The Tropical Golf Group
Tuesday, April 11, Silky Oak – Stableford
You either like this course at Silky Oak or you do not. This is the feeling of the golfers around town and as the years pass the opinion starts to slip more into the ‘like’ side. Originally a nine-hole course, they have extended it to make an 18-hole layout but sometimes I have to admit it all tends to merge. Still, the management is making an attempt to turn it into a quality course.
The last game before Songkran meant that most of our players had left town for the week, so only three groups went to test out Silky Oak. I had not played here for some time and it seemed quite a long cart drive from to clubhouse to the first tee, but at least it clears your mind in the breeze. The opening hole sees you tee off over a lake of sorts, if you do not top your ball in the water, then it’s an uphill approach to the green.
It is a course that has a lot of water and sometimes the way ahead is difficult to spot and you need a good caddy who knows where you are going. Apart from that it is out in the countryside and nice and quiet. As for the ball, now you see it, now you do not! Some of the drives are very difficult with a lot of water to go over.
On this day we had great weather but it had rained recently and the ground was soft so the course played long, and the greens on the day seemed very slow. Some had been tined and others seemed to need a bit of a trim. However, with the players all in carts we zoomed around and all had a great day out.
We were back really early to BJ’s in Pattaya so were able to declare the results an hour sooner than we usually do. This was the organiser’s day to triumph as the winner with 40 points was your scribe Derek Brook, first win this year, with Dick Warberg close behind on 39 points and Landis Brooks in third with 37.
Near Pins: Dick Warberg, Nigel Perry, Landis Brooks.
