The Pattaya Golf Society (IPGC) at the Elephant Bar
The Pattaya Golf Society visited Khao Kheow on Monday, 24th March to play a stableford competition on the B and A nines from the yellow tees, with the large field divided into two flights at seventeen and under.
The course was in fine condition with well grassed fairways and bunkers in good condition but with greens which were a lot slower than their advertised 9.5 stimp speed. However an empty course was indeed a bonus and the first groups completed their task within four hours.
In the second flight Masashi Iizumi continued his solid form with 31 points giving him third place, but a country mile behind the joint winners Rod Stevens and Larry Ang, both finishing with 38 points.
In the top flight John Chelo and PJ Mitchell shared third place with 36 points but the winner, after a long time out of the golf picture in Pattaya, was PGS club Captain David Thomas. His two under 38 points won the day and marked his first appearance at the top of the leaderboard for almost five years. It was indeed a captain’s “innings”, including as it did a birdie ‘2’ on B8 to share the pot with Peter Ditz and Murray Edwards.
Robbie Taylor generously drew the name of Mr Len for the consolation beer and the Booby Bevy went to Dave Edwards who for the first time in many a month managed to top thirty points. Hopefully he will feel inspired to emulate this more often. It had been another good day in the life of the Pattaya Golf Society.
Plaiter’s feast at Pleasant Valley
On Wednesday, 26th March the Pattaya Golf Society visited Pleasant Valley to play a stableford event in two flights with the cut coming at 17.6 and under and the second flight going off the white tees. This was to cover the quirks of the twelfth and fourteenth tee shots but in reality it was not needed as results were to show. The course was damp and soft and greens were slow.
In the top flight Larry Slattery and Takeshi Hakozaki shared third place with David Thomas on 33 points whilst Greg Gawron and John Chelo shared the flight honours with 34 points each.
In the second flight the advantaged of a short course showed, with Jack Robertson and John Mason sharing third place with 39 points and Masashi Iizumi posting 41 points for second. The flight winner was Dave Plaiter with the best PGS points score this year so far, a whopping 46 points. He also recorded a birdie ‘2’ on the fifth to share the bonus pot with Peter Ditz and Dave Moriarty, who fared similarly on the eighth and seventeenth holes respectively.
Dave Edwards gratefully accepted the bar’s consolation beer whilst Rod Stevens was awarded the Booby Bevy as compensation for going one under and getting no other reward, except a handicap cut. Pleasant Valley may be a little less pleasant next trip with everyone off the blue tees throughout!
Good test at Pattaya CC
After an absence of more than year the Pattaya Golf Society visited Pattaya Country Club on Friday, 28th March to play its monthly medal round on the revamped course. Full of trepidation the group were very pleasantly surprised by what the course had become with a more challenging front nine with longer tee shots and contoured greens and a back nine which saw greens much better than when the group were there last time.
It’s good to see the management commit a strong budget to upgrading the course and clubhouse and maybe now the dreaded Phoenix will have a serious contender for Pattaya’s all year round golfers. It certainly is much better value for money and has a much friendlier attitude to its guests.
The single flight played from the white tees and scores were steady, with John Holmes and Khun Wichai sharing third place with net 73, Wichai’s gross of 79 being the best of the day. Sharing first place were Andrew Purdie and Larry Slattery on net 72 and it was especially welcome for Larry who was playing his final round this trip.
Paul Sturgeon celebrated his imminent departure with the only birdie ‘2’ of the day, a prodigious effort on the newly raised seventh.
Dave Edwards enjoyed the consolation beer as the lucky non winner and Masashi Iizumi took the Booby Bevy for his hero-to-zero performance which saw him go from 41 points on Wednesday to net 80 at Pattaya CC. It had been an enjoyable return and the group is planning to play regularly there in the next few months.
