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John Davis wins the Monthly Mug
PSC Golf from The Growling Swan
Peter Blackburn
& The Drut
Monday, Dec. 24, Century Chonburi - Stableford
A late addition took our numbers up to 21 who assembled at The Growling Swan
on a windy Pattaya Monday morning in preparation for our journey to Century
Chonburi Golf Course. We had several newcomers joining us and we welcomed
Heli Rantala & Jukka Pulkkinen from Finland, Jayson Schemeri from Melbourne,
Australia and Aussie Peter Robson, Mine Host of Love Friend Bar in Soi
Honey. Sadly it was time to farewell our good friend Jean Claude Lhoste who
is returning to Nice, France but gladly will be back with us in about 5
weeks time.
John Davis (right) is
presented with the Growling Swan Monthly Mug by host Peter Grey.
Departing the GS a couple of minutes early at 8.28 am we headed off in two
min vans and despite heavy traffic on 331 we arrived at Century Chonburi 60
minutes later. The course was fairly quiet so our first four-ball was able
to tee off 10 minutes ahead of schedule at 9.50 am and in windy conditions
but otherwise great weather we proceeded, finding the course in good
condition with the greens at times quite tricky.
The wind was playing tricks with many approach shots, mine in particular but
all in all it was a pleasure to be there playing this “good value for money”
golf course and we completed our first nine in just over two hours. The good
pace continued with hardly anyone in front of us and we were able to finish
our full round in four hours & twenty minutes which included a brief stop
for drinks.
We were able to have 2 grades with four podium spots in each. A Grade was
for handicaps 0 to 20 and B Grade for 21 and over. We had nearest the pins
on all the par threes and longest first putts on the 9th & 18th greens.
Mike Gosden (left) presents
Peter Grey with his NAGA of the year trophy.
Before presentations I wished everyone present a very Merry Xmas & thanked
them for their support during the year. With back to back wins it was Mike
“Hunter” Gosden who finished on top in A Grade with a very fine 39 points, 2
points ahead of Alain “Inspector Clouseau” Taddei in second spot. Mike
Allidi’s 75 gross enabled him to secure third place with 35 points & big Ken
“Let’s hear it for” Bernek was fourth with 33 points.
B Grade was well won by Bernie McCart with a commendable 38 points and Sandy
“Leiperfrog” Leiper was second with 35 points. Coming third was the other
Bernek, Mrs Wendy with 31 points and Mick “Bear” Wilks completed the podium
with 30 points.
Mike Gosden, Michael Catillon
& Bernie McCart.
A Flight (0-20)
1st Mike Gosden (13) 39pts
2nd Alain Taddei (18) 37pts
3rd Mike Allidi (2) 35pts
4th Ken Bernek (15) 33pts
B Flight (21+)
1st Bernie McCart (30) 38pts
2nd Sandy Leiper (35) 35pts
3rd Wendy Bernek (32) 31pts
4th Mick Wilks (26) 30pts
Near Pins: 4th – Max Bracegirdle; 13th – Heli Rantala; 17th – Mike
Allidi
Long Putts: 9th – Alain Taddei; 18th – Mike Gosden
The Growling Swan NAGA Award, (awarded to the golfer who has the worst score
on the day and discreetly their score is not made public) was won in a
three-way count back by a member of the “French Connection”, Michael
Catillon, and being a very good sport he accepted the award in fine style.
Big Ken Bernek paraded Deefa the Dog and collected many donations for the
needy of Pattaya from our ever generous Growling Swan members. It was then
back to The Growling Swan for several Aussie cold, low priced beers and as
usual plenty of good humour, particular coming from Mine Host Peter Grey who
whilst not playing on the day was certainly looking forward to competing for
the Growling Swan December Monthly Mug in three day’s time.
Thursday, Dec. 27, Pleasant Valley – Monthly Medal
Twenty eight golfers in the city more commonly known as the ‘Disneyland for
seniors’ dusted off the rods in anticipation of another day’s enjoyment.
With the festive season in full swing this was a fair turnout.
Prior to tee-off, the changing room chatter included Max Bracegirdle
commenting that he was going to make it to A grade one day. That day
arrived, however Max’s net ninety-five to prop up the grade confirmed that
letting him loose on a golf course is akin to feeding strawberries to a pig.
Ken Bernek commented that he was due for a reversal of form after some
ordinary performances of late. Some people also believe Adam and Eve were
the forerunners to internet dating.
On the sixth hole, visiting Hamburg resident Volker Buley ran up a quick
eleven, which is more commonly known as an excited moose. On the twelfth tee
Volker’s sole on his left shoe parted company with the rest of the footwear,
which saw his playing partners break into song with “You picked a fine time
to leave me loose heel.” Salvation however was at hand, as Bernie McCart had
some masking tape to repair the errant footwear and ensure that Volker would
remain well shod for the remainder of the journey.
Bernie also advised after two holes that the course was playing easy. In
cricketing parlance, Bernie “kissed the helmet” on the seventeenth.
Power golfer Stu Rifkin, a titan in the world of finance and economics and
only second to Warren Buffet as an investment wizard, was looking good on
the first tee with a stubby of San Miguel in the claw. Pundits in the know
advised, he maybe did not wish to jeopardise his saloon run on the stock
market by pursuing a fruitless day chasing an errant spherical orb which
refuses to cooperate with his sometimes less than salubrious swing. He
thought otherwise.
I have it on good advice that Stu’s financial expertise has seen Wall Street
call for a national holiday on a date to be advised, to observe his zing
into New York aboard a gold plated Rolls Royce next year. Apparently his
stockbroker is of the opinion that Stu is a touch off the pace and he’ll be
astride a 1957 Malvern Star tricycle. Only time will tell.
We welcomed Ken Cornwall from whom knows where, Ted Morris from purgatory,
Nigel Smith from Leeds, John Davis from Pattaya and Brian Bose from a go-go
bar drip tray.
The weather today was fine, however on the first nine the wind was so strong
it blew the pricks off the barbwire fence. On the second nine it abated.
The course was in good condition, however the greens were somewhere between
a piece of corrugated iron and a chunk of Rocky Road.
The starter pulled the trigger and sent us on our way at 1000 hours and the
leading group completed the journey in five hours and ten minutes. The long
round was due to the course being as crowded as a bunch of transvestites
around Dame Edna’s clothesline.
In the A Grade, Alain Taddei handed in a net sixty-seven to take first
place, which was amazing as he achieved this being five under par with a
whippy shaft. Jason Schembri on net sixty nine, Stu Rifkin with net seventy,
and Ted Morris and Don Richardson both with net seventy-fours, rounded out
the grade.
The B Grade was an affair tighter than a well known Soi Diana golfer’s purse
strings. Scott Lobenwein took it out with a net seventy-four followed by
Volker Buley on seventy-five. Ian Masterton was on seventy-six whilst Bernie
McCart and Nigel Smith made podium finishes with net seventy-eights.
Andrew Allen reckoned he was as stiff as an Eskimo’s liquorice to miss a
place. A handful of triple bogeys may have been a contributing factor.
The Monthly Mug was won by John Davis with a sensational net-sixty two.
Monthly Mug
1st John Davis, net 62
A Flight (0-25)
1st Alain Taddei (18) net 67
2nd Jason Schembri (20) net 69
3rd Stu Rifkin (15) net 70
4th Ted Morris (14) net 74
5th Don Richardson (12) net 74
B Flight (26+)
1st Scott Lobenwien (31) net 74
2nd Volker Buley (30) net 75
3rd Ian Masterston (36) net 76
4th Bernie Mccart ( 30) net 78
5th Nigel Smith (36) net 78
Long Putts: 9th Scott Lobenwien, 18th Peter Grey
Near Pins: 5th Andrew Allen, 8th Stu Rifkin, 13th Don Richardson,
17th Max Bracegirdle
Gary Monly played something akin to a mug lair, which entitled him to be
named the most lugubrious chopper for 2012. In his own words he cuffed the
ball all over the course; into the rough, bunkers, water hazards and parts
of the track the architect was unaware existed. This display of ineptitude
resulted in his wardrobe increasing albeit briefly, courtesy of collecting
the NAGA cap.
Once more Deefa was paraded by Ken Bernek who collected many donations for
the needy of Pattaya and this can only fructify. All those who contributed
are thanked for their generosity.
Many thanks to Growling Swan mine host Peter Grey for his continued support
in sponsoring the Monthly Mug and providing the chicken supper after
presentations which is much appreciated.
Note: Growling Swan Golf welcomes golfers of any persuasion – low & high
handicappers alike, female golfers and beginners. We generally play Mondays
& Thursdays, meeting at The Growling Swan (formerly The Bunker Bar) in Soi
Chaiyapoon at 8.00 am with transport departing at 8.30 am. For bookings or
more information please contact Peter on 0806 351 386 or email to
[email protected].
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Gabe bags an ‘Ace’ as Magnusson tops the field
PSC golf from Café Kronborg
(Left to Right): Jan Lovgreen
Dave Richardson and Leif Kirkgaard.
Monday, Dec. 24, Bangpakong - Alec Chilcott
Cup/Stableford
It was the annual Christmas Fayre created by
former golf chairman Alec Chilcott a number of years ago. The concept being
that the day’s entry fee is a gift wrapped gift related to golf; all are
then placed on a table where the best scores pick first and so on until all
have a Christmas gift. There is a trophy provided by the Pattaya Sports Club
that goes to the best score of the day.
We were off the first tee at our 0930 time under sunny, cool and windy
conditions not seen in a long time. The course on the day was, as always, in
great shape with not a blade of grass nor a grain of sand out of place.
Back in the clubhouse after a round of 4 hours a welcome went out to Sam Sun
from New York City.
Only one flight today and the big winner of the Chilcott Cup was Elias
Magnusson with 44 points. Rob brown was second on a count back over Daryl
Evans, both with 42 points, while Henry Wong took fourth also on a count
back from Richard Kubicki after they both returned 40 points each.
There were also 3 golfers with 39 points and 2 with 37 points but the big
story was a hole in one by Brian Gabe on the 16th.
1st Elias Magnusson (22) 44pts
2nd Rob Brown (7) 42pts
3rd Daryl Evans (20) 42pts
4th Henry Wong (20) 40pts
5th Richard Kubicki (13) 40pts
Near Pins: #4 Richard Kubicki; #7 Leif Kirkgaard; #13 Eddie Glinsek;
#16 Brian Gabe (hole in one)
Long Putts: #9 Mike Winfield; #18 Daryl Evans.
Thursday, Dec. 27, Pattaya C.C. - Stableford
Today we had a short hop out to Pattaya Country
Club, about 20 minutes from town. After a quick check-in it was off to the
first tee where we teed-off 40 minutes early under sunny skies and with a
nice cool breeze.
The scores were good considering the condition of the course, which had old
cups on all 18 holes, bunkers filled to the brim with water on the front
nine, and all the greens had a big collection of leaves making putting
difficult. All in all it seems a lack of direction and priorities by the
greens staff; most of them working on the flower beds near the 18th green.
Back in the clubhouse after a very quick round of 4 hours, welcomes went out
to Jack Robertson, Alan Dornan, and Don Henchey.
Two flights today with the cut at handicap 20 and Leif Kirkgaard won the A
Flight with 37 points ahead of Richard Kubicki in second on 36, while Mashi
Kaneta took third on a count back from Jesper Rasmussen, both with 33
points.
Jan Lovgreen topped the B Flight with an astounding 44 points, Dave
Richardson was second on 36, Carole Kubicki placed third with 34 and Elias
Magnusson took fourth on a count back from Mike Winfield both on 33 points.
A Flight (0-20)
1st Leif Kirkgaard (17) 37pts
2nd Richard Kubicki (13) 36pts
3rd Mashi Kaneta (13) 33pts
4th Jesper Rasmussen (20) 33pts
B Flight (21+)
1st Jan Lovgreen (21) 44pts
2nd Dave Richardson (24) 36pts
3rd Carole Kubicki (22) 34pts
4th Elias Magnusson (22) 33pts
Note: If you are looking for a game of golf while in Pattaya, call
Dave on 083 602 2117 or email:
[email protected].
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A Rich return to the winner’s circle
Travellers Rest Golf Group
Andy Rich
Christmas week started off with a very rare sight in Pattaya - even
rarer than seeing snow in Thailand. On Monday 24th December, which just
happened to be Christmas Eve, there was a blue moon in Pattaya - well at
Bangpakong actually - as yours truly came top of the pile, the cream of the
crop and won a second golf competition of the year, a very rare sight
indeed.
Andy Rich - winner at Bangpakong.
There was a very large turnout for the early return trip to Bangpakong and
the large field required two divisions. Div. 1 was up to 14 handicap and
Div. 2 was 15 handicap and above.
Tristan Gilbert (11) stormed off with first place with the favourite winning
score of the day, 42 pts. Captain Fergus Brennan (10) just made it into
second place winning on count back from Jeff Bunn (6) both finishing on 38
pts.
Yours truly, Andy Rich, also just took the number one slot in Division 2 by
pipping Derek Thorogood on count back, both scoring 42pts. Donald Pearson
(35) made it into third place, again winning on count back with 33 pts.
Christmas Day, 25th December, saw the TRGG faithful head off looking for the
first tree in the Greenwood and it definitely wasn’t the Holly. Yes
Greenwood was the destination (C and A courses) and that consistent winner
Jeff Bunn (6), not happy with third place the day before, returned to the
Christmas number one slot with 39pts. Tristan Gilbert (10) slipped to number
two with 38pts and steady Teddy Senior (15) jumped into third with 34.
Thursday 27th December, with the Christmas turkey just a distant memory the
lads and lassies of the TRGG paid the weekly excursion to Phoenix (Ocean and
Mountain courses). Tasutu Nakajima (15) from the land of the rising sun and
on his first outing with the TRGG, proved too good for all the rest by just
winning on count back from Paul Sharples (10) from the land of the setting
sun, the UK, on 37pts. Hugh Byrne (12) from the land of very little sun,
Ireland, finished a very close third on 36pts.
Friday 28th December was Emerald’s turn to play host and it was a game of
musical chairs for all the winners this week. Tristan Gilbert (10) leapt
back into first place with 37pts while Derek Thorogood (15) could only take
second place for the second time this week, with 36, and Christmas number
one Jeff Bunn (5) went a little off the boil by only taking third place on
34pts.
Good luck to all you golfers for the coming week and I am praying for the
next blue moon.
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Peter makes a big splash
Peter Henshaw (left) and Dave
Boran.
Sunday 23 December Green Valley
A Flight
1st Dave Boran (14) 39pts
2nd Pat Regan (13) 37pts
3rd John McHugh (10) 37pts
B Flight
1st Peter Henshaw (19) 39pts
2nd Jez Lees (20) 35pts
3rd Jim Bell (15) 35pts
Near Pins: No 4 Claude Harder, No 9 John McHugh, No 12 Lee Adelly, No
16 Claude Harder.
A couple of old vets knotted it up for man of the match: Dave Boran arrived
in the ‘Land of Smiles’ just the day before and may have given a glimpse
that it was time to again put his name “ on the wall” in the up and coming
monthly medal comp with a fine 39 points in the premier flight. Peter ‘the
man from Atlantis’ Henshaw matched Dave’s output to take the top spot in B
Flight. Co. Dublin’s Pat Reagan followed Dave home as he out-pointed the
Golf Club’s big hitting nice guy John McHugh on the inward nine to take the
silver.
Jez ‘Lord Lucan’ Lee took the silver in B Flight with a steady 35 points,
although he had an amazing four no scores on his card. Jim ‘AK47’ Bell
showed little chivalry in winning the count back over the ever green Mike
‘the mechanic’ Craighead.
Dave Boran, Pat Regan, Lee Adelly Peter Henshaw, Jim Bell and Claude Harder
shared the 2’s pot.
Monday, Dec. 24, Greenwood C&A – Stableford
A Flight
1st J-P Gasser (11) 35pts
2nd Peter Hynard (13) 33pts
B Flight
1st Lindsay Semple (15) 37pts
2nd Colin Davis (17) 35pts
Old friend ‘the man from down-under’ Lindsay Semple was a sight for sore
eyes; at least, that is until he spoiled the warm welcome by coming in with
the day’s top round and B Flight winning score. Lindsay was also the only
player to better his handicap on the day and his 37 points was two clear of
‘the Donkey’.
J-P Gasser continues his way to the pay window and his 35 point senior
flight winning points insured it was a worthwhile trip. Peter ‘the right
honorable’ Hynard crept in to second place with his 33 points.
Good old pal Mick Folan lifted the 2’s pot.
Every year, Christy Knight invites his friends to his house for a Christmas
party and karaoke. Peter ‘the man from Atlantis’ Henshaw was the first to
negotiate his way round the pool to give his recital of a Jonny Cash hit “a
Boy named Sue”. Ed Delaney predicted that Peter might just fall in the pool
as Peter was well and truly sloshed. Peter did not disappoint as he tripped
head first in to the deep end. We all agreed the ‘tuna’ we got him out the
better, and Peter muttered something about feeling a right tope and he would
not return next year to this dive.
A great night was rounded off with ‘Broad more’ getting the girls to throw
their underwear at him with his interpretation of the Tom Jones hit “Sex
bomb” and the scribe’s George Formby masterpiece “when I’m cleaning
windows”.
Many thanks, to Christy and Mango, for a wonderful night.
Wednesday, Dec. 26, Bangpra - Stableford
A Flight
1st Francis Goyons (9) 35pts
2nd Ronnie Wilson (11) 35pts
3rd Thierry Petrement (12) 33pts
B Flight
1st Tore Eliassen (15) 36pts
2nd Mike Jeffreys (19) 35pts
3rd Jerry McCarthy (14) 35pts
C Flight
1st Mick Coghlan (25) 37pts
2nd Barry Oats (25) 32pts
3rd Keith McLachlan (21) 30pts
Red & Silver Flight
1st Brian Prudden (19) 38pts
2nd Nadine Goyons (11) 32pts
Brian Prudden, tired of constantly hearing wife Marlene’s name hailed to the
victory podium, put his foot down and shot the best score in the Red and
Silver Flight, which also won him the man of the match as he led the guys
and girls home. Brian was six strokes clear of Nadine Goyons. Marlene was 2
shots back with a no-counting third place.
You can’t fault Ronnie Wilson’s 35 point A Flight return but it was not as
favorably distributed as Francis Goyons who made it a family double podium
visit. The calculator was on overtime as Thierry Petrement, Dave Shelton and
teaching pro Ian Ashendon all vied for the bronze; it finished with Ian and
Dave heading for the driving range to sort out the problems.
Tore Eliassen led B Flight into the barn with a respectable even par round,
bettering three players all a stroke in arrears; Mike Jeffreys, Jerry
McCarthy, and the Donkey. The calculator needed new batteries to sort this
one out but when the dust had settled it was the Donkey who missed out, but
I know no one felt bad about it.
Skipping down to C Flight we saw Mick Coghlan return the second best card of
the day - a solid 37 points. Barry Oats was a distant second on 35 points,
while Kiwi ace Keith McLachlan rounded out the flight a further shot back.
J-P Maffray, J-P Gasser and Petai Vetowiem shared the 2’s pot.
(Peter ‘the man from Atlantis’ failed to turn out and rumor has it he was
trying to improve his diving technique).
Friday, Dec. 28, Mountain Shadow - Stableford
A Flight (Silky Oak)
1st Pat Hanafin (13) 35pts
2nd Andy Kelleher (10) 34pts
3rd Save Shelton (8) 35pts
B Flight (Silky Oak)
1st Brian Prudden (19) 38pts
2nd Ed Junger (19) 33pts
3rd Mike Jeffreys (19) 22pts
C Flight (Green Valley)
1st Geoff Kubas (22) 38pts
2nd Sean Murphy (29) 32pts
3rd Esara Duangsri (35) 31pts
Brian Prudden continues to amaze as he quickly acclimates to each new flight
level. This day was further evidence as Brian garnered 38 points for his
co-man of the match B Flight top spot and second win in as many games.
Brian’s 38 points was six clear of good friend Ed Junger, as Mike Jeffreys
prevailed on count back over the unlucky Jimmy AK47 Bell for third.
C Flight was not about to go unnoticed as Geoff ‘Elvis’ Kubas was in fine
tune to match Brian’s 38 points for the flight and co-man of the match
honours. Sean ‘the Irish rover’ Murphy’s 32 points held up for the silver
while Esara Duangsri was a shot in areas of Sean to close the flight.
A Flight was led by another from the ‘old sod’, Pat Hanafin, as his 35
points took the podium top spot. Andy Kelleher followed Pat up the podium
steps a shot back and Dave Shelton and J-P Maffray went to count back for
the bronze; alas to J-P there was no step left for his 32 point effort.
Andy Kelleher, Dave Shelton, Rob Mulholland, Jon Haugen and Nial Higgins
shared the 2’s pot.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya Land Soi 1, Beach Road Soi 13/3
near to Walking Street. Anyone wishing to play with us just pop in and add
your name to the list or call Colin on 089 826 0764. Transport is provided.
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Purdie power
The Pattaya Golf Society (IPGC) at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
On Christmas Eve, the Pattaya Golf Society travelled to a
fine and warm Emerald golf course in Ban Chang to play the group’s monthly
medal round and maybe follow up with a few last minute “bargains”, just to
set up the festive period perfectly.
The course was in quite good condition and the vast areas of GUR are now
grown in, leaving only a few small areas and all clearly marked.
The large field was divided into two flights at fifteen and under and in the
second flight Alan Flynn again posted a score near his handicap with net 74,
giving him a third place finish. There were two golfers with net 73, thereby
sharing the lead, and once again it was John Chelo and Jim Ferris, winners a
week ago at Greenwood.
In the top flight Ray Banks started the week as he ended the previous one
with a very steady net 74 for third place, one behind Wichai Tananusorn’s
net 73 and another powerhouse performance by Andrew Purdie who again blew
the field away with a ruthless net 65. He also shared the ‘2’s pot with Ray
Banks and Chris Walsh, all the birdies coming on the short par three
fifteenth.
The Boss’s free beer draw was won Helene Lindberg and the Booby Bevy went to
Dave Lehane for being the first of four golfers to “nil return”. And now ...
on in search of those last minute bargains in Ban Chang!
The Pattaya Golf Society wishes all its many friends and supporters the very
best of everything in golf in 2013 and looks forward to many more hours of
the friendliest competition golf anywhere on the Eastern Seaboard.
Memorable Boxing Day for Pilkington
On Boxing Day the Pattaya Golf Society visited
Treasure Hill to play a stableford competition on the demanding course which
was in excellent condition.
The field was divided into two flights at thirteen and under and in the
second flight Masashi Iizumi recorded 29 points for third place in his final
round before trekking north for the New Year. The flight win was shared by
Dave Thompson and Jim Ferris with 32 points and represented Jim’s third
consecutive shared victory this month.
In the top flight third place was shared by Martin Grimoldby and Rick
Schramm with 33 points whilst John Hackett won with 34.
The highlight of the day was Alan Pilkington’s tee shot on the long
thirteenth which caused the caddies some concern as it was into the low sun
and imagine Alan’s joy when he found his ball had ended up in the hole for
his first ever hole-in-one! It had also been part witnessed by the manager
who happened to be passing in his golf cart. Amazingly, when the four-ball
finished and went to report the feat, the club shunned them and refused to
even discuss the shot! What is the world coming to, we ask?
Back at Rabbi’s the presentation certainly honoured the shot even though it
negated the claims of Wichai Tananusorn, Dave Thompson, Steve Evans and Mark
Cooper for well deserved ‘2’s. Alan’s ace was the second with the group this
year and follows the feat of Russell Meiers back in March at Khao Kheow.
Brilliant Alan and enjoy the memory!
Hooray Henry
The Pattaya Golf Society closed the year in fine style with a visit to
Bangpra on Friday, 28th December, to play a stableford event on the
excellent course with the field divided into two flights at fifteen and
under. The start of the New Year weekend saw a full course and the fortitude
of the players has to be admired with the prospect of a five hour round as
they teed off.
In the top flight Martin Grimoldby and Joe Niisato showed their merits as
they shared second place with 33 points, but the winner was Rick Schramm
with a level par round of 36 points.
The second flight fared better generally with Larry Ang and Alan Flynn
sharing second place on 37 points, leaving Canadian Henry Mah to rule the
roost with the best points score of the day, 39, for a fine win.
There were birdie ‘2’s for Larry Ang on number two and John Chelo on number
twelve. Rabbi’s free beer draw was won by Ray Banks on the eve of his
departure and mine host picked up the Booby Bevy for the day’s largest split
figures of six and sixteen.
The presentation saw Mr Len thank all the golfers and the hosts Rabbi and
Khun Peung for all their support throughout another tough year and extended
his sincere wishes to all for a happier and healthier New Year.
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Phil and Mike take the gold
IPGC golf from The Haven
Phil Groves.
Monday, Dec. 24, Mountain Shadow - Stableford
CSS 73
Division 1 (0–18)
1st Alwyne Burley (18) 40pts
2nd Alan Pilkington (8) 36pts
3rd Phil Groves (7) 32pts
2nd Division (19+)
1st Shane Heavey (19) 31pts
2nd Dave Thompson (20) 31pts
3rd Mick Lowe (19) 29pts
Playing from the blue tees at Mountain Shadow is always a good test, and
with the course having been designed for golfers with handicaps of 15 or
less it is notoriously difficult to play to ones handicap, especially for
those with more than a 15 handicap on the card.
This definitely proved to be the case on this occasion as only the winner
came in with a return lower than expected with only one more player matching
par. This ensured that the CSS for the day moved out to 73 and that Alwyne
Burley, the winner of division one, would receive and extra shot reduction
for the following week’s games.
Mike Hill.
His four under was achieved with two 20-pointers on each
nine and left him with a four shot margin over second placed Alan
Pilkington, who may well have thought he had done enough to win.
Phil Groves was none too pleased with his return for the day at four over
but it left him in third place by a wide margin over the fourth placed man.
The second division really reflected the difficulty of the course, even
though it was in first class condition from tee to green with true, if
somewhat slow, greens that were as fair as could be.
Shane Heavey just edged into first place after winning the count back over
Dave Thompson with a better 11 to 10 over the last six holes after they had
tied the nine at 17 apiece. Mick Lowe was surprised but happy to find
himself in third spot after a quiet outward half was followed by a
disappointing second nine.
In the 2’s competitions Benny Hansen had the lone one in the second division
whilst Rick Schramm and Shuichi Kodaka shared the second division pool.
 Shane
Heavey.
Before the presentations were made the were welcome backs
for Dave Thompson, Benny Hansen, Peter Hall, Mick Lowe, Bob Pratt and Jens
Gunnarsson.
Wednesday, Dec. 26, Phoenix - Monthly Medal
Division 1 (0–15)
(Blue tees CSS 77 NC)
1st Wayne Challis (13) net 80
2nd Jens Gunnarsson (15) net 80
3rd Joe Niisato (12) net 81
Division 2 (16+)
(White tees CSS 72)
1st Mike Hill (24) net 70
2nd Alwyne Burly (18) net 72
3rd Paul Taylor (19) net 74
Once again at Phoenix for the monthly medals played as usual from the blue
tees in the first division and the white tees in the second division, with
both divisions playing under stroke-play conditions and rules as would be
expected from a competition called a medal. This may sound rather strange to
many, but there are some medals played in the area that would better be
described as modified medal competitions, with maximum strokes allowed on a
hole before a pick-up without holing out, which is not quite how the rules
were written.
Hal Hart.
The divisions as usual were split at 0 to 15 for the first
and 16 and above for the second.
The first division struggled all day from tees that were as far back as
possible from the front of every tee box, making the measured length of over
6,800 yards seem even longer and ensuring that the scores for the day
spiraled well above the expected norm - all of which meant that the CSS for
the day went out to 77 and the day became non-counting for upward review for
the first division players.
The best of the day was returned by Wayne Challis, who could not believe he
was in a count back for a medal with a score that would normally find its
way into the nearest bin, but on the day it was enough to claim his first
medal win after taking the count back with a 37.5, with Jens Gunnarsson
scoring 38.5 for second place. Joe Niisato said it was the highest winning
score he could remember having but one that enabled him to win third place.
The second division from the white tees was an altogether different affair
as Mike Hill ran out the winner with a two under handicap return that
underlined the difference of the courses from the two different tees. It was
a very solid return that did not include any triples and proved to be enough
by two to keep him a head of playing partners Paul Taylor in third and
Alwyne Burley in second place after they had been drawn together as
qualifiers in the Gold and Silver Medals.
Wayne Challis.
There were no 2’s in the second division but Jens
Gunnarsson managed one in the first division to sweep the pot.
Prior to the presentations there were welcomes for new members James Sexton
and Iichi Matsumoto.
Gold and Silver Medals
Division 1
Gold Medal
1st Phil Groves
Division 2
Gold Medal
1st Mike Hill
Silver Medal
1st Alwyne Burley
Friday, Dec. 28, Khao Kheow B&C (Yellow tees) -
Stableford
CSS 72
1st Hal Hart (25) 40pts
2nd Phil Groves (7) 38pts
3rd Shuichi Kodaka (15) 37pts
4th Shane Heavey (19) 34pts
5th Mike Hill (24) 31pts
6th Al Rolnik (18) 31pts
Khao Kheow is back to its old self with the course in great shape and most
of the GUR back in play and it is playing just as hard as it always was, so
it was surprising to many and not least Phil Groves when he discovered at
the prize giving that his 38 points was not good enough on the day as it
would normally have been found at least a couple in front as the winning
total. But on this day it was Hal Hart, who returned a four under card for
the win and earned himself a two shot cut in handicap along the way.
Hal’s round started with six three-pointers in the first seven holes which
set him on his way, much to the discontent of one or two of his playing
partners who had thought they were in for a good payday based on his recent
performances. He then ended the nine on the C course with twenty two points
and came back with eighteen for his best round in Thailand and the well
deserved win.
Phil Groves has won many competitions in the past and so was not too
disappointed to be second with a good score over a tough test after a few
recent disappointing rounds.
Shuichi Kodaka defied the local knowledge as he birdied the ninth on B
course to just slip into third place one shot behind for another good
result.
Shane Heavey, having struggled through the last few rounds with a back
problem put them well behind him as he took fourth spot with a two over
handicap score.
There were no 2’s in the first division but there were two in the second
division when Al Rolnik and Pater Hall had one each playing in the same
group on the island green 8th on the B course after they had both hit six
irons on to the green as it was playing a lot longer than the 128 yards
shown on the card.
Back at The Haven there was a welcome for new member Jimmy Kent and welcome
backs for Keith Emerson, Mike Dabanovich, Bubbles Davies and Dave Howden.
Note. If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact mobile
082 219 0965 or call in to The Haven Hotel, at 185 Soi 13, between Beach
Road and 2nd Road. All transportation to the course is arranged and you do
not need to sign up prior to the day, but you should be there by 8.15 on
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday on the days that you wish to play. A schedule
of courses to be played can be found on our web site at
www.thehaven-hotel.com.
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Martyn continues
hot streak
The Backyard Golf Society
Martyn “The Quiet Man” of the Backyard Golf Society (except
after a few brews, a not uncommon occurrence) continued his recent good form
on Friday, Dec. 28, at Emerald, scoring 35 points to pip Michelle Chatt by
one.
We had 3 groups out today and for the first time we can remember we caught
up the Beaver Bar boys by the end of the front nine. This made for a slow
back nine but still a fairly quick round overall, especially compared to
other courses at this time of year.
The near-pin award went to JJ on this occasion. Skins were well spread out;
Golden Trowel’s boyfriend winning the single rollover from the previous week
plus 3 more this week. Second-hand Bob won the most with 5; Martyn won 2,
Irish John 2, JJ 4 and Dan ‘The Diet Whiskey Man’ 1each, with 1 rolled over
to our next outing.
Don ‘The Divorcer’ looked resplendent in his new super-sized society polo
shirt, so more free rounds from him – unless he forgets it of course, a rule
that applies to all our members.
No major talking points to report from the game except The Divorcer’s
attempt to use the auld Mulligan rule on the 3rd hole when one of his
viciously whipping hooks found the local tapioca plantation. Needless to say
his partners did not agree with that, but a good try nonetheless.
Unlike other societies The Backyard Boys do not have a set meeting place but
several members can usually be found attending the various Jomtien market
bars most evening, along with our one and only groupie, John # 3 (aka Army
John, aka John #2).
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Ian’s incredible round
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
Ian Heddle receives his
trophy and medal from Suzi after his incredible round on Friday.
Monday, Dec. 24, Burapha A & B -
Stableford
An excellent field of 43 players for Xmas Eve golf at Burapha
to play the A and B courses and we decided to give players the option of
playing either the blue or white markers but the first groups all played
blue as they didn’t want to be wimps, so everybody played the blues in
the end.
Great weather change - caddies and bar staff all think it’s cold but
fantastic for golf and I can’t remember the last time I played and my
shirt wasn’t soaked with sweat; but just a lovely day for golf with a
breeze that fluctuated, so made for some interesting club selection.
The course has dried out and the greens are just getting better and
better, the rough is still brutal especially around the greens and
bunkers and very hard to play out of as some of my playing partners
found. Overall the course is in good condition and will get better as
the season progresses.
Three divisions plus the ‘2’s with nothing special in the way of scores
to report in Div A & B as Eddie Smith won A with 36pts and Mike Bender
took B with just 35; the only really good score went to Paul Rodgers who
had 39 points to win C, way in front of Andy Makara in second on 31.
There were five ‘2’s from Eddie Smith & Bob St. Aubin (A6), John
Cunningham & Kerry Rothman (B3) and Mitch Black (B8).
Jarrod ran Ian close with
a net 65.
Finally, the recently recommenced “Outback Accumulator Draw” was won
today by Chopper (aka Kerry Rothman); he won 1800 baht and did the
decent thing and rang the bell.
The “Outback accumulator” is funded entirely by the Outback and no
additional deductions are taken or prize money withheld from the
customers. A new one started on Boxing Day. Every time you play, you
will be allotted a number then at the next presentation time a number
will be drawn, you can only win if you are present in the bar at the
time.
Div A (0-10)
1st Eddie Smith (10) 36pts
2nd Stephen Mann (10) 34pts
3rd Dave Buchanan (0) 34pts
Div B (11-15)
1st Mike Bender (11) 35pts
2nd Denis Steele (14) 35pts
3rd Dennis Pelly (11) 34pts
Div C (16+)
1st Paul Rodgers (16) 39pts
2nd Andy Makara (28) 31pts
3rd Jimmy Little (19) 30pts
Wednesday, Dec. 26, Siam Plantation
A & B – Stableford
What better course could one find for Boxing Day golf than
Siam Plantation where 22 players turned up to play the A & B nines, as
two players failed to show and cost others a place in this strictly
limited field; we did have reserves but it was too late to call them.
Fortunately we found a new member (of Siam Plantation) who was waiting
to play but didn’t have a tee time; so welcome to Craig Poeling and we
hope to see you at the Outback. Also welcome to Barry Heacock and Robert
Reiter for their first game with the Outback.
The course was in its usual great condition and has finally dried out
and the greens, even though lightly sanded, were great to putt on. The
presentation of this course is great and the staff are some of the most
welcoming of all the courses in the area, which just makes for a good
day.
Two Divisions plus the ‘2’s and as there were no ‘2’s we played down to
fourth place.
The winner of Division 2 was Jim Bryan with 36 points off his 16
handicap from Svenn Lund, who continues his recent good form with 34
points ofhis 13 handicap, with third place going to John O’Keefe with 33
points, who beat Rosco Langoulant on a count back.
Division 1 was won by Barry Heacock with 35 points from Mitch Black with
34, who beat Mike Bender and Craig Poeling on count back.
Well done to all and thanks to everybody for a great pace of play.
Div A (0-12)
1st Barry Heacock (7) 35pts
2nd Mitch Black (4) 34pts
3rd Mike Bender (11) 34pts
4th Craig Poeling (10) 34pts
Div B (13+)
1st Jim Bryan (16) 36pts
2nd Svenn Ole Lund (13) 34pts
3rd John O’Keefe (15) 33pts
4th Rosco Langoulant (13) 33pts
Thursday, Dec. 27, Khao Kheow C & B – Stableford
Hastily rescheduled through customer demand, from our usual
Tuesday slot, eleven players went to Khao Kheow to play the C and B
courses with a 10 am tee off but we still managed to tee off 20 minutes
early, thanks to the starters.
The course is still undergoing renovations and the greens were not as
slick as last week and the presentation of the course was also not so
good either but still it’s a great test of golf and you have to give the
staff full marks for their efforts.
One Division plus the ‘2’s and on a day that was very windy with most of
the Par 3’s playing a lot longer than usual into the wind, so it was
amazing to see six ‘2’s for the day with a small group so the payout was
also small. Well done to Bobby Driggs with two ‘2’s on B3 and B8, Grant
Airey & Bob Lindborg also on B8 and Mike Bender & Suzi Lawton on C8.
Overall winner was Suzi Lawton on 39 points from Mike Bender, also with
39 points but losing on count back, with third place going to Boddy
Driggs (12) with 35 points.
Finally welcome to John O’Connor for his first game with the Outback and
noted also that next Tuesday is New Year’s Day so we are scheduling Khao
Kheow to Thursday (3rd Jan) again next week
1st Suzi Lawton (20) 39pts
2nd Mike Bender (11) 39pts
3rd Bobby Driggs (12) 35pts
Friday, Dec. 28, Green Valley – Stableford
47 out there today at Green Valley for the DeVere sponsored
monthly medal and just how much could one write about the winner. There
wouldn’t be enough superlatives to describe how good this round was; 69
gross, 64 net or the equivalent of 44 stableford points from Ian Heddle,
playing off h’cap 5, and it included a double bogey on the eighth when
he drove OB. Out in 35, back in 34; what a great round Ian and with it
of course not only did he win the unique monthly trophy but also the low
gross medal.
Not that far behind him in terms of his net score, was Jarrod
Braithwaite who shot a gross 85 off his 20 h’cap to take second overall
and first place in Div D by six with a net 65 from course specialist
Sugar Ray on 71. Third overall and the winner of Div A was another
course specialist, who played in the same group as Ian, Paul Greenaway
with a net 70 whilst a relative newcomer to the Outback having only his
second game, John O’Connor, took Div C with 71. Div B was won by Dennis
Pelly also with a 71.
There were only four ‘2’s; from Steve Mann (12th), Paul Greenaway (16th)
and Ian Heddle got two (4th & 16th).
Just a few stats for the round; the most difficult hole was the par five
8th, playing to 6.78, with surprisingly enough, another par five, the
11th, being the second toughest on 6.68. With the par four, 3rd hole
across the water being ousted to 4th place (5.64); the easiest hole for
the day was the par four 17th , playing to 4.76.
Overall
1st Ian Heddle (5) net 64
Division A
1st Paul Greenaway (8) net 70
2nd Darren Smith (7) net 74
3rd Dave Buchanan (0) net 75
Division B
1st Dennis Pelly (11) net 71
2nd Bob St. Aubin (13) net 72
3rd Martin Kingswood (13) net 74
Division C
1st John O’Connor (17) net 71
2nd Stuart Walters (14) net 77
3rd John O’Keefe (15) net 77
Division D
1st Jarod Braithwaite (20) net 65
2nd Sugar Ray Handford (19) net 71
3rd Terry Phur (20) net 76
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit
Road along Soi Siam Country. Call Jack on 087 941 2474.
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Smith smooth as silk
PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
There’s no stopping Paul Smith, as he cruises
towards another Golfer of the Month title.
Monday, Dec. 24, Green Valley –
Stableford
A slightly later start than usual today and we arrived on the
first tee to find that we’d been scheduled out behind another large group of
local golfers, but after a delay of around half an hour we managed to get
the first group away - just before midday.
The first four holes were painfully slow, and as we sat waiting on the
fourth tee, more than an hour and a half had elapsed and we contemplated the
possibility of not being able to finish before dark! Thankfully the pace of
play did pick up a little and the final group completed the round in the
gathering dusk in around five and a half hours – easily the longest round
we’ve endured so far this high season.
Nothing much disturbs Paul Smith’s concentration these days, and the newly
crowned Bunker Champion continued his good run of form to win the overall
competition, ahead of Roger Mitchell, who took second place on a count back
over Jack Robertson.
1st Paul Smith (4) 36pts
2nd Roger Mitchell (23) 34pts
3rd Jack Robertson (26) 34pts
4th Tony Robbins (12) 32pts
Near Pins: Roger Mitchell, Tony Robbins, Michael Brett and Paul
Smith.
Wednesday, Dec. 26, Mt. Shadow – Stableford
A very pleasant change from the previous game on Monday as we
arrived at Mountain Shadow to find the course quiet, and we were able to tee
off on schedule. The course is in great shape, but is just beginning to dry
out a little, and the greens were as slick and treacherous as ever.
The weather was superb with a cooling breeze, so everything was perfect for
a great day’s golf on this challenging course. We set off from the 10th
hole, playing off the blue tees, and the round progressed smoothly with all
groups finishing in a little over four hours.
Paul Smith is almost unbeatable these days and won the honours with 38
points (including two near pin prizes) ahead of four players all tied on 36
points. Mashi Kaneta was awarded second place on the count back ahead of
Roger Mitchell and Tony Scambler with Mike Brett being the unlucky golfer
that missed out on the prizes.
1st Paul Smith (4) 38pts
2nd Mashi Kaneta (13) 36pts
3rd Roger Mitchell (23) 36pts
4th Tont Scambler (8) 36pts
Near Pins: Ken Ellmore, Tony Scambler, and Paul Smith (2).
Friday, Dec. 28, The Emerald – Stableford
25 golfers today for our trip to this popular course at Ban
Chang, and there was some discussion over breakfast as to whether the course
would have recovered from the severe water damage it suffered a couple of
months ago.
We tee’d off on our scheduled tee time in very pleasant conditions, and the
course was not overly busy, so the round progressed smoothly. On the day we
were all pleasantly surprised to find that the course is now in reasonable
shape with only one or two areas still remaining as GUR, and the greens were
fair and true.
Top performer on the day was Dave Ashman, finishing one point ahead of Colin
Greig who is showing the first signs of recovering his previous good form
following the purchase of new clubs. Lars Strom made his first appearance on
the podium since joining the Bunker Boys taking first place in the B flight.
With only one game remaining, the contest for the December Golfer of the
Month title became a one horse race, following Paul Smith’s brace of wins
this week.
A Flight
1st Dave Ashman (14) 39pts
2nd Colin Greig (12) 38pts
3rd Mark Stanley (11) 36pts
B Flight
1st Lars Strom (23) 37pts
2nd Mike Corner (19) 33pts
3rd Les Burns (29) 33pts
Near Pins: Colin Greig, Les Burns and Mark Shotton (2).
Note: The Bunker Boys area a PSC affiliated golf society, who now
play out of The Ranch bar on Pattaya 3rd Road (in front of the fire station,
and almost opposite the Buffalo Bar). We play three times per week on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so if you enjoy a fun day out, and a
friendly but competitive golf competition why not come and join us.
We meet at The Ranch at 9 a.m. for breakfast and transportation, and new
players are always welcome. Contact Buff on 086 046 5091 or 080 605 5663 for
all enquiries. You can find all the news, schedules and results on our
website at
www.bunkersociety.com.
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Super K shows his paces
at Emerald
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
K & Mam - all smiles after
Thursday’s success.
Tuesday, Dec. 25, Plutaluang -
Stableford
With the regular Tuesday game falling on Christmas
Day, we decided to press on regardless. It was not a holiday in the LoS, &
while some of our number had family commitments, some of the regular PJ Bar
lads joined us to make a day of it. We played the A & B loop, probably the
best combination, at a par of 73 & around 6850 yards, the course was in good
condition, with greens running true at a consistent pace.
With all the conditions in our favour, better scores were probably expected,
but that’s golf. Best of the day was Joel Flor (21) who played good golf on
the front 9, before struggling on the back to finally sign for 34 points.
Our friends from PJ, Rusty Archibald (4) & Landis Brooks (7) were next best
with 33 & 32 respectively, while Phill Waite (14) rounded out the placings
with 31 points.
Near pins went to Jeff, Owen & Rusty with 2.
Thursday, Dec. 27, The Emerald - Stableford
Thursday it was almost back to normal, just
missing Jeff, Clive & Willem who were hob-nobbing it up at Amata Springs,
their reward for marshalling during the recent Thailand Golf Championship.
Emerald was our venue this day, as the course has returned to its former
condition (good), with great weather for golf. Leading the way today was our
Super Senior K, who at 80+ years old has accepted the Silver Tee option and
is once again enjoying his golf, scoring 37 points. Next best and both with
36 points, thus needing to be separated on count back, were Martin Hayes
(13) & Mam (31), with Martin just getting the nod 19/17.
Near pins were shared around between Mam, Martin & George. Big thanks & hats
off to Brian for stepping into the breach today, cheers mate.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf generally on Tuesday & Thursday, with ML
hosting prompt presentations on both days. As a PSC affiliated venue we
welcome ALL golfers, including seniors who have opted for the “Silver” tee
option. Call 089 094 1841 for scheduling or enquiries. Hope to see you
there, cheers & good golfing!
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Brown & Dunne share the spoils at Silky Oak
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Wednesday’s Low Gross and
Stableford winners Rob Brown and Kevin Dunne, obviously ‘just good friends’.
Derek Brook
Wednesday, Dec. 26, Silky Oaks – Stableford
Being that time of the year, we decided to do what we
do every Christmas and visit Silky Oaks and do our Christmas thing. Dick
went out and bought some bottles of wine and we assembled in Bert’s at a
later than normal time, allowing for a late night the day before. We had a
good turnout and our decision to make not only the day festive, but to make
the results the same was greeted with the ‘Spirit of Xmas.’
So off we went and quite surprisingly the booking-in was easy and quick,
especially as Green Valley and St Andrews book in at the same place. For
those who do not recognise the course, it is on the Green Valley complex and
is a 9 hole course which you play twice. Each time you play you use
different tees and different greens on back nine and front nine. All in all
this is a course you have to know as the change in the holes can be quite
confusing - at least to many of us. So with an 1130 start we were a bit
early at the tee and fortunately were away a bit early.
The course is in fine condition, a bit of a surprise as essentially you play
each fairway twice, except for the odd one. The fairways were in good
condition and the rough was about what you would expect rough to be. There
is plenty of water on this course so if water scares you, play somewhere
else. We found the greens were ‘OK’ but they were very slow.
Friday winner Dick Warberg.
This is a course that is perfect for a
relaxing day at Christmas and the rate is also set at a realistic level.
However, with only one rest stop you can be caught out and a top up first
time around is essential. All in all a fine day out, but beware you have to
take a cart.
Round over, you have the fine facilities of Green Valley, with the decent
changing rooms and an assortment of eating places. I usually eat in the
German Restaurant but Mashi likes to partake of the Japanese cuisine (I
really have no idea why!), whilst the rest of the players generally split
between them all.
Back at Bert’s the players tucked into Bert’s Christmas present to them,
turkey stew, and it was really good. Then into the rather convoluted winners
list: The best gross score was Rob Brown’s gross 79 and the best stableford
score came from Kevin Dunne with 44 points. We then had a ‘Lucky Draw Pairs’
and the winners were Richard Kubicki and Torsten Bischof with 65 points. In
second place came Mike O’Brien and Paul Alford with 64 points on count back
over Carol Kubicki and Daryl Evans in third. Fourth place went to Mike
Gaussa and Derek Brook with 62 points on count back over Brian Parish and
Keith Phillips in fifth.
Near Pins: Kevin Dunne, Henry Wong, Rob Brown (2)
Friday, Dec. 28, Plutaluang – Stableford
With my usual ‘liking’ for the North and West at
Plutaluang, I did my normal and got some Z’s in. Meanwhile ‘The Warberger’,
feeling a little better than I did, got it together and took 21 players to
the course.
He reported they had a good day at Plutaluang and played the West and North
Nines from the white tees. The course was in as good a condition as he had
seen it, with the rough cut down to a reasonable height and the drier
conditions giving a bit more roll. Greens had the usual pace for Navy and
the ball rolled true. Pace of play was good but with three 3-balls and three
4-balls the starter inserted a group between our 3-balls and 4-balls after
nine holes as a gap had developed.
Traffic was a nightmare on the way back to Pattaya, but I guess this is to
be expected on a Friday afternoon between Christmas and New Year.
We had two flights, the A Flight being 0 to 19 with the winner being Dick
Warberg on 39 points ahead of Walter Baechli with 35 points in second on
count back over Mark West in third. In the B Flight the winner was Mick
Couglan with 43 points, with Barry Elphick in second on 37 and Barry Oats in
third with 34 points.
Then, as it was still ‘The Festive Season’ we were all ‘Festive’. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Max Scott (2), Joel Flor, Barry Elphick.
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Locke in at Crystal Bay
The Billabong Bar Golf Group
Bob Pearce and John Locke.
Wednesday, Dec. 26, Green Valley –
Stableford
Talk about lightening fast greens - that was what we got today at
Green Valley where you had to hit the ball on the green with just the shadow
of the putter, they were fast but true.
A small field of 2 groups set off on time and it was a 4 hour round with no
waiting or hold ups, just a pleasant walk. There was only one birdie ‘2 ‘and
that went to Gentry Harrington with a fine shot on the 16th. He hit it to
about 6 inches - great shot mate! Gentry also won all the caddy skins for
his caddy.
The winner today was Martin Hayes with 36 points ahead of runner up Mark
Tavesham-Hamm on 34, then in third was George Barrie with 29 points (I might
add he got 20 of those points on the back nine with two 4 for 4s.)
All in all it was a great day out, not too hot and just right for golf.
Friday, Dec. 28, Crystal Bay – Stableford
It’s a long drive to Crystal Bay - or it was for a few of the lad
who took the long way and had Mark T/Hamm following them - he must have
thought they were going to Bangpakong! However, the boys did finally manage
to get there almost on time with Kiwi Bill navigating from the back seat,
well done mate!
The course was in great condition but the club rooms don’t seem to match up
very well at all. It was a slow round today as we followed a large group who
were all walking; I suppose it has to happen on occasions at this time of
the year. Only 2 group’s today as a few lads had to do a visa run to Soi
Dao.
There were a few good scores coming in, especially from the winner John
Locke with 37points off a 17 h/cap. In second place was Wes Rado playing off
15 with 33 points on a count back over Brian Maddox.
There was only one ‘2’ today and that went to the old master Bob Pearce.
Note: The Billabong Golf Bar is situated looking down over Lake Mabprachan.
Call in or give Bob a call on 082 204 3411.
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Value for money at the PSC
Dear Sports Editor
The baht rate has been terrible for years, and does not look like it
will improve. We live in austere times and not everyone in Pattaya is
loaded, yet the Pattaya Sports Club (PSC) has not helped its golf members,
who are the biggest supporting group, by trying to reducing their monthly
golf outing fee.
During the financial meltdown in 2008 the PSC raised the yearly membership
fee & monthly golf fee, why? At present, it costs 300 baht entry fee before
you even hit a ball, and with the increases in the present so called ‘peak
season’, you are at about 2,000+ baht for a day’s golf.
With petrol, food, beer rising every month, it seems a no-brainer that by
reducing the fee it would help all members and not just the few who win.
Personally, at my time of life, and the state of my game, I am looking to
spend as little as possible on a golf day. I prefer to spend my ‘dosh’ on a
good Thai massage, keeping the old body flexible, for lifting the beer
glass.
Charities seem to be the only winners at the PSC.
Signed
Matt (Jomtien)
Reply from Pattaya Sport Club:
The PSC Golf Chairman negotiates with all the courses on the Eastern
Seaboard on an annual basis to ensure that PSC members get the best rates
available. No mean task I can assure you! Not only does he do that, he also
negotiates discount vouchers at some courses which reduces even further the
cost of golf. If a member plays 3 times he covers his annual membership and
still has the benefits of further PSC discounts and parties.
The increase in annual membership in 2008 was from 400 to 500 baht. This was
the first increase in over 10 years. As Matt has pointed out, the cost of
living is ever increasing and PSC membership still represents great value
for money.
The increase from 200 to 300 baht for monthly golf tournament technical
prizes was done for 2 reasons: a) to act as a deterrent/incentive to ensure
that people turned up on the day, and b) to cover the ever increasing cost
of prizes and food.
If Matt had been to a tournament lately he would have seen the quality of
the prizes and the professional manner in which the tournament is run. Maybe
then he would realise just what good value he is getting as a PSC golfer,
and I hope be proud to be a member of an organisation that helps a lot of
needy people in Pattaya who have a lot less than most of us and who never
complain.
Tony Oakes (PSC President)
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Pattaya midnight football
tournament kicks-off this month
Thanachot Anuwan
The Chang Free Kick stadium in Central Pattaya will play host to the
2nd Pattaya Midnight Football Tournament, scheduled to start at the end of
January.
Organizers say the matches will be conducted after most people have finished
work, between 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. and sixty teams, separated into four
divisions, are expected to take part with each team featuring 7 squad
members. Over 100,000 baht in prize money plus trophies will be up for
grabs.
The main purpose behind the event is to provide night workers with some
entertainment and a chance to exercise for good health and to deter them
from drink and drug vices. Pattaya staged a similar tournament 4 years ago
which proved to be a great success.
32 countries to compete in 2013 Pattaya
petanque tournament
Pierre Antoine, President of
the Petanque Kao-Rai Pattaya Club (2nd right), discusses preparations for
the 3rd Petanque Star Masters Thailand tournament with club members and
officials at Pattaya City Hall, Dec. 11.
Warunya Thongrod
More than 80 teams from 32 countries are expected to take part in
the third Petanque Master Thailand tournament in Pattaya this year.
Wuthipol Charoenpol of the Pattaya Permanent Secretary’s Office met with
Pierre Antoine, president of Petanque Kao-Rai Pattaya, Dec. 11 to begin
initial planning for the March 8-10 contest.
Antoine said Thai players beat out professionals from France and Madagascar
in the latest tournament. That showed, he said, Thai amateurs can compete on
the world stage and requested Pattaya sponsor the next meet.
Petanque is a form of boules where the goal is, while standing inside a
starting circle with both feet on the ground, to throw hollow metal balls as
close as possible to a small wooden ball called a “cochonnet” or jack. The
game is normally played on hard dirt or gravel, but can also be played on
grass, sand or other surfaces.
Wuthipol said the meeting was a first step and covered organizational
requirements and possible venues.
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Yani Tseng returning
to defend Thailand crown
Yani Tseng tees off during the closing round
of the 2012 Honda LPGA Thailand golf championship.
The Honda LPGA Thailand 2013 ladies professional golf
tournament will take place from February 21-24 at Siam Country Club
Pattaya Old Course. The top 60 world’s money list woman golfers and 10
exemptions will compete in the 72-hole stroke play tournament with no
cut to win prize money totaling 1.5 million USD or 4.5 million THB, with
a special hole-in-one prize of an all New CR-V worth 1.5 million THB.
World number one player Yani Tseng from Taiwan will be returning to
Pattaya and hoping to defend the title she won the last 2 years: “I’ve
played 4 times at the Honda LPGA and the best memories must be this last
year (2012). There was a lot of excitement on the 18th hole; I had 90
yards to the pin and I know my ball is going to spin a lot so I kept it
low and made a birdie to win,” she said.
“I am excited to go back to see all my friends and the fans again. I
love the golf course there and I just really want to go back and try to
win again. I enjoy being in Thailand and I think the fans out there and
the food are great. I really enjoy going to Thailand and I have so many
good friends there,” added Tseng.
Saran Virutamavongsa, Chairman of the tournament organizing committee
commented: “The quality and the standard of this golf championship is
comparable to any other world class tournament in the region. We have
attracted the world’s best golfers to play here on six previous
occasions, which is a testament to the confidence from all the golf
players. But we believe that the Honda LPGA Thailand 2013 this year will
be even more impressive, exciting and challenging than past years.”
Preceding the golf tournament will be a Charity Night featuring many of
the players to raise funds for Bang Sai Arts and Crafts Centre of H.M
Queen Sirikit of Thailand. This supports local people to help them
generate income through the preservation of Thai arts and handicrafts.
Tickets for the Honda LPGA Thailand 2013 are available at
www.thaiticketmajor.com and day passes cost 300 baht each for Thursday
and Friday, 400 baht for Saturday and 500 for Sunday. A four-day pass is
also available costing 800 baht. In addition, the tournament will be
shown live on Thai Channel 7.
For more information and updates, go to www.honda lpgathailand2013.com.
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PSC Sunday Softball Report
Enjoy a great day of sport and camaraderie at PSC Sunday
Softball.
Rodney Thomas
Another great Sunday afternoon of PSC Softball at the public
park located on Soi Chaiyapruk 2. This week’s line-up featured a
3-team competition matching up the 4 man rosters from “Just Burgers”
vs “Sunrise Taco’s” vs “Oil Fields”. The evenly matched teams
featured some outstanding batting by many players and good fielding
as usual.
PSC softball is also proud to announce we had another female athlete
join us today. “Pang”, a Thai national, joined in on the fun and
played her very first softball game. She recorded several hits and
even scored for the Sunrise Taco team.
We at PSC Softball welcome and invite everyone to play with us in
this friendly pickup game of non-competitive slow pitch softball.
Each and every event is open to everyone regardless of age, skill
level, or gender. If it is your first time playing the game we
encourage you to show up on game day a little early for some batting
and fielding practice and a brief introduction to the rules by one
of our more experienced players. If you show up you play as no one
will be turned away. All equipment is provided so just show up and
have fun!
Come on out and be a part of “The Best Softball” in Thailand. PSC
Softball meets every weekend so please check the PSC website’s
softball page at www.pattayasports. org/ for times and locations of
next week’s game. For more information or questions you may have,
please call Justin 082 474 0401 or the PSC Softball hotline 091 492
6619. See you at the ball park!
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