PSC golf from The Growling Swan
Monday, May 12, Pleasant Valley – Stableford
This was probably our smallest ever starting group and with a late withdrawal and a late addition we were left with a field of 10.
All were early so we left the GS 10 minutes ahead of our 8.30 departure time and arrived at the course 40 minutes later. There was a fair bit of activity there and everyone was teeing off number 10 tee so after a small wait our first group, a three-ball, got away 20 minutes early at 9.40 am.
The weather was hot and humid as we expect at this time of year and the course was in excellent shape, with the greens very well maintained although a little slower than normal. We had 2 Thai couples in the group ahead of us so the going was slow but we took that opportunity to have a couple of drinks breaks and finished a very enjoyable round of golf in four hours & twenty minutes.
Volker Buley, Niall Stuart & David Callick.
We had just the one division with three places and there were also rewards for nearest the pin on A5 and longest first putt on the18th green.
By far the outstanding performer on the day was Gerd Riedler whose 73 gross gave him 43 points and the win, 7 points ahead of Ken Hole in second place. There were 3 golfers on 34 points vying for third spot and it was the steady Ebrahim (19 point back nine) who prevailed over veteran Ted Morris (17 point back nine) and John Davis (16 point back nine.)
The Growling Swan NAGA Award (awarded for the worst score on the day) was won by Volker Buley.
1st Gerd Riedler (8) 43pts
2nd Ken Hole (20) 36pts
3rd Ebrahim (13) 34pts
Near Pins: 5th – John Davis,
Long Putts: 18th – Gerd Riedler
Thursday, May 15, Khao Kheow – Stableford
The choice of venue for the day was obviously a popular one as we had a starting field of 27, all eager to tackle the classy Khao Kheow Golf Course.
As we assembled at The Growling Swan prior to departure we welcomed Norm Cheetham, Davey Mealey, Gary Williams, John O’Donoghue, and also the return of Stu Rifkin and Mashi Kaneta. Sadly, it was time to say farewell to one of our most loyal overseas visitors, Volker Buley, who was soon to be heading back to Germany.
Volker Buley & Gerd Riedler.
When we arrived at the course we found it was fairly quiet and after checking in we were told it was to be the A & C nines in that sequence, so off we headed to A1. With no-one ahead of us, our first four-ball got away 21 minutes before our scheduled 10.06 am tee time and in very hot & humid conditions we proceeded at a reasonable pace.
The golf course was in terrific shape with lush fairways and super greens so there was no excuse for anything but good golf, until the heat got to some of us that is. We all started off walking but Ken grabbed a cart at the half way mark and I probably should have done the same but we battled on, although at a much slower pace than earlier and our round was completed in the fairly slow time of four hours & thirty five minutes. Despite the oppressive weather conditions it had been a very enjoyable round of golf with excellent company on a great golf course.
We had 2 divisions – Division A for handicaps 0 to 19 & Division B for golfers on handicaps of 20 and over with four places in each Division. There were also rewards for nearest the pin on the four par 3’s and longest first putts on the A9 & C9 greens.
The winner in Division A was David Callick with 37 points, just 1 point ahead of Ebrahim. Norm Cheetham was third on 35 points and fourth place went to Mike “Hunter” Gosden with 34.
In his last game before flying back to Germany, Volker Buley’s recovered from winning the NAGA award in his last outing and his 40 points was of course good enough to win Division B, with Andrew “Turtle” Allen 7 points further back in second place. In third spot was Ken Hole with 31 points followed by Gary Williams who was fourth with 29.
The Growling Swan NAGA Award, (awarded to the golfer who has the worst score on the day and discreetly their score is not made public) was once again won by Niall Stuart and he accepted the award like the good sport that he is.
Division A (0-19)
1st David Callick (19) 37pts
2nd Ebrahim (13) 36pts
3rd Norm Cheetham (14) 35pts
4th Mike Gosden (11) 34pts
Division B (20+)
1st Volker Buley (31) 40pts
2nd Andrew Allen (32) 33pts
3rd Ken Hole (20) 31pts
4th Gary Williams (28) 29pts
Near Pins: A3 – Sal Brizzi, A5 – Mashi Kaneta, C3 – Geri Crilly, C8 – Sal Brizzi
Long Putts: A9 – Stu Rifkin, C9 – Stu Rifkin
Note: Growling Swan Golf welcomes golfers of any persuasion – low & high handicappers alike, female golfers and beginners. We generally play Mondays & Thursdays, meeting at The Growling Swan in Soi Chaiyapoon at 8.00 am with transport departing at 8.30 am. For bookings or more information please contact Peter on 0806 351 386 or email to petermalcolmblackburn@ gmail.com.
We also play bowls out of the Growling Swan every Wednesday and Sunday. Sunday is Lawn Bowls and Wednesday is Indoor Bowls. All are welcome and for anyone that is interested the transport leaves The Growling Swan at 10.00am on each of those mornings. For more information please contact Paul Rennison on 0843 454 005.
