Greetings one and all and welcome to another humble blog offering. I want to start by asking a question. If I said par 3 course, what is your first thought? Is it a local pitch and putt, or an easy game with no need to go for the driver and long clubs? I bet many of you wouldn’t think of a course with a hole that 2005 US Open champion Michael Campbell describes as one of the hardest he’s played. That is the size of the challenge that awaits when you play the Cromwell Course at Nailcote Hall which is also the venue of the annual British Par 3 event.
I have been lucky enough to attend this fantastic event for
a number of years and it was so nice to see the public back in this year and
able to get up close to a host of celebrities and professional golfers. It is
covered by Sky Sports Golf and if you check their listings should be on, if not
now then very soon.
I was up there nice and early on the Monday to do some
filming as always even though play doesn’t get under way until the Tuesday
where there is a celebrity team event. Wednesday and Thursday is the
professional event with a £50,000 first prize up for grabs and the week
concludes with another celebrity event on the Friday.
For the first time ever, I got to play the course on the
Monday which was a huge thrill but also very daunting. It is one thing watching
the famous faces take on the course and another to stand there and have to do
it yourself. I managed to capture my nine holes on camera which you can watch
here (Hacking It Round (Maybe)) Some may say it’s an idiots guide to playing it and in my defence it
was one of the hottest days of the year, I was extremely nervous and wasn’t in
great form at my home club. As you can see there was some good stuff in there
as well as getting well and truly bitten on some holes. I did actually play a
couple more loops of nine off camera and was invited to play a few holes with
former world darts champion Keith Deller and former European tour winner and
Ryder Cup player Jarmo Sandelin which did nothing to soothe the nerves. I don’t
think I disgraced myself.
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| Your host letting one fly at the first hole |
Aside from playing the course I have also produced two videos giving you a far more in depth hole by hole guide to the Cromwell Course which you can see here. I hope it shows just how tight and difficult this course really is and some of the pit falls awaiting. Watch them here (Not Just A Pitch & Putt (Part One)) and here (Not Just A Pitch & Putt (Part Two))
This year as in the past I had a media pass courtesy of
Champions (UK) plc. My thanks once again to them as it makes a real difference
to a tiny youtube channel and blog to get some very privileged access to the
famous faces on show. See what the likes of Dan Walker, Trish Johnson, Amy
Boulden, Peter Baker and many others had to say about the course and the event,
and what they are up to at the moment. There are some really interesting
insights. You can see them here (Famous Faces) and (Some Familiar Faces)
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| Solheim Cup Legend and Arsenal Fan Trish Johnson |
The Farmfoods British Par 3 is very similar to the Masters
Par 3 in regards to the relaxed yet competitive atmosphere. It holds a special
place in the history of British golf and played long before it became tradition
in the Masters. The championship had its origins in the old short course
professional championship which was played at the Palace Hotel in Torquay from
1933 to 1973. Professional Sid Mouland who won in Torquay in the 1960’s was the
inspiration behind the tournament’s resurgence. He was the professional
attached to Nailcote Hall before his son, and European Tour winner Mark
inherited his position and was forever regaling Rick Cressman, owner of
Nailcote Hall with tales of the old event at the Palace Hotel. In 1996 Sid thought
Nailcote Hall was in good enough shape to take over the championship and since
then Rick and his dedicated team have worked tirelessly year on year to make
the event bigger and better.
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| TV Personality and Strictly Star Dan Walker |
As I’ve alluded to, I’ve been lucky to have been attending the British Par 3 since 2018 and have enjoyed meeting some famous faces over the years who have been kind enough to come and have a chat with me year on year (no your honour I wasn’t stalking). As a real nobody in social media terms this is always a big privilege and I’ve got to meet a few of my heroes, especially the likes of Tony Jacklin who is always the host of this event each year.
Three-time
European Tour winner Phillip Price was been crowned the 2022 Farmfoods’ British Par 3 champion after
coming through a play-off at Nailcote Hall in Warwickshire. The 55-year-old
Welshman, who played in the 2002 Ryder Cup, picked up the coveted title and the
£50,000 first prize after beating Sunningdale Heath Golf Club PGA Professional
Tom Reid in a play-off. Both players finished tied on 101 (7-under), forcing
the tournament into over-time before Price secured the win at the second extra
hole.
Buzzing
off the back of his spectacular win, Price said: “I was fortunate to win the
play off really, as Tom gave it to me a bit, but I’ve got a beautiful trophy, a
wheelbarrow full of cash and a happy family!” This year’s trophy was a replica
of Tony Jacklin, in honour of him hosting the tournament.
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| An aerial shot of the Cromwell Course |
Played
in extremely hot conditions, and with the greens firming up throughout the
week, Nailcote’s course proved a real challenge to the 62-strong professional
field, with only nine players managing to finish under par. Matt Cort took
third place on six under, and then there was a three-shot gap to fourth, which
saw a three-way tie between Fraser Mann, Clark Dennis and 1999 Open champion
Paul Lawrie. Attracting a host of stars from across the professional game, Ian
Woosnam finished in a share of tenth with Simon Khan, Costantino Rocca and Gary
Wolstenholme, while Charley Hull was the highest placed of a strong female
contingent, finishing on +4 in tied 20th.
As
always, it was another fabulous experience and is definitely the highlight of
my golfing year. I am very proud of my growing association with the event and
my continuing presence and the content I can provide. If you go over to Youtube
and check out the Three Off The Tee channel here Three Off The Tee Youtube Channel and
see my content from previous years. There is some good stuff on there and as
you’ll see I’ve managed to meet a host of famous faces along the way. While you
are there check out my other content especially the product reviews and don’t
forget to subscribe while you are there. Your support really make a difference.
I
hope you enjoyed this blog and it has whetted your appetite for the British Par
3 Championship and you’ll keep an eye out for it in the future. If you get the
chance to attend in 2023 I really encourage you to do so and if you leave a
comment on my social media it would be nice to meet up with a few of you. I
will be back for another blog soon but in the meantime keep safe and keep
golfing.
