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Pattaya Sports Club
Bowling League
200 Bowlers: Tue, Ooy, Kran,
Leo, Sue & Rich.
Indiana increased their first place lead to three points
after they won three points from Brother D. La Montgomery led Indiana with a
541 series, Morn Mack had a 518 and Duanjai bowled a 502 for Indiana. Sue
Murphy bowled a 202 game, 566 series and Ralph had a 522 for Brother D.
Green Tree is still in second place even after they lost
all four points to Tea Party.
Tea Party moved up to fourth place.
Antero Ronkainen bowled a 568 series and Leo Kretscher
had a 201 game to lead Bavaria to a four point win over Canada. Lek Reaper
bowled a 517 series and Tue Pettae had a 201 game for Canada.
Caf้ Kronborg and VFW Post 9876 split their match with
each team getting two points.
Kran Nielsen had a 224 game, 558 series for Kronborg and
Ooy Pluemkamon had a 200 game and 541 series for VFW.
Rich Murphy, bowling as a Pacer, had a 216 game and 542
series. Aht Johansson also bowling as a Pacer had a 509.
Ansell hits top form at Khao Kheow
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
From left: Alan Ansell, Greg Hill, Steve Milne &
Paul Greenaway, all podium placers on Friday at Green Valley
Monday, October 31, Khao
Kheow – Stableford
Khao Kheow is just getting better and better with the
money the management is spending, the only thing missing was some grey
matter from the starter - putting a 5-ball walking in front of a 2-ball on a
cart, then us behind them, maybe someday? Anyway after 43/4
hours we got finished somewhat the worst for wear and drink.
Seriously the golf course was in great condition and the
greens fast and true. The Capt’ and Neil Lavery had a challenge from a
couple of northern Brits who were going to give them (Capt & Neil) a good
thumping but it never happened; I think the Capt and his partner wore them
down with raw talent.
The level of the lake went up by 1/2 an inch due to an
errant putter getting a wash from someone whom shall remain nameless due
mainly to fear of the consequences.
There were some fantastic scores out there today from
Alan Ansell for one scoring 41 points (winner Div B), now that is what you
call taking this course apart, which doesn’t very often happen. Other
notables were Neil Lavery 38 points (winner of Div A) and must be hurting a
bit after carrying the Capt’ in their match! and also Norm Cheetham, with 38
points (2nd Div A) beaten on count back. Sugar also
had 38 points which earned him second place in Div B.
Playing A and B off the yellows, there were 29 Outbackers
out there with little wind and conditions were just great for a day of golf.
Finally, welcome to some newbies: Didier, who appeared from Bangkok and also
Nigel Wright and Clint Pingree.
There were four ‘2’s from Alan Ansell (hole A3), Suzi
Lawton (hole A5), and two on hole B8, from Tony Gliddon & Dennis Pelly.
Div A (0–15)
1st Neil Lavery (12/Hi11) 38pts
2nd Norm Cheetham (15/Hi14.2) 38pts
3rd Tony Gliddon (9/Hi8.8) 32pts
4th Keith Buchanan (12/Hi11.5)
32pts
Div B (16+)
1st Alan Ansell (25/Hi22.7) 41pts
2nd Sugar Ray Handford (18/Hi16.5)
38pts
3rd Steve Plant (18/Hi16.3) 36pts
4th Bob Lindborg (20/Hi18.7) 35pts
Tuesday, November 1,
Pattaya C.C. – Stableford
The first day of the new monthly eclectic, sponsored by
DeVere and a little disappointing that only seven signed up for the comp
today, but it’s sure to grow in interest as time moves on. Otherwise it was
a great turnout on the first day of the new High Season, with 17 Outbackers
enjoying the sunshine on a course that was looking really good. The greens
on the front were particularly quick and one would have to give the course
generally about 8 out of 10 for presentation. Why 8 and not 10? Well you
can’t have a perfect 10 or there’s no room left for improvement!
The General was out having only his second game since
being struck ill in Chiang Mai and showed some signs of his desire to return
to the game with 37 points to win the day, which arguably included a bit of
anchor throwing on the 16th & 17th,
scoring only 1 point. You have to remember he’s off the booze as well!
The girls took the next two places, Laong & Mam with 35
and 34 points respectively, followed in by Geoff Doody (33pts) and Joe
Duffer playing off +2, took the last place on 32.
There were only two ‘2’s from Jack Moseley (hole 7) and
Joe Duffer (hole 16).
1st Jack Moseley (14/Hi15.2) 37pts
2nd Laong Gatepratum (27/Hi25.6)
35pts
3rd Phompinmon Seesa (29/Hi27.9)
34pts
4th Geoff Doody (17/Hi17.9) 33pts
Wednesday,
November 2,
Burapha – Stableford
How about the blue tees today on A and B, what a
challenge, lightning fast greens and even some run on the fairways. 24
players played off our new handicap system and because the course was rated
so tough some guys got an extra 2 or even 3 shots added to their handicap -
and I can tell you they were not only needed but were very welcome!
The weather was just fantastic for a day out and there
were a few laughs out there. One story comes to mind about a golfer who
actually hit the pin with his shot to the par-3 17th but alas had to pick up
after his 5th putt - because he couldn’t score. I’m glad it happened on the
17th as I don’t think we could have played anymore than one hole after that
as we couldn’t stop laughing.
Today was the start of the new monthly tournament
sponsored by Big Mango Properties; best six cards to count from Khao Kheow,
Burapha and Green Valley. The scores were a mixture of good and bad and the
Capt managed to come stone cold last in the A division, really great golf.
However, when he gets his new handicap from the General he will be OK!
He is dreaming about that a lot at the moment, anyhow
back to reality; John Cunningham and Norm Cheetham stole the limelight, both
scoring excellent 38’s to win their respective divisions with Jim Brackett
taking second in Div A on 37 points and Frank Mills doing the same in Div B.
There were three ‘2’s from Norm Cheetham (Hole A3), Greg
Hill (B3) and Tony Garnett (B8).
Div A (0-15)
1st John Cunningham (10/Hi7.2)
38pts
2nd Jim Brackett (8/Hi5.5) 37pts
3rd Dennis Pelly (14/Hi10.7) 36pts
4th Tony Gliddon (12/Hi8.9) 35pts
Div B (16+)
1st Norm Cheetham (17/Hi13.6) 38pts
2nd Frank Mills (24/Hi19.6) 37pts
3rd Greg Hill (24/Hi19.9) 35pts
4th Nigel Wright (36/Hi30.2) 35pts
Friday, November 4, Green
Valley – Stableford
After a number of disruptions to our regular weekly
schedule, after Thai Gdn Resort Cup last week and Chiang Rai & Chiang Mai
Tour for two weeks before that, is was great to get back to normal with a
respectable number of players here at Green Valley. Although away pretty
much on time, the 29 Outbackers had to endure a slow round, thanks to the
groups in front; as a result maybe, the scoring was only moderate as the
scores returned indicated the course playing one shot tougher than par.
The day’s top score came from John Cogan, who started
spectacularly with wipes on the first two holes, needing only 16 holes to
amass his 38pts, and seal the Div B win; good going John but the handicapper
is watching! Second in Div B was Steve Milne, a long way back with 34 ahead
of two tied on 33, John Lawton, sporting a new knee and Steve Plant, just
back from the UK.
Jim Brackett picked up the win in Div A with a fine 36pts
[76 gross] ahead of Paul Greenaway, who clearly likes playing here, on 35,
whilst Greg Hill led the lower scoring of Div C with 34.
After two counting rounds of the Big Mango Properties
sponsored, best six cards for November, Greg Hill leads the way with 69pts
ahead of Dennis Pelly [65] and Barry McIntosh on 63.
Note: The top score is Jim Brackett with 73, but he
hasn’t entered the comp. yet.
There were only two ‘2’s from Steve Plant on hole 4 and
Jim Brackett on hole 12.
Div A (+2–11)
1st Jim Brackett (4/Hi5.3) 36pts
2nd Paul Greenaway (8/Hi9.4) 35pts
3rd Bob St. Aubin (11/Hi11.3) 34pts
4th Owen Walkley (8/Hi9.1) 31pts
Div B (14–19)
1st John Cogan (14/Hi14.6) 38pts
2nd Steve Milne (14/Hi14.6) 34pts
3rd John Lawton (19/Hi19.2) 33pts
4th Steve Plant (16/Hi16.3) 33pts
Div C (20+)
1st Greg Hill (20/Hi19.9) 34pts
2nd Alan Ansell (21/Hi20.7) 32pts
3rd Ivan Plunkett (23/Hi22.1) 32pts
4th Kurt Eric Persson (31/Hi29.4)
32pts
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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Voller takes the Medal at Eastern Star
Jomtien Golf with the IPGC
Neville Scurrell, Timo
Pyykonen and Rudi at Pattaya Country Club.
Monday, Oct. 31, Pattaya
Country Club – Stableford
Total confusion here today as both the PGS and ourselves
had been confirmed the previous day for the same 10.06 tee-off time with
seven groups each so we expected one group going off the 1st and the other
off the 10th.
We arrived at 9.15 and were told to start straight away
on the first and it was chaos for the next 30 minutes getting the steward to
go backwards and forwards to the clubhouse getting our players out before
our schedule. In the end we get all eight groups out before 10.20 but there
was no sign of Len’s group, who we later discovered had encountered mayhem
in the clubhouse on arrival and decided to play Rayong Country Club instead.
The course here is still in a good condition with plenty
of run on the fairways all round.
In his second game with us after returning from Finland
and still playing off 4, Timo Pyykonen won division 1 with 35 points,
beating his playing companion Kari Kuparinen (6) by one point, and in third
place was Neville Scurrell who beat Chris Voller on a 16/15 back nine count
back after they both scored 32 points.
Mike Lewis took out division 2 with 35 points with Brian
Priestley second two points behind and Bryan Rought was third on 32.
The equal cut today was 4-16 in division 1 and 17+ in
division 2.
There were no previous rollovers in the ‘2’s in division
1 but with no winners today there could be some happy faces next week at
Green Valley on Monday. In division 2 no winners at Pattana and Phoenix plus
today so an interesting outcome on next Monday’s game also.
Near pins went to Chris Voller, Burnie Sinclair, Martin
McAteer, Martin McAteer, Brian Priestley, Neville Scurell and Brian
Priestley.
Friday, Nov. 4,
Eastern Star - Monthly Medal
There were nine groups confirmed the previous day to the
management here at Eastern Star but same as last week there were three
no-shows so after some last minute reorganisation the first six groups went
out as three-balls.
This was an experimental game today, playing our first
medal here from some considerable time. There were two divisions for the men
with the cut at 4-15 and 16 plus in division 2, and the ladies were playing
stableford.
Chris Voller shot 79 for a net 72 to win division 1 with
Mikael Andersson second on 76 and Mike Missler third on 77.
The Irish boy Cully Monks was in the headlines yet again
as he topped division 2 with a net 75. Harry Riley was in second 2 points
behind Cully and Joe Kubon took third with 79.
Anothai van Zeeland won the ladies division with her best
score for a long time, 31 points, and Toi Blair was second with 29.
The course is still improving slightly each week but with
the wet weather conditions here over the last month or so some of the areas
at the back of the greens they have not been able to cut so the rough is a
tough test of golf.
There had been no ‘2’s in division 1 for two games but in
division 2 Joe Kubon birdied the 3rd and John Steel the 13th to share the
double pot.
Near pins went to Mikael Andersson, Joe Kubon, Keith
Wooley, Ian Plumber, Kari Kuparinen, Ian Plumber, Ya Riley and Bryan
Priestley.
There were no ladies on the green at all today for nearest the pins and
the ladies tipple in the mens division was won by the Swansea boy Mike Lewis
for his score of 14 on the eighth hole with four balls in the water, well
done Mike!
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Dry courses equal good scores
IPGC golf from The Haven
Al Keith.
Sunday, Oct. 30, Green
Valley - Stableford
CSS 72
1st Jon Batty (10) 39pts
2nd Andreas Grunenberg (14) 36pts
3rd Joe McArdle (11) 36pts
With the return of the dry weather the course had almost
totally recovered with just a few damp patches in a few areas around the
greens, and with the fairways in very good condition it all made for a good
day’s golf.
Jon Batty returned his best card in Thailand to win by
three from a closely contested count back between Andreas Grunenberg and Joe
McArdle, which Andreas won with a better score of 20 to 19.
The 2’s were shared between Peter Masters Andreas
Grunenberg and Jon Batty who had two.
Shuichi
Kodaka.
Monday, Oct. 31, The
Emerald - Stableford
CSS72
Division 1 (0-16)
1st Al Keith (5) 38pts
2nd Alan Griffiths (12) 38pts
3rd Nigel Jenkinson (11) 36pts
4th Peter Sumner (9) 35pts
Division 2 (17+)
1st Shuichi Kodaka (17) 37pts
2nd Frank Hughes (17) 33pts
3rd Yukio Kikuchi (20) 33pts
4th Roar Berger (26) 32pts
Another course that has recovered well from the recent
heavey weather is The Emerald, where the fairways are not quite up to the
standard of Green Valley but the greens are certainly as good and possible a
little better.
Again the scoring was good and with the fine conditions
bringing out a few more golfers the numbers were sufficient to necessitate
the formation of two divisions with the split coming at 16 and below.
Al Keith had an outstanding round which included a
sparkling back nine of level par gross, including a double bogey on the
last, and had to suffer a chorus of “Anchors Away” as he collected the
winner’s prize. Even with the blob on the final hole his inward nine was
still good enough to win the count back by a margin of 21 to 20, leaving
Alan Griffiths to take second spot.
Nigel Jenkinson at last put in a card that got him onto
the podium at level handicap level which left Peter Sumner in fourth one
point back with a one over return.
The second division was a far easier ride for Shuichi
Kodaka as he left his nearest challengers four shots in the rear with a one
under return to stroll into the top spot.
Frank Hughes returned to Pattaya with a result that put
him on the second step with a better count back of 19 to 13 after Yukio
Kikuchi faded badly over the last nine after going out in two under handicap
and amassing twenty points, slumping into third place ahead of Roar Berger
one further back in fourth.
There were no 2’s in the second division but the first
division turned up four: 1 by Al Keith and a record 3 from Nigel Jenkinson
whose short irons were definitely on track over the very testing par threes.
Before presenting the day’s prizes The Doc welcomed new
members Chriss Ahlsson and Mark Wheeler and also welcomed back Dave
Spendley, Peter Sumner and Frank Hughes.
Lyle
Blaw.
Friday, Nov. 4, Green
Valley - Stableford
CSS 71
1st Lyle Blaw (12) 39pts
2nd Shuichi Kodaka (17) 37pts
3rd Dick Heaney (15) 37pts
4th Bob Lamond (6) 36pts
5th Mark Armstrong (23) 35pts
Back to just one division after the venue for the day was
changed at the last moment with an earlier tee time and leaving time that
left a few at the starting gate having missed the announcements at the
previous prize giving by either non-attendance or insobriety.
But those that did make it to the start were treated for
the second time in a week to an excellently conditioned course where the
standard was high enough to ensure that the CSS for the day reduced to 71.
And it would certainly have gone down even a couple more if the system had
allowed it to do so as only one of the counting players failed to make the,
“within two shots of handicap”, mark and he had not played for several
months previously.
Lyle Blaw took his first win on this trip with a solid
round of three under handicap to lead the field in by two shots after
warming up for most of the week with scores that did not truly reflect his
abilities.
Shuichi Kodaka was again in the reckoning but had to
settle for second this time out and needed to win the count back over Dick
Heaney, which he did with a better score of 19 to 18.
Bob Lamond was ruing a couple of really short missed
putts, followed by a bit of pudding stirring, that would have put him at the
top of the day’s order and he had to settle for fourth place on level
handicap with Mark Armstrong, showing well at one over handicap and beating
five others with the same number of points but with worse count backs.
Al Keith and Alan Griffiths shared the 2’s pool in the
first division while Rod Howett swept the pool which included several-overs,
as the Doc cursed his luck after lipping out three times and missing out on
a share of the loot but at least finishing with three 3’s which was the
highlight of an otherwise poor day.
Before the prize presentations there were welcome backs
for Paul Stanton, Dick Heaney, Brian Libbey, Bob Lamond and Stephen Beard.
Note: The Haven group now departs Soi 13 at the
earlier time of 9 am until further notice. If you would like to play with
the group you can contact mobile 082 219 0965 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 8.30 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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The scribe scores a nice pair
Phoenix Tuesday/Friday Golf Group
Tuesday’s winners (standing
back row) pose for a photo with the staff at the Relax Bar.
Mike Gerrard
Tuesday, November 1,
Phoenix – Stabelford
Today we decided to try something a little different (and
hope for the correct ingredients to mix) - a 2-ball better ball stableford.
As any organiser will appreciate, the most important
thing that messes the whole idea of this game is when an odd number of
players turn up. Well, Buddha smiled on us and we had exactly 16 players, so
not only did we manage to pair everyone up, we also had four 4-balls. Lovely
Jubbly!
The concept of a pairs comp was not unanimous in its
desire by a few players, so we incorporated a singles prize as well. The
next problem anticipated by the organisers was the hope that cards would be
marked correctly and that scores could be checked easily. To this end, again
we were remarkably surprised, and generally it worked out and all the
players managed to avoid any D.Q.’s.
All playing partners were drawn out of a hat, and again
it seemed to work out reasonably well (except for one or two who will remain
nameless!) So back at the Relax Bar, we assembled to give out all the
goodies. But the first drink was the most important.
The winning team consisted of Richard Baldwin and yours
truly (Mike Gerrard), with a very respectable 43 points, and it has to be
said if Richard had been a little luckier with about 6 or 7 of his putts
just lipping out, the score could have been very embarrassing.
In second place was the pairing of John Bartley and Denis
Dixon, with 42 points.
The winning singles score again came from your
correspondent, with John Bartley taking second.
The near pins went to Dave Boran (2) and Bill Hewitt
while the fourth one was not claimed so it went to the lucky draw. The
recipients of this were David Czernie, who claimed the free massage donated
by the Relax Bar, while the free drink, also donated by the Relax Bar, went
to Bill Hewitt. The other two prizes went to Tim Mason and Joe Miller.
So, after all the trepidations and concerns the whole
event seemed to go very well, so much so in fact that we have decided to run
another one when we have a fifth Tuesday of the month. This should happen 4
times a year.
Next week we play for the KPK Food Services voucher under
stableford rules.
We are now into the high season and any guest of the
members who wish to come and join our group will be pleased to find that
their green fee will be only 1,000 baht plus 300 baht for a caddy. This
price will be in place until next April. However, we are going to limit our
group to 6 tee times only. This saves frustrations at waiting too long when
you have huge groups. We also limit any male player joining to a maximum of
28 handicap, which must also be a current valid handicap.
Friday golf is limited to 3 groups at the moment and we
meet both Tuesday and Friday at the clubhouse at 11.00 a.m. to tee off at
12.00 noon.
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Banjo strikes all the right notes
The IPGC Monthly Members’ Tournament
Left to right: November Medal
winners, Richard “Banjo” Bannister, Kung Maliporn and Larry Slattery.
On Wednesday, 2nd November, the IPGC members visited
Eastern Star for the November Members’ Tournament. Surviving the recent
heavy storms better than many members dared hope, the course has recently
toughened into a challenge for all golfers, and the combination of water, OB
and slow greens was a test for all three flights.
Each monthly members’ tournament will provide winners in
both divisions 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 contested a stroke play format
whilst the second division played stableford.
With the Sweep vouchers standing at a guaranteed 5K for
both divisions each month and the splendid “non winners’” draw at the
presentation, the event is one of the most attractive competition days on
Pattaya’s heavy golfing agenda.
In the first division Haruyuki Kato finished third with
net 75, playing solidly off his handicap of eight. In second place, recently
returned from UK, was Pete Sumner with net 72. The winner was PGS golfer
Richard “Banjo” Bannister who played a rhythmic back nine to finish with a
fine net 70 and the second best gross of the day.
The second division played the usual stableford format
and things were extremely tight again as six golfers contested third place
with Lee Casey successfully edging out Jim Ferris “et al” with a better back
six to finish on 33 points. In second place was Aussie golfer Ian Hogg,
following 41 points two days previously and recording 35 this time. The
flight winner was another PGS stalwart Larry Slattery who came home with a
fine 37 point score.
The Ladies’ flight was won by Kung Maliporn with 40
points with Yuza Reginuissen one point behind in second and Noi Emmerson two
points further back in third.
For the first time ever there were no birdie ‘2’s but the
par threes at Eastern Star are some of the toughest anywhere in the area.
After the tournament the golfers enjoyed an excellent
presentation buffet at Siam Cats, the home of Jomtien Golf, and the lucky
draw gave everyone present a share of the fun of the day. The presentation
and prizes were generously sponsored as always by the IPGC, and those who
had contributed to the success of the day were warmly thanked.
The official prize-winners are listed here but the full
list of results can be seen on the excellent official IPGC website at
www.ipgc.org.
Division 1
1st Richard Bannister net 70
2nd Peter Sumner net 72
3rd Haruyuki Kato net 75
Division 2
1st Larry Slattery 37pts
2nd Ian Hogg 35pts
3rd Lee Casey 33pts
Ladies
1st Kung Maliporn (19) 40pts
2nd Yuza Reginuissen (30) 39pts
3rd Noi Emmerson (19) 37pts
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Two of the best
for visitors & regulars
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Thursday’s top four: Barry,
Clive, Geoff & Jim.
Tuesday, Nov. 1, Khao
Kheow - Stableford
What a wonderful week of golf for the players at
Mulligans Lakeside; two of the very best courses available to us, Khao Kheow
& Treasure Hill, don’t you just love it!
Tuesday was Khao Kheow C & B, where the course has dried
out nicely, returning it to near its former glory. With 19 players today we
had 2 flights, 0-18 & 19+, with near pins spread around between Jeff, Tony W
and Mike, plus 1 going to BBH.
The A Flight was won by Jeff Wylie (5) with 34 points,
Dave Edwards (17) was second with 29, while Kat (14) got third with 27 on
count back over Tony Weresay.
The second flight went to Clive Hoseason (28) with a
day’s best 35 points ahead of Dom (19) with 31, and Tony Chetland (19)
picking up the bronze with 30 points.
Thursday, Nov. 3, Treasure Hill - Stableford
Thursday we had a late change of venue as we went to
Treasure Hill where the course just gets better all the time, still a
challenge mind you. With 17 players today, we again had 2 flights and with 6
x 18 handicappers we had the split at 18 with 3 in each flight, courtesy of
a blind draw by Mike.
The premier group was won by Geoff (18) with 32 points
edging Jeff W (5) on a count back 18/14, with third spot going to Barry (18)
on 30 points.
The other flight podium places were all filled by 18
handicappers; a day’s best of 34 points by Jim Federspiel, Willem with 27
and Clive with 26.
Near Pins were shared evenly between Jeff & the BBH.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf on Tuesday &
Thursday with timely presentations taking place at the bar on both days from
November 1st. Call 089 094 1841 for scheduling or enquiries. Hope to see you
there, cheers & good golfing!
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Newell snares the Medal as JTB cans an ‘Ace’
PSC golf from The Golf Club
Wednesday winner Paul
Smith (left) with The Golf Club’s Director of Golf, Bob Newell.
Monday, Oct. 31, Green
Valley – Monthly Medal
A Flight
1st Bob Newell (9) net 65
2nd Jeff Cordiero (11) net 69
3rd Chuck Anderson (10) net 70
B Flight
1st Henry O’Brien (18) net 68
2nd John Dearden (19) net 73
3rd Robert Still (12) net 73
Near Pins: Grant Cadell
It’s not often that a Monthly Medal net 65 score
would have to share headline space but then its not often someone has
the pleasure of shooting an ace! That honour belongs to JTB who homed in
on Green Valley’s par-3 12th with unerring
accuracy. At any time it would be a cause for celebration but even more
so on this occasion as John has landed a new job and was playing his
last round for a while before whizzing off on his new career. Good luck
John, see you on your return.
So to the Medal and our winner arrived with a steely
determination. A recent spate of decidedly average scores had pushed his
handicap ever upwards and closer to the dreaded double digits, something
not seen for a number of years. Without a turn-around in form that
single figure status was in serious jeopardy.
His big-hitting playing partners were likely to pile
on even more pressure; recently arrived back Steve ‘Rigsby’ Mulberry,
Ernie ‘Big’ McInerny and the recently appointed Thailand National
cricket captain Simon ‘Philpot’ Philbrook. Simon decided in true
cricketing fashion to get his ‘sledging’ in early (for none cricketers
it’s akin to barracking). Perhaps he should have waited before mocking
Bob’s rather feeble 220 yard drive down the middle as he proceeded to
then dump his first drive in the drink! Som nom na, I think that’s the
phrase.
With a score like that you would think it was easy
out there but that was far from the case. Many struggled on the heavily
sanded and unevenly rolling greens and, just to make it more difficult,
we went from sanded to not sanded and then back again. Another baffling
example of ‘Green-keeping for Beginners’.
It was a reward, then, for solid tee to green play,
good scrambling when needed and only 1 three-putt. Bob, rightly, takes
the prestigious, embroidered Golf Club Monthly Medal shirt and, more
importantly joins the very small list of double winners.
With another excellent turn-out we had 2 flights
today. With a host of single figure guys our cut was made at 11. Jeff
Cordiero, who is currently easing himself back into golf, continues his
progress and took second spot with his 69 just ahead of his playing
partner, and featuring in consecutive weeks, Chuck Anderson.
Grant Cadell took the near pin prize on number 4.
In the junior flight it was a battle royal for the
minor placings. Three guys were locked on 73 and after the count back
formula, which included all the fingers and the toes, Martin Zimmerman
was the one who missed out. A fine effort though as Martin, quite
literally, played straight off the plane.
Two more boys who featured last week were the ones
who came through, Robert Still got 3rd and our
‘Acer’ JTB nicked 2nd spot. They were no match for
our ‘B’ flight winner though. Henry ‘burglar’ O’Brien streaked home by 5
shots and with a 68 was the second best score of the day. Back at the
Golf Club we were ‘treated’ to banter, Scottish ditties and the Highland
Fling, thank God he didn’t Toss the Caber!
Wednesday, Nov. 2,
Greenwood - Stableford
A Flight
1st Paul Smith (2) 40pts
2nd Andrew Byrne (12) 37pts
3rd Thierry Petremont (12)
36pts
4th Steve Snelgrove (5) 35pts
B Flight
1st Mike Jeffries (19) 36pts
2nd Joe Charles (13) 35pts
3rd Peter Henshaw (16) 35pts
4th Colin Davis (15) 35pts
C Flight
1st Stu Carr (24) 35pts
2nd Peter Wallace (22) 34pts
3rd Jim Elphick (26) 34pts
4th Sean Soden (23) 34pts
2’s: Barry Copestake, Paul Smith, Martin
Zimmerman, Jeff Clohessy, Kevin McEntee
A fantastic 58 players tee’d it up for the first day
of the inaugural Golf Club/Lewinski 2-day Stableford Challenge, making
it a resounding success and reward for the mutual co-operation of these
two well-respected societies. Too often in town petty squabbles, egos
and jealousies detract from what we are all here for... to enjoy
ourselves, make friends and play some golf in our beautiful
surroundings.
Hats off to all concerned, owners, management and,
more importantly, the players for putting all of the negatives aside and
joining together in a competition that, hopefully, will grow and grow.
By way of a toss of the coin it was the Golf Club who
hosted the first event and presentation and it was an excellent turn-out
for prize-giving and Bob thanked all for coming and participating amid
all the usual bluff and banter. Tales and stories abounded of who did
what, who didn’t and what they’d do on Friday.
To the Golf Club’s utter dismay the winners table
showed the Lewinski boys occupying many of the places and, in
consequence, those early bragging rights. Even further embarrassment was
heaped on when it was revealed that all 3 Lewinski owners were in the
prizes but not one from the Golf Club. It was our duty then to at least
win the drinking contest, which I think we achieved with honours.
As befits many of these events the players made sure
the calculations weren’t easy. In ‘C’ flight 4 players were locked on 34
points and it took numerous efforts to find Peter Wallace in 2nd,
Jim Elphick 3rd and Sean Soden in 4th.
The unlucky guy missing out was Al Norris. Stu Carr stood alone on 35
and proudly took the division.
Wouldn’t you know it, up in ‘B’ flight 3 guys were
tied on 35 and also 16 on the back so it needed the back 6 score. Colin
Davis fared worst to take 4th, ahead of his
business partner Peter Henshaw. Thankfully for us Joe Charles managed to
get amongst the Lewinski boys to take 2nd and
prevent a clean sweep, with Mike Jeffries wrapping up the division with
his 36 pointer.
So to the big boys up in the senior flight and,
fittingly, the best scores of the day were produced here. Big, jovial
Stevie Snelgrove flew the Golf Club flag and notched the final placing
with 35 points (well done mate). Just shading him and battling hard was
Thierry Petremont, 3rd with 36 and Andrew Byrne
one better and making 2nd safe.
But no one could come close to the man of the moment
who is playing some phenomenal golf right now. Any score around handicap
on this track is great golf but to shoot 40 points is exceptional. Take
a bow Paul Smith, but, wait a second, there is one more amazing
statistic. Paul, incredibly, had only twenty putts. That is simply
awesome!
You can catch up with day 2’s happenings at Mountain Shadow on Friday
in this week’s report from Lewiinski’s found elsewhere in the sports
section of this paper.
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Ferris turns the screw
IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
On Monday 31st October the Pattaya Golf Society visited
Rayong C.C. and found a course in fair condition with medium paced greens
waiting for them and the use of two tees made life easy for the two flights
cut at sixteen and under. The format was stableford and all eyes were on Jim
Ferris to see whether his rapid improvement could give him a third
successive victory since his recent return from UK.
In the top flight Masanori Takano took third place with
32 points, a few behind the joint winners Peter Seward and Richard “Banjo”
Bannister, on 35.
In the second flight a birdie ‘2’ on the seventh helped
Alan Duckett take third with 38 points whilst Ian Hogg made an instant
impression on his return with a scintillating 41 points for second. The
winner was inevitably Jim Ferris with 43 points. The quality of his short
game is so much improved after a summer in England that his renaissance has
not yet reached its peak. Add to his short game the accuracy many courses
demand and you have a recipe for success.
For good measure Jim also came up with a birdie ‘2’ on
the sixteenth to share the pot with Alan Duckett. Elsewhere Garry Hookey
struggled on his return and received the Booby Bevy for his efforts.
And so the final month of the low season ended in style
for the PGS at Rayong C.C.
Too close to call at
Bangpra
The Pattaya Golf Society travelled to Bangpra on Friday,
4th November in an attempt to lay the ghost of their last visit a few weeks
ago when the course, though beautifully presented, had some of the toughest
superfast greens ever seen there. The course was still in the same condition
but the greens, thankfully, were slightly slower making grown men wince, not
weep.
The course was well populated and the usual late morning
high season start led to a long day for the two flights, cut at nineteen and
under.
In the second flight Len Jones blew away an excellent
twelve hole start with dropped shots on the back six holes to finish in
third with 30 points, two behind Switzerland’s diminutive Fredy Braun whose
tee and fairway shots show a vast improvement on his recent visit. Alpine
air is obviously good for practice. The flight winner was again Margaret
Wilkinson, this time recording 35 points on a course she usually performs
well on.
The top flight saw Gary Bolger make his debut podium
finish with 32 points whilst there was nothing between the joint winners
Larry Slattery and Joe Niisato both on 36 points.
The ‘2’s pot was shared by Margaret Wilkinson (hole 2)
and Jim Connolly (hole 17) and the Booby Bevy went to the day’s
hero-to-zero, Mr Len after his six shot loss on the back nine.
Honour had been restored at Bangpra and the group eagerly
looks forward to the next visit there, next month.
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Phil Elliott celebrates Bjarne’s Birthday with an ‘Ace’
PSC golf from the Café Kronborg
The winning scramble team
accept their prizes off Bjarne at the Café Kronborg.
Peter Blackburn
Monday, October 31,
Mountain Shadow – Stableford
On a beautiful Pattaya morning we found ourselves with an
excellent field of twenty seven golfers who were all keen to take on the
testy Mountain Shadow golf course. We welcomed back Joe Vanderwegan from
Belgium, Jean-Claude L’Hoste from France & Kurt Sandgaard from Denmark. It’s
great to see our old friends coming back to Pattaya and we will surely have
some large numbers of golfers playing with Caf้ Kronborg over the next few
months.
Phil Elliot holds up his
special Hole in One award.
We arrived at the course to find that we were in for
“millionaire’s golf” once again as it was practically deserted and our first
group was able to tee-off 20 minutes ahead of schedule. As mentioned earlier
the weather was terrific and the course looked in great shape with no sign
of the recent rains and the greens were in tip top shape.
Our first group found themselves in a bit of dilemma when
arriving at the first green as Mike Allidi had left his putter alongside the
practice putting green and his caddy had to go back and retrieve it. Poor
Mike was not feeling the best as he was suffering from some kind of
debilitating bug so of course he was excused and we continued without too
much delay.
The Birthday Boy himself.
The course turned out to be the winner on the day with
just two golfers playing to their handicap or better and Aussie Mike Gosden
took out the A Flight with a fine 39 points, three points clear of Niels
Hansen in second place. Andre Van Dyk continued his consistency and finished
third with 35 points with your writer fourth two points further back. A
count back was required to decide fifth place with Ted Morris (18 point back
nine) edging out Walter Baechli (17 point back nine), both having 32 points.
Another count back was necessary to determine the winner
of B Flight and Ronnie Ratte (22 point back nine) came out ahead of Martyn
Topham (19 point back nine) with both of them finishing on 35 points. Dave
“The Admiral” Richardson finished third with 33 points and there was a count
back to decide fourth and fifth spots with four people on 31 points. Graham
Buckingham (19 point back nine) ended up in fourth place with Bo Cardwell
(18 point back nine) finishing fifth. The unlucky golfers were Mike Winfield
and Kjeld Ravn.
Monday’s winners Mike Gosden &
Ronnie Ratte with The Admiral.
A Flight (0-19)
1st Mike Gosden (9) 39pts
2nd Niels Hansen (15) 36pts
3rd Andre Van Dyk (15) 35pts
4th Peter Blackburn (11) 33pts
5th Ted Morris (14) 32pts
B Flight (20+)
1st Ronnie Ratte (25) 35pts
2nd Martyn Topham (31) 35pts
3rd Dave Richardson (24) 33pts
4th Graham Buckingham (24) 31pts
5th Bo Cardwell (40) 31pts
Near Pins: Leif Kirkgaard, Alain Taddei, Leif
Kirkgaard, Niels Hansen
Long Putts: Peter Blackburn, Graham Buckingham
It was a close battle for the “coveted” Compass Cap but
Ulla Ravn managed to end up with it. Deefa the Dog was of course present and
collected many donations for the Pattaya needy from most present.
Wednesday’s top two Daryl Evans & Mike Gaussa with Peter Blackburn.
Wednesday,
November 2, Pattana B & C – Stableford
Once more we had a full contingent of twenty golfers
signed up for our popular Wednesday competition but a last minute
cancellation by poor old Mick O’Connor, who was unable to shake off the flu,
left us with one player short. We were happy to welcome Liiasa & Raimo
Rinkinen from Finland who have returned to play with us for 6 weeks or so.
It was also good to see a regular from Tropical Berts, Mike Gaussa joining
us for the first time.
We arrived at Pattana to find the course fairly quiet on
yet another beautiful day for golf, although rather windy. We were invited
to tee off as soon as soon as we were ready and our first foursome got away
25 minutes ahead of schedule at 0935 hrs. The course was in very good
condition with no sign of water after the recent heavy rains and the greens
were as usual very good although several had been sanded on C nine.
Newcomer Mike Gaussa took out the A Flight with a
sensational 44 points, 3 ahead of Alain Taddei in second place. A count back
was necessary to determine third & fourth places with yours truly (16 point
back nine) beating Brian Gabe (14 point back nine) – both with 34 points.
Another fine score of 38 points enabled Daryl Evans to
win the B Flight with Elias Magnusson 3 points further back in second place.
Our regular Compass Cap custodian Wendy Bernek finally came good with 33
points to finish in third spot with New Yorker Mike Winfield back on the
podium in fourth place with 30 points.
A Flight (0-19)
1st Mike Gaussa (13) 44pts
2nd Alain Taddei (17) 41pts
3rd Peter Blackburn (11) 34pts
4th Brian Gabe (16) 34pts
B Flight (20+)
1st Daryl Evans (18) 38pts
2nd Elias Magnusson (19) 35pts
3rd Wendy Bernek (30) 33pts
4th Mike Winfield (20) 30pts
Near Pins: Mike Gaussa, Alain Taddei, Peter
Blackburn (2)
Long Putts: Peter Blackburn, Joe Vanderwegen
Thursday,
November 3, Plutaluang N & W – 4-Person Scramble
It was that time of year again for Bjarne Nielsen,
proprietor of Caf้ Kronborg to sponsor his “Birthday Bash” in the form of a
four person scramble which as usual was held at the Plutaluang Golf Course.
This is always a popular event and a fun day so it was no surprise to see
fifty three golfers signed up and ready to tackle the North and West nines.
Starting off both tees we were able to commence
proceedings early and were blessed with fabulous weather. The course was in
terrific conditions despite an alleged complaint from George Bennison that
the sixth cut of rough was far too long! We were wondering why he had been
consistently so far off the fairway but it became apparent once the score
cards had been handed in.
I must at this point in time pay tribute to a member of
our team, Mick O’Connor who pulled himself off his sickbed to participate in
the event – true dedication Mick and thanks for that.
The greens were as good as I have seen them and whilst
not as slick as on other courses they were firm and true, which our team
captain Mike Allidi discovered after sinking a number of long, testing putts
to save par.
It was a great day and I’m sure enjoyed by most and apart
from a heavy shower encountered by a couple of groups as they were finishing
the weather was perfect. The highlight of the day would have to be the Hole
in One by Phil Elliott on N6 and after Mashi Kaneta’s ‘ace’ a few weeks ago
and several more over the last year or so it seems apparent that Caf้
Kronborg Golf is the place to be for performing the “perfect shot”.
Many thanks also to Bjarne Nielsen and his family and
staff for allowing us to celebrate his birthday yet again and providing the
excellent meal at Caf้ Kronborg afterwards. Happy Birthday Bjarne!
1st Daryl White, Kiwi Bill Marsden,
Paulie O’Mahony & Jerry Quinn – net 57.5
2nd Dave Richardson, Peter
Blackburn, Mike Allidi & Mick O’Connor – net 61.3
3rd Stu Rifkin, Joe Vanderwegen,
Mike Winfield & Ronnie Ratte – net 61.8
4th Ernie Bakkee, Dan Dorothy,
Benny Hansen & Jack Levy – net 62.3
Near Pins: Ron Gale, Graham Buckingham, Elias
Magnusson, Phil Elliot (Hole in One).
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Yui dishes out a pasting as Paul lifts monthly trophy
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society
Sunday winner Yui Bietry with
B Flight runner-up John Deardon.
Sunday, Oct. 30, Green
Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Yui Bietry (9) 41pts
2nd Jan Eriksen (12) 39pts
3rd Peter Lenoury (10) 38pts
B Flight
1st Eddy Delaney (26) 43pts
2nd John Dearden (19) 40pts
3rd Mark Butler (17) 39pts
Near Pins: Greg Bates, Francis Goyons, Yui Bietry,
Peter Lenoury.
The old scribe, being the hard-over traditionalist that
he is, seldom relinquishes the title shot to the girls of the society but a
performance such as the week before last when she well and truly shafted the
Donkey, and this weeks heroics can’t be overlooked.
Combing visiting wives and those local girls who are on
spousal scholarships their own flight was denied. It may be that henceforth
the balance of the girls would like to have their own flight, and prefer to
have Yui put in her own league. She topped the senior field today with a
rock solid 41 point effort.
Yui’s handicap should now drop even further, not bad for
a young lady relatively new to the golfing world and playing about twice a
week at that.
Jan ‘the quite one’ Eriksen followed Yui up the podium
steps a couple of stroke adrift while Peter ‘the Right Honorable’ Hynard
rounded out the flight.
On the more mundane side of things, there were equally if
not better performances, and none better than Eddy Delaney’s man of the
match 43 points. Eddy, like many of his fellow Irishmen, have made
incredible moves on their handicaps since supplementing their home games
across the gulf of Thailand with a couple of games a week with the society.
Eddy led two fine golfers across the line in the junior
flight; 19 handicapper John Deardon who had 40 excellent points and Mark
Butler who gathered a solid39 points to close the flight.
Yui’s day was complete as she added a near pin and two
‘2’s to her purse. Peter Lenoury, Bob St Aubin and Bryon Dodd help share the
‘2’s pot.
Tuesday, Nov. 1,
Bangpakong - Stableford
A Flight
1st Matt Doyle (12) 38pts
2nd Mike Holmes (12) 35pts
B Flight
1st Sean Soden (23) 42pts
2nd Jim Bell (19) 41pts
Some late reshuffling offered the society an opportunity
to visit old friend Bangpakong Riverside, and enjoy some of the road
construction which seems to dominate the northern corridor. The society
found the course in extremely good condition and the cost very attractive.
Sean Soden certainly showed no ill effects from the
slightly longer drive as he led a B Flight were both podium places needed 40
plus points. His 42 points was just one stroke clear of the ever improving
Jimmy ‘Houdini’ Bell.
Who is the masked man that stole the top money in the
senior division? None other than Matt Doyle, founder member of the Co.
Offaly gang, and it has taken a while for him to find his form this trip so
“watch out”. Matt’s 38 points was three clear of Mike Holmes.
Kevin Mcentee and Colin the Donkey split the ‘2’s pot.
Everybody enjoyed the day out and carn’t wait for the
next trip.
Friday, Nov. 4, Mountain
Shadow - Stableford
A Flight
1st Bob Newell (9) 36pts
2nd Mark Jenson (9) 36pts
3rd Andrew Byrne (12) 36pts
4th Paul Smith (2) 35pts
5th chuck Anderson (10) 34pts
B Flight
1st Matt Doyle (13) 41pts
2nd Colin Davis (15) 36pts
3rd Martin Zimmerman (16) 36pts
4th Keddie Vuan (18) 35pts
5th Adam Oyston (17) 32pts
C Flight
1st Jim Elphick (26) 38pts
2nd John Deardon (19) 35pts
3rd Sean Soden (28) 33pts
4th Keith McLachlan (21) 31pts
5th Stu Carr (24) 30pts
Near Pins: Peter Henshaw, Reg McKay, Steve
Snelgrove, Chuck Anderson.
Long Drives: Andrew Byrne
Long Putt: Adam Oyston
The week wrapped up with a trip to the tree-lined
fairways and undulating greens of Mountain Shadow to conclude the first ever
two-day Golf Club - Lewiinski’s stableford challenge. The 63 contestants
found the course to be in awesome condition. This led to only two players
managing to better par on the day.
B Fight’s soon to be A Flight’s County Offaly gang member
Matt Doyle toured the course with an unbelievable 41 point haul to win the
senior flight and man of the match honors. Colin ‘the Donkey’ and Martin
Zimmerman tied with even par rounds and while ‘the Donkey’ had the better of
the resulting count back Martin is to be commended. Vuan Keddie was a shot
adrift to accept the 4th extended podium spot while
big Adam Oyston prevailed in a count back over the unlucky J.W. to fill the
flight.
Lewiinski’s kept the winning streak going as their very
own Jimmy ‘two shots’ Elphick was the other contestant that bettered par on
the day. Jim posted a rock solid 38 points to lift the gold in the minor
division. ‘Dear’ John Deardon got the message as he took the silver three
shots back, Sean Soden snatched the bronze a further two shot’s adrift,
while Keith McLachlan and Stu Carr filled the minor places in that order.
The flagship flight was full of drama as three seasoned
golfers vied for the top podium spot as they all garnered even par rounds -
an excellent achievement on this course. County Offaly gang member Andrew
Byrne sadly had no luck with his inward nine and was awarded the bronze,
while Mark Jenson’s sums were a bit more favorable as he lifted the silver.
It was only fitting considering the amount of work he has
put in to get this monthly comp off the ground, that no other than the Golf
Club’s Golf Manager ‘Broadmoor’ Bob Newell, should have the good fortune to
stand head and shoulders above the rest on the senior flight podium, a feat
we all know he achieves without the aid of the podium.
Paul Smith filled the fourth spot with sound 35 points
and when added to his first day masterpiece at Greenwood Paul he deservedly
entered the record books as our first ever winner, and took home the lead
cut glass crystal engraved trophy.
Back at Lewiinski’s and after the famous Lewiinski’s
buffet and presentation, Colin thanked all concerned with making this
monthly tournament a great success. I myself can only echo Bob’s thoughts -
what a terrific day and roll on next month. I might just add that this
tournament is open to all, and you will be made extremely welcome.
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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Scores on the up as Bruce blitzes Green Valley
PSC golf from The Caddyshack
Wednesday, November 2,
Green Valley – Stableford
A Flight
1st Clive Bruce 43pts
2nd Rick Culley 39pts
3rd Phill Cawse 38pts
B Flight
1st Ben Findon 36pts
2nd Dave Strang 35pts
3rd Ramsay Smith 34pts
2’s: Phonsie McGahan, Ed Horrocks
Wednesday at Green Valley saw Clive Bruce score an
amazing 43 points, which equated to a gross 75! Back at The Caddyshack,
Clive said he had been knocking on the door lately for a good score and
finally it has come, but he added that he was aided by the firmer than
normal fairways that gave him the extra yardage he needed.
Friday, November 4,
The Emerald - Stableford
A Flight
1st Ted Gardner 42pts
2nd Gary Lunn 40pts
B Flight
1st Brain Orr 38pts
2nd Dave Strang 35pts
2’s: Jim McGovern, Ted Gardner, Phonsie McGahan
Ted Gardner scored a very strong 42 points to win
division A on Friday and with all these amazing scores this past week the
biggest amazement is how is Brian Orr still in division 2? Brian won again
at Emerald with a nice steady round of 38 points.
Note: The Caddyshack group is now playing golf on
Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.
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The ‘Bus Driver’ hits top gear
PSC golf from The Fairways Golf Society
Shane
Ruddle.
Wednesday,
November 2,
Pleasant Valley – Stableford
We had to make a decision to play off the blue or white
tees today, and as the blues were way back on the ‘tiger tees’ we decided to
play of the whites, but after the first hole they were well forward and this
made the course much easier for the big hitters.
The forward tee placements meant that on most holes the
players only had a short iron into the green for their second shot and the
scoring was of a very high standard partly due to this.
Shane ‘the bus driver’ Ruddle excelled in the A flight as
did Bryan Neal in the B division. Near pins went to Ken Meek, Richard
Hurley, Alan Pilkington and Ning Neal.
A Flight
1st Shane Ruddle (2) 41pts
2nd Richard Line (8) 38pts
3rd Alan Pilkington (9) 37pts
B Flight
1st Bryan Neal (20) 39pts
2nd Ken Meek (21) 37pts
3rd Brian Maddox (20) 36pts
Friday, November 4,
Greenwood – Stableford
Hopefully the rain has finally left us because today was
the first time that we did not get wet on the golf course for a long time,
so it was a pleasure to play this course again.
Surprisingly enough today, only two players managed to
break par, namely David Done and Bryan Neal. Near pins went to Graham
Johnston, Scott Dobins, Bryan Neal and Pier Cere.
A Flight
1st Dave Done (18) 39pts
2nd John Coetzee (19) 34pts
3rd Barry Wellings (6) 31pts
B Flight
1st Bryan Neal (20) 37pts
2nd Noi Emerson (21) 36pts
3rd Tony Duthie (20) 35pts
Note: The Fairways Driving Range and Golf Society
is situated at the top of Pattaya Klang on Sukhumvit Road and 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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Carmody wins by a street at Crystal Bay
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
A & B Flight winners pose for
a photo with Pu - the ‘real boss’ at Bert’s.
Derek Brook
Tuesday, November 1, Crystal Bay – Stableford
It makes a change to set out in the morning with great
hopes of actually playing a game of golf without having to worry about
getting my feet wet or being rained off. The last time we went to this
course we waded around and used carts that seemed to always leave tracks
behind us.
On this day it did not rain the night before, mind it did
pour it down 2 nights before, and we drove down in what can only be called
dry weather. Great!
Arriving at the course we booked in without those dreaded
words “carts on the path only” and as we stood on the first tee we did not
even need to inspect the fairways and bunkers to see if they were bad enough
for ‘lift clean and place’. So off the tee we went and expected to get some
run on the ball, and being back to normal all was well with the world.
That was the good news; the bad news was that we had a
very strong wind that made playing into it difficult. Mind, the greens were
firm and played true, so all in all it was a fine day out, if a bit trying.
The scores were not going to be great but at least we could get around
without wet feet. Happy days!
Back at Bert’s it was time for the results and we had two
flights. In the A Flight, 0 to 18, the winner was Brian Parrish with 37
points ahead of yours truly (Derek Brook) with 35 points and Mike Gaussa
with 34 points. In the B Flight, 19 up, the winner with the best score of
the day was Don Carmody with 38 points ahead of a count back on 29 points
that saw Henry Wong in second and Jim Ferris in third. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Don Carmody, Brian Gabe, Mike Gaussa,
Tom Cotton.
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Murphy blazes a trail
at Phoenix
PSC golf from The Bunker Bar
October golfer of the month
Peter Habgood celebrates with Lily.
Monday, Oct. 31, Green Valley - Stableford
The last game of the month at Green Valley would
determine the golfer of the month for October. Gordon Melia was in the lead
but only by the narrowest of margins, Peter Habgood being his nearest rival.
Well, Gordon has returned to the UK for a week so he
didn’t play today and Peter came in third, beating Sean Murphy and Reg Smart
on a count back, which was just enough for him to pip Gordon at the post,
well done Peter!
1st Mashi Kaneta (13) 40pts
2nd Lee Butler (14) 34pts
3rd Peter Habgood (18) 33pts
Near Pins: Reg Smart, Mashi, Phil Moore, Dave
Ashman.
Wednesday, Nov. 2, Phoenix
Mountain & Ocean - Stableford
Mashi Kaneta got in the frame again today but could only
finish second to Sean Murphy who played out of his skin and came into the
clubhouse with a magnificent 41 points to take the honours. Sean won a
couple of near pin prizes too, making it a nice profitable day for him. Tony
Robbins claimed third place a couple of points back.
1st Sean Murphy (15) 41pts
2nd Mashi Kaneta (13) 35pts
3rd Tony Robbins (11) 33pts
Near Pins: Lee Butler, Geoff Parker, Sean Murphy
(2)
Friday, Nov. 4, Bangpra -
Stableford
A good turnout for Bangpra meant we had two flights with
the cut set at handicap 18. Mario Benavidez took the B Flight with 36 points
and there were three players behind him tied on 30 points. After a count
back Mario’s pal Graeme Preston took the runner-up spot and Reg Smart came
away with third place, leaving Bernie Stevens empty handed.
In the A Flight there was a clear winner, Paul Edgar
beating Geoff Parker by two points who, in turn, beat Dave Ashman by the
same margin.
A Flight
1st Paul Edgar (15) 38pts
2nd Geoff Parker (17) 36pts
3rd Dave Ashman (12) 34pts
B Flight
1st Mario Benavidez (27) 36pts
2nd Graeme Preston (23) 30pts
3rd Reg Smart (23) 30pts
Near Pins: Tony Robbins, Paul Edgar, Phil Moore
(2).
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China defeats USA for gold at Thailand beach-volleyball championships
Gold medal winners: China’s Xi
Zhang (left) and Chen Xue.
Despite having one player challenged with a knee injury,
China’s Chen Xue and Xi Zhang still came out strong and got even stronger
against the USA pairing of Jennifer Kessy and April Ross to capture the
internationally-televised gold medal match at the Phuket Thailand Open last
Sunday.
The gold medal match on the tropical Karon Beach center
court saw the Chinese duo defeat the USA second-seeds, 21-16, 21-14 in just
40-minutes. Xue and Zhang leave Phuket with a perfect 6-0 record with each
match being won in two sets while Kessy and Ross finished with a 5-1 record.
The FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour visited
Phuket for the sixth consecutive year at the purpose-built venue on Karon
Beach for this extremely popular event at the dynamic tourist destination on
the southwest side of exotic Phuket province. Many of the world’s current
top and rising stars of women’s beach volleyball tandems were in Thailand to
conclude the 15-event 2011 women’s FIVB Beach Volleyball Swatch World Tour.
China’s Chen Xue and Xi Zhang
(left court) take on the USA pairing of Jennifer Kessy and April Ross in the
final of the 2011 Phuket Thailand Open at Karon Beach, Phuket, on Sunday,
November 6.
The winning pair will share the $30,000 first-place prize
while the silver medal team will split $21,000, the bronze $15,000 and the
fourth place team will divide $11,200.
“My teammate carried me on her shoulders today and was
always there when I wasn’t quiet there, it was remarkable to experience,”
said Zhang following her team’s gold medal performance. “We really didn’t
make very many mistakes and by controlling the tempo like that we got we
really want—a happy ending. The Americans are a great team but somehow today
we didn’t miss on very many, sets, digs, kills and blocks. My knee hurts but
obviously it fells a lot better now.”
In the bronze medal match Sunday, Italy’s fifth-seeded
Greta Cicolari and Marta Menegatti overwhelmed Australia’s 19th-seeded
Louise Bawden and Becchara Palmer in two-sets, 21-19, 21-15 in 47 minutes.
The Phuket Thailand Open was being produced by Pentangle
Promotions Co., Ltd. of Bangkok in association with the FIVB and the
Thailand Volleyball Association.
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Pattaya golf summit calls for seismic changes in the game
Golfing great Tony Jacklin
(left) receives a welcoming gift from Suraphon Svetasreni, Governor of the
Tourism Authority of Thailand.
Turning back the tide of pessimism and despondency
sweeping over the game, the week long and star studded 2011 Asia Pacific
Golf Summit (APGS) held at the Royal Cliff’s Pattaya Exhibition and
Convention Hall called for major changes in the golfing industry.
Citing declining rounds, failure to retain new players,
high cost associated with the game, the time-consuming nature of the sport
and its degree of difficulty, a series of world-class speakers urged
delegates from around the globe to unify and turn their attentions to
thinking outside the box in order to grow the game.
Award winners pose for a
group photo at the Pattaya Exhibition and Convention Hall, Wednesday,
November 2.
“We need seismic change in golf,” said Scottish
motivational speaker Bill Sanderson, during a powerful keynote address.
“This gathering at the fifth edition of the Asia Pacific Golf Summit can be
the catalyst for that change. It’s all about being ready. It’s all about
being solutions oriented. And it’s all about growing the game of golf in
Asia.”
Defying the floods that have struck the capital of
Bangkok, more than 400 delegates gathered in Pattaya from Oct. 31 – November
6 to tackle the theme of the Challenge of Change at the APGS and the Golf
Course Superintendents of Asia Summit, PGA Conference of Asia and ASEAN Golf
Tourism Forum.
Sanderson’s sentiments were echoed by a high-profile
series of speakers, including golfing greats Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player and
Tony Jacklin as well as special guest Jimmy Connors, the tennis legend.
Also outlining the urgent need for the game to open up
and introduce new and innovative formats of play were James Cronk, President
of the Cronk Group, Terry Anton, President of SNAG Golf, who is aiming to
take the game to 100 million children in schools around the world in the
coming years, and English amateur golfing great Peter McEvoy, the founder of
PowerPlay Golf.
American tennis legend Jimmy
Connors (right) receives an Asia Pacific Excellence in Sports Award from
Akapol Sorasuchart, President of the Thailand Exhibition and Conference
Bureau, as Pattaya Mayor Ittiphol Khunplome looks on.
There was a special focus on China and India with
hard-hitting panel sessions entitled China – The Crucible of Change and
India – The Awakening Giant in Golf featuring experts on those countries.
Mike Sebastian, Chief Executive Officer of the Asia
Pacific Golf Group, owner and producer of the events, said: “Be it in Japan,
South Korea, China, India or Southeast Asia, golf is experiencing
challenges. There’s no denying the fact that the problems faced by golf in
the West are beginning to creep into Asia, (but) we have here at the Summit
some of the best brains in the golf industry – men and women who have their
finger on the pulse of the state of the industry and who are, therefore,
best positioned to guide and lead us into the future.”
During the week-long activities, four-time European Ryder
Cup captain Jacklin, Thai great Thongchai Jaidee, the most successful player
in the history of the Asian Tour, and Kyi Hla Han, Executive Director of the
Asian Tour, were all honoured with Asia Pacific Lifetime Achievement Awards.
Meanwhile, Player was inducted into the Asia Pacific Golf
Hall of Fame, while Connors became the first recipient of the Asia Pacific
Excellence in Sports Award.
Royal Cliff Hotels Group’s
Managing Director Panga Vathanakul (right) presents a ‘Green Certificate’ to
Mike Sebastian, Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Pacific Golf Group, for
helping to reduce global warming by opting to have their event at the Royal
Cliff Hotel.
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Hilton team hits the heights
Harald
Feurstein, General Manager of Hilton Pattaya (standing 3rd left) poses for a
photo with the victorious Hilton Pattaya male volleyball team.
The long wait for the Hilton Pattaya volleyball team is
finally over after they defeated the 5-time defending champions Asia Hotel
in the Thailand Hotels Association (THA) male volleyball competition held
recently in the gymnasium of the Pattaya Muang 8 School.
With over two months of hard practice the team got its
just reward and was helped in no small measure by the fantastic support of
their Blue Energy cheerleading team. Well done Hilton Pattaya!
Pattaya Cricket Club maintains
winning momentum
The victorious Pattaya
Cricket Club team pose for a photo at Horseshoe Point, Sunday, November 6.
Pattaya Cricket Club hosted Asian Star CC at Horseshoe
Point last Sunday in their latest preseason warm-up match and cruised to an
emphatic victory against last season’s Premier League Champions. It is
another victory that maintains the winning momentum gained from impressive
results in recent friendlies and the International Sixes Tournament in
Bangkok.
Both teams fielded their strongest XI’s so the fixture
was always going to be well contested and a good indicator as to what to
expect in the season ahead. ASCC won the toss and elected to bat first.
Despite early pressure from the opening bowlers of Usman and Jack it was the
ASCC batsmen that assumed control and boundaries flowed across the fast
outfield. Bilal and Mazhar were especially brutal on anything short as the
score raced to 50 after just 7 overs.
A double bowling change saw Yasir and the Sodhi arrest
the run rate and PCC slowly regained control and the pressure began to tell
as both batsmen perished trying to maintain the innings momentum. PCC
totally dominated the middle section of the 40 over game as the openers
returned and despite a typically resilient innings of 32 from Ajay ASCC
never really got back into the game and were eventually all out for 168.
The pick of the bowlers were Sodhi, whose leg spin at
times mesmerized the batsmen as he ended with figures of 1 for 26 from 7
overs, and Yasir who swung the ball both ways at pace to finish with 2 for
20.
Sunny and Debdas crafted another half century partnership
before both fell in quick succession. Bindu, making his club debut having
topped the run scoring last season for Punjab, and Jack set about
consolidating the start by working the ball with dexterity into the gaps
content to keep the run rate ticking over with ones and twos.
As well as the ASCC bowlers bowled the batsmen had the
answer and the 100 came up in the 20th over. Then as if they had just
received news the flood was coming the final 68 runs came in the next 5
overs as the ball disappeared to all parts. Both batsmen reached their half
centuries with Bindu 59 not out and Jack 52 not out and PCC completed an
emphatic win by 8 wickets.
Captain Simon Philbrook was delighted with the all round
performance quoting, “It is a pleasure to captain a side that offers so many
options and a delight to watch both bowlers and batsmen perform to such a
high level. The signs look fantastic for the season ahead”.
PCC run a 1st XI, 2nd XI, over 45’s and junior side and
anyone wanting to play or support, please see the website at
www.pattayacricketclub.com.
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Arnold & Bramley provide the fireworks at Emerald
Travellers Rest Golf Group
Saturday’s winners Brett
Arnold & Neil Bramley.
Tim Dalton
With the start of the “High Season” it is great to see
TRGG going from strength to strength with some returning golfers and many
new faces who all enjoyed some great golf and some superb weather.
Monday, October 31,
Crystal Bay – Stableford
1st Mike Sanders (6) 41pts
2nd Adam Oyston (17) 38pts
3rd Jim Cleaver (13) 37pts
4th David Booth (13) 37pts
5th Fergus Brennan (12) 37pts
Monday saw an impressive field of 20 players take on
Crystal Bay, which despite some recent terrible weather was in good
condition. The day’s winner off a handicap of just 6 was Mike Sanders with a
very impressive 41 points.
Tuesday, November 1, Green
Valley - Stableford
1st Larry Simpson (11) 39pts
2nd Ted Senior (12) 38pts
3rd Bob Anderson (23) 36pts
4th David Booth (13) 35pts
Tuesday saw 16 players including myself play at Green
Valley where Larry Simpson recorded a score of 39 points, which included two
birdie 2’s. I had the pleasure of playing with Larry and three out of four
of us all got 2’s on the fairly short 12th hole.
Thursday,
November 3,
Phoenix - Stableford
Overall
1st Mike Rushant (13) 43pts
Div 1
1st Tony Gliddon (12) 38pts
2nd Ted Senior (12) 37pts
3rd Mod Chaviraksa (12) 35pts
Div 2
1st Arnold Jones (15) 35pts
2nd Jim Mc Neill (16) 35pts
3rd Steve Smith (21) 33pts
Our biggest field of the season so far saw 33 players
play at our regular course Phoenix on Thursday where we had 2 flights with
an overall winner announced as Mike Rushant. Mike not only won the day, but
very kindly donated his winnings to help our good friend Barry Hooper with
his long road to recovery ahead of him. There will be more news of Barry and
TRGG’s plans to help him in future issues.
Saturday,
November 5,
The Emerald - Stableford
Div 1
1st Neil Bramley (09) 41pts
2nd Fergus Brennan (12) 38pts
3rd Jim Cleaver (12) 36pts
Div 2
1st Brett Arnold (16) 40pts
2nd Bob Anderson (23) 35pts
3rd Tim Dalton (22) 35pts
And finally our regular trip to Emerald again saw an
impressive field of 25 players enjoy a well presented course in superb
weather conditions. It was tricky golf with difficult pin positions and
tee’s placed well back, however this did not deter the high scorers with
Neil Bramley (Div 1) and Brett Arnold (Div 2) both recording scores in the
40’s.
Once again people’s generosity was on display with
several donating their winnings to the Barry Hooper fund. And for that
reason, coupled with his score of 43 points on Thursday, my golfer of the
week is Mike Rushant.
Note: For more information visit our website www.trgg. biz or call
038 422 525. You can find us on Moo10 Soi Diana, LK Metro where a warm
welcome will be given to golfers and non golfers alike.
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Dipita’s late hat-trick earns
maximum points for City
Paul Frain
Pattaya City played host to local team FC Planet last
weekend at the superb setting of the Thai Polo Club in East Pattaya, which
is now City’s home ground for the first and second teams.
City, who were playing their third league game, were full
of confidence after already thrashing last season’s league champions The
Londoner 4-1 to put them in a positive frame of mind for this local derby.
Both sides tested each other out early on to try to get
the upper hand and it was City’s Emmanuel Tshuma who went closest as his
shot on the run hit the Planet post and was cleared to safety. City were
having most of the play, with Tshuma in particular causing havoc down the
left flank and from one of these runs his team gained a corner. The same
player swung the ball across the area and it was firmly headed home by Ehsan
to make it 1-0 to City.
FC Planet struck back almost immediately however with two
shots on the City goal but both were dealt with by the keeper. City had the
majority of possession in the opening period but chances proved hard to come
by and the nearest City came to increasing their lead before the break was
when Dipita’s shot flew just wide of the Planet goal post.
Both teams made changes at half time and the pace
quickened in the second half with Planet getting their passing act together
and they started to threaten the City defense with one shot rebounding off
the home team’s goalpost.
Planet piled on the pressure and got their reward when a
bad mistake by City’s Ombolo let in the unmarked Planet forward Jack, whose
header hit the inside of the post before settling into the back of the net
to make the score 1-1.
The visitors went on the all out offensive and only a
brilliant double save by City’s keeper Anurak stopped Planet from taking the
lead. At the other end an equally brilliant save was made by the Planet
keeper to deny Dipita.
With time running out in the game it looked as if the
spoils would be shared, but a bit of magic by City’s Tshuma saw him send a
superb ball through a crowded midfield to find Dipita in space and the
forward calmly put it wide of the advancing Planet keeper to make it 2-1.
Planet did not give up and the City keeper still had to
make two good saves before Dipita scored his second to put the game out of
reach and then went on to complete his hat-trick when he struck home through
a crowded defense to make it 4-1 just before the final whistle. Dipita’s
hat-trick had come in the last six minutes of the game.
This match was an exciting as any and all credit to all
who played for the fairness and commitment shown by both sides.
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Podium place for Pattaya triathlete
Stephane Bringer leads the
elite triathletes during the cycle stage of the Laem Mae Phim Triathlon
2011.
Pattaya hotelier Stephane Bringer from the Woodlands
Resort in Naklua has added another trophy to his collection by finishing
second overall at the Laem Mae Phim Sprint Triathlon 2011 in Rayong on
October 16.
Despite a strong field with the Thailand Triathlon
National Team in full force, Stephane managed to stay ahead with the fastest
bike split of the day. Stephane completed the Sprint course in a time of
1:05:19 to finish as runner-up to Thailand’s Thanongsak Manchai.
The next event to look forward to is the Ironman 70.3
Asia Pacific Championship taking place in Phuket on December 4th, 2011.
First Gateshead
supporters club in Asia
Former
Gateshead and Blyth Spartans goalkeeper George Alberts and Shenanigans
Manager Stewart Fraser have set up the first Gateshead Supporters Club in
Asia at Shenanigans Bar in Jomtien. Seen in the picture are George, Stewart
and his adopted son Inn in Gateshead shirts ahead of this week’s 1st Round
FA Cup match between Blyth and Gateshead. Gateshead’s finest FA Cup run was
ended 0-1 at home to Bolton Wanderers (the year of the Matthews Final) in a
quarter final tie in 1953. Gateshead beat Liverpool 1-0 in this remarkable
FA Cup run.
Sixth
PSC John Preddy Memorial
Golf Tournament
Tuesday 22nd November 2011
at Green Valley Golf & Country Club
(In memory of John Preddy, 1939 - 2006)
Sponsors: Pattaya Sports Club (PSC), Bunker Bar -
Anyone interested in sponsoring the tournament please contact the number
below.
Format: Men’s Individual Stableford competition +
Team competition. (Best 3 Stableford scores)
Entry Fee: 1600 Baht per player
Payment must be made with entry form at the Bunker Bar.
All players welcome.
Entry Fee includes: Green Fee+Caddy Fee (Book Golf
Carts directly with Green Valley G.C.),
Free Buffet at the Bunker + free lucky draw Ticket.
Registration at Green Valley G.C. on Tuesday 22nd
November from 09.30am
Tee off from 10.00am (tee times allocated with payment of
entry fee)
Free Buffet at the Bunker Bar from 5pm Tuesday 22nd Nov.
for all players
Presentation, Prize giving, lucky draw and party at the
Bunker Bar from 7.00pm
Proceeds will be used to support the Street Kids
Children’s Charity.
Payment of Entry Fee and allocation of tee-off times at
the Bunker Bar, Soi Chaiyapoon
(off 3rd road near X-Zyte disco Tel. 0860026762 ). Please
book early to avoid disappointment.
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