The Tropical Golf Group
Tuesday, July 18, Bangpakong Riverside – Stableford
Twas a fine day in July and the Tropical golfers were heading to Bangpakong. We were at the mid-point for our golfer of the month comp and we’ve got a pretty close race going on.
Bangpakong is an easy walking course and the management very generously presented us with 100 baht vouchers to spend on the course. It was a rare umbrella-less day as they were needed neither for sun nor rain. Pure pleasure!
After being told it was carts on the paths only we invoked “lift and clean” rules, but it was rarely needed and the fairways were so nice that doing so rarely improved your lie. Bangpakong is a scoring course and all the winners today beat handicap, but one player took the rest to school on that topic and his name was not Brian!
Gathering back at BJ’s Lodge it was clear no count back would be needed to crown the winner. Barry Elphick (c/h 27) was the clear leader with 42 points. Next up came Graham Buckingham (28) with an enviable 39 points and the final calls went to Tom Herrington (17) beating Takeshi Hakozaki (12) at the 37 point mark.
Friday, July 21, Pattavia – Stableford
After our last time at Pattavia it was high on our list for a revisit and with a 950 baht green fee, including a coupon for the restaurant, it was hard to beat. A lucky thirteen Tropical golfers headed out for an earlier than usual tee time.
Pattavia remains in good to excellent condition, with the lean towards excellent. Some people moan about the tough greens, but as we said before it’s not the hardest layout and that keeps the course interesting. Scores were tightly grouped after this round, and everyone waited on the edge of their seats to see how it would all finish. Those with good scores were tight lipped. There were also the popular “best nines” scores up for grabs.
When you’re hot you’re hot, and Barry Elphick grabbed the top spot for the second time in a row with an excellent 38 points. It’s a good thing Barry is so photogenic, right? Next came a familiar name in the form of Brian Parish (12) who decided he didn’t want to stay out of the headlines for more than a week by taking second place with 37 points. The third place honors went to Mick Coghlan (25) with 36 points, followed by Landis Brooks (9) who beat two others on count-back at the 34 point mark.
The best half rounds of golf for non-winners went to Mashi Kaneta, and Tom Herrington.
