And here we are – the final!

 

The Buckinghamshire looks pretty damn fine this morning, lush, green, leafy and fit for a king. The 10 winners of the Trilby Tour 2011 qualifiers and the best of the rest arrived bright and early and even before the first tee-offs of the day there was a distinct buzz in the air. Everywhere you looked it was smiles and smart clothes.

 

 

However, there’s something askew about today’s play, it feels frustrating to watch, somehow unlike typical Trilby Tour territory. Then it becomes clear why – everyone’s playing too well! Drives are straight and true, bunkers remain unmolested and virtually every ball ends up at the pin pretty much on or about par. Great for the players but not what the crowds or the TV audience prefer. We want action, drama, hooks, slices and wildly inaccurate tee shots. Not too many of them but just enough so we know we’re watching amateurs. Today we could be watching a field of pros. Seriously.

 

Inevitably, a few mistakes start to happen. The 3^rd, a lovely little par 3 with a stream crossing the end of the fairway which turns the green almost into an island seemed to faze a few. Perhaps it was worry that they would end up in water so early in their round or the wind that picks up after the first couple of holes causing problems but everyone seemed to be driving into the thistly rough to the right.

Mid morning saw light showers and the arrival of one of our regional champions accompanied by 32 fans in a coach! It would be impolite of us to say who it was (cough…he qualified at the KP…cough) because the impressive band of supporters following him round the course sadly seemed to have a distinctly negative affect on his game and when I caught up with him on the 4^th he was already declaring himself out of contention.

 

As so often on the year’s TT it was the seemingly innocuous holes causing the most consternation. The 11^th is a simple enough, if narrow, hole but the bunkers halfway down the fairway trapped more than their fair share of players. And further down the course, on the 15^th, players attempting to avoid the sand to the left of the fairway all to often skirted or found the patches of bramble bushes on the right. The elderly couple who had wandered from the adjoining public footpath to take advantage of this free fruit bounty found themselves using the Tupperware they’d brought to carry the collected brambles as protective helmets. Quite funny to watch.

Back at the clubhouse, finishing players were greeted with a stunning sight. The fairway and green on the 18^th appeared to be (and was) a positive fiesta. The hole was surrounded by flags, cameras, players, spectators and the hospitality area and leader board. The crowd and excitement grew exponentially during the afternoon and by the time the last group came in and the final 4 were known everyone was ready to up sticks and travel the play off holes like a huge army, moving as a flotilla across the grass.

 

Here they were. After 3 months of searching we had our final 4 players. The best of the best. The crème de la brûlée. It was (as William Hunt himself delighted in pointing out) Top Gun Time – but who would be Maverick and who would get goosed? As the sun began to set in the west all assembled were witness to the best and tightest play off in Trilby Tour history. Every one of the players were still in contention right up to the final shot and it was a moment of sublime skill that saw the winner prevail.

Then speeches, presentations and fireworks marked the end of the Trilby Tour 2011. The best yet - best venues, best players, best time had by all. Roll on 2012. Till then, you’ll find us in the 19^th, celebrating still.

 

Dave Lee