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This match report is brought to you courtesy of the Krakow Tourist Board – highly recommended for your next City break.

Imagine for a moment, the year is 1983 and Liscoe, Wells and Kelly are spraying balls from the middle of a field direct to their intended target, landing each ball on a sixpence.  Well it didn’t happen on a football pitch back then and it’s not happening 30 years later on a golf course either.  These 3 together with another 9 Folllies turned up at Rutland Water on a lovely, warm, late summer day.

After his two summer vacations including a trip to Krakow – highly recommended for your next City break – Jon Kelly thought his holidays were over for the year but he spent a good part of the afternoon in sand as he found himself in bunker after bunker.  Despite getting out of several first time, he eventually succumbed and after getting out of one bunker first time only to go straight into another, he took a further 3 to get out.  Whether that counts as 4 to tie with Ben Miles for ‘Bunker Flunker’ has gone to the committee for a decision.

On the par 4 third, John Wakefield lost his ball and had to play his third from the tee.  That didn’t stop him getting a par with a great drive and a measured chip from off the green.

Les advised that we set a new record today by sending out a three-ball with a combined age of 221 years.  Inspirational.

Results:

third on countback was Colin Savage with 33 points

second was Geoff Delaney with 33

and the Rutland Water Fritz Follies Champion is Richard Parker with 39.

Richard’s win gives him 76 points from his two outings this year. From his home in Bedford to the last round that matters in Sleaford is a mere 75 miles so a return drive of 150 miles plus a good round could land him the trophy.

Final stop – Sleaford Golf Club on Monday 14th October……full directions are on the right…

Oh and by the way, did I mention I’d been to Krakow this summer – highly recommended for your next City break.

The was a special deal day, with bacon rolls and coffee on arrival and it certainly met our expectations.

9 golfers huddled by the pro shop watching the rain fall, just one hardy golfer in shorts was not put off by the cloud burst and continued with his pre match putting practice, well done Colin Savage. Also, it must be mentioned that Colin’s meticulous attention to detail included writing down all the tips for each hole from the Rutland County website. Perhaps he forgot to read them on some of the holes today…..

The rain did not last as within 10 minutes we were all on our way to the first tee to commence the day’s golf.

It must be said the rough was pretty tough. Most courses this year are experiencing problems but parts of  Rutland County were at times more like a hay field. Once you found the deep stuff, it was a fair chance it would be a lost ball and if you found it then it was certainly a penalty. As a group we did manage to lose a good number of balls.

Two players made their Follies debut today. John Wakefield and Gabe Stokes hopefully enjoyed their day with us and will return to tread the fairways again.

Nearest the pin was set as the 17th hole and shame on us all as no-one managed to stay on the green although Geoff and Dave Carter had fine efforts, but sorry chaps the fringe is just not good enough. We will save our bottle for another day.

Honours for the day, despite not being able to add up the score totals (both marker and player I might add) was first place to Brian Bates with an excellent 34 points. No wooden spoon at the Supper this year, I might add. Geoff Delany followed with 33 with David West on 32.

Remember the Fritz Follies Trophy is decided by the best 3 round aggregate total, so with 2 outings to go everyone is still in the mix for major prizes. Not to mention Bunker Flunker – currently 4 shots and the prestigious “Bloomer of the Year” for which we have several nominations already.

Next stop – Rutland Water on Friday 27th September……full directions are on the right…

The Bedfordshire in past years has proven to be a tough test for the Fritz Follies. Today however, we were met with near perfect playing conditions and after a little rain in the previous days the course was excellent. We also had the honour of a “Red Arrows” fly past mid way through the round, well organised Richard.

A first journey to Bedford for Colin Humphries and Roy Fletcher who relied upon their Sat Nav to get them to the course. Well, sometimes they do lead you astray as the weary pair arrived nearly 2 hours after leaving Peterborough. You will know next year which route to use and update the Sat Nav so the new Milton Keynes road is on the map.

David Carter was on a unique hat trick of winning the annual “Bunker Flunker” prize on the same course and the same hole for the third successive year. Somehow though he managed to avoid the troublesome bunker and perhaps pass on this prize to someone else, though there are still a few events to go to secure the prize. 4 out of the bunker leads the way at present.

Nearest the Pin was selected by our member Richard Parker as the 154 yard 6^th Hole. Les was the early marker 10 feet from the pin but was beaten by the following group when Omar Vawda comfortably placed his ball inside, but missed the birdie.

After his long journey, Roy was enjoying the wispy rough, relentlessly playing his tee shots into the grass. As the round progressed his skills of escaping from the rough improved, returning a back nine 19 points which was the best score on the back nine today.

Omar had a little bit of lady luck when his ball was powering out of bounds only to unbelievably bounce back from the trees into play. This was to be a wining stroke as he wins the day on countback back nine holes from Richard Parker. Both scoring 37 points which is a great score on this course.

Next stop – Rutland County, on a special deal with Coffee/Bacon Roll/Golf then 1 course bar meal included on Thursday August 15^th……full directions are on the right…

How Les must have wished for those days when only 6 players turned up and organisation was straightforward.  The June meet saw the best turnout for some time with 18 but with it came the constant re-arranging of groups as people dropped in and out for various reasons – not least being a court appearance (I’m assured Colin Keal was not the defendant) and it might rain (shame on you, Mark Holland).

Weather wise we were lucky and only got a little wet in the closing holes.  With such a large group, there were plenty of stories in the bar afterwards:

A new golfing term to add to the “Dennis Wise” (a nasty five footer) is the “Alpen”. It was Brian Bates’ turn to putt from about a foot but he was lost in a chocolate wonderland as he munched on an Alpen bar. Shaken from his reverie, he pocketed the bar, picked up his putter and duly missed the hole!  He went one further when he hit his ball into the back of the buggy of his playing partner, Geoff!

We don’t know how many balls Robin Watts started off with but he came down the 18^th using his last one.

Trevor Chapman who has arrived like a hurricane into the Follies with opening scores of 38 and 35 came a little undone today.  Les Wells was curious to play with Trevor and duly brought him down to his own level as Trevor scored a 10 on 3 separate holes. In fairness, Trevor did win Nearest The Pin so another good day for TC.

Debutant Ben Miles got into the Follies swing very early on with a strong claim for this year’s Bunker Flunker with 4 attempts to get out on one hole. It didn’t do him too much harm as he won the day with 36 points – well done.

Second was Colin Savage on his first appearance this season with 35 points beating Les Wells on countback.

The July Meet also sees the staging of the President’s Cup competition and 10 years after winning it for the first time, David West duly triumphed again.

Next stop – The Bedfordshire on the 26th July……full directions are on the right…

“Ramsey Golf Club provided the third venue of the 2013 season and, despite  a grey and overcast sky, nine Follies warriors turned up to do battle on a course which, over the winter, had seen several holes under water.

Your Correspondent was very pleased to return to the scene of perhaps his greatest triumph where he was able to capture the “Bloomer of the Year 2012” trophy – what memories!!

The day didn’t start well for Geoff Delaney who, upon arrival, advised that, despite having a magnificent memory, he had left his driver at home. This didn’t mean a lot to most of us who thought he meant the chap in the funny hat who sits at the front of Geoff’s car but, evidently, Geoff was talking about an intrinsic component of his golfing armoury. This did earn Geoff some kudos, however, in that he is now the first nominee for the Wally of the Year 2013.

Some respectable golf was seen during the afternoon and, fresh from his successful first outing at Belton Park, Trevor Chapman was again in sparkling form. His tee shot on the 2nd hole earned him the Nearest The Pin prize besting David Carter by some two feet.

Trevor’s playing partners for the day found it necessary to bring to the attention of the Follies Behavioural Committee, several “John McEnroe” type incidents during the round, when whirling clubs and bad language provided additional hazards as the occasional Trevor tee shot went slightly offline.

Kevin Hingle also made good use of his “Tree” wood on the notorious Par 5  dog leg 14th hole where, despite hitting his ball into the hedge on two separate occasions, benefitted from kindly rebounds to finish the hole with a respectable 6.

A serious case of club sharing came to light in the Clubhouse after the round but it is pleasing to note that, despite the hard sell of “Del Boy” Wells and an 18th hole test drive, Geoff Liscoe resisted the “attractive” offer to purchase Les’s driver for the snip of £200.

After round discussion also centred on the fact that, this season, Follies rounds now appear to be taking less than 4 hours whereas, in previous seasons, rounds had been timed in excess of 4 hours. Congratulations to all and keep taking the tablets.

Results of the day: Kevin Hingle came third with 29 points, Les Wells made second with 30 points and, in an act of pure revenge (and Trevor Chapman having already taken Nearest The Pin) David Carter was awarded victory with 34 points.

David advises that this was the first occasion that he had achieved in excess of 30 points, since November 2011 – not that he was keeping note! How sad!!

Next stop – Presidents Cup at Elton Furze on the 28th June……full directions are on the right…

Belton Park – April 29th

Good turnout of 11 members

Welcome to Trevor Chapman who introduced himself to the club with a scorching 38 points on his inaugural round.

Next stop – Ramsay on the 17th May……full directions are on the right…

The phone started ringing around 8.45 am with the first casualty of the day, to be followed shortly afterwards with problems due to the course not allowing power carts. The snow was coming down and the signs for a good day looked remote. But hardy chaps are we, 10 remained to do battle with the weather and the Kettering terrain.

Unusually so, the BBC Cambs weather were spot on today. Some wintry showers in the morning clearing up around mid-day and then going colder as the afternoon progressed. And so it came to pass, we arrived with light rain and after a lovely bacon roll on to the course and the weather had cleared.

Today we had 2 new recruits, Phil Nutall and Roy Fletcher who were welcomed to the group. I thought Roy might be a challenger by his email address including the word “golfer.”  Colin Humphries also making his first event after testing the water at the Annual Supper event last November.

Some highlights from my group included Colin on the 4^th over hitting his third shot on the par 3, 70 yards past the pin, only to play back 20 yards the other side of the green. Shades of that old Marty Feldman clip I thought. Kevin around the 12^th did not follow the course instructions and walked past a sign that said “Golfers must follow the path,” Perhaps he did not feel a golfer today.

Two highlights for Les. An Eagle 3 on the 5^th and beautifully done if I don’t say so myself, netting 5 points that exceeded the combined score on the previous 4 holes. This was followed later on the Par 3 12^th with a shot 10 foot from pin to secure the “Nearest the Pin” prize narrowly from Geoff Delany. For a moment in the bar I thought it was Cyprus as my £20 note was rejected as it was an old note.

Despite the wet conditions under foot there was some excellent golf played today. Roy on his debut scooped the 1^st prize with a 40 point total, beginners luck? We will see as the year progresses but very well done today and enjoy the moment. Geoff Delany was second with a very good 38 points that any other day would have been a winning score. Another debut boy, Phil Nuttall came in 3^rd with 37 points.

Kettering Golf Club deserve some praise. Despite the obvious problems with the weather they had the course in good condition. As a club they made us feel very welcome, gave us a discount on the green fee due to the conditions and put on a good post match meal. So well done to everyone who made our day special.

Les.

Next venue is Belton Park on Monday 29th April
Watch for the email and full directions are on the right…

Our esteemed Secretary Les has been busy behind the scenes and recently announced the fixtures for the forthcoming season.
Will David West retain the trophy? Or will 2013 be your year?
Please put the dates in your diary and we’ll see who finishes where.

Weds 20th March – Kettering Golf Club – 12.30pm (£21 – 18 holes of Golf followed by a Full English Breakfast)
Mon 29th April – Belton Park Golf Club (to be confirmed) Golf Only £28 – 1pm
Fri 17th May – Ramsey Golf Club – Golf only £25 – 1pm
Fri 28 June – Presidents Cup – Elton Furze Golf Club (to be confirmed)
Fri 26th July – The Bedfordshire Golf Club – 1pm
Thur 15th Aug – Rutland County Golf Club – 1pm. Special deal cost depending on numbers, but approx £26 for Coffee on arrival, Bacon roll, 18 holes Golf followed by 1 course bar meal.
Fri 27th Sep – Rutland Water Golf Club – 1pm
October – To be arranged.
And to end
Fri 8th Nov – Fritz Follies Golf & Supper – Elton Furze followed by the evening at the Cuckoo Alwalton

Hope to see you on the tee.

The final curtain falls on this season’s golf. Starting with the annual texas scramble at Elton Furze, 5 teams of 3 players doing battle on the day. For the first time Geoff Liscoe and Colin Humphries were testing out their skills amongst the other Follies stalwarts. Bernard Fritz played his first game for a year, wielding a new driver, shame he did not have any appropriate size tees to go with it. Ian Bloomfield also played his first Follies game of the year, but recent form on Orton Meadows (26pts back nine) suggested he would strengthen the organisers’ team.
As the day unfolded, the organisers’ faded, was it the beer beforehand or perhaps the 6 hip flasks full of Sloe Gin, you will not find this pre shot routine in any Golf Mag. On the bright side Ian did manage to be nearest the pin on both the 2nd and 15th holes winning a bottle prize. I must mention though that the 15th was about 40 feet from the hole, but no one else could hit the green in the windy conditions.
As always the team sheet displayed the players, tee times, handicaps and number of drives that each player had to adhere to on the day. So, Messrs Savage, Kelly and Carter were pleading after the event not to have been told they had to take 5 drives each. Certain disqualification loomed, but as it was a fun day they were not penalised, just publicly shamed.
Longest drive was won by an enormous effort from Richard Parker. I think summed up by Peter Harris saying to me, where was the longest drive marker – to which I replied probably around where you played your 3rd shot. Well done Richard a great shot worthy of a bottle prize as well.
The winners on the day were the team of Parker/West & Liscoe. Good to see Geoff on his first outing picking up a prize and hopefully the incentive to come back again next season to play some more golf with us.
The evening events highlighted this to be the 35th year of Fritz Follies Golf. Not many societies around that could boast such achievements. David West recognised the “Pearl Family” as being key aspect that has bonded the society over many years. Being enhanced in recent years with great characters to maintain the fun, social and golfing traditions.
Everyone is a winner on the Follies. We like to celebrate the highs and lows the latter being awarded the wooden spoon for the lowest 3 round average. Had Colin Keal or Jon Kelly played the last event they could have been in with a shout. Unexpectedly, last year’s champion Peter Harris was in the mix, But Brian Bates was the man for this one. Joe Maddocks had provided a fun prize of “Toilet/Bedroom Golf” that I’m sure Brian will have endless fun with this winter whilst waiting for our new season.
In memory of Steve Bloomfield we started the “Bloomer of the Year” award last year. No shortage of takers for this fun trophy. A “large bloomer loaf” provided by Tesco’s bakery, Hampton Hargate. Onto the nominations: At Wellingborough Jon Kelly had some problems with the door handles and today had many lapses of concentration leaving balls around the course. Robin Watts at Rutland Water left his driver on the 5th tee. However, these actions were superseded by Peter Harris putting his ball into the bunker on a par 3 then following the ball in with his motorised trolley, oh dear. Well done Peter you are the 2012 Bloomer of the Year.
Mark Holland this year also completed the Land’s End to John O’Groats cycle ride in support of Steve’s charities and raised £2,800 – fantastic achievement recognised by everyone.
The major prize of the Fritz Follies Trophy was closely run with the last event at Rutland Water having 6 potential winners. David West had led at the start of the day but did not have a good day. This allowed Geoff Delany to improve by 2pts, Omar by 3pts and Kevin Hingle by 4pts. Get the calculator out time to work out whether this was enough to overtake David at the top. The final placings were 3rd Geoff Delany 89pts, 2nd Omar 91pts and our winner and Fritz Follies Champion 2012 David West 92pts. Very well done everyone in a rain ravaged season.

Fixtures for 2013 will shortly be arranged, keep a check on the website for developments.
Thank you all for your continued support in 2012 and I look forward to the spring when we can do it all over again.
Les Wells

The September Outing saw an elite group of five play The Bedfordshire. The scores returned indicate that the course has been made much easier since I last visited. Third spot went to the local player, Richard Parker. Runner-up was Omar with David West winning with 36 points.

With one round to go it’s all to play for at the top of the table – see next tab “2012 Standings”. Of course you can’t improve your position without playing so let Les know asap about your availability for the beautiful Rutland Water on Friday 26th October. A late burst of glorious sunshine with a following wind on all holes is forecast.

And finally, the traditional end of season round at Elton Furze followed by Annual Supper and Prize Giving at the Cuckoo, Alwalton is booked for Friday 9th November.

Look forward to seeing you soon.