IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar, Soi Buakhao
A fine, warm day, blue skies, an empty golf course … what more could the friends of the Pattaya Golf Society want on Tuesday, 19th October, as they travelled to Greenwood to play a stableford event over the A and B nines.
The course was in excellent conditions despite the ravages of the recent monsoon rains and a fine competition was in prospect. Greenwood management insist on placing the white tees as far back as possible in low season and the course was to play at all of its 6,400 yards, and with little run scores would not be earth-shattering.
Sharing runner-up place were Phil Knight and fellow Aussie Ray Jackson with 34 points and the winner was Pete Sumner, a competent low handicapper, earning his first win with the group this visit with 35 points.
Tony Thorne posted the day’s only birdie ‘2’, on B2.
Back at the presentation, Bangkok resident Michael Sim rang the bell to celebrate avoiding the Booby Bevy and as a way of thanking all the members for making him so welcome on golf days in Pattaya. The golfers were also reminded of the forthcoming change to Monday-Wednesday-Friday golf from 1st November and the imminent PGS Annual Championship which is being held at Green Valley over two days on 10th and 12th November. Some fine golf is in prospect over the next few weeks.
Joy for Jones … just
Bangpra beckoned for the Pattaya Golf Society on Thursday, 21st October, and the group found the course very well prepared despite the intense rains of the past few weeks. The course remained soft in parts but the greens still retained their traditional pace and anything above the hole was a knee-trembling nudge which bore success or despair in equal measure.
As always accuracy is the secret to playing this course and it was a surprise to see the better golfers having an off day as first Paul McNally, followed by Pete Sumner and Masa Takano fell by the wayside in their quest for the prize. Instead third place was occupied by Tony Thorne and his 33 points was testament to his tenacity on the day. He was nudged out of second place by Jim McNeill and his 34 points was a fine return for the Englishman. The winner was Len Jones whose game held up well, accurate and consistent off the tees and fairways, and only three putts on the final green denied him the level par round he was seeking.
Pete Sumner and Wichai Tananusorn shared the ‘2’s pot for their efforts on the second hole and the Booby Bevy went to Aussie Kevin Pross for his low scoring round.
What a pleasure it was to be at Bangpra in the company of good friends in excellent golfing surroundings.
Thorne wins close encounter
A trip to Emerald was on the agenda for the Pattaya Golf Society on Saturday, 23rd October, as the Soi Buakhao based IPGC group enjoyed another fine golf day on a quality course.
Emerald has survived the seasonal monsoons well and the fairways are lush, the greens very quick and consistent and areas of damage and repair are clearly marked GUR. Having said that it is never easy to rack up a good score at the course because Lady Luck has so much of a say but the challenge is getting the best out of the course on the day.
In the stableford competition, Len Jones followed his win on Thursday with another consistent round, posting 34 points for third place, just one behind Gary Hartshorne’s creditable 35 point total. The winner was Tony Thorne with 36 points, who found the greens to his liking with his effective putting style. The only blemish on his card was an aberration on the fifteenth in an otherwise excellent performance.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and no-one received the Booby Bevy after a fine day.
The welcome was very warm, as were the new showers, and the day at Emerald was as enjoyable as any spent golfing during the last month or so.
