A mere 2 points back in Third with 37 points was Andy Hood (10 H’cap). Had he not failed to score on Holes 8 and 16, Andy would have been in the mix for first place, a position he’ll surely try for again on his next trip to Taba Heights. Fourth place was also decided on a countback as Simon Oddie (22 H’cap) managed to nudge out rival Doujok (31 H’cap) thanks to a batter back 3 holes of 5 points. Winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Second and Third place were decided on a countback as both Anesi Reinhard (29 H’cap) and Arthur Kouiszer (28 H’cap) scored 37 points. They were separated over the last 9 as Anesi come home in 21 points with Arthur one point further back. Delighted winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Second and Third place were decided on a countback as both Peter Smith (22 H’cap) and Asif Pardhan (28 H’cap) scored 37 points each. They were separated over the last 9 holes as Peter come home in a superb 21 points while Asif managed only 17 points. Winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Barbora Majkova (28 H’cap) had the honour of being crowned the first champion of 2010 in the Taba Heights Weekly Golf Series as she returned the best score of 41 points. Consecutive 9’s of 20 and 21 points handed Barbora first place, however her score would have been better had it not been a for a slight stumble over the closing two holes that yielded only 1 point. This left a slight disappointment to the round that was otherwise a consistent performance.

Second place was claimed by Gary Thompson (12 H’cap) with 37 points, while back in third and claiming the final place in the winners’ enclosure for the opening event of 2010 was Petr Marek (16 H’cap) with 34 points. Delighted winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Picquet Bruno (27 H’cap) was crowned Christmas Champion for 2009 with a fabulous score of 41 points, a 5-point winning margin. Bruno sprinted to the turn i an incredible 25 points that included a stunning start of five 3-point holes and a 4-pointer. As he stood on the 10th there were thoughts of a remarkable 18-hole total, but unfortunately Bruno couldn’t maintain the pace he’d set and finished in 16 points.

Second place was awarded to George Reynolds (22 H’cap) with 37 points, while back in third place was Mike Reynolds. Delighted winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Lee Scott (16 H’cap) took the title this week with a superbly crafted 42 points. Scott emerged from a the field a clear winner by 5 points, 9’s of 20 and 22 points proved to be a winning formula as Lee picked up an amazing eight 3-point holes in addition to a 4-pointer on Hole 10.

Second and third place were decided on a count back as both John Chadderton (12 H’cap) & Jack Parsons (14 H’cap) scored 37 points. Chadderton just took second with a better back 9 of 20 points to Parson’s 19, courtesy of some very consistent golf over as he covered the tricky finish with six 2-point holes. Delighted winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

The second round of the 2009-2010 Race to Taba Heights Series saw UK visitor Andrew Cheesewright (16 H’cap) narrowly emerge as champion with a well constructed round of 36 points. Second place went to Rob Elliman (22 H’cap) on 35 points, and Third Place was taken by the familiar face of Tony Lowe 10 H’cap. A regular visitor, Lowe admittedly didn’t perform to his expectations but was ecstatic to be amongst the winners on 33 points. Prizes were presented from Taba Heights Golf Resort and Marriott Rea Sea Resort Taba Heights.

Race to Taba Heights is an 18-hole individual Stableford competition staged once a month for over four months in conjunction with the Marriott Red Sea Resort. Players participating in a minimum of two tournaments qualify to win a holiday for two. The next event will take place again as of 11 December 2009. To enter contact golf@tabaheights.com or call +2 012 739 9448.

Steve May (14 H’cap) returned the week’s best score with 35 points as he held off the chasing pack by 4 shots on a day when scoring was made testing by the strong Red Sea winds. Reaching the turn in only 15 points, Steve stepped it up a gear to come home in 20 points that included 8 points over the final testing 3 holes.

Second place went to Howard Cooper (15 H’cap) on 31 points, whilst Howard’s wife Jean Cooper (28 H’cap) claiming third place on 29 points. Winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Next week’s Pro-Am competitor David Smith (14 H’cap) made the perfect preparations to head into the tournament in a winning frame of mind as he claimed first place in the Weekly Series event. On his fourth return visit to Taba Heights, Smith managed a well-crafted 32 points in testing conditions as a strong breeze swept across the course, claiming victory courtesy of a better back 3 hole countback of 6 points over 5 points by Cyrille Gribavval (10 H’cap).

Only one point further back in Third place was Peter Seddon (8 H’cap). Peter’s third place was again decided by a countback, this time over the last 9 holes with a score of 17 points. Winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Cinzia Conconi (31 H’cap) turned on the style to claim first place with 39 Stableford Points. Having gotten off to a less than the best of starts with no points scored at hole one, Cinzia steadied the ship to reach hole 9 with 16 points. Standing at hole 10 with the realisation that things needed to improve, she followed with a run of three 3-point holes and finished off a great back 9 with another 3 pointer. Cinzia came home in 23 points, leaving the field in her wake by 5 whole points.
 
Second place was awarded to Henrik Nielens (28 H’cap) with 34 points. His round would have been much better but for a slight stubble mid-way through the back 9 as holes 12, 13 and 14 gave him only 2 points. Claiming third place with 33 points was Giovanni Ferretti (12 H’cap), whose round also promised much more but then failed to deliver as the tricky finishing holes of 17 and 18 rewarded his best efforts with a single point.
 
Winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

This week’s winner raced away from the field with 43 points. Bosin Hubert (22 H’cap) was triumphant by three clears shots from his closest rival. Bosin reached the turn in an astonishing 24 points that included no dropped shots and a Birdie 3 on Hole 4. He then set about the back 9 in similar fashion, collecting 3 points on Hole 10 to come. Coming home in 21 points required a sterling effort as he dropped shots on Holes 13 and 15.

In Second place was Chris Burrow (25 H’cap) with 40 points with, a score in itself that would usually take first place. Chris played very consistent golf that rewarded him with two halves of 20 points. One shot further back in Third place was Saso Kranjc (13 H’cap) at 39 points. Fourth and Fifth place were also separated by a single point as Jost Lajovec (23 H’cap) and Pavel Jaklin (28 H’cap) returned scores of 38 and 37 points respectively.
 
The winners congratulated Bosin for his excellent performance and all deserved winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Second place went to Italian golfer Massimilliano Gobbi (20 H’cap), visiting Taba Heights for the first time with a group of 20 golfers from Italy. He returned a score of 35 points, admittedly not his best round of the week, but he was very happy to be amongst the winners and is looking forward to doing even better a return visit. Raul Ricci (26 H’cap), also from Italy claimed third place with a score of 34 points, while fourth place on the podium went to British golfer John Bathgate (12 H’cap) with 33 points.

All players were delighted with an excellent day on the course, as the deserved winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Martin Stubbings (20 H’cap) was victorious in this event with 40 points. Martin started his round not in the best of form as he covered the first four holes in only 3 points. He managed to pick up two 3 pointers in a front 9 of 3 over par 15 points. Reaching Hole 10, Martin gained inspiration from the stunning mountain backdrop as he claimed a 4 pointer Birdie 4, that got his round back on track, he then proceeded to play the next six holes in 5 under par, coming home in 25 points to claim victory by 3 points.

Last week’s third place winner in the Race to Taba Heights Series, Julia Newman (32 H’cap) was back in the winner’s circle as she returned a score of 37 points to claim second spot. Third place went to James Holland (5 H’cap) with 34 points. James enjoyed playing the Par 3’s as he covered them in even Par that included a Birdie 2 on hole 13.

Yahya Sheded, Taba Heights Golf Resort Employee of the Year, was on hand to present the prizes as the deserved winners.

Race to Taba Heights is an 18-hole individual Stableford competition staged once a month for over four months. Players participating in a minimum of two tournaments qualify to win a holiday for two. The next event will take place again as of 11 December 2009. To enter contact golf@tabaheights.com or call +2 012 739 9448.

Ian’s round included a brilliant front 9 of 22 points and a steady second 9 of 18 points. Round highlights came on holes 2, 4, and 16 with 4 Stableford Points on each hole.

Claiming second place with 36 Points was another return guest, Andy Burdon (25 H’cap). His round had an inspired finish with 20 points over the back 9. Alan Robinson (13 H’cap) took third place with 27 points.

An excellent day was had by all competitors on a superbly conditioned course. The deserved winners collected prizes from the Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

William Austin (25 H’cap) showed the rest of the field how the game should be played as he claimed first place by a margin of 4 points and a total of 41 points. William’s round didn’t get off the best start as he failed to score any points on his opening hole. However, this was soon put right as his next 8 holes produced 20 points. His form continued over the back 9 as William played steady golf over the next 6 holes, finishing his round with three 3-point holes to come home in 21 points.

Second place was won by Barry Down (13 H’cap) with 37 points, with third place being settled on a count back over the last 6 holes. Both Sabine Smit (13 H’cap) and Graham Down (14 H’cap) returned scores of 33 points, Sabine claimed the third with an inspired finish to her round.
 
Competitors returning to the course commented on improvements from last year. The 1,500 plus bushes and trees added greatly enhance the visual presentation of the course without making playing conditions tougher, a real achievement.

The deserved winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Richard Kelham (18 H’cap) played the golf game of the week to emerge victorious with a superb score of 41 points. Richard made the turn in 19 points before his round came to life as he covered the back 9 in 22 points, courtesy of three 3-point holes and a 4-pointer. The only blemish came at his final hole where he dropped the only shot of the back 9.

Second place was won by Paul White (18 H’cap) with 34 points, with third place being decided on a count back over the last nine holes. Both Andy Simmer (22 H’cap) and David Weild (15 H’cap) returned score of 27 points, with Andy taking the upper hand with a back 9 of 15 points.
 
Winners paid tribute to the Maintenance staff for the excellent condition in which the course was presented and collected prizes from the Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Taba Heights Golf Resort showed it’s not so gentle side during this week’s event as strong winds buffeted players, making scoring very difficult. Nick Doddy (15 H’cap), a guest at the luxurious Sofitel returned a victorious score of 30 points. Nick had a up and down round with two 4-point holes on 7 and 16, mixed with several dropped shots. Following his win Nick is looking forward to returning to play the course for a gentler day of play.

Two points further back was Ivan Novotny (28 H’cap) who also joined the 4-point club collecting his 4-pointer on hole 16. This could have set up victory was it not for only collecting 1 point over the last two holes. The deserved winners in very tough conditions collected prizes from the Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

John Doran (20 H’cap) had a great day on the fairways to claim the title with a score of 40 points. Doran raced to the turn in 23 points without a dropped shot and started the back 9 in similar fashion picking up 3 points on hole 10. Unfortunately, John couldn’t keep the momentum going as hole 11 saw him drop his first shots of the day failing to score any points. A further 2 shots were dropped but John crossed the winner’s line coming home in 17 points.

Second and third place were separated by a count back. Thomas Skleukha (12 H’cap) and Martin Penas (15 H’cap) both returned scores of 36 points, Thomas claimed second place with 20 points over the back 9. John paid tribute to his playing partners for their support during his winning round and the winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Terrence Bishop (17 H’cap) shot even par 36 points to emerge victorious in this week’s event. His round was mixed with a collection of 3-pointers and single point holes resulting with each nine accumulating 18 points. Six 3-pointers kept his round together as the bogeys tried to spoil his round.

Second place was won by Georges Keramidas with 33 points. As with Terrence’s round, Georges had a mixed day collecting five 3-pointers. Taking third place some 12 points off the winning score was Michael Gaudi. The winning players looked forward to even better scores next week as they collected prizes from the Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Brandon Jones (19 H’cap) played flawless golf to claim this week’s event with a superb score of 43 points. Brandon’s putter was in fine form as he sank putts from every angle on the manicured greens and managed to record two 4 point holes on holes 9 and 15 combined with an impressive six 3 point holes. The only blemish to an otherwise majestic rounds was a no score at the par 5 hole 10. Second place went to Kay Martin for the second week running, making her trip to Taba Heights memorable indeed. She improved on last week’s score by an incredible 9 points. Taking third place and another podium place for the ladies was Sheila Richardson (36 H’cap) with a very solid performance of 38 points.

Competitors commented on the superbly conditioned course and winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

14 August 2009This week’s event was made to look easy as the winner strolled to a 7 shot victory over fellow competitors. Scot Hood made light work of the gentle conditions as he returned a score of 38 points off a 5 handicap, as you would expect from a category 1 handicapper, Scot’s round was a model of consistency with 15 pars and 3 bogeys at holes 4, 7 and 10. 7 points further back in second and third place respectively were Kay Martin (28 H’cap) and George Hood (22 H’cap). They were separated by a countback over the last 9 holes where Kay managed an impressive 20 points over the last 9. She commented, “If only the front 9 holes were on a par with the back 9!” This just goes to show, as with many sports, golf is a game of two halves.

All competitors enjoyed an exciting day of friendly competition and winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

The day saw a full field of competitors battle it out over the immaculate links to be crowned Weekly Champion. Leading the way was Verney Poynton (9 H’cap) with a fine score of 39 points. Verney plotted his way around the front 9 with a steady 18 points before his round came to life with 21 points over the back side, including four 3 point holes including an excellent 3 points on the tricky 18th hole. Second place went to Stefan Kunneke (17 H’cap) with a score of 35 points. He beat into third place Jim Mcnulty (19 H’cap) with 31 points.

All competitors enjoyed an exciting day on the course and commented on the superbly conditioned course. The deserved winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

24 July 2009 produced yet another excellent score from a Taba Heights Guest. Brian Hugeback (15 H’cap) returned a score of 42 Points during the week’s weekly Open Tournament. Brian’s round included a steady front 9 of 20 Points. Once making the turn the golf really came to life  with amazing score of 22 points on the back 9 that included a run of four holes from 10 to 13 that produced 14 Points, the stuff of professionals. Claiming second place was George Cunninghan (20 H’cap) with 37 Points, beating Susan Benngett (32 H’cap) into third place with 33 points.

An excellent day was had by all competitors on a superbly conditioned course. The deserved winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Matt Neno (20 H’cap) claimed this week’s event with 32 points. Admittedly Matt didn’t think his score would be sufficient to gain a place on the winner’s podium as the day’s conditions were in favour of good scoring. Matt had a mixed day on the greens with flashes of brilliance with flashes on not so brilliant including four 3 point holes while collecting no points on two holes.

Second place went to Neil Morris (12 H’cap) with 25 points and Third place to Gareth Evans (12 H’cap) with 20 points. The proud winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Margo Gardner (18 H’cap) played as though she was heading for the Ladies Tour during this week’s event. Scoring an amazing 45 points, Margo destroyed her fellow competitors with some spellbinding golf. After racing to the turn in 23 points that included five 3 point holes with four 2 pointers, Margo set about the back 9 in similar fashion, collecting 3 points at Hole 10. Two Birdies, each collecting 4 points, came at holes 14 and 16 to bring her home in 22 points. A definite Handicap reduction will be in order when Margo returns to her home club! The remaining winning scores were a much closer affair with Second place belonging to Dennis Shipstone (26 H’cap), who was a huge 9 points behind Margo with 36 points. Third place was taken by Darren McCormick (11 H’cap), whilst Fourth went to Spencer Bragg (14 H’cap) with 32 points.
The proud winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Ian Paul (25 H’cap) produced his round of the year with an excellent total of 40 points that included an inspired back 9 of 23 points. Paul, visiting from Saudi Arabia, paid tribute to the excellent condition of the course’s smooth fast greens and perfectly manicured fairways. Runner-up was John Ketchin (8 H’cap), a regular visitor to Taba Heights, with 38 points. John’s local knowledge definitely helped him plot his way around the course.

Third place went to Tony Lowe (11 H’cap), a regular winner on the Taba Heights golfing circuit, with 37 points. All players thanked club management for providing an active tournament calendar and look forward to returning soon on an individual basis as well as part of a team for the 2009 International Pro-Am. The proud winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

George Dale gave his father a lesson in how to win a tournament in the weekly event. 13 year-old George (9 H’cap) stormed home in 20 points to put his father Mark Dale (10 H’cap) in the shade. George produced excellent golf over the closing holes, picking up four 3 pointers in his last five holes to finish with 39 points. This was too much for dad to take as he stumbled home in second place with 35 points, which would have been so much better but for a homeward half of 15 points.

Third place was settled on a countback over the last 9 holes as Peter McKenna (21 H’cap) came home in 17 points just nudging out David Kent (13 H’cap) who came home with 15 points after they both shared an 18 hole total of 34 points. The proud winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and South African Vintage Red Wine from Cape Bay.

Mark Dale (10 H’cap) was victorious by a single point with a well constructed 37-point score. The win was sweetened because he also beat his son George Dale (9 H’cap) by 5 points. Mark played an excellent round considering the summer weather was not so kind without the cooling breeze we are accustomed too in Taba Heights. The highlight of the highlight of the round was a birdie 3 at the 16th hole producing 4 Stableford Points.

Second place was claimed by Alexandre Delpierre (H’cap 28) with 36 Points on a count back, with a better back 9 of 20 Points to beating last week’s winner--Paul Mepham (H’cap 19)--into Third place with a back 9 holes of 19 points.
The lucky winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort, and Shahrazad Wine.

Paul Mepham (H’cap 19) scored 40 points after a gross birdie on the 9th hole sparked his round to life. A further three pars on the back nine followed, resulting in 21 points on the homeward stretch. Let’s hope Paul’s home club adjusts his handicap before his next visit to tackle the pristine fairways of Taba Heights!

Steven Truscott (H’cap 28) came very close to victory with 39 points having scored only 4 points from three holes midway through his round! Obviously a name to watch out for the future is Junior Golfer Ray Rimmer (H’cap 14) who claimed Third place with a birdie on the 13th and a 33-point finish. Winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort, and Shahrazad Wine.

Ann de Leon (25 H’cap) was victorious with a well crafted 37 points on a day when scoring was made tougher by a strong breeze which also added the advantage of very comfortable temperatures. Ann had a shaky start with 16 points on the front 9 holes; however she raced home in 21 points to claim victory with a back 9 highlight of a birdie 3 on Hole 11 for 4 points.

Making it an event dominated by the ladies, Brenda Moore (12 H’cap) went one better than last week’s Race to Taba Heights event with a solid score of 34 points that took her to the podium two weeks in a row. Third place was claimed by Andy Burdon (25 H’cap) with 31 points, a round that could have been so much better but for a no score at tricky Hole 7. Winners were delighted to receive prizes from the Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort and Shahrazad Wine.

Tony Lowe (11 H’cap), returning to Taba Heights to defend his crown from the previous March 2009 event, produced another display of consistent golf heading the field with 35 points. The score was a bit lower than one might expect on a prime day for golf as the wind was very light and the golf course was in excellent playing condition. Tony plotted his way around the course like a man on a mission with a string of steady Pars producing a workman like result to win.

Race to Taba Heights is an 18-hole individual Stableford competition staged once a month for over four months. Players participating in a minimum of two tournaments qualify to win a holiday for two. The next event will take place again as of October 2009. To enter contact golf@tabaheights.com or call +2 012 739 9448.

Iain Smith (13 H’cap) blew away the field with a commanding performance of 42 points. Visiting from the UK to participate in the Matchplay Championships, Ian made the most of a previous 4 rounds to plan the perfect assault on the event. His round consisted of six 3 pointers and a 4 point Birdie 4 on Hole 14.

Trailing by one shot was John Taylor (17 H’cap), another Matchplay competitor, with 41 points. John had first place firmly in sight as he powered over the last 4 holes with three 3 pointers, however, three 1 pointers spoilt his chances mid-round. Third place belonged to Roger Davey (11 H’cap) with a very respectable score of 39 points. Winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Shop, Marriott Resort, and Shahrazad Wine. 

Unusual weather at Taba Heights Golf Resort made scoring a challenge in this week’s event. Overcast skies threatening showers and a strong breeze for the most part of the day, kept the course playing in tough conditions as the greens became slick later on in the day.

Leading the field was Dianne Mc Donnell (34 H’cap) with a solid score of 34 points, Dianne’s round was up and  down most of the day with a mixture of dropped points and picked-up points, with the highlight being and incredible five point birdie 3 at the tricky 16th hole. Just coming up short of winning was Pierre Bellegvic (18 H’cap) with 33 Points, his round also a mix of 3 and 1  pointers, but a no score on hole 18 cost him the title. Taking Third place was Terence Whitehead (18 H’cap) with 30 Points.

Winners were awarded for their hard fought rounds with prizes from Taba heights Golf Shop, Marriott Red Sea Resort and Shahrazad Wine.

Colin Mawer (24 H’cap) returned a superb winning score of 44 points this week to enter the winner circle in first place. His round came together with a dominant display of six 3 pointers and three 4 pointers missed in with four dropped points that gave him a 3 point winning score over second place Trevor Giles (24 H’cap) with 41 Points, a score in its self usually a winning number.

Third place was secured by Lysiane Prigent (31 H’cap) with a very consistent score of 37 Points.
The proud winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Resort Golf Shop, the Marriott Red Sea Resort and Shahrazad Wine.

Second place was won by Denise Holding (20 H’cap), a weekend visitor from Saudi Arbia, with a consistent score of 33 points. Helen took third place on a countback, beating Helen Domney (13 H’cap) and Mark Le Boutillier (6 H’cap) both on 31 points. The winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Resort, Marriott Taba Heights and Shahrazad Wine.

Bruno Meier (27 H’cap) played the round of his life scoring an astonishing points total of 49 point in this week’s event. His round consisted of no dropped shots and four 4 point holes with a mix of five 3 point holes resulting in 9’s of 24 and 25 points. Bruno beat Jim Sladek (28 H’cap) into second place by an incredible 10 points. A handicap reduction is certainly on the cards for Bruno.

Claiming 3rd and 4th place was the family pairing of William Butterwick (16 H’cap) with 38 points and Mark Butterwick (16 H’cap) with 35 points.
Winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Resort, the Marriott resort and Shahrazad wine. All players commented on the excellent condition of the golf course, in particular Bruno, who said that the Greens were perfect.

Junior Golfer Ben Small (24 H’cap) was victorious this week by a commanding 4 points. Ben, a junior golfer from the UK, raced around the course picking up 11 strokes to Par; his only dropped shots came at holes 15 and 16. The round highlights were three 4 point holes on 11, 12, and 18 as Ben returned a fantastic score of 44 Points.

Claiming second place was a future star of ladies golf, 16 year old Karolina Vlckova, with 38 points. Karolina playing off a Scratch handicap returned a 2 under Par score of 70, which included 5 birdies. Karolina is surely a name to look out for in the Ladies Professional Tour. Taba Heights regular John Ketchin visiting from Saudi Arabia took the third place prize with a very consistent performance of 37 points. The winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Resort Golf Shop, the Marriott Resort and Shahrazad Wine.

The most recent staging of the weekly event saw the Gregg Family claim first and second place as James Gregg (7 H’cap) lead the pack with an excellent score of 40 Points. James was closely followed by his father Malcolm (12 H’cap) who returned a score of 36 Points. James covered both 9’s in 20 points with the highlight being a Birdie Two on hole 15, picking up a further six 3 point holes. Back to back dropped shots on holes 11 and 12 slowed his progress but he regrouped well to claim first place.

The senior Gregg, Malcolm, had a mixed day picking up 5 shots to par that were evened out by the same number of dropped shots. Joining them in the winner’s circle was Charlie Draper (24 H’cap), who raced home in 22 points despite a shaky start to his round when he covered the front 9 in 13 Points. The proud winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Resort Golf Shop, Marriott Taba Heights and Shahrazad Wine.

Taking second place on a count back courtesy of a better back 9 of 20 points was Vladimir Vosvarda (10 H’cap) with a credible 33 points and nudging Barry Drake into third. Winners collected prizes from Marriott Taba Heights and Shahrazad Wine while paying tribute to the Greens Staff for their efforts during the week.

Joe Munday, playing off a 17 Handicap, was crowned Weekly Champion this Friday courtesy of a better back 9 score when he returned an even par score of 36 Points with halves of 17 and 19 points respectively. On a day when scoring was looking like it would be well under Par, players found the going a little tough as the breeze became stronger as the day progressed. Joes round sparked to life as he stood on the 11th Tee reeling off four straight 3 point holes to claim victory.

Second place was taken by Deborah Poole (21 H’cap) with 9’s of 19 and 17, Deborah managed to pick up 5 strokes to par during her round but unfortunately this was mixed with the same number of dropped shots. Chris Houldsworth (4 H’cap) also returned a level Par score of 36 points which could have been much better as he romped to a front 9 score of 20 Points, however, he faltered slightly coming home in 16 points missing out on a countback. Fourth place was awarded to the first place winner’s father, Gary Munday (9 H’cap) with 34 points. The winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Resort, Marriott Taba Heights and Shahrazad Wine.

On a day when low scoring was expected, Djura Stoelwinder (21 H’cap) dispelled any bad luck related to Friday the 13th to return a winning score of 35 Points. Djura played consistent halves of 17 and 18 points respectively, scoring five 3 point holes in the process with two of those coming in the last three holes.

Claiming second place with 33 points by means of a better back three holes (9 Points) was Paul Seed (11 H’cap). Paul, who had a poor start, redeemed himself with two 4 point holes and raced to an inward half of 19 points that pushed John Garland (11 H’cap) into third place. Finishing with 33 points, John also completed the final 3 holes under Par with 7 points. 

British Golfer Tony Lowe (11 H’cap) living in Saudi Arabia made the voyage across the gulf to Taba Heights over the weekend of March 6-8 and was triumphant in claiming first prize in “The Race to Taba Heights” tournament with a commanding display of golf producing 40 Stableford Points.

Race to Taba Heights is an 18-hole individual Stableford competition staged once a month for over four months in cooperation with the Taba Heights Marriott Red Sea Resort.  Players participating in a minimum of two tournaments qualify to win a holiday for two. Prizes include 7 nights’ accommodation (bed and breakfast basis) and unlimited golf for two persons. Individual competition prizes also available.

Brenda Moore overcame very unusual conditions in the Friday event as Taba Heights was blasted by a strong sand storm. Sand was blown around the course and golfers were buffeted as gusts of wind tried to spoil their swings. Brenda was defiant in her quest for the title and produced a remarkable score of 34 points off a 12 handicap, with 9’s of 20 and 14 points respectively. As reflected by her score, the sand storm became even fiercer over the back 9 holes, but she stood firm and finished the round with three 2-point holes.

Claiming second and third place respectively were Eric Watson (9 H’cap) with 33 points and Richard Glenn (16 H’cap) with 32 points. Winners were presented with prizes from the Taba Heights Golf Shop and Shahrazad Wine.

14-year-old junior golfer Gareth Salt (H’cap 20) produced scintillating golf with shots peppering the pins, showing the senior golfers how the game should be played. His total 41 points secured a 1 point victory over Rafik Karim (H’cap 15). Gareth covered the front 9 with a modest 17 before his round sparked to life with two 3 pointers on holes 10 and 11.

The young golfer then produced some magical golf over the last five holes including two Birdies for 4 points at holes 16 and 18 that brought him home in 24 points, 6 shots under the card. Rafik was unlucky with his second place finish as he returned home on a strong 23 points, including three 3 pointers and a 4 point hole. Taking 3rd place on a count back was the previous week’s Winner Alastair Law with 36 points.

Alistair Law (H’cap 11) dispelled any thoughts of back luck on Friday the 13th to win the Weekly Event with a solid 37 points. Alistair enjoyed excellent golfing conditions coupled with smoothly rolling Greens to accumulate his winning score.

Claiming second place was Stephen Kimbell (H’cap 9) with 36 points, who beat into third place last week’s runner-up Sue Mawhinney (H’cap 19) with 32 points. The winners collected prizes from Taba Heights Golf Resort and a celebratory bottle of wine from Egyptian wine maker Shahrazad.

David played an excellent round with the highlight being a Birdie 3 at the par 4 Hole 16 to produce 4 Stableford Points. Second place was claimed by Sue Mawhinney (H’cap 19) with 34 points on a count back from her friend Elizabeth Martin (H’cap 15).

Rakesh Patel (H’cap 11) claimed second place with 36 points, beating J. Sampson (H’cap 15) into third place with 35 points. An excellent day was had by all competitors on a superbly conditioned course.

Gillian (H’cap 15) produced excellent golf with 37 points on a day that she described as a cold Putter day, a back 9 of 20 points moved the early pace setter M. Frost (H’cap 8) 36 Points into second place. Gillian’s husband Colin (H’cap 19) claimed Third place with a steady 33 Points. All prize winners thanked management for running the event and hope their good form continues when they return home to England.

Paul Edwards (H’cap 6) produced an excellent display of golf in this week’s event scoring 40 points over our challenging Links. Consistent halves of 20 points secured victory by a tournament record 7 points, with the round highlight being a 4-point Birdie 4 on the par 5 Hole 10 and a Birdie 3 on Hole 16.

Claiming Second and Third place respectively were Garry Clark (H’cap 13) with 33 points and Mike Fawke (H’cap 18) with 29 points. First place winner Edwards thanked management for presenting such an immaculate course and looked forwards to returning to Taba Heights for his next golfing vacation.

A full field of players battled it out during the year’s second Weekly Open Golf Tournament on 9th January. Monika Cipruua (H’cap 31) took the honours and was crowned the day’s champion golfer.

While conditions were less favourable with a steady breeze bringing a cool feeling to the day, Monika’s golf was anything but cool. She produced a solid performance for a total of even par 36 points to edge out Les Blackburne and Peter Holland respectively for the first prize.
Monika thanked Taba Heights Golf Resort for staging yet another excellent event and looked forward to redeeming her Golf Shop voucher. 

Junior Golfer Max Paterson got his golfing year off to a prefect start by winning the first event of the Weekly Series 2009 season. Playing off a 24 H’cap, Max covered the immaculately presented course in 38 points, with the round highlight being a Birdie Two at hole 15.

Max produced equal 9’s of 19 points, but standing on the Second Tee after not scoring any points on the first hole Max did not have thoughts of winning the event. He managed, however, to put forth some excellent golf over the next 17 holes to claim the first place prize courtesy of Shahrazad Wine. Max kindly presented the wine to his parents to enjoy as a late New Year gift. Claiming second place was Tomas Jine with 37 points.

Jake Payne extended his holiday celebration by being crowned Christmas Golf Champion! Payne produced 9’s of 19 and 18 points respectively off a 4 H’cap. As he stood on 18th tee, Jake was confident of a better score but unfortunately found the final hole hard work in running up a 6 for only 1 point. The round highlights were two birdies on the back 9 on holes 10 & 17. Taking second place in the festive event was Maros Muroh scoring 34 points.

All competitors thanked Taba Heights for the organisation of the event over the Christmas Holidays and hoped to return to compete next year. Prizes were awarded by Shahrazad Wine and golf management thanked the participants and wished them an enjoyable New Year and Happy Golfing for 2009.

Richard Day produced the tournament’s best score with a commanding 38 points off a 18 H’cap over the challenging links course that was, as always, presented in immaculate condition. Day produced equal 9’s of 19 points with the highlights being the par 3’s, these were covered in 1 under par, with 3 pars and a birdie 2 on hole 15.

Day’s score would have been significantly better but for the Par 5’s as these produced two uncharacteristic 7’s. Nudged into second place by just one point was Mr. Mackenzie, who playing off an 8 handicap scored 37 points.

Scoring an almost unheard of 43 points, Kornel Grzywock from the Czech Republic stormed home to take first place in the 8th event of the weekly series. Playing from the Yellow Tees off a 19 H’cap, Kornel mastered the course with his 7 under par total. Making it a clean sweep for the Czechs was Petr Poliuka with a steady performance of 36 points off a 25 H’cap.

The winners collected their prizes courtesy of Shahrazad Wine and Kornel thanked the Course Superintendent for keeping the course in such amazing conditions, commenting that it is the best kept golf course he has ever played.

The first weekend of December saw the return of the weekly tournament after a break for the playing of the International Pro-Am. The excellent play resumed where if left off with Darren Pearson scoring a solid 38 points winning the title courtesy of a better back 9 of 20 points over Michael Maurer’s 19 points.

Playing off a 13 H’cap, Pearson opened with a regulation par 4 at the 1st hole and continued with another 7 pars throughout. Darren commented “I left a few shots out on the course, but I guess everyone did!”

Collecting his prize courtesy of Shahrazad Wine, Darren returned to the balcony of his room at The Three Corners El Wekala to savour the wine and watch the sun set over the Red Sea. A perfect day’s end after a perfect round of golf!

The 6th event in the weekly series produced some of the best scores to date. Leading up to the International Pro Am in three weeks time, the course was in some of the best conditions since its opening. Nick Jackson produced the best score recorded at Taba Heights Golf Resort by an amateur golfer, claiming the unofficial Course Record of 69.

Nick’s tremendous score included a birdie at all four par 5 holes as well as birdies at the par 4 12th hole and par 3 15th. Jackson beat Martine Van Lier into second place with a great score of 41 points, which on most days would have been enough for Van Lier to be crowned champion. Winners received prizes from the Golf Resort.

The 5th installment of the weekly series witnessed another excellent display of golf from visiting guests. On a day when scoring was assisted by the warm sunshine and gentle breezes of the Red Sea, honors belonged to Joseph Martinovsky (21 H’cap). Martinovsky plotted his way around the golf course with excellent course management that produced a very consistent 38 points.

Closely missing out on becoming only the second Junior to win a Taba Heights Weekly Tournament Series was Jaroslav Kopecky (30 H’cap). Jaroslav played a strong round from the men’s tees and produced a commendable 36 points. Winners were presented with prizes from InterContinental.

Week 4 of the Open Golf Series, sponsored again by Icontercontinental, was dominated by junior golfer Tom Kent (9 handicap). Tom’s excellent score of 38 Stableford Points was enough to claim the champion position from a full field of golfers playing in benign conditions.

The highlights of Tom’s round came at the Par 3 holes, at which he played 1 under par including two birdie 2’s at holes 8 and 15.

The 3rd event of the season, sponsored by the InterContinental, included golfing guests from the resort’s Marriott, Hyatt, InterContinental, Sofitel and TTC El Wekala hotels. Participants returned solid scores as the Red Sea wind continued to challenge all golfers in the field. Taking the honours was Soudant Manuel who travelled from Holland to sample the delights of our amazing golf course.

Soudant returned an excellent score of 35 points playing off a 9 handicap. Claiming second place was Soudant’s fellow countryman Erik Khoe with 32 points playing from a 19 handicap. Mark Underwood, resident PGA Qualified Teaching Professional awarded the prizes and thanked all competitors for their participation while offering to assist non-winning golfers with a few lessons in preparation for to following week’s event.

David Colwell emerged victorious in the second edition of the Weekly Tournament series. Colwell played a commanding game of golf as he returned the best score of the day with 32 points off a Handicap of 11, in conditions that proved testing for all competitors.

Wind challenged golfers and the emphasis was to keep the ball on the manicured Fairways and Greens as any wayward shot was carried further into trouble by gusting winds blowing from the Red Sea. Consistent golf was also had from Colwell’s playing partner Ian Turner, who improved from last week’s 3rd place to claim the Runner-up spot with 29 points. Tournament winners were awarded prizes sponsored by Taba Heights Golf Resort in the form of vouchers for the Golf Shop.

The first Friday in witnessed the opening event of the Taba Heights Golf Resort Weekly Tournament series. Golfers teed off at their preferred times and competed in a Stableford format over the challenging Links Course.

With men playing from the Yellow tees and Ladies teeing up at the Red, conditions were kind with a gentle wind throughout the day giving players plenty of opportunity to attack the pins. Fifty percent of the field returned sub par rounds with Valentina Murdoch the run-away winner amassing 43 points off a 36 Handicap. The runner up was Valentina’s husband Terry, who was obviously inspired by his wife’s flawless golf and came in with 39 points. Third place went to Ian Turner with 38 points.

At the presentation in the Golf Clubhouse winners were awarded prizes sponsored by Taba Heights Marriott. James Shippey, Director of Golf Club Operations thanked all players for participating in the season opening event and looked forward to an excellent seasons of golf.