Monday, January 23
Khao Kheow Golf Course
Club Championship 2022 1st round
1st Niall Glover (12) Net 72
2nd Gerry Cooney (25) Net 72
3rd Jay Babin (23) Net 73
4th Mike Smith (19) Net 76
5th Daryl Vernon (22) Net 76
6th Kevin LeBar (17) Net 76
7th Ken Davidson (27) Net 76
Near pins Gary Smith, Kob Glover, Craig Dows, and Mashi Kaneta.
The deferred 2022 Club Championship was played today at Khao Kheow C & A nines or at least the first round of it and what an unmitigated disaster it turned out to be. With golf bags piling up at the drop area on our arrival and no caddies anywhere to be seen the signs were ominous. Little did we know that it would be two hours and fifteen minutes later before we got the first couple of groups away followed by more waiting before the remaining groups could begin their rounds. By this stage most were too tired of waiting to care anymore.
Profuse apologies from course management rang hollow as we saw hoards of people from below the DMZ embarking on their second round of the day having stopped for lunch while we waited to get our round going. It was decided at the time that the club championship will never again be deferred to the following year as courses are too crowded and anyone wishing to participate should plan their trips from mid-December at the latest. The net effect of all the waiting was a very late finish with light fading and a very disgruntled group.
Unsurprisingly scores for the day were very low with only Niall Glover, Jay Babin, and Mike Smith putting in a decent shift. At least four others as listed found their way into the winner’s circle. All the near pins were taken again as listed above. Most found the course very difficult today, probably having more to do with mindset rather than the course itself.
In a break with tradition, the second round will be held on Friday at Greenwood with a midweek game in between at Emerald. We will be hoping for a much better day on Friday, hope springs eternal.
Wednesday, January 25
Emerald Golf Club
1st Stephen Lewis (24) 35 points
2nd Mike Lloyd (14) 34 points
3rd Niall Glover (12) 34 points
4th Stuart Tinkler (18) 34 points
5th Gerry Cooney (24) 33 points
Near pins Paul Smith, Dave Ashman, Gary Smith, & Michael Brett.
What a difference a change of venue makes compared to Monday. Today we had the course virtually to ourselves with no delays. Some of the joy of golf returned today, but only some, a very strong wind blew all day and the course played tough as evidenced by the low scoring. The greens were quick and most of the pin placements were about as difficult as it was possible to make them resulting in low scores by Emerald standard.
It was very tight on the leaderboard with only two points separating the first five players. A relative newcomer, Stephen Lewis took first place with thirty-five points. Mike Lloyd, Niall Glover, and Stuart Tinkler finished in that order all on thirty-four points, with Gerry Cooney bringing up the rear with thirty-three points. Competition for near pins was keen with a couple just edging in by narrow margins, the winners being Paul Smith, Dave Ashman, Gary Smith, and Michael Brett.
After two games of relatively low scoring this week, can someone raise the standard for the second round of the club championship on Friday? Either way, a big night is expected at the bar.
Friday, January 27
Greenwood Golf Club
Club Championship round 2.
1st Jay Babin (23) Net 67
2nd Les Cobban (12) Net 68
3rd Daryl Vernon (22) Net 69
4th Michael Brett (18) Net 70
5th Steve Evans (13) Net 71
6th Gary Smith (10) Net 74
Near pins Kob Glover, Neil Hurst, Colin Greig, & Kevin LeBar.
Overall Club Champion 2022.
1st Jay Babin Net 140
2nd Daryl Vernon Net 145
3rd Niall Glover Net 147
A cool and windy day at Greenwood for the second round of the club championship where we were allocated the A & B nines. None of the horrendous delays of the first round with play starting on time and the round completed without any delays or holdups. As always the Greenwood course was in nice condition so apart from the wind conditions were perfect for golf.
A much higher standard than the first round where competition for places was fiercely contested with a couple very close. Having come very close in the second round at Pattaya Country Club last year, Jay Babin went all the way today with a very fine round of net sixty-seven to not only win the day but also the club championship. Les Cobban was only one stroke back in second place with Daryl Vernon a further stroke back in third. Fourth place went to Michael Brett with a net seventy while Steve Evans took fifth with a net seventy-one. Gary Smith completed the winners list with a net seventy-four. Kob Glover, Neil Hurst, Kevin LeBar, and Colin Greig all got a near pin each.
Jay Babin was a full five points clear at the top of the club champion race with Daryl Vernon battling hard to take second place, Daryl looks likely to take out the first golfer of the month trophy with only one game left. Niall Glover conceding too many points on handicap had too much to do to make up the difference and finished third in the club championship, still a very worthy challenge.
Back at the Sports Lounge we almost had to move out the walls to fit everybody in, nevertheless, our host Terry and his staff did a splendid job catering to the hordes, Terry generously provided free dinner of pie, chips, and peas which went down a treat. It looked like the biggest crowd ever in the Lounge and a testament to the value of our new home on main street where we continue to attract new golfers just about every day. Our thanks also go to our Facebook manager Roger who puts in a huge effort to attract new customers and make them feel like they have joined a friendly golf society.
