The first outing of the season certainly cleared the cobwebs, with a strong wind blowing across the course.

Les was back in action with 1 bionic knee, and to prove that he was ok after his first 18 holes of golf, we all sat and watched him limp across the clubhouse, to the kitchen to tell them that we were ready for our meal.

The bacon and coffee on arrival was very welcome as was the beef casserole afterwards with the exception of Trevor who had ham egg and chips as he doesn’t like onions.

Colin, a popular name within the Follies has ceased to be popular with Les, as 2 out of 3 dropped out, but it was a welcome back to Andrew Bramwell as he played for the first time in 2 years.

The last group of the day provided the waiting masses in the clubhouse with plenty of entertainment as they played the 18th. Gabe, Brian, Robin and David strode up the fairway crossing over each other checking the 3 balls in sight. Dave then looked a disconsolant figure as walked back down the fairway to find his ball. Finally they made it to the green where they made Robin put out from about 9 inches. We all thought he was on for a massive score but he came third.

Well done to Roy Fletcher who won with 41 points putting down an early marker for the Trophy, and to Dave West who won a bottle of port for nearest the pin, It was suggested that this would have washed the meal down nicely, but Dave had other ideas.

Report by Martin Zebedee.

As well as Champion Golfer, President’s Cup and the Annual Supper Texas Scramble, we have another competition this year – The Shirtie!

Your Shirtie committee invites you to submit pictures of members wearing the new distinctive Fritz Follies Golf Society shirt in unusual places around the world on their travels e.g. at Old Trafford, outside the Vatican, at the top of the Empire State Building, on the Great Wall of China etc..

Please send all photos to me at jonkelly411@hotmail.com

No photoshopping or other jiggery-pokery will be entertained!

An appropriate trophy will be awarded at the Supper.

Les reports:

The You’re Hired team who could be my scramble partners next year, 68.20 Keal/Humphries/Liscoe/Wakefield

The team that with better management of the drives should have won 68.90 Watts/Zebedee/Bates/Savage

The deadwood, you’re definitely not hired 3rd– 70.30 Delany/Fletcher/Kelly

A dozen lucky Follies had the pleasure of a beautiful mid-October afternoon’s round of the rarely visited Milton Golf Course.   With this being the last event counting towards this year’s awards and to keep the suspense going till the end, results will not be published until after the Annual Supper and Prize Giving.

However, we were allowed to see Brian and Colin H’s holiday home but we were not invited in.

So, on to our Final Events of the year on Friday 7th November – teeing off with breakfast at the Stibbington Diner, continuing with golf at Elton Furze and ending with the Fritz Follies Golf Society Annual Supper and Prize Giving 2014 in the Cuckoo, Alwalton.

Hope to see you there!

No-one has ever said that playing at The Bedfordshire was easy. Indeed many have said it is one of the most difficult courses we play. Regardless, Colin Humphries absolutely smashed it recording a highest ever Fritz Follies total of 51 points!  The biggest threat came from Colin Savage’s attempt to steer Colin H’s and his own trolley at the same time which nearly resulted in both going into the water.  It appears that sharing the same christian name was a good thing that day as Mr Keal won the nearest the pin when his ball came to rest about 2 feet 3 inches from the pin and Mr Savage scored a normally good enough to win 40 points. Honourable mentions in despatches for Roy and Phil who finished way back on 39 points each!

Colin H attributed much of his success to recent lessons with Gary Casey at Thorpe Wood…..maybe we should all head that way.

Sadly for those concerned, if not for everybody else, the Handicap secretary has cut all those that had net scores under 70 i.e. Colin/Colin/Phil 🙂

Following an excellent bacon sandwich and resplendent in our new shirts, thanks for organising those Les, 14 hardy Follies posed for a team photo and then set off on a very windy Old Nene course. For some, this was their first experience of a nine hole course, but, with a little orienteering skill, we found our way round ok.

We were accompanied throughout the round by the Boom Boom Boom of what could have been a ghostly Roman Galley drummer from years gone by. Whatever it was, it was loud, consistent and went on all day.

Signage was lacking in a number of places and after the 5^th, Omar’s group went left, then right and finally left again searching for the 6^th. The 6^th tee was different in that we’d never seen a ‘Boats have priority’ sign on a tee before. And sure enough a boat did pass between tee and fairway as Jon shaped to tee-up.

From the elevated 6^th tee, the flag looked a long way off – Colin S estimated it as about 3 miles and then went on to par it!

A very disappointing incident was reported on the 11^th when the group following Les’ group arrived at the green to find the flag horizontal/laying by the hole/not upright/not stuck in the hole.

On the 14^th, Martin drove off, his ball hit a tree and rebounded about 20 feet behind the tee.

In the second group, halfway down a fairway, Geoff Delaney discovered his putter cover was missing. He ran to the tee, couldn’t find it, ran back to find it lying the other side of his bag.

John Wakefield had a decent front nine but then the wheels came off. He lost 6 balls, played Robin’s ball instead of his own and when Robin said after John’s putt, “Take it away” John thought he had given him the putt but Robin meant the flag!

On the 15^th Colin S decided he needed all his clubs to hand and duly dragged his trolley up a very steep bank:

Towards the end of the round, the weather closed in and as the thunder started, the last two groups reformed as some pushed on and some sheltered. However, we all finished safely if damp.

The results for the day were:

Nearest the hole on the 12^th, John Wakefield

3^rd on countback-Roy Fletcher

2^nd –Colin Humphries, both with 34 points

1^st Colin Savage with 39 points.

Geoff then, on behalf of us all, wished Les well for his forthcoming ops and we all look forward to seeing him back on the fairways next summer complete with bionic knees. The next Follies outing is Friday September 19^th at The Bedfordshire.

Size Description – Chest (to fit) S – 36″, M – 38/40″, L – 42″, XL – 44/46″, 2XL – 48″

Special Fritz Follies price of £17

All orders to les@akbook-keeping.co.uk

Another good turnout of 14 Follies gathered at Ramsey for the July Meet.

A couple of stories were reported:

At the 6th, Les found himself in a bunker. After his first attempt failed, he decided not to risk any Bunker Flunker activity and belted his second very hard out of the bunker, past the hole and out-of-bounds behind the green! I wouldn’t say that his sand wedge went as far but it certainly got air!

Brian was on the green but somehow 3 shots later was even further away from the hole. After he putted out, his playing colleague said “never mind, you get 2 shots on this hole, how many did you take? 10 was the reply 😦

Scores were high with 3 in 3rd on 34 points – Robin, Roy and Geoff D. Second was Colin H on 36 but today’s winner on 38 points was Colin Keal.

The top of the table under the STANDINGS 2014 tab shows the closest race in years!

14 Follies were hoping the dark sky would not bring rain and all prayers were answered as the competitors for the all-important 2014 President’s Cup gathered together at Elton Furze Golf Club on Monday 16 June. The scene was set for the day’s competition.

A couple of blasts from the past turned out, Martin Zebedee and Brian Cresswell, it was nice to see them after such a long time. Martin made his intensions clear when on the first his ball took a sharp left turn and settled safely on the gravel path 6 metres behind him.

Hole 5 was chosen for the ‘nearest the pin’ competition. Geoff Delany, who was in the first group, hit a magnificent golf shot, avoiding the trees and all the other hazards on this difficult par3 and landed on the green. Geoff must have been understandably quietly confident nobody would beat his magnificent shot as he marked his ball position using a piece of card about the size of a green shield stamp (remember those?) that no one could see until they were just a few feet away. So small was this piece of card that nobody else would have been able to write their name on the card had they landed inside his position. So nobody bothered!! He was thus declared the winner of the prize for nearest the pin. Well done Geoff.

John Wakefield had a wonderful round – with his driver! No one knows what happened to the rest of his game – it deserted him for the day.

Getting ready to take his drive on the 14th, Roy Fletcher turned to Omar and said, “Is that your trolley going on walkabout?” It wasn’t. Realising it was his own trolley; he gave chase and eventually brought it under control.

The first group, led by ‘Speedy’ Colin S raced around the course and finished their round in just over three hours – a full hour before the second group came wearily home. Geoff, quick to see an opportunity, managed to wangle a free lesson on chipping from the ‘master chipper’ himself Colin Savage.

Finally, the results of the day. There were two excellent rounds of golf played by the Colins – one by Colin Savage and the other by Colin Keal. Colin S is the winner of the President’s Cup with a net score of 66, followed closely by Colin K with a net score of 67. Well done to both of you. They also came first and second in the day’s competition with 40 and 39 points respectively. Brian Bates was third with 36 points

Jointly authored by Omar and Colin S.