The Golf Club weekly review
We had a very, very sad week here at The Golf Club as we laid to rest one of our best friends, Murray (Muffy) Kerr who died very unexpectedly from a motorcycle accident. Muffy was a morning regular here with his beautiful family who joined us for breakfast at the club, as well as being a playing partner at Siam Country Club. He was so very proud of his sons Jason and Ty and never failed to keep us up to date of their successes.
It was John McHugh and Brad Sproxton who got Muffy back on the ice recently, for the first time in over 20 years. There was no coaxing needed, and Muffy turned 16 again, practicing with the lads from the Pattaya Pirates hockey team at Harbor Mall, carving turns just like back in high school. Muffy left the rink with a huge smile I will never forget. Hockey, Harleys and golf (and a bit of a wager) were his passion and 250 mourners at his funeral were a testament to a man who never had a bad word to say about anyone. R.I.P. brother, never forgotten!
Monday, June 26, Green Valley (white tees) – Monthly Medal
1st Fred Birch (15) net 68
2nd Fred Graham (16) net 68
3rd Alan McKendry (13) net 70
The long awaited contest for the medal comp was finally here and we had a strong field of 24 to keep Capt. Phil on his toes. The course at Green Valley is making a slow comeback; the greens are fine, the areas under repair are well marked but there are still issues with the sod on the fairways, which we will have to deal with for the next few months.
It was a fierce competition today between two old mates. Sorry about the “old”, I guess it should have read “longtime” mates out at Green Valley and at the end of the day it came down to a count-back. Victory finally came to TGC regular Freddy Birch who just edged out his pal Fred Graham for the win. Don’t feel sorry for Mr. Graham as he has two stars on his shirt already. This was a first medal for Birch and we all knew it was coming sooner or later.
Alan McKendry took a stellar third place on net 70, which was one handy stroke better than the trio of Mark Wood, Mike Omiya and Robbie Taylor, all signing off with a net 71. McKendry also capped it off with the near pin to complete a great day out.
Tuesday, June 27, Khao Kheow (yellow tees) – Stableford
1st Pete Hynard (17) 39pts
T2nd Mike Omiya (8) 32pts
T2nd Lindsay White (8) 32pts
The course at Khao Kheow was stunning, and post-round chatter declared this is in the best condition we have seen it this year. Don’t get me wrong, K.K. has been in great shape all year, and we play here 2 or 3 times a month due to demand. Now is the time to get out here and enjoy the course in its’ prime.
Mike Omiya is back from Hawaii and glad he joined us today. Mike ended up in a tie with Lindsay White, both on 32 points.
The quintessential English gentleman, Peter Hynard, was top of the class at this outing and Pete stunned the rest of the field with a 7-stroke win, ending with 39 points on his card.
Friday, June 30, Khao Kheow (yellow tees) – Stableford
1st Alan McKendry (12) 41pts
2nd Marco Watkins (21) 40pts
T3rd Bob Catlow (15) 38pts
T3rd Jeff Atcheson (10) 38pts
There was a change of schedule this week as we had to cancel the Wangjuntra trip to be able to attend Muffy’s funeral on Thursday. The vote was to go back to Khao Kheow as it was so good on Tuesday. It was a subdued event and time for reflection about how lucky we are here.
Catlow and Atcheson must have been quite happy with a 38 out here, who wouldn’t be? Marco is playing well these days and must surely be in the front of the queue for a handicap adjustment, right?
He ranked third on Monday but today Alan McKendrywas top of the heap with a terrific 41 points on the card. At least Capt. Phil got the Caddy Smile near pin!
