IPGC golf from The Haven
Sunday, Oct. 30, Green Valley – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Jon Batty (10) 39pts
2nd Andreas Grunenberg (14) 36pts
3rd Joe McArdle (11) 36pts
With the return of the dry weather the course had almost totally recovered with just a few damp patches in a few areas around the greens, and with the fairways in very good condition it all made for a good day’s golf.
Jon Batty returned his best card in Thailand to win by three from a closely contested count back between Andreas Grunenberg and Joe McArdle, which Andreas won with a better score of 20 to 19.
The 2’s were shared between Peter Masters Andreas Grunenberg and Jon Batty who had two.
Monday, Oct. 31, The Emerald – Stableford
CSS72
Division 1 (0-16)
1st Al Keith (5) 38pts
2nd Alan Griffiths (12) 38pts
3rd Nigel Jenkinson (11) 36pts
4th Peter Sumner (9) 35pts
Division 2 (17+)
1st Shuichi Kodaka (17) 37pts
2nd Frank Hughes (17) 33pts
3rd Yukio Kikuchi (20) 33pts
4th Roar Berger (26) 32pts
Another course that has recovered well from the recent heavey weather is The Emerald, where the fairways are not quite up to the standard of Green Valley but the greens are certainly as good and possible a little better.
Al Keith.
Again the scoring was good and with the fine conditions bringing out a few more golfers the numbers were sufficient to necessitate the formation of two divisions with the split coming at 16 and below.
Al Keith had an outstanding round which included a sparkling back nine of level par gross, including a double bogey on the last, and had to suffer a chorus of “Anchors Away” as he collected the winner’s prize. Even with the blob on the final hole his inward nine was still good enough to win the count back by a margin of 21 to 20, leaving Alan Griffiths to take second spot.
Nigel Jenkinson at last put in a card that got him onto the podium at level handicap level which left Peter Sumner in fourth one point back with a one over return.
The second division was a far easier ride for Shuichi Kodaka as he left his nearest challengers four shots in the rear with a one under return to stroll into the top spot.
Frank Hughes returned to Pattaya with a result that put him on the second step with a better count back of 19 to 13 after Yukio Kikuchi faded badly over the last nine after going out in two under handicap and amassing twenty points, slumping into third place ahead of Roar Berger one further back in fourth.
Shuichi Kodaka.
There were no 2’s in the second division but the first division turned up four: 1 by Al Keith and a record 3 from Nigel Jenkinson whose short irons were definitely on track over the very testing par threes.
Before presenting the day’s prizes The Doc welcomed new members Chriss Ahlsson and Mark Wheeler and also welcomed back Dave Spendley, Peter Sumner and Frank Hughes.
Friday, Nov. 4, Green Valley – Stableford
CSS 71
1st Lyle Blaw (12) 39pts
2nd Shuichi Kodaka (17) 37pts
3rd Dick Heaney (15) 37pts
4th Bob Lamond (6) 36pts
5th Mark Armstrong (23) 35pts
Back to just one division after the venue for the day was changed at the last moment with an earlier tee time and leaving time that left a few at the starting gate having missed the announcements at the previous prize giving by either non-attendance or insobriety.
Lyle Blaw.
But those that did make it to the start were treated for the second time in a week to an excellently conditioned course where the standard was high enough to ensure that the CSS for the day reduced to 71. And it would certainly have gone down even a couple more if the system had allowed it to do so as only one of the counting players failed to make the, “within two shots of handicap”, mark and he had not played for several months previously.
Lyle Blaw took his first win on this trip with a solid round of three under handicap to lead the field in by two shots after warming up for most of the week with scores that did not truly reflect his abilities.
Shuichi Kodaka was again in the reckoning but had to settle for second this time out and needed to win the count back over Dick Heaney, which he did with a better score of 19 to 18.
Bob Lamond was ruing a couple of really short missed putts, followed by a bit of pudding stirring, that would have put him at the top of the day’s order and he had to settle for fourth place on level handicap with Mark Armstrong, showing well at one over handicap and beating five others with the same number of points but with worse count backs.
Al Keith and Alan Griffiths shared the 2’s pool in the first division while Rod Howett swept the pool which included several-overs, as the Doc cursed his luck after lipping out three times and missing out on a share of the loot but at least finishing with three 3’s which was the highlight of an otherwise poor day.
Before the prize presentations there were welcome backs for Paul Stanton, Dick Heaney, Brian Libbey, Bob Lamond and Stephen Beard.
Note: The Haven group now departs Soi 13 at the earlier time of 9 am until further notice. If you would like to play with the group you can contact mobile 082 219 0965 or call in to the 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 on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays and 9.00am on Sundays 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.
