WKD Tuesday Darts League

Results & Standings Jan. 15 (week 12)

Team	P	W	L	B/legs	Pts.
Irish Rovers	12	12	0	9	24
Mee Chew Sports Bar	12	10	2	4	20
Crazy Eddies	12	8	4	7	16
Biggy’z Rest	12	7	5	10	14
Yates Bar	12	7	5	8	14
Shoot Pool	12	7	5	6	14
Londoner	12	6	6	7	12
Nervous Wreck	12	6	6	6	12
Vip house Bar	12	5	7	4	10
Bernie’s Bar	12	4	8	4	8
Mai’s Bar	12	4	8	4	8
Jantha Coffee House	12	4	8	3	8
Mai Roo Bar	12	3	9	6	6
W. Tankies	12	1	11	6	2
Results:  Bernie’s Bar 8 v 5 W. Tankies, Biggy’z Rest 6 v 4 VIP House Hotel, Crazy Eddies 10 v 3 Shoot Pool, Irish Rovers 8 v 5 Nervous Wreck, Jantha Coffee House 3 v 6 Mee Chew Sports Bar, Londoner 6 v 7 Mai’s Bar, Yates Bar 7 v 5 Mai Roo Bar

British Bar Snacks Friday Pool League

Results & Standings Jan. 18 (week 16)

Division 1
Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts
The Butchers Arms	15	12	3	47	0	36
TJ’s Bar	16	12	4	32	0	36
Shoot Pool	16	10	6	32	1	31
Sweethearts Bar	15	8	7	14	2	26
Pook’s Bar	16	8	8	5	2	26
Links Bar	16	8	8	3	0	24
Nicky’s Bar	16	7	9	-6	2	23
Crazy Eddie’s	16	3	13	-51	1	10
FCUK Inn	16	3	13	-76	0	9
Results:  Shoot Pool 9 v 10 Nicky’s Bar, TJ’s Bar 10 v 6 Crazy Eddie’s, Sweethearts 10 v 3 Links Bar, Butchers 10 v 6 FCUK Inn
Division 2
Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts
Biggyz Rest	15	14	1	76	1	43
Mata Bar	16	11	5	29	1	34
The Irish Rovers	15	10	5	20	1	31
Old Thai Angle	16	9	7	13	2	29
Offshore Bar	16	7	9	-11	2	23
Mai’s Bar	15	6	9	-17	2	20
The Queen Vic	14	5	9	-24	1	16
The Stag’s Head	15	5	10	-33	1	16
The Ranch	14	1	13	-53	1	4
Results:  Irish Rovers 10 v 6 Offshore Bar, The Ranch 5 v 10 Mai’s Bar, Queen Vic 2 v 10 Mata Bar, Stag’s Head 3 v 10 Biggyz Rest
Division 3
Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts
Dean’s Bar	16	13	3	54	1	40
Easy R-Con Bar	16	13	3	49	0	39
Tie’s R Us	16	11	5	39	2	35
Hotties	16	9	7	19	0	27
Punch & Judy	16	7	9	-7	0	21
Connections	16	7	9	-25	0	21
Rabbi’s Elephant	16	6	10	-30	2	20
Buffalo Jacks	16	3	13	-49	3	12
Jolie Bar	16	3	13	-50	2	11
Results:  Jolie Bar 5 v 10 Easy R-Con, Rabbi’s 6 v 10 Connections, Punch & Judy 6 v 10 Dean’s Bar, Tie’s R Us 10 v 4 Buffalo Jacks

Jomtien 8-Ball Pool League

Results & Standings Jan. 16 (week 10)

Team	Played	Won	Lost	Bonus	Pts.
Buddy Bar	10	10	0	0	30
Winners Bar	10	9	1	1	28
Country Road	9	8	1	1	25
Shenanigans	10	6	4	3	21
Simple Simon	10	5	5	5	20
Flying Dolphin	10	5	5	4	19
Take Care Bar	10	5	5	4	19
Windmill Bar	9	5	4	4	19
Woaw’s Bar	10	5	5	4	19
The Den	10	4	6	5	17
Minny’s Bar	10	2	8	7	13
Wombat Bar	10	2	8	7	13
Anzac Bar	10	3	7	3	12
Lion Pub	10	0	10	5	5
Results:  Lion Pub 7 v 8 Wombat Bar, Winners Bar 11 v 4 Anzac Bar, Simple Simon 8 v 7 Minnys Bar, Windmill Bar 12 v 3 The Den, Shenanigans 4 v 11 Buddy Bar, Woaws Bar 6 v 9 Flying Dolphin, Country Road 8 v 7 Take Care Bar

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

Results & Standings Jan. 11 (week 3)

Bavaria remains in first place after winning three points from the Blind team.
Tue Pettae bowled a 520 series and Sue Murphy had a 534 series to lead Brother D to a four point win over winless Green Tree. Brother D moved into second place.
Canada took three points from third place Café Kronborg, with David Shaw having a 503 series for Canada. Leen Schaap rolled games of 193, 189 and 200 for a 582 series and Kran Nielsen had a 204 game for Café Kronborg.
Tao bowled a 542 series and a 206 game to lead Semper FI to a three point win over VFW Post 9876. Semper FI moved into fourth place.
Jack Tar took three points from Indiana behind Ooy Pluemkamon’s 516 series. La Montgomery had a 546 series for Indiana.

200 Bowlers: Leen, Kran & Tao.

Results & Standings Jan. 11 (week 3)
Pos.	Team	Score	Standings
1	Bavaria	3 – 1	9 – 3
2	Brother D	4 – 0	9 – 3
3	Café Kronborg	1 – 3	7 – 5
4	Semper FI	3 – 1	7 – 5
5	Indiana	1 – 3	7 – 5
6	Canada	3 – 1	7 – 5
7	Jack Tar	3 – 1	6 – 6
8	VFW Post 9876	1 – 3	5 – 7
9	Blind	1-3	3 – 9
10	Green Tree	0 – 4	0 – 12

John Keppler Cider Pool League

Results & Standings Jan. 17 (week 7)

Team	Pts.	For	Against	Diff.
Brasshouse	15	51	27	24
Barking Frog	15	50	41	9
Panitas	15	45	46	-1
Outback	12	50	41	9
Rendezvous	12	46	45	1
Lucky Bar	12	45	46	-1
Mulligans	9	44	47	-3
Pats Bar	6	41	50	-9
Smarty’s	6	37	41	-4
Neena	0	33	58	-25
Results:  Panitas 4 v 9 Outback, Brasshouse 8 v 5 Lucky, Pats 4 v 9 Barking Frog, Smarty’s 9 v 4 Neena, Rendezvous 7 v 6 Mulligans

Super Ball Pool League

Results & Standings Jan. 16 (week 4)

Team	Played	Won	Lost	Draw	Pts.
Cheers	4	4	0	0	8
Buddy’s Bar	4	4	0	0	8
Party Girls	4	3	1	0	6
George n Dragon	4	3	1	0	6
The Ranch	4	2	1	1	5
Queen Vic	4	2	2	0	4
FCUK	4	2	2	0	4
Legends	4	1	2	1	3
Wet Bar	4	1	2	1	3
Simple Simon	4	0	3	1	1
Irish Rover	4	0	4	0	0
Rioja	4	0	4	0	0
Results:  Cheers 12 v 8 Party Girls, The Ranch 14 v 6 Rioja, Irish Rover 6 v 14 Wet Bar, Buddy’s Bar 14 v 6 Simple Simon, Legends 16 v 4 Queen Vic, George n Dragon 11 v 9 FCUK

Crumpton Oaks Dry Cider Wednesday Darts League

Results & Standings Jan. 16 (week 3)

Team	P	W	L	Diff.	Pts.
Irish Rovers	3	3	0	15	6
Legends Pool & Sports Bar	3	3	0	9	6
Yates Bar	3	2	1	13	4
W. Tankies	3	2	1	7	4
Mai’s Bar	3	1	2	1	2
Mee Chew Sports Bar	3	1	2	-1	2
Jantha Coffee House	3	0	3	-17	0
Results:  Jantha Coffee House 2 v 7 Legends Pool & Sports Bar, Mai’s Bar 9 v 0 Bye, Mee Chew Sports Bar 2 v 7 Irish Rovers, W. Tankies 5 v 4 Yates Bar

Hot-shot Heddle stars at Green Valley

PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar

Monday, Jan. 14, Burapha – Stableford
Thirty-five players showed up to play Burapha C and D from the white tees, but the first six holes had the white markers right back on the blue tees and the new silver tees were on the whites, so if this continues then the C course at Burapha will need to be re-rated.

Ian Heddle.
The course was very heavily booked all day with over 300 booked to play; thankfully they have four courses. The pace of play, as expected, was pretty slow for Burapha but the starter actually got us off early. The pace was around five hours however and some Outbackers struggled on the D course; otherwise the course was well presented – the fairways were good and the greens were great but some of the tees are definitely showing signs of a lot of wear and tear.
Three Divisions plus the ‘2’s and the course was the winner on the day. Tim Knight won Division 3 with 35 points off his 21 handicap from John Player (32 points), with third place going to Jimmy Little on 31.

Noddy Moyle and Bob St. Aubin, both winners at Treasure Hill.

‘Mr. Consistent’, John O’ Keefe won Division 2 with best round of the day, 37 points off his 16 handicap, from Rosco Langoulant with 34 and Sel Wegner ran third with 33 points.
Paul Bourke won Division 1 with 36 points on a count back from Geoff Stimpson, with Stephen Mann taking third with 33.
Five ‘2’s were recorded by Sel Wegner, David Coller and Tim Knight on C8, Geoff Stimpson on D2 and Dennis Pelly had a ‘2’ on the Par 4 D7, well done Dennis!
Div A (0-11)
1st Paul Bourke (10) 36pts
2nd Geoff Stimpson (6) 36pts
3rd Stephen Mann (10) 33pts
Div B (12-17)
1st John O’Keefe (16) 37pts
2nd Rosco Langoulant (13) 34pts
3rd Sel Wegner (12) 33pts
Div C (18+)
1st Tim Knight (21) 35pts
2nd John Player (20) 32pts
3rd Jimmy Little (19) 31pts
Tuesday, Jan. 15, Khao Kheow – Stableford
The nine golfers had a delightful day playing C & B off the yellow tees with a slight breeze blowing to keep us all cool. We continued with preferred lies on the fairways as the course can be wet in some places and very dry in others but today didn’t seem such a problem as previously. The greens on C were a little faster than on B but generally, reasonably good throughout.
We did have laugh about John Player hitting from around 170 yards on one of the holes; he whacked the ball, a good strike, but it hit the 150 marker, flew back miles and he found it about 80 yards further back from where he had originally hit from. Good lad John for putting up with the bantering.
Sel Wegner continued to improve with a very good 38pts to take the win from the consistent Peter Eriksen on 36 and the infamous John Player took third with 33, which moved him to the top of the “Race to Bangkok” leaderboard with 2,000 points.
There were no ‘2’s.
1st Sel Wegner (13) 38pts
2nd Peter Erikson (5) 36pts
3rd John Player (20) 33pts
Wednesday, Jan. 16, Siam Plantation – Stableford
Twenty players at Siam Plantation today to play the Sugar Cane (A) and Tapioca (B) on another great day for golf with a lovely breeze to cool the golfers down. Needless to say the course was again in wonderful condition and heavily booked so pace of play was a little slow, especially on the Tapioca nine.
Good scores were recorded with the top three players all registering 38 points and winning on a count back was Steve Kerr off a 10 handicap, from Steve Poznanski and Barry Copestake. Just one back in fourth was Stephen Mann with 37 points, fifth was club member, Jim Bryan with 34 points and sixth was Rosco Langoulant on 33.
Highlight of the day was a hole in one on Tapioca 7 by Steve Kerr, a great golf shot that landed 10 foot past the pin and spun back into the hole, well done Steve!
1st Steve Kerr (10) 38pts
2nd Steve Poznanski (12) 38pts
3rd Barry Copestake (15) 38pts
4th Stephen Mann (11) 37pts
5th Jim Bryan (16) 34pts
6th Rosco Langoulant (13) 33pts
Wednesday, Jan. 16, Treasure Hill – Stableford
We had a good crowd today with the numbers being 20 at Treasure Hill and another 20 at Siam Plantation. After some initial confusion as to our actual tee time, (10.30), the starter hurried us off at 10:00. One person didn’t show up so it was back to the drawing board again to do a redraw, which was where we started earlier today with plan A; B went by the wayside so plan C came into action.
We were last here on 7th November 2012 and they were laying new grass down on 6 holes. I am pleased to say that the grass has taken and the course was in very good condition. There were a couple of greens which had been lightly sanded but this wasn’t an issue; and generally a very good day out and worth the delay at the traffic lights at Amata City.
Bob (The Whuure) St. Aubin was having his last game for a while before heading home to Canada for a while and made the most of the conditions with a moderate equal top score of the day of 34pts to win Div A; he was matched playing partner, Noddy, who won Div B.
There were four ‘2’s from David Chalmers (hole 2), Barry McIntosh & Suzi Lawton (hole 6) and Robbie Bartlett (hole 17).
Div A (0-17)
1st Bob St. Aubin (13) 34pts
2nd John O’Keefe (16) 33pts
3rd Robbie Bartlett (17) 32pts
Div B (18+)
1st Noddy Moyle (18) 34pts
2nd Sugar Ray Handford (18) 33pts
3rd Brian Maddox (21) 31pts
Friday, Jan. 18, Green Valley – Stableford
Fifty one players for Green Valley, should have been 52 but for one no show and that is disappointing as we had reserves and Green Valley would only allow us 13 groups as the course is extremely heavily booked.
Congratulations to the starters and management of Green Valley in the way they sorted out the players and the allocation of caddies as there are just not enough caddies to go round. They got us all off on time and the round was completed by the last group in just over four and a half hours.
The course was great, some of the fairways have some dry patches and some of the tees are showing wear and tear, but the greens were good, flat and true even if they don’t look good because of the pitch marks that have not been repaired properly.
Welcome to Sean’s Irish group, some of whom we’ve seen before plus a couple of newbies and also to Peter Hudson & Alan Watson and finally Hardy and his wife, who come every year but just play to enjoy their golf at the back but do not take part in the comp.
Four Divisions plus the ‘2’s and what do you say about the winner of Division 1 and best score for the day; Ian Heddle what a week, actually what a month! He won the December monthly medal round with a gross 69, net 64 and this week had 42 points at Green Valley on Monday, 40 points at Lam Lukka on Wednesday and 41 points today at Green Valley, all off his 4 handicap, fantastic golf and well done.
Others scores worth mentioning were 2nd placed, Dennis Pelly 37 points off his 11 handicap; Div C winner, Bob Finley 37 points off his 18 handicap; Div C runner-up, Joe Mooneyham (16) with 37 points; Div B winner, Teddy Lodge 35 points off his 13 handicap and Div D winner, Suzi Lawton 35 points off her 20 handicap.
Only two ‘2’s to Martin Kingswood on hole 9 and John Cunningham on hole 12.
Div A (0-11)
1st Ian Heddle (4) 41pts
2nd Dennis Pelly (11) 37pts
3rd Peter LeNoury (10) 34pts
Div B (12-15)
1st Teddy Lodge (13) 35pts
2nd Murray Hart (15) 34pts
3rd Martin Kingswood (14) 33pts
Div C (16-19)
1st Bob Finley (18) 37pts
2nd Joe Mooneyham (16) 37pts
3rd Jimmy Little (19) 33pts
Div D (20+)
1st Suzi Lawton (20) 35pts
2nd Tim Knight (21) 33pts
3rd John Player (20) 32pts
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. Call Jack on 081 578 1956.

Yui & Bob the Gold, but it’s Mark’s Medal

PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society

Sunday winners (left-right) Bob Newell, Yui Bietry and Mark Wood.

Sunday, Jan 13, Green Valley - Stableford
Gold Medal
1st Bob Newell, net 71
A Flight
1st Mark Wood (9) net 65
2nd Ian Grout (9) net 69
3rd Steve Armstrong (5) net 69
B Flight
1st Thierry Petrement (12) net 66
2nd Jerry McCarthy (13) net 71
3rd Tom Byrne (15) net 71
C Flight
1st Claude Harder (16) net72
2nd Sean Murphy (29) net 72
3rd Jez Lees (19) net 73
Red Flight
1st Yui Bietry, net 69
Near Pins No 4 Jeurg Luginbuh No 9 Max Scott No 12 Tom Byrne No 16 Paraic McManus
The Championship of twelve months of medal competition was on the table this Sunday as the members of the golf society who had won or tied for first in each of the twelve monthly medal competitions of 2012 vied for what is certainly one of the top two titles of the society’s golfing calendar.
And the winner was Robert ‘Broad more’ Newell as he fashioned a net 71 off his 8 handicap. It should be noted that Bob won his position early in the year and has suffered harshly at the hands of the golfing gods. First he had a terrible time with the yips, shanks, and even imagining mystery voices on the tee box as he was about to take his shot. But somehow he retained his sanity and steadily improved, and of course his coronation today attests to his ability. Bob’s name will be forever etched on the gold wall of shame.
The common folk contested a slightly less intense monthly medal that ran concurrently with the gold, and it took a sizzling A Flight net 65 by Aberdeen’s Mark Brenton Wood to win as his name will be the first to go to the wall for the month of January to start 2013. Mark also won a bottle of Jamesons and a cut glass whiskey glass. Ian ‘Giza fag’ Grout used the mathematical wedge to make his net 69 look better than Steve Armstrong’s for the runner-up spot.
Thierry Petrement in B Flight (yes B Flight as amazingly 18 of the 20 A Flight players played off single figure handicaps) shot a flawless net 66 to take the flight honours. Three players tied on net 71 with the Irish duo of jerry McCarthy and Tom Byrne taking the silver and bronze spots respectively as they back-heeled Barry ‘the boot’ Copestake into touch.
It took a net 72 to come first in C Flight, albeit with the help of a count back on Sean ‘the wee one’ Murphy as he was edged by Claude Harder. Jez ‘the principal’ Lees seems to have solved the plot as he closed the flight with a useful even par round.
Yui Bietry won the Red Flight Gold with a, you guessed it, net 69. Yui also received a cut glass engraved medal to go with her ever growing collection.
Paul Smith (a pair), Ian Grout, Max Scott, Paraic McManus, Tom Byrne and Barry Tregurtha shared the 2’s pot. The Red Flight 2’s was a rollover.
Tuesday, Jan. 15, Burapha C&D - Stableford
A Flight
1st Dave Shelton (7) 37pts
2ndAndy kellaher (10) 37pts
3rd Paraic McManus (6) 36pts
B Flight
1st Billy Britton (16) 38pts
2nd Pierre Bietry (14) 37pts
3rd Pat Hanafin (14) 32pts
C Flight
1st Barry Oats (24) 33pts
2nd Walter Beachli (17) 32pts
3rd John O’Neil (19) 32pts
The site of Tuesday’s comp was old favourite Burapha. While there are a couple of holes that might have been designed otherwise, the balance of the course presents itself well and provides a nice vista of the surrounding topography.
Regrettably the course is sometimes allowed to get a bit out of nick, particularly the rough which can make it impossible to find a ball hit only slightly off line, let alone make any kind of play on it. Hopefully, the course staff sees the folly of the maintenance design and cut the rough to a reasonable level so that this course can willingly be included in the list of excellent Pattaya venues.
Despite the tough conditions, Billy Britton posted the best score of the day and top podium place in B Flight with a splendid 38 points. Pierre ‘the magician’ Bietry accumulated a second best on the day37 points. Co. Cork’s Pat Hanafin snuck in as he outgunned Aussie Jimmy ‘AK47’ Bell for the third podium step.
The flagship flight saw Dave Shelton continue his fine form as he took top spot. He was well contested to the very end, having to rely on count back as Andy Kellaher matched Dave’s fine 37 points to take the second step on the podium. The flight was rounded out by (that man again) Paraic McManus as he matched his handicap.
The C Flighters struggled a bit today as the Donkey’s mate Barry Oats 33 points was good for the top rung of the ladder. Walter Beachli, one of the nicest and most flamboyant personalities, and John O’Neil were only separated by a count back as they took second and third respectively.
The ‘2’s pot was shared by Dave Shelton, Tim Hickey, Pierre Bietry, Pat Hanafin, Jim Bell, and Darac Evans.
Wednesday, Jan. 16, Bangpra - Stableford
A Flight
1st J-P Maffray (12) 34pts
2nd John Nalty (13) 33pts
3rd Dave Shelton (7) 33pts
B Flight
1st Nick Odnoral (16) 36pts
2nd Pat Hanafin (14) 36pts
3rd Billy Britton (16) 32pts
C Flight
1st Christy Knight (20) 32pts
2nd Fergus O’Brien (26) 32pts
3rd Keith McLachan 20 30pts
Nick Odnoral and County Cork’s Pat Hanafin were the only two players to match their handicaps as the sweltering heat and legendry lightning fast greens took their toll on the gang. Nick’s count back victory won him the top spot in B Flight and the man of the match honours. Billy Britton continued his fine play as he headed to the pay window twice in as many games as he closed the flight with 32 points.
The top boys flight was low on points as J-P Maffray was top of the heap with 34 points. John Nalty edged the inform Dave Shelton as a count back was required to separate them. Dave was not at all disappointed with the result as this was also his second pay window visit in as many games, coupled with a half share in a handsome ‘2’s pot, the other half going to our very own Vera Naughton.
It was another tough day for the C Flight players but Christy ‘good’ Knight and the unflappable Fergus O’Brien were not complaining as they went to a count back, both locked on 32 points. Christy got the verdict and top spot in the flight. Aussie Ace Keith McLachan was as surprised to find his 30 points took the last flight spot but hey no worries, it’s just as spendable.
Friday, Jan. 18, Treasure Hill - Stableford
A Flight
1st Mike Dwyer (9) 37pts
2nd Dave Shelton (7) 33pts
3rd Andy Kellaher (10) 33pts
B Flight
1st Jonny Lindberg (14) 35pts
2nd Billy Britton (16) 30pts
3rd Barry Copestake (15) 28pts
C Flight
1st Sivano Pizzaso (24) 35pts
2nd Ayoko Pueschi (25) 32pts
3rd Jim Elphick (25) 32pts
B Flight had the bragging rights all week but today A Flight took them back and the man they sent to do it was Mike Dwyer who returned a man of the match 37 points. He also saved it from being a non-counting day as he was the only player to better his handicap.
Mike’s score left Dave ‘three pay day visits this week’ Shelton and Andy Kellaher, no stranger to the pay window himself, locked on 33 points and dueling it out for the remaining flight spots. Dave made the silver his, leaving Andy to tidy up the flight.
Jonny Lindberg led the B Flight campaign with a steady 35 points while Billy Bingham also made it a treble pay desk visit as the week turned out to be one of steady income. Barry ‘the boot’ Copestake filled the flight on count back over the satang-less Tore Eliassen.
C Flight proved that this week’s low returns were no accident as their woes continued with Sivano Pizzaso topping the flight on 35 points. Jimmy’ two shots Elphick kindly conceded second place to Ayoko Pueschi as both were tied on 32 points.
Jeurg Luginbuh, Paraic McManus, Terry Mangan, John Nalty and John O’Neil shared the ‘2’s pot.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya Land Soi 1, Beach Road Soi 13/3 near to Walking Street. Anyone wishing to play with us just pop in and add your name to the list or call Colin on 089 826 0764. Transport is provided.

Kae makes it three in a row

PSC Golf from The Growling Swan

Brian Lawrence, Duangjai Tusagad & Mike Gosden.

Peter Blackburn
Monday, Jan. 14, Mountain Shadow - Stableford
After the previous week’s PSC Club Championship our numbers were up again and we had 27 golfers signed up to play one of our very favorite courses, Mountain Shadow. We had an earlier tee time than normal at 9.20 a.m. so it was a nervous time waiting at The Growling Swan in hope that everyone got the message about an early departure. Fortunately most did although “Leiperfrog” did need a quick phone call but fortunately he lives just round the corner.
We welcomed Brian Lawrence from Dorset in the UK, Pekka Mustonen from Finland and welcomed back Martin Todd after a few months in Mandurah, Western Australia. It was also great to have another member of the “North Shore Mafia” Rita Zoabelli with us once more along with veteran Don Richardson. There was also another strong showing of the Melbourne contingent of the Growling Swan “Delinquents” who appear to be enjoying their golf more and more.

Sandy Leiper & Geri Crilly.

Departing the GS at 8.07 am we headed off on No. 7 and arrived at the course 46 minutes later where it appeared to be quite busy, hence our being allotted an earlier tee time. We were asked to commence on the tenth tee and our first group got away at 9.30 a.m. which was 10 minutes later than schedule. The going was quite slow as we had some groups in front of us that were determined to get their money’s worth but the golf course was once more in terrific shape with the greens as slick as ever and some pin positions were “cheeky” to say the least.
The weather was fantastic and not too hot and with hold ups on the par threes it took us two hours & fifteen minutes to complete the first nine. Things didn’t really speed up on the second nine which resulted in the round being finished in four hours & thirty minutes. Nonetheless it was once again a very enjoyable day on a great course with terrific company.
We were able to have 2 grades with five podium spots in each: A Grade was for handicaps 0 to 22 and B Grade for 23 and over. We had nearest the pins on all the par threes and longest first putts on the 9th & 18th greens.
We had a “bolter” in the A Grade with Mike “Hunter” Gosden winning on 43 points, 5 points ahead of Don Richardson in second place. In third place came Frankie “Goes to Hollywood” Sharratt with 37 points and with four golfers on 34 points a count back was necessary to determine the remaining podium placings. In fourth place was Roy “Plums” Dayton (19 point back nine) and fifth spot went to Martin Todd (17 point back nine & 11 points on the last 6 holes). The ones just missing out were Alain “Inspector Clouseau” Taddei (17 point back nine & 10 points on the last 6 holes) and Peter Blackburn (15 point back nine).
Making it 3 wins in a row in the B Grade it was Duangjai “Kae” Tusagad who was victorious over Rita Zoebelli in second place. In third spot was Robert Allen with 33 points, 2 points ahead of Gary Williams in fourth place and Bernie McCart rounded off the podium with 30 points.
A Flight (0-22)
1st Mike Gosden (12) 43pts
2nd Don Richardson (12) 38pts
3rd Frankie Sharratt (11) 37pts
4th Roy Dayton (22) 34pts
5th Martin Todd (8) 34pts
B Flight (23+)
1st Duangjai Tusagad (28) 37pts
2nd Rita Zoebelli (24) 35pts
3rd Robert Allen 33pts
4th Gary Williams 31pts
5th Bernie McCart (29) 28pts
Near Pins: 5th – Wendy Bernek, 8th – Rita Zoebelli, 15th – Roy Dayton, 17th – Pekka Mustonen
Long Putts: 9th – Rita Zoebelli, 18th – Wendy Bernek
The Growling Swan NAGA Award, (awarded to the golfer who has the worst score on the day and discreetly their score is not made public) was won by newcomer Brian Lawrence who did not appear to be at all embarrassed & excepted the award in fine style.
Big Ken paraded Deefa the Dog and many donations were collected for the needy in Pattaya from our ever generous Growling Swan Crew. It was then back to the Growling Swan where the low priced beer was “Aussie” cold & plentiful and the usual post mortems were held with great anticipation to our next outing which will no doubt be as enjoyable as ever.
Thursday, Jan. 17, Plutaluang E&S - Stableford
It would appear that the flu epidemic in the USA had hit Pattaya as there were numerous late cancellations due to sickness which resulted in a starting lineup of 14, our smallest for quite some time. Everyone was on time however and we departed the GS 5 minutes ahead of schedule at 8.25 a.m. and headed South down 7 for our appointment at the Plutaluang Golf Course.
We welcomed back Takeshi Hakozaki from Japan and sadly said farewell to my good friend Frankie “Goes to Hollywood” Sharratt who is returning to Derby in the UK after playing with us for the past 3 weeks.
The journey took just 43 minutes and upon arrival it was a “hive of activity” with our section of the men’s locker room packed in like sardines in the midst of many other golfers who could also have been complaining about the lack of space. Alas there were no “multi-linguals amongst us so we will never know!
We were invited to play the East & South nines, which was certainly a change from our recent visits and our first group teed off 15 minutes ahead of schedule at 9.45 a.m. The weather was great with a fairly stiff breeze to cool things down and the golf course was in very good shape with of course the necessary adjustment required after reaching the putting surface.
One “joker” amongst us suggested that we play Bangpra one day & Navy the next but whilst appreciating that it would be an interesting contrast it could well result in many of us needing extra consultations with our “shrinks”!
The going was slow in front of us due to the heavy “traffic” on the course and our first nine took two hours & twenty minutes. The pace continued to be the same for the remainder of the round and we completed the round in four hours and forty minutes which was one of our slowest rounds ever. A very enjoyable day however with plenty of time to smell the roses and the weather, golf course and company was excellent.
With the small field we had just the one Grade with four podium places and we had nearest the pins on all the par threes and longest first putts on the 9th & 18th greens.
One of my playing partners, Irishman Geri Crilly (19 point back nine) played very well and his 34 points was good enough on the day to win on a count back from Roy “Plums” Dayton (18 point back nine). In third place came Mike “Hunter” Gosden with 33 points and fellow Aussie Martin Todd took fourth spot with 30 points. Looking at the scores it was obvious that the clear winner on the day was the golf course.
1st Geri Crilly (25) 34pts
2nd Roy Dayton (22) 34pts
3rd Mike Gosden (12) 33pts
4th Martin Todd (8) 30pts
Near Pins: E2 – Takeshi Hakozaki, S4 – Roy Dayton, S7 – No-one Good Enough
Long Putts: E9 – Ebrahim, S9 – Peter Blackburn
The Growling Swan NAGA Award was well won by Sandy “Leiperfrog” Leiper who as usual gracefully accepted the award in fine spirit whilst vowing not to be the recipient quite as often in the future.
In the absence of the “ailing” big Ken “Let’s hear it for” Bernek, Toddy paraded Deefa the Dog who collected many donations for the needy in Pattaya from our ever generous Growling Swan crew. Back at the bar afterwards we had a small but happy group who proceeded to solve most of the world’s problems whilst discussing cricket, Aussie Rules football, movies and many other items of extreme importance. Yet another great day’s golf!
NB: Growling Swan Golf welcomes golfers of any persuasion – low & high handicappers alike, female golfers and beginners. We generally play Mondays & Thursdays, meeting at The Growling Swan (formerly The Bunker Bar) in Soi Chaiyapoon at 8.00 am with transport departing at 8.30 a.m. For bookings or more information please contact Peter on 080 635 1386 or email to [email protected]. 

Monday Quiz League

Results & Standings Jan. 14

		17-Dec		7-Jan		14-Jan		Total	Total
Pos.	Team	Sc.	Pts	Sc.	Pts	Sc.	Pts	Score	Points
1	The Ranch	82	5	79	8	77	10	379	43
2	Cheers	84	8	81	10	77	10	376	38
3	Rest Stop	82	5	73	4	72	5	366	30
4	The Londoner	84	8	73	4	75	6	365	29
5	Irish Rovers	86	10	75	5	58	3	330	24
6	Palmers	74	2	71	2	71	4	351	19
7	Nervous Wreck	82	5	78	6	58	3	324	19
Percentage correct by round this week:
Geog.	Sport	History	Movies	Science	Reading	General	All	Average Team
69.40%	63.30%	63.30%	85.70%	85.70%	55.10%	66.10%	69.70%	Total:  69.7

Wednesday Quiz League

Results & Standings Jan. 16

Pos.	Team	B/F	2-Jan	9-Jan	16-Jan	Total
1	Palmers	9	3	1	3	16
2	Offshore	5	3	3	3	14
3	Rest Stop	9	1	1	2	13
4	Cheers	8	1	3	1	13
5	The Londoner	5	1	3	2	11
6	Queen Victoria	3	3	1	3	10
7	Nervous Wreck	5	3	1	1	10
8	Shagwell Mansion	4	1	3	1	9
Results:  Cheers 98 v 106 Palmers, The Londoner 102 v 102 Rest Stop, Nervous Wreck 94 v 102 Offshore, Queen Victoria 88 v 76 Shagwell Mansion

‘Deadly’ Smedley strikes again

PSC golf from The Golf Club

The R.O.W. team - 2013 Mulberry Ryder Cup winners.

Steve Ellison
Monday, Jan. 14, Green Valley (white tees) – Stableford
1st Ian Heddle (4) 42pts
2nd Ken Aihara (6) 38pts
T3rd Martin Kingswood (14) 37pts
T3rd Sugar Ray Handford (18) 37pts
T3rd Steve Milne (15) 37pts
Another week of great golf in amazing Thailand! Today was our regular Monday venue of Green Valley and we had a full house of 40 golfers once again. Smedders was at the helm and got the lads off right on time and thanks for that Phil.
Ian Heddle topped the day with a terrific round and shot 6 under his handicap to score 42 Stableford points for this comp. That means no mistakes for this 4 handicapper, and all the points were hard earned. That’s a great round Ian, well played mate!

Gentleman George Bishop with Captain Phil Smedley.

Steady Ken Aihara was warming up for the Mulberry Ryder Cup this week and brought home the bacon with 38 points for second place. We had a three-way tie for third with 37 points being the magic number for Martin Kingswood, Sugar Ray Handford and Steve Milne. Thanks for joining us today fellers!
The course is still in tip-top condition so please join us every Monday for our regular venue of Green Valley. It is our early start day and we depart from The Golf Club at 08:15 on Mondays for our usual 09:27 tee time.
Tuesday 15 - Friday 18 Jan: The Mulberry Ryder Cup
Our congratulations must go to Captain Gabriel Enright and his Rest of the World side who took on the mighty England team and won by 20½ to 19½ for a most surprising victory. Thanks to Steve Mulberry for hosting this annual classic, with Team England taking on all comers.
This was the 10th anniversary of the event and was played at (Royal) Lotus Valley, Royal Hills, and Royal Lakeside. It was a grueling 4 rounds over 4 days and a true test of matchplay golf.

The gang’s all here!

Wednesday, Jan. 16, Royal Lakeside (white tees) – Stableford
1st Phil Smedley (13) 38pts
2nd Rod Stevens (23) 35pts
It was the lovely Royal Lakeside that played host to The Golf Club for today’s event, and she turned out to be gracious and beautiful. Captain Phil Smedley ended up on top of the pile with his 38-point card.
Phil is on a schedule of three rounds a week at least, so his consistency has been rewarded by this win. Rod Stevens had another great round and had 35 points to place second on the day. Rod shot a 40 a couple of weeks back and this is one of his better rounds this year. Nice going guys!
Friday, Jan. 18, Bangpra (white tees) – Stableford
1st Glen Hendricksen (10) 34pts
2nd Pat Engles (23) 33pts
T3rd George Bishop (17) 31pts
T3rd Phil Smedley (13) 31pts
Most people refer to Bangpra as the “monkey course” and today was proof that the name is surely appropriate. There were primates aplenty on the course and the caddies were busy keeping them out of the buggies and protecting our iphones and ipads.
A full signup sheet tallied up 28 golfers today so a good comp was in place. The course proved to be just too hard for most guys and a score of 34 points by Glen Hendricksen was the best we could muster. There were many 3 putt (and a few 4 putt) greens that robbed the assembled masses of Stableford points. These are probably the slickest greens in town, so be warned!
Pat Engles did well to collect 33 points with those greens in play. The dynamic duo of George Bishop and Phil Smedley tied with a 31 to share third place. Phil has had a heck of a good week, not easy to do and run the golf at the same time! Thanks to Captain Phil for another first-class golf experience for the week at The Golf Club.
Note: The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro. We usually play on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so come join us for a seriously fun day out. Just call 085 434 3377 or see our website www.golfclubpattaya.com  and for more information mail us: [email protected]  and see updates at www.facebook.com/golfclubpattaya.

Phill doubles up

PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside

Tuesday’s A Flight top two, Phill Waite & Martin Hayes.

Tuesday, Jan. 15, The Emerald - Stableford
Tuesday was a visit to Emerald, where the course was in good condition, but full to the brim with golfers. This meant an unusually slow round for the regulars, more than 5 hours on the course, not the most desirable, roll on High Season.
With a large number of players today we had 2 flights with 4 placings in each. Leading the way in A Flight was Phill Waite (H/cap 12) who has been in good form of late, resulting in a steady decrease in his handicap. Phill recorded 36 points and led the way from Martin Hayes (12) with 35, one ahead of Owen Walkley (10), with Jeff Wylie (6) another point behind after edging Bob on count back 19/17.
In the higher handicap flight, it was JeanClaude Coulon (29) on top with 36 points, from Frans Olgers (18) with 35. Third spot went to Joel Flor (22) with 34, one up on our silver tee octogenarian Kurt Erik Persson playing off (24).
Near pins were shared around between Neil, Owen, K & Jeff.
It was pleasing to see we had 4 Thai ladies playing with us today, hope to see them again soon.
Thursday,
Thursday was the long drive to Crystal Bay, with the C & A combination our test of the day. Good scores were a little thin on the ground; it was a little windy, but otherwise good conditions and no excuses other than perhaps the 5+ hour round.
2 flights today, but only 3 places in each, and it was Phill Waite (12) again leading the way with the day’s best score of 36 points. He was followed by Bob Edwards (8) with 35, while Jeff Warner (13) had his first collect of this visit with 33 points.
The higher flight went to Kurt Erik Persson (24) with 34 points, ahead of Brian Maddox (21) with 31 points while Mam (29) got third spot with a paltry 27 points.
Near pins were again spread around, with George, Jeff, Phill & Neil getting amongst the prizes.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf generally on Tuesday & Thursday, with ML hosting prompt presentations on both days. As a PSC affiliated venue we welcome ALL golfers, including ladies & seniors who have opted for the “Silver” tee option. Call 089 094 1841 for scheduling or enquiries. Hope to see you there, cheers & good golfing!

Binns shines at Crystal Bay

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Tuesday’s top four with one of Bert’s finest.

Derek Brook
Tuesday, Jan. 15, Crystal Bay – Stableford
Well here we are into January, and all of a sudden the playing list fills up to overflowing. On this day we had to scramble as the list filled up to 8 groups, and while we were playing Crystal Bay I wondered whether it was because of the good course or the good rate.
So with an overfull playing list, off we went to the course. We got there reasonably quick and after booking in the good news was that we were to play the A & B Nines, always a pleasure. With 8 groups it was a while before the last ones set out, and equally at the end a long time till all came in. The course was not in too bad a condition and the greens, despite the odd square hole, did not seem to be too bad.
This course is a favourite of many players despite its faded glory and this is probably why so many play and all enjoy the day out here. Mind, once upon a time it was a great course.

Joel Flor, Pekke Mustonen and Daryl Evans with a member of Bert’s staff.

So to the changing rooms, not one of Crystal Bay’s best selling points. Many of the showers do not work and the ‘Out Of Service’ sign is to be seen in many areas. Still, I suppose there are some good things, like the towels are ‘Old Friends’.
I suppose that going into the restaurant is an experience as the doors actually still do open the way it says on the doors - quite surprising. I suppose faded glory says it all, but the food and drinks are well priced and are really very good.
Back at Bert’s we got on with the results as with a large number of players we were late. In the A Flight, 0 to 18, the winner was John Binns with 40 points ahead of Richard Kubicki with 38 points in second. The scribe (Derek Brook) was third with 36 points and Dick Warberg was fourth on count back over John Hackett, both 35 points.
In the B Flight the winner was Ken Hatton with 39 points ahead of Torsten Bischoff in second with 37 points. We had a count back for third with Stephen Cooper-Reade in third and Brian Gabe in fourth, both on 35 points.
Near Pins: Mark West, John Binns, Don Carmody, Dick Warberg
Long Putts: Brian Parish
Friday, Jan. 18, Century Chonburi – Stableford
We thought long and hard before booking this course - and in the end said with the low green fee we would give it a go. It has to be said that I had not been there for many a year and I still remembered the tatty changing room and the ‘fly filled’ area called a restaurant. I can remember when they only had two toilets and two showers. I also remember a course that has a really good layout with some first class holes and a total lack of maintenance. So was there any difference?
The drive there is just beyond Treasure Hill and a turn right. Essentially there are two ways in and I thought I would go in the usual way, at the top of the hill on the 331. This way is a great cross country track now that had plenty of large holes and dirt to get over - a fine way to cause damage to a normal car, but probably no problem to a pickup type car.
I drove very slowly and finally got there, having decided that I would not go back that way. Whilst on the subject, I will describe the other way out to the road. Coming out I turned left at the fork and went to the 331 on a route that I very rarely went in the old days but thought why not. All the bends are dangerous as the road is broken up and in between there are plenty of deep holes. Drive very slowly. For me not at all till it gets better.
So we got to the course and on advice changed our shoes at the car, left our bags there and walked down to the book-in. Nothing changes, it only gets older, to be kind. I took the time to check out the changing room and found the old metal lockers we all love so much. So I went back and booked in.
I also took a cart today which cost the same as most courses, that is 600 baht. So with a green fee of only 200 baht and a caddie fee of 250 baht, that make a great rate to walk but not so if you take a cart. Incidentally, there seems to be a shortage of carts.
So to the course, as I already said it is a good layout, but dismally maintained. It seems the bunkers are raked in the morning, maybe, but are not good, and have no rakes in them. The fairways have got fine grass in most places, or brown bare spots and just under the surface is that fine grit that makes a mess of your club. The greens are weird, they seem over green and ‘hairy’, but seem to put quite well. All in all a good layout and I suppose for the money people will go back to walk, but not for me for the next couple of years.
Back to the changing room after getting our gear from the car and the word spartan is an overestimation, with a cold shower a certainty. But why on earth they have not changed those lockers I am amazed. No one tested the food, but the drinks were cheap.
Back at Bert’s we did the presentation and the winner was Joel Flor with 38 points ahead of Pekke Mustonen with 36 points. We then had a four-way count back on 33 points that saw Daryl Evans in third, Max Matthews in fourth, Takeshi Hakozaki in fifth and Nigel Perry in sixth. We then talked a good round.
NB: Dave Richardson tells me there is a better way into the course via Treasure Hill. I might try it in a few years time, or maybe not.
Near Pins: Daryl Evans (2), Brian Parish

Ritchie on a roll goes back-to-back

The Billabong Golf Group

Phil Waite, Greig Ritchie and Chris Dodd – top three at Mountain Shadow.

Monday, Jan. 14, Mountain Shadow - Stableford
Monday this week was Mountain Shadow, and by all accounts the course was in grand condition, the comment was the best we have ever seen it. That was probably why there were so many good scores in - it’s not often anyone gives this course a going over but it happened today.
There were 4 groups playing and in the winner’s circle was Greig Ritchie with 39 points ahead of Chris Dodd with 38 on a count back over Phil Waite, also 38.
There were no ‘2’s again today which is quite incredible as the par 3s here are really not that long.
Wednesday, Jan. 16, Green Valley - Stableford
Our Normal Wednesday run down 36 to Green Valley was uneventful apart from some of the lads coming having the unfortunate experience of seeing a car that had been squashed by a truck by the Bira racetrack, not a pretty sight.
The golf however was great, with overcast conditions, not too hot and the course was in magnificent shape.
The scores were not as good as expected though, with 34 points winning the day. It’s not often you get a golfer that hits every par 3 and not get a ‘2’ but Jim Bell managed to do it today. Bad luck mate!
The winner today was Greig Ritchie with 34 points on a count back over Martin Hayes while in third was Bob Lindborg with 33 ahead of John Ryves with 32, who beat Glyn Davies on a count back also. The bogey on the last didn’t help did it mate, better luck next time.
Friday, Jan. 18, The Emerald - Stableford
Emerald today and it was in great condition, a bit of a slow round just under 5 hours but the field was moving along albeit slowly. The greens were something else again; they were that fast even the ball markers were moving when you looked at them. A lot fun though among the players and you could hear the banter everywhere.
There were not too many grand scores in today but it was very close at the top. The winner was Glyn Davies with 33 points, closely followed by Bob Pearce with 32 and third was our mate from Ireland Mick Bowes with 31. The rest, including the scribe, were also-rans.
Only one 2 today and that came from the old master himself Bob Pearce.
Note: If you are looking for a game or just a cold beer, call into the Billabong just off Siam Country Road or call Bob on 082 204 3411. Next Friday we are playing a four-ball scramble at Crystal Bay.

Colin the conqueror shoots 44

PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch

Marion & Gordon Melia enjoy the sunshine at Khao Kheow.

Monday, Jan. 14, Pleasant Valley - Stableford
Definitely not everyone’s favourite course, but it’s a while since we played here and there was a good turnout, including Gordon Melia and Jack Robertson, two of the course’s biggest critics.
On arrival at the course we quickly realized it was going to be a long day, as the car park was packed and we were informed there would be a half hour delay. Eventually we teed off almost an hour late and the first four holes were painfully slow, with two groups on every tee for as far in front as we could see. Our caddies were heading out for their second round of the day, and were less than enthusiastic, and of course extremely hungry!
None of this could upset Colin Greig, who completed the first nine holes in two over par (including 3 birdies), racking up an impressive 26 points. He went off the boil a bit on the back nine, shooting 42 and only scoring 18 points, including a four-putt on the 18th green (he claimed a lack of concentration, but John Hughes, a recognised expert on the subject, was heard to suggest handicap management!).
Eddie Kelly took second place in the A flight with 37 points and was the only other player to better his handicap on the day, so no one was saying the course played easy.
A Flight
1st Colin Greig (12) 44pts
2nd Eddie Kelly (17) 37pts
3rd Mashi Kaneta (13) 36pts
B Flight
1st William Macey (19) 36pts
2nd Mike Corner (19) 33pts
3rd Thomas Nyborg (19) 32pts
Near Pins: Eddie Kelly, Gerry Cooney, Mike Corner, and Colin Greig.
Wednesday, Jan. 16, Century Chonburi – Stableford
We played here last month when the course was in reasonable shape, and we’d decided to give it another try, but unfortunately a month is a long time in Thailand. The course had dried up considerably and the fairways were rock hard with the first 150 yards of grass in front of the tees, burnt and brown. The greens were in reasonable shape but very slow, not quite as bad as the Navy, but certainly heading that way.
The course was busy and we had to wait half an hour later than our scheduled tee time (not that a booked time makes much difference here!), and obviously all the full-time caddies had already gone out because we were given school kids, with an average age about 12 – so not much help coming from them!
Jerry Waselenkoff didn’t need any help, and romped home to his first win since his return, comfortably winning the A Flight, two points clear of Dave Ashman. Neil Griffin won the B Flight courtesy of a five-pointer on the par three 17th hole (how on earth can anyone get 2 shots on a par 3!), which left his mate Skinny floundering in his wake.
A Flight
1st Jerry Waselenkoff (14) 37pts
2nd Dave Ashman (13) 35pts
3rd Tim Winder (14) 34pts
B Flight
1st Neil Griffin (28) 37pts
2nd Skinny Newton (29) 35pts
3rd Thomas Nyborg (19) 34pts
Near Pins: Neil Griffin, Cyril Wallwork and Mark West(2)
Friday, Jan. 18, Khaow Keow – Stableford
An unexpectedly large turnout created some transport and booking headaches, but eventually all 37 golfers managed to get a game - our largest field of the year so far.
We set off on the C nine in good conditions, but with a strong wind blowing, which appeared to be a 4-club wind on some holes. It certainly wasn’t a day for long or high hitters, and the conditions played into the hands of Jack Robertson who was hitting the ball straight and low on every hole, and was the only player to play to his handicap, winning the B Flight and the overall honours on the day.
Geoff Cox won the A Flight with a modest 33 points, on the count back ahead of Tony Robbins and Keith Norman, but given the tough conditions it was good performance from all of them on the day.
Our honorary lady member Marion Melia, finally made it to the podium in 3rd place in the B Flight, ahead of her imminent return to the snow in U.K next week.
A Flight
1st Geoff Cox (13) 33pts
2nd Tony Robbins (12) 33pts
3rd Keith Norman (12) 33pts
4th Bernie Stevens (17) 31pts
B Flight
1st Jack Robertson (25) 36pts
2nd Reg Smart (30) 34pts
3rd Marion Melia (19) 33pts
4th Neil Griffin (28) 31pts
Near Pins: Geoff Cox, Peter Mace, Eddie Kelly and Jack Robertson
NB: The Bunker Boys play out of The Ranch bar on Pattaya 3rd Road (in front of the fire station). We play three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Contact Buff on 086 046 5091 or 080 605 5663 for all enquiries. You can find all the news, schedules and results on our website at www.bunkersociety.com. 

Jens Gunnarsson bags a hole in one

IPGC golf from The Haven

Monday, Jan. 14, Pattana C & A (yellow tees) - Stableford
CSS 74
Division 1 (0-14)
1st Petri Nurmi (8) 30pts
2nd Martin Harrington (10) 30pts
3rd Phil Groves (7) 29pts
Division 2 (15+)
1st Hal Hart (24) 33pts
2nd Benny Hansen (25) 32pts
3rd Vincent Gras (19) 30pts
Red Tees
1st Jan Deenoi (32) 22pts
2nd Kitti Ulvio-Peltonen (11) 21pts
Once again a large turnout, that thankfully was accommodated by the management of Pattana, even though they were already under pressure from the usual big numbers arriving for a sports day on a Monday.

Dave Howden.

Despite there being a large field consisting of three divisions, the CSS for the day went out to 74 off the yellow tees, as most of the tees were set back nearer the blues, making it a long trek for most and the fact that there were a large number of single figure handicappers in the list of hopefuls just underlined the difficulty of the day.
The first division was taken by Petri Nurmi, who said he could not remember winning a prize at six over let alone win the competition. Petri edged a count back over Martin Harrington with a better 16 to 15 while Phil Groves got to touch the folding with a less than stellar round in third.
The second division showed a bit more form, being won by Hal Hart at three over handicap, which was enough by one to put Benny Hansen into second with Vincent Gras third another two shots back.

Mike Korney.

The Red Division saw Jan Deenoi win her maiden tournament by the slimmest of margins and if at first sight the score looked well under the normal winning total, second place was taken by an 11 handicap with all the other contenders also holding higher handicaps.
Kitti Ulvio-Peltonen had the only ‘2’ in the first division while there were none in the second division, in fact there were only five threes in the second division, all of them on the short 2nd on C course.
Before the presentations were made there were welcomes for new members Mark Lang, Dave Steward, Bjorn Wirkola, Martin Harrington and Knut Soderholm together with welcome backs for David (the good) Knight and Graham Johnson.

Steve Bickle.

Wednesday, Jan. 16, Khao Kheow B & C - Stableford
CSS 74
Division 1 (0–15)
1st Dave Howden (14) 36pts
2nd Jens Gunnarsson (15) 34pts
3rd Petri Nurmi (8) 31pts
Division 2 (16+)
1st Knut Soderholm (33) 33pts
2nd George Pittam (18) 31pts
3rd Steve Bickle (16) 31pts
Red Tees
1st Marita Eeva (16) 32pts
2nd Paul Juutilainen (20) 27pts
Once again three divisions were well catered for by Khao Kheow, even though they all had to start from the same tee, making for a long wait for the final groups. But once started, the rounds progressed at a good rate and all finished in less than four and a half hours, although once again the scores were difficult to make even with the course in excellent condition.
Division one was led in by Dave Howden, playing his last round of this trip before returning to deep winter in the UK, with a level handicap return that was good by two ahead of Jens Gunnarsson in second place, who had other things to celebrate over the last fifteen holes. Petri Nurmi took his second podium placing of the week after winning a count back of 18 over Alan Hanlon and Lyle Blaw who scored 15 and 14 respectively.
The second division saw another maiden win, this time for Knut Soderholm, and even though the total was over handicap he was still extremely delighted when he discovered he had won. George Pittam took second spot after a better count back of 16 to 15 ahead of Steve Bickle.

Hal Hart.
The Red Division was won by new comer Marita Eeva with Paula Juutilainen taking second place a few strokes back and the rest of the division a long way further behind them.
There were no 2’s in the first division but Vincent Gras and George Pittam had one each in the second division but they received nothing for their efforts as Jens Gunnarsson swept the two pots by slotting in an ace on the par 3 third hole on the B course, which was playing a measured 168 yards on the day. He had obviously picked up a tip or two from the previous day when he had been playing behind Cliff North, also a member, who had a hole in one playing out of the Links.
Strangely Jens was reluctant to have his picture taken with the special hole-in-one bag that is presented to all members getting an ace when playing in competition with the IPGC, possibly because he was supposed to have spent the day shopping with his wife but had used the excuse he was slipping down to Soi 6 for the day. He did however blow the horn several times to celebrate the event quietly.
Back at The Haven there were welcomes for Marita Eeva and Harri Ingman together with welcome backs for Steve Bickle, Phil Stevenson, John Wood, Dan MacCarthy, Wilf Wellman and George Pittam, Serge Straeten and Johnny Clements.
Friday, Jan. 18, Mountain Shadow (blue tees) – Stableford
CSS 75 NC
Division 1 (0–16)
1st Steve Bickle (16) 35pts
2nd Phil Groves (7) 29pts
3rd Lyle Blaw (10) 28pts
Division 2 (17+)
1st Mike Korney (20) 33pts
2nd Phil Stevenson (23) 30pts
3rd Hal Hart (24) 29pts
Although there were again large numbers we were one short of the three division mark so this day no Red Division.
Also for the third time in the week the playing conditions were so hard that the CSS went up, this time by three strokes and the day became a non-counting event.
Steve Bickle, having adjusted to the time difference and having been able to arise early enough to make the leaving time for the second day in succession, went two better on the podium and won by a short street from Phil Groves, who again touched the some loot with a score that he would wish to forget. Lyle Blaw also joined them on the podium with a slightly bemused expression as to how it all works in Pattaya.
The second division had Mike Korney almost dancing, commenting that “it feels almost as good as watching Ice Hockey at the moment”, as he took his first win for a little while by three from Phil Stevenson, with Hal Hart again showing up, this time in third and another point behind.
Phil Stevenson had a double success on the day, slipping in a 2 in the second division to claim the pool to himself as Rick Schramm and Alan Pilkington shared the first division.
Alan’s 2 was in fact as good as an ace, which he had achieved a couple of weeks earlier to win his hole in one bag, as he knocked it in from 140 yards having on the stroke index 1 seventh hole to claim five points which very neatly doubled his score for the front nine, to make it a real curate’s egg of a round.
Prior to the presentations there was a welcome for Neil Hawes and also welcome backs for Brian Lewis, Graham Howard, Steven Howard and Mick Bogunovich.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact mobile 082 219 0965 or call in to The Haven Hotel, at 185 Soi 13, between Beach Road and 2nd Road. All transportation to the course is arranged and you do not need to sign up prior to the day, but you should be there by 8.15 on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the days that you wish to play. A schedule of courses to be played can be found on our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com

Patience is the key

Travellers Rest Golf Group

Andy Rich
Last week I was bemoaning the ups and downs of playing golf and this week my advice is “stay patient and good things will happen”.
On Monday 14th January at Eastern Star I took my own advice and good things did happen. Eastern Star is a very tricky course with plenty of water hazards and it requires good course management to avoid losing plenty of golf balls. I think it is better to be straight rather than long and after an indifferent start I kept telling myself I could play better and with a bit of patience I totted up 33pts, didn’t lose any balls and finished in third place.
Barry Wood (10) was another guy who had a good round and continued where he left off last week by taking the honours with 36pts. Mick Robinson (16) pipped me on count back, also finishing on 33pts, to take second place.
On Tuesday 15th January the TRGG faithful headed off to play Greenwood (B and C courses) which is a far more forgiving course where the long hitters come into their own. Tristan Gilbert (9) who always belts the ball a country mile finished way out in front with 39pts. Jeff Bunn (6), who is normally straight and long, crept into second place but only on count back on 36pts. Mike Rushant (11) was the one to lose out and finished third.
Thursday 17th January saw a change of venue from our normal Thursday outing at Phoenix as they were holding a large tournament that day. So we headed off to play Plutaluang (South and East), the navy course.
My playing partner from Monday, Ken Brehm (21), also took my advice about patience and brought his A game along and took first place with 36pts. He was followed home by Ted Senior (14) in second on 32pts and Barry Wood in third on 31.
On Friday 18th January TRGG rounded off the week by taking a large turnout to play Bangpra (B and A courses). So large was the field it was divided into two divisions. Div 1 was for up to 11 handicap and Div 2 was for 12 handicap and above.
Division 1 was headed by Alan Harris (10) with 34pts, followed by Fergus Brennan (11) in second on 33 and Jeff Bunn (6) in third on 30.
Division 2 saw Davd Dunne (19) take first place with 33pts followed by Jim Cleaver (12) in second on 31 and Donald Pearson (33) in third on 29pts
Good luck to all you golfers for the coming week and stay patient!

Edwards resists some Earley challenges

The Pattaya Golf Society (IPGC) at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar

PGS Championship winners Pete Sumner and Wichai Tananusorn,
flanked by runners-up Masa Takano and Mike Earley.

On Monday, 14th January the Pattaya Golf Society made the slightly longer journey to Bangpakong Riverside to play a stableford event on the extremely well prepared course. The fairways are better than anywhere at the moment and the greens were the only disappointment being in need of a cut. But the whole experience of playing golf there is an exciting one.
The two flights were divided at fifteen and under and a tight encounter ensued in the second flight as Jim Ferris, a man in form at the moment, shared second place with John Chelo on 36 points. The winner was Yvonne Earley, playing solidly and hitting the fairways, and her 37 points represented a good day’s work for the lady golfer.
In the top flight Dave Moriarty’s 34 points took third place but Mike Early emulated the round of his wife with 37 points for the runner-up spot. The winner was Dave Edwards, freshly returned from England via Abu Dhabi, and he showed he has lost none of his form with an excellent 39 point return giving him a good win.
There were birdie ‘2’s for Rick Schramm and Michael Lindberg and Rabbi’s free beer went to Yvonne Earley as well.
The Booby Bevy went to new member Gerald Meredith who rented clubs from the bar but discarded a couple of hybrids and grabbed two irons from a nearby set. Irishman Gerald is right handed and on the course he found out the clubs were not! The fun continues with the Pattaya Golf Society.
Sumner retains his title in style
On Wednesday and Friday, 16th and 18th January, the Pattaya Golf Society held its Annual Strokeplay Championship at Emerald on a course well prepared and in comfortable conditions with a strong wind evident on the second day.
The current PGS Champion, Pete Sumner, was there to defend his title, as were the usual favourites Masa Takano, Wichai Tananusorn and Dave Edwards and the first day went to form with Sumner shooting gross 77 for a net score of seventy, with Khun Wichai finishing only two shots behind and striking the ball well.
The second day saw the leaders go head-to-head and after nine holes Khun Wichai had made up the two shots difference and took the lead after twelve when Pete Sumner suffered a triple bogey. However some uncharacteristic mistakes by Wichai handed the lead back to Pete on the fourteenth. Things remained that way until the final hole when Sumner birdied against Wichai’s par and drove home his advantage from the first day.
Elsewhere there were spirited performances by Mike Earley and Masa Takano which boosted their final standings also.
The daily “pool” results saw flight wins for Pete Sumner (2), Gary Bolger and Larry Slattery and Alan Flynn, who shot the best net round of the week with 69. The final results under the competition rules saw the Net Champion confirmed as Wichai Tananusorn (149) with Mike Earley taking the runner-up place on 150, leaving the Gross runner-up as Masa Takano (170).
Pete Sumner proudly retained his title as Gross Champion with an excellent 159 and also took possession of the perpetual trophy kindly donated some ten years ago by Harry Riley and Dale Shier. At the presentation in Soi Buakhao later, the organiser Mr Len thanked all those who had contributed to an excellent Championship, including the Elephant Bar hosts Rabbi and Khun Peung and offered the congratulations of all who were involved in the week to a very worthy Champion, Pete Sumner.
 

North holds all the aces

IPGC golf from The Links

Sunday, Jan. 13, Green Valley – Stableford
There was yet another good turnout today for our regular Sunday fixture at Green Valley and as usual at this time of year conditions were perfect.

Cliff North celebrates his hole-in-one.
Gabriel Enright was pleased he managed to get out of bed this week after last week’s no-show, as he took first place with 35 points, beating Brian Wilkinson 11-10 on the last 6 holes, after both scored 18 points on the back 9. Larry Ang took third with 33 points.
A good day was completed for Gabriel as he had the only ‘2’.
1st Gabriel Enright (17) 35pts
2nd Brian Wilkinson (14) 35pts
3rd Larry Ang (26) 33pts
Tuesday, Jan. 15, Mountain Shadow – Stableford
Mountain Shadow off the blue tees is always a good challenge, and so it proved today for those that made the journey, with the wind blowing to start with, then easing off to leave a really hot day. The course remains in excellent condition, and the greens are some of the best in the area at the moment, so the four no-shows and one late cancellation missed out on an excellent days golf.
Cliff North stole the show today, taking first place with 36 points, in a round which contained one 5-pointer, three 4-pointers, and five blobs, including a run of birdie, eagle, and sextuple bogey! Most importantly for Cliff, however, was that the eagle came at the short 5th, claiming his first ever hole in one, with a beautifully struck 9 iron that never wavered from line over its 120 yard flight. Cliff then followed that up with a hole in eleven at the par 5 sixth!
Back at The Links, it was congratulations all round for Cliff, but in all the excitement he forgot to buy the customary round for those assembled. There’s always next time!
1st Cliff North (20) 36pts
2nd Jens Gunnarsson (15) 30pts
3rd Jan Deenoi (32) 28pts
Note: The Links depart from the hotel on Soi Buakhao at 10.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 9.45am for Green Valley every Sunday. Sign up at the hotel or contact Jon on 080 021 1034. A full schedule of courses can be found on the IPGC website www.ipgc.org.

Lodge leaves field in his wake

IPGC golf from Tara Court & O’Gara’s Bar

Sunday, Jan. 13, Pleasant Valley (blue tees) – Stableford
Today we moved from our usual Mountain Shadow to Pleasant Valley as the former had a competition on and no tee time available for us. All the groups were very happy with the change and very impressed with the course which was in excellent condition.

Ted Lodge.

Unfortunately the front 9 was slow as there were a few 5-balls in front of us but they had started on the 10th so when we got to the back 9 we got round quickly and still finished in 4½hrs, which for this time of year is not bad.
We played off the blue tees, which makes it a long course but some of our members made it look very easy. Teddy Lodge went round in 2 over gross to score 44pts off his 10 handicap, his last time off that handicap for a while! Pat Culloty had 39pts off 21 and then Sean Connolly (10), John Chambers (8) and Barney Sheedy (11) all had 37pts. Great scoring on a long course!
There were also eight ‘2’s recorded, which was also amazing.
1st Ted Lodge 44pts
2nd Pat Culloty 39 pts
3rd Sean Connolly 37pts
4th John Chambers 37pts
5th Barney Sheedy 37pts
‘2’s: Teddy Lodge (2), Pat Culloty, John Chambers, Terry Kelly, Frank McGowan, Declan Kelly.
Tuesday, Jan. 15, Pattana – Stableford
Today we were at Pattana, another beautiful course and in excellent condition. We played A and B courses, probably the best and most difficult 9’s there.
Again one of our members made it look easy; John McKenna had 40pts off his 17 handicap and won at a canter. He was the only one to break his handicap, the next best being John Chambers playing off 8 with 36pts. Barney Sheedy (off 11) got third with 34 on a count back, beating Pat Culloty (21) and Jack Beehan (15) into fourth and fifth respectively.
Despite a large group there were no ‘2’s today in contrast to Sunday when most of the same people played and we had 8, so a carry over to Greenwood on Thursday.
1st John McKenna 40pts
2nd John Chambers 36pts
3rd Barney Sheedy 35pts
4th Pat Culloty 34pts
5th Jack Beehan 34pts
Thursday, Jan. 17, Greenwood (white tees) – Stableford
We were up at Greenwood today where we played the B and C courses. Again the course was in beautiful condition but was playing long, which was reflected in the scores. Only one player managed to equal or better his handicap and some of the ones who came in with big scores earlier in the week came in today with very different numbers.
What a difference a day makes! We had a rollover today in the 2’s from Pattana and while the scoring today wasn’t as good as in Pattana, two players managed to get one each for a big payday.
Mark O’Callaghan, on his first outing with us, came in with 38pts and won by a clear margin. Well done Mark! The next best was Ted Morris with 34pts and Frank McGowan came in third with 33. Taking fourth with 30pts was Gilbert Brossnan who had just arrived on Tuesday evening and quickly made his mark.
1st Mark O’Callaghan (18) 38pts
2nd Ted Morris (15) 34pts
3rd Frank McGowan (16) 33pts
4th Gilbert Brossnan (21) 30pts
5th Frank McGowan (16) 30pts
‘2’s: Ted Morris and Fred O’Connor.
Note: The Tara Court Golf Group plays every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, leaving O’Gara’s Bar and Restaurant in The Tara Court on Pratumnak Rd around 10.00 a.m. Sign up either in O’Gara’s or ring George on 087 540 0844 and he will book you in.
 

Flello fires 40-pointer at Pattana

Jomtien Golf with the IPGC

Randy Flello, Jerry Sweetnam, Mike Fitzgerald and Lindsay Phillips.

Monday, Jan. 14, Pattana – Stableford
12 groups out today and upon arrival we were allocated the A and B courses but as we walked towards the first tee the marshalls changed their minds and we ended up teeing off on the C course with the A nine to follow. An equal cut in the divisions today with handicaps set at 6-14, 15-18 and 19+. The course was in good condition with very slick greens.
The best score of the day came in division 3 with Randy Flello on top of the podium with 40 points. The Cockney boy Rod Howett took second on 33 and Andy Oz was in third with 29.
The second best score of the day was in division 1 with Jerry Sweetnam winning with 39 points ahead of Horst Starchl in second, two points behind, and Martin Grimoldby finished third with 35 points after beating Rune Aasheim and Tony Kay on a back nine count back.
Dennis Scougal edged Lindsay Phillips on a 19/17 back nine count back to win the second division after they both came in with 35 and Don Head placed third, also on count back after beating Andy Baber and Mr. Happy, all on 32 points. Near pins were claimed by Martin Grimoldby (2), Neville Scurell, Jerry Sweetnam, Paul Chabot, Jim Connelly, Ken Priddy and Bryan Rought.
Matti Pihlajisto birdied the second on the C course to record the only ‘2’ of the day and take the pot in division 1.
It was Rod Howett’s ‘60ish plus’ birthday celebration at Siam Cats and he provided the sandwiches and rang the bell twice. Well done Rod and there were many happy returns from us all.
Wednesday, Jan. 16, Phoenix - Stableford
After reports of a 5 and a half hour round here the previous Friday we were all apprehensive as to what to expect today. There were a couple of cancellations overnight and two no shows but we still went out with 12 groups bang on time.
The cut today was 8-15, 16-19 and 20 + and there was a ladies division as well. This is starting to build up again after we used to have seven or eight ladies playing twice a week around two years ago and all of those girls have given up the game since then for many various reasons.
There were three winning scores of 36 in each of the mens divisions; Lindsay Phillips topped division 1 ahead of Jerry McCarthy in second on 33 and Anders Hansson beat Chris Voller on a 17/15 back nine count back for third after they both scored 32 points.
Neil Gamble topped division 2 and a smiling Howard Stanley beat Bryan Rought for the runner-up spot on a 17/12 count back after they both came in on 31 points.
Mike Fitzgereld claimed division 3 honours ahead of Randy Flello in second, one point behind, and Roar Berger was third with 33.
Miss Nut, playing off 22, won the ladies flight with 35 points.
Near pins went to Kit Parkington, Chris Voller (2), Stefan Kallback, Finn Olsen and Bryan Rought.
There were no winners for the ladies for nearest the pins or ‘2’s but in division 1 Anders Hansson and Chris Voller both birdied the Mountain 8th to split the pot and Finn Olsen birdied the second hole on the Lakes course for the only winner in division 2.
Friday, Jan. 18, Eastern Star - Stableford
300+ bookings today at the course today and we were expecting another slow round. The marshalls were on the ball however, speeding up slow play in front of us when required and our first group reached the tenth tee in 2 hours 15mins, which is acceptable for this time of the year. They completed their round in four hours 20 mins and there were no complaints.
The 13th and 18th greens here are slowly improving and there were not too many moans from the players about the condition of the course.
Horst Starchl, playing off 13, won division 1 with 35 points after beating Chris Voller on a 19/18 back nine count back. Wilf Latham placed third on a 5/4 back three count back over Frank Kelly after they both came in with 31 points.
Pepo Frick’s 34 points topped the leaderboard in division 2, with Mike Fitzgerald second on 32 and in third place one point behind was Iain Walsh.
Some rather poor scores in the ladies division today with Verana Suhr winning the flight with just 23 points.
Near pins were shared around by Mikael Andersson, Billy Fitzgerald , Karl Flood, Chris Voller, Rod Howett and Malcolm Saunders (2).
Yet again there were no near pins won by the ladies or any ‘2’s for that matter. Birthday boy Rod Howett scored the only ‘2’ for the men to win the pot in division 2. Well done Rodney!
Senile dementia seems to have set in and the first group out today with the near pin markers forget to place them on the 17th green, so the second group had to chase ahead to collect them; no names mentioned, we’ll just call the group CV+3.

Gabe & Sancillo star at Bangpakong

PSC golf from Café Kronborg

Monday, Jan. 14, Bangpakong – Stableford
We were off to our favorite venue, the pristine Bangpakong Riverside course, just up route 7 for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
After another swift check-in we were off the first tee 5 minutes later the schedule under sunny skies and in hot conditions. The course was its usual pristine self with very good greens.
Two flight today with the cut at handicap 20 and Michelle Sancillo won the A Flight with a fine 42 points ahead of Stephen Cooper-Reade in second on 39 points, Doug Maiko third with 37 and Kjeld Ravn completing the podium with 35 points.
Last month’s hole in one boy, Brian Gabe, won the B Flight with a fine 42 points to finish five clear of Elias Magnusson in second, while Carole Kubicki placed third on count back over Dave Richardson, both on 36 points
Back in the clubhouse after a 4 hour and 30 minute round welcomes went out to Koji Yamada, Doug Maiko and Michelle Sancillo.
A Flight (0-20)
1st Michelle Sancillo (9) 42pts
2nd Stephen Cooper-Reade (20) 39pts
3rd Doug Maiko (14) 37pts
4th Kjeld Ravn (19) 35pts
B Flight (21+)
1st Brian Gabe (21) 42pts
2nd Elias Magnusson (21) 37pts
3rd Carole Kubicki (23) 36pts
4th Dave Richardson (25) 36pts
Near Pins: #4 Henry Wong, #13 Doug Maiko
Long Putts: #9 Leif Kirkgaard, #18 Carole Kubicki.
Thursday, Jan. 17, Pleasant Valley – Stableford
It was off to Pleasant Valley today and we were off the first tee on time under sunny skies with a brisk wind. The course was in very good condition but a good majority of the tee markers were on the blue tees. That, combined with the wind, made scoring difficult as you will note.
Two flights today with the cut at handicap 20 and Kjeld Ravn topped the A Flight with 35 points ahead of Jesper Rasmussen in second on 34, while Stephen Cooper-Reade took third on a count back over Jan Lovegreen, both on 33 points. Richard Kubicki placed fifth on a count back from Bob Taylor both with 29.
Svende Gaarde took the B Flight honours with the best score of the day, 36 points. Susanne Gaarde was second on 33 points, Ulla Ravn third with 31, and Eddie Glinsek claimed fourth on a count back from Graham Buckingham, on 30 points.
Back in the clubhouse after a slow round of 5 hours, welcomes went out to Girli and Bente from Denmark, Rodney Beckett, Bob Taylor, Peter Bygbelle and Rune Aasheim.
A Flight (0-20)
1st Kjeld Ravn (19) 35pts
2nd Jesper Rasmussen (20) 34pts
3rd Stephen Cooper-Reade (20) 33pts
4th Jan Lovegreen (20) 33pts
5th Richard Kubicki (12) 29pts
B Flight (21+)
1st Svende Gaarde (28) 36pts
2nd Susanne Gaarde (25) 33pts
3rd Ulla Ravn (38) 31pts
4th Eddie Glinsek (34) 34pts
5th Graham Buckingham (23) 30pts
Near Pins: #5 Bente Kjeer, #8 Richard Kubicki, #13 Henry Wong, #17 Svende Gaarde
Long Putts: #9 Kjeld Ravn, #18 Jesper Rasmussen
Note: If you are looking for a game of golf, call Dave at 083 602 2117 or [email protected]. 
 

‘Michelle’ strikes it rich again

The Backyard Golf Society

 

 

Mike ‘Michelle’ Chatt (center rear) poses with the staff at Blue Sky Bar.

 

It was another enjoyable day for the Backyard Golfers at Emerald last Friday. 13 players out so the newly appointed game-organizer, ‘Michelle’ Chatt, had the task of setting up the groups this time. Whatever method he used it worked as ‘Michelle’ himself (yes, our Michelle is in fact a bloke named Mike, a former London firefighter and taxi driver) won the stableford with just 34 points, 1 ahead of The Quiet Man.
The blustery wind on the front nine played havoc with most players and accounts for the low winning total. Near-pin on this occasion went to Kit. There were 6 skins rolled over from the previous week’s event and Don ‘the Divorcer’ won those with a birdie on the first hole. The other skins went to ‘Michelle’ with a great total of 10, with 3 to Tel, 2 to The Quiet Man, 1 each to Kit and ‘The Divorcer’, with the remaining one rolled over to next week’s game.
‘Second Hand’ Bob continues to pursue the society record for the most blobs in a round with 11 again this week. On current form Bob may soon threaten Dangle’s long-standing record of 14. Hard to believe anyone can fail to register on 14 out of 18 holes but that was the achievement from a couple of years back.
Down the road then for the traditional post-game beverage consumption session where ‘Michelle’ was glad to buy a round with the day’s big win. There were a couple of absentees today as Irish John nursed a sore hand gained in a close encounter of the car window kind and the society’s only officially registered groupie, Army John (aka John #2, # 3, #4, #5 and #6), was on suicide-watch with his Taffy mate who found on his return to the Land of Smiles that he was no longer #1 in his condo either.
We look forward to our next outing on Friday with Russell ‘The Victorian’ Benson returning from the wilds of West Africa and Darren “I can’t get enough of Pattaya” dropping in from wet old Ireland. We will however be saying bon voyage to Tony “Food your Doos” Cowe who is scheduled to depart to the Sand Box in Saudi.

 

Asian stars look to make an impact at the PTT Pattaya Open

 

Su-Wei Hsieh.

 

Japan’s top three women’s tennis stars, Ayumi Morita, Misaki Doi and Kimiko Date-Krumm, along with Taiwan’s Su-Wei Hsieh and Kai-Chen Chang will lead a parade of Asian stars looking to upset the big names at the week-long 2013 PTT Pattaya Open, WTA tennis tournament, which kicks off at the Dusit Thani Hotel, Pattaya this Sunday, January 27.
The five Asian stars will take their places in the main draw alongside leading European and Russian stars, Ana Ivanovic, Maria Kirilenko, Sabine Lisicki, Sorana Cirstea, Heather Watson and Laura Robson.
Su-Wei Hseih is likely to lead the challenge after her meteoric rise to No 25 in the world rankings in 2012. Her best results have come in Asia including a semi-final appearance in Pattaya last year.
The Japanese trio have regularly appeared in PTT Pattaya Open and will hope to improve on the best performance in 2012, when Misaki Doi and Kimiko Date-Krumm both beat local opponents before falling in the 2nd round to Cirstea and Hsieh respectively.

In addition to the 5 Japanese and Taiwanese, 2 of Thailand’s brightest young tennis players have also been invited to compete in the tournament after Luksika Kumkhum and Varatchaya Wongteanchai were both given wild cards into the main draw. Kumkhum was granted entry on the strength of her recent performances which have seen her rise into the top 200 in the world rankings. As a result of her first round victory in the Australian Open over Sweden’s Sofia Arvidsson, she became the only Thai woman tennis player after Tamarine Tanasugarn to win a match in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament.
Wongteanchai gained a main draw wild card thanks to her win at the ATF Asian Tennis Championships held in Bangkok in December. She beat Kumkhum in the final of that event to earn her place in the Pattaya tournament.
The 16-draw qualifying competition will be held on 27–28 January, with main draw matches commencing on 28 January and play starting from 15.00 daily, excepting the semi-finals on Saturday 02 February and the finals on Sunday 03 February, when play begins at 16.00.
Tickets for the PTT Pattaya Open are on sale at 300, 500, 800 and 1,200 baht.
For more information on the tournament and tickets, please contact Pentangle Promotions Co., Ltd at Tel: 02-3113414/5 website www. pentanglepromotions.com or at Thaiticketmajor on 02-262-3456, website www. thaiticketmajor.com.
 

Pattaya Sports Club Fishing News

John O’Neil with his sweetlip cod.

Dene Mundy
2012 proved to be a successful year fishing wise. Although the second half of the year was fraught with bad weather, we managed to conduct 55 trips for the year with only one trip cancelled due to stormy conditions. There were seven charter trips conducted in addition to our four monthly scheduled trips.
This year got off to a good start with our first trip on 8 January comprising 8 anglers. Six were regular members and we welcomed Marty Immelman, a new participant, and Colin Cave who has only had one trip previously.
We set out in perfect weather conditions with hardly a ripple on the water. Fishing was a little slow to start with but picked up until around 11:30 a.m. when the light breeze we had all morning changed into fairly strong winds. This caused the boat to move more quickly during drift fishing, resulting in us changing to heavy 350 gram weights to hold the bottom.

Lijie Cao was the champion angler on Jan. 12.
I lost my notes for this trip but as I recall no large sweetlip cod were caught but we all had reasonable bag catches of 4-6 kilos and upwards comprising our usual good sized grouper, yellow tail and pla dang. There were only a few snapper landed for the day, nevertheless we all agreed it was a great outing. It was nice to receive an email subsequently from Colin saying how much he enjoyed the day. As I had no photo for the trip, I have included one of John O’Neil from the last trip in December with the sweetlip cod he landed.
Our second trip on Saturday 12 January also had 8 participants. A warm welcome to Murray Metcalfe and Lijie Cao who previously had booked on the only trip we had to cancel in 2012 due to inclement weather.
The weather was again terrific and we got off to a good start with Murray catching the first fish for day, a one kilo sweet lip cod. Lijie was the champ for the day landing a 2 kilo cod and also 4 on one line as shown in the photo.
We all had excellent bag catches for the day with John & Marnie having 12-15 kilos and several of us with only 1 or 2 kilos less. The snapper, grouper and yellow tail caught were a little larger than previous trips.
This was our last trip from Sattahip as the boat relocated back to Bang Saray for future trips and we farewelled the area with a few refreshments at a pleasant restaurant adjacent to the pier.
Sadly the years have caught up with me and I have had to relinquish my position as PSC fishing chairman after nearly 3 years of very happy times. Fortunately, we have a very capable chairman, John O’Neill, who will take over the helm for future trips starting Tuesday 22 January. Thank you John, I know you will do a good job and I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as I have.
Best wishes for good fishing in the future and many thanks to all my friends who have made the last three years so memorable.

WKD Tuesday Darts League

British Bar Snacks Friday Pool League

Jomtien 8-Ball Pool League

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

John Keppler Cider Pool League

Super Ball Pool League

Crumpton Oaks Dry Cider Wednesday Darts League

Hot-shot Heddle stars at Green Valley

Yui & Bob the Gold, but it’s Mark’s Medal

Kae makes it three in a row

Monday Quiz League

Wednesday Quiz League

‘Deadly’ Smedley strikes again

Phill doubles up

Binns shines at Crystal Bay

Ritchie on a roll goes back-to-back

Colin the conqueror shoots 44

Jens Gunnarsson bags a hole in one

Patience is the key

Edwards resists some Earley challenges

North holds all the aces

Lodge leaves field in his wake

Flello fires 40-pointer at Pattana

Gabe & Sancillo star at Bangpakong

‘Michelle’ strikes it rich again

Asian stars look to make an impact at the PTT Pattaya Open

Pattaya Sports Club Fishing News