Fourth event of the season, and our run of glorious golfing sunshine came to an end rather abruptly. We endured quite a downpour for the opening 6 holes and whilst it got gradually better across the course of the day, it was not enough to shift the general soggy and damp theme; at least the ducks swimming on the fairways were having a good time.
It’s always a pleasure to play Brockenhurst and whilst the course has certainly seen better days, the dry spring conditions not helping the fairways be at their best, it was once again a very enjoyable stroll around a small piece of the New Forest.
We were well looked after throughout the day, I thought the food was excellent, with the morning’s bacon roll being as good as I’ve had anywhere else. Everybody looked super smart in the evening, well done everyone for digging out and dusting off your jacket and tie ensemble, let’s all hope they still fit in a year’s time 😊
Lastly, before we get onto the event winners and all those lovely Champion Golfer points, I have to mention the Captain’s Drive, for two reasons.
Firstly, as those who have played with me this season will know, driving is not exactly a strength of my game. The situation was nicely summed up by Richard Jackman, who I played with all day when he said after another one of my drives went in some random direction away from short grass, “If someone asks me for tips on the Captain’s Drive sweep stake”, turns to Graeme with upturned hands and a shrug of the shoulders, “god knows!” (or words to that effect! 😂
Secondly, after hitting my drive and surprising my day’s playing partners by hitting it reasonably straight, don’t think I didn’t hear your ‘why didn’t you do that earlier’ quip Richard, noted, Nigel and I set off to mark the distance and at the end we were 1 pace in disagreement. Nigel was adamant we should go with his 224 number, rather than my 225, very adamant. Odd I thought, but fine, no big deal, 224 it is. Only on revealing the winner in the clubhouse did the reason become apparent, with Nigel’s guess of 225 being the winning score; he was clearly trying to make it look less of a fix than it otherwise might have. I think the chorus of ‘cheat’ and other heckles shows this plan failed Nigel…but well done nonetheless. 😜
I actually think Nigel’s winnings were well deserved for a fantastic organisational effort. Brockenhurst is widely and rightly acknowledged as the toughest event to organise, 3 organiser points well earned.
Which brings me nicely onto the winners. Congratulations to all, Champion Golfer points galore…
| Category | Winner | Score / Notes |
| Event Winner – Scratch Trophy | Dave Cousins | 79 (Gross) |
| Event Winner – Captain’s Cup | Tom Sturley | 72 (Net) |
| Event Winner – Bandits Bowl | Steve Taylor | 35 pts |
| Event Winner – Loving Cup | Richard Jackman, Dean Lardner, Graeme McRobert | |
| Nearest the Pin * 4 | John McCabe, Mark Jones, Matt Kockott, Neil Young | |
| Longest Drive | Andy King |