Members of the NATO Golf Club came out in force to compete in our first competition of the new year! With surprisingly temperate weather for mid-January, we ultimately had 13 members battling for the title of Champion of the Celtic Quaich and the season points that would come along with it.
Starting out on the difficult opening stretch of Brabantse, every golfer had high expectations and dreams of hoisting the cup at the end. For many of us who hadn't played golf in some time, and even for those that had played and practiced recently, the course punished any errant shots and demanded our absolute best to get a good score. Not surprisingly, the scores on the front nine were not very high for most players, but the back nine was where the competition really began to heat up.
Ultimately, the players that managed to play closer to their handicap on the front (with 16 points each) were the ones ultimately took the 1st and 2nd places for the competition, with 33 points for Lars Koreman in 2nd place (a new member of the NGC playing his first competition), and 37 points for Nero Sena taking first place. For his efforts, Lars will receive his first two points in the season long race for the NATO Cup, while Nero will receive three points.
The back nine was also where the spot prizes for longest drive and closest to the pin took place, allowing players to get properly warmed up! Starting the back nine on the 10th with the Longest Drive on a fairly narrow fairway, Ricardo Guerreiro hit a massive drive in the second group that couldn't be matched by the last two groups moving through. And on the 14th, Ken Beachman hit a great shot to about 8 feet to claim the Closest to the Pin.
Ken Beachman displays great form on the 1st tee, with a smooth on-plane swing that certainly contributed to him claiming the closest to the pin prize on the 14th hole.
Regardless of the scores or results, it was a great opportunity for the NGC to gather together, play some golf (good or bad!), and enjoy each others' company.
I hope to see everyone at our next event on 12 February at Falnuee for the Valentines Massacre!