PSC Golf from The Billabong Golf Bar
Monday, April 4, Phoenix – Stableford
Phoenix was in great condition today with weather to match and we were playing Mountain and the new Lakes sides. The amount of work done on the Lakes in the way of cleaning up the new work has made the course fantastic.
With just 4 groups playing we were around in just on four hours. Along with our normal completion there was a side challenge from George and Kevin wanting to take on Capt Bob and Lloyd, the match was all square after 9 holes but with George only scoring 7 points total on that 9 holes you can see who was holding that team together. Kevin got better on the Lakes side, just narrowly missing an eagle on the new par five, something he has never had before, leaving the ball 2 inches short of the hole and taking the match 3 and 1.
Bill Peach with Howard Marson and Tony McDonough.
The scoring overall was very good with a 3-way count back for third place seeing Tony McDonough occupy that position with 35 points. Second place went to Kevin Wild with 37 points and top spot was awarded to Howard Marson with his 38 points.
There were no ‘2’s recorded which wasn’t a surprise as there are no easy par three’s here.
Wednesday, April 6, Green Valley – Stableford
It was unusually quiet on the road to Green Valley this morning and then I remembered that this was the day that Thais celebrate the Chakri Dynasty which dates back to 1782 and is, therefore, a public holiday. The previous 5 days or so had been extremely hot and today was no different, with some tired bodies arriving back at the Billabong later for a few cold ones.
The green staff proved they maintained a sense of humour, much appreciated by those that played golf today, by putting many of the white tees within one or two yards of the blues, which added 200 yards or so to the overall length – as if it was not long enough already!
The ladies had one 2 today and that went to Miss Da on the 5th hole whose squeals of delight were heard back at the clubhouse, which was in direct contrast to the 2 by Greig Ritchie who chipped in on the 16th and simply bowed to his audience, which included Capt. Bob on the 13th tee, with the only other 2 gained by Howard Marston.
Kevin Wild with Howard Marson and Lloyd Shuttleworth
Miss Da also came in third on a count back in the ladies comp but lost out to Miss Karn with 37 points. But the whole day was overshadowed by Miss Som with a once in a lifetime score of 48 points. Yes, that is not a misprint.
In the men’s division, 37 points did not come into consideration for 38 points took the minor placings with Tony McDonough losing on a count back to Auk Engelkes in third but each of them losing to Howard Marson taking second place with 39, losing again on a count back to Bill Peach who took the gold medal.
Bob Philp and Lloyd Shuttleworth, flush from his success at the previous week’s medal competition, met their match when they challenged 2 ‘poms’ George Barrie and Kevin Wild but were found wanting, losing the front six and the overall match. When it was announced back at the Billabong, they were greeted with cheers, or was it jeers? Will they never learn – for when the going gets tough the tough get going. I read that somewhere.
Friday, April 8, Burapha – Stableford
Playing Burapha, our normal venue for Fridays, we got to play the A and B loops which were in magnificent condition. The greens were particularly fast and it does help if you have a good caddy – but if you have a great caddy who knows how to read the greens you have a very good advantage.
There were no challenges from the Kiwis or the Poms today so the boys went out enjoyed themselves, which was reflected in the scores with every player scoring 30 plus points. There were two 2s today coming from Thiery Petrement and the other to Andrew Woodall.
It’s a bad day out when you shoot level par and get absolutely nothing for your trouble, but that’s the way it was today. Howard Marson and Kevin Wild both had 40 points with Howard having the better back nine for first place and relegating Kevin to second. Coming in third was Lloyd Shuttleworth with 37 points.
Note: The Billabong match play is being played on April 25 at Phoenix. We can only take 64 players so if you are interested give Bob a call on 082 204 3411 and get on the list.
