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Eastern Seaboard among the winners at TOG Regatta
“Team Premier” from UAE under full sail on day 1
of the TOG regatta.
Report by Peter Cummins
Photos Martin Bilsborrow
The last day of the four-day Top of the Gulf Regatta
(TOGR), held from April 30 – May 3, dawned with clear skies, a light south
south-westerly and some 300 craft poised to aim at the winner’s circle. The
130-strong Optimist fleet had already finished their national championship
and it was the other 11 classes finalizing their results.
The IRC 1 Class was the ‘show-case’ of the regatta which
on paper at least pitted two Asian yachting Grand Prix champions of the
year, Aussie Ray Roberts, the current champ, against New Zealander Neil
Pryde (champion 2008-2009). After a hassle in the jury room, it was however
the UAE-registered yacht “Team Premier”, helmed by Johannes Waimer (8.0)
which took the honours, with Neil Pryde second (Hi Fi, 11), Ray Roberts,
Evolution Sails (11) third and Royal Varuna sailor Kevin Whitcraft, fourth.
Actually Neil and Ray were equal on points, but Neil moved to second on a
count-back.
Aussie Matt Allen (Ichi Ban, 5.0) ,was again undisputed
master of the IRC 2 class, with a perfect score of five wins, one of the
many regattas the former Cruising Yacht Club of Australia commodore has won
in Asian waters, followed by Chinese entry Jing Jing, (10), helmed by Rick
Pointon and Aussie Ben Copley, third (Katsu, 16). Royal Varuna sailor Gary
Bagley (El Coyote, 29), was fifth.
In the IRC 3 class, the Royal Thai Navy team, Damrong
Sirisakorn/Nuttapol Srimirun (Royal Thai Navy One, 6), beat into second one
of the Singapore teams, Team SMU (11), helmed by Shoun Toh, with local
sailor David Bell (Magic, 20), third and Ocean Marina resident Peter
Herning, fifth (Kirafiki, 28).
Lennart Fahlgren (Sweden, Amanda, 4.0) finally won the
IRC 4 Cruising class from Andrew Watt’s San Sanook, (11), with Simon Denny’s
Reef Knot+ (18) and veteran regattarian, George Foose (Free Wind, 19),
fourth.
Class 5 comprised the sports boats which, for
convenience, raced with the Class 2 fleet, with local Ocean Marina sailor,
Kipsan Beck, the clear winner of Class 5.
The Platu class had a desperate struggle for the
Coronation Cup, raced as an integral part of TOGR and, finally Maximillian
Soh (Magic Dragon, 17) emerged the winner, ahead of Kenta Inaba (Lucky Lady,
also on 17); third was Thai skipper, Wiwat Poonpat (Naiad, 18) and fourth
was “usual winner” Aussie Scott Duncanson (The Ferret, 22). Singapore SMU
teams were sixth and seventh in this class. Youngest keel-boat skipper in
the TOGR was teenager Don Whitcraft who finished eighth in the Platu.
David Wales’ “The Sting”, helmed by James Haste, finished
strongly to win the Ocean Multihulls (13), from Alan Carwadine (Bladerunner,
18), followed by Eastern Seaboarder Radab Kanjanavanit (Cedar Swan, 25) and
Ocean Marina boss, Khun Nim (Sonic, 28).
Other class results were as follows:
Hobie Tiger: 1st Jason Whitehouse (8.0); 2nd Morten
Jakobsen (24); 3rd Aroon Ruengcharunpong (26). Royal Varuna lady helm,
Saranya Makinson (40), was fifth.
Hobie 16/Open Multihull: 1st Kritsada Vongtim (11); 2nd
Tirapong Vatibunrueng (17); 3rd Chulapong Chanyim (34); 4th Southwick G
(41); 5th Jan Holldorff (43).
Monohull: 1st Navee/Tanapong (470, 12); 2nd Sittisart
Peerapun (470, 24); 3rd Suttee/Atinat (470, 27).
Laser: 1st Kirati Bualong (10); 2nd Kamonwan Chanyim
(Radial, 24); 3rd Nut Butmarasri (35). Royal Varuna sailing secretary, Chris
Dando (65) finished ninth.
Finally, in the huge Optimist fleet, it was a little Thai
lady who came in first, ahead of 128 other competing boys and girls from
several Optimist fleets, namely Koh Samui, Phuket, Royal Varuna and Ocean
Marina Yacht Clubs. This was appropriate, for the then-reigning (and world)
champion was another Thai girl Noppakao Poonpat who had to leave the
Optimist ranks upon attaining her 16th birthday.
Chaninat Poolsirikot (13) finished first in this year’s event followed by
Sarawut Phetsiri (17) and Pongsapat Pumyam (38).
All first nine placings were filled by Thai juniors,
sailing out of the Sattahip area. The first ‘farang’ was Indonesian Thomas
Maher, eighth (74), followed by Hong Kong’s Nathan Bradley, 10th (81) and
India’s Upamanya Dutta, eleventh (94).
At the pre-regatta press briefing on April 29, Regatta
founder and Chairman of the Organising Committee Bill Gasson alluded to the
Thailand “yachting triangle” spread across the upper Gulf from Koh Samui,
west to Prachuab Kiri Khan (Hua Hin) and to Pattaya-Jomtien on the eastern
shore: “Virtually the best yachting area in South East Asia – if not further
afield”, he commented.
Furthermore, the Ocean Marina-based regatta is highly
visible from a shore base, whether on the Marina infrastructure or along the
beaches. This makes it a true spectator sport and benefits not only the
competing fleets, but also the city and environs around the Eastern
Seaboard. Most regattas are held so far off shore, that at times, it is easy
to forget that there is, in fact, yacht racing.
There are many sponsors who regard the TOGR, not only as
a great boon to yacht racing in the Kingdom, but as a superb contribution to
the Pattaya-Jomtien idyll as a world-class marine leisure locale – an image
avidly pursued by the Pattaya City fathers in the Mayor’s office. Bill
Gasson estimates that the TOGR generates some Baht 10 million to the local
economy.
Ocean Property Co., Ltd., Range Rover, Land Rover, Thai
Airways, Gulf Charters, Singha Beer, Mont Clair Wines and Bangkok Pattaya
Hospital are in the vanguard of support. Bill mentioned an individual
sponsor, who wished to remain anonymous, who had contributed one million
baht – basically underwriting this year’s event.
Even as the seventh TOGR closed, the regatta hierarchy was already at the
‘drawing board’ making plans for the eighth edition, in 2012.
Kipsan
Beck’s “Pornstar” was once again
the class leader in the Sports Boat category.
A young
Optimist sailor heads for the first marker buoy.
Platus
race in the Coronation Cup.
“The
Sting” (foreground) took first place in the Ocean Mutihulls.
“Magic
Dragon” came through strongly to win the Coronation Cup.
Chaninat
Poolsirikot, right, leads the Optimist fleet downwind.
Matt
Allen and the crew on “Ichi Ban” race in the IRC 2 class.
Ray
Roberts and “Evolution Sails” took third place in the IRC 1 class.
Some
nervous moments at the start line.
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Prom strides to victory
in Singha Pattaya Open
Staff Reporters & ASEAN
PGA Tour
Prom Meesawat of Thailand ended a confidence-sapping
five-year title drought in emphatic fashion with a runaway nine-stroke
victory in the Singha Pattaya Open on the ASEAN PGA Tour last Sunday.
Prom
Meesawat holds the Pattaya Open trophy after winning the 2011 staging of the
event at Burapha Golf Course.
The burly 26-year-old carded a final-round 68 for a total
of 20-under-par 268 at Burapha Golf Club.
Fellow Thais Thammanoon Sriroj and Atthaphon Prathummanee
were tied for second after shooting 72 and 69 respectively while the highly
rated Rory Hie of Indonesia, who started the day three behind the leader,
had a nightmarish 77 and finished tied for eighth.
Prom picked up a cheque for US$8,000 after his second
victory in the Singha Pattaya Open following his triumph in 2006.
“It is a very good win for me – it has been a long time
since my last victory. This win will give me a lot of confidence,” he said.
“Everything clicked for me this week. I holed a lot of
good putts and I was hitting the ball really solid. Twenty-under-par shows I
played really well.”
Prom
Meesawat plays from the fairway during his final round 68.
Prom, bidding for his first tournament win since 2006,
stamped his authority early on with a spectacular eagle three at the opening
hole and a birdie at the second.
He bombed a five-wood 239 yards to eight foot and slammed
home the eagle putt.
“I had a great start with an eagle and a birdie on the
par three which is not an easy hole,” said Prom, whose last victory was the
SK Telecom Open in 2006. “That helped me a lot and took off the pressure. I
just played my game from there.”
The final group was on the ninth fairway when strong
winds and heavy rain caused a one hour and 40 minute delay and Prom
stuttered a bit after the restart.
He was six ahead of Thammanoon at the turn and the gap
stayed the same when both players bogeyed the 10th. Prom picked up three
more birdies on the back nine as he coasted to victory.
Thidapa
Suwannapura holds the trophy after winning the ladies title at Burapha.
“Hopefully this will be the start of something big for
me. The last time I won the Singha Pattaya Open I went on to win on the
Asian Tour. I hope this is going to be a good omen,” added Prom.
Hie’s challenge disintegrated at the short par-four
seventh hole when he hit his approach from a bunker out of bounds and ended
up with a triple bogey seven. His rhythm gone, he bogeyed both the eighth
and ninth to fall out of contention.
The 22-year-old Hie came into the tournament on a high
after his runner-up finish behind Australia’s Andre Stolz in last month’s
Indonesia PGA Championship on OneAsia and posed the biggest threat to Prom’s
title ambitions.
There was a minute’s silence before the final group teed
off in respect of golfing great Seve Ballesteros, who died last Saturday
aged 54.
“Seve Ballesteros was a genius on the course and a role
model for players everywhere,” said Ramlan Haron, Executive Director, ASEAN
PGA.
“He did so much for golf not only in Europe but around
the world. It is only fitting that we pay our respects to him with a
minute’s silence.”
Tony
Oaks, President of PSC, left, presents a cheque to Mike of Burapha Golf Club
to go towards helping flood victims in the south of Thailand.
Meanwhile, rising star Thidapa Suwannapura of Thailand
won the ladies title on Saturday for her first victory as a professional.
Eighteen-year-old Thidapa had a three-round total of 14-under-par 202
(65-68-69) for an impressive 14-stroke triumph over Tanaporn Kongkiatkrai.
She won a trophy and 24,000 Thai baht.
The All Thailand Golf Tour in conjunction with the ASEAN
PGA Tour included 24 females in the tournament as a way of promoting the
women’s game in the region.
“This is my first win as a professional – I am
delighted,” said Thidapa, who turned pro earlier this year. “It was good
that the organisers opened the event to women. It was great experience to
play the same course set up as the men but from forward tees.”
Thidapa enjoyed success as an amateur, winning the girls
event at the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final in China last year. She also
competed in the LPGA qualifying school as an amateur but failed to secure
her card.
Men’s leading scores after final round (Thai
unless stated)
268 - Prom Meesawat
277 - Atthaphon Prathummanee, Thammanoon Sriroj
278 - Kwanchai Tannin
279 - Panuwat Muenlek, Udorn Duangdecha, Jay Bayron
(PHI), Tanutchan Puaktes, Corey Harris (US), Prayad Marksaeng, Rory Hie
(INA)
Pattaya Sports Club,
Burapha & Singha help flood victims
It is a tradition at many professional golf events to
organize a pro-am the day before the event. The Singha Pattaya Open at
Burapha was no exception but this pro-am had a different purpose. Mike of
Burapha, Singha, Taylor Made, True Visions and many others, came together to
raise 1 million baht to enable Golf Aid Charity help the people of South
Thailand who are still suffering from the recent torrential rain.
Pattaya Sports Club also took the opportunity to make a
contribution to help the thousands of people in need. Many local golf clubs
including Laem Chabang, Bangpakong, Siam Old and New and, of course, Burapha
contributed by taking a percentage of green fees and adding them to the pot.
Pattaya Sports Club have been helping the handicapped and
underprivileged people of Thailand for more than 30 years but nothing can
prepare for the damage caused by a Tsunami or the recent events in South
Thailand. That is why the Pattaya Sports Club was happy to donate funds to
help those in need.
Most of us here cannot imagine the turmoil in people’s
lives when they are faced with such a disaster. Many deaths, thousands of
families losing all their possessions and many are not being able to earn a
living. Lack of food, drinking water and basic health care just add to the
problems.
Torrential rain, which has caused landslides and
flooding, started as far back as November and was still being experienced
during April around the Andaman Sea, The Gulf of Thailand and spreading to
many areas including Krabi, Koh Samui, Phatthalung, Nakhom Si Thamasat to
name a few.
In addition to the above, the victims require blankets,
clothing and shelter. Fortunately the Thai Navy have been drafted in, HRH
Princess Soamsawalee has arranged for hundreds of bags of rice to be shipped
to the area and there are many dropping zones throughout the country for
individuals to contribute whatever they can afford.
Golf Aid Charity ensures all the funds reach those that need help. If you
would like to make a contribution, this can be arranged through Pattaya
Sports Club or Burapha Golf Club.
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United fail again on the road
Pattaya United’s Patipol
Phetwiset, left, comes away with the ball in the first half of the match
against BEC Tero Sasana at the Thepasadin Stadium in Bankok, Saturday, May
7. (Photo/Ariyawat Nuamsawat)
Pattaya United slipped to their second straight Premier League loss last
Saturday at the hands of BEC Tero Sasana in the Thepasadin Stadium in
Bankok.
The winning goal came courtesy of a 47th
minute strike from England’s Chris Brandon after United had failed to clear
their lines following a penetrating run from Ekele.
United went into the match lying in mid-table with 15
points from their opening 11 matches and with little separating a whole
bunch of teams above them, the Dolphins would have been hoping to secure all
three points to move them up the standings.
The hosts started the brighter of the two teams and they
should have gone ahead as early as the 12th minute
when Ekele had a golden chance to score but headed over the bar from point
blank range.
Both sides then exchange a couple of opportunities each
as the game ebbed and flowed but there was no clinical finish from either
team and the game remained locked at 0-0 at the break.
Just 2 minutes after the restart the hosts took the lead
when Ekele cut in from the right wing to unleash a shot that the United
defence was unable to deal with and Brandon was on hand to fire in the
rebound.
United sweated and toiled in a vain attempt to get back
in the match but after Ludovick had missed an opportunity in the 70th
minute, it was BEC who created another great scoring opportunity at the
other end of the field but somehow Sritammanusarn managed to fire over the
bar with the goal at his mercy.
The final whistle signaled another disappointing road
trip for United who will next take on high flying Police United in Chonburi
on Saturday, May 14.
Second placed Chonburi meanwhile missed an opportunity to
close the gap on leaders Buriram when the ‘Sharks’ were held to a 0-0 draw
by Police. Buriram also drew surprisingly at Pichit so it remains unchanged
at the top.
There was better news for the region’s local teams when Sri Racha finally
got their first win of the season with a 2-1 victory over Thai Port but they
still remain rooted to the foot of the table.
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City stages Mountain Bike Challenge 2011
A rider flies over a ramp on the downhill
course.
Pratchaya Kerdthong
Pattaya City deputy mayor Weerawat Khakhay chaired the
kick off of the Pattaya Mountain Bike Challenge 2011 at 1pm on Saturday,
April 30, at Thappaya Hill public garden. Also in attendance were Pattaya
mountain bike club president Manot Nongyai and members of the general public
and parents who sent their kids in to compete for prizes worth over 100,000
baht.
Manot said the activity was staged to promote extreme
sports and fun and to develop the kids to go on to compete in international
events.
Saturday saw the riders compete in a downhill competition
while the following day saw them return to take part in a cross country
event over a 6km course on Pratamnak Hill.
The age groups of those participating ranged from 10-60
years old and prizes were awarded in multiple age and gender groups. All the
winners received trophies from Pattaya Mayor Ittipol Khunplome.
Mountain
bikers negotiate the technical challenge of the cross country event.
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Mass bike ride held to promote fitness/green environment
Dusit
general manager, Chatchawal Supachayanont, third left, stands with Dr.
Jirapol Sinthunava of the Green Leaf Foundation, fourth left, and other
riders at the Pattaya Midnight Bike ride on Saturday, April 30.
Staff and management of Dusit Thani Pattaya, led by
general manager Chatchawal Supachayanont, participated in the Pattaya
Midnight Bike ride on Saturday, April 30 in observance of Earth Day 2011.
The event was organized by the Pattaya City Hall in
cooperation with the Sunday Bike Club and other hotels and establishments
that support the environmental campaigns of the Green Leaf Foundation
Thailand. The bike ride was also attended by Green Leaf Foundation officials
led by its vice-president Dr. Jirapol Sinthunava.
The two wheel trek had two starting points; the first led
the main group from the Pattaya Floating market through Jomtien and into
Pattaya via the third road, ending at Soi 4. The second group set off from
Soi 4 Beach Road for a short cycle ride down to Walking Street. It is
estimated some 200 cyclists took part in the event.
The bike ride was staged in a bid to raise awareness of the health
benefits of using the bicycle which, in the place of a motor vehicle, can
also contribute to the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions into the
atmosphere.
Riders
prepare to get underway from Pattaya beach.
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Lesser lights provide some great golf
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Tuesday, May 3, Rayong
C.C. - Stableford
The headline refers to the golf courses where we played
this week; both cheaper courses providing good tests combined with good
value. Tuesday, we visited Rayong Country Club where they have shown some
initiative in their pricing structure, encouraging the use of their carts,
very progressive, where others just follow the line with 1 person per cart
policies, discouraging golfers from visiting.
Dave &
Ken have a drink at Mulligans Lakeside after Thursday’s golf.
The scores were a mixed bag, with Jeff Wylie (6) showing
that good scores were out there, with 41 points, that’s 73 off the stick for
the mathematically challenged, followed in by Graham Hiskett (14) with 36.
Near Pins were secured by Wes, Jeff & Bart getting 2,
converting both for birdie 2s.
Thursday, May 5, Century
Chonburi - Stableford
Thursday was a holiday, but rather than change days this
week, we decided on a visit to Century Chonburi. Much maligned because of
its lack of facilities, it is definitely a diamond in the rough, with the
course providing a stern but fair test. The greens offer some undulations
which challenge all somewhere through the round, with the threat of a 3 putt
an imminent reality.
Jim Fortune (27), Dave Edwards (16) and Jeff Wylie (6)
all managed 31 points before a count-back split declaring Jeff the winner,
with Dave second.
Near Pins today went to Lol and Ken (2), no conversions
this time for birdie though.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf generally on
Tuesday & Thursday (we sometimes change to accommodate a Thai Holiday).
Presentations are made at the course on Tuesday, with Mulligans Lakeside
hosting the Thursday presentation. For more details on scheduling etc,
please call 089 094 1841 or 081 935 8088. Hope to see you there, Cheers &
Good Golfing!
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Emmerson cuts a dashing figure at Green Valley
PSC golf from The Golf Club Sports Bar
Monday, May 2, Green
Valley – Stableford
1st John Emmerson 38pts
2nd Bob Newell 38pts
3rd Gordon Kerr 37pts
4th Greg
Ritchie 36pts
Holiday Monday saw 23 golfers join us at Green Valley for
some laughs and pretty descent golf too. We were laughing at Emmerson’s
latest addition to his wardrobe (custom made trousers), but he had the last
laugh taking the frame on 38 points.
‘Seamless’ Bob Newell was done on the dreaded count-back
again and settled for second place. Gordon Kerr, playing his last game for a
while, finished alone in third on 37 points. Best dressed as usual went to
Greg Ritchie along with fourth place.
A near pin award went to ‘Kaptain Klipboard’ Brad
Sproxton.
Wednesday, May 4, St.
Andrews – Stableford
1st Noel Pittard 38pts
2nd Ron Ramsey 37pts
3rd Adam
Shane 37pts
We tried an experiment of sorts today, taking on the
Yellow tees and 6800+ yards of everything St. Andrews could throw at us.
Noel Pittard seemed unfazed and fired a great 38 points to finish on top.
The count-back for second and third between Ron Ramsey and Adam Shane went
deep into the criteria. They were tied on B9, B6 and B3, and only when Adam
scored 0 on the last did we have our order of merit decided.
Thanks to the lads for trying something different without
too much moaning. Kaptain Klipboard lost more golf balls than he had points.
John Emmerson had near pin.
Friday, May 6, Mt. Shadow
– Stableford
1st Jack Spencer 36 pts
2nd Steve Snelgrove 34 pts
3rd
Noel Pittard 34 pts
The greens at Mt. Shadow proved once again to be the
equalizer. From the field of 10 only one individual could muster the moxy to
get to his handicap. He usually has trouble finding the golf course, but on
this day he was in true form. Well done Jack Spencer!
Van Captain Steve Snelgrove left putts on the edge a few
too many times and finished second with 34 points, edging Noel Pittard on
the B9 with 20 points to 17.
Note: The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro,
off Soi Buakhao and Soi Diana junction. We can be reached on 085 434 3377 or
[email protected] and our new website is www.golfclubpattaya.com.
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Marie doubles up for the week
PSC Golf from the Café Kronborg
Peter Blackburn
Tuesday, May 3– Rayong
C.C. - Stableford
With Monday being a Thai Public Holiday we decided to
hold our first golf day of the week on the Tuesday, and although it
clashed with several other golf outlets we had a good field of eighteen
golfers. We welcomed from Newcastle, Australia, Marie & Lionel Rowles,
Dave Roberts, Mal Shying and Tony Leece plus Chris Walsh from Ireland.
Mike Gosden, Marie Rowles and ‘The Admiral’ Dave Richardson at Pleasant
Valley.
The skies were clear as we departed Caf้ Kronborg and
after the forty three minute drive we arrived at Rayong Country Club to
find an almost deserted car park, always nice to see. Shortly after our
arrival Jeff Wylie from Mulligans Lakeside arrived with his two groups
and as the course was deserted we hit off the first and they hit off the
tenth tee.
Our first group was able to commence at our leisure
and we teed off 30 minutes ahead of schedule at 0930hrs in hot and
sticky conditions. The golf course was in fine shape and the greens were
well prepared although a tad slow at times but certainly true, and all
in all Rayong Country Club is outstanding value for money. We “flew”
through our front nine in one hour and fifty minutes including a drink
stop and the full round was completed in exactly four hours.
This challenging course took its toll on most of us
with just 2 golfers able to play to their handicaps or better. Ulf
Larsson followed up his 43 points on the previous Thursday by winning
the A Flight with 36 points, two ahead of Mike (Hunter) Gosden in second
place. Your scribe hung on to take third place one point further back
with Mike Winfield two points behind me in fourth place.
Marie Rowles hit immediate form and easily won B
Flight with a fine 40 points, six points ahead of Irishman Kevin Dinan,
and his countryman Chris Walsh finished three back in third place.
Aussie Jerry Dobbs managed to beat Mick O’Connor on a count-back for
fourth place one point further back.
A Flight (0-20)
1st Ulf Larsson (16) 36pts
2nd Mike Gosden (10) 34pts
3rd Peter Blackburn (15) 33pts
4th Mike Winfield (20) 31pts
B Flight (21+)
1st Marie Rowles (23) 40pts
2nd Kevin Dinan (25) 34pts
3rd Chris Walsh (25) 31pts
4th
Jerry Dobbs (21) 30pts
The Compass Cap was easily won by Mal Shying and
Deefa the Dog was paraded by his master, Hunter, and collected numerous
donations to charity from the generous Kronny crew.
Friday, May 6,
Pleasant Valley – Stableford
Once again we were not playing on our regular day as
Thursday was also a Thai Public Holiday, but all 18 of us were looking
forward to the challenge of playing the ever-improving Pleasant Valley
Golf Course.
We gave a hearty welcome to first timer Rob Heath
from Cairns in Queensland, Australia and it was good to see Pattaya
resident Rita Zoebeli, formerly of Switzerland, back playing with us
again. We wished Bon Voyage to PSC Treasurer Graham Buckingham who is
heading off to “The Old Dart” to see Mum for three weeks.
Departing the Kronny at 0815hrs on the dot we arrived
at the course 40 minutes later to find quite a few vehicles in the car
park and it was apparent that there was no rush, although our first
group were able to tee off 15 minutes ahead of schedule at 0945hrs.
The weather was fantastic and the golf course looked
a treat despite having received plenty of rain recently. It soon became
very hot and humid and stops for drinks were the order of the day but
despite that we completed our first nine in just under two hours and the
whole journey took four hours and five minutes.
The scores on the day were mostly excellent with half
the field playing to their handicap or better. Mike Gosden had a welcome
return to form and easily won the A Flight with a well compiled 42
points. On 39 points a count-back was necessary to separate second and
third with last Thursday’s winner Bjarne Kjaer just edging out Aussie
Paul Avery. Recovering from bad health, veteran Ted Morris scored a fine
38 points to finish fourth.
After her 40 points at Rayong on Tuesday Marie Rowles
followed up with a fabulous 44 points to again win the B Flight. There
were three golfers seven points further back on 37 and a count-back
determined that Mike Winfield finished second from Hugh O’Donnell in
third and Dave “The Admiral” Richardson bringing up the rear in fourth
place.
A Flight (0-17)
1st Mike Gosden (10) 42pts
2nd Bjarne Kjaer (17) 39pts
3rd Paul Avery (10) 39pts
4th Ted Morris (14) 38pts
B Flight (18+)
1st Marie Rowles (23) 44pts
2nd Mike Winfield (20) 37pts
3rd Hugh O’Donnell (20) 37pts
4th Dave Richardson (20) 37pts
Long Putt: Graham Buckingham
Lionel Rowles, Marie’s husband completed an award, winning double on
the day by taking the Compass Cap for the worst score, and Deefa the Dog
satisfied his appetite by collecting numerous donations for local
charity.
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Ashman in the ascendancy at Phoenix
PSC golf from The Bunker Bar
Monday, May 2, The Emerald
- Stableford
April’s golfer of the month Colin Greig carried on from
where he left off last month with yet another win. Colin won on a count-back
from Tony Robbins with Ken Davidson taking third place with 34 points.
Friday’s winner Reg Smart, left, celebrates with Colin Stokes.
1st Colin Greig (11) 35pts
2nd Tony Robbins (1) 35pts
3rd Ken Davison (12) 34pts
Near Pins: Ken Davison, Jon Beattie and Dave Ashman (2).
Wednesday, May 4, Phoenix Mountain & Ocean - Medal
Geoff Parker had a fine round of golf after his two month
lay off, unluckily missing out on the runners up place after losing out on a
count-back to John Graham, but a near pin prize made up for it. The best
round of the day came from Dave Ashman who shot a superb five under par to
win by a mile.
1st Dave Ashman (15) net 67
2nd John Graham (11) net 72
3rd Geoff Parker (17) net 72
Near Pins: Geoff Parker, Colin Greig, Dave Ashman, John Graham.
Friday, May 6, Green Valley - Stableford
At the end of a very quiet week for golfing, old timer
Reg Smart got his name on the score sheet, beating Mashi on a count-back to
take the honours. Reggies’ mate Peter Habgood got in the frame too, taking
third place also on a count-back, beating John Graham.
1st Reg Smart (24) 37pts
2nd Mashi Kaneta (13) 37pts
3rd Peter Habgood (17) 35pts
Near Pins: Lee Butler and Mashi Kaneta.
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Bill & Joe form a deadly duo
PSC golf from The Three Sisters Bar
Pairs winners Bill Thompson and Joe St. Laurent,
left,
with runners-up Dale Murphy and Richard Hall.
It was a great day and a lot of fun. Almost all of the
groups in the two men scramble had a chance to win.
To even out the handicaps so everyone had a chance,
handicaps were added together then 40% of the total was used to determine
the team handicap. The first place winners were Bill Thompson and Joe St.
Laurent. Their final score was a net 59. They did it by birdying the final
hole. They needed it as Dale Murphy and Richard Hall were right on their
heels at net 59.4.
Third place was won by Mark Campbell and Matt Millar.
They came in with a net 62. They were the favorites going into the
tournament but came up just short.
Paul Kraft and Herb Ishinaga started like a house on fire
but Herb let the team down by getting dehydrated and having to make a run by
the 9th hole. They messed up the front nine and could not recover on the
back. They still ended up with 63.8 net.
A request was made to have the same format again in the future - we’ll
see when we have enough to form the groups needed.
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Take two, Bruce still has it
PSC golf from The Caddyshack
Wednesday, May 4,
Bangpra – Stableford
A round dozen players at Bangpra on Wednesday and Peter
Henderson stood head and shoulders above the rest of the field with a fine 41
points. Eight back in second spot was Bruce Tollitt, just the one ahead of a
count-back for third between James Savage and Damian Trant.
Second
place on Wednesday and two 2’s during the week for Bruce Tollitt.
1st Peter Henderson (16) 41pts
2nd Bruce Tollitt (18) 33pts
3rd James Savage (23) 32pts
4th Damien Trant (11) 32pts
2’s: Trevor Locish, Peter Henderson, Bruce Tollitt
Friday, May 6, Green Valley – Stableford
A large group of 25 players enabled us to have two divisions
on Friday at our home course of Green Valley. Scores were generally high with
Jeff North topping the premier flight on 40 points and Ben Findon going even
better and taking out the B Flight with 42.
A Flight
1st Jeff North (10) 40pts
2nd Alan Laurie (13) 39pts
3rd Mike Phillips (12) 38pts
B Flight
1st Ben Findon (17) 42pts
2nd Mick OMeara (21) 37pts
3rd Peter Henderson (16) 37pts
2’s: Jeff North, Mike Phillips, Kevin Fletcher, Bruce Tollitt.
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Billy’s the boy again
PSC golf from the Phoenix Tuesday Group
Tuesday’s top three, Bill Hewitt, Terry Vicary
and Eamon Murtagh with the staff at The Relax Bar.
Mike Gerrard
No threat of rain today, May 3, but some heavy humidity
type clouds around, which made the going a little steamy.
We had a good compliment of players and with the Lakes
course closed for repairs we went out to tackle the Mountain/Ocean
combination. A nice course to play but so confusing for the guys who have an
odd number handicap, making it difficult for them to know where to take the
odd number. Both nines have the same stroke rating numbers - all odd. Never
mind, us old codgers at reception make sure they get it right.
As the headline states it was Bill Hewitt who took the
honours again. Bill has only played in our group 3 times and he has won
every time. Nothing wrong with this, it’s up to the rest of us to play
better golf if we want to win.
Bill scored a fine 37 points, with our ever-impeccable
attired and young looking Terry Vicary claiming second place with 35, and
then there was a tie for third place between Eamon Murtagh and Tim Mason,
both on 34 points.
Near pins went to ‘The Boston Burglar’ Bob Neylon, Tim
Mason (2) and Eamon Murtagh.
For the rest of us there is always the lucky draw, and
for the second week running yours truly managed to get one of the three
prizes donated by the Relax Bar. The other two went to Gary Blackburne and
John Bartley.
With quite a few of our group going back to their
respective countries or to get on with some work (forgotten what that is –
joking, running two days golf and fishing trips is harder work than earning
a living), we will be a little depleted next week.
Shame, because next week we have the KPK Foods Ltd
voucher competition. Keith has also given me some golf hats to award to the
runner up.
Anyone interested in either the golf on Tuesday’s and Friday’s or the sea
Fishing trips, please give me a call on 087 091 7565.
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Maddox a clear winner at Pleasant Valley
PSC golf from The Fairways Golf Society
Friday’s
top three, Scott Dobbin, Alan Pilkington and Dave Done with Fairways club
house staff.
Monday, May 2, Khao Kheow
- Stableford
Quiet a good turn out today as it was a bank holiday. As
usual the course was in excellent condition and the weather was fine.
Two players shot sub-par scores with 37 points and Ed
Wycliffe took the top honours with a back nine count back of 21-17 over
Richard Hurley.
Near pins went to Alan Pilkington, Billy Vickers, Scott
Dobbin and Ed Wycliffe.
1st Ed Wycliffe (9) 37pts
2nd Richard Hurley (11) 37pts
3rd Jon Haugen (6) 34pts
Wednesday, May 4, Pleasant Valley – Stableford
We arrived at the course today and found it virtually
empty so we had very nice leisurely round of golf with no hold ups.
Unfortunately all the bunkers had hardly any sand in them as it had all been
washed away by the heavy rains they have had up here. The greens were a
little bit on the slow side for the same reason but the fairways were in
excellent shape.
Only one golfer managed to break par (Mr. Consistency)
Brian Maddox with 37 points. Richard Hurley just missed a four foot eagle
putt but made sure of his birdie and snatched second place from Tony
Duthieon on the last green to beat him on a back nine count back of 18-15.
Near pins went to Tony Duthie and Richard Hurley.
1st Brian Maddox (20) 37pts
2nd Richard Hurley (11) 33pts
3rd Tony Duthie (19) 33pts
Friday, May 6, Greenwood - Stableford
When we arrived we were informed that golf carts could
not go on the fairways as they had had so much rain the day before, so we
decided to play winter rules of ‘pick clean and place’. Shortly after we
started we found that it was totally unnecessary to do so as the course was
in its normal magnificent condition.
Again we had the course to ourselves so we had a nice
clear round. Scott Dobbin returned to form to take the honours from the
consistent Alan Pilkington..
Near pins went to Alan Pilkington, Dave Done, Peter
Anderson and Richard Hurley.
1st Scott Dobbin (0) 37pts
2nd Alan Pilkington (7) 36pts
3rd
Dave Done (15) 34pts
Notee: The Fairways Driving Range is situated at
the top of Pattaya Klang on Sukhumvit Road and the society plays every
Sun/Mon/Wed & Fri. Anyone wishing to play with us can call into the club
house and put their names down on the lists provided or call Scott on 084
389 2379. Transport provided if required.
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Winton on the warpath
at IPGC monthly
Wednesday, May 4, saw IPGC members gather at Pattaya
Country Club for the first time in a long time for the latest IPGC Members’
Tournament of the year. The course was reasonably well presented, the
weather stayed fine and the rate offered for the day was well worth it.
Each monthly member’s tournament provides three winners
in the divisions and one from the ladies, who will go forward to the finals
to compete for the Gold and Silver Medals later in the season. In addition
the tournaments will also be used to determine the IPGC Gentleman Player of
the Year, with between 1 and 15 points to be won in each division every
month, dependant on final positions, which will then be aggregated for the
year to establish the overall winner.
As usual the first division contests a stroke play format
whilst the second, third and Ladies’ division play Stableford.
In the first division the competition for the minor
placings was very close with Al Keith’s net 73 contesting the runner-up
place with Wichai Tananusorn but losing out on count-back 34.5 to 38.5. The
winner by a long way was Barry Winton who played his best golf in a while
with gross 74, net 70.
The second division played stableford and was also a
competitive affair as Toni Lonquist took third with 38 points, one behind
Lyle Blaw’s 38. The flight winner, with the best score of the day, was Brian
Talbot and his 40 points gave him happy memories of a course he had not
played before.
Similarly in the third division one point was enough to
separate the principals with Burnie Sinclair finishing third on 37 points
with Sid Ottaway’s 38 taking second. The flight was won by Marti Aaronson
with his score of 39 points.
In the 2’s competitions there were nine birdies, with
Barry Winton and Lyle Blaw nabbing a brace each, Trevor Schirmer, Colin
James, Larry Slattery, Jim Ferris and Brian Talbot completing the list. The
near-pins winners are listed below.
After the tournament the golfers enjoyed the usual fine
presentation buffet at the Links Bar in Soi Buakhao. The function and prizes
were generously sponsored as always by the IPGC, and those who had
contributed to the success of the day were warmly thanked. They included the
perpetual Registrar Glyn Evans, Results Coordinator Stephen Beard and the
hard working event organiser Russell Exley.
The full list of results can be seen on the excellent
official IPGC website at http://www.ipgc.org
Division 1
1st Barry Winton (4) net 70
2nd Wichai Tananusorn (13) net 73
3rd Al Keith (5) net 73
Division 2
1st Brian Talbot 40pts
2nd Lyle Blaw 39pts
3rd Toni Lonquist 38pts
Division 3
1st Marty Aaronson 39pts
2nd Sid Ottaway 38pts
3rd Burnie Sinclair 37pts
Near Pins: Kari Kuparainen, Barry Winton (3), Paul
Butler, Colin James, Lyle Blaw, Toni Lonnquist, Jim Ferris, Sid Ottaway
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Khao Kheow back to back
Golf from the Travellers Rest
Barry Hooper
Well it was that time again where I had to sit down and
scribe another report of the TRGG activities for the week. At first I did
not see a lot in the reports of the matches that really grabbed my
attention. Then I spotted that they had been to one course Khao Kheow twice
in the same week. It is very rare that they do that. In fact I could not
remember them doing it before. So I gave Fergus a ring and asked what had
brought it about.
Fergus
Brennan – winner of the last outing in April at Greenwood.
Apparently their regular Thursday course Pheonix did what
they have been doing a lot of lately and shot themselves in the foot yet
again by upping the costs (Holiday) beyond what is acceptable to the TRGG.
So the group cancelled and sought an alternative. That is becoming a bit of
a habit it seems.
They were playing at Khao Kheow (itself not one of the
cheapest courses around) on Tuesday and when approached they came up with an
offer for a return back to them on the Thursday that was most acceptable. So
the playing of Khao Kheow back to back was the outcome.
Saturday, April 30,
Greenwood C&A - Stableford
1st Fergus Brennan (11) 33pts
2nd Mike Rushant (12) 32pts
3rd Jon Dean (10) 31pts
4th Bill
McGarvie (9) 31pts
Greenwood was our first port of call in the week on
Saturday with a fair number in attendance. The numbers are definitely
picking up again. I was actually at the presentation and was promptly
advised by many who had returned that the course had been the winner on the
day.
No apparent reason was forthcoming and the actual winner
was in fact Fergus Brennan with just 33 points followed in by Mike Rushant
at 32 and Jon Dean one more back at 31 for third. So the low scores had
prevailed hence the earlier comment from the players about the course.
Monday, May 2, Plutaluang
N&S- Stableford
A Flight
1st Bill McGarvie (9) 33pts
2nd Mike Shackleton (10) 32pts
3rd Paul Scholes (11) 32pts
B Flight
1st Mike Rushant (13) 36pts
2nd Andrew Rich (20) 31pts
3rd
Brian Foster (16) 31pts
The first outing for the new month and Plutaluang was the
course choice with a good turnout and two divisions. Still low scoring
though and only one score stood out and that was the winner of Div 2 and
Mike Rushant with his 36 points -a considerably better showing than the
Saturday outing for his second spot.
Andrew Rich and Brian Foster fought out a count-back for
the second and third places both at 31.
Bill Mcgarvie, who had been shoved to fourth by
count-back on the Saturday, shone on the day and came home with the Div 1
win but still with only 33 points. Once again it was count-back check out
for the second and third places, this time between Mike Shackleton and Paul
Scholes both with 32.
Tuesday, May 3, Khao Kheow
A&B - Stableford
A Flight
1st Fergus Brennan (11) 36pts
2nd Ted Senior (11) 36pts
3rd Noel Pittard (6) 34pts
4th Robert Bjorkqvist (10) 34pts
B Flight
1st Billy Allan (14) 39pts
2nd David Booth (13) 39pts
3rd Mod Chaviraksa (12) 38pts
4th
Jeff Boylan (24) 36pts
Tuesday, and the first visit of the week to Khao Kheow
with a very good attendance and two divisions played. The course was in
great condition.
The scores were up on this day with 39’s taking first and
second in Div 2, coming from Billy Allan and David Booth (count-back
decision) and 36’s the first division for Fergus Brennan and Ted Senior
(count-back again). Third and fourth in Div 1 was yet another count-back
between Noel Pittard and Robert Bjorkqvist, both with 34’s, and third alone
in Div 2 was Mod Chaviraksa with 38.
Thursday, May 5, Khao
Kheow C&A - Stableford
1st Ted Senior (11) 35pts
2nd Noel Pittard (7) 35pts
3rd Peter Davies (23) 34pts
4th Derek Thorogood (16) 33pts
5th
Mod Chaviraksa (11) 31pts
We went back to Khao Kheow again on Thursday with a fair
attendance considering it was a return visit.
Ted Senior returned it seems with just one thing on his
mind - a win - particularly after him being pushed down to second on the
Tuesday by count-back. Well a win is what he got albeit after another
count-back over Noel Pittard (who had been third on the Tuesday), both of
them with 35’s. Peter Davies was third with his 34.
Note: If you want any further or fuller
information about the golf outings played by the TRGG from the Travellers
Rest Hotel please contact the hotel manager “Tewin Lamthong” on 0860567019
or call in to the Travellers Rest in Soi LK Metro, Pattaya and look at the
notice board or visit their website at www.trgg.biz.
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Neville comes good at Emerald
The Backyard Golf Society
After the high scores of the previous week there was only
one way to go on another blistering hot day at Emerald Golf Course, and that
was back to a dose of reality. Nine players this week and with everyone in
all competitions we again completed the round in under 4 hours. Once all the
results were in Neville came out on top with 35 points and John Mac took
second on count-back from Dan M with 33.
Neville, left, celebrates his win with one of the staff members outside
Mama’s Bar.
With the tee put back on the nearest the pin hole it was
somewhat of a surprise that Dangle managed to hit the green and take the
prize as he is the first guy to do this since Geoff went back to England
some time ago.
Skin results were as follows: Neville (5), Andy Oz (4),
John Mac (30), Dan M (3), Dangle (2) and finally Terry C (1).
After prize giving, we all went down to Ban Chang for a few cold ones and
to wish Ya from Senorita’s Bar a very happy birthday.
Tore finishes on top
IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
The Pattaya Golf Society visited Rayong C.C. on Monday,
2nd May, to play a stableford competition on the course which was in
reasonable condition but very dry. However the extremely generous green fee
package more than provided value for money on the May public holiday.
The field was reduced to a single flight as a result of
many PGS friends returning to their home bases after a fine warm winter in
the Land of Smiles but the competition was nevertheless tight and
competitive.
Sharing fourth place were Larry Bland and Garry Hookey on
thirty-five points, whilst Jim Ferris and Brian Talbot tied for second with
37 points each. Ending his stay this visit, Tore Eliassen bade a memorable
adieu to the group with a score of 42 points for an excellent victory.
The ‘2’s pot was shared by Brian Talbot and Wichai
Tananusorn, the latter taking the lion’s share after recording birdies on
the fifth and twelfth. The Booby Bevy was reserved for Peter Ditz on his
final appearance before returning to Europe after his nineteen points on the
front nine saw a return of only ten on the back to leave him in the nether
regions of the field instead of challenging at the top.
Once again the day was very capably marshalled by John
Mason but, unlike previous occasions, the heat of the day got to the less
than effervescent “boss” and he wilted after his epic performances of the
previous week.
Masa makes good at Bangpra
Bangpra was the venue for the Pattaya Golf Society on
Friday, 6th May, when the Soi Buakhao based group visited to play a monthly
merit stableford event on the course which was looking much better than on
the previous visit. The large field was divided into two flights at sixteen
and under and play got underway on time in warm and humid conditions.
In the second flight Jim Ferris came third with 32
points, just one behind Brian Shaw on 33. The flight winner was lady golfer
Orawan Meeraka with 34 points.
In the top flight Joe Nissato and Brian Talbot tied for
third with 32 points. Rob Lamond’s gross of 79 was the best of the day and
the 34 points it gave him were enough to put him in second place. The flight
winner, with the day’s best points score, was Masa Takano, returning to
minus par territory again with 37 points.
The only birdie ‘2’ of the day was recorded by Gubbi
Innvaer on the second and John Mason’s final choice of the Booby Bevy winner
was Garry Hookey whose front nine total of eight points was upstaged by his
back nine of 22 points!
At the presentation back in Rabbi’s Mr Len awarded Larry
Slattery his ‘Player of the Month’ award for April and thanked John Mason
for his fine support this trip, and all the hard work he had put in behind
the scenes as well. Both return to Europe soon and they will be missed by
their golf friends at PGS.
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Lyle Blaw does the double
IPGC golf from The Haven
Sunday, May 1, Green
Valley – Stableford
CSS 71
1st Lyle Blaw (12) 40pts
2nd Joe McArdle (12) 40pts
3rd Russell Goldsworthy (2) 38pts
4th Ger Lodge (20) 36pts
5th Joe
Peters (17) 35pts
No, it is not a re-print from last week, but the first
two past the post were the same with Lyle Blaw scoring exactly the same as
the previous Sunday at Green Valley, and Joe McArdle coming second having
improved three shots over last week’s result. Lyle, having dropped a shot on
Sunday, then ran up four scores over the buffer zone to take him back out to
12 but the fractions will ensure that it will not re-occur this time.
Lyle
Blaw.
Lyle just ran out the winner on the day with a better
count-back of 21 to 20 over the back nine.
The May Day weather was extremely hot and humid making
the scores of the top players even more commendable with Russell Goldsworthy
slipping in yet another level par round, and one is left wondering what sort
of scores he would be returning if he played more than once a week.
Ger Lodge also had a good day at level par on handicap to
pip friend and playing partner Joe Peters for fourth place.
There were no 2’s on the day.
As usual the presentations were conducted and overseen by
Russell Exley at the Golf Centre Bar on the course, with amiable hosts John
and Geoff assisted by their lovely staff, taking excellent care of the
golfers.
Monday, May 2, Century
Chonburi - Stableford
CSS72
1st Al Keith (5) 36pts
2nd Bill Bertram (9) 32pts
3rd Trevor Schirmer (14) 29pts
4th
Lyle Blaw (12) 28pts
After a hiatus of several months the Soi 13 group took on
the sometimes previously less than inviting Century Chonburi layout but this
time the course was discovered to be in a very acceptable condition and
although it was found to be a bit untidy in places, the cost of the day at
750 baht for green fee, caddy and half a cart, was outstanding value
considering that it was a national holiday and most of the other courses
were charging more than double that rate.
Al
Keith.
Al Keith picked up another win as he stroked it round in
level handicap without seeming to ruffle a hair and as usual no sign of
panic, even after the odd wayward shot. It was just a solid workmanlike
round with that silky unhurried swing. Playing partner Bill Bertram
struggled to keep pace with the scoring but did just enough to claim second
place on his first outing with The Haven group.
Trevor Schirmer got the better on in-form Lyle Blair by a
single shot, compliments of the last hole where he slipped in a birdie putt.
Whilst there were no 2’ in the second division, Al Keith
and Bill Bertram shared the pool in the first division.
Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed new member
Bill Bertram who, if reports can be relied upon, will soon be heading back
down from his present handicap to two or below although the day’s results
did not quite reflect that scenario.
Friday, May 6, The Emerald
- Stableford
CSS 72
1st Trevor Schirmer (14) 40pts
2nd Mathew Reynolds (24) 33pts
3rd Barry Winton (4) 33pts
4th
Bill Bertram (9) 32pts
After missing out on Wednesday when all the players were
competing in the IPGC Monthly Medals it was back to a normal competition at
Emerald where due to popular demand the local rule for the day was ‘lift and
place’ in the fairways to compensate for the condition of the lies and the
hardness of the ground beneath. In the event, the conditions were quite good
in most areas although this did not show in the scores returned for the day.
Trevor
Schirmer.
Once again the weather was extremely hot and humid with
temperatures hovering around 40 degrees centigrade and the humidity akin to
four hours in the sauna room.
Trevor Schirmer was the exception to the field as he went
round in his lowest score for two years, easily winning by seven clear. In
spite of having a pretty ordinary day from the tee, his round was
highlighted by exceptional chipping and putting when after missing a short
one from two feet on the first for a bogey, the rest on the round was a
master class in recovery golf..
Mathew Reynolds took a podium position on his first
outing with the group by winning the count-back over Barry Winton with a
better 18 to 16 as Barry tired badly following his herculean effort two days
previously when he had won the first division in the IPGC Medals.
Back at The Haven there was a welcome for new member
Mathew Reynolds and a welcome back for Barry Winton, who was back after back
surgery and having made it a full set by losing on the back nine on his
comeback.
Although the greens were in near perfect condition nobody
in either division could manage a 2.
Note: As from the 1st of May the Haven group will
depart Soi 13 at the earlier time of 8.30 a.m. until further notice. If you
would like to play with The Haven group you can contact mobile 084782 4582
or call in to the 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 8.00 on Mondays,
Wednesday, Fridays and 9.00am on Sundays on the days you wish to play. A
schedule of courses to be played can be found on our web site at
www.thehaven-hotel.com.
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Wira leaves on a high
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s
Sunday, May 1, Green
Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Gordon Wallace (15) 40pts
2nd Bob Newell (5) 38pts
B Flight
1st Jan Eriksen (18) 39pts
2nd Mark Bonner (15) 38pts
Near Pins: Garry Blackburne, Einar Widness, Terry
Mangan, Yui Bietry
With the Co. Offaly gang heading back to Ireland with
their pockets lined with the society’s loot and monthly medal, it was Gordon
Wallace who did the best work on the day in the premier flight as evidenced
by his rock solid 40 points. Bob ‘Seamless’ Newell appears to have well and
truly put his run of health problems behind him as his 38 points was good
for the silver.
‘Snowball’ winner Terry Mangan.
Jan ‘the silent one’ stole the show in the junior flight
with a steady 39 point return. Mussels Bonner cashed in on his last game
before returning to his London cab duty, with a more than useful 38 points.
Yui Bietry, Garry Blackburne, Thierry Petremont, and
Einar Widness shared the 2’s pot.
Back at the ranch it was sad to see Mussels head back
home, the same could not be said of the Offaly Gang, but the Irish had the
last say as Terry Mangan won the snowball and graciously rang the bell.
Tuesday, May 3, Khao Kheow
A&B – Stableford
1st Jon Haugen (7) 33pts
2nd Peter Hynard (14) 31pts
3rd
Tore Eliassen (14) 31pts
A relatively modest group (attribute to the season) took
on the favorite of many, Khao Kheow. The scores reflected the difficulty of
the A&B layout and John Haugen, a regular visitor to the pay window, was top
performer on the day with a modest 33 points.
Jon was followed up the podium steps by old friends Peter
‘the right Honorable’ Hynard and Tore Eliassen; the order of accent was
determined by count-back.
Jon Haugen, John Heaney and Einar Widness shared the 2’s
pot.
Wednesday, May 4,Bangpra -
Stableford
1st Wira Siduang (10) 41pts
2nd Jan Erikssen (18) 36pts
3rd
Gordon Wallace (15) 33pts
There was no man of the match, but there was a lady of
the match as Wira Siduang put a 41 point lashing on the field. Jon ‘the
quite one’ carded an even par round for second place. Gordon Wallace got the
right result in a count-back to fill the podium over the unlucky Tore
Eliassen.
Friday, May 6,The Emerald
- Stableford
A Flight
1st Wira Siduang (10) 39pts
2nd Jimmy Day (15) 36pts
3rd Pierre Bietry (15) 35pts
B Flight
1st Barry Oats (27) 36pts
2nd Joe Tynan (29) 34pts
3rd Jim
Elphick (23) 34pts
As is so often the case, a player’s vacation ends just as
he or she finds her form and Wira Siduang experienced just that. Wira cashed
39 points to take the A Flight and the match honours for the second victory
on her last week before returning to the tepid weather of Oslo, Norway. The
society whishes Wira and Einar all the best, especially Wira with her
amended handicap.
Jimmy vice Captain Day showed he is ready for the
upcoming challenge as he edged Pierre the Captain elect by a single shot for
second.
Barry Oats shot even par for top spot in the junior
flight; this made also-rans out of Joe ‘Sat-Nav’ Tynan and Jimmy ‘Two shots’
Elphick - Joe gaining a count-back decision over Jimmy.
Pity Wira’s old man Einar never made the podium but he
did cop a super 2’s rollover to easily take care of the Taxi to the airport.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya Land Soi
1, Beach Road Soi 13/3 near to Walking Street. Anyone wishing to play with
us just pop in and add your name to the list or call Colin on 089 826 0764.
Transport is provided.
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Pilkington on pole at Greenwood
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Tuesday’s winners with one of Bert’s finest.
Derek Brook
Tuesday, May 3, Greenwood
– Stableford
Nobody minds going to Greenwood these days, in fact it is
quite a favourite. While we were going out there we were reminiscing about
the ‘ good old days’ and what a trip to this golf course used to mean (at
least a full hour plus and down back roads, Sukhumvit in all its worst
years, and all in all a place we used to not want to go to).
Now it is a bimble up there and a nice relaxing drive.
Indeed I was talking to A Laurie who said he was driving up there relaxed
and found he was not even keeping up with the speed limit and was seriously
behind his slow, slow drive time. Now that is what I call a bimble. He did
just make it however.
Booking in here is usually a quick process and so it
proved on this day, so it was soon changed and onto the course where we
found we would be playing the C & A nines in that order. There was no one in
sight as we teed off and we hoped for a quick round, and so it proved for a
few holes, until we suddenly hit a wall and 5-balls were in front of us as
far as we could see. Yes we had time all the way around to have a sit down
and discuss the state of the world. Mind, the weather was not too bad.
April
‘golfer of the month’ Mashi at one of Greenwood’s par 5’s.
The course was in reasonable condition and the stops were
nice and cold. Suffice to say we got around and it was better than working.
It was a quick shower, a stop in the restaurant and a nice slow and relaxed
trip back to Bert’s where all were gathered for the results and Bert’s
‘Golfers Special, then onto the results.
In first place today with 40 points was Frank Pilkington
ahead of Mike O’Brien in second place with 37. In third place was Daryl
Evans with 36 points ahead of Brian Parish in fourth on count-back ahead of
Mashi, both with 35 points.
We also had the ‘Golfer of the Month’ for April award to
be handed out and the winner was Mashi Kenata. Well done Mashi. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Barry Elphick, Neil Shaw, Frank Moniz,
Derek Brook
Long Putt: Al Laurie, Dick Warberg
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Cannon guns for glory at Jack’s Birthday Bash
PSC golf with The Outback Golf Bar
Jack’s
Birthday Bash winners: (from the left) Mike Allidi (Div. A winner), Jack,
Nigel Cannon (Overall winner) and Jan Eriksen (Div. C winner).
Monday, May 2, Burapha -
Stableford
The 20 Outbackers arriving at the usual Monday venue,
fully expecting to pay the increased holiday rate, received a pleasant
surprise, as they were treated to the normal rate for the Outback.
Back on the A & C nines, ahead of the ASEAN Tour
tournament starting later in the week on B & D, Steve Mann, the day’s
organiser, remained in a kind mood setting them the easier white tees.
Nevertheless, only Chris Sloan took full advantage with
the day’s top score of 39 points to win Div A, with Rosco some six shots
back as Andy Makara equalled his handicap, scoring 36 points to take the B
division.
The visiting Bruce McAdam was second in Div B on 35 and
there were no ‘2’s.
Div A (0-14)
1st Chris Sloan (6) 39pts
2nd Rosco Langoulant (14) 33pts
3rd Paul Young (12) 33pts
4th Owen Walkley (10) 31pts
Div B (15+)
1st Andrew Makara (27) 36pts
2nd Bruce McAdam (22) 35pts
3rd Greg Hill (26) 33pts
4th Ivan Plunkett (20) 30pts
Tuesday, May 3, Pattaya C.C. – Stableford
To celebrate General Jack’s 61st birthday he decided to
have a ‘fun’ rainbow competition (your choice of tees in any order, 6 blues,
6 whites and 6 red) with the ladies playing 12 red and 6 white.
Some 56 regular Outbackers and friends from the local
golfing community came along to make this a memorable occasion, with special
welcomes not only to Tony Oakes (PSC President), Joe Mooneyham (PSC Golf
Chairman) and Bob Rasmussen (PSC PR Chairman) but also to Brad Sproxton (The
Golf Club), Jack Spencer, Ken McCarthy and Robbie Bennett to name but a few.
It all began at the Outback with Tuesday organiser Chad
sorting out the groups as a number of names had been added since the night
before, with Capt’ Bob in attendance welcoming the many who came for
breakfast.
As the first tee time got nearer, the clubhouse was
buzzing and once again the PCC made booking-in efficient and easy under the
watchful eye of ‘Jenny’.
As Chad got the 15 groups underway he joked with Jack
saying, “Can you have your next year’s birthday event at Burapha? I’m not
used to this many here at Pattaya on a Tuesday”. But as ever it went very
smoothly with plenty of banter and tales to be told as each group waited to
be called up.
The course was in good shape – some wet patches and a few
bunkers with some water in but after all this was to be a ‘fun day’.
Some of the regulars at PCC had already worked out their
respective tees, others choosing to do it “on the hoof” so to speak, but
never let it be said that playing at our level, that playing off the shorter
‘red tees’ is easy.
As the groups came in Nigel Cannon, who was in one of the
first groups out, collected the cards, sorted out the four divisions and
noted the scores – with a considerable amount of interest! This was to make
the job for Chad, who was playing in the last group with Capt’ Bob, much
easier; particularly as they had consumed six beers apiece, together with
Geoff and Bryce, before they even teed off!
It was then back to the bar for the Outback’s popular
barbecue where the chef had the usual delights on offer, all courtesy of the
bar.
Unfortunately at this time of year we have to cope with
the flies, which can be annoying, so it was tuck in quick before they had a
chance or wait it out until dusk, when mysteriously they all disappear. Why
hasn’t someone worked out where they (the flies) all go at night?
Capt’ Bob opened the proceedings with a welcome and
appreciation to all on this day, Jack’s Birthday, as Nigel (the Outback’s
resident MC) then took over to announce the results.
Nigel began by wishing Jack a Happy Birthday on behalf of
all who played today and a few others who for various reasons were unable to
join in the day personally. Appreciation was given to all the Outback staff
that were in for another busy time with a big thank you to the chef.
As is customary in these Birthday Cup events, there has
to be an outright winner, who was to be announced at the end of the
presentation of winners in the four divisions. Div A went to Mike Allidi,
who once again demonstrated his love of this course with 39 points (70
gross). Second and third went to a couple of friendly ‘light side raiders’,
Jack Spencer (37) and Chaten Patel (34) before Steve Mann upheld the
‘darkside banner’ taking fourth with 33.
Jeff Williams won Div B with 36 points as the ‘Birthday
Boy’ scrambled into fourth with 34 and Jan Eriksen took Div C with a fine 41
points ahead of the Sugarman’s 39. Jez Mack’s better back nine earned him
first place in Div D, as the affable John White, had to settle for second,
both scoring 38 points.
Nigel then handed over to Jack himself to announce the
overall winner! Well, you could hardly expect Nigel to do it. Jack thanked
everybody for the day and although his golf isn’t up to much at the moment,
he said, “it’s still a lot of fun organising these days out”.
So who was the overall winner, Nigel of course, who knows
his way round Pattaya Country Club in the dark as does his long time caddie
of five years or more, Sombat. Well done Nigel, an excellent 43 points and
your name on the honours board.
A short time later, Jack rang the bell to loud cheers and
a rendering of Happy Birthday as many remained at the bar late into the
evening.
On behalf of all – thanks Jack for another special day at
the Outback.
Overall
1st Nigel Cannon (23) 43pts
Div A (0-13)
1st Mike Allidi (1) 39pts
2nd Jack Spencer (11) 37pts
3rd Chaten Patel (12) 34pts
4th Steve Mann (9) 33pts
Div B (14-17)
1st Jeff Williams (17) 36pts
2nd Lawrence McBride (15) 35pts
3rd Paul Smets (17) 34pts
4th Jack Moseley (15) 34pts
Div C (18-21)
1st Jan Eriksen (18) 41pts
2nd Sugar Ray Handford (18) 39pts
3rd John Morel (20) 35pts
4th John Stafford (20) 35pts
Div D (22+)
1st Jez Mack (28) 38pts
2nd John White (26) 38pts
3rd Kenneth Davidson (22) 34pts
4th Terry Marney (27) 32pts
Wednesday, May 4, The Emerald – Stableford
With hangovers from Jack’s Birthday Bash and a dozen
playing in the Pro Am at Burapha, only five Outbackers managed to find their
way to the Emerald. The course was deserted and we were able to experience
millionaire’s golf with a round that took just on 4 hours, for our
five-ball. The course itself was in great condition and the greens, whilst
receptive to good shots, were very fast and true.
Andy Makara continued his good form of late and was the
winner with 34 points off his 27 handicap. Next best was Stephen Mann with
31 off his 9 handicap on a count-back from Owen Walkley.
There were no ‘2’s on the day.
1st Andrew Makara (27) 34pts
2nd Steve Mann (9) 31pts
Friday, May 6, Khao Kheow – Stableford
Anybody travelling towards Bangkok, particularly late in
the day, be warned of northbound carriageway repairs approaching the Khao
Kheow turn off. Without warning the highway is suddenly reduced to just two
lanes and you will find slow moving heavy trucks in the outside lanes. We
were fortunate that there was little traffic around in the morning causing
no delay but when we left the course, the tailbacks going north were at a
standstill for at least 5 kilometres, travelling back to Pattaya was OK.
As for the golf, there were 30 Outbackers having a go at
the A & B nines, in what was a relatively slow moving round of around four
and a quarter hours. The greens were in good conditions but the fairways
showed increasing signs of the ingress of the broad leaf ‘cow grass’, making
the course look unkempt and in need of some TLC, before it’s too late.
One of our guys played a shot he would sooner forget on
the first tee, as his ball never got above eighteen inches off the ground,
striking one of the rope pegs square on. It (the ball) came straight back at
him ending up on the tee box some twenty yards behind him, leaving him an
embarrassing second shot, to the amusement of the remaining waiting groups.
Steve Mann (35pts) and Capt’ Bob (34pts) filled the top
two places in Div A in a day of poor scoring, whilst Greg Hill, whose score
was later adjusted to 32 points in a stewards enquiry, had still done enough
to win Div B. Barry McIntosh was second with 31.
There were four ‘2’s from Steve Mann, Danny Medd, Chris
Sloan & Tony Gliddon.
Div A (0-17)
1st Steve Mann (9) 35pts
2nd Bob Philp (10) 34pts
3rd Geoff Williams (17) 33pts
4th Suzi Lawton (17) 31pts
Div B (18+)
1st Greg Hill (23) 32pts
2nd Barry McIntosh (18) 31pts
3rd John Stafford (20) 28pts
4th
Kenneth Davidson (22) 27pts
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km
from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. All are welcome to come and join
us for a beer and a hit. Just call in and put your name down on the list or
give Bob a call on 087 941 2474.
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Sea Fishing with the KPK Club
Happy fishermen with their catch.
Mike Gerrard
Ahoy me matey’s!
Yes, two trips this past weekend, May 6-7, such is
the interest of having a great day out on the sea.
With the humidity conditions on land as it has been
recently, two days on the sea where the breeze makes the temperatures a
little more comfortable was pure heaven. With just enough wind to make
it cool it was also just a pleasant rock of the boat without falling
about all over the place. We do enough of that on dry land after a few
drinks.
We had two different days in terms of the catches of
the day. On Friday we had a crew of more serious fishermen, all on
holiday from various Scandinavian countries, and although the big
varieties eluded us we did end up with bagfuls of nice size snapper and
grouper. One species was a rare blue spotted grouper. The captain of the
boat informed us that this fish could fetch as much as 1,000 baht per
kilo in the restaurants. However our fish was a little smaller than
that. Still big enough to take for the frying pan though.
On Saturday we had a family day out which included
two fathers with one of the ladies, plus two teenage boys and the trip
was somewhat different to the serious fishing.
From the photo you can see that we did catch some
nice queen fish. Not massive but certainly big enough for a family meal.
Half way through the day the wind picked up a little
and it was decided to move to calmer waters, especially as the poor lady
was feeling the effects of too much rock and roll. However she soon
recovered when we reached calmer waters. From then on we continued to
catch a nice variety of smaller fish including snapper and pladang.
For the last hour the family requested that it would
be nice to let the boys have a swim, so we duly moved to one of the more
touristy areas and let the kids have their fun. It didn’t stop there
though. The fathers decided they needed to cool off as well, and in they
went. This old codger stayed on dry timber.
So, all in all it was a great weekend; some serious
fishing and some relaxation. The most important thing was there is now
plenty of fish in the freezer for the time being.
With the help and sponsorship of Keith Keohane of KPK
Foods Ltd. we are working hard to establish the KPK Sea Fishing Club.
Keith donates a 500 baht voucher for the catch of the day for each trip
and has also had some club hats produced (as shown by myself in the
photo). We hope to work in conjunction with The Local Bar in Bangsaray
as a meeting-point both before and after the day’s fishing.
At present we are out fishing almost every week and
spaces are available for trips in a couple of weeks to a month’s time.
However if you have at least four to five people interested you can
charter a boat privately for any day of the week.
For further information telephone either myself, Mike
Gerrard on 087 091 7565 or Keith Keohane on 086 145 0147 or email
[email protected] or [email protected].
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Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League
200 Bowlers: Kran, Brand, Ooy, Lada & La.
Canada took three points from Snow Bowler and
replaced them in first place. Lek Reaper led Canada with a 519 series
and Tue Pettae had a 517. Aht Johansson bowled a 515 series for Snow
Bowler who dropped to second place.
Green Tree won three points from Brother D who still
held on to third place. La Montgomery bowled a 204 game and 523 series
for Brother D.
Dave Dolle had his best series of this league with a
519 pin count plus 120 handicap which totals 639 to lead Bavaria to a
four point win over Café Kronborg. Kran Nielsen did not bowl up to her
normal standard but did get a 202 final game.
Joe Ferral must be feeling better as he bowled a 519
series to lead his U.S. Marine Corps team to a three point win over VFW
Post 9876. Ooy Pluemkamon bowled a 216 game and 560 series for VFW.
Spare bowlers did pretty well on the day with Lada
Key bowling a 200 game, 540 series, Brand (Ball Lofter) bowled 205 and
214 game for a 569 series, and Franz Stigler had a 508 series.
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