PSC Golf from The Growling Swan
Monday, Jan. 25, Khao Kheow – Stableford
Normally it’s mad dogs and Englishmen who play golf in the Pattaya midday sun, but today’s game resembled something like the making of the movie, Ice Age 9. All that was missing was the chipmunk (Scrat) with his acorn. Then again, there was an Irishman present with much resemblance.
Thirty three golfers gathered at the Growling Swan with teeth chattering, some wearing reefer jackets and beanies. At a refreshing 18C, it wasn’t exactly ‘Arctic Park’ at Khao Kheow but you would have thought so. With a fresh breeze creating a chill factor, the complaining caddies were huddled in groups and Martin Todd looked like he had just returned from a frosty morning’s cray fishing in Mandurah.
Roy Dayton (2nd left) is presented with the Monthly Mug by sponsor Peter Bass (2nd right), accompanied by Pierre Cere, Khan Speechley and Olivia Bass.
We played C and A Nines in that order and the course, as always, was a pleasure to play and held its own against most of the field. Kevin Waycott wants to buy a new putter, but it is suggested that he waits until he has a chance to throw it first. John Anderson also had a rare day off, but he must understand that since bad shots come in groups of three, a fourth bad shot is actually the beginning of the next group of three.
Today’s scores were generally low, but Roy Dayton stopped complaining for a day and returned a fine score of 39 points. The resilient Graham Rice and Alex Field had another day out and with most of the field struggling, Martin Todd, Alan Gibb and Ebrahim took advantage to glean podium finishes.
A Flight (0-16)
1st Martin Todd (10) 34pts
2nd Alan Gibb (7) 33pts
3rd Graham Rice (12) 31pts
B Flight (17+)
1st Roy Dayton (22) 39pts
2nd Alex Field (18) 37pts
3rd Ebrahim (17) 35pts
Near Pins: C3 Alex Field, C8 JJ Harney, A3 Alan Gibb, A6 Graham Rice
Long Putts: C9 Graham Rice, A9 Alex Field
Thursday, Jan. 28, Mt. Shadow – Monthly Mug/Stroke
On a whim and a prayer, a great roll up of 36 golfers packed into 4 buses for the Growling Swan’s Monthly Mug at Mountain Shadow. The compulsory sledging commenced early and Roy Dayton and Fred Cypers were advised that it takes longer to learn to be a good golfer than it does to become a brain surgeon. On the other hand, you don’t get to ride around on a cart, drink beer and eat hot dogs if you’re performing brain surgery.
Martin Todd with D-For the Dog.
We played a stroke round off the blue tees and normally golfing in Pattaya is generally a challenging and enjoyable experience on any given day, however, regretfully, we hand out a brickbat. Some 12 months ago, many caddies at Mountain Shadow appeared to have had little training and were deemed to be very lazy. The bunkers were un-raked, divots not replaced and some caddies general demeanor was poor. Nothing has changed!
On the day, the slick greens held their own and no-one played to, or bettered their handicap. There were a few steady efforts and some regrettable. The Colonel discovered that the shortest distance between any two points at Mountain Shadow is a straight line that passes directly through the centre of a very large tree.
In a very condensed leader board, a clinical Roy Dayton emerged from the pack to eke out a win. A bleary eyed Khan Speechley played remarkably well and Piere Cere, Ashley Taylor and JJ Harney headed the rest.
A Flight (0-15)
1st Piere Cere (11) net 74
2nd Ashley Taylor (15) net 74
3rd JJ Harney (12) net 76
4th Graham Rice (12) net 77
B Flight (16-21)
1st Khan Speechley (19) net 76
2nd Kae Dayton (20) net 77
3rd Alex Field (18) net 77
4th Ebrahim (17) net 77
C Flight (22+)
1st Roy Dayton (22) net 73
2nd Patrick Poussier (27) net 78
3rd John Anderson (28) net 78
4th Lindsay Slender (23) net 81
Near Pins: #5 Ashley Taylor, #8 Peter Bass, #15 Ian Masterson, #17 Paul Sharples.
Long Putts: #9 Graham Rice, #18 Patrick Poussier
The day’s event was sponsored by Asia Backpackers Pattaya and thanks goes out to Peter Bass and his crew. Also, much deserved thanks continues to go to John Anderson for generously giving up his time to do the cards and Peter Grey for the nosh ups.
Note: The GS is a friendly golf outlet and welcomes golfers of all persuasions. We generally play on Mondays and Thursdays at any one of the fine courses around Pattaya. For some serious golf with a dash of fun, please contact Peter Grey for bookings or any information on 0861 503086.
