IPGC Golf from The Tara Court Golf Group
Sunday, Dec. 20, Green Valley – Stableford
Today we were back at Green Valley after a bit of an absence due to tournaments being held there for the past two weeks. It was a very pleasant day for golf, noticeably cooler than it has been and very comfortable playing conditions.
Because we had a large group out we again had two flights and today for the first time in a long time Joe McArdle came out the winner in A flight with the joint best score of the day with 39 points. Declan Kelly had 37 in second place, beating Kevin Blake on count back. Rickie Hurley took fourth place with an even par 36 points.
Joe McArdle.
In B flight Dympna Burke was again the winner, Dympna has had a great year and despite her handicap coming down she still scored 39 points for a clear victory. In second place was Dan Hobbs on 37 while third place went to Ged Foy with 34. Andy Galvin completed the podium a further point back on 33.
We had four ‘2’s, coming from Norman Cheetham, Allan Parker, Rickie Hurley and Kevin Blake.
Tuesday, Dec. 22, Crystal Bay – Stableford
Tuesday we were back at Crystal Bay for what should have been an enjoyable round of golf as the course was in excellent condition and it was a very nice day and not too hot. Unfortunately this was not the case as we were behind a group which to the best of my knowledge was the same one which held us up at Mountain Shadow some weeks ago.
When we started there was no sign of anyone around and also for the first three holes there was no one in sight but then we caught up with the group in front and from then on it was a nightmare and we ended up with a five hour round, which is a disgrace and should not be allowed on any course. In future when we are booking either of these courses we will check if this group have a booking before us and if they have we will go to another course instead.
The slow pace didn’t seem to affect Michael Healy’s golf too much as he came in the winner with 38 points. Andy Galvin, who is playing very steady this year, was second with 35, beating Dympna Burke on the count back. We then had two players on 33 with Joe Peters edging the count back to come fourth while Allan Parker had to settle for fifth spot on the podium.
There were no ‘2’s today.
Thursday, Dec. 24, Leam Chabang – Stableford
Today we had our annual Christmas outing at Leam Chabang, this year we had to play it a day early as they had a big tournament there on Christmas Day. However, it turned out to be a very successful day and even though it is expensive to play here we had the largest turnout of the year.
George Cullen.
Leam Chabang is an absolutely beautiful golf course and from the moment you enter it even the drive in is stunning. Now that they have upgraded the clubhouse and the locker rooms it is even more spectacular and a pleasure to play there. After the game everyone was full of praise for it and enjoyed it very much.
Now that high season is here and the number of golfers is up, we will be offering Laem Chabang as a second choice every week to those who want to play here. We can get around 33% discount on the green fees which helps to keep down the expense and makes it well worthwhile to play as a special treat.
As we had such a large group out today we decided to play the A and B courses off the white tees so everyone would have a good time and get value for their money. It turned out it was a good decision as only one person managed to break their handicap, this being George Cullen who not only won the A Flight but had by far the best score of the day with 39 points. Well done George, a good Christmas present!
In second place was Allan Parker with an even par 36 points, Allan beating Ted Morris in third on a count back. Craig Hitchens recorded 35 points to come fourth, edging a count back over Joe McArdle in fifth.
The scoring wasn’t quite as good in the B Flight and Dympna Burke won it with 35 points. Dympna was playing her last game for this trip and she has played some great golf over the past few weeks and featured in the prizes most days. We then had three players on 34 points with John Fenwick taking the count back to come second, beating Alec Hoare in third and Vincent Gras fourth. The final podium spot went to Walter Creese in fifth with 33 points.
Despite having such a large group out we only had two birdie ‘2’s recorded, with Ritchie and Paul Pavloff getting one each.
Friday, Dec. 24, Khao Kheow – Stableford
We added an extra day to our schedule this week as it was Christmas Day and we usually play that day. After the large turnout the previous day we had a much smaller group out today but nevertheless we had a good competition and a very enjoyable day.
We were allocated the B and A courses, starting on B and as the place was very quiet we were getting around very quickly until we reached the eighth where there was a bit of a hold up. Lucky for us the group in front moved on to the C course so when we got to A it was again empty and we got around very quickly, three hours and twenty minutes for the eighteen holes, brilliant!
Allan Parker was our Christmas Day winner with 36 points, which is a good score on this difficult course. Paul Young, who was playing his first game with us, came second with 35, Joe McArdle was third with 33, Vincent Gras fourth with 32 and Paal Anderssen took the last place also with 32.
We had no ‘2’s registered today.
Note: The Tara Court Golf Group play every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, leaving O’Gara’s Bar and Restaurant in the Tara Court on Pratamnak Rd. around 10.00 a.m. Sign up either in O’Gara’s or ring Joe on 089 249 1364.
