IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, August 26, Mountain Shadow – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Trevor Schirmer (13) 41pts
2nd Al Rolnik (19) 39pts
3rd Hal Hart (19) 35pts
4th Ben Jackson (15) 34pts
5th Peter Koha (20) 31pts
Under overcast but dry skies the week got off to a good start at the tricky Mountain Shadow layout that had originally been designed for players with 15 handicaps or less. Although this is one of the shortest courses on the circuit it usually proves to be one of the most testing with its narrow fairways and extremely difficult greens. It would appear however to hold little fear for at least some of the regulars as the scores turned out to be the best of the week, with even the fourth placed player outscoring the winners of the other two days.
Ben Jackson.
Trevor Schirmer took the top spot to dent Al Rolnik’s hopes for a long awaited win after they both returned their best scores for over two years, with Trevor proving the toughest over the front nine and ending the day two points better.
Hal Hart continues to solidify his handicap level as he returned a one over handicap score to claim third spot just one ahead of Ben Jackson in fourth, with Peter Koha another three behind him for the last podium placement.
As is fairly usual at Mountain Shadow, due to the severity of the par threes, there were no 2’s in the second division but very surprisingly there were three in the first division with Phil Groves, Ben Jackson and Trevor Schirmer all having one each.
Before the presentations were made there was a welcome back for Alwyne Burley, whose score for the day had been badly affected by his strained shoulder occasioned after carrying back some 112 tins of Heinz baked beans and 8 kilos of Vegemite from Oz. At least Hal Hart was glad to see his return, having lost six and half kilos in the two weeks that Alwyne had been absent having had to forego his lobster diet and subsist on mostly dry bread filled with the odd chip or two.
There was also a welcome back for Mike Hill and a farewell for Toshihiko Aoki.
Wednesday, August 28, Crystal Bay A & B – Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Ben Jackson (15) 33pts
2nd Phil Groves (8) 33pts
3rd Don Everett (19) 32pts
4th Trevor Schirmer (13) 32pts
5th Ian Tanner (20) 30pts
Phil Groves.
After the successes of the previous outing there were many high hopes of an even better day at the always easier Crystal Bay where the A and B courses were the challenge. But even with a ‘lift and place’ in the fairway ruling for the day, scoring was at a premium with the best being some eight shots more than Monday’s event.
Some of the difference could be attributed to the wetness of the course, which affected the distance attained from the shots from the tee, but the pin placements were also a factor with hardly a one that could have been regarded as medium difficulty.
Ben Jackson used all his available power to muscle the ball round and finished in first place after winning a count back over Phil Groves with a better 20 to 17 after a quiet opening nine, as Phil unfortunately put one in the water off tee on the par 5 seventeenth to finish with a scratch for the hole.
Don Everett also had to win a count back, which he did with a better 17 to 16, to push Trevor Schirmer down to fourth and claim third place for himself.
Ian Tanner took a little to long to warm up after an expansive supper the previous evening but a 21 point back nine saw him slip onto the last place on the day’s podium.
Terry Hodgkiss.
Once again there were no 2’s in either division as the green keeper had decided that the par threes were playing a little short and therefore sited the white tees on the blues positions for the day, which also contributed to the scores spiraling upwards.
Back at The Haven there were farewells for Peter Koha, Ben Jackson and Ian Tanner who had all had some sort of success during their trip from Perth, with Ben taking the trophy for the best eclectic results, and all vowed to return a.s.a.p.
Friday, August 30, Treasure Hill – Monthly Medals
CSS 74 NC
Division 1
1st Phil Groves (8) net 78
2nd Allen Raaen (8) net 78
3rd Mike Dabanovich (13) net 79
4th Jon Batty (8) net 80
Division 2
1st Terry Hodgkiss (23) net 79
2nd Mike Hill (20) net 81
3rd Bruce Hilde (17) net 82
4th Don Everett (19) net 82
Trevor Schirmer.
With Phoenix still off the schedule due to contractual difficulties, the month’s medals had been scheduled for Treasure Hill which is never one of the easier courses, even when playing stableford. The degree of difficulty rises dramatically when the format is stroke play with the added pressure of the Monthly Medal at stake and one of the few chances to qualify for the year end Gold and Silver Medal competitions.
Phil Groves was once again involved in a count back for the top spot of the day and won it this time, carding a better 37 to 38 to win his first Medal of the year and become the seventh contender in the first division for the end of year playoffs. This left Allen Raaen, for once, not at the top of the list and having to settle for second place.
Mike Dabanovich could have, should have, would have won his first Medal if he had only managed a double bogey on the 18th, but an inelegant quadruple bogey consigned him down to third spot, with Jon Batty a close fourth another one back.
Terry Hodgkiss also won his first Medal since June 2012 to become the ninth different winner in the second division this year after a difficult day made more trying by carrying the burden of a badly strained back. So a very good result in the circumstances as he finished strongly to beat off the challenge of playing partners Mike Hill, who took second place two further back, and Don Everett in fourth another one more behind him.
Sandwiched in between Mike and Don was Bruce Hilde who won a count back for third with a better 39 to 39 over the inward half.
Once again there were no 2’s in either division
Prior to the presentations there was a welcome for new member Robert Moose and a welcome back for Mark Ward.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact mobile 082 219 0965 or call in to The Haven Hotel, at 185 Soi 13, between Beach Road and 2nd Road. All transportation to the course is arranged and you do not need to sign up prior to the day, but you should be there by 8.15 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the days that you wish to play. A schedule of courses to be played can be found on our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.
