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Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League
200 Bowlers: Kran, Ooy, Sue,
Lek, Antero & Somrit.
Somrit bowling as a substitute for Indiana bowled a 206
game and 536 series to help Indiana to a two-two split against Tea Party.
Indiana won the first two games but Tea Party came back to win the third
game and the fourth point on total pins. Joe Ferral led Tea Party with a 504
series.
Second place Green Tree led by Noodle Russell’s 527
series won three points from Brother D. Sue Murphy bowled a 212 game and 530
series for Brother D.
Antero Ronkainen bowled games of 171, 205 and 184 for a
560 series to lead Bavaria to a three point win over VFW Post 9876. Ooy
Pluemkamon bowled a 200 game for VFW but bowled below her handicap due to a
119 third game.
Canada has been bowling well lately and they moved up to
fifth place after winning all four points from Caf้ Kronborg. Lek Reaper
bowled games of 163, 197 and 209, 569 series for Canada. Kran Nielsen had
games of 162, 205 and 200, 567 series for Kronborg.
Halfway stage in Friday league
PSC Lawn Bowls News
Alec, Paul Avery, ‘Rolex’ and
Russell.
John McCann
We are now halfway through the Friday afternoon league
which is due to be complete on March 30. The latest round of matches saw two
competitions of eight players competing against each other. The winning
pairs were Alec and Paul Avery in the one group and Russell and ‘Rolex’ in
the other group.
The latest standings in the league are Ken leading the
way with 15 points closely followed by ‘Brumi’ John and Russell with 13
points. As this event is sponsored by PSC there will be three medals awarded
to the first three people. Still 4 weeks to go with many players in
contention.
Buckers and Leif on top at Treasure Hill
PSC golf from the Cafe Kronborg
(L-R) Leif Kirkegaard, The
Admiral and Graham Buckingham.
Peter Blackburn & The
Drut
Monday, Feb. 27, Treasure
Hill –Stableford
Thirty one golfers departed the Cafe’ Kronborg at 0815
hours, salivating at the opportunity of tackling this popular course with a
relish not seen since Meatloaf was given a free run at the party pie table.
Mike Gaussa.
The first group hit off at 1015 hours and finished their
journey in four and a half hours.
The weather was as warm with an occasional breeze
providing some relief and the course was in top condition with the greens
rolling truly.
The Aussies were right at home as there were more flies
in attendance than punters at a barbecue which included free drinks.
On the fifth hole around fifty yards short and to the
right of the green is a hazard and a sign advising that a King Cobra lurks
within. Unless you are an expert in snake handling it may be worth keeping
in mind that a golf ball is not worth risking your well being.
We welcomed J.C. Lhoste from France today and bid
farewell to Mike Herridge.
In the A flight Leif Kirkegaard showed the way with
thirty eight points to relegate Richard Kubicki to second on a count back.
Ken Bernek on thirty six points was third whilst Gordon Uvanile and Paul
Cardwell filled the minors.
Niels Nyholm.
In the B flight our resident scrabble/quiz gun Graham
Buckingham, showed a clean pair of heels with an eye catching thirty seven
points. The silver medal went to Mike Herridge with thirty three points
whilst Brad Todd and J.C. Lhoste both on thirty two points and Ulla Ravn on
thirty points rounded out the flight.
A Flight (0-20)
1st Leif Kirkegaard (20) 38pts
2nd Richard Kubicki (13) 38pts
3rd Ken Bernek (17) 36pts
4th Gordon Uvanile (16) 35pts
5th Paul Cardwell (17) 32pts
B Flight (21+)
1st Graham Buckingham (22) 37pts
2nd Mike Herridge (24) 33pts
3rd Brad Todd (23) 32pts
4th J.C.Lhoste (24) 32pts
5th Ulla Ravn (37) 30pts
The short stick brigade resulted in Martin Todd on the
9th and Niels Hansen on the 18th being successful. The accurate ones from
the tees on the one shotters, saw Paul Cardwell on the 2nd,
Dave Richardson on the 6th and 17th
and Mike Winfield on the 13th take the honours.
The Admiral, Karen Brown &
Peter Blackburn.
The Coveted Compass Cap went to Jan Lovgreen with an
effort reminiscent of Captain Smith of Titanic fame who, when asked about
his mariner track record, replied “I’ve never lost a ship yet.”
Deefa was again in action in gathering donations for the
less fortunate in Pattaya and contributors are thanked for their efforts.
News filtered through recently that one of Pattaya’s most
esteemed golfers Arthur Bailey has passed away and all at Cafe Kronborg send
our condolences to his family.
Wednesday, Feb. 29, Wangjuntr Highland Course – Stableford
For most of us it was to be our first look at the
Wangjuntr Highland Course and although there were once more a couple of
annoying “no shows” we ended up with a reasonable field of 22 golfers
Assembling at the Kronny for a slightly earlier departure
of 0800 hrs we welcomed Niels Nyholm from Melbourne and your writer (Peter
Blackburn) back from 2 weeks in Perth.
After waiting around for a few minutes we got away at
0808 hrs and headed off for what we had heard would be a great challenge of
golf. After the one hour and twenty five minute journey we arrived at the
course which appeared to be surprisingly quiet which was contrary to what we
had been told earlier in the week when attempting to secure an extra tee
slot.
Our scheduled start time was 1000 hrs but it was 30
minutes after that when we finally got our first group away and the
experience began. Spectacular views were everywhere and my camera was
working overtime as we enjoyed this wonderful golf course which was in
terrific condition with lush fairways and well maintained undulating dreams.
I could write a book about this course but instead just suggest that anyone
who hasn’t played it should certainly do so.
As the scores suggest the degree of difficulty is quite
high but I’m sure that when we come back again, and I’m fairly sure we will,
then most of us will finish up with better scores. Even with considerable
walking we managed to complete the round in four hours and forty minutes and
we hardly spotted any other golfers on the course.
A Flight was well won by Mike Gaussa with 33 points, just
1 point ahead of Dr Paul Cardwell in second spot. Mike Gosden finished third
with 31 points and in a three way count back Stu Rifkin (14 point back nine)
was able to grab fourth spot with 29 points ahead of your writer and Andre
Van Dyk.
Niels Nyholm emerged victorious in the B Flight with 29
points ahead of Henry Wong (14 point back nine) who finished ahead of Bjarne
Kjaer (11 point back nine) with both golfers on 27 points. Mick O’Connor
finished in fourth place with 26 points.
A Flight (0-17)
1st Mike Gaussa (12) 33pts
2nd Paul Cardwell (17) 32pts
3rd Mike Gosden (11) 31pts
4th Stu Rifkin (14) 29pts
B Flight (18+)
1st Niels Nyholm (18) 29pts
2nd Henry Wong (24) 27pts
3rd Bjarne Kjaer (20) 27pts
4th Mick O’Connor (21) 26pts
Near Pins: 4th – Peter Blackburn; 8th – Ken Bernek;
15th – Henry Wong; 17th – Dick Braimbridge
Long Putts: 9th – Dick Braimbridge; 18th – Paul
Cardwell
Thursday, March 1, Mountain Shadow – Stableford
Many of us were weary after the previous day’s experience
at Wangjuntr Highland but looking forward to playing another classy golf
course, Mountain Shadow. Numbers were a little down but nonetheless we had
34 golfers signed up and assembled at Caf้ Kronborg in readiness for the
journey.
We welcomed Tom (T.C.) Cotton from Tropical Berts, Beat
Michell from Switzerland, Mashi Kaneta from everywhere and Peter & Somkit
O’Brien from Bangkok. Sadly we were bidding farewell to Brad (son of Martin)
Todd who was returning to Perth and Rob & Karen Brown who are off back to
Scotland after their long annual holiday in Pattaya.
We departed the Kronny a couple of minutes early at
0813hrs and just 45 minutes later arrived at the course which appeared to be
reasonably busy but we were confident of an earlier than scheduled tee off.
Such was the case as our first group got away 15 minutes early at 0945hrs in
perfect weather conditions albeit fairly hot & humid but all stocked up with
cold water (cold Heinekens in Stu Rifkin’s case)
For fear of sounding repetitious I will once more say how
great this course is, with beautifully prepared fairways & greens. Putting
from above the hole on some of the greens almost always resulted in 3 putts
as they were super slick but a pleasure to play on. There were very few
delays ahead of us and even after stopping for a couple of lengthy drink
breaks we completed our full round in four hours & twenty minutes.
The course was playing fairly tough on the day with just
2 golfers playing better than their handicap. Yours truly (20 point back
nine) managed to shake off his weariness from the previous day &
international travel and won the A Flight on a count back with 37 points
from Jesper Rasmussen (17 point back nine). In third place came Ken (let’s
hear it for) Bernek on 36 points and another count back saw Leif Kirkgaard
(18 point back nine) finish fourth with 34 points ahead of Mashi Kaneta (17
point back nine) in fifth spot.
It was a fitting farewell for Karen Brown as she won the
B Flight with 36 points and in a Quenella for the ladies Carole Kubicki
finished second with 34 points. A welcome return to a bit of form saw Peter
Hammond take third spot on 33 points and with 2 golfers on 32 points we saw
Mike Winfield (18 point back nine, 13 points last 6 holes, 6 points last 3
holes) finish fourth with Graham Buckingham (18 point back nine, 13 points
last 6 holes, 4 points last 3 holes) in fifth place.
A Flight (0-20)
1st Peter Blackburn (12) 37pts
2nd Jesper Rasmussen (19) 37pts
3rd Ken Bernek (17) 36pts
4th Leif Kirkgaard (20) 34pts
5th Mashi Kaneta (11) 34pts
B Flight (21+)
1st Karen Brown (32) 36pts
2nd Carole Kubicki (24) 34pts
3rd Peter Hammond (21) 33pts
4th Mike Winfield (21) 32pts
5th Graham Buckingham (22) 32pts
Near Pins: 5th – Ken Bernek; 8th – Jesper Rasmussen;
15th – Peter Hammond; 17th – Stu Rifkin
Long Putts: 9th – Mick O’Connor; 18th – Mike Winfield
The Compass Cap (awarded for worst score on the day) was awarded to Ulla
Ravn and Hunter paraded Deefa the Dog who once more collected many donations
to charity from the ever generous Kronny crew.
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Woollett wallops the field at Burapha
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
Monday, Feb. 27, Burapha -
Stableford
Twenty-four players teed off at Burapha on the A & B
nines on Monday from the blue tees. There were quite a number of new faces,
including Glen Hendriksen, Lynne Parry & Steve Croy and a special welcome to
them.
Ron Dickie celebrates his
Ace, achieved with a wedge on the 4th hole at Green Valley.
The handicap enhancements using the slope system, threw
up some high scoring, particularly for Woolly, who picked up 44pts playing
off 28 (5 over his Index) but even so, an exceptionally good round of golf;
Graham will be able to look forward to an index of 19.9 next time out.
Second in Div B was the flamboyant, Greg Ritchie (37) with three more tied
on 35, led by Kim Payne.
Jim Williams (38) won Div A from Mr. Consistency here at
Burapha, John Cunningham (36) who beat Sel Wegner, finding a bit a form at
last, with the same score.
There were three ‘2’s; two from John Cunningham on holes
3 and 12 and another one on hole 12 from Andy Monroe.
Div A (0-17)
1st Jim Williams (9/Hi6.5) 38pts
2nd John Cunningham (8/Hi5.8) 36pts
3rd Sel Wegner (17/Hi13.5) 36pts
Div B (18+)
1st Graham Woollett (28/Hi23.1)
44pts
2nd Greg Ritchie (25/Hi20.2) 37pts
3rd Kim Payne (21/Hi17) 35pts
Monday, Feb. 27, Khao
Kheow – Stableford
Another good turnout here with 29 Outbackers giving the C
& B nines their best shot. However, as usual the scoring is never as stellar
here as it is at Burapha and it is still our belief that they got the rating
and slope of the course completely wrong.
The Perth lads pose for a
photo after their round at Khao Kheow on Monday.
We were joined by another eight guys from Perth who
enjoyed considerable success at the end of the day at presentation time back
at the Outback. Dayle Hoek (36) won Div A ahead of Trevor Turner on count
back with Ron Dickie in third and Dave Palmer fourth whilst Div B was won by
another one of the group, Gary Arthur, who shot the best of the day, 39pts.
Mark Kembrey back on one of his regular R & R’s, yet rare rounds of golf did
very well to score 37 and take second place, from a surprised Suzi, four
shots adrift back in third.
There were only two ‘2’s, both on the Island Green (B8),
from Dave Palmer & Paul Greenaway.
Div A (0-16)
1st Dayle Hoek (12/Hi11.5) 36pts
2nd Trevor Turner (12/Hi11.1) 36pts
3rd Ron Dickie (8/Hi7.5) 35pts
Div B (17+)
1st Gary Arthur (18/Hi16.5) 39pts
2nd Mark Kembrey (20/Hi19.2) 37pts
3rd Suzi Lawton (17/Hi18.5) 33pts
Tuesday, Feb. 28, Pattaya
C.C. – Stableford
Twenty Outbackers arrived to find a very busy clubhouse,
however we got away fairly soon after our time for what was to be a
reasonably timed round, with fine weather and the course in just about a
satisfactory state.
Today we welcomed back, after a lay-off of over six
weeks, our ‘Chad’, Barry Chadbourn playing off a slightly revised handicap
as agreed by PSC Golf Chairman, Joe and General Jack, and he (Chad) received
a big cheer when the results were announced by Capt. Bob as he was in second
place in ‘B’ division.
We also welcomed two annual visitors from Australia, John
Burns and Dave Thomson who first heard about the Outback when they bumped
into Rosco (who could miss him!) at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Perth in
2009.
David Earthrowl (19) had son Tom keeping an eye on dad,
as David won Division ‘A’ with 39 points! Runner-up was the now former
caddy, Noy Kamsantia (20) with 34 points and in third was the ‘Turnip’
Dennis Persson (17) on 33 points, with the final place going to the
‘stunning’ John Lawton (19) with 29.
Regular campaigner, Jim Payne (24) led ‘B’ flight with 34
points gaining first place on count back over Barry Chadbourn (25), with
third and fourth place being decided in similar fashion as both Laong
Gatepratum (24) and Phompinmon Seesa (30) had 33 points, with Laong getting
the decision.
Div A (0-23)
1st Noy Kamsantia (20/Hi19.9) 34pts
2nd Dennis Persson (17/Hi18.5)
33pts
3rd John Lawton (19/Hi19.7) 29pts
Div B (24+)
1st Jim Payne (24/Hi24.8) 34pts
2nd Barry Chadbourn (25/Hi26) 34pts
3rd Laong Gatepratum (24/Hi23.1)
33pts
There were 28 players at Plutaluang on Thursday and a
further 53 at Green Valley the following day but unfortunately no reports of
either outing although the winners are listed below. One significant
achievement was the hole in one recorded by Ron Dickie at Green Valley on
Friday. Well done Ron!
Thursday, March 1,
Plutaluang E & S - Stableford
Div A (0-12)
1st Owen Walkley (11/Hi10.5) 40pts
2nd Ranay Singh (11) 33pts
3rd Matt Timbrell (11/Hi10.6) 32pts
Div B (13-17)
1st Gary Arthur (17/Hi15.6) 45pts
2nd Billy Britton (16/Hi15.3) 35pts
3rd Conor Doyle (13/Hi12.7) 34pts
Div C (18+)
1st Darragh McCormack (32/Hi28.6)
40pts
2nd Geoff Bracegirdle (20/Hi18.3)
38pts
3rd Kim Crijns (24/Hi21) 34pts
Friday, March 2, Green
Valley – Stableford
Div A (0-10)
1st, Jim Brackett (6/Hi6.9) 39pts
2nd Glen Hendriksen (9/Hi9.8) 39pts
3rd John Cunningham (5/Hi5.8) 33pts
Div B (11-15)
1st Murray Hart (13/Hi13.8) 34pts
2nd John Burns (15/Hi15.2) 34pts
3rd Keith Buchanan (11/Hi11.6)
33pts
Div C (16-20)
1st Sugar Ray Handford (18/Hi17.8)
37pts
2nd Martin Crichton (16/Hi15.9)
36pts
3rd Kevin Hamilton (18/Hi17.8)
35pts
Div D (21+)
1st Dino Binlusimoen (25/Hi24)
42pts
2nd Doug Douglas (23/Hi22.1) 29pts
3rd Andy Goodwin (21) 28pts
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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Kraft edges Funk by one on high scoring day
PSC golf from the Three Sisters Bar
Paul Kraft (left) with Bruce
Funk.
A group of 16 players teed off at the Pattaya Country
Club this 29th of February. Weather was fine, mostly overcast with late
morning sun. The course had some green problems but with the upcoming
closure of 9 holes this problem may be corrected.
Scores were out of sight - where a 37 is normally a
respectable number, 37s had no chance today on Trophy Day, with Paul Kraft
coming in with a blazing 43, followed by Bruce Funk with a 42. There were
four cards with 37 points; St. Laurent, Emerson, Ishinaga and Roper.
Back at Caddy Shack II Herbie provided the usual snacks
of chips, peanuts and pretzels. Everyone enjoyed the food and appropriate
beverages were on hand.
Peter and Bob retain the Rainbow Scramble
IPGC golf from The Haven
Scramble winners Peter Skinner
& Bob Heath.
Monday, Feb. 27, Eastern
Star - Pairs Scramble (Rainbow)
1st Peter Skinner & Bob Heath (9)
48pts
2nd Russell Exley & Stephen Beard
(12) 47pts
3rd Steve Clarke & Ron Hoban (17)
46pts
4th Rick Morgan & Neville Duncan
(6) 46pts
5th Yasuo Suzuki & Bill Hurd (12)
46pts
6th Hal Hart & Leif Lossius (18)
45pts
7th Jim Slattery & Glenn Eldershaw
(13) 45pts
8th Frank Dunstan & Peter MacKenzie
(20) 45pts
A heavy overcast day with a fairly strong breeze greeted
the hopeful contenders from The Haven as they looked forward to a day of fun
golf when for once the handicaps were not on the line. The format was to be
a two-person scramble with six tee shots to be played from each of the Red,
Yellow and White tees.
Alan Pilkington.
The handicaps had been calculated by adding the two team
member’s handicaps together and then being allowed 40% of the combined total
and rounded to the nearest whole number under the Stableford scoring system.
This allowed for all levels of handicap to compete, although each player had
to play at least seven tee shots during the round. Once again the format was
adjudged successful with 80 % of the field finishing within five points of
the winners total.
Unfortunately the condition of the greens made for a very
difficult day, with little consistency from one green to another and none
could have even been considered to be of a medium pace and most of them
extremely bumpy, making even two chances of the same putt a bit of a
lottery. It was a shame to see that a course, that had been in fairly good
shape just a few weeks earlier, had deteriorated so quickly and hopefully it
will not stay in the same condition for too long.
It would seem that no distance is too far in search of
the rainbow as the winning team travelled from their base of the South Herts
club in North London, England, with one of them stopping off in Europe,
Canada, the USA and Australia on the way. It was certainly a trip well worth
making as Peter Skinner and Captain Bob Heath once again reigned victorious
in the now regular monthly rainbow scramble that they had won almost exactly
twelve months earlier over the Mountain Shadow course, going one better in
their points tally.
But it needed Captain Bob to smash in not one, but two
thirty foot plus putts to win, the last one on the seventeenth hole, to
finish the back nine with 26 points and consign their playing partners
Russell Exley and Stephen Beard to second place after the latter pairing had
led them by three on the front nine and had been the form book favourites,
having both won their respective medals on their last outing.
Third place went to Steve Clarke and Ron Hoban who won a
three-way count back with a better 26 after a fairly quiet opening nine with
fellow club members Rick Morgan and Neville Duncan having to settle for
fourth after a return of 24 on the closing nine, which left Yasuo and Bill
Hurd in fifth with a count back of 23.
Sixth place went to Hal Hart and Leif Lossius after
another count back in which they scored 23 on the nine and 16 on the last
six as Jim Slattery and Glenn Eldershaw could put together only 14 on the
same six. Frank Dunstan and Peter Mackenzie rounded out the podium as they
could muster only 21 on the back nine after a sparkling 24 going out.
Prior to the prize giving Stephen Beard welcomed new
members Gary Brown and John Greenall and also welcomed back Ray Hallisey,
Frank Dunstan, Peter MacKenzie, Neville Duncan, Rick Morgan, Glenn Eldershaw
and Russell Gilroy all from the Wakehurst Club in the northern suburbs of
Sydney together with John Hayes and James Hawley.
Wednesday, Feb. 29,
Bangpra - Stableford
CSS 75 NC
Division 1 (0–11)
1st Alan Pilkington (9) 33pts
2nd Phil Mitchell (6) 32pts
3rd Yasuo Suzuki (11) 32pts
4th Jason Cole (7) 28pts
Division 2 (12–18)
1st Tony Barritt (15) 34pts
2nd Bob Heath (13) 33pts
3rd Al Rolnik (18) 32pts
4th Bruce Kusyk (13) 32pts
Division 3 (19+)
1st Glenn Eldershaw (23) 39pts
2nd Frank Dunstan (24) 34pts
3rd Steve Clarke (20) 32pts
4th Torild Lossius (33) 32pts
Yet another very big turnout required the formation of
three divisions. Following the disappointment with the condition of the
previous course played, there were great expectations for the day which were
totally fulfilled, with the greens staff having once again prepared a top
class course, especially the greens which were as usual faster than very
quick and extremely flat.
But the test when having to play from above the hole,
with a feather light touch, proved to be too great of a challenge for most
of the contenders, wrecking many cards in the process. It was therefore no
surprise to learn that the CSS for the day had moved out three strokes and
the competition became non-counting for upward review of handicaps, with
just one player making the required standard of “within two of their
handicap”, out of 31 counting players. Counting players are all those with
handicaps of 20 or less. In spite of the results it was agreed that the day
had been a great day’s golf over a very special course.
The first division was led in by Alan Pilkington with a
solid performance that was just good enough to keep Phil Mitchell of the top
level by a single point, with Yasuo Suzuki in third one more behind and
Jason Cole struggling in fourth another three back but a least in front of
quite a few others.
The second division was also a very close contest as Tony
Barritt returned the second best points haul of the day, at two over
handicap, to deny Captain Bob Heath a second successive win by a single
point. That left Al Rolnik to take third ahead of Bruce Kusyk as he won a
count back over the back nine with a better 15 to 14 result.
In the third division Glenn Eldershaw returned a
staggering 39 points to lead the group by five clear and earn a three shot
cut in handicap for the week, with the CSS having moved out by three and
following a better than handicap result at another venue earlier in the
week.
Glenn’s fellow club member’s Frank Dunstan, slipped into
second spot with a solid round, and Steve Clarke, snagged third with a
better count back over Leif Lossius by 17 to 12, after Leif had set the
course alight on the outward half.
There were no 2’s in the second division but Alan
Pilkington and Bob Heath proved it wasn’t quite impossible to putt by
getting one each and sharing the first division pool.
Prior to the presentations of the prizes there were
welcome backs for Terry Hodgkiss, Wilf Wellman, George Pittam, Phil Mitchell
and Stuart Hibberd.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you
can contact mobile 082 219 0965 or call in to The Haven Hotel, at 185 Soi
13, between Beach Road and 2nd Road. All
transportation to the course is arranged and you do not need to sign up
prior to the day, but you should be there by 8.30 on Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday 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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Family fortunes at Plutaluang
IPGC golf from the Pattaya Golf Society
On Monday, 27th February the Pattaya Golf Society visited
Plutaluang to play a stableford event on the West and North nines (why can
we never play the other two?) with the course in fine condition but with
traditionally slow greens.
The field was divided into two flights at fourteen and
under and in the second flight old mates Pat Murphy and Mr Len managed to
tie for third place with 31 points each. In second was Dave Wilkinson with
34 and the winner was Yvonne Earley, hitting the heights on a rare occasion
with 35 points.
In the top flight Pete Sumner struggled through the pain
barrier yet again to post a score of 34 points which was good enough to tie
him in second place with Steve Evans, the latter making a rare visit to the
podium. The flight winner was the very much in-form Mike Earley and he added
a 38 point return to his recent catalogue of fine performances. His birdie
‘2’ on W3 was matched by Masa Takano on W8 and Rob Alexander and Joe Niisato
in the “Lighthouse” hole, N3.
The presentation heard a very fine and comic explanation
of why Rick Schramm should receive the Booby Bevy but his absence precluded
this and instead it went to Toshihiro Aoki for scrubbing the entire front
nine in a disastrous start to his round.
“Rabbi’s” had seen a day when the Earley family fortunes
were in the ascendancy and the whole PGS group had enjoyed the day at
Plutaluang.
Slattery best of the day
On Leap Year’s Day the Pattaya Golf Society took the trip
to Bangpakong Riverside to play a stableford event on the exquisite course,
so well tended and presented. Always a joy to play, the lush fairways and
consistent greens are balanced by the lashings of Bermuda rough just to
encourage accuracy and the golfer who can keep the ball on the fairway will
always do well.
The field was divided into two flights at fourteen and
under again - such is the quality at the moment - and they set off on time
on a relatively empty course. In the top flight Steve Evans emphasised his
recent improvement with 33 points for third place, just one behind Masa
Takano on 34. The flight winner was the “Rocket Man” Rick Schramm who
recorded an excellent level par 36 points and contributed the best gross of
the day, 79.
In the second flight Rod Stevens found the secret to his
game and shared third place with Michael Sim on 34 points. The runner-up was
Barry Horman with 37 points, his best round for a while with the PGS. Larry
Slattery produced the best points round of the day to win the flight with 38
points.
Rob Alexander scored the only birdie ‘2’ of the day on
the long and difficult hole 4 and will cherish his first taste of golf on
the Eastern Seaboard as he boards his plane home at the weekend.
The Booby Bevy was held over from Monday and the saga of
the “Rocket Man’s” bad luck at Plutaluang was retold to great amusement by
playing partner Dave Moriarty. All in all it was not a bad way to celebrate
a day which comes around only once every four years.
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Brown bags monthly award
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Derek Brook
Tuesday, Feb. 28, Crystal
Bay – StablefordOnce again the end of the
month, and once again at this time of the year, the time the ‘guests’ go
home, the leading players in the MBMG ‘Golfer of the Month’ were from
the Brown Clan and the Kubicki Polish Invaders.
Max (left) presents the
MBMG Golfer of the Month award to Rob Brown.
Now I expect it, as in the last two years at this
time, the week before they go back these poor Brits have had time to
hone their skills and to leave us with one of them as MBMG Golfer of the
Month. Sad innit. This month it had to be one of them, so although I
considered cancelling the Golfer of the Month, till next week when they
had gone, I remembered that these two families were one of my major
‘Bringers of The Brit Cheese’ when they come so of course they are
allowed to win. Not to mention the other delicacies they bring, great
people.
The test for the day was to be Crystal Bay, just
straight down Sukhumwit and it’s on the right. Now you cannot miss that
can you, especially as the two players who were going for the first time
said they had no problems as they had a GPS. So a quick book in and off
to the first tee, where I was unsurprised to see our two first timers
were absent, so off the rest of us went on the A & B Nines.
All the winners from
Tuesday plus Richard Kubicki who we didn’t want to feel left out.
It was, I have to say, very windy and when playing
into it you had to be a bit careful, so on we soldiered, with the course
in quite good condition and the wind getting stronger. The fairways were
not too bad and the greens were pretty fast, all in all a good day out.
But I wondered where our other two players were.
Round over, and through the cold shower, we met our
other good friends the towels, all as good as they were 10 years ago, if
a little thin and frayed. We also found our wayward friends who told us
that putting Crystal Bay into the GPS continually took them to Khao
Kheow. They teed off about 90 minutes behind the rest. As we say ‘Once a
Sailor’. If they had been on a ship they would have run aground. Still
they had a great time playing the A & C Nines.
Back at Bert’s it was soon time for the presentation.
The winner with a ‘magnificent’ 33 points was Daryl Evans, says a lot
for the rest. The points score proved how tough the day was on the
course. In second we had a three way count back that would decide also
the Golfer of the Month. In second with 32 points was Rob Brown with 32
points ahead of Karen Brown in third and Carole Kubicki in fourth.
The count back finally decided the MBMG Golfer of the
Month and Rob Brown stormed in to win in the end quite easily. Have a
good trip home to the Browns and the Kubicki’s who bring so much fun
with them this time of the year.
Friday, March 2,
Treasure Hill – Stableford
This course at present is in fine condition and is a
regular on the monthly play list. On this day we had a full house and it
was apparent that many were playing for the last time before they got on
the plane and returned to the cold.
So into cars and up the road, and these days it does
not take long to get there, then a quick change and onto the first tee.
This being a ‘longish course’ it was a day to play
off the Yellow Tees, and as the course was in good condition it was not
long before we were round and finished. Back in the changing room it was
a quick shower, then into cars for the journey back to Bert’s for the
presentation.
In the A Flight, 0 to 18, the winner was Andre Van
Dyk with 37 points ahead of Steve Hamstad in second with 34 points on
count back over Rob Brown in third. In the B Flight the winner was Joel
Flor with 38 points ahead of Barry Elphick in second with 35 points and
Brian Gabe in third with 34 points.
Then it was time for a couple of ‘cold uns’
especially for those soon to go home to the cold place. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Brian Parrish, Rob Brown, Michael
Boat, AVD.
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JJ continues his winning
ways at Emerald
JJ (standing rear) is
congratulated on his win by the staff at Kisses Bar.
After putting off the matchplay competition against
Jomtien Golf until later in the year it was back to normal for the Backyard
Golf Society’s Friday game at Emerald Golf Course.
With no write-up for the past couple of weeks due to a
lack of competitors it was good to see 11 players this week, of which 10
were in all competitions. We welcomed back Dannie L, Russell and Andy Oz and
proceeded to get away from the tee in good time so that we were back in the
club house by 13:00.
JJ ran out the winner with a solid 38 points, two ahead
of Russell with 36. Neville won the nearest the pin prize and took the most
skin prizes with (6). Other skin results were as follows: Andy Oz (5), Terry
C (5), Mike (1) and finally Dannie L (1).
With prize giving over it was off down the road to Kisses
Bar where Yok deserves a special thanks for laying on some food for us and
we returned the compliment by drinking a week’s worth of beer. The
entertainment was good value as well!
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Willem takes the win despite a late wobble
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Monday, Feb. 27,Greenwood
- Stableford
First to Monday (not Tuesday), when we ventured north
along 331 to Greenwood, where we had arranged a joint booking with the
Eastside golfers to take advantage of the discount available for more than
20 golfers. A & C were our allotted tests for this day and following some
representations to Ray, it was decided it would be an ideal opportunity to
have a better-ball competition. This proceeded with a blind draw of cards
for partners, then off we went!
A triumphant Willem after
Thursday’s 39 points.
Joel Flor (22) & Frans Olgers (19) were the top combo
with a fine 46 points, neither player had an outstanding solo score, but
combined well when it mattered most, (on the scorecard). Bob Edwards (9) &
Clive Hoseason (28) were next best with 41, edging Willem & Seamus on a
count back.
Near Pins were shared around between Bob, Jeff & Monte.
Thursday, March 1,Crystal
Bay - Stableoford
Thursday was a visit to Crystal Bay, A & B our
combination, with the course in good condition, although it must be said,
the greens are nowhere near as fast as they once were, quite tame really.
Back at Mulligans Lakeside, enjoying a cold beverage &
some good food, it was on with the presentation. Today Willem Lasonder (22),
who has been playing well of late, but not finishing off his rounds, was
able to compile a solid 39 points for the win, despite taking a wipe on the
17th. Hope you find a remedy for that Willem. He was
able to lead home Monte Sykes (7) who signed for 37 points, after also
making a couple of costly mistakes.
Near Pins were again shared around with Willem, Paddy &
Bob getting amongst them.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf generally on a
Tuesday & Thursday, with ML hosting timely presentations on both days. Call
089 094 1841 for scheduling or enquiries. Hope to see you there, cheers &
good golfing!
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Crijns & Petrement share the lead in Lewiinski’s championship
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society
Sunday, Feb. 26, Green Valley – The Open Day 1
A Flight
1st Bob Newell (7) net 68
2nd Jim Brackett (7) net 68
3rd Ian Dallas (10) net 72
B Flight
1st Jez Lees (16) net 67
2nd Claude Harder (13) net 70
3rd Jeremy McCarthy (15) net 71
C Flight
1st Alex Ferraz (17) net72
2nd Gil Sayer (18) net 73
3rd Paul Crisns (17) net 74
Near Pins: No 4 Francis Goyons; No 9 Yui Bietry; No
12 Jerry McCarthy; No 16 Sim Davis.
Thierry Petrement.
You can always get a rise out of a Brit or a Yank if you
initiate a conversation regarding the proper name for the golfing major that
is hosted annually by the Royal and Ancient. However there is unanimity for
the annual slugfest, sponsored by Lewiinski’s, which is contested for four
days (over an eight day period) and is simply know as “The Open”. Ok, well
maybe not unanimity, be that as it may.
61 players showed to contest an event that continues to
grow in popularity. For those unfamiliar with the format of the event a
brief word: All four rounds are played at three different courses starting
with Green Valley, Greenwood, Mountain Shadow and concluding at Green
Valley, our tacit home course.
The first two days are stroke play with the top fifty
‘and ties going on to days three and four of stroke play. Those that felt
the lash of the cut line clean their slate and play a two day stableford.
Bob Newell.
On Day 1, two of Lewiinski’s most prominent players, and
most liked I might add, broke from the gate quickly. ‘Broad more’ Bob and
Jim Bracket both shot net 68 and were closely followed by Claude ‘I will
try’ Harder two shots in arrears. Jim McCarthy, Alex Ferraz, Ian Dallas and
Gill Sayer were all just five shots off the pace.
The first day overall winner with a great net 67 was Jez
‘the Principal’ Lees who is playing some of the best golf of his career, but
as we all know, work comes first - at least for most of us.
Monday, Feb. 27, Eastern Star - Stableford
1st Pat Hanafin (12) 37pts
2nd Rick Maker (22) 34pts
3rd John Heaney (19) 33pt
A relatively modest group, attributable to the four day
Lewiinski’s Championship and back to back playing days, took on the Eastern
Star layout. Irishman Pat Hanafin carded a sparkling 37 points for the day’s
honours. Rick Maker was one stroke clear of John Heaney.
No 2’s were recorded.
Wednesday, Feb. 29, Greenwood A&B – The Open Day 2
A Flight
1st Matt Trimbrell (11) net 71
2nd Dayle Hoek (10) net 71
3rd Jarrod Clark (12) net 72
B Flight
1st Paul Crijns (17) net 67
2nd Gary Arthur (17) net 71
3rd Jim Bell (17) net75
C Flight
1st Tom Callahan (18) net 70
2nd Eddy Beilby (18) net73
3rd John Heaney (19) net75
The cream began to rise on day two as Paul Crijns
followed his first day net 74 with a best on the day net 67 for a two day
total of net 141, one stroke clear of the on song ‘Broad more’ Bob. The ever
dangerous Thierry Petrement stands on a 146 two day total with Garry Arthur
a further shot back. Don’t underestimate the Eagle - he is hovering. Has
anybody seen or heard from Wireless?
The reigning champion Dale Hoek, with a brace, plus four
others carded 2’s on the day.
Friday, March 2, Mountain Shadow – The Open Day 3
1st Thierry Petrement (10) net 73
2nd Colm Mullen (15) net 73
Plate A Flight
1st Colin Davis (15) 40pts
2nd Jerry McCarthy (15) 34pts
3rd Geoff Bracegirdle (17) 34pts
4th Mike Jeffreys (17) 33pts
Plate B Flight
1st Frank Sharkey ( ) 36pts
2nd Geoff Kubas (21) 36pts
3rd Gill Sayer (18) 34pts
4th Max Bracegirdle (26) 31pts
Day 3, ah moving day! Like a boxer coming of the ropes,
Thierry Petrement and Dublin’s Colm Mullen came roaring back and threw a
pair of net 73’s at it today. This gave Thierry a combined score of 219 to
co lead the championship with Paul Crijns. Defending champion Dale Hoek
stood a shot back as did the ladies man ‘fizz bomb’ Newell. Colm headed the
Irish mob at 224, so it is there to be won.
Play was halted for about 40 minutes as a tremendous
storm hit the course and lighting almost struck a very lucky Gary Arthur. It
was so close the putter he was holding lit up, how close is that? Close
enough - ask ‘Broad more’ Bob, he was on the green at the time.
Today saw the start of the stableford comp for those who
did not make the cut. Breaking out of the stable and trotting off with the
top loot in A Flight was the Donkey with a flawless 40 points. Irishman
Jerry McCarthy showed no respect for Aussie Geoff Bracegirdle as he took the
flight silver, yep on count back. Welshman Mike Jeffreys filled the flight a
stroke adrift.
In B Flight, Frank Sharkey piped Geoff Elvis Kubas as
both were tied on even par rounds. Gill Sayer took the bronze two shots in
arrears as Max Bracegirdle closed the flight.
Jerry McCarthy, Geoff Bracegirdle and Adam Oyston shared
the 2’s pot.
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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Groves the master of St. Andrews
IPGC golf from The Links
St Andrews winners: Glenn Eldershaw, Frank
Dunstan & Phil Groves.
Sunday, Feb. 16, Pattaya
C.C. – Stableford
Thirty players made the short trip for the final time
this high season, as the course is apparently about to close 9 holes for
much needed renovation. There were the usual two divisions with the cut
coming at 0-15 and 16+.
The A flight proved to be a scorers nightmare, with a 5
way count back for third place on 33 points. Terry Kelly and Martin Higgins
were the first to fall, only managing 15 on the tougher back 9, with Keith
Woolley & Joe McArdle next on16. Des Griffiths, fresh over from Ireland,
took the podium place with 17.
There was also a count back for first place, with Peter
Skinner fading after a 20 point front 9 but only 15 on the back. His playing
partner Jon Batty continued his run of good form, playing off his new 7
handicap and finishing strongly, to score 18 points on the back 9 after
finishing par-birdie-par on the tough final stretch.
In the B flight, Andy Galvin triumphed for the second
Sunday running, being the only player in either flight to shoot par,
finishing one ahead of Rod Howett, with Jean Morel a further point back in
third.
The ‘2’s pot went to Des Griffiths, Charlie Lapsey, Terry
Kelly and Rod Howett.
A Flight
1st Jon Batty (7) 35pts
2nd Peter Skinner (10) 35pts
3rd Des Griffiths (4) 33pts
B Flight
1st Andy Galvin (18) 36pts
2nd Rod Howett (24) 35pts
3rd Jean Morel (18) 34pts
Tuesday, Feb. 28,St.
Andrews - Stableford
With a number of regulars again choosing to play an
alternative venue, a reduced field of 16 players signed up for St. Andrews,
meaning only one flight. This was the scribe’s first visit here for a while,
and although not my favourite course, it was as usual in good condition,
although the greens had recently been top dressed and proved to be painfully
slow.
Mike Korney’s putting lessons nearly paid off as he
scored a creditable 34 points, only a wayward drive at the 18th cost him a
place and he had to settle for fourth spot. Visiting Aussies Frank Dunstan
and Glenn Eldershaw placed third and second respectively, but the round of
the week went to Phil Groves, who came home in 3 over gross to score 42
points off his 9 handicap. Although I don’t normally do requests, Rick
Morgan gets a special mention for his eagle 4 at the par 6 fourth.
Unfortunately we haven’t yet introduced an “eagle pot”, much to Rick’s
consternation!
Jon Batty registered his third ‘2’ in four rounds to take
the pot alone.
1st Phil Groves (9) 42pts
2nd Glenn Eldershaw (23) 37pts
3rd Frank Dunstan (23) 35pts
Thursday, March 1, Khao
Kheow – Stableford
A strong field of 22 players, including 9 single figure
handicappers, meant we were back to two flights, with an unusually low cut
coming at 0-10 and 11+.
It’s been a long time since our last visit, and we chose
to tackle the B&C courses of the yellow tees. The course was generally in
good condition, but was playing tough, and none of the strong field managed
to play to par.
Peter Skinner managed his second podium finish of the
week, beating Charley Lapsey 14-13 on count back to take third place with 31
points. The mysterious Mr Martin took second place with 32, but honours
again went to Fairways regular Richard Hurley, who only seems to play with
us when he’s short of a few bob!
The B flight was a close affair, with Joe McArdle,
unusually relegated to the second division, taking the honours and pushing
for promotion, ahead of Frank Dunstan and regular winner Andy Galvin.
The ‘2’s pot was shared by Joe McArdle & Des Griffiths.
A Flight
1st Richard Hurley (7) 35pts
2nd Mr Martin (9) 32pts
3rd Peter Skinner (10) 31pts
B Flight
1st Joe McArdle (12) 35pts
2nd Frank Dunstan (23) 34pts
3rd Andy Galvin (18) 33pts
Note: The Links depart from the hotel on Soi
Buakhao at 9.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10.00am for Rayong Green
Valley every Sunday. Sign up at the hotel or contact Jon on 080 021 1034. A
full schedule of courses can be found on the IPGC website www.ipgc.org.
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Inform Greig secures ‘golfer of the month’ title
PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Bowling Green
Stars of the week: Tony
Robbins, Mashi Kaneta and Colin Greig.
Monday, Feb. 27, Greenwood
A & B – Stableford
Chaos and confusion greeted us on arrival at Greenwood,
with a shortage of caddies and a double booking – again! We’ve given
Greenwood good support over recent years, so it’s annoying that they can be
so poorly organized (or greedy?), particularly since the booking was
reconfirmed on the previous Friday.
The normally excellent greens at the course seem to have
suffered badly over the last few weeks, now looking distinctly scabby, but
fortunately still rolling quite well. Although a thunder storm passed very
close by, we had no rain and the round continued uninterrupted, eventually
being completed in a little under 5 hours. One can only look forward to the
imminent end of the high season, and a return to empty courses and sub-4
hour rounds.
Following a run of indifferent form, Dave Ashman made a
return to winning ways, collecting the first prize and a near pin on the
way.
1st Dave Ashman (15) 35pts
2nd Gordon Melia (18) 34pts
3rd Mike Corner (21) 33pts
4th Tim Winder (13) 33pts
Near Pins: Dave Ashman, Colin Greig, Mashi Kaneta
and Rab McDonald
Wednesday, Feb. 29, The
Emerald – Stableford
A surprisingly small number of golfers turned up for our
visit to the usually popular Emerald course. Following the chaos endured at
Greenwood on Monday, we arrived at the Emerald course to find it amazingly
quiet, and we enjoyed our quickest round of the year so far.
Mike Corner recorded the best score of the day to take
the honours, and we all headed off early to relax and recuperate in nearby
Bang Chang. Back at the Bowling Green, Colin Greig took advantage of the low
turnout to ring the bell and celebrate his winning of the Golfer of the
Month title.
1st Mike Corner (21) 35pts
2nd Colin Greig (9) 34pts
3rd Les Burns (28) 31pts
4th Dave Keats (25) 31pts
Near Pins: Mike Corner and Colin Greig.
Friday, March 2, Khao
Kheow C & B – Stableford
Tony Robbins was a late arrival at the course today as
the turbo on his Volvo self- destructed on the way – maybe it’s time to buy
a more reliable Japanese car Tony!
Mashi Kaneta made a rare appearance leading out the first
3-ball group today, after previous attempts to put him in the first group
had failed due to lack of caddies, late arrivals and other acts of God. As
it turned out the round was slow with our two 3-ball groups following
several slow 4-ball groups – so “som nam naa” Mashi.
The round was interrupted by the lightning siren half way
round which caused a 45 minute delay and the torrential rain arrived several
holes later, with the round eventually being completed in light drizzle.
Neither the weather, nor any other external interference,
can affect Colin Greig’s game at the moment, and the newly crowned Golfer of
the Month won the day with 38 points ahead of Neil Griffin. New member John
Merritt beat old stager Mashi on a count back to take 3rd
place.
1st Colin Greig (9) 38pts
2nd Neil Griffin (28) 36pts
3rd John Merritt (22) 35pts
4th Mashi Kaneta (11) 35pts
Near Pins: Colin Greig, Mark Stanley, Jimmy
Merritt and Mashi.
Note: The Bunker Boys are a PSC affiliated golf
society who now play out of the Bowling Green on Soi X-Zyte between Pattaya
3rd Road and Soi Buakhaow. We play three times per
week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so if you enjoy a fun day out, and
a friendly but competitive golf competition why not come and join us. We
meet at the Bowling Green at 9 a.m. and new players with valid handicaps are
always welcome. For more information call Dave on 087 146 9978, email
[email protected].
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Pattaya Sports Club Fishing News
The happy anglers display
their bountiful catch.
Capt. Dene
Well - what a terrific month of fishing! Five great trips
for the month with this trip on Feb. 23 being one of the best.
Eight of us set off from Khram Marine, Bang Saray on
smooth waters, little breeze and slightly overcast skies. Just perfect! Even
the fish contributed to the day with our bag catches being equal to our best
days. Not only our usual 6 plus kilos each of good snapper, yellow tail
grouper and pladang, we also shared 18 of our prized big greys (blue spotted
cod) ranging from 1–2ฝ kilos. These fish provide a good fight while landing
them and an even better meal subsequently.
All but one of us caught a big grey (some with four) but
Lol found it difficult to fish while lying in the cabin sleeping off a
somewhat heavy night before the trip.
As usual, we adjourned to our Bang Saray Restaurant Chai
Hat (?) after the trip and enjoyed a beer or two with some tasty snacks.
Bookings for this month’s trips on March 17 and 22 are
filling up fast.
Our boat goes for its annual maintenance on 23 March
which takes about 10 days. Fortunately, it returns to service around 2 or 3
April and our fishing schedule for April is not affected.
I complement Khram Marine on the upkeep of the boat – it
is always in good condition and working order. The captain deserves credit
also for his part in keeping the boat (and toilet) clean and also in his
endeavours to find fish when things are slow. He moves the boat continually
to different areas and we are rarely disappointed with our catch.
Well done skipper!
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Brad Gearie’s 61 sets new medal record
PSC golf from The Golf Club
Haro, Brett, Brad Sproxton,
Brad “The Aviator” Gearie and Ken.
Steve Ellison
Wednesday, Feb. 29, Khao
Kheow (white tees) –Medal
1st Brad Gearie (13) net 61
2nd Ken Aihara (8) net 70
3rd Brett Chan (18) net 70
4th Haro Kato (8) net 71
Loads of quality golfers out today for our February
Monthly Medal, but it turned out to be a one horse race. When a guy shoots
the lights out you just sit back and watch and leave him to it. The putts
were falling and the chips ended in the cup time after time and that is how
you shoot a 61.
Brad Gearie set a new medal record for The Golf Club and
so earns himself his Antigua golf shirt for his amazing efforts, beating the
rest of the field by 9 strokes. Remember last Sunday, Tiger only shot a 62.
Well played to the Aviator! Following behind was the steady Ken Aihara with
70, beating Brett Chan on count back and Haro Kato playing off 8 for his net
71. It’s nice to see our Japanese buddies playing well.
There was a problem that looked like intentional
vandalism of the C course greens that was an issue as some of the ground was
not marked G.U.R., so be advised. Otherwise the course was in great
condition and everyone loved this quality Pete Dye layout.
Our thanks go out to Brad Sproxton for hosting this day’s
event and it was great to see him reunited with his beloved klipboard once
again. Thanks Kaptain!
Friday, March 2, Bangpra
(white tees) – Stableford
1st Khun Ann (12) 37pts
2nd Brett Chan (18) 37pts
3rd Brian Wilkinson (13) 35pts
4th Tom Breslin (24) 35pts
Another trip out to the monkey course was on the agenda
for today’s T.G.C. outing. Bangpra is one of the most popular courses we
play and the signup sheet was full as were the 3 vans for this beautiful
track.
Brett Chan continued his appearances on the podium as he
just missed out to Khun Ann for top spot with joint 37’s. It was a double
count back today with last week’s big winner Brian Wilkinson once again in
fine form to beat Tom Breslin on the c/b as both scored 35 Stableford points
on the day.
Note: The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro. We
play on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so come join us for a fun day out. Just
call 085 434 3377 or see our website www.golfclubpattaya.com and for more
information mail us: [email protected] and see updates at www.
facebook.com/golfclubpattaya.
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Baldwin’s bonanza
Phoenix Tuesday/Friday Golf Group
Bill Hewitt and Denis Dixon
pose with staff members from The Relax Bar.
Mike Gerrard
Friday, Feb. 24, Phoenix -
Stableford
Today we tackled the Lake/Ocean course and it turned out
a great day for Richard Baldwin, who scored 41 points (PSC handicap
committee take note). It was even better because he was my partner in our
little four-ball competition but we only managed the win on the 18th. Tough
school this!
In second place was wily Ted Oreton with 39 points (not
much weight on our Ted but he keeps it down the middle). In third place with
the same score was little Arthur Barrett (sneaky round the greens is our
Arfur), who pushed Gary Blackburne into fourth place with 38 points. Gary’s
score equated to a gross 77. Great golf!
Near pins went to Louis McConkey, Gary Blackburne, Ken
Hatton and Mike Gerrard.
With a nice even number of players today we decided to
include a better-ball pairs competition as well as the singles.
This is always a logistical nightmare for the admin boys
(mainly myself). Asking players to mark one card correctly in Thailand is
bad enough. To get them to do 2 cards that are legible is nigh on
impossible. However, after a few discussions with players and a few more
adjustments (we try not to disqualify in our group) we managed to sort out
the correct scores.
In first place was the ever consistent player Clive
Robinson with Arthur Barrett who scored a total of 47 points to win the day.
In second place with 46 points were Richard Baldwin and Bill Hewitt and
claiming third place was the pairing of the scribe and Stuart Gordon with 45
points.
After the game it was back to The Relax Bar for our first
drink free and the lucky draw prizes donated by our hosts. One can only say
a great day in paradise!
Tuesday, Feb. 28, Phoenix
– Stroke
Today being the last Tuesday of the month meant it was
our monthly stroke play tournament for the Trattoria Italiana voucher. As
most of you will appreciate, stroke play brings the best out of the good
golfers and the worst out of the bad golfers. (I suppose sometimes it could
be the other way round). Today proved just that.
The weather was as perfect as you could wish for; clear
skies with a nice fresh breeze to keep you cool. The course is now free of
the hordes of tourists who clog up the fairways and a nice pace of play
prevailed.
B Flight (16-28) was won by Bill Hewitt, who scored a net
72 (including a self imposed 2 shot penalty). In second place was Patrick
Browne with a net 73 and in third place was Peter Harris with a net 77, just
edging Bob Neylon out of the prizes.
Onto A Flight (0-15, the proper golfers?) where the
winner today with a fantastic score of net 67 was Denis Dixon (again PSC
handicap committee please be advised). Dennis received the first prize plus
the Trattoria Italiana voucher. In second place with a score of net 70 was
Joe Miller (without his band), and in third place was Richard Baldwin with a
net 73.
There may have been a count back for third place had I
have not accidentally picked my ball up without putting out. So there you
have it, sometimes we do disqualify - rules is rules!
Near pins today went to Mike Gerrard (not disqualified
for that), Graham Hiskett, John Bartley & Richard Baldwin.
The lucky draw prizes donated by The Relax Bar went to
Stuart Gordon, Joris Goetshalkx & Bob Neylon.
Anyone wishing to find out more about golf with the
Phoenix Tuesday/Friday group can contact me (Mike) on 087 091 7565. We also
we arrange monthly sea fishing trips as well.
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Casey cooks up 41-pointer at Navy
place at Bangkok’s new ice arena
Jomtien Golf with the IPGC
Monday, Feb. 27,Mt. Shadow
– Stableford
The numbers would diminish after today’s round with many
people heading back home to various destinations in Europe and beyond, but
we still had 38 out in three divisions on Monday with the cut at 6-15, 16-21
and 22+.
Chris Voller, Ian Plummer and
Cully Monks.
The course here was deserted and with a few last minute
group alterations we teed off 30 minutes ahead of schedule. The first hour
of play was hot and humid but the clouds built up over the hills behind and
the temperature dropped. We then experienced a 15 minute rain shower at the
halfway mark but this did not affect the round whatsoever.
Ron Miller beat Martin Grimoldby on an 18/16 back nine
count back to win division 1 after they both shot 36’s, while Chris Voller
took third two points behind.
It is almost the same in division 2 with Mark Potton
beating Harry Vincenzi on a 19/16 count back for the victory after they both
scored 35 points and Rudi Schaefer was in third with 34, beating Erkki Pohja
19/15 on count back.
The Cockney boy Rod Howett was laughing as he birdied the
15th for the only ‘2’ in division 2, and Ron Miller was the only winner in
division 1 with his ‘2’ on the 17th.
Near pins went to Martin Grimoldby (2), Ron Miller, Peter
Seward, Yves Bosset, Jean Morel, Erkki Pohja and Mark Potton.
Wednesday, Feb. 29,
Plutaluang - Stableford
There were only two divisions out today and we were
allocated the West and North courses and there are no hold ups as we reached
the ninth green and progressed to the 10th tee. As always here a few clouds
came in over the hills overlooking the course but it was a pleasant day all
round.
Lee Casey’s 41 points was the best score of the day and
gave him the win in division 2 ahead of William Chang in second on 36 and
‘Count back’ Burnie third with 31.
Chris Voller took division 1 honours with 37 points while
the Scots boy Dennis Scougal beat Sid Crawley on a 20/14 back nine count
back for second after they both came in with 35 points.
Chris Voller got two birdies and Rom Miller one as they
split the first division ‘2’s pot while a rollover in division 2 goes to
Pattaya Country Club on the 12th.
Near pins were claimed by Harri Markki, Dennis Scougal,
Chris Voller, Lee Casey, Magne Gunnarson and Jean Morel.
It was great to see Joe Kubon back in the pack after his
illness and recent operation. Welcome back Joe!
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Panthers on the prowl
at Oakwood International Rugby 10’s
The Pattaya Panthers in
action at the Oakwood International Rugby 10’s tournament in Bangkok.
Jim Howard
It was forecast to be an ideal weekend for rugby and the
group of youngsters that gathered in the Tenderloins (clubhouse of the
Bangers) on the Friday evening for the pre tournament reception for all the
teams could have been forgiven if they were somewhat overawed, as some of
the visitors seemed to have endless numbers of players and they all seemed
huge. In addition there was a smattering of ex–internationals among the
members of the New Zealand Legends and the South African Jam Boys.
Led by the intrepid Adrien, the newly appointed Pattaya
Panthers captain and a Frenchman to boot, everybody acquitted themselves
well at the festivities and all retired early to be fit for the big games to
come the next day.
Everybody was early at the Patana School grounds, where
the youth games had been running since 08:00 am. The superb facilities
around the ground provided a wonderful setting to enthrall the expected
hordes, good weather was forecast and everything was ready for the seventh
edition of the Bangkok International 10’s Rugby Tournament.
The tournament took place over the weekend of 18th and
19th February and despite the recent flooding disasters and the subsequent
disruption and economic problems, which had caused a number of the foreign
teams to withdraw, 24 rugby teams from Thailand and other parts of the world
had turned up to contest what is now one of the principal 10 a side
tournaments in the region.
The Panthers had been drawn in a group containing The Nak
Suu Warriors, The Sabah Warriors and the Gakushi Juniors from Japan.
Resplendent in their smart new strip featuring new sponsors Icebreaker and
Rhenus Logistics along with long time supporters MBMG, the boys warmed up
for their first taste of combat under the eagle eye of coach Des “El Pato”
Halls. Strengthened by the even younger brigade that been playing in the
junior section, strategy was planned and moves were formulated.
Then the long wait was over, the selection made and the
Panthers were to kick off against the Nak Suu Warriors. The children of the
Nak Suu Academy are the main beneficiaries of the proceeds from this
tournament and their director Sopo Fakaua had gathered a team drawn from the
volunteers who help with the coaching at the academy, there were a couple of
Thai Internationals and other class players in the group.
The Panthers started well and although they were a
relatively young and inexperienced team they held the Nak Suu boys to just
one score at half time. However the second half was a one way affair and
although the Panthers defended doggedly they finally caved in and were
beaten by the fitness and experience of the Nak Suu Warriors who prevailed
26-0.
After a haranguing from the coach and a little more sleep
for some of the boys who had broken curfew, the situation improved markedly
in the second group game where the Panthers came up against the Sabah
Warriors, who were arguably one of the most entertaining sides in the
tournament but they could also play a bit.
It was a very tight contest and both teams defended as if
their lives depended on it. For the Panthers Tong and Bryan De Leon were
outstanding, tackling everything that was thrown at them and the team was
well led by Capitaine Adrien, however all of the possession could not be
converted into a score and Sabah somehow managed to break the deadlock with
a late run away try and ran out winners 7-0.
The Panthers now had their tails up and in the final
group match were up against the Gakushi Juniors, who had a squad of about 30
players! Panthers were out of the blocks at a fast and furious pace and were
rewarded with an early score by Le Capitaine, who converted his own try.
The novelty of being in front was something that the
Panthers had not savoured before and they eased up a little, which allowed
Gakushi back into the game. By half time the scores were even and some of
the Panthers were tiring and carrying some injuries. They fought a brave
rearguard action but in the end the superior numbers of the Gakushi boys
told and they scored 2 more tries in the second half to run out 19-7
winners.
The first day’s results meant that the Panthers would
start on Sunday against their old foes the Bangkok Japanese. After a hard
day’s play a strong start was made on some of the mighty hangovers to be
seen the following morning with an excellent curry and lashings of Tiger
beer served by attractive tiger ladies, who seemed able to persuade even
teetotalers to purchase just one more jug!
The Coach had urged everybody to have a quiet Saturday
night and to drink plenty of cocoa before sleeping, however it seems that
the night‘s partying had definitely taken its toll and as the Panthers
arrived at the ground, the Coach and Le Capitaine counted the wounded and
the hung over. The medics at the Bangkok Nursing Home medical tent worked
overtime strapping bruised limbs and joints and the team were ready for
action.
After the youngsters had shown their paces with some very
fast and exciting rugby it was on to the main tournament and many first time
losers were surprised to find that they then had to play more games than if
they had won as a trickle down was enforced.
The Panthers lined up against their old foes The Bangkok
Japanese in the quarter-finals of the Jug and as usual the Japanese played a
high tempo game and threatened to swamp the weary Panthers early on. Then
against the run of play the Panthers took first blood and scored a try
through Tong, who was very unlucky not to score again immediately afterwards
but the referee called the play back for knock on.
The Japanese responded with wave after wave of attacks
and eventually broke the Panthers gallant defence to even the scores by the
half. As the game progressed the Panthers visibly tired and missed some
tackles giving the Japanese 2 more scores with the match finishing 19-7 in
the Japanese favour, which according to some observers was the first time
that they had triumphed over the Panthers!
Under the trickle down system the Panthers dropped down
into the semi-finals of the Tankard where they would play the Insead Team
from Singapore. The Panthers managed to patch themselves up for this game
and played a very controlled match scoring 3 tries without reply - their
first win of the tournament and suddenly they were in line to pick up some
silverware.
With their hopes high, as they would be facing an aging
Bangkok Bangers side in the final of the Tankard, the Panthers prepared for
one final push. Unfortunately the silky skills on view against Insead were
not in evidence against a big bruising Bangers side that were long on
experience and bulk, which eventually proved to be the deciding factor. The
Bangers scored 3 unanswered tries and were worthy winners of the Tankard
19-0.
The Panthers had played their hearts out and now know a
lot more about tournament rugby, our youngsters showed that they have some
great talent and with this experience behind them should become a force to
be reckoned with in future tournaments around the region.
A highlight of the weekend was a demonstration of how
rugby used to be played by the Ancients a group of rugby enthusiasts who are
out to prove that there is life after 50! Led by “Foxy” and Kevin
Hulton–Smith, the old boys thrilled the crowd with some delightful waddles
and plenty of dropped ball! An almost sedentary paced game ended in a draw
and both sides consumed the bottle of Port that was on offer for the
winners.
Our thanks are due to our major sponsors for this
tournament Icebreaker, Rhenus Logistics and MBMG, without whom our
participation would not have been possible. The boys that trained so hard to
get into some sort of shape and “El Pato”, who supervised all of the
training.
We can honestly say that the Panthers left with their
tails held high as all members were issued with long Pink Panther tails to
wear with a hefty fine for failure to be wearing your tail! Our grateful
thanks also to Eddie Evans and his organizing crew and to Oakwood for their
overall sponsorship of the event.
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‘PowerPlay Golf Tour’ launched in Thailand
Thongchai Jaidee, a PowerPlay
golfer.
The worldwide golf phenomenon, PowerPlay Golf, has
arrived in Thailand. A dynamic nine-hole format, with some twists, has been
introduced to the golf-loving nation by exclusive rights and license holder
Asian Golf Events Co. Ltd.
Taking the world by storm, PowerPlay Golf was first
played in the UK in 2007. By 2011, this exciting format of the game had
expanded to 30 countries and over 600 golf courses.
Thai golf superstar Thongchai Jaidee is a PowerPlay
golfer, as well as international golf superstars Graeme McDowell (2010 US
Open Champion); Paula Creamer (2010 US Women’s Open Champion) and multiple
Major-winner and golfing legend Gary Player.
Director of Asian Golf Events Co. Ltd, David Pettigrew,
said: “PowerPlay Golf is a relatively new discipline and one that is rapidly
growing in popularity around the world. We are very proud to bring it to
Thailand and we are launching the PowerPlay Golf Thailand Tour 2012 which
includes a series of four regional events and a national final.”
The PowerPlay Golf Thailand Tour 2012 will start in
Phuket with regional stops in Bangkok, Pattaya and Chiang Mai. The Tour
Schedule is as follows: 17th June, Phuket (Laguna Phuket Golf Club); 8th
July, Bangkok (Thana City Golf & Sports Club); 21st July, Pattaya (Khao
Kheow Country Club); 29th September, Chiang Mai (Star Dome Golf Club); and
6th October, Hua Hin, Thailand Finals, (Black Mountain Golf Club).
International golfing
superstars led by Gary Player take part in PowerPlay Golf at Celtic Manor,
Wales in May 2011.
Entry is open to all amateurs who have an official
handicap supported by a handicap certificate, and the top 10 from each
regional event will go on to play in the Thailand Finals in Hua Hin on 6th
October, 2012.
“The PowerPlay Golf Thailand Tour 2012 is a great
opportunity for amateurs to compete in a nationwide tournament, using the
thrilling PowerPlay Golf format, where winners from each of the regional
events will go to compete in the national finals,” added Pettigrew.
The winners of the Thailand Finals will then go to
represent Thailand in the PowerPlay Golf World Finals.
In addition to the PowerPlay Golf Thailand Tour,
organizers Asian Golf Events Co. Ltd. are also working with golf courses
around the country to develop the format, which will soon be boosted by a
series of high-profile TV events.
For golfers who love risk and reward, PowerPlay Golf is a
short, exciting points-based format played over nine holes to two flags,
with an easy White and a harder Black ‘PowerPlay’ flag on each green. A
PowerPlay to the Black Flag earns extra points if converted to a birdie or
better, but PowerPlays are limited. On the final tee golfers have an
optional extra PowerPlay, but risk incurring penalty points if they fail to
record a par or better.
The format was the brainchild of Peter McEvoy and David
Piggins, two Britons. Piggins is an entrepreneur while McEvoy’s name will be
recognized by many readers who are fans of amateur golf. He was a 5-time
member of the Great Britain & Ireland Walker Cup team (captaining the team
twice) and also a 2-time winner of the British Amateur championship.
The professional version of PowerPlay Golf was launched
at Celtic Manor in May 2011 when a star studded field including Graeme
McDowell, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, John Daly, Gary Player, Ian Woosnam,
Paula Creamer, rising Swedish star Caroline Hedwall (who won the event) and
Thailand’s Thongchai Jaidee took part.
For more information about this addition to the Thailand
golfing scene, go to website www.asiangolfevents.com.
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Record attendance expected for River Kwai adventure race
The 7th edition of the River Kwai
Trophy adventure race is expecting a record 150 teams from around the world
to be lining up at the start line this coming Sunday morning, March 10.
Altogether, more than 1000 people will attend the event including VIP’s,
sponsor’s guests, families, supporters, media, competitors and local
communities.
Adventure racing at the River
Kwai Trophy.
The race, by far the largest and most exciting adventure
race in South East Asia, will once again start at the famous River Kwai
Bridge in Kanchanaburi and will test the competitors’ skill and endurance
over a host of disciplines including mountain biking, running, swimming and
kayaking. Teams of two will tackle the scenic and challenging course which
is expected to take between 3-5 hours to complete.
Anyone still wishing to take part or requiring further
information can sign up at the website: http://ama-events.com.
Stuvik in top form
at Formula Renault test in Spain
Sandy Stuvik at Alcarras.
Local speedster Sandy Stuvik started off the European
racing season with testing at Spain’s new Alcarras Circuit just outside the
city of Lleida, during 21-23 February. The 3 day test program was part of
the season build up with the Interwetten Junior Racing team to prepare the
young Thai driver for this season’s very challenging European Formula
Renault racing series.
The 16 year old Stuvik has been working hard on his
physical and mental preparation over the winter break and is clearly eager
for a good championship challenge in 2012. Very fit and 5 kg lighter than
last season the Thai driver immediately posted fast times at Alcarras and
remained the fastest driver there for all 3 test days, eventually claiming
an unofficial fastest Formula Renault lap of the circuit - with a time of
1:28:876.
Stuvik test drives with the
Interwetten Junior Racing team.
Sandy plans to join up again with the successful
Interwetten Junior Race Team at a later date and is also teaming up with
former F1 test driver and current LMP1 racer, Neel Jani, who will support
Sandy as a personal driving coach.
The Alcarras testing session was the first time
everything came together and the results of this collaboration were
immediately evident in the lap times set by the young Thai driver.
The 2012 season again will see the strong support and
sponsorship from Sandy’s long term backers The Pizza Company, as well as
Singha Corporation and Dacon Inspection Services.
The next round of tests will be at the Oschersleben
circuit in Germany, then Slovakiaring and Red Bull Ring in fast succession
before the season starts at Hockenheim on 20th of April. Sandy has ambitions
of a strong race challenge this season and continues to work hard to reach
these goals.
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Pattaya United resurrect plans to have own stadium in 3 years
Phasakorn Channgam
Building on the successful conclusion to last season’s
Thai Premier League, where the team finished in fourth place, Pattaya United
have now set a goal of moving to their own self-appointed stadium by the
start of the 2015 season.
Pattaya Mayor Itthipol
Kunplume.
United received a host of awards following on from the
team’s success last year but critics still point to the relative lack of
facilities for supporters at the club’s current home ground, the municipal
stadium in Nongprue, and even the opening of a new stand there at the end of
last year has failed to quell the thinking that a move to a larger more
modern stadium can’t come soon enough.
Work started on a new sports facility on Soi Chaiyapruek
2 next to the National Indoor Arena several years ago but the worldwide
financial crisis in 2008 and the ensuing budget restraints put everything on
hold, with just the basic concrete foundations and terracing on one side of
the ground complete.
The site has been left virtually untouched since the
early construction work and the football pitch is now in danger of becoming
overgrown and unusable.
Concrete terraces lie
abandoned and incomplete at the new sports arena on Soi Chaiyapruek 2.
At a recent press conference Pattaya Mayor and United
board member Itthipol Kunplume said that the city has set aside 500 million
baht from the 2011 fiscal year, to begin the second phase of work on the
project but issues regarding the designs have put a hold on construction
recommencing. The Mayor said completion of the stadium is expected to take
approx. 3 years once the designs problems have been ironed out.
For the time being United will continue to make use of
the Nongprue municipal stadium with it 5,000 capacity. The new sports arena,
when completed, is expected to have space for 20,000 supporters along with
large parking areas and modern public utilities.
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All square in local derby
Bangkok Casuals League Div. 1 & 2
Paul Frain
Pattaya City had a disappointing result in their Div. 1
match two weeks ago when against Bangkok FC they played out a goalless draw,
which did nothing for their championship hopes. The Reserves meanwhile, who
played Iplay, looked set for a comfortable win when they took a 3-1 lead,
but then gave a sloppy penalty away and let in a late goal to make the final
score 3-3.
The big match in the league last weekend took place at
the Thai Polo Club when Pattaya City played host to FC Planet, who are also
are a Pattaya based team and similarly well placed to win the championship
this season. This was a match that both clubs had to win to further their
title ambitions and the game started with a bang with two City forwards
breaking through with only the keeper to beat, but they were given offside,
and immediately Planet responded and had the ball in the City net only for
it to be ruled out for offside.
An explosive start to the match, but then both sides
settled down with both defences not giving an inch. It would take something
special for either side to score but then a seemingly harmless throw from
the City keeper found Tshuma on the left and then to Vorontsov whose first
time pass to Fotsing saw the latter side foot the ball home to make it 1-0
to City.
This goal initially rocked FC Planet FC and soon after
they were lucky to avoid conceding again when Fotsing saw his shot hacked
off the goal line with the Planet keeper beaten. The remainder of the first
half saw both sides struggling to make further headway however and City went
in at the break 1-0 to the good.
FC Planet started the second half in brighter fashion but
they were let down but disappointing finishing and at the other end Fotsing
had a chance to double City’s lead but chose to pass when well placed just
six yards out from the Planet goal. This proved to be a turning point in the
match as Planet regrouped and piled the pressure on the City defence,
eventually forcing a penalty after the ball was adjudged to have struck a
defender’s hand.
The penalty was taken by Planet’s Dean Barrick (who made
more than four hundred appearances for Sheffield United) and he struck a
crisp and low shot into the corner of the net, giving the City keeper no
chance.
With the scores tied, Vorontsov did his best to give City
the lead back but after beating three defenders his shot hit the post and
rebounded to safety. (City have now hit the woodwork five times in the last
four matches).
Back came at the other end came Planet to put the City
defence under more pressure and a second penalty was conceded for pushing in
the area. This time, however, Barrick’s shot was not as well struck and the
City keeper made a brilliant save to keep the scores level.
This was a let off for City but then almost immediately
they had a player sent off for a second bookable offence and Planet saw a
golden opportunity to push for victory but they were frustrated by a
stubborn City rear guard. The game ended in a 1-1 draw which keeps both
Pattaya teams in the hunt for the championship.
Pattaya City Reserves get
back to winning ways
Pattaya City Reserves entertained Triumph Masters last
weekend after beating them 2-0 earlier in the season. The home team started
in confident mood but found the Masters’ keeper in top form until City
finally made the breakthrough from a scrambled goal to make it 1-0 and that
remained the score at half time.
Within minutes of the restart City went further ahead
when Les Clesielski scored after his shot beat the Masters keeper from
outside the area. The hosts were then guilty of losing concentration as the
Masters went the full length of the field to pull a goal back without a
single tackle from a City player being made.
The Pattaya team were able to make amends soon after
however as they went further ahead with a goal from Rod Torrie after he
latched onto a loose ball from a corner. City continued to put the Masters
defence under pressure and two individual goals by Conner O’Callaghan made
the final score 5-1 for a well deserved victory.
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Cafe Kronborg donates sports equipment to Mercy Pattaya
The Café Kronborg crew
represent the generous golfers at the opening event.
William Macey
Many golf bars in Pattaya have proved to be very generous
where charity is concerned. Specific golf days are the main vehicle for
collecting funds but Cafe Kronborg have different ideas. Their members are
amongst the most generous and when Mike Gosden agreed to collect the funds
there were no dissenting voices and Mike does not miss a trick.
Small fines are imposed at the end of the day for all
manner of indiscretions, being late, losing a ball in the water, too many
shots on a hole, forgetting your shoes and many other others. With the
demands that are made, Mike has emerged unscathed - well so far.
Last year Cafe Kronborg collected sufficient funds to
install a filtration system in a school of more than 1,000 children and now
they have come to the aid of the Mercy Pattaya by providing portable
basketball posts, 2 football posts and nets and some balls for the various
sports to use on the multi-purpose sports surface provided by Pattaya Sports
Club.
Approximately 10 of the players from cafe Kronborg
attended the opening event including Mike Gosden, Dave ‘The Admiral’
Richardson, Peter Blackburn, Paul Cardwell and his wife, Napawan Nuanta who
has recently had a bouncing baby boy named Alex and others.
Carry on the good work lads and let me know when the pot
is full again!
The children at the center
make good use of the new sporting equipment.
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