Sponsored by Blevins Franks International Tax and Wealth Management
19 of us returned to what was the mosquito capital of the golfing world. Lots of blood was taken last time we were here, but it seems this problem has, thankfully, been cured. Unfortunately it seems to have been replaced with others. The course was not in the best condition. The holes looked like they had been carved using a knife and fork, and the greens were heavily sanded. Still, we got our first game in after the summer break, and it was good to see all the old, and some new, faces.
Last time out, Panjak Bakshi won his first gold star. We know he was really pleased with his round that day and we also know that he enjoyed the company. So much so that he thought he would make a takeover bid by bringing in three heavies, cunningly disguised as guests. Louis Jimenez, Omid Khoshbin and Vinod Kumar all did their due diligence and, generally, checked us out. Ever the diplomat, Louis didn't want to outplay his boss. He scored the same number of points, 34, but held back over the last few holes to make sure he finished behind Panjak. He was the best heavy, sorry guest, though. Will they be back to make an offer? We hope so.
Tony Bowers missed our last few games, sensibly looking after the Mrs after a knee op. Having been given permission to return, he wanted to make a takeover bid of his own. That was to consolidate his leadership of the gold star chart and to put some distance between him and the chasing pack. His round of 44 points was outrageous and more than enough to make him overall winner on the day. He is the first player to hit double figures for gold stars,10, and is now two ahead of the rest. Mission accomplished. He says he was taking care of the Mrs, but we suspect he was out practicing in his garden. Let's talk handicaps. Under the current system, Tony will get a 0.7 cut. Under the old it would have been 3.2. Another win for Tony. Congratulations and well done.
Peter Dymyd and Roger Jennings battled it out for second and third places, Peter coming out on top on countback, both players scoring a very creditable 37 points.
Seniors
Roger Jennings was the one to burst the Lesbirel bubble. Roger was our leading senior, finishing third overall with 37 points. Guernsey was lurking though, he was second best senior with 33 points. And welcome to our newest, youngest senior, Andy Price. He was obviously a bit nervous on his first outing in this group, managing to finish fourth best senior with 30 points
NP's
Hole 9. Our very own local lad, Andy Glyde, upsetting Jordan Duffy and Peter Dymyd in the process. Birdie?? Nope, had to settle for par but happy after blob on 8.
Hole 18. Guernsey Dave hit his shot to 8 feet. Birdie surely?? Nope but didn't three putt.
Back in the clubhouse, our Captain did his very best to make the presentation look professional despite his shirt and trousers being covered in juice and seeds. He made a point of comparing Mat Edward's putting with certain members of the England cricket team, with Mat's aim from 20 yards being far superior. And finally, he warned others about the risks of
sharing a buggy with Hans Benzler. Apparently he drove into a tree trunk on the 15th while his leg was dangling. We've all done it, apart from driving into a tree trunk.
Our next game is at Oliva Nova on Wednesday 20th September. It will be President's Day. Don't miss it.
Licence to Play
​We expect Members to obtain the appropriate Federated Licence valid in Spain. This licence grants permission to play on all the Courses on our schedule and includes the liability and accident insurance required by Royal Decree 849/1993.
As a general guide, resident Members should be looking to obtain an Annual Licence from their corresponding Spanish Regional Federation. In the Valencian Region the cost is €101.30. For those not wanting to have an official handicap, the cost is reduced to €89.30 There is a one off joining fee of €15.
Non resident Members can also obtain an Annual Licence from the Federation if they wish. If not, they should purchase a One Day Licence at each course which affiliates them to the Federation for that day's play. A One Day Licence costs €2.