Features

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

200 Bowlers: Sue, Antero & Tue.

Second place Canada won three points from third place Café Kronborg and are now only one half point behind first place Tea Party who lost four points this week. Sue Murphy bowled a 212 game and 571 series for Canada and Kran Nielsen had a 534 series for Kronborg. Pauline bowling as a Pacer had a 534.
Brother D won all four points from Tea Party and they moved from fifth to fourth place. Antero Ronkainen bowled a 234 game, 537 series and David Shaw had a 507 for Brother D.
Tue Pettae had a great game bowling 183, 201 and 215 for a 599 series to lead VFW Post 9876 to a three point win over Green Tree. Green Tree dropped from fourth to fifth place.
Leo Kretscher bowled a 547 series to lead Bavaria to a three point win over Indiana. La Montgomery was best for Indiana with a 526 series.

Results & Standings Jan. 31 (week 24)
Pos.	Team	Score	Standings
1	Tea Party	0 - 4	54.5 - 41.5
2	Canada	3-1	54.0 - 42.0
3	Café Kronborg	1-3	51.0 - 45.0
4	Brother D	4 - 0	48.0 - 48.0
5	Green Tree	1-3	47.5 - 48.5
6	VFW Post 9876	3-1	46.0 - 50.0
7	Indiana	1-3	43.5 - 52.5
8	Bavaria	3-1	39.5 - 56.5

Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Results & Standings Jan. 27 (week 1)

Division 1
Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts.
Legends Pool	1	1	0	5	0	3
Shoot Pool ‘B’	1	1	0	4	0	3
Shoot Pool	1	1	0	4	0	3
The Butchers Arms	1	1	0	4	0	3
Links Bar	1	1	0	1	0	3
Sweethearts Bar	1	0	1	-1	0	0
Nicky’s Bar	1	0	1	-4	0	0
Offshore Bar	1	0	1	-4	0	0
Pook’s Bar	1	0	1	-4	0	0
Acorn Pub	1	0	1	-5	0	0
Results:  Legends Pool 10 v 5 Acorn Pub, Links Bar 10 v 9 Sweethearts Bar, Nicky’s Bar 6 v 10 Shoot Pool ‘B’, Offshore Bar 6 v 10 Shoot Pool, Pook’s Bar 6 v 10 The Butchers Arms
Division 2
Team	P	W	L	+/-	BP	Pts.
The Caddyshack	1	1	0	4	0	3
Cheers Bar	1	1	0	3	0	3
Corner Sports Bar	1	1	0	0	0	3
Dean’s Bar	0	0	0	0	0	0
I-Rovers	0	0	0	0	0	0
No Team	1	0	1	0	0	0
Rest Stop	0	0	0	0	0	0
The Ranch	0	0	0	0	0	0
Anzac Sports Bar	1	0	1	-3	0	0
Classroom	1	0	1	-4	0	0
Results:  Cheers Bar 10 v 7 ANZAC Sports Bar, Classroom 6 v 10 The Caddyshack, Corner Sports Bar H-W No Team

Crumpton Cider Tuesday Darts League

Results & Standings Jan. 28 (week 9)

Team	P	W	L	B/legs	Pts.
Londoner	9	8	1	5	16
Mee Chew Sports Bar	9	8	1	5	16
I-Rovers	9	7	2	8	14
Yates Bar	9	6	3	7	12
Crazy Eddies	9	6	3	3	12
Nervous Wreck	9	5	4	6	10
Shoot Pool A	9	4	5	6	8
Jantha Coffee House	9	4	5	5	8
Shoot Pool B	9	4	5	5	8
Buffalo Jack’s	9	3	6	3	6
Mai’s Bar	9	3	6	3	6
Scandalic	9	3	6	2	6
Legends Sports Bar	9	2	7	3	4
W. Tankies	9	0	9	3	0
Results:  Crazy Eddies (9-1)-(6-0) v Buffalo Jack’s, Jantha Coffee House (5-0)-(8-1) v Mee Chew Sports Bar, Mai’s Bar (4-0)-(5-1) v Shoot Pool A, Nervous Wreck (5-0)-(7-1) v Legends Pool & Sports Bar, Scandalic (3-0)-(7-1) v I-Rovers, Shoot Pool B (6-1)-(3-0) v W. Tankies, Yates Bar (5-0)-(13-1) v Londoner

Buffalo Jack’s Wednesday Premier Darts League

Results & Standings Jan. 29 (week 8)

Team	P	W	L	Bonus	Diff.	Pts.
Mee Chew Sports Bar	8	8	0	7	40	16
Legends Sports Bar	8	6	2	6	44	12
W. Tankies	8	6	2	6	24	12
Yates Bar	8	5	3	5	18	10
I-Rovers A	8	5	3	5	12	10
Mai’s Bar	8	4	4	3	-4	8
Jantha Coffee House	8	3	5	3	-14	6
Clinic	8	1	7	1	-34	2
I-Rovers B	8	1	7	2	-38	2
Buffalo Jack’s	8	1	7	2	-48	2
Results:  Clinic (2-0)-(7-1) v Mai’s Bar, I-Rovers A (3-0)-(6-1) v W. Tankies, Jantha Coffee House (7-1)-(2-0) v I-Rovers B, Legends Pool & Sports Bar (9-1)-(0-0) v Yates Bar, Mee Chew Sports Bar (9-1)-(0-0) v Buffalo Jack’s

Legends Wednesday 9-Ball Pool League

Results & Standings Jan. 29 (week 4)

Team	P	W	D	L	+/-	Pts.
Pook’s Bar	4	3	0	1	16	9
Crazy Eddie’s	4	3	0	1	8	9
Easy R-Con Bar	4	2	2	0	12	8
Links Bar	4	2	1	1	20	7
George & Dragon	4	2	1	1	6	7
Legends Pool	4	2	0	2	2	6
Queen Vic	4	1	1	2	-4	4
Buffalo Jacks	3	1	0	2	-6	3
Classroom	3	0	1	2	-14	1
FCUK	4	0	0	4	-40	0
Results:  Buffalo Jacks H-W FCUK, Classroom 10 v 10 Easy R-Con Bar, Links Bar 15 v 5 Legends Pool, Pook’s Bar 11 v 9 George & Dragon, Queen Vic 8 v 12 Crazy Eddie’s

Pattaya 8-Ball Monday Pool League

Results & Standings Jan. 27 (week 21)

Team	Played	Won	Lost	For	Agst	Diff.	Pts.
Phimai Geordie	21	18	3	207	103	104	57
San Snack Bar	21	17	4	206	109	97	55
Mata Bar	21	16	5	188	127	61	53
The Rest Stop	21	14	7	186	129	57	49
Shoot Pool	21	13	8	174	136	38	47
Crazy Eddie’s	21	12	9	166	149	17	45
Cum On Inn	21	10	11	145	170	-25	41
Mee Chew	21	8	13	137	178	-41	37
Buffalo Jack’s	21	7	14	132	178	-46	34
Rising Sun	21	5	16	121	189	-68	30
Connections	20	3	17	101	199	-98	26
Parrot Inn	20	2	18	102	198	-96	24
Results:  Parrot Inn 6 v 9 Crazy Eddie’s, The Rest Stop 10 v 5 Cum On Inn, Mee Chew 5 v 10 Phimai Geordie, Mata Bar 14 v 1 Rising Sun, Buffalo Jack’s 4 v 11 San Snack Bar, Shoot Pool 12 v 3 Connections

Golfing numbers on the up

IPGC golf from The Tara Court Golf Group

Sunday, Jan. 26, Green Valley - Stableford
Because we had an extra large group out today, Green Valley was unable to give us enough tee times so we decided to move over to Silky Oak for a change. This seems to be a course where you either love it or hate and today most of our golfers loved it and were very pleased with both the layout and the condition of the course.

Donal Lyne.

Most of us played the white tees as we didn’t know the course very well and a few hardy souls took on the longer yellow tees with the scores reflecting the extra difficulty of the longer course.
Off the white tees in the A Flight, Donal Lyne was the winner with 36pts ahead of Jack Behan in second and Alec Hoare third. Also off the whites but in B Flight, Tony Cowe had his first win with us with the best score of the day, 39pts, while in second place was Brian Lalor with 36 and Sean Hallahan third with 33.
Playing off the longer yellow tees, Tony Pike had 35pts to win and Declan Kelly was second with 33.
A Flight (white)
1st Donal Lyne (17) 36pts
2nd Jack Behan (15) 35pts
3rd Alec Hoare (18) 34pts
B Flight (white)
1st Tony Cowe (21) 39pts
2nd Brian Lalor (22) 36pts
3rd Sean Hallahan (21) 33pts
Yellow Tees
1st Tony Pike (8) 34pts
2nd Declan Kelly (14) 33pts
Tuesday, Jan. 28, Greenwood - Stableford
Another very large group out here today to play in Greenwood, so again we gave a choice of tees white or yellow tees with most deciding to play off the whites in two divisions while the yellows were combined with the ladies in one flight.

Frank McGowan.

In A Flight, Jack Behan moved up from second on Sunday to first place today with an excellent 39pts, one ahead of Jack Fetherston in second. After a bit of a lean spell, Teddy Lodge returned to the podium in third place with 34 and George Cullen took fourth on his first day back this year.
In B Flight, Jim Kelly had the best score of the day with 40pts and Donal Lyne had to settle for second today after his win on Sunday with 37. Frank McGowan came third with 36, beating Brian Finn on a count back.
Andrew Galvin won the yellow and red flight on 37pts, with Pauline Byrne coming three behind in second and Mary Kelly taking third.
The large ‘2’s pot was shared by Jack Fetherston, Frank McGowan and Sean Connolly.
A Flight (white)
1st Jack Behan (15) 39pts
2nd Jack Fetherston (12) 38pts
3rd Teddy Lodge (10) 34pts
4th George Cullen (12) 32pts
B Flight (white)
1st Jim Kelly (21) 40pts
2nd Donal Lyne (17) 37pts
3rd Frank McGowan (16) 36pts
4th Brian Finn (17) 36pts
Yellow/Red Tees
1st Andrew Galvin (24) 37pts
2nd Pauline Byrne (29) 34pts
3rd Mary Kelly (25) 31pts
Thursday, Jan. 30, Crystal Bay – Stableford
Frank McGowan was back in form again today to win the A flight with 37pts, beating Teddy Lodge into second place on a count back. Des Griffith made a welcome return and came third will a level par 36 while Rob Smith took fourth with 35.
In B flight Mary Kelly won with 35pts, one ahead of second placed Joe Peters and another member of the Kelly family, Liz, came third with 32, just edging friend Elsa Lalor into fourth.
The Kelly family are having a very successful year with us, especially Mary who also had a ‘2’ today but had to share the pot with John Walshe, Alan Costello and Ritchie Martin.
A Flight
1st Frank McGowan (16) 37pts
2nd Teddy Lodge (10) 37pts
3rd Des Griffith (10) 36pts
4th Rob Smith (9) 35pts
B Flight
1st Mary Kelly (25) 35pts
2nd Joe Peters (23) 34pts
3rd Liz Kelly (36) 32pts
4th Elsa Lalor (28) 31pts
Note: The Tara Court Golf Group play every Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday, leaving O’Gara’s Bar and Restaurant in the Tara Court on Pratamnak Rd. around 10.00 a.m. Sign up either in O’Gara’s or ring Joe on 089 249 1364.

Bob Akapita wins his first Monthly Mug

PSC Golf from The Growling Swan

Colm Mullen, Bob Akapita, Shane Young, Mike Gosden & Alan Sanders (standing rear).

Peter Blackburn
Monday, Jan. 27, Pattavia – Stableford
It was time for another visit to the “new & improved” Pattavia Golf Course, formerly known as Century Chonburi and there were 25 golfers signed up and ready for the challenge. It was a reasonably quick trip with no real delay on 331 and we arrived at the course after a 57 minute drive to find it not too busy and lockers available for most. Our scheduled tee time was 10.00 am but we managed to get our first four-ball away 10 minutes earlier than that and in perfect weather conditions our round commenced.
The course was looking very good but when it came to the greens most of us had a few problems as they were super quick and a lot of the holes had been cut in fairly inaccessible places making three putts the rule rather than the exception. It’s OK to have very quick greens but they need to put the holes in spots that are fair. Nonetheless, it was a very enjoyable round of golf, albeit a bit slow with a few hold ups ahead and we finished in four hours & thirty minutes.
It is a longer than normal drive to this course and the access road in is a bit bumpy but well worth the trouble for true golfers and will be even better in February when the new clubhouse is open, which will provide much better facilities for the faint hearted!
That man in form Mike “Hunter” Gosden was at it again and had the best score of the day by winning Division A with 37 points and another form golfer, John Davis was second on 36 points, with Gerd Riedler finishing in third spot on 35 points.
With 2 golfers on 35 points in B Division a count back was required and it was Patrick Poussier (21 point back nine) who finished in first place ahead of Alain “Inspector Clouseau” Taddei (18 point back nine) in second spot. With 3 people on 33 points another count back was necessary which saw Duangjai “Kae” Tusagad (20 point back nine) finish third from Colm Mullen (16 point back nine) and Ian “Bat” Masterson (14 point back nine).
Division A (0-17)
1st Mike Gosden (12) 37pts
2nd John Davis (17) 36pts
3rd Gerd Riedler (8) 35pts
Division B (18+)
1st Patrick Poussier (24) 35pts
2nd Alain Taddei (19) 35pts
3rd Duangjai Tusagad (19) 33pts
Near Pins: 4th – Robbie Taylor, 7th – Colm Mullen, 13th – Peter Blackburn, 17th – Peter Blackburn
Long Putts: 9th – Gerd Riedler, 18th – Gerd Riedler
The Growling Swan NAGA Award, (awarded to the golfer who has the worst score on the day) was won by Ken Grimes who accepted the award like the good sport that he is.
Thursday, Jan. 30, Green Valley – Stroke/Monthly Mug
It was that time of the month once more when we get to play our round of stroke whilst competing for the prestigious Growling Swan Monthly Mug. This was our 20th Mug day and there were 33 golfers signed up and ready to take on the classy Green Valley Golf Course.
When we arrived at the course it was extremely busy and there was an obvious shortage of caddies at that time. However, the Green Valley staff called in caddies from various points and as our first four-ball teed off 4 minutes ahead of our booked 10.19 am tee time the caddies miraculously appeared (JIT).
The weather was terrific once again with very little wind and as we were behind several groups of “not so quick” golfers it was apparent that the going would be quite slow.
As usual the golf course was in great shape although the greens were quite a bit slower than normal and some of them were quite furry but it certainly was a pleasure to be playing this venue again. After a very enjoyable round of golf with very good company we completed our full round in the time of four hours & forty five minutes.
Bob Akapita was making the most of his two week visit to Pattaya and his net 69 was the best score on the day, enabling him to win his very first Growling Swan Monthly Mug. The A Division went to Mike “Hunter” Gosden who continued his good form with a net 70 and your writer, Peter “Blacky” Blackburn was hot on his heels and picked up second spot with a net 71 and Ebrahim finished third with a net 74.
In B Division it was Irishman Colm Mullen who won with a net 70 and Roy “Plums” Dayton was second on net 76 with well known Soi Chaiyapoon bar Mine Host Lindsay Slender in third place with net 77.
Shane “Jockey” Young (net 38 back nine) won Division C with net 75 on a count back from Andrew “Turtle” Allen (net 39 back nine) in second spot and Stephen Newton was third with net 80.
Monthly Mug
1st Bob Akapita (18) net 69
Division A (0-17)
1st Mike Gosden (12) net 70
2nd Peter Blackburn (13) net 71
3rd Ebrahim (16) net 74
Division B (18-24)
1st Colm Mullen (19) net 70
2nd Roy Dayton (22) net 76
3rd Lindsay Stephen (24) net 77
Division C (25+)
1st Shane Young (28) net 75
2nd Andrew Allen (33) net 75
3rd Stephen Newton (28) net 80
Near Pins: 4th – Jayson Schembri, 9th – J J Harney, 12th – Peter Blackburn, 16th – Sal Brizzi
Long Putts: 9th – Alan Sanders, 18th – Peter Grey
The Growling Swan NAGA Award was won by Alan “Colonel” Sanders and he accepted the cap gracefully and wore it for a while back in the bar. As usual presentations were back at the bar on this occasion and we all thanked Mine Host Peter Grey for sponsoring the Mug and also providing a delicious supper.
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 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 both lawn and indoor bowls every Wednesday and Sunday. For more information please contact Paul Rennison on 0843 454 005.

PAGS kicks off 2014 at Mountain Shadow

Ladies winner Wendy Chetland (center) loads the loot.

With a new year upon us, and PAGS (Pattaya Amateur Golf Series) tournaments going from strength to strength, it was a full field of 117 players teeing off at Mountain Shadow last month. The weather was on our side, with clear skies and a light breeze, providing some respite from the strong winds that have been buffeting the golf courses of late.
The course was in good condition, with firm fairways giving plenty of roll for the tee shots, while the greens were their usual challenging self, especially on those downhill putts.
With the numerous sponsors there were technical prizes on every hole, as well as 1st, 2nd & 3rd in each of the 3 men’s flights and 1st & 2nd available to the 16 ladies that teed it up on this day.
Stars of the day were surely Kevin Mackinstosh (6) in the men’s, while the ladies standout was Wendy Chetland (25). Kevin secured Low Gross & “A” Flight net winner awards, along with 2 technical prizes, while Wendy picked up 2 technicals to go with her Ladies flight win.
Just being edged by Kevin for the A flight win was Gerd Riedler (8), with a 7/5 result after count back to the last 3 holes was required, while third spot went to Andre Ohlson (8) with 33 ahead on count back of 2 others.
The “B” flight winner was clear cut, with Werner (15) getting the nod on 39 points, ahead of Pierre Bietry (17) & Mashi Kaneka (16), both with 38s; Pierre (19) edging Mashi’s back 9 of 17.

BBQ king Dave tees off with style.

“C” flight winner Randy Flello (21) submitted the day’s best result of 40 points, clearly ahead of runner up Wolfram (18) with 35, while the bronze medal position went to fellow 18 marker Alan Tookey on 34 points.
In second spot, just the solitary point behind Wendy in the Ladies flight was Ning Neal (11) with 34 points, however Ning’s long drive win on the 18th providid some consolation.
With the PAGS tournaments continuing to grow due to Shane’s expanding reputation of providing well run tournaments at reasonable cost, and the free BBQ at Shenanigans gaining plenty of plaudits, it is a great opportunity to catch up with old friends from years past, while making new ones. There was even a small contingent of Ban Chang locals from old friend Keith Hodges’ 19th Hole bar in attendance this time. They were seen indulging in the fine tucker cooked up by Dave from The Sportsman, Jason getting a technical, with Keith also picking up a bonus lucky draw.
The next PAGS tournament is to be held at Royal Lakeside on 26th February at a cost of 1,650 baht inclusive of green & caddy fee, competition & BBQ at Shenanigans Jomtien. It will again be popular, so early registration with Shane on 085 945 9689 is recommended.

Capt’s quartet sails to victory at Navy

PSC golf from The Billabong Golf Bar

Scramble winners: Bob Philp, Greig Ritchie, Richard Steadman and Bill Marsden.

Monday, Jan. 27, Greenwood - Stableford
Three groups out today at Greenwood and the course was in great condition with hardly any other golfers on the course so we had no problem teeing off ahead of time.
Three players shot a very good 37 points but it was not to be the day for Kevin Wild as he was beaten on a count back into fourth place by John Locke. John in turn lost out on second place to Brian Maddox, but the winner today was our old friend Noddy Moyle with a great score of 38 points. In actual fact Noddy scored 39 points as his handicap is 22 not 21 but he still won anyway.
There were two ‘2’s from Liz Collier and John Locke.
Wednesday, Jan. 29, Green Valley - Stableford
We played Green Valley with seven groups on Wednesday and got around in just over four hours. The course was in great condition but the greens were a little slower than the previous week.
The scores were very good with a four-way count back on 34 points for fifth place that saw Paul Bourke get the nod, coming in fourth was Jack Butler with 37 points, third went to Dennis Pelly with 38, second to Bob Finley on 39 and taking top spot was Sel Wegner with a staggering 42 points. You won’t be playing off 15 for much longer Sel!
There were three ‘2’s coming from Roger Ison, Bill Marsden and Dennis Pelly.
Friday, Jan. 31, Plutaluang - Stableford
The monthly scramble seems to be getting more popular each month and today we had 15 groups who had to endure a 5½ hour round; we forgot it was Chinese New Year and the course was packed.
The thought today was who was going to beat the lads from the Courtyard, who have won 5 times in seven starts in the scramble so they were in the sights of all the other golfers.
Jeff North chipped in for eagle on the second hole for the Courtyard and they thought they were away with this tournament also, but alas it wasn’t to be for them and with only three birdies to go with the eagle it wasn’t enough.
Out of the 15 groups there were 2 scores in the fifties and all the other 13 teams were in the sixties. One group, whom shall remain nameless, gave up after the lighthouse hole after three balls went into the water and they swiftly drove off to the drinks stop for a cold beer.
Coming in fourth position was the group of Eng Duangwaw, Wayne Cotterell, John Player and Murray Hart with a net score of 62.1. Taking third spot was the combo of Sugar Ray Handford, Brian Wilkinson, Russell Exley and Doug Campbell with a score of 60.6, second place went to Willim Lasonder, Brian Maddox, Phil Waite and Owen Walkley with a score of 58.2, but taking out top spot was Team Billabong consisting of Bill Marsden, Richard Steadman, Greig Ritchie and Bob Philp with a score of 54.8. This was the best winning score since the challenge was started 8 months ago.
The next scramble is at the same venue on the 28th February and there will hopefully be a two-tee start to make things go a little faster.
Note: The Billabong is situated just off Siam Country Club Road looking straight down Lake Mabprachan. Give Bob a call on 082 204 3411 if you are looking for a game.

LeBlanc leads from the front at Green Valley

PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar

Monday, Jan. 27, Burapha - Stableford
27 Outbackers played the A and B course from the long blue tees but parts of the course had been over watered leading to wet patches on some of the fair-ways, otherwise the condition was fine and it was good to see the rough cut at an acceptable length at last.

Greg LeBlanc – top scorer on Friday at Green Valley.

The best score of the day was in Div B with Tim Knight finally finding some form to have 39pts and win comfortably by seven from Tom Parker and Ivan Plunkett both on 32, with Tom getting the nod on c/b. Andre Coetzee returned to win Div A with 36pts from Peter Nixon, who beat Ian Parry on c/b, both one shot back, and Paul Bourke took fourth with 34.
There were an unusually high number of ‘2’s from the blues ...five in total; from Andre Coetzee, Peter Nixon & Steve Poznanski, all on A3, Ian Parry on A6 and Jim Brackett on B8.
Div A (0-17)
1st Andre Coetzee (6) 36pts
2nd Peter Nixon (13) 35pts
3rd Ian Parry (13) 35pts
4th Paul Bourke (12) 34pts
Div B (18+)
1st Tim Knight (23) 39pts
2nd Tom Parker (19) 32pts
3rd Ivan Plunkett (24) 32pts
4th Chris Thompson (22) 30pts
Wednesday, Jan. 29, Khao Kheow - Stableford
A full complement of 24 players came to Khao Kheow today and once again the course was in excellent shape. We had an earlier than usual tee time of 9.18 a.m. which caught us on the hop a bit but the first group, which included General Jack, did eventually manage to tee off on A at 9.18 precisely, albeit under the stern eyes of the day’s starter, Steve Mann, who did have to chase us all up a bit.
Div A winner Peter Eriksen excelled to score 37pts off a handicap of 6 to beat the ever-so-steady John O’Keefe on c/b, with Steve Mann one shot back in third place with 36.
Joe Tynan, who eventually listened to his persuaders to try the silver tee for the first time, had his handicap reduced to 29 (down four) and missed out on a podium place in Div B by just one shot, scoring a very acceptable 31pts. Suzi beat him by one to grab third and she was beaten by Andy Makara on 33, with the top spot going to Tom Parker on 35.
Andre Coetzee got the only ‘2’ on the island green, B8.
Div A (0-18)
1st Peter Erikson (6) 37pts
2nd John O’Keefe (16) 37pts
3rd Stephen Mann (10) 36pts
Div B (19+)
1st Tom Parker (19) 35pts
2nd Andy Makara (27) 33pts
3rd Suzi Lawton (29) 32pts
Friday, Jan. 31, Green Valley - Stableford
At last the weather has warmed up slightly and with a gentle breeze, it seemed that today was going to be a perfect day for golf for 47 players.... but just how wrong can one be?
General Jack had prepared the start sheet and plan A was looking good until just after 9 a.m. when the starter at Green Valley insisted that we could tee off - as in now. Unfortunately this was some 25 minutes ahead of our official start time of 9.31 and needless to say not everyone was there, so plan A was cancelled and plan B hastily put into action which later became plan C etc, etc involving a lot of re-arranging of the groups plus a couple of other hiccups, a cancellation and an omission.
It was not an easy task but with a beer in hand and a couple of valiums, remarkably the job got done reasonably seamlessly and later on, after most groups had got away, it was time to relax and start thinking about golf.
The course was in good condition but in certain parts there were patches with wind burn, but that is only to be expected after the cold spell and high winds which we have had for about the last six weeks.
Welcome to all the new faces this week, namely Janne & Jaana, Reijo & Chu, Ronald Bennett and Tim Haywood and welcome back to Barney.
There was some very fine scoring today, particularly in Div A with two 40’s from Paul Greenaway (1st) & Peter Nixon (2nd), Paul Bourke (39), Janne (38) and Peter and Ian both with 37. Div B was pretty impressive as well as Bob Mattes (1st), last month’s most improved player, continued to turn it on, this time with 38pts from Kim Danboise, also 38, and Eddy Beilby & Jimmy Little both with 37.
However the day’s top score was in Div C, as Greg LeBlanc racked up 43pts off his 25 handicap and is bound to see it (his h’cap) come down again. Greg was six clear of the next, Tim Haywood (37), with three more players all on 35; David Davies, Bruce McAdam and Ronald Bennett.
There five ‘2’s from Tim Knight (4th), Janne Tainainen (9th) and the other three were all on the 16th from Paul Greenaway, Stephen Blazsanyik & Pete Stonebridge.
Div A (0-17)
1st Paul Greenaway (11) 40pts
2nd Peter Nixon (13) 40pts
3rd Paul Bourke (12) 39pts
4th Janne Tainainen (9) 38pts
5th Peter LeNoury (11) 37pts
Div B (18-21)
1st Bob Mattes (21) 38pts
2nd Kim Danboise (20) 38pts
3rd Eddy Beilby (18) 37pts
4th Jimmy Little (20) 37pts
5th Tom Parker (19) 35pts
Div C (22+)
1st Greg LeBlanc (25) 43pts
2nd Tim Haywood (33) 37pts
3rd David Davies (24) 35pts
4th Bruce McAdam (26) 35pts
5th Ronald Bennett (25) 35pts
Saturday, Feb. 1, Green Valley - Stableford
The Outback has been running a couple of groups for quite some time now, every Saturday at Green Valley, primarily for the guys who work Monday to Friday and cannot play in the midweek comps. Today was no exception, with seven turning out to play but only five cards being returned.
It was reported that the course was not too busy with a reasonable pace of play and the winning card came from Andrew Fromholtz with 40pts off his handicap of 20. Andrew has been knocking on the door for a number of weeks now but hasn’t quite put two nines together before but today he did, so well done Andrew and welcome to your new handicap of 18.3; that should please your playing partners.
Our monthly medal sponsor, Greg Hirst was second with 34pts, beating Geoff Stimpson on c/b. Geoff was playing today with John O’Keefe, who was enjoying his last round for quite some time, as he (John) is off to Bangkok for a knee operation. Good Luck John!
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. Call Jack on 081 578 1956.

Monthly Medal for top Scot O’Brien

PSC golf from The Golf Club

Alan Rothwell, Henry O’Brien and Terry Wagner.

Steve Ellison
Monday, Jan. 27, Green Valley (white tees) – Monthly Medal
1st Henry O’Brien (22) net 66
2nd Anders Pederson (8) net 68
3rd Mark Wood (9) net 69
T4th Terry Wagner (18) net 70
T4th Alan Rothwell (6) net 70
T4th Ernie McInerney (11) net 70
It was monthly medal time again, so one of our top quality Antigua golf shirts was up for grabs. We had a good field of 36 golfers for today’s event and all were anxious to get on the first tee. Once more we had perfect golf weather and this is as good as it gets for cool weather here in Pattaya.

Mark Wood.

There was a 3-way tie for 4th place with Terry, Alan and Ernie Mac all shooting a very respectable net 70 on the day. Mark Wood, fresh off the plane, went out and shot a net 69 for third place and Anders Pederson took second with his 68. But the winner today was Henry O’Brien as the 22 handicapper turned in a net 66 to give him his first monthly medal win and a shirt with a star on it. Way to go Henry!
Wednesday, Jan. 29, Khao Kheow (yellow tees) – Stableford
1st Mark Wood (9) 36pts
1st Alan Rothwell (6) 36pts
3rd Bryan Carroll (18) 33pts
4th Brad Gearie (13) 32pts
An absolutely perfect day for golf was once again on the cards as we stepped up to the first tee 10 minutes early and the B side was wide open. Khao Kheow was in beautiful condition and was looking magnificent on every hole. It was pleasant with a light breeze and low humidity and just ideal golfing conditions.
It was a day for the low handicappers, as this course is always a tough test of golf. A good bit of wind kicked up as well to add to the frustration of this Pete Dye classic.

Ken Aihara and Ray Powell celebrate with Golf Captain Phil Smedley.

Another Scotsman claimed top of the table today as our old buddy Mark Wood came good to share victory with American Alan Rothwell, both on 36 Stableford points. Irishman Bryan Carroll is certainly getting his game together in 3rd place while Australian Brad Gearie rounded off our international scoreboard in 4th place.
It’s great to have so many golfers from darn near everywhere play with us here in Pattaya!
Friday, Jan. 31, Greenwood B & C (white tees) – Stableford
1st Phil Smedley (12) 36pts
2nd Ray Powell (16) 33pts
3rd Ken Aihara (3) 32pts
Glorious Greenwood was the venue this Friday and it couldn’t have been nicer. The white tees were playing to 6,600 yards with a good bit of roll, but the greens were not as quick as we have seen them in the past. Weather was once again perfect!
Kenny Aihara was back in form and this 3 handicapper showed his skills to take 3rd as 32 points was good enough for the prizes. Englishman Ray Powell was a shot better on 33 points for 2nd place but Capt’n. Phil was the only man to shoot to his handicap for today’s win. Enjoy the BBQ Phil! Thanks once again to all who joined us for millionaires’ golf in Pattaya.
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 longest day at Pattavia

Jomtien Golf with the IPGC

Lindsay Phillips, Miss Nut and Don Head.

Monday, Jan. 27, Khao Kheow – Stableford
There were ten groups out today in three divisions and we were allocated the B and C nines. Before we got started, three Korean groups pushed in on the first tee and the starter allowed this so we ended up teeing off 20 minutes behind our normal schedule.
It was quite a pleasant day with the temperature not too extravagant and quite a strong breeze blowing throughout the round.
At the presentation back at Siam Cats our catchphrase of “Nobody likes to see this” was echoed around the bar as Lindsay Phillips came in with 35 points to take first place in division 1. Nik Evans, playing off 11, was second with 31 points and Don Head took third, beating Ron Miller and Chris Voller 16/16/15 on the back nine and 13/10 on the back six after they all came in with 30 points each.
Another 35 point tally won division 3, this time for Erkki Pohja who edged out Miss Nut, playing off the same yellow tees as the men today, on a 13/12 back six count back. Pepo Frick took third with 31 points.
Finn Olsen’s 32 was enough to win division 2, with Khalifa Nasser taking second after beating Barry Stirling 14/12 on count back, both on 31 points each.
Near pins went to Khalifa Nasser, Chris Voller (3), John Bisceglio, Randy Flello, Bob Poole and Walter Weber.
Wednesday, Jan. 29, Plutaluang - Stableford
On our last two visits here we played on the East and South courses and three weeks ago we booked the North and West, which we try to alternate every time we are here. There were eleven groups out today with the cut in three divisions as 7-15, 16-20 and 21+ in division 3.
In form lately, William Chang recorded the best score of the day to win division 2 with 38 points. Howard Stanley came in second with 34 and Jerry McCarthy was third on 31.
Jimmy Johnson beat Alan Bissell on count back to win division 3, both on 35 points, and Cliff Elliott was third with 28.
Finally, in the premier division, Jack Behan beat Chris Voller on count back for the win after both carded 33-point rounds and Paul Butler took third just one point further back.
Near pins were shared around between Billy Fitzgerald, Ted Lodge, Bryan Rought, Pete Sumner, William Chang (2), Ger Lodge and Volker Suhr.
Jack Behan, Bryan Rought and Pete Sumner split the rollover first division ‘2’s pot while William Chang was smiling even more with the only ‘2’ in division 2.
Friday, Dec. 31, Pattavia - Stableford
A totally disastrous day started with the leading group just about to u-turn on the 331 for the course and a lorry collided with the car on our right-hand side, causing the lorry to overturn and end up in ditch between the two carriageways. Our four passengers escaped unscathed and this was a miracle, but the four occupants of the truck were all taken to hospital by ambulance.
At the course, despite obtaining confirmation the previous evening, there was no booking for us and this led to chaos as our eight groups had to be split between the first and the tenth. After 9 holes there was over an hour wait on the tenth tee to play the back nine and in the end it turned out to be a six hour round. We used to have this trouble when this course was called Century Chonburi before, with foreign tourists pushing in on the 10th because the first tee was full. If this occurs on our next game here we will give this course a miss in the high season.
Howard Stanley returned the best score of the day, winning division 1 with 37 points while Karl Flood was second after beating Barney Sheedy on count back.
Roar Berger bagged division 2 honours with 35 points, two ahead of Cliff Elliott in second, and John Bisceglio beat Rod Howett on count back for third after they both came in with 32 points each.
Near pins were won by Ted Lodge, Lindsay Phillips, Roar Berger, John Bisceglio and Jim Sims.
Howard Stanley birdied the 4th hole for the sole ‘2’ of the day.

Long drives galore, but putting the key

PSC golf from Siam Country Resort

Tuesday, Jan. 28, The Emerald – Stableford
Tuesday was a visit to Emerald where we played from the white tees, which were effectively yellow as they had not been replaced following a junior tournament. Even at the normal whites at 6,024 yards, Emerald is amongst the shortest courses in the area, with some allowance for the up & down terrain.
The course was in generally good order, but is starting to show signs from the recent lack of rain of fairways being very firm, good for distance if you can keep it straight though. Greens were putting truly, but hard to be offensive with downhill putts, as they had a tendency to get away if not careful.
Best of the day was Jeff Wylie (7), just getting the better of Jonathan Pratt (10) on count back 16/14 after both signed for 34 points. Near pins were spread around between Paddy, Jonathan & K.
Thursday, Jan. 30, Bangpakong - Stableford
Thursday was a long drive, longer than normal anyway, before we got to the course at Bangpakong Riverside. The course is in super condition currently, with fairways offering perfect lies, if you can manage to keep it on the straight & not so narrow.
While I have difficulty with describing any course as “easy”, even at 6600 yards from the white tees, Bangpakong is certainly one of the more open, forgiving courses available to us. This is not to say that it does not offer up its challenges, especially the par 3s which have some length and hazards to negotiate.
With no Jonathan today, as he is visiting the UK, it was left to Willem Lasonder (20) to challenge Jeff for the prizes. After good front 9s, both slipped a little on the back to sign for 36 & 38 points respectively. George Gamble (24) was in the hunt, but a late stumble saw him relegated to equal third with Paddy, who even with a couple of “wipes” on the back 9 was not far away.
Near pins went to Neil & Jeff.
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 (>60s) who have opted for the “Silver” tee option. Call 089 094 1841 for scheduling or enquiries. Hope to see you there, cheers & good golfing!

Moriarty’s silky smooth performance

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

A hectic week for the Pattaya Golf Society began with the January monthly medal round at Silky Oak and with the hordes of Asian golfers missing there was an air of high season unreality about it - no crossovers, no queues, just millionaires’ golf.
The course was in good condition but the greens, through underuse, are slow and coarse. However many golfers enjoyed the challenge.
The field was divided into two flights at fifteen and under and in the second flight Mr Len took third place with an embarrassing net 81 and Martin Hennessy placed second with net 77. The flight winner was Dave Lehane whose net 71 took the day.
In the top flight Marc Jensen again showed his consistency with net 72 for third place whilst Wichai Tananusorn’s best gross of 77 gave him net 70 for second place. The winner was Dave Moriarty with his best round this trip, a splendid net 68. He also took a share of the ‘2’s pot with Khun Wichai taking the majority share after efforts on the fifth and fourteenth holes.
A returning Alan Spencer received the Booby Bevy after he finally rediscovered the group he had missed since the old days in Soi Rungland, whilst Ray Banks received Rabbi’s free non-winner’s beer. Lovely sound that, “non winner Ray Banks”! It’ll be a long time before it’s said about Dave Moriarty.
Irish eyes smiling at PGS Annual Charity Scramble
For three years now the Pattaya Golf Society has been raising money through golf to help the work of the Fr. Ray Foundation Outreach and Drop-In Center on Soi Thepprasit. To date we have raised some 250,000 baht for the work which involves those at greatest risk, street kids.
The first major fundraising event of 2014 took place at Eastern Star and Emerald on Wednesday, 29th January when more than twenty teams contested in the 14th PGS Annual Charity Scramble. Two courses were used because this year the demand for places way outstripped what ESR could accommodate, despite promises to the contrary and the PGS warmly thanks Stephen Beard for his role in coordinating the Emerald division. Teams had been entered representing five of Pattaya’s golf outlets and the day was essentially all about “fun”.
In the Emerald flight Stephen Beard’s team “Ambassadors Choice” took third place with net 62.9, with the “International Brigade” showing their pedigree with their second place of 58 shots. The division winners were the “Missing Links”, comprising of Allen Raaen, Mark Armstrong, Vern Raaschou and Paul Young playing as a very effective team, notching up 56.2.
In the Eastern Star division there was more than a touch of the blarney as the “Irish Wolfhounds 1” dug their teeth in with a gritty 58.2 points for third place. An elated “Liverpool SAS” team, still on a high after the football events in Liverpool only hours before, took second place with 57 whilst the “Irish Wolfhounds 2” team won with 56.5, the team of Ian Herbert, Martin Ward, Peter Villa and George Cullen combining well to good effect.
The presentation was held back at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar in Soi Buakhao and Rabbi and Khun Peung had set up a splendid buffet to welcome the golfers back and the PGS coordinator Mr Len introduced the ceremony with grateful thanks to all who had contributed to the success of the event, including Stephen Beard, Joe McArdle, David Thomas and those who had made generous contributions for the Prize Draw, including Richard “Banjo” Bannister and Anne, Joe Niisato, Steve Donahue, Marc Jensen and Jean Daniels.
The day had been another memorable one and the amount raised was more than 65,000 big ones for the PGS’s adopted charity. We at PGS thank you all for your support in the event and hope that your game gave you some pleasure. Your contributions will go towards giving even more pleasure to the street kids at the Fr. Ray Foundation Outreach and Drop-In Center. The progress of the campaign can be followed at http://thepattayagolfsociety .org/charitymatters. Many thanks for your generosity, interest and support.
Kiwi winner
at Khao Kheow
A hectic week for the Pattaya Golf Society golfers ended on Friday, 31st January with a visit to Khao Kheow to play a stableford competition in two flights, with the cut coming at fifteen and under. The choice for the day was the A and B combination which saw greens variable in pace.
The second flight saw Larry Slattery come third with 33 points, one behind runner up Henry Mah with 34. The flight winner was Phil “PJ” Mitchell who looked very focused after a week lying low recovering from a virus. His 35 points was a fine return on a tough course.
In the top flight Dave Moriarty and Marc Jensen shared third place with 37 points each whilst Robbie Taylor took second with 39 points. The best round of the day was played by Kiwi Alan Flynn whose 40 points follows another fine round at Bangpakong a week or so ago.
The ‘2’s pot was shared by Marc Jensen, Tony Guest and Rick Schramm.
Rabbi’s non-winners’ beer went to Jesper Hansen and the Booby Bevy went to Dave Plaiter after a round which saw an eight-twenty one split.
Thus a hectic yet immensely successful week for PGS ended in Soi Buakhao and a weekend break will be just the tonic before the next outing!

Henderson at the double

PSC golf from The Caddyshack

Monday, Jan. 27, Green Valley - Stableford
1st Peter Henderson (19) 40pts
2nd Paul Walia (15) 39pts
3rd Magnus (12) 36pts
4th Bill Shepley (7) 34pts

Peter Henderson.

After a 9 month drought recovering from knee surgery Peter Henderson finally managed 2 wins this week. His first came on Monday at Green Valley where his fine 40 point round saw him take victory by one from Paul Walia.
Wednesday & Thursday, Jan. 29-30 - Soi Dao G.C.
Wednesday was the first day of our 2-day outing to beautiful Soi Dao. It is always a pleasure to play this golf course and it is hard to tell which is the signature hole since there are so many of them.
After his first win on Monday, Peter Henderson went even better and demolished the course with 44 points including an eagle on the final hole. Second place went to Ted Gardner (8) with 36 points and Mark Williams (9) took third with 35 points.
On Thursday we teed off again at Soi Dao and Dave Hester (12) took the honours with 34 points. Runner up was Vincent Smyth (13) with 32 points, beating Mark Williams (9) on count back.
As we said 2 years ago, it will be easier to get there when the dual carriageway is finished but then it may be a life-long construction.
Friday, Jan. 31, Green Valley - Stableford
1st Jack Butler (16) 41pts
2nd Mike Philipps (13) 39pts
3rd Phil Cawse (17) 38pts
4th Bruce Tollitt (20) 37pts
A return to the society’s home course on Friday saw Jack Butler take top spot with a sparking 41 point round to finish 2 up on Mike Philipps in second. Phil Cawse and Bruce Tollitt completed the podium in that order.
Note: The Caddyshack is located on Soi 17 off 3rd Road or soi 8 off Thepprasit Road. All golfers are welcome and reservations are taken at 081 865 3104.

Growling Swan golfers do it again

IPGC golf from The Tara Court Golf Group

Thai dancers entertained the visiting party from The Growling Swan and Pattaya Sports Club.

William Macey
Donations from the Growling Swan golf group have now exceeded 92,000 baht within the last 18 months. This is not a large charity set up but a golf bar right here in Pattaya ... just a bunch of farangs enjoying their golf and doing their best to support underprivileged children in the area. Their most recent purchases from the charity funds they have raised include a large trampoline for the Mercy Center in Pattaya and the 25 children that are resident there; a water filtration system for school No. 9 whose existing system had exceeded its sell by date and was no longer a reliable sauce of clean water; swim wear, including goggles and hats, for the Father Ray Foundation’s younger children; and sports equipment for 4 schools in the backwoods of Pattaya who have children from poor families but who all just love playing sport.

Peter Blackburn distributes the sports equipment

How do they it? It is all the responsibility of Deefa the Dog to raise the necessary funds. Small fines are imposed for the slightest indiscretion like spilling your beer, arriving late for golf, forgetting some equipment and losing a ball in the water. The penalties are paid with a good heart and visits to those in need are well supported by the golfers.
The 4 resource challenged schools mentioned above were recent recipients of a table tennis table, balls for football, volleyball, basketball and takrow, plus nets for the goals to put an end to those little problems about whether it would have been a goal or not.
Six members of The Growling Swan golf group, escorted by representatives from Pattaya Sports Club and YWCA, spent a very enjoyable 2 hours being entertained by the children at the schools. Refreshments were served on arrival and a football tournament took place between the 4 schools receiving the equipment, supported by cheerleaders, that were both energetic and vocal and who would have made any American football team proud.
Preliminary games were completed before our arrival and we were pleased to be invited to see the final, which was witness to some brilliant individual skills. Mayor of Nongplalai, Khun Phinyo, presented the trophy to the winners and other trophies were presented by Peter Grey and Peter Blackburn of The Growling Swan.
Well done to all the members of The Growing Swan for their generosity and I am sure there will many more donations to come!

Mayor Phinyo presents the trophy to the winners.

Peter Grey hands over a runners-up trophy.

All the players say thank you to The Growling Swan.

Michele & Franco score big at Bangpakong

PSC golf from Café Kronborg

Michele Sancillo and Franco Moretti with Dave Richardson.

Monday, Jan. 27, Treasure Hill - Stableford
A Flight (0-20)
1st Mashi Kaneta (16) 39pts
2nd Tore Eliassen (17) 30pts
3rd Henning Olsen (18) 30pts
4th Leif Kirkgaard (18) 30pts
B Flight (21+)
1st Jack Robertson (26) 37pts
2nd Carole Kubicki (22) 36pts
3rd Peter Hammond (27) 34pts
4th Franco Moretti (31) 32pts
Near Pins: #2 Mashi Kaneta, #6 Elias Magnusson, #$13 Carole Kubicki, #17 Leif Kirkgaard
Long Putts: #9 Franco Morretti, #18 Carole Kubicki
Treasure Hill was the test today and we got off the first tee 10 minutes early under hazy and warming conditions. The course was in fine shape although some of the greens were a bit ordinary. We did not meet up with any safaris on the way around and managed to complete the 18 holes in a shade over 4 hours.

Jack Robertson and Mashi Kaneta with Dave Richardson.

We had two flights today with the cut at handicap 20 and the full lineup of pins. Mashi Kaneta won the A Flight with a fine 39 points and we then had count backs for the next three positions with Tore Eliassen taking second, Henning Olsen third and Leif Kirkgaard fourth, all with 30 points.
Jack Robertson topped the B Flight standings with 37 points, one ahead of Carole Kubicki in second, while Peter Hammond and Franco Moretti completed the podium.
hursday, Jan. 30, Bangpakong - Stableford
A Flight (0-20)
1st Michele Sancillo (8) 43pts
2nd Henning Olsen (18) 40pts
3rd Tate Akifumi (16) 39pts
4th Richard Kubicki (13) 38pts
B Flight (21+)
1st Franco Moretti (31) 40pts
2nd Dave Richardson (27) 38pts
3rd Carole Kubicki (22) 36pts
4th Mike Winfield (21) 35pts
Near Pins: #4 Jeff Acheson, #7 Henning Olsen, #13 Jan Lovgreen, #16 Carole Kubicki
Long Putts: #9 Michele Sancillo, #18 Dene Polvi
Bangpakong Riverside course was the game today and you can never say enough good things about the condition of this course - they get it right every time. Today the course was fully booked so we had a slowish round of 4 hours and 40 minutes.
Michele Sancillo took the A Flight honours with a very fine 43 points (gross 73), Henning Olsen was second with 40, Tate Akifumi third with 39, And Richard Kubicki took fourth on a count back over Jeff Acheson, both with 38 points.
Franco Moretti won the B Flight with his best score ever of 40 points. Franco was two clear of Dave Richardson in second, with Carole Kubicki and Mike Winfield filling the minor places.

Alan and Terry take the Medals

IPGC golf from The Haven

Allan Hanlon and Terry Hodgkiss.

Monday, Jan. 27, Crystal Bay C & A – Stableford
CSS 71
Division 1 (0–16)
1st Alan Hanlon (13) 40pts
2nd Jens Gunnarsson (15) 37pts
3rd John Carlin (16) 37pts
4th Walter O’Keefe (16) 35pts
5th Dave Ross (9) 35pts
Division 2 (17+)
1st Markku Tynell (23) 39pts
2nd Philip Cass (20) 34pts
3rd Patrick Scullion (21) 33pts
4th Don Everett (18) 33pts
5th Shuichi Kodaka (18) 33pts
A good turnout needed the formation of two divisions with the cut coming at 16 and below to travel to Crystal Bay, where the course gets better and better with every passing week as work continues apace on both the clubhouse and the course in general. The greens are slowly getting back to their old style of fast and flat with good reception for shots into them.
The scores underlined the condition as both divisions were won with better than usual returns.
The first division went to Allan Hanlon who, after going out in four under, almost maintained the pace with a solid level back nine to win by three from a two-way count back between Jens Gunnarsson and John Carlin. Jens took second spot after prevailing with a better 16 over the last six as John could muster only a very good 15 after they had tied the nine at 20 apiece.
Walter O’Keefe took fourth after he also won a count back over Dave Ross with a better 18 to 17.
There were no 2’s in the first division but Philip Cass, as usual, scored the lone one in the second division.
Wednesday, Jan. 29, The Emerald - Scramble
Wednesday saw the whole crew attending the Pattaya Golf Society’s Charity Scramble where, because of a much better than expected turnout for the planned Eastern Star course, there were insufficient tee times available so The Haven’s groups played at The Emerald in a separate division.
The results of that division were as follows: 1st place - The Missing Links: Allen Raaen, Vern Raaschou, Paul Young, Mark Armstrong (7.8) 64 net 56.2; 2nd place - The International Brigade: David Ross, John Carlin, Walter O’Keefe, Markku Tynell (8.0) 66 net 58.0; and 3rd place - The Ambassador’s Briefs: Kevin Blake, Jens Gunnarsson, Patrick Scullion, Stephen Beard (8.1) 71 net 62.9.
A full report of the day can be found on page 51 of this issue of the Pattaya Mail.
Friday, Jan. 31, Greenwood C & A - Monthly Medals
CSS 74
Division 1 (0-15)
1st Alan Hanlon (13) net 74
2nd Allen Raaen (8) net 75
3rd Jens Gunnarsson (15) net 78
Division 2 (16+)
1st Terry Hodgkiss (25) net 68
2nd John Carlin (16) net 73
3rd Mike Hill (76) net 76
Another excellent turnout meant another two division day at the always popular Greenwood layout, where the C and A courses were in play for the Monthly Medals.
As always the introduction of stroke play seems to increase the average scores on any given course and the day’s results again proved the point, with just one player bettering par and only one able to make the standard of “within two of handicap” and so the CSS for the day moved out to 74.
This caused Terry Hodgkiss, the winner in division 2, to get an extra shot reduction in handicap after he had returned his best score for over six months, finishing strongly four under for his back nine, the A course.
John Carlin took second place after he may well have thought that he had done enough to win over a difficult course on a windy day, at just one over.
Mike Hill cruised into third spot another three back as he sadly slipped badly following a good front nine at two under handicap.
The first division belonged to Alan Hanlon, claiming his second win of the week with a solid two over return after he had taken a kind of rest day on the Wednesday, leading the Norfolk n’ Chance team in the scramble to an ignominious fifth place, but two better than the bookmakers had predicted.
Allen Raaen can never be counted out of the Monthly Medal as his form over the last year shows and he almost succeeded again but for a poor start that saw him drop four shots over the first two holes and he therefore had to settle for a close second.
Jens Gunnarsson, who is just hitting form as he prepares to leave for distant ports, claimed third as he slumped over the inward half following a sparkling one under on the front nine.
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.

Milne makes hay at Riverside

PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch

Monday, Jan. 27, Bangpakong – Stableford
Another journey along highway 7 and the motorway saw twenty golfers arrive an hour later at the clubhouse which is undergoing minor renovations. The changing room we used looked brand new and was looking perfect compared to the usual broken lockers/doors/ceilings/showers etc we generally find on our travels.

Geoff Parker - January golfer of the month.

Venturing outside we found the course in lovely condition with lush fairways and greens covered in grass, which made them a lot slower than on the drier courses around the Pattaya area. The only slight criticism was too much overnight watering resulting in quite a few patches of very wet fairway. The course was busy with the first few holes and par 3’s slow going, but with the sun shining and a slight breeze to cool you down, it’s still better than working.
In the A flight Ian Milne took advantage of the conditions and although his driving was not 100% he more than made up for it with his chipping and putting to amass a terrific 42 points. A chip in from over 100 yards for a 2 on the par-four 15th aided his total. Geoff Parker and John Graham both bettered handicap but could not match him.
In B flight a really consistent round from “Skinny” Newton bagged him 39 points. This could have been more but he decided rather than take his medicine he attempted to play a shot half standing in water. Richard Baldotto took second place a shot behind, with the newly arrived Phil Moore third, a further 3 shots behind.
A Flight
1st Ian Milne (13) 42pts
2nd Geoff Parker (14) 40pts
3rd John Graham (11) 37pts
B Flight
1st Blair Newton (27) 39pts
2nd Richard Baldotto (24) 38pts
3rd Phil Moore 35pts
Near Pins: Stuart Tinkler, Rab McDonald, Paul Smith and Tony Robbins.
Wednesday. Jan. 27, Green Valley – Stableford
This was an excellent day to play on one of the more popular courses in the area, which was reflected in numbers on the course. We teed off on time but proceeded slowly before the pace picked up for our twenty four golfers.
Course conditions were good but the greens were slower than usual with 8.5 stimp meter readings.
A lot of the white tees were further forward than normal which resulted in some excellent scores on the day, particularly in A Flight. Four players bettered their handicap, with Mark Stanley regaining some form and hitting 41 points. No player in B flight bettered par with Mike Corner trumping Geoff Hart on count back, both with 36 points.
A Flight
1st Mark Stanley (10) 41pts
2nd Peter Kelly (12) 40pts
3rd Tony Robbins (13) 39pts
B Flight
1st Mike Corner (21) 36pts
2nd Geoff Hart (25) 36pts
3rd Stuart Tinkler (16) 35pts
Near Pins: Barry Murnin, Peter Kelly, Tony Robbins and Keith Norman
Friday, Jan. 31, Pattaya C.C. - Stapleford
The Bunkerboys are not regular visitors to our booked course, Plutaluang, mainly due to lack of caddies and buggies on previous visits. Today was to be no exception as approaching the course the mobiles started ringing and sure enough no caddies or buggies available until approximately 1.5 hours after our 11 a.m. booked tee time. Not wishing to take up this offer, we rang around and Pattaya Country Club could accommodate our 26 golfers at short notice.
Arriving at the alternate course the scene was very busy but somehow the starter managed to squeeze us all in, despite no obvious tee times available on his sheet. Groups went out as caddies became available from their first round of the day and eventually the final group teed off at 1.20 p.m. The volume of players on the course ensured a slowish round and the last of our field just made it back in without needing night vision goggles, a touch under 5 hours later.
A lot of us had not played this course for over 2 years since it started its renovation programme, so were interested in what had been happening. Your scribe’s memory is not what it was but no major course changes had occurred, with the majority of the work seeming to have taken place on improving the greens.
A couple of the drink stops had also been rebuilt or moved. I think the club is missing a trick by not having one on the first tee where a lot of golfers are usually milling about, with the first stop not until after hole number 4.
The fairways were reasonable, with soft new sand in the bunkers, but a lot of the golfers struggled with the slow greens. This resulted in only 7 of the field shooting above 30 points and only 2 golfers below handicap. These were Keith Norman with 39 points in A flight and Ken (steady eddy) Young with 37 points in B flight; Ken nearly bagging an eagle on the par five 18th, hitting the pin with his third shot.
The golfer of the month award went to Geoff Parker who couldn’t be caught today, finishing 9 points ahead of Colin Greig and Keith Norman.
A Flight
1st Keith Norman (14) 39pts
2nd Tony Robbins (13) 33pts
3rd Geoff Parker (14) 32pts
B Flight
1st Ken Young (28) 37pts
2nd Tore Eliassen (17) 33pts
3rd Neil Griffin (26) 31pts
Near Pins: Colin Greig (2), Tony Robbins and Keith Norman
Note: The Bunker Boys are play out of The Ranch bar on Pattaya 3rd Road on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Contact “Buff” on 086 046 5091 or 080 605 5663 for all enquiries.

Hackett holds on for monthly honours

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Dick Warberg (left) presents the MBMG golfer of the month award to John Hackett.

Derek Brook
Tuesday, Jan. 28, Kiarti Thanee – Stableford
Going to a new course is a bit weird after years of playing the normal Eastern Seaboard circuit and I wondered how Kiarti Thanee would match up to our local courses. Well we were soon at the 10th tee, starting the back nine first and the first thing I noticed were the fairways, flat, lined with trees … and a lot of water. It seemed the policy was to flood the fairways and in some places it was so bad the ball picked up large pieces of mud and the thought that we should play ‘lift, clean and place’ came to mind. This was the same all the way around.
Continuing the round it was seen that the greens were fine and all the players commented on them, but tree lined straight holes continued and really it became a little boring. Maybe not quite that bad but the nearest I can compare the course to is Royal Lakeside, which is just down the road. We could have saved 20+ kilometers and played there!

Tuesday’s flight winners, John Davis and James Ferris.

Anyway, the caddies and staff here were a pleasure to deal with and most of the players really enjoyed their round.
In the A Flight 0 to 19, the better players coped with the ‘new course’ much better. The winner with 38 points was John Davis ahead of a count back on 37 points that saw John Hackett in second and Brian Parish third while Takeshi Hakozaki was fourth on 36.
So into the B Flight, and here we saw the scores were a little lower, to the Scribe’s delight. The winner with 37 points was James Ferris ahead of Mike O’Brian with 36 points in second. In third place was Derek Brook with 34 points and in fourth was Daryl Evans with 33.
This was the end of the month and it was time for The MBMG Group Golfer of the Month award. The build-up was close on scores and the leaders were all on the same points so who amongst them got points on the final day would win. Well with John Hackett, coming overall third and that extra point was just enough to see him cross the finishing line. Well done John!

Friday’s top two with one of Bert’s finest.

Near Pins: Mashi Kaneta, John Hackett, Ted Morris, Dick Warberg
Long Putt: AVD, Carole Kubicki
Friday, Jan. 31, Greenwood - Stableford
A quick book in saw us at the start and the A & B Nine were to be our target. So off we went into a strong wind, as is usual these days and it stayed with us all day.
The thing about the A nine was that the greens were very fast and were a pleasure to play. The rest of the nine was in good condition but with the wind it proved very difficult. Onto the B nine and the sad thing was that the greens were quite slow, two completely different nines. The other thing was that we were always waiting, and although we got around in good time it reminded me not to play in a three-ball on a Friday.
Round over we soon got underway back to Pattaya, and as expected on a semi holiday, the road into Pattaya was very busy. I came back down the road that joins the 331 into the route 7, turn right at Pattana, or on the bouncy road. I do not think I have ever driven down a road that bounces so much, but it does get you onto the 7 fast. From then on the road was packed. Still we got back in the end.
So to the results and the winner on the day, with the only good score, was Alan Sullivan with 37 points. In second with 33 points was Colm Mullen, with Derek Brook in third on 32. We then had a three-way count back on 31 points that saw Don Carmody in fourth, Henry O’Brien fifth and Brian Parish just missing out. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Frank Pilkington, Michele Sancillo, Don Carmody

High scores just par for the course

Travellers Rest Golf Group

Larry Simpson and Barry Wood.

Andy Rich
With the onset of February the numbers wishing to play golf at the TRGG are showing a marked downturn and it was only necessary for one division in each of last week’s four competitions. The old adage that cream rises to the top was never more in evidence this week and none of the ‘riff-raff’ got a look in with all four first prizes going to the crème de la crème. In fact all the top three places were filled on all four occasions with 16 handicap or better golfers.
Monday, Jan. 27, Greenwood - Stableford
On Monday the TRGG made its way across to Greenwood (A and B courses) and found it, as always, in excellent condition. Daryll Ottaway set about it with relish, running up an amazing 42pts and leaving the opposition miles behind. Nick Thomas and Derek Thorogood both scored a very commendable 38pts each but could make no impression on Darryl’s lead.
1st Daryl Ottaway (8) 42pts
2nd Nick Thomas (14) 38pts
3rd Derek Thorogood (16) 38pts
Tuesday, Jan. 28, Green Valley - Stableford
Tuesday it was back to Green Valley and more spectacular scoring abounded, led by the old Methuselah himself Larry Simpson. Larry, now in his eighth decade, showed all the young whippersnappers that he still has a few tricks up his sleeve and racked up 41pts around a tricky golf course with electric greens. Rod Ewan and Alan Thomas followed him home with 39pts and 37 pts respectively.
1st Larry Simpson (10) 41pts
2nd Rod Ewan (14) 39pts
3rd Alan Thomas (5) 37pts
On Thursday it was the turn of Khao Kheow (B and C courses) to provide the challenge. Barry Wood took a day off from turning the ladies heads and was the next of the crème to rack up 40+ points, 41 to be precise. He was closely followed home by Dave Palmer on 40 and Jim Cleaver on 38. I can only imagine how far noses must have been put out of joint to amass those scores and still only come second and third. I hope the hospital didn’t charge you too much guys to have the noses reset.
1st Barry Wood (12) 41pts
2nd Dave Palmer (7) 40pts
3rd Jim Cleaver (10) 38pts
It was off to Crystal Bay on Saturday (A and B courses) and it must have been playing a little tricky because the previous three days high scoring returned to normal.
It was that man with the simple swing who makes golf look easy, Alan Thomas, who returned to the cherry on top of the cake position with 36 points. He was closely followed by Magnus Alvarsson and Jim Cleaver, who could only be separated after count back.
1st Alan Thomas (5) 36pts
2nd Magnus Alvarsson (13) 35pts
3rd Jim Cleaver (10) 35pts
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.

Bray bags a hole-in-one

PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society

Sunday, Jan. 26, Green Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Andy Kelleher (9) 37pts
2nd Dominic Downey (12) 36pts
3rd Ed Wyckoff (11) 35pts
B Flight
1st Pat Regan (14) 37pts
2nd Peter Henshaw (16) 33pts
3rd Barry Copestake (14) 32pts
B Flight
1st Ajit Amin (18) 41pts
2nd Barry Tregurtha (20) 40pts
3rd John O’Neil (20) 38pts
Near Pins: No 4 Yui Bietry, No 9 John Heaney, No 12 Colin Davis, No 16 Christian Boysen

Paul Bray.

The always steady, always near the top Ajit Amin showed his mettle today as he garnered the man of the match honours and top spot in C Flight with a splendid 41 points, beating the field by a single stroke. Fellow C Flight mate Barry Tregurtha followed Ajit closely up the podium steps just one stroke back while Irishman John O’Neil filled the flight with a solid 38pts.
Andy Kelleher led home the first division, albeit by just one stroke from Dominic Downey. Three players went to count back to fill the flight; Ed ‘our man in the White house’ Wyckoff, Mark Stanley and ‘Broadmore’ Bob, needless to say Broadmore’s count back woes continued as he and Mark got to see the presentation from a bar stool.
Pat Regan was the top man in B Flight with a flight wining 37 points. Fellow ‘Mick’ Peter ‘the silver surfer’ Henshaw followed Pat with a non-threatening 33 points and he was one clear of our very own Bionic man Barry ‘the boot’ Copestake (both knees replaced).
Only one 2 today and it was Dave ‘the fisherman’ Driscoll who received a society record prize.
Monday, Jan. 27, Khao Kheow A&B - Stableford
A Flight
1st Ian Pickles (14) 37pts
2nd Andy Kellaher (9) 36pts
3rd Tom McManus (13) 35pts
B Flight
1st Walter Baechli (17) 40pts
2nd Ajit Amin (18) 34pts
3rd Nick Odnoral (16) 34pts
C Flight
1st Pueschi Ayoko (23) 42pts
2nd Bruce Berlin (24) 36pts
3rd Eddie Kelly (19) 33pts

Sunday’s winner Ajit Amin (right) with Colin Davis.

Well it started with a lady being the woman of the match and it ended with her helping herself to a slice of the 2’s pot also. Ayoko Pueschi, ever-improving, had a spectacular C Flight winning 42 points. Ayoko was followed in C Flight by Bruce Berlin and his even par round. Eddy Kelly snapped up the bronze with a count back winning 37 points over Irishman Gerry Roche.
The ever-flamboyant Walter Baechli made yet another pay window appearance as he took B Flight with a tremendous 40 points. Ajit Amin followed his Sunday win, taking second place as he edged Aussie star Nick Odnoral on count back as both tied on 34 points.
Ian Pickles added a bit of spice to the premier flight with a rock solid 37 points. Irish-American Andy Kellaher, showing fine form along with Ajit, followed Sunday’s flight win with the silver spot after an even par round. Tom McManus closed the flight a shot back.
Seven players shared the 2’s pot with Ayoko.
Tuesday, Jan. 28, Burapha A&B – Stableford
A Flight
1st Andy Kellaher (9) 41pts
2nd Steve Mabbett (9) 38pts
3rd Reg McKay (13) 35pts
B Flight
1st Freddy Starbeck (15) 37pts
2nd Ian Pickles’ (14) 35pts
3rd Colin Davis (17) 34pts
C Flight
1st Sean Soden (25) 41pts
2nd Ulrik Sinding (33) 40pts
3rd Christian Boysen (22) 37pts
There was the red hot Andy Kellaher, coming so close to finalizing his claim to the vaunted bold print with another A Flight winning and co-man of the match 41 pts. Steve Mabbett claimed the silver with a very useful 38 while Scotland’s Reg ‘Buckie boot boy McKay came home strong to have a count back advantage over the unlucky Bert Gobert.
Dropping down to C Flight we saw co-man of the match, Ireland’s Sean Soden, standing atop of the podium with his 41 points. Sean was one clear of Ulrik Sinding and a further three clear of Christian Boysen.
Ah yes, Freddy Starbeck took the interim flight with a steady 37 points while Ian Pickles garnered the silver two shots in arrears. A triumvirate of the Donkey, Maurice Roberts and Barry ‘the boot’ Copestake all vied for the bronze spot, but as everyone knows, the Donkey does not give anything away.
The lads must have been up the driving range as they again holed eight ‘2’s.
Wednesday, Jan. 29, Green Valley – Stableford
A Flight
1st Kieran Daly (7) 42pts
2nd Paul Bray (7) 41pts
3rd Eric Gobert (5) 40pts
B Flight
1st Ajit Amin (18) 40pts
2nd Bruce Berlin (24) 32pts
3rd Jim Lanzo (25) 31pts
The low handicappers showed their mettle at Green Valley with all the A Flight winning scores being 40 points or more. Leading the way with an excellent 42 points, which was the top score of the day, was Kieran Daly. Kieran was closely followed in by pay window specialist Aussie Paul Bray just one shot off the pace; sadly Bert Gobert’s fine 40 point effort was only good for the bronze. By my reckoning this means Kieran played to a one handicap, Paul to two and Eric to one – amazing!
B Flight had a 40-pointer from Ajit Amin, who joined Andy Kellaher with two wins and a second place for the week Ajit was a massive eight clear of Bruce Berlin. Bruce was one shot clear of the duo of Jim Lanzo and Jorn Finnerup with the former winning the count back.
Adrian Schmidt and Paul Bray split the 2’s pot.
Thursday, Jan. 30, Crystal Bay B&C – Stableford
A Flight
1st Tom McManus (13) 39pts
2nd Eric Gobert (5) 37pts
3rd JP Maffray (11) 37pts
B Flight
1st Maurice Roberts (15) 39pts
2nd Colin Davis (17) 38pts
3rd Eddie Kelly (19) 37pts
C Flight
1st Aiden Murray (23) 36pts
2nd John O’Neil (20) 36pts
3rd Georges Troussier (22) 32pts
Apparently 37 points was the order of the day as both A Flight and B Flight were won with this total. The winner of A Flight was Tom McManus who was two clear of the duo of Eric Gobert and JP Maffray, both of whom had to be separated by count back with Eric having the more favourable dispersed back nine.
Maurice Roberts was the top man in B Flight and was one digit clear of the Donkey, who was a further one from Eddie Kelly.
The C Flight top spot went to a count back as both John O’Neil and Georges Troussier turned in even par rounds but the luck of the Irish held sway with the scales tipping in John’s favour.
Eric Gobert, JP Maffray and Thierry Petrement shared the 2’s pot.
Friday, Jan. 31, Pattavia Century – Stableford
A Flight
1st Paul Bray (7) 37pts
2nd Andy Kellaher (9) 36pts
3rd Pen Caruthers (13) 36pts
B Flight
1st Tom Gorey (19) 34pts
2nd Billy Briton (16) 34pts
3rd Peter McCann (18) 33pts
C Flight
1st Ulrik Sinding (33) 33pts
2nd Jorn Finnerup (26) 32pts
3rd Christian Boysen (22) 32pts
Friday’s fixture saw the society venture to the well maintained Pattavia Century. That suited Aussie star Paul Bray down to the ground as he was the only player to better par and his win secured him the golfer of the month award for January. Paul also had a hole in one - what a way to finish a holiday!
Paul was chased home by ex-headline boy Andy Kellaher and Scotland’s Pen Caruthers, both with solid even par rounds but the former had the better of the count back.
Co-Wexford man Tom Gorey took the honours in B Flight with 34 points as he outpointed Billy Briton. Three players squared up for the bronze - Peter McCann, Ajit Amin and Chris Barrett – with the count back favouring Peter as Ajit and Chris were left out in the cold.
Ulrik Sinding stood atop the C Flight podium on 33 points and Jorn Finnerup grabbed the silver thanks to a count back over the unlucky Christian Boysen.
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.

Makarova claims PTT Pattaya Open title

Ekaterina Makarova poses with the winner’s trophy following her victory in the singles final at the 2014 PTT Pattaya Open, Sunday, Feb. 2. (Photo courtesy PTT Pattaya Open)

Fourth-seeded Ekaterina Makarova of Russia won her first tournament in almost four years after beating Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 7-6 (7) in the final of the Pattaya Open at the Dusit Thani Resort last Sunday.
Makarova needed 1 hour, 36 minutes to defeat the 66th-ranked Pliskova and claim her second career title. She also won in Eastbourne on grass in 2010.
“I’m very happy because today was a tough match. She was playing really great tennis. She was serving really good so I needed to be very focused on my returns,” said the elated champion.
Although Makarova won in straight sets, neither was easy. There was only one break of serve in the entire match, and that came at 4-3 in the first set when Pliskova put a forehand long. The Russian 4th seed then held her own service to take the set 6-3.

Makarova fires a backhand winner down the line.

Her tall, big serving Czech opponent had started the match in bizarre fashion. Pliskova’s fired down an amazing six aces in her opening service game to show that that part of her game at least was a weapon to be feared, but she also faced two break points before finally holding.
Going straight into the next game, Pliskova held three break points of her own but was unable to capitalize on them and the match continued to go with serve until the eight game, when Pliskova was the first to falter.
The second set was a closer affair and produced a dramatic finale, but before that Pliskova held a couple of break points to lead 4-2, however she once again failed to convert. So, with no breaks it was tiebreak time and Makarova sped to a 5-2 lead. The match appeared to be over but then Pliskova staged a remarkable recovery and led 6-5 when her opponent made a mess of a smash and dumped it into the net.

Big serving Karolina Pliskova fired down 10 aces in the match.

Serving for the set, the Czech then chose that vital moment to produce her only double-fault of the match. And she also failed to win a second set point at 7-6, before netting a backhand on Makarova’s first match point at 8-7.
Makarova was unhappy afterwards that she let the tiebreak get so close.
“I was angry a little bit because she served twice really good and she returned just on the line and then it was 5-5. Then I missed a pretty easy ball (the smash). It got tighter and tighter and she had set point again. I just had to be focused and get everything in and try to be as aggressive as I could.”
Pliskova was disappointed to lose out in the final but was philosophical in defeat.
“I think she played better than me the whole match,” Pliskova said later. “I was just trying to stay in the match and trying to fight. What happened in my last matches that I won, from two match points down and 0-3 in the third, I was hoping that this could happen again. But it didn’t.”
Makarova collected $43,000 along with the title, boosting her career winnings to about $4.7 million. The unseeded Pliskova took home $21,400, increasing her career total to $600,000.
In the later doubles final, the Chinese pairing of Shuai Peng and Shuai Zhang came from a set down to defeat Russia’s Alla Kudryavtseva and Australian Anastasia Rodionova on a tiebreaker 3- 6, 7-6, (10- 6)
(Source: www.pentanglepromotions.com )

Ekaterina Makarova and Karolina Pliskova pose with Thai tennis tournament officials, deputy mayor Ronakit Ekasingh (2nd left) and Chatchawal Supachayanont, General Manager of the Dusit Thani Pattaya (far right), at the conclusion of the trophy presentation ceremony.

Spectators look on as the final moves towards its dramatic finish.

RVYC training aspiring Thai sailors

Pattaya’s Royal Varuna Yacht Club has long played a role in the development of Thai sailors, but this year, it may play a bigger role in nurturing some of the nation’s top youth talent.

Kamolwan Chanyim was presented with a Magnum ice cream instead of the usual wine after winning the 31st Great Laser Island Race last month.

At the end of last month the club hosted Chusitt Punjamala for a last week of high performance coaching before he flew off to Malaysia on February 2 to attempt to secure a spot at the Nanjing Youth Olympics at the Byte CII Asian Championships in Langkawi, which runs February 5 to 10.
The dinghy club also saw aspiring Olympian, Kamolwan Chanyim return from her latest youth world championship in Oman to steal gold from an all mature male fleet in the 31st Great Laser Island Race in mid-January. The 18 year old, who has honed her skills at several international events in the past six months courtesy of sponsorship by Pattaya real estate developer Kingdom Property, caused race organizers to scurry for an age-appropriate prize to accompany her trophy, the others all winning a bottle of wine for their efforts.
The Great Laser Island Race is just one of many special races held at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club each year. At this year’s event, sailors kicked off from the beach in 30 second increments to round Koh Larn, returning in approximately 2 and a half hours. The sailors reached the island in a group with former Dart world champion Gareth Owen and Kamolwan in front, both in Standard rigs usually reserved for men. They lost boat speed when they passed into a wind shadow behind the island, allowing Chris Dando to maneuver around them in a better breeze and slip into the lead.

Kamolwan is seen in action at the Oman Laser Radial Worlds. (Photo courtesy Mundher Al Zadjali)

The three battled up the beat on the far side of the island, with Gareth covering Chris closer to the shore as they neared the far end of the island. Both RVYC based sailors expected the wind to bend around the island and give them a lift on starboard. Sattahip’s Kamolwan took the risk of heading further away from land, going for a stronger, steadier breeze and benefitting subsequently from an unexpected shift that gave her a lift on port, putting her well ahead through to the end of the race.
Past winners include Sydney Olympian Veerasit Puangnak and top national sailor, Royal Thai Navy sailing coach and aspiring Nacra Olympian Damrongsak Vongtim.
Two time national Laser Radial champion Kamolwan will return to the RVYC for the Laser National Championships February 22-23, and then plans to use the club as her training base for the 2014 ISAF Youth World Championships which will be held in July in Portugal. In addition to training, she will be assisting the professional international coaching team at the club with their impressive schedule of 2014 sailing courses for beginner, intermediate, and advanced sailors of all ages in English and Thai. To learn more about the RVYC’s Junior and Adult Sailing program, go to website: http://varuna.org.

The young aspiring Olympian prepares her laser craft at the Royal Varuna Yacht Club.

Sailing prodigies star at Kingdom Property Admiral’s Cup

Nigel Cornick (left), CEO of Kingdom Property, presents prizes to Suthon Yampinid, Voravong Rachrattanaruk and Kamonchanok at the conclusion of the 2-day regatta.

Fifty-eight young sailors descended to the Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya on 25–26 January for the annual Kingdom Property Admiral’s Cup, sailed in the Optimist class.
With much talent in the fleet, including the all-star Thai team who recently beat the Singaporeans at the SEA Games to become the top grassroots sailing team in the region, it promised to be a competitive affair.
The competitors lined up for the first start, with more going backwards than forwards in the fast ebbing tide. After the start, Som-O perfectly judged the tide to become the winner of the race, unlike 20 of his fellow sailors who were subsequently disqualified as they were unable to push through the tide and cross the start line within four minutes.

The 58 young sailors pose for a group photo at Royal Varuna Yacht Club in Pattaya.

Som-O again took line honours in the second race, once more producing a master class in tide sailing to overcome Paliga Poonpat and Anapat Ngarmdee on the final windward leg.
The wind then started to pick up and the tide slackened, which allowed two more races to be held, won by Suthon Yampinid and Voravong Rachrattanaruk respectively.
On day 2 only light winds greeted the sailors at the start, which led to a 40 minute postponement. Once the breeze filled in, the strong tide forced the sailors inshore, tacking upwind to break away from the current and Race 5 was won by Suthon. The breeze then increased for the last race of the weekend, won by Voravong with the ever consistent Suthon in second.
Back ashore the prize giving took place with Nigel Cornick of Kingdom Property presenting the trophies. The prestigious Admiral’s Cup was presented to the winner, Suthon, with Voravong and Kamonchanok joining him on the podium. RVYC Gold Sailing Team member Som-O received her prize for the first under-12 sailor overall and young Suchanaree Detthotsapol was first in the under-10 class.
A raffle followed with prizes from ARB 4x4 parts, and the infamous Royal Varuna Yacht Club tradition of doughnuts for everyone!
A big thank you goes to the sponsors Kingdom Property and ARB in supporting this event and promoting grassroots sailing in Thailand.

The Optimist sailors had to battle strong tidal conditions on the first day of racing.

Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League

Crumpton Oaks Cider Monday Pool League

Crumpton Cider Tuesday Darts League

Buffalo Jack’s Wednesday Premier Darts League

Legends Wednesday 9-Ball Pool League

Pattaya 8-Ball Monday Pool League

Golfing numbers on the up

Bob Akapita wins his first Monthly Mug

PAGS kicks off 2014 at Mountain Shadow

Capt’s quartet sails to victory at Navy

LeBlanc leads from the front at Green Valley

Monthly Medal for top Scot O’Brien

The longest day at Pattavia

Long drives galore, but putting the key

Moriarty’s silky smooth performance

Henderson at the double

Growling Swan golfers do it again

Michele & Franco score big at Bangpakong

Alan and Terry take the Medals

Milne makes hay at Riverside

Hackett holds on for monthly honours

High scores just par for the course

Bray bags a hole-in-one

Makarova claims PTT Pattaya Open title

RVYC training aspiring Thai sailors

Sailing prodigies star at Kingdom Property Admiral’s Cup