The Spittle Shield took place on Sunday 12th June, at Robin Hood Golf Club (where 3 of the 7 players who teed it up were members).
Whilst signing in the pro forewarned the group to expect a “very, very slow round”. It’s unclear whether that statement was made due to the number of players already out on the course, or because he saw that Millers was playing!
With regards to Millers, he had the beaming smile of a winner before a single shot was taken – due to being drawn with Dreamy, again!
Group 1: Noz, Millers & Dreamy
Group 2: Greggers, Finchy, Butters and Pickle
To the dismay of the random group behind, waiting by the starters hut, every member of Group 1 hit their opening tee shots into the trees on the right and then Finchy got group 2 underway with a snap hook into the trees on the left, we were off.
After hitting his drive 250 yards dead straight down the middle Finchy asked his playing partners what was over the back of the 2nd green, a mere 70 yards away. This seemed like a strange question at the time, until Finchy thinned his shot over the green, almost into the pros shop, then miraculously got up and down for par!
An entertaining walk to the third tee followed, due to the fact that Millers was dragging his trolley right through the middle of the driving range, meaning that the three blokes trying to use the range were unable to hit, whilst he searched for his ball!
More entertainment was to follow when Pickle, after blobbing the stroke index 18 (par 3) 5th, after a great start, decided to really lean on his drive on the 6th. The result was a snap hook into the trees 80 yards from the tee, with the ball bouncing directly back towards the tee and actually ending up 1 foot behind where it started, right next to the tee box, by his trolley.
No such trouble for Finchy who hit driver then 3 wood onto the green, 475 yards away, into a 2 or 3 club headwind! A narrowly missed Eagle putt resulted in a tap in birdie, superb.
Group 1, to their credit, were playing fairly fast and it was not until they were on the 8th tee, next to the 7th green, that Group 2 got to ask how they were getting on. Mediocre was the general vibe.
Unbeknown to anyone at the time, it was tight for the lead after 9, with most of the group still in it (Finchy & Millers – 16, Pickle – 15, Butters – 14, Noz – 13).
Up came the dog hole (13th), and Group 2 couldn’t see a marker on the fairway. Unfortunately, three of the group then missed the fairway, with Pickle only finding it after a collision with a tree. For a short period, we thought that Pickle’s 120 yard drive had won it, until we saw Miller’s marker very, very far into the distance. An amazing drive, converted into a not so amazing 7 for 1.
More wizardry from Pickle on the dog hole as, for the second time in the round, he hit a shot which went backwards (via the lip of a fairway bunker).
Greggers, who was having a fairly uneventful round, provided some entertainment on the 14th after almost decapitating one of the group ahead when his tee shot landed on the 15th tee (no shout of fore). Greggers was left with around 90 yards to the green but somehow managed to hit it closer to 140, straight into the red staked pond over the back/right.
Group 2 noticed that at least one, maybe two, of Group 1 had hit the green on the shark hole (16th). Finchy subsequently hit what would have been a contender for shot of the season here; a towering iron, that was bravely set out over the greenside lake and faded in, which landed right by the flag and was very unlucky to run through the back by a foot. Dreamy took the shark, after a round to forget up until that point (the only time Miller’s left his side, all round, was to stroll across the middle of the driving range to find his tee shot off the 3rd).
Group 2 were confident that the winner was playing in their group, and it was looking like Pickle, walking off the 16th (Pickle – 31, Butters – 27, Finchy – 26).
That theory went out the window somewhat on the 17th when Noz confirmed Millers was on “something like 31 or 32” and then Butters made a sensational birdie, for 4 points, with Finchy also bagging himself 3 points. Butters had been playing very well from the 6th onwards and was bang in contention.
The 18th ended up being a bit of a shambles for Group 2, with two 1 pointers and two blobs. A dejected Pickle went to collect his ball from the practice putting green, in front of the half a dozen members sat on the balcony, after hitting his second shot on there whilst playing the 18th (out of bounds).
Would Pickle lose out on the title, after blobbing the last? The answer to this question would have been yes if Millers, playing on his home course, had been able to 2 putt the last.
However, as ever, Miller CHOCKED, 3 putted and lost to Pickle on count back!
A fun day at Robin Hood, which was in impeccable nick.
