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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.


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!


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.


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.


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


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!


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.


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.


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).


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.


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.


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.


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.


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).


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


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.


 
HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

Ansell hits top form at Khao Kheow

Voller takes the Medal at Eastern Star

Dry courses equal good scores

The scribe scores a nice pair

Banjo strikes all the right notes

Two of the best for visitors & regulars

Newell snares the Medal as JTB cans an ‘Ace’

Ferris turns the screw

Phil Elliott celebrates Bjarne’s Birthday with an ‘Ace’

Yui dishes out a pasting as Paul lifts monthly trophy

Scores on the up as Bruce blitzes Green Valley

The ‘Bus Driver’ hits top gear

Carmody wins by a street at Crystal Bay

Murphy blazes a trail at Phoenix

China defeats USA for gold at Thailand beach-volleyball championships

Pattaya golf summit calls for seismic changes in the game

Hilton team hits the heights

Pattaya Cricket Club maintains winning momentum

Arnold & Bramley provide the fireworks at Emerald

Dipita’s late hat-trick earns maximum points for City

Podium place for Pattaya triathlete

First Gateshead supporters club in Asia

Sixth PSC John Preddy Memorial Golf Tournament
 

PATTAPA SPORTS ROUND-UP

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