To wind down in style after a hectic-as-usual season, the committee of the Awali Golf Club (AGC) and helpers, together with partners and children, were out on the course in the traditional Committee Scramble. The format was team match-play between Captain Steve Brown and Vice-Captain Jan McAlpine, six players in each team, with more emphasis on fun. To ensure that this was indeed the case, the first five of the six holes had an additional requirement, beyond the bounds of the Rules of Golf. Teeing-off at Hole 1 saw players, all of whom are normally right-handed, playing a left-handed club. The vice-captain was confident of a good start as on her side was a secret weapon in the form of Andy McAlpine who originally achieved his handicap way back as a left-hander. Andy managed an air-shot and nobody managed to reach the fairway. The players soon got back to normality and the hole was halved, both teams down in five. The first opportunity for everyone to fill their water bottles on the course, being at the Hole 2 tee, inspired the challenge: teeing-off from on top of a water bottle. Some achieved good results with years of practice under their belts of being teed-up in bushes in the rough. Others however, although managing to hit something, failed dismally. Most noticeable was the attempt by Les Young: his ball flying into the air and finishing 10 yards behind him, having bounced off the back of the roof of the seat shade. No-one could identify the laws of physics that Les invoked to get this result. Hole halved, both teams down in 4. Hole-3 ‘Long Carry’ was a little less daunting, having a 7-iron requirement tee-to-cup. Up stepped the vice-captain’s second secret weapon in the shape of Christian Trzebinski. Only a 7-iron but with his light-speed swing, he hit it far enough to get it around the elbow, allowing some second shots to be on the green. The regular Awali players noted that Christian was now hitting the ball much straighter than during his Easter vacation from college in the UK. He confided that he has had some useful lessons with a professional. Anyway, his great tee-shot allowed the vice-captain’s team to be down in 4 to the captain’s 5: 1-up to the vice-captain. Hole 4 inspired the additional requirement to tee-off with a 4-iron. Unfortunately, due to the captain’s knee problems he was unable to join in on the tee. He chose, instead, to assist everyone and stand on the green, thus becoming a welcome target to encourage better play. A couple of 4-irons managed to make it to the green, Abdul Elah Fakhroo managing to sink a long putt with the result that the captain’s team pulled it back to all-square. With the Captain’s team taking the honour on the 5th, up stepped Ziggy Trzebinski for a ‘tee-shot standing on one leg’. Wishing to be a smart-Alec, Ziggy announced that he believed this rule to apply to the moment of impact only. He then basically hit his normal tee-shot with an additional wiggle just before the strike. Having set a standard somewhat distant from the intended spirit, all other players followed suit. Note for future: ‘specify on one leg from address to impact’. So with better than expected tee-shots, and reasonable second shots, both teams were near the green in 2. The captain’s team chipped onto the green for 3 from the left rough. The vice-captain’s team had the better lie, on the fairway a few yards in front of the bunker. Onny Martin waltzed up first and without any fuss, placed his mat, placed his ball, and chipped in. That would be an eagle-3 then, and roars of approval resonated around. Later acclaimed as shot-of-the-day, this put the vice-captain in a commanding position: 1-up and one to play. On the 6th and last hole, it seems the organiser had suffered a moment of sympathy, as the hole was played as normal. Taking advantage of this, the vice-captain’s team appeared to further seal their lead, with a tee-shot on the green and about two yards from the pin, with another 10 yards away. The captain’s only shot on the green being about three yards from the hole, they putted first but only managed to hole out in three. This left the vice-captain with the certainty of a win as her team was in a position of having six attempts to hole-out in two from a distance of two yards. But then a strange thing occurred. Team captain Jan hastily convened a meeting with fellow team mates Alan Goulden and Andy. The outcome: a decision to putt from the position ten yards away, hoping to prove to the captain’s team that the vice-captain’s team were indeed worthy winners. Alan, with a secret plan up his putter cover putted to four feet then fell on his sword and immediately putted again, but only to two feet. In an act of selfless finality and with others looking on quizzically, Alan repeated this, putting only to one foot for a hole-win to the opposition. With a final result of all-square, another of AGC’s traditions, not commonly known outside of the committee, had been preserved. To celebrate this, all headed to the 19th hole, which preserved a more commonly-known tradition following play at the club.
