Castletown Golf Club
TURKEYS AND ELEVATED EAGLES WIN MULTIPLIER
Two elevated eagles equalling 16 Stableford points enabled the eventual winners to fly seven points clear of the field in the 2 from 4 ‘Multiplier’ at Castletown Golf Club on Saturday. It was their final hole and up till then they were lying level with another team.
Both had the distinction of ‘shooting a turkey’ which, in golf parlance, is the feat of scoring three birdies in a row.
Due to casual water on the 7th fairway that loop was closed, so par for the 15-hole competition was 60 points (15x 4). The gale-force gusts caused challenging conditions, and the average team total was just 47. Only the top two teams bettered par.
Dave Evans, Jimmy Kelly, Dan Laughlin and Jamie Garrett suffered a stuttering start. They were five behind the curve after two holes. Evans and Kelly’s nett birdies on the 4th produced 9 points, putting them back on track. Then Laughlin and Garrett combined for ‘a sixer’ on the Road Hole, but the team didn’t dovetail over the next four holes. Taking more putts than a Tuk-Tuk they only carded 5 of the 16 points required.
Pars from Evans and Kelly stopped the rot on the 13th. Reenergised, the team clawed back six points over the next four holes diminishing their deficit to just three points compared to par.
Nett birdies from Evans on the 16th and 17th set the team up for their ‘turkey’ attempt at the last. Laughlin and Garrett duly obliged, so not only did the team ‘shoot a turkey’ but their gross birdies became four-pointer nett eagles multiplying up to 16 of their winning 69 points.
Andrew Davies, David Campbell, Bryan McMahon and Dom Litton exceeded expectation on five holes but were deficient on five others. Consequently, they had amassed 53 points to equal the eventual winners with one hole to play.
Having shot one ‘turkey’ with their elegant efforts on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th, they were looking to do the double. Campbell and Litton set them up on the 16th and 17th respectively and Davies duly delivered with a nett birdie. Then McMahon made sure, sinking a stunner for their second three-pointer on the last. Alas, even with two team turkeys shot, they had to settle for second on 62 points.
Jeff Magee, Ian Souter and the brothers Reid – Mark and Paul – came third on 55 points. They also plucked a team turkey with birdie scores on the 3rd, 4th and 5th. In addition, they capitalized on Paul’s nett eagles on the 5th and 18th by coupling them with nett pars for two 8-pointers.
Five points further back, Andrew Challenor was part of the fourth-placed team. Having eagled the 1st last week, Challenor had to wait until the 4th before repeating the feat this week after a prodigious drive. It was a very profitable double dollop from the two’s pot as only one other 2 was recorded on the day.
It was Iain Quine who converted his nearest-the-pin effort on the 13th, so his clubhouse credit increased, and he pocketed a packet of premium balls. More balls are awaiting distribution as the winner of NTP on the 16th is yet to be determined.
Mike McCord’s 4.0 metre measurement was subsequently bettered, but the rain washed away the winner’s name.
This coming Saturday those who are not driving home for Christmas can participate in the third round of the Winter League and then dash round the pro-shop looking for a last-minute stocking filer in the ongoing sale.
Seasons greeting to everyone and remember that golf should be a pleasure not a penance. If you miss a putt don’t frown, be content, as your average cost per shot has gone down.
MALCOLM LAMBERTCreated by intelligentgolf version 10.1.2.
