Midlands Golfer’s inaugural Club Team Par 3 Championship took place at the home of short game golf in the UK, Nailcote Hall. 15 local golf clubs sent four golfers each to take part.
A sunny and parched day greeted us all and made conditions very tricky although the greens on the Cromwell course were receptive throughout. The competitiveness among the club teams was strong, after all local bragging rights were at stake, but as usual in a Midlands Golfer event a good laugh was always to be heard somewhere.
We divided the clubs into two groups and they all played nine holes in the morning, and another nine in the afternoon with a lunch break in between. Best two stableford scores per team in the morning, best three in the afternoon.
It became a memorable morning for two players. In Midlands Golfer’s 15 event history of hosting competitions at Nailcote Hall, we’d only seen one hole-in-one up until now. In the morning session, two more came along as Murray Stevenson from the Leamington & County team managed one on the eighth. Around the same time, Tom Guy, who was representing the Shirley GC team, grabbed his own on the fearsome ninth. Well done to you both, now we have three in 16 events!
Those two aces weren’t quite enough to get Murray and Tom’s two clubs in the prizes. That became a bit of a four-way tussle between Robin Hood GC, Skratch Indoor Golf, Coventry Hearsall and the home team from Nailcote Hall as the afternoon round played itself out.
As we gathered for the end of event BBQ on Charley’s clubhouse lawn this was actually the first time that all 15 teams were present at the same time. Good to see old friends from neighbouring golf clubs reunited for a catch up, the BBQ food went down well and the drinks flowed.
Mandy and Phil collected the cards and it did turn out to be a close finish. Robin Hood’s excellent afternoon performance saw them in a creditable fourth but unfortunately edged out of the prizes. Skratch led after the morning session but didn’t quite produce the same stuff in the afternoon and settled for third on 93 points. Hearsall, in the early groups played some great golf all day and we genuinely thought they were going to be the winners, finishing on 95 points.
They had a long wait in the late afternoon, yet ultimately their hopes were dashed as playing in the later group, the home team were the last to reach the clubhouse. They came in with bang on 100 points, only 40 in the morning, but 60 in the afternoon when the best three scores counted. The Nailcote fourball – Dave Tomlinson, Dave Jones, Paul Sant and John Carlin had timed their run to perfection and became our first ever Par 3 Team champions.
Congratulations to them and a big thanks to Rick Cressman and all of the hotel staff on duty for their excellent service and the delicious food. Thanks also to Kington, South Staffordshire and Walsall golf clubs for the fourball prizes and Midlands Golf UK too. Plus of course all 15 local clubs named below for entering a team and getting this all started.
The feedback from the day was excellent and we fully anticipate making this an annual summer event now with even more clubs taking part in 2027.
Newcastle – Stoneleigh Deer Park – Leamington & County – Wharton Park – Shirley – Windmill Village – Skratch – Robin Hood – North Warwickshire – Drayton Park – Nailcote Hall – Lea Marston – Moor Hall – Coventry Hearsall – Great Barr
