PSC golf from The Golf Club
Monday, March 12, Green Valley (White tees) – Stableford
1st Ken Aihara (6) 42pts
2nd Don Bland (4) 40pts
3rd Mark Wood (8) 39pts
4th Mark Reid (8) 36pts
5th John Emmerson (11) 37pts
This is getting to be like a broken record (remember them?), but once again it was the Ken Aihara show as his 42 points took top spot for gold at our regular Monday venue. Ken is in fine form as we all well know, but March is turning into his purple patch for sure, even after getting down to a 6 handicap. Look at all the low handicappers on the board!
Don Bland shot a wonderful round of 40 points for the silver with Mark Wood back in form for the bronze with a very respectable 39 points. In fourth place was Mark Reid for the copper while John Emmerson brought up the rear for fifth place aluminium.
Green Valley is a very underestimated course. It is in excellent shape right now and is one of the best value courses we play. Every hole is different and there are no ‘Mickey Mouse’ holes on this fine Peter Thompson track. We often take RGV for granted, but let’s not forget how lucky we are to have her at our doorstep. We play here every Monday, and the van leaves TGC at 08:15 for a 09:30 tee time so come join us for a great day out.
Wednesday, March 14, Treasure Hill (White tees) – Stableford
1st Dave Shelton (8) 41pts
2nd Bill Eyles (26) 40pts
3rd Steve Weller (5) 37pts
4th Peter Larsson (14) 35pts
5th Ken Aihara (4) 34pts
What a disappointment this course was. All the greens were not just verticut, they were ploughed up for planting it seemed. We were unfortunate enough to get slotted in after the cuts and before the sanding and fertilizing so the golf was not what we were expecting at all. This had been a great track recently, but the advice now would to be to wait a few weeks at least before trying this on. They must do maintenance sometimes, but how about some warning next time guys?
Verticutting is a necessary evil for golf course superintendents. It helps drainage, allows more sunshine and water into the grass plant and opens the “canopy” of the grass for a healthier turf. It removes the vertical growth of the individual grass shoots. The end result will be an improved putting surface with a true and faster roll. I would only suggest it be done in a circular pattern rather than straight so that putting would be less effected by the cuts and the leaf blades are hit at a different angle. But that’s just me and I have never been a greens keeper. Just a thought!
Dave Shelton was back in the saddle once again and did not let the ruts get him down! To shoot 41 points in these conditions is admirable, and this was a well deserved win by a great performance.
Bill Eyles came in second with a really impressive 40 off his 26 handicap, but came in with a first class story. Bill was sitting in the bar when someone caught his attention. He looked and listened for a moment until he realized it was his old mate from 35 years back, George Young from ‘Sowf’ London! Back when they were both Jack the Lads they would knock about at the same venues and had to travel halfway round the world to bump into each other at TGC in Pattaya!
Our mate Steve Weller from Vancouver way was third on the podium with 37 followed by Peter Larsson on 35 and Ken Aihara once again in the frame with a 34 point round.
Friday, March 16, Green Valley – PSC Charity Classic
It was that time of year for the annual PSC Charity Classic that we all look forward to. The Golf Club was a proud sponsor of the 10th Hole and this year, the team of Gary Emmett and Steve Ellison placed 5th out of 64 teams for our best result from The Golf Club. For full results and story, please see the big PSC article in this paper.
A reminder: Our Songkran trip this year is 13-20 April and up in the Khao Yai region at Pak Chong for some terrific new courses including Mountain Creek by Seve Ballesteros, so drop by for details and signups.
Note: The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro. We play on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so come join us for a fun day out. Just call 085 434 3377 or see our website www.golfclub pattaya.com and for more information mail us: [email protected] and see updates at www. facebook.com/golfclubpattaya.
