Golfers battle for honours in Nakuru

STANDARD GROUP GOLF TOURNAMENT Standard group Non-executive director Shawn Zambuni prepares to tee off during a standard group golf tournament in Nakuru golf club on 11 February,2017. PHOTO:MOSES KIPSANG/STANDARD

The 13th and last leg of 2016 Standard County Golf Classic Series was held at par 73 Nakuru Golf Club yesterday.

This leg was a thorn in the flesh of most players as it had its fair share of challenges.

First, owing to the dry weather in most parts of the country, the greens were super fast and erratic.

The dry fairways were playing long with most players finding it hard to gauge the strength of their shots, putts and chips.

The 150-odd players who endured the scorching sun also had to battle challenging holes number seven, 13 and 17 that found new players to the course flat footed.

At hole number seven, the players had to do their math well in order to navigate the giant tree that shielded off the greens.

Hole 13 is dog-legged to the right, lined with a couple of trees and the players found it hard to keep their shots on the turning fairways with most firing out of bounds.

Among those who endured this grueling ordeal on the unforgiving course was a group of Catholic fathers from the surrounding parishes.

Paul Miringu, a Prison Chaplain serving both Nakuru and Naivasha maximum prisons admitted it was not his day on the course yesterday after he messed up in the front nine.

“Last year, I won the KCB golf here with a lot of ease. I thought I would replicate the good run today but I have already given up. My efforts on the pitch did not bear any fruit as my shots were running wayward to the fairways," said Miringu, a handicap 18.