IPGC Golf from The Haven
Monday, Oct. 26, Mt. Shadow – Stableford
CSS 73
1st Erik Donnestad (5) 35pts
2nd Ole Stamnes (29) 34pts
3rd Roar Berger (29) 31pts
4th Terry Hodgkiss (23) 31pts
5th John Carlin (20) 28pts
6th Markus Kamfjord (30) 28pts
At just under 6,300 yards Mountain Shadow would seem to be an easy option, but when the narrow fairways and very tricky greens are added into the equation then it is not so unusual to find that the CSS rarely remains at 72, as it more often moves in an upward direction. This should not be surprising as the course was designed to be a strong test for golfers with handicaps of 15 and below.
Erik Donnestad & John Carlin and Peter Skinner.
On this occasion the CSS moved just the one stroke out to 73 as only the winner played within the standard required. At the post event review it was considered that the day would have been enjoyed even more if a ‘lift and place’ in the fairways had been used but with carts allowed on the fairways it was not considered prior to the start.
Erik Donnestad, after a slow start the previous week to his latest visit to Pattaya, had a very steady round underpinned by a one over gross back nine to take the win by the slimmest of margins as his accuracy from the tee proved to be the deciding factor, even though the putts were still not dropping.
Ole Stamnes also had a solid round to take second place after he finished with just a single zero on his card.
Roar Berger made it a happy return to play with his old friends taking third place after winning a count back over Terry Hodgkiss with a better 14 to 12. Terry had roared through the front half but then let it slip over the closing four holes taking just four points from them.
John Carlin took fifth after he too won a count back, this one against Markus Kamfjord, scoring 16 to 14 and taking 20 points from eight holes in the middle to underline his potential.
There were no 2s in either of the divisions.
Wednesday, Oct. 28, Pattana B & C (yellow tees) – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Peter Skinner (9) 37pts
2nd Erik Donnestad (5) 34pts
3rd Darryl Burkett (12) 32pts
4th Danny Miller (6) 32pts
5th Shuichi Kodaka (16) 28pts
6th Markku Tynell (21) 28pts
Once again the start organiser was led astray by carts being allowed generally on the fairways and so a ‘lift and place’ rule was not implemented, this being to the detriment of the players as on many occasions the ball was found to be heavily muddied as the course continues to hold a fair amount of water following the recent heavy downfalls.
Following his two stroke reduction in handicap, Peter Skinner continues to impress and did so again whilst taking the day’s tip step of the podium after a one over handicap return that proved to be three better than his nearest challenger.
Once again Erik Donnestad turned up with a solid round but a very unusual double bogey on the par-5, 17th unfortunate put paid to his chances of adding to his previous win, but he was still good enough for second place.
Darryl Burkett had a real tussle with playing partner Danny Miller, just getting the nod for third place on count back after carding a better 18 to 17 after Danny had edged him out over the outward half.
Shuichi Kodaka also won a count back, this one over Markku Tynell, with a better 14 to 13 to take fifth place and make a start at getting back amongst the winners following his recent return from Japan.
Once again there were no 2s in either division.
Friday, Oct. 30, Pattaya C.C. – Monthly Medals
CSS 71
Division 1
1st Paul Young (14) net 70
2nd Danny Miller (6) net 74
3rd Erik Donnestad (5) net 74
Division 2
1st John Carlin (20) net 72
2nd Terry Hodgkiss (23) net 74
3rd Hal Hart (20) net 77
At the usual fortnightly visit to Pattaya Country Club the recently built new clubhouse continued to attract positive comments while the newly renovated back nine also attracted comments, but not such positive ones as the greens seem to be taking a while to get settled in to match the front nine. However, now the better weather has arrived it surely will not be too long before that situation is rectified. In any event the course was in very good condition generally as the reduction in the CSS to 71 evidenced.
The first division medal went to Paul Young, taking his first one in Thailand, and booking his start in the December Gold and Silver playoffs after he returned an excellent two under handicap card that was the second lowest qualifier in 2015.
Paul finished two ahead of a count back for second place that was won by Danny Miller with a better 36 to 36.5, the latter being scored by Erik Donnestad who returned his third round in the seventies for the week. He was not quite good enough over the last nine however as they both shot three overs but Danny had the extra shot on handicap.
The second division medal went to the in-form John Carlin, who seems to be able to put it together when he eventually takes the club away, as he returned a solid level handicap round as he also joined the qualifiers for the end of year playoffs as a winner.
Terry Hodgkiss could not quite repeat his win of the previous month, having to settle for a second place ahead of Hal Hart by three clear.
Once again there were no 2’s in the second division but Paul Young and Danny Miller added to their day’s hauls with one each in the first division.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact 038 710 988 or call in to The Haven Hotel, 185 Soi 13, situated 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 a Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the days that you wish to play. If you would like to leave your golf clubs at The Haven, there are usually lockers available at a nominal charge. A schedule of courses to be played can be found on our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.
