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Posted: 2011-10-12
11:26:53 |
My final senior tour was played at the Nunspeet G.C.C . A great golf course with very narrow fairways, which has the tendency to make most tees shots quite intimidating.Rumour has it that the course architect only had one eye, this explains a lot.
To add to the excitement the wind also blew hard ,a great day for drying your washing .
26 competitors took the challenge on, a some what smaller field than usuall, It did enter my thoughts that the remainder of the crew could be claustrophobia sufferers.
Anyway its a good day to test your skills.
John Woof managed the best with a 3 over par 75.
Tied for second place 5 over par with 77's were Jan Dorrestein , Brian Gee, and Rob v d Brink.
I tied for 5th place with Wiljan v Mook both with 8 over par 80. Its sounds a lot, and it is a lot, but a couple of mistakes on this course in that weather and you could very easy winde up with a big score.
With one more tournament to go in Twente next week that i'm unable to play this will decide the order of merit winner,and the wild card for the european seniors open next year. One thing for sure it wont be me.
Although I've missed 2 events I will finish this season comfortably in the top 10.
As it appears they have already started the new order of merit for 2012 ,half way through this season to half way next year ,then I'm counting on a much better finish. What we count on and what we get is very often something else.So I guess that I just need to train a little harder this winter. |
@ Zwijndrecht.
Wed 12 oct 2011 |
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Posted: 2011-09-02
11:37:27 |
The senior Tour moved onto Crossmoor G&CC club in north Limburg. A long but very attractive parkland come tree lined golf course that's well worth a visit if ever your in the area.
3 professionals tied for first place Jan Dorestein, Rob vd Brink, Wiljan v mook all shooting a 3 over par 75.
John woof 4th on 76 and Brian Griffiths 5th with 77 , and I ended 6th place on 78 6 over par.
Before the National seniors open tournament at crayestein I played the senior Pro-Am. I played well and shot a level par 71.
My team from Riwal also made the winning team score, thanks to Leon, dick, and micheal. well played to all of you.
I was feeling quite good about my golf game going into the main event, and was possibly one of the favourites,
Always interesting to see how you can manage the extra pressure.
After a weekend of thundestorms continual heavy rain by Monday the course was soaking wet.
Placing was a must, after each shot if your ball was'nt plugged it was lying next to it's pitch mark, and that was even with the driver.
Not much rain but the hard wind played havock with the players.
From the 72 competitors approx half pros/ ams, only 11 of us broke 80 on the first day.
I shot a 77 and tied 6 th place with 3 other professionals.
John Woof, Rob v d brink, and Brian griffiths all lead shooting 3 over par 74 's .
Mus deboub, and Gordon Hutchison, both with 75's.
The 2nd day and final round the wind had died down so it should be a better scoring day.
The greens were fantastic, lightning speed, were the best i've seen this year.
I shot a 2 over par 73, 3 bogeys, and only 1 birdie out of the many opportunaties, however I improved my position to end the tournament in joint third postion with Brian Gee.
I seem to have a habit of playing with the winners of this event last year Brian Gee, and this year Mus Deboub.
Mus played great and all credit to him .
Mus ended the tournament total 145 3 0ver par, With his last round being 70 was the only competitor to break par.
John Woof was runnerup total 148 total 6 over par. |
@ home 2-9-2011 |
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Posted: 2011-02-09
10:32:21 |
The senior cup is played over the golf club De Dommel , one of the older dutch courses dating back to 1928.
A tree lined golf course with very tricky greens was in great condition bearing in mind the shortage of rain water just about everywhere.
Thanks to a few tips from Pro Phil Allen I managed to get the swing a little more solid again.
I played a steady round apart from a couple of unnecessary 3 putts in the closing holes , I ended my round a bit disapointing 4 over par score 75, in joint 4th position.
However if there was any consolation I was in the good company of John Woof, Gordon Hutchison, and wilfred Lemmens.
1st place and a round of 71 level par went to Rinus V Blankers.
If at all in golf we were measured by the time and effort we put into the game then Rinus was without any doubt the worthy senior champion, maybe this is the confidence boost he needs to go further.
2nd place with 1 over par 72 went to Brian Gee, the only time that Brian won't finish in the top, is that if one day he forgets to enter .
3rd place with a score of 2 over par 73 was Eric Kruyning Eric's on a bit of a roll at the moment he was joint winner a few weeks ago in Eindhoven.
So it's big thanks to The Dommel for hosting yet again another successful senior event . The snacks were delicious and the lemonade flowed quite freely.
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@ Home |
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Posted: 2011-06-03
11:17:00 |
Just before the senior tour in Eindhoven our club hosted their annual Pro-Am .
In good form I played again with Plan@office. I played very solid golf from tee to green hitting 15 greens in reg, 2 fringes and one just short, but my putting decided to desert me and I shot a five over 76 to end in joint 4th place.
My team once again played well a good mix of handicap put us in 3rd place. we've now over
the years accumulated enough adidas accessories to start our own shop.
Well a deal is a deal I said I would share the highs and lows with you . Turned up for the senior tour at Eindhoven, the golf course fantastic condition, beautiful weather, feeling great only to have a nightmare.
You've heard of the saying dont forget to smell the flowers, well for me it was smelling the pine needles.
Ending my round with a 9 over 81, and if my putter was'nt working so well it could have been a lot higher..... but most important it did'nt get me down, and I shall be back to fight another day |
@ Dordrecht |
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Posted: 2011-05-11
16:19:13 |
The first of 6 new senior tournaments was played on Monday the 9th of May held at the Rosendalsche golf club.
The brains behind this new set-up were Pro's Niek Lapidaire, Brian Gee , Wiljan v Mook, and Focko Nauta, and mentioned in no particular order.
The heavy rain did'nt dampen the spirits of the 30 competitors, the organisation and thanks to the complaisance of the club gave the event a great kick-off.
Brian Gee, and Jan Dorestein shared 1 st prize both shooting 1 over par , which included an Ace(Hole in One) from Brian i witnessed this with my own eyes as he was my playing partner .
Rinus v Blankers took 3rd prize with 2 over.To my surprise Leo Verberne and myself shared 4th place with 7 over.
The top 20 of each tournament will gain order of merit points, and the top 5 places will also receive prize money. The winner of the order of merit will awarded an invitation to play in next years Lanschot European Seniors Open at the Haagsche.
All players , the club and the organisation made it a great day, and I am now looking forward to the next event in 2 weeks at the Eindhovensche. |
@ zwijndrecht |
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Posted: 2011-04-30
15:03:54 |
My opening tournament for the season 2011 played at Bled GC in Slovania. Hosted by the Euro seniors challenge tour.
Supporting a double left knee brace and my newly acquired psychological skills I could'nt wait to play the tournament.
A warm welcome from Ales Petek the owner/manager of the Lake house where I also stayed last year, and several complimentary blueberry snaps, I was ready to take on come what may.
In the practice round I paired up with an american tour pro based in Germany Tony Feminis, and we took on my buddy and travel companion Peader lawler, and Dr Arther Spring.
Doc as I call him was one of the first amateurs to gain a full european senior tour card, and in doing so turned professional. He's also designer of several golf courses in Ireland.
It was a delight to see this gent play the game, as it used to be played good hand action, and the ability to manovre the ball at will.
However Tony and myself managed to see this pair off and pocket a few euro's in the process, thanks to doc for letting me sit in his buggy for most of the round.
First tournament day and walking, played with English Pro Mike Best and Brit Pro Doug Young.
Doug played a solid 1 over par. Mike struggled a bit but he 's got more injuries than anyone I know.
I thought I played well but some how shot an 8 over par, almost identical start to last year, I could'nt remember hitting any bad shots, and i still felt very confident, so maybe my psychology skills are working after all, or I'm just kidding myself.
The second day I'm paired with a familiar face Tony Feminis and English Pro Keith Capindale-scott. Keith recently gained his card for the Euro Tour and that's not bad competing against all those young up and coming pro's in the U.K.
I played with Keith last year, and so to speak we bounce off one another, we get on well on and off the course. However, Mr Capindale-scott well and truly got the better of me, with a double bogey on his card he finished his round 2 under par, and I missed a putt on the last hole that i could probably make wearing hand cuffs and a blind fold for a 2 over par, maybe a little lapse in concentration.
Anyway after a couple of beers and a pep-talk with my name sake this was soon forgotten about.
Most days the weather predition was not good, but the rain generaly stayed away until the end of the day. However this day it decided to chuck it down half way through our round and all through the night, just as Malcome Rawle, Tour director, and Ales Petek, lake House manager arranged a BBQ for the players and some of the wifes, and other family members.
So what's the problem, Ales roasted a small pig over a fire in a big oven outside this was dished up with little slovanian sausages bakked potatoes, and an assortment of vegetables and served to us in the lake house.
What a great meal, fantastic atmosphere, also one of the reasons I like playing here good players competetive golf, but off the course it's like the seniors golfing society.
In the future I will be arranging some short golfing/ instructional breaks to Bled for small groups staying in the Lake House.
All the information will be made available on my web page in the near future.
If you would like to view the Lake House go to www.lake-house-bled.com .
Third day and final day, drawn with Tony Feminis( cant seem to shake this guy off ) and former challenge tour pro Gary Owens.
After all the rain the course played at least a club longer already at nearly 6300 metres it's long enough for me.
Playing the front nine including 2 birdies I was 3 over par, Gary Owens was 1 over, poor Tony enough was enough and he decided to retire.
The back nine holes Gary fell away a bit, although I felt a little tired from my knee and all the walking, I managed with my new mental skills to play 1 under par, again finishing my round with a respectable 2 over par.
I ended the tournament in joint 8th position tied with English pro Simon parker, although I was 8 strokes less than last year, I finished 1 place higher this goes to show that the standard of the tour is improving every year.
Anyway one thing is for sure I will be returning to holland with many positves from this event ,fond memories, and many new golfing friends. |
@ Bled Slovania |
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Posted: 2010-11-23
15:11:53 |
The National Seniors Open played at my home course Crayestein a 36 hole event, that's been held at the club for the past 8 years.
As with all professionals the members expect you to do well on your own turf, but the reality is I play my home course a max 6 rounds per year, and sometimes not even that, when I get the opportunaty I like to play away.
The first day's play a strong north wind, with the odd heavy down pour thrown in just to make things a bit more interesting for the 66 amateur and professional competitors. I shoot a 6 over par, 77. No birdies, but also no double bogeys. Playing in these conditions, a caddy is a must even if it's just to keep the grips dry, and my caddy Kevin Greenacre did a great job. At the end of the day I'm lying in joint 5th place with 4 other Pro's. The leaders in the club house were two of Hollands more mature professionals: Cees Dorrestein and Alex Loesberg both with a 4 over 75. Hats off to these two gentlemen that was great going in difficult playing conditions.
The second day I'm drawn with former winner of this event, that event, and the other, Brian Gee. Brian's golf was as steady as a rock. My own game was a mixture of highs and lows. Brian shot a 1 over 72, and I made a 4 over 75. The wind had died down and the rain was less but the course still played long. The 2 overnight leaders faded away so this put Brian in the driving seat once again. Brian was the eventual winner, and I finished with a credible runner up position. Rinus van Blankers, was one stroke behind me to take the 3rd place.
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@ Dordrecht |
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Posted: 2010-11-23
15:10:23 |
Before traveling to Ireland I played my club's annual Pro-Am. The course was playing more difficult than usual with a strong north east wind. My score of 78 was, to my surprise, good enough to share first place with Jan Dorrestein and Peter Kreft. My team Plan @ Office played well and took the first team prize.
Flying out to Dublin: an invite to play in the West Waterford senior Pro's open. Sunday evening: a relaxed drive from Dublin to Waterford. NO!!! not at all relaxed, relied too much on my Nav system, which I'm sure sent me on the tourist route. Couldn't turn back because I didn't have a clue where I was going anymore. 4 Hours later arrive at the Portree guest house in Waterford, a journey without the Nav system takes 2 hours 15 mins, I know that from my homeward journey.
The following day practise round. NO!!!! raining cats and dogs, the morning vertical, the afternoon horizontal. Spent the afternoon in Dooleys hotel restaurant bar and after several guinnesses things started to look a lot brighter.
The first tournament day: sky is looking brighter. Head off to the golf course only to realise I'm staying further away than what I thought, 45 mins drive without use of Nav system.
Arrive at club, OOPS!! forgot my golf shoes and waterproofs lying on my bed in the guest house. 'It's guinness pay back time'.
Bought some shoes, over trousers: "no don't need them, it won't rain today!". Game underway playing the course blind: 4 over after 3 holes s..t.
The remaining 15 holes I drop another 4 shots to shoot an 80, and got soaked through to the skin as the heavens decided to open up while we're standing on the 18th tee.
Signed my card, tried to raise a smile, and then drove off back to the guest house steaming away in the car, good shoes feet were nice and dry.
Day 2*: 'Skies looking much brighter, new shoes feeling good, I'm feeling good'. As I got called to the first tee I remember what one of the West Waterford members said to me as I was leaving the club yesterday: things can only get better laddie'.
My course familiarity helped 3 over on the front 9 and 1 under on the back 9, for a 2 over par 74.
I'm now just in the top ten.
A good round tomorrow and I can beat my 7th place in Slovenia.
Day 3* Good weather but very windy. Spoke briefly with the home pro Tim Murphy, and he thought that this would be the most difficult scoring day.
Thanking him for his tip I got called to the first tee.
I Struggled a bit on the front 9 holes, but managed to keep my mistakes to a minimum 3 over par, but now the tougher back 9 holes.
4 x up and downs from the side of the green brought me back in level par total 75 +3 and the best score of the day.
I guess Tim Murphy was right especially bearing in mind the strength of players that were playing in this event.
Sure I beat my 7th place.
I ended up in joint 3rd position.
Ist place was Stephen Shields Eng, and 2nd went to a Dane Micheal Flindt.
Doug Young, and myself shared the 3rd spot.
I had a great time in Ireland, The golf course, the people, and the nature ( guinness at the right time). Looking forward to returning next year.
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@ Ireland |
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Posted: 2010-09-07
14:30:10 |
My first Senior challenge tour was played in Bled Slovenia. Drove down with pro/ friend Peader Lawlor. 11 Hours later we got to our destination: The Lake House Inn. To our surprise the small hotel was only some 50 metres from the 10th tee. Most of the other competitors coming from 9 other countries stayed in the golf club's main hotel, where as Peader, myself, and full senior tour pro Chris Linstead, had the luxury of the Lake House Inn for ourselves. The accommodation was clean and comfortable, excellent service, perfect position for all the golf amenities( already booked for next year) and a breakfast big enough to feed an army.
First practise day playing with american pro Willie Hickson. He can boom the ball a mile and Brit pro Simon Parker, he's just a bit short of a mile. My play went quite well, finished with a 4 over par not bad on a course measuring 6300 metres, although the altitude does help quite a bit.
First day tournament, always different when the chips are down. I shot an 8 over par 81 and struggled big time with the putter.
Day 2* and 3* still putting poorly 2 x 6 over par 79's, but enjoyed the competition the fantastic views all around this beautifully well kept golf course. It's very easy to see why it's rated 54th amongst the top 100 best in europe. The winner was Slovenian Daniel Kraljic, a whisker in front of 2 x tour winner Stephen Shields, the 2 of them were a mile away from the rest of the field. However I left with the feeling that if I could get the little stick working then I could make a big improvement on my 7th position.
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@ Slovenia
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