IPGC Golf from The Haven
Monday, July 6, Pattaya C. C. – Stableford
CSS 71
1st Vincent Gras (20) 41pts
2nd Hal Hart (21) 38pts
3rd Benny Hansen (26) 36pts
4th Phil Cass (15) 32pts
5th Bruce Hilde (15) 28pts
6th Peter Buckley (21) 28pts
Returning to Pattaya Country Club after just a week there were a few less joiners for the day, but those that did make the short trip found the course to be in great condition as the fairways and greens continue to improve after the extensive renovations.
Vincent Gras returned his best card for well over a year to deny Hal Hart a long awaited win as he also had his best round this year.
Vincent Gras (left) with Paul Hird.
Vincent’s terrific round, that included seven 3-pointers and one 4-pointer, could have been even better as he uncharacteristically double bogeyed the 18th, but he still ended up with 21 points from the back-nine to win by three.
Hal’s efforts did not earn him another lobster as he is now considered a bad bet for most of the punters in the group, but he was ahead by two after nine holes and then a few indifferent holes put him well behind. As the last three approached he finally settled for just a handicap reducing round and second place.
Benny Hansen was the third player on the podium to have a personal record result, having his best round for over two years, to take third place well clear of fourth, which was taken by Phil Cass. Phil is seemingly always in the mentions recently, but four zeros from him finished his challenge for the day.
Bruce Hilde won a count back for fifth with a better 16 to 12 to leave Peter Buckley in sixth spot.
There were no 2’s in either division.
Wednesday, July 8, Pattana A & C (yellow tees) – Stableford
CSS 73
1st Vincent Gras (20) 38pts
2nd Peter Buckley (21) 35pts
3rd Hal Hart (21) 30pts
4th Bruce Hilde (15) 28pts
5th Phil Cass (15) 25pts
The group’s once a fortnight trip to Pattana was scheduled for the C and A courses from the yellow tees, which appeared to be nearer to the whites than is shown on the card, but this is not unusual with the local courses who seem to have little regard for the measured course theory in tee setting. It resulted in most of the players’ cards looking rather dejected at the end of their rounds even though the course was generally in good shape.
Vincent Gras took his second win of the week and although not quite as good as his previous outing it was good enough to take the top step once more. He finished three clear of the field but again the last three holes were well below his par for the day as he dropped three points from his handicap level. Of course these lapses over the last couple of holes may well be attributed to his vigorous training and preparation regime that he always engages in the night before a competition, or it could be the total consumption factor of the day during play.
Peter Buckley had his best round of his tour and deservedly took second place five shots ahead of third placed Hal Hart after Hal had also suffered from a late night the previous evening.
Bruce Hilde staggered into fourth place another two shots adrift and Phil Cass also had a bit of a nightmare, but was still good enough for sixth place.
With the course playing very long and difficult it was no surprise that once again there were no 2’s in either division.
Before the presentations there was a welcome for new member Rik Borger.
Friday, July 10, Crystal Bay C & A – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Paul Hird (13) 37pts
2nd Mike Dabanovich (12) 36pts
3rd Danny Greer (26) 33pts
4th Bruce Hilde (15) 32pts
5th Russell Exley (9) 32pts
A very quiet course awaited the group and with the week’s big winner enjoying an away day with a benefactor there were a lot of hopefuls on what is usually a fairly benign layout, but this day proved to be very different with the greens showing a distinct lack of trimming and some of the lies on the fairways a bit sparse. But all in all it was a tough but fair test that played the same for all the contestants.
Paul Hird returned to play with the Haven group for the first time on this trip and on the last three holes he just got the edge over his playing partner, Mike Dabanovich, who was consigned to second place.
Danny Greer had a very acceptable three over handicap for his third place and Bruce Hilde won another count back over Russell Exley for fourth with a better 17 to 15. This left Russell ruing a poor start to the day as he took just fifteen points from the front nine.
Strangely, but probably due to the condition of the greens, there were once again no ‘2’s in the second division but Takeshi Hakozaki called upon his vast local knowledge to slip the sole one in on the 8th on the A course, that was playing 152 yards over the water, and claim the first division rollover pool.
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.
