better but not good enough: MLP GJ trophy in heddesheim

Posted on by Alexander Rose

germany is getting colder and colder and the golf season draws to a close. one goal reached, but another still open… next to getting a handicap below 18, i wanted to win one of the 40 MLP golf journal trophy tournaments this year to win a trip to belek, turkey to take part in the world final.

i played idstein and leipzig and lost. last weekend i started my third attempt and played on of the last season tournaments in golf club heddesheim near mannheim. what can i tell you? i’ve never played there before, hence had no course knowledge at all. the weather was rainy and cold but got a bit brighter later on. not the best circumstances, you might consider. and you’re right. nevertheless i played quite well, shot 34 stableford points and was pretty much confident with my driver play. but i’m gonna not take my plane to belek this year…

but i wanted to tell you another thing: if you’re in the mannheim region, you definitely consider to play this course at gut neuzenhof. it is a beautiful course, tricky on the one hand but fair on the other. the club facilities are outstanding and the club house is quite impressive for german standard clubs.

MLP golf journal trophy at G&CC leipzig [updated]

Posted on by Alexander Rose

regular readers of this blog are aware of the fact that i’ve already tried to win a MLP golf journal trophy tournament this year. the lucky guy wins a ticket to belek, turkey’s golf eldorado and is in the middle of a world final and has quite some fun with all the golf buddies, so far as i heard. 40 tournaments are played this year and everybody is free to try it at several occasions… what makes it a bit easier, but far from simple. but one thing at a time:

last weekend i travelled with three golf buddies to the golf & country club leipzig. we all are quite crazy about the game and about the MLP trophy and therefore we thought it would be fun to dress-up with uniformed polo-shirts: “MLP golf journal trophy, team frankfurt, [name]”. we were the only guys with such well-chosen gear and got some laughs but as well some acknowledgement for our efforts. but it’s not about looking good for winning a tournament, it’s about playing well with the least possible number of strokes.

we arrived on thursday, had a nice evening in leipzig’s city center (tip: check out the barfußgässchen if you’d make it there one time), had the tournament on friday, partied till early morning and left on saturday.

all in all it was a really nice trip! the course was in good shape, the people were very friendly and the club management made everything happen to let everybody feel really comfy! have a look at some photos:

some additional words about the course: the golf & country club leipzig is situated in machern, a small village eastwards from leipzig. the club got through some time of unrest but seems to settle down quite nicely. the holes are beautifully shaped and offer some new water hazards, creeks, high rough and a beautiful 18th island green. the halfway house (yet a tent) is superbly placed at a spot where every golfer is coming along 4 times… as a result there was a lot of champagne and ramazotti in play!!

the tournament ended with a huge party at the sun terrace, with a tasty buffet, a live band, free beer and a stunning sunset over the 18th green… *sigh* where can i sign in for next year?!

no race to belek… yet!

Posted on by Alexander Rose

last friday, i was playing the MLP golf jounal trophy in idstein, near frankfurt, germany. the lucky folks that can win a handicap class get the chance to fly to belek, turkey to play in a kind of world final.

this trip to belek is a “must-win”, when i ask a friend of mine. he’s attending this final the 4th consecutive time and to be honest: i want to go there too!

so the only thing to do is to win a tournament… a word and a blow, normally the course is very suitable for me, but winning is not easy i can tell you. take last friday for instance: i was feeling pretty well, was confident not only in my iron play but as well in the woods, which i practiced a lot in the last weeks. shotgun-start at the 8th hole, first drive, boom… shot in the bushes on the right… new ball, penalty, some more shots and you can imagine how bad that went on. next hole: quite the same. aaahhhrrrgghh!

bottom line: i left my woods and hybrids in the bag, played only with my irons, had some more bad shots on the round and ended as 22nd of 34… not that kind of result i was hoping for!

but there are some more chances left. these tournaments are played all over germany and i will play at least one more, i.e. in leipzig golf & country club in july. we will see how my performance is improving till that time.

golffriends trophy 2011… good start, poor finish!

Posted on by Alexander Rose

on saturday i was playing the golffriends trophy at kiawah golf park in riedstadt. at 9.30am i was teeing off at the 10th hole at a shotgun start. the first 9 holes (therefore the last ones of the course) went very well by all means. i shot a nice series of 6 consecutive pars and was quite confident for the overall tournament result.

but cheered too soon! my last 9 holes turned to be a real golfing disaster and i played my weakest golf imaginable. the end of the story was a severe score drop to 10 net points for the last 9 holes and hence a handicap that unfortunately went in the wrong direction: up… 18.6

i was hoping for better results for sure, but to be honest: really important is the event on the following friday: the MPL golf journal trophy, where i can earn a ticket to the world final in belek, turkey! so keep your fingers crossed!

game’s on! golf journal’s ‘race to belek’

Posted on by Alexander Rose

i got talked into this, believe me! but now i’m so much looking forward to these tournaments… the heat is on! let’s fire it up!golf journal is one of the biggest german golf magazines and together with MLP, a big financial advisory company, they host a series of tournaments that are played all around the country. as i was told, everything’s perfectly organized and huge fun to participate.

but the reason i was persuaded to attend, is that the winner of each of 3 handicap classes gets the chance to play the big final in belek, turkey, later this year. so the only thing to achieve is winning one of these tournaments in my class! then flying to turkey’s golf mecca, playing the amazing gloria golf courses and just have a great time with other golf-enthusiasts. is there any better?!

i enrolled for 2 events up to now. first is played at my loving idstein south course (on june 17) and the second is hosted by the leipzig golf & country club (on july 8) where i will be traveling with 3 mates. i hope that’s enough possibilities to take the trophy and the travel voucher!

keep your fingers crossed! i will keep you updated…