IPGC Golf from The Haven
Monday, June 27, Mt. Shadow – Stableford
CSS 71
1st Frank Harrington (7) 37pts
2nd Larry Gibb (21) 36pts
3rd Phil Cass (16) 36pts
4th Markku Tynell (22) 32pts
5th Tomas Nilsson (12) 31pts
With the recent rains having performed wonders for the local courses, the scores are getting better and better but even though the general condition of the day’s test was good, the bunkers continue to be a major problem with the caddies generally making no effort at all to get them back into any playable shape, leaving footprints and animal tracks in all of them. It will be necessary in the future to play “a preferred lie rule in the the bunkers” if the conditions are not radically improved.
Frank Harrington took the win after being chased hard by the eventual runners up after he started out with 21 points on the front nine but nearly lost it all as he took just two from the last two holes.
Larry Gibb won a count back for second place with a better 18 to 17 with fourteen of them coming on a sparkling last six holes, which left Phil Cass having to settle for a very creditable third place.
Markku Tynell would have liked to have had a better front half as he took fourth place after closing out his day with 21 on the inward half, which was enough to overtake Tomas Nilsson and relegate him into fifth spot after he had blown out on the seventeenth.
Once again there were no 2s in the second division but Frank Harrington added to his day’s takings with the sole one in the first division.
Wednesday, June 29, Pattana B & C (yellow tees) – Stableford
CSS 71
1st Frank Harrington (7) 39pts
2nd Vincent Gras (18) 35pts
3rd Tom McCarthy (21) 34pts
4th Graham Davis (8) 32pts
5th Neil Skilton (5) 31pts
6th Phil Groves (8) 31pts
As usual Pattana was found to be in absolutely tip top condition and with overcast skies all day it made for an excellent day’s golf.
Frank Harrington went two better than the last event to notch up his second win in the week with a very creditable gross 76 against a CSS of 71 for the day.
Vincent Gras having had a good week away in Hua Hin continued with his run of form to take second place just one ahead of Tom McCarthy, which when allowing for his prodigious fluid intake during the round was a sterling achievement.
Graham Davis arrived after having recently given Hal Hart the traditional guided tour of St. Andrews and some of the other extremely noteworthy golf courses in the Edinburgh area in his homeland of Scotland, clearly without having any of Hal’s swing thoughts rubbing off, to get straight back into his old habits finding a spot on the podium on the fourth step.
Neil Skilton, playing a slightly different game from the previous week, won a count back over Phil Groves with a better 19 to 16 for fifth place.
There were no ‘2’s in the first division but finally the second division multi rollover brimming pot was taken not by one but three payers when Larry Gibb, Vincent Gras and Shuichi Kodaka had one each which prompted a small celebration following the speeches, although Shuichi looked a little disappointed as he had been thinking of possibly another getaway holiday as he saw his disappear down the hole on C2.
Friday, July 1, Greenwood A & B – Stableford
1st Phil Cass (16) 41pts
2nd Kevin Blake (8) 35pts
3rd Tom McCarthy (21) 35pts
4th Phil Groves (8) 34pts
5th Graham Davis (8) 34pts
6th Mike Dabanovich (11) 33pts
With the traditional Bank Holiday on the first of July the venue was set for the best value course in the area and where surprisingly the course was well under utilised, it normally being jam packed during any holidays. Again it was very well presented with the fairways and greens in as a good a shape as ever but more overnight rain had left some areas a little soggy requiring a lift and place local rule for the day.
Phil Cass came good again, returning his best card with the group and a personal best in Thailand to win by six clear shots with a card showing 21/20 points for the day and well worth the win.
Kevin Blake won a count back for second place beating Tom McCarthy into third place as he finished with a better 16 to 15 over the inward nine.
Phil Groves also won a count back for fourth with a better 17 to 16 to deny Graham Davis another fourth place and having to be satisfied with fifth.
Mike Dabanovich came back to town almost in top form but a couple of wayward holes, where he returned zero points, put paid to his chances of a better placement.
There were no 2s in the second division but Jon Batty made up for not being amongst the podium placements with the sole one in the first division.
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 at present. 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.
