Scores for Saturday 12 September 2020

Perfect golfing conditions yet again at Adwickbury Park and a healthy turnout, double last week's count, to compete for the pot.

There is only one story this week and it was interesting to behold if somewhat unbelievable.

Duncan Miller started the day with not 1, not 2, not 3, not 4 but 5 blobs in a row. Yes, you heard it here, 5!! 

Things didn't look great when his tee shot on the first scuttled off the toe of his driver down the right of the course. He put his second shot within range and we expected the usual DM recovery shot but he inexplicably overshot the green. He didn't manage to get it in close enough so was resigned to a doughnut on the first. 

On the second another duffer off the tee followed by a trick shot bouncing off the ground and going about 20 feet forward. A reasonable shot in towards the green followed but DM yet again failed to recover and get down in the necessary 5 shots to score. 

On the third he topped his tee shot long and left. He proceeded to knife the next shot over the green into the rough, played a typical DM recovery shot past the pin to the edge of the green, needed to put for a point but duly failed. 

On the fourth he found the trees on the right with his first. He hit a provisional in the middle of the fairway which he ended up playing over the green into the bunker and sunk to get down in 6, again not enough to score. 

On the fifth he hit another shot off the toe of the driver, this time finding the rough to the right of the tee. He went over immediately to search for the ball but to no avail. A second, much better, drive followed by a couple of iron shots put him north of the pin in the rough. The rest was becoming a familiar pattern with DM failing to get down in 7 shots to score a point. 

Andy Simpkin was smiling broadly at this stage, his course record low score could be in danger, at last!!

Duncan started his comeback on the 6th with a bogey 2 points. Frustrated but undeterred Duncan scored a par 2 points on the 7th. On the 5th DM and I spent most of the hole helping Andy and Coenraad find their balls whilst making the green in regulation. My birdie put came up short - "oh well I've birdied this hole already!" I said. DM made his birdie put - "oh well, I've birdied this hole already!" he said. Duncan's spirits now lifted and he suggested that a birdie on the 9th would complete his front 9 comeback. He hit the first shot thin and left stating - "oh well, I'm within wedge range, just drop it next to the hole for a tap-in birdie and all is not lost. He did exactly that, dropping a wedge shot a couple of feet from the pin and putted out. It goes down as the most dramatic 11 point front 9 I've ever witnessed.

The back 9 was similarly dramatic but this time Duncan only managed to open the 9 with two blobs. The pattern was consistent - crap drive, perhaps a reasonable recovery shot, perhaps a poor put, lots of sand and a mirror image 11 points to keep the card balanced. 

Well done Duncan, most would have given up after the fifth but you hung on in there and made sure that Andy's course record remains intact.

Now the scores.

Average scores recovered a bit this week but were below our best at 29.94.

Birdies for Steve (3,16) Richard (2) Coenraad (2) James (6,16) and of course Duncan [or off course?] (8)

Our winner this week is not familiar with the winners spot, normally happy to come in second, Steve (the bridesmaid) Reynolds with 43 points!! Steve shot a personal best of 74, one off James' PB on a fantastic round of golf. I'm sorry I couldn't be witness to this round rather than DM's clowning around on the course. Well done Steve, awesome!! Btw Steve, you'll be off 6 next weekend.

In second place with 37 points and respectable 81 gross, Richard Hyne. Well done Richard.

The front 9 goes to Roger Gibbs who has now put the 14 puts of last weekend to bed to win the front 9 on countback from yours truly with 19 points. Well done Roger.

The back 9 goes to Tony Froud with 18 points. At time of writing there is a slight error which shows Coenraad having lost on countback, he actually lost fair and square to lucky old Tone but his starting handicap was wrong, I put that down to my medication mid-week sorry! Well done Tony.

Next week we have the Captain's day on Saturday followed by the first APEB Autumn meet. I'm in conversation with my fellow organiser regarding the format but I have a trophy for first and second place for the weekend and there will be prizes each day. We will be forced to leave out nearest the pin, longest drive etc. so we'll focus on the normal swindle prizes. More to come on the Whatsapp. 

Have a great week everyone and drink plenty of water!