PSC golf from Cafe Kronborg
Monday, Feb. 20, Plutaluang – Stableford
About 32 players made their way to the Navy course to try their luck on the East and South courses respectively. The course was in pretty good condition and the first group completed their round in 4hrs 30 minutes. Given some long distances from greens to tees, this was quite a good time on a hot day.
This was the last showing for Peter Sindberg and the Gaardes’ for a while, as they all head back to their respective homelands soon. We wish them a safe return.
(L-R) Kjeld Ravin, The Admiral, Elias Magnusson and Doug Maiko.
Regular scribe Peter Blackburn is still in Perth and we are pleased to report his doctors over there have said he does not need another stint in his heart at this time and with his continued medication he should be able to keep belting the ball till kingdom come! Also stand in scribe “The Drut” is away with the missus in the village and both he and Peter will be back soon, so until then you are stuck with SMS.
Typically, this course proved difficult for most with only one golfer managing to better their handicap on the day, as a consequence of many water hazards and more than the usual number of OB lines i.e. many internal course holes defined as OB. This scribe found both on many occasions and was concerning enough for my caddie to ask after ten holes, “You have secret hole with balls?”
If my game was bad at that point it just got worse as my mind went south in a hurry! Then I realized she was telling me that the dozen balls I started with was rapidly depleting! As it turned out, “back nine Stu” rallied and managed to finish with a couple spare.
The A flight winner was a happy Bjarne Kjar with a solid 38 points off his (21) handicap. Second on a count back was Don Richardson 35 (13), and in third was Niels Hansen 35 (15) who if he could have putted would have set a course record! Jesper Rasmussen also with 35 (20) took fourth and fifth spot went to Peter Sinberg 34 (13).
B flight was taken out by an ecstatic young Brad Todd (son of Martin) who is playing six days a week and the improvement is showing with his 36 points off (25) handicap. The ladies again made a podium finish with Susan Gaarde 35 (25) upstaging her husband Svende Gaarde 34 (28), who beat Jan Lovgreen on a count back 34 (22), and Kenny Chung slipping from first place last week to fifth place with 33 (24).
A Flight (0–21)
1st Bjarne Kjar (21) 38pts
2nd Don Richardson (13) 35pts
3rd Niels Hansen (15) 35pts
4th Jesper Rasmussen (20) 35pts
5th Peter Sinberg (13) 34pts
B Flight (22+)
1st Brad Todd (25) 36pts
2nd Susan Gaarde (25) 35pts
3rd Svende Gaarde (28) 34pts
4th Jan Lovgreen (22) 34pts
5th Kenny Chung (24) 33pts
Near Pins: E2 – Brad Todd; E5 – Niels Hansen; S4 – Leif Kirkgaard; S7 – Susan Gaarde
Long Putts: 9th – Kenny Chung; 18th – Susan Gaarde
Eric Black was the unlucky recipient of the Compass Award today. Thanks Eric for your generous donation toward charity.
Thursday, Feb. 23, Pleasant Valley – Stableford
Thirty-three players assembled on a glorious morning with clear skies and warm weather to take on this popular golf course, which is showing continual course improvements every time we visit. The club house staff are very welcoming and courteous and the facilities are spacious and clean. On the down side, the prices of beer and course foods seem extraordinarily high?
(L-R) Bjarne Kjar, Dave, and Brad Todd.
We welcomed Hitosai Takeda from Japan and said farewell to Eric Black who heads back to Australia but has “vowed to return”. Haven’t we heard that somewhere before?
Many of us have been fortunate to have had at least one “hole in one” during our golfing lives and as I was putting for a crucial birdie putt on the 16th green, screaming and shouting went off on the adjacent 17th tee. “What the @*# hell?” I said, as my putt slid by the hole… Bjarne Kjar, one of our group said “Doug Maiko (actually he said ‘that Yank guy’) just hit a hole in one, I saw it go in from here!”
Doug later asked me in the club house if it was better to buy everyone a drink at the club or back at the Café Kronborg, and I explained that there would probably be fewer people at the Kronborg than at the club house presentations. To his credit, trays of soft drink and beers were paraded about during presentations, courtesy of Doug. So thanks Doug from everyone for the drink and congratulations on your first hole in one! (I forgive you for my missed birdie putt.)
Doug’s hole in one should not altogether distract highlighting some very good scores on the day, with many golfers shooting 40 plus points and many more having played better than their handicaps, as the score results will show. (It would be interesting to see what scores would be returned if we played off longer tees on this course.)
Kjeld Ravin topped the field and won A Flight with a sterling 44 points whilst Bill Plath scooped second with 41 edging out Stu Rifkin (thanks Doug!) 40, Rob Brown a solid 39 and Tore Eliassen 38 edging out Leif Kirkgarde and Niels Hansen on a count back for fifth.
Elias Magnusson won B Flight on a count back from the inform Kenny Chung, both with a good score of 41 points. Graham Buckingham was narrowly behind with 40 points, beating another in form golfer Brad Todd on a count back, whilst my playing partner today Bjarne Kjar took out the fifth place with 39 points.
A Flight
1st Kjeld Ravin (20) 44pts
2nd Bill Plath (18) 41pts
3rd Stu Rifkin (13) 40pts
4th Rob Brown (7) 39pts
5th Tore Eliassen (15) 38pts
B Flight
1st Elais Magnusson (22) 41pts
2nd Kenny Chung (24) 41pts
3rd Graham Buckingham (22) 40pts
4th Brad Todd (25) 40pts
5th Bjarne Kjar (21) 39pts
Near Pins: 5th – Tore Eliassen; 8th – Niels Hansen; 13th – Ulla Ravin; 17th – Doug Maiko
Long Putts: 9th – Kenny Chung; 18th – Eric Black
The worst score of the day has the privilege of giving a small donation to charity (normally 50 baht or more if desired) and today’s unlucky Compass Award went to Eddie Glinsek. Thanks for your generous donation Eddie. Some fortunate person/people will benefit from your and the many other donors who have given over the past 12 months.
With his master still away, Deefa was paraded around for scraps (donations) by his carer Ken Berneck, and managed to fill his tummy with sufficient fodder. Thanks again to all the golfers who give so generously and so regularly.
