The Pattaya Golf Society at The Elephant Bar
T1st Erik Anttonen (9) 34pts
T1st Jens Gunarsson (16) 34pts
3rd Markku Tynell (23) 33pts
Monday 14 July saw the Pattaya Golf Society travel up the 331 to Pattana to play a stableford competition. Four groups played the B & C nines from the forward yellow tees, and thank Buddha they did. After three holes the heavens opened, sending the group to the drinks-stop for a wait of some 40 minutes. They ventured out again when the rain eased to a drizzle, but two holes later it returned, in buckets! After a similar wait, the golfers again ventured forth, only to find a Thai four-ball had inserted itself into our field. That wouldn’t have been too bad, except they were clearly beginners. The day had reached its nadir.
Notwithstanding the constant drizzle, and the fact the course was playing as long as a US Open, those golfers who had the mettle to carry on, did so. It should be noted that of the five who didn’t make it to the back nine, four were Aussies, and the fifth, a Welshman, was dependent upon an Aussie for his transport back. Ask yourself!
The lucky beer draw was won by the deserving David Plaiter, whilst the booby bevy went to the one Aussie who had a genuine reason to withdraw – a bad back. Recipient Peter Masters assures us that his ailment has nothing whatsoever to do with the fact that this is his first visit back to Pattaya after an absence of some months. Yeah right.
There were two twos: one on B3, by Graham Davis, and the other on C2, by Larry Slattery. Making the podium with 33 points may appear a modest achievement, but given the conditions encountered, it was anything but. Congratulations go to Markku Tynell for making that score but even more so to Erik Anttonen and Jens Gunarsson who both went one better.
Finally, a nod of appreciation to the Pattana caddies, who performed admirably under the most trying of conditions.
Khao Kheow – a genuine test of golf
1st Larry Slattery (18) 34pts
T2nd David Thomas (10) 32pts
T2nd Murray Edwards (21) 32pts
Just a 40-minute drive from Pattaya’s CBD is Khao Kheow Country Club, a 27-hole layout that features high on the Pattaya Golf Society’s value-for-money index. And so it again proved to a small turnout of three groups on Wednesday 16 July.
Playing a course of this quality for a green-fee of 800 baht is VFM indeed. The notice board stated B and C nines as the order of the day. The same board gave Stimpmeter speeds of 9 on B and 8 on C. Teeing off the yellow tees the well-presented fairways did offer limited run, which on a course of some 6,500 yards was appreciated, especially after some sodden experiences of late.
Overall, the course was in good condition, however those greens were anything but 8 or 9 on the Stimpmeter. Most golfers struggled to bring themselves to hit the ball hard enough for it to get anywhere near the hole, and that included the tiddlers. The greens were OK, just incredibly slow.
Perhaps it was this green-speed factor that accounted for the rather modest scores, as most other factors seemed to be to the golfer’s advantage. Notwithstanding, Khao Kheow has always been a stern test of golf, and today’s encounter proved no exception.
Congratulations to those making the podium, particularly to the consistent and deserving Irishman, Larry Slattery, whose 34 points saw him finish two clear of his nearest rivals, David Thomas and Murray Edwards. Murray also recorded the only ‘2’ of the day on B3.
Today’s lucky beer draw was won, for the second consecutive day, by David Plaiter. The Booby Bevy award meanwhile went to the affable Aussie, Rod Black, whose four rounds since his return have yielded: 2nd, 2nd, withdraw and last. The golfing Gods don’t look favourably upon non-injury related withdrawals.
So, despite the lovely weather, good caddies, and a well presented course, Khao Kheow held on to its reputation of being a hard nut to crack.
Greenwood – an absolute delight
T1st Anders Haglund, (14) 32pts
T1st Murray Edwards (21) 32pts
Despite the relatively modest turnout, the Pattaya Golf Society certainly enjoyed its stableford competition on the C & A nines at Greenwood on 18 July. We arrived under threatening skies, but the day stayed dry, overcast and warm; ideal in fact.
The scoring, however, did not reflect such ideal conditions. Just five points separated first from last. The highest was 32, shared by newcomer Anders Haglund from Sweden and Murray Edwards, and the lowest 27. Whilst the fairways always offered a superb lie, they nonetheless played long. Bunkers were a bit fluffy, but still quite playable. The greens were reasonable to good, still recovering from their recent sanding. Overall, however, the course was a delight.
With a green-fee of 650 baht and caddie-fee of 350 baht giving a total of 1000 baht, Greenwood remains at or near the top of our value-for-money index.
