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Headmaster’s
trio catch a lesson
PSC Lawn Bowls from The Bowling Green
Ken, ‘Brumi’ John,and Graham.
Tuesday 7th Feb. saw a special challenge match between
Ken (Tuesday champ), Brumi John (club captain) and Graham (Tuesday
runner-up) who were playing as a threesome against Sandy, ‘Queensland’ John
and ‘Headmaster’.
There was lots of banter as to who would come out on top
of the match which was played over 20 ends. The standard of bowling from
both teams was excellent, with only good bowls winning the ends. However
Ken’s team got the early lead and played with the confidence needed, making
it difficult for Headmaster’s team to make inroads, with the result going in
favour of Ken, John and Graham.
After 2 weeks of the new Friday singles league, the
pacesetters are Eddie Tugboat and Ken with 7 points and Queensland John and
Brumi John with 6 points each.
Pattaya Sports Club Fishing News
Capt. Dene
The seven participants on this trip (Feb. 9) included 3
newcomers; Tim Sutterfield, Tom Loughney and Jason Chafetz. All good guys
and pleased to have you with us!
Summai with her catch.
Weather and seas were good when we first set off and
remained that way till 13:00 – 14:00 when strong winds developed and
produced quite choppy conditions and around 15:00 extremely fast currents
were encountered. We tried using 300g weights initially but that proved
insufficient and we changed to 400g and even then this did not hold the
bottom. Fishing became so difficult we stopped a little earlier than usual
and returned to Khram Marine Fishing Lodge.
Once again the female contingent of the group, Summai
Hyland, showed the men how to fish. She is pictured here with the only large
fish caught for the day, a blue spotted cod of around 2 kilos. Well done
Summai!
The rest of us had satisfactory catches of snapper,
yellow tail and grouper. All were happy with the day and the newcomers
expressed interest in future trips.
After our return, we set off for our usual restaurant for
our celebratory drinks but unfortunately it was closed for some unknown
reason, (TIT), so we went our respective ways home.
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Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League
Bowling was not so good this week and there were no 200
games bowled. Indiana did not bowl well but neither did Canada and Indiana
managed to win three points and increase their first place lead.
Ooy Pluemkamon bowled a 549 series to lead VFW Post 9876
to a two and one half point win over Green Tree. Noodle Russell had a 530
series for Green Tree.
Ralph bowled a 525 series to help Brother D win three
points from Tea Party. Tukata Thompson had a 526 series for Tea Party.
Caf้ Kronborg won three points from Bavaria. Yeow bowled
a 509 game for Kronborg and Antero Ronkainen had a 529 for Bavaria.
It’s Jimmy’s Day
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society
Captain’s Day winners (from
left): Pat Regan, Jimmy Day (the Captain), Sim Davis and Bob Newell.
Sunday, Feb. 12, Green
Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Bob Newell (7) 41pts
2nd Thierry Petrement (11) 38pts
3rd Bob Watson (3) 37pts
B Flight
1st Pat Reagan (14) 42pts
2nd Colin Davis (15) 37pts
3rd Mark Bonner (15) 36pts
C Flight
1st Sim Davis (25) 39pts
2nd Fred Ruprecht (22) 38pts
3rd Mike Craighead (20) 38pts
Nearest the Box: Brian Chaplin
Near Pins: No 4 Connor Doyle; No 9 Patrick Kelly;
No 12 Bob Newell; No 16 Reg McKay.
It was one of those Sundays when the action at the 19th
hole was just as memorable as the 18 holes that went before. When the
drinking lasts far longer than the Sunday round you know it’s been a good
one.
The Captain’s Day bash always attracts a big field and
always ends in “what might have been, could have been and should have been”
for all but the winner. And the winner today was B Flight’s Irishman ‘young’
Pat Regan with a splendid 42 points. Pat needed every one of them as ‘Broad
more’ Bob in the top flight was just a stroke behind to collect the runner
up spot. Seems Bob’s run of ill health has finally left him, not that
anybody doubted it would.
The society’s first lady down in C Flight finished third
overall on 39 points. The minor places in C Flight were contested by Fred
Ruprecht and Mike the Mechanic, both on 38 points with Fred getting the nod
for the silver.
Thierry Petrement followed Bob in the ‘big boys’ division
three strokes adrift as Bob Watson a further shot back closed the flight.
The Donkey trotted off with the silver in B Flight as
‘Mussels’ Bonner lifted the bronze, beating ex Captain Eddy ‘the Eagle’ and
Val Bredin on a count back as they were tied on even par rounds.
Seven 2‘s were recorded.
Back at Lewiinski’s and after the presentation and the
buffet that was enjoyed by all, it was time for the outgoing Captain,
Monsieur Pierre, a player of Swiss origins previously misidentified by this
scribe as a frog, to hand over the duties to Irishman Jimmy Day. Jimmy gave
a rousing speech and thanked everyone concerned, especially the kitchen
staff and all the players for making this a special day.
It was then revealed that the true winners on the day
were the orphans at the Jing Jai Orphanage as 30,000 baht was raised and a
special thank you goes to Brian Chaplain who donated his nearest the box
prize, and a very special thanks to the generous person who doubled the
amount to 60,000 baht whoever you are.
Monday, Feb. 13, Pattana C
& A - Stableford
A Flight
1st Francis McLean (11) 38pts
2nd Lee Adelly (15) 36pts
B Flight
1st Roland Bangerter (20) 39pts
2nd Les Greentree (18) 38pts
On a day when the numbers were a bit modest after
Sunday’s late night frolics, B Flight’s Roland Bangerter returned with a
good bit of zeal as he enjoyed a one shot man of the match victory thanks to
his 39 points total over Les Greentree.
Francis Mclean took the top spot in A Flight, returning a
solid 38 points. Francis was two strokes clear of ‘Caddy to the stars’ Lee
Adelly.
Peter Kelly, JJ Wright and Les Greentree shared the 2’s
pot.
Wednesday, Feb. 15,
Greenwood B & C - Stableford
A Flight
1st Peter Kelly (8) 36pts
2nd Pat Hanafin (12) 36pts
3rd Barney Sheedy (11) 35pts
B Flight
1st Martin Allard (24) 43pts
2nd Fred Ruprecht (22) 38pts
3rd Mick Beresford (22) 35pts
Martin Allard was an ecstatic B Flight winner as he
tallied 43 points to put a fair-sized dent in his handicap. Fred Ruprecht’s
38 points, excellent any other day, seemed a bit common but it did provide
him a three sot cushion in second place. Mickey ‘Nine holes’ Beresford took
the last spot in B Flight with a one under handicap 35 points.
Irish men dominated A Flight as Peter Kelly and good
friend Pat Hanafin went to count back, both on even par rounds and Peter was
adjudged the better back side. Barry Sheedy filled the flight a shot adrift.
Ted Lodge and Torben Nielsen split a very healthy 2’s
pot.
Friday, Feb. 17, Treasure
Hill – Stableford
A Flight
1st Connor Doyle (13) 38pts
2nd Ken Hole (14) 35pts
3rd Reg McKay (14) 35pts
B Flight
1st Fred Ruprecht (22) 37pts
2nd Torben Nielsen (30) 36pts
3rd Sean Soden (23) 34pts
Fred Ruprecht, who came second on Wednesday, stepped up
to the top of B Flight with a fine 37 points. Torben Nielsen matched par for
the second step as Sean Soden filled out the flight.
A Flight provided the man of the match as Irishman Connor
Doyle led the troops home with a best on the day 38 points. A count back
gave Ken Hole the penultimate spot over Scotland’s Buckie ‘boot boy’ Reg
McKay. Reg did however manage a 2 along with Bob Dibben, Nick Odnoral and
Brian Price.
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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Barry Murnin is Bunker
Boys Champion 2012
Bunker Boys @ The Bowling Green
Monday, Feb. 13, Crystal
Bay A & B – Medal
We had a good turnout today for the first of two medal
rounds to decide the annual Bunker Boys Champion. A few members elected not
to play in the championship, due to their dislike of playing medal, but it
was their loss as the course was in good shape and a great day was had by
all. Most players enjoyed the change of format, which is after all the real
game, and many expressed a desire to play more medal rounds in the future.
New Bunker Boys champion
Barry Murnin.
The best score of the day was produced by Barry Murnin,
shooting a round of net 68 to take a narrow lead over Mike Corner, into the
deciding second round.
A Flight
1st Tony Robbins (14) net 71
2nd Tony Scambler (8) net 73
3rd Takeshi Hakozaki (14) net 73
B Flight
1st Barry Murnin (16) net 68
2nd Mike Corner (22) net 69
3rd Raleigh Gosney (16) net 70
Near Pins: Raleigh Gosney (2) and Geoff Parker
(2).
Wednesday, Feb. 15,
Pattana B & C - Medal & Stableford
The second day of the annual championship had to be
hastily rescheduled to Pattana after cancellation of our booking by Mountain
Shadow.
The leading contenders for the championship continued
their battle playing stroke play and a separate stableford competition was
organized to keep the interest of all other players.
The championship was a tense battle to the end with the 3
leading contenders level on the 16th tee, but in the
end Barry Murnin managed to keep his game together over the last 3 holes to
take the coveted title. There was a rumour that Barry received some very
favourable assistance from a couple of friendly trees, but there’s no taking
away the credit from our first American winner.
Geoff Cox ran away with the stableford competition after
receiving a putting lesson from former champion John Hughes, so there must
surely be a beer due to John there.
Stroke-play
1st Barry Murnin (16) net 142
2nd Mike Corner net 144
2nd Tony Robbins net 144
Stableford
1st Geoff Cox (15) 41pts
2nd Colin Greig (12) 38pts
3rd Rab McDonald (15) 37pts
4th Tony Robbins (14) 35pts
Near Pins: Paul Edgar, Dave Walter and Takeshi (2).
Friday, Feb. 17,
Khao Kheow C & B - Stableford
Regrettably we had to leave two late arrivals behind
today, due to a shortage of transport, which serves as a timely reminder to
all members of the need to get to registration on time.
Everything went smoothly during the round until the first
group reached the 17th hole when the heavens opened,
which left most players completing the final few holes in a torrential
downpour.
Colin Greig produced the best round of the day, beating
new arrival Mike Whelan on a count back to win the A flight. There was a
similar outcome in the B flight with Skinny Newton taking the honours for
the first time this visit, and firmly declaring that no rain, thunder or
lightning was going to deny him the opportunity of getting one over Geoff
Parker, for the first time in Bunker history.
A Flight
1st Colin Greig (12) 37pts
2nd Mike Whelan (14) 37 points
3rd Rab McDonald (15) 32pts
B. Flight
1st “Skinny” Newton (28) 34pts
2nd Geoff Parker (16) 34pts
3rd Gez Williams (22) 32pts
Near Pins: Paul Edgar, Geoff Parker, Mike Whelan
and Syd Harris.
Note: Following the recent demise of the Bunker
Bar, the Bunker Boys 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 come and join us. We
meet at the Bowling Green at 9 a.m. For more information call Dave on 087
146 9978, email dave.evelyn18 @yahoo.co.uk.
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Kenny Chung captures Monthly Mug
PSC Golf from the Café Kronborg
Kenny Chung (left) receives
the Monthly Mug from Bjarne.
Peter Blackburn& Stu
Rifkin
Monday, Feb. 13,
Bangpakong – Stableford
We originally had a full field and a waiting list but by
the time there were cancellations and two annoying “no shows” we ended up
with a still very good number of 37 golfers to travel to the lovely
Bangpakong Riverside Golf Club.
The Admiral was one of the late cancellations with what
turned out to be gout so it was up to yours truly to get things going with
assistance from Andre, Hunter, Ken & Toddy. We handed out several welcomes
including Brad Todd from Perth, Western Australia, Ed Kost From Brisbane,
Australia, Shinichi Kobayashi from Japan, Bob Edwards from Utah in the USA,
Martin & Nick Thomas from Vancouver, Canada & London, UK respectively and
Chris Partridge from Sheffield, UK. We were also blessed with the presence
of Mulligan’s Lakeside golf organizer and winner of last Friday’s PSC
Monthly Medal best gross award, Jeff Wylie.
Monty Sykes, Peter Blackburn &
Jan Lovgreen.
Due to a few people running late we departed the Kronny a
tad later than scheduled at 0823 hrs and arrived at the course 65 minutes
later in four mini vans. Our allotted tee time was 1007 hrs and after
waiting for a couple of groups to hit off, our first group, a three ball got
away just 3 minutes behind schedule.
The weather was good although hot and humid and as usual
the course was in fantastic condition with superb greens. This truly is one
of the best courses that we play and I for one and no doubt many others look
forward to the monthly trip here. Despite the five-ball in front of us the
pace was quite good and after one enforced break for drinks we completed our
full round in four hours & twenty five minutes.
American Monty Sykes finally hit his straps and shot 70
off the stick to just win the A Flight with 47 points, 1 point ahead of
fellow American Ken Bernek in second place. Jeff Wylie also had a sub-par
round and finished third with 43 points and in a count back for fourth &
fifth places Shinichi Kobayashi (24 point back nine & 16 points last 6
holes) triumphed ahead of Peter Blackburn (24 point back nine & 15 points
last 6 holes), both with 40 points. Mr consistency Rob Brown finished sixth
with 39 points.
B Flight was won by Jan Lovgreen with 43 points, just 1
point ahead of Elias Magnusson in second spot and Graham Buckingham was
third on 40 points. Eddie “The Eagle” Glinsek surprised everyone (including
himself) by scoring 39 points and finishing fourth with Kjeld Ravn in fifth
place with 38 points and Mick O’Connor sixth on 36 points.
A Flight (0-19)
1st Monte Sykes (9) 47pts
2nd Ken Bernek (18) 46pts
3rd Jeff Wylie (6) 43 points
4th Shinichi Kobayashi (16) 40pts
5th Peter Blackburn (13) 40pts
6th Rob Brown (7) 39pts
B Flight (20+)
1st Jan Lovgreen (23) 43pts
2nd Elias Magnusson (23) 42pts
3rd Graham Buckingham (22) 40pts
4th Eddie Glinsek (34) 39pts
5th Kjeld Ravn (21) 38pts
6th Mick O’Connor (22) 36pts
Near Pins: 4th Peter
Blackburn, 7th Mike Gosden, 13th
Jan Lovgreen, 16th Jeff Wylie
Long Putts: 9th Mick
O’Connor, 18th Jesper Rasmussen
After having a good day last Thursday the ladies did not
fare too well on this day and with two of them featuring in a count back for
the Compass Cap it was eventually awarded to Susan Gaarde.
Thursday, Feb. 16, Pattaya
C.C. - Stroke
A warm welcome was made to two visitors today, Anders
Moeller from Sweden and Ross Nicholson from Scotland. The buses were on time
but some of the players (maybe one) were late and for some unknown reason
the Admiral waited an extra 10 minutes before normal departure?
Apparently, the condition of the course was not up to
stroke play standard with complaints that the first three holes were sanded
and a comment was made to the scribe, “After three holes we had to learn to
putt again!” Similarly the rough, fairways and cut around the greens were
also reportedly in neglect.
We have heard that from mid March the back nine here will
be closed for 7 months with major rehab works in the pipeline followed by
the front nine with a similar makeover, so perhaps the condition of the
course as a whole is being neglected in consideration of the closures?
There were two flights today 0–19 for A grade and 20 and
above for B grade with a single award for the best net score of the day, the
Monthly Mug, generously donated once again by Bjarne of Cafô Kronborg.
Kenny Chung was victorious in winning the Monthly Mug
award with a net 68 off his 25 handicap. Apparently, the person who wins the
mug is entitled to produce it and ask any other player to fill it up, with
beverage of choice, once over the ensuing month. (The scribe hopes to win it
one day and preferably during the high season when we have maximum players!)
Winner of the A flight was the popular Takeshi Hakozaki
with net 69 (14) followed by Michael Catillon 70 (19), Peter Sindberg third
with 74 (13) and Nils Hansen 75 (15) in fourth spot but unfortunately for
him he was not at presentation so as per the standing rules he forfeited and
Martin Todd 76 (8) was awarded fourth position.
B flight was taken out by Hugh O’Donnell with a net 71
(26) and it was reported that he “toured every grain of sand” being in
almost every bunker! In second place on a count back was the ever improving
Carole Kubicki with 72 (24) followed by Dave Richardson “The Admiral” 72
(23) and fourth was Kurt Sandgaard also 72 (36).
Near Pins: 5th Richard
Kubicki, 7th Peter Sindberg, 12th
Carole Kubicki, 16th Michael Catillon
Long Putts: 9th Ross
Nicholson, 18th Robert Brown (who had a shocker and
allegedly commented “The only prize I can win now is this!” so Texas wedged
from one foot off the green to one foot on the green and proceeded to knock
in the longest putt!)
Our mate from Oz, Dick Bainbridge was once again the
recipient of this worst score of the day award and will be donating to
charity when he fronts up next, as there is another standing rule which says
that the “Compass award cannot be forfeited for non attendance at
presentations”. Dick’s bad day was highlighted by his sand iron breaking off
at the handle due to corrosion. Time to buy a new set mate!
Deefa’s masters “The Drut” was absent but stand in, Ken
Bernek, paraded Deefa and collected many grateful contributions and also
fined a few players for playful indiscretions. It is understood that the
coffers from this worthy collection is currently in the tens of thousands of
baht, to be used to enhance the lives of some lucky, less fortunate local
children in the near future. Deefa’s owner will inform soon.
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A clean sweep for the Irish at Khao Kheow
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
Monday, Feb. 13, Khao
Kheow - Stableford
Thirty-eight Outbackers travelled to Khao Kheow Golf Club
including Pat Regan and his Irish mates led by Vinny Connellan to play the C
and B nines on a sunny, hot and humid day. The golf course was presented in
reasonable condition with flat greens, though a little slower than normal
and fairways that had plenty of grass on them and looked like they had been
cut a couple of days or so ago.
Rick Forrest.
C nine was played first and the first five groups were
all under two hours but unfortunately had a thirty minute wait to start the
B nine and then it took another two and a half hours to finish the nine, all
caused by one five-ball out in front of the field who couldn’t have cared
less.
Considering how tough the course is, the scores for the
day were very good although only one player had better than par for the day.
With the size of the field we had three divisions with four places in each.
The winner of Div C was Irishman Pat Culloty, having his
first game with the Outback, (but not one of Vinny’s raiders) with 35 points
from Sakorn on 33 points, with Tony Tolan (Vinny’s Irish group) on 32 points
winning on count back from Greg LeBlanc.
Div C went to another Irishman also having his first game
with us, Conor Doyle with a good round of 37 points, from Steve (stomach
cramps) Plant on 35 points and Sugar Ray (33) and his good mate, Phil Waite
with 32.
Paul Bourke.
Div A made the Irish day and a clean sweep with Frank
O’Hara (Vinny’s group) taking the honours on 36 points from Jeff Warner on
35 beating Peter Ennis (Vinny’s group) on count back.
Welcome back to Mo Sidiq, Roy Barrell and Amphun North
and to another first timer with the Outback, Darragh McCormack
There was one ‘2’ (hole 17, B8) and yes, you guessed it -
from Irishman Conor Doyle, well done.
Thanks to the Irish contingent for their generosity and
support of the Outback Charity and safe trip home and we will look forward
to your next visit.
Div A (0-13)
1st Frank O’Hara (13/Hi12.1) 36pts
2nd Peter Ennis (13/Hi12) 35pts
3rd Jeff Warner (13/Hi12.6) 35pts
Div B (14 -21)
1st Conor Doyle (14/Hi12.9) 37pts
2nd Steve Plant (14/Hi13.5) 35pts
3rd Sugar Ray Handford (19/Hi17.9)
33pts
Div C (22+)
1st Pat Culloty (23/Hi21.8) 35pts
2nd Sakorn Pramoolchart (24/Hi25.6)
33pts
3rd Greg LeBlanc (28/Hi26.2) 32pts
Monday, Feb. 13, Burapha -
Stableford
So a record day for the Outback with nearly 90 players
out today across the board at Khao Kheow (38) and here at Burapha (49 and
some) playing what seems to becoming the easy A & B nines from the blues.
Incredibly, in Div B, out of 14, there was only one player under 30pts as
Ken Williams won it on 39 from Rosco on 38.
John Cunningham is a machine on this course and just
keeps on crunching out great score with the equal best score of the day,
40pts, from John Mac and the Capt’ both back on 36. The other day’s best
came from ‘you either love him or you hate him’, Arab ‘moonboot’ Russell and
we are still awaiting pictures of the Burapha staff tending to ‘moonboot
cleaning duty’. Well done Arab!
Finally Div C was won by Rick Forrest on 39 from resident
and not to be outdone by the Khao Kheow crowd, Irishman Ivan Plunkett with
38, which is pretty good as he says he cannot reach the fairway from the
blue tees on some of the holes. Well done Ivan!
There were only four ‘2’s; two on hole A3 from John
Cunningham & Capt’ Bob; Damon Glocker holed his second shot on A4 for an
eagle and Chris Dopp had one on A6.
Div A (0-14)
1st John Cunningham (9/Hi6.4) 40pts
2nd John McDonald (13/Hi10.1) 36pts
3rd Bob Philp (14/Hi11.2) 36pts
Div B (15-20)
1st Ken Williams (15/Hi12) 39pts
2nd Langoulant Rosco (15/Hi11.6)
38pts
3rd Chris Dopp (17/Hi13.6) 38pts
Div C (21-25)
1st Rick Forrest (21/Hi17.1) 39pts
2nd Ivan Plunkett (25/Hi20.7) 38pts
3rd Stewie McKeown (21/Hi17) 37pts
Div D (26+)
1st Arab Russell (28/Hi23.1) 40pts
2nd Mark Rendell (26/Hi21.2) 38pts
3rd Steve Giles (26/Hi21.5) 37pts
Tuesday, Feb. 14, Pattaya
C.C. – Stableford
On this fine Valentine’s Tuesday morning, 18 Outbackers
made the short trip to the ever-welcoming Pattaya Country Club where hearts
and roses were around the regular Tuesday caddies. We welcomed Dave and Liz
Collier and also Yvonne and John Dance from the UK’s West Country to their
first Tuesday at PCC.
The course was in a satisfactory state other than some of
the bunkers, and not too busy so four hours was the norm. The weather was
hot and humid.
In ‘A’ flight, once again organiser of the day Nigel
Cannon (22) led the way with 37 points, with one of his playing partners Liz
Collier (22) a point behind with 36. Third place went to the caddy from PCC,
Noy Kamsantia (20) with 35 and fourth went to good friend of the Outback,
Geoff Doody (19) with 34.
In ‘B’ Flight, showing that he just managed to beat the
Mrs., was Dave Collier (27) with the best of the day 39 points, followed by
a surprised Paul Squibb (27) some 9 points lower on 30, on count back from
Geoff Moodie (25) also with 30. Final spot went to Eddie O’Neill (31) with
27 points picking up his first podium place.
Finally, there is a 2 man scramble coming up on March
6th, kindly and very generously sponsored by Johnny Cogan, who will be
returning to Ireland to live in April to take care of his children’s
education. There are certain qualifying rules for the competition which is
limited to 30 teams at Pattaya C.C., where John was a member and played most
of his golf.
Also for those of you that haven’t already heard, Pattaya
C.C. is closing nine holes (we think the front nine) on Fri 16th March as
the course is to undergo some serious upgrading. We are told for about six
months and as yet no details have been released as to the arrangements or
costs for playing just nine holes or 18 by repeating the same nine. We will
release that info as soon as we know.
Div A (0-23)
1st Nigel Cannon (22/Hi22.8) 37pts
2nd Liz Collier (22/Hi21.1) 36pts
3rd Noy Kamsantia (20/Hi19.8) 35pts
4th Geoff Doody (19/Hi20.4) 34pts
Div B (24+)
1st Dave Collier (27/Hi27.5) 39pts
2nd Paul Squibb (27/Hi27.3) 30pts
3rd Geoff Moodie (25/Hi25.4) 30pts
4th Eddie O’Neill (31/Hi31.4) 27pts
Wednesday, Feb. 15,
Pattana A & B – Stableford
With a full team of 36 players it was off to a good start
right on time and there was no delay in paying green fees as was the problem
before.
Even playing A and B in that order from the more forward
yellow tees, it turned out to be a tough day at the office. There was only
one player who got better than his handicap and the rest of the scores were
very ordinary to say the least.
The greens on the front nine had just been cored and
sanded and were quite slow, even the downhill putts, which normally on this
course are lightning fast, struggled to reach the hole. On the turn it was
straight on to B and thinking the same greens as the last nine, not so; they
were almost back to their usual quick pace.
The shot of the day came from a visiting player from
London even though he is of the Northern Brit variety; playing B1, he
blocked his ball off the tee, hit the cart path on the right hand side and
took off towards the water; which fortunately had been drained out of the
lake and there is some sort of road going out into where the water once was.
Yes, you’ve guessed it - the ball was sitting right in the middle of the
dirt. I’m not sure what club was used but it was the right one as he stiffed
the ball to about 6 feet and lipped out for a birdie, great shot Angus!
He (Angus) took the win in Div A with 36pts from Steve
Mann (35); Div B had two sharing 35pts, Sausage (Bernie Stafford) getting
the nod on count back from new boy to the Outback, Billy Britton. Greg
LeBlanc had another day out to score an excellent 40pts, which has seen him
cut another 1.6 shots.
All in all it was a good day out the course was a little
wet in places but very playable. You couldn’t get too drunk upstairs unless
you had a very big wallet, 111 baht for a beer is a bit over the top but the
food was excellent.
There was only one ‘2’ from Paul Greenaway on the 12th.
Div A (0-12)
1st Angus Neilson (7/Hi7.3) 36pts
2nd Steve Mann (11/Hi10.6) 34pts
3rd Paul Bourke (8/Hi8.6) 33pts
Div B (13-17)
1st Bernie Stafford (13/Hi12.9)
35pts
2nd Billy Britton (16/Hi15.2) 35pts
3rd Steve Plant (14/Hi13.5) 33pts
Div C (18+)
1st Greg LeBlanc (30/Hi26.2) 40pts
2nd Pat Culloty (24/Hi21.8) 38pts
3rd Sunanta Duangwaw (45/Hi36)
35pts
Thursday, Feb. 16, Mt.
Shadow - Stableford
Nearly all of the 17 Outbackers here were visitors, not
many of the regulars were willing to give this tricky course a go; and as
can be seen from the low scoring, is easy to see why.
Shay Mitchell continued to fly the flag for the Irish as
his 34pts won the day from Jeff Warner (31pts) who has been steady all week
and Aussie visitor, Kim Stokes, also with 31.
We had an entire family of Bracegirdles, four of them to
be precise and welcome to them playing with the Outback for the first time
and similarly to Tim Jackson & Campbell Johnson.
It came as no real surprise that there were no ‘2’s.
1st Shay Mitchell (21/Hi21.1) 34pts
2nd Jeff Warner (12/Hi12.6) 31pts
3rd Kim Stokes (14) 31pts
Friday, Feb. 17, Green
Valley – Stableford
With thirteen groups playing, it was off to an early
start – 15mins ahead of our 10 o’clock tee off and we were all gone by 11
o’clock; the course was in great condition as you will see by some of the
scores. Unlike the ladies tournament at Siam Old Course we dodged the rain;
it did threaten but did not eventuate until we were on the way home.
Ed Horrocks had the day of his life and actually took a
photo of his card as it was his best round ever, a massive 43pts, which
earned him the Div C title and a 2.7 shot handicap reduction. Rick Forrest
took Div B with another good score, 40pts and he was two ahead of course
member, Sugar Ray. Paul Bourke showed everybody in Div A once again how to
play this game with 39pts off 8; but newbie Mark Taversham-Hamm played well
with 37 off 5 and a special mention also to Tubz (Mark McDonald) for his one
over gross, 36pts.
There were six ‘2’s; two on the 4th;
from Mark McDonald & Jim Brackett; another one from Mark & one from John
Player on the 9th; then two more on the 12th;
from Andy Makara & Charlie Ward.
Div A (0-11)
1st Paul Bourke (8/Hi8.7) 39pts
2nd Mark Taversham-Hamm (5/Hi6)
37pts
3rd Angus Neilson (6/Hi7.3) 37pts
Div B (12-19)
1st Rick Forrest (16/Hi16.3) 40pts
2nd Sugar Ray Handford (18/Hi17.9)
38pts
3rd Phil Waite (13/Hi13.3) 35pts
Div C (20+)
1st Ed Horrocks (21/Hi20.5) 43pts
2nd Andy Makara (30/Hi28.7) 38pts
3rd Ray Verrall (23/Hi22.7) 33pts
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Kelly claims Kabinburi
PSC golf from The Golf Club
Steve Ellison
Tuesday &Wednesday, Feb. 14 & 15,
Kabinburi Sport Club – Stableford.1st
Patrick Kelly (+2) 41pts
2nd John McHugh (10) 40pts
3rd Steve Weller (7) 39pts
And so we set off for yet another trip up north to
Kabinburi Sport Club, home of the longest golf course in Thailand. 28 of
us golfers (plus wives, girlfriends & kids) rolled up to the Kantary
Hotel for check-in on Tuesday morning after the mere 175km run lasting 2
hours 10 minutes (with a quick stop as well). This road trip is always
something to look forward to as the accommodation is truly 5-star and we
were treated to an upgrade to the one-bedroom suites!
Patrick Kelly, John Mchugh
& Steve Weller.
The course was being worked on to be honest, greens
were sanded and fairways verticut, but that did not diminish from the
fun of the trip. We held an eclectic stableford over the 2 days of play
which is the best way to handle it under these conditions.
The greens were crazy fast and three putting was not
unheard of on these huge greens. The umbrellas were also out in force,
not for any rain but shelter from the blazing sun. There was a Korean
golf school there as well, but play mostly went smoothly. Those kids
showed a lot of dedication and talent!
After the first round, we decided to have our
Valentine’s Day dinner at the Home Place restaurant across the street
and join in the cowboy atmosphere with steaks and beer. They have a
great Thai band there that does Farang rock classics from the 70’ & 80’s
that went down a treat.
Peter Hynard.
Patrick Kelly is one of the best golfers in Pattaya.
He plays off a plus 2 and is only 17 years old! Can you spell “jealous”?
Oh how amazing it would be to be able to play with control like that and
actually know just where your ball is going to go. What a concept!
Patrick just missed out on qualifying for the Asian
Tour last month in Hua Hin and will be back next year to give it another
shot. The Golf Club is proud to be his first apparel sponsor! It is
great to see such a talented and nice guy do so well and we wish him all
the very best of fortunes in the future.
As it turned out, Patrick walked away with first
place honours for the 2-day eclectic, followed by TGC partner John
McHugh with last weeks’ winner Steve Weller the last guy to step up to
the podium for third. Well played guys! Also, our thanks go out to
Warren Holland for hosting the event and having it go so smoothly.
Friday, Feb. 17,
Mountain Shadow (White/Blue tees) – Stableford
A Flight
1st Peter Hynard (13) 39pts
2nd Bob Patterson (8) 37pts
3rd Ed Wycoff (11) 37pts
B Flight
1st Brett Chan (20) 36pts
2nd Tom Balch (24) 36pts
3rd Jensen Lim (25) 31pts
It was time to get back to one of our favourite
courses in Pattaya, Mountain Shadow, for our Friday Stableford comp. We
had a strong turnout for this popular track and the gang turned in some
very respectable scores.
Peter Hynard has been kind enough to take the helm
during his stay in Pattaya for the next few weeks until he must return
to Blighty for “The Season”. As Brad Sproxton had the moniker “Kaptain
Klipboard” during his stint at TGC, we are looking for an appropriate
nickname for Pete. All suggestions are welcome and must be acceptable
for a family newspaper (that makes is rather more difficult, eh?)
In any event, he proved to be a rather rude host by
winning his own comp with a 39 point total, which is great for a track
like Mountain Shadow. Representing the Colonies, Mr. Bob Patterson did
very well with his 37, just a tad better on the count back than Ed
Wycoff. “Mr. Ed” did little horsing around for his 37 as well.
In the B Flight, steady Brett Chan shot his handicap
with a 36, and again just pipping Teacher Tom Balch for the victory. On
third and visiting from Singapore, Miss Jensen Lim finished 18 with 31
points for third place.
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: pattaya4golf @gmail.com and see updates at
www.facebook.com/golfclubpattaya
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Colin Swann remembered by golfing friends
The Bowling Green Golf Society
The Bowling Green golfers line
up at Eastern Star.
John McCann
Tuesday Feb 14, The Bowling Green Golf Society had an
outing to Eastern Star Golf Club to commemorate the 1st anniversary of the
passing away of Colin Swann. There was a good turnout, with many people
wearing special tops to honour Colin who was a regular player with the
Bowling Green and probably one of the most well liked. In all the time I
knew him, he never once said anything bad about anybody. He was always a
pleasure to play with, always offering encouragement and also modest in his
own achievements.
The day went very well with lots of prizes donated by his
friends. The weather was hot and the course played long. After the golf,
everyone went back to The Bowling Green for food and the presentation of
various prizes.
The presentation was done by Bruce, who excelled in the
role of organiser. Also thanks to Brian and everybody who donated prizes.
Thanks to all the people who supported the event and also to the many
players. Thanks also to Dave and Evelyn and staff of the Bowling Green.
Colin, you will always be remembered by your friends in
Pattaya!
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Murphy makes hay
at Pattaya Country Club
PSC golf from the Three Sisters Bar
Winner Rich Murphy (left) with
runner-up Paul Kinmond.
And a fine day it was to be playing golf at the Pattaya
Country Club this past Feb 15. We had a good turnout with 3 foursomes and 1
fivesome. The sun hid behind non threatening clouds, peeking out just a few
times during the morning. The course was in pretty good shape except for
bunkers near the greens where hitting out was like hitting wood. Just could
not get under the ball. All players were under attack by the annual gnats’
migration.
Back at Caddy Shack II the cards were tallied and Rich
Murphy came in with a whopping 40 points followed by Paul Kinmond with 37.
Trailing these two were Larry Emerson with 35, Vance Millar with 34 and Dale
Murphy with 34.
Herbie Ishinaga again provided table snacks of chips,
peanuts and pretzels. For the entree he provided delicious roast beef and
ham slices.
Barnett edges McGahan
at Green Valley
PSC golf from The Caddyshack
Monday, Feb. 13,The
Emerald – Stableford
A Flight
1st Mark Williams (10) 35pts
2nd Dave Hester (8) 33pts
B Flight
1st Tom Breslin (24) 33pts
2nd Derek Wilkin (18) 31pts
A low scoring day at Emerald with 35 points from Mark
Williams being the best return from the two flights. Tom Breslin was the
winner of B Flight on 33 while Dave Hester recorded the only birdie ‘2’ of
the day.
Wednesday, Feb. 15,Green
Valley – Stableford
1st Jason Barnett (5) 39pts
2nd Phonsie McGahan (6) 38
3rd Paul Walia (13) 37
Jason Barnett topped the single flight on Wednesday with
a fine 39 points to finish just one ahead of Phonsie McGahan in second while
Paul Walia edged Eddie Blackwell on count back to take the final podium
place on 37.
Ted Gardner cleaned up in the ‘2’s competition.
Friday, Feb. 17,Greenwood
– Stableford
A Flight
1st Ian Dallas (11) 35pts
2nd Vaughan Jackson (15) 34pts
3rd Phonsie McGahan (6) 34pts
B Flight
1st Roger Rush (17) 36pts
2nd Brian Orr (16) 35pts
3rd Derek May (16) 35pts
Two flights on Friday with Roger Rush top scoring with 36
points to win the B Flight while Ian Dallas required just one less to take
the honours in the premier division.
John O’Flynn won the ‘2’s pot today.
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Chatt the champion in Kanchanaburi
Jomtien Golf with the I.P.G.C.
Podium placers at Kanchanaburi: Ron Miller, Mike
Chatt, Raivo Velsberg and Jerry MaCarthy.
Monday, February 13,
Evergreen Hills – Stableford
On the Sunday there were 20 golfers departing from Siam
Cats with their partners for a 36 hole competition in Kanchanaburi, playing
Evergreen Hills today and Blue Sapphire on the Wednesday. The accommodation
had been reserved at Noble Nights and Pong Phen, a great location for all.
Playing off the white tees there were two 42’s winning
divisions 1 and 2 today. Mike Chatt was the winner in division 1, with Ron
Miller second on 38 and Ya Ya’s other half, Neville Scurrell in third
position with 34.
There was no Miss Chevrolet playing as she was busy at
Burapha so Andy Baber came in smiling after winning division 2 while Jean
Morel took second with 35 and the organiser scored 12 on the front nine and
22 on the back to finish third.
Pranee Bosset won the Ladies division with 35 points.
There were only two birdie ‘2’s today, both from Mike
Chatt on the 8th and 11th holes.
Wednesday,February 15,
Blue Sapphire – Stableford
After a day off with various trips around the region for
the groups, we arrived today at the course with the A and B nines already
booked to be told there were no caddies available as there was a strike. So
reminiscent of the old days back in the UK where you pull your own trolley,
it was a spooky experience after all these years.
We played the blue tees today and with the majority of
our group who have not played here before and with the layout as it is, plus
with no caddie course management, it was a tough day.
In division 1 Mike Chatt, after being cut 2 shots from
Monday’s round, won the division with 37 points after beating Jerry MaCarthy
on a 20/18 back nine count back. Raivo Velsberg was third with 34.
Jean Morel took out the second division with 30 points,
Jimmy Johnson was second four points behind and John Harvey beat Yves Bosset
to third place on a 10/8 back nine count back after they both scored 25
points.
Pranee was in the frame again winning the ladies flight
with 27 points.
There were no ‘2’s in any of the divisions today so an
increase in the two-day pot.
So the overall winner after two rounds was Mike Chatt
with 79 points. Congratulations Mike! In second place was Jerry MaCarthy who
beat Raivo Velsberg on a 37/34 back 18 count back after they both came in
with 68 points, and Ron Miller was fourth on 66. Pranee took the ladies
title with 62.
Many thanks to Rob Marston and all his staff at the ‘1
more bar ‘for great food and service and also the golf and room
arrangements. Well done Rob!
Friday, February 17,
Eastern Star – Stableford
A smaller field than normal after Russell’s big event
here the day before, but there were still two divisions for the men and one
for the ladies.
The cut today was 6-17 and 18 plus, and with 38 points
each Jerry MaCarthy and Pete Sumner were fighting for the top podium
position in the premier flight as they both scored 19 on the back nine, but
Jerry then beat Pete on a 14/10 back six count back. Chris Voller came third
with 36 points.
Erkki Pohja won division 2 with 34 points, Ian Plummer
was second one point behind and Mauri Friman took third with 32.
Pranee Bosset won the ladies division with 30 points.
In the nearest the pins category, Pranee won the only
prize for the ladies on the third, Jerry MaCarthy (in the last group out )
took the pot on the 3rd, 6th and 17th in division 1, while Yves Bosset,
Peter Grant, Frank Kelly and Bryan Rought shared the proceeds in division 2.
Yves Bosset took the maximum in the ‘2’s with the only
one on the 13th.
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Luck of the Irish
IPGC golf from The Links
Tony Duthie (left) & Kevin
McIntosh (right) were the runners-up.
Sunday, February 12,
Pattaya C.C. – Stableford
Thirty-two golfers made the regular Sunday trip to
Pattaya Country Club where the staff had learned from previous weeks and
with ample carts and caddies readily available, we were able to start
slightly earlier than our allotted time, in what proved to be a good day for
the large Irish contingent, who between them scooped all the places plus the
‘2’s pot.
The group as usual was split into two flights, today the
cut coming at 0-18 and 19+.
In the A flight, 3 players could only be split by count
back after scoring the regulation 36 points, with Ted Lodge just missing out
on a place, his 17 point back 9 falling short of the targets set by Joe
Peters (19) and Jackie O‘Connell (21). The three finished a full 5 points
behind new member Don Byrne, whose 15 handicap will no doubt come into
review this coming weekend.
In the B flight, Ted Murphy returned to the winner’s
enclosure with a 40 point haul, edging out the always smiling Theresa
Connolly by a single point with returnee Ben O’Neill in third with 36
points.
There were four ‘2’s, with Terry Kelly, Alec Hoare, Ted
Murphy and Gilbert Brosnan sharing the pot.
Jon Lay & Kari Kuparinen
(center) receive their prizes after finishing first in The Links Challenge
charity scramble.
A Flight
1st Don Byrne (15) 41pts
2nd Jackie O’Connell (18) 36pts
3rd Joe Peters (15) 36pts
B Flight
1st Ted Murphy (22) 40pts
2nd Theresa Connolly (25) 39pts
3rd Ben O’Neill (21) 36pts
Tuesday, February 14, Laem
Chabang - Stableford
With Laem Chabang always being popular with the Links
group, the entry sheet was full within a couple of days of being posted with
the allocation limited to 36. At the time of booking, we were informed we
would be playing the easiest combination of the Mountain and Lakes courses,
so the intention was to play off the blues and whites, as per Lotus Valley
the previous week – a format that seemed to work well.
On arrival, however, the Mountain had been substituted
for the difficult Valley course, and with the long carry off the tee on some
of the holes proving too much for some, the decision was made to revert to
the whites, with the cut coming at 0–16 and 17+.
In the A flight, gentle giant Keith Woolley, normally
limited to Sundays only due to work commitments, showed that with more
regular golf, he is more than capable of going lower than his 13 handicap,
his 39 points beating Rob Taylor into second by a point. Marty Rock came
third with 35 points, ahead of Barney Sheedy on the same score, but with a
better last 6 of 10-9 after both scored 17 on the back 9.
In the B flight, Andy Galvin, a regular visitor to the
podium, posted 40 points to take first place, ahead of Mike Korney whose
smooth putting stroke helped him to 36 points, with Ted Murphy back in third
on 34.
The ‘2’s went to Rob Taylor, Marty Rock and Theresa
Connolly.
A Flight
1st Keith Wolley (13) 39pts
2nd Rob Taylor (8) 38pts
3rd Marty Rock (9) 35pts
B Flight
1st Andy Galvin (20) 40pts
2nd Mike Korney (19) 36pts
3rd Ted Murphy (22) 34pts
Thursday, Feb 16, Eastern
Star – The Links Challenge
Thursday saw the launch of what will be an annual charity
event for the Links, a 2-man scramble, with the proceeds of today going to
Jesters Care4 kids charity. The aim was to have 50 pairs teeing off at the
popular Eastern Star course, but this was well surpassed, as with the
support of many of Pattaya’s other golf groups, a total of 126 signed up for
the day.
With excellent prizes for the first four pairs, together
with technical prizes at every hole, a big thank you went out to all the
corporate and individual sponsors, who made what turned out to be a truly
excellent day, extremely successful.
The format for the day was a 2-man scramble, with 30% of
combined handicaps, and each player needing 7 tee shots to count. With the
course playing long and tough, birdies were hard to come by for most, but
the single figure pairing of Jon Lay and Kari Kuparinen played some
excellent golf to register eight, to take first place with a net 61.1 off
their 3.9 handicap. Tony Duthie and Kevin McIntosh were next best followed
by the pairings of Geoff Parker & Barry Murnin and Pierre Cere and Patrick
Engels.
Technical prizes went to Andy Galvin (2), David Lowe,
Stephen Donahue, Piere Bietry, Arthur Hancock, John McHugh, Geoff Parker,
George Cullen, John Dearden, Barry Murnin, Nicky Clow, Mark Stanley, Yui
Bietry, Michael Byrne and Shane Ruddle.
However the big winner of the day was Jesters Care4 Kids
charity, for whom over 150,000 baht was raised.
1st Jon Lay & Kari Kuparinen, net
61.1
2nd Tony Duthie & Kevin McIntosh,
net 61.7
3rd Geoff Parker & Barry Murnin,
net 63.4
4th Pierre Cere & Patrick Engels,
net 63.5
Note: The Links depart from the hotel on Soi
Buakhao at 9.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 10.00am for Pattaya Country
Club 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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Aussies Rule
IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, 13th
February, Eastern Star - Stableford
CSS 75
1st Warren Gallop (11) 38pts
2nd Alwyne Burley (17) 32pts
3rd Phil Groves (9) 30pts
4th Yasuo Suzuki (11) 29pts
5th Rodney Hayes (12) 29pts
Playing his last week before returning to China,
Australian Warren Gallop took his second win of this tour with a crushing
victory of six shots over a very good field. With the course playing about
as long as it gets with almost no run on the fairways and the tee boxes
placed near the blocks on most of the teeing areas, it was a class round of
golf doubly underscored as the CSS for the day went out three to 75,
ensuring that on Warren’s return his handicap will have been pared by
another shot.
Warren Gallop.
Another important factor was the condition of the greens
which were in pretty poor shape and some being particularly uneven which
when added to the length of the grass on them, made putting a bit of a
lottery.
Alwyne Burley was the best of the chasing pack at four
over handicap which surprisingly earned him second place ahead of Phil
Groves, who has just returned from almost a year and a half’s self imposed
exile from the Australian golf courses just north of Alwyne’s home course,
making it another 1, 2, 3 for Australia and almost a mirror image of the
last three one-dayers at home.
Yasuo Suzuki slipped into fourth spot with a better count
back over Rodney Hayes of 17 to 14.
In line with the difficulty of the course on the day
there were no 2’s in either division.
Before presenting the prizes Stephen Beard welcomed new
members Peter Pereira, Terrance Martin Bruno Torquato and Pacy Hurd and also
welcomed back Allan Duffy, Max Arlen, Phil Groves and Magne Gunnarsson.
Wednesday 15th
February, Mountain Shadow (Blue tees) - Stableford
CSS 73
1st Torild Lossius (36) 39pts
2nd Rodney Hayes (12)37pts
3rd Phil Groves (9) 36pts
4th Alwyne Burley (17) 32pts
5th Ron Rigden (17) 31pts
6th Don Everett (20) 31pts
Torild Lossius took up the challenge for the rest of the
world to deny the Aussies yet another 1, 2, 3 as she took the top honour
with a splendid three under handicap round; albeit from the slightly shorter
red tees and of course from where her handicap emanates, which stopped
Rodney Hayes taking his long awaited win.
Toril Lossius.
Rodney, always the gentleman, took it all in good heart
but still wondered why someone who hits it a lot further than him off the
tees should tee off from areas sometimes eighty yards in front of him. The
answer no doubt lies somewhere between the drive and the hole.
Torild’s effort also ensured that Phil Groves’ good round
only put him in third, the same position as the previous outing although
being six strokes better.
Alwyne Burley swapped his second place for fourth, also
with the same score as Monday, as especially the shorter and better
conditioned greens helped all the players to a better day’s golf and with
the fairways and rough in good shape it all made for a pleasant experience
under the cloud filled skies when the rains held off until after the final
putt had dropped.
Peter Pereira.
Ron Rigden at last had something he could talk about when
he returns home, as he slid into 5th place after a
better count back with Don Everett which he won by a margin of 16 to 14.
Once again there were no 2’s in the first division but
Hal Hart and Rodney Howett shared the roll over pool in the second division.
Friday, 17th
February, Pattaya C.C. - Stableford
CSS 72
Gentlemen
1st Peter Pereira (14) 37pts
2nd Leif Lossius (30) 37pts
3rd Ron Rigden (17) 36pts
4th Bruno Torquato (14) 35pts
5th Don Everett (20) 32pts
Ladies
1st Marianne Kayser (33) 32pts
2nd Torild Lossius (36) 25pts
With sufficient ladies, in numbers at least, to form
their own division, Marianne Kayser did enough to win with a solid if
unexciting round that easily took the top spot ahead of the strangely out of
sorts Torild Lossius.
The Gentlemen’s division was won by yet another
Australian, this time from the other side of the continent hailing from the
Le Turf Golf Club situated just outside Perth in Western Australia. But
Peter Pereira needed to win a close fought count back with Leif Lossius, who
was aiming to emulate his wife’s previous efforts and to get some sort of
parity in the pecking order around the dinner table when they return home to
Norway. Unfortunately for him, Leif had to settle for second place after
losing on the last six by 12 to 13 after Peter and he had tied the back nine
in 18 a piece.
Ron Rigden added to his week’s booty with a third place,
on level handicap, to underline to his travelling partner John Pearce “that
the early bird catches the worm”, well at least sometimes even if it is not
a very big one.
Bruno Torquato took fourth spot just one further back
with Don Everett getting his second honourable mention of the week back in
fifth.
Phil Groves’ efforts to increase his calorie intake by
purchasing a bag of the Haven home-made oatmeal cookies took a bit of a
setback when after tasting the first one on the course, a stray dog noticed
him squirrel the packet away in the golf buggy and took the opportunity on
the next tee box to finish off the lot as Phil was in his backswing - this
no doubt the reason for Phil failing to make the podium for the third time
in the week after missing the fairway.
Peter Pereira added to his day’s haul as he slipped in
the only 2 in the first division to sweep the triple rollover in the first
division while Ron Rigden had the only one in the second division.
Back at The Haven there were welcome backs for Frank
Hughes, Ole Stamnes, Marianne and Frithjof Kayser and Andy Pedlar.
There was also a very special welcome back to Shuichi
Kodaka following his rehabilitation after the attempt on his life by a
demented motorcyclist. The Doc noted that he now wore IPod buds for
listening to heavy metal music in the hopes of drowning out the sound of
traffic on the pavements (sidewalks ed.), and hoped that his return would be
a welcome boost to the bar profits.
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.
16th Pattaya AmAm golf tournament
The 16th Pattaya AmAm golf tournament will take place at
Pattaya Country Club on Friday 2nd March 2012. The format is Teams of 4
players with a stableford scoring system, 75% of playing handicaps per
player and 2 team members’ scores to count on each hole.
There will be prizes awarded for 1st 2nd 3rd places plus
various technical prizes. Presentations and buffet will take place at The
Haven.
Cost of entry is 1500 baht per player and sign-up sheets
are available at the following golfing outlets: Donovan’s (Steve Mascari),
The Haven (Stephen Beard), Jomtien Golf (Glyn Evans), The Links (Russell
Exley), and The Rabbi’s Elephant (Len Jones).
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Graham comes out
of the shadows
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Bob & Graham.
Tuesday, February 14, The
Emerald - Stableford
It was Valentine’s Day, but nobody fell in love with
their game at the Emerald on this day. No player managed to break their
handicap, with Pierre Cene (12) going closest with 35 points to win the day.
2nd & 3rd were separated on a count back 20/19 with Gabriel Enright (15)
edging Graham Johnson (8) after both players signed for 34 points.
Graham was to the fore in the NTP department with 2,
while Pierre & Monte each grabbed 1.
Thursday, February 16, Mt.
Shadow - Stableford
Mountain Shadow was our chosen venue for Thursday, the
course was in good condition, with the greens temperate at best, compared to
the hot & fast they can be. Graham Johnson (8) made amends for the lack of
handicap breaking Tuesday, with a strong 38 points today, he told me he had
no birdies in that, so some very steady golf, to win the day from Clive
Hoseason (29) with 34 points.
No NTPs today, as we only had light numbers.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf on Tuesday &
Thursday, with ML hosting prompt presentations on both days. Call 089 094
1841 for scheduling or enquiries. Hope to see you there, cheers & good
golfing!
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Scribe’s triumph at Phoenix
Phoenix Tuesday/Friday Golf Group
Tuesday’s winners with the
staff at The Relax Bar.
Mike Gerrard
Friday, Feb. 10, Phoenix -
Stableford
Yes folks, twas I (the scribe) who managed to score 36
points today to win from Ted Oreton with the same score but losing on count
back and Landis Brooks in third with 33 points and then in joint fourth were
Bill Hewitt and Clive Robinson also with 33 points.
However the whole day was spoiled by the very poor
management of the Phoenix Golf Club. They fell into the trap of allowing far
too many tour company customers to totally dominate both caddies and carts
thus making all tee times at least 40 to 45 minutes late.
Some players were allowed to go out on carts with only
one caddy between two players for a while, until other caddies became
available. Sadly we were told the same thing happened on Saturday 11th, and
we also experienced the same problem on Sunday 12th. Disgraceful! Both days
took almost 6 hours to complete the round of golf.
Most players were far too exhausted to enjoy the amber
nectar after the game and went home early. (Or late that is).
Tuesday, Feb. 14, Phoenix
– Stableford
The first thing we did today was welcome Hugh Byrne back
into the group after a long illness and two operations. Gee whiz what a lot
of us would do to look as slim as he does. However we would not have wanted
to go through what he has to achieve it.
The first thing Hugh requested was that because of his
illness he should be given some shots back to increase his handicap. I have
to advise anyone who suggests such a request that they will get the same
answer that Hugh got. I am afraid that I do not think the editors of the
newspapers will print what the answer was but the second word ended with two
‘FF’s’.
As you can see in the photo he looks pretty good. Also
you will notice Patrick Browne up to his usual tricks with the girls. Pity
he and Kobijashi (far left) did not combine the shirt and shorts. Would have
been a lovely match.
Onto the course today, which in total contrast to the
weekend was almost empty. The game today took no more than about four and a
half hours to complete.
Sadly for Hugh, Richard Baldwin spoiled the party for him
with a fine 37 points to win first place and the KPK Food Services Voucher.
Hugh Byrne claimed second place with 35 points, thus proving that the
decision not to give him any shots back was the correct one. Watch out for
major improvements when he is fully fit. Bill Hewitt and Patrick Browne tied
third place with 34 points.
Near pins went to Bill Hewitt, Denis Dixon, Bong & Goort
Gelten.
The lucky draw prizes donated by The Relax Bar at Ban
Amphur went to Joris, Kobiyashi, Louis McConkey, Peter Wathall & Davis
Czernie, who claimed the free massage.
Next week we play for the Trattoria Italiana voucher
which is a stroke play tournament. For more information regarding golf with
the group or sea fishing trips call me on 087 091 7565.
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To the victor the spoils
The Pattaya Golf Society (IPGC) at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
The Pattaya Golf Society visited Pattaya Country Club for
a stableford competition on Monday, 13th February and found the course in
reasonable condition but with scruffy greens which were slow-medium and in
need of a roll. Some were sanded also.
The course is looking a little jaded at the moment and
the closure of the front nine for renovation work over the next few months
looks to be very appropriate timing. Having said that the welcome was warm
as usual and the large field was divided into two flights at fourteen and
under.
In the second flight Scot Allen Dow played his best golf
for a few months in recording 36 points for third place, one behind Gary
Bolger’s efforts which brought him second place. The flight winner was Larry
Slattery with an excellent forty points, following some mediocre rounds
recently.
In the top flight Olivier Tahon’s improvement in form was
apparent from the off as he recorded 37 points for second place, but to the
victor the spoils as Vic Hansen signed off this trip with forty points and
the best gross of the day, 77.
The ‘2’s pot was shared by Niall Cronin, “Banjo”
Bannister, Larry Slattery and a brace for Robbie Taylor and the Booby Bevy
went to new member Jack Trenton for the lowest score of the day on this his
first Thai round.
Pattaya C.C. will benefit from the rest and renovation
and the group looks forward to revisiting again in October.
Order restored at Khao
Kheow
The Pattaya Golf Society visited Khao Kheow on Wednesday,
15th February and found the course well recovered from the ravages of the
wet season but there was still some rain damaged GUR on the B nine.
Starting on the C nine yellow tees behind a ridiculously
late and slow independent golf tour company and its organizer, who cut in to
give an on-course lesson all the way around, the large field set off in two
flights with the cut at thirteen and under.
The scoring matched the pace and was slow but in the
second flight Ken Page and Yvonne Earley shared third place with 32 points
each, Yvonne’s husband Mike holding the aces with 33 points for second
place. The flight winner was Mr Len with 35 points, driven some claimed, by
an excess of adrenalin after tackling the interlopers on the first tee!
In the top flight third place went to Martin Grimoldby on
34 points with Fred Land taking second with 36 points. The flight winner was
Wichai Tananusorn with the day’s best gross of 78 giving him 37 points. His
card included the rare feat of three birdie ‘2’s, his bogey on C8 costing
him a PGS record. Alan Pilkington and Mike Earley also had a share of the
‘2’s pot
Olivier Tahon’s sponsored technical prize went to Wichai
also for his best total on the par threes whilst the Booby Bevy went to Bob
Lind after his tee shot on B7 failed to make the red tee but he still
finished with a bogey.
At the end of the day an honourable established Pattaya
golf group, providing a day out as a “service” showed far more
professionalism and respect to the course, staff and golfers than the large
“business” driven outfit. Etiquette and order had been restored.
Magical Moriarty
Friday, 17th February saw a rare PGS “double header” at
Crystal Bay and Greenwood when numbers soared making playing one course
impossible. It could have been an organisational nightmare but Rick Schramm
and Mr Len coped admirably with the task.
At Crystal Bay the A and B courses were well prepared for
the two flights divided at fourteen and under. Those in the second flight
found the going tough with Tony Barritt finishing in third place with 27
points behind Ken Page and Japanese lady Mari Kikuchi, who shared top spot
with 30 points each.
In the top flight scores were phenomenal as Martin
Grimoldby, Rick Schramm and Mike Earley all shared third place with 39
points, one behind the second placed golfer, Canadian Brian Beaupre on
forty. The winner with a staggering 43 points off his thirteen handicap was
New Jersey’s Dave Moriarty. It represented his best ever round in the Land
of Smiles and was extremely well received by the packed presentation
reception at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar in Soi Buakhao later.
In the extra event at a packed Greenwood on the B and C
nines, Wichai Tananusorn and Richard “Banjo” Bannister shared third place
with 32 points each with Pat Murphy taking second with a fine level par
round of 36 points. The winner was Bill Trainer with 38 points.
There were birdie ‘2’s at Crystal Bay for Brian Beaupre,
Rick Schramm, Jason Cole, Fred Land and Yasuo Suzuki whilst Brian Shaw had
the sole honour at Greenwood. The presentation was a bizarre end to a
memorable day as the power went off in the soi and the awards were made in
candlelight! It could only happen in Pattaya of course. Amazing!
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Hamstad & Kubicki top the week
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Tuesday winner Carole Kubicki
(center) with runner-up Rob Brown (left) and Richard Kubicki (right).
Derek Brook
Tuesday, Feb. 14, Mountain
Shadow – Stableford
This was going to be a different day right from the
start, as both ‘organisers’ decided that with it being Valentine’s Day they
really should be at home with their ‘loved ones’, so in the spirit of
compromise Mike Gaussa was volunteered to run the day. I do like a good
volunteer. So off they went and I went back to bed.
When they came back I nipped down and had a few beers
while Mike declared the results and I have to say he should do it more often
as Mashi was not in the winners list; damn good show Mike! Mind, I expect
that normal service will be resumed from next week when we will both be fit,
I hope.
There was the bit in the middle, that with neither Dick
nor I going, does not hold a lot of interest really but I suppose I better
report on it in Mike’s words. Still as a part timer he did good.
So on arrival it was noted that the car park was full and
it promised to be a slow day. Stood on the first tee, and playing the Blue
tees, it was noted that the Ladies red tee was so far forward that the girls
were lost in the distance and so it was all the way around. Sad really!
The fairways were fine with the greens as normal, really
tricky, fast and sneaky. So it was going to be a tough day and the course
was fine but testing and deal here is good so we will be back here again
without doubt.
Back to Bert’s it was time for Mike Gaussa’s big moment
as he did the presentation. The winner was Carole Kubicki with 38 points
ahead of Rob Brown with 37 points. In third place was ‘The Other Kubicki’
Richard with 34 points with Doug Maiko in fourth with 32 points and Graham
Buckingham in fifth on 31 points.
Mike could relax and I have proved him wrong as he said
he would not get a mention as he did not win. Happy Days! T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Graham Buckingham, Ed Koch, Richard
Kubicki, Tom Cotton
Friday, Feb. 17, Treasure
Hill – Stableford
This course is getting better and today we were soon away
and the layout provided its normal tough test.
Round over we awaited the rest of the players before
getting into cars for the trip back. The return to Pattaya proved to be the
most exciting part of the day. We had a real tropical downpour with the
roads under water and splashing our way back to Bert’s. When we got there it
seems they did not have much rain - weird!
So on to the presentation and the winner with 36 points
was Steve Hamstad on count back over Brian Parrish. In third was Rob Brown
with 34 points and in fourth was Andre Van Dyke with 32 points.
Near Pins: Derek Brook, Andre Van Dyke, Mike
Gaussa (2).
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Pattaya City on the goals trail
Bangkok Casuals Football League Div. 1 & 2
Paul Frain
Pattaya City entertained bottom club German All Stars
last weekend and it wasn’t long before they opened the scoring when a German
defender in attempting to clear, hit one of his own colleagues with the ball
rebounding into the path of City’s centre forward Vorontsov who made no
mistake to make it 1-0.
City continued attacking the German goal with great speed
and a superb dummy by Vorontsov, letting the ball go between his legs into
the path of Dipita, saw the latter’s first time shot leave the keeper
grasping thin air as City doubled their lead.
Before half time a clever combination by Aleksei and
Tshuma saw City go 3-0 up as the unmarked City forward slid in to score
Pattaya’s third goal, which was the score at the break.
In the second period City continued the onslaught and a
superb ball by their centre half found Dipita, who beat three defenders to
score City’s fourth goal. The home side then became over confident and a
dribble by the City keeper saw him lose possession and City were fortunate
not to concede as the German forward failed to control the ball.
At the other end however there was no holding the City
forward line as Bangkhadara’s pass found Alexande to score his side’s fifth
goal. The home team’s composure had been restored and soon after a five man
passing move saw Dipita score to make the score 6-0 which remained the score
at the final whistle.
City Reserves caught on
the counter by Bangkok United
The City Reserves played Bangkok United, also last
weekend, and City took an early lead when Glen Wilkins scored after latching
onto a through ball from Sevciuc to make it 1-0. United then equalized when
their forward was left on his own on the left, and sent a blistering shot
past the City keeper to make it 1-1.
After City’s Ciesielski saw his strong header cleared off
the line, a breakaway by United saw them awarded a penalty as their centre
forward was brought down in the area and was converted to put them 2-1
ahead.
After the interval City had an early set back when a
throw by the keeper went straight to a United forward whose returned shot
found the net to make it 3-1. This did not deter City however as they hit
back to make it 3-2 when under pressure, a United defender headed into his
own net, and soon after the keeper made good saves from Phansaloud and
Hansan.
Against the run of play United scored two goals in quick
succession to make it 5-2 but City still attacked the United goal, leaving
themselves wide open at the back and a breakaway saw them concede a sixth.
City gained a consolation goal from Worasitkhachon but
despite keeping the pressure on they were unable to make any further inroads
into the deficit and the final score remained 6-3 to Bangkok.
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Yani Tseng wins thrilling Honda LPGA Thailand 2012
World No.1 women’s golfer
Yani Tseng from Taiwan holds up the Honda LPGA Thailand 2012 trophy after a
superb final round 66 at Siam Country Club Old Course on Sunday gave her
back to back victories in the event. Turn to page 58 for a full report.
Pattaya (AP) - Top-ranked Yani Tseng successfully
defended her LPGA Thailand title for her 13th LPGA Tour victory, with
birdies on the final two holes last Sunday to hold off playing partner Ai
Miyazato by a stroke.
The 23-year-old Taiwanese star shot a 6-under 66 to
finish at 19-under 269 on Siam Country Club’s Old Course in Pattaya. She
opened with a 73, then shot consecutive 65s to enter the final round a shot
behind Miyazato.
Yani Tseng celebrates after
holing a putt to win the Honda LPGA Thailand 2012 at Siam Country Club.
Last year, Tseng won the event for the first of her seven
2011 LPGA Tour victories, including major victories in the LPGA Championship
and Women’s British Open. The five-time major champion finished the year
with 12 worldwide victories. She has 33 career worldwide professional
victories.
“I felt much more pressure coming into this year,” Tseng
said. “Last year, when I started, I was nothing. I was just in the top five
in the world, but I didn’t have 12 wins or world No. 1 title (but) now the
pressure just keeps going on and on.”
On the par-5 18th, she came through with the pressure on,
nearly holing her 104-yard approach and tapping in for the winning birdie.
“It was tough. I had 104 to the pin and a little uphill.
I knew my ball was going to spin a lot, so I just tried to keep it low and
not spin too much. ... I was very proud of myself for hitting that shot into
18 and making birdie to win.”
Miyazato, the Japanese player who won the 2010
tournament, also birdied the final two holes in her 68.
Yani Tseng shows off the
trophy on the 18th green following the presentation ceremony.
“Of course, Yani is No. 1, so I knew it wouldn’t be easy
today,” Miyazato said. “I kind of expected her to play that way.”
South Korea’s Jiyai Shin, who tied for the lead with
Tseng after a birdie of her own on the par-4 17th, had a 67 to finish two
strokes back.
Tseng eagled the par-5 opening hole and Miyazato had a
birdie, leaving them tied at 15 under. Tseng took the lead with a birdie on
the par-4 third, and added birdies on the par-4 sixth and par-5 seventh. At
the turn, she had a three-stroke lead over Shin and four-shot advantage over
Miyazato.
“I played really well on the front nine, but it was tough
on the back nine, especially when you see Jiyai and Ai keep making birdies,”
Tseng said. “It got tight down the stretch. It was tough. I feel like I had
lots of emotions today.”
Shin, playing a group ahead of Tseng and Miyazato,
birdied the par-4 10th to pull within two and gained another stroke when
Tseng bogeyed the hole. Tseng pushed her lead to two with a birdie on the
par-3 12th, but bogeyed the par-4 13th.
Miyazato birdied the 10th and pulled within one of Tseng
with a birdie on the par-4 15th, then matched Tseng with a par on 16 and the
birdies on 17 and 18.
“Overall, I played really well and I’m very happy that I
could finish strong today,” Miyazato said about her season debut. “I really
enjoyed playing with Yani, but next time I want to win.”
Japan’s Ai Miyazato sinks a
birdie putt on the final hole.
South Korea’s Amy Yang shot a 69 to finish fourth at 14
under.
Sixteen-year-old Thai amateur Ariya Jutanugarn followed
her third-round 65 with a 74 to tie for 12th on 7 under. She played the
final five holes in 4 over, making a double-bogey 7 on No. 18. Last year,
Jutanugarn won the U.S. Junior Girls’ Championship and was the Rolex Junior
Player of the Year.
Second-ranked Suzann Pettersen had a 78 to drop into a
tie for 21st at 4 under. She began the round four strokes out of the lead.
Ai Miyazato tees off on the
10th hole during the final round.
Crowds surround the green at
the 18th.
South Korea’s Jiyai Shin lines
up a par putt on the short 16th hole.
Karrie Webb of Australia
watches a chip shot roll back to her feet as she takes a nine on the 7th
hole to end her chances of victory.
Yani’s fan club were in full
voice throughout the tournament.
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Pattaya Water Sports Festival generates waves in Jomtien
Vichai Sonthiraksa won the
Yamaha 701cc jet-ski category title.
Manoon Makpool
In co-operation with City Hall, the Pattaya Jet-Ski Club
organized the Pattaya Water Sports Festival 2012, which took place at
Jomtien beach from February 4-5.
The tournament was divided into several categories and
included jet-ski, sport boat and parasailing disciplines among others.
In an exciting jet-ski competition, the Yamaha 701cc
category was claimed by Vichai Sonthiraksa from the Singha PTT team ahead of
19 other racers. As well as receiving a handsome trophy from Pattaya Mayor
Itthipol Kunplume, Vichai also collected a first prize of 10,000 baht for
his efforts. Second and third places went to Krit from the Krit Krua Serf
team and Rachan Aromwong from Phachang-mun Marine team respectively.
Other notable results from the weekend included the Sport
boat 40 horsepower standard category, which was won by Prasert Jansroi
representing the Hollywood Car Care team, and the Sport boat 50 horsepower
event that saw Sukit Suphisuk from the Baan Thai Spa team collect the
honorary trophy and a 10,000 baht cheque to help with his celebrations.
The two days of racing were well supported by both locals
and tourists and the organizers hope to make this an annual event and
attract even more competitors to take part in 2013.
Mayor Ittipol (left) sets the
jet-skiers on their way at the start of the weekend water sport festival.
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PTT holds tennis clinic for teenagers
Withaya Samrej (right)
conducts the tennis clinic at the Dusit Thani hotel, Pattaya, Saturday, Feb.
11.
Vittaya Yoondorn
In conjunction with the finals of the WTA Pattaya Women’s
Open taking place over the same weekend, PTT held a tennis clinic for a
group of junior players at the Dusit Thani hotel in Pattaya on the morning
of Feb. 11.
The young tennis stars are
put through their paces.
Held as part of PTT’s ‘Sports Lover’ campaign, the
budding tennis stars, including both Thai and foreign youths, were given a
special coaching session from former Thai national team tennis player
Withaya Samrej. Drills included basic warm-up exercises, ball hitting skills
using different tennis stokes, and a lesson in tactics.
Following the clinic, the youths received prime seats in
the Dusit Thani tennis stadium to watch Daniella Hatuchova take on Maria
Kirilenko in the Women’s Open final the following day, and were also given a
tour of PTT’s plant in Rayong and HRH Princess Sirindhorn’s herbal garden
and reef planting project.
The primary aim of the event was to encourage youngsters
to become more involved in tennis as a recreational sport and also help them
to foster dreams of one day gracing the pro ranks for themselves.
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Youngsters make a splash
at junior swimming games
Young swimmers leap off the blocks
at the start of a race.
Manoon Makpool
The Pattaya City Youth Swimming Games were held at Pattaya
School No. 11 over the weekend of February 11-12.
In total some 42 regional school and club teams took part in
the event which featured over 400 young swimmers, with the races being spit into
various age and gender categories.
One of the best races of the opening day came in the 12yr
male youth category where Kingpai Anglim from the Preechanusat School, Chonburi
just edged ahead of Pitchyam Khlaikhum (Dhammasiri School) and Kongkiet
Srihaakhum (Maryvit School) to take the gold medal for his team.
Awards and medals were handed out to the winners by Pattaya Mayor Itthipol
Kunplume, however the event was more about taking part than gaining the gold and
all the swimmers seemed to enjoy a great time.
Pattaya Mayor Itthipol Kunplume
awards medals to the champions in the 12yr male category.
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