IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, Oct. 29, Pattana B & C (Yellow tees) – Stableford
CSS 71
1st Erik Donnestad (5) 39pts
2nd Masanori Takano (7) 38pts
3rd Mike Hill (24) 36 cb 22pts
4th Khun Arai (6) 36 cb 20pts
5th Yasuo Suzuki (13) 36 cb 18pts
6th Jens Gunnarsson (14) 35pts
After a month’s acclimatisation Erik Donnestad is at last beginning to demonstrate on his completed cards the class that he shows on the course; from his silky smooth swing to the pinpoint accurate putting, starting the week off with a three-under handicap return that was just sufficient to see off the challenge of Masanori Takano.
Having started out with a one-under gross on the front nine he covered the inward half three over including a double bogey blob on the last as Masanori slipped up also on the last hole, taking a bogey when a par would have won the day.
Erik Donnestad.
Mike Hill showing continued form from the previous week took third place with a storming back nine of four-under handicap that ensured a strangely familiar Khun Arai ended up in fourth place, after losing the count back with by a difference of 22 to 20.
Yasuo Suzuki also returned the same level handicap points score but could amass only 18 on the back nine.
Shuichi Kodaka, now playing in the first division, had the only ‘2’ to take that division’s 2’s pool and Mike Hill had the lone one in the second division to clean that one up.
Before the presentations were made there were welcome backs for Jamie King, Phil Groves, Dick Heaney and Anna Donnestad. Anna, who has won the Norwegian Ladies Amateur Championship several times together with other Scandinavian honours, will be playing from the white tees during her stay with the group.
Wednesday, Oct. 31. Mt. Shadow (Blue tees) – Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Mike Hill (24) 33pts
2nd Erik Donnestad (5) 30pts
3rd Alwyne Burley (18) 29pts
4th Anna Donnestad (7) 27pts
For the first time in several outings the format for the day was single Stableford instead of a team scramble or better-ball and the day’s results reminded the players why these had been the preferred formats on a course that had been originally designed for players with 15 handicaps or below, with it’s extremely difficult greens and narrow fairways.
Mike Hill.
The best score from the counting competitors was six over so inevitably the CSS moved out to 75 and the day’s competition a non-counting one.
Mike Hill did extremely well to win handsomely by three shots and keep the inform Erik Donnestad at bay in second place over the testing course as the latter struggled all day after finding himself continually on the wrong part of the green trying to prevent a three-putt.
Alwyne Burley finished in third just a point behind and two in front of Anna Donnestad, whose nine over handicap was a lot better than the numbers showed after finding herself with too many woods into the greens from tees that were two places back from the normal positions as a lady golfer.
There were no 2’s in the second division but Peter Skinner’s only highlight, in fact just a slight glimmer, of the day took the first division pool on a day when the top four players had only four 3s between them to underline the difficulty of the course on the day.
Prior to the presentations there were welcome backs for Al Rolnik, Peter Skinner and Mike Bogunovich.
Friday, Nov. 2, The Emerald – Stableford
CSS71
1st Erik Donnestad (5) 40pts
2nd Alwyne Burley (18) 39pts
3rd Brian Libbey (10) 38pts
4th Hideo Akiyama (15) 36pts
5th Yasuo Suzuki (13) 34pts
6th David Lowe (7) 34pts
After a bit of a mauling during the previous outing it was a completely different set of challenges that confronted the players at the short but tricky Emerald layout and with the usual ‘lift and place’ local rule in the fairways in play the scoring was much improved.
Erik Donnestad took his second win of the week with an even better score than the first with a gross 73, but he was run very close by Alwyne Burley who took his second podium placing of the week and ensured that his handicap would be at its lowest point for several months.
Brian Libbey took third place following a round that started slowly and finished in fine style as he accumulated five three-pointers in the last seven holes.
Hideo Akiyama took his sole podium position on his last outing with the group with Yasuo Suzuki taking fifth after winning a count back over David Lowe with a better 13 to 11 on the last six after they had tied the nine at 17 each.
Dennis Botch, Alwyne Burley and Dick Heaney shared the pot in the second division 2’s pool, whilst Erik Donnestad, Brian Libbey, Hideo Akiyama, Shuichi Kodaka and Jens Gunnarsson had a pittance each in the first division.
Back at The Haven there was a welcome for new member Dennis Botch and a welcome back for David Bowles.
There were also farewells for the “Hiyukaya Tours” group consisting of Hideo Akiyama, Yukio Kikuchi and Kaneo Watanabe, who were leaving for home, while their tour guide cycles to the courses in their absence.
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 you wish to play. A schedule of courses to be played can be found on our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.
