A quick insight into the vagaries of composite golf as the Kevin Miles Winter Eclectic reaches it's conclusion this weekend.
Eclectic definition:
deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources
Saturday 2nd April heralds the finale of the 2022 Kevin Miles Winter Eclectic at Eastbourne Downs Golf Club.
The competition begins in January each year and the participants have three months to submit 8 cards, from which their cumulative best score is derived.
The table below shows the standings with one potential round (for some) to go.
Top of the tree is former club Captain Phil Hanson – can anyone overtake him? Defending champion Simon Burke has a chance – but will need a couple of birdies at the right holes to go past Phil.
Each round submitted must be declared an ‘Eclectic round’ before teeing off and must be played in the company of at least one other Eclectic entrant.
And success in the competition hinges, not only at which holes you play your best golf, but also on whether your best winter round was pre-nominated as part of the Eclectic…
…last weekend Pete O’Neill, playing with yours truly, shot a gross 74 (net 62) to win the March Medal by a mile. But Pete hadn't declared it an 'Eclectic round' before teeing off the at the 1st.
The five birdies he had that day would certainly have got him within striking distance of Phil.
Incidentally, during that great round, Pete was 'playing 5' off the tee on the 13th hole (hitting two provisional balls), but walked off with a 4, having found his first tee shot in the rough.
When it’s your day…
The more observant scrutineers of the above table will have noted that holes 2 and 15 have been 'taken off the board'. This was due to significant criminal damage to both greens not long after the Eclectic competition had started. A few golfers had successfully negotiated both holes before temporary greens came into play and achieved par or birdie. Thus the recent removal of these scores from the Eclectic table certainly had consequences. But it was always going to be a tricky issue for the Committee to resolve without disadvantaging someone. And at the end of the day as Barbara Corcoran says:
“It’s your game (Mark): make up your own rules.”
Mind you, although Corcoran is noted for being an American businesswoman, investor, speaker, consultant, syndicated columnist, author, and television personality...golf doesn't appear to be on her CV...so what does she know!
Anyway, the whole Eclectic thing got me wondering...what would my eclectic gross score be over the course of a whole year?
Well thanks to the MyEG app I could get somewhere close to working this out.
Looking back at the rounds submitted on MyEG at Eastbourne Downs for 2021 I was able to compile the following card:
It seems that, of all scores recorded for handicap purposes or in competition between April 7th and December 5th last year, I recorded one or more birdies at 13 different holes.
That equates to a composite round of 59.
Five birdies on the front nine and seven on the back - the sort of golf you need to play these days if you want to beat Pete O'Neill!
I can find only two 31/28 rounds recorded in PGA Tour history:
Paul Goydos at the 2010 John Deere Classis on the TPC Deere Run (par 70) course and David Duval at the 1999 Bob Hope Chrysler Classic.
On the PGA West Palmer Course (par 72) Duval made 6-foot eagle on the 18th hole to clinch his 'magic score' 59 and win the tournament by a stroke.
Why not scroll through your own rounds for last year and see what sort of score you come up with?
There will be some low numbers out there I'm sure.
And finally.
If being in competition over the course of a season is your thing - why not have a look at the DP Fantasy World Tour competition. https://fantasy.dpworldtour.com
This is starting next week to coincide with The Masters. Free to register, you can set up private leagues in order to play against friends and family.
Each week pick six golfers and rely on their performance at whichever tournament is being played on Tour to make up your personal score that week. How hard can it be?
And talking of The Masters...it all starts next Thursday. Still time for one or two to stake their claim for a spot...
Personally, I'm really hoping Richard Bland ( Richard Bland 478 (Everything comes to those who wait, but some people are a little more precocious) (golf101.co.uk) finds his way into the field.
And will Tiger be there? At the time of writing he's still listed as an entrant to this year's tournament...
We'll have to wait a few more days to find out, but whoever tees it up, there's always huge expectation ahead of Day 1 at Augusta - and the first major of the season rarely disappoints.
Georgia calling
Update - 3rd April - We have a winner!
Congratulations to Simon Burke for successfully defending the Kevin Miles Trophy!
A birdie on the 4th hole was enough to see him edge passed Phil Hanson (second) and Dilip Patel (third).
Simon (pictured left receiving the Trophy from Mr Miles Senior) was straight out on the beer in celebration. A late afternoon (unfinished) post from his WhatsApp account simply read 'Getting smash...'
Huge credit to organiser Mark Unsworth for working out the cumulative scores and ensuring this event endures each year in memory of former Eastbourne Downs Swindler Kevin Miles.
Good work, and thanks due to all the participants who contributed to the Miles Family's nominated charities: The Royal National Lifeboat Institution and St Wilfrid's Hospice.
Who's for going eclectic in 2023?