IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at the Links Bar
Water – a vital component of golf course maintenance – is desperately needed on certain parts of this very good course at Pattavia; unfortunately for us golfers, the parts referred to are the greens.
The Pattaya Golf Society played a stableford competition here on Monday 23 March. This venue, so well upgraded from what we used to know as Century Chonburi, has really transformed itself, both on and off the course, but it runs the risk of letting all that good work go to waste. One issue currently turning golfers off in droves: the greens – rock-hard and, depending upon where one’s approach shot finishes, impossibly fast.
Greenwood G.C. was in fine shape for the PGS’s visit on March 25.
Yes, one knows to stay under the hole, but what is not generally known is that “below the hole” actually means a mere 6-foot wide channel from the hole to the apron. Anything outside of that is impossibly difficult for the average amateur golfer, which happens to represent Pattavia’s customer base.
Notwithstanding, one of our lot still managed to out-perform the rest of the field by some margin. John Chelo, playing in B Flight, put together a 39-point round; a wonderful achievement on the day. The best of the rest were five points adrift with Gary Bolger and Greg Gawron sharing the honours in A Flight with 34 points, whilst Bryan Brown and Dave Moriarty both notched up 33. Murray Edwards, a regular podium placer of late, came in third in B Flight with 32 points.
There was just the one ‘2’, recorded on the challenging 17th by Gary Bolger.
Back at the Links Bar, Mr Len drew the name of Masaaki Sugaya for the lucky beer draw, whilst Leigh Abbey easily won the booby bevy. Who else would serenade his fellow passengers all the way to the golf course, whilst enjoying the advantage of earphones? And if that wasn’t enough, he had a two-nine split of 20 – 10! Yep, a deserving candidate indeed.
Super Mac ends on a high
Greenwood was wearing its best smile on Wednesday, 25th March when the Pattaya Golf Society visited to play its monthly medal event on the C and A nines. A warm welcome and a relatively empty course awaited, except for one desperately leisurely group of holiday golfers which coincidentally started immediately in front of the PGS group as a result of their late arrival at the course. After three strong hints dropped by the marshall the penny also dropped and eventually a five hour plus round became one of only four hours forty!
The single flight found course conditions to their liking and the scores reflected a tight competition. Sharing fourth place were David Thomas and Richard Bannister, the latter returning from a long enforced absence through injury, but their scores of net 73 just missed runner up place by one shot as Dave Lehane and Huw Phillips returned cards of net 72.
The winner, in his final round this trip, was long hitting Canadian golfer Kevin McConnell. His net 67 finished as the second best PGS round all year so far and it was fitting that his memories of this trip would be highlighted by this round.
David Thomas recorded the day’s best gross figures of 81 and he also shared the ‘2’s pot with Leigh Abbey, John O’Sullivan and Dave Lehane. The non-winners’ draw was won by Dave Edwards and the Booby Bevy went to Jon Batty who succumbed to the afore-mentioned delays and he eventually shelved his card.
For “SuperMac” the round had been spectacular, for most others it had been fun but for one three-ball in particular it had been something of an ordeal, not of their making, but due to the lack of thought of a “holiday” group.
Phillips wins tight contest
The Pattaya Golf Society visited Khao Kheow on Friday 27th March to play a stableford competition on the excellent B and A nines in hot humid conditions. An empty course lay before the golfers as they teed off on time and the golfers quickly found that conditions – soft fairways and a one-club humidity level – would conspire to keep scores moderate.
The greens on the front nine, the B nine, were a little slower than those on the back nine but there was no other reason for tough scoring other than golfers who found that their game fell below their normal standard.
With the divisional cut at fifteen and under the second flight saw John Chelo finish third with 30 points, one behind Mike Davies’ 31 points on his last round this trip. The flight winner was Phil “PJ” Mitchell whose 32 points should have been more had the big man finished better.
In the top flight Dave Moriarty and Greg Gawron, playing his last round this trip also, shared second place with 33 points and the very consistent Welshman, Huw Phillips took the victory with 34 points.
The ‘2’s pot was shared by Mark Lang, Jon Batty and Mike King and the Booby Bevy went to Banjo Bannister after a hero to zero performance saw him fare a full thirteen shots worse than his excellent round on Wednesday. The bar’s non-winner’s beer was won by Brian Talbot, fitting for the popular returning English golfer. Khao Kheow held all the aces today leaving mean pickings for the PGS golfers.
