Pattaya 8-Ball Monday Pool League

Results & Standings Feb. 18 (week 4)

Division 1
Team	Played	Won	Lost	For	Agst	Diff.	Pts.
Phimai Geordie	4	4	0	49	11	38	12
Joy’s Paradise	4	4	0	38	22	16	12
Connections	4	3	1	31	29	2	10
Biggy’z Rest	4	2	2	32	28	4	8
Crazy Eddie’s	4	2	2	32	28	4	8
San Snack Bar	4	2	2	29	31	-2	8
Parrot Inn	4	2	2	27	33	-6	8
Shoot Pool	4	2	2	26	34	-8	8
Mee Chew	4	1	3	31	29	2	6
Buffalo Jack’s	4	1	3	27	33	-6	6
Rising Sun	4	1	3	17	43	-26	6
KiK Bar	4	0	4	21	39	-18	4
Results:  Shoot Pool 10 v 5 KiK Bar, Buffalo Jack’s 5 v 10 Biggy’z Rest, Rising Sun 2 v 13 Joy’s Paradise, Mee Chew 7 v 8 Crazy Eddie’s, Phimai Geordie 12 v 3 Connections, San Snack Bar 6 v 9 Parrot Inn

WKD Tuesday Darts League

Results & Standings Feb. 19 (week 17)

Team	P	W	L	B/legs	Pts.
Irish Rovers	17	17	0	12	34
Mee Chew Sports Bar	17	13	4	8	26
Crazy Eddies	17	12	5	11	24
Biggy’z Rest	17	11	6	13	22
Yates Bar	17	10	7	12	20
Nervous Wreck	17	10	7	6	20
Londoner	17	9	8	10	18
Shoot Pool	17	9	8	8	18
VIP House Bar	17	6	11	6	12
Mai’s Bar	17	6	11	5	12
Mai Roo Bar	17	5	12	9	10
Jantha Coffee House	17	5	12	7	10
Cum On Inn	17	4	13	5	8
W. Tankies	17	2	15	7	4
Results:  Biggy’z Rest 8 v 5 Crazy Eddies, Cum On Inn 3 v 4 Irish Rovers, Nervous Wreck 8 v 1 Mai’s Bar, Shoot Pool 7 v 0 Bye, VIP House Bar 4 v 6 Londoner, W. Tankies 6 v 9 Jantha Coffee House, Yates Bar 7 v 2 Mee Chew Sports Bar

Crumpton Oaks Dry Cider Wednesday Darts League

Results & Standings Feb. 20 (week 8)

Team	P	W	L	Diff.	Pts.
Irish Rovers	8	7	1	36	14
Legends Sports Bar	8	7	1	28	14
Yates Bar	8	6	2	22	12
Mee Chew Sports Bar	8	4	4	16	8
W. Tankies	8	4	4	-4	8
Jantha Coffee House	8	3	5	-2	6
Mai’s Bar	8	1	7	-24	2
Results:  Irish Rovers 6 v 3 W. Tankies, Bye 0 v 9 Yates Bar, Legends Sports Bar 7 v 2 Mai’s Bar, Mee Chew Sports Bar 6 v 3 Jantha Coffee House

Bill & Ed on top at Bangpakong

PSC Golf from The Growling Swan

Ed Stewart, Niall Stuart & Bill Wilkinson.

Peter Blackburn
Monday, Feb. 18, Bangpakong - Stableford
A couple of late cancellations deprived us of a full field but with 30 golfers on the starting sheet four mini vans were required for the journey to one of our very favourite venues, Bangpakong Riverside Golf Course.
Assembling at The Growling Swan prior to departure we welcomed PSC Social Chairman Nigel Cannon, Vaughan Jackson from Perth, Western Australia, Takeshi Ikeda from Japan, J C Lhoste from a few weeks back in France, Richard Gillett from Scotland and Pat Smith from Ireland/Australia.
With an early tee time of 9.45 am we left the GS at 8.15 am and a good run in the traffic enabled us to complete the journey in 65 minutes where we found that there would be a slight delay, so there was enough time for relaxing & preparation. With 2 Japanese five-balls immediately in front of us our first group, a four-ball managed to tee off 19 minutes behind schedule at 10.04 am in glorious weather conditions for golf with a nice breeze which meant it was fairly comfortable.
As ever the golf course was in magnificent shape with the lush fairways & beautifully prepared greens which is why we come here every month of the year and enjoy this excellent value for money facility.
The going was understandably slow with the five-ball groups ahead and the front nine took two hours & twenty minutes and at the drink stop after the eleventh green it was necessary to almost physically “evict” the five Japanese players ahead of us who seemed to be having some sort of “tea party” whilst the group directly in front of them were almost on the green on the par five twelfth. Things did seem to quicken up after this but it still meant the full round was quite slow taking four hours & forty minutes. Nonetheless, it was a terrific day with great company and most of us can’t wait to get back here next month.

Stu Rifkin, Duangjai Tusagaad & Niall Stuart.

We were able to have 2 grades with six podium spots in each. A Grade was for handicaps 0 to 18 and B Grade for 19 and over. We had nearest the pins on all the par threes and longest first putts on the 9th & 18th greens.
The winner of A Grade was Englishman Bill Wilkinson with 39 points and with 2 golfers on 38 points it was necessary to have a count back to decide second & third. Getting the better of this encounter was Mike Allidi (20 point back nine) in second place with your writer, Peter Blackburn (18 point back nine) finishing in third spot. One point further back came Frank “Paco” Waterhouse in fourth place with the consistent Martin Todd fifth on 36 points and Ebrahim sixth with 35 points.
The B Grade winner was decided on a count back with 2 golfers on 39 points and it was Ed “Willie Nelson” Stewart (21 point back nine, 14 points on the last 6 holes & 6 points on the last 3 holes) who just pipped his good mate Roy “Plums” Dayton (21 point back nine, 14 points on the last 6 holes & 10 points on the last 3 holes).
In another count back for third & fourth it was Frenchman Pierre Dardenne (20 point back nine) finishing ahead of Stephen Newton (18 point back nine) and Frank Donnelly was fifth with 35 points from Graham “Grunter” Buckingham who crept into sixth spot with 34 points.
A Flight (0-18)
1st Bill Wilkinson (11) 39pts
2nd Mike Allidi (2) 38pts
3rd Peter Blackburn (11) 38pts
4th Frank Waterhouse (14) 37pts
5th Martin Todd (8) 36pts
6th Ebrahim (16) 35pts
B Flight (19+)
1st Ed Stewart (19) 39pts
2nd Roy Dayton (23) 39pts
3rd Pierre Dardenne (25) 38pts
4th Stephen Newton (28) 38pts
5th Frank Donnelly (22) 35pts
6th Graham Buckingham (26) 34pts
Near Pins: 4th – Peter Bye, 7th – Mike Allidi, 13th – Stu Rifkin, 16th – Vaughan Jackson
Long Putts: 9th – Frank Waterhouse, 18th – Frank Waterhouse
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 by Niall Stuart much to the delight of GS Mine Host Peter Grey and being the good sport that he is Niall wore the NAGA cap for some considerable time afterwards.
Back at the bar there was a big crowd & of course most shots were replayed time & time again which rounded off another very successful day’s golf.
Thursday, Feb. 21, Pleasant Valley - Stableford
We had a good field of 25 golfers assembling at The Growling Swan in readiness for the fairly short journey to the picturesque Pleasant Valley Golf Course. We welcomed first timer Chazz Hassig, formerly of Zimbabwe and now working in Jakarta plus it was time to say farewell to Brad “Bad” Todd who is heading off back to Western Australia very shortly. He’ll be back next month.
Another early tee time meant an 8.15 am departure from the GS and we headed off right on time and arrived at the course just 43 minutes later to find the place practically deserted. We didn’t complain though as there was no-one else waiting at the first tee and we sent our first group away 12 minutes ahead of schedule at 9.25 am.
We soon realized that it was going to be a “hot one”, as it generally is at this golf course and the course was looking excellent and although the greens were looking very good we soon discovered that they were rather slow which was a challenge for many of us. Also on the down side was the bad state of many of the bunkers which appeared to be ignored by most of the caddies when it came to raking - in fact there was a noticeable absence of rakes in the bunkers. It was mentioned to staff afterwards.
As the round progressed it got hotter and there was very little if no wind so our pace was slow even though there was no-one in front of us, however we struggled on and completed the round in four hours & thirty minutes. It was however a very enjoyable day on a good golf course, not at all unpleasant as others have commented in the past and the company was excellent.
We were able to have 2 grades with five podium spots in each. A Grade was for handicaps 0 to 17 and B Grade for 18 and over. We had nearest the pins on all the par threes and longest first putts on the 9th & 18th greens.
Stu “Heineken” Rifkin returned to form in winning the A Grade with a fine 39 points, 2 points ahead of the consistent Martin Todd in second spot. With 2 golfers on 35 points a count back was needed and it was Bill Wilkinson (18 point back nine) just shading Ebrahim (15 point back nine) with Bill Clarke fifth on 34 points.
We had a “Bolter” in the B Grade with Duangjai “Kae” Tusagad winning with a terrific 41 points, 6 points clear of visitor Chazz Hassig in second place and Brad “Bad” Todd was third on 32 points. In another count back on 31 points for fourth & fifth it was Ed “Willie Nelson” Stewart (16 point back nine) prevailing over Roy “Plums” Dayton (14 point back nine).
A Flight (0-17)
1st Stu Rifkin (15) 39pts
2nd Martin Todd (8) 37pts
3rd Bill Wilkinson (11) 35pts
4th Ebrahim (16) 35pts
5th Bill Clarke (14) 34pts
B Flight (18+)
1st Duangjai Tusagad (27) 41pts
2nd Chazz Hassig (18) 35pts
3rd Brad Todd (18) 32pts
4th Ed Stewart (19) 31pts
5th Roy Dayton (23) 31pts
Near Pins: 5th – Martin Todd, 8th – Bill Clarke, 13th – Ebrahim, 17th – Ed Stewart
Long Putts: 9th – Mike Gosden, 18th – Mike Gosden
The Growling Swan NAGA Award was once again won by Niall Stuart who accepted the cap in fine spirit and wore it well into the evening. Back at The Growling Swan afterwards the post mortems of the day’s golf were rife. Yet another excellent day with a great bunch of guys (and gal) and we all look forward to the next one.
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]. 

Mashi the mauler

PSC golf from Café Kronborg

Mike Winfield, Mashi Kaneta and Dave Richardson.

Monday, Feb. 18, Plutaluang E&S – Stableford
Plutaluang East and South loops were the game today and after an easy check-in we were off The East 1 tee some 10 minutes early under very hot (39C+) conditions. The course on the day was in good shape with just light sand on some of the greens.
The course was also very busy but we were back in the clubhouse in 4 hours and 30 minutes where welcomes went out to Jacky Wan and Popeye from Hong Kong, and goodbyes to the Hangover 3 kids, Monte Sykes and Ty Anderson who were going back to Virginia.
Two flights today with the cut at handicap 19 and a full bevy of near pins. Kjeld Ravn won the A Flight with 37 points ahead of Arne Max Pedersen in second, and Monte Sykes third on a count back over Bjarne Kjar.
Svend Gaarde won the B Flight with 33 points, Popeye was second on 31, Susanne Gaarde was third, and Eddie Glinsek took fourth on count back from Mike Winfield and Kai Aabling, all on 29 points.
A Flight (0-19)
1st Kjeld Ravn (18) 37pts
2nd Arne Max Pedersen (14) 36pts
3rd Monte Sykes (8) 34pts
4th Bjarne Kjar (18) 34pts
B Flight (20+)
1st Svend Gaarde (26) 33pts
2nd Popeye (20) 31pts
3rd Susanne Gaarde (25) 30pts
4th Eddie Glinsek (33) 29pts
Near Pins: E2 Popeye, S4 Bob Edwards, S7 Monte Sykes
Long Putts: E9 Takeshi Hakozaki, S9 Eddie Glinsek
Thursday, Feb. 21, Khao Kheow – Stableford
We made it up the route 7 lickety split to Khao Kheow in a smidgeon over 40 minutes. The reception staff told us we could not get booked in until 30 minutes before our tee time but in the meantime some phone calls were made and they checked us in after about a 5 minute deliberation but we still had to wait for caddies and carts for about 45 minutes.
We got off the C1 tee on time under sunny skies with a cooling breeze, not as hot as last week. The course was in fine condition with slick greens.
As at all courses it was busy, taking 4 hours and 30 minutes to get around. Back in the clubhouse welcomes went out to Gregg McCrindle from Rubgy, England and the Thomas brothers, Nick from London and Martin from Vancouver.
Two flights today with the cut at handicap 18 and the full bag of near pins. Mashi Kaneta won the A Flight with a resounding 43 points. Don Richardson was second on 38, Arne Max Pedersen third with 36 and Leif Kirkgaard fourth on 35
Mikke Winfield topped the B Flight with a fine 41 points ahead of Kai Aabling second, Jan Lovgreen third and Dave Richardson fourth.
A Flight (0-18)
1st Mashi Kaneta (15) 43pts
2nd Don Richardson (11) 38pts
3rd Arne Max Pedersen (14) 36pts
4th Leif Kirkgaard (16) 35pts
B Flight (19+)
1st Mike Winfield (21) 41pts
2nd Kai Aabling (23) 38pts
3rd Jan Lovgreen (19) 37pts
4th Dave Richardson (24) 36pts
Near Pins: B3 Mike Winfield, B8 Leif Kirkgaard, C3 Kjeld Ravn, C8 Mashi Kaneta.
Long Putts: B9 Don Richardson, C9 Gregg McCrindle.
Note: If you are looking for a game of golf, call Dave at 083 602 2117 or email [email protected].  We are busy now so sign up early.

Maiko makes his mark at Treasure Hill

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Derek Brook
Tuesday, Feb. 19, Mt. Shadow - Stableford
Well here we went, once more to Mountain Shadow and it seems to be getting a habit at the moment. Probably the reason is that it is a course in good condition that fits in with the finances of many of the golfers. This is also the sister course of Crystal Bay, so we also play there quite often at present.

Doug Maiko.

So off we went, having realised that the start time was well before normal for us. Dick got his car off early and was on the first tee in plenty of time, as were most of the golfers. Mind, we did have one driver who decided to go sight-seeing.
Once underway, we realised the course was quite full - seems like the management here have got the balance correct on cost against the other courses. The fairways are not too bad but can be seen to be heavily used, as can the greens which still run true and are a real test. I seem to remember that the greens were once almost unplayable.
We got around in a reasonable time, seeing as how the course was full, however it was a nice bimble. So through the showers; and I have to say I did find a warm one that worked. The restaurant was also as full as I can remember it.
Back at Bert’s it was soon time for the results. The winner was Mike Gaussa with 39 points, then way back in the dust we had a count back on 34 points that saw Keith Phillips in second, Alan Sullivan in third, Tony Scamber in fourth and Don Carmody in fifth.
Near Pins: Don Carmody, Mike Gaussa (2), Barry Oats
Friday, Feb. 22, Treasure Hill – Stableford
We go here more often these days despite the fact it is quite a drive. On this day we had many golfers, and Bert’s was quite full. Still it was soon into cars and away we went.
The day was very nice, warmish and with a bit of a breeze, so after a quick book in we were soon on the first tee. The course was in good condition, and we went around at a good pace. The front nine is the toughest, I think, and the scores at half way were not brilliant, but into the back nine the golfers got going and the scores were much better.
We were soon around and the showers here are always hot, so a quick stop at the restaurant soon saw us on the way back. The drive back is always an experience on a Friday, especially on this day as we decided to come back the ‘Bouncy, Bouncy’, way. The road from the 331 to the Route 7 is relatively new, but so much traffic from Laem Chabang Port goes up it, and thus down, that the road is sinking. Major efforts are being made to save the road, but if you are prone to car sickness it will catch you out.
Soon back at Bert’s it was soon time for the results. In the A Flight, 0 to 14, the winner was Doug Maiko with 36 points ahead of Brian Parish in second with 35 points and Bob Watson in third with 34 points.
Now to the most important flight as Mark West won with 33 points ahead of Daryl Evans in second with 32 points. We then had a count back on 31 points that saw Derek Brook in third on count back over Mashi Kaneta and Don Carmody. It seems apparent that the ‘Good’ golfers are slowly sinking into oblivion –due to terrible golf! T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Joel Flor, Mashi Kaneta, Doug Maiko
Long Putts: Doug Maiko, Mashi Kaneta

Lou’s full of gas

PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society

Colin Davis.

A word might be in order about this week’s headline. As most Pattaya golfers know, the Honda LPGA Tournament took place at Siam Country Club last week. Aussie and frequent visitor Lou Zigzag arranged a trip to see the first day’s play, telling the punters he was following the signs. That was until he ended up on a garage forecourt with the guy pointing him to the LPG pumps.
Sunday, Feb. 17, Green Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Peter Ennis (13) 40pts
2nd Dave Shelton (8) 40pts
3rd Bob StAubin (13) 35pts
B Flight
1st Gerry Power (17) 37pts
2nd Jim Bell (16) 37pts
3rd Nick Thomas (15) 35pts
C Flight
1st Colin Davis (18) 40pts
2nd Ed Delaney (26) 39pts
3rd Eddy Beilby (18) 38pts
Near Pins: No 4 Shay Mitchell, No 9 Clinton Hazlett, No 12 Jeff Acheson, No 16 Thierry Petrement
The title might sound like a nursery rhyme but it was Peter Ennis, Dave Shelton and the Donkey vying for man of the match this Sunday. The Donkey’s 40pts took the B Flight honours as he was one stroke clear of Irishman Ed ‘the computer wizard’ Delaney’s fine effort. Eddy ‘the eagle’ Beilby swooped in to close the flight with a solid 38 points
In the senior flight Peter Ennis and the ever present Dave Shelton were tied, as they equaled the Donkey’s 40 point output, alas for Dave, his acumen on the course did not transfer to his score card as Peter had the better of the count back that was also good for man of the match.
In the middling flight we saw Gerry ‘the Irish rover’ in a standoff with Jimmy ‘AK47’ Bell; lucky for Gerry that Jim was firing blanks and let Gerry take pole position. Nick Thomas took the bronze a couple of shots in arrears.
Clint Hazlett and Claude Harder split an excellent 2’s pot.
Monday, Feb. 18, Greenwood A&C - Stableford
A Flight
1st Conner Doyle (12) 36pts
2nd Dave Shelton (8) 36pts
3rd Petra Raita (10) 36pts
B Flight
1st Paul Robinson (14) 39pts
2nd Pat Hanafin (14) 37pts
3rd Jim Bell (16) 31pts
C Flight
1st Pat Culloty (22) 33pts
2nd Brian Cooper (27) 32pts
3rd Fergus O’Brian (25) 30pts
Paul Robinson left little question about who was man of the match as his excellent 39 points was the only return to better par at Greenwood today. Co. Cork’s Pat ‘the big easy’ Hanafin followed Paul up the podium steps two shots in arrears. Pat’s fine effort was six shots clear of Jimmy ‘AK-47’ Bell who made it two pay desk visits in as many games to close the flight.
It was a close run affair in the senior circuit as Conner Doyle, Dave Shelton (continuing his purple patch) and Petra Raita all returned solid even par rounds; the following count back dictating that they climbed the podium in that order.
The C Flighters found the going difficult as the Irish pair of Pat Culloty and Fergus O’Brien sandwiched Brien mini Cooper with 33-32-30 points respectively.
John Beshoff and Ed Wyckoff a brace apiece along with Pat Hanafin shared the 2’s pot.
Wednesday, Feb. 20, Silky Oak - tableford
A Flight
1st Thierry Petrement (11) 40pts
2nd Pierre Bietry (14) 38pts
3rd Francis Goyons 37pts
B Flight
1st Nick Odnoral (17) 41pts
2nd Pat Hanafin (15) 40pts
3rd Colin Davis (18) 39pts
C Flight
1st Erwin Halfliger (19) 40pts
2nd ax Bracegirdle (27) 38pts
3rd John Heaney (19) 35pts
It is always tough to lose a count back. It is always tough not to win when you have 40 points. Well it happened to Thierry Petrement, Pat ‘the big easy’ Hanafin and Erwin Halfliger in A Flight, B Flight and C Flight respectively as Nick Odnoral on 41 points showed why his handicap must be and will be on the downward movement. Pat the big easy was followed in B Flight by the Donkey and Jimmy ‘good’ Night. Jimmy joined a long list of defeated Donkey count back victims.
Aussie Max Bracegirdle followed Erwin up the podium steps, as Irishman John Heaney topped out the flight.
It is by this paragraph common knowledge that ‘Nice Guy’ Thierry Petrement won A Flight with his 40 points. Thierry was two shots clear of good mate Pierre ‘the magician’ who seems to have lost a little of the old magic but no one thinks this will last long. Francis Goyons completed the podium places.
Thierry Petrement, Bob Watson, Pat Hanafin, and per Forsberg divvied up the 2’s pot.
Friday, Feb. 22, Eastern Star – Stableford
A Flight
1st Dominic Downey (13) 37pts
2nd Pat Regan (11) 32pts
3rd Conner Doyle (12) 32pts
B Flight
1st Jim Bell (16) 34pts
2nd Billy Briton (15) 33pts
3rd Colin Davis (18) 31pts
C Flight
1st Brian Cooper (27) 35pts
2nd Christy Knight (21) 34pts
3rd Erwin Halfliger (19) 32pts
The society, usually brimming with bravado when they attack friendly Eastern Star, were a bit meek on this day. Irishman Dominic Downey led the lads home as he was the only player to better par with 37 very useful points in the senior flight. A couple of Dominic’s Irish mates, young Pat Regan and Conner Doyle plus Pen Caruthers were log-jammed on 32 points; the luck of the Irish held up in the resulting count back leaving Pen to watch the presentation from his favourite bar stool.
Jimmy AK-47 went on the rampage in B Flight as he carded 34 points to take top spot. Jim was also one of only two players to record a 2 on the day. Billy Briton took the silver a shot back as the Donkey nosed his way to the bronze as he rounded out the flight.
Brian ‘mini’ Cooper with a steady 35 points was the top man in C Flight. Brian was one clear of Co. Dublin’s favourite son Christy ‘good’ Knight and a further two of the red hot Erwin Haflinger.
Peter Hynard was the other 2’s recipient.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya land Soi 1, Beach Rd Soi13/13 near 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.

Bell rings in victory at Green Valley

The Billabong Bar Golf Societyy

Monday, Feb. 18, Plutaluang - Stableford
The Navy course was our venue today and it was busy as there were about 4 societies playing, so it was about a 4½ hour round playing West and North, not our particular choice but they were in good condition and not wet anywhere.
With four groups we were away at 10.30 a.m. and were joined today by a friend of Geoff Couch’s with the same name as the world number one ladies golfer. He didn’t play as well as Yani but did manage to get in the prizes.

Geoff Boyle.
Lloyd Shutleworth’s caddy couldn’t manage to get out of the cart for the last six holes - I think it was something in the water she was drinking that put her off. Anyway it was a delightful day out for all. With Lloyd were his brother Peter, Capt Bob, Bill Marsden and The Arab from Freemantle making up the five-ball. We did keep up and those behind were never affected.
There were four ‘2’s today from Phil Elliott, Bob Philp, Brian Maddox and Weiwin Tseng. In the winner’s circle coming 4th was Bill Marsden with 34 points but beating him on a count back, also with 34 points, was Weiwin Tseng. Second place went to John Locke on 35 points and the winner today was Capt Bob with 39 points.
Wednesday, Feb. 20, Green Valley - Stableford
It was down to Green Valley for our normal Wednesday game with 5 groups playing. We were away a little early and the course was in great condition and not too busy.
Once again there were no ‘2’s, quite incredible really as the par threes here are not that long or tough for that matter. There was a match between Canada and a couple of Kiwis and I might add that the latter have got the bragging rights for the time being.
As there were no ‘2’s, all the loot went in prizes. Coming in fifth was Kev Wild with his best score ever since he started playing golf, 34 points, it was the first time he has scored over 30. Well done mate, bet you couldn’t get the smile off your face all night!
Next coming in fourth was Bob Finley with 36 points, third was Neil Carter also with 36 on a count back, which really was no contest as he scored 12 points on the front then got stuck into the beer and got 24 on the back nine. Second place today went to Lloyd Shuttleworth with 38 points and coming in first was Jim Bell who really had a day out with 42 points. Congratulations Jim, a great round of golf!
Friday, Feb. 22, The Emerald - Stableford
We played Emerald today and the course just keeps getting better and better since they did the renovations around the greens. There were some good scores in also, there were seven groups and we got away about 10 minutes early and had an enjoyable 4 hour round.
Amazingly there were two ‘2’s today, one from Capt Bob which was almost a hole in one and the other from Geoff Boyle. Geoff didn’t make it back for the presentation as his car and another had an altercation in the car park when both were reversing at the same time.
Now to the winner’s circle and coming in fifth was Owen Walkley on a count back over Willem Losander, both with 35 points, fourth was Neil Carter also on a count back with 36 points, third was Dick Mohn’s 36 points, second was Capt Bob on 37 and in first place was Geoff Boyle with 37 points also on a count back.
Note: If you are looking for a game with a friendly group call into the Billabong Golf club. Just turn left at the arch going toward Siam Old Course and you will see the club 200 yards on your right, or give Bob a call on 082 204 3411. Good golfing.

Bourke brings home the bacon at monthly medal

PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar

Paul Greenway (center) presents the Monthly Medal trophy to Paul Bourke (left) with low gross winner, Ian Heddle (right).

Monday, Feb. 18, Burapha - Stableford
We had thirty-seven players at Burapha on the A and B nines from the blue markers; a great test of golf on a quality golf course. The day got hotter as we went around but later a light breeze came on the back nine so that helped keep the temperature down.
The course was in great condition but they are heavily watering a number of areas and some players did get some mud on their balls, but that’s the rub of the green. The fairways were cut and looked great and the ball sat up well. The greens are at their best at present and are very fast and true.
Burapha was again heavily booked and we had another slow round but the starter did get us off 30 minutes before our advertised tee time so we were all finished and in the bar by 2.30 p.m.
Welcome back to Wayne Cotterell, Gary Hogg, Bryce Stick, Angus Neilson, Sunanta (Eng) Duangwaw and a new members, Gary Andreen, Peter Skelter and Richard Latham.
Three Divisions plus the ‘2’s and winning Division 3 was John O’Keefe with 36 points, from perennial place getters’ - Tim Knight with 34 points and John Player also with 34.

Eddie O’Neill.
Division 2 was won by Sel Wegner with the best score of the day of 40 points, from Rosco Langoulant with 35 points and third was Peter Stonebridge with 31, beating Micky Leighton and Kissy Buchanan on a count back.
Division 1 went to Gary Hogg with 35 points, just edging out Angus Neilson on a count back with third spot going to Steve Plant with 33.
There were five ‘2’s from Rick Kaban on A3, Peter Stonebridge and Sel Wegner on B3 and Angus Neilsen on A3 and B3.
Div A (0–13)
1st Gary Hogg (9) 35pts
2nd Angus Neilson (7) 35ptss
3rd Steve Plant (13) 33pts
Div B (13–16)
1st Selwyn G. Wegner (13) 40pts
2nd Rosco Langoulant (14) 35ptss
3rd Peter Stonebridge (16) 31pts
Div C (16+)
1st John O’ Keefe (16) 36pts
2nd Timothy Knight (21) 34ptss
3rd John Player (19) 34pts
Tuesday, Feb. 19, Khao Kheow – Stableford
15 players to play the B and C courses at Khao Kheow where it was bright, sunny and very hot before we were rescued by a breeze with about six holes to play. The course continues to improve and the fairways and rough had all been cut so the course actually looked a treat. The greens are as good as any in Pattaya at present and are a credit to the ground staff.

Monday podium placers: John Player, Selwyn G. Wegner, Gary Hogg,
Angus Neilson, Tim Knight and Rosco Langoulant..

Supposedly a 10.30 tee off but the starter sent us of at 10.00 and all completed their round in just on 4 hours, and that was very good; as for the first time that I can remember walkers were in the majority and buggies were in the minority.
Just as an aside there was a match between the ‘Poms’ and the Colonials on one side and the ‘Sweaty Socks’ on the other and the Poms and Colonials got up to win 2 and 1. Also goodbye to Michael Omiya who played with us for the last time this trip, have a safe journey home.
One Division plus the ‘2’s and the winner with a good score of 38 points was Murray Hart who continues up the front of the “Race 2 Bangkok’. Second was Lamduan Keddie with 37 points from Steve Plant with 36. Fourth spot went to Capt’ Steve on count back over Michael Omiya and Wanta Dacha, all with 35 points.
There were three ‘2’s to Murray Hart, Lamduan Keddie and Wanta Dacha.
1st Murray Hart (15) 38pts
2nd Lamduan Keddie (18) 37pts
3rd Steve Plant (13) 36pts
4th Stephen Mann (11) 35pts
Wednesday, Feb. 20, The Emerald – Stableford
Twenty-two players went down to Emerald today for a later than usual tee-time, but the course was not that busy and we were away ahead of our official time.
The course was in satisfactory condition although the greens were a little slow but neither prevented Eddie O’Neill recording his first ever victory with the Outback, with the day’s top score of 40pts, well done Eddie! He won Div B ahead of Pat Culloty (37) and Greg Hill on 36..
Irishman, Conner Doyle took Div A with 36 from Ian Heddle & Paul Greenaway tied on 35.
Welcome to WeiWen Tseng from Taiwan and thanks to Tim Knight for running the day.
There were four ‘2’s from Conner Doyle (13th), Paul Greenaway (15th) and Ian Heddle got two, one on the 13th and the other on the par 4 17th , good shot Ian!
Div A (0-18)
1st Conner Doyle (12) 36pts
2nd Ian Heddle (2) 35ptss
3rd Paul Greenaway (9) 35pts
Div B (18+)
1st Edward O’ Neill (36) 40pts
2nd Patrick Culloty (22) 37ptss
3rd Greg Hill (19) 36pts
Wednesday, Feb. 20, Siam Plantation – Stableford
One short today with only 19 players going to Siam Plantation as unfortunately we couldn’t get a reserve for a late withdrawal. The Tapioca and Pineapple courses off white are very short and I think to be fair to all players, if we play these courses then we should play some blue and white tees to make the distance up to around 6,400yds.
The course itself was in good condition but like a lot of courses at the moment they seem to be over-watering them and there was no run on the fairways and if you pitched short of the green the ball sometimes plugged, those that flighted the ball to the green found them very receptive, especially the long hitters who were only playing wedges to the green. As per usual though the staff looked after us and the course is a pleasure to play even if a little short..
Only one division and the scores in my book reflected the shortness of the course, especially for the low handicappers. The winner for the second week in a row was Ron Dickie with 41 points, from Ole Gotfredsen with 39 points who beat new Plantation member, Art O’Connor on a count back. Fourth was Geoff Stimpson with 38 points who beat Peter Eriksen also on a count back.
Only one ‘2’ to Ole Gotfredsen on Pineapple 8.
1st Ron Dickie (8) 41pts
2nd Ole Gotfredsen (10) 39pts
3rd Arthur O’ Connor (13) 39pts
4th Geoff Stimpson (7) 39pts
5th Peter Eriksen (5) 38pts
Friday, Feb. 22, Green Valley – Medal
Friday saw 49 players go to Green Valley for our Monthly Medal round sponsored by Take It Easy Car and Bike Rentals - thanks to Paul Greenaway for his sponsorship. The day was hot and sunny with a quite strong breeze to start with which made some holes play very long and others short but about halfway through the round, the breeze disappeared it became very hot and humid.
The course was in good condition and all fairways, rough and greens had been cut. The greens were good to putt on but some were receptive and others weren’t - so some balls stopped on the greens and other took a big bounce off, just the rub of the green..
The starter got us away on time and the front five groups all finished in under four hours, but then gaps opened up with some groups taking nearly five hours, even if we were playing stroke.
Welcome back to Gerry O’Dwyer, Peter Macnoe, Michael Padilla, Mark Gagliardi, Jon Goddard and last but not least, nearly missing his tee-time altogether as his plane was delayed three hours, Graham Holmes.
As is now the norm with our Monthly Medals, there are no divisions and the first 10 places all finished on the podium, thus collecting double points for the “Race 2 Bkk”. Interestingly enough, the grading of handicaps for those first ten places was well spread, with three single figure, three over 20 and the remainder somewhere in between. So you lose again Tim!
The day belonged to Paul Bourke with a net 68 to beat Peter Lenoury by one shot; these two were two clear of Bob Lindborg on 71. The ‘Low Gross’ medal went to Ian Heddle for his 77.
There were six ‘2’s from Paul Bourke & Bob Finley (9th), Peter Lenoury & Bernie Stafford (12th) and Peter Eriksen & Ian Heddle (16th).
1st Paul Bourke (11) 68pts
2nd Peter Lenoury (10) 69pts
3rd Bob Lindborg (22) 71pts
4th Angus Neilson (7) 72pts
5th Murray Hart (15) 72pts
6th John Player (19) 73pts
7th Peter Eriksen (5) 74pts
8th Sunanta Duangwaw (29) 74pts
9th Jittina Tinpranee (26) 74pts
10th Ian Heddle (2) 75pts
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. Call Jack on 081 578 1956.

Harris & Browne a dynamic duo

Phoenix Members Golf Society

Tuesday’s winners pose with staff at The Relax Bar.

Mike Gerrard
God or Buddha does smile on me sometimes. For a couple of weeks I had planned to run a pairs competition today, Feb. 19, along with the singles and every day something happened to scupper the plans. Having the right numbers is important, not only even numbers but hoping that the whole field fits with four-ball teams. Well with the usual swapping and changing right up until the night before the groupings were perfect. All I had to hope was that everyone would turn up on the day. Yippee they did!
I was also very pleasantly (and gratefully) surprised that everyone turned up for registration the earliest I have ever known. Thanks guys, it really does help to start the day better.
With 25 minutes before the first tee time all the money was in and the groups were completed and ready to start. The only down side was we were booked on Ocean/Mountain course, which makes life a little difficult for some because the stroke indexes are the same for the two nines. It’s amazing how many players think they can take their top shot on both nines (that is if their handicap is an odd number).
To make the start easier I had called Phoenix the day before to find out which two courses we were going to play. Whilst on the phone I requested that perhaps we could play two courses with different stroke index numbers. They politely told me the course was very busy for that day and that we could not change. O.K. no problem, so I made up all the scorecards the night before so as to try and make the scoring easy for the players.
You know what’s coming next don’t you. As we assembled near the starters hut the head marshal suggested to me that perhaps we would like to change to the Lake/Ocean course. Exactly what I had requested the day before! Murphy’s Law - the score cards had been made up for the Ocean/Mountain course. So off we went on the Ocean/Mountain.
The scoring for the day was quite varied. In the singles match only one player played to his handicap but in the better-ball matches there were some very good scores indeed. Needless to say by playing a better-ball stableford, which allows players their full shots and claiming shots on the easier holes, the higher handicap players returned far better scores that the lower handicapped players.
Pairs Results
1st Peter Harris & Patrick Browne 43pts
2nd Sergio Volpi & Sergio Poggi 41pts
3rd John Bartley & Richard Baldwin 41pts
Singles Results
1st Gary Blackburne 36pts
2nd Peter Harris 34pts
3rd Joe Miller 34pts
4th Joris Goetschalckx 33pts
Near Pins: Michael Padilla, Richard Baldwin, Eamon Murtagh & Gary Blackburne.
For the rest of the field there is always the lucky draw and the winners of these prizes (donated by our hosts The Relax Bar) were Mike Gerrard, Harvey Trewarn & Joe Miller.
Briefly Friday’s results were as follows: Peter (Bomber) Harris kept his winning ways going with a fine 38 points followed closely by Mukash Thakker & Granville Swanton, both with 36 points, and Bengt Hellstrom claiming fourth place with 33.
Near pins were claimed by Ulf Bergstrom, Peter Harris, Bengt Hegstrom & Granville Swanton. Lucky draw prizes went to Ulf Berggren, Richard Baldwin & Bob Neylon.
Every Tuesday, Friday and Sunday are our days at Phoenix. If anyone is interested we welcome both Phoenix golf club members and non members as our guests who have an official handicap of no more than 28 and we are a men only group.
Low season at Phoenix starts on 1st April 2013 and the Sports Days will be Tuesday and Thursday at 800 baht green fee with Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 1,000 baht green fee. Weekends will obviously be much dearer, but with concessions for members guests.

Cooper & McGuire post week’s top scores

Travellers Rest Golf Group

Monday, Feb. 18, Eastern Star – Stableford
Division 1
1st Trevor Nash (11) 39pts
2nd Nick Thomas (14) 36pts
3rd Andy Mellet (4) 36pts
Division 2
1st Reg Glass (15) 35pts
2nd Ken Brehm (18) 32pts
3rd Noel Larkin (18) 29pts
Tuesday, Feb. 19, The Emerald – Stableford
Division 1
1st Martin Cooper (5) 40pts
2nd David Palmer (4) 39pts
3rd Tewin Lamthong (11) 39pts
Division 2
1st Nick Thomas (14) 38pts
2nd Reg Glass (14) 38pts
3rd John Baxter (15) 37pts
Thursday, Feb. 21, Phoenix – Stableford
Division 1
1st Rocky Jones (6) 37pts
2nd Arnold Jones (13) 37pts
3rd Trevor Nash (10) 36pts
Division 2
1st Frank Courtney (15) 33pts
2nd Donald Pearson (32) 33pts
3rd Mike McGuire (21) 30pts
Friday, Feb. 22, Greenwood – Stableford
Division 1
1st Phil Mitchell (7) 36pts
2nd Rick Schramm (9) 37pts
3rd Rocky Jones (6) 36pts
Division 2
1st Mike McGuire (21) 40pts
2nd Ken Brehm (18) 37pts
3rd Mike Lam (22) 36pts
It was a good week for Rocky Jones - 1st, 2nd and 4th. Ken Brehm had two 2nd places, Trevor Nash had a 1st and a 3rd and Mike McGuire had 1st and a 3rd. Consistently well played.
A very big field at The Emerald this week with 46 players taking part. All of the courses were in good condition and the weather was conducive to good play.

SPJ pounds the field at Crystal Bay

McArdle back in the winner’s circle

IPGC Golf from The Tara Court

Joe Mc Ardle

Sunday, Feb. 17, Mountain Shadow (blue tees) - Stableford
1st Joe McArdle (15) 35pts
2nd Denis O’Sullivan (16) 34pts
3rd Frank McGowan (16) 34pts
4th John Feterston (11) 33pts
5th Gerry Doyle (21) 33pts
2’s: Michael Byrne.
It was Mountain Shadow again today for our usual Sunday outing. Today we decided to travel in mini buses instead of cars and it proved a very popular decision as it saved a lot of people from the hassle of driving. Again, when we got there, there was a problem with a lack of caddies but they soon sorted it out and we got off on our allotted time for a very enjoyable four hour round of golf.
Ladies winner Pauline Byrne

Reflecting the difficulty of the course off the blue tees nobody managed to play to their handicap, with 35pts being the best score of the day. Joe McArdle had his first win with us and as he has been going through a bad spell with his golf recently it was good to see him back on the podium.
Joe was followed in second place by Denis O’Sullivan on his first visit with us and relegating Frank McGowan into third on a count back. In fourth was John Fetherston who also beat Gerry Doyle on a count back.
Michael Byrne had the only 2 and scooped the pot.
Back in O’Garas Bar we said good bye to Terry and Liz Kelly, Gerry Doyle and John Walsh, all of whom are going back to sunny Ireland this week.

``Frank McGowan

We did not have our usual Tuesday and Thursday outings this week, instead we joined up with our friends from Solar Golf for the annual Tara Court Cup in Burapha and St Andrews. We are delighted to say that one of our regular golfers was victorious over the two days and won the much coveted trophy. Well done Frank!
Note : The Tara Court Golf Group plays every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, leaving O’Gara’s Bar and Restaurant in the Tara Court on Pratannak Rd around 10.00 a.m. Sign up either in O’Gara’s or ring George on 087 540 0844 and he will book you in.

The lady is a champ

The Pattaya Golf Society (IPGC) at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar

MThe Pattaya Golf Society began the new week with a visit to Khao Kheow on Monday, 18th February, to play a stableford competition on the C and B nines from the yellow tees. The course was well prepared with greens a little slow but the day was set fair and some excellent scores were in store.
With the cut at sixteen and under the two flights set about their day and in the top flight Robbie Taylor made a good fist of things with a score of 36 points which gave him third place. Sharing the major honour were Peter Ditz and Masa Takano on 39 points, the latter posting the day’s best gross score of 75 on his farewell round this trip.
In the second flight Vic Barton returned 38 points for third place and John Chelo scored an emphatic 40 points which deserved better than his second place whilst Yvonne Earley played the round of her life, returning 46 points to equal the group’s winning score record. It was one of those days when everything went right and everyone back at Rabbi’s later was unanimous in their praise of her efforts.
John Chelo logged the sole birdie ‘2’ of the day, on C8 and Rabbi’s free beer was won by Larry Slattery. At the other end of the scale Syd Harrison picked up the Booby Bevy for his low score of the day. What a day it had been but someone forgot to tell Yvonne Earley that one doesn’t do things like that at Khao Kheow!
Two victors at Greenwood
The Pattaya Golf Society chose Greenwood as the venue for its stableford competition on Wednesday, 20th February and found the A and C nines in quite good condition, under a hot sun. The two flights were separated at sixteen and under.
Scores were respectably tight and in the top flight Alan Flynn again found the podium with his 32 points giving him third place. In second was Larry Slattery whose form is still blowing hot and cold at the moment but 33 points put a smile on his face in second place. The winner was newest PGS member Vic Woolton who took the honours with 34 points.
In the second flight Dave Plaiter showed the benefits of lessons with 33 points for third place, one behind Alan Walker’s consistent 34 points. The flight winner was Vic Barton with 35 points.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and the Booby Bevy went “in absentia” to Phil McClure for his low score and Peter Ditz took Rabbi’s free beer draw prize with a smile. Greenwood had thrown up an unusual coincidence as two “victors” left their mark on the day.
Resolute performance from Jones & Plaiter
On Friday, 22nd February the Pattaya Golf Society travelled to Emerald to play a stableford pairs better-ball event as part of its monthly fundraising programme for its adopted charity’s “Brick in the Wall” project, at the Fr Ray Foundation Outreach Center on Soi Thepprasit. Nine teams were entered and play got underway on time despite a full course.
The first pair in set the standard for the day as Alan Flynn and Tony Browne closed with 42 points but they were later challenged by Robbie Taylor and Ken Grimes, finishing with the same score. Only some resolute and purposeful golf by the last pairing of Mr Len and Dave Plaiter nosed the two pairs out and their winning score of 46 points was just reward for the excellent all round team effort which saw partners stretching themselves when the other faltered to produce a consistent score.
Near pins were sponsored by Ken Grimes and Mr Len and the winners were Mike Earley, Larry Slattery, Alan Flynn and Steve Evans and the latter also shared the Booby Bevy with partner Steve Jones for the day’s lowest score.
The successful day ended with another few thousand baht raised in the on-going campaign to build a security wall around the project in South Pattaya, as well as a happy return to competitive golf for the gaffer at Rabbi’s after two debilitating months of low blood pressure and energy levels. Even the golfing gods know a worthy cause when they see one.

Knut signs off in style

Jomtien Golf with the IPGC

Monday, Feb. 18, Pattaya Country Club – Stableford
We all thought this would be our last game here before the front nine renovations start in mid March, but after a few discussions with the management we decided to return here on Feb. 25 after being offered a very good reduction in rate. The 16th March is the shut down date so we will have our last game here on the 11th.
On this day the Friday freemason’s boy Mike Chatt recorded the highest score, winning Division 1 with 37 points. In second was Uli Bangerter with 36 and still playing off 14 Lindsay Phillips took third place with 35.
Knut, in his last game with us, beat Jimmy Caffrey on a 22/21 back nine count back to win division 3 after they both recorded scores of 36 while ‘count back’ Burnie was third with 35.
Barry Stirling took his first podium position since his return, winning division 2 with 35 points. Harry Vincenzi beat Rudi Schaefer for second spot on a 14/12 back 6 count back after they both scored 17 on the back nine and came in with 34 points overall.
Near pins went to Kit Parkington, Horst Starchl, Chris Voller (2), Kenny Carr, Glenn Martin and Rudi Schaefer.
Horst Starchl birdied the 16th and Chris Voller the 5th to share the ‘2’s pot in division 1 while there was another rollover in division 2.
Wednesday, Feb. 20, Wangjuntr - Stableford
Our yearly visit to the Highlands course here and a 40-seater coach was required. Once we arrived all those who had not been here before were fascinated with the view from the 1st tee on top of the tea house.
Playing off 5, Kevin Blake won division 1 with 36 points, Wilf Latham was second on 34 and Jerry Sweetnam took third one point behind.
Mike Fitzgerald was the winner in division 3 with 36 points and 8 behind him in second place was Glenn Martin. Mark Armstrong after a 11/11 back nine count back and a 7/6 back six count back beat Charlie Charalambous for third after they both came in with 26 points.
Dennis Scougal, the telephone box boy, won division 2 with 33 points, beating Howard Stanley by one point and Mr. Happy alias Bryan Rought was third with 31 points.
The majority of the field and the newcomers here enjoyed the experience and will return next time. There were a few unhappy players who returned scores of between 11 and 15 points - no names mentioned - who won’t be returning, but this is golf as we all know.
Near pin prizes were claimed by Mike Combs, Wilf Latham, Alan Maxwell, Matti Pihlajisto, Paul Chabot, David Gusatvasson and Andy Oz (2).
Wilf Latham birdied the 4th and 8th and Bryan Rought also the 8th to share the division 1 ‘2’s pot three ways.
Amazingly it was bon voyage to Sassa alias Jan Sordal.
Friday, Feb. 22, Eastern Star - Stableford
Talk about luck of the Irish, 39 points was the winning score today with Cully Monks taking top podium position in division 2. The Cockney boy Rod Howett was second two points behind with 37 and Howard Stanley beat Roar Berger and Magne Gunnarson on a 20/17/15 back nine count back for third after they all returned scores of 32.
In form as always, Chris Voller won division 1 with 38 points, Wilf Latham was second with 36 and Pete Sumner took third on 33.
Near pins went to Kevin Blake (2), Jerry Douley, Horst Starchl and Walter Webber.
Chris Voller birdied the 13th to record the day’s only ‘2’ and claim the pot in division 1.

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

Results & Standings Feb. 15 (week 8)

200 Bowlers: Leen, La, Bill & Aht

Leen Schaap bowled a 203 game and 554 series to lead first place Café Kronborg to a four point win over Brother D. Tue Pettae bowled games of 180, 187 & 181 for a 548 series for Brother D.
VFW Post 9876 won three points from 2nd place Canada. Aht Johansson led Canada with a 203 game and 562 series. David Shaw was best for Canada with a 526 series.
Indiana maintained their hold on third place after winning three points from Bavaria. Antero Ronkainen had a 548 series and La Montgomery bowled a 212 game and 531 series for Indiana.
Bill Gibson bowled a 201 game and 509 series to lead Green Tree to a three and one half point win over Jack Tar. Ooy Pluemkamon had a 514 series for Jack Tar. Ooy is still adjusting to the PS Bowl lanes. Green Tree is on the winning track lately moving up from ninth to seventh place.
Joe Ferral bowled a 521 series to lead his Semper FI team to a four point win over the Blind Team. Semper FI moved up from fifth to fourth place.

Results & Standings Feb. 15 (week 8)
Pos.	Team	Score	Standings
1	Café Kronborg	4 - 0	24.5 - 7.5
2	Canada	1-3	19 - 13
3	Indiana	3-1	18 - 14
4	Semper FI	4 - 0	18 - 14
5	VFW Post 9876	3-1	18 - 14
6	Jack Tar	0.5 – 3.5	14.5 - 17.5
7	Green Tree	3.5 – 0.5	14.5 - 17.5
8	Bavaria	1-3	13.5 - 18.5
9	Brother D	0 - 4	12-20
10	Blind	0 - 4	8-24

Golfer’s heaven for Kevin

PSC golf from The Golf Club

Tom Breslin, Liz Brockley, Terry Pettitt and Jay Burns.

Steve Ellison
Monday, Feb. 18, Green Valley (white tees) – Stableford
1st Kevin Moraghan (16) 39pts
2nd Dale Shier (14) 38pts
3rd John Emmerson (14) 37pts
3rd Ian Hoddle (2) 37pts
With the amount of foot traffic this course gets, you would not expect it to be in such good shape, but it is. There were several guys who commented that the greens were the best they had ever seen at Green Valley.
Blessed with good weather, finally, we had a strong turnout of 40 golfers and 39 points was the best score anyone could muster. That someone just happened to be Kevin Moraghan, and fresh from Korea, he turns up and shoots lights out. The facebook warrior shot 39 points which was a great score on the day.

Mike Omiya.
Visiting from his Paradise Bar on the darkside, Dale Shier had 38 points, which would normally be enough to win on any other day but put him one back on Kev. Partner John Emmerson finally had a decent round as did Ian Hoddle and shot one better than their handicap for 37 points.
Wednesday, Feb. 20, Greenwood A & C (white tees) – Stableford
1st Mike Omiya (8) 35pts
2nd Dave Mather (7) 35pts
3rd Jay Burns (3) 34pts
A trip out to Greenwood was on the cards today. The former Noble Place always has a strong following and any 18 of the 27 hole challenge will be a winner. Personally, I think the C course is one of the best 9 holes in Pattaya.
Mike Omiya is visiting us again and he is one of the nicest guys around. Mike ended up sharing the glory with a very steady Dave Mather as both lads ended up with 35 Stableford points. Jay Burns is entering recovery mode as the bandits from Scotland have finally left him with some peace and quiet. No reason for Jay not to start winning again, eh?
Friday, Feb. 22, Phoenix (white tees) - Stableford
1st Terry Pettitt (16) 40pts
2nd Jay Burns (3) 38pts
3rd Tom Breslin (23) 37pts
4th Liz Brockley (12) 37pts
5th Phil Smedley (12) 37pts
It’s nice to play a course that is so close, and especially when fighting the Friday night rush hour on the way back. Phoenix (Lake & Ocean) was in very good condition today, and most punters gave it high marks. There were also some complaints, but they were reserved for the lightning fast greens that surprised most of us and we saw several 3 and 4 putt greens. They were really, really fast and it was hard just to hold them on the green. If you like it fast, book your next game here!
A nice mixed bag of golfers joined us today and we had the white, silver and red tees covered on the day. Terry Pettitt was the best of the lot, and shooting 40 points here was a terrific score. Conservative putting was the key to Terry’s victory. He joins us on this trip with a certified and verified handicap, so more power to ya mate!
Jay “Cohiba” Burns was all on his own for second place while a trio of 37’s one shot behind completed the roster. Tom Breslin, Liz Brockley and Phil Smedley all shot 37 from the Silver, Red and White tees respectively to make it a very interesting and diversified leaderboard.
It took a good 5 hours for the round today, as we were made all too aware that we are still in the grips of high season golf traffic. Oh well, at least we got to stop and smell the roses amongst the pines and the palms! Thanks for joining us for another great week of great golf in Amazing Thailand.
Note: The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro. We usually play on Monday, Wednesday and Friday so come join us for a seriously fun day out. 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!

Hilton Pattaya team runs North Face 100 at Khao Yai

 

Hilton Pattaya team members pose for a photo after completing the North Face 100 Thailand adventure race.

Team members of Hilton Pattaya, led by the hotel’s general manager Philippe Kronberg along with Harald Feurstein, general manager of Conrad Bangkok, recently participated in “The 2013 North Face 100 Thailand”, the second edition of country’s Ultimate Trail Running Challenge.
The route started and finished at Villa Paradis hotel, passed fruit plantations and a Thai temple set in the natural surroundings of Khao Yai. Hilton Pattaya team participated in both the 25 kilometer and 10 kilometer trail runs.

Aligning to its concept of “Take only memories, Leave only footprints”, a percentage of the registration fees for the marathon was donated to the Thai Elephants Research and Conservation Fund (TERCF) which supports the largest population of wild Thai elephants in the country. Under the hotel’s commitment to make a difference through community service in Thailand, Hilton Pattaya’s Blue Energy team was honored to take part in the event and help preserve and protect the Kingdom’s natural resources.

Inbee Park edges Jutanugarn for LPGA Thailand win

 

South Korea’s Inbee Park holds up the champion’s trophy after winning the 2013 Honda LPGA Thailand Championship at Siam Country Club, Pattaya, Sunday, Feb. 24.

 

South Korea’s Inbee Park struck a superb five-under par 67 for an aggregate 12-under total to capture the 2013 Honda LPGA Thailand title on a drama filled final day at Siam Country Club Old Course, Sunday, Feb. 24.

Park’s victory however was overshadowed by the theater provided by her nearest challenger, 17-year old Ariya Jutanugarn from Thailand. Carrying a two shot lead to the 18th hole and requiring only a bogey or better to win her first tournament as a professional on the LPGA Tour, Jutanugarn’s dreams of glory on home soil spectacularly unraveled as she proceeded to take a triple-bogey eight on the par-5, thus gifting the title to her Korean rival who was watching on in disbelief from the clubhouse.

Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (2nd left) collects her hole in one prize from tournament sponsors Honda.

“I didn’t expect to win it. When I missed the birdie opportunity at the 17th I thought it was all over for me,” confessed Park afterwards. “At the turn I thought I was in with a chance, but at 15 I was three behind so I just kept on trying.”

Jutanugarn had started the day with a three-shot cushion over the field and although Park had briefly held the lead after a birdie at the 11th, a spectacular hole-in-one by Ariya at the 12th saw the Thai take charge and she had moved to two in front by the 18th. Disaster struck for the Thai teenager however when her second shot plugged right under the lip of a bunker and forced her to take a penalty drop. Her escape from the bunker then overshot the green, but she still had two strokes to win the title and three for a playoff.

Using her putter, her first shot from the fringe didn’t get on the green and her ensuing downhill putt just slid past the hole, leaving a two-foot putt to force the playoff. For the first time in 72 holes the occasion seemed to overwhelm Jutanugarn and her nervous putt lipped out to give Park the title.

“If I had been in Ariya’s position I would have been very nervous. She had handled the pressure very well for all four days. She is very talented and played some fantastic golf,” said a magnanimous Park.

 

 

The gallery around the 18th green gasp as Jutanugarn misses a short putt to force a playoff.

“After the hole-in-one and the birdie I thought it was going to be my day,” said a tearful Jutanugarn later. “I had to take the penalty drop (on the 18th) and my bunker shot went over the green. I still thought I could win or at least force a playoff, but it wasn’t to be. I just had one bad hole - the 18th.”

Ariya saved her final words for the thousands of Thai fans who packed the large gallery. “I have to thank the fans for their fine support. They were great.”

After appearing to be out of it for the first three rounds, defending champion and world No 1. Yani Tseng was back to her supreme best on the final day, shooting a stunning nine-under 63. The Taiwan star shared third place with Spain’s Beatriz Recari (70), Korea’s So Yeon Ryu (68) and American Stacy Lewis (70) who had led the tournament for the first two rounds.

Alone in seventh place was world No 2 Na Yeon Choi of Korea (68) while a further shot back was China’s Shanshan Feng (69) and Lizette Salas (70) of the US. Leading amateur, New Zealand’s Lydia Ko, played steadily once again with a 69 to finish in joint 14th place.

(Source LPGA Thailand)

 

 

Inbee Park tees off during the final round of the Honda LPGA Thailand golf championship.

 

Defending champion Yani Tseng hits an approach to the 18th green during her final round 63.