The Pattaya Golf Society (IPGC) at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
On Monday, 4th November, the Pattaya Golf Society visited Bangpakong Riverside to play a stableford event on a course which must rank with best in the province at the moment, with lush fairways and fair and consistent greens.
For the first time in months the field was divided into two flights with the cut at sixteen and under and in the top flight “Banjo” Bannister improved his score yet again with 35 very solid points. Aussie Ian Rowson won the flight with 36 points.
In the second flight John Coetzee, Richard Keenan and Murray Edwards all posted 32 points to share second place whilst Dave Plaiter rose to the challenge with the day’s best points score of 38 points. He also recorded one of the two birdie ‘2’s of the day, on the thirteenth with Andrew Purdie taking the other with a birdie on the seventh.
Mike Ensor had sponsored two technicals and these were won by Dave Plaiter and Peter Sanderson, the latter albeit on count back from Richard Dobson to decide the second lowest score.
On a day such as this there was no booby bevy award and Rabbi’s special beer draw was won by John Mason. What an excellent golf day the Riverside had provided!
A pleasant day out for the ‘Boss’
The Pattaya Golf Society visited Pleasant Valley on Wednesday, 6th November to play a stableford competition on the tight course which had sanded and uncut greens in need of a roll. The recent storms have played games with the course staff who have been desperate to get their courses up to scratch for the high season.
For many of the field it was their first experience of the course and scores showed the impact a very tight back nine has on golfers. Scot Iain Wilson set the best gross standard for the day with 77 shots giving him 33 points which shared third place with Glenn Martin whilst Dave Plaiter went one better with 34 points for second. The winner, for the second time in ten days, was Len Jones whose 36 points could have been better if he had not stuttered on the back half.
Len’s birdie ‘2’ on the eighth was matched by Iain Wilson’s excellent birdie on the thirteenth and the booby bevy went to Michael McGuigan for his expected poor showing on his return round. Rabbi’s beer draw was won by John Mason and the day ended in high spirits with the celebration of mine host’s birthday.
Plaiter rounds off a fine week
After hours of steady rain on Friday, 8th November the Pattaya Golf Society decided to bluff it out and not cancel, as some other Pattaya groups had already done, and travelled to a damp but playable Crystal Bay to take on the challenge of the B and C courses. And did they make a fist of it! On the customer friendly course average scores were 31-plus points for the whole field with Paul Edgar receiving nothing but the accolades for his 37 points, helped in part by a birdie ‘2’ on B6.
In third place was Karl Flood, performing well after a dismal day last time out at Emerald and his 38 points more than made up for it. In second was Aussie Gary Bolger, stroking the ball long and accurately to return a score of 39 points. The winner, at the end of a week which had seen him win one event and come second in another, was Dave Plaiter and his 41 points left him five under his handicap at the end of the week. Life will be a little tougher next week mate!
Robbie Taylor shared the ‘2’s pot with Paul Edgar after his effort on C4 and Rabbi treated Syd Harrison to a free beer after his card was pulled out of the non-winners pack.
The Booby Bevy went to Larry Ang on his return for a mere point-a-hole score and the group warmly thanked Rabbi and Khun Peung of the Elephant Bar for their hospitality at the end of another excellent week.
