Again, an elite squad (!) of the top 10 players in the club gathered on the Essex course on Sun 15th May to compete for the annual Captain's Shoot-Out.  The format, played off scratch, involved one player dropping out on each hole to leave one player victorious after 9 holes.  In the end, Adam Barker's birdie on the final hole was good enough to beat John Chisholm for the title.

Near perfect conditions did not stop the top ten handicappers in the club protecting the greens and fairways of the Essex course for the forthcoming EuroPro Tour at Heydon Grange.  Each player found difficulty hitting greens and fairways in regulation as their nerves were tugged in all directions in this most tense of competitions.  First to go in a chip-off decider with Paul Carter was David Smallman, who had just flown 4000 miles to take part in the competition.  Only two players managed to par the relatively easy second hole and again it was Paul Carter who successfully fought to stay in the competition in a chip-off with Paul Chamberlain.  Mel Marks successfully dropped his bunker shot close to the flag to remove Clive Barrett in the deciding chip-off, following the pair’s double bogey at the third hole.  Only the ducks managed to get close to the green on the par three fourth hole where last year’s champion Ian Brushett failed to recover from his tee shot, which just hopped forward into the water, and left him in a chip-off with Mel Marks.  Although Brushett’s chip was within three feet of the flag, it was Marks who stroked it closer to guarantee his place at the next hole.  A missed short putt by Roger Brigham left him on his own to leave the competition at the fifth hole after recovering well from his second shot that cruelly bounced into the greenside bunker.  At the sixth it was Paul Carter’s turn to leave the competition; after hitting the longest drive and watching the other competitors bounce through the green, a moments lack of concentration and he thinned his second shot into the rough behind the green and leaving himself an impossible chip to get near the flag.  The seventh hole saw a remarkable range of recovery shots as first John Chisholm reached the green by striking an eight iron160yards from thick rough.  Gwyn May followed and just pitched over the front bunker from the rough to finish at the front fringe of the green.  Next it was Adam Barker, whose recovery from his forbesque drive saw him reach the green from just in front of the eighth tee box.  Finally, Mel Marks beautifully flighted his wedge from the front slope of the fairway bunker to the middle of the green, only to see it race on to the back.  One missed short putt was the difference that finally saw the end of Gwyn May’s challenge.  The par three eighth saw all three players on the outskirts of the green.  John Chisholm chipped first and secured his place in the final round by leaving his ball inches from the hole for a tap in.  Mel Marks then chipped up the hill, only to see his ball chase across the hard green and on to the back.  With only a relatively simple chip from the fluffy grass beside the green to get close, Adam Barker had onlookers gasping when he elected to putt.  His ball speedily passed the hole and let Mel Marks back into the game as both two putted.  From a difficult lie, over the defunct bunker at the back of the green, Mel Marks was unable to repeat he previous two successes in the chip-offs; his chip just past the point of no return and the ball raced down the green and onto the front fringe.  Adam Barker executed the gentlest of lobs and was relieved to see his ball hold on the precarious down slope to secure his place in the final round.  John Chisholm’s tee shot was no match for Adam Barker whose drive passed the 150 marker on the final par 5 ninth and leaving him a short iron to the green.  There was an agonising wait as his ball flew towards the flag, which was cut near to the lake; with the hard fairways a strong bounce could easily have seen a wet finish.  Luckily the fringe held his ball and he finished the competition in stile by beating John Chisholm’s par with a fine birdie.