Gran Canaria Mixed Pairs

For the third year in a row, we visited Maspolomas on the south coast of Gran Canaria and the wonderful Villa del Conde Hotel. It was perfect timing to leave the cold, wet and dark days of Blighty for brilliant sunshine and temperatures of 25 degrees each day.

We also had the added bonus of all 3 courses never seen in better condition. To leave the temporary greens of home for surfaces running 13 on the stimp was quite a shock!

Round 1 Melonares

You can just about catch a glimpse of the Melonares course from the Villa del Conde hotel, just a few hundred yards along the coast. A wonderful test and always in immaculate condition, just a couple of reasons it held a DP Tour event recently. A road splits the two 9’s with the front played through the native palm trees, before returning and the back taking you along the stunning coastline and wonderful views of the local harbour.

A combination of a stiff breeze and lightning fast greens, would made scoring difficult. New to the Fairways family, Martin & Jane Coleman started their campaign in fine fettle. With a birdie 2 from Jane on the difficult par 3 third, which requires the tee-shot to carry a lake, the team from Sleaford would play solid golf and signed for 37pts.

Recently back from injury, Bill Bowell & Jane Coleman (yes, there were two!) also played wonderfully in the tricky conditions, and with a back 9 of 20pts matched the same score. Having arrived a few days before the group to acclimatise, it would prove the correct decision for John & Barbara Taylor as they fired out of the blocks. With a front 9 of 20pts, which included a birdie 3 at the 2nd for John, they dove-tailed wonderfully on the back to record a score of 39pts and a 2 shot lead after the opening round.

Round 2 Maspolomas

Designed by Mackenzie Ross, the Maspolomas course is surrounded by the Dunes Nature Reserve, a 400 hectare protected area. The layout is flat with its defence the trade winds coming in off the nearby coast.

Steve & Julie Rose (Brancepth Castle) together with newcomers David & Tracey Norton (Whitefield) produced two solid rounds of 36pts apiece. It was then for David & Lesley Barnes to up the pace. In a round that included a birdie on the 2nd, the Stowmarket duo fired a brilliant 22pts on the front 9. Coming home in 18pts, they signed for a wonderful 40pts.

In one of the highlights of the day, Jane Coleman (Sleaford) holed her second shot on the par-4 17th, scoring 5pts and at the same time her first ever eagle! But the round of the day would belong to Graham & Jayne Dewe. Having only very recently taken up the game, Jayne played a major roll as the partnership produced 7 3-point holes. Out in 21pts they repeated the same on the back to finish with 42pts and zoom to the top of the leaderboard at the halfway stage.

Round 3 Anfi Tauro

Ranked the No.1 golf course in the whole of the Canary Islands, Anfi Tauro is a masterpiece of construction. The build project was considered to be one of the most ambitious ever attempted in Europe and literally required the movement of mountains. More than 3 million cubic metres of earth was shifted and it took more than 10 years to complete! The result is an unforgettable experience.

After a well earned day off, the group re-assembled to take on the challenge. Another stunning day with little wind and the course in immaculate condition made the opportunity to score well a distinct possibility.

Three couples would break away from the pack. Our leaders continued their fine play, as Graham & Jayne shot 21pts on the front 9. Returning in 19pts they posted a brilliant 40pts. In the same 4-ball, Bill & Jane Sloan (Market Drayton) finished in blistering form. After a steady front of 17pts, they then proceeded to bring the Anfi Tauro layout to its knees, with 6 3-point holes on the back returning in 23pts and also carding a wonderful 40pts.

Top of the leaderboard though, was our first round leaders returning to form. John & Barbara Taylor shot a stunning 41pts which included 6 holes where Barbara scored 3pts. As the day drew to an end, the final group returned and along with their scorecards handing in the “Nearest the Pin” markers. After close inspection the Men’s 13th Hole distance read “0 ft 0”

Martin Coleman had “aced” the iconic par-3 cut in the mountains. Being the last match out, none of group knew of his amazing achievement. It was therefore a wonderful surprize that evening at the group dinner, when Martin very kindly bought everyone a glass of bubbles to celebrate and then be presented with a certificate of his feat.

Round 4 Melonares

We returned to Melonares for our fourth and final round. It was a chance to tackle this great layout once again and finish the week on a high. Graham & Jayne held a four shot lead over John & Barbara, with Steve & Julie just a few shots further back.

Gordon & Lorraine Simmonite (Abbeydale) finished their campaign strongly with 36pts, as did David & Tracey just 1pt better. But the round of the day belonged to Fairways regulars Andy & Gill Jones. After knocking on the door for so long it finally opened. With birdies at the 2nd & 14th and home in 20pts they won with a “best of the day” 38pts. As Andy mentioned in his speech later that night, he had come a long way since winning “best hat” back in October at Aphrodite Hills!

In one of the last groups out, our leaders returned to the clubhouse. They had played a solid round of golf scoring 36pts, but by the expression on Graham’s face, he didn’t think it would be enough. With John & Barbara scoring 35pts it was a wonderful surprise for the Dewe’s later that evening to be presented with the salver and the title “Gran Canaria Mixed Pairs Champions”

For someone having only been playing the game for twelve months it was a wonderful achievement. Having seen Jayne just a few months earlier in April at La Cala wondering if this really was the sport for her, it was a magnificent turnaround and by the warm applause they received from yet another fantastic group it was warmly deserved.