IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, Feb. 27, Eastern Star – Pairs Scramble (Rainbow)
1st Peter Skinner & Bob Heath (9) 48pts
2nd Russell Exley & Stephen Beard (12) 47pts
3rd Steve Clarke & Ron Hoban (17) 46pts
4th Rick Morgan & Neville Duncan (6) 46pts
5th Yasuo Suzuki & Bill Hurd (12) 46pts
6th Hal Hart & Leif Lossius (18) 45pts
7th Jim Slattery & Glenn Eldershaw (13) 45pts
8th Frank Dunstan & Peter MacKenzie (20) 45pts
A heavy overcast day with a fairly strong breeze greeted the hopeful contenders from The Haven as they looked forward to a day of fun golf when for once the handicaps were not on the line. The format was to be a two-person scramble with six tee shots to be played from each of the Red, Yellow and White tees.
The handicaps had been calculated by adding the two team member’s handicaps together and then being allowed 40% of the combined total and rounded to the nearest whole number under the Stableford scoring system. This allowed for all levels of handicap to compete, although each player had to play at least seven tee shots during the round. Once again the format was adjudged successful with 80 % of the field finishing within five points of the winners total.
Scramble winners Peter Skinner & Bob Heath.
Unfortunately the condition of the greens made for a very difficult day, with little consistency from one green to another and none could have even been considered to be of a medium pace and most of them extremely bumpy, making even two chances of the same putt a bit of a lottery. It was a shame to see that a course, that had been in fairly good shape just a few weeks earlier, had deteriorated so quickly and hopefully it will not stay in the same condition for too long.
It would seem that no distance is too far in search of the rainbow as the winning team travelled from their base of the South Herts club in North London, England, with one of them stopping off in Europe, Canada, the USA and Australia on the way. It was certainly a trip well worth making as Peter Skinner and Captain Bob Heath once again reigned victorious in the now regular monthly rainbow scramble that they had won almost exactly twelve months earlier over the Mountain Shadow course, going one better in their points tally.
Alan Pilkington.
But it needed Captain Bob to smash in not one, but two thirty foot plus putts to win, the last one on the seventeenth hole, to finish the back nine with 26 points and consign their playing partners Russell Exley and Stephen Beard to second place after the latter pairing had led them by three on the front nine and had been the form book favourites, having both won their respective medals on their last outing.
Third place went to Steve Clarke and Ron Hoban who won a three-way count back with a better 26 after a fairly quiet opening nine with fellow club members Rick Morgan and Neville Duncan having to settle for fourth after a return of 24 on the closing nine, which left Yasuo and Bill Hurd in fifth with a count back of 23.
Sixth place went to Hal Hart and Leif Lossius after another count back in which they scored 23 on the nine and 16 on the last six as Jim Slattery and Glenn Eldershaw could put together only 14 on the same six. Frank Dunstan and Peter Mackenzie rounded out the podium as they could muster only 21 on the back nine after a sparkling 24 going out.
Prior to the prize giving Stephen Beard welcomed new members Gary Brown and John Greenall and also welcomed back Ray Hallisey, Frank Dunstan, Peter MacKenzie, Neville Duncan, Rick Morgan, Glenn Eldershaw and Russell Gilroy all from the Wakehurst Club in the northern suburbs of Sydney together with John Hayes and James Hawley.
Wednesday, Feb. 29, Bangpra – Stableford
CSS 75 NC
Division 1 (0–11)
1st Alan Pilkington (9) 33pts
2nd Phil Mitchell (6) 32pts
3rd Yasuo Suzuki (11) 32pts
4th Jason Cole (7) 28pts
Division 2 (12–18)
1st Tony Barritt (15) 34pts
2nd Bob Heath (13) 33pts
3rd Al Rolnik (18) 32pts
4th Bruce Kusyk (13) 32pts
Division 3 (19+)
1st Glenn Eldershaw (23) 39pts
2nd Frank Dunstan (24) 34pts
3rd Steve Clarke (20) 32pts
4th Torild Lossius (33) 32pts
Yet another very big turnout required the formation of three divisions. Following the disappointment with the condition of the previous course played, there were great expectations for the day which were totally fulfilled, with the greens staff having once again prepared a top class course, especially the greens which were as usual faster than very quick and extremely flat.
But the test when having to play from above the hole, with a feather light touch, proved to be too great of a challenge for most of the contenders, wrecking many cards in the process. It was therefore no surprise to learn that the CSS for the day had moved out three strokes and the competition became non-counting for upward review of handicaps, with just one player making the required standard of “within two of their handicap”, out of 31 counting players. Counting players are all those with handicaps of 20 or less. In spite of the results it was agreed that the day had been a great day’s golf over a very special course.
The first division was led in by Alan Pilkington with a solid performance that was just good enough to keep Phil Mitchell of the top level by a single point, with Yasuo Suzuki in third one more behind and Jason Cole struggling in fourth another three back but a least in front of quite a few others.
The second division was also a very close contest as Tony Barritt returned the second best points haul of the day, at two over handicap, to deny Captain Bob Heath a second successive win by a single point. That left Al Rolnik to take third ahead of Bruce Kusyk as he won a count back over the back nine with a better 15 to 14 result.
In the third division Glenn Eldershaw returned a staggering 39 points to lead the group by five clear and earn a three shot cut in handicap for the week, with the CSS having moved out by three and following a better than handicap result at another venue earlier in the week.
Glenn’s fellow club member’s Frank Dunstan, slipped into second spot with a solid round, and Steve Clarke, snagged third with a better count back over Leif Lossius by 17 to 12, after Leif had set the course alight on the outward half.
There were no 2’s in the second division but Alan Pilkington and Bob Heath proved it wasn’t quite impossible to putt by getting one each and sharing the first division pool.
Prior to the presentations of the prizes there were welcome backs for Terry Hodgkiss, Wilf Wellman, George Pittam, Phil Mitchell and Stuart Hibberd.
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 8.30 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.
