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It’s sweet sixteen for Lamm
as he captures 2009 TQ Masters title
The 16th Annual TQ Masters Golf Tournament
John Emmerson
(The Golf Club)
& PM Reporters
Despite the inclement weather of late, the 16th edition of the TQ
Masters, Pattaya’s longest established golf tournament, was still
able to run almost as smooth as clockwork last Friday and was yet
again another resounding success. Whilst most of Pattaya was
sheltering from a deluge of almost Biblical proportions, 88 golfers
had already escaped the floodwaters to assemble at Emerald Golf
Course in Ban Chang to tackle this testing layout, made even more
difficult by the soggy conditions underfoot.
 Ladies
champion Miranda Wylynda looks fetching in her pink attire next to
TQ head honcho ‘Woody’ Underwood.
The course, an inadvertent collaboration by Nick Faldo and Desmond
Muirhead, was playing particularly long and a ‘lift, clean and
place’ rule was employed as most tee shots plugged on the fairways,
and in some instances were even lost from sight for ever.
A few intermittent showers added to the challenge but the players
did a fine job of moving round the course at a respectable pace
(allowing for the obligatory drinks breaks of course) and keeping up
with the groups in front.
The après-golf get together was once more held at the Tahitian Queen
Rock n’ Roll Bar, this most famous venue on Beach Road which gives
the tournament its name, and a delicious ox leg, prepared by Bjarne
from the Café Kronborg, was well received by all the patrons and
golfers.
Once the presentations got underway, the technical awards were
handed out first and Near Pin prizes were picked up by Steve
Ellison, Steve Davenport, JJ Wright, Art O’Connor and Yui Bietry.
 TQ
Champion and Green Jacket winner for 2009, Werner Lamm with Mommasan
Ead.
The big hitters in the field who captured the Long Drive awards came
next and were duly presented as Lee Adelly (Div A), Eddie Beilby
(Div B), Kin Karlsson (Div C) and the Lady’s prize went to Miranda
Wylynda.
In the tournament proper, Jouni Metsonen’s 40 points was enough by
three to give him top spot in the C Flight ahead of runner up Greg
Todd (37pts) and third placed Kim Karlsson on 32 points.
Werner Lamm was the toast of the B Flight with an equal best of the
day 41 points, just edging Lee Adelly (40pts) into second place by a
single point and Steve Staley completed the podium on 38 points.
 The
Golf Club on Soi LK Metro provided a pair of friendly faces at
sign-up.
In the premier (A) flight, Jeff Cordiero scored a fine 39 points to
finish top of the heap and one ahead of a pair of Steve’s, Davenport
and Snellgrove, who had to be separated by the count back; Steve D’s
20 points on the back nine proving to be decisive.
Miranda Wylynda won the battle of the fairer sex in the Ladies
flight to earn the right to don the now famous Pink Jacket– and
quite fetching she looked too in her new attire back at the TQ.
Miranda scored a best equal score of the day 41 points to take out
the flight.
 Going
for the long drive.
This just left the main prize to be presented, the coveted TQ
Masters Green Jacket, and with his wonderful round on 41 points in
the B Flight, the deserved winner this year was Werner Lamm who was
called on stage to accept his award from Mommasan Ead. The last that
was seen of Werner that evening was his smiling face racing toward
Walking Street and proudly wearing his Green Jacket.
Significant preparation and work on the day contributed to a
tournament that by all accounts was universally enjoyed. In that
regard thanks go to all those whose tireless efforts went into
making this tournament as enjoyable as any before.
On a slightly more poignant note, missed this year were two
stalwarts of the TQ Masters from years gone by; the late Steve
Donovan and Mike Franklin were both perennial faces and voices at
this golf tournament and were sadly missed this year, but we are
sure they will have been enjoying it from on high just as much as
the players on the course and in the bar. We hope to have everyone
back here again next year for the 17th edition of this Pattaya
golfing tradition.
Russell, Ross, Steve and Mark get
some help from the TQ girls.
An easy game – even with one hand.
The Canucks pose for a quick photo
with the rain threatening.
The Dream Team have a bonding session
with their caddies.
Dipita hat trick shatters French hopes
MBMG International League Div 1 & 2
Paul Frain
Pattaya City continued their winning ways in the MGMG League
with a win over the unbeaten French side Les Gaulois last weekend. City
had the near perfect start, having the ball in the French net early into
the match, but it was ruled out for offside, but then the French in
reply missed a great chance to take the lead as their forward was put
through and he shot against the City keeper’s legs.
This was the signal for the French to pressurize the City defense and
they had a shot hitting the City bar soon after, and following up with
two good chances to take the lead, but missing them both. City were
trying to play the offside trap but twice they got caught, and the
French forwards should have done better than shoot straight at the City
keeper.
The Pattaya team then received a free kick 38 yards out and up stepped
Johan Radebach to send the ball into the top corner of the French goal
to make it 1-0. A double save from the French keeper kept the score down
but City soon scored again when the French defense could not clear the
ball and Earnest Dipita collected it, passed it to Craig Banks who
slotted home to make it 2-0 to the City.
The French side did not give up but both midfields were battling for
supremacy when the ball was handled by a French defender and Earnest
Dipita made no mistake from the spot to make it 3-0, which was the half
time score.
After the break the French were fired up and hit the City crossbar for
the second time in the match, but free kicks and corners were wasted and
again a French forward had a free header but missed the target. Shortly
after however, the French scored with a hard low shot into the corner of
the Pattaya net.
City dashed all hopes of a comeback though as a four-man move ended with
a shot from Earnest Dipita that beat the keeper to make it 4-1. This was
soon followed by a great ball by Patrice Lowe through the French defense
for Dipita to lob over the keeper to make it 5-1 and to complete his hat
trick.
It was a good win for the City as the French always give them a close
game and it was a match that City had to win.
FC Pattaya’s game meanwhile was called off in Bangkok due to a
waterlogged pitch.
United secure top flight status with 2-1 win over Chula
Heartbreak for Sri Racha despite victory at Osotspa
Chula goalkeeper Jean Marc
Engoulou (18) dives in vain as a cross shot from Pattaya United’s skipper
Santi Chaiyaphurk sails over his head to give Pattaya a 1-0 lead at the
Nongpru Stadium in Pattaya, Sunday, Oct. 18.
(Photo/Ariyawat Nuamsawat)
PM Reporters
Pattaya United ensured that Premiership football would be played in
the seaside resort next season after securing a hard fought 2-1 victory over
fellow relegation candidates Chula United last Sunday afternoon. In a
somewhat bruising encounter at the Nongprue Stadium, United got off to an
almost perfect start when they took a two nil lead in the first 30 minutes
of the match to settle the nerves of all the Dolphins fans in attendance.
United knew at the start of play that a draw would be enough to secure their
Premiership survival but they set about Chula as if only a win would
suffice, and they were duly rewarded for their attacking endevours when in
the 15th minute skipper Santi worked a short corner on the right with
Ittipol before firing a high cross into the area that somehow deceived
Engoulou in the Chula goal and landed in the back of the net.
United were dominant during this early period of the game and they soon
doubled their lead when Ittipol took advantage of another mistake by
Engoulou to fire the ball high into the net from close range.
At this point Pattaya seemed to sit back, clearly thinking that the job was
already done, and Chula were unlucky with a couple of close efforts just
before the break. This should have served as a wake up call to United but as
the second half got underway it was obvious the Dolphin’s coach Jadet had
sent the team out with instructions to ‘park the bus’ and keep things tight.
With United defending ever deeper however, all this had the effect of was to
invite Chula to come forward, which they duly did in droves.
Following a couple of near misses, it came as no surprise when Chula pulled
a goal back just 10 minutes after the restart. A cross was played in from
the left wing and Brazilian Aron Da Silva rose above everyone to head home
and give the Bangkok outfit some renewed hope.
What followed for the remainder of the half was not a pretty sight to any
lover of the ‘Beautiful Game.’ The United players, seemingly aware by now
that they couldn’t successfully employ a Catenaccio defence to the same
level as the Italians, proceed to employ some not too subtle time wasting
methods. With players going to ground from even the slightest of knocks, the
stretcher party was more active in the second half than during a busy night
at the Bangkok Pattaya emergency ward.
These tactics took some of the sheen off what was a vital win for United but
the Dolphin’s fans weren’t complaining too much and as the clock ticked down
there was only one more clear-cut chance for Chula when Kittisak headed just
wide of the Pattaya goal in injury time. As the final whistle sounded the
ground erupted into celebration and relief and fireworks were fired off soon
after to start a party that went on well into the evening.
For near neighbours Sri Racha the day had a somewhat different ending.
Needing victory at Osotspa and for other results elsewhere to go their way,
they produced one of their best performances of the season to secure a 3-1
victory at the Saraburi stadium, but they were left with only heartbreak
when news filtered through that Bangkok United had held on for a 1-1 draw
with Samut Songkran. The point for Bangkok means that Sri Racha will be
joining Chula United and Nakhon Pathom in the First Division next season.
Chonburi FC meanwhile finished off their own season with a rather
anticlimactic 2-1 win over Thai Port FC at the Supachalasai Stadium.
Chonburi were forced to play this match in Bangkok after their own stadium
was closed due to crowd trouble during a previous match against Chula.
Jackson christens return
with win at Treasure Hill
PSC Soi Khao Noi Golf Group
Tuesday, Oct. 13, The Emerald (White tees) - Stableford
Just ten of us turned out to play The Emerald, lying greenly in
the shadow of what the caddies tell us is Khao Nang Yong (sp?). Willy
Nachbur took first place with 36 points, one ahead of Neil Duncan in second
who in turn was one ahead of third place finisher David Clamp.
The technical dividends were evenly distributed and the average score for
the day was 29.2 points.
Thursday, Oct. 15, Treasure Hill (Yellow tees) -
Stableford
Having elected to play the yellow tees it transpired that the
greens keeper had put the white markers on the yellow plates so the course
was already shortened to account for the soggy fairways. But even on a
shortened course the fifteen players only managed to return an average of
26.9 points!
 Tuesday
and Thursday winners: Willy Nachbur (right) with Mike Jackson.
Recent returnee Mike Jackson came in first with 36 points, pushing David
Clamp into second place on count-back. Allan Cassin was third with 33 points
and Dennis Jaycock was fourth with 30 points.
Allan Cassin had two near pin bonuses and Curt Svelin, after a lot of
trying, finally got a pay-out with another.
Our chum Aka O’Reilly and his wife were recently watching a T.V. program
about psychology when Aka turned to her and said, “Honey I bet you can’t
tell me something that will make me happy and sad at the same time.” Mrs.
O’Reilly calmly replied, “Darling you have the biggest willy of all of your
friends.”
Note: Any golfers seeking to play with our group that wish to know
about the group’s format please phone Neil on 089 511 0575.
‘Elvis’ hits the right notes at Crystal Bay
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s
Monday, Oct. 12, St Andrews - Stableford
1st Colin Davis (15) 38pts
2nd Joe Tynan (27) 35pts
A small field turned out to play St Andrews, something to do with Larry as most
of our regulars took time off following Larry’s wake. The storm clouds gathered
but this did not deter Colin ‘The Donkey’ who led the way home with a steady 38
points. Joe ‘Sat Nav’ Tynan gratefully accepted second place with a useful even
par round.
Colin Davis and Robin Wood split the ‘2’s pot.
Wednesday, Oct. 14, Crystal Bay - Stableford
1st Geoff Kubas (21) 40pts
2nd Jim Elphick (23) 38pts
3rd Sim Davis (28) 34pts
Geoff Kubas, known as Elvis across the road, proved that he could not only sing
a fair tune but that he can also play a fair game of golf. Geoff blew away the
field with a superb 40 points to win the day. Jim Elphick notched an impressive
38 points to take second spot and Sim, the Donkey’s better half, closed out the
flight four shots adrift.
Tore Eliassen pocketed a handy ‘2’s pot.
Friday, Oct. 16, Mountain Shadow - Stableford
1st Doug Stenberg (12) 41pts
2nd Seamus Cotter (12) 35pts
3rd Robert Hanson (18) 34pts
Wet and windy conditions and dark sky’s greeted the lads as they arrived at the
very challenging Mountain Shadow with its tight fairways framed by trees. The
conditions however certainly appealed to Doug Stenberg who put together an
astonishing 41 points to take man of the match honors. Seamus V C Cotter took
second, six shots adrift while Robert Hanson filled out the flight a further
shot back.
Takeshi Hazozaki and Jimmy Day split the ‘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 Colin on 089 826 0764. Transport is provided.
Ladies day and wet feet
Golf from the Travellers Rest
Barry Hooper
Thursday this week was definitely Ladies Day with both
divisions going to the fairer sex of our participants. Mod
Chaviraksa took division one with thirty-eight and Yvonne Nielson
the second division with a fine forty in what was to be her last
outing before returning to Australia. Come on boys where were you?
 Saturday’s
winners: Ted Senior, Adam Moorshead, Robert Ledlie and Jim Sykes
The funny story of the week happened on Saturday at St. Andrews. It
is amazing what you hear back at the bar after a days outing.
Apparently the age chivalry and helping your fellow players out is
not dead.
At the fourth hole, a par six, Tristan Gilbert was seen to push his
first shot to the right. It whistled over the head of fellow player
and organiser Fergus Brennan. A search took place but the ball was
not proving easy to find so Tristan decided to take a provisional.
This also followed the same path as his previous attempt but was
followed this time by Fergus who could see it land near some rocks
over a stream to the right of where he was standing. He decided to
recover the ball but this meant jumping the stream. Fergus jumped
the stream but found him self behind a large rock. Not deterred and
using his mountaineering skills he tried to climb the rock, which
halfway up broke away dumping him in the stream up to his knees and
cutting open his hand.
It was at this point in time that a caddy arrived and pointed out
the path leading to where the ball lay. Ha Ha. She promptly cleaned
his wounds and applied first aid to his hands. Bedraggled and wet he
played on squelching for the rest of the round. Upon reaching the
eighteenth he found his ball at the edge of the water. To play it
meant getting wet again so that is what he did (he was still wet so
what the hell). In the water he went and played the shot up on to
the green.
The extremes we will go to in this game are beyond belief.
Monday, Oct. 12, Pattana - Stableford
1st Nick Noble (12) 34pts
2nd Pieer Ruggieri (28) 33pts
3rd Peer Bruun (17) 34pts
4th Mark Bell (11) 33pts
Monday was a visit to Pattana with a great turnout. Nick Noble kept
up his present form and took the win with thirty-four points after a
three-way count back over Pierre Ruggleri and Peer Brun who were in
second and third respectively.
There were three ‘2’s on the day from Peer Brun, Nick Noble and
Pieere Cere.
Tuesday, Oct. 13, Khao Kheow C & A - Stableford
1st Ted Senior (11) 38pts
2nd John Lay (8) 33pts
3rd Jim Sykes (11) 32pts
4th Mark Bell (11) 30pts
Tuesday had us visit Khao Kheo where we have not been in some time.
Not an easy course this one, has to be managed well.
Ted Senior (Mr ‘2’) was back in the frame again, winning with a
thirty-eight points and five up on Jon Lay in second with
thirty-three. Jim Sykes was third with thirty-two.
Two ‘2’s came from Mark Bell and Eddie Townsend.
Thursday, Oct. 8, Phoenix (Mountain & Ocean) -
Stableford
Div. 1
1st Mod Chaviraksa (11) 38pts
2nd Frank Kelly (12) 35pts
3rd Roger Brocksopp (8) 34pts
4th Fergus Brennan (9) 33pts
Div. 2
1st Yvonne Nielson (15) 40pts
2nd Peer Bruun (17) 39pts
3rd Alan Evans (23) 34pts
4th Adam Moorshead (17) 32pts
Thursday saw a good turnout at Phoenix, so two divisions. This was
to be a ladies day with both divisions going their way: Mod took the
first with thirty-eight, three up on Frank Kelly who was one up on
Roger Brocksopp at thirty-four. Division 2 had Yvonne Nielson at the
top of the list with a great forty-pointer, just the one up on Peer
Brun at thirty-nine and a further five back was Alan Evans at
thirty-four.
Only the one ‘2’ from Mark Bell
Saturday, Oct. 10,
St. Andrews - Stableford
Div. 1
1st Jim Sykes (11) 43pts
2nd Phil Knight (10) 37pts
3rd Ted Senior (10) 35pts
Div. 2
1st Robert Ledlie (22) 39pts
2nd Roger Wilkinson (17) 35pts
3rd Adam Moorshead (17) 34pts
Saturday and off to St. Andrews for the second week in a row. Not
everybody’s choice this as it is a bit big for some, but a great
turnout so many must like it.
Division 2 saw a win for Robert Ledlie with thirty-nine points, a
full five up on second placed Roger Wilkinson back at thirty-five.
Adam Moorshead was in third at thirty-four.
Division 1 was a win with a massive score of forty-three points from
Jim Sykes, a full five up on Phil Knight at thirty-seven and a
further two back was Ted Senior at thirty-five.
Just the two ‘2’s, coming from Jimmy Wolfe and Eddie Townsend.
Note: If you want any further information about the golf
outings played by the TRGG, please contact Fergus Brennan on 086 056
7019 or call in to the Travellers Rest in Soi LK Metro.
Glavina makes his mark at Pattaya C.C.
PSC golf from The Three Sisters Bar
Ominous dark clouds followed us around
Pattaya Country Club on Wednesday, October 14 as the group trudged around a
somewhat damp course. More than a few mud covered balls were lifted, cleaned
and reset. The fairways were cleanly mowed and the greens were in good shape
except for sanding on #19.
 Wednesday
winner Ciano Glavina (left) with runner-up Sus Ige.
All three groups were held up by a local foursome going off the blue tees.
The weather was hot and muggy, perfect for the flies that pestered everyone
from holes 1 through 18.
Back at Caddy Shack II, Herbie had provided snacks plus the spicy and not so
spicy hot dogs. A tally of the cards showed Ciano Glavina zipping in with a
clean 38 points followed by Sus Ige with a 35. Table talk centered around
missed putts and the American National Football League games, not to be
confused with the football most of the world plays.
Greg wins bragging rights in Ritchie household
PSC golf from The Caddyshack
Monday, Oct. 12, Emerald, Stableford
Almost twenty golfers turned out and took the weather gamble
on Monday and it paid off as although the course was almost under water,
the sun was shining for most of the day.
For the first time ever our team captain and organiser Bruce Tollitt
made room for a forth place, this going to, you guessed it, Bruce
Tollitt with 35 points. In third place with 36 points was the inform
Gary Ritchie. So you don’t get confused with his brother Greg, this is
the Ritchie with the sensible handicap of the two.
Big Graham Beaumont amassed a very good total of 39 points to take
second place. But miles out in front was again with another amazing
score of 43 points, Greg Ritchie. So you don’t get confused with his
brother Gary, Greg is the Ritchie with the dodgier handicap of the two.
1st Greg Ritchie 43pts
2nd Graham Beaumont 39pts
3rd Gary Ritchie 36pts
4th Bruce Tollitt 35pts
Wednesday, Oct. 14, Khao Kheow – Stableford
The extremely tough Khao Kheow was the venue on Wednesday and
not surprisingly the scores were no were near as good as Monday. With
the wet fairways, the strong wind and the occasional shower the course
was proving to be the brutal beast we know it can be.
The twenty golfers were split into two flights with most golfers
struggling to get near there handicaps. In A flight 32 points was good
enough for second place, this going to a very own punk rocker Phil
Cawse. Everybody’s favourite German Helmut Hebstreit took first place
with a very respectable 33 points.
In B flight Don Wilson must have got the shock of his life when his
pathetic score of 30 points placed him in second spot, a massive nine
points behind the fashion conscious Dave Strang. Welcome back Dave and
well done.
A Flight
1st Helmut Hebstreit 33pts
2nd Phil Cawse 32pts
B Flight
1st Dave Strang 39pts
2nd Don Wilson 30pts
Friday, Oct. 16, Phoenix – Matchplay
This was billed as the title decider against Ancana House,
with the winner almost certainly going on to win the league. But it
didn’t live up to its billing as it was called off due to bad weather.
The match will now be played early November.
Kerr on the marsh at Greenwood
PSC Golf from Tropical Bert’s
Tuesday’s winners: Homma-san, Chris Kerr, Owen
Walkley and Derek Brook.
Thomas Cotton
& Derek Brook
Tuesday, Oct. 13, Greenwood - Stableford
After a two-week hiatus, our correspondent returned to Bert’s to
enjoy some of the glorious weather that Pattaya has been enjoying. The
Mediterranean had been tediously sunny and temperate so it was good to get back
to some exciting weather full of thunder and rain. And it has benefited the
courses, as Greenwood was as good as its name with the fairways pleasantly
soggy, but the greens firm and unyielding.
The day started off wet, with intermittent rain and drizzle and when the sun
finally just poked its smile through the clouds, the humidity welled-up like a
sauna. Happily we were joined by a few itinerants, especially the always
thoughtful Nigel Perry, who drives like a single-digit handicapper, while
retaining a respectable 23 (he did win his flight at last Friday’s PSC Monthly
Medal).
Anyhow, today was not Nigel’s turn at banditry. It was the turn of the gentleman
with the surname Kerr, which is the Scottish variant of “Carr”, which is derived
from an old Danish word for marsh. So it was most fitting that on a day when the
fairways were as soggy as a marsh that a man named so should take first place.
1st Chris Kerr 39pts
2nd Owen Walkley 37pts
3rd Michito Homma 36pts
4th Derek Brook 36pts
5th Mashi Kenata 36pts
Near Pins: Owen Walkley, Dick Warberg (2)
Friday, Oct. 16, Plutaluang - Stableford
We have been booking this course once a month over the summer and,
with visitors in town, we had more than the usual players sign up.
The sky was pretty clear and bright as we headed into Bert’s for breakfast, but
by the time we were ready to head out, the sky was opening up and some were
thinking about whether the drive down was worth it or not. On the way down we
traversed three heavy rain showers and the course was getting it’s share when we
arrived. With the sky brightening a bit and the rain slowing, we decided to pay
the fees and get ready to play.
So, with shoes on and clubs on carts, looking out over South 1, what happens?
The sky again opened up. After a bit the sky brightened once more, the rain
lessened, and the first group hit off onto a fairway with small streams running
down in several places. For this group, they played the first three holes in
very wet conditions but the rain kept diminishing and the greens were playable.
Soon half of the groups were on the course with the others loading up and
heading home. Too bad for them, because the course actually drained well and it
was a good day of golf all in all.
Due to a British Legion function at Tropical Bert’s we gathered in the
restaurant at the course to tally the scores and have a snack. With all the
players in, 12 of the 20 that originally gathered in the rain, several visitors
were welcomed and the results announced. With the wet conditions, no one managed
to play to their handicap but it was close for those at the top.
1st Stan Everingham (17) 34pts
2nd Joel Flor (15) 33pts
3rd Gordon Clegg (25) 31pts
Near Pins: Terry Hopkins, Stan Everingham, Dick Warberg, Peter Whitehead
Emerald sodden,
Pleasant Valley drying out
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Tuesday, Oct. 13, The Emerald –
Stableford
Tuesday and we were off to The Emerald, the course was in
playable condition, although the fairways were quite sodden after the
recent rains. To alleviate some of the problems with partially plugged
balls and mud sticking, we implemented lift, clean & place. The top pros
consider it is worth about 3 shots a round, being able to put their hand
on the ball, if that is the case the scores would have been very poor
without it.
 Derek
Waterworth (right) is congratulated by runner-up Jeff Wylie, following
his fine 38 points at The Emerald.
Derek Waterworth (31) was best able to come to terms with the
conditions, scoring 38 points, while second spot was picked up by Jeff
Wylie (7) with 35. The technical prizes were won by #5 Terry, #7 Derek,
#13 Jeff & #15 Ken, Ken the only one to convert for a birdie.
Thursday, Oct. 15, Pleasant Valley - Stableford
Thursday saw us travel up Hwy 7 (towards Bangkok) to take up
the challenge at Pleasant Valley. The course was in remarkably good
condition considering all the rain, so no ‘lift, clean and place’ today.
Pleasant Valley has removed the majority of the internal OB markers, as
the course matures, making for not quite as severe a test but still
no-one broke their handicap. Best was Ken Graham (16) who managed 34
points, while Jeff Wylie (7) with 31, just edged Dave Edwards on a count
back, 17 to 15 for second.
The Near Pins were secured by #2 Graham, #5 Ken G, #10 Tom & #14 Paddy;
Paddy just failing by the slimmest of margins to convert for a birdie 2.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf generally on Tuesday &
Thursday (we sometimes change to accommodate a Thai Holiday).
Presentations are made at the course on Tuesday, with Mulligans Lakeside
hosting the Thursday presentation.
For more details on scheduling etc., please call Jeff 089 094 1841 or
Ray 081 935 8088. Hope to see you there, Cheers & Good Golfing!
Broome Boy cleans up at Laem Chabang
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
Joey’s column
Monday, Oct. 12, Burapha C & D – Stableford
Capt Bob and General Jack were away with 48 Outbackers and 13
guests savouring the delights of Chiang Mai, so it was left to some of the
Outback regular to run this weeks golf. Today it was Paul Greenaway and
George Bishop who organised the 17 golfers to play the C and D courses at
Burapha off the white tees.
Despite the torrential rain the previous evening the course was in good
shape with some soggy ground and slightly slower greens than usual. Two of
the seventeen players failed to return a score.
In the A Flight (0-14), 36 was the number for the top 3 today with all three
leaders playing to their handicap and the places determined by count back,
resulting in Steve Milne (13) first, Terry Beck (10) second and Steve Plant
(13) third.
In B Flight it was also count back time to find the first and second with
both Eric Curley (17) and Ivan Plunkett (19) having 35 points, resulting in
Eric being the winner and Ivan second. Third spot was taken by regular
Outbacker Frank O’Neill (16) with 34 points.
There were four ‘2’s from Steve Milne (2), Terry Beck and Ivan Plunkett.
Div A (0-14)
1st Steve Milne (13) 36pts
2nd Kerry Beck (10) 36pts
3rd Steve Plant (13) 36pts
Div B (15+)
1st Eric Curley (17) 35pts
2nd Ivan Plunkett (19) 35pts
3rd Frank O’Neill (16) 34pts
Tuesday, Oct. 13, Pattaya C.C. - Stableford
Nigel Cannon organised the day with 13 Outbackers making the 20
minute trip from the Outback Golf Bar, following a hearty breakfast. There
were a number of ‘Tuesday’ regulars, joined by Steve Milne and four ‘Geordie
lads’, friends of Steve on holiday; and a couple of Kiwis.
Considering the rain over the last few days the course was soggy but
playable and all enjoyed their four-hour rounds.
At first it looked as if the Geordies had swept the board but eagle-eye
Cannon noted a discrepancy in the adding up of one card; leaving John Low
(14) with 39 points the winner, followed by Nicky Sidhu (9) on 38 as
runner-up.
However the regulars were not letting the visitors having it all, with both
Noy Kamsantia and Frank O’Neill having 35 points together with the other
Kiwi, Dion Lane: on count back, Noy and Frank had 15 on the back, but on the
last six Frank took the win.
There were two ‘2’s by Frank and Nick Sidhu.
1st John Low (14) 39pts
2nd Nick Sidhu (9) 38pts
3rd Frank O’Neill (16) 35pts
Friday, Oct. 16,
Laem Chabang - Stableford
Twenty-five Outbackers played for the last time this year at Laem
Chabang on the A & B nines from the white tees. Next Friday (23rd Oct) is a
national holiday and on Friday 30th, there is a match against the
German-Swiss Golf Club in Pattaya; then into November the ‘high season’
rates kick in and the Outback will be moving to Khao Kheow every Friday,
starting November 6.
Some of the Broome boys, who have been in Chiang Mai all week, summoned up
the energy to play again today, and clearly Ian Button has loads (of
energy), following up his great form in Chiang Mai with 40 points to win Div
B, with the best score of the day. After his 39 points at Chiang Mai
Highlands, Ian’s new handicap is now 15.2.
John Low has also been cut to 12.2 after firing 39 points on Tuesday at
Pattaya C.C. and another 39 points at Laem Chabang to win Div A.
Welcome back to Chris Dopp and Happy Birthday mate, looking forward to your
birthday bash coming up soon.
There were no ‘2’s.
Div A (0-14)
1st John Low (14) 39pts
2nd Mark Reid (11) 36pts
3rd Chris Davisson (14) 33pts
4th Tony Garnett (13) 31pts
Div B (15+)
1st Ian Button (17) 40pts
2nd Kevin Watson (16) 35pts
3rd John O’Keefe (16) 34pts
4th Chris Dopp (20) 31pts
Better times at Rayong C.C.
IPGC Pattaya Golf Society at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
The Pattaya Golf Society returned to Rayong Country Club
(aka Great Lakes) on Saturday, October 11 to play a stableford competition
on Sir Nick’s best layout in Thailand.
After years of unattractive inactivity the course is getting a new lease of
life and since our last visit there have been steady improvements. Greens
are coming on though they are still slow and in need of a roll. But they are
nevertheless playable and the cost to the discerning golfer is an excellent
bargain. The course could well end up as the PGS new weekend venue as others
dally with high green fees and expected hordes of tourists.
The competition was very tight as Bob St Aubin and John Haugen shared second
place with 35 points each, two behind the man of the moment Chris Voller.
Fresh off the back of his hole-in-one at Phoenix he again recorded two
birdie 2’s for the lion’s share of the bonus pot, Tony Thorne taking the
third slice. Chris’s gross total of 77 gave him 37 points on a day when he
never three-putted. Such has been the improvement in the greens.
The Booby Bevy went to Mr Len after “blowing it” with a 23 point front nine
total and losing all rhythm with his irons after that, giving him a 23-8
split.
The joy of the day was enhanced by the warm welcome and the peaceful and
empty golf course at Rayong C.C.
All the
president’s men
The PGS’s annual matchplay extravaganza against the Haven took
place at Pattana on Monday and Tuesday, October 12 & 13 to coincide with the
lesser ranked President’s Cup match at the weekend in the USA. The
combination at Pattana was the B and C nines and sadly the dressing of the C
greens still continues, which throws a spanner in the putting works of many
golfers. The event was played under brooding skies on both days and there
was very little run on the fairways.
An inconvenient combination of business commitments, domestic
responsibilities, holidays, injury and bad weather made team selection
difficult for PGS captain Chris Voller and he was disappointed to find that
his five of his top seven “markers” were unavailable for the event.
Nevertheless a team was assembled and they performed to the best of their
ability on the first day against a very strong Haven outfit, guesting for
whom was Steve Mascari, the IPGC’s number one golfer at present, and a very
competent Norwegian teaching pro, Erik Donestad.
By the end of the first day the Foursomes and Fourballs had produced a
result of 5.5 to 2.5 in favour of the Soi 13 squad, with PGS victories by
Bob Watson and Ya Riley over Steve Mascari and Mark Campbell in the morning
and Mark West and Harry Riley over Rob Lamond and Chris Knapp later into the
engulfing dusk.
Injuries further disrupted the second day’s team for the Singles ties and
Tim Lazecki and a reluctant Len Jones were drafted in to bolster the team in
the hope that their higher handicaps would sway the results. Tim performed
well holding the IPGC Chairman Chris Knapp to an all square result and Len,
four holes down after six, clawed the tie back to go down the last needing a
win to finish all square with Alan Griffiths. Sadly the fairy tale ended in
a greenside bunker on C9, whilst the star round of the day was that of Paul
McNally, whose gross 71 on a track with little run and dodgy greens was a
beacon of quality on a gloomy day.
The other PGS wins on the final day were gained by Kazuo Takimoto beating
Russell Finch and Alan Bridges accepting a concession by Stephen Beard.
The match ended 13.5 to 6.5 in the Haven’s favour but the return match,
coinciding with the Ryder Cup next year, was already being savoured at the
presentation party at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar in Soi Buakhao late into the
final evening. Well done all, especially Captain Chris, for your efforts in
this year’s event. (See page 45 for full match report).
Bell wins at Lakeside
A very heavy golf week for the Pattaya Golf Society concluded on
Thursday, October 15 with a trip to Royal Lakeside to play a stableford
competition on the usually benign course. The group was affected by the
ardours at the start of the week and the weather, which has been atrocious
recently, but a good day’s golf was in prospect.
Chris Voller’s week has been tougher than most but he drew on his experience
and skill to wrestle 32 points out of the course, which was good enough for
a share of third place with the returning Masanori Takano. Masa had the only
birdie ‘2’ of the day as well, on the twelfth hole.
In second place was the old Japanese warhorse Kazuo Takimoto whose play all
week been excellent. His score of 35 points reflected the precision of his
iron play and if only he could putt!
The winner was Scottish Australian John Bell whose 36 points was the worst
winning score in the history of the group at Lakeside but it marked his
second successive win with the PGS.
The Booby Bevy was shared by Tim Lazecki and Jim Ferris for their low scores
but in fairness they received it as compensation for not being in the
prizes. Such is the generosity of the day’s boss Mr Chris.
Dante’s golfing inferno at the Valley
PSC golf from The Bunker
Monday, Oct. 12, Green Valley -
Stableford
After heavy overnight rain and flooding in many parts of the
region the morning arrived with a constant drizzle with the golfer’s
worrying if they would get a round in or not. After some debate we decided
to give it a go and we were rewarded for our gamble.
Reg Smart – winner at Pattaya
on Wednesday.
There was no rain when we arrived and the condition of the
course was much improved since our last visit with the sand having been
washed off the course by the recent rains.
In a single flight Frank Dante had the best round, winning with 40 points
while Dave Dolle had a successful return to The Bunker, taking second place.
Tony Duthie beat Paul Smith on a count back to nick third spot.
1st Frank Dante (13) 40pts
2nd Dave Dolle (11) 38pts
3rd Tony Duthie (20) 36pts
4th Paul Smith (4) 36pts
Near Pins: Paul Smith, Tony Duthie and Weng Tak Wu.
Wednesday, Oct. 14, Pattana - Stableford
No rain today and our last game at Pattana at the fantastic low
season price of 730 baht for green fee and caddy fee. The course was a bit
soggy in places and the greens on C course had recently been sanded but
still played pretty well.
In another single flight a count back decided the winner, Reg Smart edging
out Rab on the back nine. Another count back was needed for third place too
with Geoff Parker beating Mashi.
1st Reg Smart (26) 35pts
2nd Rab McDonald (10) 35pts
3rd Geoff Parker (17) 34pts
Near Pins: Reg Smart, Geoff Parker and Tony Robbins (2).
Friday, Oct. 16, Phoenix - Medal
Well The Bunker Boy’s were enjoying their breakfast in the bar
before heading off to Phoenix for a Medal round when the rain started and
went on and on and on, forcing the cancellation of the days game – ah well!
TIT!
Blacky wins the Monthly Mug
PSC golf from the Café Kronborg
Peter Blackburn
Monday, Oct. 12, Bangpra – Stableford
Once again everyone was a bit nervous about today’s weather after
the downpour and flooding of the previous day, but nonetheless seventeen
dedicated and keen golfers left Café Kronborg at the usual time of 0815
headed for our appointment with the monkeys at Bangpra.
 Bjarne
presents the October Monthly Mug to Peter Blackburn (right).
A hearty welcome was given to Gordon Clegg, back from Saudi Arabia, Mort
Christenson from Denmark plus Ken Fury & Jim Mair who are both residents of
Pattaya. Also our old friend Graham Buckingham after his short trip to the
U.K.
The 45 minute journey to Bangpra saw our first group ready to tee off twenty
minutes earlier than our allotted time of 1000. Preferred lies through the
greens and in the bunkers was the order of the day as the rain from Sunday
had made the course somewhat soggy but the greens were up to their usual
“slick” tricks and had most of us slow in adjusting to the pace. Regardless
of this the course was as ever beautiful and very well maintained.
We did have a 10 minute shower and a break with 3 holes to play and just
managed to finish our round before the heavy rain started. Our last couple
of groups were not so lucky and unfortunately did receive a good soaking.
Our round took just four hours and forty minutes which included the rain
break and a couple of drink stops.
Once more no-one was able to play to or better than their handicaps due to
the soggy conditions but we had 2 flights – A Flight for 0 to 17 and B
Flight for 18+.
Per Olav Baarli was the A Flight winner from yours truly with Marcel Wittwer
beating Stu Rifkin for third and fourth places (welcome to the podium Stu!).
That man again Mike Winfield took out B Flight from Gordon Clegg in second
place. Graham Buckingham finished third with Peter Hammond fourth.
A Flight
1st Per Olav Baarli (17) 33pts
2nd Peter Blackburn (15) 32pts
3rd Marcel Wittwer (13) 30pts
4th Stu Rifkin (17) 30pts
B Flight
1st Mike Winfield (21) 35pts
2nd Gordon Clegg (25) 29pts
3rd Graham Buckingham (22) 28pts
4th Peter Hammond (18) 26pts
Thursday, Oct. 15, Phoenix - Monthly Mug/Stroke
I have often used the expression “Beware the wounded golfer” and
once more it proved to be correct. We had a full field of twenty golfers for
this very popular event, in fact two guys missed out as they turned up at
Café Kronborg without having put their names on the sheet. We were limited
to five tee spots so there was nothing we could do.
I was moaning about a painful hip problem and Stu Rifkin helped me out with
some very effective pain killers. A hearty welcome was given to Andre Barril
& Patrick Poussier from France and also John Dahlsing from Denmark.
We were a bit late in getting away as we had to squeeze everyone into two
mini vans and at one stage it looked as if I would be sitting on Walter’s
knee but thankfully for both of us, particularly Walter, it was not
necessary.
Although the course seemed to be fairly busy our first group was able to tee
off at 0935, just five minutes later than our allotted time. The weather was
fine but humid and as expected the course was quite damp from all the recent
rain so preferred lies through the greens and in the bunkers were allowed.
Despite the wet conditions the course was as ever in great shape and in
particular the greens were very good.
We did have a few showers during the round but despite hearing lots of
thunder in the distance we were not interrupted by any need to stop and
shelter, in fact our round was completed in just under four hours and thirty
minutes including a couple of drink breaks.
We had 2 flights in addition to the Monthly Mug winner, A Flight for
handicaps 0 to 18 and B Flight for 19 and over.
Thanks to Stu’s painkillers and Marcel’s self destruction after a “dummy
spit” on the second nine your scribe was able to take out the Monthly Mug.
Per Olav Baarli made it back to back wins by winning the A Flight from Stu
Rifkin (yes – another podium appearance) with Peter Hammond in third place.
A much awaited return to form enabled The Admiral himself to win B Flight in
a three-way count back from Herb Schwietermann and Nigel Perry.
Monthly Mug
1st Peter Blackburn (15) Net 70
A Flight
1st Per Olav Baarli (17) Net 75
2nd Stu Rifkin (17) Net 79
3rd Peter Hammond (18) Net 81
B Flight
1st Dave Richardson (22) Net 74
2nd Herb Schwietermann (23) Net 74
3rd Nigel Perry (23) Net 74
Note: Bjarne’s Birthday Texas Scramble will be held on Thursday,
November 5 at Plutaluang. Sign up at Café Kronborg from October 22 and we
are limited to 10 groups.
Haven take the inaugural IPGC Precedent’s Cup
The inaugural Precedent’s Cup, played as nearly as possible
to the similarly named President’s Cup and with a name that could not be
claimed to have been plagiarized, incorporated almost the same formula of
Foursomes, Better-Ball and Singles matches and was played between The
Pattaya Golf Society and The Haven at Pattana B and C courses on October 12
& 13. The competition used the special IPGC tee markers that afforded a
course with a length of 6,517 yards, utilizing a mixture of white and yellow
tee positions.
 Respective
Haven and PGS captains, Russell Exley (left) and Chris Voller (right) with
the Precedent’s Cup.
Following the recent heavy rains the course was very wet and length from the
tee was at a premium with many tee shots plugging in the fairways and rough
requiring a ‘lift and place’ ruling on closely mown areas.
Monday Foursomes
The weather stayed fairly fine and overcast with just a little
sprinkling of rain as the four teams for the morning foursomes got under way
with an 8.30 start and a clear course until the first group happened upon a
five-ball of snail like pace which required the intervention of the Marshall
to speed things up a little. Fortunately the first match finished early with
Russell Exley and Rodney Hayes closing out Phil Knight and Bob Weston with
some stunning golf.
Match number two also went the way of The Haven with Erik Donnestad and Mark
Campbell edging out Harry and Ya Riley on the last hole having been three
down after four. The third match was also a very tight game with Bob Lamond
and Peter Sumner also coming from behind to win one up on the last against
Chris Voller and Kazuo Takimoto.
The last match went to Steve Mascari and Stephen Beard as they never went
behind and finished winners by 2 up and 1 to play over Jon Haugen and Mark
West.
This left the PGS lagging by 4 to 0.
Following the completion of the morning matches all the players retired to
the dining room were Russell Exley, the Haven captain, sponsored the food
and beverage whilst he and Chris Voller, the PGS captain, selected the
pairings and match positions for the afternoon better balls.
Monday Better-Balls
Steve Mascari and Mark Campbell led out the afternoon matches and
after finishing one up against Bob Watson and Ya Riley had to concede the
match when it was discovered that Steve Mascari had inadvertently applied
the wrong handicap as the lowest marker, resulting in Ya and Mark receiving
less shots than they should have had. The match was therefore conceded as a
loss for the Haven.
Next to finish were Harry Riley and Mark West as they cruised home for the
PGS, 4 and 3 against Bob Lamond and Chris Knapp.
Russell Exley had bravely taken Russell Finch as his partner for the
afternoon to take on a difficult match with Kazuo Takimoto and Phil Knight
and just scrapped in with a well earnt half to stop the PGS from getting
right back into the match.
The last of the day’s matches saw the Haven’s two match play specialists,
Erik Donnestad and Rodney Hayes, just get the better of Chris Voller and Jon
Haugen over the closing holes to win by 2 up and 1 to play.
This left the match result poised at The Haven five and a half to The PGS
two and a half.
The two teams then returned to The Haven where they were treated to one of
the usual fine Haven buffets as the captains went through the day’s results.
They then announced the following day’s pairings whilst a few thirst-slakers
were sunk.
Tuesday Singles
With the tactics for the day’s matches settled and with a few
surprises in the positioning, it was left to Jon Haugen to lead off for the
PGS playing with Erik Donnestad. It was soon clear why Erik had been a
Norwegian international with his prodigious length from the tee; he soon
ended the match 7 and 5.
In the meantime Russell Exley had completely destroyed Mark West with an
exquisite display of controlled golf over the first six holes to be six up
and having placed his tee shot on the 169 yard par three to eighteen inches,
Mark conceded the match as un-winnable from that position, leaving Russell
with a perfect score for the match.
They were joined not so long after in the clubhouse by Paul McNally, who had
been unavailable on day one, and Rodney Hayes after Paul had prevailed over
Rodney 6 and 5, with an even more spectacular exhibition of driving from the
tee, that would not have put a professional from any of the tours to shame.
The Haven were seemingly on their way to victory when Steve Mascari took
down Phil Knight, for what should have been his third win , by a margin of
two up and one to play to take the Haven to a lead of eight and a half to
three and a half.
Ya Riley, playing from the same tees as the rest of the field as usual, was
the next to lose to Bob Lamond three and one after she had given him a tough
game all the way round until they reached the final stretch.
The next match could have been the decider, but Kazuo Takimoto hung tough to
take his match with Russell Finch by four and three, to make up for earlier
disappointments.
It fell to Mark Campbell to turn the last screw, as he finished early
winning his game with Chris Voller by five and four with another showing of
huge controlled driving from the tees, as he won the winning point to take
the match out of The PGS’s reach in passing the ten point mark.
Trevor Schirmer, another first time player in the match, halved a close
match with Harry Riley after it had been swinging both ways throughout the
eighteen holes.
Chris Knapp halved his match with Bob Watson after being dormie three down
and winning the last three against Bob Watson for a definite one against the
head.
Alan Griffiths and Len Jones also playing their first matches played a see
saw match that ended with Alan just taking charge at the finish winning the
last hole and winning two up.
Peter Sumner brought up the rear of the day’s matches with a win for The
Haven, also winning the last hole to go two up, after a very tight game with
Emile Van de Wiele that had swung in favour of both from the start.
With Stephen Beard having to concede to Alan Bridges, when leading one up,
after becoming unwell on the twelfth hole the match ended with The Haven
taking the trophy from the PGS with a score of thirteen and a half to six
and a half.
The players then returned to The Rabbi’s Elephant for the final
announcements of scores and the presentations where both captains thanked
all the participants and organisers and Len Jones on behalf of the PGS and
Stephen Beard on behalf of The Haven, thanked Chris Voller and Russell Exley
for liaising and producing a very talented group of golfers to join together
for an extremely enjoyable two days of very friendly golf played in the best
golfing traditions.
‘Granted’ it’s a top round
PSC golf from The Golf Club
Monday, Oct. 12, Green Valley -
Stableford
1st Grant Cadell (17) 42pts
2nd Mark Watkin (15) 37pts
For a number of reasons today’s field was somewhat depleted leaving much
fewer golfers than normal, but that said, even with a full complement it’s
unlikely today’s winner would have been beaten.
With the greens cored and heavily sanded and, consequently, not easy to putt
on the winning score was even more remarkable. There were some solid, if
unspectacular returns; 34’s from Fred Brent and Ian Rippey were topped by a
tidy 36 from Fred Gemme.
With only 2 places up for grabs ‘diamond geezer’ Mark Watkin notched 37
points for second place. Impressive considering his first tee shot barely
made the ladies tee!
Way out ahead though was a player who has been knocking on the door for the
last few weeks, Grant Cadell. Many comments have been made recently about
Grant’s play and today he backed it up with an outstanding 42 points and an
immediate handicap cut. Expect to see him in the frame for a few weeks yet.
Wednesday, Oct. 14, Khao Kheow - Stableford
1st Fred Gemme (14) 34pts
2nd Rusty Barfield (5) 31pts
Today’s visit to KK was the first in some time owing to previous
‘misunderstandings’, which is both sad and frustrating because this course
is surely one of the best around.
Following the awful wet weather of late it was half expected that we would
encounter saturated and sodden conditions, in fact the vast majority of the
course was in excellent shape.
As usual scoring was extremely tough, this layout never surrenders easy
points and careful planning, club selection and course management is the
order of the day. Of the small field only Rusty Barfield threatened the
eventual winner. The 5 handicapper decided on an aggressive policy at times
but, on this occasion, it proved to be the wrong choice. The course bit back
and his promising round faltered to finish with 31 points.
Fred Gemme followed up his solid performance from Green Valley 2 days
earlier. He showed the benefit of a cool head and experience and claimed the
top spot with good 34 points.
Trevor Schirmer shears a few sheep
IPGC golf from The Haven
Wednesday, Oct 14, Crystal Bay - Stableford
1st Trevor Schirmer (21) 38pts
2nd Rodney Hayes (19) 38pts
3rd Rod Howett 37pts
4th Peter Sumner 33pts
5th Roar Berger 31pts
6th Keith Emerson 31pts
Following so soon after the two days of matches against the Pattaya Golf
Society it was no surprise to find only five groups leaving The Haven for a
stress fee day at Crystal Bay played over the A and B courses. The courses
were in much better shape than they had been recently, with the fairways
being worked on where possible following the recent heavy rains.
Trevor Schirmer went a couple better than his handicap and took first spot
after winning the count back with ex- Wallaby scrum half, Rodney Hayes, with
a tidier 21 points to 19 over the inward nine.
Rod Howett also bettered his handicap for the first time in a while to take
third place ahead of Peter Sumner in fourth by four points.
Roar Berger and Keith Emerson also had to be separated by count back with
Roar just getting the best of the deal by 17 to 15.
There were no 2’s in either division, making a triple rollover in the second
division.
Back at The Haven The Doc welcomed back Mark Ward and Masanori Takano before
presenting the prizes.
There was also a farewell for Keith Emerson.
Friday, Oct. 16, Phoenix - Stableford
1st Chris Knapp 34pts
2nd Peter Sumner 33pts
3rd Geoff Picken 32pts
With the rain coming down like stair rods, many of the group decided not to
start the days outing as the course management in their wisdom would not
accede to the possibilities of rain checks, should the players not be able
to complete even half a round. This resulted in four groups returning to
Pattaya to sit around the pool in glorious sunshine an hour and a half
later, when they could have been slogging round a waterlogged course a
thousand or so baht the lighter.
There were however a few hardy souls that started out earlier in the day,
prior to the Niagara like downpour, who waited out the tempest and finished
serenely in almost perfect golfing weather. It was noted that the vast
majority of those earlier starters were all seasoned seamen, well used to
the challenges of climatic conditions and certainly no strangers to water,
some of which may have helped in propelling Chris Knapp into first place,
rather than the hours of practice he puts in on non-golf days.
Chris took first place by the narrowest of margins but found it was a lot
easier to win than to collect on the odd wager that had been laid prior to
the start.
Peter Sumner put in yet another good performance to only trail in second but
ahead of the perennial golf student, Geoff Picken, by a shot.
Once again there were no 2’s holed in either division.
Although there were no welcomes or welcome backs for a change there were
goodbyes for Shane Heavey and Mark Ward.
Metsanen masters the tough
conditions at Emerald
Jomtien Golf with the IPGC
The Jomtien golfers in
Kanchanaburi.
Monday, Oct. 12, Green Valley –
Stableford
After abnormal rain over the past two days we arrived under
spasmodic showers and it did not look promising. Surprisingly for this area
however, the clouds dispersed early and everyone enjoyed the round.
There were 21 players missing this week due to our bi-annual trip to
Kanchanaburi so a quiet week ensued at Siam Cats. A field of 18 still tee’d
off at 10.00 a.m. and with a hefty rollover in the 2’s in the B flight it
was all to play for. As it transpired there were no 2’s in either division
today so a double in the A flight and a triple in the B flight moved to
Emerald on Wednesday.
The best score of the day in both divisions in the stableford was Mikael
Andersson’s 35 points, with yet again count back Burnie losing out with a
15/16 back nine score to Kari Aarnio for second place. In the B flight
Kalevi Luukkonen won with 32 points, Evan Millar came second with 29 and a
further point behind in third place was Heikki Tehro.
Wednesday, Oct. 14, The Emerald – Stableford
A similar field to Monday and we arrived to a very sodden course,
the worst we have experienced here over the past four years, but this was
not realised until we had played a couple of holes. There was no run on the
fairways whatsoever and the semi rough was a total nightmare for all of us.
There were some threatening clouds in the background for the first nine
holes but we escaped with just a few intermittent showers on the back nine
and everyone completed the course.
In the news again, Kari Aarnio took the A flight with 34 points and Burnie
Sinclair came in second (not losing on count back) with 30. Jouni Metsanen
won the B division with 37 points and Heikki Tehro was in second 4 points
behind.
Faa Dollak birdied the 15th and Jouni the 7th to split the B division’s 2’s
prize while Karl Flood, in his last game with us for six weeks, also got a
‘2’ on the 15th to take the A flight pot.
Friday, Oct. 16, Eastern Star – Stableford
More or less the same conditions as we experienced on Wednesday
but as the round progressed the course dried out and the last four holes
were in good condition. Only a one divisional game today with Tom Sathrum
winning with 32 points, Miss Noi Emmerson second just one point behind and
in third with 30 point was Glyn Evans.
Bridge in Paradise: by Neil Robinson
The deal this week is an example of the sort of good
defence that does not seem too difficult when you read about it, but that
somehow is very difficult to think of when I am at the table! It is an
illustration of the fact that good defence often starts with the bidding.
The hand is from the 2003 Lederer Memorial tournament in London and was
reported by Simon Cocheme. David Burn and David Price were sitting EW.
Imagine you are sitting West, holding this hand:
S: 107
H: Q4
D: AQ832
C: A1085
EW are vulnerable, NS non-vulnerable. North deals and
passes. East bids 3C. South doubles. What do you, sitting West, bid now
and why? Here is the full deal:
S: KQJ3
H: K8632
D: J9
C: 64
S: 107 S:
654
H: Q4 H:
J9
D: AQ832 D: 105
C: A1085 C:
KQJ932
S: A982
H: A1075
D: K764
C: 7
This was the bidding at the table:
North East South West
P 3C Dbl 3D
4C P 4H All
pass
Price (West) reasoned that with the unfavourable
vulnerability, a 5C sacrifice would probably be too costly, so instead of
bidding 4C, he bid three diamonds, the suit he wanted led in defence. Of
course, he expected North to be declarer. North bid 4C to show willingness
to play in either major. South bid 4H, and Price was on lead. He therefore
led the club five, in an attempt to get his partner in the lead. East won
the jack and returned the diamond ten. West took two diamond tricks and
then led a third round. Declarer now had a choice of ways of going down.
If he ruffed low on board, then East would over ruff. If he ruffed with the
king, then he would lose a trump trick to the queen. Precision defence
defeated an apparently cold contract.
Cocheme noted that Burn (East) apologised for his delay in leading at trick
two: “I knew you wanted a diamond switch, partner, but it was a while before
I realised that my jack had won the first trick!”
Please send me your interesting hands at: [email protected].
Pattaya Sports Club (Sea) Fishing News
October 2009 report
Mike Gerrard
Ahoy Matey’s!
Recent trips have proved to be very poor due to various reasons.
Firstly the weather conditions at this time of the year can be very
unpredictable and caution is foremost in everyone’s mind when venturing too
far out. I will come back to this point later in this report. Secondly is
the fact that until a couple of days before the scheduled events I am never
too sure of how many passengers we may have for the trip. Therefore, when I
try to confirm the booking with the fishing coordinator at Bang Saray I have
been supplied with inferior boats and equipment, as well as sometimes a poor
captain.
There is one other reason for some of the poor results and that is that the
fishing grounds that we normally chug out to appear to have been over fished
by commercial boats, netting the smaller species, which in turn messes the
whole eco system up.
With that last comment in mind and bringing back to the first comment, we
(and I mean myself and a couple of the more frequent members) have decided
to adopt a new policy, which the Pattaya Sports Club Committee have
approved.
We will charter a new and more reliable, bigger boat for the first and third
Sunday* of the next 5 months through till March. This boat is approx 100
feet long and has two decks. The lower deck is for the fishing and the upper
deck has superb relaxation and catering facilities. Full European toilet
facilities are also on board.
This being a bigger boat will have many advantages such as the ability to
venture further out to sea with more stability and safety and at a much
quicker speed than the smaller boats. By doing this we will be virtually
assured of catches of good sized fish up to 20 or 30 kilos in weight.
By giving the skipper a promise of a minimum of 10 booking (more can be
arranged if required), we can negotiate a good price for this boat. Costs
will be rigid at 1,500 baht to PSC members and 1,750 baht to non members.
Spectators will be charged 500 baht and 600 baht respectively. These costs
apply to day time or night time fishing based on 12 hours maximum. For
example 5.00 a.m. till 5.00 p.m. or 5.00 p.m. till 5.00 a.m. Start times in
the morning can be flexible from 5.00 a.m. We usually go out about 7.00 to
7.30 a.m. Trips of 24 hours can be arranged (prices on application.)
To ensure a trip goes out we will need only 6 people fishing with a maximum
of 8 or 9, 10 at a push. (Any more tends to end up with lines being tangled
too much). If the figure should fall below 5 then the trip will be cancelled
(all deposits will be returned). However the PSC will have to pay a
cancellation fee of approx 2,500 baht to the boat skipper.
The PSC has already a fund belonging to the fishing section and this fund
will be used to cover any losses. However, if there should be any profits on
the day (and I feel this will be the norm) then those profits will be put
into the fishing fund and at the end of March 2010 we will have a meeting to
decide what to do with the balance of money. We can look at a free trip for
the regulars or a party etc.
The next scheduled trips will be November 8 and 22 and thereafter the first
and third Sunday of each month.
For more information regarding all of the above go to our website
www.pattaya sports.org and go to the fishing page, and then the relevant
headings on the side bar, or contact me personally on 038 236 039, 087 091
7565 or email: mikegerrard@csloxinfo .com. Tight lines me hearties.
The Darkside Darts League
Results & Standings Oct. 15 (week 2)
Welcome back to the second week of the Darkside Darts
League and welcome to two new bars; the Cinnamon Lounge Bar on Soi Khow Talo
(Darren) and Malcolm from the PJ Bar in Soi Khao Noi.
What a week it’s been, totally unexpected results which have changed the
table dramatically! PJ’s gave the Pioneers a run for there money, winning by
1 point. Come on Del Boy, swing it for the squadron otherwise commander Dave
will not be happy. Darts the P.J crew!
Moanies were on great form as they got back two of there original players;
Debbie does Dallas from Pattaya and Kooky. We knew Debbie couldn’t keep
away, what with the “Don” and all the 19’s Lloydie - Brazilia did not stand
a chance! We will have to watch out for this team as they could become the
new all stars. Michael says they are going for gold. Could he be right?
Fred “the power” Dixon of Dock Green played host to the Sailor Boys and new
recruit Danny ‘A’, after being dumped from the Chill Bar, went on to win his
doubles and singles, and then saying Chill Bar’s loss was the Sailors gain
‘A’ “oh Danny Boy” stop it!
It looked like the Court Jester’s were having a bad night as they hosted the
Chill Bar all stars minus Danny ‘A’ and the all stars showed Jesters who was
boss as they kept up there formby winning 7 – 2. The two Ronnie’s just
couldn’t get the out shots quick enough! Good food and a good night had by
all.
Last but not least, the Lucky Time Bar traveled to Soi Khao Talo to the new
bar the Cinnamon Lounge. It was Darren’s first night in the new league and
what an enjoyable night it was; friendly staff, a good throw what more could
you ask for? (food would have been good). Only joking!
Daz has a certain chippy in Soi Khao Noi which closes at midnight and Darren
went to order the food at 10.30 p.m. They were shut! What’s that all about,
I ask yer?
For more info please go to www.pattayadarts.com.
Bavaria jumps
into first place
200 Bowlers: Tue, Nok, Bill,
Pao, Sue and Leo.
Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League
Bavaria are off to a good start after week two, winning all four points from
Brother D: Leo Kretscher led Bavaria with two 206 games, 553 series and Zahl
had a 522 pin total.
Sabai Sabai Friday fell to second place after splitting their match against
Green Tree with each team getting two points. Nok Kennedy bowled 225 and 211
games, 595 series and Samrit had a 512 series for Sabai. Noodle Russell had
a 552 series and Bill Gibson bowled a 201 game, 536 series for Green Tree.
Sue Murphy bowled a 229 game, 566 series and Tue Pettae bowled a 212 game,
566 series for Canada in a clean sweep against Jack Tar. Pao Orawan bowled a
208 game, 569 series and Ooy Pluemkamon had a 531 series to lead Café Ole to
a three point win over VFW Post 9876. Tui Amphanon bowled a 504 series for
VFW.
U.S Marines won three points from Indiana on the always tough lanes 11-12.
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Results &
Standings Oct. 16 (week 2)
Pos. Team Score
Standings
1 Bavaria 4 –
0 8 - 0
2 Sabai Sabai Friday 2 –
2 6 - 2
3 Green Tree 2 –
2 6 - 2
4 Canada 4 – 0
6 - 2
5 Café Ole 3 -
1 5 - 3
6 Jack Tar 0 -
4 3 - 5
7 U.S. Marines (USMC) 3 -
1 3 - 5
8 VFW Post 9876 1 - 3
2 - 6
9 Indiana 1 -
3 1 - 7
10 Brother D
0 - 4 0 - 8 |
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