Travellers Rest Golf Group
This past week started off with another Thai holiday celebrating the Queen’s birthday which meant the traffic increased tenfold over that weekend and Pattaya was buzzing with many Thais coming from far afield into town and heading for the beach.
Perhaps in anticipation of finding crowded golf courses on Monday 13th August, the numbers wanting to play golf with the TRGG dropped down to a hardy few, or perhaps it was only those who are fanatics.
Brad Dippie – winner at Crystal Bay.
Anyway the greatest fanatic of the lot, some would say the maddest, stepped forward and took first place at Khao Kheow (A and B courses). Playing off an eighteen handicap Richard Talbot shot 33 points which was good enough to beat the other five competitors. Joe Painter (20) took second place with 29 points.
I have spoken about Richard before; besides being an avidly keen golfer he also runs marathons, lots of marathons, in fact on Saturday 18th August he got up at some unearthly hour and ran a marathon and then came along to Crystal Bay later the same morning and played eighteen holes of golf with the TRGG. To follow that he was planning on taking in a local football match followed by a night on the town.
Now to my befuddled mind that is the agenda of a complete and utter madman but I guess it takes all sorts. Anyway well done Richard, our only bionic golfer at the TRGG!
On Tuesday 14th August things started to return to normal and a much increased field took on Green Valley. Dave Edwards (12) took first place with 35 points but he only won on count back from Michael Maguire (20) who also shot 35 points. David Boran (13) took third place with 34.
Thursday 16th August saw the TRGG take its weekly trek to Phoenix (Mountain and Lakes) courses. Rod Crosswell (14) showed the rest the way home returning with 37 points from Tim Dalton (18) in second place with 35 points and Seil Revels (4) in third with 34.
You may remember from last week’s report on the competition at Phoenix that a Matchplay event was taking place at the same time organised by John Dean. This week that competition entered its second round which was in fact the semi finals. Unfortunately one of the contestants Jim Cleaver couldn’t make it because of a bereavement so his opponent Tim Dalton received a bye into the final.
The other semi-final was between John Dean and Alun Evans, where John Dean prevailed, I am afraid I don’t know the winning margin. So John Dean will take on Tim Dalton at Phoenix on the 23rd August.
On Saturday 18th August it was our regular visit to Crystal Bay (B and C courses) and a newcomer Brad Dippie (8) took the honours in a fairly stiff breeze with 39 points. Brad is a young guy who apparently hits the ball a country mile so I look forward to watching his improvement in the coming months.
That Australian gentleman ( there are two words you don’t see together very often in one sentence, only joking all you Aussies) Roger Wilkinson (14) came second with 37 points. Seil Revels (4) took third place for the second competition running with 36.
