IPGC Golf from The Haven
Monday, Dec. 1, Treasure Hill (Yellow tees) – Stableford
CSS 73
1st Don Everett (18) 38pts
2nd Markku Tynell (23) 36pts
3rd John Squitiero (20) 32pts
4th Rodney Nabbe (11) 31pts
5th Garry Barling (8) 30pts
6th Eric Goodman (25) 30pts
A week of threatening rain ended with hardly a drop falling on the three days of golf and resulted in overcast skies and light winds, which made it perfect weather in Thailand for golf.
Trevor Schirmer, Jon Yarrow & Don Everett.
The week started at the always difficult Treasure Hill course where the yellow tees were taken as the test for the day, which proved to be a good choice as the CSS went out to 73 to underline the difficulties faced by the players.
Don Everett had the best of the day at two under handicap after returning a very tidy card that did not include any zero-pointers but had five threes and a four-pointer, which ensured that he will be at his lowest ever level for handicap next week.
Markku Tynell continues to play very steadily and will surely be seeing his handicap dropping in the weeks to come as the courses get easier with extra run on the fairways, which always assists the higher handicappers with their length from the tee.
John Squitiero returned from several hundred hours of driving the boulevards of Las Vegas to take third place ahead of Rodney Nabbe by a shot.
Garry Barling won a count back over Eric Goodman for fifth place with a better 15 to 12 after Eric slumped a bit following a bright start.
There were no ‘2’s in the first division but Don Everett at last did the business with one on the 13th, which was playing 172 yards and the second most difficult of the day, to sweep away the massive rollover second division pot. Don was very generous following this great cleanup operation, blowing the horn twice before staggering home to really celebrate the day.
Before the presentations there were welcome backs for Eric Goodman, David Johnson, John Dahlseng, Brendan Dunne, John Squitiero, and Terry Hodgkiss, the latter from a serious dose of flu. Also Trevor Schirmer was again contending for the longest drive having returned from five weeks in Oz and taking over again from Phil Groves who is heading in the opposite direction.
Wednesday, Dec. 3, The Emerald – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Trevor Schirmer (14) 38pts
2nd Mike Armstrong (18) 34pts
3rd Garry Barling (8) 32pts
4th Markku Tynell (23) 31pts
5th Daryl Burkett (12) 31pts
6th Rodney Nabbe (11) 31pts
7th Peter Skinner (11) 31pts
Having taken a day or so to acclimatise again to the humidity of Pattaya, Trevor Schirmer was well in charge in all respects as he swept to the top of the podium by four clear shots, even after having had a five week hiatus from golf while relaxing in Oz at the Melbourne Cup, among others interests, and wishing he knew as much about horses as he does about golf. Trevor’s round was highlighted by some exceptional putting.
Mark Armstrong, recently returned from Wakehurst Golf Club in Sydney, also had a good return as he placed second, albeit at a distance. Mark had a strong finish over the last six holes, just when most of the other returnees were beginning to wilt, and he found extra strength to close out the round.
Garry Barling is still not quite finding his usual form but will surely be there by the time he leaves as he showed again flashes of his real abilities in taking third place.
Once again Markku Tynell was in the hunt, this time claiming fourth spot following a better score of 19 in a four-way count back, which left Daryl Burkett fifth on 18, Rodney Nabbe sixth with 13 and Peter Skinner seventh on 12. Peter had looked a potential winner after the first nine but sadly his score slipped away the longer the round progressed.
There were no ‘2’s in the second division but Trevor Schirmer added to his dominance of the day with the sole one in the first division to clear out the rollover pool.
Friday, Dec. 5, Greenwood B & C – Stableford
CSS 73
1st Jon Yarrow (13) 38pts
2nd Markku Tynell (22) 36pts
3rd Paul Hubbard (9) 34pts
4th Garry Barling (8) 34pts
5th Peter Skinner (11) 33pts
6th Shuichi Kodaka (15) 32pts
As today was a public holiday in celebration of HM the King’s birthday, the local courses were expected to be well patronized and as Greenwood is at the forefront of courses offering a good deal for holidays, they were almost full. But the group got away on time although the numbers on the course made for a slow round, which no doubt contributed to the low scoring and accounted for the CSS moving out to 73 for the day.
Jon Yarrow continued with his fine run of form, taking the top spot by two from the ever-present Markku Tynell whose own hopes of a win were dashed on the 17th, the eighth on the A course, as he took a zero to end his run for the first place. Paul Hubbard took third after winning a count back on the C course although the back nine actually played was the A, with a better 18 to 17 over Garry Barling.
Peter Skinner slipped into fifth just one ahead of Shuichi who was contemplating his return to the fray in the second division in the coming weeks.
There were no ‘2’s in either division.
Before the presentations were made there were welcomes for new members Anthony Dillon and Anders Haglund together with welcome backs for Alan Hanlon, George Pittam and Wilf Wellman. There were also farewells for Paul Hubbard, Garry Barling, Daryl Burkett and Rodney Nabbe.
Note. If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact 038 710 988 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 a 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
