A golf pro at 10!

by Marg Grainger

St. Andrews International School is proud to congratulate Sukintorn Saensradi, known as Pat by her family and friends, as she has just won a major golf tournament in San Diego, California, USA, placing her as number one in the world for her age.

Pat proudly displays her 1999 Junior World Golf Championship Trophy.

Pat decided to try her hand at golf three years ago after watching her father play the game. This talented young player has since gone from strength to strength winning her first trophy last year. During the course of last year’s competitions, Pat won an astonishing total of thirteen trophies and so far this year she has added another seven to her collection.

Attending major competitions has opened up opportunities for Pat to travel all over Thailand and to many other places around the world, including Hong Kong, Myanmar and, of course, the United States of America, where she proved herself to be an elite golf player.

Pat sits with Tiger Woods’ father in San Diego.

Pat enjoys the game so much that she happily dedicates six hours of practice, every day of the week to improving her game. Pat says that the thing she loves about playing golf is that it gives her lots of opportunities to “make new friends and to travel to many countries around the world.”

Pat also attends St. Andrews International School which is conveniently situated on the beautiful Green Valley Estate. She is in Year 6 and says that she enjoys going to St. Andrews International School and that her favorite subjects are PE and English. After arriving back from holidays the students and the staff of St. Andrews International School congratulated Pat on her achievement. Well done Pat!

To all those budding golf pros out there, Pat’s tip of the day is “Keep your eye on the ball”.

Local windsurfers to compete in pre-Olympic trials in Sydney

Phanurat Ruamsap, Suhaimi Muhamed Kasem, Seksan Khunthong and Miss Naphalai Tharasai, along with two alternates, are representing Thailand in the pre-Olympic trials in Sydney, Australia. The pre-Olympic competition is taking place from 8-28 September.

The athletes have been training off Jomtien Beach six days a week under careful instruction from coaches Phatana Boonsawat, Wachara Wijitrahong and Rangabphid.

The Commander of the Royal Thai Naval Fleet, Admiral Narong Yutthawong (seated center) announces the participation of 4 local windsurfers (back row, standing) in pre-Olympic trials this month in Sydney, Australia.

The Commander of the Royal Thai Naval Fleet, Admiral Narong Yutthawong, in his aegis as President of the Thai National Windsurfing Association, made the announcement at the Jomtien Krua Surf Restaurant. The Admiral also presented funds in support of the athletes’ training.

The group of athletes and their coaches left Thailand on 12 September.

The pre-Olympic trials are taking place in the same area where the Olympic competitions will be held in the year 2000. Coaches are optimistic, saying that this will offer the athletes the opportunity to become familiar with the winds, ocean currents and the general atmosphere associated with Olympic competition.

After the pre-Olympic trials, the Windsurf Association of Thailand plans to send the athletes to participate in seven other events to prepare for the 2000 Olympics, including the Hong Kong Open and an international competition in the Netherlands.

Frentzen! Again!

With all the pre-race publicity surrounding Hakkinen, Coulthard, the McLaren “domination” and the Irvine/Ferrari saga - it came as a complete surprise to see Jordan driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen mount the winners podium at Monza last Sunday.

A complete surprise to everyone except team owner Eddie Jordan, who with great astuteness had a 2000 pound wager on his star driver and received 14:1 odds. The 28,000 pounds would have certainly bought the odd round of Guinness that evening.

Frentzen had shone in Qualifying and was on the front row beside Hakkinen, with Coulthard on the second row. Irvine was languishing way down on the 4th row, even behind his stand-in team mate Mika Salo.

When the lights went green Hakkinen got it right this time and led the field through the first chicane. Coulthard, by comparison got it all wrong and by the end of one lap was back in 6th position behind Hakkinen, Frentzen, Zanardi, Schumacher (Ralf) and Salo.

By lap 10 Hakkinen was a comfortable 5 seconds in front of Frentzen and the race looked as if it would be another boring procession behind the leading McLaren. However, Barichello in the Stewart (to be renamed Jaguar next year) suddenly pounced on Coulthard, relegating him to 7th. Was this the same Coulthard who won at Spa? Over the next few laps Barichello then chased Salo and was into 5th. And where was Irvine? Steadily lapping in 8th position and making no impression on anyone!

Around 20 laps into the race Zanardi in the Williams began to lose pace and was soon displaced by his teammate Schumacher. After the round of pit stops the positions were Hakkinen, Frentzen, Schumacher, Salo, Barichello, Coulthard, Zanardi, Irvine.

Drama on lap 32 when leader Hakkinen got it all wrong, selecting first gear instead of second into the chicane, locking up the back wheels, stalling the engine and spinning off. Hakkinen displayed his anguish, throwing off his gloves and sobbing in the bushes. A delighted Heinz-Harald said “Thank you very much” and kept the fast finishing Schumacher’s Williams at bay to record his second GP win this year. Salo came in happily in third with Barichello, Coulthard and Irvine filling the minor places.

This has now closed up the World Championship table with Irvine and Hakkinen on 60 points joint leaders, Frentzen on 50 and Coulthard on 48. With three races left in the championship, there is a theoretical 30 points up for grabs. Any one of those four drivers has a mathematical chance to win from here. After a rather lack-lustre performance in the last couple of races, Irvine is losing popular support. Hakkinen has shown a weakness, so who is the next race’s hero? The very shy Heinz-Harald Frentzen and the under-dog Jordan team. Eddie Irvine, never known for diplomacy, said after the race, “Hakkinen has made two mistakes now. I hope he can make it a hat trick.”

Nurburgring on the 26th will be interesting.

Delaney’s Irish Open Golf Tournament

Delaney’s (The Irish Pub) Pattaya, in association with the Pattaya Sports Club, is presenting the Second Annual Irish Open Golf Tournament on Friday, October 1, at Great Lake Golf and Country Club. This is another tournament you do not want to miss. It will be a Stableford event with two divisions for the men (Handicap 0-18, 19-36) and one Ladies Division.

Ask anyone who played in the first Delaney’s Irish Open last year and they will tell you it was a ball. And that is what this tournament is all about...having fun. The event is sponsored by Carlsberg, and Delaney’s has arranged to have free Carlsberg and snack food served at the drink stops and out on the course. Those perks are part of the B.1200 entry fee, which also includes the green fee, caddy fee, commemorative golf shirt, golf umbrella, and a hat. What a deal, but that isn’t all. Wear your Delaney’s golf shirt at the post tournament celebration held at Delaney’s on Second Road at the Royal Garden and you can partake in the free Carvery Buffet. Delaney’s is also having a Happy Hour from 4-8 p.m. with live music provided by the East Coast Band.

Even an Irishman can figure out that this is great value for 1200 Baht. That is why you better go ahead and sign up as the field will be limited to 120 players. Entry forms are available at the normal Pattaya Sports Club haunts and at Delaney’s. These forms should be turned in with the entry fee to Kim Fletcher at Delaney’s Pattaya, Mike Franklin at the Pattaya Sports Club, or Ian Warwick at Delaney’s Bangkok, no later than 5:00 p.m., Monday 27th September.

Should you play in this tournament and you manage to survive the drink stops, and you manage to keep from stuffing yourself senseless at the truly delicious Delaney’s Carvery Buffet, then perhaps you will be able to take home some of the laurels that will be presented at the prize giving. There will be the Delaney’s Irish Open Championship Trophy & Prize awarded to the overall winner. Divisions II and I will have trophies and prizes for the first four places and the Low Gross in each section. Carlsberg vouchers good for four pints will be given for Near Pins, Long Drives, and Long Putts in each division. There will be a trophy and prize for the Ladies Best Score and a bottle of wine for the Ladies Long Drive.

Full details on the tournament will be with each entry form. The important thing is to get together a Four-Ball and sign up today. Turn in the entry fee with the entry forms at Delaney’s and make sure you are a part of this special event. The first tee times will start at 9:30 a.m. on both the 1st and 10th tees at Great Lake. Starting times will be posted in Delaney’s Pattaya and Bangkok on Wednesday, 29th September.

If there is anyone out there who still needs a little more incentive to play in this tournament, and that is highly unlikely, how about this. PGA professional Richard Livingston will be available at the Great Lake Driving Range from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. to give advice to those that want it, free of charge. So let’s see what you get for 1200 Baht: free golf tips, free beer and snacks on the course, golf shirt, umbrella, and hat, the Delaney’s Carvery Buffet, and oh yes, green fee and caddy fee. What a deal, indeed.

George “One Ball” Jackson sitting firmly on podium

PSC TAGGS... golf from the Hare House

Wednesday, September 8 - Phoenix Golf and Country Club (Pairs Medal)

1st: Wolfgang Amann & Paul Azzopardi, 63 Net
2nd: John Kendall & Jimmy Little, 66 Net
3rd: Malcolm Clare & George Jackson, 67 Net

There may be twenty first class golf courses in the Pattaya area, but only four or five drain well. Once again, an overnight downpour forced the gentlemen from the Hare House to find an alternate site for their competition. Instead of playing Natural Park Resort, the TAGGS Pairs Medal contest on Wednesday, September 8, was held at Phoenix.

Germany’s Wolfgang Amman, a TAGGS newcomer who plays off twelve, paired up with Australian Paul Azzopardi to win the tournament with a better ball score of 63 net. “Azz”, playing off 35, continued his winning ways, having taken first place in the third division of the Jackalope Open the week before.

In second place, and both playing off 21, were Americans John Kendall and Jimmy Little who had a net sixty-six. In a variation on the “ham ‘n’ egg” strategy, John and Jimmy kept insisting on parring the same holes. While that might not have been a good way to win, they do play well together. In 54 holes of better ball, the duo has only three net bogeys.

The third spot on the podium is permanently reserved for George “One Ball” Jackson and whoever his partner may be. On this occasion it was fellow Englishman Malcolm Clare. Their better ball score of 67 put George on the podium for the eleventh consecutive time in a pairs competition, dating back to April 28 in a two man scramble at Green Valley.

Friday, September 10 - Plutaluang Navy Golf Course (Stableford)

1st: George Jackson, 35 points
2nd: Serge Straeten, 33 points
3rd: Stephen Beard, 31 points

With Eastern Star under water, the Hare House Gang had to find a suitable replacement. Where better to go than the Plutaluang Navy Golf Course near Sattahip? The one thing any navy understands is water.

On Friday, September 10, TAGGS played their weekly Stableford competition on the North / West combination at Plutaluang. It had obviously rained very hard the night before, but the course was in surprisingly good shape. And while rain threatened early in the round, the small field made it through the day without getting wet.

Taking the top spot was George Jackson with 35 points. Starting on the West course, George overcame a pick up on the Par 5 second hole with a natural birdie and four points on the Par 5 fifth hole. He had 18 points on the front nine, then cruised home with 17 on the back nine for a very presentable score on a course playing at almost 6800 yards with absolutely no roll.

The second place Fobe’ golf shirt went to Frenchman Serge “El Nino Grande” Straeten, who had 33 points. Sergio had so much fun playing the front nine West course, that he decided to play it again. It was either that or wait for the entire Royal Thai Navy to finish teeing off on the North course. The rest of the competition followed Sergio. Had the field been larger, or the scores been better, this would have caused some problems, but nobody was arguing that on this day, the West course was playing easier than the North course.

Third spot with 31 points went to Stephen Beard who hasn’t been up on the single’s podium since he won at Siam back in May. Stephen has been known to get hot and his reappearance on the leader board might well signal that his form is coming around.

Bruce Lawrence rules Sattahip

PSC Pattaya Golf Society from the Bunker

Each week, the Pattaya Golf Society has reported an increasing entry from the Bunker. This week was no exception and it proved to be the largest turnout of golfers ever for the weekly competition from the Bunker.

It was a Stableford tournament held at Sattahip and the large complement was divided into two divisions.

It had rained heavily overnight and the fairways provided little run on the ball. However, this posed no real problem for big hitter Bruce Lawrence from California.

Off a handicap of 16, Bruce amassed 48 Stableford points on this difficult course. It came as no surprise to learn that this was his best ever round and scoring 12 under par was probably the best round ever recorded from the Golf Society. Amazing Bruce!

Languishing behind with a creditable 36 points was Lol Ewing (no relation to J.R.) closely followed by consistent John Kendal on 34 points.

Division Two was headed by Ray Ryan with 39 points. Bill Shadwick and 5 club Tommy Jeeves were 2nd and 3rd with 34 and 33 points respectively.

Nearest the pins were George Meigh, Paul Butler and Anders Karlsson.

A welcome return to the scene after 7 months was made by Wilf Latham, who came close to the action with 32 points.

PSC Golf in September

On Sunday 19th September, Lewiinski’s go to Noble Place to play Stableford, leaving at 11.00 a.m. On Monday 20th September, PSC Golf from the Caf้ Kronborg goes to Great Lake playing stroke, while the Splinter Golf Group from the Green Bottle go to Laem Chabang for a two-man better ball competition.

On Tuesday the 21st, Pattaya Golf Society from the Bunker go to Century Rayong, while Lewiinski’s go to Bangpra, both playing Stableford.

On Wednesday 22nd September, Hare House have a two-man scramble at Sriracha, while the Green Bottle go to Eastern Star to play Stableford.

On Thursday 23rd September, PSC Golf Caf้ Kronborg goes to Green Valley playing Stableford, and on Friday September 24th there is a choice of the Monthly Diana Group Medal at Green Valley from the Green Bottle, or an earlier tee-off at Green Valley with Hare House playing the more relaxed Stableford format.

Looking ahead to Friday 1st October the Delaney’s 2nd Annual Irish Open takes place at Great Lake. Full details and entry forms at Delaney’s (see Kim), and at PSC Golf venues, or see Mike Franklin. Sign up early for this popular event.

The full September Schedule can be seen at PSC Golf Venues, at Delaney’s, in Pattaya Mail and at our Web Site at www.pattayasports.org.

Fitness Facts

from the Royal Garden Spa & Fitness Club

Metabolics

When we are talking about metabolism, what we are referring to is the number of calories that our body uses each day. Metabolism is determined by many factors, such as heredity, exercise, muscle and diet. If we cut down on the calories in our diet too much then our body economizes, and cuts back on the number of calories it would normally use to do everyday things. Therefore, our bodies start to need fewer calories. To make matters worse, once our metabolism has dropped, it tends to stay low. So if you increase your caloric intake - even if it’s still at a lower level than before you started your reducing diet, your will gain more fat.

This leads to the “yo-yo” syndrome, where body weight goes up and down and up and down.

If we reduce our caloric intake too much, our bodies start to burn up muscle instead of fat. This is because muscle uses more calories than fat. In order to cut down on energy expenditure, the dieting body burns muscle and conserves fat.

This means that all the firmness, muscle tone and shape is lost from the body, leaving only areas of saggy fat.

Copyright 1998 Pattaya Mail Publishing Co.Ltd.
370/7-8 Pattaya Second Road, Pattaya City, Chonburi 20260, Thailand 
Tel.66-38 411 240-1, 413 240-1, Fax:66-38 427 596; e-mail: [email protected]
Updated by Chinnaporn Sangwanlek.