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The ‘Sportsmen’ live up to their names
Noel Thomas Jaidee Classic 2006
Tuesday 19th December saw the third annual staging of the
newly renamed Noel Thomas Jaidee Classic the brainchild of Alan Lewis from
the www.bahtbus.com website.
 The
Sportsman’s team; Dave, Dez, Lee and James are crowned ‘Noel Thomas Jaidee
Classic 2006’ champions.
It is fitting to mention that this important fund raising event is in
support of poor children that are inflicted with HIV/AIDS and are looked
after, cared for and educated at the Camillian Social Center Rayong. The
center, run by Father Giovanni Contarin and his team of staff, has grown
over the years in no small part from generous donations that arrive by such
fixtures on the local sporting calendar as this one.
This year’s event once again brought out many of Pattaya’s locals and
tourists to either help with the organization, compete, or even do both for
the chance to claim the most sought after and coveted honor of winning one
of the trophies that are presented to the winners at the end of the day’s
sporting activities.
A staggering 301,200 baht was raised for the Noel Thomas Jaidee Appeal on a
day of jovial competition and exceptional generosity.
 Father
Giovanni of the Camillian Social Center Rayong (right) is presented with a
cheque for 60,000 baht.
A hearty breakfast at the Caddy Shack, Soi 17, began the early start to the
day’s schedule, a little too early judging by the condition of some, both
locals and tourists alike. Never the less all were fighting fit and aboard
the coach a mere 30 minutes later than planned.
The first event, golf, took place at the Royal Thai Navy nine-hole course at
Bang Saray. To say it was a scramble was an understatement as several first
time players and medium handicappers struggled to make contact with the ball
in the early stages. However all completed the course with some respectable
scores, depending on who’s point of view you took at the bar.
The Kiwi Wobblers were true to their name being the first to arrive at the
19th hole and awaited the final foursome, who returned some two hours later.
There were a few surprises in the technical results; Kiwi Pete who can’t
normally putt further than his nose managed longest putt on the very
difficult 4th green. Some confusion arose within the Barracuda 1 team when
the officials suggested they take the furthest ball from the flag in order
to challenge Kiwi Pete’s once in a lifetime putt, amazingly they did!
The only women in the competition, Joom, won the nearest the pin prize on
the 3rd hole. The men’s reaction was that it was impossible to see the pin
due to the trees blocking their view, others were not aware of the water
hazard in front of the green.
Ramsey of the Eden Masters would normally have tried to clear the water on
the par five 7th hole, but on this day thirst got the better of him as he
chose to lay up and hook it wildly to the left in order to win nearest the
barrel of beer sponsored by Middy Campbell.
Next on the agenda was lunch at the long established Bang Saray Club where a
barbeque and buffet was laid on. This gave the last team home on the golf
course, Sportsman’s Bar, time to catch up to all but the Kiwi Wobblers on
the drinking stakes. Other teams appeared to be taking on the same challenge
so a further delay ensued.
After arriving safely at the ten-pin bowling venue, a few of the teams found
themselves short of members and had to coerce spectators into reserve spots.
Once again surprising scores were carded by all but a few teams and the
Sportsman’s Bar and Barracuda 2 were looking very strong.
It was then back to the Caddy Shack for the last event, 8-ball pool, along
with an evening’s entertainment in the capable hands of Master of
Ceremonies, Clive.
The two finalists, Barracuda 2 and Sportsman’s Bar had no idea they where
tied on points so whoever won this game was to be the Noel Thomas Jaidee
Classic 2006 champions. A very close game followed and went all the way to
the black ball. The Barracuda 2 just missed their attempt while the
Sportsman’s Bar managed to keep their cool and seize the moment.
The presentation to the worthy winners; Dave, Dez, Lee and James of the
Sportsman’s Bar incorporating Door to Door was followed by an auction set up
by the Caddy Shack boss Keith. Such was the generosity of the crowd that
items were selling for much more than their retail value.
RWM Mike Johnstone and several other Freemasons from Lodge Pattaya West
Winds were in attendance for the presentation of 60,000 baht to Father
Giovanni Contarin of the Camillian Social Center Rayong.
Thanks go to our many sponsors and all the people that worked together (you
know who you are) to make this such a rewarding day for those unfortunate
innocent children under Father Giovanni’s care.
Further details of the fundraiser and the Jaidee Appeal can be found at
www.bahtbus.com
Time for a few refreshments -
even the caddie joins in.
Jameson’s rings in Christmas, but Harry & Saranya were loudest!
The 2006 Jameson’s ‘Jinger Bens’ Christmas Pairs Scramble
Mike Franklin
Jameson’s International Golf Society held its annual ‘Jinger Bens’ Christmas
Pairs Scramble on Friday 22nd December at Eastern Star, in fine weather and
on a course that continues to be presented to a very high standard. Add to
that the excellent cooperation and service from the staff and you have the
perfect venue for a seasonal tournament. Congratulations to Harry Riley and
partner Saranya Chaiyanont who took full advantage and jingled all the way
to the podium, winning by just half a shot on count-back.
 Simon
and Jim Philbrook took the runner-up spot, only missing out on the top prize
by a whisker.
The field was limited to a hundred players and that was the number that
drove off from the 10th Tee. The pin positions were at medium difficulty but
Course Superintendant, Khun Kaweeporn, had lowered the cutters on the greens
to produce a running speed of 11 on the Stimpmeter which, for the average
player, is quick. No complaints though in playing the technical holes. Near
pins were won by Peter Henshaw, Joe McArdle, Mikael Andersson and Ken Lill.
The long putts were claimed by George Jackson, Birgitta Luning, Pim Wylacker
and Meg Oke. Moon Schwulera won the ladies long drive on #7 and Magnus
Johansson had the shot of the day on #4 with a drive just over 325 yards.
 Overall
winners Harry Riley and Saranya Chaiyanont (left & center) share a word
about their exploits with roving reporter Mike Franklin.
All technical winners received a bottle of wine, except for Ann Drader who
was ‘Nearest the Heineken’ keg on the short par four, 12th.
The performance results were good, including a creditable highest net score
by Bill Johnstone and David Green, duly rewarded with the traditional
Nova-Bens (down in one) Jameson’s cocktail.
There were two count-backs in the winning scores. Harry Riley and Saranya
Chaiyanont were the overall winners with a net 67 and net 32.5 on the back
nine. Simon and Jim Philbrook took the runner-up spot, also with a net 67
but just missing out with a net 33 on the back nine. Third place was taken
by Barry Connelly and John McKillop with a net 67.6 and back nine 34.3,
nudging Tira Charuvastra and Khun Sririporn, also net 67.6 but 35.3 on the
back nine, to take the Best Mixed Pair prize.
 A
‘wooden spoon’ of sorts. Even the less successful golfers got in on the act
with a special Nova-Bens (down in one) cocktail.
The Best Men’s Pair prize went to Barry Winton and Paul Davies, net 69 and
Best Ladies Pair went to Wanida Reed and Banjob Franklin. Trophies for the
overall winning pairs were kindly sponsored by North Shore Real Estate and Q
Cars Car Rental
The prize-giving and party back at Jameson’s was hugely festive and a
fitting conclusion to ‘JIGS’ Golf in 2006. A Very Happy New Year to all.
Singapore wins The Ambassador’s Cup at Siam Polo Park
His Excellency Felipe Frydman, the Argentinean
Ambassador to Thailand (center back-row) joins in the prize-giving
celebrations.
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The Singapore polo team won the recently held Ambassador’s Cup, played out
over the weekend December 15-17 at The Siam Polo Park in Pattaya.
Altogether four teams took part in the tournament, which was organized by
The Thailand Horse Polo Association; namely Singapore, Indonesia, King
Power, and Black Dog.
 Singapore
(white shirts) take on the Indonesians in the final match.
The tournament, in its inaugural year, was presided over by His Excellency
Felipe Frydman, The Argentinean Ambassador to Thailand and all those who
attended witnessed some great horsemanship and some extremely close games.
The Singaporeans, who could count top Asian player Sattar Khan from Pakistan
in their ranks, won two out of their three matches and tied at the top of
the leader board with King Power. With a greater scoring record of 17 to
King Power’s 12, the Singapore team were adjudged to be the overall winners
by the closest of margins.
In third place came the Indonesian team and the top three were supported
from below by the Black Dog team, who could only manage two defeats and one
tied game.
The Argentine Ambassador presented the trophy to the winners and the weekend
was rounded off with a traditional South American Asado (BBQ). All those who
took part declared the tournament to be a great success and will be hoping
it now becomes a permanent fixture on the polo calendar.
Flying Dutchman Jan leaves the field trailing at Bang Pakong
PSC golf from The Bunker
Monday, December 18, Bang Pakong, Medal
The first Medal competition of the week was at Bang Pakong where Dutchman
Jan Von Spelling showed the way, winning the B Flight with a fine six under
par net 66. There was a three-way tie for second place between Paul
Quodomine, Richard Baldotto and Brian Maddox, all finishing on two-under par
net 70.
In the A Flight (handicap 18 and under), William Macey was at it again
winning with a one under par net 71 ahead of Paul Smith and Tony Scambler,
who tied for runner-up spot with level par net 72’s.
Near pin prizes were won by Rod Stevens, Paul Quodomine, William Macey and
Geoff Parker.
Wednesday, December 20, Mountain Shadow, Stableford
Wednesday and The Bunker Boy’s headed for Mountain Shadow for a Stableford
competition.
On a very breezy day good scores weren’t easy to come by, the best score of
the day coming in the A Flight where Mashi Kaneta won with 34 points, ahead
of William Macey 31 points and third placed Gerry Cooney 28 points.
Bryan Rought and Jack Robertson shared the spoils in the B Flight winning
with 31 points apiece and PJ Redmond claimed third place with 27 points.
Near pin prizes went to Geoff Parker, Bryan Rought, Gerry Cooney and PJ
Redmond.
Friday, December 22, Burapha, Medal
The second Medal comp of the week was held at Burapha Golf and Country Club.
The course was in very good nick but proved to be as tough as ever.
Playing the Crystal and Dune courses and with the cut at handicap 18 and
under, John King won the A Flight with a net 73; in second place came Mashi
Kaneta and William Macey found himself further down the field than usual
finishing third with net 79.
In the B Flight Thea Von Spelling had a very steady round of golf to win
with a two-over par net 74, two shots better than Mick Ramshaw’s net 76 and
three shots better than Bernie Stevens’ net 77.
Peter Bloom, John Graham, Mashi Kaneta and John King shared the near pin
prizes.
The Beautiful Game?
by Riz Taylor
2006 - Top that!
That’s another year almost over then, and perhaps a time
to reflect on another twelve months of football that never failed to deliver
intrigue and drama. We started the year just as it would end, with
nightmares for Charlton fans. Five hundred Addicks’ supporters left home at
10am to travel to their furthest away fixture, at Newcastle, only to arrive
and find the game had been cancelled by referee Mike Dean just 25 minutes
before kick off. “The FA must look at this. Forget the players - it’s just
not fair on the fans,” said fat Newcastle chairman Freddie Shepherd.
Portsmouth would finish the year in the top six, an amazing achievement
after Harry Redknapp’s surprise return to the club in January, complaining
he couldn’t make himself understood in his own dressing room after Frenchman
Alain Perrin’s departure. “We’ve got three people who can’t speak English.
You can’t even tell them what to do. What are you supposed to do, draw
diagrams for 20 minutes? It shouldn’t happen,” he ranted.
In the cup, Nuneaton Borough managed a draw with Middlesbrough and Liverpool
were pressed hard by Luton Town. Thierry Henry announced he’d be staying at
Arsenal as the club splashed 5 million pounds - which could reach 12 - on
sixteen year-old Theo Walcott. Meanwhile Alan Shearer reached 200 goals for
Newcastle.
Sven Goran Eriksson was embarrassed by a News of the World ‘sting’ that saw
his supposedly private thoughts revealed. In the end it merely confirmed his
desire to lace his already bulging bank account, but he ends the year with
the last laugh, still being paid 13,000 pounds a day by the English FA
despite having left his job six months ago. Nice work if you can get it.
Mike Newell spoke of corruption throughout the game, an allegation that
would have far-reaching consequences over the coming year, and to end the
month Liverpool completed the shock move of the transfer window by
recapturing Robbie Fowler.
Surely February would be more subdued? Well, not really. Alex McLeish
announced he’d be leaving Rangers and Egypt scooped the African Cup of
Nations. Chelsea crashed out of the Champions League to Barcelona, whilst
after revelations that workers on the new Wembley Stadium had been betting
on the project being finished later, an electrician told The Guardian: “We
couldn’t believe our luck. We got jammed in the [bookmaker’s] door in the
rush to place bets. And money riding on Wembley not being ready was hardly
an incentive to work harder. Most of the bets were smaller, from brickies
and fitters taking advantage of a guaranteed cert,” said the rather happy
workman/punter.
Liverpool’s defence of their Champions League crown came to a sticky end
with a pathetic exit to Benfica, whilst in the Premiership it was Tottenham
who were making noises with a decent run for a spot in the competition. Stan
Collymore, meanwhile, spoke of his upcoming role in Basic Instinct 2. “It’s
only a short role, but in one of the early scenes I had to make love with
Sharon in a car. I guess you could say I had a bit of experience for the
part,” he said.
In March 20-year old Wayne Rooney released his autobiography and Stuart
Pearce refused a compensation package were he to ever be sacked by
Manchester City, and Reading were promoted to the Premiership. In April the
English FA dawdled over signing a replacement for the outgoing Eriksson,
Gretna qualified for the Scottish Cup Final and Teddy Sheringham became only
the second outfield player to feature in a Premiership match aged 40.
Arsenal’s slip to fifth in the table meant they might have to win the
Champions League, but a quarter final win over Juventus set them up for
exactly that.
Chelsea clinched a successive Premiership trophy in early May, before
Liverpool overcame West Ham in an FA Cup Final classic at Wemb ... sorry,
what was I thinking, Cardiff. Players’ Player of the Year Steven Gerrard was
outstanding.
Arsenal pipped Tottenham to the coveted fourth position after Spurs players
were taken ill after eating dodgy lasagne (later diagnosed as a stomach
bug), guaranteeing them Champions League status this season, the money from
which would be crucial to fund the move to their new Emirates Stadium. It
also allowed the Gunners to concentrate on the finale to their staggering
Champions League run, but Barcelona proved too strong for Arsenal, who lost
goalkeeper Jens Lehmann after the keeper fouled Samuel Eto’o just minutes
into the game. It was a disappointing end to the competition, but at least
two footballing sides had reached the final. A precedent for the future?
Let’s hope so.
The World Cup began with news from Scotland, where a man, in the midst of a
messy divorce, bundled into his local bookmakers to lay 27,000 pounds on
Brazil to win the World Cup in an apparent attempt to spite his greedy wife.
Coral said the punter, thought to be in his 50s, had placed the bet to “stop
his wife getting hold of his money”.
Meanwhile the tournament came and went. England, whose players had spoken of
winning the competition, were hopeless and crashed out to Portugal after
losing Wayne Rooney, whilst the impressive Argentina also stumbled after
some devastating early form that had put them among the favourites.
Australia were making a name for themselves and only went out to a dodgy
penalty decision to Italy, this coming the game after flagship English
referee Graham Poll issued a player three yellow cards in the Socceroos’
final group game with Croatia. The Italians went on to win the trophy, but
the game will be better remembered for Zinedine Zidane’s last actions as a
player - to headbutt Marco Materrazzi in the chest before being sent off
moments from the end of the final.
Back in Birmingham, Aston Villa got shot of David O’Leary and replaced him
with Martin O’Neill, the last act of Doug Ellis reign as chairman and one
that could turn out to be his finest. Chelsea picked up superstars Michael
Ballack and Andriy Shevchenko from Bayern and AC Milan respectively.
This season has been all about Manchester United’s challenge to Chelsea for
the top spot, but although no trophies have been decided there hasn’t been a
shortage of stories. Northern Ireland shocked Spain in September with a
David Healy hat-trick in a 3-2 win, whilst club after club has been taken
over by rich businessmen towards the end of the year. Let’s also not forget
Roy Keane’s shock acceptance of the manager’s role at struggling Sunderland.
And that’s just the half of it. If 2007 is to be anything like 2006 there
will be plenty to discuss in these pages, and so have a Happy New Year and
join us again next Friday for another twelve months of football fun. See you
then.
Ladies lead the way at Phoenix
Phoenix Members Golf
Wednesday, December 20, Phoenix, Stableford
Men’s Flight ‘A’
1st Ian Spiers 31pts
2nd Eddie Blackwell 30pts
3rd Neil Mcallister 30pts
Men’s Flight ‘B’
1st Mike Poustie 34pts
2nd Thomas Nielson 33pts
3rd Ben Hogstram 33pts
Ladies
1st Mayo Deane 35pts
2nd Annette Haroldsson, 35pts
3rd Tukta Spiers 33pts
A gathering of 26, including both members and guests turned up at
Phoenix on a beautiful sunny day with a fair breeze blowing to keep
everyone cool.
 The
winners from the Phoenix Members Golf society outing played Dec. 20.
With a field of 19 men and 7 ladies it was decided that we would have 3
flights today: 2 for the men, split at 0 to 14 for ‘A’ Flight and 15 and
above for ‘B’ Flight, and a ladies flight all to themselves.
Although the weather was good and the course (Mountain & Lakes) in
magnificent condition, it was soon clear that the high amount of tourist
golfers, a strong wind and super fast greens (downhill) were going to
make the going slow - and tough!
Nevertheless playing on our super home course is always a bonus even if
a little slow sometimes. The scores returned reflected the conditions
with no one breaking their handicap. The Men’s A Flight winner with 31
points was Ian Spiers whilst in the B Flight, Mike Poustie scored a
respectable 34 points for top spot. The Ladies division fared slightly
better with both Mayo Deane and Annette Haroldson posting scores of 35
points and Mayo taking the count back.
Technical Prizes: Barry James, Paul Sharples, Ben Hogstram, Terry
O’conner.
Lucky Draw: Mike Gerrard
Phoenix Members Golf society meets every Wednesday and Sunday in the
restaurant at Phoenix G.C. at about 11.30am. The draw is at 12.00 Noon
sharp with a first tee time at 12.32pm. For more information call Ron
Bridge on 08 1452 5995 for Wednesday golf and Ben Hogstram on 08 6157
5310 for the Sunday golf or call Mike Gerrard on 087 091 7565.
NB: Full details of the new Phoenix Members Golf society will be
included in next week’s Pattaya Mail
Mission Impossible at Emerald
IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the OK Corral
Tuesday, December 19, all the players at the Pattaya
Golf Society were looking forward to was a relaxing pre-festive season
medal competition at the revamped Emerald course at Ban Chang.
Instead they found the course still wearing its Asian Tour Qualifier
“dress” and on top of that, a very stiff breeze was blowing. The day
would be no picnic! The rough was thick, the fairways firm and the
greens were relentlessly hard and running at a pace no one had ever
experienced before.
The two flights were cut at nineteen and under and in the top flight the
best single figure handicap score was that posted by Stuart Thompson,
his gross 85 giving him net 79 and third place. He was headed by Emiel
van der Wiele who took second place with net 78 whilst long-hitting Andy
Parkinson took the honours for his excellent round of net 73.
In the second flight Jim Ferris came third with a hard won net 79 whilst
Ray Underwood equalled the day’s second-best net score with his fine 73,
which more than merited second place. The round of the day was that
recorded by Ian Kidd and his net 70 was a mind-boggling score
considering the conditions, and he took the honours with his usual
self-effacing smile.
Unsurprisingly there were no birdie “twos”, three and four putts being
the order of the day, and the rolled over pot would be well contested
two days later at Green Valley.
Emerald had been more than a test of golf, it had been a severe jolt to
the system. The course has always been recognised as a fine challenge
but on this day it had served as a reminder of what the game is all
about at the moderately high levels of a major tour qualifying school,
and the realisation of just how good the best players in the world are.
Maybe we should all just play the game for fun?
Old & Young Heads at Eastern Star
On Thursday the Pattaya Golf Society managed to find a
peaceful course at Green Valley, bereft of the usual hordes, and a
hassle-free Stableford competition was in prospect for all.
Bolstered by the return of several old friends, and the presence of some
new ones, the large field was cut at 21 and under for the event and the
course was splendidly set up with firm fairways and challenging fast
greens. The only downside was the constant strong breeze which was to
add a little spice to the mixture and ensure that all the golfers put
the emphasis on control rather than length.
In the second flight the minor honours were shared by Len Jones and Paul
Quodomine, their scores of 27 points coming a distant second to lady
rookie Mod Churaiska whose round of 33 points was the best of her very
short career to date. Having hit her first golf ball a mere six months
ago and played her first tournament only three months ago, she managed
to keep her game in hand throughout and returned an excellent back nine
total of twenty points to bolster her front nine score and take the
victory.
In the top flight things were much tighter. Fine golf helped Jan Eriksen
post a total of 32 points for third place whilst “old hands” Harry Riley
and John Cunningham tied at the top with 33 points.
The substantial rolled-over “twos” purse was shared by Jan Eriksen and
Adrian Bullock and the presentation party enjoyed the tales of woe on
the course, what with “JC” John Chamber’s shanking problems, and the
incredible low scores of a few top flight golfers, but the ‘Booby Bevy’
eventually went to Phil Gann whose back nine total of a mere four points
stood out like a beacon amongst the other cards. The “Tiger” in his tank
was certainly a warm welcome to the OK Corral for Phil!
The day had been a good one and golf at Green Valley had certainly been
a fine way to start the festive season. The PGS wishes all its friends
and golfers, old and new, wherever they are, a Happy and hazard-free New
Year.
Four balls in the water -
but still makes a 7
PSC golf from The Three Sisters Bar
At the end of last month, (November 28) the monthly winner was Sus Ige
who came in with 37 points. He was tied with Dale Murphy but managed to
beat Dale on count-back.
The next in line was Tommy Sato from Hawaii with 36 points. Tommy is
leaving for home shortly so he will be missed for a while on the
circuit.
There was no golf outing on December 5th due to the King’s Birthday. One
week later, on the 12th, Dale Murphy made up for his loss to Sus as he
came in with 40 points to take the day. He and Sus changed places as Sus
came in second with 37 points. Aaron New came in a distant 3rd with 35
points.
This past week, December 19, found Kenny Mau at the top with 38 points.
With his hip hurting Kenny was still able to beat the field by a point.
Bob Benda and Sus managed 37 points each but could not catch the
front-runner. The wind was blowing hard making the course more difficult
and the greens faster.
One of the golfers said that he had four balls in the water on the par
five 11th at Pattaya CC and took a seven for the hole and managed to get
a point. Needless to say the other golfers didn’t believe him. His story
went like this: He had a good drive and put his second shot near some
rocks by the stream. His third shot had to be played out toward the
water hazard on the left of the green. The ball ended a few inches from
the water. He then tried to take a stance by the water hazard, lost his
footing, and fell into the water up to his eyeballs. That was two balls
in the water and you can guess what the other two balls were that got
wet.
He was then helped out of the water by his caddy and Bob Benda. He then
completed the hole by chipping next to the green on his 4th shot and
finally got down for seven and a point (true story).
Kerr & McNeely on
top at Greenwood
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Tuesday, December 19, Greenwood, Stableford
It’s getting busy now, with the lists at most of the outlets filling up fast
and courses filled to the brim. This usually leads to slower rounds, as we
found out last week, however there are still bright spots, and as we sat
eating breakfast at Bert’s, we hoped we were heading for one.
 Dick
Kerr (left) and Perry McNeely celebrate their golfing success back at Bert’s
The drive up to Greenwood (Noble Place) is long, both in distance and time,
but with new roads it is gradually getting better and quicker.
On this day the road was not too bad, and we got up there fairly quickly,
and as we pulled into the course it was noticeable that the car park was
practically empty, so we got changed quickly and got to the first tee as
quick as possible. Once there we were able to tee off straight away, and
during the whole round we were clear ahead, in fact a really fine trip
around. We were playing the B & C Nines on this day, and this was fine
because it is a long time since most of us had played the C Nine.
The course is now getting dry and hard, particularly off the fairway, and
the greens are fast but not very receptive, so a chip on usually meant it
reached the other side, and the strong winds did not help either. Still, on
a difficult day we had three fine scores, luckily for the A Div they were
all in the B Div.
Round over and back at Bert’s the players tucked into their snacks, curry
and chips, while the results were sorted out. In the A Div the winner was
Perry McNeely with Kevin Dunne in second and Magnus Johannson in third,
while in the B Div the winner was Dick Kerr with Dick Warberg in second and
Mike Wing in third.
After a fine day many a thirst was then slaked.
T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Rainer Helling; Magnus Johannson; Kevin Dunne; Jim
Morton; Mike Wing; Dick Warberg; Andy Evans
Long Put: Phil Barnsley; Vincent Smyth; Bill Knight
Tony Barritt does an ‘’England’’
IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday December 18, Bangpra, Stableford
1st Rainer Helling 36pts
2nd Alan Howell 35pts
3rd Ian Kidd 34pts
4th Alex Sala 33pts c/b 22
5th Carl Lovatt 33pts
It was a tough day out in the swirling wind that brought welcome relief from
the heat but also played havoc with the competition hopefuls as they
struggled to keep to the straight and narrow on the tight Bangpra layout.
With the greens as usual playing from slick to almost ‘impossible’
(dependant on where the pin was positioned), it made for a long and mostly
unrewarding round for the majority.
Rainer Helling played one of his best rounds in recent times to record his
first win out of The Haven, albeit by just a single shot from the always
steady Alan Howell in second place.
The raiding party from the OK Corral took the next three places as the
locals folded up against the conditions; Ian Kidd led home Alex Sala and
Carl Lovatt who had to be separated by count back.
It was no surprise to find that the CSS had gone out to 73 on the day, thus
ensuring that Rainer would at least get a small cut in handicap.
Rainer Helling had the only “two” in the First Division whilst Carl Lovatt
had the lone one in the second.
Before presenting the prizes Richard Livingston, the resident PGA teaching
professional, welcomed back Stewart Thompson, Ian Kidd, Alex Sala and Carl
Lovatt, most of whom thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
Wednesday, December 20, Eastern Star, Stableford
1st Trevor Schirmer 38pts c/b 21
2nd Tony Barritt 38pts
3rd Kenny Priddy 34pts
4th Rick Holmes 33pts
5th Stephen Lewis 32 c/b 16
6th Chris Davisson 32
The day’s golf proved to be even more testing than on the previous outing,
with the wind continuing to blow in all directions but seemingly mostly in
the opposite one to which the players were going.
Tony Barritt came out of the trap at a gallop and completely mesmerized
Trevor Schirmer (his playing partner) over the first 14 holes, taking an
eight-point lead and looking to all intents totally invincible. Trevor
proved true to the Aussie template as he battled on and whittled the lead
down to 4 standing on the last tee. He then proceeded to stick a 4-point
birdie in the mix which was the final straw for Tony as he collapsed to a
zero point double and then lost out in the count back for the top of the
podium placing. This was another heavy blow to add to disappointments in
Perth.
Kenny Priddy led home a bedraggled bunch several shots back with a very good
round in the circumstances. Rick Holmes had the better of the count back
with Stephen Lewis and Chris Davisson.
Back at The Haven after the scores were tallied the CSS was placed at 74 to
nobody’s surprise, although Tony was delighted to find that he would be
playing off 2 shots less in the coming weeks due to being just on the cusp
at the start of the day, whilst Trevor would lose just one.
In line with the difficulty of the playing conditions there were no “twos”
in the Second Division and only one in the First Division, which was
achieved by Glynn Nicholas. It acted as a reminder to the captain who
recently dropped him from the scramble team that putting can be important.
Prior to the prize giving Richard welcomed new member Morten Stamnes and
also welcomed back Chris Olsson and Cliff Hornsby.
Friday December 22, Phoenix Blue Tees, Monthly Medal
Division 1
1st Phil Groves net 73
2nd Alan Keith net 74
3rd Rick Holmes net 80
Division 2
1st Peter Aitcheson net 69
2nd Mike Poustie net 79
3rd Brian Kelly net 80 c/b 41.5
Many members have been enquiring as to the whereabouts of both Jimbo Bobeee
and Ginger Tom, and it can now be revealed that they are both recovering
from their recent colonoscopies, which following a very expensive quote from
a local hospital they decided to have undertaken in Pattaya Land at Big Bens
Bongo Boys Club. Unfortunately they did not realise that the boys would be
using hand held cameras for the operation.
In line with the previous two outings of the week, the conditions made an
already difficult course played from the blue tees, which were all back to
the blocks, a very tough proposition and the scores reflected that with the
CSS once again rising two shots to 76.
The First Division was a hard fought affair with the top three all playing
in the same four-ball and obviously getting some benefit from each others
play. Phil Groves once again showed why his handicap continues to progress
towards scratch with a very tidy round that equated to one-under off the
blues.
Alan Keith was just a shot away after not playing for a time whilst he
caddied for a fellow club member from Vancouver, who was attempting to
qualify for the Asian Tour. He unfortunately missed out by a single shot
having made it through to the last rounds, but perhaps was a good example
for Alan to emulate.
Rick Holmes while not able to match the first two was still good enough to
fill out the final place in the First Division.
After a close scrutiny of the cards and the obligatory drugs test, Peter
Aitcheson was declared a very good winner of the Second Division as he swept
away the field by a massive 11 strokes to record his first ever medal
triumph.
Second, but not close was Mike Poustie who also recorded his best medal
result with a more representative round on the day of 6 over, which was good
enough to see off the chasing pair of Brian Kelly and Alan Griffiths.
Phil Groves won the First Division “twos” pot and Stephen Lewis did the same
in the Second Division.
Back at The Haven, Richard welcomed back Reg Warner and Steve Lockhart.
McCloone & White snatch Xmas pairs title
IPGC Jomtien Golf from Paweenas Bar
The winners of The Xmas
Extravaganza and the girls back at Paweenas.
Monday, December 18,
The Emerald,
Stableford
Another large gathering showed up for our trip to The Emerald
after it’s closure for the past two weeks due to the Asian tour. Everybody
was wondering, in what condition the course would be in after the ‘pros’ had
finished, and yes it was still tough with the semi rough punishing, and this
reflected in the day’s scores.
Kari Aarnio’s 33 points won the Division 2 Stableford competition and there
was a tie for second place between Miss Kham and Tony Duthie, both with 31
points; but the young lady was smiling at the presentation as she had a
greater count back of 17/15.
John McCloone’s 35 points won Division 1 with Paddy Wilson in second on 31
points and Robert Watkins, on a fleeting visit from Hong Kong in third place
on 30 points.
The ‘nearest the pin’ bottles were won by Bill Hewitt and Alan Spinks in
Division 1 and Bob Lathwell and Kari Aarnio in Division 2.
There were no “twos” in the premier flight so a rollover ensued at Noble
Place on Wednesday. That man again, Kari, had the only two in Division 2
whilst the ‘ladies tipple’ was won by newcomer Tiger Aster for hitting a
ball that landed on Fred Duffy’s peaked cap. Welcome Tiger.
Wednesday, December 20,
Noble Place,
Stableford
The ever popular and improving Noble Place proved to be a tough
challenge today, especially with a strong wind blowing. This was reflected
in the scores with Bob Lathwell’s and Colin Mearns’ 33 points tying for
second place, Colin having a slightly better count back of 16/15, and Linda
Lee, having just missed out on a prize on Monday, coming in first with 34
points.
There were similar scores in Division 1 where Dave Richard’s 31 points
earned him third place; one point better was Jim Connelly in second, but
with a winning score of 34 points was Ted Morris who took the honours.
In the “twos” competition there was a rollover from The Emerald game and
in-form John McCloone scooped the double payout with his birdie on the 200yd
3rd hole on the C course. Russell Benson and Tony Duthie shared the Division
2 prize. The bottles for ‘nearest the pins’ were won by John McCloone, Jim
Connelly and Linda Lee.
The Xmas Extravaganza - Friday December 22,
Phoenix, Stableford
With 16 teams of 2 going out today in an individual Stableford
competition, and also a pairs multiplier, this was supposed to be a fun day,
but the lads were talking serious tactics before we went out. With the
missed ‘nearest the pin’ bottles collected over the past three months there
were 12 prizes to be won and a free buffet for all back at Paweenas
afterwards.
The wind seemed to be stronger than it was on Wednesday and with the fast
greens it could have been a struggle for some. However, I was proved wrong.
In the individual Stableford contest, Dave Richards 38 points won him the
Division 1 prize with John McCloone two points behind in second and Ted
Morris in third with 31 points.
Ben Findon’s 35 points gave him third place in Division 2, one better was
Kari Arnio, but with his first ever mention in the paper and his first ever
score over 30 points, Martin Anderton won the division with 37 points.
In the Pairs multiplier, Tony Duthie and Dannie Larsen came in third place
with 55, in second with 58 were Ben Findon and Les Hall, but 7 points clear
with 65 were the team of John McCloone and Emmet White.
The ‘ladies tipple’, a bottle of strawberry daiquiri was awarded to Paddy
Wilson for his speedy backward ‘Irish Jig’ after his caddy had told him
there was a foot-long snake under his trolley on the second hole on the
Lakes course
Near Pins Div1: John McCloone, Dave Richards, Alan Spinks, Dave
Richards.
Near Pins Div2: Ben Findon, Allistar Cruickshank
Longest Drive: Div 1 Emmet White; Div 2 Allistar Cruikshank
Longest Putt: Div1 Joop Medze; Div 2 Martin Anderton
Jomtien Golf meets every Monday and Wednesday at Paweenas in Soi 5 Jomtien
Beach Rd. at around 9am for a 10.30 tee off time. Club hire and transport
are available, please sign up in the bar or ring Glyn on 086 837 5464.
Mark Brenton captures December ‘Monthly Mug’
PSC golf from The Café Kronborg
Monday, December 18, Eastern Star,
Stableford
Eastern Star was host to a Stableford competition in two flights; A Flight 0
to 18 and B Flight 19 upwards. The course on the day was in fine condition
and busy at the start, but with very few players going out in the afternoon.
 Bjarne
(right) presents the ‘Monthly Mug’ to Mark Brenton.
Kris Helgasson took the A Flight with 34 points ahead of Walter Bachli in
second with 33 points on count back over Ebrahim in third and Bill Plath in
fourth. In the B Flight, Graham Mitchell took the honours ahead of Uwe
Kessler in second with 33 points, with Jan Lovgren in third on 32 points and
Wayne Koch in fourth with 31 points.
Near Pins: #3 Ken Lucente; #6 Christian Christianson; #13 & #17
Graham Mitchell (with his driver)
Long Put: #9 Mike Winfield; #18 Brian Noguer
Thursday, December 21, Pattaya Country Club, Stableford
Where has the past 12 months gone? This was to be the final
Kronborg ‘Monthly Mug’ of the year and the preceeding eleven have just flown
by. Never mind. As we gathered at The Cafe Kronborg early, we were pleased
to see we had a full house, and that is something that happens at this time
of the year, indeed before we left for the course the sign up sheet for Bang
Pakong next week was also full, Merry Xmas.
Arriving at Pattaya Country Club, the most apparent thing was that some
players would have to apply the super glue to their wigs to hold them on.
The wind was more than strong and as we stood on the first tee we knew it
was going to be a major problem.
The course at the moment is not in bad condition, but it is a fairly open
layout and to be wind-blown all the way around gets very annoying. You can
ignore it for a few holes but in the end it starts to get to you, and then
the mistakes start.
The big hitters with a heavy slice, or an over played draw were going to be
in trouble, and so it proved, whilst the shorter hitters on the whole
produced the better golf.
Sat back in the Pattaya Country Club the cards started to come in and there
was only one clear winner, with only two people breaking 70 and the winner
well ahead. Then it was back to The Cafe Kronborg for the presentation, this
being the only regular competition here that is not presented at the course.
Back at the ‘Ranch’ all the players were waiting and the presentation got
under way.
The winner of the A Flight, 0 to 19, was Elias Magnusson with Net 70 on
count back over Ursula Lehner in second place. In third was Takeshi Hakozaki
with Net 73 on a count back over Eric Hansen in fourth.
The winner in the B Flight was Herbie Ishinaga with a fine Net 69 ahead of
Rolf Hoffman in second with a Net 70. In third was Kenny Mau with a Net 71
ahead of Kevin Dinan in fourth on count back.
Now to the ‘Monthly Mug’ winner, and after many tries the clear winner with
a fine Net 65 was Mark Brenton, proving that the short hitters really can
win, especially in heavy winds. Well done Mark!
This being the last report of the year, a very Merry Xmas to All, and a
Happy and Prosperous New Year. T.T.F.N.
Near Pin: Cees Bosman, Takeshi Hakozaki, Dave Richardson, Kevin Dinan
Long Put: Fred Theobald, Peter Hammond
Montana close up
on Café Kronborg
Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League
200 Bowlers - La, Andy, Ooy, Teuvo, Kran and
Konrad.
Kran rolled games of 203, 193 and 216, 612 series, to lead her team to a
three-point win over Brother D and maintain their position in first place.
Meanwhile Montana took all four points from Café Ole and moved into second
place.
Diamond Shop won three points from Three Sisters and is tied for third place
with House of the Golden Coin who got three points from Jack & Tar. VFW Post
9876 split their match with Shenanigans with each team getting two points.
Wade rolled a 203 game and 524 series to lead his Mai’s Thai Restaurant team
to a three-point win over Domicil. Some good bowling was rolled by spare
bowlers with Leen throwing a 564 series, Klaus a 555, Andy a 219 game, 536
series, and Tukata a 512.
Jeff Wiley tames Treasure Hill
PSC golf from The Oohsa Bar
Jeff Wiley (right) takes the plaudits from his
fellow players after a fine round at Treasure Hill.
Tuesday, December 19, Treasure Hill, Stableford
The old saying is that you can’t keep a good man down and on our last outing
the same saying obviously applies to golfers.
After another excellent breakfast we left the Oohsa Bar and arrived at
Treasure Hill in good spirits and found the course to be in very good
condition. Most of us found the greens to be very quick but the main
obstacle to a good score was the wind, which played havoc with quite a
number of our groups.
Back at Oohsa Bar we enjoyed a very good Weiner schnitzel and awaited the
results. Our winner was Jeff Wiley who scored 41 points off an 8 H/cap.
Those playing with him said he played some absolutely outstanding shots and
it was a welcome return to form for him as he had not been playing to his
usual standard for some time.
In second place was David Childs with 36 points off 20 followed by Yves
Philibert 33 points off 24 and Mike Brooke with 28 points off 19.
Near pins were won by Jeff Wiley (2), Yves Philibert and Paul Griffiths.
Jeff also won a free beer for a “two” on one of the par-three holes whilst
the longest putt award went to Mick Heatley. Well played guys. Back at the
Oohsa Bar a game of killer pool finished the day off nicely.
Our next trip will be to Noble Place which has been renamed Greenwood on
Tuesday, Jan 2 and once again the invitation is there for you to join us.
For more information please call Keith Hodges on 089 916 7171 or drop into
the Oohsa Bar on Soi Kao Talo
San Miguel takes
on league sponsorship
Lawn Bowls from The Pattaya Bowling Green
The San Miguel sponsored
shirts are presented by (co league organiser) John to Fergus Brennan and
(club owner) Tony to Graham Illingworth along with other members of the
league.
Barry Hooper
|
League Tables
|
|
Division 1
|
|
Pos.
|
Team
|
Points
|
Shot Diff. |
|
1st
|
Melgram
|
4
|
23 |
|
2nd
|
Hopefuls
|
4
|
4 |
|
3rd C.
|
Stunts
|
3
|
1 |
|
Division 2
|
|
Pos.
|
Team
|
Points
|
Shot Diff. |
|
1st
|
Panac
|
4
|
23 |
|
2nd
|
Banita
|
4
|
4 |
|
3rd
|
Tanjo
|
2
|
19 |
Well it was good news for the league bowlers at the
Bowling Green this past week. San Miguel breweries have agreed to take
over full sponsorship of both leagues. All league members were presented
with complimentary bowls shirts at the “San Miguel” music night that is
held every Friday at the Bowling Green.
This is a very good start to the new season of league bowls, now in only
its second week of play and our thanks must go out to San Miguel for
their valuable support.support.
The new regulation introduced this season regarding scheduled matches
not being played on the night designated (unless by prior arrangement)
has already had to be employed, with one match in both divisions being
claimed due to a ‘no-show’ by the opposition.
We now have eight teams in the First Division and ten teams in the
Second Division and also many new bowlers waiting in the wings to take
up places that become vacant.
I would like to set a record straight at this point in the report and
apologise to Keith from the Cunning Stunts. I reported last week that
his partner Wanida was responsible in the last end of play for a
conversion that won them the match. This was wrong information supplied
as it was in fact Keith who pulled off the winning shot. Well done
Keith.
The second week matches for the First Division kicked off on Wednesday,
December 20 with three matches held and the fourth being claimed due to
a ‘no-show’.
Match 1 saw The Hopefuls against the Shoemakers and was a fairly tight
affair. New members Terry & Jan were given a chance to show their skills
but at all square at 11 across at the fifteenth end, Tony and Paul
pulled through with a two to take the match 13-11.
Match 2 was claimed by Melgram after a member of the Ying Yangs failed
to show.
The third game, the Cunning Stunts against the Bankers was another close
match with neither team finding any advantage. The score line at the
fifteenth end was advantage to the Bankers but Cunning Stunts raised a
single in the final end for a drawn 17 across result.
The final match saw the Hat Tricks take on the Roo’s and again it was a
keenly fought tussle with the Roo’s coming out on top with a 15-10 win
The Second Division games were held Friday, December 22 with 4 out of
the 5 matches taking place and the other being claimed by Banita due to
a ‘no-show’ by the Odd Couple. As I actually bowl in this league it is
difficult to watch the actual play, so reporting is not easy.
In Match 1 The Lighter Men came up against Austar, and if as I believe
the name is derived from Australian Stars, the name would appear to be
fitting as they produced a convincing 32 -3 win.
Match 2 was Panac against the Gunners and resulted in a win for Panac
with a comprehensive 25-11 score line.
The third game, Celtic Warriors (Kevin & Brendan) against the Harvons
(Harvey & On), was a close affair up till the seventh end where Kevin
and Brendan found a big five-pointer. The Harvons could not recover from
this and the Warriors eventually rolled out 15 - 8 winners.
The final match saw the Golfers against Tanjo, and new players Fergus
and Stuart were given a lesson in match play with Tanjo taking a
convincing 27-5 win.
The Square Ring:
by Howie Reed
Sending out an S.O.S. for trusty sidekick Jeeves who
seems to have gone M.I.A. during his Christmas break. I just hope that
he hasn’t been kidnapped and is being held for ransom.
It’s a great hardship for the ‘Lord of the Manor’ to get along without
his manservant in attendance. The slack has been taken up somewhat by a
“doe-eyed waif “ named Noi who seems to be catching on fast. I hope that
Jeeves doesn’t think I hold him accountable for saying that Ricky
Hatton’s fight against Juan Urango on January 20 in Las Vegas will be
his first in the USA. I’m sure Jeeves just forgot that when Hatton
fought on May 13th of this year it was against Luis Collazo in the ‘new”
Boston Garden in Boston, USA.
Boxing as a sport has a great crossover appeal for sportsmen and
entertainment people. Case in point is Ricky Hatton. One of his good
pals is Phil “The Power” Taylor, maybe the greatest darts player the
world has even seen. Boxers seem to want to be actors while many actors
think they’re fighters.
The latest to join the “acting” ranks is former Jr. Welterweight champ
Kostya Tszyu. He’s set to make his acting debut in an “action” movie
next spring. There is always the argument whether “being” in an action
movie is actually acting, but that’s for another time and place.
“I have lots of interesting things ahead of me in the new year and I
will be appearing in an action movie for the first time in Russia, said
Tszyu recently. “Filming for my role will commence in April and will
take three weeks. It is going to be exciting for me to be an actor
because I have to learn new skills. Being a perfectionist in life, I
want to look good on film and this means I have to practice a lot.”
As boxing is about life, the strong survive and the weak complain, the
sport lends itself to the movie business. The latest in the Rocky movies
should have hit Thailand by this time. If not I’m sure that a DVD of
Rocky Balboa can be found for sale along Beach Road and from various
vendors sprinkled around the Kingdom.
Sly Stallone has always used boxers in his movies. This time it’s
Antonio Tarver who plays the kinda’ villain, Mason “The Lion” Dixon.
According to press releases the genre is “action/drama/more” and the
tagline is “It ain’t over’ til it’s over”, which, if written by
Sylvester comes directly from the great American philosopher Yogi Berra
who said, “It isn’t over till it’s over.” Berra also once said of a
popular restaurant, “No one goes there cause it’s always too crowded.”
Not many boxing columns in the world will use the term ‘genre’ as The
Square Ring did just there. For that it ought to qualify for some minor
award.
The final 30 to 40 minutes of the movie covers the fight between Balboa
and Mason “The Lion”. The action was all filmed at a casino in Las Vegas
where the “flying fishes play.”
In a radio interview Stallone was asked why he used Tarver instead of
maybe the higher profile Roy Jones. “Cos he returned out calls”, was the
reply. “We called Roy Jones 35 times and he never returned a single
call. We called HBO and asked them if they could contact Jones. They
told use that he doesn’t return their calls either.”
Maybe that’s why Jones no longer works for HBO and why Tarver appears in
Rocky Balboa. Moral of the story? If the phone rings don’t rush to the
door.
As the year of 2006 comes to a bombastic end, Manny Pacquiao just seems
to be getting himself deeper and deeper into legal trouble. One of those
problem may or may not be his association with Shelly Finkle who always
appears at a winning fighter’s side as the manager. In the past Finkle
has been called ‘financial advisor’ and ‘consultant’ along with a lot of
other things that probably shouldn’t be published in the Pattaya Mail.
Now he’s popped up as Pacquiao’s manager.
Finkle’s contract as ‘manager’ at 12% of purses runs out soon. He wants
to extend for three more fights, will take the title of ‘consultant’ and
reduce his 12% to 5%, but with the power to KO any boxing deal that the
Pac Man makes. This all depends on whether Manny becomes his own
manager, and even then he’ll still be paying three others.
There is a source inside the Pac Man camp that says Pacquiao may wait
until the legal battle is settled between Top Rank and Oscar De La Hoya.
From the outside it’s hard to understand the value of Finkle and two
other managers. Some, including trainer Freddie Roach think that Finkle
can solve the problem between Top Rank and Oscar.
“Shelly is in a position to get Manny out of both contracts since Manny
signed both contracts without Shelly’s permission.”
If that’s true then both Top Rank and Oscar De La Hoya will have to deal
with Finkle.
Freddie Roach is a great trainer which implies a good dose of common
sense and the ability to read people. Roach has been in the business a
long time but maybe he should stick to training. “We cannot commit with
both contracts but maybe we can deal with them as individuals. With that
Manny can always take the highest bidder and the competition will be
real good.”
None of this of course mentions the animosity between Bob Arum of Top
Rank and Oscar De La Hoya of Golden Boy. If Pacquiao “voids” both deals,
as is being reported, he can forget about being in the gym as he’ll
spend most of his time in court. Word on the grapevine is that a
majority of Pacquiao’s ever-expanding camp wants the De La Hoya deal.
Even during the Holidays there was box-fighting going on. Former WBC
flyweight champ, In-Jin Chi (31-3-1) regained that title with a
relatively easy win (117-111, 116-112, 116-113) over the reigning champ
Rudy Lopez (19-3-1). Chi lost the title last January to Japan’s Takashi
Koshjmoto via a very dodgy split decision in the land of the Rising Sun
and falling Yen. Lopez then beat Koshjmoto and lost to Chi.
Kind of like what comes around goes around. Maybe next year they can do
it “one more time.” How about Jin against Chris Johns in 2007? Not going
to happen.
The WBA stripped Jermain Taylor of his middleweight title and then named
Argentine Mariano Carrera the champ. Now whether that was before or
after Carrera beat Javier Castillejo on December 2 is anybody’s guess.
My guess would be that when Taylor failed to pay the sanctioning fee for
either of his last two title defenses, the WBA yelled “Enough”.
Taylor promoter Lou DiBella is always good for a quote. “Anything they
do is not shocking,” DiBella said. “The WBA is the most insane of any of
the rating organizations. They’re the most difficult to predict and the
most difficult to do business with.”
Yes they do seem to take offense when you fail to pay the sanctioning
fee. As all Thailand knows, “No pay, no play.”
Yes Noi, what is it?
“Your Lordchip there is a Mr. Jeeves on phone for you from Bangkok.”
Be evasive my dear girl. Tell him that I’ve gone to Las Vegas for New
Years and ... why, what this?
“You work hard all year Your Lordchip. You deserve a celebration now you
finish last crawem.”
My goodness! A bottle of chilled Dom Perignon vintage 1998, Beluga 000
caviar on small squares of toast and a matching pair of fluted Waterford
champagne goblets and a pre-Castro Cohiba. But there’s two glasses -
shame to waste one. Why not pour a glass for yourself Noi, sit down and
we can talk about the pineapple plantation that your father may let my
friend and I invest in. Oh yes ... And a Happy New Year to all. Life is
great!
Bob skippers his
team to victory
PSC golf from The Peacock Place
Monday, December 18, Pattaya C.C.,
4-ball Texas Scramble
For better or for worse, our number seems to be swelling and by the time
we’d gathered on the first tee at Pattaya Country Club on Monday we had
a grand total of 40. Captain Bob decided that the number lent itself to
a four-ball Texas scramble and that’s what we played. The handicap
allowances were calculated adding each team member’s handicap together
and dividing by ten but there was a twist in the tail.
We played Stableford and the 2’s competition that we always play for was
to be decided by the team who scored the most 2’s. You would think that
this format would be fast but that was not to be the case and most
people spent five hours on the golf course. The fairways had been neatly
cut and the greens were exceptionally fast. The par three sixteenth was
like a ski slope and three’s let alone 2’s were a premium.
In the event some good scores were recorded, Captain Bob’s team winning
with 49 points followed by Mark Joshua’s team with 47 points and in
third place with 46 points were four teams headed by Frank Frawley,
Brian Jacks. Jack Mosely and Ken Little. Ken’s team included Dougie
Dougle who has just returned after extensive knee surgery. Welcome back
Dougie.
Four teams headed by Frank Frawley, Jack Mosely, Brian Jacks and Captain
Bob recorded one ‘2’ each so the pot was split.
The staff back at The Peacock Place prepared us a wonderful chicken
mosamun curry and rice. If you’ve never tasted a chicken mosamun curry,
do yourself a favout and try it.
Wednesday, December 20, Plutaluang, Stableford
My next tale is a rather sad one. On Wednesday the group
traveled to Plutaluang Golf club and again the group was a good number
at 38.
The tee at the East/South course had been reserved for us and the
starter suggested that half start on the East and the other half start
on the South. That was a bad decision. True to form, half way round, the
starter had allowed other groups to also start and hadn’t made a gap for
us to follow on uninterrupted. The result was chaos and the constant
waiting between shots left many people so frustrated that they walked
in. Needless to say we will not be going back there as a group for a
long, long time.
Captain Bob had a similar experience a year ago and had taken much
persuading by our group to get him back there. We should have heeded his
words.
The results of the competition, if anyone is interested, were as
follows. In A flight (0-12), Jack Moseley won with 35 points and second
in a count back with 32 points was Chris Barnes from Roy Thornton. The B
flight (13-19) was won by Matt Anderson with 33 points with Frank
Waterhouse second with 32 points and Alan Ainsworth in third with 31
points. The C flight (20+) was won by Paul Crossland with 37 points with
Trudy Chadbourne second with 35 points in a count back from Wendy Khan
in third.
The 2’s pot was shared this week by Wendy Khan and her husband John Khan
who were playing in separate groups.
We all returned to The Peacock Place for another delicious complimentary
meal and a few well earned wet and frosty ones.
If you’re in the Mabprachan area and fancy a game of golf with some like
minded and friendly people, come and join us at The Peacock Place Hotel
and Restaurant opposite the Mabprachan Reservoir. Our schedule is in The
Pattaya Mail or call us on 087 928 7859.
Lavender has the scent of victory
I.P.G.C. golf with The Caddyshack
Tuesday, December 19, Eastern Star,
Medal
Tuesday saw a visit to the beautiful golf course at Eastern Star for a
Medal competition on a perfect day for golf.
The friendly staff & starter made sure the large field teed off on time
with no interruptions at the 10th hole. Harry Riley & Mark Joshua tied
for third place on net 77 with Josh winning on count back. Phil Mitchell
came in second with 74 and the winner of the day was Paul Lavender with
a superb net 69 off his 16 handicap.
The “twos” were shared between Saranya Riley and Steve Nowell: Steve
again proving how accurate he is on the par three’s.
Friday December 22, The Navy, Stableford
A trip to The Emerald was arranged for Friday but when we
arrived our booking had mysteriously disappeared. Must have been a
coincidence that a party of 100 golfers had set off at our previously
designated tee-time.
A trip to the Navy course was quickly arranged and they made us very
welcome. The South-East courses were allocated and in joint third place
were Damien Trante and Ron Millward on 30 points - with Big Ron winning
on count back.
Meanwhile, tied for first place on 34 points were Paul Lavender & Mark
Joshua. Josh took the count back by 1 point over the last 6 holes. There
were no “twos” recorded today.
The Caddy Shack wishes its customers a very Happy New Year to all for
2007.
A battle with the wind
at Eastern Star
PSC golf from The Bowling Green
Tuesday’s winners from the
Bowling Green golf society
Barry Hooper
Thursday, December 14, Greenwood, Stableford
A Flight
1. Peter Harris (20) 40pts
2. Tony Oakes (11) 40pts
3. Frank Kelly (17) 35pts
B Flight
1. Bansiem Somkid (38) 39pts
2. Tewin Lamthong (25) 36pts
3. Terry Hopkins (22) 36pts
Excellent conditions at Greenwood were the order of the day with very
light winds, so no excuses could be found for bad play.
Peter Harris decided to take advantage of the weather for a win before
departing for a Christmas break: he took the A flight on count back from
Tony Oakes. B Flight saw Banseim Somkid take the honours from tigress
Tewin Lamthong.
There were four ‘near pin’ winners whilst a lone Mam Morel picked up the
only ‘2’.
Near Pins: Gordon Everingham, Patrick Browne, Terry Morris, Mam
Morel
2’s: Mam Morel
Saturday, December 16, Eastern Star, Stableford
A Flight
1. Bob Rasmussen (17) 41pts
2. Steve Carlton (8) 37pts
3. Bob St.Aubin (11) 33pts
B Flight
1. Andy Calvin (20) 39pts
2. Kevin Long (28) 39pts
3. Mam Morel(36) 38pts
Conditions were very testing with high winds, an element not often found
here in Thailand but which came into play today and caught the unwary
out big style. One player reported to me that some of the gusts on the
day were more than he had been used to back in the UK.
Bob Rasmussen managed to find a good 41 points to take the A flight and
Andy Calvin conquered all with 39 points for the B flight.
Near Pins: Kevin Long, Bob St.Aubin, Alun Webber, John Merrit
2’s: Bob St.Aubin
Tuesday, December 19, The Emerald, Stableford
A Flight
1. Fergus Brennan (10) 36pts
2. Steve Hallstead (13) 32pts
3. Tom Herrington (18) 30pts
B Flight
1. Colin Cronin (22) 37pts
2. John Robertson (29) 36pts
3. Les Burns (36) 35pts
It was a ‘twos day’ (6 in total) despite the windy conditions, with the
15th hole offering up the majority of these and three players out of one
group all managing to make birdies.
The course was in a fabulous condition and the club needs to take pride
in its preparations and maintenance. The pin positions were testing as
these were the same as those used for the Asian tour event recently.
Our hardworking organiser Fergus Brennan took the A Flight from Steve
Hallstead whilst Colin Cronin took the B Flight by one point from John
Robertson.
Near Pins: Derek Eastham, Takeshi Hakazoki, Colin Cronon, Patrick
Browne
2’s: Fergus Brennan, Petter Anderson, Seamus Farrel, Patrick
Browne, Steve Hamstead, Takesh Nakashi
As always all the Golfers would like to thank Tony, Jean and Staff for
all the great breakfasts and dinners we enjoyed before and after the
golf.
If any one is interested in golfing with the Bowling Green we play every
Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. We meet at the Bowling Green at 7:45am
for breakfast and transportation and new players are always made to feel
welcome. Call Fergus on 086 056 7019 or the Bowling Green 038-720742 or
send an email info@lawn bowlasia.com.
This reporter (Barry Hooper) would like to wish all the golfers in
Pattaya and especially all my friends at the Bowling Green a very Merry
Christmas and Happy New Year.
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