Gandley top scores to take weekly plaudits

PSC golf from P J Pool Bar

Neil Duncan
Tuesday, January 13, Plutaluang S & E (White tees) - Stableford
A fine day for golf and now after ten weeks without rain the courses are beginning to look a bit thirsty.
In the lower handicap swindle (0-14), yours truly experienced the same red mist thingy suffered by Dennis Jaycock a few weeks ago when with two short holes to go, and 34 points in the bag, he still had the same 34 points but one less golf ball at the end. However this was still sufficient to take top spot ahead of David Gardner one point behind and Ken Hole in third place with 32 points.
In the higher handicaps swindle (15-up), Rob Gandley had the scorcher he has been promising for some time, taking top spot with 40 points followed in by Chas Raj with 32 points and a surprised Willy Nachbur with 26 points.
Near pin bonuses were carried off by Kevin Schoeman, Mike Jackson, David Gardner and Chuck Carriere. David Gardner made it another good day at the office by sinking the longest first putt on the 18th green.
Thursday, January 15, The Emerald (White tees) - Stableford.
A Flight (0-16)
1st Chuck Carriere (12) 35pts
2nd David Gardner (9) 31pts
3rd John Roddis (10) 30pts
4th Bill Bishop (16) 28pts
5th Ken Hole (14) 28 pts
B Flight (17-up)
1st Mick Heatley (29) 29pts
2nd Norman Jones (36) 29pts
3rd Jim Fortune (25) 27pts
4th Steve Black (28) 27pts
5th Keith Hodges (24) 27pts
Twenty six of us including two newcomers turned out for golf at The Emerald which was quite the biggest group we have had for some time. It was with a sense of dismay that we watched a five-ball tee off right in front of us but we saw neither hide nor hair of them again, which goes to show that a well organized five-ball playing ready golf is not necessarily an impediment to the general speed of play.
David Gardner, Mike King, Chuck Carriere and John Roddis nabbed the near pin bonuses whilst John Aylott sunk the longest first putt on the 18th green. The average score for the day was 25.6 which is low (9.3 points lower than Thursday last week at Greenwood) probably reflecting the tough pin positions and the quick speed of the greens.

Greens tough to digest

IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar

The Pattaya Golf Society visited Bangpra on Tuesday, January 13 to play a stableford competition on this fine golf course and found the greens were back to their notorious best. There was so much roll and many of the pin positions were so cutely placed that putts from the back of the greens invariably ended up off the front of the putting surface. Surely only a professional could have handled them in that condition and the ever present strong wind conspired to make the day a very long one for the large group.
Divided at 21 and under, the two flights gave it their best shot but scores were destined to be low. In the second flight Len Jones had the temerity to come third with an embarrassing 26 points, two behind Bill Pickersgill’s 28. Jim Proctor had an overdue victory with 31 points.
In the top flight three golfers shared the ultimate limelight with Bill Hewitt joining Ray Banks and Helene Lindberg on 33 points; the Swedish lady playing particularly well with long accurate drives and fairway irons making up for the odd putting blimp.
Ray Banks had the honour of the day’s best gross with 85 shots. Inevitably there were no birdie 2’s meaning a large rollover would be carried over to the next outing.
Of the many who reluctantly threw their hats in the ring for the Booby Bevy, Dave Cadwallader’s claim was the strongest with his fourteen point scorecard, but he was joined in shoulder-shrugging by many more who had played Bangpra at its most daunting. Maybe next month…?
A stroll at
the Riverside
The Pattaya Golf Society visited the splendid course at Bangpakong Riverside on Thursday, January 15 for the first time in two years and found nothing had changed. The course was again excellently turned out and the greens were among the best played anywhere - consistent and pacy.
The seasonal cooler weather was emphasised with the strong breeze which blew all day, making club selection and accuracy vital. The large field for the monthly medal merit event was divided into two flights with the cut at seventeen and under.
In the top flight the usual low scores were at a premium with Ed Adams recording net 74 for third place. Chris Voller shot the day’s best gross of 77 on the way to second place with net 71 and his round included the only birdie ‘2’, on the tough thirteenth hole, to nab the substantial 2’s pot.
The flight winner was Helene Lindberg, top for the second successive round, her length and accuracy off the tee and fairways giving her a fine net 70. Only ten days ago she wore a cast on her ankle after suffering ligament damage and it moved sceptics to suggest the use of an “outside agency” in the form of the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital in assisting her game!
In the second flight Bill Pickersgill took third place with 79 and Booby Shirkey came second with net 77. The best return of the day by far was the score of Len Jones, a net 67 which was the result of some clinical putting on the slick greens. It represented the best gross round in his Thai “career” and emphasised the improvement in his game over recent weeks.
At the other end of the scale Phuket-based golfer Lee Proctor took the Booby Bevy after a dismal round which saw the eight-handicapper fail to break 100. The day’s golf at Bangpakong had been a real treat.
Treasure Hill
wins again
The Pattaya Golf Society ended an exciting week on Saturday, January 17, with a trip to the ever testing Treasure Hill course for a stableford competition. The course is still in good condition but the lack of effective irrigation shows tight lies are appearing around some of the greens, making delicate chips a daunting task.
The field was divided into two flights at nineteen and under and it was refreshing to see some new faces in the frame. This is usually the case at Treasure Hill where golfers inexperienced with the track often score better because they play the course as they find it, and not against its reputation.
In division two the welcome return of native North American Chief Frank Baker after a number of years, was marked with a credible share of second place on 29 points. The other Treasure Hill “newbie” on twenty nine points was Michael Sim, having a successful day out from his Bangkok base. The flight winner was Emiel van der Wiele and his 31 points easily took his division, helped by the day’s only birdie ‘2’ on the short par-three sixth hole.
In the top flight Chris Voller and Ray Banks shared the runner-up place with 28 points each, a long way behind the winner Michael Brett whose 33 points was the best of the day.
Elsewhere the most consistent golfer of the week, Helene Lindberg, went from hero(ine) to zero(ine) and propped up the entire field with her worst score in months for the Booby Bevy. But she took it with a smile, as did the others who had braved another golf day out at Treasure Hill.

Darren & Mod crowned champions at blustery Khao Kheow

The 2009 PSC Club Championship Golf Tournament

Derek Brook
The annual PSC Club Championship was held this year at Khao Kheow Golf Club over two days, Thursday January 8 and Monday January 12.

The Men’s and Ladies’ Club Champions stand with The Golf Chairman, Perry McNeely (center).
The first day started out, as is usual at K.K., in strong winds and as we were to play the A & B nines this promised to be a really tough round of golf. The day started as normal with the book-in, and we saw the happy smiling face of Max and his crew checking the players in and giving each their shirt, start instructions and card, then off to which ever nine they were to play first.
With the strong wind, the start on the A nine was brutal, with the first four holes straight into the wind and many big scores were recorded, including 25 at two holes for Dick Warberg and an 11 at the second for the writer.
Yes it was that tough, and Koji, joining us as we waited to tee off on the par three 3rd, told us he had scored a 10 on the second, so with a 9 for Tom Cotton we averaged 10 for the second, and we had only just started. Oh, did I not tell you that The Club Championship is a stroke play competition? There were many on this day, including me, who wished it was stableford.

Perry presents a special prize to ‘Hole in One’ star Pierre Bietry.
The round was not very fast but after a long wait on the tee at the 3rd it started to move, and it has to said that the course was in fine condition. The fairways were clean and well defined and the greens were generally hard and fast. When K.K. is in this condition it is a really fine course, and as it is probably in the ‘top three’ for degree of difficulty, we did not expect the scores to be impressive. Indeed, we say that if you shoot you handicap at this course you will usually be in the running.
Round over it was into the showers for a refresher, a quick bite in the restaurant and off home for a few ‘cold ones’. That is for the players, however, we must not forget Max and his team who spent many hours checking the results of the first day and recording the scores.
So onto the second day that started bright and very breezy, with all the players booking in and checking on the boards to find out how they did on the first day. Then it was on to the very difficult B & C nines, with the strong winds blasting and many people playing off adjacent fairways after their tee shots. You meet some nice people on different fairways.
This proved to be a very difficult day, and the scores were less than good, many double scores on holes were noted, i.e.10+, and at the end of the day there were many players either putting in ‘No Returns’ or just packing in. Khao Kheow takes no prisoners, especially on a day such as this. One bad shot and you are punished.
Golf over we handed in our cards and departed and left Max and his team to start tabulating the results, and with 2 days scores in and many winners, it proved a mammoth task. I think here thanks in particular should go to this team, and Perry really appreciated their efforts.
Meanwhile the players went home for a quick break before going up to the Diana Garden Resort where the presentation was to be held. The food stations and seating were arranged around the pool and fine food it was too, enjoyed in an excellent atmosphere and on a super balmy night, what more can one ask?
What more? Well how about the results, and with the team of Golf Chairman, Perry McNeely, and Emcee, Mike Gerrard, we were soon underway, but not before our Charity Chairman, Bernie Tuppin, informed all that one of our previous Golf Chairmen, Mike Franklin, had passed away. Mike was well liked and respected by all who knew him and he will be missed, particularly by the ‘golfing family’ here in Pattaya.
The PSC Vice President (yours truly) then wished all present a fine night, thanked Perry and his team and the presentation got under way
Our Emcee for the night, Mike Gerrard, with the help of a mike this time, read out the results, the details of which are listed separately on this page (minus the individual scores which can be found on the PSC website), and the prizes were dished out to all the day’s and combined winners.
We were informed that our new ‘Men’s Club Champion’ was Darren Ottaway, and our new ‘Ladies Club Champion’ was Mod Churaiska. Very well done to them both. One fine point during the day was that Pierre Bietry had a ‘Hole-in-One’ and he was presented with a special prize for this achievement.
At this point we have to mention some of the most important people, this being the sponsors, without whom it would be impossible to provide such a fine tournament. So Pattaya Sports Club would like to thank the following, along with Khao Kheow for providing us with such a fine course at great rates.
In no particular order, thanks goes to Shenanigans Irish Pub, Moore Bar and Grill, Jameson’s The Irish Pub, The Green Bottle, Trattoria Italiana, Blue Parrot Mexican Cantina, Moon River, Apex Profound Beauty, MBMG Insurance Group, Sunset Cafe Restaurant, Tequila Reef, Cafe New Orleans, Pattaya City Golf, The Drum and Monkey, Tahitian Queen Rock and Roll Bar, Dusit Hotel, Pizza Big, Pattaya Driving Range, Baltex Industries, Sinto Trading Co Ltd, Alan Bolton Property Consultants, The Diamond Shop, Jackal Open, Seadrill Taipan, DSL Deborah Service (Thailand) Ltd, and the Pattaya media groups.
Also for the co-operation of the following: Tropical Bert’s Beach Bar, The Golf Club, The Sugar Shack, Diana Golf Millennium, Ankana House, Three Sisters, P.J. Pool Bar, Caddy Shack, The Bunker, The Cafe Kronborg, The Outback Golf Bar, The Beaver Bar and special thanks to The Diana Group for the elegant evening venue, their excellent food and great service.
As is always the case, all good things must come to an end, however on this occasion after the presentation of the prizes we were treated to the ‘Lucky Draw’ at which point we all got a chance, even if we had played badly. Then in this pleasant atmosphere all could relax and think of a job well done. T.T.F.N. until 2010.

The Day 1 winners.

The Day 2 winners.

Patrick’s Day at Phoenix

PSC golf from The Café Kronborg

Derek Brook
Thursday, January 15, Phoenix - Stroke-Monthly Mug
Well here we go again at the start of another exciting year. On this day we were full and the winner on the day was going to have to produce a fine round.
So off we went from The Kronborg for the short trip down to Phoenix and what were we met with there? Yes, you got it right, windy conditions. We also got the Lakes and Ocean 18 holes.

Bjarne (right) presents the Monthly Mug to Patrick Poussier.

Life was not going to be easy, but it proved easy for Mike Gerrard at the start as he scored par after par, however, all good stories come to an end as he thought he scored an 8 at the Ocean No. 1 and put it down, only to realise after the card was in that it was a 7. Yes, you guessed correctly, he lost on a count back when he should have been second in the A Flight. Life can be a b**ch at times.
The course is in really fine condition, and the comments of a few years ago that this was an easy layout have been blown to bits by the results of late. I can remember a net 62 losing on count back in years gone by, but now a level par 72 has a chance.
The groups on this day got around fairly quickly, but with an 11:15 start it was still close to 19:00hrs before we were all back at the Cafe Kronborg for the presentation. Of course the packed town did not help and driving down the street is like threading a needle.
Anyway, in the A Flight (0-17) the winner was Takeshi Hakozaki with a net 71, ahead of a four-way count back on net 73 that saw Richard Kubicki in second, Brendan Byrne in third, Monte Sykes in fourth and Mike Gerrard, sad over that shot, just losing out.
In the B Flight the winner was Per Olaf Baarli with a net 74 on count back over Thomas Cotton in second. In third we had Jan Lovgren with a net 75 ahead of Frank Pilkington in fourth.
So to the winner of The Mug, and Patrick Poussier won by a street with a great net 67. Well done Patrick!
Near Pins: Bjarne Kjar, Bob Benda, Monte Sykes, Brendan Byrne
Long Putts: Don Richardson, Neil Allison

Count backs all the way at Emerald

PSC golf from The Bunker Bar

Monday, January 12, Treasure Hill - Stableford
Our monthly fun game of Rainbow took place at Treasure Hill today and the clever tactics of Mike Corner saw him win the A Flight, beating Gordon Melia on a count back and John Graham forced Dougie Crowe out of the places for a change beating him on a count back to claim third place.
The cut was set at handicap 20 and in the B Flight Colin O’Donovan took the honours with 34 points, Colin Stokes was runner up a few points back and Hugh O’Donnell came third a point further back.
A Flight
1st Mike Corner (15) 39pts
2nd Gordon Melia (13) 39pts
3rd John Graham (11) 36pts
B Flight
1st Colin O’Donovan (21) 34pts
2nd Colin Stokes (24) 31pts
3rd Hugh O Donnell (23) 30pts
Near Pins: Bill Fenton, Gordon Melia, Gene Plueger and Colin Stokes
Wednesday, January 14, Greenwood - Stableford
A late change of venue after Bangpra mysteriously didn’t have a booking for our golfers saw the Bunker Boy’s travel to Greenwood instead, and they were made very welcome too!
Playing a stableford round, and with the cut set at handicap 18, Gerry Cooney won the A Flight with 39 points ahead of Dougie Crowe, again runner up one point behind, and one further point back came Gordon Melia in third place.
Colin Stokes won the B Flight by two points ahead of Tom Jones who is benefitting from his handicap adjustment. Tom beat Harry Lankoff on a count back.
A Flight
1st Gerry Cooney (10) 39pts
2nd Dougy Crowe (8) 38pts
3rd Gordon Melia (13) 37pts
B Flight
1st Colin Stokes (24) 36pts
2nd Tom Jones (22) 34pts
3rd Harry Lankoff (25) 34pts
Near Pins: Eddie Kelly, John Graham, Geoff Cox and Alan Harris.
Friday, January 16, The Emerald - Medal
There were ties in both the A Flight and the B Flight today and the scores were the same too. The cut was set at handicap 15 and playing stroke play John Hughes won the A Flight, beating Dougie Crowe (yet again runner up!) on a count back, both finishing with net 73. Visiting Geordie Stan Reay took third place four shots back.
A net 73 was the winning score in the B Flight too, with Gene Plueger beating Hugh O’Donnell on a count back and another Geordie Tom Jones was in the frame again taking third place after beating Jack Robertson, also on a count back.
A Flight
1st John Hughes (15) net 73
2nd Dougy Crowe (8) net 73
3rd Stan Reay (7) net 77
B Flight
1st Gene Plueger (20) net 73
2nd Hugh O’Donnell (23) net 73
3rd Tom Jones (22) net 78
Near Pins: Tony Scambler, Dougie Crowe, John Hughes and Rod Stevens.

Peter Henshaw ‘four Shaw’

IPGC golf from Lewiinski’s

Sunday, January 11, Eastern Star - Stableford
A Flight
1st Paul Peckston (12) 41pts
2nd Joe Mcardle (13) 40pts
3rd Dale Shier (13) 35pts
B Flight
1st John Calvert (18) 39pts
2nd Peter Henshaw (16) 35pts
3rd Chris Wright (15) 35pts
Near Pins: #2 Silvio Bizzotti, #9 Chris Wright, #12 Ben O’Connor, #16 John Calvert
2’s: Peter Henshaw, Ger Lodge, Paul Peckston, Ben O’Connor, Silvio Bizzotti and Robert Collis.
A change of venue for this week’s Sunday golf as the usual Green Valley held the Asian tour Qualifying event, Eastern Star being the alternative. The strong winds down by the coast made it a difficult game for most of the players.
Paul “Two tees” Peckston, the man from down-under, put together the best card of the day, a super 41 points to win A Flight by a shot from “Joe Lederhosen” Mcyodel. Dale Shier on 35 points filled third spot on a count back over the luckless Kerryman, Ben O’Connor.
Paul tees his ball up using two tees, this lifts the ball about three inches off the tee box, and as you can see he drives straight.
John Calvert’s 39 points walked away with B Flight. Peter “El President’e” Henshaw’s back nine secured second place over Chris Wright, both carding 35 points.
No hidden six was played this week as the sign up sheet disappeared from the first tee. Roy searched every where for it, searching every nook and cranny in the vicinity, but to no avail I’m afraid. Next week we are back to our usual spot at Green Valley.
Monday January 12, Phoenix - Stableford
A Flight
1st Paul West (11) 35pts
2nd Peter Henshaw (16) 34pts
3rd Albert McEvoy (14) 33pts
B Flight
1st Jim Elphick (22) 34pts
2nd Geoff Kubas (20) 31pts
3rd Joe Peters (21) 30pts
As a lot of the Lewiinski’s regulars were away to Chiang Mai for a golf trip, it was left to a few die-hards to tackle the Phoenix golf course. The strong wind was still with us, creating havoc with the scores.
Paul West shot the best score of the day, 35 points, to take the senior flight by a single shot from Peter “the El President’e”. The happy Irishman Albert McEvoy rounded out the flight on 33 points.
Jim Elphick, with a sound 34 points was the winner in B flight. Geoff Kubas needed only 31 points to take silver, with Joe Peters taking the final podium spot with a mere 30.
No twos were recorded, so it was a rollover to Wednesday.
Wednesday, January 14, Mountain Shadow - Stabledford
A Flight
1st Colm Mullen (15) 32pts
2nd Barry Copestake (14) 31pts
3rd Jack Grinvold (5) 31pts
B Flight
1st Peter Henshaw (16) 31pts
2nd Robin Peach (16) 31pts
3rd Serge Straeten (17) 29pts
Low scores dominated the Lewiinski’s gang at the tough Mountain Shadow, but back with a bang, from his short break in the Emerald Isle, was the ever smiling Colm Mullen. Colm’s modest 32 points return was good enough for ‘man of the match’ and senior flight glory. Four competitors vied for second and third spot on 31 points; the count back resulted in Barry Copestake taking second place with the best back nine, followed by Jack “Whacko” Grinvold in third, and losing out were the unlucky pair of Seamus Cotter VC and Ayalo Pueschl.
B Flight saw Peter “El President’e” Henshaw win, but needing a count back to beat Robin Peach, both carding 31 points. Serge Straeten rounded out the flight, needing just 29 points.
For the second game in a row no 2’s were registered, so a double rollover to Friday.
Please note the IPGC management has reached an agreement with Mountain Shadow and Crystal Bay for reduced green fees for its members of just 600 baht. This will be made available to all its members, who should purchase vouchers from the golf manager prior to play.
Friday, January 16, Bangpra - Stableford
A Flight
1st Don Lehmer (12) 33pts
2nd Paul West (11) 32pts
3rd Pat Regan (9) 31pts
4th Paul Bray (4) 31pts
B Flight
1st John O’Neill (19) 36pts
2nd Martin Solberg (20) 35pts
3rd Ger Lodge (17) 29pts
4th Peter Henshaw (16) 28pts
Playing golf at Bangpra is always a pleasure and today was no exception. The format was stableford and it was John O’Neill who took advantage of the great conditions to win B Flight and ‘man of the match’ honors with an even par round of 36 points. Martin Solberg was second with a fair 35 points, Ger Lodge was placed third on 29 and Peter “El President’e” rounded out the flight on 28.
A Flight was just as tight, Don Lehmer securing first place with 33 points, Paul West was one shot adrift for second, and Pat Regan, the pride of Co Dublin, won a count back over Paul Bray for third place, both carding 30 points.
The President Peter and monsieur Pierre “the magician” Bietry were the happiest back at Lewiinski’s after sharing the huge 2’s pot.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya Land Soi 1, Beach Road Soi 13/3 near to Walking Street. Anyone wishing to play with us just pop in, and add your name to the list or call Bob on 080 096 8232. Transport is provided.

Ladies sparkle at Emerald

Golf from the Travellers Rest

Barry Hooper
Saturday was definitely a “Ladies Day” at the Emerald. Mod Chiviraksa took the A division with thirty-five points and Nijole Murtagh the B division with a great forty-one: her best game ever.

Saturday’s winners: Roger Mitchell, Nijole Murtagh, Mod Chaviraksa and Jack Watkins.

When the results were announced at the presentation back at the Travellers Rest, Nijole was so ecstatic that she burst into song and gave a rendition of “Goodnight Irene” in her native Lithuanian tongue, followed by the chorus in English by all those present, and then she promptly rang the bell in the bar much to the amusement and merriment of all. Who says that playing golf is not fun?
Monday, January 12, Eastern Star - Stableford
Division 1
1st Chuck Carriere (12) 37pts
2nd Danny Whelan (15) 35pts
3rd John O’Leary (17) 34pts
Division 2
1st Peter Morris (24) 33pts
2nd David McFeely (18) 32pts
3rd Alun Webber (23) 32pts
We ventured back to Eastern Star on Monday after what has been a long layoff here. The course management came up with a great deal cost wise so back we went. There was also a good turnout on the day so two divisions.
Peter Morris really found his form on the day and took Division 2 with thirty-three points, just the one up on both David McFeely and Alun Webber, with David edging the count back for second. Division 1 belonged to Chuck Carriere with thirty-seven points, with Danny Whelan in second at thirty-five and John O’Leary third on thirty-four.
The three 2s on the day went to Graham Hurdon (2) and John O’Leary.
Tuesday, January 13,
Khao Kheow C&A - Stableford
Division 1
1st Ray Allison (12) 37pts
2nd Brendan Moore (13) 31pts
3rd Ray Trembath (9) 29pts
4th Stuart Rogers (11) 29pts
Division 2
1st Bill Priestley (20) 27pts
2nd Rod Stevens (22) 26pts
3rd Peter Sebela (16) 25pts
4th Mark Reuben (18) 25pts
Khao Kheow was the venue on Tuesday with the C and A courses chosen as the test. We had a great turnout, this being another particular favourite with many players these days. Not easy but fair, mind you, there was a fair breeze up on the day as the scores define.
This did not seem to faze Ray Allison who posted a great thirty-seven points to take the A Flight, a full six points ahead of his nearest rival Brendan Moore in second. Third place went to Ray Trembath on twenty nine.
The second division was won with a score of twenty-seven points from Bill Priestly, with Rod Stevens second at twenty-six and Peter Sebela third after winning a three way count back on 25 over Mark Reuben in fourth and Nijole Murtagh just missing out.
There was only one ‘2’ on the day, that from Tewin Lamthong.
Thursday, January 15, Phoenix Ocean & Mountain - Stableford
Division 1
1st Jack Watkins (11) 36pts
2nd Brendan Moore (13) 35pts
3rd Eamon Murtagh (14) 35pts
Division 2
1st Paul Mades (19) 39pts
2nd Alun Webber (23) 38pts
3rd Ken Brehm (20) 35pts
Phoenix was again our regular venue on Thursday for a round over the Ocean & Mountain course. The numbers were again were big with 2 full divisions split at 0-18 and 19 up.
Only a single point was to decide the outcome in both flights: Jack Watkins edged the first division with thirty six points over Brendan Moore and Eamonn Murtagh at thirty five who had to be separated by count back. Paul Mades took the second division two with thirty-nine points, again just the one up on Alun Webber. In third place and a further three back was Ken Brehm
Only two 2’s were recorded from Eamonn Murtagh and Edie Grogan.
Saturday, January 17,
The Emerald – Stableford
Division 1
1st Mod Chaviraksa (13) 35pts
2nd Jack Watkins (11) 34pts
3rd Frank Kelly (15) 34pts
Division 2
1st Nijole Murtagh (25) 41pts
2nd Roger Mitchell (23) 35pts
3rd Roger Wilkinson (16) 29pts
A trip to Emerald on Saturday, and as reported earlier it was to be a “ladies day” for the first time in a long time. Mod Chaviraksa played some of her best golf ever to take the first division with thirty five points and just beat off Jack Watkins, who won second place on count back from Frank Kelly.
But the lady who really shone on the day was Nijole Murtagh with a great forty one points, a full six points up on her nearest rival in the second division. Roger Mitchell was that man in second, followed by Roger Wilkinson (nice to see him fit and well again) in third after winning a three-way count back over Derek Lucas and Peter Sebela all on twenty-nine points.
There were just the two 2’s, coming from Jack Watkins and Mod Chaviraksa.

Alan Griffiths back to form

IPGC golf form The Haven

Monday, January 12, Mountain Shadow - 2 person scramble
1st Norman Isherwood & Mark Cooper 48pts
2nd Rick Holmes & Trevor Schirmer 45pts
3rd Russell Exley & Roar Berger 45pts
4th Robin Peach & Volker Esser 44pts
5th Alan Howell & Fred Land 44pts
6th Barry Traynor & Tony Barritt 42pts
7th Brian Lewis & Steven Howard 41pts
Mountain Shadow is now beginning to show the benefits of the recent efforts of the green-keeping staff. With the greens getting back to something like their old speed and with the fairways affording a good basis for shot making, the scores on the day were good. Indeed four of the top five teams were all within 1 point of each other, with Norman Isherwood and Mark Cooper leading in the field by three clear shots to claim their first win as a pair.
Rick Holmes combined well with ‘The Specialist’ and managed to very adequately fill the shoes usually worn by B.J., as he and Trevor Schirmer put together a very good 23 points over the inward nine to take second on count back from Russell Exley and Roar Berger by a single point.
The team of Robin Peach and Volker Esser, a last minute pairing at the sign up, also worked well as they took fourth place, also by a single point on the count back ahead of Alan Howell and Fred Land who could only garner 23 on the back nine.
Barry Traynor and Tony Barritt filled out sixth place with a steady 21/21 round but were never quite in the hunt for the top spots and mention must be made of the kitchen specialist team of Brian Lewis and Steven Howard who, after storming through the front nine with a total of 24 points, slipped up badly on the inward half as the effects of late night measure ups started to take their toll.
Due to the format the 2’s competitions were suspended for the day.
Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed back Kenny Moss, George Pittam, Wilf Wellman and Alan Hanlon. There was also a farewell to Mark Cooper.
Wednesday, January 14, Crystal Bay - Stableford
Division 1
1st Bruce Kusyk 40pts
2nd Peter Sumner 36pts
3rd Rainer Helling 33pts
4th Alan Hanlon 33pts
5th Kenny Moss 33pts
Division 2
1st Lynn Ward 40pts
2nd John Ward 34pts
3rd Tony Charlwood 33pts
4th Chris Knapp 32pts
5th Geoff Picken 32pts
With the special deal on prices at both Mountain Shadow and Crystal Bay taking effect, the turnout for Crystal Bay dramatically increased to ensure that there would be enough for two divisions and augers well for the near future of golf at these two courses.
Bruce Kusyk returned to golf from Soi 13 with a bang, as he led the first division in with a four-under round that left the rest of the hopefuls well out of it as the CSS went out to 73. Peter Sumner was the best of the rest at level par with Rainer Helling leading in a group at three over with a count back of 18 against Alan Hanlon’s 17/12/7 and Kenny Moss’s 17/12/5, and Alan Howell missing out on the final count with only 17 and 11 on the back six.
The second division was also a walkover for Lynn Ward as she finished four-under handicap to win easily from husband John, who was six back, and Tony Charlwood another one behind in third place. Chris Knapp and Geoff Picken battled it out for the minor places with Chris just edging it with 18 on the count back to Geoff’s 15.
Once again there were no 2’s in the second division but Pekka Palmu and Peter Sumner shared the first division pool.
Back at The Haven, The Doc welcomed new members Pekka and Riita Palmu, Lasse Vaajalainen, Olle Soderblom, and Wille Wainainen and also welcomed back Derek Holt, Peter Sumner, Wilf Wellman and Bruce Kusyk.
Friday, January 16, Plutaluang - Stableford
Division 1
1st Alan Griffiths 40pts
2nd Trevor Schirmer 36pts
3rd Pekka Palmu 36pts
Division 2
1st Vance Millar 32pts
2nd Geoff Picken 31pts
3rd Chris Knapp 30pts
For the first time in a very long time Plutaluang was the venue after some last minute changes to the schedule and a very long and tiring round left many hoping it would be some time before the next visit comes around.
Alan Griffiths matched his career best score with a very nice four-under handicap to claim Division 1’s top spot by a clear four shots from Trevor Schirmer, who was no doubt building on the confidence gained earlier in the week. Pekka Palmu took a podium place on his very first outing to add to his earlier trip to the podium for his ‘2’, but he did not offer to repeat the very nice and witty speech he had previously delivered.
Vance Millar will be very surprised to read of his win on the day, as he is the handy man at Plutaluang, living as he does just round the corner from the course, and not wishing to make the 50km round trip for the presentation. But his score underlined how difficult the majority of the players found the day with the wind once again playing its part in the end results.
Geoff Picken turned the tables this time on Chris Knapp as he just crept ahead by a single point with Chris taking third by virtue of a better count back of 18 to Paul Hartley’s 16, both on 30 points.
Pekka Palmu, Tom Atkins and Peter Sumner shared the 2’s pool in the first division and at last the second division pot including several roll overs was won by Geoff Picken who very generously offered to spend it all blowing the horn until it was all gone. In the event two large rounds for the thirsty mob saw off the majority of it and the balance was added to the Baan Jing Jai box. Thanks Geoff.
Prior to the presentations, The Doc welcomed new members Arthur Heinemann and Jon Clatworthy and also welcomed back Leo Lichtensteiger.

Mountain Shadow beats up the field

Caddyshack get off to a flying start in new matchplay league

The 2009 MBMG Golf Matchplay League

Wednesday, January 14, Pleasant Valley – Tropical Bert’s v Caddy Shack
Tropical Bert’s tried a bit of skullduggery by choosing a new course to the local circuit, however their little ploy did not work, as in the end, last year’s runner’s up ran out the comfortable winners. There were three close matches that all went Caddyshack’s way that won the day for them.
Pleasant Valley was a new course to all players. Interesting layout but the newer holes need time to mature. Some very windy conditions influenced the play.
This venue is worth a trip back as the price is good and service above average.
Tropical Bert’s (Home) 3½ v Caddy Shack (Away) 6½
(Individual results – Tropical Bert’s first): Monte Sykes lost 1 down v Alphonsie Mcgahan; Hans Collett lost 1 down v Arch Armstrong; Jeff Wiley won 5 & 4 v Graham Beaumont; Anders Pedersenlost 1 down v Jeff North; Perry McNeely lost 4 & 2 v Damien Trant; Paul Brown won 2 up v Dave Bramley; Colin Cronin lost 3 & 1 v Roger Moore; Dick Warberg won 2 up v Peter Henderson; Peter Whitehead lost 8 & 6 v Brian Orr; Don Carmody halved with v Ramsay Smith.
Friday, January 16, Green Valley - Caddyshack v German Swiss
Last year’s longtime league leaders, Caddyshack, have made another quick start with two wins out of two, with an emphatic win over one of the new teams, the German-Swiss Golf Club. They won all but two of the matches with Roger Moore recording an 8 & 7 victory over Christoph Balzli.
Back at the Caddyshack, the Caddyshack boys met their match as the German Swiss guys enjoyed copious amounts of the local beverages together with a good spread of food courtesy of Keith.
Caddyshack (Home) 8 v German Swiss (Away) 2
(Individual results – Caddyshack first): Graham Beaumont won 3 & 2 v Zion Asaban; Jeff North won 2 & 1 v Uwe Wegner; Damian Trant won 4 & 3 v Thomas Kassemeier; Dave Bramley won 4 & 2 v Marco Andrighetto; Peter Henderson won 6 & 4 v Hans Pickartz; Roger Moore won 8 & 7 v Christoph Balzli; Bruce Tollitt won 5 & 3 v Andy Wegener; Helmut Hebstreit lost 4 & 3 v Werner Reinhart; Ramsay Smith lost 5 & 4 v Peter Vetterli; Brian Orr won 3 & 2 v Helmut Wolf.
Friday, January 16, Phoenix - Angkana House v Outback Golf Bar
Phoenix (Ocean & Mountain) was the venue for Angkana’s opening fixture against the guys from The Outback Golf Bar.
As most of the competitors from both teams know each other well, this was always going to be an enjoyable fixture and so it proved with many interesting match ups and some notable performances.
Following several weeks of friendly banter, Ken McCarthy and Jack Moseley finally went head to head for the bragging rights as it were, and after a hard fought match it was a case of much ado about nothing with honours even, thus ensuring the verbal jousting will continue until the rematch later this year.
Another interesting match up was between friends and next door neighbours Arthur (Mickey Mouse) Barrett 4ft 11" and Norm Martin (6ft +). The long and the short of this encounter was a fine win for the diminutive Arthur, confirming as we all know that golf is a great leveller.
A special mention here for another ‘mighty atom’ the effervescent John Spiller who carried the mantle for the The Outback by coming back from four holes down for a memorable one-up victory to gain the only win for his team.
A somewhat fortunate ‘Barnes Wallace’ bounce across the surface of the lake onto the safety of the fairway at the 16th allowed Tony Dauth to close out his match with Alan Campbell, whilst in the same four-ball, a magnificent birdie at the Par-3 17th levelled the match for Mike Waltschek against Clive Robinson, thus making for a extremely tense 18th hole with both players expressing there satisfaction with the resulting halved match.
With the remaining games going the way of the home team the final result was an 8-2 victory for Angkana House, which is a big improvement on last year when they managed to lose the first four games in a row.
A few beers back at Angkana confirmed the result to be secondary to the social advantages, which after all is whole point of the exercise.
Angkana House (Home) 8 v Outback Golf Bar (Away) 2
(Individual results – Angkana House first): Tony Dauth won 3 & 2 v Alan Campbell; Clive Robinson halved with v Mike Waltschek; Bob Rasmussen won 1-up v Steve Plant; John Maycock won 2 & 1 v Alan Bishop; Stuart Gordon won 4 & 2 v Geoff Doody; Ken McCarthy halved with v Jack Moseley; Hugh Byrne won 5 & 4 v Barry Chadbourn; Gery Wedl lost 1 down v John Spiller; Peter Harris won 7 & 5 v Peter Gibson; Arthur Barrett Won 3 & 2 v Norm Martin.

Conny leaves the guys in her wake

PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s

Thomas Cotton
Wednesday, January 14, Bangpra - Stableford
1st Conny Enzo 36pts
2nd Steve Hamstad 31pts
3rd Jack Robertson 30pts
4th TC 29pts
5th Kevin Dunne 28pts
Near Pins: Cilia Bosman, TC, Kevin Dunne
Long Putts: Cees Bosman, Steve Hamstad
Wednesday, for a change from our usual Tuesdays, a group of golfers depleted by returning vacationers and a simultaneous match-play event, convened at Tropical Bert’s to gorge on breakfast and arrange transport to Bangpra.
Our tee-times were about noon-time, so the sun was high and the course was dry. In fact the greens were as slick as silk, and that, combined with devious pin placements, made putting the main challenge on almost all holes. Often in a putt, a ball’s arrival in the vicinity of the hole just started the much longer descent down the slippery slope. This, in turn, accounted for the rather low scores.
The monkeys this day were well behaved, but mostly unseen. One of the caddies remarked that they were off to their own little version of “Climbing Street” and off ogling the miss macaque branch-dancers. There were, however, many birds flying around, enjoying the gentle breezes. Especially numerous were several species of bee-eaters, darting for flies. There were also many fairy Asian bluebirds perched in the trees looking for easy meals.
Back at Bert’s after play, our Captain, DB, dutifully distributed awards to those few golfers who hadn’t badly screwed up their putts. One exception amongst the tiny throng, was a lady who shot her handicap. I wonder what the secret was to her putting?

Wednesday’s top five: Conny Enzo,
Jack Robertson, Kevin Dunne, Steve Hamstad and the scribe.

Mercedes-B.Grimm polo tournament ends in style

The BRDB-Elevation team hoist the winner’s trophy.

Ariyawat Nuamsawad
The BRDB-Elevation polo team cantered away with the winners’ trophy in the Mercedes-Benz-B.Grimm Thai Polo Open 2009, which was played to a conclusion last Saturday, January 17 at the Thai Polo & Equestrian Club.The tournament, for H.R.H Princess Maha Chakri Sririndhorn Cup, was organized by Harald Link, Managing Director of B.Grimm Company, and began on January 9 with eight international battling it out with mallet, ball and horse to see who could claim bragging rights for the year.Last Saturday saw the final showdown as the BRDB-Elevation team (handicap 9) faced off against the Malaysian open champion La Sarita team (handicap 10) in the concluding match. BRDB-Elevation were led by their captain Satinder Garcha and included experienced players such as 2008 champion Dato Mohamed Moiz, Shaik Reismann and Edham Shaharuddin. La Sarita, for their part, could boast star riders such as Quzier Ambak and Argentinians Diego Uranga and Gaston Otamendi in their ranks, under the stewardship of their captain Asad Jumabhoy.

Hundreds of spectators turned up to enjoy this year’s event.
The final was a closely contested affair with some great polo and fine horsemanship shown by both teams. Eventually BRDB were able to squeeze ahead and win by the narrowest of margins with a scoreline of 6½ - 6.
The cup was presented to the winners by H.R.H. Prince Abdullah of Malaysia and Privy Councilor Palakorn Suwarnarat.Harald Link was very pleased with this year’s event, saying that, “we have held this competition for six years and this is the third being held at the Thai Polo & Equestrian Club which attracted more and more attention from the public. Hundreds of guests came this year to the tournament which was free of charge for everyone to have a great time.”We are hoping to have more world class polo competitions like this in the future and that one day it will be widely accepted by the Thais and a Thai national team may be introduced. The profit of this event will go to the Chitlada School,” he said.A high-society cocktail party with live music from the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra and shooting fireworks followed the matches, to once again bring down a colorful curtain on this fabulous yearly event.

Action from the final as BRDB-Elevation go on the attack.

Strong winds greet sailors for season opener

Kipsan Beck
After a year of lighter breezes, Pattaya sailors were rewarded with strong northerly conditions last weekend to kick off the 2009 racing season at Ocean Marina, Jomtien.  More than 60 sailors spread over almost 20 boats enjoyed the chilly winds with 4 divisions ensuring fair competition between similar types of yachts.

Keelboat winner ‘Breakaway’
Starting Saturday’s race in breezes gusting at 20 knots, Pascal Leray’s Breakaway fired the season’s first warning shot, leading the monohull fleet upwind to Koh Krok with El Coyote helmed by Gary Baguely in hot pursuit.  Once around the corner, a long downwind leg saw the tiny Shaw 6.5m Pornstar race to the front of the fleet, but sailing shorthanded with a defective keel, they were unable to hold off Breakaway who won overall in just over 3 hours, with El Coyote finishing third. 
In the smaller keelboat division, Dick Sander’s Thai Raver, sporting a new asymmetric kite and prod, finished well ahead of Fun Wes and Sansanook.  Multihulls saw Corsair supremo Bob Garner taking Blade Runner ahead of Free Wheeler.  The Platu one design fleet saw Gulf Charters skippered by Ray Waldron well ahead of the other 3 Platus, Pine Pacific, Magic Dragon and PUMA.

‘Gulf Charters’ lists hard to port in the windy conditions.
Sunday’s racing featured 2 windward leeward courses for all boats.  Ray Waldron and Dick Sander dominated their divisions in both races to win overall.  In the multis, Blader Runner and Free Wheeler exchanged wins with Bob Garner wrapping up the win overall for the weekend.  In the racing keelboats, Breakaway stayed on top, with El Coyote sailing into second and David Bell’s Magic Roundabout wrapping up third place.
Racing in Thailand uses the IRC handicap system, which means all boats ranging from performance racers to cruising yachts can race together.  Over the weekend, several new boats joined the racing, and with ongoing expansion of Ocean Marina, organisers expect to see record turnouts for racing later in the year.  The next event will be February 14-15 in a long distance race overnight to Koh Srichang.
OMYC Sailing is a non profit organization formed to promote keelboat sailing at Ocean Marina, Jomtien.  Racing is held usually on the 2nd weekend each month, and is supported through sponsorship from Raimon Land, Ocean Marina Yacht Club, Gulf Charters, Bluewave Water Sports and Simpson Marine.  Beginners and experienced sailors are welcome to join racing, training and cruising, with places usually available.

Des displays golden touch at Burpaha

PSC golf from the Outback Golf Bar

Monday, January 12, Burapha A & B - Stableford
These cold mornings, 16 deg at 6 a.m. today, bring back reminders of playing in the UK during the summer, not the middle of winter as it is here.
What an absolutely cracking day on this beautifully presented course, the strong swirling wind had subdued slightly making the play somewhat easier, but the greens were as fast as you like and still tricky to read. Des Scott had no problem with them though, holing long putts of 30ft plus, on the 7th for birdie, 11th for par, 14th for birdie & 18th for birdie. He also had another birdie on the par five 5th and a good sand save par on the par three 6th ; all in all, a great round of golf for his 39 points to win Div A by five.

You’re nicked! – Birthday Boys John Spiller and Steve Giles on the 1st hole at Phoenix.

Joe Mooneyham, who missed out on his ambition by ten days, to return to his handicap of 11 by 1st January, took Div B comfortably from Steve Plant, who beat Harvey Samuel in a count back. Steve also had quite a remarkable round with no less than four sand saves! Pete Stonebridge won Div C with 37 from three Irishmen; Brendan Byrne, Paul Quinn & Ivan Plunkett who finished in that order with 34, 34 and 32 points respectively.
Jum is continuing to play well scoring an excellent 38 points to help her on her way to reducing her handicap but it was not enough to stop the in-form Peter Gibson, winning off his new handicap of 26 with 39 points. Dick Hobson, who has done absolutely nothing before today whilst trying to get his handicap card, now has a handicap of 24 and produced a score of 35 points to take fourth. Well played Dick!
As usual at presentation a number of free green fee vouchers were drawn out of the cards; they went to Rick Higgins, Wayne Hansen & Jinjo O’Neill.
There were four ‘2’s coming from Rosco, Joe Mooneyham, Pat Regan & Dick Hobson.
Div A (0–10) - Blue tees
1st Desmond Scott (10) 39pts
2nd Steve Morton (4) 34pts
3rd Michael Waltschek (7) 30pts
4th Mark Bamber (8) 30pts
Div B (11–14) - Blue tees
1st Joe Mooneyham (11) 38pts
2nd Steve Plant (13) 33pts
3rd Harvey Samuel (14) 33pts
4th Frank O’Neill (14) 31pts
Div C (15–19) - Blue Tees
1st Peter Stonebridge (19) 37pts
2nd Brendan Byrne (17) 34pts
3rd Paul Quinn (18) 34pts
4th Ivan Plunkett (19) 32pts
Div D (20+) - White Tees
1st Peter Gibson (26) 39pts
2nd Jum Karagit (32) 38pts
3rd John Cogan (20) 37pts
4th Richard Hobson (24) 35pts
5th Tony Hill (26) 34pts
Tuesday, January 13, Pattaya C.C. - Stableford
Sixteen Outbackers played at the local course, but none of them seemed able to post a score. There were many ‘could have been’ and ‘if only’ stories but nobody did the business.
Paul Quodomine won the day with 34 points from the rest of the pack, headed by John Lawton with a very ordinary 31. He beat Chris Ronblad on count back with Mick Moore & Randy Hurwitz both finishing on 30.
1st Paul Quodomine (25) 34pts
2nd John Lawton (21) 31pts
3rd Chris Ronblad (18) 31pts
4th Mick Moore (26) 30pts
5th Randy Hurwitz (18) 30pts
Wednesday, January 14, Phoenix - Stableford
Another Outbacker Birthday Cup today, this time a joint one, sponsored by John Spiller who was celebrating 70 plus some years and Steve Giles at 41. The pair of them provided a day to remember as the beer flowed continually on the golf course, served by a couple of the Outback staff.
The course was in excellent shape and the 42 Outbackers who played, teed off bang on time on Lakes. There was a good pace of play throughout and the transition to the Ocean nine went very smoothly with no sign of any groups trying to jump in. Well done Phoenix!
The overall winner was Steve Morton with 39 points from Alan Bishop on 38, who beat three other players with the same score and all in the same division. Bill Bishop ran out the winner of Div B with 38 from Bob Lindborg and Henry O’Brien, who had scored 25 points at the turn but then blamed his poor back nine on Heineken starvation. He tried the Singha but it didn’t work for him.
Micky Moore, winner of Div C, enjoyed his beers on his way to 37 points which included a lost ball on the third hole, which he didn’t really deserve. Capt’ Bob won Div A with 37 from Jack on 35, who also lost his ball on the 18th.
The near pins were won by Pat Regan, Capt’ Bob, Jim Brackett and Bill Bishop, and there were four ‘2’s from Bob Philp, Jim Barckett, Paul Bourke & Mark Bamber.
Back at the ranch a full spread of food was provided courtesy of Steve & John, all in all a thoroughly enjoyable day. Thanks guys and Happy Birthday!
Overall
1st Steve Morton (4) 39pts
2nd Alan Bishop (17) 38pts
Div A (0-11)
1st Bob Philp (7) 37pts
2nd Jack Moseley (10) 35pts
3rd Michael Waltschek (7) 34pts
Div B (12-23)
1st Bill Bishop (16) 38pts
2nd Bob Lindborg (16) 38pts
3rd Henry O’Brien (21) 38pts
Div C (24+)
1st Mick Moore (26) 37pts
2nd Norm Martin (27) 36pts
3rd Jum Karagit (32) 35pts
Thursday, January 15, Eastern Star - Stableford
Eastern Star was the Thursday choice this week before moving to the regular Thursday slot of Green Valley next week. Fourteen Outbackers made the trip and Barry Chadbourn found his form to score a magnificent 39 points round this testing course. He was five clear of his nearest rival, Bob Martin with 34 and Orawan headed a three way count back on 33. Good to see Chad coming into form just before the first MBMG Matchplay game against Angkana House.
There were four ‘2’s coming from Geoff Doody, Bob Martin & Rick Evans had two.
1st Barry Chadbourn (20) 39pts
2nd Bob Martin (17) 34pts
3rd Orowan Sodok (26) 33pts
4th Rick Evans (6) 33pts
Friday, January 16, Siam Plantation - Stableford
Sugarcane & Tapioca were on the menu for the 52 Outbackers to tuck into a good round of golf. Whilst many were making a complete meal of it, Jan Van Spellen demonstrated that it was possible to post a good score with the best points of the day of 35, to win Div B. One point back was Bob Martin and then on 33 came Brian Eames & Keith Hector.
Brian is here at the moment, with his two brothers, Steve & Kerry, under unfortunate circumstances to attend the funeral of their brother, Doug Eames who died tragically last week from what was believed to be a heart attack, at the tender age of 50. Sad times, and Doug will be missed by many at the Outback Golf Bar.
Kinuchi, presumably from Japan, emerged the winner of Div A with 34, two ahead of Paul & John on 32 points apiece, who were joined by Steve Morton, playing off 3, to take fourth on count back.
There were four ‘2’s from Chris Fox, John Exall, Bill Huffer & Paul Sibley
The Outback Golf Bar will continue to come to Siam Plantation until Friday 6th February, when the preparations for the LPGA event at the end of the month, gather momentum and the course will be closed. The anticipated return date here will be March 13.
Div A (0-11)
1st Kinuchi (8) 34pts
2nd Paul Greenaway (11) 32pts
3rd John Emmerson (11) 32pts
4th Steve Morton (3) 32pts
Div B (12-17)
1st Jan Van Spellen (17) 35pts
2nd Bob Martin (17) 34pts
3rd Brian Eames (13) 33pts
4th Keith Hector (14) 33pts
Div C (18+)
1st Gabriel Enright (24) 32pts
2nd Brian Maddox (22) 30pts
3rd Paul Sibley (19) 30pts
4th Greg Dickinson (22) 29pts

Lightning Rod strikes again

PSC golf from The Three Sisters Bar & Grill

Who said it does not get cold in Pattaya? Whoever it was should have been at the Pattaya Country Club on January 13 as the Three Sisters Groups began teeing off at 06:30. A few wiser men showed up with long sleeve jackets or sweaters. The short sleeve boys had to suffer the chills. I’m sure it was in the mid 60s but as the cart moved out it felt more like 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tuesday’s winner Rod Ishii (left) with runner-up Kevin Worl.

The wind also picked up and had a definite influence on the balls flight. In fact, the par-three 16th, which is normally a really tough par three, was nearly impossible today. The cup placement was such that if your ball did not go directly into the cup, it began rolling and rolling and rolling until it was down off the green. This problem didn’t just happen once or twice. One erstwhile “golfer” suffered through 14 strokes before being able to sink the putt. No names will be mentioned but his initials are PED.
Not all players were that unlucky. Rod Ishii came in with “another” 41 points (PSC handicapper - please note). Coming in second place was Kevin Worl, getting in as much golf as he can before his January vacation comes to and end and he returns Stateside.
Returning to Caddy Shack II, everyone enjoyed Herbie’s hot pork sausages, and despite the chill, most of the stalwart players forced down a few “chilly” San Miguels.

Montana edge further ahead

Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League

200 Bowlers: Noodle Russell, Antero Ronkainen, Mio Aamlid, Jan Johansson, Leen Schaap and Ooy Pluemkamon.

Montana are now 7.5 points ahead of second place with only 3 weeks remaining in the league and 12 points to be won or lost. Tukata Thompson rolled a 507 series to lead Montana to a 3 point win over Brother D. Antero Ronkainen was best for Brother D with a 535 series.
VFW Post 9876 moved back into second place after winning 3 points from Bavaria while SaBai Sabai Friday dropped down to third after they only managed a split with Café Ole. Somrak rolled a 568 series for Café Ole and Nok had a 550 for Sabai.
Montgomery took 3 points from House of the Golden Coin despite Barry Hooper’s 605 series for Golden Coin. Jack Tar won 3 from Café Kronborg with all three of their bowlers breaking the 500 series mark: Dang Downs had a 569, Mai Munsitha a 523 and Kenneth Johansson a 503. Kran Nielsen rolled a 556 series and Jan Johansson a 508 for Café Kronborg.
Sala Thai Restaurant moved out of last place and Canada took their place after Sala Thai won all 4 points in that match. Ooy Pluemkamon bowled a 570 series for Canada and Kaew had a 551 for Sala Thai. Bowling as Pacers; Rich Montana bowled a 580 series and Leen Schaap had a 534.

Results & Standings January 16 (week 27) Team                                          Points        Standings Montana                                       3 – 1          72.5 - 35.5 VFW Post 9876                            3 - 1          65.0 - 43.0 Sabai Sabai Friday                        2 – 2          64.5 - 43.5 Café Kronborg                               1 - 3          62.0 - 46.0 Café Ole                                       2 – 2          53.5 - 54.5 Brother D                                      1 - 3          52.5 - 55.5 Montgomery                                  3 – 1          52.0 - 56.0 Bavaria                                         1 - 3          47.5 - 60.5 Jack Tar                                        3 – 1          46.0 - 62.0 House of the Golden Coin               1 – 3          45.5 - 63.5 Sala Thai Restaurant                      4 - 0          45.0 - 63.0 Canada                                         4 - 0          42.0 - 66.0