PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Tuesday, March 25, Bangpakong – Stableford
We like to play this course once in a while, or sometimes twice in a while. Certainly if it was a little closer it would be played a little more often because it is very much liked by all the golfers as they usually play well here.
We arrived at the course with 20 or so minutes to spare, and a surprise since last time I was there, they had a vehicle to take us up the hill to reception. The changing rooms here are as good as anywhere, but it was soon time to go out the back and find the caddie and clubs.
Dick Warberg (right) presents the MBMG Group Golfer of The Month award to Andre Van Dyk.
For the old hands the start is now located where the tenth used to be, it is however a fairly gentle start. The good thing about this course is that it has good grass on the fairways, and the ball lies very well. The rough is not too penal and the chance of getting in real trouble is less than on most courses.
We played off the yellow tees today, still over 6,300 yards and plenty long enough for mere mortals. This course does have a reputation of players coming in with good scores and so it seemed would happen on this day, with the weather also playing its part. Still, it was very hot so maybe this would make the players struggle.
Round over it was into the changing room and really first class showers. If you decide to eat in the upstairs restaurant here be sure to check the menu closely or you may be left with a bigger bill than you expected. This is a ++ restaurant and some of the meals are at tourist prices.
Back at Bert’s it was soon time to get on with the results and this was particularly important as a few players were in the running for The MBMG Group Golfer of The Month award.
In the A Flight, 0 to 18, the winner with a great round was Andre Van Dyk with 44 points. Andre had 27 points on the back nine and I cannot remember anyone getting more than this in all the years I have run golf. In second was Mike Johns with 42 points ahead of Bob Britton in third with 39.
In the B Flight the winner was your scribe Derek Brook with 39 points and also a fine back nine of 24 points. In second was Jack Robertson with 38 points and for third we had a 4-way count back on 37 that saw Jim Ferris in third ahead of Dick Warberg, George King and Tom Cotton.
So to the MBMG Group Golfer of The Month and with his fine win on the day, Andre Van Dyk stormed home. Well done Andre!
Near Pins: Mashi Kaneta, Bob Britton, Mike Johns, James Ferris
Friday, March 28, Treasure Hill – Stableford
This is a course that is usually on our schedule for a Friday and it has undergone a rather large amount of improvement in the last few years. The road up there is not as good as it once was so the drive up there can be a bit bumpy, however we got there in good time and were soon onto the first tee.
The first and second holes here can be a difficult start, with the first being a par-5 with hazards on either side, while the second is a 200+ yard par three with a hazard on the left and a deep hollow on the right. A tough start indeed!
Not that it gets any easier as this can be a brutal golf course when the wind blows. Fortunately on this day the wind was a breeze and the cloud cover made it a great walk around. The greens were a little slow but the fairways were clean and reasonable to play off.
Back at Bert’s it was soon time for the results and to discover that the hot form of AVD was not over. The winner on the day was Andre Van Dyk once more with a fine 40 points. Back in the dust we then had a count back on 34 points that saw Walter Baechli take second, Tom Herrington in third and David Nicholson fourth. Then it was another count back on 33 points that saw Brian Parish in fifth and Steve Hamstad just losing out. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Tom Herrington (3), Doug Maiko.
