History comes alive at annual Pattaya Longboat races

History once again came alive at the 14th annual Pattaya Longboat Races held last weekend at Mabprachan Reservoir. Originally designed for battle against aggressors, this unique and beautifully crafted vessel is now used in races. Each year these races mark the end of the rainy season in Pattaya. Events over the weekend also included buffalo races, Thai Long Drum contest, a pig-catching competition, enduro motorcycle racing, and much more. 

Jetsada Homklin
Twenty-four teams of rowers competed for 396,000 baht in prizes at the annual Pattaya Traditional Long Boat Tournament.
Thai teams competed in both 55- and 30-paddler long and short boats for the HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn and HRH Princess Soamsawalee trophies.
The winning team in the final race was Chao Mae Pradoo Thong while Chao Mea Pradoo Ngern placed second, Porn Phra Kaew third and Thep Suriya came fourth. They won cash prizes of 100,000, 50,000, 30,000 and 10,000 baht respectively, as well as trophies.

Long boats compete head to head in a 30-oar category race on Lake Mabprachan, Sunday, November 23.

Boats weren’t the only ones racing at the Nov. 23 Lake Mabprachan festival. Buffalo races were also held in front of the Khao Phothong Temple with five categories of racing cattle. Winners took home between 3,000-6,000 baht depending on the race.
Kamnan Suwit’s team took first in the big-buffalo race with Thongpian Mabpai finishing second, Thongpian Mabpai third and Mr. Precha’s team fourth.
In the “big small” buffalo race, Kamnan Suwit’s team also took first place, with Mr. Dam’s team second and Kamnan Suwit’s team also taking third and fourth.
The alcohol-free event broadcast on television also saw endure racing demonstrations and traditional long drum competitions for students and the general public.
More than 20 teams of students from Chonburi, Nakhon Nayok, Rayong, Chanthaburi and Chachoengsao participated and five public teams banged out performances.

Buffalo racing took place at the adjacent all-weather track.

A motocross event was also held on the shore-side of the lake.

Dancers in traditional costume accompanied the buffalos on a pre-race parade.

The trophy presentation was attended by Pattaya Mayor Itthipol Kunplome, Nongprue Municipality Mayor Mai Chaiyanit and many local civil servants.

Crowds packed the banks of the reservoir to enjoy the sporting spectacle and fine weather.

Top sailing returns at Pattaya’s Varuna Cup

Lennart Fahgren and the crew of Amanda sail to first place in the Ocean Marina keelboats class at the Tudor Court Varuna Cup.

Chris Dando
The Tudor Court Varuna Cup, held over the weekend of the 15th and 16th November, saw a return to some great sailing conditions in Pattaya. The sunshine was out and a fresh northerly wind gave some excellent sailing and racing.
On Saturday the monohulls sailed three races around the buoys, with Gareth Owen taking the first race win. However it turned out to be a terrific battle at the front of the fleet with Shin Suenaga taking a good win in the second race. With the wind up to full strength for the final race of the day, it was then the turn of Kevin Whitcraft to be first across the line. Kevin had a little to prove as his son Dylan had previously shown him the way round the course in the first race!
On Sunday, Gareth was in full competitive mode and won the first two races. He also made sure with some clever tactics that his nearest rival, Shin, did not have great results. In the final race to decide the minor places, the fleet split between those who went inshore, out of the tide, and the those that went out to sea looking for wind. The outer route paid handsomely with not just more wind but also a nice shift. Shin eventually won the tight battle at the front as the wind caused a few thrills and spills around the final lap.
For the multihulls it was Aroon and Akkharawat who showed the fleet a clean pair of heels in the three races they sailed on a windward-leeward course around the buoys on Saturday. Although the faster F17’s and F18’s had it mostly their own way, Bob and Judy Gardham did show that a well sailed Hobie 16 can still get to the top of the fleet by scoring a deserved second place in the middle race.
Sunday started with a race around the buoys, with Jerome Collin and Roch showing that Aroon’s F17 could be beaten by an F18. For their final race, the multihulls set off on a long distance race around Koh Larn and the islands. After a long but fast race, Aroon was back at the front to consolidate his overall win for the weekend.
The Ocean Marina keelboats and multihulls had an early start on Saturday, and sailed a race finishing at Varuna to start their weekend. They followed with a further race around the buoys off Varuna, and a race back to the marina.

Tim Browne skippers The Weasel to second place in the keelboat class.

In the keelboat class it was Tim Browne and his team on their Platu who started the weekend off with two wins. But then Lennart Fahgren sailing Amanda started a fight back by winning the race home. In the Ocean Marina mulithulls, Scott Galle skippering Black Swan enjoyed the conditions to win all three races.
On Sunday, the Ocean Marina fleet again started off at the marina, this time with quite a long race around the islands off Varuna and then a finish at the Varuna committee boat. They then followed this with a short race around the buoys before anchoring up to join the prize giving at Varuna.
Lennart and his crew were now finding their way around the waters off Varuna and took two more wins to confirm first place overall. David Wales and The Sting were giving Scott a hard time in the Ocean Marina multihulls and won both races. However the previous day’s hard work meant that Scott and Black Swan took the series win.
Many thanks go to the Tudor Group for sponsoring the weekend. All the sailors had some excellent racing and also a great barbecue at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club beach bar on Saturday night.
Frefel takes local Optimist title as storms brew

Winner of the monohull class Gareth Owen (centre) stands on the podium with Shin Suenaga (right) and Scott Montgomery.

Earlier this month, the JVK International Movers Eastern Seaboard Regatta gave some very difficult conditions but also excellent racing for the Optimist sailors at Royal Varuna Yacht Club. On Saturday, November 1, the weather looked fairly good but experience said that there were storms around. The race team managed to get the first race away in light conditions and it was Quentin Uhrich who took full advantage to take a win and beat many of the older and more experienced sailors.
In the second race of the day, Alex Frefel was first across the line after a very eventful race, especially on the last leg. As the expected storm approached, the wind did just about everything! Initially it was a light wind beat to the finish, then a reach, then a strong wind beat finally to the line. All the sailors made it back to the shore in good shape as the storm finally hit.

The JVK International Movers Eastern Seaboard Regatta top three stand on the podium, from left: Quentin Uhrich, Alex Frefel and Phomraphi Thapthim.

With a long delay and the weather finally improving, the race committee set a course to try to get another race in. Unfortunately the wind died and racing had to be canceled for the day leaving Quentin and Alex tied on points at the head of the order.
On Sunday, November 2, conditions looked similar but with the earlier start there was hope to get some races in before the weather changed. As it turned out the wind was better but also there were some tricky shifts. Four races were sailed and the key was to get consistent results.
Phomraphi Thapthim (Poom) managed to get two wins but his other places were not as good. Quentin was also still very much in the hunt for the top spot, but two poor last races meant that he had to settle for third place overall. The last race was very much the championship decider and a third place was just enough for Alex to take the top spot from Poom by just one point.
It was again great to see all the young Optimist sailors on the water and they did a great job of competing in the difficult conditions. Many thanks again to JVK International Movers for their support - all the competitors were wearing their ‘JVK’ shirts and seemed to thoroughly enjoy the doughnuts afterwards!

Optimist sailors pose for a group photo at Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya.

Billy bags an ‘Ace’

PSC Golf from The Golf Club

On yer bike, the girls of TGC help Billy Eyles celebrate the Ace!

Steve Ellison
Monday, Nov. 17, Green Valley (white tees) – Stableford
1st Mark Wood (7) 40pts
2nd Phil Smedley (11) 39pts
3rd Andy Makara (29) 39pts
It has been awhile since we had a 40-pointer up on the board but today that number was reached. It was a very tight contest in fact, and there was some good golf played out at Green Valley today. The course was in super condition, some guys stating that this is the best they have ever seen it.

Bryan Carroll with the evidence!

For those of you abroad reading this, the weather here has finally turned and our “rainy season” is over for the year. The Spin Doctors from Bangkok like to refer to this as the “green season” but they aren’t kidding anyone, and we are glad to see the back of it and the floods our hopeless drainage could not cope with.
Mark is a very experienced golfer who plays off 7 and has been here in the Pattaya golf scene for ages. Like many oilfield workers, Pattaya is his base of operation so has played Green Valley countless times. Today was all his, as Phil and Andy could come close but no cigar (probably from Keith) to Mark Wood’s excellent 40 point round.
Let’s finish the day’s reporting with a happy ending. Billy “The Hat” Eyles has been ‘round a golf course a good many years and finally achieved what we all would love to do, get that hole in one! He teed the ball up at the right place on the 8th hole today and 129 yards later the ball was 5 inches lower than he was expecting, at the bottom of the cup. Well done Wild Bill!
Friday, Nov. 21, Pattaya C.C. (white tees) – Stableford
1st Bryan Carroll (17) 40pts
2nd Ian Brimble (7) 39pts
3rd Phil Smedley (11) 34pts
And just like the proverbial London bus, another 40-pointer shows up on the leaderboard after waiting ages for one. As good as it was playing a course in great condition on Monday, just the opposite was true here today. This track needs some work, not just a nice new clubhouse. The front nine was in OK shape, but the back nine was still very sandy in the fairways as well as on the greens. The caddies were enthusiastic but poorly trained and were not much help. It’s not their fault, management needs to sort this out for the high season as quickly as possible.
Those 40 points came from our good mate Bryan Carroll, as he continues to extend his purple patch. His handicap is slowly dropping, but not as fast as some lads would like. Bryan is playing some great golf and if it weren’t for his dodgy wrist it would be even better. Well done mate!
The English Texan, Ian Brimble, is also back and did very well to score 39 points off of this dry track. Captain Phil had a good week as well and was on the podium for both of our rounds.
Note: The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro. 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... all handicaps welcome!

Three top courses fill the week

IPGC Golf from The Haven

Peter Newham & Phil Groves.

Monday, Nov. 17, Phoenix - Stableford
CSS 71
1st Peter Newham (20) 41pts
2nd Markku Tynell (23) 39pts
3rd Yasuo Suzuki (13) 38pts
4th Lyle Blaw (11) 38pts
5th Russell Exley (9) 35pts
6th Frank Hughes (18) 34pts
For the first time since March 2013 the group played Phoenix following a meeting with the new General Manager, Khun Nathawat Aksornchat (Nat) and his ensuing generous offer to try out the course once again. The venue proved to be very popular with the players and so a return has been scheduled for Friday the 19th December.
With the compulsory cart having been cancelled, the only problem may be the green fee which will be 1,500 baht, making the cost walking 1,850 baht, so in the end the players will decide whether, as the most expensive course on the schedule, it is worth supporting. But Nat seems determined to bring back both members and local groups to add to the steady flow of tour groups playing the three nines, so things may well be on the up and up again for Phoenix Gold as it is now known.
The course was in fairly good condition, following the redesign of some holes with the addition of a few extra sand traps, although there were signs that some areas needed to be considered as GUR although unmarked. The CSS for the day bore out the general good shape and playability.
Peter Newham took advantage of the generous fairways and the extra roll to return his best card in Thailand and easily run out the winner ahead of Markku Tynell, who is temporarily running the golf operation while Trevor remains away and Hal is on vacation. The extra responsibility seems to have improved Markku’s performance on the course as he finished the week on the podium three times.
Third place went to a count back which Yasuo Suzuki, making his swan song appearance this trip, won with a better 13 to 11 to consign Lyle Blaw into fourth.
Russell Exley took fifth on his return to golf, having played just four times since the end of April, to leave Frank Hughes to take his first podium placement this trip in sixth.
Strangely, with the good conditions and the scoring, there were no ‘2’s in either division.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, Green Valley - Stableford
CSS 71
1st Phil Groves (9) 39pts
2nd Lyle Blaw (11) 39pts
3rd Markku Tynell (23) 38pts
4th Peter Newham (20) 35pts
5th John Carlin (18) 35pts
6th Mark Lang (6) 34pts
Now Green Valley is permanently back on the schedule the players are beginning to get the better of the course, which today saw the CSS dropped to 71 following some good scoring by many of the hopefuls.
Phil Groves, who is finally getting back to his old form, took yet another win, this time at three under but he had to contend with Lyle Blaw who sadly lost a count back for the second time in a row. Phil took the top spot over the last three holes with a better 6 to 5 after he and Lyle had tied the nine at 18 and the six on 13.
Markku Tynell took third for his second placing of the week, with Peter Newham back in fourth after he won a count back over John Carlin with a very good 21 to 19 result, which left Mark Lang in sixth another shot behind them.
The pot for the first division 2’ was shared between Jon Yarrow and Shuichi Kodaka with the latter cursing his previous good play that had taken him up into the first division as once again there were none in the second division with that pot almost overflowing.
Friday, Nov. 21, Khao Kheow A & B – Stableford
CSS 72
1st Jon Yarrow (14) 37pts
2nd Phil Groves (9) 37pts
3rd Mark Lang (6) 37pts
4th Peter Skinner (12) 35pts
5th Markku Tynell (23) 34pts
6th Shuichi Kodaka (15) 32pts
The third excellent condition course in a row was Khao Kheow over the A and B nines, where the scoring was a little harder to come by than on the two previous outings in the week.
Jon Yarrow won a three-way count back over two of the single figure handicappers in the field, with a stunning level par back nine off his 14 handicap to amass 25 points that easily saw off Phil Groves, in second, and Mark Lang, in third, as they could muster just 19 each. Phil took second with a better 13 to 12 on the last six. It surely will not be long before Jon is amongst the single figure players in the group on this showing.
Peter Skinner has been toiling away recently in the lower sections of the field but did enough this time out to take fourth, two shots adrift of the top three. After a bright start at one under for the front nine he slipped slightly over the inward half, otherwise he would certainly have been in contention for the top step.
Markku Tynell made it to the podium for the third time in the week finishing in fifth, with Shuichi Kodaka taking sixth a couple behind him.
There were no 2’s in the second division, but the top three in the competition, Jon Yarrow, Phil Groves and Mark Lang, all had one each to share the first division pool.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact 038 710 988 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 a 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.

Tim tames the greens at Khao Kheow

Jomtien Golf with the IPGC

Tim Hake ,Chris Reed & Mike Lewis.

Monday, Nov. 17, Khao Kheow – Stableford
Nine groups out today in three divisions and we were allocated the A and C nines, which made a nice change from recent games here. The almost equal cut came at 7-16, 17-20 and 21+ in the 3 flights.
Some of the flag placements today were wicked on these lightning greens and of the first 18 cards handed in later there was only score above 30 points. And it did not get a lot better after that with the exception of a couple of boys from Khao Yai who were down with us for a couple of weeks.
Tim Hake returned the best score to win division 2 with 38 points. Geoff Stubbs came in second with 29 after beating Kari Aarnio 10/8 on a back-six count back.
Pete Sumner was the winner in division 1 with 35 points and Mike Lewis beat Horst Starchl 15/14 on the back nine for second spot after they both came in with 31 points.
Roger De Jongh topped division 3 standings with just 30 points as Ali Dukoney took second two points behind and Leo Van Der Haeghen finished third with 27.
Near pins went to Mike Chatt, Lindsay Phillips (2), Pete Sumner, Frank Boudewyns, Colin James, Leo Van Der Haeghen and John Walsh.
Lindsay Phillips, Pete Sumner and Chris Voller split the first division ‘2’s pot while in division 2 Countback Burnie was a happy chappy after securing sole rights to the pot.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, The Emerald – Stableford
Another large group out today with a few more lower handicap players taking part so the cut came at 5-14, 15-20 and 21+ in the 3 divisions. We teed off 35 minutes ahead of schedule but soon caught up with a society in front of us and it was a painful five hour round.
Playing off 10, Seppo Toivenen topped division 1 with 40 points while Kari Kuparinen came in second with 39 and Mika Viljakainen took third on 35.
Alan Hansen was the winner in division 2, beating Tim Hake 20/15 on the back nine after they both came in with 35 points each and in third place was Andy Crabb with 34.
Ali Dukoney won division 3 with 35 points as well, as Leo Van Der Haeghen (34pts) and Jeff Van Uffelen (32) filled the minor places.
Near pins were claimed by Alan Hansen, Sandy Lundie, Pete Sumner, Seppo Toivenen, Jim Connelly, Colin James, Chris Reed and Countback Burnie.
There were three ‘2’s in division 1, with Dennis Scougall, Seppo Toivenen and Mika Viljakainen sharing the pot and Colin James birdied the 5th for the only ‘2’ in the second division.
The course here is still slowly improving and the majority of the group were quite happy to play it today.
Friday, Nov. 21, Eastern Star - Stableford
Eight groups out today and retired Aussie teacher Chris Reed came in with 39 points to win division 2, beating Tim Hake 24/21 on the back nine. The ‘organizer’ was third with a remarkable 37 points.
Mike Lewis topped the podium in division 1 with 38 points, three ahead of Mika Viljakainen in second who beat Timo Rautianen 3/2 on a back two holes count back. Kari Kuparinen and Khalifa Nasser both lost out with 17 points each on the back nine after also scoring 35 points in total.
Near pins went to Edward Bourne, Gerry Cooke, Pete Sumner, Chris Voller, Colin Aspinall, Mike Catt and Glyn Evans.
There were no ‘2’s in either division today.

Canadian class

IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the Elephant Bar

Scenic Khao Kheow G.C.

The Pattaya Golf Society began the new week with a visit to Khao Kheow on a hot and humid Monday, 17th November, for a stableford competition on the B and A courses in two flights cut at 11.8 and under.
The course has survived the wet season relatively well but remedial work on the fairways has left many lightly sanded areas which absorb all the momentum from descending golf balls and yesterday limited the run expected. The greens were fine and consistent if no more than medium paced.
It was therefore surprising that scores were not higher across the field, but on reflection it was, after all, a Monday! In the second flight Jesper Hansen took the pot for the only birdie ‘2’, on A5, and also shared third place with Jim Ferris on 30 points. The joint winners of the flight were Brian Talbot and Dave Edwards on 34 points and both obviously enjoying their brief inclusion in the higher handicapped flight.
The top division saw Brian Beaupre, Jon Batty and Peter Ditz all return birdie ‘2’s on A5 whilst newbie Paul Hubbard managed the feat on the Island Hole on his debut with the group. Alan Flynn finished third on 32 points and mark Lang put the horrors of his previous round behind him in recording 36 points for second. The winner with the only sub-par round of the day was Brian Beaupre and his gross 74 gave him 39 points for an astounding win. This was truly a class performance by the Canadian golfer.
Jon Batty’s status as almost “invincible” took a massive jolt when he received the Booby Bevy for recording a score of no more than Mr Len, thereby nose-diving from hero to zero status and the bar’s free draw for the non winners was won by Simon Hirst on his first round with the group. The week had started in fine style again.
Pattana to the rescue
Not a good start to the golfing day – being told that your scheduled course is subject to a caddy strike. Yet that was the situation at Greenwood on Wednesday, 19 November. One of our members was contacted by his Greenwood caddie around 0830, who relayed the situation; that all caddies would be withdrawing their services in protest at management’s alleged “clean-out” programme – retiring all male and lady caddies over a certain age.
Luckily this gave us enough time to find an alternative. The fact that we got the first of our nine groups to Pattana, teeing off just prior to the original scheduled time, says a lot for that Pattaya Golf Society member and his Greenwood caddie – thank you Khun Wichai.
Pattana plays long, whatever the yardage, so it was decided to have a two-tee competition with A Flight (handicap 14 and under) going off the whites (6700 yards), and B Flight off the yellows (6300 yards). Our course today comprised B and C, which meant our starting hole was the much-feared B1. The wind was up, suggesting this was going to be a tough day; it was.
The fairways were in excellent order, as were the front nine greens. The C nine greens were still recovering from recent coring, which meant some putts were thrown off line through no fault of the golfer. The bunker sand at Pattana is extremely fluffy, making the execution of a standard splash-shot impossible. The sand needs compacting.
Today was a hard test of golf, so it was no surprise that only one player from our nine groups broke par. In the B Flight there was one ‘2’, on B7 scored by John O’Sullivan, whilst one-handicapper Chris Smith’s ball-striking was very much in evidence as his overall score along with three ‘2’s proved.
Back at the Elephant Bar, welcome-backs were extended to Richard Dobson from the UK and John Chelo from Canada. John Tallett won the lucky beer draw again, whilst the booby bevy was awarded to today’s real hero – the chap whose efforts ensured we had our day of golf – Wichai Tananusorn.
A Flight
1st Hisahiko Makino (12) 37pts
2nd Chris Smith (1) 36pts
3rd Alan Flynn (12) 34pts
B Flight
T1st Jesper Hansen (16) 35pts
T1st Garry Hookey (17) 35pts
3rd John O’Sullivan (20) 33pts
Earning a podium place today was tough work; congratulations to the six who succeeded, and a special mention to the owner of today’s best score, the only one to break par – enjoy your trip home – Hisahiko San.
Pattavia’s greens – therein lies the challenge
A Flight
T1st Brian Beaupre (5) 36pts
T1st Rich Schramm (10) 36pts
T3rd Tomas Nilsson (11) 33pts
T3rd Alan Griffiths (11) 33pts
B Flight
1st Jim Ferris (19) 36pts
T2nd Larry Gibb (21) 35pts
T2nd Murray Edwards (22) 35pts
Friday 21 November saw the Pattaya Golf Society take seven groups up the 331 to Pattavia Century Golf Club.
The course was presented in a state we have become used to from this rejuvenated golf club – excellent. Some fairways on the front nine can offer the occasional tight lie, as grass growth recovers, but overall, these fairways are well presented. Bunkers, the source of jokes in the past, are superb, with the well-tended and compacted sand offering every chance of a good escape. Finally, the greens; herein lies the key to scoring well on this course. Putting surfaces are very grain-dependant. When this is combined with slope, the challenge becomes marked, especially when above or side-on to the hole.
This course, despite the bumpy trip through the pineapple fields, is worth every bit of the 700 baht green-fee.
Our field comprised of two divisions, with the handicap split at 14.3 and under. There were three ‘2’s in B Flight; Ken Page on the 4th, Dave Lehane at 7 and Larry Gibb on 13. The scoring was tight at the top, with just one point separating the three podium place-getters. Interesting to note the winning scores in both flights were identical.
Those scoring ‘2’s in A Flight were Tony Campbell and David Thomas on 4, Brian Beaupre on 13 and Jon Batty on 17. This total of seven ‘2’s was in stark contrast to the number achieved on our last visit here, two weeks ago: none. Pin placements at this course make a huge difference.
Tony Campbell’s tee-shot on the 4th also earned him a bottle of whisky, kindly donated by Simon Hurst, for being closest to the pin.
Back at the Elephant Bar we welcomed our newest member, Paul Hunter from the UK, whilst welcome-backs were extended to Canadian Henry Mah and Toshihiro Aoki from Japan.
The lucky beer draw was won by Henry Mah while the booby bevy was awarded to recently returned Richard Dobson, in commiseration of having a ‘mare of a round – the worst of the day by some margin.

Hot day at Emerald

The Backyard Golf Society

Well, the rainy season seems to be behind us so it was a hot day for The Backyard lads at Emerald last Friday, Nov. 21. With reports of a 5 hour round from the players on the previous Wednesday we managed to get the players to the tee earlier than normal and got around in under 4 hours. We did lose a couple of the Aussie/Kiwi players who joined us for the day but they eventually found their way back to the clubhouse to join the other pair who gave up after 12 holes.
The winner of the main competition today was Irish John, 76 gross giving him 40 points for the round. The near pin went to The Biss, who unfortunately missed the 4ft birdie putt on the 15th. The skins were won by The Biss with 6, 5 to Danny “Beaker” Larsen, 4 to “Who Brought Him”, 2 to Irish John and 1 to The Yak.
We had the unusual situation on the 12th where the green-keepers decided to dig up all around the area where the flag was so players were confronted with a 2ft strip of soil trying to get at the flag? Logic says they would move the hole and flag to the other end of the green but they then decided to dig up all the way around just to add to the challenge to the players.

High scores and two eagles at PCC

PSC Golf from Tropical Golf Group

Friday’s winner Mark West (left) with Daryl Evans, Bill McGarvie and Cat from BJ’s Holiday Lodge.

Friday, Nov. 21, Pattaya Country Club – Stableford
Last Friday the Tropical Golf Group headed out to the convenient Pattaya Country Club. A later than normal tee time meant some could sleep in and others could have extra cups of coffee at the BJ Holiday Lodge. Transport was arranged and off we went for the short drive. Nice!
Pattaya Country Club has been going through a lot lately. The quality of the greens continues to go up and down, seemingly each month from very good to poor. We never know which will find. The rating this day was probably best described as a “playable work in progress”. The fairways were in overall good shape but surprisingly also a bit dry and hard, something we sure haven’t seen in a while. It seems the rainy season is over at last and time to turn on the sprinklers, which were on as we left the course.
Pattaya Country Club is a very playable layout and usually gives up some very good scores, and this day proved to be the same.
Back at BJ’s the counting took some extra time as we set some kind of record on count-backs with six people involved. When all the math was done it came to pass that the winner was also the PSC Golf Chairman, Mark West (H/cap 13) with 39 points. Mark has been on a roll lately. In second place was Daryl Evans (21) with 38 points, winning on count-back over Bill McGarvie (11). Bill is heading home after a nice visit to Pattaya and we will miss him.
Next were the “35 pointers” and the Order of Merit showed Graham Buckingham (22), and Tom Cotton (24) in 4th and 5th places respectively. Missing out with the same overall score were Ken Hole and Mashi Kanata. It sure pays to finish strong.
It should be noted that this day also saw two eagles from the group! Mike O’Brien holed out on the par 4, first hole with a 5 iron from 175 yards, and Bill McGarvie followed that on the par 4, fourth hole, holing a rescue approach from way out. Wow...!
Near pins were claimed by Graham Buckingham, Brian Parish, Peter Blackburn and Mike O’Brien.

Jonathan’s late charge seals podium spot

PSC Golf from Siam Country Resort

Mham, happy with her near pin at Eastern Star.

Tuesday, Nov. 18, Eastern Star - Stableford
Tuesday was normal SCR golf schedule, with the game at Eastern Star from the whites at around 6500 yards, as several tees were well forward. It was perfect golf weather, clear skies, with about a 1 club breeze to keep the humidity down, and the golf course in reasonably good condition.
The scores were much improved over recent outings, with Jeff Wylie (H/cap 8) returning to some form with a strong 40 points, while Jonathan Pratt (13), recently returned from a trip to the UK, enjoyed a spectacular 22-point back 9 to sign for 36 points. Jonathan edged out Kurt Erik Persson (25) on count back after K also had a good back 9 with 20 points.
Near pins went to Jeff & Mham.
Thursday, Nov. 20, Pattavia – PSC Tournament
Thursday saw the PSC monthly tournament at Pattavia scheduled for our normal SCR golf day (see page 46), so we put our regular game on hold, on this occasion. Regular SCR golfers had some success, with Willem Lasonder (18) getting a near pin in “C” flight, while Jeff got second spot in “A” flight with net 71. The course was in good order, and it was pleasing to see the greens showing some of their past fire, with putts from above the hole presenting plenty of dramas for most.
Note: Siam Country Resort, Restaurant & Bar is located just off Siam Country Club Rd. Golf from here is generally played on Tuesday & Thursday and as a PSC affiliated venue we welcome ALL golfers, including ladies & seniors (>60s) who have opted for the “Silver” tee option. Call 089 094 1841 for scheduling or enquiries.

Dave times two

PSC Golf from Café Kronborg

Dave Richardson (left) with Dave Addison.

Monday, Nov. 17, Plutaluang N & W – Stableford
A Flight (0-19)
1st Dave Addison (14) 33pts
2nd Leif Kirkgaard (16) 32pts
3rd Mike Allidi (2) 31pts
4th Elias Magnusson (19) 31pts
B Flight (20+)
1st Dave Richardson (27) 38pts
2nd Richard Snellen (23) 28pts
3rd Steen Habersaat (26) 28pts
4th Mike Winfield (22) 28pts
Long Putts: N9 Dave Richardson, W9 Peter Bygballe
Near Pins: N3 Dave Addison, N6 Jan Lovgreen, W8 Lottie Boskov
The Navy course at Plutaluang was the game today and after a quick check-in we teed off 25 minutes early under coolish conditions, with sunny skies and a nice breeze all day.
The course was in tidy shape with the greens at a reasonable speed and running true all day.
Back in the clubhouse after a round of 4 hours and 15 minutes, welcomes went out to Kaj Aabling, Max Chriatalli and Mike Allidi.
Two flights today with the cut at handicap 19 and all the pins to play for. Dave Addison turned his card in claiming he was an ‘also-ran’ but won the A Flight with 33 points. Leif Kirkgaard took second one point back and Mike Allidi was third on a count back from Elias Magnusson.
Dave Richardson won the B Flight by 2 country miles with 38 points as Richard Snellin settled for second on a count back from Steen Habersaat and Mike Winfield, all with 28 points.

Thompson takes the plaudits

PSC Golf from The Outback Golf Bar

From left: Greg Hirst from DeVere with John Stafford, Eng & Tony Aslett.

Monday, Nov. 17, Burapha – Stableford
1st Chris Thompson (26) 42pts
2nd Dennis Pelly (12) 38pts
3rd Barney Clarkson (28) 37pts
4th Pete Stonebridge (18) 37pts
5th Tim Knight (24) 36pts
Four groups played A & B from the whites which were very forward and combined with a lot of run made the course play very short. Chris Thompson continued his fine form to win with a great score of 42pts from Dennis Pelly on 38. Barney Clarkson beat Pete Stonebridge for fourth on c/b, both with 37pts and Tim Knight scraped into fifth with 36.
For the second Monday running there was only one ‘2’, this time by Barney Clarkson.
Outback Opinion: Weather - blue sky with a cool breeze; Check in - good, friendly and quick as usual’ Tee time - 25min early; Fairways - hard with lots of run; Rough - light!; Greens - fast and true; Value for money - reasonable for high season; Pace of play - less than 4 hours; Drink stations open - all 4.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, Phoenix Gold - Stableford
Div A (0-17)
1st Geoff Stimpson (06) 37pts
2nd Kim Danboise (15) 34pts
3rd Peter Nixon (12) 33pts
Div B (18+)
Suzi Lawton (25) 34pts
Phil Payne (20) 31pts
Barney Clarkson (28) 30pts
After a recent meeting with the new General Manager at Phoenix, our 17 players today were looking forward to giving Phoenix a renewed chance after an absence of more than three years. I think the course had been hyped up a bit but unfortunately in reality, there were very few apparent changes; the course was fine and a delight to play, looking very mature and verdant but I’m afraid it’s not going to attain the heady targets the management may have in mind, just yet.
Phoenix was always a good course and ranks among my personal favorites but the changing rooms have not been altered, remaining tired looking and in need of refurbishment and although there are plans in mind for the clubhouse, that too needs a wake-up call. It has a long way to go find its true potential which may be the lower end of the ‘A’ courses. In the meantime it should be content with a ‘B’ class rating and bring it’s green fees into line, particularly if the management wants the players back.
Khun Nat, the General Manager, is a very personable guy and speaks brilliant English, making everyone very welcome and if anyone can bring this course back to life, then he’s the man to do it. Allowing the walkers back and cancelling the kiosk voucher scheme are a couple of big steps in the right direction.
Our winners today were Geoff Stimpson in Div A with 37pts; followed home by Kim Danboise (34) and Peter Nixon (33) and Div B was won by Suzi (34pts) from Phil Payne (31) and Barney (30).
There were no ‘2’s.
We are due back here on Weds 7th January, in the meantime just to let your know there is a Titleist demo event taking place at the Phoenix driving range on 28th & 29th November. Please call Pookie on 092 224 6320 or 084 873 5363 for further info.
Outback Opinion: Weather - Blue sky & sunny with a good breeze; Check in - ok & friendly; Tee time - 15 mins early; Fairways – excellent; Rough - hard work; Greens - v fast (Ocean), varied (Mtn); Value for money - special but still high end; Pace of play - 3 hrs 40mins, course quiet; Drink stations open - 3
Friday, Nov. 21, Green Valley – Stableford
1st John Stafford 17 net 69
2nd Peter Nixon 12 net 69
3rd Sunanta Cotterell 22 net 70
4th Chris Thompson 26net 71
5th Peter LeNoury 10 net 71
6th Tony Aslett 24 net 71
Picking up the start sheet this morning from General Jack we were on Plan A with 35 players until the mobile rang to say that someone was sick; not to worry, we did a quick change and onto Plan B. All was well until I got into the car and received another phone call to say that somebody else couldn’t play, so Plan C was forming whilst I drove to Green Valley and all was confirmed in my head. However, nothing is ever that straightforward when it comes to golf; somebody else turned up at the course who wasn’t even on the sheet but no big deal as Plan D was quickly produced as we ended up with 34 players playing in the DeVere Monthly Medal.
Everybody had high expectations of themselves today as General Jack said that if anyone scored 67 or better, he would give them 500 baht to spend in the bar on the day.
Today was Paul Pedelty’s last game with us for 2014, so bon voyage and see you next year and welcome back to Angus who arrived on Thursday night.
Jack’s money was looking a bit shaky when a strong rumour circulated that a 12 handicapper had shot a net 62 but as the scores came in, the best of the day were two 69’s from John Stafford and Peter Nixon, and as we don’t do count backs in the Monthly Medals they shared first place, but there is only one trophy and that went to John Stafford who collected his second one this year.
In third place on her own with a net 70 was Eng Cotterell, so well done Eng and three players were tied for fourth all on 71; namely Chris Thompson, Peter LeNoury and Tony Aslett. The Low Gross went to John Cunningham for the second month in a row with 77.
There were seven ‘2’s from Wayne Cotterell, Tom Larsen & Peter Nixon (5th), David Davies, Murray Hart & Peter Nixon (8th) and Sugar on the 16th.
Outback Opinion: Weather – Sunny with a slight breeze; Check in – Good; Tee Time – 25 minutes early; Fairways – Good; Rough – Average; Greens – Average to Slow; Value for Money – Acceptable; Pace of Play – 4 Hours; Drinks Stations Open - 5
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. Call Jack on 081 578 1956.

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

200 Bowler: Markku.

The new league is now underway and only 29 weeks to go. Bavaria started off with a bang by taking all four points from Brother D, led by Ooy Pluemkamon who bowled a 543 series. Hannu was best for Brother D with a 547 series.
Café Kronborg won three points from Green Tree; Noodle Russell bowled a 510 series for Green Tree.
La Montgomery bowled a 507 series to lead Indiana to a three point win over ARDEO while Canada took three points from Balloon in a low scoring contest.
Markku, bowling as a pacer, bowled a 210 game and 572 series and Mai Munsitha rolled a 519 series.

Results & Standings Nov. 21 (week 1)
Pos.	Team	Score	Standings
1	Bavaria	4 - 0	4 - 0
2	Café Kronborg	3 – 1	3-1
3	Indiana	3 – 1	3-1
4	Canada	3 – 1	3-1
5	ARDEO	1 – 3	1-3
6	Balloon	1 – 3	1-3
7	Green Tree	1 – 3	1-3
8	Brother D	0 – 4	0 - 4

 

Old dogs up to old tricks

PSC Golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society

Lou Szigligeti (left) with Bill McGarvie.

Sunday, Nov. 16, Green Valley – Stableford
A Flight
1st Bill McGarvie (11) 42pts
2nd Aittola Petteri (7) 41pts
3rd Barry Copestake (12) 41pts
B Flight
1st Lou Szigligeti (21) 42pts
2nd Colin Davis (18) 39pts
3rd Christian Boysen (14) 37pts
Silver Flight
1st William Peach (18) 40pts
2nd Peter Henshaw (21) 39pts
Near Pins: No 5 Sukh Jantiao, No 8 Peter Henshaw, No 12 Freddy Starbeck, No 16 Matt Doyle
Well the first of our entitled ‘old dogs’ - Aussie ‘no nickname please’ Zig-zag - was co-man of the match and top in B Flight with an excellent 42 points. Lou has returned for one of his many vacations to the Land of Smiles and, as is usually the case, it takes a couple of weeks of acclimation and work on his swing to round into form. It appears that period of adjustment has been completed.
The Donkey followed Lou up the B Flight podium steps with39 points and was two strokes clear of Christian Boysen and Gerry ‘the Irish rover’ Roche, both tied on 37points with the scales of justice falling in Christians favour.
Bill McGarvie was the other co-man of the match and took the gold spot in A Flight with his 42 points. Second and third places needed a count back to separate Petteri Aittola and Barry ‘the boot’ Copestake that saw Petteri edge Barry 22-19.
As there were six players playing off the Silver tees the Donkey decided to introduce a separate flight for them. The fact that this then moved him into second spot in B Flight was purely coincidental.
The winner of the Silver flight was Sir William Peach with a splendid 40 points while Peter Henshaw finished just a shot adrift. They also sunk a ‘2’ each and shared the pot with Petteri Aittola, Barry Copestake, Thierry Petrement, Hans Lemstra and Gerry Roche.
Monday, Nov. 17, Greenwood - Stablefrod
A Flight
1st Ken Hole (17) 40pts
2nd Andy Byrne (11) 36pts
3rd Bill Stewart (15) 36pts
B Flight
1st Michael Stafford (21) 36pts
2nd Tim Shaw (24) 35pts
3rd Lou Szigligeti (21) 33pts
A fair Monday crowd of golfers set out for the always popular Wolveridge and Thompson designed Greenwood course, which was found to be in fair condition and that suited Ken Hole down to the ground as he was tops in A Flight and man of the match with a sparkling 40 points.
Ken was followed into the barn by Co. Offaly man Andy Byrne and Bill Stewart who had to be separated by a count back as both returned even par rounds; Andy’s back nine managing to edge Bill for the silver.
The laurels in B Flight went to Michael Stafford with a solid 37 points. Tim Shaw, who once again appeared in the winners list even though he could not match his recent rounds, was two strokes adrift of Michael. Aussie Lou ‘no nickname please’ Zig zag was a further two strokes back as he closed the flight.
The belle of the bar Kim Crijns was the sole heir to the ‘2’s pot.
Tuesday, Nov. 18, Pattana B & C - Stableford
A Flight
1ST Christian Boysen (14) 37pts
2nd Francis Goyons (12) 35pts
3rd Barry Copestake 34pts
B Flight
1st Pierre Zbinden (20) 41pts
2nd Gerry Cooney (18) 39pts
3rd Eddy Beilby (19) 35pts
C Flight
1st Geoff Williams (22) 39pts
2nd Tim Shaw (24) 38pts
3rd Lou Szigligeti (21) 35pts
It is always a pleasure to hold a competition at Pattana and the day’s play over the B+C courses proved to be no exception, even though the greens were rather slower than would normally be expected.
Pierre Zbinden showed real class to fire a excellent 41 points in windy conditions that resulted in hardly any run and therefore playing every inch of the yardage. Pierre was two clear of B Flight compatriot Irishman Gerry Cooney, who was four clear of Eddy ‘the Eagle and Colin the Donkey, both with 35 points. When shove came to push in the count back it was the Donkey who fell off the podium.
Christian Boysen was the gold recipient in A Flight with a fine 37 points. Good mate Francis Goyons held the silver two shots back and three of Lewiinski’s best tied for the bronze on 34 points as Barry ‘the boot’ Copestake kicked both Ian Pickles and Scotland’s Reg McKay into touch.
Skipping down to C Flight we found Geoff Williams standing atop of the podium with a solid 39 points. Tim Shaw, who once again appeared in the winners’ list even though he could not match his recent rounds, was two strokes adrift of Michael, as Aussie Lou ‘no nickname please’ Zig zag rounded out the flight a further two off the pace.
Kim Crijns was again the sole heir to the ‘2’s pot.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, Silky Oak – Stableford
A Flight
1st Michael Prideaux (12) 41pts
2nd Thierry Petrement (12) 37pts
3rd Roger Emery (10) 36pts
B Flight
1st Gerry Roche (20) 39pts
2nd Peter Wallace (18) 37pts
3rd Pierre Zbinden (20) 36pts
C Flight
1st Michael Stafford (21) 41pts
2nd Peter Henshaw (21) 40pts
3rd Richard Snelling (23) 37pts
Michael Prideaux and Michael Stafford left little doubt about who were the men of the match today. Michael Prideaux topped out A Flight and Michael Stafford C Flight, both with 41 points each; this was also Mr. Stafford’s second pay window visit of the week. Nice Guy Thierry Petrement filled the A Flight silver spot with 37 points as Roger Emery on 36 points plus two ‘2’s took the bronze.
Peter ‘the silver surfer’ Henshaw with 40 points secured the C Flight silver place as Richard Snelling closed the flight with a steady 37 points.
Gerry ‘the Irish rover’ Roche topped out B Flight with a two point spread over Peter Wallace on 37 points. The man on form Pierre Zbinden made it a double win this week with an even par round.
Michael Stafford, JP Gasser, Matt Enslow, Craig Girling shared the ‘2’s pot with Roger.
Friday, Nov. 21, Mt. Shadow – Stableford
A Flight
1st Matt Cronin (14) 38pts
2nd Thierry Petrement (12) 38pts
3rd Ed Wyckoff (13) 35pts
B Flight
1st Christy Knight (23) 33pts
2nd Alistair Gall (18) 31pts
3rd Pierre Zbinden (20) 31pts
Silver and Red Flight
1st Lou Szigligeti (22) 37pts
2nd Eddie Henshaw (26) 34pts
3rd Jim Elphick (25) 33pts
The sad story of the day was Trevor Gough and his 47 points off his 23 handicap. Sad because Trevor, not being a member, did not share in the prizes but he did get a bit of compensation as he claimed a ‘2’ and was allowed to keep it.
There was no man of the match but not for the lack off effort. It was because the next highest score 39 points belonged to the lovely Marlene Prudden in the Red and Sliver flight. Sir William Peach took the silver a shot in arrears and a group of three went to count back for the third spot on 33 points; Jim Proctor was the happiest while Peter Henshaw and Marlene’s other half Brian were the saddest.
It was down to count backs in the top flight as Irishman Matt Cronin edged Mr. nice guy Thierry Petrement for the gold, both on 38 points. Ed Wyckoff with 25 points did the same to Co. Offaly gang man Andy Byrne. Andy usually travels to Pattaya with his good mate Kevin McEntee but the latter could not make this trip because of a bad back. We at Lewiinski’s wish him a speedy recovery.
Bar for the magnificent 47 points from Trevor Gough, the middle flight was a bit tame by their standards as Christy ‘good’ Knight’s 33 points took the top podium spot. The calculator was out again to separate a couple of mid handicap vets, Alistair Gall and Pierre Zbinden, both on 31 points, with the scales of justice tipping in Alistair’s favour.
William Peach, Mike Jefferys, Andy Byrne, Thierry Petrement and Matt Cronin shared the 2’s pot with Trevor.
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 provide.

Kae, Roy and Don blitz the field

PSC Golf from The Growling Swan

Left to right: Don Richardson, Kae, Roy Dayton and Ken Coenen.

The Drut
Monday, Npv. 17, Pleasant Valley - Stableford
Prior to tee-off change room chatter included how one tormented soul had approached his local professional golfer mid week for a lesson. The aforementioned gent had a practice swing and asked “what do you see?” The response, “about fifteen mortgage payments”.
Welcomes were handed out today to Ken Coenen, Frank Riley, Rob Davis, Leo Slager, Graham Clark and Terry Dreirer. A Monday record of 28 players were sent on their way by the starter under warm and sunny conditions.
With the inclement weather experienced in and around Pattaya over the last two months, many golf courses have struggled as expected to be in top condition. Pleasant Valley is no exception with the fairways being a bit soft and the greens, despite putting ok, may take some time for the texture to come up to scratch.
In the A grade Don Richardson handed in forty points to win easily from Bill McGarvie on thirty seven and John Davis’ thirty four.
The B grade saw lady golfer Kae win by a street with a stylish forty two points whilst Ted Morris and Mike Gosden both on thirty seven points filled out the minor placings.
C grade was won by Roy Dayton with forty points and John Anderson on thirty one and Patrick Poussier (30) both gained podium finishes.
A Flight (0–14)
1st Don Richardson (14) 40pts
2nd Bill McGarvie (11) 37pts
3rd John Davis (14) 34pts
B Flight (15–20)
1st Kae (17) 42pts
2nd Ted Morris (15) 37pts
3rd Mike Gosden (15) 37pts
C Flight (21+)
1st Roy Dayton (23) 40pts
2nd John Anderson (31) 31pts
3rd Patrick Poussier (22) 30pts
Near pins went to J.J. Harney on the eighth, Rob Davis, the thirteenth whilst Bill McGarvie cleaned up on the fifth and seventeenth.
Long first putts were won by Kae on the ninth and Roy Dayton on eighteen.
The lucky draw went to Frank Riley and the coveted Compass Cap was won by Ken Coenen.
Wednesday, Nov. 19, Plutaluang - Stableford
We ventured out on a Wednesday this week as opposed to the usual Thursday. Plutaluang was our destination on a beautiful sunny day and the track was in great nick and the greens played truly.
We farewelled Bill “Shooter” McGarvie and await his return, hoping it isn’t too soon so as to give we lesser players a chance of a near pin.
On the podium in first place was the evergreen Don Richardson with a good score of 40 points off his handicap of 14. All tied up on 36 points, the placegetters in no particular order were Roy Dayton (23), Mike Gosden (15) and Mark Stapleton (21)
Near pins went to Bob Akapita on North 3 whilst Bill McGarvie picked up West 12 and 17, which isn’t bad for a guy who says that he can’t see! North 6 did not attract a regulation so a lucky draw was held and won by Ibby. Long first putts on the 9th and 18th meanwhile went to Don Richardson.
The coveted Compass Cap was won by Colm Mullen and I would suggest a visit to the optometrist would appear imminent.
Note: The Growling Swan caters for and encourages all golfers male or female to have a hit at any of our weekly outings. We generally play Mondays and Thursdays at one of the many fine golf courses in and around Pattaya. Please contact Peter Grey if you are interested on 0861 503086.
The Growling Swan also caters to the bowls enthusiasts. Bus transport departs the GS on Wednesdays at 10 AM to play at Cocos on undercover synthetic greens and on Sundays at the same time for open grass bowling at The Retreat. Please contact Paul Rennison on 0843 454005 if you wish to partake. The cost including return bus transport, bowling fees and a hot lunch is less than 400 baht so great value for a day out

Caddies to the rescue

Travellers Rest Golf Group

Mike Rushant.

Andy Rich
My report this week centre’s around the unsung heroes of our golf experience in Thailand, the caddies. This past week one of our lady golfers felt unwell half way through her round and asked to be taken back to the clubhouse. Not only the caddies but also other members of staff at Eastern Star ran around getting medical assistance and medicine to make her feel better - thank you to all at Eastern Star.
On Saturday at Mountain Shadow another of our ladies was stung quite badly by a hornet and her arm started to swell up but the caddies came to the rescue with ointments and ice to reduce the swelling.

Geoff Beckett.
Most caddies are hardworking ladies/guys who run around tending to our every need and the majority are very knowledgeable because they work the course seven days a week on wages that barely enable them to keep their families housed, fed and clothed. Most are absolute saints dealing with us grumpy old men who want to know the precise distance to the hazards awaiting us and then when they don’t give us the exact (and I mean the exact) line on our next putt to the hole they get bawled out as being no good.
Most of them try to make our golfing experience in Thailand a happy one so next time you get a good caddie who has worked hard fetching and carrying for you, give her/him the best tip you can afford. I can guarantee they will appreciate it.
Monday, Nov. 17, The Emerald - Stableford
The week got underway for the TRGG with a trip to Emerald on Monday and it was a day to remember for the winner. The mighty Mike Rushant at last achieved his goal of becoming a single figure handicapper with another excellent round of golf. He really is an example to us all when it comes down to fighting to achieve a level of consistency the rest of us mere mortals can only dream about. Well done Mike!

Ruam - one of the saintly caddies at Mountain Shadow.
Mike did not get an easy ride however as Ed Brubaker and Roger Wilkinson were breathing down his neck and finished just one point behind.
1st Mike Rushant (10) 36pts
2nd Ed Brubaker (12) 35pts
3rd Roger Wilkinson (12) 35pts
Tuesday, Nov. 18, Pattavia - Stableford
On Tuesday it was another visit over to everybody’s new favourite golf course at Pattavia Century. Unfortunately, since our last visit a couple of weeks ago, the greens have been taken over by demons on ice skates, they were downright evil and three and four putts were too numerous to mention. I can only assume that the winner of Division 1, Brian Beaupre, has signed a pact with the devil as he was the only golfer on the day to play to his handicap.
Well done also to Lillian Cummins, winner of Division 2, who managed to keep the demons at bay.
Div. 1 (0-13)
1st Brian Beaupre (6) 36pts
2nd Ian Bell (6) 34pts
3rd Jim Cleaver (9) 33pts
Div. 2 (14+)
1st Lillian Cummins (16) 34pts
2nd Seamus Farrell (30) 32pts
3rd Ted Senior (15) 32pts
Thursday, Nov. 20, Green Valley - Stableford
Our weekly visit to Green Valley on Thursday also proved to be the biggest turnout of the week. The old devil himself Fergus Brennan proved that you can’t keep a good man down for long and he produced the best round of golf on the day, amassing a remarkable 39 points. Joe Nagle took the honours in Division 2, just pipping Geoff Beckett to first place on count back.
Div. 1 (0-14)
1st Fergus Brennan (13) 39pts
2nd Mike Sanders (6) 38pts
3rd Ed Brubaker (12) 37pts
Div.2 (15+)
1st Joe Nagle (18) 37pts
2nd Geoff Beckett (28) 37pts
3rd Paddy Murphy (15) 36pts
Friday, Nov. 21, Eastern Star - Stableford
On Friday it was over to Eastern Star and it was Ken Grimes who showed that if you play to your handicap you won’t finish far from the prizes. Today was no exception where 36 points was good enough to take first place.
1st Ken Grimes (19) 36pts
2nd Len Commons (13) 34pts
3rd Derek Thorogood (14) 33pts
Saturday, Nov. 22, Mt. Shadow - Stableford
It was off to Mountain Shadow on Saturday and it was another beautiful day in paradise, the weather was just perfect.
I started this report talking about caddies and at Mountain Shadow we had four of the best in my four-ball. They all helped to make it a brilliant day and dealt with the hornet incident with great kindness and professionalism and I should like to say thank you ladies you were fantastic.
Certainly Geoff Beckett had a day to remember and I am sure he will recall it with great fondness when he returns to the winter in England. His 38 points was easily good enough for top spot
1st Geoff Beckett (28) 38pts
2nd Suresh Mehta (18) 35pts
3rd Andy Rich (20) 34pts
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.

Friday Darts League

Results & Standings Nov. 14 (week 2)

Team	P	W	L	F	A	B/L	Pts.
Londoner	2	2	0	18	8	2	4
Naughty Kangaroo	2	2	0	12	7	2	4
The Clinic	2	2	0	11	9	1	4
W. Tankies	2	2	0	10	7	1	4
Nervous Wreck	2	1	1	12	9	1	2
Yates’ Bar	2	1	1	12	13	0	2
Buffalo Jack’s	2	0	2	5	11	1	0
Cheers Bar	2	0	2	5	10	1	0
Palmer’s Bar	2	0	2	8	10	1	0
i-Rovers	2	0	2	7	16	0	0
Results:  Cheers Bar (3-0)-(7-1) v Naughty Kangaroo, Londoner (9-1)-(1-0) v i-Rovers, Nervous Wreck (5-0)-(7-1) v W. Tankies, Palmer’s Bar (4-1)-(5-0) v Yates’ Bar, The Clinic (4-0)-(3-1) v Buffalo Jack’s

Asia Back Packer’s Monday Darts Super League

Standings Nov. 17 (week 1)

Team	P	W	L	F	A	B/L	Pts.
Legends	1	1	0	6	3	1	2
Load Out	1	1	0	6	3	1	2
Moonies	1	1	0	5	4	1	2
i-Rovers ‘A’	1	1	0	5	4	0	2
Don’t Tell MaMa’s	1	0	1	4	5	1	0
W. Tankies	1	0	1	4	5	0	0
Oscar’s Sport Bar	1	0	1	3	6	0	0
i-Rovers ‘B’	1	0	1	3	6	0	0
Results:  Don’t Tell MaMa’s (4-1)-(5-0) v i-Rovers ‘A’, Moonies (5-1)-(4-0) v W. Tankies, Oscar’s Sport Bar (3-0)-(6-1) v Legends, i-Rovers ‘B’ (3-0)-(6-1) v Load Out

Darkside Tuesday Darts League

Standings Nov. 18 (week 12)

Team	P	W	L	F	A	T/G	Pts.
Chill Bar	12	10	2	77	31	10	20
PJ Pub	11	9	2	57	42	7	18
Oscars Bar	12	7	5	66	42	8	14
Load Out	12	6	6	63	45	3	12
Double Dutch	11	3	8	35	64	3	6
Moonies	12	0	12	17	91	3	0
Results:  Load Out (4-0)-(5-1) v Chill Bar, Moonies (0-0)-(9-1) v Double Dutch, PJ Pub and Restaurant (5-0)-(4-1) v Oscars Bar

Tuesday Darts League

Results & Standings Nov. 18 (week 20)

Team	P	W	L	F	A	B/legs	Pts.
Londoner	20	19	1	181	57	15	38
Buffalo Jack’s	20	14	6	132	82	12	28
Legends	20	14	6	119	80	10	28
The Swan	20	12	8	115	73	17	24
Naughty Kangaroo	20	12	7	107	95	14	24
Yates’ Bar	20	12	8	100	89	13	24
Crazy Eddie’s	20	11	9	112	93	9	22
Nervous Wreck	20	11	9	110	103	8	22
Shoot Pool	20	9	11	93	103	11	18
i-Rovers	20	8	12	102	103	10	16
Scandalic	20	7	13	86	126	7	14
Bye	20	5	13	36	96	5	10
W. Tankies	20	4	16	61	121	5	8
Bye	20	0	19	0	133	0	0
Results:  Bye (0-0)-(7-1) v W. Tankies, Buffalo Jack’s (7-0)-(5-1) v Naughty Kangaroo, Crazy Eddie’s (4-1)-(6-0) v Nervous Wreck, Legends (5-1)-(4-0) v The Swan, Londoner (11-1)-(1-0) v Yates’ Bar, Shoot Pool (7-1)-(6-0) v Scandalic, i-Rovers (7-1)-(0-0) v Bye

Wednesday Darts League

Results & Standings Nov. 19 (week 11)

Team	P	W	L	For	Against	Pts.
Buffalo Jack’s	11	9	2	71	28	18
Oscar’s Sports Bar	11	3	8	3	71	16
i-Rovers ‘A’	11	8	3	69	30	16
W. Tankies	11	7	4	63	36	14
Moonies	11	7	4	53	46	14
Yates’ Bar	11	4	7	43	56	8
Bye	11	4	7	41	58	8
The Clinic	11	3	8	37	62	6
i-Rovers ‘B’	11	3	8	32	67	6
Bye	11	2	9	15	84	4
Results:  Bye (0-0)-(9-1) v W. Tankies, Buffalo Jack’s (3-1)-(6-0) v Moonies, Oscar’s Sports Bar (9-1)-(0-0) v Bye, Yates’ Bar (6-1)-(3-0) v i-Rovers ‘B’, i-Rovers ‘A’ (6-0)-(3-1) v The Clinic

 

Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Standings Nov. 17 (week 13)

Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts.
Links Bar	13	10	3	34	1	31
Legends	13	10	3	29	0	30
Sweethearts Bar	13	10	3	18	0	30
Rest Stop	13	9	4	24	0	27
Nicky’s Bar	12	9	3	21	0	27
Shoot Pool	13	7	6	5	2	23
Cheers Bar	13	7	6	-6	2	23
Dean’s Bar	13	6	7	-6	3	21
Classroom	13	5	8	-10	2	17
Offshore Bar	12	5	7	-7	1	16
Wok ‘N’ Rok	13	4	9	-29	1	13
Two Dogs	13	1	12	-54	1	4
Mates Bar	12	0	12	-19	0	0
Results:  Cheers Bar 10-7 Wok ‘N’ Rok, Classroom 10-6 Two Dogs, Dean’s Bar 9-10 Sweethearts Bar, Links Bar 10-5 Rest Stop, Shoot Pool 10-8 Legends

Pattaya 8-Ball Pool League

Results & Standings Nov. 17 (week 13)

Team	Played	Won	Lost	For	Agst	Diff	Points
Phimai Geordie	13	13	0	144	46	98	39
Smile Bar	13	12	1	135	60	75	37
Asian Nomads	13	7	6	91	104	-13	27
San Snack Bar	11	7	4	95	70	25	25
Funny Girl	13	6	7	98	92	6	25
Crazy Eddie’s	13	6	7	85	110	-25	25
Pom Bar	12	6	6	83	97	-14	24
Ta Bar	12	4	8	85	95	-10	20
Doggy Style	13	3	10	75	120	-45	19
Naughty Kangaroo	12	3	9	61	109	-48	16
Connections	11	1	10	58	107	-49	13
Results:  Crazy Eddie’s 5 v 10 Smile Bar, Doggy Style 6 v 9 San Snack Bar, Funny Girl 6 v 9 Pom Bar, Bye 0 v 0 Connections, Naughty Kangaroo 7 v 8 Asian Nomads, Phimai Geordie 9 v 6 Ta Bar

King Factory Friday Night Pool League

Results & Standings Nov. 21 (week 5)

Team	P	W	L	D	+/-	Pts
The Butchers Arms	5	4	0	1	14	12
Shoot Pool	5	4	0	1	8	12
The Rest Stop	5	3	0	2	2	9
Sweethearts Bar	5	3	0	2	-12	9
Legends Pool	4	2	0	2	10	6
Links Bar	3	1	0	2	-10	3
Pook’s Bar	4	1	0	3	-12	3
Results:  Bye A-W Sweethearts Bar, Legends Pool 9-11 The Butchers Arms, Links Bar P-P Pook’s Bar, The Rest Stop 9-11 Shoot Pool

Thursday Darts League

Results & Standings Nov. 13 (week 7)

Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts.
The Swan	6	6	0	0	46	10	12
Londoner	7	5	1	1	41	19	11
Don’t Tell Mama’s	7	5	0	2	41	21	10
Crazy Eddie’s	6	4	2	0	40	17	10
2 Dogs Bar	7	4	1	2	42	25	9
Ta’s Bar	7	4	0	3	28	36	8
The Clinic	7	4	0	3	35	26	8
Naughty Kangaroo	7	3	0	4	19	36	6
W. Tankies	7	3	0	4	27	37	6
i-Rovers’ Casuals’	7	3	0	4	22	34	6
Buffalo Jack’s	6	2	0	4	17	32	4
i-Rovers ‘A’	6	2	0	4	17	23	4
Results:  2 Dogs Bar 4-6 Naughty Kangaroo, Bye 0-4 Londoner, Don’t Tell Mama’s 4-0 A Bye, Ta’s Bar 3-10 W. Tankies, i-Rovers ‘Casuals’ 2-5 The Clinic

History comes alive at annual Pattaya Longboat races

Top sailing returns at Pattaya’s Varuna Cup

Billy bags an ‘Ace’

Three top courses fill the week

Tim tames the greens at Khao Kheow

Harris in hot form at the Hill

Watson edges Ruddle for low-gross honours

The Captain sets course for a double

Canadian class

Hot day at Emerald

High scores and two eagles at PCC

Jonathan’s late charge seals podium spot

Dave times two

Thompson takes the plaudits

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

Old dogs up to old tricks

Kae, Roy and Don blitz the field

Caddies to the rescue

Friday Darts League

Asia Back Packer’s Monday Darts Super League

Darkside Tuesday Darts League

Tuesday Darts League

Wednesday Darts League

Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Pattaya 8-Ball Pool League

King Factory Friday Night Pool League

Thursday Darts League