The Golf Club weekly review
Monday, March 6, Green Valley (white tees) – Stableford
1st Tom Balch (32 – S) 40pts
2nd Darren Stanton (17) 39pts
T3rd Ray Powell (19) 38pts
T3rd Fred Birch (16) 38pts
Green Valley just gets better and better as they gear up for the Singha Open on the 23rd. I have given up reporting on the closure situation there as the on-again off-again answers befuddle us all. Thanks to Klaus for putting together a 4-man Scramble on the 28th that we will be participating in, so see you there.
Numbers are still good and today we greeted 32 blokes who were willing to put Green Valley to the test. If you didn’t have at least 38 points on the card, you had no place on the podium. Ray Powell and his mate Fred Birch got to that number and shared the prize for 3rd place. Our resident Aussie Darren Stanton did one better and his 39 worked out well for second place. Never mind, Dazza also took the Caddy Smile near pin!
Number one on the charts went to our dear friend Tommy Balch off those shiny silver tees, and he rocketed to an impressive 40-point win here today. A couple of years back, Tom took the monthly medal this time of year and today he proved he’s still got the mojo!
Tuesday, March 7, Khao Kheow A &C (yellow tees) – Stableford
1st John Ryan (15) 45pts
T2nd Kenny Aihara (6) 41pts
T2nd James McCallan (8) 41pts
T2nd Brett Chan (18) 41pts
It is hard to find fault with Khao Kheow no matter how many times we trek out here. It also makes no difference which of the two nines you play of the 27 holes here, all three courses have their own challenge.
With sensible pricing over the high season Khao Kheow has smart management that keeps us loyal to their cause and we will continue to play here through the summer months.
There were some of the best scores in a long time here today and it started with a trio at 41 points! Kenny, James and Brett all ended up tied for second place. With a magnificent 45 on the card, John Ryan had a record breaking round a full four strokes ahead of the rest.
Our Caddy Smile near pin went to James McCallan who made the most of his 41 point round.
Thursday, March 9, Phoenix Gold (white tees) – Stableford
1st Darren Stanton (16) 44pts
2nd Bud O’Meara (17) 39pts
3rd James McCallan (8) 38pts
It had been several months since we made the 25 minute drive out to Phoenix, which made a nice change from some of the one hour journeys we take. The course was in great shape and the weather was just a few degrees north of perfect.
James McCallan turned in another good round of 38 points, with Bud O’Meara taking second place at one shot better. Nobody could touch Darren Stanton who bettered his Monday number of 39 with his best round in ages to clinch the win with a 44! Russell Lightfoot claimed the near pin but left with just a par.
Friday, March 10, Silky Oaks (white tees) – Stableford
1st Sugar Robertson (7) 45pts
2nd Mark Wood (11) 42pts
3rd Bryan Carroll (20) 40pts
T4th Fred Birch (16) 39pts
T4th Jimmy Brackett (9) 39pts
Without a doubt, this week we had more blokes shoot better than their handicap than ever. Competition was fierce today and it took a 39 just to tie for fourth place. Locals Jimmy Brackett and Freddy Birch had great rounds but 39 just wasn’t quite enough. Our pal Bryan Carroll had his best in a while at the 40 point mark, and regular Mark Wood shot a brilliant 42 out there, but still not enough.
With a crazy 7 birdies (2 on the front and 5 on the back!), Sugar Robertson made the turn smiling. His respectable 19 on the front started the ball rolling and he followed up with an amazing 26 on the back nine for a whopping 45 on the card. We all know Sugar, and he plays a great game, but today he shot lights out with a lot of help from the flat stick for a fine win. Two under off the stick is hard to beat.
