May the Fourth be with you. Fifty-six players, made up of members, their families and some adopted family members from the membership, took to The Mill & The Garden on Bank Holiday Monday for a Star Wars themed Family Challenge. The format was 2 from 4 Stableford, with Force Holes on the par threes where all three balls counted, adding an extra layer of excitement and strategy to an already fun day’s golf.
The team of Min-tae Kim, Boyhe Kim & Jooyoung Kim, reinforced by Sue Park, set the early tone and never looked back. They made the most of the Force Holes from the outset, posting an extraordinary 10 points on their very first par three and using that platform to build a commanding total of 103 points. Bohye and Jooyoung will have arrived in confident mood, having recently claimed Pammy’s Plate together, and the pair proved every bit as formidable in a four-ball format, helping their team to a comfortable and deserved victory.
Tim Hubbard, Ralph Hubbard, Freddie Gowar and Kate Elliott were the model of consistency throughout, posting 47 points on The Mill and 50 on The Garden for a total of 97 points to take second place. A steady and composed performance across both layouts.
Tony Cates, George Cates, Tom Cates and Ben Richards rounded out the podium with 92 points in third, a solid family effort on what was a thoroughly enjoyable day.
Special Mention
A mention too for the group of Pasi Siitonen, James Winterman, Neil Sharpe and Stewart Ford, who posted a very respectable 95 points. A fine score, though the definition of family in their case remains, shall we say, open to interpretation.
Nearest the Pin
The Mill, 5th (Beggar’s Canyon): Sue Park claimed the honours with 122cm, channelling her inner Luke Skywalker and blasting the Womp Rats with a shot that would have made the Rebel Alliance proud.
The Garden, 8th (Death Star Trench Run): Colin Braid found the target at 516cm. Not quite finding the exhaust port, which as any Star Wars fan knows is barely two metres wide, but a respectable effort down the trench run nonetheless and enough to take the prize.