2017: Texas Scramble (22.11.)

A bunch of happy winners

Venue: Bonalba Golf & Spa, 22 November 2017

Today we played Texas Scramble, a team game which is relatively relaxing compared to the individual competitions.  The only stress factor is that each player has to complete 4 drives, so tactics play an important part of which drive is selected on each hole.  Due to good housekeeping by our Captain, he was able to award prizes for 4 teams instead of the usual three prizes, so out of the 8 teams competing, there was a good chance of securing a prize.

The last of our tee-times was taken up by Chris and Neville who played their singles knock-out match and our two guests Caroline and Jonathan who played Individual Stableford. Chris “knocked-out” Neville and Jonathan won the guest prize.

As it was a very pleasant sunny day, the prize giving took place on the terrace of the Club House. Congratulations to all the winners!

Summarising the results as follows:

Nearest the pin:
Hole 4      Bob Crow
Hole 8      Jeff Murten
Hole 11    Brian Hines       
Hole 14    Graham Sutton

There was one two. It was Jean-Paul whose drive was selected on hole 8 and who putted first and therefore was awared the customary golf ball.

The main competition results were as follows:

4^th place with a net score 64.3 – Michel Le Borgne, Jean-Paul Leroux, Santi Hung, Kate Hurley
3^rd place with a net score of 64.1 – Michael Davison, Luc Verhaegen, Marie-Jo Lesot, Gordon Burton
2^nd place with a net score of 63.9 – Jeff Murten, Graham Sutton, Jan Boultbee, Pierre Lesot
1^st place with a net score of 62.3 – Helmut Treiber, Jim Hurley, Doris Shearman-Earp, Peter Corbett

2017: Team Game (25.10.)

Venue: Bonalba Golf & Spa, 25 October 2017

After Captain’s Day last week when we all concentrated hard on our individual game, it was a welcome change this week to play a team game.  As 36 players had entered this week’s competition, the Captain had decided on a doubles matchplay counting the best score against the course based on their playing handicap. If the best score was a net bogey, it counted as a “minus” and a net birdie counted as a “plus”. A net par was a “zero”.  The winner would be the pair with the most number of “pluses” after deducting the “minuses”.  If this sounds slightly complicated, it did turn out to be so for some of us.  After reviewing in particular one of the score cards, from Jeff Murten and John Brook, it showed that their score was equal with the winners which had previously been announced. Gordon will honour this result and he will present them with a bottle of wine at the next opportunity.

At the prize giving, which took place on the terrace of the Club in beautiful sunshine, Gordon told us that at his Dinner Dance last Saturday, we had raised over €400 for the cancer charity MABS.

Next Wednesday for Medal Play, Gordon will be away and any requests or alterations for tee-times should be addressed to his Vice-Captain, Greta Biersteker.

Summarising the results as follows:

Nearest the pin:

Hole 4      John King
Hole 8      Peter van der Mee
Hole 11    Nino Andres
Hole 14    Christiane Tarabula

There were two birdies: on hole 4 from Richard Davis and on hole 8 from Peter van der Mee. They received the customary golf ball.

The main competition results were as follows:

3^rd place with + 4 – Helmut Treiber and Doris Shearman-Earp
2^nd place with + 4 – Guy Letort and Klaudia Martinez with a better back 9
1^st place with + 5 – Chris van Bemmelen and Ray Prudhoe, also Jeff Murten and John Brook after review of their card.

2017: Texas Scramble (18.9.)

First some good news: that Doris, our much-missed secretary, has mailed me to say that she will be coming back to Spain fairly soon. I am sure we all hope that she will, perhaps gradually, get her golf game back in full swing.

Writing of missing Doris, the lack of a winners' picture this morning is down to my forgetfulness after yesterday's presentation. Doris never forgets! So here's one of her.

The Scramble was played in good weather again yesterday. In the end we were down to 36 players (including 6 guests.)  I have to admit to not being entirely satisfied with the groupings which finally emerged just before play. Several changes were necessary late on Sunday, and there was one, unavoidable, illness call-off on Monday morning.  I take responsibility for not getting it sorted better.

With a scramble it is the object to get as balanced a set of players as possible, not only in terms of overall handicap totals but also big-hitters, high handicappers, steady all-rounders, men and women, members and guests. As previous captains have told me, you only need one or two changes in a team game and the  balance you're trying to achieve risks going out of the window. When it happened late, as it did this weekend, it is obvious that I didn't succeed in getting the ship right again.

I hope I will be better for the experience, and try to get the next team game fairer and more to everyone's liking.

And now for the results:

Nearest the pins
Hole 4: Brian Hines
Hole 8: Tony Dewavrin
Hole 11: Richard Davis
Hole 14: Greta Biersteker

Birdie 2s
Hole 11: Tony Dewavrin

Team prizes:
3rd place: net 63,9    Helmut, Neville, Réjane, Marie-Jo
2nd place: also net 63,9 better back 9  Stan, Nino, John Rigby, Gordon
1st place: net 60,7   Jim Hurley, Donal, Barry and Tony

2017: Team Game (16.8.)

Today's team game was supported by 23 members - including a welcome return from holiday by our former captain Jan, bearing our newly ordered club caps - and 4 guests, two French, two English. 

Another hot day was the backdrop to the round. Perhaps this took its toll on the scoring which, apart from the two top teams, was reasonable but not particularly outstanding. The best three scores counted on the way out, but all four players needed to contribute on the way in. A par score would therefore have been 126 Stableford points, a tough target as the scores below reflect.

At the same time, everyone's score was being recorded so that we could produce two individual winners among the men and the women. Well done to Pascale and, yet again, Keith on achieving the best scores of the day in their respective categories. Congratulations, too, to Michael's team on their winning score, and this despite Michael himself having to play on one leg. Once more our thanks must go to Stan, ably assisted by his faithful Christiane, for dealing with all the scorecards. 

The captain reminded members that there is a change in September's routine from Wednesday 20th (Bonalba closed) to the previous Monday 18th. Also he asked that they check they had the new date and venue for the forthcoming Captain's Night clearly in their calendar - Saturday 21st October at the clubhouse.

Watch out everyone, for vice-captain Greta is back next week, raring to grab yet more bottles of wine for herself.

The results:

Nearest the pins:
Hole 4:    Brian Hines
Hole 8:    Luc Verhaegen
Hole 11:   -----
Hole 14:  Graham Sutton

Birdie 2:  Hole 8, Chris van Bemmelen

Individual Winners:
Women:   Pascale Leroux   36 pts, hcp 21
Men:        Keith Preston      32 pts, hcp 29

Team Prizes:
3rd: Nino, Stan, Angel, (Christiane, ghost)         105 pts.
2nd: Graham, Brain Wakely, Jan and Laurence   117 pts.
1st:  Michael, Jeff, Keith and Christiane              118 pts.

2017: Team Game (19.7.)



1ST & 2ND TEAMS (PLUS PASCALE)

In the absence of our Captain, who is having a well deserved rest on the Med somewhere, I volunteered to administer the next 3 weeks! I must be crazy!
We had lots of late withdrawals due to all the reasons under the sun, but with 4 very welcome guests, 18 members and 2 old ghosts we still managed 6 teams in our Combined Stableford (Best 3 scores to count) monthly team competition.
No guest prize today as they all played in the team competition.

Nearest The Pins
Hole 4 - Brian Wakeley
Hole 8 - Stan Tarabula
Hole 11 - Jean Paul Le Roux
Hole 14 - Pascale Le Roux
(Great to see some new faces on here)

Team Event
3rd Place - 106 Points (55 and 51) Nino, Stan, Angel and Tim (Sorry No Prize)
2nd Place - 106 Points (54 and 52) Christiane, Guy, Eric Pages, Eric Maillaud

Winners - 114 Points Michael Davison, Brian Hines, Jean Paul Le Roux and the Ghostly Eddie Fagg.
The best individual score of the day was 36 by Michael which really helped but all of the team contributed with 30 + points. Well done on a great score!

Some confusion at the end causing me to forget the 2´s when the 2nd placed team tried to convince me they had scored 116 points, 106 was definitely correct, sorry Christaine!

Only one Birdie on the Par 3´s today - Jean Paul on Hole 11 (Sorry Jean Paul we owe you a ball)

Back to Individual Stableford next week with only 16 members on the list so far, I must be having a great impact in my temporary stand in role.

2017: Texas Scramble (21.6.)

Lots of experience among these winners

On another glorious June day, eight groups of players lined up for a Texas Scramble, their total handicaps across the group as nicely balanced as the captain could make them.
With a range of golfing ability within each group there is always a certain amount of strategy needed, especially when four chosen drives minimum from each player is a basic requirement. More often than not, though, the result hangs on the putting and chipping success of each group - the margins between the net scores of the groups in a scramble is often very fine.

This 3-ball nearly caught them

And so it proved today, with a difference between 1st and 3rd place at only 1,6 in net scores. Sandwiched between first and third was a remarkable performance by the one group that had only 3 players, due to a late call-off by one member. They not only got their strategy right but obviously produced some great golf, including 5 birdies. You will see their names below. The winning group, however, not only produced 4 birdies of their own but had fewer bogeys giving them a well-deserved victory. The first three teams received the customary wines as prizes, along with those who got nearest the pins on the par 3s. Full results shown below.

Nearest the pins:
Hole 4:    Jim Hurley
Hole 8:    Elwyn Price
Hole 11:  Richard Davis
Hole 14:  Elwyn Price

Twos:       François on Hole 8, and Elwyn on Hole 14

Team Prizes:
3rd place:  John Garnett, Jim Hurley, François and Christiane    (62,7 )
2nd place: The three musketeers - Jeff Murten, Helmut and Luc Verhaegen   (61,7 )
1st place:   Edi Rogers, Nino Andres, Brian Hines and Jim Reid  (61,1 )  

The barbecue rounded off a very good day

Once the presentations on a sunlit terrace were over, around 30 of us descended to the Bonalba spa pool and garden area where we had signed up for a much-anticipated barbecue lunch. Would our new chef be able to produce the goods? - you bet your boots he could! A simple but lovely salad was just a  forerunner of the outstanding quality (and quantity) of the meat courses - ribs, chicken and Argentinian beef, cooked to perfection and delivered with mountains of french fries and two barbecue sauces. Water, wine, and beer a-plenty were visible on all the tables, and the meal finished with plates of sliced melon. When I left, others were still basking in the sunshine and ordering more drinks.

My thanks to the chef and his staff for looking after us so well. It will be a hard act to follow.

2017: 20/20 Team Game (22.3.)

The Pinks have it !

Venue: Bonalba Golf & Spa, 22 March 2017

For this Wednesday our Golf Calendar stipulated a Fun Game and our Captain decided to play a Team Game on a grand scale. He called it the 20/20 Team Game, suggested and designed by his Vice-Captain Greta.

Greta, a lady who does not do things by halves, suggested that instead of the usual 4-man teams, why not divide the total number of players into two teams, the “Blues” and the “Pinks” representing the colours of the old and new Society shirts and playing for the best total Stableford points with everyone in the winning team receiving a prize.  Thanks to an increased budget for weekly prizes and the Captain’s good housekeeping, it was possible on this occasion to be generous and go with it. In addition, there was also a prize for the best individual score of the day.
Congratulations for this goes to John Garnett for an excellent score of 38 points.  He seems to be unbeatable these days. He also helped the “Pinks” to their overall win.  Had this been a doubles match play competition, it would have been a draw with 5 matches going each way. However, this was Stableford and the Pinks won by a respectable 40 points off a combined handicap of 408 to the 400 handicap for the Blues, giving an average handicap per person of 20.
Well done the Pinks!
As this was classified a Fun Game, it was not used for handicap adjustments but it was taken into consideration for the Consistency Chart.
There was a certain disappointment for Helmut on hole 14 par 3 as he saw his ball go straight for the hole hoping for a hole-in-one, but alas, it ended up just inches away from it.

Summarising the results:

Best individual score: John Garnett 38 points

Nearest the pin:

Hole 4      Angel Centenera
Hole 8      Jan Boultbee
Hole 11    Chris van Bemmelen
Hole 14    Helmut Treiber

There were three twos today, on hole 8 from Jan Boultbee and on hole 14 from Helmut Treiber and Doris Shearman-Earp.  They received the customary golf ball.

The main competition results were as follows:

2^nd place with 546 points and hcp 400 – The Blues
1^st place with 586 points and hcp 408 – THE PINKS

2017: Drive-In and Texas Scramble

Waiting for the Drive.In

Venue: Bonalba Golf & Spa, 1st February 2017



Good Practice Swing

We have a new Captain, Gordon Burton, and today was his Drive-In.  The day started early as Gordon treated us to breakfast before we assembled to watch him drive off. Those of us who had a bet on where his ball would land watched hoping it would be our selected spot.  The ball landed on the left just past the olive trees and John Garnett was the lucky jackpot winner.
 

Where did it go?

We had a full house with 41 members and 3 guests playing a Texas Scramble.  The pleasant weather and the refreshments at half way, kindly served by Heather and Hazel and with some additional delicious food made by Jan and Christiane, helped to make it a very enjoyable and relaxed competition, maybe not so relaxed for those players who still had to deliver one or two of the required 4 drives towards the end of their round. The winning team came in with an excellent gross score of 70.  The second and third teams both had a gross of 72 and their placings were decided by 0.1 net point only.
The nearest the pin on the par 3’s were allocated today according to handicaps. The marker on hole 8 showed Jean-Jacques’s name who unfortunately was not eligible for this hole.  However, in the spirit of today’s competition, the Captain decided to award him the prize anyway.
On arrival back at the Club House, there was Brian waiting by the putting green with pen and paper in his hand for those of us who wanted to take part in the Putting Competition over 10 holes.  There were 3 winners with an excellent score of 18 putts, Greta, Nino and Peter Corbett.

Before prize giving, Gordon announced some forthcoming social events which will be announced on the website and on the Notice Board.

Thank you Gordon, for this most enjoyable first competition and your generosity and we all look forward to and wish you well for your year of Captaincy.

The New Captain  with Winning Team

Summarising the results:Nearest the pin in 2 hole 3:  Edi Rogers
Nearest the pin in 3 hole 15:  John Garnett

Nearest the pin par 3’s:

Hole 4      Marie-Jo Lesot (hcp 22+)
Hole 8      (Jean-Jacques)
Hole 11    Greta Biersteker
Hole 14    Eddy Fagg

There was one two from Greta on hole 11.  She received the customary golf ball.

The main competition results were as follows:

3^rd place with a net 63.2 – John Garnett, Stan Tarabula, Angel Centenera, Les Wilkinson
2^nd place with a net 63.1 – Roger Hunger, Rudy Krimmel, Marie-Jo Lesot, Doris Shearman-Earp
1^st place with a net 61.3  – Eddy Fagg, Luc Verhaegen, JJ Lavergne, Maureen Fanti