Tournament Reports 2009
NEW YEAR’S EVE MIXED PAIRS 31/12/09
The last competition of year took place on the 31st December and 12 teams joined it.
Kris Gray and Brenda Clark Whittle ended up the year with a very nice win with 39 points, followed by Steven and Elaine Gray, with 38.
Prize presentation was held at the Clubhouse and was hosted by Club Vice Captain Philip Lockyer.
BRADLEY’S HUGS FUN TOURNAMENT 30/12/09
Following on the success of the first Bradley’s Hugs Tournament held in 2008, 32 players entered anonymously to form random teams of 4 players who would play a Texas Scramble.
The winning team of this social competition was formed by Kris Gray, Patrick Wood, Hetty Ulijn and Gerry Tompkins.
All members and guests enjoyed this fun competition where we could see people in fancy dresses and non golfing outfits.
CHRISTMAS PAIRS BETTER BALL 28/12/09
5 pairs competed on the Christmas Pairs Better Ball competition held on the Indiana course on the 28th of December.
Kris Gray and Brenda Clark Whittle took the win by 3 points over Dennis Stafford and Mike Wherlock. Kris and Brenda managed to score 38 points.
Club Vice Captain Philip Lockyer hosted the prize presentation at El Torrente Restaurant.
THE PRESIDENT’S CUP 7/11/09
14 players took part in the 2009 President’s Cup held on the Indiana course at Desert Springs.
It was a tough scoring day, and competitors fought extremely hard to achieve good scores. Daniel Tochón took the win in the end with 33 points, same as Wikkie de Graaf. However, Daniel won on countback.
The prize presentation was held at the Clubhouse’s deck and hosted by Desert Springs Assistant Director of Golf Alfonso Castiñeira.
ALL SAINTS’ DAY STABLEFORD 1/11/09
The All Saints’ Day Stableford was held on the beautiful Indiana course at Desert Springs on the 1st of November.
This year’s twist consisted in the male competitors playing from the Championship tees, playing the competition under Stableford points system. This circumstance did not seem to bother Camilus Muldowney, who managed to score 38 points from the back tees with a handicap of 8. However, the winner of the edition was Helen Lavis, who made an astonishing round of 39 points.
THE CAPTAIN’S CHARITY DAY 24/10/09
Club Captain Barry Carver and the members of the Golf Club Committee held the Captain’s Charity Day on Saturday 24th of October 2009.
The day started with a Texas Scramble Competition, shotgun start, with 95 Members and Guests competing in perfect weather. Everyone enjoyed the fun day.
Prizes were presented to the winners and runners up at a Cava Reception hosted by the Captain in the Patio Andaluz before a Gala Dinner in the Clubhouse, attended by 124 members and guests. During the evening a raffle was held in aid of the Captain’s Charities.
The Captain gave a brief speech welcoming everyone, and thanking them for their participation in the day. He welcomed two visiting groups, one from Dunston Hall, Norfolk, England and a team from Aberdeen in Scotland.
The Captain of Dunston Hall thanked all members of Desert Springs for their warm welcome and invited them to a return match in Norfolk sometime in the future.
THE AUTUMN TROPHY 23/10/09
Following on the success of the Past Captain’s Team Challenge the Autumn Trophy took place on the 23rd of October as a warm up for the Captain’s Charity Day.
A field of 30 players entered the competition leaving Steve Baker on top of the leaderboard with 42 points, followed by Elaine Gray and Alan Patterson with 39 and 36 points respectively.
All members and visitors commented on the superb conditions of the greens of Desert Springs and the great weather of the day, which nearly reached 30º in October!
PAST CAPTAIN’S TEAM CHALLENGE 20/10/09
Club Captain Barry Carver together with past Captains, Freddie Beames, Pat Craig and Helen Lavis welcomed Club members and friends to take part in the first Captains’ Team Challenge on the 20th of October 2009.
Teams were selected at random from a list of 45 applicants. The team played Individual Stableford with the best 7 scores added together to make a total team score.
The competition was keenly contested resulting in the Captains team being the winners.
The results were as follows:-
Patrick Craig’s Team: 213 points
Freddie Beames’ Team: 225 points
Helen Lavis’ Team: 234 points
Barry Carver’s Team: 236 points
The trophy which was donated by all the past captains was presented to the winning team at a lunch held in the Clubhouse.
The highlight of the day was a hole in one on the 8th Hole by Pat Craig, witnessed by three other Captains, who all commented “This could be a very expensive day”.
THE DESERT CLASSIC 17/10/09
Desert Springs hosted the Desert Classic with a field of 30 players who competed in this 2 day event Stableford points competition.
The superb conditions of the Indiana course and the beautiful weather during both days delighted the competitors.
Amongst all players, Philip Lockyer and Helen Lavis had an extremely close battle to take the win over each other. Some great scoring was shown by both players, leaving Philip Lockyer in first position with 79 stableford points, while Helen Lavis ended up with 78!
THE CONSTITUTION CUP 8/10/09
15 players entered the 2009 Constitution Cup held at Desert Springs on the 8th of October 2009. Players competed on this 18 hole tournament under medal play format. The Constitution Cup winners would be the lady and the man with the lowest gross score, whilst the Salver winners would be the lady and the man with the lowest net score.
On the men’s side, Connor McCauley shot a 79 gross score to take the win, while Angela Bell shot 83 leaving her in first position.
Susan Kenny and Philip Lockyer won the Salver with 70 and 69 shot respectively.
SEPTEMBER GREENSOMES 26/09/09
Desert Springs hosted the September Greensomes on the 26th of September and 8 teams competed in greensome format for the championship.
With this format in which both players tee off on every hole, the best tee shot is selected and then both players must play alternate until the hole is finished.
The couple formed by George Manus and Marianne Manus took the win with 37 points, followed by David and Yvonne Barrows, who achieved 35 points.
SEPTEMBER STABLEFORD 19/09/09
The September Stableford gathered 15 players who played the always challenging Indiana course at Desert Springs.
The clear winner of the event was Desert Springs member Trevor Broughton who played a fantastic round achieving a total of 44 points, followed by Freddie Beames, who got 34. Finally, in third place, Daniel Tochón with 33 points.
THE SUMMER CHALLENGE CUP 08/08/09
26 players competed for the Summer Challenge Cup held on the 8th August at Desert Springs.
The hot conditions of the summer didn’t seem to bother some of the players who came up with some fantastic scores down the stretch.
Desert Springs Vice-Captain Phil Lockyer took the win with 38 stableford points, followed by a trio composed of Jordan Cantwell, Jacob Carver and Brent Clark-Whittle, all of them with 37 points.
DESERT SPRINGS MED-FORD 26/07/09
Following on the Professional’s Challenge Cup, the Desert Springs Med-Ford took place on the 26th of July with a field of 18 players.
This format is a mixture of the Medal Play and Stableford, in which players will play medal on the front nine, and then subtract the stableford points achieved on the back nine.
The winner of the event was Reegan Botham, who made a fantastic stableford score of 42 points, followed by Elaine Gray with 38. Brad Vanstone and Harry Hitchins were tied for third with 37 points.
THE PROFESSIONAL’S CHALLENGE CUP 25/07/09
On 27th July 2009, Desert Springs Golf Professional Alfonso Castiñeira challenged all players to beat him on an 18 hole Stableford competition.
A total of 22 players took a chance to defeat Alfonso, who would set up the target score with a round of level par, 36 points.
Out of the 22 players, only Elaine Gray and Connor McCauley managed to score better than 36 point. Both Connor and Elaine got magnificent scores of 38 points, which was enough to take the trophy!
All members and guests enjoyed the competition and the social side which took place after the event.
THE DIRECTOR’S TROPHY 6/06/09
11 players went out on the 6th of June to the Indiana course at Desert Springs to play for the Director’s Trophy.
Two ladies and nine men enjoyed the superb conditions of the Indiana course and sunny weather of the Almanzora region in Almería.
After the competition, the two ladies came in at a tie at the top of the leaderboard with 33 points. However, Wikkie de Graaf took the win on count back! Helen Lavis took the second place, followed by Philip Lockyer with 30 points.
THE SPRING CUP 16/05/09
18 players competed over an 18 hole competition at the Indiana Course on the 16th of May to win the Spring Cup.
Coming back to the winners circle, and after a very tight battle, Roger Andrews claimed the victory with 38 points, followed by Anne Thorpe with 37 points. In third place, Robert Barton Hill with 35 points.
Everyone commented on the superb condition of the golf course and the beautiful weather throughout the day and enjoyed a beautiful golfing day.
THE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIP & HANDICAP SALVER 18 & 19/04/09
The Club Championship and Handicap Salver 2009 tested our members with a golf course in tournament conditions, and the wind challenged all players to use their best golf. Helen Lavis claimed the victory on the ladies side while Roger Butters managed to take the win for the men’s competition.
The handicap salver was won by Susan Kenny for the ladies and Fergus Smyth for the men.
THE CAPTAIN’S DRIVE IN 16/04/09
Barry Carver started his Captaincy with the Drive-In, “Golfing through the ages” on the 16th of April. Many members turned up, some in period costume, and enjoyed drinks at the Cave Bar followed by the Drive In.
Pegs had been placed on the fairway to guess where the Captain’s Drive would land. The lucky winner of this was Jim Kelly. The competition of the day was a Texas Scramble with shotgun start. 22 teams of 4 enjoyed a super days golf.
In the evening the prize giving was held in the Patio Andaluz of the Clubhouse with a punch reception before dining in the El Torrente Restaurant. The dinner was well supported, with many members commenting on the excellent food and service.
The charity events held throughout the day raised €3,020 for the Captain’s Charities. Barry Carver thanked everyone for their help and generosity, making the evening such a great success.
THE EASTER CUP 12/04/09
On the 12th of April 2009 the annual Easter Cup took place, which awards the best Stableford score over 18 holes on the Indiana course at Desert Springs.
A total of 51 players participated in this competition and battled to win the Cup.
However, after a very tight battle, Aisling McCambridge claimed the victory with an astonishing score of 44 stableford points, followed by Sue Wood, with 40 points. In third place, with 35 points, Leo Kenny completed the podium.
THE INDIANA MASTERS 04 & 05/04/09
The Indiana Masters took place on the 4th and 5th of April on the Indiana course at Desert Springs. 29 players entered this 2 day competition and played some great golf in beautiful sunny conditions.
After the 2 tournament rounds, Tony Kelly had posted two remarkable rounds of 37 points each, for a total of 74 points. Richard Dunphy came in second place after rounds of 28 and 39 points for a total of 66 points, followed very closely by James Brooke, with 37 and 29 for 65 points overall.
ST PATRICK’S DAY BOWL 17/03/09
Traditionally, Desert Springs celebrates a tournament on St. Patrick’s Day. This year, a total of 29 players entered the Competition. The sunny conditions and the great shape of the course helped the contestants to post great scores.
Eventually the winner was Lynne Taylor, with an outstanding round of 40 points, followed by Kirby Garrod, with 39 and Dennis Stafford and Michael Neilan, both with 36 points.
The prize presentation was held during the St. Patrick’s Day dinner.
THE IRISH INTERNATIONAL 14/03/09
The first competition of March was the Irish International. Since the beginning of this event, Ireland battled the Rest of the World, with outstanding success for the Rest of the World. This year, 40 players entered the competition to try to defend their team. It was close until the very end, where the Rest of the World took the advantage which would keep the trophy in the Rest of the World’s cabinet.
Individually, Lawrence Meldrum had a remarkable round with 40 points, 5 more than his closest pursuers.
The prize presentation took place at the deck, at the Clubhouse, and was hosted by Club Vice Captain Barry Carver.
ANDALUCÍA DAY TOURNAMENT 27/02/09
On the Andalucía day, historically the 27th of February, 11 players competed in this Individual Stableford competition. The Indiana course was in beautiful condition and a tight battle between George Manus and Hugh Mullins, both of them with 34 points, ended up with the victory on count back of George. Brian Chapman was third with 33.
DESERT SPRINGS OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP 13 & 14/02/09
The annual Desert Springs Open Championship took place on the 13th and 14th of February 2009. This competition is a 2 day event Stableford competition. The player with the most points after the 2 rounds would receive the trophy.
A field of 10 players competed on the Indiana Course at it’s best, and some good scores were seen. Catherine Chapman took the win with a total of 69 points, followed very closely by Brian Chapman, with 68, who was the first round leader with 37 points. Third place was for Freddie Beames and Pat Clay, both with 64 points.
The prize presentation was held at the Clubhouse and hosted by Club Vice Captain Barry Carver.
EPIPHANY CHALLENGE 06/01/09
On the 6th January 2009 Desert Springs hosted the Epiphany Challenge. The great conditions of the Indiana Course and beautiful weather throughout made the Three Kings Day very enjoyable.
The winner of the tournament was Fergus Smyth, who played extraordinary well to score 33 points, followed by John Coleman with 31 and Gill Hudson with 30.
Past Captain Helen Lavis hosted the prize presentation at the observation deck at the Clubhouse.
COMMUNITY TROPHY 03/01/09
Traditionally, the first competition of the year brings together all of the communities at Desert Springs. The Community Trophy is an event where all members, residents and guests represent their community and play against the other communities at Desert Spring. The best four individual Stableford scores from each community would add up towards the final team score.
The winning community this year was Desert Drive, represented by Wikkie de Graaf, Philip Lockyer, Sue and Patrick Wood and Michael Wherlock, with a final score of 142 points. In the runner-up spot the community of La Fuente de la Palmera achieved 140 points. Third place was secured by La Estrella with 132 points, and finally, Buena Vista with 126.
After competition, all players enjoyed tapas and wine at El Torrente Restaurant while the prize presentation was taking place.
