Levante Golf Society
January 10, Hans Benzler Swedish stroke play challenge
A new event in the Levante Golf Society calendar held at Benidorm, Levante, was the inaugural Hans Benzler Swedish Stroke play Challenge on January 10. Hans, one of the most frequent, enthusiastic and successful players of LGS kindly offered to sponsor this event by donating a crystal glass sculpture as the winning trophy.
Course conditions were very good, with greens in excellent state. The weather forecasts had predicted the first rainfall of 2020, but that thankfully stayed away until after the competition was completed. Temperatures at the start of the day had many of the players dressed more for a Swedish winter than a Costa Blanca coolish day, with many wearing multiple layers of clothing and ‘beenie’ hats, though bizarrely society captain Don Larner opted for shorts. During the round, the sun came out, temperatures rose and layers were removed.
The format chosen by Hans was individual Stroke play (medal), a welcome change to the more usual Stableford scoring. Fittingly the best round of the day was by Hans with a net score of 72, just beating Neville Richardson (also on 72) on count back. With the sponsor excluding himself from his own competition the trophy went to Neville, who having had an unsuccessful round with his driver earlier in the week, opted to take out his driver only once - on the eighteenth.
Second place in the competition was taken by John Snelling, playing excellent golf and finishing on a net 73 from a handicap on the day of 13. Third, fourth and fifth places went to Paul Sankey, Mike Harding and Roger Miller respectively. Special mention is also deserved by guest, Mike Longmire who also had a net 72 from a handicap of 12, and was also nearest the pin on the third. Nearest the pin on the fourteenth was Don Larner, presumably having warmed up by that stage.
The excellent conditions of the greens was emphasised by the fact that 11 twos were recorded - some weeks there are none - leading to prizes being given only to Les Vine and John Snelling, both of whom had two twos. (Is that a Desmond?) Shot of the day was by the Society’s Honorary Life President who holed an 11 metre putt on the fourteenth for a two.
The next four weeks see the Captain’s Drive-In at La Sella, an individual Stableford competition at Oliva Nova followed by a team game at the same course and then an individual Stableford at Alicante Golf.