Round Norfolk summer golf round 18 at Swaffham

Mid Norfolk Hackers Trophy

After the final major last week, won by Andrew, the Tour returned to it's regular programme and headed to mid-Norfolk and very near to the scene of an unsolved mystery. Back in 1974, police were (and still are) baffled by the discovery of a headless corpse in a remote field at Cockley Cley, just a few hundred yards from where the Swaffham clubhouse is now located. Was it just coincidence that some 45 years later, six were expected to play in the RNSG Tour but only five arrived? Has anyone seen Greg, or at least part of him?

With a reduced field of five, the playing order was decided by Kevin's balls-in-the-air trick, resulting in Andrew (last week's British Open champion) and Vince heading off first. Immediately they decided not to talk to one another by hitting their tee shots right and left respectively; fortunately, their paths crossed again on the green and several more times thereafter. 

Andrew gets proceedings underway

Vince got off to the better start, scoring 13 points over the first 7 holes. This was despite him losing his ball on the 3rd tee, only to find it a few moments later cunningly hidden in his right hand! Andrew had lost a ball (properly) on the 2nd and struggled to only 10 points but disaster struck both of them on the 8th. A sudden squall caused them both to hit errant shots and blob the hole. Vince decided losing one ball into the gorse wasn't enough, so he hit his provisional further in to make sure. The following group had similar problems sending 5 balls from the tee with only two of them ever seen again. 1 point was scored across the 2 groups.

Vince showing his chipping from the rough skills (which he practices a lot) on the 4th

Vince made up for the disappointing 8th with a brilliant par (4 points) on the 9th to end the outward half with 17 points, leaving Andrew in his wake with just 11.

Meantime, Chris, Kevin and Bob were making the game of golf look easy. Pars on the first from Mr & Mrs F were ordinary when compared to Bob's opening birdie (4 points). To be fair, Chris and Bob had peaked at this point and despite some valiant efforts to recover to the giddy heights of the first, they ended the front nine on 15 and 13 respectively. 

Chris in trouble in the pit on the second

Kevin, on the other hand, was on a mission. With his brand new, laser-guided, state-of-the-art putter in his hand, he tore up the course for an opening 21 points, leading to him obviously thinking about how this immediately improved his position in the best front and back nines competition.

 

Kevin hits a good approach to the 5th

The back nine saw Andrew find some of the consistent play that won him the British Open last week but it was not enough to keep pace with an in-form Vince. Despite losing a ball on the 10th, he birdied the par-5 13th (5 points) and made brilliant pars on the par-5 15th (4 points) and par-3 16th (3 points) At this point, Vince remarked how much he liked the ball he was playing so, obviously, it came as no surprise that he hit his tee-shot from the 17th tee into the gorse, never to see said ball again. Andrew blobbed the last to complete his fall from grace and end the day on 25 points, but would Vince's total be enough?

 

Vince's second attempt at teeshot on the !0th

Kevin was still on fire, with a par at the 10th, but a blob on the 11th cooled him down and the next few holes were a little more frustrating. Chris found form and brilliant approach shots at 13 and 15 saw her add to her points tally. 

Chris chips on to the 11th from a precarious position

Bob, meanwhile, was playing his own version of this historic game. He scored 5 points between the 12th and 15th, but 4 of those came from a birdie on the 14th. Lost balls are one thing, but Andrew and Vince were concerned that Kevin and Chris had lost Bob as they approached the 15th green. Only a careful look through Andrew's viewfinder clarified that he was 127 yards behind having spent some time - in vain - in the bushes looking for his game.

 

Bob sinks his birdie putt on the 14th

The short par-3 16th was the location of this week's nearest-the-pin competition. As had been the case during his British Open win last week, Andrew had set the challenge from the first group but, once again, he was to be thwarted. Kevin's finely struck tee-shot pitch on the front of the green and rolled far enough to snatch the prize, However, this pleasure was dampened by his new putter letting him down and a 3-putt resulted. The fact that Chris and Bob went on to make pars just made the situation even less tolerable for Kevin.

Kevin sticking with his no driver strategy

In the end, Bob's up and down round resulted in a total of 27, whilst Chris' excellent 17 points on the back half saw her reach 32 points and 3rd place. Kevin's back-nine 15 left him in 2nd place on 36 points, so it was a resurgent Vince who, despite 2 blobs on the back nine, scored 21 points and 38 overall. The group returned to the clubhouse for tea and cake but, alas, there was still no sign of Greg. The empty chair at the head of the table seemed Stephen King-esque in it's resemblance to that poor young lady's misfortune all those years ago! Sleep well, everyone!

Round Norfolk summer golf round 17 The Open at Felixstowe Ferry

The Open

It promised to be the hottest day ever but would the golf also be hot for the final major of the year. It was also hotting up at the top of the money list as Bob has not been able to extend his lead in recent weeks with others now starting to close in. The big £5 first prize today could alter things dramatically in either direction.

There were 7 tour members signed up for this prestigious event. Armed with water bottles and sun cream it was balls in the air to decide the two groupings before heading to the first tee. It was perfect links conditions hot, dry and windy so would be the ideal golfing test for the Open.

Greg got us underway, followed by Andrew both of which hit the fairway. However despite his recent successes by keeping his driver in the bag, Kevin opted to get it out but sliced into the rough before hitting his next into deep rough. After a search Greg found it. On the next he tried his 3 wood which he topped into the long grass just in front of the tee which again required a search and Greg found. So he tried his rescue on the next tee with the same result and Greg 3 lost ball credit finds in the bank which Kevin is yet to repay. From here things picked up for him a bit until he missed a very short putt on the 9th (more of the significance of this latter). However thanks to some excellent recovery work he somehow had 15 points at the turn.

When Greg wasn’t looking for Kevin’s balls he was playing well. He was obviously still struggling with his bad back and could regularly be found rolling around on the ground trying to loosen up. Apparently his physio thinks it is caused by the way he picks up his tee and ball, which we all know is strenuous work, he has been told to do some strengthening exercises using a heavy feather. His only blemish was when he lost a ball on the 3rd which he was upset about as no one repaid the lost ball credits they owed (who knew that this was a thing). He had 17 points at halfway.

Andrew had arrived today as the form player having scored 41 points yesterday and been cut to 13. He was certainly playing with confidence and only a couple of 3 putts on the par 3s restricted his score to 17 points as well.

In the group behind Robert started strongly with an opening par and was well placed with 8 points after 4 holes and a nice foundation. However inexplicably the wheels then came off as he only managed a further 7 points in the next 10 holes. Coming on to the 16th he was well out of the running for the title but there was still the matter of the nearest the pin, which was a rollover jackpot. On hearing this he rolled up his sleeves and hit his shot of the day to claim the £4  prize (stop press Golf Dinosaur Monster has just informed me it should have been £5 so Robert is owed a quid). He finished strongly nearly doubling his score over the last 4 holes to finish on 24 points.

Bob was having a typical Bob round mixing some fantastic shots with others putting him out of the hole. When on the back 9 he found his putting boots and really started scoring well. But with a round including 4 blobs he was going to struggle to be in the prizes finishing on 31.

Chris was having the opposite problem having left her normally strong putting game at home. It didn’t help when her opening drive went down the road leading to an opening blob. I have often wondered what would happen on the par 3 12th (where you have to hit in over the road) if you smash your ball into the net, well very kindly Chris found out by whacking he tee shot into it. If you want to know it drops straight down and you have to play 3 off the tee, which she did for her only other blob. Apart from that she missed a lot of little putts leading to a number of single point holes so again was never really in the running as she also finished on 31 points.

Jill was hoping to be the first player to complete the RNSG career grand slam. She was clearly nervous getting off to a slow start but with her normal solid game clicking back in place she soon had things under control. However after going into a bunker on the 9th she thinned her bunker shot almost into the road for a blob and 15 points at halfway. Her back 9 also started slowly but 14 points over the closing 6 holes gave her a win in the group on 32 points but would it be enough.

Kevin also had 15 at halfway but that short missed putt on the 9th had clearly got to him as he missed another short one on the 10th and 3 putted the 12th after being the only one with a tee shot on the green. It looked like he was out of the running until a birdie on the 13th got him back in contention. However missing more short putts on 16 and 17 meant he too finished on 31 points and 4 lost ball credits in debt to Greg..

The real battle was between Andrew and Greg who were matching each other shot for shot. However you need some luck to win a major and Andrew got his bit when he thinned a chip from the edge of the 12th green which got beautifully slowed down by the long grass as it trickled up to the hole and toppled in. Even the members sitting out side the club house could be heard muttering “outrageous”.

However Greg had his luck too as his drive on the 14th skimmed the top of a gorse bush before taking a big kick into the middle of the fairway, while Andrews pushed drive missed the bush but was never seen again and he ended with a blob.

This gave Greg a 2 point lead but it was all to change again on the 16th where Greg’s pulled tee shot lead to a blob while Andrew managed a par to once again take the lead.

Coming on to the 18 th he had a two point lead and when Greg’s birdie putt stopped right on the edge of the hole it was all over as Andrew made his par for 37 points (a new course record) against Greg’s 35. Well done to Andrew for taking home the imaginary claret jug and his first major.

Next week we return to Norfolk and back to parkland at Swaffham. All this seasons competitions remain tight and hard to call with several players in contention for each one, so it really is all to play for.

Round Norfolk summer golf round 16 at Rookery Park

Victor Vince is Back in the Groove at a Birdie Packed Rook-less Park

 

As the British Open got underway 5 hopefuls headed towards Rookery Park for the latest RSNG summer tour event. With a 60% female presence, the ladies were getting 2 extra shots on the SSS adjustment added to their handicaps. All kittens and recipes, 4-packs of lager and Sporting Life editions were left at home in this gender free event. Without a Frazer or Spanner in sight Greg was in the chair to get things underway, but with traffic jams en route there was no ball draw as Sandie and Jo were late arriving. Greg, Jill and Vince went first followed by Sandie and Jo just behind.

 

The weather was mizzly but warm, making a light covering of moisture on a bone dry surface tricky to master. Sadly with the stands having been shipped over to Portrush and the crowds watching golf on TV there was another disappointing spectator audience of zero to support this event, although rather irritatingly greenkeepers did their best to noisily follow the groups and fulfil that golfing prediction of a good walk spoiled. Zero was a popular number as it was the amount of rooks spotted at Rookery Park. Strangely the golf pro was not up for rebating green fees for that blatant piece of mis-selling.

 

In group 1 Greg stormed away with a fairway and green hit in regulation but missed the 4 foot birdie putt. Decentish play continued on much of the first 5 holes for Greg until rumblings of a bad back re-surfaced limiting his swing. Unable to even put the ball down on the tee Greg gave it up as a bad job after 7 holes and retired hurt. His goose was cooked, his race was run and the larger body shaped lady had sung. With 3 back interruptions in 3 months it looks like more detailed medical opinions are needed.

 

Meantime back with those playing all 18, there was a friendly approach to the game with Jill, Sandie and Vincento all getting 12 points, and Jo on 15 points. Jill managed a birdie on a par 5, Vince had his normal collection of good scores and blobs. Jo was the most consistent with no blobs at all, and it has to be said a very neatly marked card that was handed in. The Tour has not yet awarded a handwriting prize but that’s one for consideration for sure.

 

On the 9th hole the 2 x 2 balls came together as a 4 ball to complete the round as Greg miserably slunk off home for 48 hours of ceiling watching.

 

Vince had just returned from a couple of weeks in the Arctic and with endless sun boosting his melanin levels to an all timehigh, he had clearly de-frosted posting a devastating run of 12 points in 3 holes, including a birdie 2 for 5, a 4 for 4 and a paltry six for 3. With the risk of securing at least 3 more rounds of significant verbal abuse for having too many shotsVince decided to ease back and protect the handicap with 8 points in the next 7 holes to finish on 20 points for the 9 and 32 points overall.

 

Jill produced the kind of form we are used to – steady, solid and 17 points towards the best front and back 9 holechallenge, to get to 29 in total.

 

Jo stumbled early on in the back 9 with a couple of blobs but a strong 9 points in 3 holes finish including her own birdie saw her repeat the 15 point score for 30 overall.

 

Sandie who had played well but struggled on the greens on the first 9 put together her best back 9 of the season. Quick off the blocks with 9 points in 3 holes including a birdie 2, :Sanders” had 18 points after 8 holes, …. And 18 after 9 too. That made 30 points for Sandie.

 

So with every one getting a birdie and with the newly introduced SSS adjustment law coming into play and giving the ladies 2 extra points it made the outcome amazingly close.Vince had 32 + 0 (£2.50), Sandie and Jo 28 + 2 each in a tie for the imaginery silver medal (.75p).  Jill with 27 + 2 had 29 points just a smidgeon behind (0p).

STOP PRESS: Sadly there were 2 mistakes in terms of points allocated on the cards. Jill wrongly gave herself  5 for 1 on a ladies par 5 so should have had 2 points and a total of 30. While Sandie had a 6 for 2 on a par 4 with only 1 shot so should have been 1 point for total 29. Therefore Jill and Sandie swap places. 

 

No photos this week due to injured photographer issues. Apologies.

 

So we head further south to warmer climes and to the beach next week to Felixstowe. A good turnout is shaping up, have fun.

Round Norfolk summer golf round 15 at Bury St Edmunds

The Sunshine Salver

Round Norfolk summer golf round 14 took place at Bury St Edmunds on Wednesday. With the potential of the odd spot of rain then today’s field had been reduced to just 6 but as it turned out it was fine and sunny all day. There had been after a number of late withdrawals due to illness, work and housework pressure. It was a welcome return for 4 players as Chris and Kevin (cycle trip), Greg (holiday) and Sandie (not had a better offer) we’re back in the line up. Jo and Bob were the only players left from last week's trip to Barnham Broom where they had added £1 to this weeks nearest the pin jackpot rollover. 

With groups drawn it was off to the first tee. There was early drama when Chris dropped her ball, marker, pencil and teess down the toilet (hopefully just before) a last minute wee.

Chris's golf bits and bobs going down the pan

Bob was put in charge of making sure Chris and Kevin didn’t get distracted with any romantic interludes during the round as the first group set off. Kevin had decided to adopt the ‘only user the driver in emergencies’ strategy that had gained him a surprise victory on his last appearance. Despite missing hitting most of his 3 wood tee shots he didn’t put himself out of any holes so thanks to some good approach work and solid putting had the halfway lead on 19 pts.

Kevin tees off on the first as Chris shows absolutely no interest

Chris and Bob were matching each other after both opened up with a Par on the first hole and there was never more than a couple of points between them. However Bob kept hitting his approach shots into the bunkers and had a run of 5 1 pointers in 7 holes to finish on 15 points.

Bob in another bunker, this time by the 7th green

Chris was struggling to finish holes off and had 4 1 pointers on the front 9 to be one point better off on 16.

Chris tees off down the 5th

In the group behind Greg was put in charge of looking after the ladies to make sure the focus was on the golf and not chatting about knitting and kittens etc. The responsibility combined with no one to be outraged with on the long march to many of the red tee boxes obviously affected his game as he only managed 6 pts in first 5 holes before recovering to 14 at halfway.

Greg beginning to get his game back together on the 5th

Sadly he fell away again on the back 9 with 3 blobs over the last few holes. His round was summed up on the last when after hitting a tree he ended up 100 yards further away from the hole than he had started. He ended with the wooden spoon and only 27 points that dented his average points comp challenge although he still hols a slender lead.

After starting with an opening blob Sandie then put in a solid run but with no 3 pointers also had 14 at halfway. 

Sandie in trouble on the first

It wasn’t the case on the back 9 where Sandie lived up to her name spending much time in the bunkers. Greg suggested that she could consider adding a deck chair to her bag to make full use of the facility. However on the non sandpit holes she was doing much better with several 3 pointers and, after unfortunately rolling off the back of the nearest the pin green, going on to make her birdie. On a high scoring day her 31 points was still some way short of the prizes.

Sandie in another bunker, by the 18th green

Jo had had a convincing win at Barnham Broom last week and was clearly keen to make the most of her good form as she built a good foundation with 19 points and a share of the lead at the turn. The highlight being a birdie on the par 5 4th.

Jo was in the bunker while her ball stayed out, very confusing

In the group ahead all the players got off to good back 9 starts. Kevin parred the first 4 holes (2 after driving into fairway bunkers) while Bob birdied the 13th. It was a hole he had birdied before so it didn’t help his eclectic(shame). On the following hole he had the only blob of any player in the group and this cost him as Chris pulled into the lead as he finished on 32 points.

Bob makes his birdie on the 13th.

On the 17th hole Chris remembered the SSS rule now used on tour and after consulting the score card claimed a courtesy shot for the day. Despite this and 10 points over the closing 4 holes she could only get to 35 points and third place.

Chris gets out the bunker on the 10th (there seem to be a lot of bunker photos today!)

It was now between the halfway leaders, Kevin and Jo to see who would come out on top. After taking the nearest the pin prize Jo finished strongly with 11 points in the last 4 holes for a 39 point total.

Jo finishes with a par on the last, but would it be enough

However Kevin was riding his luck as his no driver strategy was paying off with only Pars or bogeys on his back 9. As he stood over a short downhill put on the last he had a chance to equal the course record and take the lead in the best round of the year comp. But he bottled it to finish on 41 pts and his second win in a row.

Kevin hits the green from the fairway bunker on 11 for one of 6 back 9 pars

He now shares the lead with Andrew on 41 points for best round of the year. Executive chairman, Golf Dinosaur Monster confirmed that in the event of a tie then the players second best round will be used to decide the winner. This is currently Kevin with a 38 at Cromer.

Next week is a first for the RNSG tour as neither Bob or Kevin will be playing at Rookery park so Greg has kindly “volunteered"  to run the day. As the tour is a dictatorship and not a democracy then Greg’s ruling is final.

Things are certainly starting to hot up at the top of the leaderboards although Jo and Kevin have put down strong markers in the opening scrimmages of the best 3 front and back 9s in July, August and September (plus October this year).

The Barnham Broom Valley Vase. Round 14

The 14th round of the 2019 Round Norfolk Summer Golf Tour took place at Barnham Broom on Tuesday 2nd July. As a result of several withdrawals, the line-up was reduced to three – Jo, Robert and Bob. On the plus side, organising the groups was a lot quicker than normal.

Some discussion took place about the possibility of Jo receiving extra shots but after a lot of head scratching it was decided to refer it to Golf Dinosaur afterwards – leaving the possibility of a VAR like review affecting the outcome of the match.

Despite the low turnout, every effort had been made to prepare the course and limit its use by other golfers. It felt like we had the course to ourselves and the group wondered what it would be like to have your own golf course. Then some of the group realised that they did have their own golf course!

Expectations were high for an enjoyable round of golf. After 20 minutes of demanding stretches and practise shots (actually coffee in the Sports Bar), play got under way.

Group selfie taken by someone not used to taking selfies!! Robert's obviously done this before but Bob and Joe seem to have forgotten all of Golf Dinosaur's media training.

Robert started on the par 5 first hole with a strong drive but missed the fairway to the right. After an unsuccessful search he was forced to take a drop and despite a good shot into the green was not able to score. Bob started well and was on the green for three, just missed a birdie putt and sank the return for a par. Jo was through the green in 4 shots and got down to secure a 6 for two points. First blood to Bob.

Bob at the 1st starting his back-swing (or in the middle of his down-swing?) - answers on a postcard.

The next two holes offered plenty of water jeopardy which was avoided by everyone. However, Jo was the only one to make a par (on the 3^rd) which helped ease her into the lead.

Jo sending her 2nd shot on the 2nd hole over the water and on to the fringe of the green.

Meanwhile, Robert was quietly getting himself back into contention after a poor start and a magnificent tee shot on the long par 3 4th set him up for a narrow birdie miss and a tap in par. Bob hit a poor tee shot and ended up with a 5. Jo, despite landing in the hazard, still got onto the green and down for a 5 and 1 point to maintain her slender lead.

3 balls on the 4th green - Robert's (on the left) there in 1 and the other two there in 3

The next 5 holes looked like it could be the turning point in the game as everyone struggled to play to their handicaps. Both Robert and Bob had two blobs but Jo managed to score on every hole.

At the halfway stage the scores were:

Jo – 16      Robert – 12      Bob - 11  

Jo and Bob started the back 9 well, managing to hit the narrow fairway of the par 5 10th, and both comfortably scored 2 points. Robert on the other hand pushed his drive just into the rough on the right and then zig-zagged his way up to the green but ran out of shots. 

Robert trying to thread the needle on the 10th.

The par 4 11^th (the 2^nd hardest hole) saw Jo sink a long putt for par and then go on to recover from a green side bunker on the 12^th to make 5 and extend her lead. Bob dug out a 5 on the 11^th after a poor tee shot but failed to score on the 12^th after hitting a superb tee shot (that’s golf!). Robert only managed a point from a good position on the 11^th but recovered well on the 12^th from two poor shots to make a 5 and move into second place with Bob.

Jo rushing back from her pit stop on the 12th.

Robert looking like he's got too many clubs to choose from but actually managing two trolleys at once (while Jo ambles back from her pit stop) and proving that the age of chivalry is not dead.

After 12 holes the scores were:

Jo – 23      Robert – 15       Bob - 15

For the next 4 holes, Robert and Bob went toe to toe in pursuit of second place. By the start of the 17^th, Bob was leading by 1 point. At this point, Robert got careless off the tee and failed to score on the next two holes. Bob managed to score on both holes, finishing in what must be the lowest second place score ever (verification required by statto!).

Meanwhile, Jo was sailing serenely on, finishing with a par on the 18^th, and showing the boys how to play golf. The course record (held by the author) could have been at risk if a few more putts had dropped instead of slipping just by. Her only blemish came on the 16^th, just after Robert whispered to Bob that she hadn't had a blob!

The final scores were: 

Jo – 34      Bob – 25      Robert - 21

No-one made the green on the nearest the pin, although Jo was just inches off the green. So a huge sum of £1(?) will be carried forward to next week at Bury St Edmunds.

Footnote:

It turns out that the Bawburgh Ladies are playing Barnham Broom in a League match very soon so Jo was keen to play this round to check out the state of the course. Taking a leaf out of the USA soccer team play-book, she took the opportunity to sneak into the ladies changing room afterwards to look at who would be playing. That’s when it all unravelled as she bumped in to the Barnham Broom Ladies captain and tried to convince her she was looking for the toilet!!  Just make sure you win Jo.

Fun Fact:

It turns out that Robert’s nickname is ‘Bear’, so be careful next time you give him a hug!

Round Norfolk summer golf round 13 at Saffron Walden

The Scenic Salver

Round Norfolk summer golf round 13 took place at Saffron Walden on Thursday. After last weeks bumper turn out for the US Open then it was a much reduced, by very high quality, field for this round. Saffron Walden was making its tour debut so had worked hard to have everything in tip top condition. 

Saffron Walden looked in top nick with view of 18th green from club house

Excellent weather had also been laid on and during the round the players enjoyed fine views of a big churchy thing and a large stately home that no one knew the name of.

Stately home from 5th tee, that no one knew the name of

But enough of the tour guide what about the golf?

With a small field the balls in the air method was used to select groupings with the ladies and gents drawn in separate groups. There was much mumbling from the men’s group when it was announced that, for the first time since the introduction of the new ruling, the ladies SSS would give them 3 courtesy shots. They then strolled off into the distance to find their first tee.

Both Jill and Chris had untidy front 9s with Jill missing a few fairways and chipping through a some greens.

Jill gets proceedings underway on the first

While Chris also found chipping a bit tricky leaving plenty of 3 putt opportunities.

Chris teeing off on the 8th

Both players finishing with 13 front 9 points.

In the group behind Andrew told his partners that he had actually played the course before, with his aunt when he was a young lad. As Saffron Walden celebrates its centenary this year he must have played it in its first few years so couldn’t remember much about it as the then recently planted saplings were now mighty trees. 

Although he scored on every front 9 hole it was a bit of a scramble and with no pars only 14 points had been secured.

Andrew playing down the second with the large churchy thing in view

Money list leader, Bob, was having a strange day. He started with 3 successive blobs as he duffed a number of shots sideways but then recovered with a couple of pars and if he hadn’t missed a some short putts would have had more than the 11 points he did manage.

Bob putting for par on the 4th to secure his first points of the day.
Unfortunately it took him 3 putts so only the 1 point

After spending most of last week looking for balls in the woods Kevin had decided to use his driver only in emergencies which proved a sensible approach as he was involved in every hole and only an untidy 3 putt stopped him having a blob free opening. However he was clear leader at halfway on 17 points.

Kevin's tee shot to the 5th with the mystery stately home in the background.
There was real drama for him at this hole although not until he reached the 10th ????

Jill started the back 9 with 3 pars in the opening 4 holes with only a blob on the straight forward par 3 11th slowing down her progress. However her progress was not the only slow thing as the pair had to wait on every hole for the group ahead to finish. She did hit the nearest the pin 18th green to make a final par and record 29 points plus win todays nearest the pin prize.

Jill waiting on one of many holes for the group ahead to finish

Chris was also having a better back 9 but still chipped poorly. Being a show pony she did produce an excellent chip when the course Marshall was watching so she suggested he watched all her chips from then on. Clearly thinking he had pulled he did and reappear for all her chips shots for the rest of the round as she started to rack up the points. She was just one point behind Jill standing on the 18th tee but a good tee shot and 2 putts secured her 3 points and a tie but for what place?

Chris deciding what club to pick for her next tee shot
before surprisingly picking her driver (again)

The group behind were never able to catch the group ahead as most holes now included a ball search in the woods although for a change not for Kevin’s ball. With 6 to play Bob and Andrew were tied on 19 points, 4 behind Kevin but then Bobs duffs returned as he blobbed the next 3 holes. His back 9 had 3 blobs and 3 pars as he finished in last place on 24 points.

Bob working out how far to the nearest tree

Andrew was doing his best to keep Bob in it as his normal straight driver deserted him and he had to chip out of the woods and trees on several occasions. However an excellent up and down out of the bunker on the last kept him a point clear of Bob on 25 points.

Where do you think Andrew is playing from on this photo

This just left Kevin to see if he could keep his half way lead but disaster was soon to strike. As he reached for his favourite 7 iron for a simple chip and run on the 10th he couldn’t find it and realised he had left it on the 5th green. With the group behind (who probably had his club) a long way back he would just have to go on without. It is amazing how many times he found you need a 7 iron when you don’t have one. Despite this and some rather short tee shots with his 3 rescue he continued to score well and just needed a par on the last for 36 points. After hitting a green and a good putt he only had a 6 inch putt and the job was done but he yipped at it and saw it trickle by, although he did make the 2 inch putt back for 35 for a comprehensive win and course record.

Kevin misses putt on last which would have given him 36 points. Grrrrrrr

The course was probably in best condition of any played on tour this year to date so will hopefully be selected for next year so a larger number of players can enjoy it.

It’s back to Norwich next week as the tour moves on to Barnham Broom and the start of the best 3 front an back 9's in July, August, September (and October).

Round Norfolk summer golf round 12. The US Open at Purdis Heath

The US Open

After the enforced mid-season break, the RNSG returned to action for the US Open at the very popular, and difficult, Ipswich Golf Club at Purdis Heath.

The year's third major saw just 9 players in attendance (Vince being a very late call-off), several returning from competing tours in far away places - Turkey, South Africa and Sussex!

The draw was made in the lavish surroundings of the recently redecorated (presumably for our visit) clubhouse and, after a couple of adjustments to fit people's schedules, we were off.

David, Chris and Jo got things under way. For David, the reigning US Open Champion, it was going to be a tough defence of his title as he scored just four 1-pointers on the first 4 holes and could only muster 11 points by the turn. 

David gets things underway on the first for a disappointing defence of his tittle

Chris started more solidly with four 2-pointers and, despite a blob on the 5th (SI 1), she scored a very impressive 16 points on the front 9. Jo was steady, but the fast start of a par and 3 points on the first was the highlight; however, a blob-free 9 of 14 points was more than respectable.

Jo in early action on the front 9

The all male, testosterone-fuelled group of Robert, Tim and Bob set off next. This was going to be a tough, gruelling encounter but, with current money list and eclectic leader Bob striking the ball down the middle of the first, much was expected. 

Bob looked the part on the first but flattered to deceive during the round

Sadly, the crowds who had flocked out to follow this group would have been very disappointed if the had actually flocked! They managed just 1 3-pointer between them (Robert's par on the 5th) and Bob's 11 points left him 2 behind the other two at the halfway stage.

 

Robert in early action

Out last were Andrew and Jill (a battle within a war) and Kevin, who won the last major to be held here, the 2016 US PGA, and held the course record of 36 points.This group looked like it meant things with 7 points between them on the first, and Kevin finding more fairways from the tee than he'd found all season. However, the boys started to struggle, especially Kevin. The last remaining yellow (or was it green) volvic was lost, clubs were gently thrown and the air became more colourful as the round, though not the scores, progressed finishing on 12.

Kevin made every hole an adventure, this time in a bunker on the second

 Andrew's round fell away at the turn, 13 points after 7 ending up as 14 after 9.

Andrew started the front 9 well with, on this occasion, a great shot out of the rough

Jill saw the opportunity to pounce with 8 of her 15 points coming on the very well-played 7, 8 and 9. 

 Unfortunately even with a very powerful zoom
 this is the closest the camera could get of Jill on the 4th ladies tee from the mens tee

As the groups entered the back 9, conversations turned more about how great the course had been presented for this event, rather than course records which, thankfully for Kevin, were unlikely to be broken today. David tried to recover his round; 12 points in 6 holes was good but the 3 blobs amongst the others left him on just 23.

David finding more trouble during his round

A sad defence but, remarkably, not last as later scores were to prove. Jo upped her game with six 2-pointers from the 10th. Some great recovery shots from the bunkers and the only blob-free round of the day saw her score rise to 30 points and, potentially, in the prizes. 

Jo on her way to a blob free round

Despite a blob on the 10th, Chris also found some form and also scored 16 points for a total of 32; she later commented, in a post-match interview, that greed out of the difficult rough had cost her the 2 blobs. (sadly no photos of Chris in action today so here is one from last time we played Purdis Heath instead) 

The boys in the middle group decided it was time to be men and all upped their game accordingly - well, just a little. 3-pointers were rare. In fact, Tim never saw one all day but he only had one blob; a steady round of ones and twos saw him amass just 27 points, leaving him sad but in love with the course.

Tim finishing up on 18 with another 2 pointer

Robert managed just one more 3 pointer in a blob-free back 9 and, with a good 15 points, clawed his way back up to 28 in total. 

Bob started to show signs of why he is leading the Tour with two 3-pointers on the back 9. His 17 points meant he managed to draw level with Robert's 28, though he did "try" to remove his playing partner from the event with a bunker shot that hit the lip and went 90 degrees left, causing evasive action from Robert; poor form Bob! 

As tour leader Bob is taking things rather seriously with his new laser distance to the flag machine.
 Just wait until he learns how to use it

So, with the girls from the first group leading, what challenge could the final 3-ball provide? Well, for Kevin, the rough, trees, bunkers and more rough were too much. A few more balls, 5 blobs and a 4-putt left him with just 9 points for a total of just 21. Gracious in defeat as always, Kevin seemed to spend much of the back 9 on his own, planning for his prize-giving speech to be as sincere as possible.

A rare moment sees Kevins ball actually on a green

Meanwhile, Andrew's poor form at the turn continued down 10 and 11 and then, from somewhere deep in his bag, he found his game. The joy of 11 points in 5 holes was soon lost, however, as another lack-lustre finish left him with just 14 points. However, his total of 28 did qualify him for joint 4th place, leaving him to compliment the course on its obvious difficulty. 

Andrew leaves himself a very long putt which he surprisingly didn't make

Jill, on the other hand, was finding it much easier, mainly due to fact, that she was playing good golf! A blob on the 12th could not put her off and the par / birdie finish for 6 points saw her climb the table and tie Chris at the top with 32 points. 

Jill tees off on the nearest the pin for one of 8 pars the field managed on that hole today
(for stats fans David Blobbed it)

And so the players returned to the clubhouse for tea, cake and the awards ceremony. Winner of the roll-over nearest-the-pin was Bob, though he missed the birdie opportunity! Jo was third on the day, whilst Chris and Jill shared the first prize. However, being a major, there can only be one title winner and Jill's 17 points on the back 9 secured her 3rd (different) major; congratulations, and she now only needs the British Open for the career Grand Slam, a feat not yet achieved by anyone on tour. Bob and Jill could do it if either win at Felixstow Ferry in the British Open next month.

Saffron Waldon next week - good luck everyone!