IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, June 16, Bangpra – Stableford
CSS 73
1st Jon Batty (10) 35pts
2nd John Wood (25) 33pts
3rd Trevor Schirmer (15) 29pts
4th Markku Tynell (23) 29pts
5th Hal Hart (22) 29pts
With regular overnight rain throughout the week, which had left the courses in a fairly sodden condition affording little or no run, the best of the week was a level handicap round from just one player from the three outings.
Bruce Hilde, Hal Hart and Jon Batty.
Monday’s test was perhaps the most taxing although the weather had also slowed the usually very fast greens down to an almost playable speed. In the circumstances Jon Batty’s round was an excellent performance although it was marred with three very ugly zeros on the front nine, but a very good recovery that garnered 21 points on the inward half ensured a well deserved win after the final reckoning at the scorer’s table.
John Wood, after starting out with 19 points on the front half, had been hoping for something memorable to close out his two month stay in Thailand but he had to settle for a second place and fond memories of other occasions.
Four shots back Trevor Schirmer won a three-way count back for third place with a better 11 on the back six, leaving Markku Tynell in fourth with 10 after they had halved the nine on 15 apiece. Hal Hart took fifth as he returned just 13 inward points after a bright start to the day.
There were no 2’s in either of the divisions.
Before the presentations were made there were welcome backs for Ben Wilkinson and John Wood, the latter playing just this one competition before returning to the UK, so he received a farewell also.
Wednesday, June 18, Khao Kheow A & B – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Hal Hart (22) 36pts
2nd Trevor Schirmer (15) 35pts
3rd Victor Moshonkin (13) 34pts
4th Kevin Blake (8) 31pts
5th Tom McCarthy (19) 20pts
Another outing at our regular Wednesday course Khao Kheow and this week it was found to be still improving and getting very near to its old top class condition. There were just a couple of greens still patchy which made the going pretty tough although the CSS for day stayed at the standard 72. With no carts being allowed on the fairways, the local rule of ‘lift and place’ was in play.
Hal Hart’s form has started to return to its old self as was shown by another steady round of level handicap, which proved to be the best score of the week’s three outings. Once again Hal achieved a five-pointer as he birdied the last hole on the B course after receiving two strokes, it being the most difficult of the back nine, which enabled him to close out the inward half with 19. It proved to be just sufficient to deny playing partner Trevor Schirmer the win when he was two points in front with just the last to play. In fact Hal secured nine points from the last three holes even with a zero pointer on the seventeenth.
Victor Moshonkin claimed third place another shot back after looking a likely winner following an outward nineteen points but faded right at the death, taking just two points from the last two holes.
Kevin Blake took fourth spot three more behind, with Tom McCarthy in fifth after finding it not so quite plain sailing following a three shot cut in handicap from the previous week’s outstanding round when he won by a street.
Once again there were no 2’s in either of the divisions.
Prior to the prize giving there was a welcome back for Kevin Blake.
Friday, June 20, Eastern Star – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Bruce Hilde (17) 34pts
2nd Trevor Schirmer (15) 33pts
3rd Markku Tynell (23) 30pts
4th Russell Gilroy (14) 29pts
5th Terry Hodgkiss (23) 28pts
Eastern Star is long enough when it is playing normally but when the wind blows and the fairways are wet then it gets even longer. Today, with the greens playing extremely slow and long putts almost impossible to get to the hole, it was quite surprising to find that the CSS stayed at a level 72.
The full lakes were proof that there had been plenty of rain over the last few days and ‘lift and place’ in the fairways was once again the order of the day.
Bruce Hilde, having spent the previous evening and most of the night dancing the ‘heavy’ fantastic and wowing the audiences down at the Bamboo Bar, arrived late to sign-in, seemingly with little chance of success, and after topping up with one or two snifters on the way round the course any chance of a win looked an even less likely outcome. But in spite of all the early signs to the contrary, as he gathered just fifteen points on the outward nine, he ran out the winner by a single point to deny Trevor Schirmer, one of his playing partners, for the second time in the week. Trevor was outscored over the last three holes by two points, having to watch at close quarters also being Bruce’s marker, and having to settle for second place once again.
Markku Tynell was again to be found among the podium places in third, three points behind, after he had started slowly with only thirteen from the first nine holes.
Russell Gilroy started even slower, with twelve from his opening nine, to finish in fourth just ahead of Terry Hodgkiss, who in comparison was reversing over the same nine holes with just ten points but the three of them all came good over the last nine with seventeen each to bring some cheer on the journey back to The Haven.
For a record third time in a week there were no 2’s in either division leaving a couple of swollen pots to be claimed.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact mobile 094 567 5726 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.
