A VARIATION ON ABLARU CONCEPT PERFORMS
WELL IN PILOT TEST
YET ANOTHER MARKET RESEARCH CONCEPT
TEST WAS CONDUCTED AT DRUMMOND BASE THIS MONTH TO FURTHER REFINE THE ABLARU INVITATIONAL GOLF TOURNAMENT CONCEPT WITH A VIEW TO FULLY IMPLEMENTING THE
EVENT IN 2020. THIS WAS WAVE FOUR OF AN ONGOING RESEARCH PROJECT, AND TESTED A
TEAMS EVENT CONCEPT WHICH PROVED EXTREMELY POPULAR.
3RD
November 2007: It was around 2.30pm when players started to congregate
for the traditional pre-golf preparation session for the ABLARU 2007. As usual,
all players were required to consume some tequila, unspecified amount, prior to
tee off on the fabulously prepared DrummondBase course in central
Teams
Event: So the competitors were extremely well primed as the
three teams stepped up to the tee for the first time. Team 1 was Jen and Bryan,
who were followed by Pat and Mark in Team 2, and Harry and Carl in Team 3. As
this was a best ball - teams event,
the competition was likely to be fierce between this group of experienced
ABLARU players (see the photos of the three player
teams). “I’ve been to this event
before. I know how the tequila helps my game” explained Jen who was feeling
very confident as she teed off with brand new Maxfli Revolution balls she won at the last ABLARU in 2005. “Which end of the stick do you hold?”
young Ryes asked Mark. “It a club, not a
stick and you hold the round end and hit with the flat bit” explained a
Mark as Ryes prepared to tee off with the rest of the group.
Fierce
Competition on a Tough Course: Now this is a 1,292 Fang step course with a
nominal ACR rating of 26. But don’t be fooled by its apparent short length. The
length of the grass on the fairways was four inches plus making the ABLARU 2007
an extreme golf event with a high degree of difficulty. In addition, some of
the greens played fast while others were slow making putting a real challenge
for most. The gallery clearly enjoyed the mainly high quality game (see photos
of on course activity). “What I saw of it looked high quality to me” stammered Harry as he
launched another ball into the bush. And of course this was an indication of
how well Karl and Harry as Team 3 did on the day. Extremely well – Not!
Down
To A Couple Of Strokes: No, it was Bryan and Jen as Team 1 versus
Pat and Mark as Team 2 that really entertained the crowd. In fact the lead
changed more than once during the event with Pat and Mark eventually being
edged out by Bryan and Jen on the last couple of holes. The final results
showed Bryan and Jen ended up 11 strokes under the card on 19, while Mark and
Pat ended up 9 strokes under the card on 21 strokes overall. Consequently the
crowd went wild when the final results were read out and the trophy was
presented to Bryan and Jen. In addition,
Further
Concept Testing Required: At the end of the weekend the ABLARU
Wave 4 concept test was deemed an absolute success by both the ‘nnomads Golf
Club Committee’ and the ‘ABLARU For Sure Committee’. “Although you have to continue testing and refining this sort of
concept, don’t you?” reinforced Chris as she considered her next ABLARU
move. At a celebratory lunch the
following day, the ‘Gold Nugget’ was once again presented to Chris representing
the "ABLARU For Sure Committee", in recognition of another
brilliantly run event. “Yes it gets
easier every year and the carport worked particularly well” commented Chris
as she accepted the nugget for 2007. So there you have it members and readers,
the ABLARU remains the extreme
golf event on the Victorian golfing calendar.
It is not for the faint hearted but is a must for golfers (and non
golfers) looking for that real golfing challenge. Watch out for it in 2008.
Results: ABLARU Invitational Open 2007
(A Best Ball Teams
Event)
|
Course |
Player Team |
Gross Score |
Hcp |
Net Score |
Prizes |
|
Drummond Base |
Jen & Bryan |
37 |
18 |
19 |
First, LD and NTP |
|
Drummond Base |
Mark & Pat |
38 |
17 |
21 |
2nd |
|
Drummond Base |
Karl & Harry |
49 |
14 |
35 |
|