32 FROGS and guests took to the Belenhaff hillside for the MIXVoip Pairs last night. Rob McCorduck greeted all players on the 1st teebox with a MIXVoip pitch-repair & choice of cool beers before seeing them off in an orderly fashion. Cheers Rob.

Most FROGS were excited by the idea of having the last three holes considered in the 12-hole competition as the bulk of their what-if stories seemed to be on these when not being counted in previous competitions. Could they handle the pressure now that it mattered? Steve Brown definitely could. A monster drive on the 12 cut the corner & left all others in his wake. It was so far up the fairway, some were claiming that it must have been a ball that rolled out of his bag & down the hill from the first teebox! Longest Drive number 3 this season – BOOM!

A lot of FROGS were confused by the idea of a nearest-to-the-green prize on the 3rd! “Shouldn’t that be nearest to the pin?” they said, “but it is a par 4!” they exclaimed. Once they got to the tee-box on the 3rd, they realised they could forego their usual 5 iron nudge to the dog-leg for something a little longer & take the tiger-line over the long stuff. Take the tiger-line they did, but find the short stuff they did not! Dave Winters kept his head & his regular 5 iron to the corner, running his ball around the bunker, onto the fairway and took the honours.

Full flights of 4’s meant the pace of play was “moderate”, letting the last flights combine to make up a 6-ball. The excitement of which clearly distracted 4 of the 6 players. The Van Rooyen/Parisis and Doherty/McCorduck pairs in the final flight were determined to take the pink ball award with rapid fire drive and reloads sending salvos of balls in random directions about the course. Doherty/McCorduck managed to pip their opposition by one point with their score of 18 points. They were not rewarded with the Pink Ball, but instead received a spicy fruit-based beverage. As it does not contain any alcohol, they are confused with what to do with it!

The Pink Ball was awarded on the night for the “Most Artistic” shot displayed on the course. Colin Cameron was the proud winner having taken his driver to play a ball lodged up a tree, but only managing to send it scurrying backwards down the fairway he had just played up.

There were many pairs licking their lips at the prospect of their mid-20’s score earning them the title, or maybe that was just because their food had not yet arrived. Groans of disappointment were heard around the table when it became clear that high-20’s would be needed to be considered. The pairing of Lowe/Hopwood managed to score 26 points, but this was only enough to 4th place, having lost out to the Van Eysinga/Tippin duo on countback. The Houston/Baxter pairing knew they had two more points than this, so had visions of glory. They did have the highest score on the night with 28 points, but could not match the birdie/birdie/birdie/birdie/birdie finish of team Brown/Botfield, and so had to settle for second place. Congratulations to Steve & Alan on becoming the 2015 MIXVoip Pairs Champions.

Thanks Frank & MIXVoip, for your continued support of the pairs event.

While I have your attention, I think it is a good time to point out some men’s health issues that have been highlighted on WORT.lu this morning. Everyone will be aware of the need to keep checking our bits for lumps & bumps, but domestic abuse against men is something not everyone considers. This morning, the Human Resources department at BNPParibas reported a case of suspected domestic abuse against one of their staff to the relevant authorities. “He arrived to the office this morning – his face was battered & bruised” stated a shocked colleague. The sergeant investigating the case has advised that, while it is unusual, men are also subjected to physical abuse at home. “This case in particularly sad” reported the sergeant, “the victim – referred to Big Dave in order to protect his identity – vehemently denies any wrong doing on his aggressor’s part”. Much like Stockholm syndrome, cases like this see the victim defend their aggressor & invent these cover stories. “He insists on claiming that his facial wounds are as a result of a golfing incident” mocked the sergeant. “We will send a car to investigate the glass door at Junglinster Golf Club, which the victim claims to have run into with his face – but seriously, who does that!” stated the exasperated sergeant. “While he is still visibly emotional about the claimed incident, another flaw in Big Dave’s cover story is the suggestion that all 31 of his friends pointed & laughed at him instead of coming to his assistance!” he reported, “clearly that could not have happened!” It is a sad case, and a warning to us all. Take care out there, FROGS!