SPORTS

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SPORTS

Nick the Pizza Friday 601 Darts League

Results & Standings June 28 (week 23)

Team P W L B/L +/- Pts

Khao Noi Sports Bar 20 18 2 15 84 36

Dang’s Bar 20 15 5 16 60 30

Legends Darts 20 13 7 10 28 26

Load Out Bar 20 8 12 10 -30 16

Jantha Coffee House 20 6 14 9 -42 12

Results: Dang’s Bar (8-1)-(1-0) v Khao Noi Sports Bar, Legends Darts (7-0)-(2-1) v Dang’s Bar

Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Results & Standings June 24 (week 19)

Division 1

Team P W L +/- BP Pts.

Shoot Pool 17 16 1 79 0 48

Legends Pool 16 11 5 2 1 34

Links Bar 18 9 9 1 1 28

Irish Rovers 17 9 8 12 0 27

Butchers Arms 16 8 8 12 3 27

Nicky’s Bar 16 9 7 1 0 27

Sweethearts Bar 16 7 9 -15 1 22

Biggy’z Rest 16 5 11 -19 4 19

Pook’s Bar 18 6 12 -32 1 19

Dean’s Bar 16 3 13 -41 1 10

Results: Legends Pool 10 v 8 Irish Rovers, Links Bar 8 v 10 Sweethearts Bar, Nicky’s Bar 10 v 3 Pook’s Bar

Division 2

Team P W L +/- BP Pts.

Cheers Bar 17 13 4 21 1 40

Easy R-Con Bar 18 13 5 31 0 39

Caddyshack 18 13 5 18 0 39

Smile Bar 17 12 5 26 1 37

Wet Bar 18 10 8 -16 1 31

Mai’s Bar 16 9 7 10 1 28

Offshore Bar 18 9 9 -6 1 28

Eor’s Bar 18 6 12 -12 1 19

Rabbi’s Elephant 18 3 15 -72 0 9

Results: Cheers Bar 10 v 3 Wet Bar, Easy R-Con Bar W v L Team Pulled Out, Mai’s Bar 9 v 10 Smile Bar, Offshore Bar 10 v 4 Rabbi’s Elephant

The Sportsman Monday Darts League

Results & Standings June 24 (week 17)

Team P W L B/L +/- Pts

Legends Darts 17 16 1 17 107 32

Dang’s Bar 15 12 3 8 27 24

Double Top Bar 17 8 9 7 -1 16

Load Out Bar 17 7 10 8 -15 14

Irish Rovers 17 4 13 7 -41 8

Jantha Coffee House 17 3 14 2 -77 6

Results: Legends Darts (7-1)-(2-0) v Double Top Bar, Irish Rovers (3-0)-(6-1) v Jantha Coffee

WKD Tuesday Darts League

Results & Standings June 25 (week 7)

Team P W L B/legs Pts.

I-Rovers 7 7 0 5 14

Londoner 7 6 1 6 12

W. Tankies 7 6 1 4 12

Shoot Pool Roxy 7 5 2 5 10

Buffalo Jack’s 7 5 2 5 10

Mee Chew Sports Bar 7 5 2 3 10

Jantha Coffee House 7 4 3 4 8

Crazy Eddies 7 3 4 3 6

Scandalic 7 2 5 3 4

Yates Bar 7 2 5 2 4

Nervous Wreck 7 1 6 3 2

Shoot Pool 7 1 6 3 2

Mai’s Bar 7 1 6 2 2

Cum On Inn 7 1 6 1 2

Results: Buffalo Jack’s (9-1)-(4-0) v Scandalic, Crazy Eddies 6-1)-(5-0) v Yates Bar, I-Rovers (8-0)-(2-1) v Mai’s Bar, Jantha Coffee House (3-0)-(7-1) v Mee Chew Sports Bar, Londoner (5-1)-(2-0) v Shoot Pool Roxy, Shoot Pool (5-1)-(2-0) v Nervous Wreck, W. Tankies (7-1)-(2-0) v Cum On Inn

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

Results & Standings June 13 (week 26)

200 Bowlers: Tue, David & Kran.

With four weeks to go in the current league, Café Kronborg continues their good form. Kran Nielsen led Café Kronborg again to win three points from Brother D as she bowled games of 189, 203 and 207 for a 599 series. Tue Pettae was best for Brother D bowling games of 202, 175 and 202 for a very good 579 series.
Semper FI remains in second place although they lost three points to the blind team.
Indiana won three points from Bavaria to remain in third place. Bavaria dropped from fourth to fifth place. La Montgomery who has not been bowling up to her normal form managed to squeak out a 501 series for Indiana. Pao Orawan bowled a 504 series for Bavaria.
Green Tree moved up from fifth to fourth place after winning three points from Jack Tar.
Canada and VFW Post 9876 split their match with each team winning two points. David Shaw bowling for Canada had a 212 game and 527 series.

Results & Standings June 13 (week 26)

Pos. Team Score Standings

1 Café Kronborg 3-1 66 - 38

2 Semper FI 1 – 3 59 - 45

3 Indiana 3 – 1 58 - 46

4 Green Tree 3-1 56.5 - 47.5

5 Bavaria 1-3 55.5 - 48.5

6 Canada 2-2 53.5 - 50.5

7 Jack Tar 1-3 51.5 - 52.5

8 VFW Post 9876 2-2 51 - 53

9 Brother D 1-3 49 - 55

10 Blind 3-1 20 - 84

Dolly Dalton Jomtien Pool League

Results & Standings June 26 (week 6)

Team Played Won Lost Bonus Pts

Winners Bar 6 5 1 1 16

Buddy Bar 5 5 0 0 15

Country Road 5 4 1 1 13

Jimmys Den 5 4 1 1 13

Take Care Bar 6 3 3 3 12

Flying Dolphin 6 3 3 2 11

Woaws Bar 5 3 2 2 11

Rioja 6 3 3 1 10

DK bar 6 2 4 4 10

Lion Pub 6 2 4 4 10

Simple Simon 6 2 4 4 10

Windmill Bar 6 2 4 4 10

Aussie Allys 5 2 3 3 9

Shenanigans 5 2 3 3 9

Wombat Bar 6 0 6 3 3

Results: Aussie Allys 6 v 9 Winners Bar, Jimmys Den 9 v 6 Lion Pub, Flying Dolphin 10 v 5 DK Bar, Take Care Bar 14 v 1 Rioja, Country Road 12 v 3 Wombat Bar, Woaws Bar 9 v 6 Windmill Bar, Shenanigans 8 v 7 Simply Simon

Crumpton Oaks Dry Cider Wednesday Darts League

Results & Standings June 26 (week 9)

Team P W L Bonus Diff. Pts.

Legends Sports Bar 9 8 1 7 57 16

Mee Chew Sports Bar 9 8 1 7 41 16

W. Tankies 9 6 3 6 29 12

I-Rovers 9 5 4 4 -13 10

Scandalic 9 3 6 4 -17 6

Yates Bar 9 3 6 5 -21 6

Jantha Coffee House 9 2 7 2 -33 4

Mai’s Bar 9 1 8 1 -43 2

Results: Mai’s Bar (0-0)-(9-1) v Legends Pool & Sports Bar, Scandalic (3-0)-(6-1) v Mee Chew Sports Bar, W. Tankies (4-1)-(5-0) v Jantha Coffee House, Yates Bar (3-0)-(6-1) v I-Rovers

Evans above – Daryl takes monthly award

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Dick Warberg (right) presents the MBMG Group Golfer of the Month award to Daryl Evans.

Derek Brook
Tuesday, June 25, Green Valley – Stableford
Not played much golf for me the last couple of weeks as I was on holiday in Malaysia, but I must thank Dick Warberg who stood, not only in the gap, which he always does, but for keeping all the players on their toes.
I came back to not only a great day out at a fine course but to The MBMG Group Golfer of the Month day. As usual this was still up in the air, and even I had a chance despite missing a few games. The ‘leading lights’ were Dick and those two ‘golfers’ Bob Watson and Max Scott. We would however see who came to the front.
It is always nice to play Green Valley; I seem to remember this was the first course I played way back in ‘92’. I thought it was good then and I think it is still the best course from this clubhouse to this day.

Walter Baechli.

Today the course seemed quiet and we were allowed to get off very early on a dark and dismal day. The fairways were still wet so the course played long, made even more difficult by a strong wind that seemed to be always in your face. Even the greens were different as some were sanded, but seemed to run true.
Our 4-ball played well and from our scores I expected we may have some other good scores with Walter always that bit ahead of the rest, but could he slip in?
Back at Bert’s very early we got into the presentation. The winner on the day was Walter Baechli with 39 points ahead of a count back on 38 points that saw Daryl Evans in second and your scribe in third. In fourth we had Bob Watson with 37 points.
The point now was who would win the MBMG Group Golfer of the Month award. Well it was not one of the favourites as with his second place Daryl Evans took the honours for June. Well done Daryl!
Near Pins: Walter Baechli, Bob Watson (2), Max Scott
Friday, June 28, Wangjuntr – Stableford
It’s a fair trip to this golf course, probably the reason many players decided to stop in bed. It’s a good distance past Greenwood but on the way back Daryl said it took him just 70 minutes, so once in a while, why not?

John Harrison.

We played the ‘Highlands’ today and for those that have not been there it can be high, and the greens can be more than tricky. One player said he reached the 18th green in two and after six he was further from the hole than he was in two. The whole course was in great shape with a few wet strips here and there. This is probably why we did not play the Valley 18 holes as we were supposed to, it was probably very wet.
One of the things noted by the players was that the course was very well marked - the hazards were well staked, and the G.U.R. was well defined. One thing that did not work well was the playing of the greens. We were supposed to play the ‘right’ greens and some of the groups ended up playing the ‘left’ greens as they were given the cards for these. Sad, but some did not realise until they were back in Bert’s that they had played the wrong greens. A life of golf with us is never boring!
In his last game before he went ‘home’, John Harrison won the day with 32 points. In a count back on 30 points, John Davis came in second and Joel Flor took third. It sure was a tough course but a pleasure to play. T.T. F.N.

Swede taste of success

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

The Pattaya Golf Society began the week in fine style on Monday, 24th June, with a visit to Bangpra golf club to play a stableford competition. The course was in fine condition and the day was set fair for some excellent golf.
Dave Edwards and Robbie Taylor took on the task of marshalling the day and they saw Dave and Craig Thomas share second place with 32 points. The winner was Swedish golfer Tomas Nilsson, so consistent this trip, with 35 points for a well deserved win. There were no birdie ‘2’s.
Rabbi’s free beer went to Alan Walker and the Booby Bevy went to John O’Sullivan for his low score of the day. The presentation heard that Mr Len had been hospitalised after a recurrence of a seven year old lung problem but in a week or so his ability to “kick ass” would be restored! Meanwhile all goes on as normal at Rabbi’s with the help of many PGS friends.
Local member makes good
The Pattaya Golf Society played its monthly medal event at Crystal Bay on Wednesday, 26th June. The course was in good condition, as it has been all low season.
In third place was Japanese golfer, Masashi Iizumi, with 76 net and he was a long way behind second placed Dave Plaiter who performed well for his level par net 72. The winner was Crystal Bay member Takeshi Hakozaki and his local knowledge helped him to score net 70.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and the Booby Bevy went to Tomas Nilsson after his “hero to zero” round which saw him finish with the worst round of the day. Thanks to Dave Plaiter for marshalling the show in the absence of Mr Len.
Favourites win scramble
The Pattaya Golf Society ended the week in fine style with a “fun” event in the form of a three-player team scramble at Eastern Star. It was the first time in months that the group has visited the course and found the change of scenery refreshing and the greens were certainly in better shape than on the previous visit.
For the record, in third place was the trio of Alan Duckett, Glenn Martin and Bryan Barrell with net 63 whilst only one shot ahead was the fancied big hitting combination of Mark West, Craig Thomas and Andrew Purdie. Net 62 held promise of a win but “insiders” already sussed there may be a surprise as another group of seasoned team players, Dave Plaiter, Masashi Iizumi and Chris Walsh swept all before them with an excellent net 58 for an emphatic victory.
The best part of the day was when the prize winners all donated their goodies to the group’s nominated charity this year, the Fr. Ray Foundation Outreach Center. Once again the PGS saw winners all round.

Scribes lucky day

Phoenix Members Golf Society

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

Mike Gerrard
Friday, June 21, we had a nice small couple of groups playing the Ocean and Lake course and it was yours truly with 40 points who snatched victory from Pierre Bietry, who returned a fine 39 points. Steve Gibson and Mukesh Thakkar both carded 36 points to come 3rd and 4th respectively.
John Clift, Pierre Bietry and Bill Hewitt each claimed near pins prizes with one not won. This was duly entered into the lucky draw and meant we had 3 lucky draw prizes with three players not winning other prizes, which meant everyone was a winner on this day.
On the last Tuesday of the month, June 25, it was Trattoria Italiana voucher day. Normally we play stroke play for this prize, but with the advent of new competitions it means that every game of the month is now a qualifying game for the Blue Olive Restaurant voucher and the new annual M.T. Cup trophy. So we have decided that from now on all competitions every Tuesday and Friday will be under stableford scoring rules. Many players greeted this with some joy. Still, one or two of us feel that real stroke play sorts the men from the boys.
It was big John Bartley who prevailed on this day with 37 points, beating Werner Scharz into second place on count back with the same score. Third was Mukesh Thakkar who in turn relegated Steve Gibson into fourth place, both scoring 36 points but with Mukesh returning a better back nine.
John Bartley was duly awarded the first prize along with his voucher from Trattoria Italiana Restaurant, donated by Giorgio Baccioli.
Near pin prizes went to Joe Miller, Mike Gerrard, Steve Gibson & Gerd Riedler.
The lucky draw prizes, donated by our hosts The Relax Bar at Ban Amphur, went to Gerd Riedler (free massage), Fred May (free drink) & Wolfram Grueber (50 baht).

Robbins rules the month

PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch

Tony Robbins (front right) being congratulated by Les and the “boys”.

Monday, June 24, Treasure Hill – Stableford
A few coming and goings to start the week, and we were left with eleven players for our visit to Treasure Hill. When we arrived at the course the management were having a difficult day caused by a traffic accident on the nearby 331 road which had severed the power lines, and consequently there was no electricity or water in the clubhouse.
Fortunately the course was quiet and we set off without delay, with the round progressing smoothly until the leading three-ball caught up with another society on the 13th hole, and progress came to a grinding halt.
The course wasn’t in its best condition, and the staff were lightly sanding the greens as our round progressed - interestingly though, the sanded greens ran faster than those awaiting treatment. Several of the drinks stations were closed so some players were struggling with a lack of drinking water, and Skinny and Neal were forced to ration their beer intake to levels never seen before.
Tony Robbins didn’t let any of the distractions affect his concentration and came home two points clear of second placed Peter Habgood. Alan Freeman was playing his first came since arriving at the weekend, and took third place ahead of Geoff Hart on a count back.
Fortunately the power and water had been restored when we returned to the clubhouse, but those hungry golfers looking forward to a meal had a final disappointment, as the kitchen had run out of gas – definitely not a good day for the management!
1st Tony Robbins (15) 34pts
2nd Peter Habgood (18) 32pts
3rd Alan Freeman (3) 31pts
Near Pins: Barry Murnin and Tony Robbins (2).
Wednesday, June 24, Pattana C & B – Stableford
For various reasons, some of our regular players are not too keen on the Pattana course, so it was a small group which made our second trip of the week down the 331 road. The course was deserted and the two groups set off on schedule in pleasant conditions but under heavily overcast skies.
The round proceeded smoothly, with no golfers ahead of us until a thunder storm rolled in and caught us on the 16th tee. There was some discussion whilst sheltering in the drinks station as to whether we should cancel the competition, but our financial officer Tony Robbins was having none of it, as he was leading by three points at the time, and would also take the lead in the Golfer of the Month if he held on to the lead. We eventually resumed the round after a 45 minute delay and managed to complete the remaining holes in dry weather, although the fairways were severely waterlogged.
Tony Robbins managed to hang on to his lead despite scoring a blob on the difficult 17th hole (B8), coming into the clubhouse two points ahead of second place man Barry Murnin. Les Burns had his best performance since returning to Pattaya at the start of the month, but lost out on third place to Lee Butler on a count back.
We said our goodbyes to Ian Masterson over the complimentary glass of beer provided by the management, and eventually headed back to Pattaya just as a second storm arrived at the course.
1st Tony Robbins (15) 36pts
2nd Barry Murnin (13) 34pts
3rd Lee Butler (17) 33pts
Near Pins: Barry Murnin (2) and Tony Robbins (2)
Friday, June 28, Mountain Shadow – Stableford
Fourteen golfers today for our visit to the demanding Mountain Shadow course, which was an ideal venue for the final game of the month, with three contenders still in the running for the Golfer of the Month trophy. Tony Robbins was leading the way, one point ahead of Barry Murnin, with Geoff Parker a close third, and the three protagonists were joined by Lee Butler in the final group.
The weather was bright and sunny and with an empty course ahead of us, everything was set for the final showdown. Tony Robbins raised the hopes of the chasing pack when he blobbed the first hole, but quickly returned to his normal steady form and was tied with Geoff on 18 points after nine holes, with Barry trailing by one. Lee Butler meanwhile was determined not to be a bystander and was leading the field with 20 points at the halfway stage.
Barry suffered a couple of mishaps on the first few holes on the inward nine and was starting to lose contact, whilst Geoff and Tony were still level when they reached the tee on the notorious par five 14th hole. Disaster struck for Geoff when he failed to clear the hazard on the approach to the green, and was lodged between two rocks, subsequently making the foolhardy decision to attempt an impossible shot rather than walking back for a drop. Geoff was still in the hazard two shots later and duly recorded a blob, whilst Barry carded a birdie to re-enter the fray.
Over the closing holes Tony remained steady as a rock and even threatened to catch Lee, who was having his best game by far in recent weeks. Les Burns also had his best ever score at Mountain Shadow to take third place, whilst Barry had the consolation of winning two near pin prizes.
Back at The Ranch everyone agreed that Tony was indeed the worthy winner and the beer and banter flowed late into the evening.
1st Lee Butler (16) 40pts
2nd Tony Robbins (15) 38pts
3rd Les Burns (31) 37pts
Near Pins: Neil Griffin (yet again using his driver!), Lee Butler and Barry Murnin (2).
Note: The Bunker Boys are 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.

Sweetnam hits form at Burapha

Jomtien Golf with the IPGC

Monday, June 24, Khao Kheow - Stableford
We played the C and A loops today with two divisions out and the equal cut was 5-15 in division 1 and 16+ in division 2. All groups survived the heavy cloud coverage with no rain whatsoever throughout the round. We played off the yellow tees, one in front of the back marker as always at around 6350 yards and everyone was happy with this.

Colin James.

32 points was the best score in for the day in both divisions, with Billy Fitzgerald winning division 1 ahead of Kari Kuparinen in second two points behind and Lindsay Phillips third on 28.
Pepo Frick, alias Michael Schumaker driving at 180km down the 7 today, won division 2 on 32 points and ‘Count back’ Burnie, as always, beat Colin James 19/14 on the back nine after they both came in with 30 points.
Near pins went to Billy Fitzgerald, Kari Kuparinen (2), Lindsay Phillips, Pepo Frick, Glenn King and Mark Jennings.
Curtis Hessler birdied A5 to record the only ‘2’ of the day and take the pot in division 2.
Wednesday, June 26, Burapha - Stableford
There were seven four-balls out today, 28 players and we were allocated the C and D nines as A and B were closed. It is a partially cloudy day but it did not look threatening as we teed off 15 minutes ahead of schedule.

John Oxley.

The cut was made at 5-17 in division 1 and 18 plus and the best score of the day came in the top flight from Jerry Sweetnam, winning division 1 with 39 points. Don Head was second two points behind and there were four players fighting for third place on 35 points; Neville Scurrell took the podium position with 20 points on the back nine, beating Paul Butler (19), Billy Fitzgerald (17) and Lindsay Phillips (13).
Pepo Frick topped division 2 with 37 points, Eiichi was second on 35 and Colin James beat Jimmy Johnson on a 11/10 back nine count back for third after they both scored 33 points.
The weather held out for most of the round with the last group being hit on the eighteenth hole with a heavy downpour but this was not a problem.
Near pins went to Kari Kuparinen (2), Jouni Metsanen, Jerry Sweetnam, Paul Hartley, Dannie Larsen (2) and Miss Pink a.k.a. Miss Nut.
Don Head birdied D2 and Chris Voller C8 to share a rollover ‘2’s pot in division 1 and Eiichi birdied C8 for the only ‘2’ in the second division.
Friday, June 28, Eastern Star - Stableford
There were two divisions out today with the cut at 9-20 in division 1 and Colin James came in with 35 points to win division 2. Still in form, Pepo Frick took second on 32 and Tim Hake was third with 28, beating the ograniser on a back nine count back of 14/13.

Tim Hake.

Paul Hartley headed division 1 with 34points, with Bill Bertram beating Marty Rock on a 7/6 back-three count back for second after they both scored 31 points, 17 each on the back nine and 12 points on the back six.
Near pins were claimed by Bill Bertram, Marty Rock, Chris Voller, Roar Berger and Colin James.
There were no ‘2’s today in either division so a double rollover to eastern Star next Friday.

Golfnutter: The Newbie

Welcome to Golfnutter’s Blog – a weekly commentary highlighting contemporary golfing issues, in Pattaya and beyond. For more on matters golf, especially Pattaya golf, visit golfnutter.wordpress.com.

Pattaya’s golfing Newbie.

This is intended to be the definitive guide for golf newbies – golfers new to Pattaya. This, the first of a two-part article, attempts to cover everything the newbie needs to know prior to arriving at the course. The second article in the series will appear next week and cover course-related matters, post-course happenings and costs. This is not about how to hit a golf ball. Rather, it’s about all those things you need to have in place before, during and after your first game in Pattaya.
The first point to grasp is that the great majority of golf venues, often referred to as golf outlets, are keen to meet new golfers and have them play with their group, whatever their gender or handicap. Golf in Pattaya is set up for the visitor, whether they intend returning or not. Newbies, whether they are singles or in groups, will be welcomed.
Most golf venues are run out of bars which fulfil the role of “clubhouse”. It is here that golfers will sign-up on preceding days by adding their name to a list, usually portrayed on the bar’s notice board. The sign-up sheet should advise the course, date and time of play, and ETD of transport. It should also give the name and phone number of the golf organiser.
Some golf bars are owned by the golf organiser, some are not. Successful golfing venues need a clubhouse, ideally one that provides food and drink along with a warm and welcoming ambiance. Bars need custom. This marriage of convenience works well, provided golfers make some use of clubhouse facilities and services.
To those whose interest in the golf venue is strictly limited to what happens between the first and 18th tees, may I suggest you try organising your own transport, playing rights and green-fee discount. Membership of a golf “club”, i.e. a venue or outlet, implies some sort of affiliation. If you are not prepared to partake in the most basic of courtesies, such as enjoying a post-round chat with your fellow golfers, then do the venue a favour and stay in your closet.
Golfers will usually meet the organiser at the bar on golfing days to confirm their entry (pay) and organise transport. Most venues meet from 0800 onwards, and plan to leave circa 0830-0930. Beware, TIT; times could change. Ninety five per cent of courses are situated within one hour’s easy drive.
With well over twenty-plus golf venues to choose from, the newbie is spoilt for choice. Most outlets are affiliated with either the IPGC or PSC. These organisations have their own website which lists their venues/outlets by name and location. Both organisations administer golf in accordance with the Rules of Golf, run a recognised handicap system and publish their own Local Rules.
Whilst the focus is on the competition of the day (predominately single stableford), it is not mandatory to enter. They also negotiate significantly discounted green-fees for their members. Membership is about 500 baht p.a., which will be easily offset by the size of green-fee discount received after one or two rounds.
There are other well patronised outlets including the Traveller’s Rest, which, like the above, is a full-service provider. And more still that are not full-service providers in that they do not administer handicaps nor maintain Local Rules. Some of these offer non-competitive golf only.
Finally, there are organisations that do golf tour “packages”, who manage to attract business locally and from customers booking their holiday from outside of Thailand.
When selecting which venue or outlet to join, the newbie need not be guided by location. Simply choosing a venue because their bar is next to one’s accommodation ignores the fact that most of central Pattaya is very accessible, even with golf clubs in tow. Once local transport is understood and appreciated for what it is – superbly easy and cheap – then closeness of venue to accommodation becomes less important.
When choosing their preferred option, newbies should, in my view, select the venue that has a welcoming clubhouse – bar – and treats golf sufficiently seriously that it issues Local Rules and supports a recognised handicapping system. Next in my priority would be the perceived friendliness of my fellow golfers and especially the organiser. Last is the ease with which my initial introduction is completed.
Of course the main criteria will soon become which venue offers the best overall value-for-money-experience, but as a newbie I won’t know that until I join up and play the various courses.
Total membership of IPGC and PSC runs well into the thousands (a factor not lost on courses during green-fee negotiations). IPGC’s handicapping system is CONGU based, whilst PSC runs the USGA’s handicap system. Both organisations are well run, providing their venues with the support needed to manage Rules of Golf administration, course playing rights and green-fee discounts. Both regularly offer tournament play inviting participation from their member outlets and both support local charities.
Upon joining through one outlet, the golfer is free to play from any other member outlet, of that organisation. Both recognise the other’s handicap system.
The average turnout for a day’s golf from venues belonging to either of these organisations can vary from say 10 to 30 in low-season and 25 to 60 in high-season.
Although it is not mandatory to join the day’s comp, venues that abide by the Rules of Golf will provide for competition golf. As such, satisfactory proof of a handicap from a recognised authority is required by reputable outlets. If this is not available, then golfers are asked to return cards from three rounds played with the same outlet, before a handicap is issued. If the venue does not insist on satisfactory proof of handicap, choosing for example to simply take your word, you should be worried, very worried.
Venues worth the newbie’s custom should be able to provide a schedule of where and when they are playing (visible on a notice board within the bar), be able to lay on transport, and give an accurate assessment as to cost.
When turning up on the actual day of play, allow a minimum of 15 minutes prior to the scheduled departure time, more if you’re planning on having breakfast. On meeting the golf organiser, expect to pay circa 500-700 baht, depending upon the venue. This is to cover transport costs to and from the course and competition fees which will probably include a ‘2’s competition. It is not compulsory to enter the competition.
Playing groups are organised into four-balls with the daily competition usually based upon single stableford. Occasional variations include par, pairs, scramble and medal competitions. If playing numbers warrant, the organiser will split the field into equal divisions, determined by handicap. A field of 30, for example, may see 15 players with a handicap of, say, 15 and under compete in div 1, the remainder in div 2. Three divisions are not uncommon.
Prize money from competition fees is divided equally amongst the podium finishers of each division. The ‘2’s comp and other technical prizes may also be subject to divisional split.
Playing partners: In the absence of any request, the organiser will probably place you in a group of similar ability (handicap). Other factors he may take into account include whether you are walking or carting, nationality, transport requirements and post-round activities.
Transport: Most venues will rely on a combination of private cars and minivans. The cars are owned by fellow golfers, the minivans usually by a local Thai operator. Minivans are capable of taking up to 12 golfers plus bags. The organiser will pay the van driver a fixed amount whether the van takes eight or 12 people. No-shows – people whose names were on the sign-up sheet who stated they required transport – who don’t turn up, will be a direct cost to the organiser. If your circumstances change such that you can’t make it, advise the organiser beforehand, even if it’s on the morning concerned. Don’t, under any circumstance other than death, be a no-show!
Items in your bag should include water and a hand-towel. Some courses are a bit remiss in that they will close an on-course watering-hole (refreshment shop) without notice. This could mean going nine holes without liquid refreshment. Keep a bottle of water tucked away, just in case.
Depending upon your physical condition, the towel becomes a necessity around Mar/Apr/May. This is the “hot and humid” season, whereby sweat will be constantly dripping, or in some cases pouring from your forehead, every time you play a shot. To those of you not used to playing in the tropics, beware it is not so much the temperature that will get to you, but the humidity. Many an expat has taken more than one disbelieving unprepared newbie to hospital, after collapsing on the course. Water and a towel are the bare minimum.
Money: sounds obvious eh? I mean money in small denominations, like plenty of one-hundred and twenty baht notes for use on the course. It has always amazed me as to how little change the on-course shops carry – about the same as motor-bike taxis, which is none. And don’t expect your caddie to have change when paying her tip.
Change of clothing. This is a basic necessity, no matter the time of year. I recommend you purchase a golf bag designed to carry golf shoes and a change of clothes – any of the many golf retailers will sell these. All courses have showers and provide soap, shampoo, towel and other toiletries as part of the green-fee. Beware, only a few provide sun-screen.
Many, perhaps most venues offer clubs for hire. You will obviously need golf shoes – metal spikes not allowed on most courses – and balls, plenty of them. Many courses have roadside golf-ball shops positioned near the various courses. It is a good idea to stock up with these cheap, pre-loved versions than to pay top baht for new ones. Most transport will oblige with a brief stop, especially if water is a major feature of your destination, which invariably it will be.
Next week: On-course matters, post-course happenings and cost.
Happy golfing,
Golfnutter

Freddy’s super birthday show

PSC Golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society

(Left-right) Nick Odnoral, Jimmy Day and Tom Gorey.

Sunday, June 23, St. Andrews - Stableford
A Flight
1st Claude Harder (14) 38pts
2nd Frank Bonningen (12) 35pts
B Flight
1st Nelly Stoer (21) 39pts
2nd Jean LaRoche (18) 35pts
Today’s comp was moved to nearby St Andrews as Green Valley was host to a Major Thai event. There was no man of the match this day but it was not due to lack of performance. It was because the best player was a gal, Aussie belle Nelly Stoer. Nelly, with a sparkling 39 points, took B Flight as Canadian Jean LaRoche shot a fine 35 points for the silver.
Monsieur Claude Harder, tired of seeing his mate JP on the podium week in week out, put his foot dawn and carded a very respectably 38 points. Claude was three strokes clear of Frank Bonningen.
Claude, Josh Usher and Simon Spalding shared the 2’s pot.
Tuesday, June 25, Khao Kheow - Stableford
1st Nick Shaw (18) 35pts
2nd Colin Davis (19) 34pts
A relatively modest group, attributed to the season and Freddy’s Birthday bash on Wednesday, took on the favourite of many - the Pete and Perry Dye creation Khao Kheow. Nick Shaw seized the opportunity as he was man of the match as his 35 points was the top score on the day. ‘The Donkey’, never one to miss an opening, slid into second on 34 points.
No 2’s were recorded so it was a rollover on Friday.
Wednesday, June 26, Plutaluang N & West – Stableford
1st Tom Gorey (20) 37pts
2nd Jimmy Day (18) 37pts
3rd Nick Odnoral (20) 35pts
Today Lewiinski’s and Freddy’s friends from around the Pattaya area celebrated Freddy’s Birthday at Plutaluang Navy course. Every hole was sponsored, with a chance to even win a motorbike on one hole, so lots of prizes were on offer. The course was in excellent condition and played very long from the white tee’s (6612yds) the scores reflected the difficulty on the day.
History suggests that the consistency of the fairway lie can help the higher handicapper find the grove and it did today as the Irish pair of Co. Wexford’s Tom Gorey and Co, Wicklow’s Jimmy ‘good’ Day were co-men of the match with excellent 37 point returns. The resulting count back gave the Wexford man Tom the top podium spot as Jimmy had to settle for the second step.
Aussie Nick Odnoral filled the podium with a count back win over ‘Broadmore’ Bob, both locked on 35 points.
Back at Freddy’s bar, the Ferdinand Bar on Soi Diana, it was party time with the presentation followed by a Lewiinski’s famous buffet and a super raffle which was won by Nick Shaw. Everybody wished Freddy a happy birthday and for a wonderful day was had by all.
Friday, June 28, Crystal Bay A & B - Stableford
A Flight
1st Kevin Rogers (10) 36pts
2nd Takeshi Hakozaki (10) 36pts
3rd JP Maffray (12) 36pts
B Flight
1st Aiden Murray (24) 40pts
2nd Nick Shaw (18) 35pts
3rd Peter Henshaw (210 35pts
The competitive week was rounded off by Aiden Murray standing atop the B Flight podium with a splendid 40 points as he took the flight and man of the match honours. He was also the only player to better his handicap on the day and the quality of his round was emphasized by the fact that his score was five clear of the quality duo of Nick Shaw and Irishman Peter Don O’Corleone Henshaw; the luck of the Irish deserted Peter as Nick sneaked the silver.
Kevin Rogers took the honours in A Flight as he won the a three-way count back. Kevin’s 23points on the back nine easily beat Takeshi Hakozaki San (18) and the golden boy JP Maffray (15), the two other players with 36 points.
Kevin also had the last say as he carded a brace of ‘2’s to claim the pot.
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.

Mod holds sway over the field

Travellers Rest Golf Group

Andy Rich
In the week that threw up some early exits for some of the stars of Wimbledon tennis it was a case of déjà vu, or as the Americans say Groundhog Day, for the stars of the Travellers Rest Golf Group.

Mod Chaviraksa.

Fergus Brennan started off this Monday in exactly the same way as he started off Monday the week before by winning a golf competition. On Tuesday and Thursday our resident lady golfer and pool table hustler must have felt she had won the lottery by taking first place on both days, beating the same golfer Jim McNeill into second place on both occasions. I bet Jim was feeling how unfair life can be at times.
Monday, June 24, Crystal Bay - Stableford
The scene for Fergus Brennan’s triumph on Monday was Crystal Bay (A and B courses). He seemed to have left his shanking nightmare at home for the second week running and managed to rack up an impressive 37pts on his way to the top of the pile. Jim Cooper did his best to catch him but had to settle for second on 36pts and Ted Senior took third spot on 35.
1st Fergus Brennan (13) 37pts
2nd Jim Cooper (16) 36pts
3rd Ted Senior (14) 35pts
Tuesday, June 26, Eastern Star - Stableford
On Tuesday it was on to Eastern Star and our own eastern star Mod Chaviraksa, who looks as though a stiff breeze will blow her off course, kept the wind at her back and sailed into first place on 32pts. Jim McNeill stalled a little but still managed to get the runners up berth on 30 and David Booth, who has the air of a nautical officer, was demoted to the rank of cabin boy and took third place on 28.
1st Mod Chaviraksa (12) 32pts
2nd Jim McNeill (16) 30pts
3rd David Booth (14) 28pts
Thursday it was off to Phoenix (Ocean and Lakes) and Mod Chaviraksa rose again from the ashes to fire her way to the winner’s podium, this time destroying the course as well as the opposition by storming to 39pts and fame and glory.
Jim McNeill’s challenge disappeared in a puff of smoke although he did put together an impressive 38pts. Roger Wilkinson was smoking when he found out he was only third on 37.
1st Mod Chaviraksa (12) 39pts
2nd Jim McNeill (16) 38pts
3rd Roger Wilkinson (12) 37pts
Note: If you would like to play a round of golf with the TRGG, please phone Fergus Brennan on 086 056 7019 or pop into the Ned Kelly Bar in Soi Lengkee and add your name to the weekly lists, which are posted on the notice board.

Allen Raaen seals 4 in a row

IPGC golf from The Haven

Monday, June 24, Crystal Bay A & B - Stableford
CSS 72
1st John Carlin (14) 38pts
2nd John Wood (24) 37pts
3rd Hal Hart (20) 36pts
4th Allen Raaen (9) 35pts
5th Markku Tynell (22) 35pts
The second visit in the month to the ever-popular Crystal Bay which was found to be fairly busy, no doubt due to the excellent pricing of 1,600 baht including caddy and cart, but all the groups were away ahead of time with the rounds being completed in just over four hours. Once again the course was found to be in tip top condition even allowing for the heavy rainfall it had taken over the preceding days, which ensured that the scores were of a high order.

Allen Raaen.

John Carlin at last made some impact as he took his first win with the group with a two under handicap round that could have been even better but for an unfortunate zero-pointer on the second hole on the B course, which he then followed with a double. But he closed off the round in high style, picking up two extra points to par over the last seven which was just enough to deny John Wood his first win of the trip.
John Wood’s fine one under looked like the winning card until he reached the difficult 502 yard par five 8th on the B course where an unlucky 8, which counted for naught, took him out of contention for the top spot, although he did finish with a solid par to close off second place.

Hal Hart.

Hal Hart turned in another solid performance that had his playing partner, Alwyne Burley, once more crying into his beer and complaining that once again he had been given the short straw having been landed with a caddy whose sole ability was to be able to read Braille, leaving him with yet another lost wager for the day as Hal slid into third spot.
Allen Raaen won a count back over Markku Tynell for fourth with a better 21 to 17 after starting the day too slowly to have any impact on the final leaders.
Surprisingly with such good scores around the course there were no 2’s in either division.
Before the presentations were made there was a welcome back for Peter Buckley.
Wednesday, June 26, Plutaluang W & E - Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Mike Hill (20) 31pts
2nd Peter Buckley (19) 30pts
3rd Shuichi Kodaka (16) 30pts
4th Lyle Blaw (12) 30pts
5th Terry Hodgkiss (23) 30pts
Today was the first visit to Plutaluang for many moons and for many of the contenders it was their first time to see the course, which may well have accounted for the poor scores. The condition generally was found to be good, although as with almost all of the courses visited recently, the going was very tough with both nines playing very long, but the greens were good if slow due to the problems of mowing in the wet weather.
One thing that could not be complained about was the cost for the day at 1,250 baht including caddy and cart, which surely must have accounted for the full car parks when both arriving and leaving, but once again the experiences of getting away from the first tee and the speed of play were very good.

John Carlin.

Having started out with a solid nine holes on the east course that showed no zeros, Mike Hill just held on to win after slipping in a couple of blobs in the middle of the back nine but then managed to steady the ship, even almost falling over the line at the finish to hold off a four-way challenge for second place.
Leading that charge was Peter Buckley who won the count back with a better 16 points after starting out with a blob on the first, then settled down and closed out strongly to claim second place.
Shuichi Kodaka took third with 15 on the back nine with Lyle Blaw in fourth with 13 and Terry Hodgkiss fifth with 12, having started with an excellent four-pointer on the par five first on the east course.
There were no 2’s in the second division but Lyle Blaw cleaned out the first division rollover pool with his effort on the 156 yard fifth on the east course.
Back at The Haven there was a welcome back for Kevin Blake and a mention for BJ Smith whose best laid plan had been caught in a mousetrap on the way out of the bed, which caused a long delay in his arrival at the course, but still just in time for a chat as the last group teed off for their tenth hole as he started on his second of the day.
Friday, June 28, Khao Kheow - Monthly Medals
Division 1
Yellow tees
CSS 75 NC
1st Allen Raaen (9) net 75
2nd Trevor Schirmer (12) net 78
3rd John Carlin (14) net 78
Division 2
White tees
CSS 71
1st Hal Hart (20) net 71
2nd Mike Hill (20) net 75
3rd Markku Tynell (22) net 76
With Phoenix still being off the playing schedule due to their pricing structure, the monthly medals were set for the difficult Khao Kheow course where the A and C course were in play starting on C.
As always the course was found to be in great shape although, as seems almost always to be the case recently, the fairways were offering very little run making a long and tough course, and from the yellow tees in the first division, even longer and tougher.
The end results in the first division underlined the difficulty of the day as Allen Raaen took the medal by three clear from second place with a three over return that was a struggle all the way round. It was to be Allen’s fourth medal in succession, which has cut down the number of entries, in the first division at least, into the end of year Gold and Silver competitions. It is also a feat that has not been achieved before over the last seventeen years that group has been contesting the monthly medals.
Trevor Schirmer took second place after winning a count back over John Carling, scoring a better 38 to 39.
The second division was played from the white tees, which made things a little easier as the scores suggested. Hal Hart took his first medal and booked his place for the end of year finals with a one under return that included an ugly ten amongst what would have been an outstanding inward half, but playing much tidier over the outward half had allowed him the luxury of a four stroke cushion ahead of second placed Mike Hill. Mike was three over having improved his front nine by three coming home but ended up still a fair way short.
Markku Tynell closed out third with a solid round that got better the longer it went on but suffered from a poor last four, dropping ten shots to par and falling out of contention.
There were no 2’s in the first division but Tom McCarthy made it a happy return on the day with the only one in the second division which cleared out the triple roll over pot.
Prior to the prize presentations there were welcome backs for two ex-US Navy Chiefs in the form of Keith Emmerson from Japan and Tom McCarthy from the States, which when added to the local VFW Adjutant ex-Master Chief Hal Hart, was beginning to look like maybe a case of an acute shortage of indians as they got together over several drinks to show coins, plan out the next working party detail and decide exactly how much an anchor weighed.
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.

Steve Mann has a scorcher at St. Andrews

PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar

(From the left) Kim Danboise, Steve Mann, Bruce McAdam, Tim Knight.

Monday, June 24, Burapha – Stableford
Tough going on the A & B nines for the 32 players at Burapha from the blue tees, even though the weather conditions were ideal, particularly for the higher handicappers (Div C) which this week was 19 or over. The best score they could manage was 28pts, obtained by Darren Cook, who was having his first game in a long while and Andy Makara.

Simon Spaulding with Nelly Stoer, Mark & Josh.

Interestingly enough the 28pt winning score beat the previous lowest winning score of 29pts, a record which Tim Knight, our organiser for the day, was extremely proud of and was naturally disappointed to have lost it.
Elsewhere it was Steve Mann who has returned to his winning ways in Div A, parring the first six holes, with the day’s top score of 36pts, beating Paul Bourke (33) and visitor, Mark Haffenden, who shot a great level par round off the stick (33pts off a plus 3 handicap).
Whilst we’re on the subject of visitors, welcome to Mark and his travel companions; Josh Usher, Simon Spaulding and Nelly Stoer; who together formed our class four-ball as their combined handicaps amounted to just 9.
Joe Mooneyham’s 34pts was enough to take Div B from regular Burpha goers, Bob Finley (32) and Pete Stonebridge (31).
There were three ‘2’s from Nelly Stoer (A3), Josh Usher (A6) & Paul Bourke (B8).
Div A (+3-12)
1st Stephen Mann (12) 36pts
2nd Paul Bourke (8) 33pts
3rd Mark Haffenden (+3) 33pts
Div B (13-18)
1st Joe Mooneyham (16) 34pts
2nd Bob Finley (14) 32pts
3rd Pete Stonebridge (17) 31pts
Div C (19+)
1st Darren Cook (28) 28pts
2nd Andy Makara (25) 28pts
3rd Tim Knight (23) 26pts
Tuesday, June 25, Khao Kheow – Stableford
There were 12 Outbackers today playing A & C at Khao Kheow today but I’m sorry to report it might be quite a few more weeks before we will return, unless there is a rapid improvement in the condition of the course. Last year we remained patient and loyal to the course but with things as they are, it will be difficult to attract locals and visitors to play here. We appreciate there is a massive amount of work going on, on the B nine, which has been closed for some time but what we were left to play on was verging on the inexcusable!
We had ‘lift, clean and place’ on the fairways due to the heavy amount of rain they have had over the last few days and the bare muddy lies and water generally. It’s a shame as Khao Kheow is one of my favourites but today the course was definitely not ship shape and a long way from its best.
The plus points were that the staff were very pleased to see us and met us with a big hello and lots of smiles.
The guys made me (Suzi) play off 2 less than my official PSC handicap, which is the PSC recommended reduction on this course when ladies play in the same comp as the men from the yellow tees (less if the men play from the white) but still they couldn’t catch me! Svenn Lund took second place with 32 and welcome back to John Greenhalgh, who took third on 31. Also hello again to Dag Bastiansen and to Bruce Milner (B1) & B2.
There were no ‘2’s.
1st Suzi Lawton (20) 34pts
2nd Svenn Lund Ole (14) 32pts
3rd John Greenhalgh (14) 31pts
4th Sugar Ray Handford (16) 29pts
5th Kim Danboise (20) 27pts
Wednesday, June 26, Siam Plantation – Stableford
With 19 players down at the Emerald playing in the State of Origin match, there was another good turnout here at Plantation on the A & C loops, of 16. The weather behaved itself and the course in its usual good nick but maybe the wind contributed to the lower than usual scoring.
One of our visitors and the only lady in the field, Nelly Stoer, took the win with 36pts playing off 10 from course specialist Ron Dickie with 35, heading a four-way count back which included Simon Spaulding, Clinton Kimber and Stephen Mann.
There were four ‘2’s from Martin Crichton, Steve Poznanski & Ron Dickie got two.
1st Nelly Stoer (10) 36pts
2nd Ron Dickie (5) 35pts
3rd Simon Spaulding (2) 35pts
4th Clinton Kimber (14) 35pts
5th Stephen Mann (12) 35pts
Friday, June 28, St. Andrews – Stableford
Twenty-seven golfers at St Andrews hit off in perfect weather and the course was in great condition except the greens were slow and the bunkers needed raking.
As usual on this course the Div A scores were much better than Div B, which just underlines once again the fact that this course is not recommended for high handicappers.
Steve Mann is going from strength to strength with his best round yet since his accident three months ago, winning Div A with the day’s best score of 41pts. He was only 1 over after ten holes and will surely see his handicap start to come down. Paul Bourke also had a good round with 39pts to finish second with Dennis Pelly in third on 36.
Div B was won by Tim Knight with 34pts from a rare visitor to Thailand and the podium, Bruce McAdam with 33 and Suzi back in third on 32.
Kim Danboise got the only ‘2’ on the tenth.
Div A (0-16)
1st Stephen Mann (12) 41pts
2nd Paul Bourke (8) 39pts
3rd Dennis Pelly (12) 36pts
4th Svenn Ole Lund (14) 34pts
Div B (17+)
1st Tim Knight (23) 34pts
2nd Bruce McAdam (28) 33pts
3rd Suzi Lawton (22) 32pts
4th Jimmy Little (19) 30pts
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. Call Jack on 081 578 1956.

‘Broadmore’ beats ‘One-ball’ in two man fight

PSC golf from the Players Lounge”

John Dearden (center rear) hands over a donation of 130,000 baht to the Camillian Center in Rayong. The money was raised at last month’s JTB Charity Classic golf tournament held at Green Valley.

On Thursday the 13th of June The Players Lounge was host for the presentation party of the first ever JTB Charity Classic, organized by John Dearden and held at Green Valley in aid of the children at the Camillian Center in Rayong. The total raised was 130,000 Baht by 52 golfers.
There were donations and prizes from Mick Beresford, Mark Wood, the Pattaya Sports Club, Roger Bishop, David Elliot, John and Jeff Ryves, Darren Allcock, the Thursday Thrashers (Qatar) Little Hole bar, the Camel Ban Chang, and the Classroom.
Wednesday, June 19, Rayong Country Club - Stableford
1st Bob Newell (6) 31pts
2nd George Jackson (21) 23pts
Ah, to the title match! Throughout history there have been classic mano-a-mano match-ups going back to Hector and Achilles, Napoleon and Wellington, certainly David and Goliath, and who can forget Louis and Schmelling. And now we have ‘Broadmore’ Bob and ‘One-ball’ George.
While newcomer to the Pattaya golfing scene, and golf itself, Phil ‘keeps-u-fit’ Thomas, one of Leicestershire’s top anglers, put together a solid 7 points on the outer nine but could not keep it up to add to his total on the inner nine, ‘Broadmore’ and ‘One-ball’ carried on and a swell joust it was as Broadmore put a 31-point licking on Oneball’s 23.
Saturday, June 29, Green Valley - Stableford
1st Jim Bell (17) 37pts
2nd Brad Sproxton (13) 35pts
2nd Chris Davison (14) 35pts
It was a short week thanks to the much anticipated Freddy Starbeck’s birthday bash played at the Plutaluang Navy Course (Happy birthday Freddy from all at the Players Lounge).
With only Saturday for the lads to ‘strut their stuff” the race for the title slot lacked its usual luster. No stranger to the big font, Jimmy AK-47 Bell won the man of the match honours with a rock solid 37 points. Jim was also the only competitor to better his handicap.
Newcomers Brad Sproxton and old friend Chris Davison were welcomed to the society as they shared the second place on the podium. The GM has decided that count backs are not required and the spoils were shared equally.
The society welcomed Mark Wood and Big Gareth Gill as they returned from that devil called work.
Note: The Players Lounge is situated on soi Wat Sutthawas near to the Courtyard Pub just of Soi Siam. Anyone wishing to play with us just pop in and add your name to the list or call Bob on 080 096 8232.

Monthly Medal for Michael

PSC golf from The Golf Club

Golf Captain Phil Smedley with Monthly Medal winner Michael Hastie and the ‘Honolulu Kid’, Terry Wagner.

Steve Ellison
Monday, June 24, Green Valley (white tees) – Stableford
1st Jack Grindvold (1) 39pts
2nd Bobby Driggs (12) 38pts
3rd Don Bland (4) 37pts
Wow! That’s all I can say about a guy that shoots a 70 off the stick here. We can’t call him wacko anymore, but Jacko is playing off a handicap of 1 now so if I am doing the math right, that’s 2 under par.
Jeez that’s great golf mate! Mr. Grindvold now keeps busy with his import business that supplies the Swedish ex-pats with their favourite foods and bevvies. Well played Jack, you certainly deserved this win.
Bobby Driggs, fresh off the boat from Okinawa, also had a great round with a 38 and Don Bland looks to be ready for the Cambodian Amateur title to defend once again with a 37-pointer on the card. Don will be leading our delegation for the annual early August migration to Siem Reap, so if you fancy the ultimate road trip then give us a call to join in.
Wednesday, June 26, Siam Old Course (white tees) – Stableford
T1st Jimmy Brackett (8) 41pts
T1st Phil Smedley (12) 41pts
3rd Tim Lazecki (21) 40pts
OK, so Siam Old Course is not the cheapest venue in town, but one thing is for sure…it is the best. The course is being fertilized, but it’s really not an issue with the quality of this layout.
The gathered masses consisted of both members and non-members and it was interesting to note that the first 2 places were occupied by non-members. So much for local knowledge!
We were treated to the Sports Day rate of 2,550 to play this challenging Schmidt-Curley layout and it was well worth the money for such a quality golf course. Once in a while you have to live a little.

Bobby Driggs back at The Club.

Our Arizona buddy Jim Brackett had a whopping 41 points to share the honours with TGC Golf Captain Phil Smedley and show those boys how to tame the ‘Old girl’. Both shot 5 strokes better than their handicaps so they must be eligible to garner some of those handsome man vouchers at the presentation back at The Club.
Tim Lazecki was the sole Siam member to reach that lofty podium (Brad got stuck on the rig!) and turned in a beautiful round of golf with 40 points for a 21 handicapper.
Friday, June 28, Pleasant Valley (white tees) – Monthly Medal
1st Michael Hastie (22) net 65
2nd Terry Wagner (19) net 70
3rd Phil Smedley (10) net 71
Monthly Medal time once again, and for a change we selected Pleasant Valley to test our stroke play skills. Also, after blowing the weekly budget at Siam on Wednesday, we wanted a baht friendly green fee for our declining bank balance! Actually, the exchange rate these days is pretty good, and I think we have seen the worst rates bottom out a month or so ago. Let’s hope so anyway.
The lads reported the course in decent nick, so it was game on for the Medal. Our fearless Golf Captain Phil is looking good once again, and turning in a net 71 off his 10 handicap gave him third place on the day. Next stop single digit mate?
Terry Wagner, off 19, took second place on his own with a net 70, but blowing away the field since his absence of 6 weeks and a new 22 handicap, Michael Hastie stole the day and got a new shirt in the process with an amazing 65 net. Good on ya mate!
Michael is going to wait until the new shirts come in next week for his 2-star Monthly Medal prize. We will have a few new colours so pop in and check it out.
Thanks once again for joining us and for your support of The Golf Club. Keep it in the fairway!
Note: Just a reminder; our Kabinburi Road Trip is scheduled for the 8th and 9th of July, so drop by or email to sign up. 2,900 baht for 2 green fees, (amazing) hotel and breakfast! It’s a great course too!
The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro. We try to schedule summer “Sports Days”, 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: pattaya4golf@gmail.com and see updates at www.facebook.com/golfclubpattaya ... all handicaps welcome!

Wheeler signs off in winning style

The Billabong Bar Golf Society

Monday, June 24, Crystal Bay - Stableford
Crystal Bay on Monday and the place was deserted. The course was in good condition even though it had had a lot of rain and it is still good value for money. We didn’t get any rain on us even though it did threaten from time to time but it stayed the other side of the hills.
With only a small field we were around in just under 4 hours and the scores were quite good. Cottee must have thought he had the day won again with 39 points but it was not to be as Craig Wheeler took first prize with a great 41 points.
The only ‘2’ of the day went to Wayne Cotterell getting it on the forth on the B side, well done mate.
We said goodbye to Les Niko and Craig Wheeler, off back to Australia, and also to Martin Keightley, see you in a month mate.
Wednesday, June 26, Green Valley - Stableford
Green Valley and no rain in site, just a very overcast day with no breeze, so perfect for golf. With three groups we virtually had the course to ourselves and it was in magnificent condition with greens just lightly sanded and watered back to the greens of old.
Whilst Kevin Wild still hasn’t broken the magic 100 yet he went close today with 14 points on the front nine and 24 on the back to take first prize with 38 in total. Second place went to Scott Eaton who was putting for a birdie on the last for a 75 gross but only managed a par. It was left to the Capt to birdie it for four points but alas the third place went to Greig Ritchie on a count back over John Aylott, with both on 36 points.
There were no ‘2’s recorded on the day.
Friday, June 28, Plutaluang - Stableford
It was down to Plutaluang today for our monthly scramble, and with nine teams it was going to be a great day out. Some took a little longer to get there than others but everybody did turn up in the end.
The South course was closed so we played West and North, a combination we hadn’t played for a long time, and a pleasant change it was at that. One of my playing partners said he lost two balls on the first hole and still made birdie, mind you that was down to Lamun Hanley chipping in.
The course was in great condition all round; the green’s were fast and true and the scribe should know as every putt on the last nine was from about forty feet. The Courtyard Cavalier’s came to defend their title as champions but it was not their day today.
Playing off a handicap of 8.2, the winners were Kevin Wild, Scott Eaton, Eng Cotterell and her illustrious husband Wayne, with a fine score of 57.8. Coming in second was the team of Brian Maddox, Owen Walkley, Phil Waite and Willim Lasonder playing off 6.9 with 60.1, and taking third place was the team of John Player, Sel Wegner, Kevin Waycott and Greig Ritchie playing off 5.9 coming in with 61.1, just narrowly beating the Courtyard lads by point one of a shot.
Note: If you are looking for a game of golf with some friendly blokes just give Bob a call on 082 204 3411 or call into the bar just off Siam Country Club Road look straight down Lake Mabprachan.

Fun–Fun–Fun at the YWCA Pattaya Beach Run

Somsak Toon Sinraksa (age 13), Apichart Big Wondkaew (13), Kittisak Oat Kaewkongsri (10), Anuchit Back Thepsupa (11), and Kritsada Aof Raksanook (9), who took second place in the team category, stand with their sponsors for the day Elfi Seitz and HHN-Director Radchada Chomjinda.

Elfi Seitz
Many people will remember the 15th of June 2013, especially those who crossed the finish line at the YWCA Fun-Run as winners of the individual categories and thus received the prestigious cups of HRH Princess Soamsawali.
The weather on the day was dry but a bit cloudy and therefore not too hot. Already at 3 p.m. the area opposite Soi 4 Pattaya Beach Road was crowded with people queuing up to register for the run. At the beginning it was thought that about 300 runners would take on the 2km long course, so it was something of a big surprise when it was found that the numbers participating had reached almost 800.

Centara Grand Mirage team arrives first at the finish line.

Tourist police volunteers were present to take care of the security and an ambulance of the Sawang Boriboon Foundation were ready to help, but fortunately it was never called upon.
The president of YWCA Pattaya, Praichit “Nidnoy” Jetapai, was very calm and cool and managed everything with a knowing hand, assisted by some members of her club.
The registration of all those people went smooth as well as the distribution of the prepared T-shirts. Soon one could see a sea of light blue T-shirts, only interrupted by the odd one or two of royal blue worn by the committee of YWCA.
Some leading directors of YWCA Bangkok came to take part at the start of the race and at 5 p.m., after short speeches by president Praichit and mayor Ittipol Kunplome, the runners were sent on their way. It was a mass start, reminding of some marathons in huge cities.

The Pattaya Mail team still smiling despite not being amongst the trophies.

Two kilometers might not seem too long a distance, but running on the sand and in a hot climate it provides a fair challenge. The participants struggled but all tried their best until they reached the finish line. There they were welcomed by officials who directed them to the booths where they got food and drinks.
To my personal delight the team which participated for Pattaya Blatt, children of the Child Protection and Development Center, Somsak Toon Sinraksa, 13, Apichart Big Wondkaew, 13, Kittisak Oat Kaewkongsri, 10, Anuchit Back Thepsupa,11, Kritsada Aof Raksanook, 9, made the 2nd place in the team category amongst all the grown-up teams. The Pattaya Mail team tried hard but unfortunately didn’t make it into the first three.
After the refreshments the big prize-giving ceremony started at 7 p.m. with some great music provided by a trio from the Chonburi welfare group “All For One Thailand”, and entertainment in the form of young magician Thanatip Visuitranuntachai and dancers from the Dance Studio Pattaya and students of the School No. 8, plus the two Brazilian samba dancers from Zico’s.
After the performances the winners of the race were called on stage to receive their cups and prizes. Osvaldo Rossono, an individual runner from Italy, was the winner of the male category, followed by Saman Kaewkahew of Thongnak Team and Pol. Sgt. Major Thanisorn Thonkulchaiwut of the Banglmaung Team.
In the ladies group the winner was a foreign lady Liisu Ma, while the first and second runners up were Sodsree Phromphun of the Pattaya Team and Suchada Anawong, another individual runner.
The beautifully dressed team of the Grand Centara Beach Resort won the team-prize and hard behind them came the young team of the Child Protection & Development Center (aged between 9 and 13 years only), who were running for Pattaya Blatt. Second runner up was an all-women team of the volunteers of the Redemptoristen Center who were sponsored by the German speaking ladies group Plauderstunde. Weerawat Aaajthrong of the Cavalry Team was the winner in the youth category.
The event had yet more to offer: as 10 bicycles, microwave ovens and many other items were raffled off and were presented by deputy mayor Ronakit Ekasingh and other celebrities to the lucky winners.
At the end the president of YWCA, who did such a great job, had tears of joy in her eyes and all of her members were equally as happy about the day’s success. All thanked the generous sponsors for their great help.

Registration open for Pattaya Marathon

Phasakorn Channgam
Applications are now open for runners looking to participate in the July 21 Pattaya Marathon.
Early registration – which offers lower prices and other benefits – runs through July 13. Participants are eligible for insurance coverage if registered by July 16. Registration fees include a jersey.
More than 2 million baht in prizes are up for grabs in the internationally contested races. Prizes will be awarded in six categories.
Runners in the full 42.2 km. race will segregated by gender and into six age brackets: 19-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69 and over 70. Registration for the full marathon costs Thais 500 baht through July 13 and 700 baht until July 20. Foreigners will have to pay 1,080 baht through July 13 and 1,620 baht through July 20.
Wheelchair marathon participants will receive free registration.
Runners in the official half-marathon will be split into the same age and gender brackets. Registration for Thais is 400 baht through July 13 and 500 through July 20. Foreigners will be charged 900 baht through July 13 and 1,260 baht thereafter.
Registration fees for the quarter-marathon are not discounted. Prices through race day are 300 baht for Thais and 720 baht for foreigners.
Race day will also offer a “student race” of just 3.5 km., split into under-14 age brackets for boys and girls. Registration is free, but must be completed by July 10.
Those registering before July 16 will receive 100,000 baht in insurance coverage for accidents related to external factors, such as falling or car collisions. Internal problems or illness are not covered.
The first three runners past the post in the full marathon will receive 200,000, 70,000 and 50,000 baht, respectively. The top Thai female and male finishers will each receive 70,000 baht. Second place earns a 50,000 baht prize and the third-place finisher will take home 30,000 baht.
The top-three finishers in the wheelchair marathon will win 25,000, 20,000 and 15,000 baht, regardless of nationality.
Only Thais, however, will be eligible for prize awards in the half-marathon. The top three finishers will receive 40,000, 20,000 and 10,000 baht, respectively.
Winners of the quarter-marathon and winners age 60 and above will receive prizes of up to 6,000 baht. Youngsters in the student race can win up to 3,000 baht. In addition, there will be prizes awarded to running clubs with the largest number of members participating in the Pattaya Marathon.
For more information, contact the Sports Development for Tourism Office at 038-253-127-9 or visit Pattaya-Marathon.net.

Thailand defeats Commonwealth in lawn bowls match-up

The players celebrate with their bottles of sparkling wine courtesy of Mont Clair.
The Coco Club at Ban Amphur celebrated the opening of their newly roofed all-weather indoor lawn bowls centre with a match between Thailand and the Commonwealth based on a Ryder Cup style points and individual results system, starting at 9 a.m. and concluding at 6 p.m.
Teams from Bangkok and Pattaya were joined by the Thai “Para” team, who have been under instruction at Coco Club for the last 2 months in preparation for their trip to South Africa to represent Thailand in the World Transplant Games in July and August. All 16 teams played 4 matches each.

Bank, Pukky and Yupa show off their medals.
The event also had a good downpour or two which tested the roof and an electrical stoppage, but neither interfered with the play.
The Thai team raced into a 8-0 lead and from then on it was tough going for the Commonwealth side. However, with 3 tied games and 4 games with just a one shot difference it gave hope for the rematch next year. The Thai side eventually won this one 43-21.
Coco’s local team of Bank, Pukky and Yupa did pick up the major team honours with a resounding win of 12 points over the nearest Bangkok sidein the four matches to take the gold medals and 10,000 baht first prize, donated by Kenya Airways, Maple-Abacus Consulting Services and Siam Winery.

Pattaya archers compete in Thailand’s top competition

Pattaya Archery Club team: (left-right) Allan, Philippe and Somporn.

The three best archers of Pattaya Archery Club recently went to Bangkok to compete in the country’s most prestigious indoor archery competition. This was the seventh annual “Princess Cup” which was held in the Island Hall, Kunnayow, Bangkok.
Allan Jones (England), Philippe Bache (France) and Somporn Kanakaew (Thailand) were the team that represented the club at “The Princess Cup” competition. They went to Bangkok full of optimism after practicing for several weeks at the club’s range, with all of them posting high scores in the calm and unstressful atmosphere at the Hua Yai Shooting Park.
Somporn Kanakaew had competed in last year’s “Princess Cup” competition, but for the two Europeans this was the first time either had ever shot outside of the club’s range. Shooting in an away competition is always more difficult than practicing in one’s own range, as the mental and emotional pressure is enormous.
What made the pressure more so was that the “Princess Cup” is an international archery event, with teams representing Japan, China, India, Malaysia and Korea … five nations whose archers were well placed in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Other teams came from overseas and there were many other archers shooting as individuals.
A congested
shooting line
So the three Pattaya archers were up against very strong international opposition. In fact there were more than 300 archers competing in various categories at the “Princess Cup” competition which was held over two full days. There were 26 targets in the large hall, with four archers shooting at each target, so the congestion on the shooting line can well be imagined.
The “Princess Cup” entails shooting three arrows at a range of 18 metres at a very small Vegas target. This target was originally introduced at an international indoor competition in Las Vegas several years ago and has become the standard for top-level 18 metre competitions. It comprises three small targets in descending order on a narrow vertical strip, with the centre 10 score circle only four centimetres in diameter.
Each archer has to shoot one arrow into each descending target, so that an “end” is just three arrows, which have to be shot within two minutes. Unsurprisingly several archers missed the time deadline, only shooting two arrows before the two minutes were up.
The first day’s qualification competition comprised ten “ends” of three arrows, so a perfect score of 30 arrows all in the 10 circles was 300. The top male archer was from Hong Kong, with a score of 289, so Allan’s score of 262 was quite respectable, given the number and quality of the opposition, most of whom were considerably younger than the trio from Pattaya.
Philippe scored 211 and Somporn scored 242. Unfortunately their two scores were below the cut-off point and so they were eliminated from the competition on the first day, as were many other archers.
At the end of this part of this part of the competition Allan was ranked 17th (out of 200) which enabled him to go forward into the next day’s finals.
All of the Pattaya archers’ scores in the competition were well below what each person had achieved in practice at the Hua Yai range. Indeed, Allan’s personal best at that distance would have placed him in the top three in the competition, and Philippe and Somporn’s personal bests would have easily put them in the top ten had they shot their PBs in the “Princess Cup”. But that’s what the effect of the pressure of an international competition does to most archers.
Olympic style
knock-out
On the final elimination day the organisers changed the competition format to that of the Olympic style knock out … a totally different challenge which is even more nerve-racking and demanding than the previous day’s Vegas round. The field had been reduced to the top 60 archers, many of whom would be at national level in their own countries.
The new Olympic round was introduced a number of years ago, specifically to make the archery competition more exciting for spectators at an Olympic Games. The number of spectators and TV audiences for the 2012 Olympic archery competition illustrates how successful this new round has been in making archery an exciting spectator sport.
Each archer has just one competitor to shoot against. At the end of three arrows the archer with the highest score wins two points, the loser gets zero points. If their scores are identical they get one point each. The actual scores of the ends are irrelevant. The finishing line to win the knock-out is six points, so if one competitor wins each end he reaches the six points after just shooting nine arrows. This compares with the 30 arrows shot on the previous day’s Vegas round.
Allan was paired with a 17 year old girl from Korea. He beat her in one end, winning two points, but she eventually won the knock-out with a six - two score, thus eliminating Allan from the competition. So he joined his Pattaya team-mates to just watch and enjoy the remainder of the competition.
The three archers returned to Pattaya empty-handed but with a wealth of experience from their entry into a prestigious international archery competition. They have vowed to return to compete in next year’s “Princess Cup” so their appetite for this competition was not diminished by their performance with their bows on this occasion.
Trying archery
in Pattaya
Pattaya Archery Club shoots on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, beginning at 10.00 am and finishing at about noon or thereafter. Anyone % Thai or farang, young or old, man or woman % is welcome to come along to the Pattaya Shooting Park in Hua Yai and find out what it is all about. Beginners’ coaching is held on a Tuesday and / or a Saturday. The coach’s services and the use of the club’s bows, arrows and other equipment are free for beginners, and so it costs nothing to see if this challenging sport is for you.
For more details visit Pattaya Archery Club’s website at www.pattayaarcheryclub.com, or telephone Eric, the club’s President, on 089 535 1193.

Pattaya Sports Club offers discounted fishing trips

Have a great day out on the ocean with the Pattaya Sports Club.

Pattaya Sports Club is giving a 20% discount off the normal trip fees on all scheduled outings during July and August. PSC members will pay 1,200 baht, non-members 1,400 baht. (Normal charges apply for tackle hire and unscheduled charters.)
The next scheduled dates for fishing trips are Sat.13th July, Sat. 27th July, Sat. 10th Aug., Tues. 20th Aug., and Sat. 24th Aug.
The Club welcomes new participants, whether residents or visitors. This is hands-on fishing, not like the “tourist trips” where the only time you get to touch a rod is when the boat-boy decides it’s your turn to reel in. You’ll get as much help as you want, but for the novice the feel of a fish taking the hook soon becomes addictive.
Come along for a day on the sea with a friendly crowd on a well-maintained boat dedicated to leisure fishing, and take home a few fine specimens for the barbecue.
For further information or bookings check the “fishing” page on www.pattayasports.org / or phone John O’Neill on 085 391 7045.

Police raid leaves United mired in relegation zone

Pattaya United’s disastrous form in the first half of the 2013 Thai Premier League season continued last weekend when the Dolphins were handed a 3-1 home defeat by fellow strugglers Police United at a sun-drenched Nongprue Stadium on Sunday.
The game was effectively over by half time as the visitors raced into a 3-0 lead at the break. Pattaya’s defensive frailties were exposed as early as the 8th minute when Saranyu Intaraat turned the ball into the Dolphins’ net from close range after Felipe Ferrira saw his shot rebound of the foot of the goalpost.
Police doubled their lead in the 34th minute after team captain Surachart Sareepim latched onto a left wing cross from Nontadee and headed powerfully into the corner of the Pattaya goal.
Pattaya’s misery was completed on the stroke of halftime when Felipe chipped the ball over United keeper Preedaboon to give the visitors an unassailable lead.
The second half was a scrappy affair and was marred by crowd trouble between rival sets of supporters that caused a temporary halt to proceedings. Prior to that, Pattaya had seen their defender Apinan Suantong sent off for a second bookable offence.
Despite being a man down, eventually the home team were able garner something from the game with a late consolation goal from Rodion Dyachenko who volleyed in superbly from the edge of the area.
Pattaya United now just have one more game before the mid-season break, a home match this coming Saturday against Samut Songkhram, with kick-off scheduled for 6 p.m. The season resumes after the break on July 20, when United face a tough fixture away at Osotspa.
At the top of the table, Muang Thong gained ground on Buriram after the latter could only manage a goalless draw with TOT. Chonburi slipped down to fourth after they recorded a similar scoreline at home to Osotspa and Suphanburi beat Songkhla.

Thai Premier League Standings

Team P W D L +/- Pts.

Buriram United 16 12 4 0 29 40

Muang Thong United 17 12 2 3 14 38

Suphanburi 16 9 5 2 12 32

Chonburi 16 9 4 3 8 31

BEC Tero Sasana 16 7 6 3 7 27

Army United 16 7 3 6 8 24

Songkhla United 17 6 6 5 -1 24

Chainat 17 5 7 5 2 22

Bangkok Glass 16 6 4 6 0 22

TOT 16 5 6 5 -5 21

Osotspa 16 4 7 5 -5 19

Police United 16 4 6 6 -4 18

Bangkok United 16 4 2 10 -14 14

Ratchaburi 16 2 7 7 -6 13

Samut Songkhram 16 2 6 8 -9 12

Chiangrai United 16 1 7 8 -10 10

Pattaya United 16 2 1 13 -22 7

Sisaket 3 0 1 2 -4 1

Results (June 29-30): Suphanburi 2 v 1 Songkhla United, TOT 0 v 0 Buriram United, Bangkok United 2 v 1 Chiangrai United, Pattaya United 1 v 3 Police United, Ratchaburi 0 v 0 Samut Songkhram, Army United 2 v 1 BEC Tero Sasana, Chainat 1 v 2 Muang Thong United, Chonburi 0 v 0 Osotspa.