Top turnout leads to terrific triple-header

Pattaya Sunday Softball

JJ’s Juvenile Pears and the Prehistoric Hotheads during one of the less competitive moments last Sunday.

Diego Wells
The last Sunday of Softball for January 2009 saw the biggest array of beer bellied athletes yet. They were eager to shag fly balls, smack singles, soar around the bases, and of course, have a cold ale and argue about rules and umpires decisions.
Over 40 softball has-beens or never-wases made the trek to Jomtiem. The league organizers decided to reward their loyalty by adding a game and playing a triple header. Each of the three games went down to the wire and were all fiercely competitive affairs. It was truly a magical day of softball out on Jimmy’s field of dreams.
Game one saw JJ’s Juvenile Pears (a tribute to their captain’s youthful physique that he has maintained since puberty) perform strongly for two innings. Led by key crunching singles from Scott, Spot, and damaging doubles by the fleet footed Ernie and the ever sun tanning Mark, the Pears managed to score 4 runs.
Not to be outdone, the Prehistoric Hotheads (named in honor of Peters temper, and Perry’s less then sporting pitching tactics) fought back with base hits from Rocky, Mikey, John E, Norm and Rick to erase the deficit.
It was a tight, defensive battle (thanks in large part to the strong breeze blowing into the infield) until the end. With the game tied in the bottom of the fifth, John Mchugh legged out a double, Scotty singled him to third, and Phil’s bloop single knocked him in. Final score Pears 6- Hot heads 5.
Game two was an action packed affair. The source of much of the action was the sexagenarian speed demon Peter, who definitely forgot to take his happy pills in the morning. He suffered the worst in a bone crunching play where he ran into Scotty on a rundown at third and got a bear hug tackle from his close friend and opponent.
Just one inning later, a close play at third base went against his team, and he was ready to fight JJ over the apparent biased call. Luckily both JJ and Peter realized that they are both so far over the hill that they can no longer see its peek, and they calmed down, shook hands and sipped some suds together and discussed an evening rendezvous at Boyztown.
In real softball action, the rookie John G from jolly old England, used his wheels to score two runs and help the Prehistoric Hotheads keep their cool. John Stockton was strong with his glove, while Mikey and Josh had hot bats. In another tight contest, the Hotheads eventually prevailed, by a score of 6 to 5.
Game three was the eagerly anticipated rubber match. Both teams were anxious to prove they were kings of the mound in the decider. The cunning octogenarian Perry, used his pitching trickery to perfection, intentionally walking the Pears best hitters John Mchugh and Mark to essentially kill, what was to that point, an enjoyable afternoon at the ballpark.
In turn, Mark instructed Phil never to throw another pitch to Perry as long as he lives, and softball had soured into snoozeball. It was the first time the idea of intentional walking has been able to ooze its ugly puss filled head into Pattaya softball. In case you are new to the game, an intentional walk in beer league softball is akin to giving a lobotomy to a patient who is suffering a slight headache.
Since these buzz killing antics didn’t arrive until the sixth inning, as the scribe I have decided to only count the first five innings of the ball game. The final game was another tight struggle, but in the end, the difference was defence. The Pears team, led by Spot at short stop, Ernie and John in leftfield and strong armed Scotty at third shut the Prehistoric Hotheads out on 3 of the 5 innings. Final score, JJ’s Pears 6, Hotheads 3.
All in all, it was a great day at the diamond. The beverages were flowing, sausages and burgers were barbequing, and the boys of Pattaya were enjoying the grand old game of Softball. All pseudo athletes are welcomed to join in on the fun, so see you on the field next Sunday!

Dave Stockman lifts the big one

St Andrews ‘Chinese New Year’ Stableford

A special tournament sponsored by St Andrews 2000 and Rayong Green Valley in association with The IPGC was held over the breathtakingly beautiful St Andrews par 74 course that has just seen the completion of the Asian Tour Qualifying School Event.

Dave Stockman (right) with the Green Valley Country Club Manager Nirand Phimwong.
With the recent event just having been concluded, it was no surprise to find the course in immaculate condition with the greens fast and true but extremely tricky to read, and the fairways a real pleasure to play shots from into the greens. The rough was not quite as forbidding as it has been seen in the past, but it still proved to be a serious hazard for those errant shots that usually creep into the normal handicappers round from time to time.
The scoring seemed to bear out the courses contention “that it suits the 18 and lower handicapper”, as the scores from those with a handicap higher than that, were generally found to be above the players par. That said the course could not have been more pleasurable to play for every level of skill which ranged from a low of 3 to a high of 32.

Ladies winner Mam Morel.
The group of 135 players began with a shotgun start from all eighteen tees with half of the field pre-starting ten minutes early. This afforded a very good and evenly paced round that took the majority of groups four hours 35 minutes to complete with the only hold up being on the very difficult par three 10th hole that is perched high and surrounded by water, deep ravines and bunkers, and playing a distance of 143 yards according to the card (actually more like 165) that left many well short and searching for the ball. But as with all of the other holes, the vista from the tee makes it all worthwhile.
With the organisation being in the experienced hands of Stephen Beard the check in of the vast throng, who all seemed to appear at the desk at once, went without a hitch and everyone was ready to play what promised to be a great round of golf. And so it was.

Division 4 winner Tim Lazecki (right).
The near four pins, for which Laem Chabang, Bangpra, Green Valley and St Andrews had all contributed a set of or five green fees with a value of at least 10,000 baht for each hole, were won by Peter LeNoury, P.J. Mitchell, Steven Howard and Barry Winton.
The ladies division was led home by Mam Morel just one point ahead of Helene Lindberg in second place and Angela Schafer in third. Mam Slipped in a birdie and four pars, as she put together a very commendable round over the course that although only measuring 5,334 yards, still provides a serious challenge for the ladies with several long carries over the troubles.
The fourth division was led in by Tim Lazecki with a round that started out with a par on the difficult par 5 eighteenth that netted him 4 points and then settled down to complete a very steady day at one over handicap 35 points, which off his handicap was an excellent performance. Geoff Kubas was next on the podium with a solid 34 points which included two 4-point holes, one of them on the extremely long 750 yard 13th.

Division 3 winner Fred Land (right).
Tony Holehouse completed the lineup in the forth division with a narrow win on count back over Jimmy Johnson after he scored 6 points on the last three holes to Jimmy’s 4. All the count backs on the day were all calculated on the back nine of the card no matter which hole was the start position.
The third division saw Fred Land at the top of the list with a very good round of 39 points. After starting out on the first hole with a zero pointer he then put in a run of 23 points from the next nine holes to set up his first major win. Barry Stirling came in second spot, also with an under handicap round of 37 points as Peter Henshaw faded over his last six holes, only managing 10 points to finish one behind after a good start to the day.
The second division was led by Norman Isherwood with a sparkling second best overall on the day of 41 points, shooting sub-80 for the first time on this very demanding course. He started out on the front nine of his round, which teed off from the fourth hole, with 23 points and kept up the pace right to the end as the pressure began to mount. Dominic Downie took second place by count back from Alan Griffiths as Alan started off the back nine with a zero pointer that came back to be of importance to consign him to third at level par 36 points.

Division 2 winner Norman Isherwood (right).
After figuring prominently in many other recent tournaments as part of a scramble team, Dave Stockman showed what he can do alone as he cruised round in eight under his handicap of 5, for a gross 71 and 44 points to shatter the rest of a first division that included some very good and experienced players. Included in this fantastic round was an albatross two on the par 5 eighteenth hole with an almost unbelievable 120 yard second after an over three hundred and twenty yard drive down the left half of the split fairway. In a round that included the odd slip, he still managed to go round in both nines at an even 22 points each to complete a truly remarkable and memorable day of golf.
After the round, and prior to the prize giving, the Green Valley management provided a sumptuous and extremely varied buffet, accompanied by a free barrel of beer and various soft drinks.
Khun Nirand represented the St Andrews 2000 and Green Valley courses as the host and presented the prizes to the winners, assisted and announced by the new IPGC Committee Chairman Bob Newell and the beautiful Tippawan, ensuring that everyone received the correct prize.
Following the main presentation the lucky draw was completed with the two top prizes being St Andrews 2000 golf bags worth over 6,000 baht each, which were won by Mike Sanders and Oamjai Catban. There were also another five sets of green fee vouchers from the same courses that donated the near pin prizes.
Bob Newell thanked all the venues and the golf organisers for their sterling work in promoting and assisting in getting the tournament off the ground at very short notice, and commented that there were still more than another 30 members that had been unable to get a starting spot which augured well for the future of golf with the IPGC.
He also thanked Glyn Evans, Russell Exley and Stephen Beard for their smooth running of sign-ins and the scoring that was all completed so that the presentations could start on time at 6 pm.
After all the presentations and lucky draws were over, Stephen Beard on behalf of the organising committee, congratulated Khun Nirand and his staff for providing an unforgettable day that will be hard to match in the future and looked forward to returning at some future occasion to both of the courses for some more of the same. This was greeted by the members present with a resounding round of well deserved applause.
Many of the contestants stayed long into the evening going over what could, would and should have been, but all agreed it was a day hard to beat no matter what ones score had been and everyone had been a winner on the day.
St Andrews Stableford Results
Division 1
1st Dave Stockman 44pts
2nd Bob Patterson 39pts
3rd Barry Winton 36pts
Division 2
1st Norman Isherwood 41pts
2nd Dominic Downie 36pts
3rd Alan Griffiths 36pts
Division 3
1st Fred Land 39pts
2nd Barry Sterling 37pts
3rd Peter Henshaw 35pts
Division 4
1st Tim Lazecki 35pts
2nd Geoff Kubas 34pts
3rd Tony Holehouse 31pts
Ladies Division
1st Mam Morel 32pts
Near Pins: #3 Peter LeNoury; #5 P.J. Mitchell; #10 Steven Howard; #17 Barry Winton.

‘Big guns’ line up for PTT Pattaya Women’s Open

Top tour players in town for upgraded Pattaya tennis tournament

The Pattaya professional women’s tennis tournament, which kicks-off this weekend, is now in its 18th year on the Sony Ericsson WTA world tour. This year, as a result of major changes implemented by the WTA, the tournament opens a new chapter in its history and has been upgraded to be part of the new “international series” with prize money increased to a minimum of US$220,000.

Vera Zvonareva. (AP Photo)
The tournament has been re-named the PTT Pattaya Open, with PTT Public Co., Ltd joining Pattaya City as the title sponsors of the tournament and will be staged at the Dusit Thani Hotel from 7 – 15 February.
As a result of the upgrade, the facilities at the Dusit Thani, Pattaya have been improved to include a fourth court at the venue, an increased stadium capacity to 3,000 for the finals weekend and expanded work areas for the players, officials and the media.
The increase in both prizes money and status has also attracted some of the biggest names in the women’s game to Pattaya. The top seed at this year’s tournament will be world ranked number five player Vera Zvonareva from Russia, who reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open in Melbourne last week before losing to compatriot Dinara Safina.

Caroline Wozniacki. (AP Photo)
Joining Zvonareva in the main draw will be Nadia Petrova, also from Russia, the current world’s number 10, and a player who was once ranked at number 3 in the world and twice a semi-finalist at the French Open.
As well as the big hitting Russian stars, the tournament will also be graced by the presence of Denmark’s Caroline Wozniacki who achieved a career high ranking of 12 at the end of last year.
Throw into the mix Victoria Azarenka from Belarus, the winner of the Brisbane International in January, along with former Pattaya winners Sybille Bammer of Austria and Shahar Peer from Israel and it promises to be the most competitive Pattaya tournament on record.
Lest we forget the Thai girls, Tamarine Tanasugarn and rising star Noppawan Lertcheewakarn will be flying the flag for the host nation and hoping to give the home fans something to cheer about.
The PTT Pattaya Open also has the proud record of providing opportunities for local Thai players to compete at the highest level in women’s tennis. Over 100 wild cards in the singles and doubles draw have been given to Thai tennis players since the tournament was first held in 1991. This policy of supporting Thai players has been continued again this year with youngsters competing in the “Star Search” programme getting the opportunity to win wild cards into the qualifying round of the tournament.
This unique event is not only popular with the players, but attracts huge media interest both in Thailand and overseas. This year’s Pattaya Women’ Open singles semi-finals and final will be televised “live” to over 200,000,000 people living in Russia, Ukraine, Asia and Europe.
The tournament gets underway this Saturday and Sunday with 2 days of qualifying and the main draw starts on Monday. Ticket prices are 200 baht for 7-8 February, 300, 500 and 800 baht for 9 – 12 February and 300, 500, 800 and 1,000 baht for 13 - 15 February. For ticket bookings, please contact Pentangle Promotions Co., Ltd on 02-382-3491 – 3, www.pentanglepromotions.com or ThaiTicketMajor Co., Ltd on 02-262-3456, website: www.thaiticketmajor.com.

MBMG Matchplay Golf League

Richman Poorman 2½
v Tropical Bert’s 6½
The two teams of 9 took to the North and West nines at Plutaluang for an early start on Thursday January 29. Heavy dew and heavy course watering hampered several golfers early on but the matches were all played in good spirit and all enjoyed the round. Adjourning to Richman Poorman afterwards, the results were totaled up over a couple of cool ones and a sumptuous sampling of Eddie’s fine food.
Individual scores (Richman Poorman first): Chris Holmes lost 5 & 4 v Scott Dobbins; Larry Immelman lost 8 & 6 v Hans Collett; Jon Thowsen won 5 & 4 v Anders Pedersen; Bob Finley lost 2 & 1 v Perry McNeely; Jim Bryant halved with v Paul Brown; Rick Moren lost 6 & 4 v Colin Cronin; Maurice Copan won 4 & 3 v Dick Warberg; Jerry Langer lost 6 & 5 v Peter Whitehead; Ed Behr lost 4 & 2 v Don Carmody.
Tony’s Tigers 4
v The Golf Club 6
Tony’s Tigers took on The Golf Club at Phoenix on January 29 and lost by 4 matches to 6. The individual scores are as follows (Tony’s Tigers first): Gary Mckinney lost 4 & 3 v Phil Mitchell; L O Holgerson lost 1 down v Jack Spencer; Ron Bridge won 2 & 1 v John Emmerson; Geoff Bowers lost 2 & 1 v Grant Montgomery; Neil Mcallister lost 4 & 3 v Jeremy Masse; Neil Hughes won 1 up v Vic Hester; Emmit White halved with v Brian Wilkinson; Brian Jacks lost 2 & 1 v Jim Dundon; Kari Aarnio halved with v Odvarr Rykke; Tony Duthie won 3 & 2 v Paul Mades.

Olsen scores a double

PSC golf from the Café Kronborg

Derek Brook
Monday, January 26, Plutaluang – Stableford
Plutaluang South and East layouts were witness to a stableford competition in two flights with the cut at handicap 18. The course on the day was in very good condition and very busy. It’s getting to the point where you will have to take a tee time on a week day.

Finn Olsen was the B Flight winner at Greenwood with a fine 40 points.

Johann Reynisson took the A Flight with 35 points ahead of Don Richardson in second with 34, Alex Kazasis in third with 33, and Elisa Magnusson in fourth with 32.
In The B Flight, the winner was Finn Olsen with 38 points ahead of Peter Hammond in second with 37, Leif Kirkegaarde in third with 34, and John Swanson in fourth with 33.
Near Pins: Patrick Poussier, Elias Magnusson, Colin Swann, Walter Bachli
Long Putt: Leif Kirkegaarde, Dave Richardson
Thursday, January 29, Greenwood – Stableford
We have not been to Greenwood for a few weeks, bur on arriving and looking over the course from the start, it reminded me how much I have enjoyed this place over the years. At present, with courses nearer to home being good value, it has not been necessary to make the long drive up here, but going on this day was like greeting an old friend.
We had a fairly large group of players and there were plenty ahead of us, but we still managed to get off on time and seemed to sail around. Normally here we always seem to have a strong wind, but on this day there was a gentle breeze, and the course seemed in pristine condition. I suspect it has not been over used of late as the greens were in good shape and the fairways were pristine.
The changing rooms are good here and the water was hot, so we were soon sat in the downstairs restaurant enjoying the food and drink. It is quite reasonably priced here, the food is also quite good and the view is excellent, so sitting here is most relaxing.
One would expect some good scores in the conditions, and we were not let down. In the A Flight (0-18) the winner was Koji Yamada with a fine 39 points. In second was Don Richardson with 38 points ahead of Mike Winfield with 36 points in third and Per Olaf Baarli came in fourth with 35 points on count back over Neil Allison.
In the B Flight the winner was Finn Olsen with the best score of the day, 40 points. We then had a three-way count back on 34 points that saw Per Anders Karlsen in second, Leif Kirkegaarde in third and Peter Hammond in fourth. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Don Richardson, Neil Allison, Finn Olsen, Don Richardson
Long Putt: Koji Yamada, Per Anders Karlsen

Regent’s International Day 2009 and World Cup competition

Regent’s annual International Day will take place on Saturday February 14 and is a community event that celebrates over 51 different nationalities and cultures within the Regent’s School community. The day is packed full of activities, sports, music and celebration starting at 10.00am and finishing at 4.00pm in the afternoon.
Everyone is welcome to come along and receive a free passport to collect stamps from the 51 different countries on display around the school. There will also be ample international food and drink to buy at the International Cafe generously organized by the Regent’s parents and friends.
All the money raised on the day will go directly to the Regent’s Round Square major service projects which include: the Mae Hong Son hill tribe project, Baan Laem Tong Tsunami project in Ko Phi Phi, and HIV/AIDS awareness in and around Pattaya.
Special guests on the day will be the Fountain of Life, the Mercy Centre, Baan Jing Jai and the Blind School in Naklua whose food and drink will be sponsored by the Pattaya Sports Club.
The day will start with the traditional World Cup soccer tournament at 10.00am in the Regent’s gymnasium. This year a record 20 teams have entered from the 51 different countries. This will be a fun and fair competition but very competitive as many of the teams want to replace England as last year’s champions. Look out for the strong squads of Thailand, Korea, Armenia and New Zealand.
The soccer will finish at 1.00pm just as the country performances commence on the World Stage on the Regent’s Oval. The day will conclude with a Parade of Nations at about 3.30pm around the school Oval.
Bring your family and friends along to enjoy this day. There will be a special ‘love’ theme being planned by the International Day student committee as it is also Valentine’s Day. For more information please contact Paul Crouch at pcrouch @regents.ac.th.

Khan claims the tankard at Navy

PSC golf from P J Pool Bar

Neil Duncan
Tuesday, January 27, Eastern Star - Stableford
Ten players turned out today and like last week thirty points was good enough for John Roddis to scoop the pool with second and third dividends going to Chuck Carriere and David Gardner, also with thirty points each after a count back. Near pin bonuses went to Mike Jackson, Norman Jones, and Dennis Jaycock who also sunk the longest first putt on the 18th green. The average score was only 25.8 points.
Thursday, January 29, Plutaluang S & E (White tees) - Stroke Play
A Flight (0-17)
1st Bob Drumm (11) net 74
2nd Ian Wheldon (11) net 75
3rd Frank Waterhouse (12) net 77
B Flight (18+)
1st John Khan (23) net 71
2nd Wendy Khan (21) net 72
3rd Rob Gandley (18) net 77
A good turnout of twenty one competed in our monthly mug competition. John Khan recorded the lowest net score for the day and was presented with the tankard sponsored by P J Pool Bar.

(Left to right) John Khan., Wendy Khan, Tip & Bob Drumm.

Steve Black, Roddo, Mike Jackson and Dave Clamp claimed the near pin bonuses whilst David Johnson sunk a monster longest first putt on the 18th green.
Pacco - yes he deep from the very bowels of the Earth and also by far our best dressed golfer - would like to register a complaint. We have hurt his feelings. He had an outfit tailored for him, purple shorts and broad hooped shirt to match. He turns up resplendent in this awesome kit and no one, not one single solitary one of us commented or gave any sign that they had even noticed. Suspecting an evil conspiracy hatched by his role model Margaret Thatcher, poor Pacco had no option but to slink off, head down in deep disappointment. Boo hoo hoo. Even third place in the lower handicaps division was insufficient to console him.
Yours truly couldn’t play this week because he was at home with his girl friend in bed. You may have misread the last sentence. My girl friend was unwell this week.

Mod has a rockin’ time in January

Golf from the Travellers Rest

Barry Hooper
Mod Chaviraksa, one of our regular, delightful lady players at TRGG, has turned the start of 2009 in to a great one. Earlier this month she became the PSC Ladies Club Champion, then on Jan 17 she took an A Division win with the TRGG and followed that up by firing a ‘2’ at the St Andrews 2000 event on Jan 22 (one of the few on the day). She rounded off the month by taking a second spot last Thursday and an overall win at the Emerald on Saturday, and all this despite having her handicap cut on two occasions in the same period. Well done Mod!
Monday, January 26, Eastern Star - Stableford
Div 1
1st David Walter (12) 39pts
2nd Richard Wakeling (12) 31pts
3rd Chuck Carriere (11) 30pts
4th Larry Simpson (8) 27pts
Div 2
1st Larry Bland (19) 39pts
2nd Alun Webber (22) 34pts
3rd Nijole Murtagh (22) 32pts
4th Ken Brehm (21) 31pts
2’s: Alan Evans, Richard Wakeling

Saturday’s top two: Mod Chaviraksa and Fergus Brennan

We ventured back to Eastern Star on Monday and this proved to be perhaps not the best of moves. Despite having confirmed the booking with the course before attending, our group found the appointed tee time was pushed back much to the frustration of the players. It all made for a very long day.
Larry Bland was first in the B Flight with 39 points, five ahead of second placed Alun Webber. Nijole was a further 2 back in third place and Ken Brehm rounded out the prize places in fourth.
A Flight found David Walter in first, also with 39 points, second place went to Richard Wakeling on 31, a further point back in third was Chuck Carriere, and Larry Simpson was fourth with 27.
Tuesday, January 27, Khao Kheow - Stableford
Div 1
1st Robert Andrew (4) 34pts
2nd Mike Wardman (12) 33pts
3rd Brendan Moore (13) 32pts
4th Phil Battah (12) 31pts
Div 2
1st Paul Hunekar (15) 37pts
2nd Ken Brehm (21) 34pts
3rd Bill Priestley (20) 34pts
4th Keith Marsden (17) 31pts
2’s: Phil Battah, Robert Andrew, Paul Hunekar, Gerald Thwaites
Tuesday and Khao Kheow was the venue. We had a good turnout as this place is a favourite with many players these days - not that easy a course but a fair test of the game.
Unfortunately the day did not start off that well, following on from the problems with tee times at Eastern Star on Monday, today we found up to six groups still waiting at our allotted tee off time - yet again pushing us back. This matter was addressed with management who emphatically apologised for the oversight in the booking procedures. So after a delay, play did eventually get underway.
Paul Henekar took the B Flight with 37 points, Ken Brehm raised himself to second, this time with 34, Bill Priestley took third and Keith Marsden was fourth.
The premier flight found Robert Andrew in top spot with 34 points ahead Mike Wardman in second, Brendan Moore third, and Phil Battah in fourth.
Thursday, January 29, Phoenix Lakes & Ocean – Stableford
Div 1
1st Hugh Byrne (13) 39pts
2nd Mod Chaviraksa (13) 38pts
3rd Fergus Brennan (10) 37pts
4th S Mehta (15) 35pts
Div 2
1st Derek Lucas (20) 38pts
2nd David Brown (18) 38pts
3rd Alun Webber (22) 35pts
4th Mark Reuben (18) 33pts
2’s: David Brown(2), Geoff Brown, Chuck Carriere, Mike Rushant
Our regular weekly outing to Phoenix was resumed after last weeks absence - a great course in good condition and a great turnout.
We had two divisions and Derek Lucas took the second flight with a 2-under par 38 points on count back over David Brown. Alun Webber was back in third on 35 points and Mark Reuben took fourth on 33.
Hugh Byrne headed the field in the top division on 39 points, winning by just one from our headline girl Mod Chaviraksa, who had to settle for second. Golf organizer Fergus Brennan came third on 37 and S Mehta was 2 points further back in fourth.
Saturday, January 31, The Emerald - Stableford
1st Mod Chaviraksa (12) 39pts
2nd Fergus Brennan (10) 37pts
3rd Larry Simpson (9) 35pts
4th Martin Dunne (10) 35pts
5th S Mehta (15) 33pts
6th Joan Murphy (19) 32pts
2’s: Chuck Carriere, Mod Chaviraksa, Larry Simpson
Saturday was a weekend trip to Emerald. For the first time in many a week only one division was used, not because of numbers attending, but because so many of the competitors were in the middle order handicapping that it was impossible to fairly split the list who played. So six prizes declared.
Mod Chaviraksa went one better than Thursday and took top spot with a very handy 39 points to round off a great month for her. She was followed in by Fergus Brennan in second and Larry Simpson in third. Martin Dunne, S Meta and Joan Murphy rounded out the flight in that order.

Hamstad tops out in January

Benda strikes again

PSC golf from the Three Sisters Bar & Grill

The fog was so dense at Pattaya Country Club that the caddies had to call to one another to let the oncoming group know it was safe to tee-off. That you didn’t know where your ball went was irrelevant, that was the caddy’s job and amazingly they unerringly found their way to the ball.

Bob Benda (left) with third placed Jim Hern.

Things cleared up after the 2nd hole but fogged up a bit at number six. The dampness did have an effect on fairway roll and some of the green putts had rooster tails, but by number nine the course was fairly dry. The skies remained overcast which made for a pleasant round.
Up front once again and holding the lead was Bob Benda, no stranger to the top, who finished with a 41 points (really need some handicap adjustment here). Bob was followed home, or so we thought, by Jim (Free Drop) Hern with 32. Tripping in too late to be counted or included in the picture was Doug Maillo (sorry Doug, could not read your handwriting) who came in with a 35.
This being the last game for January, Bob’s name will be engraved on the Three Sisters Trophy.

‘One ball’ George in the mood for autographs

IPGC golf from Lewiinski’s

I’m sure most of our readers are old enough to remember the Nolan sisters (I’m in the mood for dancing… etc). Our usual scribe ‘One ball’ George certainly is and thought he had a chance to meet one of them when he saw a Bernie Nolan on the sign up sheet. So, on finding himself in the group behind her at St. Andrews on Wednesday, he took the chance to drive up in his cart and ask her for her autograph. Bernie’s reaction was sort of “Of course, but I only won the monthly medal…. It’s not that special.” George replied “Yeah, I know but your Bernie Nolan.” Bernie’s retort, “I know, but not the one you thinking of.”
Not for the first time in his life, George retreated muttering, “Have you ever felt so stupid.” He was not expecting this headline by the way, but as his sub, I just had to get it in. And so to the golf.
Sunday, January 25, Green Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Paul Shaw (7) 40pts
2nd Chris Davisson (9) 38pts
3rd Pat Hanfin (9) 38pts
B Flight
1st Dave Mather (13) 39pts
2nd Roy Thornton (13) 38pts
3rd Colm Mullen (15) 36pts
C Flight
1st Stan Dismuke (19) 41pts
2nd Mike Loewen (24) 37pts
3rd Ajit Amin (21) 36pts
Near Pins: #2 Paul Shaw; #9 Don Lehmer; #12 Michael Andersson; #16 Michael Andersson.
2’s: Nine.
A large turn out of some seventy Lewiinski’s golfers showed up for our regular weekend whack at Green Valley. Sunday at Green Valley is always a popular event for Lewiinski’s but even more so now that the IPGC committee have brokered a deal for weekends at just 1000 THB.
The top card of the day was returned by C flight’s Stan Dismuke with a super forty one points, including holing a great 150-yrd shot for eagle on the tough fifteenth. Wireless Wilkinson was partnering Stan, yet failed to acknowledge his mate’s achievement during his usual hour monologue describing his own round. Mike Loewen shot 37 for second spot and Ajit Amin and Bruce “Skippy” Mcadam were tied on 36 points apiece; Ajit winning the resulting count back. One off the podium was Brian “Quick fit Kitchens” Lewis.
B Flight was a close run affair with Dave Mather carding 39 points and just holding off the challenge of Roy Thornton MBE. County Dublin’s pride and joy Colm Mullen esquire, rounded out the flight with a respectable even par 36. Roy, by the way, won his own hidden sixes for the first time and promptly donated the lot to Baan Jing Jai. Good on you Roy.
The ‘big boys’ flight was certainly exciting with the in-form Paul Shaw returning an excellent 40 points to win it. Chris Davison got the count back verdict to secure second place over another Co Dublin man, Pat Regan, as both fired 38 points
Wednesday, January 28, Crystal Bay – Stableford
A Flight
1st Peter Lenoury (9) 36pts
2nd Gavin Knox (13) 35pts
3rd Lim Brackett (6) 35pts
B Flight
1st Eddie Beilby (18) 37pts
2nd Jim Elphick (22) 33pts
3rd Willie Wilcox (21) 33pts
A midweek return to Crystal Bay saw a low scoring game on this super course. The Captain Eddie Beilby himself led by example, being the only golfer to break par with a return of 37 points for man of the match and B Flight honors. Jim Elphick and Willie Wilcox were tied on 33 points apiece; Jim just edged Willie on the dreaded count back.
Peter Lenoury took A Flight glory with an even 36 points. One shot adrift was Gavin “Fort” Knox, whilst Paul West rounded out the flight with 34.
El Presidente, Chairman Mao and The Magician shared the 2’s pot.
Friday, January 30, The Emerald - Stableford
A Flight
1st Aki Kinya (9) 37pts
2nd Jack Grinvold (5) 35pts
3rd Gavin Knox 13) 33pts
B Flight
1st Eddie Beilby (18) 39pts
2nd Geoff Kubas (21) 37pts
3rd Peter Henshaw (16) 34pts
For the second time this week, Eddie the Captain led by example to record his second Lewiinski’s victory for man of the match and B Flight glory. Geoff Kubas battled hard for his second placed finish with a fair 37 points and Peter El Presidente filled the third place on 34.
A Flight resulted in a clear win for Aki Kinya, carding a fair 37 points, two shots adrift was the in-form Jack “Whacko” Grinvold on 35, and Gavin “Fort” Knox completed the podium with 33. “Tiger” Crawford and V C Cotter both came up one short.
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.

Bissel and Gamble scramble to victory

Jomtien Golf with the IPGC

Wednesday, January 28, The Emerald - Canadian Scramble
Our fun game of the month and there were 26 pairs out in this unusual format. Lot’s of questions were being asked about what sort of score wins this type of competition and looking back into the records, 49 points was the top score here last October, 48 came second and 45 third.
With a build up in the rollover kitty over the past few weeks there were many prizes up for grabs today.
In the pairs Canadian Scramble, the winners were Alan Bissel and Neil Gamble with a superb 51 points. We then had a count back for second on 48 points with Kari Aarnio and Angela Schaefer just edging out Gordon Everingham and Mam Morel. Jouni and Timo also won a count back on 47 points for fourth place over Kari and Rudi, and Ben Findon and Les Hall picked up sixth place with 46 points.
A great day was had by all apart from the slow pace of play - the last group arrived back after a five and a half hour round. The subject of slow play is a contentious issue here at the moment and being looked into.
Near Pins: (Div 1.) Alan Bissell, Jean Bruneau, Ben Findon and Mam Morel; (Div 2.) Neil Gamble, Jean Morel.
Near Pins (2 shots): #3 Mikael Andersson and Robert Green; #6 Scott Dobbins and Tony Duthie; #12 Kari Kuparinen and Rudi Schaefer.
Near Pins (3 shots): #14 Burnie Sinclair and Harry Vincenzi.
Longest Team Putt: #17th Scott Dobbins and Tony Duthie.
Friday, January 30, Eastern Star – Stableford
There were thirty-six players out today in nine groups for our regular Friday competition at Eastern Star. A nice cool breeze coming off the coast for the first time in two months made the round even more pleasant, especially when playing downwind on the tough eighth and ninth holes.
Malcolm Saunders took first place in Division 1 with 34 points, while Barry Stirling beat Kari Kuparinen on a back 15/14 count back to take second after they both finished with 33 points. John Bruneau squeaked in for third on count back over Tom Sathrum and Mikael Andersson, all on 31 points.
Alan Bissell was the winner in Division 2 with a remarkable 41 points, Tom Novak came second some distance back on 36, and Miss Oam beat Martin Anderton on a 20/18 back six count back to take third after they both returned 35 points.
Before his departure, and back to work for 5 weeks, Tom Novak birdied the 17th to record the only ‘2’ of the day and scoop the pot. The Division 1 kitty remained unclaimed and was carried forward.
Near Pins: (Div 1.) Karl Larn, Harry Riley 2 and Pady Wilson; (Div2.) Don Head, Cully Monks, Tom Novak, and Miss Nut Ponvipa, for whom there were loud cheers as she picked up her first ever prize with Jomtien Golf.

Tough medal play sorts the men from the boys

PSC golf from The Bunker Bar

Monday, January 26, Green Valley - Medal
Stroke play at Green Valley is always a stiff test and only “Dev” in the B Flight had a level par round, which was good enough for him to win the flight, ahead of Reg Smart net 74 and third placed Peter Habgood one shot further back.
There was a count back in the A Flight, Mashi edging out JJ Harney to win it after both finished one over par and John McDonald took third place a shot further back.
A Flight
1st Mashi Kaneta (10) net 73
2nd JJ Harney (11) net 73
3rd John McDonald (8) net 74
B Flight
1st “Dev” Deverall (17) net 72
2nd Reg Smart (24) net 74
3rd Peter Habgood (17) net 75
Near Pins: John McDonald, Geoff Hart and John King (2).
Wednesday, January 28, Mountain Shadow - Stableford
Playing Stableford at Mountain Shadow using vouchers from the Pattaya Sports Club, the golfers were playing a great course at a bargain price.

Mashi Kaneta winner at Green Valley with runner up JJ Harney (right) and 3rd placed John McDonald (left).

You need to keep your drives straight on this course and Gerry Cooney is pretty good at that. Gerry’s accuracy off the tee helped him to win the A Flight, beating Tony Robbins by two points. Tony Robbins took the runner-up spot on a count back from Geoff Cox.
Veteran Reg Smart kept up his good form, having another great round to win the B Flight also with 36 points ahead of Koji Yamada with 34 points and third placed Geoff Hart.
A Flight
1st Gerry Cooney (10) 36pts
2nd Tony Robbins (13) 34pts
3rd Geoff Cox (12) 34pts
B Flight
1st Reg Smart (24) 36pts
2nd Koji Yamada (18) 34pts
3rd Geoff Hart (19) 31pts
Near Pins: Bob Taylor, John Hughes, Tony Scambler and Jeff Wylie.
Friday, January 30, Phoenix – Medal
The Bunker Boy’s had a Matchplay league game against Angkhana House as well as a Medal round at Phoenix Golf and Country Club. In the Medal comp Japanese golfer Koji Yamada took the honours, winning with a one over par round, Peter Habgood beat P.J. on a count back to steal second place and “Dev” Deverall came fourth with a four over par net 76. Dev’s had a good week this week so he might be in danger of being selected for the Matchplay team next month!
1st Koji Yamada (18) net 73
2nd Peter Habgood (17) net 75
3rd PJ Redmond (18) net 75
4th “Dev” Deverall (17) net 76
Near Pins: PJ, Gary Warburton and Reg Smart.

Takeshi tops

IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar

The Pattaya Golf Society made its monthly visit to Mountain Shadow on Tuesday, January 27, to play a stableford competition on this tough track. Sadly in this time of depression the course has taken on an air of depression itself with bare areas and tight lies around the greens, irregular cut margins off the fairways and the uncut greens belying their advertised 9.5 speed.
However, an empty course in high season is a bonus and the exclusive “package” negotiated with IPGC groups certainly gave tremendous value for money.
The field was divided into two flights (0-15) and (16+) and the second flight was dominated by the Caledonian connection as Ronnie Ramsay took third place with 30 points behind the pairing of Alistair Anderson and Bobby Shirkey who both recorded 32 points. The top flight went to form as Ray Banks was joined by Alan Bridges in runner-up place on 30 points. It would take a little more than applied golf to post a sub-par round and being a member of the host club was an obvious bonus as Takeshi Hakozaki posted a three-under total of 39 points for an excellent win.
Chris Voller yet again took sole control of the 2’s pot, his iron play being so accurate at the moment. His birdie on the eighth was the least surprise of the day.
Elsewhere “Banjo” Bannister had awoken hours earlier with a headache but had mistakenly picked up a sleeping tablet instead of Ibuprofen and took the earliest opportunity to leave the course for a nap. Whilst the caddies were rejoicing that his slip had not involved Viagra, Banjo managed to stay awake long enough to enjoy the Booby Bevy! Conversely, a wide-awake Takeshi had certainly enjoyed his day at Mountain Shadow.
Stockman’s superb clean-sweep
A large group of Pattaya Golf Society players left their Soi Buakhao base at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar on Thursday, January 27, all relishing a return to Green Valley to play a stableford competition on the course so recently the venue for an Asian Tour qualifier. What would it be like to play a track in “tour” conditions?
In reality it was disappointing, as the greens needed a cut and were running well below their normal pace. Also the marshalls had allowed an unchastened Korean group on the course, with a coach, and the putting lessons on every green caused massive hold-ups for the following groups, which included two from IPGC. Some things never change at Green Valley.
As for the golf, the PGS group was divided into two flights at sixteen and under and in the second flight new member Ajit Amin showed his prowess with a solid round of 34 points for third place, just behind Bobby Shirkey’s 35 point return. The flight winner was Ray Underwood, playing his best round for a while, and gathering 38 points for a well deserved victory.
In the top flight, well, what more can one say about the performance of current PGS Champion Dave Stockman? His game is one of sumptuous simplicity; hit the ball long, contact irons squarely and putt clinically ... and do it all with a smile. He ended his round at St Andrews two days previously with an albatross two on the short par five eighteenth, and began this round at Green Valley with an eagle three on the first. A succession of fine holes gave him a gross of 74 and 39 points for the win, three ahead of runners-up Mikael Andersson and Joop Medze.
Mikael and Joop were joined by Jim Proctor and Harry Riley for a share of the 2’s pot, despite an earlier claim by Chris Voller that he would get one also. Prime stuff and a guarantee of the Booby Bevy.
The on-course staff at Green Valley had made the day a bit of an ordeal but for Dave Stockman it was one he would willingly go through again just to savour the quality of the golf.
Kazu’s weekend win
The Pattaya Golf Society returned to Treasure Hill on Saturday, January 31 to play its regular weekend stableford event over the course which continually poses a stiff challenge to golfers of all levels. The course condition at present is good and the welcome afforded is always a warm one.
A variety of “domestic” circumstances conspired to keep the field small on this occasion but nevertheless the competition was intense.
Emile van der Wiele found himself in the frame again as his 32 points was enough for fourth place, whilst Chris Voller, gaffer for the day, scored 33 points for third place. Tim Lazecki, whose golf is blooming these days, continued his progress with a fine 35 points for second whilst it all went well for the self-effacing Japanese golfer Kazuki Agune who took the win with a level-par score of 36 points, easily his best at the venue.
Ray Banks had the day’s only birdie ‘2’, on the relatively easy short par three sixth, whilst the day’s most forgettable tee shot was by Jim Ferris on the 7th and it assured him of the Booby Bevy.
Thanks to Chris Voller for smoothing out the wrinkles and concluding another fine month of golf with the PGS.

Trevor Schirmer herds them in

IPGC golf from The Haven

Wednesday, January 28, Green Valley - Stableford
Division 1
1st Trevor Schirmer 39pts
2nd Alan Griffiths 37pts
3rd Alan Hanlon 36pts
4th Rick Holmes 36pts
5th Bob Lamond 36pts
Division 2
1st Fred Land 37pts
2nd Paul Hartley 37pts
3rd Stephen Beard 36pts
4th Ole Stamnes 36pts
With everyone away at the St Andrews tournament on Monday, it was a return to the other course in the complex from the white tees where in the first division Trevor Schirmer won his second in a fortnight after a long time in the doldrums: this time it was a better than handicap return that saw off the challenge of Alan Griffiths, who had featured twice on the podium in the previous weeks outings, by a couple of shots.
Alan Hanlon took third place ahead of Rick Holmes in fourth and Bob Lamond in fifth by a better count back of 19 against Rick’s 18 and 13 on the back six and Bob’s 18 and 12.
The second division was taken by Fred Land, who followed up his excellent win on the Monday in the fourth division with another 37 points to again claim top spot from Pail Hartley with a better count back of 18 to 17. Stephen Beard made a rare appearance to sneak in at third place with an even par round that was better on the back nine with a nineteen, as Ole Stamnes could only manage 15 after a very good start to the round, and he had to be satisfied with fourth on the day.
Tony Barritt, Peter Sumner and Andy Robinson shared the 2’s pool in the first division and Alec Woods and Mike Bailey did the same in the second division.
Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed new member Andy Robinson and also welcomed back Kinya Akiyama, Konrad Klama and Doug Campbell.
Friday, January 30, Phoenix (Blue Tees) - Monthly Medals
Division 1
1st Alan Hanlon net 75
2nd Peter Sumner net 77
3rd Takeshi Hakozaki net 77
Division 2
1st Dave Spendley net 77
2nd Paul Hartley net 78
3rd Stephen Lewis net 81
Ladies
1st Paula Virolainen net 76
With overcast skies and little wind, it was surprising that the scores from all divisions were so high, but that was possibly due to the greens being rather on the long side that made putting very difficult and the positioning of most of the holes in the most difficult areas of the greens.
Alan Hanlon took the first division with a stolid 75, which, with the CSS rising to 77 on the day, will mean even that will merit a cut in handicap for the following week. Peter Sumner took second ahead of Takeshi Hakozaki on a count back by a single shot at net 41 over the inward nine.
Dave Spendley was a very surprised winner of the second division with a score he thought would be consigned to the also-rans list but it was good enough by a shot to take his first Monthly Medal and ensure his presence in the end of year Gold and Silver Competitions. Paul Hartley suffered from a slight mental breakdown, when he inadvertently moved a twig from behind his ball whilst playing from a hazard to incur a 2-shot penalty and lose the Medal by a shot.
Stephen Lewis filled the final podium position, after many others had non-returned, he stayed the course and took the place although a few shots adrift of the leading duo.
Paula Virolainen led in the Ladies division with a very creditable score of four over par, but one under the CSS, as many of the other ladies were unable to complete the obviously difficult medal play round.
There were no 2’s in the second division and Peter Sumner had the only one in the first division to sweep the pool.

Faces old and new on the leaderboard

The January Diana Seniors and Ladies Open

Thursday, January 29, Pattaya C.C.
The first Diana Seniors and Lady’s Open of 2009 had 44 players competing at Pattaya Country Club. With booked tee times from 9 a.m., all players were registered by 9:10 a.m. The course was busy but all were away on time with a smooth round - and with no additions at the 10th.

January’s winners: Mo Bertand, Chant Schluwera (Moon) and Geoff King.

There were a number of new faces this month together with quite a few ‘returnees’ who were warmly welcomed.
It was a ‘returnee’ who was the Ladies winner, Chant Schluwere (Moon) with 37 points off her 13 handicap, and newcomer Geoff King who won the Seniors with 40 points off his 15 handicap. Top score of the day was the Super Seniors winner Mo Bertand with a fine 41 points of his 24 handicap.
Prior to the presentation of the prizes, Nigel Cannon announced that the Diana Group intend to continue with the monthly Seniors and Ladies open competitions and they have asked him to be the organizer. Nigel said it was an honour to follow the late Mike Franklin and looked forward to the continuing support of both the seniors and ladies.
The next competition will be on Thursday, February 26 at Pattaya Country Club – sign up sheets are at Diana Driving Range and Green Bottle Pub on Pattaya 2nd Road.
Seniors Division
1st Geoff King (15) 40pts
2nd Paul Lindgren (22) 38pts
Super Seniors Division
1st Mo Bertand (24) 41pts
2nd Bob Pearce (13) 40pts
Ladies Division
1st Chant Schluwera (13) 37pts
2nd Birgitta Lunning (20) 33pts
Near Pins: #5 Su Murphy; #7 Sunee Chamnamrum; #12 Bob Pearce; #16 Frank Witney-Watson.
Long Putt: #9 Arthur Bailey; #18 Tom Breslin.

Montana clinches title but second still up for grabs

Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League

200 Bowlers: Rich Montana, Antero Ronkainen,
 Nok Kennedy, Leen Schaap and Tue Pettae.

Montana clinched first place with one week to go when they beat Sabai Sabai Friday taking 3 points and knocking Sabai down to third place. Nok Kennedy bowled a 234 game and 572 series for Sabai but it was not enough. Noodle Russell was best for Montana with a 509 series.
VFW Post 9876, led by Tui Amphanon’s 508 series, won all 4 points from Jack Tar and they moved back into second place. This coming Friday VFW will play Café Kronborg and Sabai Sabai Friday will play Montana again to determine who wins the second place trophy and who gets the third place. Café Kronborg will receive the fourth place trophy but they lost 3 points to Bavaria with Tue leading the way for Bavaria with games of 196, 181, and 204 for a 582 series. Leo bowled a good 524 series for Bavaria and Kran bowled a 518 series for Kronborg.
We are sad to report that Kronborg bowler Teuvo Jkonen has passed away from cancer and he will be missed by us all.
Montgomery won three points from Canada and will play Café Ole this week to determine who gets the fifth place trophy. Café Ole got a 545 series from Somrak and managed a 2-2 split with Brother D. Antero Ronkainen bowled a 202 game, 534 series, and Konrad Foerg rolled a 518 for Brother D.
House of the Golden Coin moved ahead of Sala Thai Restaurant after winning 3 points in their match.

A new beginning for PSC fishing - a great ‘catch of the day’

Mike Gerrard
About 2 months ago, our Vice President (and the, then, Fishing Chairman) informed the committee that sadly his boat Bua Dolphin had finally succumbed to father time and as far as he was aware it could well be in Davy Jone’s locker. I think it is fair to say that Derek had provided a service to many folk in Pattaya over the years, and it may well have been that he, himself subsidised many of the days himself. From everyone, thanks for the memories, Derek.

Dene inspects the bountiful catch.

Thus, it came to pass that Derek asked me if I would like to be nominated as the new Fishing Chairman. I duly accepted, based on the fact that I knew where we could charter a boat for the future days. So, before I could put on a new pair of wellies or get me sailor’s hat out and feed the parrot, the vote was carried unanimously, and I was sworn in (well I think there was a few expletives from the parrot).
So, today was to be my first day at the helm. After scratching around for a suitable crew of only four fishermen, we arrived at the harbour to board our yacht for the day where there appeared to be enough rusty old nails holding the thing together (I’ll leave it your own imagination to guess who the rusty old nails were).
The skipper (Ting) and his first mate (Tong) welcomed us aboard on a fine morning with a gentle breeze and still waters. He duly informed us that the waters were perfect for “Big Fish.” Normally anyone who says that gives the day the kiss of death and we all thought, “Ah yes, we’ve heard all that before.”
So we settled into the upper decks to relax whilst the boat chugged it’s way out to the fishing grounds. Best bit of the day. It’s a chance to catch up about an hours sleep you’ve lost by getting up early.
As we approached the area where the skipper had predicted there may be some big fish an air of expectancy overtook the whole crew and passengers. There, in the near distance was a huge shoal of large fish obviously enjoying a feeding bonanza. They were going crazy.
So we approached with stealth and quiet? No chance. The boats engines are very throaty (but in good health), but with Big Chris Youngerman at the forehead expleting his normal American football fan enthusiasm, we all thought this would be enough to drive all the fish away. Only joking Chris.
Chris was the first to reel one in and he started on a good note: this fish must have been all of 8 kilo’s plus. It was then, new kid on the block, Peter (from Australia) who reeled the next one in, then his fellow Australian (and still going strong) Dene Mundey bringing in the third one with yours truly getting my turn. And verily our turns came round very quickly.
As time went by and we had all caught at least 1 each, young Dene suggested that it would be nice if we could get 2 each. By 1.00 pm, when the skipper told us that the waters had now changed and were no longer any good for big fish, we had amassed a total of 22 large queen fish and 1 medium Trevelly. A total weight well in excess of 100 kilo’s.
It was time for lunch and a little break whilst the skipper moved us to a different location so that we could add to our catch for the day, by fishing for smaller species. After an afternoon of catching a reasonable amount of Pla Dang and a few other unknown species we called it a day at about 4.30 pm. All thoroughly tired out, but satisfied.
As we pondered over the sight of the catch for the day, it suddenly dawned on us that we would have to get these fish to, firstly the car and secondly to the bar on the beach, where, whilst we sat and enjoyed a beer or two the bar chef would clean and prepare all the fish ready for freezing at home. With so many fish to wait for we ended up enjoying a couple more beers. I think it was then that fatigue started to set in. Don’t remember much about getting home.
Our next trip is provisionally planned for February 21, so if anyone would like to join in the fun give me a call on 087 091 7565. We limit the fishing personnel to a maximum of 6 people.
Private charter for your own party will be based on a cost of 7,500 baht through the PSC. Deposits will be required.
We normally meet at Bangsaray at about 7.45 am and head for the boat for 8.00 am. Bring your own food and drinks (alcoholic drinks are not recommended, but it’s up to you). Anyone is welcome and the cost should not be more than 1,500 baht for the day. If you wish to bring along someone who does not fish it will cost them 500 baht. However, we do ask you to consider that some passengers may not enjoy the rolling of the boat at times.
For all information call Mike Gerrard on 087 091 7565. 

Sweet going for ‘The Sugarman’ at Green Valley

PSC Golf from the Outback Golf Bar

Joey’s column
Monday, January 26, Burapha - Stableford
There were more signs that a few tourists have now returned to Thailand to play golf as the 57 Outbackers no longer had the course to themselves. However, the pace of play was quite acceptable as they played the C & D nines from the Blue Tees. 20 plus handicappers took it on from the Whites.

Capt’ Bob (left) with Thursday’s overall winner, ‘The Sugarman.’

Jum, the only lady in the field, was the only player to better her handicap with an excellent 39 points, enough to earn her an instant handicap reduction from 31.2 to 29.7. In the same division, both John Spiller & Tony Hill equalled their handicaps with 36 points each. Rosco achieved that same feat to win Div B from four players all on 34, headed by Chris Davisson on count back.
Div A, la crème de la crème and all single figure golfers, were headed by Briany Christie playing off 2 with 35 points, with three more on 34; Mike Wood (17pts back nine) getting the better of Eddie (16) & Ken (16) on count back.
Today, being Australia Day, saw the start of the Captain’s Challenge; to be played purely for ‘bragging rights’. Mike Waltschek & Des Scott threw down the gauntlet to Capt Bob & Jack only to lose the match 3 & 1. Mike battled throughout, sinking some great putts in the first four or five holes to stay level par and maintain an early lead, but Des could do nothing right off the tee, only finding the sand or the trees. Capt’ Bob & Jack, ‘ham & egged’ well, winning three holes in a row at the turn, to go three up; despite losing a couple on the way in, they held on to win the match comfortably.
There were three ‘2’s today from Briany Christie, Chris Davisson & Andy Baber
Div A (0-9)
1st Briany Christie (2) 35pts
2nd Mike Wood (6) 34pts
3rd Eddie Smith (9) 34pts
4th Ken Palmer (8) 34pts
Div B (10-14)
1st Rosco Langoulant (14) 36pts
2nd Chris Davisson (10) 34pts
3rd Paul Bourke (10) 34pts
4th Jack Moseley (10) 34pts
Div C (15-19)
1st Peter Stonebridge (18) 35pts
2nd P Murphy (16) 31pts
3rd Alan Bishop (17) 31pts
4th Frank O’Neill (15) 30pts
Div D (20+)
1st Jum Karagit (31) 39pts
2nd John Spiller (22) 36pts
3rd Tony Hill (26) 36pts
4th David Davies (24) 33pts
Tuesday, January 27, Pattaya C.C. – Stableford
There was some pretty good scoring amongst the 21 Outbackers that came to this local course in this popular Tuesday slot. Bob Pearce had the best score of 40 points, that won him Div A by a margin of three from Frank O’Neill (37pts) and (on the podium again) John Lawton (35pts). 38 points from Geoff Moodie secured Div B, four clear of Gary Saunders on 34 and Nigel Cannon & Norm Martin both with 33.
A special welcome to Arthur Bailey today and you’re always welcome at the Outback Golf Bar.
There were a bundle of ‘2’s from Rick Evans, Frank O’Neill, Mike O’Brien, Alan Pearce & Paul Quodomine
Div A (0-19)
1st Bob Pearce (13) 40pts
2nd Frank O’Neill (15) 37pts
3rd John Lawton (21) 35pts
Div B (20+)
1st Geoff Moodie (27) 38pts
2nd Gary Saunders (23) 34pts
3rd Nigel Cannon (24) 33pts
Wednesday, January 28, Phoenix - Stableford
It was ladies day at Phoenix Mountain & Lakes as Jum followed up her 39 points on Monday, with 41 today. Her handicap had already been cut to 30, and now to her absolute delight, she has been cut again to 27.5, the first time under thirty! She was joined at the top of the Div B leaderboard, by Orawan Sodok, who scored 40 points, reducing her handicap to 25.4. Third was John O’Leary with a excellent 39.
There were 37 Outbackers at Phoenix today and although the tee off etc all went very smoothly, it was disappointing to find the Phoenix marshals up to their old tricks again, putting a five-ball out, right in front of the Outbackers, thus ruining many a round and spoiling what was otherwise, a very well presented course. Needless to say, the result was a five hour round. The office said afterwards, they didn’t know anything about it and promised to look into to the matter.
Div A was won by Mike Waltschek with 37 points, nice to see him finding his form at last, from Paul Lavender, who headed a three way count back with Pat Regan & Rick Evans, all on 34.
There were three ‘2’s from Des Scott, Pat Regan & Jack Moseley
Div A (0-16)
1st Michael Waltschek (8) 37pts
2nd Paul Lavender (14) 34pts
3rd Patrick Regan (8) 34pts
4th Rick Evans (7) 34pts
Div B (17+)
1st Jum Karagit (30) 41pts
2nd Orowan Sodok (27) 40pts
3rd John O’Leary (17) 39pts
4th Morten Gauslaa (25) 35pts
Thursday, January 29, Green Valley - Stableford
Capt’ Bob’s Outbacker Birthday Cup, held unusually on a Thursday, attracted a field of 23 Outbackers to the Green Valley course. It was looking tired and scorched in places, however it remains popular with many, despite the five hour round.
The overall winner, Sugar Ray, knows the greens well; and although injured through a slight altercation with a ladder whilst painting; he scrambled to a fine 39 points.
Last year’s winner, Suzi Lawton, put up a strong defense of her title but in the end could only manage 31 points, second in Div B, on count back from Geoff Doody.
There were only two ‘2’s from John Cogan & Rick Evans; and of the four nearest the pin vouchers, two went to John & Rick and the other two to Capt’ Bob & Jack. However, theirs were returned to the bar and the bell was rung.
Back at the ranch, there was food laid on, and Capt’ Bob was joined by many of his friends and Outbackers who had been unable to join with him in the day’s golf. Happy Birthday Bob!
Overall winner
1st Sugar Ray Handford (18) 39pts
Div A (0-17)
1st Bob Martin (16) 35pts
2nd Rick Evans (7) 34pts
3rd Bill Bishop (17) 34pts
Div B (18+)
1st Paul Quodomine (25) 34pts
2nd Suzi Lawton (21) 31pts
3rd Geoff Doody (20) 31pts
Friday, January 30, Siam Plantation - Stableford
In about four week’s time, it will be the turn of the professional ladies to demonstrate to mere amateurs how to play this course. They will be playing a mixture of tees on Tapioca & Pineapple that will give a total length of around 6,500 yards; about the same as it is for the Outbackers.
Today, it was Sugarcane & Tapioca, with no ‘blue flag’ carts being allowed onto the Tapioca course; the same will apply next week, the last visit for sometime, with ‘blue flag’ carts only being allowed on Sugarcane.
Mike Wood had a great round, scoring 37 points off a six handicap edging out Dave Mather with the same score, both in division A. Harry Cowling also had 37 points to win division C, some four clear of Brian Tully with 33 and Brian Maddox in third on 32. Division B didn’t do quite so well, with Paul Lavender doing enough for first place with 33, ahead of Chris Marsh also with 33; then there was a whole bunch on 32 namely Chris Fox, Rosco & Brain Wilkinson; finishing in that order on count back.
As is usual at the Plantation, the Outback Golf Bar were joined by players from the Golf Club in Soi LK Metro for a total of 45 golfers
There were five ‘2’s out there from Richard Garland, Richard Bowen, Ian Heddle, Brian Wilkinson & Dene Airey.
Div A (0-11)
1st Mike Wood (6) 37pts
2nd David Mather (11) 37pts
3rd Joe Mooneyham (11) 34pts
4th Richard Garland (11) 34pts
Div B (12-15)
1st Paul Lavender (14) 33pts
2nd Chris Marsh (14) 33pts
3rd Chris Fox (12) 32pts
4th Rosco Langoulant (14) 32pts
Div C (16+)
1st Harry Cowling (20) 37pts
2nd Brian Tully (18) 33pts
3rd Brian Maddox (21) 32pts
4th Tim Whittaker (21) 30pts
Friday, January 30, The Emerald - Stableford
The 21 Outbackers who chose to play The Emerald duly arrived to find the course busy, but the efficiency of the Emerald staff meant we were away on time and with no ‘intruders’ at the 10th, a little over 4 hours was the norm. The course was is its usual good condition despite some dry patches.
We had some guests from Germany joining us today so we had a truly international field.
With ‘Capt Bob’ and ‘our Jack’ playing at the ‘other place’ it was down to our very own Chad to be organizer for the day – and a fine job he did.
Back at the Outback when the results were announced by ‘Birthday Boy Capt’ Bob; Rick Evans emerged the winner of Div A with 37 points and Bob Noble Div B with 36.
There were no ‘2’s, so the pot was added to prize money.
Div A (0-20)
1st Rick Evans (7) 36pts
2nd Henry O’Brien (19) 34pts
3rd BrendanByrne (17) 33pts
4th Bruce Milner (14) 32pts
Div B (20+)
1st Robert Noble (22) 36pts
2nd Colin Bavington (34) 31pts
3rd Nigel Cannon (24) 30pts
4th Jim Brown (22) 30pts
That’s all for now, if you have any thoughts, scandalous stories or suggestions, why not drop me a line at [email protected].
The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. All are welcome to come and join us for a beer and a hit. Just call in and put your name down on the list or give Bob a call on 087 941 2474. More information can be found on our website www. outbackgolfbar.com.