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Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

Final Standings

200 Bowlers: Aht, Sue and Ooy.

Only two more weeks remain in this league and with eight points remaining to be won or lost this is the most competitive league that we have had in years. No less than seven teams have more wins than losses and many are in the trophy race.
Café Kronborg have been in first place for weeks now but after losing three points to Green Tree this week they are now only two points ahead of second place. Kran Nielsen was best in this match with a 535 series.
Indiana remains in second place after winning three points from VFW Post 9876. Antero Ronkainen bowled a 542 series and La Montgomery had a 535 for Indiana. Aht Johansson bowled a 210 game and 538 series for VFW.
Semper FI moved up from fifth to fourth place after winning all four points from Canada. Tao bowled a 528 series and Joe Ferral had a 510 for Semper FI.
Bavaria dropped from fourth to fifth place even though they won three points from Brother D. Sue Murphy bowled a 200 game and 550 series for Brother D.
Jack Tar moved up from seventh to sixth place after winning all four points from the Blind team. Ooy Pluemkamon bowled a 202 game and 561 series for Jack Tar.

Results & Standings July 12 (week 28)
Pos. Team Score Standings
1 Café Kronborg 1-3. 67 - 45
2 Indiana 3-1 65 - 47
3 Green Tree 3 – 1 63.5 - 48.5
4 Semper FI 4 – 0 63 - 49
5 Bavaria 3-1 62.5 - 49.5
6 Jack Tar 4 - 0 59.5 - 52.5
7 Canada 0 - 4 56.5 - 55.5
8 VFW Post 9876 1-3 52 - 60
9 Brother D 1-3 51 - 61
10 Blind 0 - 4 20 – 92


Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Results & Standings July 8 (week 21)

Division 1
Team P W L +/- BP Pts.
Shoot Pool 18 17 1 85 0 51
Legends Pool 18 12 6 6 2 38
Nicky’s Bar 17 10 7 2 0 30
Links Bar 18 9 9 1 1 28
Sweethearts Bar 18 9 9 -7 1 28
Butchers Arms 16 8 8 12 3 27
Irish Rovers 18 9 9 7 0 27
Biggy’z Rest 17 5 12 -23 4 19
Pook’s Bar 18 6 12 -32 1 19
Dean’s Bar 18 3 15 -51 1 10
Results:  Dean’s Bar 6 v 10 Sweethearts Bar, (Cup) Legends Pool 6 v 10 Shoot Pool, (Cup) Offshore Bar 8 v 10 Nicky’s Bar
Division 2
Team P W L +/- BP Pts.
Smile Bar 18 13 5 30 1 40
Cheers Bar 18 13 5 19 1 40
Easy R-con Bar 18 13 5 31 0 39
Caddyshack 18 13 5 18 0 39
Mai’s Bar 18 10 8 8 1 31
Wet Bar 18 10 8 -16 1 31
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 8 v 10 Mai’s Bar, (Cup) Offshore Bar 8 v 10 Nicky’s Bar


Dolly Dalton Jomtien Pool League

Results & Standings July 11 (week 7)

Team Played Won Lost Bonus Pts
Winners Bar 7 6 1 1 19
Buddy Bar 6 6 0 0 18
Country Road 6 5 1 1 16
Jimmy’s Den 6 4 2 2 14
Woaw’s Bar 6 4 2 2 14
DK bar 7 3 4 4 13
Simple Simon 7 3 4 4 13
Take Care Bar 7 3 4 4 13
Shenanigans 6 3 3 3 12
Flying Dolphin 6 3 3 2 11
Windmill Bar 7 2 5 5 11
Rioja 7 3 4 1 10
Aussie Ally’s 6 2 4 4 10
Lion Pub 7 2 5 4 10
Wombat Bar 7 0 7 3 3
Results:  Simply Simon 9 v 6 Aussie Ally’s, Winners Bar 10 v 5 Jimmy’s Den, Lions Pub 4 v 11 Buddy Bar, DK Bar 10 v 5 Take Care Bar, Rioja 4 v 11 Country Road, Wombat Bar 4 v 11 Woaw’s Bar, Windmill Bar 7 v 8 Shenanigans


Crumpton Oaks Dry Cider Wednesday Darts League

Results & Standings July 10 (week 11)

Team P W L Bonus Diff. Pts.
Legends Sports Bar 11 10 1 9 69 20
Mee Chew Sports Bar 11 10 1 9 51 20
W. Tankies 11 7 4 7 31 14
I-Rovers 11 5 6 4 -21 10
Yates Bar 11 4 7 6 -19 8
Scandalic 11 4 7 5 -21 8
Jantha Coffee House 11 3 8 3 -33 6
Mai’s Bar 11 1 10 1 -57 2
Results:  Jantha Coffee House (1-0)-(8-1) v Mee Chew Sports Bar, Legends Pool & Sports Bar (8-1)-(1-0) v Yates Bar, Scandalic (6-1)-(3-0) v I-Rovers, W. Tankies (7-1)-(2-0) v Mai’s Bar


British Bar Snacks Friday Pool League

Results & Standings July 12 (week 15)

Division 1
Team P W L +/- BP Pts
Shoot Pool 14 11 3 37 0 33
Butchers Arms 13 9 4 31 1 28
Links Bar 14 7 7 -10 2 23
Pook’s Bar 14 7 7 2 1 22
Mata Bar 14 7 7 0 0 21
Biggyz Rest ‘A’ 13 6 7 -11 1 19
Nicky’s Bar 14 6 8 -5 0 18
Legends Pool 13 4 9 -25 2 14
Sweethearts Bar 11 3 8 -19 2 11
Results:  Legends Pool 6 v 10 Mata Bar, Nicky’s Bar W v L (Bye), Sweethearts Bar 10 v 3 Pook’s Bar
Division 2
Team P W L +/- BP Pts
Old Thai Angle 14 11 3 38 0 33
Offshore Bar 14 9 5 23 0 27
Easy R-Con Bar 13 8 5 11 1 25
Tie’s R Us 12 7 5 9 0 21
Irish Rovers 15 6 9 -28 1 19
FCUK Inn 12 6 6 -13 0 18
Mai’s Bar 11 4 7 -2 3 15
Dean’s Bar 14 4 10 -21 2 14
Crazy Eddie’s 13 4 9 -17 1 13
Results:  Mai’s Bar W v L (Bye), Offshore Bar P v P FCUK Inn, Old Thai Angle 10 v 6 Easy R-Con Bar, The Irish Rovers 10 v 2 Dean’s Bar, Tie’s R Us 10 v 6 Crazy Eddie’s
Division 3
Team P W L +/- BP Pts
Smile Bar 15 15 0 73 0 45
Biggy’z Rest ‘B’ 14 10 4 23 1 31
Wet Bar 13 8 5 1 1 25
The Queen Vic 14 8 6 -4 1 25
The Ranch 12 7 5 4 0 21
Buffalo Jacks 15 6 9 -8 0 18
Rabbi’s Elephant 14 6 8 -23 0 18
Connections 14 2 12 -66 0 6
Results:  Biggy’z Rest ‘B’ W v L (Bye),The Queen Vic 10 v 5 Rabbi’s Elephant, The Ranch 10 v 2 Connections


WKD Tuesday Darts League

Results & Standings July 9 (week 9)

Team P W L B/legs Pts.
Londoner 9 8 1 7 16
I-Rovers 9 8 1 6 16
Buffalo Jack’s 9 7 2 6 14
W. Tankies 9 7 2 5 14
Shoot Pool Roxy 8 5 3 5 10
Crazy Eddies 9 5 4 5 10
Mee Chew Sports Bar 9 5 4 4 10
Jantha Coffee House 8 5 3 4 10
Shoot Pool 9 3 6 4 6
Yates Bar 9 3 6 2 6
Scandalic 9 2 7 4 4
Mai’s Bar 9 2 7 4 4
Nervous Wreck 9 1 8 5 2
Cum On Inn 9 1 8 1 2
Results:  Buffalo Jack’s (4-0)-(3-1) v Mee Chew Sports Bar, Crazy Eddies (6-1)-(1-0) v Cum On Inn, I-Rovers (5-0)-(8-1) v Londoner, Shoot Pool (6-0)-(4-1) v Scandalic, W. Tankies (3-0)-(4-1) v Mai’s Bar, Yates Bar (4-0)-(3-1) v Nervous Wreck


Pattaya 8-Ball Monday Pool League

Results & Standings July 8 (week 18)

Team Played Won Lost For Agst Diff. Pts.
Phimai Geordie 18 16 2 183 87 96 50
Shoot Pool 17 15 2 155 100 55 47
San Snack Bar 18 14 4 172 98 74 46
Biggy’z Rest 18 11 7 151 119 32 40
Joy’s Paradise 18 10 8 132 138 -6 38
Crazy Eddie’s 18 9 9 143 127 16 36
Buffalo Jack’s 17 6 11 118 137 -19 29
Cum On Inn 17 5 12 119 136 -17 27
Parrot Inn 17 5 12 103 152 -49 27
Rising Sun 17 5 12 98 157 -59 27
Connections 17 5 12 85 170 -85 27
Mee Chew 18 4 14 116 154 -38 26
Results:  Shoot Pool P v P Connections, Parrot Inn 5 v 10 Crazy Eddie’s, San Snack Bar 12 v 3 Joy’s Paradise, Phimai Geordie 9 v 6 Biggy’z Rest, Mee Chew 10 v 5 Cum On Inn, Rising Sun 11 v 4 Buffalo Jack’s


It’s a waltz for Bruce

PSC Golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society

Sunday’s winners: (left-right) Peter Henshaw, Claude Harder and Bruce Walters.

Sunday, July 7, Green Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Geoff Christie (6) 37pts
2nd Claude Harder (14) 37pts
B Flight
1st Bruce Walters (34) 39pts
2nd Peter Henshaw (20) 35pts
Bruce Walters was tops in B Flight and man of the match as he posted a very impressive 39 points; impressive because it contained two no-scores on the eighth and seventeenth holes of his card. Peter ‘Don Corleone’ Henshaw showed no defense to age as he happily took the count back from the Donkey as both were four points in arrears.
The A Flight honours were shared by Geoff Christy, Claude Harder and Barry ‘the boot’ Copestake as these three players all retuned 37 points. The sharing came to an end however, when the count back handed the bigger bag of loot to Geoff and bid aloha to second place Claude. The bad luck story of the day was Barry’s no-score on the last hole. Oh how it could have been so different.
No 2’s were recorded rollover next Sunday.
Tuesday, July 9, Phoenix - Stableford
1st Eddy Beilby (20) 39pts
2nd Yves Moutier (15) 37pts
3rd Mike Allidi 930 37pts
The day’s challenge was the Mountain and Lakes layouts at Phoenix G C. Eddy ‘the Eagle’ Beilby, fresh from his once in a lifetime trip around Europe, was perched on the top of the podium with a man of the match 39 points.
The trailing pair of Yves Moutier and Mike Allidi were happy when they walked off the course but not so happy when the results were announced. It just got worse for Mike as he lost on count back.
No 2’s were carded so a rollover to Wednesday.
Wednesday, July 10, St. Andrews - Stableford
A Flight
1st Colin Davis (18) 42pts
2nd Ed Wyckoff (10) 37pts
B Flight
1st Mike Jeffreys (19) 38pts
2nd Rod Brown (18) 33pts
Colin ‘the Donkey’ Davis was the top man of the day and the toast of A Flight with a splendid 42 points that was just enough to hold off Ed Wyckoff, who, himself had a hard luck 41 points.
Mike Jeffreys left nothing to chance in B Flight as he carded a very solid 38 points that was five clear of Rod Brown.
Ed Wyckoff, Mike Jeffreys and Peter Henshaw shared the rollover 2’s pot
Friday, July 12, Crystal Bay - Stableford
A Flight
1st Peter Hynard (14) 41pts
2nd Barry Copestake (15) 38pts
3rd Max Scott (4) 37pts
B Flight
1st Jean LaRoche (18) 36pts
2nd Nick Shaw (17) 35pts
3rd Rod Brown (19) 34pts
C Flight
1st Peter Henshaw (20) 34pts
2nd Declan Freely (24) 33pts
3rd Bruce Walters (20) 33pts
The man of the match was ’Fluent in Thai’ Peter Hynard who is showing signs of coming into form and this day he certainly demonstrated that with an excellent 41 points. Peter was three strokes clear of one of our friends from ‘Blighty’ and we have many, Barry ‘the boot’ Copestake. Barry was one shot clear of the Aussi ‘fire ball’ Max Scott.
In B Flight it was pay window regular Jean LaRoche who took the flight honours with a steady even par round. Nick Shaw and Rod Brown were strung out in one shot increments and in that order.
Irishman Peter ‘Don ‘O Corleone’ Henshaw led the C Flight into the barn with a very modest but just as spendable 34 points. Declan Freely had to go to a count back to better the man in the bold print, both a stroke in arrears.
Peter Hynard, Freddy Starbeck, Colin Davis, Declan Freely and Jim Elphick shared the 2’s 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.


Golfnutter: The Open Championship

Muirfield, the East Lothian golf club with origins dating back to 1744, plays host to this year’s Open Championship. For the Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers, this, the 142nd running of the event, will mark the sixteenth occasion they have done so.
The Open Championship is played only on links courses, of which there are nine in the current rota – five in Scotland and four in England. Linksland is typically characterized by dunes, an undulating surface, and a sandy soil unsuitable for arable farming. Here thrive the indigenous browntop bents and red fescue grasses needed to provide the firm turf associated with links courses and the bump and run game.
The style of play suited to a links course is considerably different from that appropriate to other courses. The challenge of links golf falls mainly into two categories: firstly, the nature of the courses themselves, which tend to be characterised by uneven fairways, thick rough and penal chasms known as “pot bunkers”; and secondly, due to their coastal location and low-lying tree-less terrain, wind.
And what about Muirfield – will the same apply to a course some describe as the least links-like of the Open venues?
Two-time Open Champion, Padraig Harrington, offers his view. “It’s startling the way the ball reacts in links golf versus parkland. The ball flies lower. The weather affects the ball so much more. A 10 mph wind on a parkland course is not a big deal, but 10 mph on a links can affect the flight of your ball by 20, 30 yards. The air is heavier. There’s nothing protecting the course from the wind. Everything is magnified.”
Harrington, whose Open Championship wins came in 2007 at Carnoustie and 2008 at Royal Birkdale, has a liking for Muirfield. “It’s one of the players’ favourite venues,” he said, “because it’s a strong but fair test. There are fewer bad bounces. The fairways are flatter. It’s a solid, what-you-see-is-what-you-get course. It’s not like Royal St George’s, which gets so hard that tee shots can run 80 yards. It’s the least links-like Open course because it’s the most just.”
Harrington finished just one stroke out of the playoff won by Ernie Els when Muirfield last held the Open, in 2002. Els’s second Open victory, at Royal Lytham & St Annes, was just 12 months back, making him the defending champion in more ways than one.
The key to Els’s win back in 2002 was his performance in the third round – a round played under the most horrendous weather imaginable. What made it worse was it had not been forecast – players hadn’t packed for it. The resulting storm combined wind and rain in a tempest few players will ever forget. Els shot a 1-over 72 that day which may rank as one of the rounds of his life.
Compare that with Woods’s 10-over 81 – still his worst score as a professional. In his words, “I tried on every shot. I didn’t bag it.”
Colin Montgomerie followed up his second-round 64 with a third-round 84 to match the biggest day-to-day scoring differential in Open history.
Players, including Els, hit drivers into par 3s. Balls landing in long rough were swallowed up, never to be seen again. Ian Poulter recalls the day well. “I was just trying to survive. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was 35 mph wind with driving rain. It’s a 5-iron going 110. It’s an eight-club wind – I don’t know what it is. It’s s—, is what it is. It was awful. I mean, call it what you want – it was a 9-iron flying 210 and a 5-iron going 110. It was shocking.”
The R&A, which determines how the course is set up, has always stated that the winning score in any Open is primarily a product of the weather leading up to and during the event. Well, yes, but every player (except Els?) will hope it’s not like it was during the third round when last the Open was played here.
So, what about a spread-bet on this year’s contenders? The 18 majors played since April 2009 has yielded 17 champions. This is what makes golf betting so hard, but we will give it a go.
Realise that by the time this column is published, round one will be completed. The odds quoted here are courtesy of William Hill as at the time of writing – Monday 15 July.
· Woods: 8/1 - Makes list on grinding skills alone.
· Mickelson: 18/1 - Scottish Open winner. T2 in 2011.
· Scott: 20/1 - Last year’s melt-down still owes him.
· Westwood: 25/1 - Improved chipping skills just may win it.
· Els: 28/1 - A must have on anyone’s Open list.
· Garcia: 28/1 - Ball-striker in good form. Likes links.
· Snedeker: 33/1 - T3 last year. Recent top form returning.
· Stenson: 33/1 - Two recent T3. Now back in form.
· Harrington: 45/1 - Two-time Open winner. Loves links.
· Wood: 125/1 - Dark horse who performs well at Opens.
Happy golfing,
Golfnutter


Handscombe holds all the aces at Navy

The Billabong Golf Society

Wednesday winners (from left): Wayne Cotterell, Brian Wilkinson, Greig Ritchie and Darl White.

Wednesday, July 10, Green Valley – Stableford
Green Valley today with five groups playing and we got away to an early start and apart from the last group all got in before the rain started. The course was in great condition, even with all the rain they have had and the carts were allowed on the fairways so no winter rules.
Once again there were some great scores mixed with some very ordinary ones. The day was won by Greig Ritchie again, this time with 38 points and coming second was Darl White on 37, beating Paul Bourke on a count back. In fourth place was Brian Wilkinson with 35 points on a three-way count back over Roger Ison and Wayne Cotterell.

Friday winners (from left): Barry Williams, Bob Philp, Nick Handscombe, and Greig Ritchie.

It was down to the same Wayne Cotterell to get the ‘2’s pot today and he managed to get two of them.
Friday, July 12, Plutaluang - Stableford
After leaving the bar in light rain we travelled to Plutaluang for a practice round to get ready for our monthly scramble coming up on the 26th of this month. We got there in bright sunshine and it stayed that way for the whole day. This course is in fantastic condition with fast greens and nice grassy fairways – it’s hard to get a bad lie.
With seven groups playing it was a long day out - five hours to be precise - as a five-ball of ignorant golfers ran to the tee to get in front of the field and all were useless and walking. Seems ignorance knows no bounds!
Nick Handscombe had the best day out today, scoring a great 40 points off his 11 handicap and taking first place. Coming second was Bob Philp with 37 points, his best round in a long time, Graham Beaumont was third with 35 points and it was a count back for fourth and fifth between Barry Williams and Greig Ritchie, with Barry getting the nod both after both came in on 34 points.
There were three ‘2’s coming from Bill Marsden, Darl White and Greig Ritchie.
Note: If you are looking for a game with some friendly golfers, give Bob a call on 082 204 3411 or call into the bar and put your name on the list. The Billabong golf bar is situated just off Siam Country road looking straight down Lake Maprachan.


Aussie whitewash at Pleasant Valley

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

On Monday, 8th July, the Pattaya Golf Society paid an overdue visit to Pleasant Valley golf club to play a stableford competition from the blue tees on a cool and overcast day with damp conditions underfoot, good fairways and slow greens.
For most of the field it was a first visit to the course and scoring got off to a ponderous start as golfers found their feet on the track where yardage markers were a hindrance, rather than a help. With the advice of some good caddies however Craig Thomas, Geoff Reynolds and Mike Marshall managed to record 35 points for a share of third place only to see a fourth Aussie, Alan Walker, take first place with an excellent 39 points.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and the return of Icelandic golfer, Kerry Jonsson, with split figures of nine and seventeen saw the Booby Bevy go to a deserving cause.
The day was splendidly marshalled by Robbie Taylor and his reward was Rabbi’s “non-winner’s” free beer. Pleasant Valley had lived up to its name again.
Takeshi takes another win
The Pattaya Golf Society visited Pattana on Wednesday, 10th July to play a stableford competition on the C and A nines which were in excellent condition but soft, and from the white tees the course was a tough challenge demanding accuracy and length.
It was little wonder then that only a quarter of the field managed a score of thirty points or more with Dave Edwards and Phil Carter sharing third place with 34 points. A golfer going “great guns” at present is Takeshi Hakozaki and he continued his latest winning ways with an excellent return of 35 points, giving him the best gross of the day, 82, as well.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and the Booby Bevy went to Dick Batson for misplacing his golf shoes somewhere between the bar and the clubhouse, thus incurring the extra expense of hiring a pair for the day. The things some people do for a day’s golf at Pattana!
Competent Carter
On Friday, 12th July, the Pattaya Golf Society visited Khao Kheow to play a stableford competition on the A and C nines. The day was fine but the state of the fairways was of concern with many bare patches, similar to the condition of the B nine over the last two years, which has caused the relaying of seven fairways.
An inauspicious start to the day then which saw a few good scores only. With Aussies Geoff Reynolds and Mike Marshall posting scores of thirty-plus the only lady in the field, Orawan Meeraka was making a good fist of things with 35 points. The best score of the day however was the 37 points returned by Phil Carter having played well at Pattana also two days before.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and Rod Black’s seven points out and fifteen points back assured him of the Booby Bevy.
Khao Kheow is very disappointing at present and may well fall off the PGS schedules as a result, at a time when course selection is paramount to Pattaya’s discerning golfers.


Hackett turns up the heat at Bangpra

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Derek Brook
Tuesday, July 9, Bangpra – Stableford
Not the biggest turn out, but it was a field that was determined to have a great day out on a great course. The run up there saw the traffic fairly quiet, and on arrival we saw that the course seemed to be also quiet. Except for the monkeys that is, I forgot about them and they were into my cart and running away with some items at the first green. Cost me a three-putt!

John Hackett

A quick book in saw us all at the start a little early and we were allowed to get away. The course has seen much rain of late, so the buggies were allowed only on the paths. We also noted the bunkers were wet and some had a small pool in them. The fairways were not too bad, but were muddy in places and the rough was wet and tricky.
So to the greens, and they were a problem. Still slow going up and really fast coming down, they had also been treated and were in places bumpy and full of sand. They were really difficult to read as at times they bounced all over.

John Davis

It did not take that long to get around, and with a quick stop in the restaurant and a quiet road on the way back we were at Bert’s very early. So we were able to do an early results presentation which showed, except for the winner, that the scores were a bit disappointing. The winner with a fine 38 points, on a tough day, was John Hackett with a big gap to John Davis in second with 32 points. We then had Derek Brook in third with 31 points and Mike O’Brien in fourth with 30 points on count back over Dick Warberg.
Friday, July 12, Plutaluang – Stableford
Not many players at Bert’s so it was soon into the cars and off to the course, which is not too far away and with the traffic fairly light it does not take too long to get there. The booking in is also fairly swift here, so it was not long before we were changed and on to the first tee.
The test for the day was to be the South and East nines, and on this day they proved to be in quite good condition. Mind, the greens proved to be rather slow. We played ‘lift, clean and place’ although once on the course we found we did not really need to. The weather also played the game and we had a fine day.
The results showed that the winner was Daryl Evans with 38 points ahead of Max Bracegirdle in second with 35 points and Alan Sullivan in third with 34. T.T.F.N.


Rought relishes the Emerald challenge

Jomtien Golf with the IPGC

Monday, July 8, The Emerald - Stableford
With heavy rain overnight and early morning there were a few cancellations before we set off to the course. Upon arrival at the Emerald it was totally deserted and the car park was empty.

Harry Vincenzi.

We had two divisions out today with the cut at 9-18 and 19 plus in division 2. The best score of the day was 40 points in division 1 with ‘Mr. Happy’ a.k.a. Bryan Rought winning the division. Jerry Sweetnam came in second four points behind Bryan and the Welsh boy Curtis Hessler was third with 35.
Andy Crabb topped division 2 with 36 points and Alan Bissell took second after beating the impetuous Austrian driver Pepo Frick on a 21/16 back nine count back, both coming in with 35 points each.
Not one birdie in division 1 so a rollover to Burapha on Wednesday but in division 2 Colin James, in form at the moment and on the podium for the past two weeks, got a ‘2’ on the tough 5th hole for the only birdie of the day.
Wednesday, July 10, Burapha - Stableford
We booked the A and B courses today and there were quite a few players who had never played these two nines before. We selected the white tees at 6218 yards rather than the blue, one tee from the back which is our normal ruling at 6733 yards, and this was a popular decision. The condition of the course was brilliant today and everyone enjoyed it.

Rod Howett.

Colin James, still waiting to receive a handicap cut, returned the best score of the day in both divisions, winning the 2nd flight with 38 points. Gordon Everingham came second one point behind and Rodney Howett placed third with 36.
In division 1, with the cut at 5-15, Harry Vincenzi came first with 37 points after beating Billy Fitzgerald on a 20/18 back nine count back and Lindsay Phillips beat Terry Madsen on a 18/17 back nine count back to finish third after they both came in with 36 points.
Near pins went to Billy Fitzgerald, Russell Gilroy, John Oxley, Chris Voller, Roy Gott, Jean Morel and Chris Reed.
A rollover in the ‘2’s from Emerald in division 1 and Terry Madsen birdied A3 and was a happy chappy back at Siam Cats. The same old name again got a ‘2’ on B8 in division 2, well done Colin James.
Friday, July 12, Eastern Star - Stableford
For the last few weeks here the sky over the coast and on the course has been cloudless and bright blue but a few miles away overlooking the clubhouse and in the hills there were rolling black clouds heading towards the Rayong area and for the whole round this stayed the same so a few panic modes disappeared after nine holes, with the conditions the same and with no threat of rain.

Bryan Rought.

Up to 15 in division 1 today and 16+ the cut in division 2 and Ken Leadstone returned the best score of the day to win division 1 with 36 points. Terry Madsen took second on 32 and Bill Bertram was third with 30 points.
The course had improved slightly from the previous week but the grass on the 7th and 8th holes around the lake in the hazard stakes was still around 10 inches high, but there was still no answer from the management after the round.
Iain Walsh won division 2 with 33 points with Karl Flood second on 30 and Roar Berger finished third, beating Chris Reed and Mike Plunkett on a 20/16/14 back nine count back after they all came in with 29 points.
Near pins were claimed by Mikael Andersson, Ken Leadstone, Chris Voller, Mike Plunkett and Iain Walsh.
A rollover from two weeks ago in division 1 here in the ‘2’s and Mikael Andersson birdied the 13th and Ken Leadstone the 17th to share the pot. There were no ‘2’s in the second flight.


Parker takes pole position at Green Valley

PSC golf from the Bunker Boys @ The Ranch

Monday, July 8, Green Valley – Medal
It was a damp and dismal start to the week in Pattaya, following heavy overnight rain and persistent drizzle throughout the morning.

Geoff Parker wins the KPK voucher at Green Valley.

Despite the weather, a group of 12 hardy golfers braved the rain to assemble at The Ranch for the first medal competition of the month, once again sponsored by KPK Foods.
After some debate as to whether it was worthwhile setting off for the course, we decided to give it a try, and as we drove down highway 36 the rain got heavier and the skies darker, so prospects for the game looked bleak indeed. On arrival at Green Valley the drizzle was still falling and we decided to have a coffee (or in Skinny and Neil’s case, a large beer) and wait to see if the weather improved. After twenty minutes the skies started to brighten up and we decided that it was worth taking a chance to try and get a game.
The first three holes were played in light drizzle (hardly worthy of taking the umbrella out of the bag), and then the rain stopped and conditions were ideal with overcast skies and a cool breeze. Although we’d decided to play winter rules, the course was surprisingly in great condition, and your scribe only found it necessary to clean the ball once throughout the whole round.
Geoff Parker produced his best performance for quite some time and recorded a net 70, despite missing three short putts (as usual!). Alan Freeman was playing his final game before returning to U.K. and produced the best performance of his visit to take second place ahead of Mark West.
Back at the Ranch the KPK voucher was presented to Geoff Parker and everyone agreed that those golfers deterred by the miserable weather in the morning had missed a great day on a superb course – once again a perfect example that you never know what you’re going to get (in more ways than one) in Pattaya.
1st Geoff Parker (14) net 70
2nd Alan Freeman (3) net 72
3rd Mark West (15) net 73
Near Pins: Lee Butler, Tony Robbins and Alan Freeman (2)
Wednesday, July 10, Phoenix (Mountain and Lakes) – Stableford
Once again light drizzle was falling as we assembled at The Ranch for breakfast, but the skies were brighter than they’d been on Monday and the mood was generally optimistic. By the time we arrived at the course the rain had stopped, but buggies were restricted to the paths, so we decided that winter rules would once again be applied. The decision proved to be the right one because the fairways were soggy in places, although generally the course was in good shape.
Gerry Cooney had a sparkling outward nine, scoring 22 points, but unfortunately the wheels came off on the back nine, where he was only able to accumulate a meager 11 points. This left the field open for Tony Robbins (20 points on the inward nine) to ease past Gerry and secure the top podium prize.
There was a three-way tie on 33 points, with Geoff Parker (13 points on the last 6 holes) taking second place on the count back ahead of Mark West, and Gerry Cooney being edged out of the prizes to complete a disastrous day for him.
1st Tony Robbins (14) 35pts
2nd Geoff Parker (14) 33pts
3rd Mark West (15) 33pts
Near Pins: Gerry Cooney, Les Burns and Barry Murnin (2)
Friday, July 12, Emerald – Stableford
A bright breezy day today for our visit to Bang Chang, and when we arrived at the course a pleasant surprise greeted us, as there were no other golfers anywhere to be seen. The course was in reasonable shape, and the large bare areas on the fairways have at least now been marked as GUR, and also showed significant signs of improvement since our last visit.
The round progressed smoothly and the leading three-ball were back in the clubhouse in well under four hours, without encountering any other groups throughout the round.
The scores on the day were extremely tight with a four-way tie on 34 points, resulting in Geoff Hart taking first place on the count back ahead of Gerry Cooney and Les Burns, and PJ Redmond being the unlucky player to miss out on the prizes.
Back at The Ranch, we said goodbye to Blair Newton (formerly known as Skinny) and Neil Griffin, who are both returning to the U.K., so the bar will be a quieter place over the next few weeks.
1st Geoff Hart (23) 34pts
2nd Gerry Cooney (13) 34pts
3rd Les Burns (29) 34pts
Near Pins: Geoff Hart and Gerry Cooney (2).
Gerry Cooney’s second place finish on Friday enabled him to narrow the gap to 5 points behind Geoff Parker at the halfway stage in the race for the Golfer of the Month title. Barry Murnin is in third place, but Geoff Hart already has two wins from three games, and is definitely the dark horse coming up on the rails in the second half of the month.
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.  


Geoff & Jimmy top the scoring charts

PSC golf with The Outback Golf Bar

Friday winner Geoff Christie (right) with John Low and Tim Knight.

Tuesday, July 9, Phoenix - Stableford
Twelve golfers braved the grey clouds and were rewarded with a mostly dry day with only a couple of short sharp showers; the course had had a lot of rain previously however it was surprisingly in excellent condition but with golf carts only allowed on the paths.
The Mountain course had just been re-opened after a period of four weeks of work and in another couple of weeks it should be in ship shape - whereas the Lake nine was spot on.
Yet again the speed of the greens seemed to be the root cause of the “only average” scoring with a considerable number of “3 putts” amongst our players and no ‘2’s.
John O’Keefe won the day with 35pts on count back from Suzi, who had to play off two less than her PSC handicap; third was John Cunnningham (33) and fourth was Suzi’s other half, with 31.
1st John O’Keefe (14) 35pts
2nd Suzi Lawton (20) 35pts
3rd John Cunningham (6) 33pts
4th John Lawton (21) 31pts
Wednesday, July 10, Plantation
I can’t remember Burapha ever closing its doors to golf but that is what happened Monday morning due to the excessive amount of rain falling in the area; much more than we had here in Pattaya, thus cancelling the golf for most of the 30 players plus booked to play there. Rosco hastily re-grouped with his mates, called Jack for some Plantation vouchers and teed off here at 11am whilst others went south to better weather at Eastern Star.
So it has been a disruptive week for golf because of the weather but the eleven players at Plantation escaped the worst, although the fairways were liable to plug the ball in places on the B & C nines.
Early starter, Doug Campbell got home first to post the day’s best score of 35pts, which nobody could catch. John O’Keefe followed him in second place on 34, following up his win yesterday at Phoenix and Dennis Pelly was third on 33, beating Colin Flaherty on count back.
Dennis Pelly got the only ‘2’.
1st Doug Campbell (11) 35pts
2nd John O’Keefe (14) 34pts
3rd Dennis Pelly (12) 33pts
Friday, July 12, Green Valley - Stableford
29 Outbackers played Green Valley today in perfect weather, however we had ‘lift, clean and place’ rules in effect but it was probably not necessary as the course was in great condition with only a few wet places and the scores as a result, were very good.
Div B winner, Jimmy Little had a fantastic 25pts on the front nine, finishing with a total of 40pts and beating second placed Tim Knight on 39. Dave Coller was third with 36 and John Lawton fourth on 34.
Div A was won by Kiwi, Geoff Christie playing off 6 with a gross 74 worth 40 stableford points from the runner-up, John O’Keefe on 39 following on from his win at Phoenix on Tuesday and second at Plantation on Wednesday. In third was fellow Kiwi, John Low on 38 and Rick Evans, having his first game with the Outback in a long time, finished fourth after heading a three-way count back on 37pts.
In anticipation of his possible victory and in his absence, Jimmy Little very generously rang the bell for all the golfers at the bar at presentation, thanks Jimmy and well played.
There were four ‘2’s from Jimmy Little & Kim Danboise (on the 4th), Sugar Ray (12th) and Paul Greenaway on the 16th.
Div A (0-15)
1st Geoff Christie (6) 40pts
2nd John O’Keefe (14) 39pts
3rd John Low (12) 38pts
4th Rick Evans (5) 37pts
Div B (16+)
1st Jimmy Little (19) 40pts
2nd Tim Knight (23) 39pts
3rd David Coller (22) 36pts
4th John Lawton (21) 34pts
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. Call Jack on 081 578 1956.


Kruining clobbers the field

Travellers Rest Golf Group

Roger Wilkinson - winner at Phoenix.

Andy Rich
Monday, July 8, Bangpra - Stableford
One of our golfers certainly got a shock to his system this week, he turned up on Monday to play with the TRGG a thirty six handicapper and by Tuesday afternoon after winning the first two competitions of the week found he was now a twenty eight handicapper. At this rate he will qualify for next year’s Open Championship.

 Paul Kruining took apart two of Pattaya’s more difficult courses, Bangpra and Khao Kheow, and destroyed the other competitors on both days in the process. Well done Paul but go easy for the rest of the year mate, please, give the rest of us a chance.
1st Paul Kruining (36) 43pts
2nd John O’Donaghue (16) 37pts
3rd Robert Cannon (19) 35pts
Tuesday, July 9, Khao Kheow - Stableford
On Tuesday 9th July at Khao Kheow (A and B courses) Mr Kruining proved that the form he showed on Monday was no fluke and despite being cut six shots after his previous round went out and beat the field again. This included a birdie on the eighteenth hole which netted him 5 points.
At this point I must offer an apology as I was unable to play on either day so was not able to take Paul’s photo to attach to this report, so no picture in the paper for you this week I am afraid.
1st Paul Kruining (30) 36 pts
2nd Jim McNeill (16) 33 pts
3rd Ted Senior (15) 32pts
Thursday, July 11, Phoenix - Stableford
On Thursday 11th July at Phoenix (Lakes and Ocean) some of the other competitors were back in with a shout at winning as PK gave this one a miss, probably still lying down coming to terms with his new handicap.
One of our regulars stepped into the breach and played a very impressive round of golf, not for the first time in recent weeks. Roger Wilkinson has one of the most relaxed swings you will ever see on a golf course and he used it to good effect in amassing 39 pts and No.1 position on the leader board.
1st Roger Wilkinson (12) 39pts
2nd Ted Senior (15) 37 pts
3rd Alan Evans (25) 33pts
Good luck to all you golfers for the coming week and 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.


A very wet and tough week

IPGC golf from The Haven

Monday, July 8, Crystal Bay – Stableford
Having made a few attempts to contact the course earlier in the morning without success, as the phone rang without any response, the group arrived to find the possible reason. There were no carts to be allowed at all following extremely heavey overnight rain and on further enquiry the whole course was found to be flooded, although unsurprisingly the staff were happy to have everyone check in and pay for green fees and seemed genuinely surprised when the players, comprising five groups, all refused to pay and play.

Shuichi Kodaka.

Maybe one day managements will understand the need to advise groups in advance when their course is really unfit for play, which would not upset their customers but on the contrary would add to their esteem rather than detract, as is sometimes the case at the present time.
Wednesday, July 10, Khao Kheow A & C (yellow tees) - Stableford
CSS 72
1st Shuichi Kodaka (16) 35pts
2nd Hal Hart (20) 32pts
3rd Peter Buckley (19) 31pts
4th Trevor Schirmer (12) 30pts
5th Terry Hodgkiss (22) 30pts
There is a tremendous amount of maintenance work and renovation being undertaken on the two nines that are still open for play, which requires the need for special local rules to be implemented as most of the areas requiring and under repair are unmarked.
Many players will remember when Bangpra undertook a similar challenge a few years back and staked out half of the fairways under repair as GUR allowing the placement on the part of the fairway not affected if the ball lay in the fairway GUR, and thus enabling the continuance of a reasonable round. This needs to be done at this course at this time and in the absence of this a competition local rule should be applied which will definitely be the case the next time the Soi 13 group play, which should then make for an acceptable days golf at this popular course.

Terry Hodgkiss.

Unfortunately the situation only became apparent after the start and therefore the scores on the day were adversely affected with only the winner, Shuichi Kodaka, being able to get near to his handicap. After starting out well on the front nine Shuichi ran out an easy winner by three shots ahead of Hal Hart in second place as Hal put in a couple of nines that included too many single pointers.
Peter Buckley took second after having a disastrous start collecting just a solitary point on the last three holes but then applied himself well to cover the back nine in one under handicap to secure third place.
Trevor Schirmer won a count back with Terry Hodgkiss with a better 14 to 13 as terry once again found the closing holes a bit of a struggle.
There were no 2’s in either division.
Before the presentations were made there was a welcome back for Patrick Scullion.
Friday, July 12, Treasure Hill - Stableford
CSS 74 NC
1st Terry Hodgkiss (22) 33pts
2nd Kevin Blake (5) 30pts
3rd Graham Davis (8) 29pts
4th Markku Tynell (22) 28pts
5th Tom McCarthy (21) 28pts
Following the tough day experienced on the previous outing there was to be no respite at the always difficult Treasure Hill, where even moving the start positions to the yellow tees failed to help the hopefuls get anywhere near to their handicap levels.
Terry Hodgkiss made up for missing out on many occasions recently as he took the top honours for the day with a three over handicap return that was in its turn good enough by three to see off the nearest challenger. For once Terry kept the pressure on right to the end with a back nine that was better than the front for a pleasant change and having just one zero on the tricky 15th where a good tee shot placement is vital.
Kevin Blake was well in contention after nine but faded badly scoring just eight points on the last seven holes when in contention for his first win of the trip.
Graham Davis, another single figure handicapper, took third after he also struggled to score on the last four holes, taking a meager single point from each but that was enough to stake his claim for third.
Markku Tynell won a count back over Tom McCarthy with a better 17 to 14 after he had experienced a less than stellar opening half for the day.
Once again there were no 2’s in either division.
Back at The Haven there were welcome backs for Adrian Cook and Danny Greer.
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.


Busch blitz at Phoenix

Phoenix Members Golf Society

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

Mike Gerrard
Reasonably good scores on Friday, July 5, with Clive Robinson sneaking first place by way of a better back nine from Bill Hewitt after both recorded 37 points. Our regular ‘Mr. Consistency’ Mukesh Thakkar claimed third place with 35 points and the ever optimistic Joris Goetschalckx finished in fourth place with 34 points, relegating yours truly to fifth and out of the prizes.
Near pin prizes went to Peter Harris, Bill Hewitt, Joe Miller & Steve Gibson.
So onto Tuesday, July 9, and having recorded some steady scores for the last few weeks Arthur Busch broke loose and smashed his way to a superb 41 points to claim first place and the KPK Food Services voucher, donated by Keith Keohane. In saying he romped it, he only just beat John Bartley into second place who scored 40 points. After these two we were back to normal scores with Harvey Trewarn finishing in third place with 37 points and with the same score but a poorer back nine was John Clift who claimed fourth place.
This high scoring was quite a surprise actually because the Mountain course had only just reopened, and as usual far too early. If only the management could realise that if they waited another 2 weeks for the greens to settle and be cut correctly, it would result in much better playing conditions. Opening too early creates the problem of slow greens on the first nine and fast greens on the back nine.
Never mind, we headed back at The Relax Bar where we had a couple of refreshing drinks before starting the presentation. The lucky draw prizes today went to John Bartley, Peter Harris, Bill Hewitt and Jim Neilson.
Near pins went to the scribe Mike Gerrard (not far from a hole in one), Bob Neylon, Bill Hewitt and Arthur Busch.
Other news is that as from the 1st November 2013 we are starting a new four-ball match play competition with a view to finding the winners ready for our annual New Year party, the first week in February 2014.


Toddy makes it two in a row

PSC Golf from The Growling Swan

Rob Cross & Martin Todd.

Peter Blackburn
Monday, July 8, Bangpra – Stableford
After a last minute cancellation due to sickness there were 18 of us who assembled at The Growling Swan on a wet Pattaya Monday morning ready to take the journey to the popular Bangpra Golf Course. We welcomed Alex Field from Sydney and Alan “Colonel” Sanders from Queensland and we headed off five minutes ahead of schedule at 8.25 am.
The rain continued and in fact increased throughout the journey to the course & by the time we arrived it was apparent that our day’s golf was in doubt. Seeing the “No Rain Check” sign on the counter at reception prompted us to hang around for a while, along with several other groups that were scheduled to tee off ahead of us and lo and behold, our patience was rewarded.
It was still raining lightly after we had waited for around 90 minutes but the skies appeared to be clearing so we made a decision that we would play so we paid our fees and trundled down to the first tee. Unfortunately five of our group were not too keen and decided to return to Pattaya rather than get a little damp and it was not really a good call as the day turned out fine. We finally got our first group away at 10.45 am and thankfully, although it was still drizzling rain the skies were starting to clear and after 3 holes the rain had just about ceased.

Sandy Leiper, Warwick Anderson & Ted Morris.

Naturally the golf course was wet but we had the appropriate rules in place so we continued our round and after four hours & twenty minutes we finished in sunshine. Bad luck to the five “deserters” who missed a very good day on one of Pattaya’s oldest & finest layouts.
With the reduced field we had just the 1 grade with 5 places on the podium and there were also rewards for nearest the pins all the par threes and longest first putts on the 9th & 18th greens.
Martin “Toddy” Todd continued his good form and won with a very good 38 points and another form golfer, Max “Corsets” Bracegirdle, finished second on 35 points. In third place came Peter Bye with 30 points and Alan “Colonel” Sanders was fourth on 29 points. There were three golfers on 28 points vying for fifth spot and the count back saw Frank “Woody” Donnelly (14 point back nine) edge out Takeshi Hakozaki (13 point back nine) and Ebrahim (9 point back nine).
1st Martin Todd (10) 38pts
2nd Max Bracegirdle (23) 35pts
3rd Peter Bye (14) 30pts
4th Alan Sanders (17) 29pts
5th Frank Donnelly (20) 28pts
Near Pins: 2nd – Takeshi Hakozaki, 8th – Ebrahim, 12th - Kevin Waycott
Long Putts: 9th – Frank Donnelly, 18th – Alex Field
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 Rob Cross and he of course accepted the award in fine spirit and wore the cap for a short while back at the bar.
Toddy was kind enough to parade Deefa the Dog and of course collected many donations for the needy in Pattaya from our generous Growling Swan Golfers. Back at the bar there was a small, quality group of us who of course had a load of fun and once again thanked the “Rain Gods” for looking after us.
Thursday, July 11, Pleasant Valley – Stableford
Once again I awoke at 5.30 am to the sound of pouring rain and thought here we go again. I was waiting for my phone to ring with cancellations but thankfully our faithful crew are starting to get the message about Pattaya weather. There was of course the one cancellation from a guy who thinks if he gets wet he will probably dissolve but the remaining true and dedicated 29 starters turned up at the Growling Swan ready to tackle Pleasant Valley Golf Course. We welcomed Tony Yemm, Dane O”Brien and Craig Pensini from Perth in Western Australia and also Warwick “Kiwi” Anderson. Three mini vans had been ordered and we got away from the GS right on time at 8.30 am under cloudy skies and drizzling rain which stopped and started throughout the 45 minute journey, but by the time we got there it was fine. The golf course was very quite and after our preparation we were invited to tee off at our leisure which meant our first group, a three ball was able to get away 10 minutes ahead of schedule at 9.50 am. The course was of course quite wet after the recent rains but nonetheless was looking a treat and with the appropriate relief rules in place the course was perfectly playable and as mentioned was in fine “nick”. We had groups in front of us but they “scooted” away and when the four ball in front of us called us through at the half way mark we proceeded at a cracking pace and completed our round in the excellent time of three hours & thirty minutes. It was a very enjoyable round of golf with great company, terrific weather and some pretty good golf played in our group.
We were able to have 2 grades with A Grade being for handicaps 0 to 18 and B Grade for handicaps of 19 and over with 5 prizes in each grade. There were also rewards for nearest the pins all the par threes and longest first putts on the 9th & 18th greens.
In a count back for first & second place in the A Grade with 2 golfers on 43 points it was veteran Ted Morris (22 point back nine) who took first spot from Rocky Lawson (21 point back nine) in second place. In form golfer Martin “Toddy” Todd was third with 42 points, Peter “Blacky” Blackburn fourth on 41 points and Alain “Inspector Clouseau” Taddei rounded off the podium with 40 points. In B Grade it was a welcome return to form for Sandy “Cindy Lauper” Leiper (22 point back nine) who won in a count back from John Davis (19 point back nine) with both golfers having a terrific 45 points. In third place came Shane “Jockey” Young with 43 points and with 2 players on 35 points another count back resulted in Fred Dineley (21 point back nine) taking fourth place from Andrew “Turtle” Allen (18 point back nine) in fifth place.
A Flight (0-18)
1st Ted Morris (13) - 43pts
2nd Rocky Lawson (17) 43pts
3rd Martin Todd (10) 42pts
4th Peter Blackburn (11) 41pts
5th Alain Taddei (16) 40pts
B Flight (19+)
1st Sandy Leiper (36) 45pts
2nd John Davis (23) 45pts
3rd Shane Young (31) 43pts
4th Fred Dineley (26) 35pts
5th Andrew Allen (36) 35pts
Near Pins: 5th – Ted Morris, 8th – John Davis, 13th – Kevin Waycott, 17th – Martin Todd
Long Putts: 9th – Dane O’Brien, 18th – Alan “Colonel” Sanders
The Growling Swan NAGA Award was won by Warwick “Kiwi” Anderson who accepted & wore the award with pride for most of the evening. Max “Corsets” Bracegirdle was kind enough to parade Deefa the Dog and of course collected many donations for the needy in Pattaya from our generous Growling Swan Golfers.
Note: Growling Swan Golf, the home of friendly golf in Pattaya 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].


Back to the future

The Backyard Golf Society

After an absence of several weeks, due to the apparent inability of the remaining members to write English composition, the Backyard Golf Society is once again able to report on our weekly outing at Emerald G.C. The scribe has been out of the country and with several other regulars away for various reasons no reports have been submitted, but now we are back, at least for a while.
Right, on to the game. The winner this week was ‘Yaya’s Delight’ with 37 points, himself just back from yet another romantic adventure with the wifey to Vietnam. The near-pin prize went to ‘Foos yer Doos Cowe’ with a stunning effort to 4 feet and of course he proceeded to miss the birdie putt.
The 5 hole rollover from the last game was won by ‘The Quiet Man’ and he also won the most skins with 5. ‘Yaya’s Delight’ and ‘Foos yer Doos’ won 4 each, Jimmy ‘2 Stone’ won 3, Golden Trowel’s Boyfriend (suffered badly from another “I am only having a few” night at the Jomtien market bar complex) won 1 and there is 1 rolled over to the next week.
The hot weather left the players quite tired but we are sure to see a more enthusiastic response in the upcoming weeks.


Sproxton scores in Kabinburi

PSC golf from The Golf Club

Some of the Kabinburi crew.

Steve Ellison
Monday, July 8, Green Valley (white tees) Stableford
1st Mashi Kaneta (16) 39pts
2nd Keith Warboys (17) 37pts
3rd Darryl Evans (21) 36pts
We had a fairly good turnout today for our regular Monday venue of Rayong Green Valley. Five groups of golfers joined us on this cool overcast day that was perfect for golf.
This course probably gets more play than any other in the area but still stays in great shape. Hats off to the greenskeeping staff that work hard for us on a daily basis to keep RGV in good nick. By the way, it looks like sister course Silky Oaks will be closed until further notice.
Mashi finished in second place here last week and this time out he bettered himself by one point to take the top spot! 39 points were good enough to claim the crown and leave with one of Phil’s Christmas Cards full of handsome man vouchers. Mashi loves the game and always has a smile on his face and offers a helping hand to the newbies on a regular basis. It’s nice to see the gentleman finish on top!

Brad Sproxton & Nong.

And then there’s Worboys, well I say that in jest of course, but we have to give Keith a ribbing to keep him on his toes. Keith is still racking up the air miles back and forth to the States and China, which is how he affords those green fees. The cigar smoking Floridian took sole second with a fine 37 points with Darryl Evans nipping at his heels on 36 to finish off another great comp.
Tuesday, July 9, Kabinburi Sports Club (yellow tees) – Stableford
1st Terry Wagner (18) 37pts
2nd Geoff Christie (6) 36pts
3rd Brad Sproxton (13) 34pts
Kabinburi Sports Club was the destination for our monthly Road Trip and is well worth the 2 hour and 10 minute drive up the road. The Kantary is the nicest hotel we have on our tour rota and is truly a 4-star plus property. We usually are treated to a room upgrade, but on this trip it was full so we could only get 12 rooms, which were fantastic anyway. If you have not been up here before, it comes highly recommended and we will be going back in September with a much bigger group, so watch this space.

Mashi Kaneta.

It rained a bit on the way up the 331 to the 304, but reduced to a light drizzle that ended when we got to town. We headed straight for the Kantary Hotel to check-in and drop off the lady friends then headed down the road 12 clicks to the golf course.
The Day 1 comp saw the lads tee off at our 12:30 tee time for the 4 hour round ahead. The course was reported in great shape despite the wet, and the decision was made to play ‘lift, clean and place’ for both days.
We had a trio of newbies in Paul Mades, Ron Robertson and Terry Wagner but Terry caught on quickest and found the golf course much to his liking. Who wouldn’t with a 37 on the card? A 22 point back nine with a chip in on the 18th made all the difference for Terry and was good enough for the win, so nice shootin’ Mr. Wagner!
Kiwi Geoff Christie was making his 3rd trip up here and finished on 36 with a certain Mr. Brad Sproxton turning in a 34 point scorecard to take 3rd place.
Wednesday, July 9, Kabinburi Sports Club (yellow tees) – Stableford
1st Brad Sproxton (13) 38pts
T2nd John Warwick (13) 36pts
T2nd Nick Handscombe (11) 36pts
For the record, this is the longest golf course in Thailand when played from the back (Kato) tees. It adds up to a ridiculous 8,075 yards! We chose another option of playing a more manageable 6,200ish course from the yellow tees. There is water aplenty here, and this course is always in immaculate condition.

Brad Sproxton was in fine form on the course today (and last night in the Cowboy restaurant as well!) and added to his 3rd place podium placing from yesterday with a win today. His 38 was the best score for both days, so congratulations Bradley on the King of the Road Trip!
Another Kiwi made the papers w ith John Warwick turning in 36 points to tie with Nicky Handscombe for second place.
Thanks for joining us for another great week of golf in the Land of Smiles!
Note: 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: [email protected] and see updates at www.facebook.com/golfclubpattaya...all   handicaps  welcome!


Winfield in the winner’s circle

PSC golf from Café Kronborg

Friday, July 12, Rayong C.C. - Stableford
We were rained out of our 2 events this past week so we arranged an alternative outing on Friday at Rayong Country Club - just 50 minutes en-route and when we arrived there the place was deserted.
We got away off the first tee under partly sunny skies for a change and we had not played here in a long time, finding the course to be in good shape and relatively dry considering the rain we had had. They now have a rudimentary cart path system here keeping the carts off the course, which slowed up play considerably and there was also no kitchen service in the clubhouse but everything else was satisfactory considering the money spent.
Back in the clubhouse a welcome went out to Lasse Pettersson from Sweden and happy birthday wishes went to Hugh O’Donnell, 83 years young on the day.
The winner today was Mike Winfield (H/cap 22) with 34 points ahead of second placed Lasse Pettersson (30) with 28 points.


Trip of a lifetime for Thailand’s cricket girls

The Thailand women’s team consists of Sornnarin Tippoch (captain), Nattaya Boochatham (vice-captain), Nanthanit Khoncan, Pundarika Prathanmitr, Ratanaporn Padunglerd, Nattakan Chantham, Chanida Sutthiruang, Sainnamin Saenya, Phira-On Khamla, Naruemol Chaiwai, Rattana Sangsoma, Premwadee Doungsin, Sirintra Saengsakaorat.

Richard Lockwood
Thailand women’s cricket team left their training camp in Chiang Mai and headed for Ireland on July 16 as they set off on an exciting journey to take part in the qualifying competition for the next Women’s World Twenty20.
The Thailand team’s last weekend in Chiang Mai saw them meet up with Asian Cricket Council Development Officer Venkatapathy Raju who played Tests and One-Day Internationals for India and was looking to give them as much last minute advice as he could.
The girls had two days’ intensive training at Royal Chiang Mai, the scene of their greatest triumph when they defeated China in the final of the ACC Women’s Championship in January.
The Thai team enjoyed a pair of convincing victories against the boys’ team from CPP as they bowled out their young opponents for well under a hundred in both matches. Venkatapathy Raju took the ball himself so the girls could gain experience against his still highly respectable left-arm spin.
The opposition will be much tougher in Ireland where Thailand have been drawn in a group with Pakistan, Netherlands and Zimbabwe. Thailand’s first match on July 23 comes against Pakistan who have been preparing with a series of matches against England.
Pakistan are one of the favourites to win the competition, particularly as they have just beaten England in a T20 match, but Thailand will have the chance to play six matches in nine days against countries from around the world.
The other group is made up of Sri Lanka, who beat England and India during the last World Cup, along with hosts Ireland, Canada and Japan, and after the initial group stages the teams will be divided into Super Four and Plate competitions.
The last day of the competition on July 31 will see the teams play off for their final positions, with the two finalists and the winner of the third place play-off qualifying for the World Twenty20.
If Thailand can win a match early in the tournament and reach the Super Four, a place in the World Twenty20 could be within their reach. This would mean Thailand would be ranked in the world’s top ten and would soon be facing England or Australia. What an achievement that would be for Thailand’s women cricketers.
Thailand’s matches are as follows: July 23rd against Pakistan, 24th against the Netherlands, and the 26th against Zimbabwe. The 28th will see Super Four and Shield matches while the play offs are on the 31st.


Pan-Asia Hash lands in Pattaya

2,000 runners gather at the start line for the Pan-Asia Hash charity run on Friday, July 5 at the Royal Twin Palace hotel.

Phasakorn Channgam
Pattaya city was host to the 2013 Pan-Asia Hash which brought more than 2,000 serious, and some not so serious, athletes from around Asia to the seaside resort to take part in 2 days of cross-country running and social activities.
The first event, the Red Dress Run, was held to raise funds for local charities and took place on Friday, July 5 when the participants were released from the start line at the Royal Twin Palace hotel in South Pattaya by Banglamung district chief Sakchai Taengho, with the runners making their way north to the finish line 11km away at Ban Sukhawadee on Sukhumvit Road where they later dined.
The following day saw the more serious runs taking place at Khao Mai Kheow on the outskirts of Pattaya, with shorter runs available for those still nursing a hangover and the hard-core athletes taking on a 25km course.
Unfortunately a small group of 19 participants became detached from the main body of runners at Huay Luek Reservoir and were only noticed missing some hours later at which time a large police search was instigated. The missing runners were finally located in the early hours of Sunday morning.
For the remainder of the field, the trophy presentations and grand gala dinner was held at the Pattaya Indoor Stadium on Saturday evening with the official closing ceremony taking place later back at the Royal Twin Palace hotel.
The Pan Asia Hash is held every 2 years with the host country being rotated around the region. This is the second time that Pattaya has staged the event.


Dicey Rileys hosts hotelier pool tournament

 
Trophies await the winners of the 2013 Pattaya Hotelier Pool Tournament.
 
Warunya Thongrod
Dicey Riley Irish Pub on Pattaya 2nd Road is currently hosting the inaugural Pattaya hotelier 8-ball pool competition, running from July 10-25.
13 hotels have signed up to take part this first year, including among others Siam Bayshore Hotel, Sunshine Hotel, Siam Bayview, Markland Hotel, Sheraton Hotel, and the Monthien Hotel. A total of 24 individual players from these establishments are vying for the top prizes on offer.
The winner of the tournament will receive 7,000 baht and the champion’s trophy while second and third place finishers will be awarded 5,000 and 3,000 baht respectively. Players will face off in best of 5 frame knockout matches with the winners progressing to the next rounds. The main draw was held at a press conference held at the Marriott Resort and Spa, Pattaya on July 3 to announce details of the event.
The tournament is being staged to help engender amicable relations between members of the hospitality sector in the region and is open to anyone working within the industry.

Thailand All-Stars beat Man United in Bangkok

Andrew J Wood
Manchester United football team suffered an embarrassing upset last Saturday as their highly paid squad of players slumped to a 1-0 defeat in a friendly match against Thailand’s Singha All-Star XI in Bangkok.
Fans paid up to 4,000 baht to watch the triumphant host team beat the English Premier League champions at the Rajamangala National Stadium. The Thailand team comprised of some of the best players from the Thai Premier League. After a goal-less first half it was Thailand’s Teeratep who broke the deadlock in the 49th minute with a deflected shot that beat United keeper Amos at his near post.
There were perhaps bad omens for United prior to the game, as soon after arriving in the Thai capital the team bus got stuck underneath a chandelier at the Four Seasons Hotel entrance and workers had to climb onto the roof of the bus to free it.
Manchester’s new manager David Moyes, who recently took over from Sir Alex Ferguson, on his retirement, fielded a team without Wayne Rooney who returned to the UK earlier that day with a hamstring injury. Moyes will hope for better from his players on the rest of their tour to Australia, Japan, Hong Kong and Sweden.
United begin their Premier League title defence on August 17 and in the meantime the Singha All Stars will look to add another high-profile scalp this week with a match against Chelsea.


Pattaya Marathon hits the streets this weekend

Race organizers, city officials and sponsors pose with runners following the July 12 press conference to announce details of this weekend’s King’s Cup Pattaya Marathon.

Warunya Thongrod
Sunday’s Pattaya Marathon looks set to attract a wider group of runners, with local tourism officials saying new groups of Asian tourists have expressed interest in the race.
“Tourists from Japan, Malaysia and Singapore are very interested in joining the event,” said Passalin Saewarat, deputy director of the Tourism Authority of Thailand’s Pattaya office. “This race is becoming more well-known, like races in Bangkok and Khon Kaen.”
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.

The event also features half- and quarter-marathons, a wheelchair marathon and a 3.5km students race.
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. Only Thais 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. The top-three finishers in the wheelchair marathon will win 25,000, 20,000 and 15,000 baht, regardless of nationality.
The marathon route (Red on the map) will take the runners from the start point on Beach Road out on Sukhumvit Road heading towards Sattahip as far as the Wat Khao Cheejan turn-off and then back to Pattaya via Jomtien and Khao Phratamnak.
The half marathon (Green) and quarter marathon (Blue) will follow a similar route except that runners will turn for home at Soi Wat Boon and the Lotus Thepprasit respectively before heading back via Jomtien Beach and South Pattaya.

As always, the marathon will be accompanied by the usual forms of periphery entertainment including live music, dancing and market stalls along Beach Road throughout the weekend.
Mayor Itthiphol Kunplome said the city has finished preparations and has set the route, water-service points and security plans. More than 1,000 police and volunteers will staff the race route.
Persons still wishing to take part in the event can still register by calling 02-711-5500 or go to the website: www.pattaya-marathon.net.


Sansiri impresses early in 2013 Transpac Race

Sansiri is shown in action soon after the start of the 2013 Transpac Race. (Photo courtesy Sharon Green/ ultimatesailing.com)

The 2013 Transpacific Yacht Race (Transpac) started in perfect Southern California conditions on Monday 8th July with Thai entry “Sansiri” in the first of three starts in 15 knots of westerly breeze.
Co-skippered by Michael Spies and Thai sailor Patinyakorn Bunranrom, the five-strong crew on Sansiri are the first ever Thai entry in a global Ocean Race and were lining up against the world’s best sailors and yachts in this 2,225 mile marathon from Los Angeles to Honolulu.
Racing in Division 7, at press time Sansiri had made good progress over the first few days and was leading Division 7 on corrected time.
In preparation for the race, Patinyakorn said “I have been working very closely with our expert Navigator Richard Hudson to ensure I fully understand the tactical weather challenges that will be thrown at us in the next eleven or so days. Richard has been great and I am impressed at the level of technology and knowledge he has brought to Sansiri.”
The five crew together pull on a wealth of experience, and while a first ocean race experience for Patinyakorn, he shows no signs of nerves.
“We had a good start and all the crew are working hard to read the weather and sail well. We have a well prepared boat and lots of experience among the crew. It’s still early in the race but we are making good progress and we are confident of placing well in our division and making Thailand proud.”
Organized by the Transpacific Yacht Club, the Transpac is a 2,225 mile race from Point Fermin in Los Angeles to Diamond Head, just east of Honolulu. With its first running in 1906, it is among the world’s great ocean races, and biennially attracts the world’s most talented offshore sailors and offshore sailing adventurers.


Stuvik takes second place at Silverstone

Runner-up Sandy Stuvik (2nd left) of Thailand poses on the podium with winner Santiago Urrutia (2nd right) and third placed Ed Jones (right) at the Silverstone racetrack in England, Sunday, July 14.

Young Thai racer Sandy Stuvik showed dominant form throughout the 2 days of testing prior to last weekend’s 5th Round of the European Formula 3 Open Championship held at Silverstone racetrack in England. In the Saturday morning qualification Stuvik took his first pole position of the year with a time of 1:56:604, ahead of Canadian driver Mason and UAE’s Jones.
As the race started, Sandy’s Formula 3 car bogged down and Mason managed to squeeze past into turn one, with Sandy close behind. During the next 5 laps, the Thai driver was clearly faster, but struggled to get past the Canadian. With the 2 leaders battling for position, Jones managed to catch up and as Stuvik tried to overtake Mason around the outside, Jones managed to get past on his inside. Stuvik answered by making a clean pass of Jones down the Hangar straight, only to find himself rammed off track going into Stowe corner.

Stuvik takes a corner at Silverstone during Sunday’s race.

After the off track excursion Sandy’s tires got dirty and he dropped all the way down to 6th place, before he again could push. Fighting his way through again, the Thai racer set the fastest lap of the race several times, and finished the race side by side with the fourth placed car.
The second race of the Silverstone event started with a Sunday morning thrilling qualifying session, where the two RP Motorsport racers Santiago Urrutia and Sandy Stuvik consistently stayed fastest and the Uruguayan Santiago eventually took P1 in front of the Thai racer by a mere 0.08 second lead.
The race got off to a good start for Stuvik, and a controlled team tactic allowed the two RP motorsport cars to streak away from the rest of the field. Towards the end of the race, the gap from the first two drivers down to 3rd placed British driver Jones had been built to a dominating 9 seconds and Stuvik started to push Urrutia for the lead, with the two of them swapping fastest laps of the race. In the end the race finished with Urrutia first, Thailand’s Stuvik in second and Jones in third.
Sandy Stuvik still leads the driver’s championship as the teams head to Spa Francorchamps in Belgium for the sixth round of the season on 7th – 8th September.
Sandy Kraokaew Stuvik races for Thailand and is sponsored by The Pizza Company, Singha Corporation, Dacon Inspection Services, the Royal Automobile Association of Thailand and Sports Authority of Thailand.


 
HEADLINES [click on headline to view story]

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Dolly Dalton Jomtien Pool League

Crumpton Oaks Dry Cider Wednesday Darts League

British Bar Snacks Friday Pool League

WKD Tuesday Darts League

Pattaya 8-Ball Monday Pool League

It’s a waltz for Bruce

Golfnutter: The Open Championship

Handscombe holds all the aces at Navy

Aussie whitewash at Pleasant Valley

Hackett turns up the heat at Bangpra

Rought relishes the Emerald challenge

Parker takes pole position at Green Valley

Geoff & Jimmy top the scoring charts

Kruining clobbers the field

A very wet and tough week

Busch blitz at Phoenix

Toddy makes it two in a row

Back to the future

Sproxton scores in Kabinburi

Winfield in the winner’s circle

Trip of a lifetime for Thailand’s cricket girls

Pan-Asia Hash lands in Pattaya

Dicey Rileys hosts hotelier pool tournament

Thailand All-Stars beat Man United in Bangkok

Pattaya Marathon hits the streets this weekend

Sansiri impresses early in 2013 Transpac Race

Stuvik takes second place at Silverstone

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