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Gruneberg takes Thai-Ger Line title in close finish
Thai-Ger Line Golf 11th anniversary tournament
Men’s and Ladies champions, Andreas
Gruneberg and Kamol Thongkiao, receive their trophies from Fabian
and Kik at the presentation party held at the Pinnacle Resort.
Saturday, December 5, Green
Valley – Stableford
On a sunny Saturday last weekend, the Thai-Ger Line Golf team of Kik
and Fabian Arp organized their annual tournament at Rayong Green
Valley, the 11th time this tournament has been staged. Some 52
players joined in and, as in previous years, one of the main
attractions was the après golf “Full Moon Party” to be held at the
Pinnacle Resort.
Andreas Gruneberg was the overall winner in the Men’s field with 39
points to take the champions trophy, but only by the closest of
margins on count back over Sadiq Mo, who came top in the 1st
division. The runner up to Sadiq in the premier flight was Brad
Sproxton with 37 points.
Another count back was required to separate the top two in the B
Flight with Suraphol Sittiwang just edging Charlie Sheppard after
they both came in with 34 point totals.
The C Flight was more clear cut with Ingo Raeuber producing a fine
round of 37 points to finish 2 points clear of Alain Vavaseur who
took the runners up spot.
Kamol Thongkiao was the toast of the ladies with a superb round of
42 points to earn her the champion’s trophy. Karola Trautmann,
despite only finishing with 26 points topped the remainder of the
Ladies flight, just one ahead of 10 year old David Bandat who played
off the Ladies tees and acquitted himself well.
As with last year, Steve Mascari proved to be the class golfer in
the field as he once again posted the best low gross score of 73,
but this was not enough to earn him a spot on the podium.
Following the golf, the players reassembled at the presentation
“Full Moon Party” held on the beach of Pinnacle Resort where Ingo
Raeuber and his colleagues put together a delicious buffet, and
along with the cozy atmosphere and free flow of wine, beer and other
drinks, it ensured that everybody enjoyed the night with their feet
in the sand and their heads in the stars.
City back on top for Christmas break
MBMG International League Div 1 and 2
Paul Frain
Pattaya City were on their travels for the third week in row to
play Bullheads FC, who were unbeaten and lying third in the league. City
were not at full strength due to suspensions the lack of first teamers
was to tell in the first period of the match.
After a good save by the Bulls keeper in saving a snap shot early in the
first half, the Bulls applied the pressure and it took two good saves by
City’s keeper Anuruk Ananthakul to keep the Bulls from scoring. The
match slowly started to turn City’s way however and soon after Pierre
Ndjanna’s header was well saved, and with the ball at the Bull’s
keeper’s feet no City player followed up to put the ball into the net.
City were gaining in confidence and getting more into the game and when
they won a free kick near their opponents area, the ball was played into
the box where Phillip Walter headed it home to make it 1-0 to City. They
were to soon double the score when Pierre Ndjanna netted after receiving
the ball from another free kick and this remained the score at half
time.
The Bulls started strongly in the second period but the City defense
held firm and it was no surprise when Pattaya went further ahead with a
shot from Mark Brittain to make it 3-0. The Bulls tried to stage a mini
revival but Ananthakul was alert to the danger in the City goal and not
long after Pattaya put the game to bed when Pierre Ndjanna scored his
second and City’s fourth goal.
City were now in cruise mode and the Bulls came forward and hit City’s
post and had two further shots rattling the City crossbar, but Pattaya
survived without conceding and the final whistle signaled a resounding
4-0 victory. This win takes City to the top of the league by one point
as their nearest rivals British Club Casuals could only draw their
match.
FC Pattaya’s winning run continues
FC Pattaya played the bottom team PSL Youth in Bangkok who
are known to be the best footballing team in the league, but they are a
very young side. FC used their power and attacked from the start but the
long shots were well wide. PSL played their passing game and threatened
the FC goal on a number of occasions, however, it was the Pattaya team
who took the lead when leading scorer Paul Darbyshire was fouled in the
area and Lee Homer scored from the resulting penalty. With both sides
missing good chances the score remained the same until half time.
FC started the second half determined to put their opponents to the
sword but chances were again missed. PSL again threatened and FC’s
keeper Terry Brannan had to make three important saves to keep his team
in front. FC Pattaya finally gave themselves some breathing space when
Giles Garret went on a dazzling run to beat four defenders before
slotting the ball home to make the score 2-0.
Soon after the restart a big appeal for a penalty was turned down as a
PSL forward hit the ground, but minutes later they were to pull a goal
back when their forward rammed the ball past the FC’s keeper. This led
to a frantic assault by PSL as they tried to get the equalizer but FC
held out to the final whistle.
This hard fought win moved FC Pattaya provisionally to second place in
the table.
Pattaya Backgammon League
Gabriel Davis
Dec 5 saw the largest yet attendance of the weekly tournament held
at Somboons Restaurant on Dong Tarn beach by the Pattaya Backgammon League,
with 20 players from nearly as many countries.
Pulling through the field to take top honors was Martin Nadoll (Germany) for
the second week in a row. In the semi final he met former ranked 5th in the
world player Hassan Rida from Egypt/Netherlands and handily dispatched him
with a score of 12-3 in a match to 11. In the finals Martin was up against
one of our former champions, Khun Piak (Thailand). The match was closely
contested going to double match point in a match to 15, making for one
climactic finishing game where it was Martin who came out on top.
There are many aspects of the game of backgammon, some are checker decisions
and some are doubling decisions and each of these is affected by the score
and somehow you as a player have to figure out how these three factors all
work together best. The fourth aspect or factor is your opponent, your read
on him and how he will react to different situations but this is referred to
as an ‘outside’ factor.
So, in match play, while you may have to make the best play on one given
situation, often it can be affected by other factors. And sometimes you must
only make “the best play” of the checkers without yourself being affected by
other factors.
Shown above is a position where some of our players had a strong difference
of opinion on how to play a 41 roll. What’s your play?
Last note regards the Thailand Open which is fast approaching with the Xmas
event before. Current world champion Masayuki “Mochy” Mochizuki will be
playing and many other famous players. For more details go to
www.pattayaback gammonleague.com.
Chonburi takraw teams
taste success at Vigo Cup
Saksiri Uraiworn
Teams from Chonburi region were victorious in 3 separate categories
at the recently completed Vigo Cup 2009 Sepak Takraw tournament held at
Pattaya No 7 School between November 27 and 29. The three teams will now go
on to represent the Central Region at the national Sepak Takraw tournament
to be held in Bangkok between January 15 and 17, 2010.
The final match in the men’s category saw Chonburi take on Bangkok and both
teams fought out a tense first set with Chonburi just edging it 21-19. In
the second set Chonburi maintained their momentum and at one point held a
lead of 15-8, but Bangkok would not lie down and staged a remarkable come
back to take the set 21-15. This necessitated a tie-break being employed and
with the crowd behind them, Chonburi proved too strong for their opponents
and emerged 15-11 victors.
The Chonburi men’s team received 10,000 baht in prize money for their
efforts while the beaten finalists took home 8,000 baht as a consolation.
The girls and boys (below 16) categories were also won by Chonburi teams,
who also collected trophies and 10,000 baht each in prize money.
After the final match ended, Wattana Jantawaranon, Pattaya’s Deputy Mayor,
who was among the cheering crowd, presided over the closing ceremony of the
tournament and gave trophies to all the winning teams.
The Chonburi men’s team (red shirts) take on
Bangkok in the final match.
Vera Zvonareva to defend title at PTT Pattaya Open
Russian star, Vera Zvonareva, currently ranked No 9 in the world, has confirmed
that she will return to defend her title at the US$220,000 PTT Pattaya Open Sony
Ericsson WTA Tour tennis tournament, which will be held at the Dusit Thani
Hotel, Pattaya from 7–14 February 2010.
 Russian
star Vera Zvonareva has confirmed she will return to defend her title at the
2010 PTT Pattaya Open tennis tournament.
Zvonareva, the holder of 9 WTA singles titles beat India’s Sania Mirza in the
2009 final and is looking forward to playing in Pattaya again. She said, “I am
very excited to be returning to Thailand, one of my favourite destinations, and
will try my best to defend my title at the PTT Pattaya Women’s Open. It is a
great event with enthusiastic fans and I obviously have very fond memories from
the 2009 tournament. I hope I can lift the winner’s trophy again in 2010!”
Zvonareva, who reached the semi-finals of the Australian Open this year, is one
of a number of leading players who has signed up for the tournament, which in
2010 will be celebrating its 19th year on the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour calendar.
Next year’s event will see further improvements to the venue, which were
initiated this year after the tournament was upgraded to be part of the newly
formed international series. For 2010, the grandstands on three sides of the
centre court will be covered for spectator convenience and the lighting on the
main courts will be further upgraded for TV coverage of night matches.
Another change at the tournament is in the size of the qualifying draw which has
been reduced to 16 slots in order to improve the quality of the field. The
qualifying matches will be played on Sunday 7 February and Monday 8 February,
with the main draw also starting on 8 February and running through to the finals
on 14 February.
There will be 2 days of “live” TV coverage on NBT on Saturday 13 February and
Sunday 14 February starting from 15.00 – 17.00. Viewers of T-Sports (UBC 68) and
international audiences will also be able to watch matches being played on
Friday 12 February, when three quarter-final matches will be televised.
The PTT Pattaya Open is supported by PTT Public Company Limited, Pattaya City,
Sports Authority of Thailand, Chonburi Provincial Administrative Organisation,
the Tourism Authority of Thailand, the Dusit Thani, Pattaya, Sony Ericsson, Tez
Tour, Philips, Wilson, Head and Yonex.
For information, contact Pentangle Promotions Co., Ltd: Tel 02-311 3414- 5 or
check the official website at: www.pentanglepromotions.com
Thai windsurfers gear up for Asian Championships
Aiyawat Nuamsawat
Thailand’s top windsurfers were supplied with a confidence
booster in the build up to this month’s Asia Championships, to be
held in China, when then they enjoyed considerable success at the
recently completed Pattaya City Windsurfing Cup 2009 staged at
Jomtien Beach.
 Ek
Boonsawad (left) receives the RSX Class winners trophy from Pattaya
City Mayor, Ittiphol Khunpluem.
The competition, held from November 28-29, saw wins for both Navin
Singsart and Sunaree Sermros in the Mistral One Design men’s and
women’s categories respectively, and these successes were followed
up by Ek Boonsawad also taking top spot in the RSX Class.
Pattaya City Mayor, Ittiphol Khunpluem, was in attendance on the
final day of racing to not only enjoy Thailand’s victories but also
present trophies to all the winners.
Pattana Boonsawad, advisor to the Windsurfing Association of
Thailand, revealed afterwards that Ek Boonsawad, Nattapong
Phonopparat, Navin Singsat, and a woman sailor still to be named,
will form the team to take part in the Asia Championships being held
in Guangdong, China from December 14-24. The championships are rated
as a world class event for ranking points and also as an Olympic
Games qualifier for London in 2012.
 Windsurfers
from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand competed in the
Pattaya City Windsurfing Cup 2009 at Jomtien Beach.
Boonsawad says he expects Thailand to finish in the top three places
in China after which he plans to send the team on the road to gain
more experience. “After the Asia Championships, we plan to send our
windsurfers to compete in Europe, like in Portugal, the Netherlands
and England to collect more points for the Olympic Games 2012
qualifying quota,” he said.
Boonsawad furthered that the Windsurfing Association of Thailand has
been honored by the International Sailing Federation to host the
Asia Youth Windsurfing Championships from January 15 – 23, 2010 in
Pattaya, and this competition will be designed as a qualifying round
for the Youth Olympic Games 2010 to be held in Singapore in August
next year.
John’s birthday bash - a success for Banglamung Boy’s Home
PSC golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Tuesday, Dec. 1, Green Valley -
Stableford
This week’s competitions were dominated by our Thursday charity
tournament, but first to Tuesday’s round at Green Valley, where we had a
good field of 14 players.
 Birthday
boy John Chapman (left) celebrates with overall champion Vera.
The course was in very good condition following the previous week’s light
sanding of the greens, while the weather was fine, sunny, with a light
breeze. The conditions must have suited Jeff W (6) down to a tee, as he
fired a steady par round of 72, while second & third places were fought over
by the 2 Tonys: Tony Chetland (17) with 36 points, just edging Tony Weresay
(16) with 35. It was some good golf from these guys and could have been a
lot better if they’d been able to keep the “wipes” off the card, Tony C had
5!
The technicals were shared amongst Tony W, Bernard, John C & Nobby.
Thursday, Dec. 3, Rayong C.C. - Stableford
Now to Thursday where we had 41 golfers gather at Mulligans
Lakeside for breakfast (and tasty it was) before heading off to Rayong C.C.
to help celebrate John Chapman’s birthday, while also raising some funds for
the Banglamung Boys Home.
Conditions for the day were hot, with a good breeze at times, while the
course was in reasonable condition, as the fairways begin to firm up.
We were greeted at the 1st tee by some of John’s helpers, offering a cool
libation before commencing our struggles of the day. They were again present
on the 10th, offering refreshments, a most welcome bonus to all golfers.
In the B Flight our winner was Keith Hodges (24) with a solid 40 points,
while second & third were separated only after an extensive count back, down
to the last 3 holes, which saw Derek Waterworth (33) edge Rob Gandley (19),
both having scored 38 points. Two others had already been eliminated by
count back on the back 9 scores, which indicates a hotly contested division.
In the A Flight, in third place was Dave Edwards (18) with 39 points while
in second, and losing on a count back on the last 6 holes, was Ken Hole (16)
with a fine 41 points, just beaten by Veera (9) for first in A Flight and
overall champion of the day. Well played.
The prize list was extensive, with the Near Pins won by Paul O’Mahony, John
McMullen, Daryl White and Veera. The Long Drive prizes meanwhile went to
Glen Cunningham, Brian Maddox and Mandy while the longest 1st putt on hole 9
was claimed by Rich Montana.
Back at Mulligans Lakeside, the evening went well into the night with live
music from entertainers Willie & Mandy (both of whom had joined us at golf
today), plus great food & service from Keow and her staff, ensuring an
enjoyable experience for all, while raising some money for a worthwhile
charity. Cheers to all involved!
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 0941
841 or Ray 081 935 8088.
Hope to see you there, Cheers & Good Golfing!
Gordon holds his nerve for monthly title
PSC golf from The Bunker
Monday, Nov. 30, Pleasant Valley - Stableford
This was our first visit to this course since the opening of
the new clubhouse and the new layout. Nicknamed by some locals as
Unpleasant Valley in the past, we were in for a pleasant surprise. The
new clubhouse provides excellent facilities, the staff were polite and
welcoming, and they even provided a stool so Reg could reach the upper
lockers! The course has improved significantly since our last visit and
now provides excellent value for money over the high season using the
PSC discount cards.
Today was crunch time for the 4 leading contenders in the November
Golfer of the Month, with all 4 being separated by just a couple of
points (Mashi, Gordon Melia, Geoff Parker and Gerry Cooney), and the 4
wannabees were grouped together for the final shootout.
After a tense struggle, Geoff and Mashi fell away and it all came down
to the 18th hole with Gerry and Gordon level on points. Gordon duly won
the last by 1 point, holding his nerve to sink the last putt after
missing a couple of shorter ones earlier. Well done “Chopper”,
November’s Golfer of the Month, maybe you’ve finally got rid of that
nickname. Gordon’s 37 points was enough to win the B Flight ahead of
Barry Trowell and Eddie Martin.
Tony Scambler won the A Flight with 39 points with Keith Smithson
getting runner up spot and Gerry Cooney a close third.
A Flight
1st Tony Scambler (7) 39pts
2nd Keith Smithson (0) 37pts
3rd Gerry Cooney (12) 36pts
B Flight
1st Gordon Melia (15) 37pts
2ndBarry Trowell (22) 32pts
3rd Eddie Martin (15) 31pts
Near Pins: Mike Lloyd, Keith Smithson (2).
Wednesday, Dec. 2, Rayong C.C. – Stableford
We had another good turnout for this ‘value for money’ course
which is improving all the time. Some big scores came in and a count
back was needed in the A Flight. The cut was handicap 14 and Alan
Sullivan got the better of ‘Scoby’ on a count back, both scoring 41
stableford points and Colin Greig took third place with a very good 39
points.
The B Flight was close too, Mike Corner winning by a point ahead of
Arthur Rowley while Gordon Melia took the third place by beating Jim
Wooler and Geoff Hart on a count back, all three scoring 39 points.
A Flight
1st Alan Sullivan (14) 41pts
2nd Richard Scoby (14) 41pts
3rd Colin Greig (14) 39pts
B Flight:
1stMike Corner (21) 41pts
2nd Arthur Rowley (28) 40pts
3rd Gordon Melia (15) 39pts
Near Pins: Geoff Hart, Tony Scambler, Dave Keats and Gerry
Cooney.
Friday, Dec. 4, Phoenix - Medal
Phil Moore had the best round of the day today: playing the
Mountain and Lakes courses Phil came in with a four under par ahead of
Mashi who was one under and Cenc Zlazici took third with a net 75.
The cut was set at handicap 14 and Gordon Melia won the B Flight with a
one over round, Mike Corner was a close second and Geoff Parker was
surprised to find himself third with a modest net 78.
A Flight
1st Phil Moore (0) net 68
2nd Mashi Kaneta (9) net 71
3rd Cenk Zlazici (12) net 75
B Flight
1st Gordon Melia (14) net 73
2nd Mike Corner (20) net 74
3rd Geoff Parker (15) net 78
Near Pins: Colin Greig, Paul Smith and Phil Moore (2).
Silent night in Lewiinski’s
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s
Sunday, Nov. 29 Green Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Seamus Cotter (12) 42pts
2nd Terry Mangan (10) 39pts
3rd Peter Le Noury (8) 39pts
B Flight
1st Bob Lindburg (16) 41pts
2nd Terry Phur (18) 40pts
3rd Colin Davis (16) 39pts
Near Pins: #2 Colm Mullen, #9 Jack Grindvold, #12 Terry Mangan, #16 Yui
Bietry.
The first four-ball out proved a hard act to follow this Sunday; Bob the ‘Guru
of Green Valley’ fought out one hell of a battle with playing partner ‘El’ Tel
Phur. Bob managed to hold his nerve to par the eighteenth hole and so secure a
tight victory with 40 points, unfortunately ‘El’ Tel scrambled a bogey to accept
defeat graciously and so take second spot. The Donkey plodded round to garner 38
points to fill the flight. Jum Karagit seems to be coming to terms with her new
sticks, posting a steady 38 points to just miss a podium place.
If the Donkey plodded round, Seamus Cotter cantered round like Shergar; posting
the days best score, a near flawless 42 points, to take the man of the match and
the senior flight honors. The moral of this story is a ‘Donkey’ will never beat
a ‘thoroughbred’. Ireland’s Terry Mangan got the better over Peter LeNoury in a
count back, three shots back, but enough for second. Nick ‘Bucky’ Strasshine and
Liam McGuiness of Co Offaly’s member of “The can’t stop winning gang” posted
solid 38 point hauls to miss out on the podium. Chris the Sunday Specialist was
conspicuous by his absence.
Steve Plant, Colm Mullen and Jack Grindvold shared the ‘2’s pot and it was a
pity Jack was not at the Lou-iinski’s draw that night as he would have been
11,000 baht richer.
Monday, Nov. 30, Treasure Hill - Stableford
A Flight
1st Liam McGuiness (12) 33pts
2nd Frank McGowan (15) 33pts
3rd Ted Lodge (11) 32pts
B Flight
1st Kurt-Eric Pearson (23) 40pts
2nd Sim Davis (26) 37pts
3rd Seesa Pomphimon (36) 31pts
Treasure Hill showed its teeth with less than half the field failing to score
higher than twenty nine points, in fact only two player’s bettered par.
In A Flight, Liam McGuiness ‘The last of the Co Offaly can’t stop winning gang’,
again walked away with the top prize, needing a mere 33 points but it was a
close call as it was decided on a count back; Frank McGowan was the unlucky
victim. Ireland’s Ted Lodge, a shot adrift gained another count back verdict to
fill the flight over Terry Mangan.
There was better action in B Flight were Kurt-Eric Pearson shot a remarkable 40
points to walk off with the Man off the Match. Where’s Sim, I hear you ask? Well
Sim came in second with a solid 37 points to be the only other player to better
par. Seesa Pomphimon rounded out the flight on a count back over Jim Elphick as
both were knotted on 31 points.
Jim Morris and Colin Davis split the ‘2’s pot.
The Irish ladies man Jimmy Daze missed out in the lou-iinski’s free draw of
12,000 baht.
Wednesday, Dec. 2, Bangpra - Stableford
A Flight
1st Terry Mangan) 36pts
2nd Benn Nelson (12) 33pts
3rd Ian Dallas (11) 33pts
B Flight
1st Gebi Kindlle (16) 41pts
2nd Eddy Beilby (19)38pts
3rd Jim Elphick (15) 35pts
Gebi Kindlle, Liechtenstein’s No 1 golfer (H C 20) posted a colossal 41 points
to win the day’s honors. Foe those not in the know, Liechtenstein has a
population similar to Jomtien and is nestled some where between Switzerland and
Austria. The Eagle tried hard to catch Gebi but he came up three shots short.
Jim Elphick closed the flight three shots further back.
Meanwhile Yui Bietry fell down an unmarked sprinkler hole and hurt her leg and
is thinking of suing Bangpra; more chance of getting an audience with the Pope,
anyway Pierre has since got them insured for a million.
A Flight was a little subdued with ‘Co Dick Turpin’s’ Terry Mangan securing a
fine win with an even par round. Benn ‘The Admiral’ Nelson was all at sea three
shots adrift, but his luck held out as he gained a count back verdict over Ian
Dallas and the luckless Jimmy Daze.
There were seven ‘2’s and Jim Elphick and Colm Mullen had a brace apiece.
However the real action was in the bar, not on the course, as the snowball
reached the giddy heights of 13,000 big ones. Christmas is a coming and the pot
was getting fat, in walked a lepreshaun and that was the end of that, drinks all
round? Well despite a few gentle hints, Jingle Bells etc., and even putting a
stool by the bar so he could reach the bell, in the end all we got was “Silent
Night” as the lepreshaun (or is it Scrooge) was having none of it.
Friday, Dec. 4, The Emerald - Stableford
A Flight
1st Seamus Cotter (12) 40pts
2nd Peter Hynard (12) 35pts
3rd Don Lehmer (13) 34pts
B Flight
1st Colin Davis (16) 39pts
2nd Hernando Slottsdall (18) 34pts
3rd Peter Henshaw (15) 34pts
Seamus Cotter, playing some of the best golf of his life, posted a very
impressive 40 points to win the day and senior flight honors; it could have been
even more impressive as he put together this score using only sixteen holes.
Peter Hynard fitted into second place five shots adrift and ‘The Don’ filled the
flight a shot further back.
The week ended how it started on Sunday with ‘The Donkey’ failing by two shots
to get revenge on the ‘thoroughbred’. Hernando Slottsdall slotted into second,
gaining a count back victory over Peter ‘The President’.
Hernando also pocketed a very handy ‘2’.
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.
Beware the wounded golfers
PSC golf from The Café Kronborg
Peter Blackburn & Dave Richardson
Monday, Nov. 30, Khao Kheow A & B – Stableford
We had 23 starters leaving Café Kronborg at the usual time
for the 50 minute journey to the challenging but very popular Khao Kheow
Golf Course. Well, our excellent run of quick rounds of golf finally
came to an end as it took five hours and twenty minutes – We just
happened to be following some of our Northern European Clubmates! It was
very windy from the North but did not seem that hot although when The
Admiral checked the thermometer at the starter’s hut as they finished it
was reading 33 degrees Celsius.
 Graham
Buckingham, The Admiral & Per-Olav Baarli at Pleasant Valley
We had 2 flights with A being for 0 to 18 & B flight for handicaps 18
and over. There were nearest the pins on all par 3’s.
Scoring was difficult on this well prepared but testing golf course and
the scores reflected that with the best round of the day being 3 points
short of handicap parity. The A Flight was won by Wolfgang Bade who
finished four points clear of Jan Lovgreen. Johan Reynisson finished
third on a count back from Rob Brown.
Jean-Claude Lhoste finished on top in B Flight from John Herr in second
place and Karen Brown in third.
A Flight
1st Wolfgang Bade (18) 33pts
2nd Jan Lovgreen (18) 29pts
3rd Johan Reynisson (12) 27pts
B Flight
1st Jean-Claude Lhoste (23) 32pts
2nd John Herr (25) 30pts
3rd Karen Brown (36) 27pts
Near Pins: A3 Rob Brown, A5 Per-Olav Baarli, B3 John Herr, B8
Mike Winfield
Thursday, Dec. 3, Pleasant Valley - Stableford
We had 24 starters for the competition at Pleasant Valley and
welcomed Bjarne Kjar from Denmark and also Richard and Carole Kubicki
from the UK, along with Mike Herridge from the UK. Traffic was good and
we made it to Pleasant Valley in around forty-five minutes.
This was my first look at the new clubhouse and it certainly looks nice
along with the new layout. In fact the whole course has come on in leaps
and bounds since my last visit a month and a half ago.
We were invited to the first tee when we were ready and our first group
teed off 30 minutes ahead of schedule at 0930. The weather was just
about perfect except for a very strong wind which I am blaming (sudden
gust) for my barely making the Ladies’ tee on the first. The wind did
cool things down though and made for very comfortable golf.
As mentioned before the golf course looked a treat although more work
needs to be done on the greens as some of them were somewhat bumpy and
inconsistent. No holdups allowed us to complete our round in four hours
& forty minutes which included a couple of drink stops.
We had two flights as is the norm lately with A Flight being for
handicaps 0 to 17 and B Flight for 18 and over. There were also nearest
the pins on the par 3’s and longest putts on the 9th & 18th holes.
I have mentioned several times in the past “beware the wounded golfer”
and today both flight winners were complaining about some sort of
sickness or “feeling a bit poorly” prior to leaving Café Kronborg. A
Flight was well and truly won by Per-Olav Baarli with Ted Morris five
points back in second place. Elias Magnisson took third place on a count
back from Don Richardson fourth.
B Flight was a closer contest with Graham Buckingham finishing first. A
three-way count back for second, third and fourth saw Leif Kirkgaard
finish in front of Mike Winfield and Mike Herridge.
A Flight
1st Per-Olav Baarli (17) 41pts
2nd Ted Morris (10) 36points
3rd Elias Magnisson (16) 35pts
4th Don Richardson (8) 35pts
B Flight
1st Graham Buckingham (21) 34pts
2nd Leif Kirkgaard (18) 33pts
3rd Mike Winfield (21) 33pts
4th Mike Herridge (19) 33pts
Near Pins: #5 Don Richardson, #8 Jan Lovgreen, #13 Per-Olav
Baarli, #17 Ted Morris.
Long Putts: #9 Mike Herridge, #18 Ted Morris.
Thompson strikes with 40-pointer at Pattaya C.C.
PSC golf from the Three Sisters Bar
Another beautiful day on the Pattaya Country Club course this past week,
Dec. 2; the fairways were in good condition and the greens are “coming
along”, to be charitable.
 Winner
Bill Thompson (left) with runner up Herbie Ishinaga.
The usual suspects showed up and were off at 7 a.m. Considering the weather
and course condition the scores were relatively low: Bill Thompson came in
with 40 points to take number one spot followed by Herbie Ishinaga with a
37. The remainder of the field fell off from those numbers.
Regrouping at Caddy Shack II, excuses were exchanged while beef sandwich
slices along with hot dogs and other snacks were provided by Herbie. The
local tree huggers might be looking for Paul Kraft who accidently ran over a
harmless bright green snake.
Apparently recent emergency evacuation training did not help Arnold van der
Graff’s golf game this week as he carded a mere 28 points, but still
considerably better than Paul Donahue’s 18. Oh well, there’s always next
week.
Sakorn stars on 45
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
Joey’s column
Monday, Nov. 30, Burapha - Stableford
It was a magnificent day for golf for 52 Outbackers; glorious
sunny weather, the customary two tee start, a good fresh breeze and the
challenge of Augusta & Belfry off the blues (for most) in front of them.
Everybody was smoothly away by 10.30, with the guys starting on Belfry at a
distinct disadvantage, hitting straight into the teeth of the wind for their
first tee shot; and only too aware of the prospect at the end of the round,
of the long eighth and ninth on Augusta, also into the wind.
The scoring was generally low, fuelled also by the lightning fast greens,
but there were some bright spots here and there; namely Chris Davisson,
who’s on a roll, winner of Div A with 39 points; eight clear of his nearest
rival. Bob Lindborg continued his purple patch with 37 points to win Div B,
from Sean Johnston, who was looking for a handicap revision but won’t be
getting one except maybe downwards!
Chris Dopp (37pts) left his opponents in the dust, to win Div C by six; but
all the preceding results are nothing compared with Sakorn’s rampant win of
Div D with an amazing 45 points to win by seven from Bob Noble.
There were eight ‘2’s from Sakorn, Les Preston, Andy Baber, Bingo, Wayne
Challis, Pete Gibson and John O’Keefe had two.
Last but not least, the winner of the “Good Everything Beer Bar” nearest the
pin prize was John O’Keefe.
Div A (0-13) - blue
1st Chris Davisson (12) 39pts
2nd Steve Milne (12) 31pts
3rd Bob Maloney (13) 29pts
4th Robert Finley (11) 29pts
Div B (14-16) - blue
1st Bob Lindborg (16) 37pts
2nd Sean Johnston (14) 36pts
3rd John O’Keefe (16) 34pts
4th Peter Stonebridge (16) 34pts
Div C (17-19) - blue
1st Chris Dopp (19) 37pts
2nd Mark Kembrey (18) 31pts
3rd Bingo (18) 31pts
4th Paul Quinn (19) 30pts
Div D (20+) - white
1st Sakorn Pramoolchart (29) 45pts
2nd Robert Noble (21) 38pts
3rd Bruce McAdam (22) 35pts
4th Peter Gibson (26) 34pts
Tuesday, Dec. 1, Pattaya C.C. - Stableford
It was another fine day for golf with just a slight wind for the
22 Outbackers playing in the usual Tuesday competition. We welcomed two
Aussies, Jeff Bainbridge and Don Everett, Shin Akatani from New York and,
playing in her first competitive round another caddy from PCC, Pannee.
The course was busy, although the policy of PCC allowing ‘one balls’ is
frustrating and unnecessary. The course is also showing signs of wear and
tear from lack of watering. There were some power problems in the clubhouse
for a short time but it did not affect the restaurant or the beer!
With 22 players it was two divisions and ‘2’s.
The Colonel did it again in Division ‘A’ (0-20). Following on from winning
Frank’s Birthday Cup last week, Bob Pearce (12) came in with a fine 43
points – single figures next Bob? The Organiser ‘Chad’ Barry Chadbourn (20)
came in all smiles expecting to be in top spot with 40 points but he had to
settle for second. In third and also beating his handicap was Chris Dopp
(19) with 38.
One of our Aussie visitors Jeff Bainbridge (30) was top of the shop in
Division ‘B’ (21+) with 39 points, followed by the Irishman John Cogan (21)
a long way behind with 32 points. It was first time in the winners circle
for regular Outbacker and PCC Caddy La’ong (45) with 31 points.
Just three ‘2’s today from Don Tyldsley and Shin Akatani (2), one being on
the 315 yard par 4 second hole.
The Outback play at Pattaya Country each Tuesday with a tee time of 09.30.
Div A (0-20)
1st Bob Pearce (12) 43pts
2nd Barry Chadbourn (20) 40pts
3rd Chris Dopp (19) 38pts
Div B (21+)
1st Jeff Bainbridge (30) 39pts
2nd John Cogan (21) 32pts
3rd Laong (36) 31pts
Wednesday, Dec. 2, Royal Lakeside - Stableford
If it hadn’t been for three of the local Pattaya venues,
Caddyshack, Fairway and the Outback plus a couple of ‘Scandi’ groups, this
delightful little course would have been almost deserted. Less than 45 mins
from the bar in the Outback bus and great value at under 1000 baht walking
(incl caddie), Royal Lakeside fully deserves its place on any discerning
golfer’s schedule.
Playing there today reminded many of the 23 Outbackers just why they
originally came to Thailand to play golf; the wonderful weather and playing
conditions; although it (the course) was a little scruffy around the edges
and many of the bunkers contained far too much sand! But to be honest, that
would be nit-picking! Although disappointingly, they (the management) have
also caught the dreaded ‘Thai disease’ of one person one cart.
Included in today’s players was General Jack who found his way back to golf,
playing only his second game in nearly eight weeks, but he enjoyed the walk.
Unusually, nobody really went to town on this course, top score being 38
points from Terry Larose to win Div A by a good margin of 4 shots from three
players all with 34 points; Bob, Mab & Roger. Div B didn’t do quite so well
with Chris Dopp (who’s having a good week) winning with 35 points from three
more, again all with 34 points; Ray, Paul & Norm.
There were three ‘2’s from Mab Jiwa, Roger Bell & Paul Sibley.
Div A (0-16)
1st Terry Larose (13) 38pts
2nd Bob Maloney (13) 34pts
3rd Mab Jiwa (13) 34pts
Div B (17+)
1st Chris Dopp (19) 35pts
2nd Ray Gibson (20) 34pts
3rd Paul Sibley (19) 34pts
Friday, Dec. 4, Khao Kheow - Stableford
It was only a year ago that Pottsy & Doug celebrated their joint
fiftieth birthdays, together with some 63 Outbackers at Burapha; believe it
or not, that was won by General Jack, Pottsy won Div C and Doug just
squeezed into fifth place in Div D. How times have changed, Jack & Pottsy
can’t win anything these days and Doug is no longer with us; sadly he died
of a heart attack early in January.
However, life does go on and Pottsy celebrated his birthday today, this time
at Khao Kheow, and Doug was there with him too, just as Pottsy remembered
him. Rest in peace Doug.
There were 40 Outbackers playing from the yellow tees on A & B, strangely
rated at only 70.9 with a slope of 126; but if one were to look at the
scores returned, week after week it plays much tougher.
It’s always contentious in Pattaya when ladies join in at major tournaments,
playing in the same divisions as the men, but of course from their own red
tees. Three courses come to mind where the advantage to the lady golfer is
huge; Emerald nearly 1,100 yards and both Phoenix and Khao Kheow, nearly
1,400 yards. As a result, these courses are rated much easier for the
ladies, where not only can they can score well, but it will have little or
no effect on their handicap.
The other factor to consider is that although the par for the men and ladies
is the same at 72, the rating of the course is more than two shots easier;
hardly making for a level playing field. Whilst not wishing to deter the
ladies from playing these courses, something has to be seen to be done about
this inequality, so in the future and as an experiment, all ladies will have
two shots deducted from their handicap when playing in the same divisions as
the men.
Enough said; and nothing should be taken away from today’s overall winner
Sakorn, with a fine 38 points, beating another lady in the field, Kung, on
count back, also with 38 points and winner of Div C. The best of the men was
Paul Greenaway with a magnificent 37 points to win Div A, which apparently
included three birdies and an eagle, whilst Capt’ Bob frittered away his
chances of winning after wiping three holes in a row, the 6th, 7th & 8th.
Other winners on the day of the Pottsy sponsored prizes, were A2, Bob Philp;
A5, Steve Plant; A8, Paul Greenaway; B2, Sean Johnstone; B5, Tony Garnett
and B8, Pete Gibson.
There were also four ‘2’s from Dave Marley, Dion Lane, Tony Garnett & Bob
Philp.
Overall winner
Sakorn Pramoolchart (29) 38pts
Div A (0-13)
1st Paul Greenaway (11) 37pts
2nd Bob Philp (7) 34pts
3rd Tony Garnett (13) 33pts
4th Steve Milne (12) 31pts
Div B (14-18)
1st Sean Johnston (14) 34pts
2nd Bruce Milner (14) 33pts
3rd George Bishop (14) 30pts
4th Bob Lindborg (16) 29pts
Div C (19+)
1st Kung Pimjun (24) 38pts
2nd Chris Dopp (19) 32pts
3rd John Cogan (21) 31pts
4th Dave Marley (24) 31pts
Note: If you played this course, the Outback would like you to
comment on our forum, outbackchat – topic, “course reviews”, which can be
found on our website, www.outbackgolfbar.com. This would help others as to
the current condition of the courses in the area. For example: value for
money (green fee & cart etc), pace of play, condition of the fairways,
condition of the greens, caddies, and drink stops & restaurant. Even if you
played a different course, please send in your review for all to read. The
more the merrier.
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.
Steve ‘the Eagle’
Golf from the Travellers Rest
Saturday’s winners: Steve
Carleton, Alan Evans,
Joe Kowalczyk, Brendan Moore and George Robinson.
Barry Hooper
I must say that the headline does not have quite the same ring to it
as Eddie the Eagle but none the less is a true statement. Steve Carleton
shot an “eagle two” on the par four fifteenth at Phoenix on Thursday. You do
not see that many professionals recording eagles let alone us mere amateurs
so it deserves some recognition. In fact of late Steve has been obtaining
quite a number of ‘2’s; on checking the records he had six over the last
three weeks of play. But that eagle must be his best ever I’m sure.
One other piece of news I sourced was that one player who has been coming
out with us of late, Joe Kowalczyk, has been cut five in his handicap over
the last two weeks and is now down to sixteen. But it does not seem to be
deterring him as he had a win at Khao Kheow on Saturday with thirty-nine
points. Be interesting to see how he goes next week.
I also have an apology to make to a Thai lady. In last weeks report I was
given wrong information from the organiser about the winner of division
three at Phoenix on November 26. I therefore want to put the record
straight: the winner was in fact Rampai Chaisuwan (nickname Poo).
Monday, November 30, Eastern Star - Stableford
Div. 1
1st Mod Chaviraksa (11) 37pts
2nd Steve Carleton (7) 35pts
3rd Jon Dean (8) 32pts
Div. 2
1st Donald Pearson (33) 36pts
2nd Joe Kowalczyk (18) 35pts
3rd Tewin Lamthong (14) 35pts
The first outing of the week was a visit to Eastern Star where we had not
been there in some time. But the course was in good shape and we had a very
good attendance so two divisions.
Division 2 saw Donald Pearson at the top with thirty-six, while second and
third spots were a count back affair between Joe Kowalczyk and Tewin
Lamthong, both at thirty-five with Joe edging it.
In Division 1 it was that Thai lady Mod Chaviraksa topping the list with
thirty-seven points and a full two ahead of second placed Steve Carleton
with thirty-five. Third was Jon Dean at thirty-two.
Two ‘2’s both at he thirteenth came from Jon Dean and Joe Kowalczyk
Tuesday, Dec. 1, Treasure Hills - Stableford
1st Mab Jiwa (13) 33pts
2nd Monique Bunce (20) 33pts
3rd Ross Bunce (12) 30pts
Tuesday had us visit Treasure Hill and not great participation as this is
not everybody’s cup of tea.
The win went to Mab Jiwa with thirty-three points after a count back over
Monique Bunce. Husband Ross was third with thirty.
Six ‘2’s were recorded on the day with five of these at the sixth: Ross
Bunce, Mab Jiwa, Joe Kowalczyk, Billy Ostle and Brad Sproxton, while Ted
Senior got his at the seventeenth.
Thursday, Dec. 3, Phoenix - Stableford
Div. 1
1st Jon Dean (8) 41pts
2nd Mod Chaviraksa (11) 40pts
3rd Fergus Brennan (10) 40pts
Div. 2
1st Tewin Lamthong (14) 38pts
2nd Roger Wilkinson (15) 37pts
3rd Norman Cheetham (16) 36pts
Thursday, and yet another visit to our regular venue of Phoenix on the Ocean
and Mountain course with another great turnout so two full divisions.
Division 2 went to Tewin Lamthong with thirty-eight points and just the one
up on Roger Wilkinson in second with Norman Cheetham taking third at
thirty-six.
Division 1 was won with a great score of forty-one points by Jon Dean, with
two forty pointers coming in second and third and only decided on count-back
with Mod Chaviraksa just edging out Fergus Brennan 21 to 19. I am sure they
must have been a bit disappointed to be beaten by Jon.
Four ‘2’s came from Ted Senior and Lars Strom at the seventh and at the
seventeenth by Ross Bunce, but the one that will be remembered must be the
Eagle two from Steve Carlton at the par four fifteenth.
Saturday, Dec. 5, Khao Kheow C & A – Stableford
1st Joe Kowalczyk (18) 39pts
2nd Brendan Moore (12) 36pts
3rd Alan Evans (22) 35pts
4th Steve Carleton (7) 33pts
5th George Robinson (11) 32pts
Saturday was a weekend visit to Khao Kheow with just the one division. It
was a good scoring day with Joe Kowalczyk at thirty- nine points coming out
the winner despite his handicap cuts and three up on Brendan Moore at
thirty- six. In third was Alan Evans at thirty-five points, fourth was Steve
Carleton at thirty-three, and George Robinson was fifth with thirty-two.
Only three ‘2’s on the day from Jon Dean, Joe Kowalczyk and Steve Carleton.
Note: If you want any further information about the golf outings
played by the TRGG please contact Fergus Brennan on 0860567019 or call in to
the Travellers Rest in Soi LK Metro. You can also access this and past
reports on the website of the TRGG, www.trgg.biz, which I am happy to report
has now had over 10,000 hits as of this week
Pranee victorious in first ladies flight
Jomtien Golf with the IPGC
Monday, Nov. 30, Pattaya C.C. –
Stableford
It is at least 18 months since Jomtien Golf visited this course
for various reasons, but there were many of our group looking forward to the
return. This proved to be the right move with many expressing their views
that they would like to return again in the very near future. The conditions
had improved immensely since our last game here, there were still a few
sanded greens in places but they were very fast and consistent. There was a
ridiculous pin placing on the par three 16th but this was reported to the
course management who were looking into it.
 Monday’s
division winners: Jim Connelly, Pranee Bosset and Ken Foster.
Our inaugural ladies competition started today with seven in the field and
after the presentations this proved a success with the girls. In her last
game with us before returning to France, Pranee Bosset won with 36 points
while Miss Tar earned her first podium position to finish second with 33
points, her highest ever score.
In division 2 Rudi Schafer’s 35 points was good enough to take third place,
while Fred Duffy fired his best round since his return four weeks ago to
finish second with 39 points, only to be beaten by the old man himself by
one point. Well done Ken Foster!
Jim Connelly topped division 1 with 36 points while Takeshi Hakozaki lost
out to Sassa on a 17/16 back nine count back after they both recorded 33
points each.
Near pins went to (Div 1.) Terry G., Takeshi Hakozaki and Kari Kuparinen,
(Div 2.) Dan Morgan, Rudi Schafer (2) and (Ladies) Miss Nang and Pranee
Bosset.
Three ‘2’s were recorded by Takeshi and Sassa on the 5th in division 1 and
Miss Nang on the same hole in the Ladies division.
After Olaf’s return on Thursday following three months away, it was party
time at Siam Cats with live music, a pig roast and a free buffet for all
golfers and partners. A great night was had by all, if they can remember.
Many Thanks to Faa and all the staff at Siam Cats for arranging this. It was
also bon voyage to Pranee and Yves who will be retuning to Toulouse next
week. We will see you both in six months on a permanent basis.
Friday, Dec. 4, Eastern Star – Stableford
Absolute perfect conditions today, with the greens slightly
slower than the IPGC event on Wednesday at Green Valley and the fairways
slightly hard, everyone enjoyed today’s round with a cool refreshing breeze
coming from the north.
After a slight confusion with the score cards, Fred Duffy came in third in
division 2 with 31 points, beating Miss Tar on a back nine count back of
15/14. Martin Anderton recorded his best score for many months with 36
points and was unfortunate to finish only second after the organizer came in
with 38 points (after six months in the doldrums) to take first place.
In the top flight, Mikael Andersson beat Lionel Clarke on a back-nine count
back of 18/16 after they both came in with 33 points for third, in second
place was Ya Riley with 37, and the winner and playing off a weekly reducing
handicap was Pranom Foster with 39 points.
Jim Connelly birdied the 6th to win the only ‘2’s prize in division 1, with
2 rollovers in division 2 to Eastern Star next week.
Near pins went to (Div 1.) Lionel Clarke, Jim Connelly and Pranom Foster,
and (Div 2.) Yves Bosset and Terry Redding.
Browne browbeats the boys
PSC golf with the Phoenix Tuesday Group
Tuesday’s top three, Patrick
Browne, Mike Gerrard and Sergio Volpi with the girls from Toy’s Music Bar.
Mike Gerrard
Back in the old country all players would be signing up for their
respective Christmas hams competitions. Christmas? What is that? Oh I
remember, it’s the time of the year when everybody tries to outspend
everybody else, and if you don’t the kids call you Scrooge. Happy days!
Back to paradise, where every day is holiday (well for most of us). Mind you
with the workload of the PSC and Tuesday golf and Saturday fishing, is it a
holiday? Love it!
Another gorgeous day at our beloved Phoenix and what a nice comment from one
of our merry men, who said this course is in better shape than Laem Chebang.
That’s saying something. The greens are as tricky as they have ever been
now, and great care is needed with the putting.
Onto the golf and we tackled the Mountain and Lakes course today without a
cloud in the sky and a nice breeze to keep us cool. Strange again that the
course was not too busy and it seems that the anticipated high season is not
happening.
Before we started we had a little imaginary toast to our dear friend
Giorgio, who is sadly stuck in his bed with two broken wrists and a slight
concussion after falling from a set of step ladders. Silly old sod, climbing
ladders at his age. From us all: get better soon Giorgio.
After the golf we all trundled our way back to Toy’s Music Bar, where we
soon demolished the first drink (free), which was again used to toast are
absent friend Giorgio for a second time.
Our winner today was the lovable Irishman with a grin wider than the Mersey
tunnel, Patrick Browne, who just managed to knock ‘yours truly’ into second
place on count back of 37 points. Miserable for me after notching up 22 on
the front nine. Ah well, that’s why we have handicaps. We aint good enough
to keep it going for 18 holes.
Third place went to Giorgio’s best pal Sergio Volpi who scored a very
respectable 36 points.
Near pins went to Patrick Browne, Sergio Volpi and (guess who), Graham
Dietrich. It wouldn’t seem right if Graham didn’t get one of these.
Three lucky draws went to Tom Breslin (nice to see you back here), likewise
Colin Gregg, and after a really miserable day on the course (and I did say
to him at the time, “Well there’s always the lucky draw”), Ken Akester, who
received the complimentary free beer from our hosts, Toys Music Bar.
Seems as though there are as many names as we had players today (well
nearly). Not many go home empty handed in our group.
Just as we were going to call it a night, along came the hot dog man and
that meant a later night for some of us. Don’t remember much else.
The usual stableford next week - if you want to join in call me (Mike) on
087 091 7565.
Sibley simply the best at Rayong C.C.
PSC Soi Khao Noi Golf Group
Tuesday, Dec. 1, Green Valley (White
tees) - Stableford
Another convivial gathering turned out for our visit to Green
Valley which was quality as usual. Ted Morris returned the best score of 39
points to take first place and was followed in by ‘Father’ Derek Tree, Paul
Sibley, Cliff Saveall and Denis Dunkley, all with 36 points, their podium
positions being determined by way of count-back.
The ‘technical’ prizes were evenly distributed and the average score for the
day was a very high 33.6.
Thursday, Dec. 3, Rayong C.C. (White tees) - Stableford
We had, including this day, played just behind or just before the
Mulligans Lakeside group on the last four outings consecutively, which
coincidence must be a long-odds turn of chance. No worries.
Paul Sibley took advantage of the run on the ball taking the day with an
excellent score of 42 points, pushing an understandably disappointed Curt
Svelyn into second spot with a wanna be winner’s score of 41 points. Dennis
Jaycock was third with 37 points and Ian Campbell fourth with 36 points.
Once again the technical prizes were evenly distributed.
Note: Any golfers desiring to know about the group’s format please
phone Neil on 089 511 0575.
Its cops and screws in the news
PSC golf from The Golf Club
Monday, Nov. 30, Green Valley - Stableford
1st Kilani Makaneole (12) 37pts
2nd Bob Newell (6) 37pts
3rd Brad Sproxton (11) 36pts
It’s Monday so it must be Green Valley and today it was the battle of the
law enforcement guys: one from sunny, exotic and picture-postcard Hawaii and
the other from grey, dull and dreary Wandsworth. I’ll leave you to decide
who’s got the best deal there! But first a little information on the day.
As usual now, this Monday fixture is well supported but shortly we have to
change our tee-time, with no real choice in the matter, to 11 ‘o’clock for
the coming 2 months. No prizes for guessing why! However, this may yet turn
out to be a good thing; already a few people are commenting that the later
tee-time may indeed attract an even bigger turnout. We shall watch closely
and see how things develop.
The strong wind that has been with us recently continued today and perhaps
influenced the scoring again. There were no spectacular scores but many guys
posted rounds in the 30’s so maybe some should have gone higher.
The guys pushing for the places included Murray Callaway (no, not one of the
Callaways), Phil Mitchell (no, again another namesake), Ernie McInerny,
‘boom-boom’ McHugh and Grant Cadell. Grant, in particular, must have thought
it was his day after a brilliant 23 points on the front but with an equally
spectacular (but for the wrong reasons) 11 on the back he floundered badly.
Grant’s hitting the ball beautifully right now but, according to his playing
partners, probably needs a couple of short game lessons now he’s been
visited by the handicapper recently.
On to the places then and we needed all fingers and toes to split the third
place contenders Brad ‘the Mountie’ Sproxton and steady Jeff Cordiero. Brad
the lad eventually taking it by virtue of a better back three. We say
goodbye to Jeff after his extended holiday and look forward to welcoming him
back sometime next year.
First and second was another count back affair between Kilani ‘book him
Danno’ Makaneole and Bob ‘Barraclough’ Newell. I could have used Mr. Mackay
but I know some of our boys think Barracloughs hilarious, isn’t that right
Steve? For our non-British friends, sorry, but it’s a reference to a cult
British comedy series.
Barraclough raced out of the blocks with 3 birdies on the bounce on 5, 6 and
7 before one of his playing partners uttered the immortal words guaranteed
to bring failure, ‘you’ve got a great card going’, hence 2 bogies and a blob
in the next 4 holes. Kilani ‘five-o’ had a similar lapse in his round but
managed to rally better and took the plaudits with his 19/18 split. A good
solid performance from him in his first game back for this short trip.
Wednesday, Dec. 2, The Emerald - Stableford
1st Bob Newell (6) 33pts
2nd Murray Callaway (13) 30pts
Where did the year go? It’s December already and the time has flown by. This
will be my third Christmas here since retiring and I’m just not sure if I’ll
get used to it. Nothing quite matches the thrill of getting ready to play
golf at this time of the year back home. Pack the mittens, sweaters,
waterproofs, flask of coffee (or something stronger) and head outside to
defrost the car. Gingerly negotiate your way to the course, passing all the
smiling faces on their way to work, give a tenner to the nice Albanian man
in the car park and he’ll kindly wash your car for you while you play
(checking your odometer before of course), hand your 40 quid over in the pro
shop, grunt and receive a grunt back from your mates and then you’re ready
to watch your ball bounce 30 feet into the air off the first green and onto
the frozen lake behind.
Alternatively, throw a pair of shorts on, pack the sun block, turn off the
air-con, say hello to the lovely, smiling and scantily dressed Thai girl in
the lift, have a bit of breakfast, read the paper, jump in the van and
stroll to the first tee, carefully trying to avoid touching your clubs at
all until the first tee shot. I think you can see my dilemma but, the hell
with it, I’ve made my bed as they say, so I’m just going to have to lie in
it!
Today, for a number of reasons, we had a vastly reduced field for our trip
to Emerald. As a result there isn’t much to write about the golf (hence my
earlier ramblings) but I’ll attempt to try.
As you’ll gather from the scores it wasn’t easy. Emerald can go from a
relatively easy scoring course into a soul destroying one with just a few
simple moves of the pins. At times you begin to wonder if the greenstaff
have ever played golf, because of some of the ridiculous pin positions.
After finishing the first par 3 we tried to place a ball above the hole, it
wouldn’t hold and actually rolled off the front of the green. Crazy! One of
our new Australian guys, used to much less break on the greens and a low
handicapper, I might add, almost gave up in despair. It was just silly at
times, 3 & 4 putting was almost normal.
As far as the placings go, Alan Atwell and Murray’Eli’ Callaway vied for
second spot: ‘Eli’s’ back nine 18, with a blob (or a wipe, please yourself)
was pretty good going and it squeezed out Alan. Bob Newell took the winnings
on 33 points for his second placing in 2 outings this week.
Friday, Dec. 4, Khao Kheow - Stableford
1st Steve Mulberry (11) 35pts
2nd Bob Newell (6) 31pts
3rd Chris Forsberg (14) 31pts
The greatest problem any of us golf ‘writers’ have each week is how to come
up with a different angle for each report. Many times it is usually made
very simple early on. Some comedic incident of leaving clubs behind, missing
buses, falling in a lake (not happened for a while I’ll grant you) or just
some misdemeanor the previous night. All make great lead-off stories.
Today’s angle is straightforward; golf, or, more accurately, the golf
course. Put simply this course has to be as tough a challenge as you will
find. Even allowing for the fact that the rough has been cut back (helping
to make it easier!) if you don’t bring your ‘A’ game then you are in serious
trouble.
My group, though, obviously thought it wasn’t difficult enough and set about
trying to re-write the record books for vodka/red bull/singha consumption on
a golf course (if that record doesn’t exist then Guinness should seriously
consider including it in the next issue). Now I’m not averse to the odd
drink or twelve but this was the big league. I won’t embarrass them by
openly naming them, suffice to say it was the usual suspects, two respected
local teachers (let off the leash for the day) and a sometime oil worker.
Joking aside, it was great to have a fun day like that; loads of laughs all
the way round. Much enjoyed by the caddies too.
As far as the golf goes it was tough going. Even with a good turn out (and
some pretty good golfers amongst them) the average score couldn’t have been
more than 25 or 26 points. Now that’s poor! As my old school report said
many times ‘must try harder’.
All in all it’s not easy to pick out the golfing highlights. Jim Benjamin
put together, with rented clubs, a commendable 30 points. Mark Wood, at
times, played some exquisite golf shots but a few Heineken ‘shudders’ on the
greens restricted him to 29. Chris Forsberg battled for second with his
31/16 card but couldn’t match Bob Newell’s back nine score of 19, for his
third placing of the week.
Well out in front though and an easy winner was Steve ‘Rigsby’ Mulberry. His
35 was far and away the best score of the day, anyone getting near their
handicap on this course has to be in with a shout. Rigsby was last seen
looking longingly at his winnings. Who knows what was going through his
mind?
Peter shines in Ban Chang
IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, Nov. 30, The Emerald - Monthly
Medal
Div. 1 (0-15)
1st Peter Sumner (10) net 71
2nd Barry Wellings (4) net 78
3rd Yasuo Suzuki (12) net 82
Div. 2 (16+)
1st Shuichi Kodaka (17) net 77
2nd Richard Dobson (21) net 79
3rd Brian Kelly (17) net 80
With the wind blowing half a gale, the decision to play the November Medal
at The Emerald from the blue tees following the decision by Phoenix to up
the green fees by over 40 %, was questioned by more than a few of the days
hopefuls as the day progressed. In fact only one player mastered the course
and the conditions, no doubt due to his hours of practice spent at Ban Chang
on previous occasions.
There was certainly a big difference between the scores in the first
division, as Peter Sumner led in a very bedraggled division by seven clear
shots as Barry Wellings, a category 1 handicap player, got closest at a fair
distance. Yasuo Suzuki, now back to full time playing after acting as head
lemming to a couple of tour groups, took third place another four shots
back. Peter therefore joins the group of ten other first division players
already qualified for the gold and silver medals to be played for in
December at a course yet to be decided.
The second division was a slightly closer affair with Shuichi Kodaka
slipping into first place, two shots ahead of Richard Dobson, who took his
first podium out of Soi 13 during this trip, and three in front of Brian
Kelly in third. This was Shuichi’s second medal of the year so the number of
players in the second division now stands at nine for the play-offs. It
surprised nobody when the day’s CSS was announced as 76.
There were no 2’s in either division; it indeed would have been surprising
if it had been any other way from the blue tees on the day.
Friday, Dec. 4, Khao Kheow - Stableford
1st Jack Behan (14) 36pts
2nd Serge Straeten (17) 36pts
3rd Alan Griffiths (11) 34pts
4th Alan Howell (12) 34pts
5th Barry Wellings (4) 31pts
6th Alan Pilkington (9) 30pts
Following the tough day out at the Emerald things were not much easier at
Khao Kheow over the A and B courses from the yellows, but at least the wind
had abated somewhat and with the course conditions excellent, scoring was
almost a doddle for some.
Jack Behan made it a happy “Hello” to The Haven, with a win on his first
outing with us, albeit by virtue of a count back which he won by 11 to 10 on
the back six after he had tied the nine with Serge Straeten at 18 each.
Alan Griffiths continues to play solid and competitive golf even though his
handicap has been reduced by three shots in recent weeks, and he laid claim
to third place with another good round at two over handicap and just got the
nod from Alan Howell after a count back that was won 16 to 14.
After a few outings without one, the 2’s pools came back to life as Jack
Behan, Alan Griffiths, Alan Howell and Alan Pilkington all snagged one in
the first division and Serge Straeten cleaned up in the second division with
the only one to sweep the multi roll-over.
Before presenting the prizes The Doc welcomed new members to the Haven in
the form of Jack Behan, and Kieran Foley and also welcomed back Alan
Pilkington, Fred Land, Geoff Braimbridge and Don Everett.
Bridge in Paradise: by Neil Robinson
When is it right to lead a trump as the opening lead? I
sometimes hear the adage “when in doubt lead a trump”. There are some good
reasons to lead a trump, but this is not one of them - this particular
bridge adage is not worth following.
So, what are the good reasons? I plan to cover them in the next few
columns. The number one reason is to cut down dummy’s ruffing power. For
dummy to ruff usefully, it must be short in a suit which declarer holds.
How do you know that this is the case? The answer is that you listen to the
bidding.
Take this as an example, with South dealing and E-W vulnerable:
East South West
North
1S
P 1N
P 2D All pass
North accepted South’s second suit, so he must be short
in the first suit, spades. The full deal is shown below:
S: 3
H: Q9764
D: Q87
C: K1094
S: K97 S: Q1042
H: A1053 H: J8
D: A52 D: 643
C: 863 C: AQ75
S: AJ865
H: K2
D: KJ109
C: J2
Assume the defence stays away from leading trumps.
Instead, West leads a club, one of the unbid suits. At first sight, it
looks like a good lead. Assume dummy ducks and East wins the queen. East
switches to the jack of hearts, ducked to dummy’s queen. Dummy leads a
spade to the ace and a spade is led back to be ruffed on board. Now, dummy
leads a heart to king and ace. West leads back a club to the ace. East
tries another club. Declarer discards a spade and takes the club trick on
board.
At this point, declarer has four tricks and the defence has three. Dummy
leads a third heart which is ruffed in hand while West follows helplessly.
Now another spade is ruffed on board and another heart led back to be
ruffed, and another spade led. Whatever the defence does, the cross ruff
limits them to only four tricks - one heart, one diamond and two clubs. The
contract makes with an overtrick.
Now consider what happens if West leads a low trump. Declarer can win, cash
the ace of spades and ruff a spade. However, whatever dummy now leads, the
defence can win and lead another trump. Now, dummy has no trumps left and
few or no entries. Provided the defence plays carefully, declarer is in a
hopeless situation and is limited to only six tricks: one spade, a spade
ruff, a heart and three diamonds. The contract goes down two, instead of
making an overtrick.
Please send me your interesting hands at: [email protected].
Griffiths the class act on Sunday
IPGC Sunday Golf at Green Valley
Sunday, Nov. 22, Green Valley -
Stableford
1st Charles Shepherd 37 pts
2nd Russell Exley 36pts
3rd Alec Hoare 35pts
Sunday, November 22 saw a small but selective field as many regulars were
exhausted following participation in the Steve Donovan Memorial Tournament.
Charles Shepherd continued his return to form, seeing off a fast finishing
Russell Exley and a resurgent Alec Hoare.
Presentations were conducted in the Golf Centre Bar, Green Valley,
immediately after golf, with amiable hosts John and Geoff providing their
usual high standard of hospitality and service.
Sunday, Nov. 29, Green Valley - Stableford
1st Des Griffiths 40pts
2nd Norman Cheatham 38pts
3rd Saranya Riley 37pts
4th Jack Behan 36pts
Sunday, November 29 heralded a return to normal numbers and the usual strong
Irish representation was in evidence. Most notable was Des Griffiths scoring
a mighty 40 points to lead the field off his meager 5 handicap. Indeed an
outstanding performance.
Norman Cheatham led the rest of the field, beating the regular lady player
Saranya Riley by a single point. Saranya put up her normal strong display
playing off the same tees as the men and giving most of us a driving lesson.
Jack Behan followed in fourth place pipping the evergreen Charles Shepherd
and the perfumed Tom Byrne on count back.
The loudest applause was reserved for Tom who kept everyone waiting for the
presentation while he took the longest shower in history.
Further details on Sunday Golf at Green Valley are available from Russell
Exley mobile 084 782 4582.
Dave Mascari wins brotherly bragging rights
The IPGC Monthly Medals
The Monthly Medal winners, Ken
Foster, Jinda Tonkhambai and Alan Howell pose with 2 Tetley promotion girls.
Wednesday, Dec. 2, Green Valley
Div. 1 (0-10)
1st Dave Mascari (5) net 66
2nd Peter Sumner (10) net 69
3rd Mikael Andersson (10) net 70
Div. 2 (11-18)
1st Alan Howell (12) net 66
2nd Georges Faber (15) net 68
3rd Jim Connelly (18) net 71
Div. 3 (19+)
1st Ken Foster (28) net 40pts
2nd Tony Duthie (20) 35pts
3rd Andy Galvin (20) 35pts
Ladies (0-36)
1st Jinda Tonkhambai (28) 38pts
2nd Ta Zwaak (18) 36pts
3rd Patsad Ryves (21) 35pts
Since the inception of the IPGC Monthly Medals, the entries have increased
steadily as members realise the great value afforded by these monthly events
that are fully sponsored by the club. This month again saw an increase in
entries, especially in the first division where the numbers increased
twofold and the Ladies increased to a level that sustained three prizes.
Each monthly medal competition will provide three winners in the gentlemen’s
divisions and one from the ladies, who will go forward to the finals to
compete for the gold and silver medals next August. In addition, the medals
will also be used to determine the IPGC Gentleman Player of the Year, with
between 1 and 15 points to be won in each division every month, dependant on
final positions, which will then be aggregated for the year to establish the
overall winner.
Following the, as usual, smooth check in procedures, a fine day awaited the
eager participants and with the arrival of two morning starting times at a
number of courses, this month’s competition was started at the later time of
11 am from two tees, although the first groups started earlier from empty
tee boxes which made for an earlier than anticipated finish and more time to
sink a few before the prize ceremonies which were to be held at The Haven on
this occasion.
The course had been set up from the white tees “off the blocks”, which
afforded a very good test where the CSS stayed at 72 for the day. As usual
the first two divisions played a stroke play format whilst the third and
Ladies played stableford.
The ladies division was led in by Jinda Tonkambai, who after two previous
second places finally managed to reach the top step with a very solid 38
points off of her 28 handicap, as for the first time in the last four
outings Nit Watcharaphin failed to get into the reckoning. She was followed
by Ta Zwaak taking her first placing in the medals in second place and
Patsad Ryves also figuring in the mix for the first time.
The third Division medal was taken by Ken Foster after he had put together a
very creditable four under score and his best round for over a year, which
allied to another good round earlier in the week will ensure a three shot
reduction in his handicap for his next outing. In second place was Tony
Duthie who could not quite manage his second win in succession in the face
of Ken’s great round. Third place went to Andy Galvin, also unable to
improve on his third place in the previous month’s medal.
Alan Howell, following his recent return from the UK to winter as usual in
Pattaya, is also having a run of form that, including this round, will see
his handicap reduced by three shots since his return. This was underscored
by his six under return that was good enough by two to clinch his first IPGC
Medal in the second division.
Alan was followed in by Georges Faber, who had a very good four under card,
in second and Jim Connelly in third place a further three shots back.
The first division threw up a winner with a familiar name but this time a
different face as Dave Mascari, the brother based in Houston, took full
advantage of the recent “Indian Sign” that he currently holds over his
brother Steve, to put him and the rest of the division in the shade as he
stroked it round in a gross 71 which included a gross 33 outward half before
sadly slipping with a pair of bogeys in the last four and a 38 back nine.
But by any standards it was great golf appreciated by both his playing
partners and the rest of the field at the prize giving.
Peter Sumner, who would have been excused for thinking he was a possible
winner with his earlier return of three under, had to be content with second
place as Mikael Andersson took third a further shot behind after a count
back with Russell Exley, which he won with a better 33 to 38 after Russell
slid out of contention following an excellent front nine of a gross 37 which
was four under his handicap.
The presentations were made at The Haven following the usual fine buffet
provided by Lamyai and her team of internationally acclaimed chefs, all
chased down by a few cold ones.
Stephen Beard, the IPGC Treasurer, welcomed the capacity crowd and then
handed over to Chris Knapp the Club Chairman, who thanked the tournament
organising committee of Russell Exley, Len Jones, Glyn Evans and Steve
Mascari, for putting the day together, and then the registration and scoring
team of Glyn Evans and Stephen Beard assisted as usual by Russell Exley. He
then announced the winners as Russell Exley presented the prizes which
included the medal winners and the sweeps.
The evening continued thereafter as even more down-downs were dealt with and
everyone looking forward to the next medals to be held at Khao Kheow on
Wednesday, January 6, for which early registration is advised as it is
expected to be fully taken up.
The full results can be accessed on the official IPGC web page www.ipgc.org
USMC keep rolling along
Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League
The U.S. Marines team won all four points from VFW Post
9876 as Joe Ferral once again led the way with a 522 series.
 200
Bowlers: Tue, Rich & Ooy.
Nok Kennedy meanwhile bowled a 520 series and Max had a 502 to lead Sabai
Sabai Friday to a four point sweep over Jack Tar and they moved up from
fourth to second place. Café Ole remains in third place after winning three
points from Bavaria: Ooy Pluemkamon had a 219 game, 564 series and Antero
Ronkainen bowled a 515 series for Café Ole.
Indiana moved up two places after winning all four points from Brother D. La
Montgomery bowled a 535 series for Indiana. Rich Montana bowling as a Pacer
had another great day with games of 197, 205 and 224 for a 626 series.
Finally, Green Tree dug themselves out of last place after winning three
points from Canada. Tue Pettae led Canada as she bowled games of 181, 209
and 189 for a 579 series.
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