Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016. Round 8 at Barnham Broom Hill course

Today saw Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016  Round 8 take place at Barnham Broom Hill course. Sadly the last two fixtures were abandoned. First at Richmond park where traffic issues meant that only two players managed to tee off on time which did not meet the 3 player minimum. Then heavy rain and strong winds meant that the players for the scheduled round at Swafham didn't make it out if the bar. It was therefore good that 4 players turned up on time under clear blue sky's on the 1st tee and the competition got back on track.

But not for Kevin who clearly had forgotten how to play in the gap scoring only 5 points in the opening 7 holes. His fellow players did there best to ignore the inevitable associated tantrums but they were hard to miss. A par on the 8th seemed to calm him down as he finished the front 9 with a point a hole total.

Chris was playing solid if not spectacular golf and only occasionally (about once a hole) talking about how she should have won the ladies county division 2 championship at Hunstanton on Monday. A pair of 7's on the closing two par 5s kept her score down to 15 pts.

Chris getting things underway on the 1st

 Ian was playing well with some exceptionally straight driving. 9 points over the middle 3 holes meant he was going along nicely until he chipped into a green side bunker on the 8th leading to his first blob of the day but he still had 18 points at half way.

Another excellent teeshot from Ian on the 4th.

 Meanwhile Bob had gone points crazy including birdies on both the 4th and 6th as he racked up 22 pts on the opening holes. Dispute his driving not always at its best his putter was red hot.

Bob getting up and down from Bunker on 2nd

 The current highest number of stableford points in a round (currently 38 by Chris at the Suffolk) looked like it would be destroyed by Bob when he got another birdie on the par 5 12th but 3 blobs in the last 6 holes held him back and he could only equal the total but 38 pts made him a comfortable winner. It was also a new course record beating previous best of 35 shared by Bob and Kevin.

Bob putting for par on 11th hole (he missed, just)

 Ian tried his best to catch Bob but could never get within less than 3 points. He had a solid back 9, only spoiled by a poor drive and blob on the 16th, to finish second on 35.

Ian 3 wood approach to par 5 12th which just found the green side bunker

 Chris continued to score on every hole without making the most of her opportunities which was apparently what happened when she should have won the ladies county division 2 championship at Hunstanton on Monday. She finished on 32 points which was 4 over and exactly the same score as when she should have won the ladies county division 2 championship at Hunstanton on Monday. 

Chris approach to 12th

 Kevin had stopped being cross with himself about his poor golf and was now cross with himself about getting cross with himself about his poor golf. As a result his golf improved and he in fact got 18pts on the back 9 which was the most of anyone but still left him well a drift in last place on 27 points.

Kevin successfully clearing the ditch on 15th

As a result of the days action things have really tightened at the top of the average points leader board with only a quarter point separating the top 3. 

Next week is the US open at Woodbridge where it is double prize money. The following two weeks, at Weston Park and Eaton, promise to have record entrances so golf pig is very excited about the amount of extra prize money he will be gobbling up. 

Golf pig looking forward to receiving some more prize money

It's certainly an exciting period on this years tour and all to play for.

Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016. Round 7 at Halesworth

Yesterday saw Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016 round 7 take place at Halesworth. It was a day of excitement, drama and controversy but mainly golf.

There was a Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016 record entrant of 7 players meaning it would be hard work to add to tour earnings for the year as prize money remained at £2.50, £1.00 and 50p for the first three places.

After groupings had been decided Chris, Phil (on his Debt) and Ian set off from the first tee. At least Phil and Ian did as it was a considerable walk to the ladies tee which appeared to be just in front of the green. A pattern that continued throughout the course.

Chris teeing off on the first as taken from the mens tee, on maximum zoom

Phil and Ian both started solidly and were around handicap after 6 holes. Phil then appeared to become disorientated by the loop of 3 holes over the road and wanted to play them again for a second time before being escorted to the correct tee. This seemed to put him off his game as he fell away to have 14 pts at the turn.

One of the many annoying peacocks on the 3 hole loop over the road

Ian was still going well before forgetting he had two shots on the 9th (the hardest hole) and picking up when he still had a shot left. This potential lost point would come back to haunt him as he finished on 16 pts.

Chris was having the opposite opening, scoring just 2 pts in the first 4 holes before a birdie on the 5th put her back on track and up to 13 pts at half way.

Mean while in the group behind there was a real contrast. Andrew, despite being on his 3rd different handicap in the competition, this time 11,  couldn't stop scoring points and if his putting had been a little sharper he would have built up an unassailable lead although he was still at the top of the leader board with his 20 pts.

Andrew missing the first of many birdie putts, this time on the second

Kevin wasn't far behind and playing well, a good birdie on 7 kept him in touch on 19.

Kevin getting out the bunker before 3 putting the 4th green

Bob had started the round with a blob but then followed this up with 3 pars in 4 holes to keep him in the hunt on 17.

Bobs approach to the 5th and another Par

This just left John who was making his first appearance of the season after being out in Spain horning his game. The tour had certainly missed his colourful language and it was good to hear plenty of Effing and Jeffing once again out on the fairways. Unfortunately the cold British conditions were not to his liking as he started off with 5 straight 1 pointers before things got worse and he found him self with only 6 pts at halfway.

Johns tee shot on the first leading to a point

Johns game didn't improve on the 10th when his ball disappeared into a pond. The sight of his car and an escape opportunity was too much and he decided to abandon at this point rather than punish himself any further. Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016 rule 6.1.1a states that in these circumstances your round still counts in the average blob and points competition but is prorated accordingly.

Meanwhile up front Phil had picked up the 1 point per hole mantle from John recording 7 on the back 9 to finish with 24 points and out the prizes.

Ian was just about keeping in touch but with just 1 par and 2 blobs he fell just short on 30 pts. If only he hadn't forgotten about his extra shot on the 9th he could be 25p the richer.

Lead group heading towards 15th green

By now Chris was well into her stride with a very respectable 18 back 9 points and 31 overall. But would this get her into the prizes.

You know the saying, golf is a game of two halves, (or is that football) well Andrew certainly demonstrated this by getting 5 blobs in 6 holes and from looking like he had the game for the taking on the front half he only added 9 more points to finish with 29 and 5th place.

Andrew having ditch difficulties on 13

It was now left to Kevin and Bob to battle out the top prize. When Kevin started the back 9 with back to back blobs it didn't look like it would be his day but another birdie on the 12th put him back in the mix especially when Bob soon had two blobs himself.

Kevin making his birdie on 12

Standing on the 17th tee Kevin had a 3 point lead over Bob but then sliced his drive and lost his ball. Bob then had some putting problems and could only add one point as they went down the last. Bob kept the pressure on as he parred the last but as had happened at Diss the week before Kevin also parred the hole to win by 2 points on 34.

Bob chipping on to 14th green for 2 pts

With so many entrants Golf pig is extremely full and the prize pots have increased meaning that winning these comps will be critical in finding this years tour winner on the road to Sheringham.

Next week the tour moves on to Richmond Park and with only a small field it's a real opportunity to get a high points total and increase their seasons earnings.

Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016. Round 6 at Diss

Wednesday saw Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016 round 6 take place at Diss golf club. A disappointing field of 3 turned up on the 1st tee so all would be adding to their season winnings but by how much?

Things started nicely for all the players with points being scored on all the opening holes with the first blob of the day not coming until the 7th.

Although Ian was getting points he was finding pars hard to come by and only his excellent scrambling skills had kept him in the game. When his luck ran out on the 9th, where he spent sometime trying to get his ball out of the woods, he recorded his first blob and finished the front 9 on 12 pts.

Ians pulled tee shot on the 2nd hole

Kevin was playing well tee to green but three 3 putts in the first 5 holes put his putting on edge and kept his points tally down. He did sink an outrageous putt from off the green for a par on the 8th as it seemed the best way of avoiding 3 putting was by not actually getting on the green. He had 15 pts at the turn.

Kevin 3 putting on the 5th

Bob was going nicely with his normal mix of excellent pars and not so excellent double bogeys but he led at half way on 16 pts.

Good bunker work from Bob on the 2nd and 2pts

Unfortunately Ian's game didn't pick up with one of his famous Bishop charges and he only managed 8 more points although he did a lot of work to help the other players find their lost balls on many holes.

Ian admiring a good approach to the 11th and 2pts

Bob soon extended his lead to 2 pts until he managed to lose two balls on the 13th (including laying up into the crater he was trying to avoid).

Bob's teeshot on 13th was never seen again

This gave Kevin the chance to draw level and it stayed this way to the 17th,

Kevins teeshot to par 3 15th led to a birdie chance (which he missed)

Bob had been chipping particularly well but it unfortunately took him 4 shots before he was able to use this skill on the long par 5 17th. However a good chip and a couple of putts secured a point. However Kevin was on in 3 and had the game in his grasp when his 3 putt problems returned although still gave him a one point lead.

On the final hole, another par 5, Bob again demonstrated his chipping skills putting his 3rd shot 6 foot from the flag. Kevin responded well and secured his par and 33 pts, meaning Bob had to hole the putt to share 1st place, which he didn't giving Kevin the big £2.50 winners cheque.

It's all change on the leader boards as Ian fell away meaning Kevin now leads the average Stableford points table. However despite not playing Chris retains her place at the top of the earnings list on the race to Sheringham.

Next week it's off to Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016 favourite, Halesworth where a good turn out looks on the cards.

Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2016. Round 5 at The Suffolk

Last year the Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp 2015 visited the Suffolk for the first time. Tour officials should have been concerned as it was only £10 a round which clearly meant the Suffolk couldn't afford to cut the fairways or greens as it was like playing every shot from the rough and putting on temporary greens. Therefore the Round Norfolk Golf Tour summer comp committee agreed it would not get a place on this years tour. However when the players turned up for today's event at Bury St Edmunds they were shocked to find the course full and an alternative was needed so the whole tour re located half a mile up the road to the Suffolk.

When they arrived it was discovered the course was under new management and they were spending a lot of money on it. However all the bunkers (which were just full of mud last year) were all out action and GUR and the greens were top dressed and very slow. Everyone agreed it will be a great course when it's finished.

As today's field of 4 lined up on the first tee it was no surprise that the new venue and rushed rearrangement had un nerved them as balls went flying into trees and ditches with only Kevin ending up with his original ball. For Kevin things got little better  on the next as his chips flew back and forth across the green ending in a blob and a club slamming incident. From here things picked up and with the help of some pars he ended with a respectable outward 17 pts.

Kevin 2 putting for a par on the 5th.

Ian did not settle down at all at the start with a few wild shots and a couple of mis hits meaning he had still not registered a point after 3 holes. He is not the first and won't be the last player who has done this on a tour round. However he came back exceptionally well being 3 under handicap over the next 6 ending with a respectable 15 pts.

Ian getting his round underway proper on the par 5 4th hole

Chris also had a poor start blobing the first hole but as the round went on her game got stronger and stronger. The only blot being a silly 3 putt on the 8th when rushing a short downhill putt before recovering with an excellent par on the 9th and tied the halfway lead on 17 pts as well.

2 pts for Chris on the 2nd as Ian sulks off after his second blob

Bob was the only player to not blob one of the first two holes and was leading on 4 pts at that stage. He more than made up for his lack of blobs by throwing in a regular no pointer throughout the rest of the round. After hitting his drive in the ditch a few yards in front of the tee he hit another drive before chipping short of the 9th green. Fortunately Kevin found his ball, with Bob clearly written on it, in the GUR bunker. Unfortunately this wasn't until the players were playing the 18th. It was agreed 2 hours to find a lost ball was a bit long and probably meant he couldn't now complete the hole.

Bob getting us underway at the 1st

Bob's form continued in this manor until the 17th where he hit an excellent teeshot on to the green to record his second par of the day but could only muster 24 pts overall and last place.

Bob playing from wrong side of a ditch on the 11th

Unfortunately Ian couldn't maintain his comeback and his round petered away. He eventually ended much as he started with two blobs and 26 pts. However he still won 50p keeping him near the top of the money list on the race to Sheringham (or somewhere else if it's a bit busy that day)

Ian hitting a reasonable tee shot towards the 12th green before a 3 putt started his bike 9 decline

Kevin was still playing well and with 3 successive pars was joint leader after 14 holes before fading over the last 4 holes to score a respectable 33 points.

Kevin in trouble on 18 where, much to everyone's disappointment,
only the ball and not him ended up in the ditch behind him

Chris needed a strong finish to win and didn't disappoint banging in 10 pts over the last 4 holes for an impressive 21 back 9 pts and 38 overall. Determined not to leave it short she gave her final putt on the 18th such a whack it would still be going now if it hadn't hit the back of the hole to then fly up in the air before bouncing behind the hole and spinning in for a well deserved par.

Chris has now taken the lead in the most points in a round comp and as Ian played his third round today he has qualified for several of the other prizes. It was also the first new course record of the season beating the magnificent 26 pts Kevin got here last year.

Please note some changes to the fixture list with Richmond park moving back a day to the Tuesday 24 th May, Thorpness replacing Dunston Hall on the 5th July and Bury St Edmunds replacing Caldecott Hall on August 2nd.