IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, May 26, Greenwood A & B – Stableford
CSS 74
1st Jon Batty (10) 34pts
2nd Tony O’Neil (23) 34pts
3rd Darryl Kellett (15) 33pts
4th Paul Gill (10) 33pts
5th Markku Tynell (23) 33pts
6th Terry Hodgkiss (22) 32pts
Although it is possibly the longest drive to get there, it is always a pleasure to play at Greenwood whichever of the two nines of the three are in play, as they are always presented in tip top condition and this week’s competition over the A and B courses proved to be no exception. The scoring was not so good, but this was due mostly to the weather which was stiflingly hot and humid and which affected everyone’s concentration on the day.
Mike Hill, Jon Batty and Hal Hart.
Jon Batty, now returned from his empire building in the north and ready to concentrate once again on the important matters in life, led the way but only after prevailing in a count back over Tony O’Neil with a better 17 to 16 and thus denying Tony a chance for his only win during this visit.
There was another count back, this time of epic proportions, for third place that saw Darryl Kellett come out on top over Paul Gill but it had to be counted down to the last two holes, with Darryl getting the nod 6 to 5 after they had tied the back nine at 18, the back six at 12, and the back three at 6.
Markku Tynell in fifth had been included in the count back but returned just 15 for the inward half after starting out the outward nine very promisingly, however he slipped in two too many doubles to fall out of contention.
Terry Hodgkiss ended in sixth after a very mixed round that included several 3-pointers but too many 0’s on a day when he could have taken the top spot again.
There were no 2’s in the second division but Allen Raaen had the sole one in the first division to sweep the pool.
Before the presentations were made there were welcome backs for Paul Gill, Barry Williams and Russell Gilroy, together with a farewell for Darryl Kellett.
Wednesday, May 28, Mt. Shadow – Stableford
CSS 75 (NC)
1st Hal Hart (22) 34pts
2nd Kevin Blake (8) 31pts
3rd Markku Tynell (23) 30pts
4th Trevor Schirmer (15) 30pts
5th John Carlin (18) 26pts
6th Russell Gilroy (15) 25pts
Following several intensive mental golf lessons in the bar following recent outings, Hal Hart is starting to return to something like the form that took him to the edge of the abyss where he wouldn’t have received a shot on every hole, but then he succumbed to the pressure in the important six inches. His round at the always difficult Mountain Shadow may have been two over handicap, but with no one else meeting the same standard and the CSS going out to 75, it resulted in his handicap reducing slightly, so it may not be too long before he returns to the edge.
Kevin Blake was the nearest challenger some three points back in second place, with Markku Tynell once again involved in a count back in third after topping Trevor Schirmer with a better 17 to 14. John Carlin struggled around to finish fifth and Russell Gilroy rounded out the podium in sixth spot.
In line with the difficulty of the course on the day there were no ‘2’s in either of the divisions.
Friday, May 30, Crystal Bay C & A – Monthly Medals
CSS 71
Division 1 (0–15)
1st Kevin Waycott (10) net 68
2nd Allen Raaen (7) net 70
3rd Russell Gilroy (15) net 71
4th Kevin Blake (8) net 74
Division 2 (16+)
1st Mike Hill (23) net 68
2nd Philip Cass (21) net 71
3rd Hal Hart (22) net 72
4th John Carlin (18) net 73
Following several recent visits when the greens had left a lot to be desired, it was perhaps surprising that Crystal Bay was selected to be the venue for the May Monthly Medal competition. But with the course generally being in good shape and some remedial work undertaken on the greens, the scores fairly reflected the improvement of the overall playing conditions over previous events.
The first division saw a new winner to add to the list of contenders in the Gold and Silver Medals to be held in December, with Kevin Waycott becoming the sixth different winner for the golfing year (which started in December), as he returned an excellent four under handicap round. Kevin was playing in his very first competition out of Soi 13 and he beat a very useful field of lower handicaps in the division.
Allen Raaen, who can always be relied upon to show well in the Medals, had to be satisfied with second place at two under, with Russell Gilroy in third, also under par, and Kevin Blake in fourth at a commendable two over.
The second division also saw a sixth different winner in the year, as Mike Hill swept to the top of the podium, also at a four under handicap net 68. Mike won the mind games against playing partner Philip Cass when the latter had been leading by three strokes after the front nine on the C course and ahead by four after 14, but he then dropped seven strokes over the next three holes and finally had to settle for second place at one under.
Hal Hart again showed good form as he left the woods in the bag for any fairway shots and finished strongly after a slow front nine that had seen him drop three strokes to his handicap.
John Carlin rounded out the second division podium another stroke behind in his last game for a while as he prepares to return to Oz for some other kind of on course action.
One again there were no 2’s in the second division but Russell Gilroy took the first division with his lone success.
Back at The Haven there were welcomes for new members Kevin Waycott, Samson Beard and Matt Laorian, although Sam’s dad had sent him and Matt to play the wrong course so technically they did not play. There were also welcome backs for Philip Cass, Bruce Hilde, Mark Armstrong and David Grist together with farewells to Kevin Blake, John Carlin, Fred Smith, Gavin Hargrave and Chris Bonython.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact mobile 094 567 5726 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.
