IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, March 25, Greenwood – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Markku Tynell (25) 37pts
2nd Hal Hart (23) 37pts
3rd Neil Sanderson (7) 36pts
4th Peter McGarry (20) 32pts
5th Vinesh Naidoo (12) 32pts
Following the high stableford scoring of the previous week many of the hopefuls, who were thinking that their handicaps would continue to drop, were to be disappointed as the week’s scores were at the other end of the scale. The best of these was returned at the start of the week at Greenwood where the B and C nines were in operation and playing their full length at 6,599 yards on the card.
Markku Tynell.
As always the course was found to be in tip top condition but a steady wind and the very oppressive heat at almost 40 degrees made scoring difficult, with some of the contestants losing the will to live whilst playing the tenth hole and heading away from the clubhouse’s promise of air conditioning and a cool shower.
Markku Tynell and Hal Hart have both been playing well of late and both again showed that they will soon be playing from lower handicaps, with solid rounds of one under handicap and needing to be separated by a count back, which Markku won with a better 21 to 19 to finish with 11 points on the last four holes, which was no mean feat on the harder C nine.
New member Neil Sanderson took third place with a solid level handicap return following a very good start that saw him taking 18 points from the first seven holes. However, the heat started to get to him on the inward half and his challenge to the leaders dropped away over the next nine holes, scoring just 12 points, but he then finished well with a couple of three-pointers.
Peter McGarry had his best result of the trip, finishing fourth after he had won a count back over Vinesh Naidoo on the last six having scored a better 14 to 11 after they had tied the back nine at 17 apiece. Peter could have been much higher placed if he had not had a small disaster on the 11th to 13th holes, scoring just the one point and killing off any chance of the hoped for maiden win.
Allan Raaen.
Neil Sanderson had the sole 2 in the first division and Mike Hill cleaned out the rollover pot with the only one in the second division.
Prior to the presentations there were welcomes for new members Neil Sanderson, Peter McGarry, Michael Jones, Vinesh Naidoo and Kavi Budhram, together with welcome backs for Tony Rose and Paul Ruhl.
Wednesday, March 27, Khao Kheow (yellow tees) – Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Paul Ruhl (18) 33pts
2nd Jens Gunnarsson (15) 31pts
3rd Hal Hart (23) 29pts
4th Markku Tynell (25) 28pts
5th Brian Randall (36) 26pts
Paul Ruhl.
As always, whichever two nines are in play, Khao Kheow promises a tough but fair test of golf and the day’s aspirants were not disappointed in the conditions they found. With a strong wind gusting in seemingly all directions at once, and with the heat once again proving to be a deciding factor as the thermometer hovered around the 40 mark, the scoring was to be at a premium and the best of the day was a three over handicap return that left the CSS for the day at 75 and made the results non-counting for upward review.
It is interesting to note that Golf Australian have recently announced that their handicap system will soon be revised to take into account a Daily Scratch Rating (DSR), although they still do not appear to be utilising a non-counting aspect, following some teething problems that were encountered after the introduction of the new handicap system.
Golf Australia have produced a very informative and insightful publication which can be found on their website www.golfaustralia.org.au under Handicaps and Rules, which has a 30 points Q and A that covers almost every aspect of the proposed handicap system for the future.
Paul Ruhl headed the rather exhausted and bewildered groups of golfers and took his first win out of The Haven with a three-over return that was good enough by two to beat the inform Jens Gunnarsson, who was to score 41 points on the following day at Laem Chabang with the Tara Court Group.
Seppo Sadeharju.
Hal Hart was once again to be found amongst the winners, as he continues to take heed of his recent mental golf lesson. Hal battled for a hard earned round which just turned the tables on Markku Tynell on this occasion, taking third place by a single point to leave Markku in fourth and Brian Randall in fifth after Brian had also once again made it onto the day’s podium.
Unsurprisingly there were no 2’s in both divisions, and underlining the difficulty of the course on the day, only one three from among the whole of the day’s entries.
Before the presentations were made there was a welcome for new member Jo Eng from Switzerland together with welcome backs for Shane and Allan Heavey and Ron Kerslake.
Friday, March 29, Phoenix Mountain & Lakes – Monthly Medals
Division 1 (0–15)
Blue tees
CSS 76
1st Allan Raaen (10) net 74
2nd Rodney Hayes (14) net 79
3rd Brian Beaupre (5) net 80
Division 2 (16+)
White Tees
CSS 75 NC
1st Seppo Sadeharju (25) net 74
2nd Markku Tynell (25) net 77
3rd Trevor Schirmer (17) net 79
If the players thought that the day was going to be any easier than on the two previous outings they were to be disillusioned once again as the Mountain and Ocean courses turned out to be just as difficult a proposition. The greens especially proved problematical, needing only the lightest of touches from anywhere above the hole to give any chance of a two-putt.
Most of the contestants struggled to get anywhere near to 36 putts for the round and although the course was once again found to be in A-one condition from tee to green, the heat was again a major factor.
As usual for the Monthly Medals, the field was split into two divisions at 15 and below for the first division playing from the blue tees against a SS of 74, which after the cards were marked and accounted for moved out to 76 on the day.
Allan Raaen led them in at two over par as, after having started out slowly, he covered the inward half at one under handicap to take his first Medal and book his place in the finals for the Gold and Silvers in December. Rodney Hayes played exceptionally well to take second place in his last outing before returning to Sydney, even though the numbers did not reflect the quality of his golf. Brian Beaupre slipped into third spot with a hard earned eight-over round that was still way ahead of many others in the division.
The second division, playing from the white tees, was led in by Seppo Sadeharju whose two-over return was good enough by three to take his first Monthly Medal and secure his entry into the end of year finals. Markku Tynell claimed his third podium position of the week, taking second place ahead by two from Trevor Schirmer in third.
Once again, with the course playing so hard it was not surprising that there were no 2’s in either of the divisions.
Back at The Haven there were welcome backs for Marty Rock, Keith Wooley, Jon Batty, Brian Beaupre and Jim Lloyd.
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 that you wish to play. A schedule of courses to be played can be found on our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.
