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Xmas ‘Ace’ for Thierry Temime
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society
Sunday, Dec. 22, Green Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Bob Watson (2) 34pts
2nd Pen Caruthers (12) 33pts
3rd Paul Bray (7) 33pts
B Flight
1st Ed Junger (20) 36pts
2nd Eddy Beilby (18) 35pts
3rd Mick Beresford (17) 28pts
Near Pins: No 4 Ray O’Hagan, No 9 Paul Bray, No 12 Yui Bietry, No 16
Barry Copestake.
Was it the late night Sunday frolics? Was it the 2-3 club freezing cold
wind? Was it the lighting fast greens? Reliable sources have indicated that
the cold spell of late has slowed the growth of the grass on the greens thus
making them super fast. Whatever the reason, I think it would be safe to
assume that today’s results are the lowest winning totals in the society’s
long and checkered history.
Sunday’s winners - Ed Junger (left) and Bob
Watson.
Ed Junger’s even-par round was good for the man of the match and B Flight
top spot. The second top score of the day was supplied by B Flight pal Eddy
‘the Eagle’ Beilby a shot adrift while last week’s hole in one boy, Mickey
‘nine holes’ Beresford, was glad to see any part of the podium with 28
points.
The boys who can actually play the game, the A Flight mob, had no answer to
the riddle either, as Aussie star and the man on fire Bob Watson managed to
take the flight with just 34 points. Bob was a shot clear of a quartet
consisting of Scotland’s Pen Caruthers, Australian-Irishman Paul Bray, The
queens representative Barry ‘the boot’ Copestake and Ireland’s Peter Kelly.
Scotland took the silver and Australia the bronze as England and Ireland did
not qualify.
Paul Bray and Peter Henshaw split a slick 2’s pot.
Monday, Dec. 23, Greenwood A&C - Stableford
A Flight
1st Charles Cunningham (16) 34pts
2nd Peter Kelly (9) 31pts
3rd Peter Hynard (12) 30pts
B Flight
1st Bruce Walters (34) 35pts
2nd Lou Szigligeti (17) 33pts
3rd Jim Elphick (32) 32pts
A perennial society favorite, Greenwood was the site of Tuesday’s outing.
With the cold wind still with us it was Aussie starlet Bruce Walters who
took the match and B Flight honours with a best on the day 35 points. Lou
‘the thunder from down under’ Zigzag took the silver two shots in arrears
and Jimmy ‘two shots’ Elphick closed the flight with 32 points.
In the senior circuit, Charles Cunningham held sway with 34 points and he
was three clear of Irishman Peter Kelly, and a further shot clear of Peter
‘fluent in Thai’ Hynard.
Both the bronze recipients, Peter and Jim, split the 2’s pot.
Tuesday, Dec. 24, Bangpra - Stableford
A Flight
1st JP Gasser (11) 37pts
2nd Peter Kelly (11) 34pts
3rd Thierry Petrement (12) 32pts
B Flight
1st Peter Henshaw (16) 35pts
2nd Ed Junger (20) 34pts
3rd Colin Davis (16) 30pts
The spotlight was on JP Gasser and nobody else on the demanding Bangpra. JP
was the only player in the field to better his handicap with 37 points. The
remaining senior flight placings went to Irishman Peter Kelly and Nice guy
Thierry Petrement.
The effort of Peter ‘the silver surfer’ Henshaw, should not be discounted
quite so cavalierly either since he nearly matched his handicap and took
filled the top rung in B Flight. Ed Junger was a point adrift for the silver
and it was joy for the common man (er, ah …common woman too) as the bronze
award trickled all the way down to the 30 points of the Donkey.
Jim Reilly, Bruce Berlin, Lou Zigzag Albin Wersch and Werner Pausch shared
the 2’s pot.
Wednesday, Dec. 25, St. Andrews – Stableford
A Flight
1st Francis Goyons (12) 39pts
2nd Paul Bray (7) 35pts
3rd Peter Henshaw (16) 34pts
B Flight
1st Albin Wersch (17) 31pts
2nd Pierre Bietry (17) 31pts
3rd Bruce Berlin (24) 31pts
If not the card of the day, certainly the shot of the day, week and month
belonged to Thierry Temime who canned a ‘Dodo’ on the third hole at the
always tough St Andrews (I wonder how many players have achieved this feat
on a Christmas Day?) Almost every one congratulated Thierry although Aussie
Paul Bray was as sick as a parrot to find his brace of 2’s counted for
nothing.
The man of the match was A Flight’s Francis Goyons who amassed 39 sparkling
points to take a four point victory over the aforementioned Aussie star Paul
Bray. Three players were log jammed on 34 points for third and Peter ‘the
silver surfer’ Henshaw’s card was the pick of the bunch as his inward nine
outpointed two of the societies top players, Thierry Petrement and JP
Gasser.
With a group of luminaries knotted atop the B Flight at 31 points, the old
count back was dragged out again and the log jam was quickly sorted. Albin
Wersch counted up the best as Swiss national Pierre Bietry took the silver,
with Albin’s mate Bruce Berlin rounding out the flight.
Thursday, Dec. 26, Crystal Bay B&C
A Flight
1st Kerry Rathman (15) 38pts
2nd Ulf Richardson (12) 37pts
3rd JP Gasser (11) 36pts
B Flight
1st Lou Szigligeti (17) 37pts
2nd Frank McNamara (18) 36pts
3rd Bruce Berlin (24) 35pts
Kerry Rathman was best in A Flight and on the day with 38 points, leaving
Ulf Richardson in second place a stroke behind. Pay window specialist JP
Maffray with a steady even par round filled the podium steps for his second
window visit of the week.
Lou ‘the thunder from down under’ Zigzag returned to form to clinch B Flight
with the second best score on the day, 37 points. Newly arrived Irishman
‘Big’ Frank McNamara wasted no time finding the pay window with a solid even
par round. Bruce Berlin made his second trip to the pay window with 35
points.
Nadine Goyons was the toast of the bar as she was the sole heir to the 2’s
pot.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya land Soi 1, Beach Rd
Soi13/13 near 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.
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Pattaya 8-Ball Monday Pool League
Results & Standings Dec. 23 (week 16)
| Team |
Played |
Won |
Lost |
For |
Agst |
Diff. |
Pts. |
| Phimai Geordie |
16 |
13 |
3 |
157 |
78 |
79 |
42 |
| Mata Bar |
16 |
13 |
3 |
141 |
99 |
42 |
42 |
| San Snack Bar |
16 |
12 |
4 |
149 |
91 |
58 |
40 |
| Crazy Eddie’s |
16 |
10 |
6 |
134 |
106 |
28 |
36 |
| Shoot Pool |
16 |
10 |
6 |
132 |
108 |
24 |
36 |
| The Rest Stop |
16 |
9 |
7 |
135 |
105 |
30 |
34 |
| Cum On Inn |
16 |
8 |
8 |
114 |
126 |
-12 |
32 |
| Mee Chew |
16 |
7 |
9 |
105 |
135 |
-30 |
30 |
| Buffalo Jack’s |
16 |
5 |
11 |
100 |
135 |
-35 |
25 |
| Rising Sun |
16 |
4 |
12 |
106 |
134 |
-28 |
24 |
| Connections |
15 |
3 |
12 |
78 |
147 |
-69 |
21 |
| Parrot Inn |
15 |
11 |
4 |
69 |
156 |
-87 |
17 |
| Results: Crazy Eddie’s 9 v 6 Rising Sun,
Phimai Geordie 6 v 9 San Snack Bar, Cum On Inn 11 v 4 Connections,
Parrot Inn 2 v 13 Shoot Pool, The Rest Stop 11 v 4 Buffalo Jack’s, Mee
Chew 8 v 7 Mata Bar |
Leif Kirkgaard wins
Alec Chillcott Cup
PSC golf from Café Kronborg
Dave Richardson (left)
presents the Alec Chillcott Cup to Leif Kirkgaard.
Monday, Dec. 23, Plutaluang –
Stableford
1st Leif Kirkgaard (17) 34pts
2nd Niels Hansen (14) 33pts
3rd Dave Richardson (27) 33pts
4th Freddy Townhill (0) 31pts
5th Richard Kubicki (11) 31pts
Near Pins: E2 Richard Kubicki, E5 Freddy Townhill, S4 Jesper Rasmussen.
Long Putts: E9 Leif Kirkgaard, S9 Niels Hansen
Today was the annual Christmas fayre started by long time golf chairman Alec
Chillcott a number of years ago, the concept being the entry for the day is
a gift wrapped present related to golf, all of which are placed on a table
and the best score has the first pick and so on until the last place is left
with the one remaining item.
We had just one flight with the format being stableford and we wish to thank
the PSC for providing the trophy as always.
We got off the first tee 25 minutes early in very sunny conditions and with
a nice breeze blowing. The course was in fine condition with quick greens
but it was quite busy and took us the best part of 4 hours and 50 minutes to
get around.
Back at the clubhouse welcomes went out to Chen Tang from Malaysia, Freddie
Townhill and Kathe Broendum from Denmark.
Leif Kirkgaard got the pick of the lot with his 34 point card which was one
better than the efforts of Niels Hansen in second and Dave Richardson third.
Freddie Townhill edged Richard Kubicki for fourth on count back, both on 31
points.
Thursday, Dec. 26, Pleasant Valley - Stableford
A Flight (0-17)
1st Ken Aihara (4) 39pts
2nd Roy Ono (15) 38pts
3rd Mashi Kaneta (13) 37pts
4th Leif Kirkgaard (17) 36pts
B Flight (18+)
1st Elias Magnusson (21) 38pts
2nd Jack Robertson (26) 36pts
3rd Jesper Rasmussen (20) 35pts
4th Dave Richardson (27) 35pts
Near Pins: #8 Elias Magnusson, #17 Roy Ono.
Long Putts: #9 Tate Akifumi, #18 Elias Magnusson.
We got off the first tee at Pleasant Valley 5 minutes late as the course was
very busy. The weather conditions were calm but the wind came up as we made
the turn causing most golfers to leave a set of wheels on the 10th tee.
The course was in good condition with fairly quick greens and we managed to
get around in 4 hours and 30 minutes, even though we had a local 6-ball in
front, each in a cart, all the way around.
Back in the clubhouse welcomes went out to Ken Aihara and Roy Ono from Japan
and a goodbye to Robin Flint, going on a dive trip to Boracay.
We had two flights with the cut at handicap 17 and 4 near pins to go for.
Ken Aihara had the best score of the day, taking the A Flight with 39
points. Roy Ono placed second with 38 and Mashi Kaneta and Leif Kirkgaard
filled the minor places.
Elias Magnusson topped the B Flight with 38 points ahead of Jack Robertson
in second, while Jesper Rasmussen took third on a count back over Dave
Richardson.
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Olazabal calls on European Tour to settle differences with Royal Trophy
Jose Maria Olazabal has urged European Tour bosses to sit
down with their Royal Trophy counterparts and find a way to make the hugely
successful competition a fully–sanctioned event.
 European
Team Captain Jose Maria Olazabal lifts the Royal Trophy at the Dragon Lake
Golf Club in Guangzhou, China, Sunday, Dec. 22.
Like many other players, Olazabal is dismayed that European Tour chief
executive George O’Grady has walked away from talks about sanctioning the
Royal Trophy, and announced plans to set up a rival Asia v Europe
competition.
Double Masters champion Olazabal is not alone in wondering why the European
Tour is going for the ‘copycat’ option, rather than looking for a full field
tournament involving 120 or more players. That is especially true at a time
when the European Tour has seen the Singapore Open and the Avantha Masters
disappear from its schedule, while other events have seen prize money
drastically reduced.
Olazabal, who served as European captain at the Royal Trophy for the third
time last month, summed up the mood of frustration among the players.
He said: “Here we are at the seventh edition of the Royal Trophy, and since
my great friend Seve Ballesteros started this event in 2006 we have seen it
grow amazingly.
“I know the European Tour sanctioned this event for two years, and then a
split occurred for some reason. But I do think they must sit down with the
Royal Trophy people and work out their differences, because it is such an
important issue.
“The Royal Trophy will continue even if it is not sanctioned by the European
Tour, because it has great support from the Japan Golf Tour, the China Golf
Association, and other important parties in Asia.
 The
Royal Trophy visionary, five-time Major winner Seve Ballesteros.
“But I know the organisers are keen to resolve this issue, and I would call
on both sides to sit down and sort this thing out.
“We do not need another Asia v Europe match involving a maximum of twenty
players when we already have a well–established Royal Trophy. But we do need
more full field events, and I know other players feel the same way.”
Olazabal is not the first European captain to voice his annoyance at the
European Tour’s rigid stance. Fellow Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie, who
captained Europe to Royal Trophy victories in 2010 and 2011, expressed
similar views.
After his second stint as Captain, he declared: “I will speak to George
O’Grady, the head of the European Tour, about what a great event this is.
“I don’t know what the politics of this situation are, but we will get this
tournament sanctioned by the European Tour. It is only right that it should
be.
“It is such a dramatic event, and it must have captivated spectators and
viewers all over the world. Even when result goes against the Asian team,
the match can only help the growth of golf in this area, just as Seve
Ballesteros predicted it would when he came up with the concept for this
competition.
“This is a remarkable competition, and all credit to Seve for putting this
together. This tournament has fantastic potential to grow, into a really,
big event and it deserves to be that way.”
Former Ryder Cup players, England’s Sir Nick Faldo, Welshman Ian Woosnam
O.B.E., and Irishman Paul McGinley also issued a joint statement on the
impasse.
“The Royal Trophy is an important legacy of the late Seve Ballesteros; a
tremendously gifted player, a most loyal team-mate, an unrelenting
competitor, an inspirational leader and one of the greatest contributors to
the development of European golf.
“We were asked by Seve prior to his passing to be stewards of this
magnificent competition and to guide the championship into his vision of
establishment as one of the world’s most significant sporting events.
“We take this duty with great commitment and earnestly request the full,
complete and sincere support from the entire golf family and community,
especially the leadership of the professional game.”
The Royal Trophy organisers maintained a dignified silence about the issue
during their seventh hosting of the event in China last month. They did not
want to deflect attention away from the event itself, or risk putting the
players in an awkward position.
O’Grady’s attitude towards the Royal Trophy provides a marked contrast to
the enthusiasm he expressed during the build–up to the inaugural event.
In a message reproduced in the programme for the 2006 competition he
remarked: “Anyone fortunate enough to experience the unique atmosphere of
The Ryder Cup down the years will readily appreciate the competitiveness and
passion associated with team golf.
“The Ryder Cup has grown into a highly successful and competitive event over
the past 25 years and the Royal Trophy has the capacity to become an equally
invigorating contest.
“We would like to thank His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand for
His vision in the creation of this outstanding new event and to our
co-sanctioning partners in the venture, the Asian Tour and the Japan Tour.”
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Beresford rolls in an ‘Ace’ at PSC’s 130th monthly tournament
All the winners.
Words: Nigel Cannon / Pictures: William Macey
It was a cold, for Thailand, windy morning at the excellent Mountain
Shadow course on Friday Dec. 20, when Joe Mooneyham and Nigel Cannon arrived
early to place the necessary markers on the course and to prepare for the
registration of the 112 players signed up to play in this, the final
tournament of 2013.
 Senior
winner - Barry Oats.
Unfortunately, there were 3 no-shows and 1 reported sick so it was 108
players. With the course setting a maximum of 112 and some members being
denied a slot it is frustrating when there are no-shows!
The players began to arrive at 8 a.m. for a 2-tee start, with many wearing
pullovers and jackets to guard against the cold, however whilst the wind
continued, at least the temperature rose to our usual comfort zone above 30
degrees.
There was a new low gross winner this month with Russell Goldsworthy (4)
coming in with a fine gross of 77.
In ‘A’ Flight– playing stroke play from the blue tees, Kevin Waycott (8)
took top spot with a 77 net.
‘B’ Flight, also playing from the blue tees but playing stableford, saw
Steve Gibson (12) lead the way with 37 points.
37 points again in ‘C’ flight from white tees saw the regular monthly player
Dick Warberg (20) take the flight honours.
‘D’ Flight winner Joel Flor (23) came in with the best stableford of the day
- 40 points.
Only a few ladies played today with the winner on 31 points being the
current PSC Ladies Champion Ning Neal (10).
The Senior winner from Silver tees was Barry Oats (22).
It was back to Dicey Riley’s for the day’s presentation where the players
enjoyed the regular buffet with some ‘happy hour’ prices. After all had
their fill and a few ‘cool’ ones it was presentation time and Nigel welcomed
all to this the 130th monthly PSC tournament and introduced Golf Chairman
Joe Mooneyham.
Joe expressed his appreciation to Nigel and William for their help and to
today’s competitors pointing out that, as we are now in high season, he was
limited to 112 players. Whilst we had a 2-tee start, two Korean groups went
out an hour earlier but were soon caught by the first group.
Joe then gave details of January’s Club Championship which will be a 2-day
event at Khao Kheow on Tuesday, January 7th and Friday, January 10th with
the presentation to be held on Saturday, January 12th at Dicey Riley’s.
Sign-up sheets are in the PSC office.
Then it was back to Nigel who announced the winners and Joe presented the
prizes, with a big cheer for the ‘Ace’ man Mick Beresford who, instead of
ringing the bell, generously made a donation to charity.
The lucky draw followed then the 50/50 lucky draw with Season’s Greetings to
all as the new PSC calendars were distributed.
C Flight winner - Dick
Warberg.
B Flight winner - Steve
Gibson.
Low gross winner -
Russell Goldsworthy.
Hole in one hero - Mick
Beresford.
A happy 50/50 winner with Golf
Chairman Joe Mooneyham.
A Flight winner - Kevin
Waycott (left) with friend.
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‘Plums’ wins his second Mug
PSC Golf from The Growling Swan
Peter Blackburn, Roy Dayton,
Bent Agerbo, John Davis & Alan Sanders.
Peter Blackburn
Monday, Dec. 23, Pattavia – Stableford
We had a very good Monday field with 28 starters who were all
keen to have a look at the much talked about Pattavia Century Golf Course,
formerly Century Chonburi.
As we gathered at The Growling Swan it was great to see Bob Akapita back
with us from his work at Gove in the Northern Territory of Australia and
also first timer Mark Twomey, also from Gove. We also extended a heart
welcome to veteran Hugh O’Donnell who is back in Pattaya for a few months.
It was also time to farewell David Fletcher who is returning to his mining
work in Western Australia.
Everyone was early so we departed in three mini vans seven minutes earlier
than our scheduled 8.30 am time and headed off through the Monday morning
Pattaya traffic, clearing the city quite easily. We were all dreading the
bumpy journey to the course after exiting 331 but it was not too bad at all
and we arrived at the course after a 62 minute drive. Some people complain
that it is too far and the road is too rough but all I can say is – if
you’re a keen golfer – toughen up!
The golf course was not too busy but there was plenty of activity in the
area of the new clubhouse which is currently under construction and due to
be completed by the end of January, 2014. We sent our first four-ball off
the first tee 5 minutes early at 9.55 am and it was immediately apparent
that there was significant improvement in the course with well prepared tees
and fairly lush fairways. As for the greens, they posed all sorts of
problems for us with some very “cheeky” pin positions and at times lightning
quick on the undulations – not for the faint of heart!
To sum it up, the course is very good and always has been a great layout and
will only get even better in the future. After searching for golf balls a
couple of times our group was a bit slow but we managed to complete the
round in four hours & twenty minutes. It had been a very enjoyable outing
with excellent company.
John Davis, Hugh O’Donnell,
Frank Sharratt & Alan Sanders.
At the end of the day it was apparent that the golf
course had got the better of us as there was no-one able to score to their
handicap or better. The winner of A Division was my very good friend Frankie
“Goes to Hollywood” Sharratt with 35 points and with 2 players on 34 points
it was Sal Brizzi (19 point back nine) who finished second from Mike Allidi
(18 point back nine) in third place.
Division B saw the in-form John Davis take first spot with 35 points and J C
Lhoste was second with 33 points. Another count back was needed to determine
third place as there were two golfers on 30 points and it was Duangjai “Kae”
Tusagad (16 point back nine & 11 points on the last 6 holes) who prevailed
over Bent Agerbo (16 point back nine & 9 points on the last 6 holes).
In Division C it was the old bloke Hugh O’Donnell (20 point back nine) who
was victorious in a count back ahead of Geri Crilly (14 point back nine) in
second spot with both having 32 points. One more count back was required to
determine third place and it was Roy “Plums” Dayton (18 point back nine) who
edged out David Fletcher (14 point back nine) with both having 29 points.
A Flight (0-15)
1st Frankie Sharratt (13) 35pts
2nd Sal Brizzi (7) 34pts
3rd Mike Allidi (2) 34pts
B Flight (16-23)
1st John Davis (18) 35pts
2nd JC Lhoste (23) 33pts
3rd Duangjai Tusagad (20) 30pts
C Flight (24+)
1st Hugh O’Donnell (32) 32pts
2nd Geri Crilly (26) 32pts
3rd Roy Dayton (25) 29pts
Near Pins: 4th – Mike Allidi, 7th – Sal Brizzi, 14th – Bob Akapita,
17th – Duangjai Tusagad
Long Putts: 9th – Bill Steinman, 18th – Mike Allidi
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 Alan
“Colonel” Sanders who accepted the award like the good sport that he is.
Thursday,December 26, Greenwood C&A - Stroke/Monthly Mug
The day after Christmas Day was always going to be a worry for
attendance but after receiving just two late withdrawals and one “no-show”
we ended up with a fine field of 34 to contest for the 19th Growling Swan
Monthly Mug at Greenwood.
We all met at the bar and welcomes were handed out to Andy Purdie from
Queensland, Tizziano Dal Pastro from Italy, Peter Sorensten from Denmark and
Chris Orwin & Paul Welsh from Melbourne. It was time to farewell Bob Akapita
and Mark Twomey who will soon be returning to Gove in the Northern Territory
of Australia.
After a fairly smooth run we arrived at Greenwood after a 90 minute journey
and things were very quiet at the course so we were invited to tee off at
our leisure and it was necessary to remind all that it was a stroke round
and every shot needed to be counted with presentations back at the bar
afterwards as is the norm for our Monthly Mug.
We got our first four-ball away twenty minutes early at 10.10 am in glorious
weather conditions with sunny skies and a nice breeze and the golf course
was in great shape with the greens being very well maintained and fairly
slick. The pace was quite good with no-one ahead of us and our round of golf
was completed in four hours & thirteen minutes which is quite good while
playing a stroke round on this challenging layout. Great weather, great golf
course with very enjoyable company – just another day in paradise!
The golf course was the obvious winner on the day with just one golfer
playing to their handicap or better and that was Roy “Plums” Dayton who took
out his second Monthly Mug with a terrific score of net 67.
The Division A winner was your writer, Peter “Blacky” Blackburn (net 33 back
nine) after a count back with 3 golfers on net 73 and Sal Brizzi (net 35
back nine) came second with big Bill Steinman (net 38 back nine) finishing
in third place.
The very consistent John Davis won Division B with a net 73 and Patrick
Poussier was second on net 76 with Mark “Westy” West third with net 78.
In Division C it was Alan “Colonel” Sanders who was victorious with a net
80, 1 better than Nolan “No-one” Wise in second place and Geri Crilly
finished third with a net 82.
Monthly Mug
1st Roy Dayton (25) net 67
A Flight (0-13)
1st Peter Blackburn (13) net 73
2nd Sal Brizzi (7) net 73
3rd Bill Steinman (8) net 73
B Flight (14-24)
1st John Davis (18) net 73
2nd Patrick Poussier (24) net 76
3rd Mark West (15) net 78
C Flight (25+)
1st Alan Sanders (25) net 80
2nd Nolan Wise (36) net 81
3rd Geri Crilly (26) net 82
Near Pins: A6 – Mike Allidi, C3 – Bill Steinman, C6 – Ebrahim
Long Putts: A9 – Bill Steinman, C9 – Andrew Purdie
The Growling Swan NAGA Award, was won by Bent Agerbo in a three-way count
back and he accepted the cap gracefully and wore it for a while back in the
bar.
Note: 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 in Soi Chaiyapoon at 8.00
am with transport departing at 8.30 am. For bookings or more information
please contact Peter on 0806 351 386 or email to petermalcolm
[email protected].
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Beck makes his mark on debut
PSC golf from The Billabong Golf Bar
Mandy, Bob Philp and Alan
Beck.
Monday, Dec. 23, Silky Oak - Stableford
A deserted Silky Oak on Monday with four groups
playing made it feel like millionaire’s golf. The condition of the course
was magnificent and even though the greens were lightly sanded they were
running fast and true. With a light breeze blowing the day turned out great
for everybody.
Karen Craigie and Alan Beck were playing their first game with us this trip
and ‘Becky’ took the day’s honours, which probably meant separate rooms
later that night - you can’t take money off your girl and expect to get away
with it!
The scores were fairly good overall with a count back on 38 points seeing
John Anderson take the top prize over Alan Beck, both having 22 points on
the back nine but John getting the nod with 15 on the last six. Third place
went to Owen Walkley with 35 points and fourth was taken by Capt Bob with
34, his best score for a long time.
There was only one ‘2’, coming from Owen Walkley.
The Staff and Management would like to wish everybody a very Merry Xmas and
a Prosperous New Year.
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No respite as Aussies rule everything
IPGC golf from The Haven
Friday, Dec. 13, Pattavia Century -
Stableford
CSS 72
1st Allen Raaen (8) 38pts
2nd Don Everett (19) 38pts
3rd Rick Morgan (8) 35pts
4th Dick Heaney (13) 30pts
With the first two playing days of the week taken up by the IPGC Club
Championship, the only local competition of the week was scheduled for
the auspicious Friday the thirteenth at the newly renovated Pattavia
course which, as a venue, continues to show promise as long term
prospect for the future.
 Allen
Raaen.
Allen Raaen picked up his first win over the holiday period with a two-under
return after winning an improbable count back over fellow Australian Don
Everett, returning a better 17 to 13 after Don had set the course alight on the
outward half, amassing twenty five points including seven 3-pointers and a
couple of 2s to finish the nine in 39 gross, a personal record. Sadly for Don,
three blobs on the back put paid to any thoughts of a lifetime best round.
Rick Morgan also showed some good form in third place but one or two many errors
on the front nine cost him a better result on the day. Dick Heaney took fourth
but some way in arrears of the front runners.
 Wayne
Challis.
There were no 2’s in the second division but Rick Morgan had the solo one in the
first division to sweep the pool.
Prior to the presentations there were welcome backs for John Carlin and Norbert
Drzymala.
Monday, Dec. 16, Khao Kheow - Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Wayne Challis (14) 33pts
2nd Al Rolnik (18) 31pts
3rd Russell Gilroy (17) 29pts
4th Stephen Lewis (20) 28pts
5th Mike Hill (20) 28pts
With the wind starting to blow and the greens a little out of shape, scoring was
at a premium as Wayne Challis took his first win during this visit in
preparation for the Gold and Silver Medals, which are his main attraction to
Thailand during December. His workmanlike round improved as it progressed as he
scored nineteen points over the inward half to take the win by two from Al
Rolnik, who also finished strongly but just fell short for a long awaited win.
 Markku
Tynell.
Russell Gilroy covered the last six holes under handicap but it was too little
too late to make any impression on the top two.
Stephen Lewis took fourth place after winning a count back over Mike Hill with a
better 16 to 13.
In keeping with the difficulty that the course was playing, there were no 2’s in
either division.
Wednesday, Dec. 18, Crystal Bay B & C - Stableford
CSS 72
1st Allen Raaen (8) 38pts
2nd John Carlin (16) 38pts
3rd Keith Evans (7) 37pts
4th Russell Exley (9) 35pts
5th Russell Goldsworthy (4) 34pts
6th John Squitiero (19) 34pts
Crystal Bay once again lived up to its reputation as one of the easier courses
on the circuit with its wide open fairways and flat greens, but unusually the
CSS stayed at 72 as many of the hopefuls failed to meet the two-over handicap
standard.
Allen Raaen was once again to be found in the van and again winning a count
back, this time with John Carlin with a better six to five over the last three
holes after they had tied the nine at 17 apiece and the back six at 11 each.
Keith Evans played very steadily to record another solid round that earned him
third place just a shot behind the leading pair.
Russell Exley is making a steady return to form and showed that it will not be
too long before he will be once again contending closely for the top spots and
seeing his handicap return down towards the category 1 section as he finished in
fourth place.
Russell Goldsworthy, the IPGC 2014 Club Champion, came back down to earth
following his wonderful couple of rounds in the previous week as he was forced
to win a count back, which he did with a better 20 to 18 over John Squitiero, to
claim fifth and leave John in sixth spot.
Once again the were no 2’s in the second division but Allen Raaen and Russell
Goldsworthy shared the first division roll over pot.
Friday, Dec. 20, Greenwood A & C - Stableford
CSS 72
1st Martin Harrington (10) 37pts
2nd Hal Hart (20) 36pts
3rd Adrian Cook (13) 35pts
4th Stephen Lewis (20) 32pts
5th Dick Heaney (13) 32pts
This Peter Thompson designed course is always a good test of golf and with the
winds continuing to blow the scores were remarkably good considering that
arguably the two hardest nine were the order of the day.
Martin Harrington showed his class as he returned an 18/19 split, finishing with
14 from the last six to win by the slimmest of margins over the resurgent Hal
Hart, who still has hopes of ending the year as an eighteen handicapper.
Adrian Cook slipped into third place just one behind Hal after fading through
the back nine following a bright start, no doubt affected by the previous
evenings pre-competition preparations.
Stephen Lewis won a count back again, this time against Dick Heaney with a
better 17 to 13 as Dick slumped badly through the last three holes, garnering
just one point when a run of “to handicap” holes would have won the whole day.
Prior to the presentations there was a welcome back for Werner Pausch.
At last the multi roll over pool in the second division was won, by Stephen
Lewis while there were none in the first division.
Monday, Dec. 24, Treasure Hill (yellow tees)- Stableford
CSS 72
Division 1 (0–15)
1st Allen Raaen (8) 37pts
2nd Kevin Townsend (12) 36pts
3rd Adrian Cook (13) 30pts
Division 2 (16+)
1st Markku Tynell (23) 35pts
2nd Russell Gilroy (17) 32pts
3rd Bob Pratt (26) 30pts
With a good turnout again two divisions were required with the cut coming as
usual at 15.
Allen Raaen made it three in the period as he took the first division by a
single point ahead of Kevin Townsend, edging the front nine by a single point
and hanging on to take yet another win after Kevin dropped a shot on both the
last two holes, with Adrian Cook again showing in third place.
The second division was led in by Markku Tynell by three from Russell Gilroy,
whose time spent in front of the TV recently watching blood sports has begun to
affect his golfing form, although it has at least given him a good deal of
satisfaction. Bob Pratt made a happy return by taking third place ahead of many
other hopefuls in the division.
The first division rollover in the 2’s was shared by Adrian Cook and Allen Raaen
whilst Terry Hodgkiss and Russell Gilroy shared the second division pot.
Back at The Haven there was a welcome for new member Peter McCrory together with
welcome backs for Bob Pratt, Mick Lowe, Shane Heavey, Vincent Gras, Peter Newham
and Murray Frost, all joining the flight from OZ in an attempt to avoid the
ritual slaughter but finding that it will be broadcast live at The Haven during
their stay, there were also welcome backs and expressions of sympathy for Kevin
Townsend and Mark Lang from England.
Finally the Emcee welcomed himself back after he had been seen scuttling off to
Mauritius to follow the European Senior Tour and cheer local favourite Philip
Golding into sixth place in the final Order of Merit and where fortunately they
did not have either TV or internet coverage of live (sic) cricket.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact
mobile 094 567 5726 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.
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Adrian a ‘happy chappy’
The Backyard Golf Society
Adrian, a.k.a. ‘Golden Trowel’s
Boyfriend’ (2nd left), poses with the staff at Blue Sky Bar.
Last Friday’s game at Emerald on Dec. 27 turned out to be
slower than normal because the starter perhaps decided to make a few extra
shillings and slipped 3 extra groups in ahead of us. In the high season
where bookings are essential and on a course where we play almost every
Friday of the year, it was disappointing to see this happen. Needless to say
there were a few raised voices when we return to the clubhouse after the
game.
Anyway, the winner on the day was Adrian (a.k.a. Andy) or ‘Golden Trowel’s
Boyfriend’, although his 38 point total was actually a low return following
his 21 points on the front 9.
The near-pin prize went to Mike ‘Taxi’ who has had the hump with his other
moniker of ‘Michelle’, so we will give her – sorry him – his old name this
week. ‘Taxi’ won the skin on the first hole and that also gave him the
5-hole rollover from the previous week and he went on to win another 5 this
week. ‘Golden Trowels’ Boyfriend’ won 5, and there were 3 each to ‘Passport
Control’ and ‘Irish John’. Jimmy ‘2 Stine’ won the skin on the last hole.
A few ales were consumed down the road with both ‘Taxi’ and ‘Golden Trowel’s
Boyfriend’ buying a round out of their winnings.
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Another master-class by Watson
PSC Golf from Tropical Bert’s
Bob Watson (left) is presented
with the MBMG Group Golfer of the Month award by Derek Brook.
Derek Brook
Tuesday, Dec. 24, Silky Oaks – Stableford
Silky Oaks is a bit different from the other
courses we usually play in that it is essentially the same set of nine holes
used twice. On the second time around they use a different configuration,
sometimes different greens and fairways and always a different tee. Quite
clever really except if it is your first time there when you can get totally
lost and go to the wrong tee or green. Mind, you always have the ultimate
guide in your caddy, bless them.
Apart from that there is a lot of water here and the greens are nearly
always above you, except that is the par threes which seem to always be
below you and into the wind. With the greens being predominantly above you
as you approach, it is very hard to hold the ball on them and on this day
they were also sanded. Apart from that though we had a great day.
In the A Flight, 0 to 19, the winner was Bob Watson with 41 points (work
that out with a handicap of two), a great round of gross 69. Makes you
wonder whether you should play this game as there is no hope for most of us.
In second with 40 points was Brian Parish and in third was Rob Brown with 39
points.
In the B Flight the winner was Carole Kubicki with 39 points, note the
Kubicki’s are back in town and winning early this year. In second was
Silvano Pizzato with 36 points on count back over Barry Oats in third.
This also being the last Tuesday of the month we also had The MBMG Group
Golfer of the Month award to give out. In December there was no doubt about
who it was, Bob Watson ran away with it. Well done indeed Bob!
Near Pins: Rob Brown (2), Brian Parish, Walter Baechli
Long Putt: Landis Brooks, Tom Cotton
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Allan starting to find form
PSC golf from Siam Country Resort
Tuesday, Dec. 24, Khao Kheow – Stableford
Tuesday was a visit to Khao Kheow, partly as a
reconnaissance for the upcoming PSC Club C/ships, but mostly because we enjoy
the course. The B & A loop was our test for the day, which I consider the best
combination, especially as the B course has come on well after its recent
renovation.
 Allan
Cassin.
Clear skies, with a breeze, made for ideal golfing conditions, but good scores
were hard to find. Jeff Wylie (H/cap 7) played steady golf with 17 on each 9,
for a total of 34 points to lead the way home from Allan Cassin (11) with 31,
ahead of a posse on 30 points.
Jeff & Allan also shared the near pin awards.
Thursday, Dec. 26, Pattavia - Stableford
Thursday was our second visit to the renamed and
refurbished Pattavia Century. The course was in proper good condition, but once
you get off the fairways the rough is quite penal, with the ground very hard.
Best advice would be to stay on the straight & narrow, but easier said than
done!
Count backs were again the order of the day, with Paddy Devereux (21) getting
the nod over George Gamble (24) 16/14, after both signed for 34 points. 3
players were a further point behind, with Ken Blinco (16) being first eliminated
after having 17 points on the back 9. Jeff Wylie (7) edged Phillip Waite (13)
for third spot on the last six, 14/13 after both had recorded 19 on the back.
Near pins went to Willem & Jeff.
Note: Siam Country Resort, Restaurant & Bar is located just off Siam
Country Club Rd, after going under the arch past the 7/11, turn right after 50
metres, with the venue on the left another 200 metres along. Golf from here is
generally played on Tuesday & Thursday, with the Resort 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 in 2014!
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Lightning greens strike fear into players’ hearts
Travellers Rest Golf Group
Andy Rich
Christmas week in Pattaya was all about people having a good time
and enjoying themselves, the sun shone and a cooling breeze kept
temperatures at a comfortable level. Peace and goodwill to all men, women
and children was exuding everywhere.
 Fergus
Brennan - winner at Treasure Hill.
Everywhere that is except on the local golf courses where the drying weather
turned the greens into skating rinks. They were so fast it was unbelievable
and some of the language going around was turning the air as blue as the
sky. Never have I seen so many grown men almost being reduced to tears as
their balls sailed merrily from one side of the green to the other and back
again. Good scores were at a premium and even very moderate scores were
amongst the prizes.
Monday, Dec. 23, Treasure Hill - Stableford
On Monday it was off to Treasure Hill and Fergus
Brennan showed that his shanking nightmare was a thing of the past as he
ended the year in style by shooting an impressive 38 points, which was good
enough to take first place. Not bad for a guy with bad eyes! Jay Sher and
Peer Brun followed Fergus home.
1st Fergus Brennan (11) 38pts
2nd Jay Sher (18) 36pts
3rd Peer Brun (13) 33pts
Tuesday, Dec. 24, Green Valley - Stableford
On Christmas Eve a large contingent headed off to
do battle at Green Valley, and so large were the numbers that had to be
split into two divisions.
 Tony
Pieroni - Div.2 winner at Green Valley
It has to be said that the winner was Green Valley itself with the field
littered with broken men cursing their luck and tossing their putters into
the nearest lake. Boy, were the greens slippery! Four and five-putts were
being reported everywhere and scorecards were resembling cricket scores.
Congratulations go to Guy Fraser who was the only player to get near to
playing to his handicap.
Div.1 (0-13)
1st Guy Fraser (11) 35pts
2nd John Nicholas (8) 32pts
3rd Joe Stranks (11) 29pts
Div.2 (14+)
1st Tony Pieroni (14) 33pts
2nd Norman Cheetham (16) 32pts
3rd Ken Brehm (19) 31pts
Thursday, Dec. 26, The Emerald - Stableford
Boxing Day and the debacle continued at Emerald
and again there were two divisions. It took a big man to get the better of
the greens here and who better than that bigger than most men, Irishman
Seamus Farrell. He romped away with the best score of the day by a country
mile.
Div.1 (0-13)
1st Tony Pike (8) 34pts
2nd John Nicholas (8) 34pts
3rd Joe Stranks (11) 32pts
Div.2 (14+)
1st Seamus Farrell (29) 38pts
2nd Ken Brehm (19) 32pts
3rd Alun Webber (19) 32pts
Good luck to all you golfers for the coming week and if you would like to
play a round of golf with the TRGG, please phone Fergus Brennan on 086 056
7019 or pop into the Ned Kelly Bar in Soi Lengkee and add your name to the
weekly lists which are posted on the notice board.
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Bangpakong bonanza
The Pattaya Golf Society (IPGC)
at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
For its pre-Christmas golf event the Pattaya Golf Society visited the
beautiful Bangpakong Riverside course to play a stableford competition on
Monday, 23rd December. The large field was divided into two flights at
fourteen and under, a measure of the quality of the current turnouts, and
they found the course in splendid condition with fully grassed fairways and
very consistent greens.
Christmas had certainly come early for the group and they responded with
some superb golf as almost a third of the field recorded scores of par or
better from the white tees, all of 6700 yards.
Scot Iain Wilson continued as the best gross leader of the day with an
excellent 75 but his 35 points left him way off the mark. In the top flight
Peter Wilson and Andrew Purdie shared third place with 37 points, leaving
Marc Jensen and Wichai Tananusorn to share the win with 38 points each.
In the second flight Dave Lehane and Jim Ferris shared second place with 39
points each whilst Dave Plaiter recorded the best points score of the day,
forty for the victory.
There were no birdie ‘2’s, a testament to the strong breeze which blew all
day and the Booby Bevy went to Helene Lindberg for her low score and it also
addressed the family balance after husband Mikael took it last time out.
Rabbi’s non-winners’ draw was won by Mark Cooper and the celebrations went
on well into the evening as thoughts turned to the next round at Pleasant
Valley, the group’s monthly medal event.
Flynn & Ferris excel
For its penultimate competition of the year the Pattaya Golf
Society travelled to a packed Pleasant Valley on Friday, 27th December to
play its monthly medal round. The course was in fair condition but as with
other visits the fairways were soft and greens on the slow side.
Consequently the white tees were in use again.
The large field was divided into two flights cut at fourteen and under with
old friends Vic Woolton, Barry Horman and John Evans joining for the first
time in many months.
In the second flight the “rabbits” had their day with Michael McGuigan again
impressing with net 76 and Murray Edwards getting it all together after some
serious lessons with net 74 for third and second place respectively. The
winner was the in-form golfer in the second flight, Jim Ferris and his net
69 showed a level of consistency he has been searching for on previous
visits.
In the top flight Peter Ditz and Peter Wilson shared second place with fine
rounds of net 73 whilst Kiwi Alan Flynn found it all came together after a
few frustrating weeks with the third best PGS round of the year, an
excellent net 64. One of the group’s most dedicated golfers Alan thoroughly
deserved the plaudits of the packed presentation. He also took a share of
the ‘2’s pot with Andrew Purdie, Sam McLellan, Peter Ditz and John Evans.
The Booby Bevy went to Dave Lehane for being the first of four golfers to
“n/r” and Rabbi’s non-winner’s consolation beer went to Wichai Tananusorn.
A memorable golf day closed with the arrival of the group’s “Captain” David
Thomas and his well chosen words immediately hit the mark with the golfers.
Mr Len’s spirits have never been higher since January 2009 when his mentor
went into exile!
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It’s a Christmas wrap for Wilkin
PSC golf from The Caddyshack
Derek Wilkin.
On Monday, Dec. 23, at Green Valley, Derek
Wilkin (H/cap 18) got an early Christmas present with a convincing win on 39
points. Bill Shepley (6) finished second with 35 after beating John Murdoch
(14) on count back.
At Green Valley on Friday, Dec. 27, Derek Wilkin (18) again took all the
leftover Christmas presents with a commanding 37 points. Three players
finished with 32 points and the count back saw Mel Davis (18) take second
from Robert Marsh (26) in third and Peter Henderson (21) closing out the
honors in fourth.
Note: The Caddyshack is located on Soi 17 off 3rd road or soi 8 off
Thepprasit Road. All golfers are welcome and reservations are taken at 081
865 3104.
Pattaya Sports Club
Bowling News
PSC bowlers with their
winnings.
Last week the PSC Friday Bowling
League had a 9 pin strike fun competition to celebrate the holidays. The
event was sponsored by the Pattaya Sports Club.
Almost all the bowlers won a draw prize and winners received cash
awards.
First place went to Sue Murphy, followed in by Antonio Ronkainen in
second, Aht Johansson third and Ooy Pluemkamon in fourth.
After the bowling the players enjoyed free food and La Montgomery’s blue
berry chess cake.
Previously on 15 December another 9 pin strike tournament was held at PS
Bowl, also sponsored by the Pattaya Sports Club. 64 bowlers competed in
this completion and fun was had by all. Lots of draw prizes were given
out and cash prizes were again awarded to the winners.
Normal weekly league bowling will resume on 3 January 2014,
Golfers have fun & frolics doing it the Hard Rock way
A group photo of the
winners with Marut Srisupapol (far right), Director of Sales & Marketing
of Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya, Urai Pateny (6th left), Marketing Manager of
Eastern Star Golf Course, Patrick Ng (center), Executive Assistant
Manager of Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya, Tony Malhotra (6th right), Deputy
Managing Director of Pattaya Mail and Eric Cheah (far left), Director of
Finance of Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya.
Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya, together with
Pattaya Mail Media Group, successfully held its very first Golf
Tournament Fundraiser at Eastern Star Golf Club in Ban Chang on
Saturday, 21 December 2013. The event was conceived with the idea of
supporting the Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya’s ‘Take Times to Be Kind’ charity
projects in 2014.
Putting Hard Rock style at
the 19th Fun Hole.
In total 62 golfers participated in
this fun-filled charity golf day and some THB 66,000 was raised for good
causes. The beneficiaries of the event will include H.R.H. Princess Maha
Chakri Sirindhorn Charity Fund, Baan Nok School and Wat Sawang Arom
School, Rock The Farm, Rock The Lunch and Rock The School projects.
Registration started early at 10 a.m. with group photos taken before the
start of the tournament, which began shot-gun style at 12 noon. Prior to
the actual tee-off, all the golfers participated in the Hard Rock 19th
Fun-Hole, where they were required to don wigs and fancy dress and test
theirs putting skill with a life-size guitar; the only choice for player
and caddy being whether to pick an acoustic or electric guitar to roll
the ball in and win some great prizes. This drew much laughter from the
players and set the ‘fun’ tone for the tournament.
Time for a group photo
before the shotgun start.
A nearby kiosk was set at the same
area, providing a free shot of ‘Ricard’ aperitif for those ‘nervous’
golfers, and for those who forgot their sun lotion prior to tee-off? No
fuss as a sun lotion service was provided by band members of Hard Rock
Hotel Pattaya and they gladly applied it to the players for a small fee
of course, all in the name of charity!
Moving on to the golf course and more surprises awaited. At Hole no. 3,
suitably called the ‘Hospitality Hole’, the golfers were pampered with a
15 second shoulder massage, provided exclusively by the well-trained
masseuses of the Rock Spa who also supplied the players with a cold
towel and a serving of refreshing ginger tea.
Just what the doctor
ordered - a relaxing shoulder massage at the 3rd hole.
At Hole no.13, the golfers were tested
on their tee-off skills. They were forewarned that any stray shot on
this hole would be fined THB 100 in exchange for a glass of a suitable
beverage. All the monetary collected here was channeled to the fund –
hence it being labeled the ‘Charity Hole’!
The pretty Barcardi girls
await the golfers at the 17th.
A final surprise for the players came
on what turned out to be the favorite hole, no. 17, which was named the
‘Sexy Hole’ where distraction was the name of the game. Upon arrival at
this hole, the golfers were welcomed by a group of sexily dressed
ladies, sponsored by Bacardi, where a cold towel, Bacardi drinks and
cold beer were served. On top of that, these pretties assisted further
by helping the golfers to tee up the ball for them – again all for a
small donation to the charity fund.
This hole requires a
driving guitar.
Later in the evening, all golfers
adjourned to the award and prize giving ceremony which was held at the
exclusive Soul Lounge of Hard Rock Hotel Pattaya. Cocktails and free
flow of beer, wine and soft drinks were served, followed by a sumptuous
buffet dinner specially prepared for the event.
Apart from the prizes for the winners of each category, there were also
awards for other technical holes including longest drive, nearest to the
pin and a special booby prize for the highest gross score.
It all added up to a superb day and night of fun entertainment and all
those who took part will be eagerly awaiting next year’s second edition.
Further information of the Hard Rock Pattaya’s charity projects can be
found at
http://pattaya.hardrockhotels.net.
Lisberth Sng enjoys the
delicious Soul Lounge dinner before the prize giving.
Overall champion
Rungratree Puangsal (2nd right) receives her trophy.
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