IPGC Golf from The Haven
Monday, Nov. 16, Phoenix (Mountain & Ocean) – Stableford
CSS 72
Division 1 (0-15)
1st Philip Cass (15) 35pts
2nd Rodney Nabbe (11) 34pts
3rd Tony Foster (10) 33pts
4th Darryl Burkett (13) 33pts
5th Kevin Blake (9) 33pts
Division 2 (16+)
1st Terry Hodgkiss (23) 35
2nd Frank Hughes (19) 34
3rd Brendan Dunne (29) 33
4th Mark Armstrong (25) 32
5th Ian Lederhose (16) 31
The once a fortnightly trip to Phoenix provided a huge turnout which meant extra buses and long queues in Soi 13, with the line stretching back to the Sportsman where the outlet opposite was hoping that one or two of the throng might purchase the odd bottle of water, a wish unfortunately for them unfulfilled. But it did mean the formation of two divisions with the cut coming at 15 and below.
Rodney Nabbe & Darryl Kellett.
The course was, as normal nowadays, in excellent condition with just the caveat that the sand in the bunkers would be enough to hide a small army and is exceptionally difficult to play from, especially the fairway ones.
The recent wet weather continues to affect the course with very little run in the fairways from the tees, as is the case with most other courses in the area.
Philip Cass led in the first division with a solid round of one over handicap, just one ahead of second placed Rodney Nabbe after he had almost been caught over the closing two holes finishing with a double and single bogey.
Phil Cass & Terry Hodgkiss.
Tony Foster won a three-way count back for third with a best of 19 as Darryl Burkett placed fourth with 17 and Kevin Blake took the first of his three podiums in fifth with 15 after a good opening nine.
There were no ‘2’s in the second division but Rodney Nabbe and Darryl Kellett shared the first division pot.
Wednesday, Nov. 18, Pattana A & B (yellow tees) – Stableford
CSS 73
1st Rodney Nabbe (11) 40pts
2nd Tony Foster (10) 39pts
3rd Kevin Blake (9) 35pts
4th Yukio Kikuchi (17) 33pts
5th Shuichi Kodaka (17) 30pts
6th Gary Warren (20) 29pts
Rodney Nabbe, having returned to Pattaya in top form and having straight out of the gate taken a second place, now followed up with a win and he was at pains to explain his good from as a flash in the pan in case of any sideways looks from the scorer’s chair. But he needed to have no fears as his excellent score was almost matched by Tony Foster, who could not quite equal his outgoing two under handicap score and having to settle for a well-deserved second spot. And with Kevin Blake also just one over, it was clear that the course was in good shape and ripe for good scores all round by the top players. There was some run on the fairways and the CSS for the day remained at 73, the par for the eighteen played.
Already thinking of home, Yukio Kikuchi signed off with a fourth place ahead of Shuichi Kodaka in fifth and Gary Warren in sixth.
Once again there were no ‘2’s in the second division, but also once again Rodney Nabbe had to share the first division pot, this time with Digby Hillier.
Friday, Nov. 20, Mt. Shadow – Stableford
CSS 73
1st Darryl Kellett (14) 35pts
2nd Kevin Blake (9) 33pts
3rd Peter Skinner (9) 28pts
4th John Carlin (20) 28pts
5th Shuichi Kodaka (17) 28pts
6th Markku Tynell (22) 27pts
As usual, the short but very tight course amongst the old mango plantation proved to be a fairly tough test of golf, with the top of the leader board dominated by the lower handicappers. The CSS moved out one to 73 and it underlined the difficulty of the day.
The course was in good shape but as usual the phantom bunker rake thief had completed his work, with not a one to be seen anywhere around the course and unfortunately none to be found with the caddies.
Darryl Kellett kept out of the sand traps, playing the course with due respect, and was rewarded with his best round of this trip and the top step of the podium two ahead of the in-form Kevin Blake in second place, the latter finishing strongly and taking twenty points from the inward half.
Peter Skinner struggled with his direction from the tee all day but did enough in the three-way count back to win third with a better 13, even allowing for the three zeros on the back nine. John Carlin finished with 8 on the back six for fourth and Shuichi Kodaka fifth with 6 after they had halved the nine with 12 each.
Markku Tynell got his first mention of the week in sixth another point behind them following a particularly slow start to the day.
Once again there were no ‘2’s in the second division and not even Rodney Nabbe could break the duck in the first division as the pin placements and speed of the greens managed to foil all attempts at even getting close, although there was a rumor that Shuichi could have had one had he hit it three feet harder on the 17th.
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.
