The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 07.05.2012 John and Rob scoop the scramble Wednesday 9th May Mountain Shadow Rainbow Scramble Stableford 1st John Armstrong & Rob Richardson (15) 45 cb 22 2nd Alwyne Burley & Mike Hill (17) 45 cb 20 3rd Daryl Kellett &Paul Hartley (14) 43 cb 21 4th Phil Groves & Gary Warren (10) 43 cb 20 5th Bob Akapita &Don Everett (15) 39 Following a day off on Monday when once again the courses required an increase in green fees due to the Holiday on the previous day which the regulars decided was another straw across the back and decided for a rest instead, therefore leaving the proposed course totally out of pocket. Once again the monthly rainbow scramble was held at the tight and tricky Mountain Shadow course where the conditions of the course were found to be excellent with as usual fast running greens and also having had the fairways and rough recently cut and trimmed. As usual the format was pairs scramble or Ambrose as it was known to most of the day’s contenders with the handicaps being arrived at by taking 40% of the teams combined total playing handicaps. Teams had to take scores from six each from the Red, White and Blue tees with players having to take at least seven tee shots each. Although playing the format for the first time the team of John Armstrong and Rob Richardson combined very well to run out the winners although the situation was getting very tight towards the end with Rob, the high handicapper, requiring two tee shots out of the last three holes, one from the whites and two from the reds resulting in just five points from the three holes. In the event it was just enough to enable them to equal the score of Alwyne and Mike Hill and then win the resultant count back with a better 22 to 20. Alwyne and Mike had turned up the wick on the front nine and returned what looked to be a winning 25 points but could not quite finish the job as Mike had to take the last five tee shots, two of them from the blues and just effectively parring them all. Third place went to the big hitting team of Daryl Kellett and Paul Hartley who also had to win a count back, which they did by a margin of 21 to 20 over the pre-start favourites Phil Groves and Gary Warren whose challenge faded over the closing holes with Gary struggling to get in his required drives until the last two holes and collecting just 4 points in the process. Bob Akapita and Don Everett slipped into fifth place with a steady but unspectacular round that contained too many one pointers to be in contention with the leading groups. There were no 2’s competitions due to the day’s format. Before making the presentations Stephen Beard welcomed new members Quentin Killian, John Armstrong and Rob Richardson and also welcomed back Bob Akapita, Daryl Kellett, Bob Pratt, Gary Warren and Paul Hartley. With so many Aussies joining and returning to The Haven it required a special presentation of the Ashes replica as many who could hardly remember what it looked like. Friday 11th May Emerald Stableford CSS 72 1st Phil Groves (8) 37 2nd Daryl Kellett (16) 34 cb 19 b6 14 3rd Alwyne Burley (18) 34 cb 19 b6 12 4th Adrian O’Sullivan (9) 34 cb 17 5th Vincent Gras (18) 31 cb 16 6th Gus Guidetti (12) 31 cb 15 Back to the standard pattern of play and once again it was the old master, Phil Groves, at the top of the leader board again with a clear three shots margin over his closest challengers. A very tidy round without a six on the card until a straight drive on the par 5 14th found an almost unplayable behind the centrally positioned tree in the fairway afoot to either left or right of dead centre would have been sufficient to have a dig at the green but in the end it resulted in an ugly seven for one point. But undeterred Phil plodded on to complete the win by parring the last four holes. Daryl Kellett having got onto the podium in the previous outing went one better taking second place following a winning count back with Alwyne Burley with a better 14 to 12 over the last six after they had tied the nine on 19 a piece, which left Alwyne in third. Also in the count back for the back nine was Adrian O’Sullivan who had to settle for fourth spot as he could only garner 17 points to match his outward half. Vincent Gras took fifth ahead of Gus Guidetti after he also won a count back by a margin of 16 to 15. Once again there were no 2’s in either division leaving both pools brimming over. Prior to the presentations there were welcomes for new members Liam Malone and Gus Guidetti and welcome backs for Vincent Gras, John Donovan, Maurice Byrne and Adrian O’Sullivan. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 30.04.2012 Phil Groves doubles in a short week Monday 30th April Green Valley Stableford CSS 72 1st Phil Groves (8) 39 2nd Mike Hill (24) 38 3rd Brian Randall (36) 36 4th Joe Niisato (13) 34 5th Serge Straeten (17) 33 With a few players having gone missing there were only enough left for one division when they assembled at the usually very popular Green Valley, but possibly the lack of attendees was due the fact that it is now one of the most expensive courses to play on the circuit with most of the other courses accepting that in the low season even a few golfers is better than none. The management here seems to think differently. Having said that the course is in very good condition, as the scores returned on the day reflect, with the greens being fast and flat which no doubt assisted Phil Groves, who revels in such conditions to return his best score since the back end of February. Even so it was only just good enough as Mike hill followed up a nice front nine of 19 points with a repeat performance that just failed to match Phil’s twenty points on the inward half and settled for a very good second place. Brian Randall took another podium placing with a solid level handicap round ahead of Joe Niisato in fourth, who in turn just edged out Serge Straeten by a single point having dropped a few over the closing holes recording three blobs during the last five. There were no 2’s in either division. Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed back Tony O’Neill and Terry Hodgkiss. Friday 4th May Rayong Country Club Stableford CSS 72 1st Phil Groves (8) 34 cb 19 2nd Alwyne Burley (18) 34 cb 17 3rd Brian Randall (36) 33 4th Mike Hill (24) 31 5th Shuichi Kodaka (18) 30 Once again Phil Groves was to be found at the top of the leader board but this time had to rely on a better count back which he won by a margin of 19 to 17 as Alwyne Burley cracked on the last two holes managing just a single point on each when he looked a certain winner ahead of playing partner Phil, who took five points over the same two holes to level the scores and set up the winning count back for his second win of the week. Brian Randall was also a second time podium winner in the week as he took his second 3rd place with another solid round whose challenge also ended on the last two holes as he could muster just one point over what could be the two toughest fishing holes in the area. Mike Hill also featured again in the list of winners although this time down in fourth place having slumped badly on the inward half following an outstanding outward nine that produced 21 points with just one single pointer in the nine. Shuichi Kodaka made it into the last honourable mention slot as he played his last round before a quick trip back to Japan to get some R and R in away from the hectic night life of Pattaya. One again there were no 2’s in either division. Prior to the presentations there were welcome backs for Don Everett and Seppo Sadeharju and farewells for Brian Randall and Shuichi Kodaka. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 09 & 23.04.2012 Too much water affects the golfing scene Monday 9th April Mountain Shadow Rainbow Pairs Scramble 1st Al Rolnik & Kare Lunde (14) 51 2nd Alwyne Burley & Mike Hill (17) 49 3rd Paul Hartley & Shuichi Kodaka (14) 44 4th John Wood & Phil Stevenson (18) 39 Due to the format there were no 2’s pools Wednesday 11th April Greenwood Stableford CSS 71 1st Jens Gunnarsson (15) 38 2nd Alan Pilkington (9) 35 3rd Shuichi Kodaka (18) 33 4th Phil Groves (8) 32 There were no 2’s in either division. With the Doc away for Songkran it was left to Trevor Schirmer, who whilst still being unable to play through injury, has taken on the onus of the sign ups and presentations in addition to his on course organisation, had a farewell for Phil Stevenson and John Wood before presenting the day’s prizes. The rest of the week and the following week’s golf was cancelled due to the Songkran activities in the city which make transport almost impossible to organise. Monday 23rd April The Emerald Stableford CSS 75 NC 1st Mike Hill (26) 36 2nd Masanori Takano (8) 31 3rd Marco Tynell (26) 28 4th Seil Revels (5) 27 Once again there were no 2’s in either division. Prior to the presentations Trevor welcomed new member Seil Revels who, although having been an IPGC member for some time, was playing his first game out of The Haven, he also welcomed back Masanori Takano and Markku Tynell. Wednesday 25th April Bangpra Stableford CSS 72 1st Shuichi Kodaka (18) 32 2nd Mike Hill (26) 30 3rd Phil Groves (8) 29 cb 13 4th Markku Tynell (26) 29 cb 12 Once again there were no 2’s in either division. Friday 27th April Phoenix Monthly Medals 1st Division Blue Tees CSS 73 1st Jason Cole (7) 76 cb 36.5 2nd Phil Groves (8) 76 cb 37 3rd Alan Pilkington (9) 78 2nd Division White Tees CSS 71 1st Markku Tynell (26) 68 2nd Alwyne Burley (18) 74 3rd Serge Straeten (16) 78 cb 37 4th Shuichi Kodaka (18) 78 cb 39 Keeping up what seems to have become a bit of a tradition there were no 2’s in either division. With “The Doc” back from sunny Cyprus it was left to him to thank Trevor Schirmer for running the whole of the golfing activities during his absence and take over the presentations for the day which included welcoming himself back which was warmly seconded by Trevor as it now allowed him to concentrate on winning each day’s longest drive competition. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 02.04.2012 Paul Hartley drives long to win Monday 2nd April Crystal Bay Stableford CSS 71 1st Paul Hartley (19) 41 2nd Alan Griffiths (12) 38 3rd Clive Hall (16) 37 cb 21 4th Ryan McGregor (12) 37 cb 19 5th Alan Pilkington (10) 35 6th Bruce Kusyk (13) 34 Following a very tough time during the previous week’s competitions it was off to the wide open spaces of Crystal Bay over the A and B courses which compare well with most of the courses on the schedule at this time although still some way short of the condition of old. There is also no sign of improvement in the changing rooms areas where with just a little effort to make at least four showers usable and a tosh over with some paint would transform a poor experience after the round into one that could retain some of the shine of the day, but all in all the day is an inexpensive day of good golfing activity and worth the trip. Paul Hartley stunned his playing partners and the rest of the field as his prodigious drives throughout the day, most of which found the fairways, proved to be the difference as he even made the green in two on three of the par fives although he followed up with three putts on all of them, it still awed the single handicapper who was trying to match him for distance throughout the day. When the cards were tallied Paul took first place as he was found to be three better than Alan Griffiths whose relatively slow start was the difference as they both returned 21 points for the inward half, and Alan therefore had to settle for second place. Returnee Clive Hall took third with a very good one under handicap and a better count back of 21 to 19 which denied newcomer Ryan McGregor third spot leaving Alan Pilkington back in fifth two points worse off and Bruce Kusyk in sixth on two over. There were no 2’s in the second division but Bruce Kusyk made up for just missing out for the main prizes by slotting home the lone one in the first division. Before presenting the prizes Stephen Beard welcomed new member Ryan McGregor and also welcomed back Clive Hall, John Wood and Phil Stevenson. Wednesday 4th March Away at the IPGC Monthly Medals Friday 6th March Rayong Country Club Stableford CSS 72 1st Phil Groves (8) 35 2nd Rod Crosswell (14) 33 3rd Paul Hartley (18) 31 4th Peter Wiltshire (13) 29 With another holiday scheduled it was off to one of the regular venues for an inexpensive day when most of the courses set weekend green fee prices that are in many cases almost double than the normal ones unfortunately the more reasonably priced courses are always well attended on these days which usually makes for a slow round. The group from Soi 13 was particularly unlucky on this occasion as a five ball slipped out in front of the first group. To add to the problem there were playing from the blue tees when their golfing abilities indicated that they would be more suited to the red tees. But these are things that are to be expected on busy days and need taken on with a good humour. Having been shown the way to drive earlier in the week, Phil Groves returned to the top of the podium with a solid one over round that was easily the best of the day by two points and should could and would have been even better if the putter had been working as usual, but the back nine rather slipped away after a good below handicap outward nine. Rod Crosswell was the nearest challenger who turned up the heat after an extremely slow start that saw just 13 points recoded he came back in two under to take second place. Paul Hartley suffered a reaction to his great round on Monday as he slipped back some ten shots worse but on a low scoring day still managed to snag third place ahead of new comer Peter Wiltshire by two. With the difficult pin placings it was unsurprising that there were no 2’s in either division. Before the presentations were made there was a welcome for new member Peter Wiltshire and a farewell for Rod Crosswell. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 26.03.2012 Brian Libby and Ron Kerslake snatch the Medals. Monday 26th March Eastern Star Stableford CSS 73 1st Joe Niisato (12) 35 2nd Al Rolnik (18) 30 3rd Keith Emerson (12) 29 cb 15 4th Shane Heavey (18) 29 cb 12 5th Yasuo Suzuki (11) 28 cb 16 6th David Ross (9) 28 cb 14 With the course in generally pretty good shape it was disappointing to find the greens not up to the same level having presumably not been cut low enough leaving them playing more like Velcro than putting surfaces. This contributed greatly to the poor returns on what should have been good day with the weather overcast and a hint of rain that never quite materialized and meant that the CSS for the day moved out to 73. With the low season fast approaching, the numbers are returning to those that require just one division usually which was the situation today. Joe Niisato took the top spot with a one over handicap round which was easily the best of the day by a clear five points as he went out in 19 but could not maintain his momentum coming home. Al Rolnik was the best of the chasing pack, although ambling might have been a better description, with a round that never really got started but on the day proved to be sufficient to claim second spot. Keith Emerson was surprised to take third after winning a count back with Shane Heavey with a better 15 to 12 as Shane wilted badly amassing just seven points over the last six holes. Yasuo Suzuki started to get to grips with the greens on the back nine which enabled him to win a count back with David Ross by a margin of 16 to 14 for fifth place on his last game on this trip. In keeping with the difficulty of the course there were no 2’s in either division, in fact there were only six threes all day with many complaining about being unable to hit it hard enough from over four feet. Before presenting the prizes there were welcome backs for Mike Hill, Philip Voas, Arthur Todd and the Kershaw brothers Chris and Colin together with farewells for Phillip Cass, Keith Emerson and Yasuo Suzuki. Wednesday 28th March Bangpra Stableford CSS 72 1st Rod Crosswell (12) 38 2nd Bruce Kusyk (13) 37 3rd Kevin Townsend (11) 34 4th Alan Pilkington (9) 33 5th Alwyne Burley (17) 32 6th Shuichi Kodaka (18) 31 Following the below average returns of the previous outing there were few confident voices on the journey to the always difficult Bangpra where the greens, whilst always in top condition, are notoriously difficult from above the hole. But most were pleasantly surprised to find that their scores were much better as the consistency of the conditions throughout the course made golf a lot easier with the grounds keeping staff having prepared an excellent test of golf. Rod Crosswell in good form following an away trip when he played very steadily, returned to continue his form with a two under handicap round that was just enough to pip Bruce Kusyk by a single point as he finished extremely strongly with a two over gross back nine as Bruce slipped backwards on the inward half with a blob on the tenth hole and even finishing with two three pointers on 17 and 18 could not quite make up the difference. Kevin Townsend, who is also playing very tidily recently took third place with a solid round that suffered from a couple of errant tee shots through the last nine but still did enough to consign Alan Pilkington, another regular podium placer, to fourth by a shot. Alwyne Burley did enough on the outward half to tie up fifth place after Shuichi Kodaka started badly with a couple of blobs and single pointers and could not generate a good enough finish after scoring thirteen points through holes 12 to 15. Once again there were no 2’s in the second division but Rod Crosswell added to his day’s haul with the only one in the first division to sweep the roll over pool. Prior to the presentation of the prizes there were welcomes for new members Derek Dickson and Peter Whitty together with a welcome back from a very successful trip to Hua Hin to Rod Crosswell who had placed second overall behind Don Everett who was still away celebrating his massive win ahead of his fellow countrymen. Friday 30th March Phoenix Monthly Medals 1st Division Blue tees CSS 75 1st Brian Libbey (9) 75 2nd Alan Pilkington (9) 76 3rd Kevin Townsend (11) 77 cb 36.5 4th Phil Groves (8) 77 cb 39 5th Kari Kuparinen (6) 77 cb 40 2nd Division White tees CSS 72 1st Ron Kerslake (28) 66 2nd Serge Straeten (17) 69 3rd Alwyne Burley (17) 77 cb 38.5 4th Shane Heavey (18) 77 cb 40 With the first division playing as usual from the blue tees over the Ocean and Mountain courses, whilst the second division play from the white tees, and the wind blowing a little stronger than it been for the rest of the week, scoring was always going to be on the hard side even with the course in pristine condition and the greens running fast and true. So it proved to be as Brian Libbey came in as the winner with a three over handicap return against the par of 72 and with the standard scratch having been set at 74 and just two players making the standard of two over handicap from that, it was certain that the CSS for the day would be moving up, which it did to 75 which put Brian’s round into perspective as a very good result. Alan Pilkington claimed second place just a shot back after a very strong run to the finish that saw him close with a one over gross back nine which left him ruing an eleven stroke worse outward half that surely cost him his chance this time to tee it up in the year end Gold and Silvers. Kevin Townsend made a good showing in his last competition before returning to Blighty to do his bit in helping the economy recover over the summer months as he took charge of third spot ahead of Phil Groves and Kari Kuparinen after winning a count back with a better 36.5 as Phil could muster just 39 and Kari 40 for fourth and fifth place respectively. The second division was a walk over almost for Ron Kerslake who had his best round in Thailand by eight shots since 2008 and leaving Serge Straeten wondering what he will need to do to get into the end of year play offs after he returned a very good three under card with a pair of 43’s on each nine to leave the third and fourth players way back some eight shots adrift with Alwyne Burley just getting third after winning a count back by a margin of 38.5 to 40 after Shane Heave faded with a couple of doubles in the last three holes. Marty Rock slipped in the sole 2 in the first division and Ron Kerslake excelled by putting his first two in Thailand to sweep the roll over pool in the second division to add to his day’s winnings. Back at The Haven there were welcome backs for Marty Rock, Jon Lay, and Kari Kuparinen prior to the presentations. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 19.03.2012 A tough week for golfers Monday 19th March Khao Kheow Yellow tees Stableford CSS 75 NC 1st Division 0 -15 1st Peter Skinner (10) 35 2nd Alan Griffiths (11) 32 3rd Bob Heath (12) 30 cb 15 4th Yasuo Suzuki (11) 30 cb 13 5th David Ross (9) 29 2nd Division 16 + 1st Grant Cadell (16) 33 2nd Paul Hartley (19) 32 cb 16 3rd Kaneo Watanabe (19) 32 cb 15 4th Serge Straeten (17) 31 cb 15 5th Shuichi Kodaka (18) 31 cb 10 A very hard weeks golf started out promisingly enough at the always popular Khao Kheow club where the A & C off the yellow tees were a little too difficult to handle for the players as the wind blew up into a very stiff breeze. Even with a large turnout only one of the qualifying competitors, those with handicaps of twenty or better, managed to play within the two shots of their handicaps. This resulted in the day’s competition becoming non-counting for upward review as the system deemed that the conditions and results would not reflect fairly on the handicaps. The CSS for the day duly moved out to 75. Peter Skinner, the sole qualifier, led in the first division with a solid one over handicap that was good enough by three clear to take the top spot earning himself a drop of a shot in his final game of this visit. Alan Griffiths although three behind played well enough to take second by two from third placed Bob Heath. Bob had to win a count back with Yasuo Suzuki, which he did with a better 15 to 13, which left Yasuo in fourth one better than David Ross in fifth. The second division was an altogether closer affair with Grant Cadell just slipping into first on the final hole with a rare three pointer on the last hole to win by one ahead of Paul Hartley who won a count back with Kaneo Watanabe by a margin of 16 to 15. Serge Straeten made a return to Soi 13 golf taking fourth place as he also won a count back with Shuichi Kodaka by 15 to 10 after the latter had gone out in an unbelievable three under handicap but fell apart on the inward nine even though he scored seven of his ten points on just two holes, as three one points and four blobs wrecked his chances. There were no 2’s in the second division but Peter Skinner with two and Yasuo Suzuki shared the first division pool. Before presenting the prizes Stephen Beard welcomed back Brian Randall, Kevin Townsend and Jens Gunnarsson and there was also a special welcome back for Richard Livingston who had come down to add his farewell to those for the group from South Herts Golf Club where he used to be the Club Professional. Although it is now several years since Richard taught golf and shared a few conversations at the bar he is still fondly remembered by many of the members as the third in a line of excellent Club Professionals having followed Harry Vardon, the six times winner of the Open and also a winner of the US Open, and Dai Rees who, while not winning The Open came second three times, and led the Ryder Cup team in 1957 to the only win over the United States by the Great Britain & Ireland between the years of 1933 and 1985. The occasion required that a few drinks were downed which duly happened. Wednesday 21st March Greenwood B & C Courses Stableford CSS 75 NC 1st Yukio Kikuchi (18) 31 cb 20 2nd Phillip Cass (22) 31 cb 17 3rd Shuichi Kodaka (18) 31 cb 16 4th Yasuo Suzuki (11) 28 5th Peter McGown (19) 27 6th David Ross (9) 26 Following the return home of the South Herts Touring Group the numbers were much reduced leaving just one division to take on the usually delightful Greenwood layout. Unfortunately on the day the greens were found to be in a very poor state with many bare patches and hardly a good roll to be found on any of them from almost any position. This reflected extremely badly on the scores as for the second time in the week the competition became non-counting as the best of the day could only garner 31 points. Yukio Kikuchi won after a also winning a count back with Phillip Cass with a better 20 to 17 when after going out with a very slow start he was not looking forward to a happy ending for a change. Shuichi Kodaka also figured in the same count back but could only muster 16 on the back nine which put him into third place. New member Peter McGown must have wondered what sort of club he had joined when he found himself in fifth place after knocking it sideways most of the day to finish at nine over handicap and beat David Ross into sixth by a single point. There were no 2’s in the first division but Yukio Kikuchi made it an excellent day in the collection department even if the golf was a bit patchy, by sweeping the second division pot. Before the presentations there were welcomes for new members Jesse Harris and Peter McGown. Friday 23rd March The Emerald White tees CSS 73 1st Warren Gallop (10) 36 cb 19 2nd Al Keith (6) 36 cb 15 3rd Keith Emerson (13) 33 cb 20 4th Paul Hartley (19) 33 cb 19 5th David Ross (9) 33 cb 14 At last some sanity returned on the final day of the week as the group took on a very tough Emerald course that had just had the greens shaved down to a slightly quicker pace than either of the Siam or Bangpra courses which are normally the quickest in the area. This made for a very interesting day for most of the field with only the best of the putters in the field able to cope with breaks that were sometimes as much as three club lengths and any over hit puts likely to require a chip as the next shot. Warren Gallop just got the better of a count back with Al Keith to win his last competition of this trip with a better 19 to 15 after Al had gone out in level par gross amassing 21 points sadly his last approach on the par five spun back off the green leaving him a chip and two puts for a par to miss out by one. Warren’s round was a very tidy one, following a slow start he just got better as the round progressed as he came to terms with the greens he finished strongly with three solid pars to wrap up the round and the win. Keith Emerson won a three way count back with Paul Hartley and Davis Ross after he also had started slowly he strolled through the back nine totally 20 points which left Paul in fourth with 19 and David fifth after a very tired 14 after he had stated well. There were no 2’s in the second division but Warren Gallop and Keith Emerson with two shared the first division. Back at The Haven there was a welcome for new member Paul Hird and welcome backs for Brian Libbey and Keith Emerson. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 12.03.2012 A Pair of 40’s are the best of the week Monday 12th March Crystal Bay A & B Courses Stableford CSS 73 1st Division 0 -13 1st Fred Land (13) 38 2nd Warren Gallop (10) 37 3rd Alan Pilkington (9) 33 cb 20 4th Takeshi Hakozaki (12) 33 cb 18 b6 14 5th Alan Griffiths (11) 33 cb 18 b6 12 2nd Division 14 + 1st Leif Lossius (30) 42 2nd Ole Stamnes (27) 36 3rd Maurizio Guidi (20) 35 4th Ron Kerslake (28) 34 cb 20 5th David Bowles (20) 34 cb 12 Another good turnout required the formation of two divisions for the visit to Crystal Bay where the course was found to be in quite good shape with the greens, although not up to the condition of the past, good enough to stand comparison with most in the area. It is a shame that the standard of the locker rooms cannot be improved as the lack of maintenance reflects badly on the overall perception of the club and the day’s enjoyment, especially amongst the tourists that are involved with the local groups. Division one was led home by Fred Land who has been steadily improving throughout this visit which started way back in December since when his handicap has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride but with a definite downward trend and it is now almost two shots lower. The days two under handicap round was not the best, but it was still sufficiently tidy to beat off the challenges of a very good quality field in the division, albeit by a single point. Warren Gallop who has promised to play a lot more golf and teach rather less to enable him to get down to the handicap level that befits his talents, came close to making it a second place for Fred but just failed in the attempt, after a very quiet two over going out, he put the pedal down to cover the back nine in three under handicap which even included a blob. Alan Pilkington was also ruing a terrible start that saw just a lowly total of thirteen going out but recovered sufficiently enough to grab third place ahead of Takeshi Hakozaki, who could not seem to make the home course advantage tell to his benefit but outscored Alan Griffiths in a count back by 14 to 12 n the last six after they had tied the nine at eighteen a piece. The second division was a runaway victory for Leif Lossius whose six under handicap round was his best ever in Thailand by five shots after several nearly round at handicap level and earned him a three shot reduction on his return from Norway next time. Ole Stamnes played well to take second with a round that would normally have been in the running for the top prize except for Leif’s outstanding round with Maurizio Guidi another shat back in third. Ro Kerslake took his first placing out of The Haven after he won a count back with David Bowles with a better 20 to 12 after David having scorched out with 22 points he then subsided on the inward half. There were no 2’s in either division. Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed back Ron Kerslake and Warren Gallop and there was also a farewell for Torild and Leif Lossius. Wednesday 14th March Mountain Shadow Rainbow Scramble 1st Yasuo Suzuki & Jun Ishihara (9) 50 2nd Shane Heavey & Ron Kerslake (18) 49 3rd Bruce Kusyk & Wilf Wellman (16) 48 4th Alwyne Burley & Don Everett (15) 47 cb 25 5th Yukio Kikuchi & Kaneo Watanabe (16)47 cb 23 6th Warren Gallop & Allan Hanlon (9) 47 cb 22 The now regular monthly Rainbow Scramble was held again over the always popular Mount Shadow course although the criticisms leveled at its sister course, Crystal Bay, have a resonance here as well with the locker rooms in even worse shape every time we visit, but the saving grace is the course, which as ever provides an excellent golf challenge especially in the rainbow format that requires teams of two to play six tee shots from each of the Red, White and Blue tees with each team member having to have at least seven of those tee shots after the handicaps have been calculated by adding the two players playing handicaps together and applying an allowance of 40% of that total. Yasuo Suzuki at last reached the top step in a competition on this trip after he teamed up with fellow countryman, Jun Ishihara, to sweep to the front with an imperious fourteen under card that closed out with 26 points on the back nine as they finished four under gross. Second place went to Shane Heavey and Ron Kerslake who used their handicap, which was the highest of the day, well and combined a measure of luck with some clever thinking to just end up a point short, although they would have still missed out in a count back. Another inspired pairing with Bruce Kusyk saw his partner Wilf Wellman reach the dizzy heights for the first time after never actually seeing his handicap reduced in over six years of playing in Thailand, but it is fair to say that he is not here all the time, as they took third place with a very good card that matched the previous months winning total. Fourth Place went to count back, with Alwyne Burley and Don Everett just getting the edge over Yukio Kikuchi and Kaneo Watanabe, after scoring a better 25 to 23 on the last nine, and thus consigning the latter pairing to fifth place. Perhaps the saddest pair was that of Warren Gallop and Allan Hanlon, who having completely missed the fact that Alan needed to play the last tee from the blues to complete his seven tee shots and the last blue tee, played from the whites and had the score for that hole, three points, deducted from their total score, leaving them back in sixth instead of second after count back. Due to the format there were no 2’s competitions. Before the presentations there was a welcome for Phil Savarese and welcome backs for Kaneo Watanabe, Yukio Kikuchi, Pat Quinlivan, Tony Pieroni and Norman Cheetham. Friday 16th March St Andrews White tees CSS 73 1st Division 0 – 12 1st Allan Hanlon (12) 40 2nd Jason Cole (7) 38 3rd Bob Heath (12) 35 cb 20 4th Alan Griffiths (11) 35 cb 15 5th Phil Groves (8) 34 2nd Division 13 + 1st Yukio Kikuchi (20) 40 2nd Fred Land (13) 37 3rd John Teague (20) 34 cb 22 4th Paul Hartley (19) 34 cb 19 5th Ron Kerslake (28) 34 cb 14 After the two previous outings in the week it was a pleasure to have some very comfortable, clean and spruce changing facilities to go along with a first class layout at the St. Andrews 2000 course, where the day’s competition had been moved to after the annual PSC Charity Classic had needed the Green Valley part of the facility, which had originally been booked. But the management had offered the course at the same rates as the original which was a very fair exchange. Another big attendance just stayed at two divisions with the previously unlucky Allan Hanlon making up for missing out in the last competition taking first place in the first division with a very good four under handicap round. Jason Cole, now a regular winner out of Soi 13, took second place with Bob Heath winning a count back with Alan Griffiths by 20 to 15 as they traded back nine for front nine, in third and Phil Groves closing out the list in fifth another shot back. The second division was headed by Yukio Kikuchi also with a very nice four under return that pushed Fred Land down to second as he found himself unusually in the second tier with so many low handicappers turning out to take advantage of the good deal on offer. John Teague made it a good day as he took third place after winning a count back with Paul Hartley with a better 22 to 19 and Paul in turn taking fourth after beating Ron Kerslake by 19 to 14. After a few dry days both of the 2’s pools were cleaned out with Alan Hanlon, Michael Cutmore and Jason Cole sharing the first division and John Teague clearing the second division on his own. Back at The Haven there were welcome backs for David Ross, Phil Cass and Paul Hartley. The IPGC Monthly Medals Report March 2012 Jason Cole & Gordon Everingham share the Medals Monday 5th March Greenwood White Tees CSS 72 1st Division 0 - 12 Stroke play 1st Jason Cole (7) 70 cb 34.5 2nd Ron Miller (9) 70 cb 35.5 3rd Yasuo Suzuki (11) 70 CB 36.5 2nd Division 13 + Stableford 1st Gordon Everingham (24) 40 2nd Tony Holehouse (23) 39 cb 22 3rd Evan Millar (24) 39 cb 19 Technical Prizes 2’s Glenn Eldershaw, Ron Miller, Alan Pilkington, John Hayes, Grant Cadell, Peter MacKenzie Michael Cutmore (two) This month’s IPGC Medals were held over the very attractive Greenwood course which while being about the furthest of the local Pattaya courses always turns out as a very good venue for a large competition. This may have been the reason that the day attracted the largest number of contestants this year with 25 groups teeing it up at the start. This time was another of those occasions when the course was in top condition with the greens playing flat and fairly quick. A fairly strong breeze welcomed the early starters at around 8.15 am and with the weather staying fine all day good scoring was to be expected, but with the course having been set up with the tees in the backward positions this did not turn out to be the case with only the second division turning in low scores. This may have be explained partly by the two divisions playing under the now familiar two different scoring systems, Stroke Play for the first and Stableford for the second division. The second division was led in by Gordon Everingham whose 40 points was his best score for nearly a year, during which time he has been more used to seeing his handicap rise steadily than being in contention. He was followed in by Tony Holehouse who had to win a count back with Evan Millar, which he did with a better 22 to 19, leaving Evan in third place. In general the second division scored very well with Peter MacKenzie returning a one under card and another six players on level par. The first division turned out to be a much closer affair with Jason Cole finally coming out on top to take the medal with a two under handicap round as he finished with a net 34.5 over the inward half leaving Ron Miller in second with a count back of 35.5 and Yasuo Suzuki in third with 36.5 on the back nine. There were plenty of 2’s around the course. Every month the presentations are held at one of the IPGC venues in rotation, this month’s being held at Siam Cats, where as usual an open buffet had been laid on for the participants prior to the presentations. Russell Exley, who acted as the Emcee for the evening, thanked the golf organizers, Stephen Beard, Len Jones, Glyn Evans and Steve Mascari for promoting the day and Glyn for handling the registration and Stephen for handling the scoring with Glyn presenting the Medals and prizes to the winners. As usual following the prize giving there were over twenty lucky draw prizes supplied from the club funds to be won by members attending the evening festivities, which due to a slight oversight, on the part of the dogsbody designated to bring back the score cards from the course, had to be draw with a new method of lucky numbers. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 05.03.2012 Captain Bob and Peter do it again Wednesday 7th March Rayong Country Club Stableford CSS 72 1st Division 0 -16 1st Bob Heath (13) 39 2nd Jim Slattery (11) 36 3rd Mike Flynn (13) 35 cb 20 4th Gerald Decio (15) 35 cb 17 2nd Division 17 + 1st Alwyne Burley (17) 35 cb 17 b6 13 b3 8 2nd Leif Lossius (30) 35 cb 17 b6 13 b3 6 3rd Don Everett (20) 35 cb 17 b6 9 4th Shuichi Kodaka (18) 35 cb 17 b6 8 Following a very successful IPGC Monthly Medal competition on Monday it was back to the usual Stableford game being held at Rayong Country Club on the occasion of the Bank Holiday being held for Macchabucha Day, the Buddhist Lent, with prices of green fees at most of the other courses in the area almost doubled, this day’s total cost was just 1,100 baht. Once again two divisions cut at sixteen and below found the general condition of the course to be good with scoring to match although only one player bettered their handicap while just one other equaled it, both of them in the first division. In the first division the top scorer turned out to be the very much in-form Captain Bob Heath who found himself once again on the top step with fellow clubman Jim Slattery trailing by three in second place, a position that Bob has now become familiar with over the last few weeks, and with Jim having been struggling with the techniques of the game during the same period, it was a welcome relief to him to get back amongst the proper golfers at last, albeit on the second step. Meanwhile Bob’s handicap will at last be adjusted to something like a real one after his home club handicapper’s 70th birthday exemption finally expired. Rounding out a nap hand of South Herts members, the third place went to Mike Flynn after he won a count back with Gerald Decio, with a better 20 to 17 over the inward half. The second division was an extremely tight affair with all the top four returning one over cards for thirty five points with the top spot being taken by Alwyne Burley whose 8 points over the last three holes, determined that Leif Lossius took second as his six points was unusually not enough, after they had both tied the back nine at 17 each and the six at 13 apiece. Don Everett slipped into third after dropping out after the back six were counted with just 9 but ahead of Shuichi Kodaka who also had 17 on the nine but just 8 through the last six holes. There were no 2’s in either division which underlined the level of difficulty to which the course was playing on the day. Before presenting the prizes for the day Stephen Beard welcomed back Maurizio Guidi, Pat Prenderville, Erik Donnestad, Alan Venner, Michael Steele, Michael Flynn, and Michael Cutmore the last four being the second wave from South Herts Golf Club, and which leaves no “Michaels” back at Links Drive. Friday 9th March Treasure Hill Yellow tees Stableford CSS 72 1st Division 0 -10 1st Peter Skinner (10) 39 2nd Erik Donnestad (4) 36 3rd Michael Cutmore (0) 34 4th Alan Pilkington (9) 33 2nd Division 11 -17 1st Tony Barritt (15) 34 2nd Alan Hanlon (12) 33 3rd Bob Akapita (17) 32 4th Alwyne Burley (17) 31 3rd Division 18 + 1st David Bowles (20) 37 2nd Frank Dunstan (22) 36 3rd Torild Lossius (33) 35 4th Shuichi Kodaka (18) 34 An even larger turnout meant the formation of three divisions with the cut coming in the first division at 10 and below. Yet another previous winner and South Herts member took the top honour with a three under handicap round that owed much to the pinpoint accuracy of his approach shots and it was a great surprise to his playing partners that he could not convert more of them into the birdies that they so richly deserved, although it did save them some considerable expense at the end of the day. Peter did put the hammer down over the back nine after a slowish start, which had encouraged his playing partners immensely, as he then went level par gross over the next eight holes before tripping up over an anchor with a bogey on the last. Second place went to Norwegian teaching professional, Erik Donnestad who has traded two weeks of snow and ice and a few lessons for several rounds of golf, no lessons and a bar tan. Erik’s gross 76 was bettered by one of the teaching professionals from South Herts, Michael Cutmore, who had also decided that two weeks in Pattaya was just preferable to two weeks in North London and watching Arsenal play Spurs. Michael finally managed to get a few of those little ones to drop as he returned a gross 74 for third place. This was indeed a fine effort that included a one under gross for the last thirteen holes after he had started a little blearily. Alan Pilkington just did enough to claim fourth another point further back. The second division was taken by Tony Barritt at two over handicap, a mirror image of one of last week’s results, as he just kept Alan Hanlon at bay by a single shot with Bob Akapita anther shot behind in third and a strangely out of sorts Alwyne Burley back in fourth also a shot behind third. The third division was also keenly contested with David Bowles just getting the edge over the closing holes after he had started out over a front nine that included three blobs, he started the back with 18 points from the first six holes, added yet another blob and closed the nine at four under handicap to win his first competition on this visit. Frank Dunstan was going well through nine but lost his chance to win on the 15th with an errant tee shot from which he failed to score and from then second place was the best that could be achieved. Torild Lossius kept the family name in the frame with a one over round that took third and left the still recovering Shuichi Kodaka to round out the day’s podium in fourth place. With so many players it was inevitable that the roll over pools for the 2’s would be won, which they were, with Michael Cutmore, Jason Cole, Alan Pilkington and Erik Donnestad with two sharing the first division and David Bowles and Maurizio Guidi sharing the second division. Prior to the presentations there was a welcome for new member Bob Akapita and welcome backs for Shane Heavey and John Teague. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 27.02.2012 Peter and Bob retain the Rainbow Scramble Monday 27th February Eastern Star Pairs Scramble Rainbow Red, Yellow, White. 1st Peter Skinner & Bob Heath (9) 48 2nd Russell Exley & Stephen Beard (12) 47 3rd Steve Clarke & Ron Hoban (17) 46 cb 26 4th Rick Morgan & Neville Duncan (6) 46 cb 24 5th Yasuo Suzuki & Bill Hurd (12) 46 cb 23 6th Hal Hart & Leif Lossius (18) 45 cb 23 7th Jim Slattery & Glenn Eldershaw (13) 45 cb 23 8th Frank Dunstan & Peter MacKenzie (20)45 cb 21 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. 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. 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 29th February Bangpra Stableford CSS 75 NC 1st Division 0 – 11 1st Alan Pilkington (9) 33 2nd Phil Mitchell (6) 32 3rd Yasuo Suzuki (11) 32 4th Jason Cole (7) 28 2nd Division 12 – 18 1st Tony Barritt (15) 34 2nd Bob Heath (13) 33 3rd Al Rolnik (18) 32 cb 15 4th Bruce Kusyk (13) 32 cb 14 3rd Division 19 + 1st Glenn Eldershaw (23) 39 2nd Frank Dunstan (24) 34 3rd Steve Clarke (20) 32 cb 17 4th Torild Lossius (33) 32 cb 12 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, slipping into second spot with a solid round, and Steve Clarke, snagging third with a better count back with Leif Lossius of 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. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 20.02.2012 Russell and Stephen grab the Monthly Medals Monday 20th February The Emerald Stableford CSS 72 1st Allan Hanlon (12) 37 2nd Leif Lossius (30) 36 3rd Al Keith (5) 34 cb 19 b6 12 4th Al Rolnik (18) 34 cb 19 b6 10 5th Jamie King (16) 34 cb 18 As usual the local course rule of “lift and place in the fairways” was in place to offset the sometimes poor lies amongst the crab grass but with the course in otherwise good condition and the greens consistent but on the slow side, the scores were reasonable as the weather stayed fair but very hot. Allan Hanlon just got the better of the in-form Leif Lossius by a single shot to take his first win of this trip. With one of his better rounds that was consistent rather than spectacular. Al Keith, who is also showing signs of some return to form although the flat stick is not quite as warm as it used to be, showed good application after a slow start to take third after he won a three way count back with Al Rolnik, in fourth and new member Jamie King in fifth. After Jamie dropped to fifth with just 18 over the closing nine Al Keith won out with a better 12 on the last six after he had tied with Al Rolnik on 19 each for the inward half. There were no 2’s in the second division but Grant Cadell shared the first division with Allan Hanlon. Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed new members Jamie King, together with Eero and Ari Malinen. There was also a welcome back for an old favorite “The ATM”, in the form of Trevor Edge, who was down from the north to distribute his largesse amongst the needy and not so needy of the local golfing community during his visits to a few of the courses. Wednesday 22nd February Century Chonburi Stableford CSS 72 1st Division 0 – 15 1st Bob Heath (13) 37 2nd Al Keith (5) 36 3rd Grant Cadell (15) 35 2nd Division 16 + 1st Don Everett (21) 37 2nd Leif Lossius (30) 36 3rd Jim Lanzo (17) 32 cb 17, b6 12, b3 7, b2 5, b1 3 4th John Murphy (18) 32 cb 17, b6 12, b3 7, b2 5, b1 2 A surprisingly large turnout for the trip to the almost unbelievably priced Century Chonburi, where a round of golf including the caddy and sharing a golf cart costs just 600 baht, required the formation of two divisions with the cut coming as usual at 15 and below for the first division. With such a low price it is to be expected that the course would be not quite up to the standard of some others in the area but none of the players complained on the day as the course was in generally good condition except for a few of the bunkers where the course local rule of lift and place was required due to the lack of sand. The second division was won by Don Everett who has enjoyed a good run of form recently which continued on the day as he consigned Leif Lossius to his second successive second place, after returning a level handicap card, by a single point with Jim Lanzo taking third after a marathon count back which he finally won on the last hole with 3 points to John Murphy’s 2 points after they had tied the nine at 17, the six at 7, the last three at 7 and the final two on 5. The first division was a straightforward win for Captain Bob as he basked in the memories of old glory days with a one point victory over Al Keith in second and Grant Cadell taking third another shot behind Al. Bob’s round was a tremendous feat following a hectic night of pre-tournament preparations at the Wonderful Bars 1, 2 and 3 along with practicing the downing the winning round of drinks long into the night until he had almost perfected it. Prior to the presentations there was a welcome for new member Jim Lanzo and welcome backs for Peter Skinner, Bob Heath, Jim Slattery, George Oakley, and Bruce Horn all hailing from the famous South Herts Club in North London together with Rick Roberts and Toshihiro Aoki. There was also a special welcome back to playing for the regular long drive winner, Trevor Schirmer, after a series of injuries. Friday 24th February Phoenix Monthly Medals 1st Division 0 – 15 Blue Tees CSS 74 1st Russell Exley (8) 73 2nd Jason Cole (7) 74 cb 35.5 3rd Phil Groves (9) 74 cb 37.5 4th Yasuo Suzuki (11) 75 2nd Division 16 + White Tees CSS 75 NC 1st Stephen Beard (22) 75 2nd Bill Hurd (20) 76 3rd Steve Clarke (20) 77 cb 36 4th Alwyne Burley (17) 77 cb 38.5 Another large field assembled to take on the Mountain and Lake Courses at Phoenix with the first division playing from the blue tees and the second division now playing regularly from the white tees which seems to have encouraged a few more of the higher handicappers turning out to contend. A very hot and humid day greeted the players and even though a breeze could be felt all around the course, the conditions for playing were quite difficult, although the general condition of the course was excellent with the greens being particularly fast but with many of the pin positions on a slope two putts a good result. In the first division Russell Exley won his first medal of the 2012 series, leading up to the gold and silver medals at the end of the year, with an excellent round of one under the standard scratch for the blue tees, even after losing ball on the eighteenth hole up a palm tree where several others had lost balls before and even with the assistance of a distance measure meter he could not identify the ball and was forced to play his provisional thus incurring a two shot addition to finish with a double bogey, but was still good enough by a shot to win. Jason Cole returned to take second place with a better count back of 35.5 leaving Phil Groves in third with a net score of 37.5 on the Lakes nine and Yasuo Suzuki in fourth one stroke further back. The second division was a return to the top of a singles competition for Stephen Beard for the first time since winning a medal exactly three years previously in February 2009 although he tried heroically to fall again at the last hurdle taking a nine on the par four 17th which included a four putt and a double on the last which included an air shot. Amazingly he hung on to win by a single stroke from Bill Hurd who almost won his first medal out of The Haven with a solid round but where the greens just got the better of him. Steve Clarke won a count back with Alwyne Burly to take third place with a better 36 to 38.5 over the inward nine. Yasuo Suzuki spent a couple of worry filled hours only to discover that for once he had the only 2 in the first division and would collect the full pot alone. Meanwhile Bruce Horn chipped in, from fully 40 yards, on Lakes number 7 to sweep the large pool in the second division and then repeated the feat on the 8th from a similar distance again for a birdie, neither of which helped at all in getting anywhere near the leaders scores. Back at The Haven there were welcomes for Ronald Hoban and Steve Clarke from the Wakehurst club in North Sydney area and welcome backs for Danny Greer, Gerald Decio, Martin Grimoldby, Jason Cole and Robin Peach. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 13.02.2012 Aussies Rule Monday 13th February Eastern Star Stableford CSS 75 1st Warren Gallop (11) 38 2nd Alwyne Burley (17) 32 3rd Phil Groves (9) 30 4th Yasuo Suzuki (11) 29 cb 17 5th Rodney Hayes (12) 29 cb 14 Playing his last week before returning to China, Australian Warren Gallop took his second win of this tour with a crushing victory of six shots over a very good field and with the course playing about as long as it gets with almost no run on the fairways and the tee boxes placed near the blocks on most of the teeing areas, it was a class round of golf doubly underscored as the CSS for the day went out three to 75 ensuring that on his return the handicap will have been pared by another shot. Another important factor was the condition of the greens which were in pretty poor shape and some being particularly uneven which when added to the length of the grass on them, made putting a bit of a lottery. Alwyne Burley was the best of the chasing pack at four over handicap which surprisingly earned him second place ahead of Phil Groves, who has just returned from almost a year and a half’s self imposed exile from the Australian golf courses just north of Alwyne’s home course, making it another 1, 2, 3 for Australia and almost a mirror image of the last three one-dayers at home. Yasuo Suzuki slipped into fourth spot with a better count back over Rodney Hayes of 17 to 14. In line with the difficulty of the course on the day there were no 2’s in either division. Before presenting the prizes Stephen Beard welcomed new members Peter Pereira, Terrance Martin Bruno Torquato and Pacy Hurd and also welcomed back Allan Duffy, Max Arlen, Phil Groves and Magne Gunnarsson. Wednesday 15th February Mountain Shadow Blue tees Stableford CSS 73 1st Torild Lossius (36) 39 2nd Rodney Hayes (12) 37 3rd Phil Groves (9) 36 4th Alwyne Burley (17) 32 5th Ron Rigden (17) 31 cb 16 6th Don Everett (20) 31 cb 14 Torild Lossius took up the challenge for the rest of the world to deny the Aussies yet another 1, 2, 3 as she took the top honour with a splendid three under handicap round, albeit from the slightly shorter red tees and of course from where her handicap emanates, which stopped Rodney Hayes taking his long awaited win. Rodney, always the gentleman, took it all in good heart but still wondered why someone who hits it a lot further than him off the tees, should tee off from areas sometimes eighty yards in front of him. The answer no doubt lies somewhere between the drive and the hole. Torild’s effort also ensured that Phil Groves’ good round only put him in third, the same position as the previous outing although being six strokes better. Alwyne Burley swapped his second place for fourth, also with the same score as Monday, as especially the shorter and better conditioned greens helped all the players to a better day’s golf and with the fairways and rough in good shape it all made for a pleasant experience under the cloud filled skies when the rains held off until after the final putt had dropped. Ron Rigden at last had something he could talk about when he returns home, as he slid into 5th place after a better count back with Don Everett which he won by a margin of 16 to 14. Once again there were no 2’s in the first division but Hal Hart and Rodney Howett shared the roll over pool in the second division. Friday 17th February Pattaya C.C. Stableford CSS 72 Gentlemen 1st Peter Pereira (14) 37 cb 18 b6 13 2nd Leif Lossius (30) 37 cb 18 b6 12 3rd Ron Rigden (17) 36 4th Bruno Torquato (14) 35 5th Don Everett (20) 32 Ladies 1st Marianne Kayser (33) 32 2nd Torild Lossius (36) 25 With sufficient ladies, in numbers at least, to form their own division, Marianne Kayser did enough to win with a solid if unexciting round that easily took the top spot ahead of the strangely out of sorts Torild Lossius. The Gentlemen’s division was won by yet another Australian, this time from the other side of the continent hailing from the Le Turf Golf Club situated just outside Perth in Western Australia. But Peter Pereira needed to win a close fought count back with Leif Lossius, who was aiming to emulate his wife’s previous efforts and to get some sort of parity in the pecking order around the dinner table when they return home to Norway. Unfortunately for him, Leif had to settle for second place after losing on the last six by 12 to 13 after Peter and he had tied the back nine in 18 a piece. Ron Rigden added to his week’s booty with a third place, on level handicap, to underline to his travelling partner John Pearce “that the early bird catches the worm”, well at least sometimes even if it is not a very big one. Bruno Torquato took fourth spot just one further back with Don Everett getting his second honourable mention of the week back in fifth. Phil Groves’ efforts to increase his calorie intake by purchasing a bag of the Haven home-made oatmeal cookies took a bit of a setback when after tasting the first one on the course, a stray dog noticed him squirrel the packet away in the golf buggy and took the opportunity on the next tee box to finish off the lot as Phil was in his backswing, this no doubt the reason for Phil failing to make the podium for the third time in the week after missing the fairway. Peter Pereira added to his day’s haul as he slipped in the only 2 in the first division to sweep the triple roll over in the first division while Ron Rigden had the only one in the second division. Back at The Haven there were welcome backs for Frank Hughes, Ole Stamnes, Marianne and Frithjof Kayser and Andy Pedlar. There was also a very special welcome back to Shuichi Kodaka following his rehabilitation after the attempt on his life by a demented motorcyclist. The Doc noted that he now wore IPod buds for listening to heavy metal music in the hopes of drowning out the sound of traffic on the pavements (sidewalks ed.), and hoped that his return would be a welcome boost to the bar profits. The IPGC Monthly Medals Warren Gallop and Tim Knight take the Medals Wednesday 1st February Crystal Bay CSS 72 1st Division 0 – 12 1st Warren Gallop (11) 68 cb 32.5 2nd Ted Lodge (11) 68 cb 34.5 3rd Alan Pilkington (9) 70 4th Rainer Helling (8) 71 cb 32 5th Rick Schramm (8) 71 cb 35 2nd Division 13 + 1st Tim Knight (23) 42 2nd Larry Slattery (17) 40 3rd Bryan Priestley (19) 39 cb 20 4th Gordon Everingham (25) 39 cb 18 Ladies 1st Theresa Connolly (25) 36 2nd Toni Nichols (23) 26 2’s Alan Pilkington, Noel Reynolds, Brian Kelly, William Chang. A good day started out under clouded skies with the threat of rain that never materialized until everyone was on their way home from what commenced as a full complement of contestants but ended with a few no shows which mean6t that some players disappointedly missed out who could have played but those that did tee off enjoyed a very good days golf over a fairly amenable course which covered the C and A nines. As usual there were two divisions for the gentlemen cut at 12 and below for the first division and 13 and above for the second and one for the ladies. The scoring as expected on an open course was good in the first division although just five players managed to better par with the medal eventually going to Warren Gallop after he won a count back with Ted Lodge with a better score of 32.5 to 35 over the C course. Alan Pilkington took third two shots worse than them with Rainer Helling snaring fourth after a count back which he won with a better 32 to consign Rick Schramm to 5th as he could only garner 35 over the inward nine. All the count backs for the day were taken as usual from the last nine played on the card, rather than the order in which they might have been played. This saw Rainer sneaking fourth after he had actually had a quadruple 9 on the ninth on A, his last hole, when a par would have earned him the medal for the month following the best outward nine of the day at gross level par. The second division was a slam bang affair with the top contenders all shooting well below their handicaps with Tim Knight, the Medal winner, coming home in six under around a feat that when other rounds were taken into account, meant a four shot reduction in handicap for the near future. Larry Slattery was just two behind him after returning his equal best round ever in Thailand to take second spot with Brian Priestly just getting the edge over Gordon Everingham after winning a count back by a margin of 20 to 18. The ladies division was won by Theresa Connolly with a level handicap round to leave Toni Nichols in second and Brita Metzger in third both some way behind. Following the golf almost everyone returned to the Rabbi’s Elephant where after a very good buffet laid on by the Pattaya Golf Society and the Rabbi, Len Jones and Jeff Cohen presented the prizes as Russell Exley emceed proceedings. Prior to the presentations Len Jones thanked all those that had made the day such a success starting with the IPGC venue golf organizers for promotion and Glyn Evans for registration, Stephen Beard for scoring, and Russell Exley for setting everything in motion and organisation in general. As usual following the presentations a draw was held for the non prize winners for over 25 items from the IPGC merchandise stock. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 23.01.2011 Bob Lamond’s Swan Song Monday 23rd January Rayong Country ClubStableford CSS 73 1st Division 0 – 18 1st Vance Millar (18) 37 2nd Warren Gallop (11) 34 3rd Paul Simpson (18) 33 2nd Division 19 + 1st Torild Lossius (36) 36 2nd Konrad Klama ( 24) 32 3rd Martin Hartley (24) 31 Due to a national holiday Monday’s competition had been scheduled for Rayong where there was surprisingly little activity considering the extremely competitive pricing compared to the majority of the other courses in the area and the contenders were not disappointed with the general condition although as always the ball needed to be kept on the short stuff rather than the deep junglesque rough, as there was very little in between. The rise in the CSS for the day underlined the difficulty of the course even with the weather and wind being particularly kind. With a good turnout two divisions were required with the cut coming at an unusually high 18 in the first division. This was won by Vance Millar whose one under handicap easily took the day by three from Warren Gallop in second place. Paul Simpson slipped into third spot another shot back. The second division was also a clear win for Torild Lossius, with a level handicap round, by four points ahead of Konrad Klama in second with Martin Hartley in third one behind. There were no 2’s in the second division but Warren Gallop had the lone one in the first division to sweep the roll over pot. Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed new member Mike Cahill and also welcomed back Karl Hnat, Davis Purkiss, Kelvin Hazell, Martin Hartley and Konrad Klama. Wednesday 25th January Phoenix Monthly Medals Blue tees CSS 75 White and Red CSS 72 1st Division 0 – 15 blues 1st Bob Lamond (5) 73 2nd Rodney Hayes (12) 75 cb 36 3rd Alan Pilkington (9) 75 cb 38.5 4th Peter Sumner (8) 77 2nd Division 16 + 1st Alwyne Burley (18) 68 cb 32 2nd Tony Barritt (17) 68 cb 35.5 3rd Hal Hart (25) 70 4th Stephen Beard (22) 73 Ladies 1st Kristina Ulvio-Peltonen (11) 75 2nd Brita Metzger (20) 76 The monthly medals were extremely well supported this month perhaps due to the change in the tees used in the second division after a decision to contest this year’s series for the end of year Gold and Silver Medals from the blue tees in the first division and the white tees in the second division. Whatever the reason, it was a record turnout with even a division for the ladies for the first time in several months. The Ladies division consisted of ladies all from Finland who made a welcome addition to the day. They were led in by Kristina Ulvio- Peltonen, being followed by Brita Meztger in second with Leena Kopu and Paula Juutilainen sharing third. The second division was headed by Alwyne Burley taking his second win in a s many weeks following a few tips from his long time playing pal, Rodney and a different set of clubs, with an exceptional round of four under handicap but he was match in the total by another fine round by Tony Barritt, his best for many a moon, and had to rely on a better count back of 32 to 35.5 with a terrific come back following a fairly ordinary outward half and Tony only able to improve slightly on his after a solid opening nine. Hal Hart took third spot consigning Stephen Beard down to fourth as the latter took a triple bogey on the last hole which included a four putt, an almost unknown but just over par on a day that also included nine triples putts, which would have had Russell Finch rolling in the long grass ruing a missed opportunity. Bob Lamond playing in his last regular competition prior to his move upcountry, but hopefully not his last as he is expected to return back south on a regular basis for holidays, took the first division medal with an outstanding round of one over par net as the CSS for the day moved out to 75, clocking up a two stroke margin over the chasing pair of Rodney Hayes and Alan Pilkington with Rodney getting the edge in the count back with a better 36 to 38 .5 after Alan slipped badly following a very nice first nine. Peter Sumner rounded out the podium for the division another two strokes behind them. Prior to the prize giving there were welcomes for Brita Metzger, Kristina Ulvio-Peltonen, Leena Kopu, Paula Juutilainen, Keno Alatald, Kari Peltonen, Risto Kopu, Timo Tarvainen, Mikko Anttila, Heikki Vanninen, Ilkka Jarvinen, Antero Halminen, Jukka Koskela and Matti Juutilainen. There were also welcome backs for Stephen Brown and Bill Hurd. Amazingly with so many players there were no 2’s in either of the divisions underscoring how difficult the day had been for most of the players. Friday 27th January Century Chonburi Stableford CSS 73 1st Alan Hanlon (12) 35 2nd Cliff North (21) 34 cb 19 3rd Sekio Ojima (25) 34 cb 18 4th Paul Hartley (19) 33 5th Warren Gallop (11) 32 The trip up the 331 has become quite an easy one which bodes well for those courses that it serves and with plenty of signs that the management of the Century course are beginning to get to grips with the conditions of their course, although the clubhouse and changing facilities still need to be overhauled, that course at least should see the benefits of more players in the future. Certainly most of the bunkers were in much better condition, almost negating the competition rule of lift and place in them, and the rest of the course although a bit untidy in places is certainly worth the extremely low green fees and where a day’s golf including the caddy and sharing a cart amounts to just 500 baht. As always when the play is scheduled to be played a little further away to the north than usual, a smaller group turned out but still enough to supply plenty of competition for the winner Alan Hanlon who took the top spot with a one point margin ahead of new member Cliff North. Sekio Ojima took his first podium placing of this trip with third place after losing a count back with second man Cliff, following a worse back nine of 18 to 19. Paul Hartley got a little edge back in the family tussle with Martin, taking fourth place in front of Warren Gallop. Once again there were no 2’s in the first division but David Bowles made it a very happy farewell to Thailand as he swept the huge roll over pool in the second division and vowed to spend it wisely on his last night in Pattaya for a few months. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 16.01.2011 An old Shadow slips into the spotlight again Monday 16th January Eastern Star Stableford CSS75 non-counting 1st Vance Millar (17) 32 2nd Ole Stamnes (27) 31 cb 16 b6 11 3rd Alan Hanlon (12) 31 cb 16 b6 10 4th Brian Randall (36) 30 5th Rodney Hayes (12) 29 With a strong wind blowing from the outset it was not a very big surprise to find the scores at the end of the day were well below par, indeed so much below that the standard scratch score for the competition went out to 75 and the day became non-counting for upward review of handicaps. Vance Millar having already won the longest drive for leaving home, driving to The Haven, then to the course, on the way passing his house that he had left some 60 minutes earlier, to arrive at the course and then find that he had left his clubs at home and then having to drive to the house and back once more, started off driving well as would be expected and did enough to take his first win on this trip. Ole Stamnes had to keep at it till the end as he improved as the round progressed to take second place with a better count back of 11 to 10 over the last six to consign Alan Hanlon to third place after they had tied the back nine at 16 each. Brian Randall also stayed the course well in fourth with Rodney Hayes strangely out of touch a further shot back in fifth place. There were no 2’s in either of the divisions. Wednesday 18th January Bangpra Stableford CSS 73 1st Division 0 – 18 1st Warren Gallop (12) 36 2nd Alwyne Burley (18) 32 3rd Peter Sumner (9) 31 cb 17 4th Bruce Kusyk (13) 31 cb 14 2nd Division 19 + 1st Brian Lewis (20) 34 2nd Ole Stamnes (27) 32 3rd David Bowles (19) 30 cb 15 b6 9 4th Frithjof Kayser (25) 30 cb 15 b6 8 A large contingent set off for the always popular Bangpra layout with much trepidation as to what the day had in store following the results of the previous outing with the weather still blowing players around and a much harder course to contend with if past experience was to be believed. The one big miss was Rodney Hayes who was away to the driving range for the second day in the hopes that his old expertise may return with some tweaks to the old swing, with the plan that three days should make a difference. In the event the results were much better than expected with the first division being won by Warren Gallop carding a level handicap round, although it should be noted that it was four better than the best of the chasing division, which underlined the quality of the result. Alwyne Burley was the best of the chasers taking second place with Peter Sumner taking third by virtue of a winning count back against Bruce Kusyk with a better 17 to 14. The second division was a much closer affair with Brian Lewis getting back into the limelight once again with a solid two over handicap round. It has been a long time since Brian played lead guitar on tour in Japan in the 1970’s with the reconstituted Shadows alongside Hank Marvin and the boys, and although the applause was not quite as loud it was still much appreciated, but sadly no amount of coaxing could get Brian to perform a reprise for the fans. Ole Stamnes again took second place following two behind as David Bowles, having cleaned out his playing partners, claimed third with a better count back of 9 to 8 on the back six after Frithjof Kayser had halved the inward nine at 15 each. Once again there were no 2’s in the second division but Bruce Kusyk slipped one in for the first division spoils which included a roll over. Before presenting the prizes Stephen Beard welcomed back Kare Lunde, Paul Simpson, Peter Sumner, Warren Gallop, Sekio Ojima, David Bowles, John Berry and Andy Harrison. Friday 20th January Pattaya Country Club Stableford CSS 71 1st Serge Straeten (17) 38 2nd Vance Millar (17) 35 3rd Sekio Ojima (24) 34 cb 19 4th Rodney Hayes (12 34 cb 18 5th Leif Lossius (30) 34 cb 15 At last the wind abated for the trip just up the road to Pattaya Country Club and there was a marked difference in the scores returned right across the board, so much so that the CSS went down to 71 although scoring still remained difficult enough that only one player managed to equal or better par. That was Serge Straeten, who is seen less frequently since his move over the hill to Jomtien, but is well appreciated for his “bon homie” when he arrives. His two under handicap was easily the best of the day with the in-form and much travelled Vance Millar taking second place three back. Sekio Ojima slipped on to the podium with the best of a three way count back with Rodney Hayes and Leif Lossius which he won with 19 points on the inward half as Rodney, still not quite back to form after a many hours honing the blunt instrument, in fourth with 18 and Leif in fifth with 15. There were no 2’s in the second division but Serge Straeten brought back some memories as he sunk a very short one to sweep the second division which included a few roll overs. The last time Serge faced a short one to sweep a huge roll over pool which stood in excess of 7k, one of his playing partners reminded him of the prize, ensuring that he missed from around 15 inches (40 cm) in fact not even touching the hole, fortunately this time his partners were unaware of the pool size as they were playing their first rounds on their trip. Prior to the presentations there was a welcome back for Alan Bridges. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 09.01.2011 Hal Hart grabs a pair of 38’s Monday 9th January Greenwood Stableford CSS72 1st Hal Hart (26) 38 2nd Brian Lewis (20) 36 3rd Vance Millar (17) 33 4th Wilf Wellman (25) 32 5th Alan Hanlon (12) 30 As is usual at this time of year the A and C courses at Greenwood were in excellent condition and with the course not very busy it made for a very good days golf with the only small gripe being the charging of 600 baht for a golf cart with a restriction of one golfer per cart making it not so inexpensive for the non-walkers but this seems an almost churlish complaint with the green fee and caddy cost at just 800 baht. Hal Hart came to the front after a couple of dry weeks with an very good return of two under handicap which was enough to ensure his first win out of The Haven by two clear shots. Brian Lewis having warmed up in other venues found the competition slightly easier with the Soi 13 boys and girls, as a level par round was sufficient to lay claim to second spot ahead of Vance Millar by three. Wilf Wellman, having taken on the onerous duties of competition course manager and general organizer with great relish in Trevor’s absence, found he was still alert enough to take fourth place two in front of Alan Hanlon, but complained of severe mental fatigue on his return to the bar at the end of the day and claimed that it was the extra responsibilities that had ruined his chances of the top honours. There were no 2’s in either of the divisions. Wednesday 11th January Crystal Bay Stableford CSS 72 1st Mike Hill (25) 38 2nd Bruce Kusyk (13) 36 3rd Barry Wellings (5) 35 4th Brian Libbey (9) 34 cb 18 5th Al Rolnik (18) 34 cb 17 Returning to the A and B courses at Crystal Bay was the second good experience of the week as the course was also in very nice condition with the greens beginning to return to their old speed and flatness. The green fee and caddy fee is also quite reasonable at 990 baht for walkers and at an exceptional value of 1290 for a single usage cart golfer. It has been a while since Mike Hill won his last competition but on the day he took to the wide open fairways with gusto to record his best round for a year and a record points total in Thailand and take the win that was even more satisfying when he took the money off his playing partner Rodney into the bargain. Bruce Kusyk returned to play after a break from playing any serious golf whilst awaiting the migration from Canada by his regular golfing buddies, and claimed second place with a solid performance at level handicap. Barry Wellings was not quite able to capitalize on his prodigious distance off the tees but did just enough to take third ahead of a count back between Brian Libbey and Al Rolnik , which Brian won with a better 18 to 17 to take fourth spot on the podium. After a few misses both of the 2’s pools were won, the first division by Kevin Townsend and the second by Rod Howett. Prior to the presentations Bruce Kusyk and Leif and Torild Lossius were welcomed back. Friday 13th January Treasure Hill Stableford CSS 70 1st Division 0 - 15 1st Bob Lamond (6) 41 2nd Alan Hanlon (12) 39 3rd Kevin Townsend (11) 37 2nd Division 16 + 1st Torild Lossius (36) 38 cb 25 2nd Hal Hart (26) 38 cb 20 3rd Dave Thompson (19) 35 A much larger group set off up the 331 to Treasure Hill, which is now well within a forty five minute drive and, on arrival, were very happy to find that for the third time in the week the caddy/green fee rate was under a 1000 baht making it a very reasonable week’s golf for the high season on three very well maintained courses. With sufficient numbers to make two divisions and the cut coming at the standard 15 and below the field set off from the yellow tees, which for once were playing to the shorter length of the card which made for some excellent scores and ensured that the CSS for the day was reduced to 70. In the first division Bob Lamond came right back into form with a stunning 73 gross that spread-eagled the competition and took first place and even though Alan Hanlon got within two for second place, it was still a remarkable round over one of the more difficult layouts in the area. Kevin Townsend also played well but had to settle for third with a one under handicap return. In the second division Torild Lossius won her first competition in Thailand with a solid round of two under handicap and with very few mistakes well deserved to take the top step by count back from one of her playing partners, Hal Hart who returned his second 38 point haul in the week. Dave Thompson rounded out the divisions winners in his last game in Thailand for a while as he returned to the UK that same evening. To add to her success Torild Lossius slipped in the only 2 in the second division which helped tremendously towards her win as it also netted her 5 points whilst Rodney Hayes and Bob Lamond shared the first division. Bob’s being particularly noteworthy as he achieved it on the second hole. Before presenting the prizes, Stephen Beard welcomed back Frithjof and Marianne Kayser. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 02.01.2011 The Pot of Gold claimed at last Monday 2nd January The Emerald Stableford CSS72 1st Keith Wooley (13) 34 2nd Markku Tynell (26) 32 3rd Wayne Challis (14) 30 cb 15 4th Rodney Hayes (11) 30 cb 14 With many of the usual suspects suffering from an overindulgence during the New Year’s celebrations it was a much smaller group that gathered for the trip to the Emerald where as now is usual the local rule of lift and place was utilised to make up for the condition of the fairways generally. Keith Wooley, playing with the group for the first time, was pleasantly surprised to find that two over handicap was sufficient to win straight out of the box and promised to return as soon as possible to continue with the start of the harvest whenever his work schedule allows. Markku Tynell, is another player to find recently that four over will get one onto the podium quite often as the recent weather conditions make playing to handicap a bit of a pipe dream for most, and again took another placing with a score that will see his handicap move in a negative fashion. Wayne Challis won a count back by 15 to 14 to push Rodney Hayes down to fourth after they had both struggled throughout the round. Once again there were no 2’s in the second division also there were none in the first division. Before presenting the prizes Stephen Beard welcomed new member Keith Wooley. Wednesday everyone was attending at the IPGC monthly Medals, a report of which can be found on the IPGC website by clicking HERE. Friday 6th January Pattaya Country Club Stableford CSS 72 1st Division 0 – 18 1st Al Keith (5) 36 2nd Mike Dabanovich (10) 34 3rd Al Rolnik (18) 33 2nd Division 1st Alwyne Burley (19) 39 2nd Mike Hill (25) 35 3rd Markku Tynell (26) 32 After a sufficient recuperation period a much larger contingent set out for the nearest course in the area at Pattaya Country Club which is showing positive signs of additional work around the greens and fairways and although the distant areas are still rather agricultural in appearance, it is a very good value for money option which takes half of the time to reach than many other courses in the area and well worth a visit on a regular basis. In the first division Al Keith displayed his usual class with a solid level handicap round that as normal produced few fireworks but lots of application to win by two from Mike Dabanovich who could should and would have won had he not thrown it all away with a scoreless last hole when a simple par 5 would have taken all the marbles and relegated his playing partner Al to second place instead. Al Rolnik kept it going for most of the round and was rewarded with third spot. The second division was a much more open result with Alwyne Burley at last finding the right set of hire clubs from the Haven’s storeroom to take his first win by a clear four strokes ahead of Mike Hill in second with the ever present Markku Tynell again getting paid for a four over return, begging the question of “how many are the others scoring?” in the second division. Once again there were no 2’s in the first division but at last the second division super pot was laid claim to by no less than two players. Both Markku Tynell and Brian Lewis did what so many had striven to accomplish over a couple of weeks or more of trying, making it a very happy return for Brian and a good reward for all of Markku’s time spent at the range. Back at The Haven there were welcomes for Dave Bakes and David Weakley and also welcome backs for Brian Lewis, Roar Berger, Alan Hanlon and Ian Potter. There was also a farewell for Peter Hall returning to Japan to continue his preparations for the next big Triathlon event. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 26.12.2011 Stuart Thompson best of the week Monday 26th December Khao Kheow Stableford CSS 72 1st Stuart Thompson (10) 41 2nd Markku Tynell (27) 37 cb 21 3rd Alan Griffiths (11) 37 cb 18 4th Martin Grimoldby (5) 35 5th Jim Swander (17) 34 Following a very hard week of golf starting out this week promised to be more of the same as the A and C courses were to be taken on at arguably one of the toughest tests in the area, but with many of the yellow tee markers set on the whites positions which shortened the course considerably, the scores were much better than expected. The vagaries of the various course managements in the area regarding the idea of a measured course, which is the cornerstone of every handicap system, bears out the need for any system to be able to change the rating as required. In this respect the calculation of a Competition Standard Scratch for every score entered is a great advantage as it is employed by the CONGU system. Even though the day’s tees would normally have been considered to be quite short and possibly had the rating reduced to say 70 or even 69, the total returns from the entrants determined that the correct rating of the course on the day was 72 for it to be comparable with all other courses in use under the system. Stuart Thompson’s winning score of 41 was therefore a very good result that not only deserved to win the competition but was also worth the reduction of a stroke on his handicap when compared to the rest of the entrants and fully deserved the applause when the announcement of his win was made at the prize giving. Markku Tynell’s daily visits to the driving range on the days that he is not competing is starting to pay dividends as he took second place after winning a count back with Alan Griffiths with a better score of 21 to 18 over the inward half. Martin Grimoldby just slipped into the buffer zone to claim fourth while Jim Swander made it a happy return to Pattaya with a solid round that placed him fifth. There were no 2’s in the second division but Martin Grimoldby swept the first division including the roll over with the solo one in the first. Before presenting the prizes Stephen Beard welcomed back Jim Swander, Wayne Challis, Markku Tynell, Peter Hall, Gaute Moen and Mark Cooper. Wednesday 28th December Eastern Star Stableford CSS 75 NC 1st Al Rolnik (18) 33 2nd Wayne Challis (14) 30 3rd Peter Hall (18) 25 cb 12 4th Alwyne Burley (18) 25 cb 11 After recently getting some poor reports, a much smaller group turned out for the trip to Eastern Star where they found the course to be in very good shape and having obviously been rather misrepresented by previous reporters. The good condition did not help the scoring though as the length, at almost 6700 yards, and difficulty undermined even the toughest competitors with al Rolnik sticking to the task the best to record a win, which even with the CSS moving out to 75, will not affect his handicap. Wayne Challis, another taking full advantage of the rest days to practice and take lessons, surprised himself to take second spot three behind the winner with Peter Hall slipping into third after a count back with Alwyne Burley that he won by a margin of 12 to 11. Although the scores would appear to indicate otherwise, all the players agreed that they will be back at the course as soon as it appears on the schedule again. There were no 2’s in either division. Friday 30th December Greenwood Stableford CSS 72 1st Alan Pilkington (9) 38 2nd Markku Tynell (27) 36 3rd Dave Thompson (19) 35 4th Rick Schramm (7) 34 5th Mark Cooper (11) 33 With some of the local courses making the new years eve a holiday priced day, once again we travelled a short distance further to play the excellent conditioned Greenwood A and C courses which provide a combined length of almost exactly 6,600 yards and a very stern test of golf for the most discerning golfer. Alan Pilkington played his best round of the month to take the day’s top honours by two points ahead of Markku Tynell, who put in another solid round to take his second podium placing of the week. Dave Thompson did just enough to put his marker on third spot one behind and one ahead of Rick Schramm in fourth. Mark Cooper got his first mention of this trip with a card that was just outside his buffer zone. Once again there were no 2’s in the second division but Rick Schramm holed one to take the first division pool. Back at The Haven, Nicolaas Bakker was welcomed as a new member prior to the presentations. Please Note: The Haven group now departs Soi 13 at 9 am until further notice. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 18.12.2011 Bob Lamond and Evan Millar take Gold Sunday 18th December Pattaya Country Club Stableford CSS 75 NC 1st Mark Armstrong (21) 34 cb 19 2nd Roar Berger (27) 34 cb 17 3rd Michael Healey (15) 32 4th Keith Wooley (14) 31 With insufficient tee times for the numbers requiring to play at Green Valley it was becoming extremely difficult to arrange the Sunday competition at that course and a decision was taken to change the venue to Pattaya Country Club where a special green fee had been negotiated and with the travel distance halved it is sure to become a very popular alternative to the now very crowded Green Valley. Certainly there were no complaints with either the condition or the speed of play which also turned out to be around 60 minutes quicker than the times experienced in the past. The change of venue was did not make the day’s golf any easier as none of the golfers with handicaps of 20 and below managed to make the standard of playing to within two of their handicaps thus ensuring that the competition became non-counting, with the CSS for the day moving out three strokes. Mark Armstrong just got the better of Roar Berger with a better count back of 19 to 17 as michael Healey slipped into third a couple of shots behind them and Keith Wooley in fourth another point behind him. Andy Galvin and John Chambers, whilst not figuring in the place winners, at least went away with something for the day as they shared the 2’s pool with one each. Monday 19th December Treasure Hill Stableford CSS 73 1st Mark Armstrong (21) 35 2nd Roar Berger (27) 34 3rd Brian Randall (36) 32 4th Rodney Hayes (11) 31 cb 16 5th John Squitiero (18) 31 cb 15 Another very tough course with the wind almost blowing everyone away saw Mark Armstrong, who obviously likes those conditions, taking his second win on the trot again from Roar Berger but this time not requiring a count back. Brian Randall took his first podium position with a four over return that on the day was a very creditable result as the difficulty and length of the course took its toll on the field especially the lower handicaps. Among those was Rodney Hayes who found the distances from tee to green a little longer than ideal but having stuck with it after a quite first half managed to win a count back with John Squitiero for fourth and fifth places. A fair indication of the difficulty and conditions was that the CSS for the day went out to 73. There were no 2’s in the first division but George Pittam had one in the second division to sweep the multi rollover pot. Before presenting the prizes Stephen Beard welcomed back Mick Lowe, Fred Land, Dave Thompson and Brian Randall. Wednesday 21st December Bangpra Stableford CSS 73 1st Al Rolnik (18) 34 2nd Barry Wellings (5) 32 3rd Michael Clifford (28) 28 cb 15 4th Yoshitaka Iketani (18) 28 cb 12 If the players thought that the previous courses played in the week were difficult to score on, then Bangpra with its extremely quick greens, and nowadays playing to one of the longest lengths in the area, proved that things could get even tougher with the CSS again moving upwards by a stroke as the windy conditions again played a large part in the outcome of many of the rounds. Al Rolnik came back to form following a period of lack luster performances with a solid return of two over handicap that was a lot better than the end result indicated as all of the other contestants struggled to come to terms with the course. Barry Wellings, with his huge driving distances, got the closest with a two shot gap in second place and then there was a further four shots distance to third and fourth places that had to be determined with a count back that Michael Clifford won by 15 to 12 over Yoshitaka Iketami. It was no surprise to find after checking the scorecards that there were no 2’s in either division. Prior to the presentations Yoshitaka Iketani was welcomed back. There was also an announcement regarding Shuichi Kodaka who, while on his way home from Monday’s golf, was run down walking on the pavement on Second Road by a demented tourist on a runaway motor bike that was too big for him to handle. Shuichi is currently recovering at home on crutches following hospital treatment and is not expected to play again for a couple of months. Thanks go to Danny Greer and his lawyer, who sorted out the medical bills and substantial damages in cash for Shuichi’s benefit. We all wish him a speedy recovery. Friday 23rd December Phoenix Blue Tees Monthly Medals CSS 75 1st Division 0 - 15 1st Stuart Thompson (10) 76 cb 35 2nd Alan Pilkington (9) 76 cb 36.5 3rd Joe Niisato (15) 77 cb 37.5 4th Bob Lamond (6) 77 cb 38 2nd Division 16 + 1st Mike Hill (25) 81 2nd Serge Straeten (17) 83 3rd Yoshitaka Iketani (18) 86 Gold and Silver Medals Division One Gold Bob Lamond Silver Russell Exley Division Two Gold Evan Millar Playing the Monthly Medals off the blue tees is always a stern challenge to any golfer’s game but on the day the wind blew with such ferocity that the scores just spiraled out of sight leaving most of the hopefuls along way short of their handicaps especially those in the second division and following some discussion amongst the regular players it was decide that in future, while the first division will continue to play from the blue tees, the monthly medals for the second division will be played from the white tees in the hopes that it may attract a few more entries into that division. In the first division Stuart Thompson, after showing well on the first day in the recent IPGC Club Championship, showed that it had not been a freak occurrence as he led in the field in the first of the qualifying rounds for next year’s Gold and silver finals after winning a count back with Alan Pilkington with a better inward nine of net 35 to Alan’s 36.5 with Bob Lamond just beating out Joe Niisato, again on count back, finishing with 37.5 against 38. The second division was won by Mike Hill after he took a ten on the final hole he still had enough leeway to win by two from Serge Straeten in second and Yoshitaka Iketami in third another three behind. Once again it was of no surprise to find that there were no 2’s on the day as the wind made the course about as difficult as it could be with the combination of the courses played. The finals of the Gold and Silver Medals saw Bob Lamond victorious in the first division with Russell Exley taking the Silver Medal while in the second division with only one of the qualifiers attending Evan Millar finished to take the Gold. Please Note: The Haven group now departs Soi 13 at 9 am until further notice. IPGC Championship Report 2011 Shane and Rodney 2011 Champions Club Champion Gross Shane Ruddle (2) 75, 78 155 Club Nett Champion Rodney Hayes (12) 70, 74 144 Ladies Champion Riitta Palmu (22) 84, 81 165 1st Division 0-11 1st Rick Schramm (8) 74, 72 146 2nd Russell Exley (7) 75, 72 147 3rd Paul Bray (5) 73, 76 149 2nd Division 12-18 1st Paul Bartlett (14) 77, 71 148 2nd Mike Korney (18) 76, 77 153 3rd Joe Peters (17) 73, 82 155 3rd Division 19+ 1st Rod Howett (24) 82, 78 160 2nd Evan Millar (23) 73, 89 162 3rd Burnie Sinclair (19) 87, 77 164 Plate Competitions 1st Division 0-11 1st Barry Wellings (5) 37 2nd Peter Sumner (9) 36 3rd Jon Batty (9) 34 2nd Division 12-18 1st Alan Griffiths (12) 37 2nd Dave Howden (12) 35 3rd Grant Cadell (14) 31 3rd Division 19+ 1st Len Jones (25) 29 cb 15 2nd Hal Hart (25) 29 cb 14 3rd Mauri Friman (19) 29 cb 13 After a break of two years the IPGC Club Championship returned to Pattana, where a serious test of golf awaited the contenders who were spread over one ladies and three gentlemen’s divisions. As usual, after the first round of stroke play, a cut was to be made at approximately 50% in the gentlemen’s divisions with those missing the mark going forward to the Plate Competitions which would be scored under the Stableford system. A good turnout of members confirmed that it had been a correct decision to move the original date from June to December, although the ladies section could have been a little better represented. The quality of the field was of the highest order with well over 25% of the entrants having a single figure handicap. As a memento of the event, in addition to the specially printed Championship card, all entrants were provided with some of the club’s merchandise in the form of a golf shirt, umbrella, and towel at registration where the IPGC Hole-in-One bag was on display together with the Championship Trophies. The driving range had been opened early, where free practice balls could be used to warm up prior to tee off. The A and B courses had been set up using a mixture of blue, white and yellow tee distances and utilising the now standard major competition IPGC logo tee markers, to provide a par 73 course covering a total distance of 6,800 yards which included one par 6. The course management had also excelled in producing a very well prepared course where the fairways were cut to just the correct height, the rough trimmed to an acceptable length and greens that were approximately 8 on the stimpmeter. With a first tee time of 7.45 am and playing in groups of three under clear skies, the tournament got away on time with the first group returning in just over three and a half hours, a pace that was to be continued throughout the day. Although the weather was fine, there was a very strong wind that made conditions extremely difficult, especially on the holes that were into it off of the tee. In fact the par three A3 hole, which is almost an island green with little to stop an over-hit ball from reaching the water and marked with yellow water hazard stakes, played to an average of almost 6 and was the end of many aspirations so early in the day’s round with a bogey for the hole a more than acceptable result on day one. The first division was led in by Stuart Thompson who returned a cracking result of three under handicap under very difficult conditions that was enough to provide him with a three shot cushion over a group that included Bob Lamond, Paul Bray, Martin Grimoldby and Shane Ruddle, with the cut coming at four over par. The second division was also led by three clear shots by Rodney Hayes whose ability on and around the greens was the difference between himself and Joe Peters in second place and John Squitiero in third spot a further two strokes adrift. The cut came at eight over par with one or two opting to take the Stableford option for day two. The third division saw Evan Millar return a level handicap round that led the rest of the division by six clear as the cut moved out to 14 over, which was a little too much for comfort for some who also chose the Plate option for day two. In the Ladies section Orawan Meeraka and Sue Mawhinney were level, with Riitta Palmu just one behind them. It was no surprise to find that the CSS for the day had moved out to 74, as less than 20% of the counting players, those with handicaps of 20 and below, could not play to within two of their handicaps. Day two started at the same time in similar conditions to the previous round and with the wind still blowing strongly, it was clear that the day’s winners would be those that stuck to task throughout the round. Division one saw Stuart Thompson fade away with an untypical return as the conditions started to take effect as Rick Schramm added to his good first round to take the claret jug as the winner after Russell Exley just lost out by a stroke after missing a short putt on the eighteenth with Paul Bray improving on his first day to take third place. Division two had Paul Bartlett in the top position as he improved by six over day one which left him five ahead of Mike Korney, who had put in another solid round, in second and Joe Peters who had faded badly after a nightmare on A8 which saw him have to take a triple which added to another three triples ended his challenge for this year. In division three, Rod Howett returned a four better than day one to close out Evan Millar whose second round was a mere shadow of his first but proved just enough for second ahead of Burnie Sinclair who had recovered fantastically following an almost terminal first day to take third after winning a three way count back over the day two scores. In The ladies section Riitta Palmu came from behind to lake the trophy by a single point from Orawan Meeraka with Sue Mawhinney in third another point behind her. Once more the course had shown its teeth, with the CSS for the day again moving out to 74, underling that the two days had certainly been a tough test in keeping with the requirements of a true club championship. Shane Ruddle just managed to beat off the challenge of his playing partner, Steve Mascari, after the latter had edged him out on day two by a shot, to take the Gross Champion’s award of the Claret Jug and IPGC commemorative golf bag by a margin of two, which was four shots better than the last winning gross in 2009. Rodney Hayes walked away with the Nett Champions Claret Jug and commemorative golf bag as he finished two shots ahead of Rick Schramm which was also an improvement of one on the 2009 result on the same course. Once again, playing in threes, the speed of play was around three and three quarter hours which was much appreciated by all of the competitors over the two days. The prize presentations were held at The Haven where all entrants were provide with a dozen IPGC logo Titleist golf balls to add to the giveaways already received at the course before Stephen Beard announced the winners with Russell Exley making the presentations. Before the announcement of the winners, there were huge thanks given to the management and staff of Pattana Golf and Sports Resort who had provide everyone with an excellent two days of golf together with huge thanks to Russell Exley, Glyn Evans, Len Jones and Steve Mascari all of whom worked hard to make the Championship such a great success once again. There was also a round of applause for the food and catering by the Haven and its staff and lastly but by no means least a vote of thanks from the organising committee, to all those members that took part and played their parts to the full in the arriving at the end results. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 04.12.2011 Garry Barling goes off with a bang Sunday 4th December Pattaya Country Club Stableford CSS 71 1st J.J. Harney (10) 39 2nd John Connolly (19) 36 cb 20 3rd Joe McArdle (12) 36 cb 19 4th Charlie Lapsey (9) 36 cb 18 With sufficient tee times for the numbers requiring to play at Green Valley becoming extremely difficult to arrange a change of venue was organised at Pattaya Country Club where the green fee is the same and as it is only half the travel distance may well prove to be a permanent fixture for Sundays. Certainly there were no complaints with either the condition or the speed of play which also turned out to be around 45 minute quicker than usual. J.J. Harney took his first win for a while with a very tidy three under handicap round that left the three chasing players adrift by three points. They were led in by the inform John Connolly who prevailed in second place with the best count back og 20 as Joe McArdle, with 19, took third spot and Charlie Lapsey rounded out the podium with 18 over the back nine. Roar Berger had the only 2 of the day to sweep the pool. Monday 5th December Emerald Stableford CSS 72 1st Garry Barling (9) 43 2nd Rodney Hayes (13) 34 3rd Yasuo Suzuki (11) 32 4th Stephen Lewis (19) 31 5th Rodney Nabbe (10) 30 After a fairly quiet start and middle of his golfing holiday in Pattaya Garry Barling at last showed his real colours and true form with a stunning seven under return that was easily the best round of the week and earned him a two shot reduction in handicap to take back to his home club in Wollongong south of Sydney, where they are already preparing a feast in celebration of the event. His close chums and travelling companions were extremely grateful for the cut as it meant that they might have half a chance of getting some of the cash back that he lost on this trip when he returns home. Rodney Hayes managed to make another podium placing without troubling the handicapper, as two over proved to be sufficient to claim second place ahead of Yasuo Suzuki’s four over, with card that did not earn him his usual return for his last appearance in Pattaya prior to his trip home to Tokyo. Stephen Lewis kept it going fairly well and although he was not so happy with the final number it was a good result on the day with so many of the other contestants unable to get to grips with the course. Rodney Nabbe had another of those days that he will want to forget but still finished ahead of many others who struggled on the day. There were no 2’s in the second division but Garry Barling and Rodney Nabbe shared the first division pot. Before making the presentations The Doc welcomed new members Leena and Risto Kopu and also welcomed back Oili and Rainer Helling together with Jukka Sariola, Mike Hill and Rodney Hayes. There were also farewells for the day’s winner, Garry Barling and Rodney Nabbe together with Yasuo Suzuki. Wednesday saw everyone playing in the IPGC Monthly medals, where none of them made an impression except The Doc who was scoring the hard way. Friday 9th December Rayong Country Club Stableford CSS 73 1st Paul Hartley (19) 37 2nd Dave Howden (12) 33 3rd Stephen Lewis (19) 32 With many courses deciding that the 9th together with the 12th of December would be a good opportunity to up the rates to holiday prices a move to Rayong Country Club was in order to mitigate the cost somewhat. Unfortunately many of the usual faces were missing due to other attractions on the day. But it still proved to be a good call as the course was in very good condition with the greens especially proving to be very flat, true and fast, with the rest of the course excluding the deep rough also in good condition, so it was quite surprising that the scoring was not so good which caused the CSS for the day to move out to 73. Paul Hartley managed to keep the drives pretty straight and took full advantage of his undoubted length to record a very welcome win by a clear four points from Dave Howden in second. Stephen Lewis was again surprised to find he was in the lineup at the pay window with a four over day. There were no 2’s in either division. Prior to the prize presentations there were welcomes for new members Darrell Carlson and Matt Smith and welcome backs for Wilf Wellman, Dan MacCarthy and George Pittam. Please Note: The Haven group now departs Soi 13 at 9 am until further notice. This year the Baan Jing Jai Santa Scramble was held early than usual, as the middle of December has become overcrowded with so many competitions which while it had an effect on the total entries, did not make a big difference to the amount of money raised. This year the plan was to raise enough money to buy each of the 80 plus children a Christmas present of their dreams with any excess money being directed towards the funds for the New Home for 100 plus children that is planned to be built on the outskirts of the city on land that has already been purchased for that purpose. Since last year the home, that cares for orphaned and abandoned children between the ages of 1 year and 17 years, has received the official status of a charitable trust under the title of The Baan Jing Jai Foundation. This change in status still does not mean that it will receive any monies from either central or local government and will still therefore have to rely on donations from commercial and private individuals and fund raising activities such as the day’s events which are vital to its ongoing survival. Last year’s wonderful sum of 200,000 baht was again matched with the last minute addition of a final donation made by a famous anonymous donor to take the total from 180,000 to a total of the following; Golf activities - 45,000 50/50 draw - 87,000 Donations - 68,000 Total 200,000 baht In addition to this figure following the presentations there was a special donation of 500,000 baht made by the family of the late Benny O’Connor from his estate, the presentation being made by long time friend and fellow golfer Alec Hoare, watched by some of the students of Alec’s school whose home is with the Baan Jing Jai. Benny had been a long time member of the IPGC and fervent supporter of the Bann Jing Jai while he was still with us in Pattaya and his family had asked that the donation be put towards the New Home Fund in his memory. It is planned that a room or section of the new home will bear Benny’s name for posterity in recognition of his support for the cause. Whilst not wishing to exclude and also not mentioning any individual, many who gave very generously either through the 50/50 draw or directly into the fund with donation, it is right to give credit to those commercial sponsors who helped to make this such a successful day, these were; Pattana Golf and Sports Resort, the T.Q., World of Wine, Fairways Driving Range, The Pattaya Mail, Pattaya Sports Supply, Pattaya Coffee Roasting Co., and the Haven Hotel. The day started with clear skies and a strong breeze that seemed to be against on every hole no matter which nine were being played, the course having been set up for the first division 2.8 to 8.3 to play the arguably harder A and B courses with the second division, 8.8 and above, playing the C and A nines. The A nine has just come back into operation following a six month period during which much of the course has been re-laid and it would be fair to say that the greens on that nine need another couple of months to be seen at their best but the rest of the course is in great condition. The B course is as always a stern test and is only marred by the unfortunate sight on the first hole where the lake on the right has completely disappeared during one of the recent heavy storms but should soon be back to normal, but where the water will come from is another matter no doubt. Apart from the sight, the play of the hole is unaffected and the rest of the holes on the nine are in their usual good condition. The C course is also in excellent condition whilst playing the shortest distance. The first division was led in by Rodney, Bill, Daryl and Garry with a scintillating round that included ten birdies and no bogeys over the par 73 course, closing strongly with a gross 30 on the inward half. Only a tick behind them in the runners up spot was the team of Russell, Shane, Jon and Richard who slipped in an even better 12 birdies also recording 30 on the back after a 31 outward nine. Just missing out on the prizes was the team of Steve, Barry, Bubbles and Stephen who matched the two teams above them for the last nine but had started a little too slowly to catch up with the top two sides. The second division saw a very close result between the top three teams with the two Pauls, Stefan, and Stephen just getting the edge on the A course returning two halves of 34 for a gross 68 with four birdies. The Pattaya Mail team, having won the Summer Scramble, slipped down to second spot this time as they followed a very strong three under on the front nine with a scrambled two over on the back that included three unfortunate bogeys and a lone birdie. They finished by the narrowest of margins (point one of a stroke) ahead of Don, Wayne, Robert and Hal who finished with a one under back nine after a three under front nine on a card that showed no bogeys. Those that made the effort to support the day’s very worthy cause were rewarded with a great day’s golfing enjoyment in the knowledge that they had all helped towards making it a Very Happy Christmas for a lot of deserving children. After the golfing activities the contestants returned to The Haven where the usual sumptuous spread had been laid on and continued until all were totally satisfied. Stephen Beard presented the prizes to the winners and thanked all who had helped to make the day such a great success from the prize donors, 50/50 sellers, donation collectors, buyers, donors and golf organizers and the staff of the Haven for keeping everyone topped up with food and drink in the evening. There was also a sad moment of reflection on the recent passing of Roy Thornton who had been instrumental in starting the Santa Scramble on behalf of the Baan Jing Jai in conjunction with The Haven three years earlier. First Division 1st Rodney Nabbe, Bill Piggott, Daryl Burkett, Garry Barling (5.5) 57.5 2nd Russell Exley, Shane Ruddle, Jon Lay, Richard Hurley (2.8) 58.2 3rd Barry Winton, Steve Mascari, Bubbles Davies, Stephen Beard (5.8) 60.2 Second Division 1st Paul Taylor, Stefan Hoge, Stephen Lewis, Paul Hartley (8.8) 59.2 2nd Dan Dorothy, Martin Bilsborrow, Peter White, Benny Hansen (12.4) 59.6 3rd Don Everett, Wayne Waywood, Robert Carlhausen, Hal Hart (9.3) 59.7 Technical Prizes A 1 Stefan Hoge A 3 Garry Barling A 4 Al Keith A 7 Jon Batty A 8 Peter Lock A 9 Alan Riddle B 1 Steve Mascari B 3 Rodney Nabbe B 4 Al Keith B 6 Jon Batty B 7 Jon Batty B 9 Jon Lay C 1 Tronde Rogne C 2 Stephen Lewis C 5 Paul Taylor C 7 Benny Hansen C 8 Dan Dorothy C 9 Paul Blackshaw 50/50 Draw 1st Dave Howden 2nd Norwegian Seaman’s Church 3rd Steve Mascari The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 27.11.2011 John Connolly Stars on Sunday Sunday 27th November Green Valley Stableford CSS 72 1st John Connolly (21) 41 2nd Joe McArdle (11) 35 3rd Richie Martin (20) 34 cb 17 4th Rod Howett (24) 34 cb 15 b6 10 5th Peter Masters (8) 34 cb 15 b6 9 6th Stephen Lewis (18) 34 cb 15 b6 8 Silky Oaks Stableford CSS 70 1st Alex McCulloch 36 2nd Scott Johnstone (20) 35 cb 21 3rd Wayne Waywood (15) 35 cb 20 With too many players wanting to play and with too few tee times the day was re-arranged to play the day’s competition over two of the three available courses and with Green Valley and Silky Oaks offering the best deal, these were the two that were chosen with one division on each course. Over the Silky Oaks layout many of the contenders were seeing it for the first time and they required a little guidance as to which fairways needed to be aimed for to maximize the scoring possibilities. Alex McCulloch was the best of the first timers and did so well that he won in his very first competition in Pattaya, as level par proved to be sufficient to consign Scott Johnstone, also a debutante, into second spot after he prevailed in a count back with Wayne Waywood winning with a better 21 to 20 over the back nine. John Connolly had a very good week last week and continued that trend at the start of this with another win as recorded his best score ever in Pattaya in a competition returning a five under handicap card that easily chalked up another win by six clear shots. Joe McArdle led the chasing pack with a one over round as Richie Martin closed out third after winning a four way count back with a better 17 on the inward half. Rod Howett took fourth spot with a best 10 on the last six after peter masters with 9 and Stephen Lewis with 8 had tied the nine on 15 a piece. There were no 2’s on the Silky Oak Course, but John Connolly made it a very well worth while day by slotting in the only one at Green Valley. Monday 28thNovember Treasure Hill Stableford CSS 72 1st Division 0 - 14 1st Alan Pilkington (9) 39 2nd Peter Skinner (9) 35 3rd Robert Carlhausen (14) 34 4th Rodney Nabbe (10) 33 cb 21 5th Rick Schramm (7) 33 cb 16 2nd Division 15 + 1st Jose Martins (15) 35 2nd Peter Lock (23) 32 3rd Rod Howett (24) 31 4th Vance Millar (17) 29 With the new road works completed and the 331 a very easy road to drive now, Treasure Hill is only just over thirty minutes away and the trip is well worth making as it has not received anywhere near the traffic of courses nearer to Pattaya which has left the course in almost pristine condition. Once again two divisions were needed with the cut coming at 15 and below. In the first division Alan Pilkington won fairly comfortably by four points ahead of Peter Skinner with Robert Carlhausen in third and Rodney Nabbe getting the better of Rick Schramm in a count back winning by 21 to 16 after he had had a very slow start. The second division was headed by Jose Martins with a solid if unexciting one over handicap leaving Peter Lock in second and Rod Howett one further back in third and Vance Millar making his mark again after a long absence in fourth spot. Peter Skinner, Hideo Akiyama and Rodney Nabbe shared the roll over 2’s in the first division whilst Vance Millar swept the pool in the second division roll over pot. Before presenting the prizes for the day The Doc welcomed new members Peter Lock Robert Carlhausen, Jose Martins, Scott Johnstone and Alex McCulloch and also welcomed back Vance Millar and Paul Hartley. Wednesday 30th November Eastern Star Stableford CSS 73 1st Division 0 - 15 1st Garry Barling (9) 34 2nd Joe Niisato (14) 33 cb 17 3rd Bill Roycroft (14) 33 cb 16 b6 13 4th Daryl Burkett (14) 33 cb 16 b6 11 2nd Division 16 + 1st Al Rolnik (18) 35 2nd Hal Hart (25) 34 3rd Scott Johnstone (20) 32 Again two divisions were needed to accommodate the numbers that turned out for the day at Eastern Star where the course has improved considerably over the last three weeks with the greens being particularly good compared to those previously experienced. But the good condition did not make the day any easier for the hopefuls as the wind blew strongly and the course played quite long which saw the CSS for the day move out to 73. Garry Barling, although not matching par, won the first division as he managed the conditions quite well to finish up winning by the slimmest of margins ahead of a three way tie for second that went to a count back that Joe Niisato won with 17 on the back nine leaving Bill Roycroft to take third as he won the back six with a better 13 to 11 over Daryl Burkett after they had drawn the nine on 16 each. Al Rolnik also managed to keep it going right the way round to win the second division also by a single point in front of Hal Hart who figured on the podium for the first time as he led Scott Johnstone by two. There were no 2’s in the second division but Jose Martins slipped the sole one in the first division to clear out the pot. Prior to the presentations Chris Hennum, Jeff Carpenter and Bill Roycroft were welcomed as new members. The whole of the group played in the Santa Scramble on Friday, a report of which can be found above this one. Please Note: The Haven group now departs Soi 13 at 9 am until further notice. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 20.11.2011 Dave Howden measures up to the task Sunday 20th November Green Valley Stableford CSS 72 1st Charlie Sheppard (17) 34 cb 18 2nd J.J. Harney (10) 34 cb 15 3rd Charley Lapsey (9) 33 4th John Connolly (21) 31 cb 18 5th Peter Masters (8) 31 cb 15 Having placed only fifth two weeks ago with a return of three better, Charlie Sheppard could not have been expecting to be amongst the winners on the day when he returned his card, but after the dust had settled and all the scores tallied, he not only figured in the final analysis but won with a better count back of 18 to 15 over the no doubt just as surprised J.J. Harney in second place. Charley Lapsey slid into third a further shot worse than the leading duo and John Connolly got the better of Peter Masters in a count back for fourth with a better inward half of 18 to 15. Joe McArdle swept the pool in the 2’s with the sole one on the day. Monday 21st November Bangpra Stableford CSS 74 1st Division 0 - 12 1st Barry Wellings (5) 37 2nd Rodney Nabbe (10) 35 3rd Alan Pilkington (9) 32 cb 17 4th Peter Sumner (8) 32 cb 16 5th Brian Libbey (9) 32 cb 14 2nd Division 13 + 1st Frank Hughes (16) 32 2nd Stephen Lewis (18) 30 3rd Hideo Akiyama (14) 29 4th Mike Spear (22) 28 cb 14 5th Mark Armstrong (21) 28 cb 12 An exceptionally strong field assembled for the month’s trip to Bangpra where the greens continue to confound the best of them and with just one player able to better par the CSS for the day moved out two strokes to 74 staying just above the required standard to avoid making it a non-counting for upward review event. It was only marginally easier for the first division, with the cut coming at 12, as Barry Wellings, the lowest handicapper in the field, underscored his class with a two stroke win at one under handicap with a round that was tightly controlled and just the one three putt on the day which was about 4 better than the next best putter on the day. Rodney Nabbe was the only other competitor to make the standard of within two of handicap, which was enough to wrap up second spot by three from a three way count back between Alan Pilkington, Peter Sumner and Brian Libbey, with them finishing with 17, 16, and 14 respectively. The second division understandably found the course that much more difficult with Frank Hughes getting another win at four over handicap to win by two from Stephen Lewis in a gritty second spot. Hideo Akiyama had thought that seven over would not be in the shake up so was pleasantly surprised to end up in third ahead of Mike Spear and Mark Armstrong after Mike won a count back with a better 14 to 12. Tomas Nilsson took the rollover pot in the first division 2’s pool whilst Frank Hughes and Shuichi Kodaka scooped the second division roll over pool. Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed new members Mark Fitzpatrick, Bill Piggott and Daryl Burkett and also welcomed back Kaneo Watanabe, Hideo Akiyama, Carry Barling, Tomas Nilsson, Jens Gunnarsson, Wayne Carey, Paul Scully, Kevin Townsend, Stephen Lewis and Trevor Schirmer. Wednesday 23rd November Greenwood B & C Stableford CSS72 1st Division 0 - 13 1st Dave Howden (13) 40 2nd Yasuo Suzuki (10) 36 3rd Garry Barling (8) 35 cb 22 4th Bob Maloney (13) 35 cb 19 2nd Division 14 + 1st Roar Berger (26) 36 2nd Daryl Burkett (14) 33 cb 18 3rd Wayne Waywood (15) 33 cb 15 Once again another large field travelled up the 321 to Greenwood which now seems a lot nearer than before the road improvement works were completed and again they were presented with a very well prepared and conditioned course and without the lightning fast greens the players were able to score rather better than on the previous outing. Once again there were two divisions with Dave Howden spread-eagling the first division by four shots and leaving Yasuo Suzuki bemoaning the change in the cut from the last competition which was due to one or two of the lower handicaps still recovering from the Monday mauling and taking a rest day, which denied him a long awaited win, but as always adversity was met with a huge smile and a long laugh. Garry Barling won a count back with a better 22 to 19 after a fairly quiet outward half to consign Bob Maloney into fourth place and still looking for a result on this trip. The second division was led in by Roar Berger whose level handicap round was easily good enough to see off the challenges of Daryl Burkett and Wayne Waywood in second and third as Daryl won the count back by a margin of 18 to 15. Surprisingly with such a high quality field in both divisions, there were no 2’s in either of them. Prior to the presentations Hal Hart was welcomed as a new member. Friday 25th November Phoenix Blue Tees Monthly Medals CSS 77 1st Division 0 - 15 1st Grant Cadell (14) 76 2nd Bill Piggott (11) 77 3rd Peter Skinner (9) 80 cb 42.5 4th Garry Barling (9) 80 cb 43 2nd Division 16 + 1st John Connolly (21) 76 2nd Mark Armstrong (21) 81 cb 40.5 3rd Tony Barritt (16) 81 cb 42 Ladies Red Tees CSS 72 Theresa Connolly (25) 73 Playing from the back tees in the Monthly Medal always seems to overawe the majority of the competitors every month and Novembers Medals were no exception and with only one counting player making the mark of two above the standard scratch of 74 the CSS for the day moved out to 77 and just stayed in the counting range for upward review. Again the greens were found to be extremely quick and poorly positioned approach shots were repaid with an almost certain three putt which put rather a damper on most of the hopefuls days even though the overall condition of the course was excellent with the fairways in particular attracting very favourable comments. As usual two divisions were split at 15 and below without regard for the numbers participating so as to allow for the Gold and Silver Medals categories to be played for by all the year’s previous winners on the 23rd December over the same course. No one was more surprised than Grant Cadell when he discovered that he had taken the first division with a four over par return that was just enough to beat out Bill Piggott by a single shot to become the twelfth different winner in the first division for the year. Peter Skinner played a bit below his usual standard but was just good enough over the back nine to win the count back with Garry Barling with a better 42.5 to 43 after they had both looked possible winners going out with neither able to keep up the momentum coming home. John Connolly having placed well earlier in the week became the tenth different winner in the second division’s chase for a Gold Medal next month with a five shot victory ahead of Mark Armstrong and Tony Barritt, with the latter making a welcome return to the winner’s podium, as Mark won the count back by a margin of 40.5 to 42 after Tony had started brightly but faded as the length of the course took its toll. Again it was no surprise to find that there were no 2’s in any of the divisions as the greens were almost impossible to single put without being almost in the hole already. Please Note: The Haven group now departs Soi 13 at 9 am until further notice. The Haven Weekly Report W.C. 13.11.2011 Farewell to The Major Sunday 13th November Green Valley Stableford CSS 72 1st Alec Hoare (17) 37 2nd Jon Batty (9) 36 cb 20 3rd Peter Masters (9) 36 cb 18 4th Russell Exley (7) 35 Alec Hoare returned his best result for over six months when he won the weekly Sunday outing at Green Valley where the course is slowly getting back to normal following the recent extremely wet weather, but the win was by the narrowest of margins over a very strong field with three single figure handicappers having to settle for no better than second best on the day, which underlined what a great effort it was to just get it round under handicap. Jon Batty had to go a step further on the back nine to take second place by taking the count back with a better 20 to 18 over, the now solid single figure player, Peter Masters with Russell Exley slipping into fourth spot a further shot behind them. There were no 2’s dropped by anyone on a day when all the par 3’s played fairly long and none of the pin placings were easy to get at. Monday 14th November Century Stableford CSS 75 NC 1st Alan Pilkington (9) 33 2nd Yasuo Suzuki (10) 31 cb 18 3rd Takeshi Hakozaki (12) 31 cb 17 4th Russell Exley (7) 31 cb 16 5th Al Keith (5) 30 cb 17 6th Alan Griffiths (12) 30 cb 16 There can be no better value golf course in the world surely when the total cost of a day’s golf including green fee, caddy fee and share of a cart is just 500 baht (approximately $ 16. 50 or 10 pounds sterling), which is almost an unbelievable price even under the current economic situation. But that is the all up cost at Century Chonburi and it would be churlish to complain too loudly about the state of the bunkers when a sensible local rule can overcome almost any difficulty a player is likely to encounter, especially when the rest of the course is certainly as good as some courses that are charging four times more and the course having greens that are as quick and as flat as most. The low scores were by no means a product of the course’s condition but more a reflection of the difficulty with the pin placements making the positioning of the approach shot critical to the end result for the hole. Alan Pilkington started well but faded over the last four holes but still did just enough to take the top spot on the podium by two clear ahead of a group of three who needed to be separated by a count back. These three were led by Yasuo Suzuki who won the back nine with 18 after a very slow start, with third place being taken by Takeshi Hakozaki with 17 on the back. They were followed in by Russell Exley who improved to 16 points over the inward half but which was not quite good enough. Al Keith and Alan Griffiths took fifth and sixth respectively after Al Keith won a count back by 17 to 16. Danny Greer scored the lone 2 in the second division and Peter Skinner and Nigel Jenkinson shared the roll over pool in the first division. Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed back Danny Greer, Takeshi Hakozaki and Tony Barritt. The day was tempered with the extremely sad news that Roy Thornton MBE passed away on Sunday 13th of November after suffering a cardiac arrest at his home and efforts to revive him at the local hospital were unfortunately in vain. Known almost universally as Major Roy, he will be remembered here in Pattaya for all the charitable work that he performed raising money for local organisations involved in assisting children, especially for the Baan Jing Jai Foundation and he was instrumental in starting the Santa Scramble to raise money so that local orphans and previously neglected children would have the pleasure of opening a special present at Christmas time. Roy was also previously heavily engaged in charitable works and received the award of the MBE for his work in Germany, while he was based there with the British Army, organising leagues of football for local youngsters and providing sporting opportunities for literally thousands of young people in Germany while he was stationed there. He will be sorely missed here in Thailand by his wife Wanita, scores, if not hundreds, of children and his many friends. Wednesday 16th November Rayong Country Club Stableford CSS 75 NC 1st Frijof Kayser (27) 38 2nd Rodney Nabbe (10) 32 cb 17 3rd Stephen Beard (22) 32 cb 14 4th Shuichi Kodaka (16) 31 cb 15 5th Wayne Waywood (15) 31 cb 14 Another hard day at the scorecard as for the second time in the week the day’s competition became a non counting one for handicaps to go up, only down, as the CSS climbed to 75 with absolutely none of the players counting towards assessing that figure could manage to play within two of their handicaps. Frijof Kayser, being the sole competitor to better his handicap and indeed finished six points clear of his nearest challengers, won the day and his first ever competition out of The Haven. Once again it was not the condition of the course that determined the end result as apart from a few bumpy greens still rewarded good putting, the course was in fairly good shape apart from being a bit untidy around the edges of the fairways and the deep rough was extremely rough in places. Rodney Nabbe claimed second place with a better 17 on the back nine and Stephen Beard took third as he could total only 14 after a very good front eight holes that saw him amass 18 points before excitement and lethargy in equal measure overtook him. Shuichi Kodaka slipped into fourth spot with a better back half of 15 to consign Wayne Waywood, with 14, down to fifth. In keeping with the difficulty of the course there were no 2’s in either division. Friday 18th November saw all the available players lined up in the PGS Annual Charity Scramble at Pattaya Country Club a report of which can be found on other pages of this issue of the Pattaya Mail. Please Note: The Haven group now departs Soi 13 at 9 am until further notice.

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