2017: Indiv.Stableford (27.12.)

We began with 24 competitors but due to adverse weather conditions only 15 hardy souls braved the hurricane conditions. Scoring generally was very difficult and only the 3 players James, Edi and Peter pictured above scored more than 30 points. Hole 13 proved to be almost impossible because the ball was blown away from the hole down and off the green from every angle. 

Congratulations to the three winners Peter Van Der Mee 31 points, Edi Rogers 35 points and James Burnet the hardy Scotsman who on his birthday scored 37 points and made a birdie on hole 11.

Our thanks to Greta our vice captain who stood in while Captain Gordon was taking a well earned holiday.

The prizes were presented by our President Neville in front of quite a crowd on the Bonalba balcony. Nearest the pin prizes were won by Greta on hole 8, James on hole 11 and Jan on hole 14. The photographs below make it look like a beautiful day, on the balcony maybe, but on the course it was a real battle with the elements. Well done and thank you to everyone who played and supported the day.

2017: Indiv. Stableford (13.12.)

Today's winner: Brian Wakely

A very pleasant day's golf was enjoyed by 34 of our members and 2 guests today. There was only a light breeze blowing, so nothing serious to use as an excuse for poor shots. Your correspondent felt that the greens were a little faster than usual, making some of the more undulating and sloping ones a bit tricky to navigate - could just have been me though!

Just as last week, a name we haven't seen right at the top of the leaderboard for some time made it to the top of the pile today. So well done Brian for seeing off the opposition by a clear 2 points. And it was also good to see another new name in the rankings in the form of Nick Carter with a splendid 35 points in 3rd place.

Eric Pages again won the guest prize with his 35 points off his handicap of 11. He has submitted an application to become a member of our society, having recently retired from his job in France.

One other noticeable thing on the way round was just how close all of the 'nearest-the-pin' markers were to the holes - very good shots all of them. The names on them were all too familiar!

Remember that this Wednesday (20th), following our Texas Scramble, team prizes will be awarded, followed by the golfers' exchange of small presents, and then a festive lunch at the club.

A full list of results follows. Well done everyone.

Nearest the pins:

Hole 4:  Jan Boultbee

Hole 8:  Nino Andres Alores

Holes 11 and 14: Roger Hunger

Birdie 2s

All on Hole4: Jan Boultbee, Gordon Burton and Erik Paesmans

Individual Prizes:

5th place: 34 pts. off hcp. 25  Marie-Josée Lesot

4th place: 34 pts. off hcp. 22  Chris van Bemmelen (back 9)

3rd place: 35 pts. off hcp. 34  Nick Carter

2nd place: 35 pts. off hcp. 15  Bob Crow (back 9)

1st place:  37 pts. off hcp. 22  Brian Wakely

2017: Indiv. Stableford (29.11.)

☔☔☔☔☔☔☔☔☔

COMPETITION CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN

 

2017: Indiv. Stableford (15.11.)

Where is Marie-Jo?

Venue: Bonalba Golf & Spa, 15 November 2017

It was a cold morning with temperatures in single figures (which is great for handicaps but not necessarily pleasant if we talk about the weather) as we assembled to play this week’s competition of Individual Stableford. Today’s results also qualified for the Campbell Lamont League.  We had a nearly full house of 38 members and one guest.  We were happy to welcome back Bob Crow, our sponsor of the balls awarded for “twos” and who promptly announced his return by being on the Leader Board.

 

Although the temperatures rose as the morning progressed, the cold start may have influenced the overall results which were relatively low.  The maximum points scored were 35 and there were a lot of scores of around 25 points.  It was the day when the “Ladies” excelled taking the first three places.  A toast to Kate, Greta and Marie-Jo.  Well done, girls!  Erik, our Belgian guest nearly had a hole-in-one on the 11^th and therefore was nearest the pin but according to Society Rules, he was not eligible for the NP prize to the benefit of Jean-Paul. He confirmed his good shot onto the green by putting it in for a two.

Before prize giving, Greta reminded everyone concerned that it has now become urgent to play their Singles Knock-out matches.

Also, the Captain announced that the Christmas Present Day Competition will definitely now take place on 20^th December with Lunch afterwards at the Bonalba Golf Club Restaurant.

Summarising the results as follows:

The guest prize went to Erik who scored 31 points off 13 hcp. He has now applied to become a member of our Society.

Nearest the pin:

Hole 4      Michael Davis
Hole 8      Bob Crow
Hole 11    Jean-Paul Leroux        
Hole 14    Eddy Fagg

There was one two, Jean-Paul on hole 11 who gets the customary golf ball.

The main competition results were as follows:

5^th place with 33 points off 15 hcp – Bob Crow
4^th place with 34 points off 13 hcp – Michel le Borgne
3^rd place with 34 points off 25 hcp – Marie-Jo Lesot, beating Michel on the back 9
2^nd place with 35 points off 9 hcp – Greta Biersteker
1^st place with 35 off 27 hcp – Kate Hurley, scoring an excellent 20 points on the back 9

2017: Away Day Font del Llop (8.11.)

This Wednesday we played away from our home course Bonalba.  We had a good turn-out of 29 members and one guest.  It was the 5^th Away Day which qualified for the Bill Williams Away Day Trophy.  During the year there are 6 qualifying rounds of Individual Stableford of which the best 4 will win the Trophy.  The final Away Day will take place in January. 

It was a beautifully sunny morning but there was a chill in the air, so the extra clothing did not come off until later when temperatures rose to a very comfortable level.
Font del Llop is not a very lengthy course.  It has five par three’s, so there were five instead of the normal four Nearest the Pin prizes. In addition, the Captain struggled to find enough golf balls to award the “Two’s Club”. There was a total of 6 two’s covering 4 out of  the 5 par three’s.  Some of us had difficulties correctly managing the course and choosing the right clubs.  However, this definitely did not apply in Gordon’s case.  Our Captain did everything right and won, well ahead of the field, with 37 points. Well done, Gordon!  Pascale, in second place, was one point ahead of the next four players all scoring 33 points who had to be separated by the results on the back 9.  Unfortunately, based on that, Christiane came 6^th.

Finally, the Captain mentioned that he is considering changing the date of the Christmas Lunch from Wednesday, the 13^th to the 20^th as there are some other functions on around the 13^th.  He will confirm the date as soon as possible.

Summarising the results as follows:

The guest prize went to Erik who scored 36 points off 13 hcp.

Nearest the pin:

Hole 3      Peter van der Mee
Hole 8      Nino Andres Aloras
Hole 12    Brian Wakely
Hole 16    Ricky Nelson
Hole 17    Luc Verhaegen

There were six birdies: Rejane Le Borgne, Peter van der Meeon hole 3, Brian Wakely on hole 12, Ricky Nelson on hole 16, Jean-Paul Leroux and Luc Verhaegen on hole 17.

The main competition results were as follows:

5^th place  with 33 points off 8 hcp – Greta Biersteker
4^th place with 33 points off 25 hcp – Luc Vehaegen
3^rd place with 33 points off 21 hcp – Brian Wakely
2^nd place with 34 points off 21 hcp – Pascale Leroux
1^st place with 37 off 29 hcp – our Captain, Gordon Burton

2017: Captain's Day (18.10.)

Eddy, Winner of the 2017 Captain's Trophy

One of the highlights of the year is Captain’s Day. We had maximum attendance competing for numberous prizes and, of course, the Captain’s Trophy. An added bonus on the day was the half-way house providing delicious savories and cakes which gave us the much needed energy for the back 9.  Those of us who teed off early, were lucky and escaped the downpour later on.  However, the heavy rain did not deter Eddy who bravely soldiered on and his persistance was rewarded.  He was the winner of the Captain’s Trophy with a magnificient 42 points.  Many congratulations!

The presentation of the prizes took place the following Saturday at the Captain’s Dinner at the Bonalba Golf Club Restaurant.  Thank you Gordon, for arranging a most enjoyable evening. During the evening, we found out that Gordon is not only a very capable Captain but he is also an accomplished musician. His daughter, her band and Gordon on the piano got us all up on to the dance floor and a good time was had by all.

See the photos in the Gallery.

Summarising the results as follows:

Guest prize: Gordon brother Eric

Nearest the pin:

Hole 4      Jan Boultbee
Hole 8      Nino Andres Aloras
Hole 11    Richard Davis
Hole 14    Michael Davison  with a Hole-in-One!

Longest Drives:

Ladies hcp 23+            Klaudia Martinez
Ladies hcp up to22       Greta Biersteker
Men hcp 21+                Chris  van Bemmelen
Men hcp up to 20         Michael Davison

Nearest the pin in 2:

Hole 3                          Greta Biersteker
Hole16                         Nino Andres Aloras

Longest Putt:

Hole 5                          Nino Andres Aloras
Hole 15                        Graham Sutton

The main competition results were as follows:

5^th place with 34 points off 17 hcp – Edi Rogers
4^th place with 35 points off 9 hcp – Richard Davis
3^rd place with 37 points off 21 hcp – Graham Sutton
2^nd place with 37 points off 22 hcp – Stan Tarabula beating Graham on the back 9
Captain’s Day Champion with 42 points off 13 hcp – EDDY FAGG

2017: Indiv. Stableford (27.9.)

Today we had 29 members and 1 guest playing Individual Stableford.  We had an early start as tee-times are now at a premium. With autumn approaching, the high season for golf in Southern Europe is about to start and is going to make the courses more crowded.

In addition to the usual prizes, there was also Jan and John’s Hidden Holes Prize.  This time there were quite a few hidden holes which qualified for the prize. In fact, it was the entire front 9. Leaving out the players who were in the first five places of the main competition, Peter van der Mee was the winner with 17 points.

Hole 8, one of the short par 3’s seemed to have presented a greater than normal challenge for no apparent reason as nobody managed to reach the green.
It was a closely fought competition at the top and placings had to be decided on the results of the back 9. Although Mo and Jan, both with 32 points, missed out to Michael for 5^th place, they had the consolation of still receiving a bottle of wine due to the Society’s rule about being absent at prize giving.

There was also a k/o singles match going on between James Burnet and our Captain Gordon Burton. They were all square at the 18^th hole and will have to fight it out next Monday as the course was too busy for them to conclude the match on the day.

On a personal note, it’s great to be back, finally, after having missed out on the entire summer season in Spain. A big thank you to everyone for your warm welcome back and for all the messages of support during my stay in the UK.  I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Jan and Gordon for taking over the job of writing the weekly reports. In fact, I am tempted to hand over the job to them for good as they did excellent write ups week after week, but maybe I will still stay in charge of providing the winners’ photos?

Summarising the results:

Guest prize: Noel
Jan and John’s Hidden Holes (best front 9):  Peter van der Mee with 17 points

Nearest the pin:

Hole 4      Santi Hung
Hole 8      none
Hole 11    Helmut Treiber
Hole 14    Mo Farouki

There were no twos today.

The main competition results were as follows:

5^th place with 32 points off 10 hcp – Michael Davison
4^th place with 33 points off 21 hcp – John Rigby
3^rd place with 35 points off 21 hcp – Chris van Bemmelen
2^nd place with 35 points off 17 hcp – Edi Rogers
1^st place with 35 points off 29 hcp – Keith Preston

2017: Indiv. Stableford (13.9.)

Today's bottle-happy winners

A lovely day out on the golf course which got steadily hotter. 34 players in all (32 members and 2 guests) were competing to see who could get the best Stableford scores. Our resident All Black - Roger, back from his summer travels, certainly announced his presence most emphatically today as you will see from the results below. Congratulations to him on some excellent all-round golf. He seemed to be peppering the flags at will.

The guest prize was a family affair, husband and wife (or should I say mari et femme) fought it out to the bitter end. In the end Michel pipped his wife by one point, 35 to her 34. I hope they shared the bottle, however.

5th place was earned with a creditable 33 points, David Payne beating Marie-Josée and Stan on the back nine. The leading four scorers were some way ahead of him and all of them will face a new handicap the next time I draw up the team list. Well done to all of you.

The Captain reminded everyone of forthcoming events - the unusual move to next Monday (18th) for our weekly competition (a team game); a curry evening out next Wednesday; and the Captain's Night dinner and dance on Saturday October 21st at the clubhouse. Sign-up lists for the social occasions are already on the notice-board; please fill them in as soon as you can.

Today's results:

Nearest the pins:
Hole 4     Roger Hunger
Hole 8     Stan Tarabula
Hole 11   Luc Verhægen
Hole 14   Roger Hunger

Birdie 2s:
Hole 4      Roger Hunger, Pascale Leroux
Hole8       Richard Davis

Individual Prizes:
5th place   David Payne 33 pts. off 26 hcp. (best back 9)
4th place   Brian Hines   37 pts. off 20 hcp.
3rd place   Greta Biersteker 37 pts. off 9 hcp (better back 9)
2nd place  Richard Davis  38 pts. off 10 hcp
1st place    Roger Hunger   39 pts. off 13 hcp.    

2017: Indiv. Stableford (23.8.)

Today's top 5 - an international selection

7 groups took off in the hot weather this morning, one three-ball and the rest four-balls. Upon their return over half of these 27 players, including one guest (Thea) with a creditable 32 points, had scored 30 or more Stableford points.  So, a good summer turnout and a decent set of scores. 

Playing alongside our eventual winner, I had the joy of watching an excellent round of 39 points unfold by the lady standing centre-stage in the picture above, Marie-Josée Lesot. Her driving was consistently straight and her putting was nothing less than magnificent. She's holding two bottles because she was also nearest the pin on Hole 8. Which subject brings me neatly to the return of our vice-captain, Greta, who carried off, unsurprisingly, two of the other nearest-the-pin bottles! Six players scored 34 points and had to be separated on their back nine scoring, with David (5th) and Jan (4th) getting into the top 5 at the expense of Helmut (6th) and Michael (7th). All the other main results are outlined below.

Jan & John's Hidden Holes prize was awarded for the best score over the first six holes. Two players - Jim Reid and Michael Davison - both achieved a fine score of 14 points on these holes. It was a great pity that Jim, who would have won a sleeve of balls because he scored better on the two par 5s in that group, was not present at the prize-giving. Our club rule is that in this case the prize was given to Michael who was there, (resting his poorly leg.)

The captain reminded us that next week is the latest instalment of this year's Bill Williams' Away Day Trophy. We will be playing the Levante course at Villaitana with the first tee-off at 10.30 a.m. At the moment we have 30 players wishing to play and 9 tee-off times (with shared buggies) have been reserved. So if you wish to play and have not yet signed up in our clubhouse, you need to do so, or ring or email the captain before the end of Friday afternoon (25th Aug.) After that, if there are no more entries, we will have to cancel the last tee-off time. 

There was another reminder that singles and doubles matches need to be arranged over the next two months. Please get in touch with your opponent(s) and advise Greta of when you are playing your match(es).

Today's results

Nearest the pins:

Hole 4:   Greta Biersteker

Hole 8:   Marie-Josée Lesot

Hole 11: Greta Biersteker

Hole 14: Angel Centenara

Birdie 2:

Hole 4: Luc Verhægen

Individual Prizes:

Guest :             Thea van Spellen

Hidden Holes : Michael Davison

5th: David Payne,            34 pts, hcp 26

4th: Jan Boultbee,            34 pts, (better back 9), hcp 21

3rd: Jean Paul Leroux,     35 pts, hcp 25

2nd: Luc Verhægen,         36 pts, hcp 27

1st: Marie-Josée Lesot,  39 pts, hcp 25

2017: Indiv. Stableford (9.8.)

Today's quality performers

A somewhat reduced field today, 20 members and 4 guests, nevertheless returned scores which reflected quality rather than quantity among the players: 38, 37, 36, 35 and a good sprinkling of 34s and 33s would testify to this. And all of this on a hot, breathless and sticky morning. The weather forecast had promised thundery showers developing half way through our round, but they never arrived.

Richard had left the basics (cards with labels, pin markers) all ready for me so that I had precious little to do with the organisation today. Stan, too, once more attended to the entering of the scores. It allows me to thank them again for all the extra work they both have done during my absence.

Next week will be a more relaxed team game, but no doubt highly competitive as usual. In September, those of us who play with Costa Blanca and the French will find some slight interruptions owing to hollow tyning at Bonalba. For example, you will see on the notice board that the course is closed on Wednesday 20th and our official competition day that week will be two days earlier on Monday18th. Please adjust your diaries accordingly.

Today's results:

Guest prize: Paul McGurk

Nearest the pins:
Hole 4      Brian Hines
Hole 8      Chris van Bemmelen
Hole 11    James Burnet
Hole 14    Michael Davison

Top 4 Scores:
4th            Nino Andres Alores, 35 pts, hcp 8
3rd            Jean Paul Leroux, 36 pts, hcp 25
2nd           Michael Davison, 37 pts, hcp 11
1st            Luc Verhaegen, 38 pts, hcp 28

One birdie 2 today:  Jean Jouis Mouchebœuf on Hole 11

2017: Indiv. Stableford CL Qualif. (26.7.)

Today was an Individual Stableford Competition and a qualifier for the Campbell Lamont Golf League. With only 20 members braving the hot and sticky weather this was the lowest turnout for some considerable time, however this didn´t impact the normal banter and competitive spirit.
The scores reflected the weather with no-one achieving par.
With all the Committee away at their addiction or rehabilitation clinics, Stan Tarabula kindly volunteered to administer the scorecards, much appreciated support.
No guests today unfortunately, so we saved a bottle for the future.


Nearest the Pins 
Hole 4 - Stan Tarabula
Hole 8 - Luc Verhaegen
Hole 11 - James Burnet (Welcome back James)
Hole 14 - Nino con Vino

Birdie Club (Balls to the lot of them)
Hole 8 - Nino, Eddie Fagg and Jean Paul Le Roux

The Winners
5th Place - 31 Points off 21 Handicap Stan Tarabula (Catching Richard in the Consistency Chart)
4th Place - 32 Points off 20 Handicap Chris Van Bemmelen
3rd Place- 33 Points off 13 Handicap Eddie Fagg
2nd Place - 33 Points off 29 Handicap Keith Preston
1st Place - 34 Points off 11 Handicap Michael Davison

Congratulations to all the winners, particularly Michael who actually scored but 35 points but learned  the lesson as we are constantly reminding you never trust your scorer, check every score recorded on your card before signing. We can only accept the final scores recorded on each hole.

Next Wednesday it´s the August Medal and with only 20 names on the list again, it´s a chance maybe for some new names to appear? See you next week when I will have served my sentence and we will welcome a fully rejuvenated Captain back!

2017: Indiv. Stableford (12.7.)

Today's happy winners - especially Santi with 40 points!

As your correspondent heads for the door for a well-earned holiday break, here are just the quick details of another good batch of results on a scorching July morning. There were plenty of scores over 30 among the 25 members and 1 guest (yes, Eric Pages won the guest prize again, but he earned it with a very creditable 36 points.)

Last weeks' winner, Keith Preston, was in the top 5 again, but our Chinese restaurateur, Santi Hung,  took the plaudits today with an excellent 40 points. Vice-president Richard Davis was not far behind (38), and Jean Paul Leroux and Michael Davison make up the winners' group pictured above.

The results in detail:

Nearest the Pins;
Hole 4:    John King
Hole 8:    Jean Paul Leroux
Hole 11:  Nino Andres Alores
Hole 14:  Brian Hines

Individual winners:
5th place:  35 points off hcp 35, Michael Davison
4th place:  36 points off hcp 29, Keith Preston
3rd place:  36 points off hcp 25 (won on back 9), Jean Paul Leroux
2nd place: 38 points off hcp 10 Richard Davis
1st place:  40 points off hcp 25 Santi Hung

Birdie Twos:
Hole 11:  David Payne

N.B. Richard Davis will be looking after competition days for the next three weeks, for which many thanks. He has asked that if you need to contact him please use this email address:
richard.davis@golfbonalba.com

2017: Indiv. Stablefored (28.6.)

Today's runaway winner with 40 points - Guy Letort

27 members and 1 guest teed off this Wednesday on a sunny but quite windy day. Average results were certainly down a little, but there were several players who made light work of the conditions and deserved their liquid prizes at the end. None more so than our overall winner who came in with an excellent 40 points - félicitations to Guy Letort!  Some of our more vocal members attempted a rendition of La Marseillaise at the prize-giving, but were not quite sure of all the words. (Our New Zealand winner of a nearest the pin prize, Roger, was greeted with an even less convincing version of the haka.)

It was good to welcome Eric Pages back from France who, as the only contender, had no trouble carrying off the guest prize with his 30 points. Four people managed birdie twos today on the par 3s, and David Payne won Jan and John's hidden holes prize (a sleeve of Titleist balls) with very good scoring on holes 6, 7, 12, and 13, all of which have their various difficulties.

Full results:

Nearest the pins:
Hole 4:      James Burnet
Hole 8:      Pascale Leroux
Hole 11:    Eddy Fagg
Hole 14:    Roger Hunger

Birdie twos: Hole 4 Graham and Klaudia, Hole 11 Roger, Hole 14 Guy

Individual Prizes:
5th: 34 points off hcp 21    Graham Sutton
4th: 34 points (better back 9) off hcp 8   Nino Andres Alores
3rd: 34 points (best back 9) off hcp 21  Brian Wakeley
2nd: 37 points off hcp 9   Greta Biersteker
1st: 40 points off hcp 21   Guy Letort

2017: Indiv. Stableford (24.5.)

Happy evening dinner-time at Mar Menor on the recent away trip

Sadly only 31 members from the 39 who originally signed up were able to play today. It was a beautiful day, warm and sunny with little wind and the overall scoring reflected these very favourable conditions. Over half of the members playing returned scores of 30 points or more and 11 players had over 32 points.
Edi Rogers who has recently been a regular in the winners circle topped the field today scoring 36 points with Luc Verhaegen coming second with his score of 35 points. Guy Letort, Jim Hurley and Brian Hines returned 34 points and had to be separated by their scores on the back nine. This was the same for the 6 players who scored 33 points. All very tight and very good scores.

The hidden holes competition was also very close. The holes selected were 1,9,10 and 18. Those members already winning prizes are not eligible for this award which allowed Kate Hurley to be the winner with 9 points scored.

There were 4 twos scored today. On hole 4 Brian Hines and on Hole 8 Michael Davison, Eddy Fagg and Jim Hurley.

Summarising the Results

Nearest to the Pins

Hole 4:          Brian Hines

Hole 8:          Roger Hunger

Hole 11:        Eddy Fagg

Hole 14:        Chris van Bemmelen

Hidden Holes: Kate Hurley 9 points on holes 1,9,10 and 18

The main competition results were as follows:
5th place:       with 34 points off a handicap of 19     Brian Hines

4th place:       with 34 points off a handicap of 20     Jim Hurley

3rd place:       with 34 points off a handicap of 20     Guy Letort

2nd place:       with 35 points off a handicap of 27     Luc Verhaegen

1st place:       with 36 points off a handicap of 16   Edi Rogers       

2017: Indiv. Stableford (17.5.)

Away Trip: the best overall scores of days 1 and 2 came from these fine players

There were only 24 members and 3 guests playing today. These low numbers reflected the fact that the society had just returned on Tuesday evening, happy but exhausted, from the away visit after 3, and for some, 4 consecutive days of golf. The amount of golf played also seems to have influenced the very low scores recorded.

However, the away trip was a huge success and scoring on the difficult Mar Menor and Lo Romero courses was more in line with the usual Costa Blanca results. It is quite understandable that many members decided to take a rest from golf today.
The guest prize was won by Len McAllister who was playing for the first time with our society and his 35 points was the best score recorded.
Les Wilkinson won the first prize showing us all that playing golf for 4 consecutive days can have a positive result. Well played Les. 

Summarising the Results

Guest prize:     Len McAllister

Nearest the Pin

Hole 8:     Richard Davis

Hole 11:    James Burnet

There were no twos recorded today

The main competition results were as follows:

5th place:  29 points off a handicap of 19     Brian Hines

4th place:  30 points off a handicap of  21    Jan Boultbee  

3rd place:  30 points off a handicap of 12     John Garnett (higher back nine) 

2nd place: 31 points off a handicap of 21     Brian Rippendale

1st place: 31 points off a handicap of 34  Les Wilkinson (higher back nine)