The Golf Club weekly review
Monday, Feb. 20, Green Valley (white tees) – Stableford
T1st Alan Rothwell (7) 38pts
T1st Fred Birch (17) 38pts
T1st Gilbert King (21) 38pts
T4th Peter Thomas (19) 36pts
T4th William McMillan (19) 36pts
It is now official, a letter from Khun Nirand has explained that Green Valley will be closed from the 17th of April thru the 1st of November to put in new fairways and work on the fringes, irrigation and sprinklers as well as some of the bunkers that were problematic.
Our schedule will now transfer over to Silky Oak and St. Andrews on Mondays while the improvements take place. Like the traffic signs say “Temporary Inconvenience, Permanent Improvement!” We look forward to getting back to our home course in November.
It was on the warm side out there today, but a bit of overcast and a bit of breeze made things darn near perfect. A trio of victors stood atop the podium and 38 was the lucky number for the winners.
Newbie Gilbert King had his best round so far and joined Alan Rothwell and Fred Birch for the shared win. Gilbert and brother Scott are becoming regulars at TGC so we should be seeing more good rounds from them in the future. Fred Birch got the Caddy Smile near pin award as well as the birdie for a drink on me.
Tuesday, Feb. 21, Greenwood (white tees) – Monthly Medal
1st Blake Hanna (18) net 70
2nd Darren Stanton (18) net 70
3rd Alan Rothwell (7) net 70
4th Gilbert King (24) net 72
5th Bud O’Meara (20) net 72
It was a sunny and hot day as February continues to defy the norm of our regular weather patterns. Two years back I remember sitting on the terrace with Mulberry, Mather and JJ in substantial anoraks and still chilled to the bone. There’s none of that this year as our “winter” seems to me to be the hottest of my last 16 years here.
A longish comp today clocked in at 6,459 on the old yardometer and that was from the white tees. Reports in from the 34 golfers taking part were that the greens were fast and true and condition of the course was excellent. There was a bit of relief on the back-nine as clouds rolled in to provide overcast shade and the breeze picked up to make things much more tolerable.
Two of the three golfers who hit the 70 mark were in the last group so it must pay to play at a snail’s pace. In the end, there were 3 blokes at 70 but not without controversy, and after a stewards enquiry it all went to a countback.
It would have been the eagle that Blake Hanna scored on the back that set up his fine score for the win here today. Not too many 18-handicappers get to put down a 3 on a par 5 and this time it proved essential for the win, with Alan Rothwell and Darren Stanton both nipping at his heels. Gilbert King twinned with Bud O’Meara for fourth but it was Bud that took the glory for the Caddy Smile near pin.
We must include a tip o’ the hat to Captain Dave Ferris for the bravery in getting the van up to the clubhouse in the pouring rain that started as the last group walked off the 18th green. Cheers mate!
Thursday, Feb. 23, Pattavia (white tees) – Stableford
1st Dave Ferris (20) 41pts
2nd Kenny Aihara (6) 37pts
3rd Masa Tojo (13) 36pts
Firstly we would like to thank all who joined in for the Caddy Smile near pin contest, because not one of the lads even hit the 17th green! All of those pretty blue 50 baht notes will go to our charity to benefit the Caddy Smile fund that helps our local ladies with their dental problems to aid in their self-esteem and confidence, as the Thai smile is such and important part of the culture here. We appreciate the donation!
We were back at one of our most popular venues for golf, Pattavia Century. As tormenting as the greens are here, we still come back for more to this outstanding track. The next time you play this course, mark a separate line for the number of putts taken and you will be shocked!
Condition of the course was excellent, as it has been for quite a while. Probably the only complaint is that the caddies could do with a bit more training, so if you do get a good ‘un, take his or her number and stick with them.
We got lucky with the weather again as overcast skies brought the threat of rain, however none transpired.
Two of our Japanese pals dominated the leaderboard and everyone bettered their handicap. Masa Tojo for third with 36 and stalwart Kenny Aihara one better on 37 paved the way for our acting Captain Dave Ferris to shine with a 41 point round! The only way you get to that number is to sink putts, and the flat stick was hot for Dave today.
Friday, Feb. 24, Silky Oak (white tees) – Stableford
1st Gilbert King (22) 44pts
2nd Alan Rothwell (7) 39pts
3rd Richie McGhie (2) 36pts
The hills and valleys of Silky Oak were host to Friday’s competition and we could not have made a better choice. We had friends that played Laem Chabang and got rained out as well as spectators at the LPGA up at Siam Old as the ladies event was shut down due to rain and lightning. Such are the weather patterns around us now as localized showers are the reality, and we got lucky!
There were some great scores out there so on to the results. Playing off just a 2-handicap, our Aussie mate Richie McGhie shot to his ‘cap and 36 was the number for third place.
In the middle of it all, Robbie Taylor walked away with the Caddy Smile near pin as well as a drink on the house for making the birdie!
Alan Rothwell had a beautiful day on the course and his fine 39 would normally have won it. One spoiler got in the way and with a whopping 44 on the card, Gilbert King was crowned the victor out there today. Nice one buddy!
