arrived at sanctuary cove resort thursday afternoon with a shitload of other players to participate in the mercedes trophy national finals. it was the closest thing ill ever experience to being a pro...picked up from airport, coached to the resort. bags taken to the course, while you check in. all expenses paid.
hada few holes praccy on the palms course. really disappointed with the condition of some bunkers and greens. admittedly the course was battered with water, over 30cm apparently recently. but the lips of the holes were scuffed a lot. not pretty. that night there was a dinner where everyone mingled while host mark beretts beretta did his thing including outlining why we're there - to win 1 of 3 places for team Australia to the World Mercedes finals in Germany later this year. yay. fun. everyone was so welcoming given that as a whole everyone knew one or no one. haha.
the Pines hosted round 1, stableford. after breakfast all players were driven to the course where our bags were already placed on carts each marked with our names and hole starting number. scorecards presented and we were free to hit balls and practice. we all did. the nerves were ever present but still a friendly atmosphere. beretts did his thing for mercedes TV, a drone circled above and group photo of all 82 players taken in the official polo shirts.
met rachel hetherington. lovely woman.
off 20, had a shocker. a lovely course (private) with line tree lined fairways. i got to know these quite well. many times tried to hit out only for ball to hit another tree and again. lol. lost a few balls which didnt help with errant drives, aka slices.
highlight of the day was meeting rachel hetherington on one of the par 3s and attempting to beat her NTP.
26 pts and out of the running considering top players need 40 points to win. but this was round 1 of 2!
a ripping dinner again hosted by beretts. murmurs a plenty over the leaderboard, with most players realising the trip to germany is gone.
round 2 at the palms. a course that has a lot of water, but "easier" than the pines. course was improved from practice round thankfully. a change in game plan meant less lost balls and confidence rising. yay! but overall score of 24 was poor. highlight was meeting mike klim on the "straightest drive" hole. prize is all expenses paid trip to brit open at royal troon.
winner had 77 pts.
as a whole, both courses had greens that required precise reading. not being used to it doesnt help, but thats golf. grass is difference than what im used to, especially around the greens. fluffy that grab your club.
the gala presentation dinner last night was exquisite. top notch that felt like the brownlow. merc really left no stone unturned. from chauffering, food, gifts, information, on course videography and photography. i rated it 10/10.