IPGC golf from the Pattaya Golf Society
The Pattaya Golf Society visited a beautifully prepared Crystal Bay on Monday, 18th March to play a stableford competition in two flights over the B and C nines. The division was made at seventeen and under and there was plenty of scope and skill in the field to make it a day to enjoy.
In the top flight, Alan Flynn and Larry Slattery continued their good form with 34 points each, giving them a share of second place. The winner of the flight was Aussie Greg Gawron with forty points. Wow!
In the second flight John Chelo managed 35 points for third place with Jim Proctor playing his best golf in many a year to finish second with 38 points. The winner was Ken Grimes again with forty points. The two winners had given the group its fourteenth and fifteenth score of 40 points or better this year in just 35 tournaments. Now that is a record to be proud of.
Japanese golfer Shuichi Kodaka could well have been up there with the Aussies but the wheels fell off his wagon on the back nine and he ended up with the Booby Bevy for the highest split figures of the day, 18 and 10 points.
The birdie ‘2’s pot was shared by Greg Gawron, Peter Ditz, Mike Earley, Dave Lehane and Alan Walker.
Once again Crystal Bay had been keen to impress and the PGS golfers had responded well to the challenge of golf on the fine course.
Edgar edges it at Greenwood
Six months ago Greenwood was not the first course each month on the PGS agenda because the greens had suffered more than a little mismanagement, but now the course up the far reaches of Route 331 is back to its challenging best.
The group chose the B and C nines as the venue for its stableford event on Wednesday, 20th March. The smaller than usual field restricted the flights to one and some over-zealous watering of the fairways meant most tee shots were restricted in distance so the better hitters benefitted and scores were lower than expected.
Sharing second place were Jorn Eriksen and John Chelo with 30 points apiece whilst Paul Edgar used his power off the tee to good effect with 32 points for an excellent win.
Larry Slattery had posted the day’s only birdie ‘2’, on C3, and Richard Dobson took Rabbi’s free beer draw in his stride, leaving the Booby Bevy in the very capable hands of Mike and Yvonne Earley, both with very valid reasons for winning it but who were leaving at the end of their annual stay just twenty-four hours later, having supported the PGS in more ways than one as enthusiastically as always. Travel well and Greenwood will be waiting again when you return again early next year.
Quality counts at Pattana
Eastern Seaboard golf is all about quality and “vfm” and on Friday, 22nd March the Pattaya Golf Society duly visited Pattana to play a stableford competition from the yellow tees in two flights divided at sixteen and under. The course was its usual immaculate best with well paced greens and almost pristine fairways, and a cooling breeze made the day all the more bearable for the golfers.
In the second flight, Jeff Cohen (the “Rabbi” himself) amazed all with his best ever round of 36 points, matching that of Ken Grimes, for a share of second place and had it not been for a bout of foot cramp the Rabbi would have given a lesson to all about the value of good coaching sessions. The flight winner was Dave Lehane and his round of 37 points marked another significant score in his CV.
In the top flight, Aussie Greg Gawron shook off the inconvenience of a chest infection and took third place with 33 points, one behind the second placed golfer, compatriot Robbie Taylor. The flight winner, with the best gross of 79, was Wichai Tananusorn with 38 points. He also shared the ‘2’s pot with Neil Grimes after their fine efforts on C7 and A8 respectively.
The Booby Bevy was reserved for Paul Edgar for his “hero-to-zero” efforts after his previous excellent round with the group. Indeed it had been an excellent day for the PGS at Pattana.
