Crumpton Cider Wednesday Darts League

Mee Chew Sports Bar hoist the trophies after winning the latest Wednesday Darts League.

British Bar Snacks Friday Pool League

Results & Standings Nov. 22 (week 12)

Division 1
Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts
Shoot Pool ‘A’	10	8	2	39	1	25
Legends Pool	11	7	4	10	1	22
Easy R-Con Bar	9	6	3	11	1	19
Mata Bar	11	5	6	-9	1	16
Pook’s Bar	10	5	5	1	0	15
Links Bar	9	5	4	-1	0	15
The Butchers Arms	8	5	3	-3	0	15
Acorn Pub	9	3	6	-22	1	10
Sweethearts Bar	11	0	11	-26	5	5
Results:  Legends Pool 10 v 5 Acorn Pub, Links Bar 5 v 10 The Butchers Arms, Mata Bar 10 v 9 Sweethearts Bar, Pook’s Bar 7 v 10 Shoot Pool ‘A’
Division 2
Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts
Shoot Pool ‘B’	11	10	1	39	1	31
Smile Bar	11	10	1	36	0	30
Crazy Eddie’s	10	5	5	-3	1	16
Old Thai Angle	10	5	5	-5	0	15
Dean’s Bar	10	4	6	3	1	13
Tie’s R Us	11	4	7	-16	0	12
Offshore Bar	11	4	7	-17	0	12
FCUK Inn	11	3	8	-19	3	12
i-Rovers	11	3	8	-18	0	9
Results:  FCUK Inn 8 v 10 Crazy Eddie’s, i-Rovers 10 v 8 Tie’s R Us, Offshore Bar 7 v 10 Smile Bar, Old Thai Angle 8 v 10 Shoot Pool ‘B’
Division 3
Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts
The Stag’s Head	10	9	1	45	0	27
Mai’s Bar	11	9	2	23	0	27
The Rest Stop	11	8	3	27	0	24
Buffalo Jacks	10	5	5	2	1	16
The Ranch	8	4	4	2	1	13
Rabbi’s Elephant	10	4	6	-14	1	13
Wet Bar	8	2	6	-21	0	6
The Queen Vic	10	2	8	-28	0	6
Connections	10	1	9	-36	1	4
Results:  Mai’s Bar 10 v 5 Buffalo Jacks, Rabbi’s Elephant 10 v 8 The Rest Stop, The Queen Vic P-P Wet Bar, The Ranch P-P The Stag’s Head

Legends Wednesday 9-Ball Pool League

Results & Standings Nov. 20 (week 22)

Team	P	W	D	L	+/-	Pts.
Easy R-Con Bar	18	15	0	3	60	45
Mata Bar	19	13	3	3	84	42
Legends Pool	20	13	2	5	52	41
Links Bar	19	12	4	3	74	40
Shoot Pool	19	12	4	3	66	40
Pook’s Bar	21	10	4	7	28	34
Buffalo Jacks	20	3	7	10	-42	16
Legends All-Stars	17	4	3	10	-60	15
FCUK Inn	21	4	3	14	-76	15
George & Dragon	17	4	2	11	-56	14
Wet Bar	20	3	4	13	-68	13
Queen Vic	19	2	4	13	-62	10
Results:  Easy R-Con Bar 13 v 7 FCUK Inn, Legends Pool 13 v 7 Mata Bar, Links Bar 10 v 10 Pook’s Bar, Queen Vic 10 v 10 Buffalo Jacks, Shoot Pool 11 v 9 Legends All-Stars, Wet Bar P-P George & Dragon

Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Results & Standings Nov. 18 (week 20)

Division 1
Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts.
The Butchers Arms	14	11	3	34	1	34
Shoot Pool	12	10	2	29	0	30
Smile Bar	12	8	4	10	2	26
Legends Pool	12	7	5	13	0	21
Nicky’s Bar	12	7	5	-7	0	21
Links Bar	14	6	8	-10	1	19
i-Rovers	12	4	8	-7	2	14
Acorn Pub	12	3	9	-22	2	11
Pook’s Bar	11	3	8	-12	1	10
Sweethearts Bar	11	2	9	-28	3	9
Results:  Legends Pool 8 v 10 Pook’s Bar, Links Bar 6 v 10 Nicky’s Bar, The Butchers Arms 9 v 10 Smile Bar
Division 2
Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts.
Easy R-Con Bar	13	12	1	63	0	36
Offshore Bar	13	10	3	32	1	31
Cheers Bar	14	9	5	19	0	27
Shoot Pool ‘B’	14	8	6	10	1	25
The Caddyshack	11	6	5	12	2	20
Dean’s Bar	14	6	8	-4	0	18
Mai’s Bar	13	6	7	-4	0	18
Rabbi’s Elephant	11	4	7	-20	0	12
Wet Bar	11	2	9	-41	0	6
Wombat Bar	14	1	13	-67	0	3
Results:  Cheers Bar 10 v 4 Mai’s Bar, Dean’s Bar 8 v 10 Easy R-Con Bar, Shoot Pool ‘B’ 9 v 10 Offshore Bar, Wet Bar P-P Rabbi’s Elephant, Wombat Bar 3 v 10 The Caddyshack

Pattaya 8-Ball Monday Pool League

Results & Standings Nov. 18 (week 11)

Team	Played	Won	Lost	For	Agst	Diff.	Pts.
Phimai Geordie	11	10	1	113	47	66	31
Mata Bar	11	9	2	97	68	29	29
San Snack Bar	11	8	3	102	63	39	27
Crazy Eddie’s	11	8	3	97	68	29	27
Shoot Pool	11	7	4	87	78	9	25
The Rest Stop	11	5	6	87	78	9	21
Buffalo Jack’s	11	5	6	72	88	-16	20
Rising Sun	11	4	7	79	86	-7	19
Cum On Inn	11	4	7	71	94	-23	19
Mee Chew	11	4	7	68	97	-29	19
Connections	10	1	9	49	101	-52	12
Parrot Inn	10	0	10	48	102	-54	10
Results:  Shoot Pool 10 v 5 Crazy Eddie’s, Buffalo Jack’s 4 v 11 Connections, Mata Bar 8 v 7 San Snack Bar, Mee Chew 8 v 7 Rising Sun, The Rest Stop 4 v 11 Phimai Geordie, Parrot Inn 6 v 9 Cum On Inn

Crumpton Cider Tuesday Darts League

Results & Standings Nov. 19 (week 1)

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

Bob St. Aubin wins inaugural ‘Race2Bkk’

PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar

Race2Bkk winner Bob St. Aubin (2nd left) receives his prize from joint sponsors Greg Hirst of DeVere (far right) & The Outback with runner-up Joe (left) & third placed Paul Bourke.

Monday, Nov. 18, Burapha - Stableford
The number of Outbackers here at Burapha remains disappointing as a result of the recent hike in the green fee rate but we were joined by a dozen from Ireland (many of whom played with us last year) to make the field up to 32.
We played the C and D nines in perfect weather; the course was in great condition and the brutal rough had been mown at last and for once, the scores in all three divisions were fairly even.
Irish visitor Joe Guerin, recorded one of the day’s top scores of 37pts to win Div C, followed home by Bob Lindborg (34) and Ivan Plunkett third (again) with 33.
Paul Pedelty won Div B with 35pts from Carl Luke on 34 and another of the Irish lads, John Colbert, was third, also with 34 but losing to Carl on c/b.
The top division winner was Jim Black from Scotland, here for his regular two week golfing trip and welcome back to you, with the other joint top score of 37pts from Steve Plant (36) and John Cunningham (34).
There were three ‘2’s from Mike Nagle & Chris Thompson (C5) and Stuart Sinfield (D8).
Div A (0-13)
1st Jim Black (12) 37pts
2nd Steve Plant (13) 36pts
3rd John Cunningham (6) 34pts
Div B (14-19)
1st Paul Pedelty (15) 35pts
2nd Carl Luke (17) 34pts
3rd John Colbert (19) 34pts
Div C (20+)
1st Joe Guerin (20) 37pts
2nd Bob Lindborg (20) 34pts
3rd Ivan Plunkett (24) 33pts
Wednesday, Nov. 20, Lotus Valley - Stableford
Welcome to the delayed final of the “Race2Bkk” held at Lotus Valley in Nakon ‘Nowhere’. You couldn’t fault this course in any way, the greens were brilliant and the fairways like plush Axminster carpet. What a fantastic venue for the 32 players to enjoy.

Greg Hirst with John Lawton and Andy Makara plus caddies at Lotus Valley.

The only problem is that the course is in the back of beyond, with no nearby hotels and appalling roads. The only question one has to ask – is it worth the 2 hour journey? In my opinion it is, if this course were in the Pattaya area you would be looking at an all up fee of nearer 4000 Baht rather than the 1800 Baht we paid today. If you were a “Race2Bkk” qualifier; thanks to the generous sponsorship of the Lotus Valley course, you only paid 1000 Baht – it doesn’t get much better!
In addition to the “Race2Bkk” 18 holes strokeplay final, we held the regular stableford competition which had three divisions. The day’s top score came from the runaway winner of Div A, Ed Wycoff with a fantastic 44pts, five clear of Kevin McIntee (39) with Jim Black beating Paul Bourke on c/b both on 36.
Bob St. Aubin put some of his past rounds behind him to record the best score in Div B with 41pts, to win by seven from Greg Hill on 34pts and Barry Copestake on the same score.

The par 5 18th at beautiful Lotus Valley as seen from the clubhouse.

John White showed his love of this course with a winning 36pts in Div C from General Jack (35) and a very surprised John Lawton (32) in third; if you had seen his tee shot on the first! A top-edged toe-hit that went very high and very right, finding the water no more than 30 yards from the tee box! But after the second hole, that wasn’t a great deal better, he recovered well.
There were four ‘2’s from Peter LeNoury & Steve Poznanski (3rd) and Paul Greenaway & Sel Wegner (8th).
Once again our thanks to Lotus Valley for their generosity and for giving us a partial two-tee start which meant that we all finished in plenty of time for the journey back in daylight – apart from the couple of cars which decided to have a look round Bangkok – God knows what time they got home!
One bus of seven chose to go on to the little advertised option of Royal Hills, which is only about one hour on from here. 1800 Baht for the night, including breakfast and green fee can’t be bad and certainly nowhere near as bad as our snooker but a couple of bottles of excellent red wine probably didn’t make the snooker any easier.
The course was also immaculate just ahead of a junior TGA tournament. It’s a different style (much more rural) with a different grass on the greens (very grainy). It was also blowing nearly a gale on the front nine which made the scoring very ordinary, with Suzi taking all the money with just 31pts.
Note: We are planning to make another trip here in the last week of January 2014. It is unusual for the Outback to organise an away trip in the high season – but it will most likely be a 2 night trip – one round at Lotus Valley and then on to Royal Hills, another round there, overnight again then the final round at Lotus Valley again on the way home. Details will be published shortly.
Div A (0-12)
1st Ed Wyckoff (12) 44pts
2nd Kevin McEntee (5) 39pts
3rd Jim Black (12) 36pts
Div B (13-19)
1st Bob St. Aubin (14) 41pts
2nd Greg Hill (17) 34pts
3rd Barry Copestake (13) 34pts
Div C (20+)
1st John White (28) 36pts
2nd Jack Moseley (20) 35pts
3rd John Lawton (20) 32pts
This was the end of the road for the first Race2Bkk which started back in January of this year, the only amateur tournament of its kind in Thailand. Collect points throughout the year every-time you finish on the podium playing with the Outback, add them all up and if you are in the top 20 or 24 depending on the cut off, you are invited to play on the 30,000 Baht final with 20,000 of that going to the winner!
Wednesday’s final at Lotus Valley was delayed due to previous heavy rains about a month ago which had rendered the course almost unplayable, a far cry from the delightful conditions we enjoyed.
With the field of qualifiers reduced to 20 as some of the invitees were unable to play, anybody could win, as all the points earned throughout the year were reset to zero. One good round of stroke-play would do the job and with the lowest handicapper in the field being an 8 marker, who was going to be up to the test.
One thing is for sure, based on his recent form in Chiang Mai, where he finished last, nobody would have put their money on the winner. He is a Green Valley specialist but has always failed to produce what he is well capable of elsewhere. Well today he landed the big one, with a net 67 off a handicap of 14. Bob St. Aubin, love him or hate him, won the 20,000 Baht first prize in the Race2Bkk. Second was Joe Mooneyham (14) with a net 70, who pocketed 6,000 Baht and third was Paul Bourke (8) on net 72, who walked away with 4,000 Baht.
Congrats to you Bob and thanks for your generous bell rings.
The main sponsors of this year’s Race2Bkk were the Outback Golf Bar, Greg Hirst of DeVere Financial Group and Lotus Valley Golf Course.
Other prizes sponsored by the following golf course were as follows: Four Green Fees for Thai Country Club to Greg Hill (4th), four Special Green Fees for Siam Plantation to Barry Copestake (5th), four Special Green Fees for Siam Plantation to Steve Mann (6th), four Special Green Fees for Green Valley to Steve Poznanski (7th), four more for Burapha to Peter LeNoury (8th) but passed on to Muzza who was 10th and finally, four more special Green Fees to Paul Greenaway (9th).
Next year’s Race, starts on 2nd December 2013 and will finish towards the end of August (2014) just before the 2nd Hua Hin trip
Friday, Nov. 22, Green Valley - Scramble
40 players at Green Valley on Friday in a 2-person “ASHES” scramble/ambrose for a change, to mark the start of the first Ashes test between Australia and England at the Gabba in Brisbane. So as well as the scramble, there was a match between teams from Australia & England, which I am pleased to report was narrowly won by England (looks like that will be the only thing that England will win), so there will be no further mention of cricket in this article nor will any cricket be shown at the bar, unless it rains!
Well done to today’s winners, Steve Mann & Steve Poznanski with a net score of 65.5; with two teams sharing second place both on 66.25; Martin Kingswood & John O’Keefe and David Davies & Mark Kembrey.
Back at the bar, the Outback served complimentary Aussie pies and beans to all the players and in conjunction with the Race2Bkk presentation which was also held today, many enjoyed the generosity of Bob St Aubin, the Race2Bkk winner, who rang the bell a couple of times.
Finally, a big thank-you to our near pin sponsors today, from England, John Lawton and from Australia, Tim Knight.
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. Call Jack on 081 578 1956.

Pierrel signs off in style with 43-pointer

PSC golf from The Growling Swan

John Pierrel, Richard Scott, Sandy Leiper & Ebrahim.

Peter Blackburn
Monday, Nov. 18, Greenwood B & C – Stableford
Today we were very happy to welcome Frankie Sharratt, Rosco Langoulant, Richard Scott, Bob Maluga and Bob Akapita, together with a very large contingent from Geraldton in Western Australia.
The weather was perfect, being fine and sunny but not too hot, and the golf course was in very good condition with very few wet patches on the fairways as a result of the recent rains and although we had traffic in front of us we proceeded at a steady pace and completed the round in four hours & fifteen minutes. The company was great, the golf course excellent and it was a very enjoyable round of golf.
The A Division was won by ‘big’ John Pierrel with 35 points and Kev “Wayco” Waycott came second with 33 points. With 3 golfers on 32 points there was a three-way count back for third & fourth spots with Mike Allidi (17 point back nine & 14 points on the last 6 holes) finishing third from Jason Moylan (17 point back nine & 13 points on the last 6 holes) in fourth spot and Frankie Sharratt (16 point back nine) just missed out.

Peter Grey & Nolan Wise

Ebrahim was once again victorious in Division B with an excellent 38 points and with three players on 33 points another count back was required. This resulted in Wayne Harman (18 point back nine) finishing second from John Davis (17 point back nine) in third spot and Rosco Langoulant (16 point back nine) was fourth.
C Division was won by Sandy “Cindy Lauper” Leiper with 33 points, 4 points ahead of Andre Barril in second place and J C Lhoste was third with 28 points, 1 point more than Brian King who finished fourth.
Division A (0-13)
1st John Pierrel (11) 35pts
2nd Kev Waycott (8) 32pts
3rd Mike Allidi (2) 32pts
4th Jason Moylan (9) 32pts
Division B (14-20)
1st Ebrahim (18) 38pts
2nd Wayne Harman (14) 33pts
3rd John Davis (20) 33pts
4th Rosco Langoulant (14) 33pts
Division C (21+)
1st Sandy Leiper (36) 33pts
2nd Andre Barril (22) 29pts
3rd JC Lhoste (23) 28pts
4th Brian King (23) 27pts
Near Pins: B2 – Peter Blackburn, B5 – Peter Blackburn, C6 – Mark Rossiter
Long Putts: B9 – Rosco Langoulant, C9 – Sandy Leiper
The Growling Swan NAGA Award for the day’s worst score was won by newcomer Richard Scott and he accepted the award in good spirit.
Thursday, Nov. 21, Green Valley – Stableford
Green Valley was the venue on this day and we had a pretty good field lined up to tackle this fine golf course after most of us had not played there for quite some time. We ended up with 27 starters and assembled at The Growling Swan as we welcomed back Paul Hack who was returning from Melbourne after a few weeks.
It was time to once more farewell Bob Akapita, Tony Campbell and John Pierrel, all on their way home, and many thanks to John for his assistance to me with organizing & presentations.
Our scheduled tee time today was 10.07 am and our first four-ball got away 13 minutes later than that in perfect weather conditions with a nice cooling breeze to make things a touch more comfortable.
As ever the golf course was in great shape with a few wet patches on the fairways, which did nothing to detract from the quality of this fine layout. The greens were firm and true and deceived many with their speed as one soon found out when left with long downhill putts but they were a pleasure to putt on. The going was a bit slow with much traffic ahead and we proceeded at a steady pace and completed a very enjoyable round in four hours and fifteen minutes.
The A Division was won once again by big John Pierrel with a fabulous 43 points as he was determined to leave us with a “bang” and he certainly did that – congratulations to him for a fine 76 off the stick. With 39 points came veteran Ken Hole in second place and Frankie Sharratt was third with a steady 36 points, just 1 point ahead of Bill Steinman in fourth spot.
For his very first win with us came Nolan Wise who finished first in Division B with 33 points, 1 point ahead of Roy “Plums” Dayton in second place and Andrew “Turtle” Allen was third on 31 points. With 4 players on 27 points a count back was required to determine fourth place and it was Duangjai “Kae” Tusagad (15 point back nine) who prevailed over Max “Corsets” Bracegirdle (14 point back nine), Dick “Reverend” Braimbridge (13 point back nine) and John Davis (10 point back nine).
Division A (0-18)
1st John Pierrel (11) 43pts
2nd Ken Hole (17) 39pts
3rd Frank Sharrat (12) 36pts
4th Bill Steinman (7) 35pts
Division B (19+)
1st Nolan Wise (36) 33pts
2nd Roy Dayton (26) 32pts
3rd Andrew Allen (36) 31pts
4th Duangjai Tusagad (20) 27pts
Near Pins: 4th – Bob Akapita, 9th – Paul Simons, 12th – Paul Hack, 16th – John Pierrel
Long Putts: 9th – Ed Stewart, 18th – Peter Blackburn
The Growling Swan NAGA Award was won by Growling Swan Mine Host Peter Grey and he accepted the award like the good sport that he is. Max then kindly paraded Deefa the Dog and of course collected many donations for the needy in Pattaya from our generous Growling Swan Golfers.
Note: Growling Swan Golf welcomes golfers of any persuasion – low & high handicappers alike, female golfers and beginners. We generally play Mondays & Thursdays, meeting at The Growling Swan (formerly The Bunker Bar) in Soi Chaiyapoon at 8.00 am with transport departing at 8.30 am. For bookings or more information please contact Peter on 0806 351 386 or email to [email protected]
We also play Lawn & Indoor bowls out of the Growling Swan every Wednesday and Sunday. For more information please contact Paul Rennison on 0843 454 005.

Bartley does it again

Phoenix Members Golf Society

Tuesday’s top three, with John Bartley standing center rear, pose with the staff at The Relax Bar.

Mike Gerrard
Golf life at present is just not the same. Due to the new owners of Phoenix Golf Club imposing unacceptable increases in the cost of playing at Phoenix (to both members and walk-in players), we are joining in with a general boycott of the club until some common sense prevails to welcome players back. This boycott is generally being supported by nearly all members, plus many of our guests and other walk-in players around the area.
Some say it is nice to play other courses and of course they are entitled to their opinion. My thoughts are that so far I’ve yet to find one that compares with Phoenix. However, maybe one day things will change back to an acceptable standard and we can get back to our beloved fairways and greens.
Last Tuesday, Nov. 19, we played at Plutaluang, which in my opinion is a great layout but very difficult for the average player. Not so however for John Bartley who returned a superb score of 38 points (11 more than the next player) to claim the KPK Food Services voucher, plus the usual first prize. Next best in second place was Wolfram Krueger with 27 points and joint third were Richard Baldwin & Patrick Browne with 26 points each.
Only two near pin prizes were awarded and they went to the aforementioned Richard Baldwin & Patrick Browne. Wolfram Krueger won the free drink voucher and yours truly won the free massage, both prizes donated by our hosts The Relax Bar at Ban Amphur.
On Friday, Nov. 22, it was that man Bartley again - yes he is on fire – who scored 37 points to take first place at the Emerald track (another great layout and very difficult par 72). Next best was the 33 points returned by me old Brummie mate Colin Gregg. It was a shame really for Colin as he scored 23 points on the front nine only to blow up a little on the back with only 10 more points. In third place was Eamon Murtagh with 31 points, beating his Irish compatriot Maurice Guiney on the back nine.
Near pins went Steve Gibson, Maurice Guiney (2) & John Bartley (by courtesy of a lucky draw). The 50 baht lucky draw prize was won by Giorgio Baccioli.

Greig garners gold at 8th John Preddy Golf Tournament

PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch

Colin Greig with the John Preddy tournament winner’s trophy.

Monday, Nov. 18, Bangpra – Stableford
Twenty eight players assembled at The Ranch today for our visit to Bangpra, and they were able to enjoy a leisurely breakfast since our tee time was an hour later than normal. The course was busy, but the always efficient starter sent four groups away off the first tee and three off the tenth tee, to ensure that the round would be completed well before dusk.
Bangpra is always one of the most popular courses on our schedule, but there were a few grumbles at the registration desk with the high season green fee rate being increased to 1,100 baht. It’s a fact of life that the price of golf is going up in Pattaya, however, your scribe is one of those players that feel this still represents good value for a top class course compared to some other local courses (and many other golfing destinations!).
The course was in it’s usual good condition, and although the greens were not at their quickest, they still presented a tough test. The front nine was slow for both groups, although the pace of play improved slightly on the inward nine.
Tony Scambler continued his good run of form to win the A Flight one point clear of Tony Robbins, with Mashi Kaneta taking third place.
Ken Davidson had a round of two halves, scoring 10 points on the outward nine (when he must have thought he’d blown any chance of winning), and then carding an amazing 25 points on the inward nine, to win the B Flight by two points ahead of Eddie Kelly. Mike Lloyd, who has only recently slipped into the B Flight, took yet another podium position, so some of the regular high handicappers will be hoping he soon gets back down to his proper handicap, and back into the A Flight!
A Flight
1st Tony Scambler (9) 38pts
2nd Tony Robbins (15) 37pts
3rd Mashi Kaneta (14) 34pts
B Flight
1st Ken Davidson (24) 35pts
2nd Eddie Kelly (18) 33pts
3rd Mike Lloyd (17) 32pts
Near Pins: Bernie Stevens, Gez Williams, Paul Hector, and Tony Robbins.
Wednesday, Nov. 20, Khao Kheow B & C – Stableford
Twenty eight golfers turned out for our first visit to Khao Kheow since mid-July, at which time the course was undergoing extensive repairs. We were allocated to play the B and C nines, and set off on the B course which has only recently reopened following extensive renovations to the fairways.
Unfortunately it soon became apparent that the course has reopened a little too early, and there were still extensive areas of the fairways which were being sanded even as we played, plus the greens were certainly not in the best condition. The course however is playable and it was a pleasure for most of the regular players to get back out on what is after all, one of the best layouts in the area.
The weather was almost ideal with a moderate breeze and the round progressed smoothly, with the leading group returning to the clubhouse in slightly over four hours.
The cut was set at 17 and under, which put Mike Lloyd (hcp. 16.9) back into the A Flight with the best score of the day, carding 40 points, three points clear of his good friend Keith Smithson.
John Hughes rediscovered some good form (just prior to the John Preddy tournament!) to take the honours in the B Flight ahead of Ken Davidson and Gordon Melia.
A Flight
1st Mike Lloyd (17) 40pts
2nd Keith Smithson (2) 37pts
3rd Mashi Kaneta (13) 36pts
B Flight
1st John Hughes (17) 38pts
2nd Ken Davidson (24) 36pts
3rd Gordon Melia (20) 34pts
Near Pins: Keith Smithson, Tore Elliasen and John Graham(2).
Friday, Nov. 22, Crystal Bay B & C - John Preddy Memorial Golf Tournament
Forty-two golfers took part in the 8th John Preddy Memorial Charity Tournament and we were allocated the B and C courses for the event, with the first team teeing off a few minutes earlier than scheduled.
The weather was ideal and the course in good condition, so the expectation was that at least 40 points would be needed to be in with a serious chance of winning, on what is one of the more forgiving courses on our schedule. This proved to be an accurate assessment, with eight golfers playing to their handicap or better, and twenty eight players recording scores higher than thirty points.
Colin Greig, playing in only his second game since returning from the U.K., was the only player to reach the magic forty points mark, one point clear of a three-way tie for second place with Ken Davidson taking the runner’s up spot on the count back. Ken is rapidly earning a reputation as the back nine specialist having scored 20 points or more on the inward nine in his last three games – if he could do the same on the front nine he’d be unbeatable!
In the team event “Scouse Power”, captained by the aforementioned veteran scouser Ken Davidson, took the overall prize four points clear of the “Rabbi’s Elephant 2" team.
Everyone assembled back at The Ranch for the presentation, where Buff and his staff laid on an excellent free buffet, which was quickly devoured by the hungry hordes. The presentation of prizes was followed by a lucky draw which made a significant contribution to the funds raised for charity, with great prizes donated by the generous sponsors.
Individual Event
1st Colin Greig (9) 40pts
2nd Ken Davidson (24) 39pts
3rd Richard Bannister (13) 39pts
4th Gerry Cooney (12) 39pts
5th John Graham (10) 38pts
Team Event
1st Ken Davidson, Keith Norman, Geoff Williams and Mark West - 122pts
2nd Richard Bannister, Jim Ferris, Dave Lehane and Peter Ditz - 118pts
3rd Colin Greig, Geoff Parker, Tony Robbins and Buff - 115pts
Near Pins: Colin Greig, Peter Ditz, Richard Dobson and Reg Smart.
Longest Drive: Paul Smith
Longest Putt: Dave Ashman
Note: The Bunker Boys play out of The Ranch bar on Pattaya 3rd Road (in front of the fire station, and almost opposite the Buffalo Bar). We play on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so if you enjoy a fun day out, contact “Buff” on 086 046 5091 or 080 605 5663. We meet at The Ranch at 9 a.m. and new players are always welcome. You can find all the news, schedules and results on our website at www.bunkersociety.com.

Ladies dazzle at Crystal Bay

PSC golf from Café Kronborg

Lotte Boskov and Susan Gaarde with Dave Richardson.

Monday, Nov. 18, Pleasant Valley - Stableford
A Flight (0-22)
1st Elias Magnusson (20) 36pts
2nd Tate Akifumi (16) 36pts
3rd Dave Addison (14) 34pts
4th Graham Buckingham (22) 33pts
B Flight (23+)
1st Dave Richardson (28) 40pts
2nd Daryl Evans (23) 39pts
3rd Karl Beter (30) 34pts
4th Kurt Sandgaard (32) 32pts
It was off to Pleasant Valley on Monday and we teed off from the 10th Hole 35 minutes earlier than scheduled under sunny skies and with a semi-stiff breeze.
The course was in good shape with a few bumpy greens to be had but it was so busy today that it took us the best part of 4½ hours to get around.
Back in the clubhouse a welcome went out to Tate Akifumi from Japan.
Two flights today, with the cut at handicap 22, and Elias Magnusson took the A Flight honors on a count back from the aforementioned Tate Akifumi in second, both with 36 points each. Dave Addison took third place and Graham rolled in fourth.
Dave Richardson won the B Flight with 40 points, one point ahead of runner-up Daryl Evans, while Karl Beter and Kurt Sandgaard filled the minor places.
Thursday, Nov. 21, Crystal Bay A & B – Stableford
A Flight (0-18)
1st Lotte Boskov (18) 39pts
2nd Don Richardson (11) 36pts
3rd Takeshi Hakozaki (12) 32pts
4th Arne Max Pedersen (14) 31pts
B Flight (19+)
1st Susan Gaarde (27) 37pts
2nd Mike Winfield (22) 32pts
3rd Dave Richardson (28) 30pts
4th Svend Gaarde (25) 29pts

Elias Magnusson.

After a swift check-in we were off A1 20 minutes early with a stiff breeze blowing that grew to almost a gale at the turn for the inward nine.
The course was in very fine condition with fast greens but once again it was another slow round of 4 hours 50 minutes as we were held up numerous times by the groups ahead.
Back in the clubhouse welcomes went out to Don Richardson from Northern Ireland and the inspector Alain Taddei.
Two flights again today with the cut at handicap 18 and as the results came in it became clear that it had been a day for the ladies. Lotte Boskov took out the A Flight with 39 points ahead of Don Richardson in second, Takeshi Hakozaki third and Arne Max Pedersen in fourth.
In the B Flight, Susan Gaarde was the top player with 37 points as Mike Winfield took second five points in arrears and Dave Richardson completed the podium with Svend Gaarde.

Chris Martin wins three on the trot

PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society

Wayne Harman (left) and Mike Loewen.

Sunday, Nov. 17, Green Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Wayne Harman (14) 39pts
2nd Peter LeNoury (11) 38pts
3rd Bob StAubin (14) 37pts
B Flight
1st Mike Loewen (21) 41pts
2nd Colin Davis (18) 37pts
3rd Don Lehmer (18) 37pts
Near Pins No 4 Lee Addele No 9 Clive Mathews No 12 Bob Newell No 16 Michael Stafford
The Sugar Shack’s Mike Loewen strode across the soi and returned with the top prize in B Flight and the day’s man of the match honours with an excellent 41 points. Things looked bleak after a wipe on the first hole but Mike recovered with two 4-pointers on the following holes; in fact Mike played that well he could afford two more wipes on the back nine.
Second and third places were decided by a simple case of count back as the ‘Donkey’ and Don ‘senior’ Lehmer both returned 37 points each, but the ‘Donkey’ used all his cunning and guile to wrestle the silver from poor old Don.
Wayne Harrison stood on the top rung in the senior flight with a splendid 39 points. In quick succession Wayne was followed up the podium steps by Peter ‘the right honorable’ LeNoury and Bob St Aubin, each just a stroke back from the other. As usual Bob donated his winnings to the Jing Jai kid’s home.
‘Broadmore’ Bob, or should I say dead eye Dick, had three 2’s on his card plus a near pin. JP Gasser, Clive Mathews, Peteri Aittola and Colin Davis were the other lucky recipients of the 2’s pot.
Monday, Nov. 18, Greenwood B & C – Stableford
A Flight
1st Andy Byrne (10) 36pts
2nd Reg McKay (17) 34pts
B Flight
1st Jorn Finnerup (27) 34pts
2nd Jim Elphick (23) 33pts
No one knows when he will strike but Co. Offaly gang man Andy Byrne never keeps them waiting long. On a day when nobody bettered their handicap, Andy’s even par round was the top score in A Flight and was good for the man of the match honours. A count back sorted out the silver spot with Scotland’s Reg McKay having the best of it and Colin Smith the worst of it.
On form Irishman Jorn Finnerup topped out B Flight with 34 points and he needed every one of them to edge Jimmy ‘two shots’ Elphick by a single digit.
Colm Mullen, Kevin McEntee and Jim Elphick shared the 2’s pot.
Tuesday, Nov. 19, Bangpra - Stableford
A Flight
1st Peteri Aittola (6) 34pts
2nd Terry Mangan (14) 33pts
3rd John Langdon (5) 33pts
B Flight
1st Peter Henshaw (18) 35pts
2nd Brendan Dolan (20) 34pts
3rd Pierre Zbinden (20) 33pts
B Flight was the province of Peter ‘the silver surfer’ Henshaw with 35 points for a one point victory over Brendon Dolan. Brendon was in turn the same one point margin clear of Pierre Zbinden in third.
In A Flight, Peteri Aittola was the class act as his 34 points was one shot clear of Terry ‘pork chop’ Mangan who, as he has done so often, wrenched the second place loot from John Lagdon under the guise of count back.
No player managed a 2 so it was a rollover to Thursday.
Wednesday, Nov. 20, St. Andrews – Stableford
A Flight
1st Les Cobban (8) 38pts
2nd John Pierrel (11) 37pts
3rd Peter Hynard (12) 35pts
B Flight
1st Chris Martin (17) 43pts
2nd Peter Henshaw (18) 41pts
3rd Ian Pickles (15) 38pts
C Flight
1st Jorn Finnerup (20) 35pts
2nd Alan Delaney (20) 35pts
3rd Joe Garran (20) 34pts
Thursday’s venue was the very challenging designed Desmond Moorhead’s St Andrews and Chris Martin showed fine mettle as he topped the day and B Flight with an outstanding 43 points. Peter ‘the silver surfer’ Henshaw followed Wednesdays pay window visit with a second place finish as he posted a splendid 41 points while Ian Pickles added a bit of spice to the flight with a solid 38 point return.
In C Flight, Michael Stafford edged Irishman Alan Delaney via a count back as both were locked on 35 points each; Joe Garran rounded out the flight a shot adrift.
The in-form Les Cobban was the top man in A Flight with an impressive38 points. Les was a stroke clear of Texan John Pierrel and Peter ‘fluent in Thai’ Hynard completed the podium places with another count back decision over the unlucky Oliver Tomasini.
Bill Steinman, Ian Pickles, Terry Mangan, and old pal Christian Boysen shared the 2’s pot.
Thursday, Nov. 21, Mountain Shadow – Stableford
A Flight
1st Andy Byrne (9) 41pts
2nd JJ Harney (12) 38pts
3rd Francis Goyons (9) 31pts
B Flight
1st Chris Martin (17) 36pts
2nd Thierry Petrement (14) 35pts
3rd George Tourgelis (17) 33pts
C Flight
1st Gerry Cooney (18) 35pts
2nd Merle Humphreys (18) 34pts
3rd Jim Elphick (23) 31pts
Andy Byrne, a member of the Co. Offaly gang who have graced the society doors, showed the rest of the field how to play golf this Thursday. His 41 points was three clear of fellow A Flighter JJ Harney. Francis Goyons was delighted to see any part of the podium with his 31 points.
In B Flight, the in-form Chris Martin returned an even par round that was good for the top podium spot; this was also his second pay window visit in as many days. The lads were quite pleased for him but that didn’t mean there weren’t rumblings, although these were to remain subdued (at least for 24 hours). Chris was a shot clear of nice guy Thierry Petrement and a further two clear of George Tourgelis.
Gerry Cooney became the second Irishman to stand atop the podium, in this case C Flight, as his 35 points was the top score in the flight but only just as Merle Humphreys was just a shot adrift.
Jimmy ‘two shots’ Elphick was about as happy as Francis Goyons with his 31 points.
There was nine 2’s recorded with Chris Martin and Colin Smith netting a brace apiece.
Friday, Nov. 22, Plutaluang - Stableford
A Flight
1st Kevin McEntee (5) 33pts
2ND Billy Shipley (5) 32pts
3rd Colin Smith (9) 32pts
B Flight
1st Chris Martin (17) 42pts
2nd Peter Henshaw (18) 37pts
3rd Liam McGuiness (18 34pts
C Flight
1st Brian Cooper (26) 34 pts
2nd Tom Gory (19) 28 pts
3rd Aiden Murray (24) 28 pts
Chris Martin went from a hard working guy who deserved anything that came his way to a “no good @$#%$# son of a %#@$#”. Ah God bless Pattaya. The important thing is he is tending to play well and he better because his new handicap will require it. Peter ‘the silver surfer’ Henshaw, who is starting to be around the lead consistently, and a resurgent Liam McGuiness pocketed the balance of B Flight loot.
C Flight’s Brian ‘mini’ Cooper shot a steady 34 points on this demanding Plutaluang track to take the flight honours. A triumvirate of players sat fingers crossed on 28 points as count back handed Tom Gorey the silver and Aiden Murray the bronze. The unlucky pair of Stuart Brown and Jimmy ‘two shots’ Elphick were left pot less.
It was a tough day for the A Flighters as Kevin ‘shush you know who’s 33 points took the top rung. Kevin was a stroke clear of Billy Shipley and Colin Smith and count back dictated that they finished in that order.
Billy Shipley, Colin Smith, Bruce Anderson and Francis Goyons 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.

Don Everett scores twice

IPGC golf from The Haven

Monday, Nov. 18, Mountain Shadow - Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Markku Tynell (23) 35pts
2nd Allen Raaen (8) 32pts
3rd Terry Hodgkiss (24) 31pts
4th Lyle Blaw (11) 31pts
5th Don Everett (20) 30pts
6th Russell Gilroy (16) 30pts
As always the very tough greens meant another day when the CSS for the day went out to 75 and the competition became non-counting for upward adjustment, although the winner was actually cut as he was not one of the counting players determining the standard for the day.

Don Everett.

That winner was Markku Tynell, who led by three at the end to claim a well deserved victory after having a disastrous start to the day when he collected just three points from the first four holes. He then settled down to take fourteen from the next five and set up his round, which was completed without any zeros on the back nine.
Allen Raaen got the closest in second but having taken too many one-pointers could not make ant deeper impression on the day’s results.
Terry Hodgkiss won a count back over Lyle Blaw with a better 14 to 12 to take third as Don Everett also won a count back against Russell Gilroy for fifth, taking it with a 19 to 17 result.
In keeping with the difficulty that the course was playing, there were no 2’s in either of the divisions.
Prior to the presentations there were welcomes for new members Graham Marchant, Stephen Thatcher together with Russell and Lance Cronin, the former being the local club professional who has previously tried to qualify for the Asian Tour here in Thailand and has grown to love the area. Brother Lance was a former professional footballer who played as an international in goal at under 15 and 17 levels for England and later in the Premier League with Crystal Palace. There was also a welcome back for Rodney Nabbe.
Wednesday, Nov. 20, Treasure Hill - Stableford
CSS 71
1st Don Everett (20) 37pts
2nd Allen Raaen (8) 35pts
3rd Russell Gilroy (16) 35pts
4th Frank Hughes (18) 30pts
5th Hideo Akiyama (16) 28pts
6th Yasuo Suzuki (12) 28pts
It had been decided ahead of the arrival that the day would be contested off the yellow tees, which proved to be a very good decision with just one player bettering par over the nearly 6,400 yard distance with little run to assist from the tee.

Kevin Blake.

Don Everett took his first win of the week with a solid round that owed much to his inward half as he amassed fourteen points from the first five and closed out the last four with another nine points to take a well deserved win ahead of the steady Allen Raaen, who had to settle for second place for the second outing in a row after he had won a count back with Russell Gilroy with a better 18 to 17.
Frank Hughes finished in sole possession of fourth, with Hideo Akiyama and Yasuo contesting another count back which the former won by 18 to 14.
Once again there were no 2’s in the first division but Don Everett added to his day’s takings by slotting in the lone one in the second division.
Before the prize giving there were welcome backs for Jens Gunnarsson, Dave Howden and the new “Yayukahi Tour” made up of Yukio Kikuchi, Kaneo Watanabe and Hideo Akiyama, led as always by their guide and mentor Yasuo Suzuki.
Friday, Nov. 22, Pattavia Century - Stableford
CSS 72
Division 2 (0–15
1st Kevin Blake (6) 36pts
2nd Peter Skinner (10) 35pts
3rd Barry Wellings (5) 29pts
4th Allen Raaen (8) 29pts
Division 2 (16+)
1st Don Everett (20) 35pts
2nd Paul Taylor (19) 34pts
3rd Kaneo Watanabe (20) 33pts
4th Yukio Kikuchi (19) 32pts
Two divisions were required as many players turned out to play this course (designed originally by Sir Nick Faldo) that had not been visited for some time by the group.

Markku Tynell.

The week’s headliner would certainly have been the first division winner except for the double achieved by Don Everett, when he won the second division by the slimmest of margins after he turned in another solid performance. Although Don’s round contained one or two more zeros than he would have preferred, it was just enough to see off the challenge of Paul Taylor as he had returned from the cold of the north of England to show some good form, but he also suffered from too many zeros on the card and had to settle for second place.
Kaneo Watanabe just got the nod over playing partner Yukio Kikuchi for third by a single point to round out the division podium.
Kevin Blake was the winner of the first division and would dearly have wished to have been the headliner to be able to show his chums back in Brighton, who are under the impression that he is in Pattaya for alternative reasons other than playing golf.
Kevin’s day was almost marred by a ruling that was given by his caddy that his ball was “out of bounds” when clearly there were no stakes marking the boundary and then picked it up. It was reported that the look on Kevin’s face was akin to someone getting sight of the bill in Raffles for four Singapore Slings. The net result was nil points on a hole that could have been 1, 2 or maybe 3 points, so he did well to keep a lid on the rest of the round, not dropping any further points and finishing with three 3-pointers for his first win out of Soi 13.
Peter Skinner had chased him hard but sadly took a double on the last so had to be satisfied with second place, with Barry Wellings in third after he had taken the count back over Allen Raaen with a better 16 to 14.
With a very good quality field competing on the day, almost unbelievably there were no 2’s once again in the first division while Paul Taylor and Alwyne Burley shared the pool in the second division.
Back at The Haven there were welcome backs for Paul Taylor, Barry Wellings, and Keith Evans together with Rainer and Oili Helling.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven group, you can contact mobile 094 567 5726 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

Savage edges White to take the plaudits

PSC golf from The Caddyshack

Monday, Nov. 18, Green Valley - Stableford
A large field on Monday at Green Valley saw winners down to 6th place. James Savage (h/cap 21) took top honors with 40 points after beating Emmet White (13) on count back. Roger Rush (17) was alone in third place, with 3 people in a tie for 4th on 32 points. Placings went to Paul Walia (13), Amerdo Graziano (23) and Dave Gibson (15) in that order.

James Savage.

Wednesday, Nov. 20, Crystal Bay - Stableford
At Crystal Bay on Wednesday we had a newcomer as the winner in the shape of Nathan Qigley (4) who finished with 37 points. Second place went to Rick Culley (13) , also with 37 points, and Derek Wilkin (18) took third with 33.
Friday, Nov. 22, Green Valley - Stableford
Friday saw a farcical round at Green Valley where the tee-off was delayed 40 minutes due to overbooking and the round took 5 hours 30 minutes to complete. This is a bad early sign given the fact that the Koreans have not arrived yet, which will only make things worse.
Green Valley is also trying to maximize profits by allowing only 6 minutes between starting times. We just managed to finish before dark with Roger Rush (17) taking first with 35 points. Paul Walia (14) won a 3-way count back for those on 32 points, which also included Phonsie McGahan (5) and Ben Findon (20).
Note: The Caddyshack is located on Soi 17 off 3rd road or soi 8 off Thepprasit. All golfers are welcome and reservations can be taken at 081 865 3104.

Gabe win sparks 60th birthday celebrations

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Brian Gabe and Bob Watson.

Derek Brook
Tuesday, Nov. 19, Green Valley – Stableford
So we are into the High Season and at this time of the year things tend to change. Usually the top courses tend to go out of the general price range and we start to play some of the more realistic ones. In fact over the years some of the top courses have gone into a mode that is beyond the understanding of mere mortals. Some have gone for good and recently one which really does not belong in the top strata.
But on this day we were due to play Green Valley, which seemingly has decided to offer a decent green fee in an effort to pack the course. And this is a good layout that all look forward to playing. The policy is a good one as I am sure the golfers will support the course. Well I was until we stood on the first tee. Even the second tee. And certainly the par 3’s!
The book-in here is quick and we were soon onto the first tee, along with many others. The course in their wisdom had reduced the tee-offs to 6 minutes intervals, and as anyone who plays golf knows, that is tight.

Barry Oars and Tom Herrington.

So we were, of course, off late and the starter was pushing players off as fast as he could. This was OK until we got to the second tee, where at one time we had three groups and we knew we were in for a long afternoon. One of the things here is that you do not lose your temper; it is a total waste of time so we soldiered on.
The course was in good condition and we had plenty of time to admire it on the way around, so I expected some good scores, only tempered by a strong wind. It was a good day despite the course marshals trying to chase players along with nowhere to go. Still, there are worse ways to pass a day.
Back late at Bert’s the results were announced and the winner with 37 points was Brian Gabe on count back over Bob Watson in second. In third was Brian Parish with 36 points and then we had Tom Herrington taking fourth on 35 points.
To finish the night Brian Gabe rang the bell. Now winners often buy a drink but as Brian said, ‘You are not 60 every day’ so we wish him all the best on reaching this milestone. Happy Birthday Brian!
Near Pins: Dick Warberg, Bob Watson, Brian Parish (2)
Friday, November 22, Greenwood – Stableford
A good group went away to this course which, whilst not the closest, is usually a straight forward drive there, and so it was on this day. Once there it was a quick book in and off to the first tee.
The course was in fine condition, what more can one say, if you know Greenwood then you know how it was. We played the B & C Nines and it is worth a drive out here to play a course that is a relaxing walk around and a good test of golf. The weather was fine as well.
So round over it back to Bert’s and Dick could get on with the results. The winner with 37 points was Barry Oars on count back over Tom Herrington in second. In third was Steve Hamstad with 34 points ahead of Don Carmody in fourth with 33 points, and Dick Warberg in fifth with 32. It does seem Tom Herrington is having a really hard time losing so many count backs, we all feel really sad about it! T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Landis Brooks, Max Scott, Mick Coghlan

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

200 Bowlers: Vilson, Leo, Ooy & Kran.

Tea Party continued gaining on the other teams and are now 9.5 points ahead of second place after winning all four points from second place Canada. Aht Johansson bowled a 524 series and Joe Ferral had a 502 for Tea Party.
Café Kronborg continued their climb up the leader board after they won three points from Green Tree. Kronborg moved up from fourth to third place. Both teams bowled good with Ooy Pluemkamon bowling a 203 game and 552 series and Kran Nielsen had a 204 game and 533 series for Kronborg. Noodle Russell bowled a 522 series and Jang Shaw had a 501 for Green Tree. New bowler Vilson, bowling as a pacer, had a 214 game and 537 series.
Leo Kretscher had a great day with a 213 game and 556 series to lead Bavaria to a four point win over Brother D. Brother D dropped from third to fourth place. Leo is in his late seventies and after a recent stroke still has numbness in his left body but he loves bowling and still can put up a good score. Well done Leo.
La Montgomery bowled a 556 series and Tao had a 533 to lead Indiana to a three point win over VFW Post 9876.
Note: Pattaya Sports Club is sponsoring a 9 pin strike fun tournament on 15 Dec 13 starting at 1500 hours at PS Bowl. Lots and lots of draw prizes plus cash prizes for the best scores. Come and join us.

Results & Standings Nov. 22 (week 15)
Pos.	Team	Score	Standings
1	Tea Party	4 – 0	41.5 – 18.5
2	Canada	0 - 4	32 - 28
3	Café Kronborg	3 – 1	31 – 29
4	Brother D	0 - 4	29 - 31
5	Green Tree	1-3	29 - 31
6	VFW Post 9876	1-3	26 - 34
7	Bavaria	4 - 0	26 – 34
8	Indiana	3 – 1	25.5 – 34.5

One hard slog at Eastern Star

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

The Pattaya Golf Society visited Eastern Star on Monday, 18th November, to play a stableford competition in two flights cut at thirteen and under - such was the quality of the field.
Shame then that the quality of the course did not match and it has to be said the course is still seriously rain damaged with soft and, in some places, soggy fairways and unforgiving uncut rough. Amazingly the much maligned greens were the best part of the course.
Scores were therefore poor with Len Jones and Peter Sanderson taking second place in the second flight with 26 points each. The winner was Leigh Abbey with 32 points.
In the top flight Tomas Nilsson, Brian Talbot and Banjo Bannister all shared second place with 31 points whilst the very solid New Zealander Alan Flynn scrambled his way around to return 35 points for the win.
Peter Ditz and Chris Walsh both achieved birdie ‘2’s on the sixth hole and the Booby Bevy was reserved for Sid Elday who, after a shabby front nine score, was able to double it on the back, to give him the largest split figures for the day.
Rabbi’s consolation beer went to Wichai Tananusorn whilst the assembled golfers all took some comfort in the amber nectar whilst licking their wounds after a hard slog at Eastern Star.
Big Mac’s tasty round
After a break of four months the Pattaya Golf Society revisited Greenwood on Wednesday, 20th November to play a stableford competition on the C and B nines which were in excellent condition. Indeed the course in general is looking better than ever with trimmed rough, fine fairways and the greens are back to their consistent best.
The two divisions were cut at fourteen and under and the quality of the top flight was soon to be seen with Peter Sumner setting the pace with a one over par front nine of 21 points! The pack clawed him back however and he ended up with 35 points for a share of second place with an equally resolute Trevor Lazowski. The winner of a tightly contested flight was Wichai Tananusorn with 36 points.
In the second flight Dave Wilkinson announced his return to the group with 34 points for third place, with another steady performance from Jim Ferris giving him 35 points for second place. The winner, his maiden victory, was the gentle Caledonian giant, Michael McGuigan, and his 37 points reflected his potential power. “Big Mac” had indeed arrived in fine style.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and the Booby Bevy went to Pat Murphy for probably his worst round in ten years with the group.
It had been an excellent day at Greenwood with a splendid golf course giving tremendous value for money and it was fitting that a “Big Mac” should top the menu!
Close call at Plutaluang
The PGS golfing week ended with a visit to Plutaluang on Friday, 22nd November, as three PGS groups also played in the John Preddy Memorial at Crystal Bay. The five groups at Plutaluang were hindered by a start delay of an hour as the starter promoted a late arriving Thai group - nothing new for the course of course - and a long day ensued.
Scores were good on the East and South nines however with Brian Beaupre, Takeshi Hakozaki and Tomas Nilsson sharing third place with 35 points each, whilst Peter Wilson and Chris Walsh shared the win with 36 points each.
All three birdie ‘2’s came on the scenic East 5th hole, with Brian Beaupre, Takeshi and Dave Plaiter the grateful recipients. The Booby Bevy was collected, as is his custom on his return, by Danish golfer Tyge Rasmussen, but having spent the previous two weeks in Iran it would have been nectar to the palate!
The PGS also acquitted themselves well in the John Preddy Memorial event with Banjo Bannister losing second place on count back with 39 points and his team finished second in the team event. Near pins were also rewarded to Peter Ditz and Richard Dobson for their fine efforts in the technicals. All in all it had been a successful, if long, day for the PGS golfers.

Brehm makes short work of Green Valley

Travellers Rest Golf Group

Andy Rich
Monday, Nov. 18, The Emerald - Stableford
Div.1 (0-13)
1st Fergus Brennan (12) 39pts
2nd Tristan Gilbert (9) 36pts
Ben Durham (10) 35pts
Div.2 (14+)
1st Jack Macnamara (19) 39pts
David Booth (14) 38pts
Dorsey Richardson (17) 34pts
Loi Krathong, the Thai light festival when the night sky is full of burning lanterns, passed off on Sunday 17th November and on Monday 18th November a couple of TRGG golfers were obviously enthused by what they had seen and set about lighting up the Emerald Golf Course, setting it ablaze with some spectacular scoring.

David Booth.

Or maybe as they are both of Irish extraction, playing at the Emerald was all the inspiration they needed? Anyway for Fergus Brennan (Div 1 winner) and Jack Macnamara (Div 2 winner) it turned out to be a very good day as they both rattled up 39 pts each and left the opposition trailing in their wake.
Tuesday, Nov. 19, Green Valley - Stableford
Div.1 (0-15)
1st David Booth (14) 37pts
2nd Ted Senior (15) 37pts
3rd Tom Byrne (14) 36pts
Div.2 (16+)
1st Ken Brehm (19) 40pts
2nd Tim Dalton (19) 37pts
3rd Rungratree Chotkasems (18) 36pts

Ken Brehm.

On Tuesday it was off to our now regular Tuesday venue at Green Valley and more good scoring was needed to come out on top of each division.
David Booth maintained his fine play of the previous day and not only went one better in his finishing position but also found he had been promoted to the first division as the split was at 15/16 handicap. He beat new father Ted Senior on count back. Well done David - not bad for an old fella.
My old sparring partner Ken Brehm returned the best score of the day to win Division 2 with 40 pts and at this rate he will be getting promoted soon as well.
Thursday, Nov. 21, Treasure Hill - Stableford
Div 1(0-15)
1st Brian Beaupreh (5) 35pts
2nd Ian Bell (6) 33pts
3rd Ed Brubaker (14) 32pts
Div 2 (16+)
1st Paul McKay (24) 31pts
2nd Jack Macnamara (18) 28pts
3rd Dorsey Richardson (17) 26pts

Paul Stanton.

Thursday and it was off to Treasure Hill, probably the most difficult course of the week and the final scoring showed it has not lost any of its bite.
In Division 1 Brian Beaupreh shot the best round of the day with 35 pts and the rest of the scores were nothing to write home about.
Saturday, Nov. 23, Crystal Bay – Stableford
1st Paul Stanton (13) 37pts
2nd Neil Bramley (10) 36pts
3rd Paul Mckay (24) 35pts
The golfing week was rounded off on Saturday with a visit to Crystal Bay (C and B courses) and we were back down to one division.
Paul Stanton showed he is completely recovered from his back problems with yet another win and Neil Bramley ran him close but had to settle for second place. Paul Mckay, who always has a smile on his face, took third spot.
Good luck to all you golfers for the coming week!

The ‘Whiskey Man’ still off 32?

The Backyard Golf Society

The Backyard boys had a very enjoyable day out at our regular Emerald venue last Friday, Nov. 22. With a couple of long-lost members returning to the post-shirt version of the society we had a full compliment but still managed to get around in less than 4 hours.
Leading the way was Dan ‘the Diet Whiskey Man’, who showed us all the benefit of being the handicap secretary – at least up to recently. His score of 38 points off a ridiculous 32 handicap saw him triumph by 2 over ‘The Quiet Man’. Surely the R & A must intervene soon on Whiskey’s handicap manipulation?
The near-pin went to Andy ‘The Deadliest Catch’ Crabb, one of the long absent members. The skins were won by Don ‘the Divorcer’ with 7, Jimmy ‘2 Stone’ with 4, 2 each to ‘The Quiet Man’, Golden Trowel’s Boyfriend and ‘The Biss’ with 1 rolled over to next week’s game.
The Backyard golf society is a multi-national society that accepts just about anyone, from French Canadians to tartan-wearing Jockonese Picts. You just need to be a PSC card-holder prepared for some hard yakka at the regular football-pool kitty sessions at the Jomtien market bars.

Golfnutter:The importance of being Farang

If the cap fits…

“Is she stupid or what – passing me driver to hit on a par-3? Bloody Nora!
“I suppose they have to start somewhere, these caddies, but to saddle me with her first outing is typical of my luck lately. Sure, the caddie-master asked me first, but what else was I to say?
“I wouldn’t have minded greatly but her attitude was bad, right from the off. Told her as much, too. I mean it should be obvious, even to a newbie, that I need to know certain distances. So, when on the first I ask, ‘How far to bunker,’ and she replies with just a shake of the shoulders, I let rip. ‘You should know. If you don’t, then bloody-well find out,’ I tell her.
“It’s a bugger, all this rain. No carts on fairways today, which presented another problem; she wouldn’t have a clue what clubs to bring once she’d parked the cart. Like on the third; I reckon my ball’s about 100 yards from the flag, and she brings sand-wedge. ‘Forty-five degree,’ I told her, and she brings the sand-wedge – I ask you.
“On a tough par-4 she says ‘OB’. Just the words I so wanted to hear. After playing a provisional we then wasted time searching for the original, only to eventually find the bloody thing in the middle of the fairway. C’mon.
“I can’t understand why caddie-masters don’t send new caddies out with experienced ones. That’s when most effective learning takes place, surely. Why should it be left to the likes of me, the paying customer, to provide guidance? And I’m expected to give a tip at the end of the round – bloody laugh that. Sure it’s only the price of a few beers back home, but it’s the principle of the thing. Besides, I’ve got far more important issues to worry about, like making a podium finish.
“The last straw came at the ninth – a par-3 – where she handed me driver. That was the time to tell her she wasn’t wanted for the back nine. Had the caddie-master organise a new one at the turn.
“I started scoring better, but by then it was too late. The damage had been done. Bloody caddies, they wouldn’t have a clue.”
***
“Farang… why rude mak mak? My first day, me shy for sure. I not like. Lose face. I not go back, not after caddie-boss say I no caddie back nine. When I get home, I only have 100 baht to give mama to take care baby. She say, ‘many hours you at golf course – neung-loy baht not enough.’ Not good.
“Caddies who know English are lucky. When we meet, he talk fast mak mak. I not understand. Have cart not good. Not close to other caddies, so can’t ask what about? Him never smile. Maybe him angry already. Before first tee him talk about clubs, which one him like, but I not understand.
“When him hit golf ball, it not go far. Him like mai-neung from tee, but it still not go far. His friends hit ball more.
“Him point to bunker and say something, but I not understand. Caddie-boss say ‘if you not know answer to question, then say nothing.’ But Farang not like. Him angry. Other caddies look me. Not good.
“I mark ball on green, him point to hole and look me. I look at caddie friend and she say he ask about line to hole. I ask how hard him hit ball? She say she not know. I tell him I not know. Him shake head, angry more.
“Carts must to stay on path. Golfer not know which club. Why they not take club more, like lek-hock, lek-jet and lek-bad when walking to ball? Once, I think I hear him say ‘something ha degee’. I turn to caddie friend, ask ‘what club ha degee?’ She say ‘maybe ha-sip ha – sand’, so I take. Him angry more.
“Once him hit mai-neung but I not see because I talk to caddie about what I do wrong. He point to OB line and ask what about? I say OB. We go jungle and look, but not find. Then him find on fairway. Why friend him not see? Again he talk bad me. I not understand.
“On par-3 I give him mai-neung, because he hit about 190 yards, same same to flag. He not like. Friends him laugh. Him angry mak mak. Other caddies look away. What I do wrong? Him then drive cart to caddie-boss and yak yak me. Caddie-boss say I not work anymore.
“Mama, she ask why lose job? I say because Farang no good. She say same same Thai – some good, some bad. Why today me have bad?”
Why indeed.
Golfnutter.

JJ’s game is smooth as silk

The Billabong Bar Golf Society

JJ Harney and Bob Philp with the late Juggy Jones.

Monday, Nov. 18, Silky Oak – Stableford
Playing Silky Oak for the first time since it has been reopened was a pleasure as well as great value for money. It is in splendid condition with greens lightening fast and the fairways like a well kept lawn. We played from the white tee blocks, which is roughly 6,000 yards, but still a good challenge for some of the water carries.
The scores were both good and bad, with one or two of the guys going for the wrong flags (you have to remember its green flags front nine and red one on the back). There was a two-way count back for second and third places with Owen Walkley coming in third with 37 points and Steve Compton taking second on the same score, but the winner today was JJ Harney with a fantastic 41 points off his 12 handicap.
There were three ‘2’s coming from JJ Harney, Gary Hogg and an eagle 2 on the number one stroke hole by Wayne Cotterell. Great shot mate!
Wednesday, Nov. 20, Green Valley – Stableford
Green valley was Wednesday’s venue and we were joined by a group of golfers over here to commemorate a very good friend of theirs and mine, Ian (Juggy) Jones who sadly passed away prematurely in Western Australia. The boys are here to play the courses that Juggy liked to play. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him.
The course today was in great condition and the greens were as usual fast and true. With nine groups playing we got away to an early start and the game flowed with no holdups anywhere.
The scores were very good indeed and there was a count back on 35 points for fourth place with Bill Marsden just edging out Dalby. Third place meanwhile went to Steve Compton on 36 points and second to Bob Newell with 39. In top spot today was Brian King, who was Juggy’s business partner back in Australia, with a magnificent 42 points.
The par-three’s must have played easy as there were seven ‘2’s today, with the scribe having four tries at the ‘2’s pot - only getting two though. Jim Bell, Bob Newell, Bill Marsden, Roger Ison, Neil Carter and Bob Philp got the others.
The bell was rung by Brian back at the bar in memory of Juggy. We will miss you old mate but we know you are up there looking down saying good golfing.
Friday, Nov. 22, Greenwood - Stableford
We played Greenwood today which, despite the longer travelling distance, is well worth the drive. The course is in great condition with really good greens and no bad lies on the fairways. It was millionaire’s golf with very few other golfers on the course. We played from the white tee’s, which does toughen the course up a bit playing at 6,600 yards, but it didn’t worry some of the golfers who can hit woods straight for their second shots.
There were no ‘2’s recorded so the podium went down to fourth place and this prize was taken by Orn Kansaengsri with a fine 33 points, being just beaten for third on a count back by JJ Harney. Second place went to John O’Flynn, playing off scratch with 34 points, and the day’s top prize went to Ralph Hymer with 38 points - a great score from those tees.
Note: The Billabong golf bar is situated just off Siam Country Club Road looking straight down Lake Mabprachan. Call Bob on 082 204 3411 if you are looking for a game.

Neil’s nemesis pips him at the post (twice)

PSC Golf from Siam Country Resort

Tuesday, Nov. 19, Khao Kheow - Stableford
Tuesday was a trip up Hwy 7 to Khao Kheow, where we played the A & C course from the short tees at around 6,000 yards. The course was in good order, slowly getting back to its usual high standard after drainage problems over the last couple of years or so. The weather looked after us too, with clear skies and a light breeze, making for a good day’s golf.

Neil Harvey.

The scores were not great, not even good really, but it was Jeff Wylie (6) leading the way with 34 points, ahead of Neil Harvey by one, after he saw off Paddy Devereux (23) on count back 19/14. These 3 players also shared the Near Pins around amongst themselves.
Thursday, Nov. 21, Pattavia Century - Stableford
Thursday was our first look at the renovated Century Chonburi, now re-badged Pattavia Century Golf Club. The new clubhouse is still a few months away, but the course has shown the benefits of an injection of cash, with renovated tees & bunkers giving the course the aesthetics as well as the challenge.
First and second was a repeat of Tuesday’s event with Jeff again getting one over Neil by the solitary point, while Paddy was again another point away. Near Pins went in a different direction with Dave, George & Peter getting amongst the prizes.
Note: Siam Country Resort, Restaurant & Bar is located just off Siam Country Club Rd, after going under the arch past the 7/11, turn right after 50 metres, with the venue on the left another 200 metres along. Golf from here is generally played on Tuesday & Thursday, with the Resort hosting prompt presentations on both days. As a PSC affiliated venue we welcome all golfers, including ladies & seniors who have opted for the “Silver” tee option.
Call 089 094 1841 for scheduling or enquiries. Hope to see you there, cheers & good golfing!

Glenn edges Burnie in high score shootout

Jomtien Golf with the IPGC

Jan Sordal, Chris Voller and Magne Gunnarson.

Monday, Nov. 18, Plutaluang – Stableford
There was a Navy tournament on the North and West courses today so we were allocated the East and South nines. There were seven groups out today with the equal cut at 7-18 and nineteen plus in the two divisions.
In division 1 three 36’s came in and with a back-nine count back of 20, Dennis Scougal was the winner ahead of Pete Sumner in second and Billy Fitzgerald third.
Thirty-six was also the winning score in division 2 for Eiichi Matsumoto, with William Chang in second two points behind while Fred Temminck beat Andy Oz on a 18/17 back-nine count back for third after they both scored 33 points each.
There were no ‘2’s today so both divisions are rolled over to Pattavia on Wednesday.
Near pins went Gerry Cooke, Peter Pedder, Chris Voller (2), Magne Gunnarson and Howard Stanley.
Wednesday, Nov. 20, Pattavia – Stableford
This was our first visit here since the re-vamp of the course and what a delight it turned out to be. Everyone was surprised with the condition, especially the bunkers and the greens, and the majority view after the round was what a wonderful turnaround this course has made. The new club house is being built now and is scheduled to be finished on the third week of January so we have a booking here in late December and also early February.
Two 42 point scores were returned in division 2 today with Glenn King edging the win over Burnie Sinclair in second, and nine points behind in third place was Rodney Howett.
Chris Voller topped division 1 standings with 37 points, Billy Fitzgerald was second two points behind and Dennis Scougall placed third with 33.
There were some humorous heckling at the presentation at Siam Cats when it was revealed that the third group out had recorded three ‘2’s, all on the 13th green. Well done Gerry Cooke, Billy Fitzgerald and Rod Howett. Curtis Hessler birdied the 4th for a share of the pot also.
Near pins prizes went to Billy Fitzgerald, Don Head, Lindsay Phillips, Jan Sordal, Peter Grant, Tom Novak and Matty Swire
Friday, Nov. 22, Eastern Star - Stableford
A very busy course today with a few Korean groups out in front of us but this did not prove a problem with the flow of play.
Wilf Latham won division 1 (0-15) today with 34 points and with his new handicap of 15, John Walsh took second with 33. A remarkable six players were tied on 32 points for third place but Tim Dale had the best back-nine of 20 to pip Bill Bertram, Billy Fitzgerald, Ted Gardner, Roger and Chris Voller.
Frank Kelly came back into the limelight with 37 points to win division 2 ahead of Miss Nut in second with 35 and the darkside boy Andy Baber took third on 34 after beating Iain Walsh on count back.
Tony Thorne and Roger birdied the 6th and 13th to split the ‘2’s pot in division 1 and the near pins were shared amongst Tim Dale, Roger R, Tony Thorne, John Walsh, Andy Baber, Magne Gunnarson and Frank Kelly.

What a week of winners

PSC golf from The Golf Club

Jeff Cordeiro (front) with Ian Brimble, Martin Kingswood and Grant Cadell.

Steve Ellison
Monday, Nov. 18, Green Valley (white tees) – Stableford
T1st Jeff Cordeiro (8) 40pts
T1st Paul Greenaway (9) 40pts
T2nd Ian Brimble (8) 39pts
T2nd Kalani Makaneole (13) 39pts
T2nd Martin Kingswood (15) 39pts
It was another full field once again as high season golf is well under way. An afternoon of tight lies and close ties saw us in with 2 lads at 40 and 3 others on 39. That is great golf on this course, our regular Monday venue of Green Valley, and as usual it was in perfect condition.
Ian, Martin and Kalani all found themselves with a big 39 circled at the top of their scorecards and had enjoyed a rewarding day on the links. Martin Kingswood should have done a whole lot better but had a bad finish, scoring only 6 points on the last 6 holes.

Dale Shier and little Ally present the 2-day trophy to Steve Snelgrove.

Out of our field of 36 golfers, there were only 2 of the boys who really excelled and ended the round at that elusive 40 point marker. Paul Greenaway, who plays with us every Monday, knows this course as good as anyone in Pattaya and put it all together to share today’s win with Jeff Cordeiro, who is playing off 8. Jeff had a bit of bad luck on the 12th as aggressive putting led to a 4-putt green!
Wednesday, Nov. 20, Crystal Bay (white tees) – Stableford
1st Mike Newbert (10) 38pts
T2nd Ken Aihara (5) 36pts
T2nd Mick Robinson (16) 36pts
With an 850 baht green fee, Crystal Bay has to be the best value course in Pattaya. The 27 holes here are usually in pretty good nick and the boys were anxious to get out and drown some golf balls. It was another perfect day for millionaire’s golf as the weather patterns allow only minimal rain these days.

Bryan Carroll & friend, from the archives.

20 golfers took on the challenge and the best three are listed above. It was more great golf from Ken Aihara, as well as Mike Newbert whose 38 points won the day. Good to see Mike back on the podium where he should be.
Thursday, Nov. 21 - Lotus Valley & Alpine C.C.
This was another quickly organized road trip for some of the lads who wanted to play 2 of the best golf courses in Thailand on a 1-night outing to Bangkok. It was Lotus Valley on the way up where Steve Snelgrove tied with Chaten Patel for the win. After a night in Bangkok, it was up early on Friday to test the links at Alpine C.C. (the best course in Thailand?) where this time Snelgrove won the thing outright!
We must take a moment to thank our great mate Dale Shier for putting this trip together and the major sponsor of the event. Thanks again Dale, it was a great time, but far too many bottles of wine for prizes! We always look forward to a Shier Hosted International Tour Event.
Friday, Nov. 22, Pleasant Valley (white tees) – Stableford
1st Bryan Carroll (17) 39pts
2nd John Coetzee (18) 37pts
3rd Piere Cere (9) 36pts
Today was a bit of history here at TGC as Bryan Carroll finally won, and won in style he did! It has been interesting watching his early frustrations with the game be resolved at last, but not without a bit of help. Bryan found a new mentor in David Race up at the Diana driving range, and with David’s help his game has made a dramatic change for the better. Like they say on TV, call your local PGA pro to keep your game on track.
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!
The Kabinburi excursion is now confirmed for 5-6 December as a one-night road trip with 2 rounds of golf and staying at the fantastic Kantary hotel. See our facebook page for full details.

The Phuket King’s Cup: The genesis of a regatta

Peter Cummins
It was in June, 1986, when a number of leading lights in the Thai sailing fraternity came together – with an idea: A regatta for our King who would turn 60 the following year and the event to be held in Phuket, previously untouched by a sail-fest of such significance.

The beautiful nine-sail design Phuket King’s Cup.

Chris J. King, who at the time was Commodore of the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, was joined by such yachting stalwarts as Dr. Rachot Kanjana-Vanit, Albert T. Chandler, William Gason and Adolph Knees, who all gratefully accepted architect M.L. Tridhosuth Devakul’s offer to designate his newly-opened Phuket Yacht Club Hotel on beautiful Nai Harn Beach as the new Regatta’s “home”.
What better way to launch simultaneously the new hotel and the new King’s Cup - and Mom Tri’s generosity in hosting the event ran for another 10 years. It was certainly the determination, generosity and vision of Mom Tri which played a major part in raising the regatta to its now highly-regarded world-class status.
Logistics were a determining factor in the early days. For example, what types of boats, race management, safety and security, approval of the Provincial Government and, of course, a petition to HM the King to bestow his blessing as Royal Patron of the new venture and to graciously bestow the permanent King’s Cup Regatta trophy.
At the opening event in 1987 a motley collection of itinerant keel boats and catamarans, either based in or passing through Phuket, dinghies shipped overland from the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya, and various other craft, such as those berthed at various centres around Phuket’s shores, were cajoled into joining in.
The fleets were divided into three main centres, ranging from Nai Harn Bay, the Meridien, the Club Med and the Pansea Resort in Surin to the north.
There were keelboats, beach-launched and ocean-going catamarans, Laser dinghies and even wind-surfers. Over the years some of these classes have been dropped, due mainly to difficulties of transportation.

Over 100 craft of all shapes and sizes will be competing from Nov. 30 – Dec. 6 off Kata Beach in Phuket.

The popularity of the Regatta can be judged best from the fact that many of the competitors over the years, have become “Regatta Recidivists”, coming back year after year from the four corners of the world to take part in this marvelous festival of yacht-racing. In some cases, it is “simply to forget about life for a while” in the superb, stress-free ambience of Thailand’s island province.
Throughout the almost three decades of the regatta, the composition of the fleets has changed markedly, and now, with so much interest in sailing and yacht-racing among Thailand’s juniors, some of whom are competing at world championship level, the regatta committee has installed the Phuket Dinghy Series, which, since its introduction in 2010, has inspired the youth in Southern Thailand to take up sailing.
This Series has featured in four Phuket King’s Cup Regattas to date and has become a popular sailing clinic for young sailors (under 15 years old), offering a solid coaching content and fostering friendship amongst participants from various sailing clubs.
Kevin Whitcraft, President of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta Organising Committee, said, “The Phuket Dinghy Series brings many new Thai sailing talents into the arena of competitive youth sailing. It serves as an accessible means of competition for young sailors to prepare them for the international stage and the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta. I would like to thank our sponsor, PTT Global Chemical, for their highly valuable support of the Phuket Dinghy Series, and the company’s assistance in growing the awareness of sailing sport in Thailand.”
The Phuket Dinghy Series, which is held over several weekends in October and November, is now firmly an integral part of the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, and the winners of each class will receive a Royal Award to be presented along with other Regatta class winners at the Kata Beach Resort and Spa on 6 December 2013.
His Majesty the King’s personal representative, Admiral Usni Pramoj, himself also a “Regatta Recidivist” having officiated at all the regattas (with the exception of 1988 and 1989), will once more preside over the Awards Ceremonies this year.
Each year, the overall Regatta winner receives the splendid permanent trophy, designed by Mom Tri Devakul. The trophy is impregnated with the number nine, representing His Majesty as the Ninth ruler of the Chakri Dynasty. Nine “sails” in burnished metal, emanate from a silver column placed upon a base mirroring the sea. Atop this vertical column is a replica of the symbol of the King, known in Thai as the “Tra Sanyalak”, emblazoned with His Majesty’s initials and topped with the royal crown.
When one looks at pictures of the famous - and one might say quite ugly -“America’s Cup” trophy, fought over for almost 160 years in the hallowed halls of international yacht racing, the Phuket King’s Cup Trophy stands out as a work of art, fashioned by a man with a most artistic temperament.
So, the 2013 Phuket Regatta is set to start, with somewhat upwards of 100 entries racing for line honours from Nov. 30 – Dec. 6 off Kata Beach, and the international body which controls such big events has approved three judges from the America’s Cup judging panel, “La crème de la crème” on the world scene.
With limited space this is, at best, a mini-overview of the regatta, but hopefully it’s one that gives a brief insight into an original idea that germinated and grew over 3 decades to the point where it now places Thailand – and Phuket in particular –in the vanguard of world sailing events.

Pattaya Watersports Festival set for this weekend

Catch all the exciting water-borne action this weekend at the Pattaya Watersports Festival at Jomtien Beach.

Phasakorn Channgam
High-speed race boats and jet skis will be making waves off Jomtien Beach this weekend from Nov. 30 – Dec. 1, in the Pattaya Watersports Festival 2013.
The fleet of high powered, tuned-up water craft will be competing in various categories in an event intended to cement Pattaya’s claim as being a center for sports tourism.
The 2-day festival will consist of speedboat races, an F1 550 boat race, Formula 1 boats, jet-skis and various other races designed to create excitement and fun for both locals and tourists.

Crumpton Cider Wednesday Darts League

British Bar Snacks Friday Pool League

Legends Wednesday 9-Ball Pool League

Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Pattaya 8-Ball Monday Pool League

Crumpton Cider Tuesday Darts League

Bob St. Aubin wins inaugural ‘Race2Bkk’

Pierrel signs off in style with 43-pointer

Bartley does it again

Greig garners gold at 8th John Preddy Golf Tournament

Ladies dazzle at Crystal Bay

Chris Martin wins three on the trot

Don Everett scores twice

Savage edges White to take the plaudits

Gabe win sparks 60th birthday celebrations

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

One hard slog at Eastern Star

Brehm makes short work of Green Valley

The ‘Whiskey Man’ still off 32?

The importance of being Farang

JJ’s game is smooth as silk

Neil’s nemesis pips him at the post (twice)

Glenn edges Burnie in high score shootout

What a week of winners

The Phuket King’s Cup: The genesis of a regatta

Pattaya Watersports Festival set for this weekend