IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, June 10, The Emerald – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Brian Libbey (9) 34pts
2nd Markku Tynell (22) 34pts
3rd Vincent Gras (17) 30pts
4th Graeme Traynor (24) 29pts
5th Trevor Schirmer (12) 29pts
6th Dick Heaney (14) 29pts
A week of very soggy golf started out at the always popular Emerald where as usual the local rule to ‘lift and place’ in the fairways was in play, but with the wet conditions found throughout the course the scores were still well below par as most of the players struggled to get any distance from the tees.
Brian Libbey used all his power to muscle the ball around the course following a very quiet front nine and then prevailed in the count back over Markku Tynell with a better 19 to 17 to take the win.
Brian Libbey.
Markku is still enjoying a good run of form having seen his handicap drop three shots recently and on this day he carded five three-pointers to indicate that it will not be too long before another reduction will be made to it.
Vincent Gras took third after a poor start ensured that he would not be contesting the top positions but considering the training schedule he adheres to every evening prior to playing, he still does well to start at all sometimes.
New member Graeme Traynor, no relation to Barry, took fourth after winning a three-way count back over Trevor Schirmer in fifth and Dick Heaney in sixth as they each scored 15, 14 and 11 respectively on the back nine.
There were no 2’s in either division.
Prior to the prize giving there was a welcome for new member Graeme Traynor and welcome backs for Dick Heaney and Vincent Gras.
Wednesday, June 12, Bangpra – Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Gary Brown (8) 33pts
2nd Rod Crosswell (12) 32pts
3rd Hal Hart (20) 31pts
4th Trevor Schirmer (12) 29pts
5th Russell Gilroy (15) 28pts
Vincent Gras.
Leaving The Haven in fairly heavy rain, and a few short because of that fact, the journey was a little somber but on arrival at the course the rain had disappeared and stayed away for the rest of the day.
Everyone looks forward to visiting Bangpra when the low season comes around and they are able to tee off prior to the 11.48am starts that are in place for the second group of tee times during the high season. But unfortunately at this time of year the greens are not found to be as difficult while they are not being cut down to their usual billiard table height and a putt from the back of the green sometimes will not reach the hole, instead of careering off the front and requiring a chip back.
So with the length increased by the lack of run and the difficulty of dealing with good but inconsistent speed greens, it meant that once again scoring was at a premium even though ‘lift and place’ was the order of the day as no carts were allowed on the fairways.
Gary Brown started extremely slowly as he took time to become accustomed to the speed of the greens but after five holes his game slipped into the old gear and the points began to clock up, with twenty being scored on the back nine which was enough to see off the challenge of Rod Crosswell. Rod returned a mixed bag of a card which had six three-pointers and three blobs and therefore had to settle for second best by a point as Gary took his first win out of the Haven.
Hal Hart slipped into third place after dropping several points over the last four holes, which scuppered any hopes that he held of a high finish after a good beginning to the round.
Trevor Schirmer had a quiet week for once but squeezed onto the podium in fourth, with Russell Gilroy another shot back in fifth after complaining about the unfair tactics of the winner in supplying him with one too many drinks while he was planning his round’s tactics the previous evening.
It was no surprise to find that the CSS for the day had moved out to 75 and the day’s competition became non-counting for upward review of handicaps.
Before the presentations there were welcome backs for Rod Crosswell and Gary Brown.
Once again there were no 2’s in the first division but Terry Hodgkiss cleaned out the roll over second division.
Friday, June 14, Treasure Hill – Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Vincent Gras (17) 30pts
2nd Hal Hart (20) 29pts
3rd Dick Heaney (14) 28pts
4th John Carlin (13) 28pts
Although Treasure Hill is some distance from Pattaya on the map, it is an easy trip that takes around 45 minutes and the extra ten minutes or so travelling is well worth it as the course is always in good condition, as was the case on this day.
Gary Brown.
With the recent weather playing a part again however, the general course condition was wet, wet, and very wet, making it another very long and arduous course that played far further than the 6,726 yards on the card and ensured that the CSS for the day would increase once more to 75 and become non-counting.
Vincent Gras has been practicing every day, both on the course and in the planning room every evening, and at last it paid off as he stayed the course to finish just fractionally better than the rest of the field and close out the eighteenth with a three-pointer to win by the slimmest of margins from Hal Hart. Hal had failed to score on the same hole having watched Vincent’s stunning putt rattle across the green and into the hole like a rat down a drainpipe.
Dick Heaney got the better of playing partner John Carling in a count back that saw him take third after scoring 10 points to 8 on the last six after they had both tied the nine on 14 apiece.
Again the day’s golf was excellent value at 1,400 baht including cart and caddy which ensures that it will continue to get preferential bookings over other more unrealistically priced courses.
There were no 2’s in the second division but John Carling had his first win out of the Haven as he cleaned out the first division multi rollover pot.
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 8.15 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the days that you wish to play. A schedule of courses to be played can be found on our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.
