IPGC Golf from The Haven
Monday, June 1, Mt. Shadow – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Markku Tynell (24) 34pts
2nd Shane Heavey (20) 33pts
3rd David Ross (9) 32pts
Unusually the course was found to be in very poor condition, including very dry fairways and bunkers that remained generally un-raked on many of the holes. It all made for a very testing challenge for the hopefuls who quickly realised that it would not be a high scoring day.
Russell Exley (left) & Markku Tynell
Markku Tynell had the best of the results at two over handicap as he managed to return a card with the least number of hole scratches, with four three-pointers and a four to win by a fair margin ahead of Shane Heavey in second place. Shane’s card looked as if some kind of insect had been feasting on it as there were many holes amongst the too few three-pointers.
Dave Doss stumbled into third place after he too had suffered from a large number of zeros and finished with not a single hole played better than handicap, but still as usual came in smiling to explain that “at least the weather is better and the temperature 20 degrees higher than back there.”
There were no ‘2’s in the first division but Markku Tynell and Shane Heavey had one each in the second division and so shared the rollover pot.
Wednesday, June 3, Khao Kheow (yellow tees) – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Markku Tynell (24) 35pts
2nd Shane Heavey (20) 34pts
3rd Mike Hill (19) 34pts
In complete contrast to the previous outing the course was in tip-top shape, the caddies were all excellent and showed lots of enthusiasm, and although the weather was hot and humid following the threat of early rain, the golf carts were pristine and almost grand prix quality and the marshals appeared to be totally on top of things regarding the speed of play. All this made for a great day out and lots of smiling faces at the end.
Markku Tynell again strode to the top of the podium with his second good round in succession, even if the quality of the golf was some way below his previous round.
Shane Heavey made hard work of the front nine but did well enough on the inward half to win a count back for second place with a better 18 to 15 over Mike Hill.
Surprisingly, with everything in the players favour, there were no 2’s in either of the divisions.
Friday, June 5, The Emerald – Stableford
CSS 71
1st Russell Exley (10) 41pts
2nd Markku Tynell (22) 36pts
3rd Mike Hill (19) 33pts
4th Hal Hart (21) 29pts
The best results of the week were returned on the always difficult Nick Faldo designed Emerald where the small and shallow greens and undulating fairways make it tough to score well. However on this visit the fairways were found to be in much better condition than of late, following extensive work by the green staff in removing the crab grass and thus allowing the proper grass to thrive.
Russell Exley returned to play out of The Haven sporting a double figure handicap, which he had not seen since 2006, and showed that it will soon be heading down again, especially if he continues to putt like a professional and possibly better. He ended the day having had just 24 putts on his way to a gross 77 to match another round that he had recorded in February and his best since 2011.
Russell’s great round was a disappointment for Markku Tynell who was on the brink of that rare feat of three wins in a week. Having put in another good round at level handicap he had high hopes that did not quite materialize, and so had to settle for second place.
Mike Hill almost returned to normal form as he took third spot three behind and four ahead of fourth placed Hal Hart, who had also struggled on his return.
Once again it was surprising that there were no ‘2’s in either 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.
