PSC golf from The Growling Swan
Tuesday, April 8, Bangpra – Stableford
It had been quite some time since we had played Bangpra, one of Pattaya’s oldest courses and we were all looking forward to reacquainting ourselves with it and as Monday was a Thai Public Holiday we opted for a game on the Tuesday.
We had 27 golfers signed up for the day and after a good run up number 7 we arrived at the course 41 minutes later where it was quite busy but that gave us plenty of time to prepare & have a practice putt. We managed to send our first group, a three-ball away 30 minutes early at 10.30 am and it was hot and humid with just a bit of wind. The course was in great shape although the greens seemed to be just a “tad” slower than usual for this course but still posed problems for those faced with downhill putts of any size.
Martin Todd, John Waugh & Arne Max Pedersen.
It was quite slow going as there were holdups on most of the par threes and after taking a couple of drinks breaks we managed to complete the round in the fairly slow time of four hours & forty minutes. It was great to play the course again after a long break and with the excellent company it was a very enjoyable day.
Martin Todd returned to good form and won the Division A with a fine score of 39 points and with 2 golfers on 36 points the resultant count back saw Alain “Inspector Clouseau” Taddei (18 point back nine & 13 points on the last 6 holes) take second spot from Mike Allidi (18 point back nine & 11 points on the last 6 holes) in third place. Big Bill Steinman finished fourth with a steady 35 points.
Things were tight at the top of Division B with 2 players on 38 points so another count back was required which saw Arne Max Pedersen (19 point back nine) take first place from Lotte Boskov (16 point back nine) in second spot. Thientong Charoenrung came third with 34 points, one point ahead of Jan Lovgreen in fourth place.
Division A (0-16)
1st Martin Todd (9) 39pts
2nd Alain Taddei (16) 36pts
3rd Mike Allidi (3) 36pts
4th Bill Steinman (10) 35pts
Division B (17+)
1st Arne Max Pedersen (17) 38pts
2nd Lotte Boskov (18) 38pts
3rd Thientong Charoenrung (18) 34pts
4th Jan Lovgreen (18) 33pts
Near Pins: 2nd – Jan Lovgreen, 8th – Thientong Charoenrung, 12th – Sal Brizzi, 17th – Leif Kirkgaard
Long Putts: 9th – Dave Neal, 18th – Bill Steinman
The Growling Swan NAGA Award (awarded to the golfer who has the worst score on the day) was won by first timer John Waugh and he accepted the award like the good sport that he is.
Thursday, April 10, Crystal Bay A & B – Stableford
This was our last game before the week’s break for Songkran and we had 23 golfers on the start sheet ready to tackle one of our favourites, Crystal Bay. As we were all on time our 2 mini vans were able to depart 5 minutes ahead of schedule at 8.25 am and after a fairly quick journey we arrived at the course 42 minutes later. The golf course was not at all busy and we were allocated the B & A nines in that sequence so after a quick check in and leisurely preparation we managed to send our first group, a three-ball away 10 minutes early at 9.50 am.
Lindsay Slender, Niall Stuart & Leif Kirkgaard.
Once more it was hot and humid with very little wind to cool us down and with no other groups immediately in front of us we proceeded at a good pace. The course was in very good condition with lush fairways & well maintained greens and we managed to complete our round in the good time of three hours & fifty minutes.
With 2 golfers on 38 points a count back was necessary to decide the winner in Division A and it was Leif Kirkgaard (22 point back nine) who was victorious with your writer, Peter “Blacky” Blackburn (20 point back nine) in second spot and Tom McMahon was third with 36 points.
In Division B there was a “bolter” as Lindsay Slender scored 41 points to win from Jack Robertson in second place with36 points. Another count back was required to determine third spot as there were two on 34 points and it was Roy “Plums” Dayton (21 point back nine) who prevailed over the luckless Graham “Grunter” Buckingham (16 point back nine).
Division A (0-18)
1st Leif Kirkgaard (17) 38pts
2nd Peter Blackburn (12) 38pts
3rd Tom McMahon (16) 36pts
Division B (19+)
1st Lindsay Slender (25) 41pts
2nd Jack Robertson (25) 36pts
3rd Roy Dayton (25) 34pts
Near Pins: A5 – Duangjai Tusagad, A8 – John Davis, B4 – Peter Blackburn, B6 – Bob Akapita
Long Putts: A9 – Tom McMahon, B9 – Duangjai Tusagad
The Growling Swan NAGA Award was won by the returning Niall Stuart and Deefa the Dog collected many donations for the needy in Pattaya from our generous Growling Swan golfers.
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.
