IPGC Golf from The Haven
Monday, June 6, Greenwood – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Bob Pratt (24) 35pts
2nd John Tallett (23) 35pts
3rd John Carlin (18) 34pts
4th Phil Cass (16) 33pts
5th Jon Batty (9) 32pts
The once a fortnightly visit to Greenwood, where the arguably easier two nines were the day’s programme, was once again a delight to experience on and off the course, and with the management leading the way in the area with their progressive marketing strategy regarding pricing, it was also a good day for the budget conscious players and those supporting golf with local courses three times a week.
Bob Pratt continued to draw attention to his good run of form, as he prepares to cross the bay and take on the impossible next week, taking his second win of the trip with a score that almost met his handicap level but which may well prove to be about ten or fifteen short of the required standard over there. But on this occasion after winning a count back over John Tallett, who is also showing a steady standard of expertise recently, with a better 19 to 16 it was good enough for the win.
John Carlin slowly and steadily took the third step of the podium one shot back and one ahead of fourth placed Phil Cass, who in turn was one in front of Jon Batty who was unusually to be found well over handicap in fifth.
There were no ‘2’s in either of the divisions.
Wednesday, June 8, Khao Kheow B & C (yellow tees) – Stableford
1st Jon Batty (9) 38pts
2nd Bob Pratt (24) 34pts
3rd John Carlin (18) 33pts
4th Gary Hookey (16) 31pts
5th Neil Skilton (5) 31pts
6th Dave Edwards (13) 31pts
Khao Kheow, another of the regular courses on the fixture list, played to its best following the recent rains and it still remains among the top three courses in popularity. And with the added advantage of the great green fee prices currently on offer it is also proving to be one of the best attended venues.
Jon Batty returned to his more usual form as he swept around probably the two most difficult nines in two under handicap to easily win by four clear shots as the course took its usual toll on those not paying full attention all of the way around.
Bob Pratt again scored well enough, although still not better than handicap, to feature amongst the prize winners in second place, just one ahead of John Carlin who again took third place.
Gary Hookey led a three-way count back for fourth with 17, leaving Neil Skilton with 13 in fifth and Dave Edwards in sixth with 11 after the latter had looked a likely winner after scoring 20 points on the A course.
Once again there were no ‘2’s in the first division but Bruce Hilde swept the second division rollover pool clean as he stroked in a ten-footer on the 167 yard C3 following a solid six iron that his caddy had suggested would be the exact club to use against the wind.
Friday, June 10, Phoenix Gold – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Phil Cass (17) 39pts
2nd Bob Pratt (24) 37pts
3rd Kevin Blake (7) 34pts
4th Rod Crosswell (15) 32pts
5th Bruce Hilde (17) 27pts
Phoenix Gold continues to deter a few of the regulars who remain unhappy about the redesign of the Lakes nine, especially the fifth and sixth holes that continue to draw criticism as compared to the layouts of the holes previously when the sixth was considered to be one of the toughest, if not the toughest challenges of the three nines. It will interesting to see if the organisers of the King’s Cup, a joint European and Asian tour event due to be held at the end of July, consider the Lakes nine in their final consideration of the nines to be played.
Phil Cass had no qualms about the course as he returned his best score for some time to take the win by two from the regular podium stalker Bob Pratt, who still only managed second with his best score in his final round of the warm-up tour to Pattaya.
Kevin Blake looked to be in good form after opening up with 19 from the Mountain nine but slipped badly through the last four holes, taking just five points from them to finish in third place.
Rod Crosswell claimed fourth place in his final game with the group to encourage another trip in the near future. Bruce Hilde was some way back in fifth place but well ahead of some others, notably Alan Pilkington who had the partly enviable but mostly unenviable record of driving two of the par 4 greens but scoring only birdies, and taking eleven points from three holes but then just 15 from the other fifteen holes.
There were no ‘2’s in either of the divisions.
Back at The Haven there were farewells for Kevin Blake and Bob Pratt, who along with a few other regulars were off to Hua Hin to compete (sic) in that “notorious mass tournament” and hoping that this year a little more attention will be paid to proper handicap certificates and that the stableford scoring will be kept down in the 40s, at least for most of the days.
Note: The Haven golf group have now relocated to Soi Lengkee, on the corner of the road leading to the Vogue Hotel, where there are good parking facilities but sadly no room for club storage. Whilst the kitchen in being renovated, there is a limited range of food available, but the supply of beverages continues, at ice cold temperatures and the hotel section is in full swing.
If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact 094 465 5002 or call in to The Haven, 315/13 Soi Lengkee, situated between Third Road and Soi Buakhao. 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 a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the days that you wish to play. A schedule of courses to be played throughout the year can be found on the web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.
