PSC Golf from The Golf Club
Before we get on with the golf, it is high time we gave thanks to some of the guys from TGC who have gone out of their way to support our charity dental project, Caddy Smile. It is the first anniversary of Caddy Smile and we have counted 8 local caddies who have benefitted from your generosity.
Dave Ferris has spent a great deal of his time with the caddies and their mothers to ensure they have transportation to and from the dental clinic and making sure they make the appointments on time. There is the initial consultation and examination, the first treatment, and other follow up procedures that can take weeks, so thank you Dave for doing us proud. After all, we live in The Land of Smiles, right?
Caddy Nuja is rightly proud of her new smile, courtesy of the Caddy Smile project.
All of this started last year and with the financial assistance of regulars like Dale Shier, John Hutt, Walter Baechli, John Eske and more, giving back their little brown envelopes from Captain Phil to support this programme. If you have a regular local caddy or happen to see a guy or girl on the course in need of dental care, please let Phil Smedley know so that we may initiate the process of complimentary dental treatment for their health, self confidence and pride. It is a small thing that can make a big difference for those that work so hard for us. Well done boys!
Monday, June 22, Green Valley (white tees) – Stableford
1st Brad Sproxton (11) 39pts
2nd Mark Wood (8) 38pts
3rd Jack Grindvold (4) 37pts
If it’s Monday it must be Green Valley and six groups of Pattaya’s finest joined us for today’s golf run by Captain Phil Smedley. Weather was good, but the course has undergone the necessary coring on the back 9, with sanding to follow soon. The holes were a menace, but by the time you read this they should be more workable. Same for everybody, as they say!
It was three local lads who stole the show today, golfers knowledgeable to all the eccentricities of the course and who all shot better than their handicaps.
Jack (The News Man) Grindvold is always a steady golfer and makes few mistakes. You don’t get to play off a 4 handicap with sloppy play and today he took third place with 37 points. Mark Wood was in fine form and saw the putts dropping for a change to rack up one better than Jack with his 38 point round.
The winner was a nicely lubricated Bradley Sproxton with a solid 39-pointer. Brad found that perfect balance of booze to bloodstream and was smiling for all 18 holes. Sproxton has the closest swing Pattaya has to Ernie Els and that smooth, easy swing took him to the top of the podium.
Wednesday, June 24, Siam Old Course (white tees) – Stableford
1st Brad Sproxton (11) 40pts
2nd Kevin Wood (18) 38pts
T3rd Martin Zimmerman (16) 37pts
T3rd Mike Newbert (7) 37pts
The locals were at it again! To be specific, it was our regular Siam members group who did in fact get that “members bounce” to capitalize on the day. Tourist Kevin Wood from Scotland at least beat 2 of the locals!
Kevin, Martin, Brad and Mikey get down to it at TGC.
Mike Newbert, a.k.a. the Montauk Mauler, has seen his game improve considerably over the past 2 years and has gone from a 14 down to a 7 handicap. He had his reward for his hard work to tie with Vancouverite Martin Zimmerman who cleaned up with a 37 as well.
It was déjà vu all over again as a certain Mr. Brad (The Big Easy) Sproxton took his second title of the week to top the charts with a terrific 40-pointer. Brad has been doing more bell ringing than Quasimodo since he got that gig at Notre Dame. Not often do I get to reference Victor Hugo and Yogi Berra in the same paragraph. Anyhow, it was another fine round of golf as the Bradcardi’s flowed and Sproxton did the double.
Siam Old Course was in great nick, and even after the sanding of the greens she held up beautifully. It was a real treat to get out there to arguably the best golf course in Pattaya, for a very enjoyable Sports Day experience.
Friday, June 26, Pattavia (white tees) – Stableford
1st Ed Brubaker (12) 41pts
2nd John Hutt (22) 37pts
3rd Steve Ellison (18) 33pts
The rain was absolutely bucketing down as the huddled masses gathered just before 8 a.m. for a TGC breakfast to start the day and it continued unabated for the 1 hour 10 minute drive to the course, 20 minutes of it waiting for the poorly synchronized traffic lights through Amata Nakorn. The road to the course off the 331 was great, most of it newly (and properly) paved with just a few potholes in the old parts from last year’s resurfacing.
Steve Ellison, Ed Brubaker and John Hutt.
On the first tee, still a light mist of rain about, but from the second tee onwards we had a dry and beautiful day of cool, overcast weather for a change. It was a perfect day for golf and Capt. Phil observed that he thought it was the coolest day he had ever played golf in Pattaya. That is pretty remarkable for a day in June.
Pattavia was in beautiful condition, probably the best I have ever seen it. We correctly played ‘lift, clean and place’ after the night of rains, but the course drained off quite well anyway.
I finally had a decent round and got away with 33 points for third place. That was a whopping 4 shots off second place John (on a roll) Hutt, once again on the podium but well deserved with his 37 points.
Now it is down to first, and our buddy from San Diego, Ed Brubaker shot the round of the year with a massive 41 points that saw every shot go his way. It was one of the magical days of golf for Ed and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy!
Thanks again to all who joined us this week and hope it stays in the fairway for you!
Note: The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro. Just call 085 434 3377 or see our website www.golfclubpattaya.com and for more information mail us: [email protected] and see updates at www.facebook.com/golfclubpattaya… all handicaps welcome!
