Full of Beans

It was a full turn-out for El Plantío, with an additional tee-time as well. It always feels better when we get such good support so, thanks to everybody. And the Wednesday weather was kind as well. The caption photo in the App for this game was a spring, (did you spot that?) and springlike it was. Lots more shorts, and legs, on view. Our winner wasn't wearing shorts though. No, still too chilli beans for him.

Our winner isn't always full of beans tbf, but he does spend quite a bit of time counting them. We are not sure if his preference is for Heinz or Branston beans? Maybe he prefers the healthier options of green or runner beans? Given that he plays more padel now than golf, some might say that he is a has-bean? Not so.

Who are we talking about? Our very own bean counter of course, John Holgate. When he plays well, he plays very well. And he played very well at EP. Even though he wasn't fully aware that he was playing a bogey competition, that didn't stop him from being one of only three players to beat the course. He was certainly full of beans when he discovered he had won the day, 4 up. Has he bean for lessons??

Full results as follows;

Overall winner

John Holgate - 4 up.

Division 1

Winner. Gary Stone - 2 down

Runner Up. Nick Austin - 2 down

Division 2

Winner. John Holgate - 4 up

Runner Up. Ray Gambrill - 3 up

Our Gold Star chart at the end of the first quarter 2025 looks like this.

Gold Star Chart 02042025.pdf

Download PDF • 77KB

NP's

Hole 9. Simon Parry thought he had a chance of winning his first White Coast prize, but, then again, Simon was in the first group! Quite soon, others got closer and closer. But, we had to wait until the last group, and Ray Gambrill, for the best shot. Birdie?? Par.

Hole 18. Your Poster Boy was in tears. He had just seen his tee shot hit the hole, bounce out, and go past the flag some 10 yards. Name on the board though and could still be the winning shot. Just walking away from the green, he saw Gary Stone's tee shot roll past the flag, but only by 5 yards. Bottle of wine gone, in a matter of seconds. Tears. Birdie? Like many holes before, close, but not close enough. Par.

LBS

Pankaj Bakshi had advance knowledge of the formula that Donald Trump was using to calculate his tariffs, and thought he would apply it to see if he could calculate the number of lost balls. Pankaj wasn't concerned that the formula was being used to calculate a 10% tariff on The Heard & McDonald Islands, two tiny remote Antarctic outposts populated only by penguins and seals. No, it was a good formula, and it was going to work for him today. With the variables in place for EP, the formula told him the answer was 72. €30 is more than Donald Trump will raise from The Heard and McDonald Islands. Here's the formula.

CBKO

Two more prelimiary round matches were played.

Gordon Mitchell v Andy Price

This was a match between a CBKO virgin and a seasoned veteran. Even though Gordon has seen it all, and had 12 shots on Andy, he was still, understandably, nervous. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't shake off those nerves, he couldn't take advantage of those shots, and he couldn't shake off the man who sits at the top of our Gold Star chart. It was a big ask tbf. A win for Andy 4&2.

Ray Gambrill MOT v Roger Jennings.

This was a clash of the titans. Our 2024 POTY v our 2024 CBKO Champion. It was close in terms of shots. There was only 1 in it, in favour of Ray. But, Roger is not the 2024 Champion for nothing. When push comes to shove, he usually gets the job done. Then again, Ray is fresh back from a rest and is a new man. He was also determined to show Daniel Farke how to win a match. Daniel, we hope you read this. A win for Ray Gambrill 4&3. MOT.

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Back on the terrace of the clubhouse, our Captain, Jordan Trump, started by handing out €5 fines to anyone that moved. If you were late, if you left early, if you were wearing a blue shirt, if you were not going to turn up at the Awards Dinner in November, if you were more than 3 down, you were going to be fined €5. After that, he moved on to announcing the results and winners.

Our next game is at Bonalba on Wednesday 16th April.

As ever, this game will be sponsored by Blevins Franks, International Tax and Wealth Management. peter.hodgkinson@blevinsfranks.com

Our next league match is against The French Amigos at Altea on Thursday 17th April.

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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 with handicap from their corresponding Spanish Regional Federation. In the Valencia Region the cost is €105.70. There is a one off joining fee of €15.

Non resident Members can also obtain an Annual Licence 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.