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February 2022 members newsletter

PINCH PUNCH ON AMERICA

The first day of a new month. A very healthy field of 64 players. A heavy handicap punishment for Diane Parslow. Richard Ledgard to the fore again. Decent playing conditions if careful with your putting touch. Results, briefly expressed, showed Diane Parslow, still shaking from her hole-in-one, and now chalking up a 40 which left her clear at the head of the ladies leaderboard. There were four on 35 but handicaps decided that Jing Kruppa came second, Caz Rosselli third, Wendy Warren fourth, and Judi Lentelink fifth. Diane was cut a substantial 4.9 and will be hard put to better that round.

L/r Jing, Caz, Wendy.

Daniel Mednedev may have failed in his bid for a successive second Grand Slam but our Richard Ledgard, back on the playing scene once more, chalked up a second Tuesday win out of two, but only just. Good humoured Manfred Wetzel had the same 36 points but was kept from top spot by inferior handicap. David Lansdowne, who must have been working hard on his game back home in England, was third with 35, thus easing out headliner Liam O’Brien who won’t be similarly treated in future at the rate he is getting better.

None were present at the camera shoot.

NEW RULES FOR PRIZE GIVING

Not surprisingly national restrictions impinge on our little get togethers at the weekend. Until further notice, which could be sooner than this paragraph remains necessary, masks must be worn and social distance maintained in all photographs.

LEST WE FORGET 3

The Bramble

By Judi Lentelink

This competition was first played in February 2014, under the Captaincy of Alan Jewett. He had been advised that the members needed some new competitions to play as they were bored with ‘same old, same old’, so Alan did some research and came up with the Bramble, Lone Ranger, 3 Little Pigs, Play it Again Sam, & 40 Balls. The most popular was the Bramble, which over the years has become a competition that has been modified so much, and had so many variations played that the original competition is quite bland by comparison! However, be that as it may, one might say its popularity is not as high as it used to be, though its concept does give high handicappers the chance to score more points for their team off someone else’s drive!

The Roll-ups

Before the advent of the roll-ups, every week the members would make up their own 4- balls for a Thursday game of golf. More often than not it was either a social game between friends or a hard fought 4-ball betterball! The courses and tee-times varied for each group depending on how busy La Cala was at the time, and the idea of booking a block of tee- times well ahead to ensure everyone a game reasonably close together, was born.

The mens’ roll-up was first started by Arthur O’Connor in 2014, and the Bramble was adopted as the competition of choice, each organiser over the years making up their own variations. The ladies roll-up first started out under the Captaincy of Celia Massey in 2013, when she initiated the monthly ‘Lady Captain’s Social Golf.’ This took place on the last Thursday of each month, and after the game the ladies would have a light lunch with wine etc... This continued for a couple of years, until such time as the ladies followed the mens’ example and every Thursday became a ‘roll-up’ with one lady organising and the meal was discontinued.

Both the ladies and the men enjoy their Thursday golf games, some say more so than Tuesdays and the weekends....with no pressure to play to handicap, or to help the team get that bottle of wine, it’s all about the money!!

A WELCOME GUEST

Not for the first time Ole Blomholt, a guest/friend of Peter Edstrom, figured in the picture taking prize giving after the AM/AM played on Sunday 6th. The time sheet shows him as playing off -5 so any of the competing 4-balls would have opened their arms to him? He and his host were in the winning team:

1st with 97 points l/r Ole Blomholt, Isabella Rippinger, Peter Edstrom, Iain Macaulay.
2nd on 92 were l/r Pat Reid, Barbara Reading, Martin Dawkins, Brendan Walsh.
3rd with 90 came l/r Martin Hornsby, Jan Debrauwer, Achim Schmidt, Anne Mills.

A CAPTAIN’S TALE

As regulars know Saturday/Sunday is time for prize giving after the day’s competition. Rewards are distributed to Tuesday’s top scorers before the day’s activities are recognised by bottles of wine or vouchers. Unfortunately Tuesday’s winners are not always in attendance at the weekend and such was the case when Captain Peter Bradley, already establishing a reputation for his humour, offered the following announcement:

“In these Covid times when we each mark our own card and keep a check of our playing partner’s score, 99.999999999% of golfers world wide put their own score on the top line of the scorecard and their playing partner’s below. We are fortunate that in La Cala we have the other 0.000000001% who like to do the opposite! Hence, when the buggy desk enters the score from the card they use the top line and the player’s label as shown on the card. This meant that on Tuesday said player was awarded 22 points instead of the 33 he thought he had. After investigation and correction his 33 was reinstated. Not wishing to embarrass him I will not name him ( at which point Brendan Walsh stood up and identified himself as the culprit) but just say he finished in fifth place.”

In fifth place, winning a voucher for 10 euros was Mr Brendan Walsh”!

It might be added that “stood up” is a considerable understatement. Our never bashful Irish friend leapt to his feet, waved his arms, bowed to each corner of the clubhouse, and doubtless appreciated the applause and laughter.

SLOW START FOR THE LADIES – BUT ENJOYABLE.

According to Caz Rosselli anyway:

“The ladies had their first senior ladies league interclub match today (Feb 7th) away at Anoreta. We had a lovely day with warm sunshine. The matches were all played in good humour. La Cala won one match and lost two with two matches going to the 18th. We had a lovely meal starting with a Málaga special fish soup Gazpachuelo, followed by pork in a wine sauce and finishing with brownie and chocolate ice cream, so we all left for home feeling very full if not jubilant!”

Our ladies to the right and from l to r = Caz, Anna Maria van Anderlecht, Corinna Dawkins, Diane Parslow, Mary Madigan, Wendy Warren.

THIRD TIME LUCKY

Senegal have lost twice previously in the final of the Africa League of Nations, AFCON to soccer lovers. This year things were different though. Not least because it was the pandemic delayed 2021 competition which has just ended, and they won! On penalties after extra time. Sadio Mani, who is a key player for Liverpool and captain of the national team, scored the deciding goal. The Teranga Lions, as they are called, are probably still roaring.

PHILIP AKSEL FRIGAST ZINKERNAGEL

This may not be a name with which many are familiar. It is certainly one to test the skills of soccer shirt embroiderers. The 26 year old Dane is actually a Watford player but is currently on loan to Nottingham Forest for whom he scored the all important opening goal against the theoretically better Leicester City in the F A Cup last weekend. Forest went on to register a deserved 4-1 victory and to see the support they got from a packed stadium brought back vivid memories of Brian Clough days.

THE MONTH’S MEDAL

56 men took part on Tuesday 8th on America. 6 qualified for a DQ. Two tied for first place with net 70’s but Pat Madigan’s enviable handicap saw him comfortably home, with Richard Ledgard so close to three Tuesday wins in a row. Must be something in the Santana lasagna? Also with similar 75 scores were Derek Steele and Mike Fisher, rated in that sequence.

L/r Derek, Pat, Richard.

The ladies boasted 16 participants but managed 5 DQ/NR’s. That’s eleven overall on the day? Unusual. Not amongst them was the overall winner Arlene Bewley Doyle with a net 75, followed by Liisa Lindstrom’s 76, and Ursula Wetzel’s 77. Just for the record Jing Kruppa and Laura Thompson were the same.

None were available for picture taking.

CEREAL PROBLEM

Lilian doesn’t normally bring her iPad to the breakfast table but, having read up on BBC news whilst sipping her early morning cuppa in bed, she seemed keen to bring something to Scribbler’s attention. It was the Brit Awards, an event of which he knew nothing and only captured her attention because most of the female contestants were dressed in the near nude. A sartorial style of which she clearly did not approve. My head nodded in agreement but the sight of so much flesh almost put me off my cornflakes, There was a fleeting temptation to transpose one or two into the newsletter but will power won. Fortunately the winner, a singer named Adele was unusually modest in her attire so can be used to illustrate the above paragraph.

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

A glance at the Start Sheet was enough to see that our Captains were in challenging mode when they paired so many “couples’ together in their “St.Valentine’s Day” Round Robin Stableford. Varied were the tales and comments as players handed in their cards afterwards but all was forgiven when each of the ladies received a rose and a box of chocolates as a timely present from Kate and Peter, including one for my Lilian, which was a nice thought and greatly appreciated.

There were no remarks about the course and a few missing winners from Tuesday so your cameraman had a quiet visit to the clubhouse and its changing face.

The lawn that used to be next to the clubhouse dome is no more. Eventually, it is understood, it will provide more space for socialising and more cover too.

Rather appropriately the captains did well themselves, including the 2’s, but more importantly as part of the winning team with 92 points

L/r Roy Davies, Peter Bradley, Jill Davies, Kate Bradley.
2nd with 88 came l/r Terry Morgan, Martin Collins, Pat Reid (was it ever thus?).
3rd on 86 were l/rAlan Jewett, Wendy Warren, Caz and Rob Rosselli.

Those teams in 4th 5th 6th and 7th places each got 85 but last, with a paltry 68 points, very surprisingly, came a four containing the two Reading’s, both formidable contestants. For some reason Adrian was at pains to inform the Scribbler that Darren Edwardes was not his son. For reasons unclear.

NOT QUITE AS ORIGINALLY IMAGINED

Former owner and member Brian Elmore was 90 on the 9th. Normally this would have been an occasion to remember, and in a sad sort of way, it will be. After prolonged ill health Brian was taken into Marymount Hospital in Kinsale, Ireland, for an indefinite period. Ever thoughtful, ever generous, he nevertheless invited Eileen and Eddie Plunkett, Lilian and myself to his birthday party, albeit accompanied by apologies for absence. The four of us enjoyed ourselves suitably but made a point of ringing him from the table and, later, sending him a handful of photographs of which one is below together with one of Brian in happier times and as many members will remember him.

L/r Scribbler, wife Lilian, Eileen and Eddie.
Brian of yore with wife Muriel.

LONG LIVE THE MASHIES

Brian has been a member of this elderly sub-section of Kinsale Golf Club, near Cork in Ireland. Indeed he has been President for a while and there was to have been a rare occasion in his honour on his birthday. Unfortunately now postponed indefinitely.

The Mashies have a regular newsletter and an erudite editor whose words Scribbler enjoys whenever Brian sends a copy which, being truthful about a friend of long standing, is usually when he has been written about! This month the following has been ‘pinched’ for the possible enjoyment of our readers.

"It is fascinating what you can find on the web where an idle search uncovered the following:

“Golf’s long and colourful history is well documented. Its origins, however, have always been uncertain. Sir Walter Simpson, an early golf historian, writes in The Art of Golf, published in 1887, that golf at St. Andrews probably began when a shepherd idly hit a stone into a hole with his crook. We will have to rely on Gerry Fagan, our resident Scot, currently smarting after a tight defeat to Wales in Cardiff over the weekend, as to the veracity of this yarn.

An anonymous nineteenth century poet gives us a charming poetic version of this apocryphal story.

A SAD DATE IN THE PERRY DIARY

It was February 15th 1996 when Lilian collapsed on the first tee of her golf club having suffered a brain haemorrhage - and hasn’t played since. A life changing day for us both. She studies the Tuesday Start Sheets and was able to watch some of the play on America as the Stableford unfolded before her 26 years on. Less interested in the skills but able to recognise some of the members with whom she can no longer mingle.

One of the lady players, Ursula Wetzel, enjoyed a wondrous round of 44 points which, not surprisingly, earned her an invitation to the prizegving and a handicap reduction of 2.3 Five points behind came Arlene Bewley Doyle, playing well at the moment. Then there was Mary Madigan with 38 and Kate Bradley on 37.

Brian Garvey doesn’t often appear at the head of the male leaderboard but his face can often be found on the picture rostrum. 37 was his score which was bad news for Richard Hinds who finished level but second! Adrian Reading notched 35 and thus edged out 82 year old Michael Kruppa on handicap, his age being mentioned ````````````````` by way of some consolation and to quieten the doubters in our midst!

L/r Richard, Michael, Brian, Adrian.

TRUISM

Some people don’t hesitate to speak their mind because they have nothing to lose.

THE CHANGING WORLD

Whoever thought, when looking for a career, that there might one day be a need for “a TikTok influencer”!

ARTHUR O’CONNOR REPORTS

“The Senior team's second fixture of 2022 was against Miraflores, away on 11/2 followed by the return at home on 16/2. Both fixtures being played in glorious weather. The bad news was that we lost our star man, Pat Madigan, who had to pull out with a back injury the day before but it was great to see him turn up at Miraflores to support the team. However his replacement Alan Jewett did not let us, or his partner Barry Curran down, producing our only win resulting in a team score of of 7-2 in favour of the home team at the half way stage. Europa was the designated course for the return. Our better understanding of the fairways and greens proved decisive with Alan & Barry repeating their away performance and Arthur & Gerry winning also. The only defeat being suffered by Adrian & Brendan. The 6-3 score line however was insufficient to turn round the first leg defeat. As a team we are still coming to terms with the new league format. The aggregate result of the 2 matches against Miraflores was 10-8 in their favour whereas under the old format it would have been 3-3. It's a good format but it shows that we can't relax even when apparently in control of the match as points were lost on the 9th green. The positive is that we are moving in the right direction improving on the 11-7 defeat against La Canada. Although less important than the match result, the after match festivities at both venues was excellent with our waitress service at La Cala being first class. The only blot on the landscape was Brendan pitching up to the dinner table chomping on a bag of crisps from the bar then being unable to finish his spaghetti bolognese as he was full!

Next up Alhaurin!“

Thanks, Arthur. A camera doesn’t count as a 15th club, you know!

GOLDEN BALL RULES

The reading space allotted at the head of our Start Sheets measures 3.5 x 12 cms, an optimistic calculation on the part of the page designer. As our Captains scratch their heads to create competitions of increasing complication even the scroll facility is put to the test. Such an occasion was the 19th and the play on Asia. This was a day when Peter Bradley could have done with a quiet audience for his post play announcements and prize giving. It was not to be though. The club’s temperamental microphone gave up completely after a stuttering start leaving Peter, a quietly spoken gentleman, no chance of being heard over the loud, bordering on noisy, male guests occupying a sizeable portion of the dome. Substantially sized, un-smiling, and with a mother tongue of a harsh, almost aggressive tone, one could understand Peter’s un-willingness to repeat his opening apologetic explanation as to what was about to take place. The following results will have made no sense to them and will not have been heard by some of our own.

1st with 163 points were l/r Louis Lentelink, Annamaria Van Anderlecht, Michael Kruppa, Eddie Plunkett.
2nd with 159 also l/r Erling Johnsen, Ursula Wetzel, JP Karlsson, Marc de Jonghe.
3rd on 159 and handicap came l/r Iain Macaulay, Wendy Warren, Gerda de Brouwere, Simon Buddery.

SENIOR LADIES INTERCLUB

“The ladies from Anoreta visited La Cala on Monday 21st February for their return match. The sun shone on Campo America and the La Cala team were full of hope to overturn the loss we had at Anoreta a couple of weeks previously. It started well with Mary & Diane defeating their pair on the 15th. Corinna & Caz put up a good fight against their pair but with one of their opponents scoring over 40 points on their own ball they were defeated on the 16th, both Anoreta ladies got their tee shots within three feet leaving Corinna & Caz needing a hole in one to extend the match! Wendy & Annamarie gave their best to try to beat their pair but were defeated on the 17th. We had a lovely friendly meal afterwards of lasagna and apple tart that seemed to go down very well. The day was finished off with Caz giving a short speech in her best Spanish. Google translate comes in very handy but doesn’t help with the pronunciation!“

Full marks for trying linguistically Caz, and thank you for the report.

The warring factions. Our ladies in white. La Cala pairings l/r Mary Madigan & Diane Parslow; Corinna Dawkins & Caz Rosselli; Wendy Warren & Anna Maria Anderlecht.

THERE’S MORE TO LIFE THAN SCRIBBLING

One of the enforced pleasures in my life is the weekly visit to the ladies hair salon in the spa. Not for a ‘short back and sides’ let me add hastily, although I’m sure the ever busy Eva could do something creative with what little there is left. No, my raison d’etre is as deliverer and returner of Lilian for the event which makes her week. It being too short a stay to make going home worth while I sit comfortably in a special chair organised by Pablo, the likeable Director of the spa, and divide my time between watching from the wash stage to the last intricate placement of hair.Sometimes even joining the conversation. It has been an education!

Last week there was an unexpected bonus when I bumped into Ivonne Chisholm, the Resort’s recently recruited Guest Relations Manager. A lively character with an interesting world wide career path. She is busy gathering as much information as she can, listening to opinions, and working on a report which will be going out to all members and owners shortly. It will tell us what is happening now, what is to come, and thereafter keep us better informed than previously. We hope. We also wish her well.

LIFE IN THE OLD DOG YET

Once upon a time no prizegiving was complete without Past Captain Alan Jewett springing forward more than once to collect the rewards for his ever consistent efforts. Then came the pandemic which led to him and his wife Wendy retreating to their native homeland, the U S of A. Since their welcome return Wendy has featured quite regularly at the weekends but cometh Asia on Tuesday 22nd, in weather just made for golf, it was Alan who shone most brightly. 40 points left him clear at the head of a field of 41 male players of which four were NR’s. Guest Jamie Hooper, a very good golfer, came second but doesn’t count in the results, politely said. Never one to miss an opportunity is burly Pat Reid whose 37 was enough to earn second place ahead of Pat Madigan and Louis Lentelink each with 36.

L/r Alan Jewett, Pat Madigan, Pat Reid.

In the midst of moving home, with all the upheaval that involves, Jing Kruppa managed to chalk up 39 points and finish first of 26 female competitors. Mary Evans, who comes and goes, came this Tuesday and earned second place with 36, followed by Karen O’Connor 35 and, a name from yesteryear, Caroline Bacon with 34.

Jing.

TEXAS SCRAMBLE

The format of the last members' competition this month was a Texas Scramble. 52 players participated on a relatively cold and cloudy Sunday. The following three teams won:

1st with a score of 57.6 l/r Michael Dawson, Gerry Rippinger, Helena Widegren, Pat Madigan.
2nd with a score of 58.2 l/r Rob Rosselli, Monique Peters, Caz Rosselli, Martin Collins.
3rd with a score of 60.1 l/r Anne Mills, Simon Buddery, Pat Reid. Kate Bradley was also part of this team but handed out the prizes to the winners while this picture was taken.

A VERY SAD END TO THE MONTH

It has just come to our notice that Wendy Fretwell has passed away. She was an immensely popular and talented member. The memorial service for Wendy will be on March 11th. Members able to attend will be most welcome.

Taken when Wendy got her hole in one on Europa's 9th.

Scribbler has already made reference to Brian Elmore but, not unexpectedly, it must now be added that he too left this planet on the 23rd at 0730, peacefully, in his care home bed. Funerals follow quickly in Ireland and his will be over by the time this is read.

Apologies for the abrupt ending but Scribbler will be in Kinsale to say goodbye to a good friend and there is the eulogy to be dreamed up yet!

Finally, thanks to Dorothee for bringing things to a conclusion in my absence.