IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
The Pattaya Golf Society visited Green Valley on Monday, 29th November, to play a stableford event on the course which has not been best viewed yet this high season. The greens were still furry and only slightly better than on the last visit a few weeks ago and the club’s policy of contracting out its maintenance work works only for general appearance. Quality greens maintenance needs expert care and supervision.
The single flight reflected the group’s concerns about the course but Peter Ditz gave it his best shot collecting 32 points for fourth place, one behind “Banjo” Bannister, occupying an uncharacteristically lowly spot at third with 33 points. Steve Jones went under par with a fine 37 points for second but Tim Lazecki continued his excellent form after his sub-par round at Khao Kheow a week previously with his best PGS score for many a month, a forty-point haul giving him top place.
Richard Dobson and Wichai Tananusorn secured ‘2’s on the ninth and twelfth to share the birdie bonus pot and the Booby Bevy was reserved for the returning Robert Knutsson, had he made the presentation on time.
The final November round saw Richard Bannister confirmed as PGS “Player of the Month” after some prodigious efforts on tough courses whilst Wichai was edged out into second place. Well done Banjo!
Jones & Knutsson out of sight at Silky Oak
Friday, 3rd December saw the Pattaya Golf Society debut at Green Valley’s third course, Silky Oak. The course is a new concept in course design with much water in evidence and many holes sharing fairways in the landing zones! Add the mix of Korean groups unsophisticated in etiquette and you have a potential for conflict testing both patience and fleetness of foot. However the course was in good condition with unscarred fairways and large and reasonably consistent greens, thus the prospect of a stableford competition on a completely new track was attractive.
All the usual PGS suspects were there with Richard “Banjo” Bannister just edging out the in-form Tim Lazecki for third place with 36 points. Two golfers with a ten year association had the rounds of their lives as Len Jones and Robert Knutsson went head-to-head from the start and ended all square with 41 points each to share the win. For both it represented their best performance of the year and the scores would have been even better had concentration and patience on the back nine had not been tested by a Korean four-ball playing the front nine with their customary native intrusions and “noises off”.
There were two birdie ‘2’s, both recorded on the fourteenth by Tim Lazecki and Tony Thorne and the former also found himself the recipient of the Booby Bevy for his split of 10 and 23 points.
After the round opinions ranged from enthusiasm to indifference whilst one golfer suggesting the course be renamed “Silly Joke” was probably a little too scathing. Playing off the longer yellow tees would also make a sterner test of skill at 6,500+ yards. The PGS will be back at Silky Oak but not until quieter times in the low season when hard hats and earplugs will not be essential requirements.
