IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, Sept. 10, Bangpra – Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Lyle Blaw (12) 30pts
2nd Shuichi Kodaka (16) 29pts
3rd Mike Hill (24) 29pts
4th John Wood (24) 27pts
Another extremely difficult week of golf started out at the notoriously difficult Bangpra where, even with two groups from the IPGC playing the course, none of the competitors from either competition played within two of their handicaps thus ensuring that the day became non-counting for upward review of handicaps.
Alwyne Burley.
The course was generally in tip top condition, but the length of the holes on a course, now measuring a full 6,500 yards from the white tees, allied to the lightning fast greens made for a very arduous day and far too much for most to handle.
Lyle Blaw slipped, or more correctly slid, into first place with a round that he would have rather forgotten but which proved to be the best of the day by the narrowest of margins to take his first win of this visit after arriving with less than high hopes from his home club on the back of several poor results that had seen his handicap rise to a three year high.
Shuichi Kodaka took second place after winning a count back over Mike Hill with a better 14 to 11 after Mike had started out strongly but slipped badly on the inward half by scoring nothing on four holes when in a winning position.
John Wood rounded out a shortened podium another two shot further back after he had started his last week in Pattaya with high ambitions to exceed his cousin’s results before departing.
There were no 2’s on the day and precious few 3’s, there being only three in total from the whole field.
Wednesday, Sept. 12, Greenwood B & C – Stableford
CSS75 NC
1st Lyle Blaw (12) 31pts
2nd Terry Hodgkiss (23) 29pts
3rd Alwyne Burley (18) 28pts
4th Shuichi Kodaka (16) 27pts
For the second time in the week the courses selected to be played turned out to be just a little too difficult for most of the field, with the competition becoming non-counting again. With a measured distance of a yard short of 6,600 yards it was perhaps a couple of hundred longer than was comfortable for the majority of the players on the day and with a torrential downpour in the middle to add to their woes it made good scoring an almost impossible proposition.
Lyle Blaw.
Starting on the C course, Lyle Blaw once again proved to be the best of the bunch, by an added stroke this time, winning by two from Terry Hodgkiss who, after suffering recently, managed to stay the course and take second place as he held it together long enough to edge out Alwyne Burley into third by a single point after the latter had started very slowly with just 10 points from the first nine holes.
Shuichi Kodaka again got into the frame in fourth with a sold round after the first three holes where he failed to score.
Once again with the course playing about as hard as could be remembered there were no 2’s in either division.
Prior to the presentations there were welcome backs for Phillip Cass and Alwyne Burley both returning from Australia with different stories; Phillip on an ominously empty plane and Alwyne with empty pockets after several expensive adventures and now looking to get back and do a bit of reaping in the Land of Smiles, both on the course and behind the bar.
Friday, Sept. 14, Phoenix Lakes & Ocean – Stableford
CSS 71
1st Alwyne Burley (18) 39pts
2nd Phillip Cass (22) 36pts
3rd Mike Hill (24) 36pts
4th Don Everett (21) 35pts
5th Seppo Sadeharju (23) 35pts
6th Paul Taylor (19) 34pts
At last there was a semblance of golf being played by the Soi 13 group as several players made the mark and the CSS went down to 71.
A prize golf bag presented by The Haven to Seppo for his Hole-in-One.
Alwyne Burley, who had promised to see a couple of other players round on the day, did even better winning the day by a clear three points – starting at one under and coming back in two under handicap which included a run of four three-pointers in the middle and could afford an anchor seven on the last and still stay well ahead of the chasing group.
Phillip Cass and Mike Hill had to be separated with a count back, which Phillip won with a better 17 to 16 after Mike had started well and even had a run of fourteen points from five holes in the middle of the back nine, but just two points from the other four holes was enough to consign him into third place for the second time in the week. Phillip also started well with two four-pointers on the front nine and then just did sufficient on the inward half to claim second place.
Don Everett won a count back over Seppo Sadeharju for fourth spot by a margin of 18 to 17 but as Seppo had other matters to celebrate he was not so disappointed to end up in fifth place.
There were no 2’s in the first division but Phillip Cass and Mike Hill had one each in the second division but instead of sharing the large rollover pool they both received nothing as the two pools were taken, following tradition, by Seppo Sadeharju who had a hole in one on the second hole on the Lakes course.
His feat sparked a huge celebration on the course which continued back at The Haven, fueled by Seppo’s largesse in underwriting not one but three bottles of champagne on the groups return to The Haven where the Doc demonstrated his old new year’s eve “champagne de sabre trick”, cutting off the top of the bottle including the cork, to delight the crowd and get the drink fest off to a good start for the evening. It was Seppo’s first ever hole in one and followed a 2 earlier in the year which was also his first in Thailand.
Back at The Haven there was a welcome for new member Michael Clack and welcome backs for Mark Parsons and Eric Goodman.
There was also a farewell for John Wood, returning to England after a rather up and down visit but now looking forward with confidence to his next visit at the end of the year.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact mobile 082 219 0965 or call in to The Haven Hotel, at 185 Soi 13, between Beach Road and 2nd Road. All transportation to the course is arranged and you do not need to sign up prior to the day, but you should be there by 8.30 a.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the days you wish to play. A schedule of courses to be played can be found on our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.
