Shenanigans Quiz
The Knuckleheads.
Ken and Brumi John share lawn bowls championship
Joint winners Brumi John and
Ken.
John Anthony McCann
Friday, March 30 saw the conclusion of the PSC lawn bowls
from the Bowling Green singles league. This league has been running for 11
weeks with over 20 participants fighting for the honour of a place on the
rostrum. There were 7 players that could win one of the 3 medals at stake on
this last day.
Leading the way was Ken with 24 points, followed by Brumi
John with 22 points and Bluemoon Brian on 20 points. These were closely
followed by Russell and Paul Avery on 19 points and Sandy and Claus on 17
points.
The draw paired the 2 frontrunners Ken and Brumi, playing
against each other with Brumi John coming out on top.
In another match Russell got the better of Bluemoon
Brian.
Ultimately at the end of the proceedings Ken and Brumi
John shared the championship with 25 points each, closely followed by
Russell with 23 points.
Well done to all that competed making it such a
competitive league.
After the proceedings there was a presentation of the
medals and prizes with our guest representing the Pattaya Sports Club,
William Macey, doing the honours. There was also an award to clubman of the
season going to Sandy.
Sandy winning the clubman
award.
William presenting 3rd place
to Russell.
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Mike cans an ‘Ace’
Lewiinski’s Golf Society
Kevin (left) and Andy.
Sunday, March 18, Green
Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Andrew Byrne (10) 35 pts
2nd Kevin McEntee (8) 35 pts
B Flight
1st Dave Driscoll (16) 42 pts
2nd Sim Davis (24) 37 pts
Near pins: No 4 Garry Blackburne, No 9 Colin
Davis, No 12 Jan Erickson, No 16 Mike Craighead.
Lighting does strike twice if you are Mike Craighead as
he for the seventh time knocked in a hole-in-one on the 16th hole at Green
Valley. Mike, who has won more lead crystal goblets than any golfer in
Pattaya over his long and distinguished involvement on the Eastern Seaboard
golf, found that his round needed more than an Ace to gain a podium place.
The laurels and loot in A Flight went to the Irish pair
Andrew Byrne and Kevin McEntee who along with Matt Doyle are founder members
of the infamous Co Offaly gang (get used to it).
It was great to see Dave Driscoll on the top step of B
Flight. Dave who we loose to the evil known as “work” now and again picked
up the sticks again and fired a magical 42 points for the man of the match.
Sim, the ‘society’s first lady’ rounded out the B Flight winners. The Donkey
Sims other half stood back a shot adrift in case of any slipups.
Gally Blackburne weighed in with a couple of 2’s but
unfortunately Mike’s ace took the pot. Back at Lewiinski’s Mike celebrated
his ace with a generous bell ring.
Monday, March 19, Khao
Kheow - Stableford
A Flight
1st Tore Eliassen (15) 34 pts
2nd Andrew Byrne (10) 32 pts
B Flight
1st Merle Humphreys (19) 37 pts
2nd Fergus O’Brien (26) 30 pts
It was a much anticipated return to Pete Dyes creation.
Merle Humphreys bolted through the pack with his B Flight winning 37 points.
That was the best score by three points on the day. Fergus O’Brien was
delighted to find his 30 points was good for the silver.
Tore Eliassen snapped up the A Flight gold with 34
points. The calculator was out big time as four players tied 32 points,
Andrew you know who, Terry Dutton, Jerry McCarthy, and Andy’s fellow Co
Offaly gang mate big Matt Doyle. When the count back was done Andrew was
laughing all the way to the pay desk, as the unlucky three were left satang
less at sea level.
Fergus O’Brien slotted home the only 2 of the day.
Wednesday, March 21,
Greenwood - Stableford
A Flight
1st Kevin McEntee (8) 36 pts
2nd Andrew Byrne (10) 34 pts
3rd Pen Caruthers (13) 34 pts
B Flight
1st Mike Jeffreys (19) 37 pts
2nd Geoff Kubas (21) 33 pts
3rd Peter Henshaw (18) 33 pts
Kevin McEntee, one of the Co Offaly gang to descend on
the society this week topped out A Flight with a solid even par round. Would
you believe Kevin was followed up the podium steps by fellow gang member
Andy you know who edged Scotland’s Pen Caruthers on a count back. “The third
member Big Matt as yet to get over jet lag” Kevin and Andy also added a 2
each along with Andre Fortis.
B F lights Mike ‘the Welsh Wizard’ Jeffreys rock solid 37
points was the top score on the day. Geoff ‘Elvis’ Kubas was on song as he
edged Peter Henshaw on count back for the final podium place.
Friday, March 23, Treasure
Hill - Stableford
A Flight
1st Jim Brackett (6) 38 pts
2nd Kevin McEntee (8) 36 pts
3rd Tore Eliassen (15) 36pts
B Flight
1st Peter Henshaw (18) 40 pts
2nd Mike Jeffreys (19) 36 pts
3rd Peter Wallace (21) 34 pts
“Treasure Hill or bust” was the cry of the field as they
braved the ever improving highway 331 to play the wonderfully designed and
solidly conditioned toast of the three most remote courses within the scope
of what is referred to as the Eastern Seaboard golf courses. They were not
disappointed as they found the course to be in excellent condition.
B Flight provided the day’s man of the match in Peter
‘Don O’corleone’ Henshaw with a sparkling 40 points. This was four strokes
clear of Mike the ‘Wizard Jeffreys’ and a further two from his close mates
Peter Wallace and Christ ‘good’ Knight Peters. Irish eyes sparkled a little
more than Christy’s.
Jim Brackett, always a welcome addition to the society’s
ranks, stood on top of the podium with a solid 38 points. Kevin “you know
who from you know where” stood a step lower as he gained a favorable count
back over Tore Eliassen. Tore did have the comfort of a 2 along with the
day’s top man Peter.
Sunday, March 25, Green
Valley - Stableford
A Flight
1st Andrew Byrne (10) 38 pts
2nd Garry Blackburne (6) 38 pts
3rd Jim Brackett (6) 37 pts
B Flight
1st Loz Shaw (23) 40 pts
2nd Jez Lees (14) 38 pts
3rd Jerry McCarthy (15) 38 pts
Near pins: No 4 Peter Lenoury, No 9 Loz Shaw, No 12
Andrew Byrne, No 16 Jen Callow.
Birmingham’s Loz Shaw had quite a day as he pummeled the
Sunday shortened Peter Thompson layout with a sparkling 40 point haul. That
overshadowed two fine efforts by Jez the ‘Principal’ and Gerry ‘the Irish
rover’ McCarthy. The luck of the Irish was not in evidence as the
Principal’s math’s held up in the following count back.
Andy stick’ erm up Byrne and Gally Blackburne tied atop A
Flight, but Gally didn’t calculate the count back favorably. Big Jim
Brackett and a count back knocked the smile off Andy’s mate Kevin’s face and
the rostrum.
Five 2’s were recorded.
Monday March 26, Crystal
Bay - Stableford
A Flight
1st Andrew Byrne (10) 42 pts
2nd Kevin McEntee (8) 39 pts
3rd John Heaney (19) 39 pts
The fear that Crystal Bay strikes in the Golfer’s heart
and the fact Mondays are the second of back-to-back outings contributed to a
smaller than usual crowd for this fixture. However, the good sized single
Flight was just fine for Andy ‘stick’ erm up’ Byrne as he took the course
apart with a flawless 42 pts and was his second victory in as many days.
Andy will also receive a healthy handicap cut. Kevin you know who followed
Andy up the podium steps as he wrenched the second place loot from ex mate
John Heaney who rounded out the Flight which made it an Irish rout.
Peter Larsen and the out of sorts Big Matt Doyle split
the 2s pot.
Wednesday, March 28, Khao
Kheow C & B - Stableford
A Flight
1st Colin Faraday (16) 35 pts
2nd Kevin McEntee (8) 33 pts
B Flight
1st John Heaney (19) 38 pts
2nd Eddy Beilby (19) 33 pts
John Heaney has a great deal of upside potential even
though he is currently off a creditable 19 handicap. His 38 points at the
demanding Khao Kheow is testimony to that. There was no luck of the Irish as
‘Eddy the Eagle’ dumped Christy ‘Good’ knight off the podium on a count back
as he filled the Flight in second spot.
Colin Faraday was the surprise in the Co Offaly Flight,
as out-gunned Kevin what’s his name and Andy thing were just a shot of the
pace.
Colin Faraday, Kevin McEntee and Matt Cronin shared the
2’s pot.
Friday March 30, Crystal
Bay - Stableford
A Flight
1st Kevin McEntee (8) 40 pts
2nd Colin Davis (15) 35 pts
B Flight
1st Vee Reece (18) 31 pts
2nd Sean Murphy (23) 31 pts
Well there was never any doubt about this week’s title as
Kevin ‘yawn’ McEntee was man of the match and only player to better par with
40 points. Kevin was five strokes clear of the field, and the Donkey in A
Flight.
B Flight found the going tough as Vee Reece gratefully
accepted the top spot with a count back verdict over Sean Irishman Soden
both knotted on 31 points.
Colin Faraday and Vee Reece 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, otherwise, why not give Colin
a ring on 0898260764. Transport is provided.
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Kenny & Henrik emerge victorious at Navy
PSC Golf from the Café Kronborg - 2012
Peter Blackburn
Henrik Aargaard, Peter
Blackburn & Kenny Chung.
Monday, March 26, Plutaluang West & North - Stableford
The Admiral was on his way to the USA and Buckers still
had a crook back but we had a good field of 28 golfers signed up for our
monthly trip to the Navy Course. We were happy to welcome back Frenchman
Alain Taddei after his hernia op and also Henrick Aargaard from Denmark &
Peter Wiltshire from New Zealand.
Departing Caf้ Kronborg 10 minutes later than normal at
0825hrs due to a couple of golfers “dragging their feet” in just 40 minutes
we were at Plutaluang where we were told that it was very quiet and we had
our pick of which nines we wanted to play. I chose West and North as West is
the nine that we have played least in recent times and is also probably the
most difficult of the four.
We had an all Aussie four ball leading the way and 25
minutes ahead of our scheduled 1000hrs tee off time your writer, Hunter,
Toddy & San Miguel Stu commenced proceedings with fine weather although
somewhat overcast skies.
Mike Winfield, Peter Blackburn
& Niels Hansen.
The course was in very good shape and the greens were
very well maintained although of course considerably slower than we had been
used to at most of the other courses that we play. We continued at a
leisurely pace with of course plenty of good (mostly) mickey taking as is
the Aussie way and due mainly to the fact that San Miguel Stu was not “on
Safari” on the day we finished our full round in four hours & twenty
minutes.
There were 2 flights with A Flight for handicaps 0 to 18
and B Flight for 19 and over. There were rewards for nearest the pin on all
four par threes and longest first putts on West 9 & North 9 greens.
The combination of West & North nines did in actual fact
prove a challenge as only 2 golfers played to their handicap or better and
newcomer Henrik Aargaard won the A Flight with 35 points. In a count back on
34 points we saw Martin Todd (21 point back nine) finish second with Lotte
Boskov (19 point back nine) in third spot. Another count back on 33 points
awarded fourth place to Ulf Larsson (17 point back nine, 12 points on last 6
holes & 7 points on last 3 holes) with Ken (let’s hear it for) Bernek (17
point back nine, 12 points on last 6 holes & 5 points on last 3 holes) in
fifth place.
B Flight was won by Kenny Chung with a fine 37 points
with Bjarne Kjaer (also the fashion award winner once more) in second spot
with 36 points. Coming third was Aussie Jerry Dobbs with 34 points and in a
three way count back on 31 points for fourth & fifth places Mike Winfield
(19 point back nine) finished just in front of Peter Hammond (15 point back
nine, 11 points on last 6 holes). J C Lhoste (15 point back nine, 8 points
on last 6 holes) just missed out.
A Flight - 0 to 18
1st - Henrik Aargaard (18) - 35 points
2nd - Martin Todd (9) - 34 points
3rd - Lotte Boskov (18) - 34 points
4th - Ulf Larsson (16) - 33 points
5th - Ken Bernek (17) - 33 points
B Flight - 19 and over
1st - Kenny Chung (24) - 37 points
2nd - Bjarne Kjaer (20) - 36 points
3rd - Jerry Dobbs (23) - 34 points
4th - Mike Winfield (21) - 31 points
5th - Peter Hammond (23) - 31 points
Near pins: W3 - Ulf Larsson, W8 - Lotte Boskov, N3 -
Stu Rifkin, N6 - Uwe Zickermann
Longest first putts: N9 - Henrik Aargaard, W9 - Alain
Taddei
The Compass Cap was once more won by Ron Folks to the
delight of yours truly, Eddie the Eagle and a couple of others and Hunter
paraded Deefa the Dog who as usual collected many donations to charity from
the Kronny Crew.
Thursday, March 29, Treasure Hill - Stableford
After a couple of late cancellations and one annoying “no
show” we were left with a group of 28 golfers for the trip to Treasure Hill
Golf & Country Club. We welcomed Daniel Oshiro from Hawaii and bade a fond
farewell to our friend Peter Hammond who is shortly returning to the U.K.
after his lengthy annual stay in Pattaya. Of course Peter will return later
in the year & we look forward to seeing him then.
San Miguel Stu was hungry so popped down to Kiss Food &
Drink for breakfast and as a result we were running a tad late thus
departing The Kronny a few minutes later than normal at 0820hrs. Stu was
kind enough though to gobble down his brekky after Dobbsy rang him to say
that we were about to leave.
Arriving at the course 50 minutes later we found the car
park fairly empty and sure enough we were invited to tee off at our leisure.
There had been recent adverse reports regarding the condition of the greens
at Treasure Hill so we weren’t quite sure what to expect but apart from the
greens having plenty of residual sand on them there were no problems.
Our first four ball was able to get away 25 minutes ahead
of schedule at 0935hrs and in very hot & humid conditions we commenced what
was to be a fairly leisurely round of golf. The course was in very good
shape and as mentioned earlier the greens were sandy and mostly fairly slow
but as usual it was a case of adapting to the conditions. It got fairly hot
later in the round so a couple of drink stops were necessary but we were
able to complete the full round in four hours & twenty minutes.
There were 2 flights with A Flight for handicaps 0 to 17
and B Flight for 18 and over. There were rewards for nearest the pin on all
four par threes and longest first putts on the ninth & eighteenth greens.
One of our playing partners, Niels Hansen had a very good
day and won the A Flight with 39 points, 1 point ahead of Ulf Larsson in
second place. A two way count back was necessary to decide third & fourth
spots and Takeshi Hakozaki (20 point back nine) just pipped Ken (let’s hear
it for) Bernek (18 point back nine) with both players on 36 points. Three
Handicapper Mike Allidi finished fifth with 35 points.
The B Flight was well won by Mike Winfield with 40 points
and the departing Peter Hammond was second on 37 points, 4 points ahead of
Daniel Oshiro in third spot. In a three way count back with 31 points Jan
Lovgreen (17 point back nine, 11 points on last 6 holes) finished fourth
from Bjarne Kjaer (17 point back nine, 10 points on last 6 holes) in fifth
place. Thientong (12 point back nine) just missed out.
A Flight - 0 to 17
1st Niels Hansen (15) 39pts
2nd Ulf Larsson (16) 38pts
3rd Takeshi Halozaki (14) 36pts
4th Ken Bernek (17) 36pts
5th Mike Allidi (3) 35pts
B Flight - 18 and over
1st Mike Winfield (21) 40pts
2nd Peter Hammond (23) 37pts
3rd Daniel Oshiro (20) 33pts
4th Jan Lovgreen (21) 31pts
5th Bjarne Kjaer (20) 31pts
Near pins: 2nd Thientong Charoenrung, 6th Thientong
Charoenrung, 13th Ulf Larsson, 17th Mike Allidi.
Longest first putts: 9th Takeshi Hakozaki, 18th
Takeshi Hakozaki.
The Compass Cap (awarded for worst score on the day) was won in a count
back by Lotte Boskov and Hunter paraded Deefa the Dog to collect many
donations from our generous group.
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Lumpy leads the way at Burapah
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
Martin Kingswood, the top
scorer at Greenwood on Wednesday.
Monday, March 26, Burapha
- Stableford
Twenty-nine players travelled to Burapha to play the C
and D courses. The group included 11 visitors from Royal Fremantle Golf
course in Perth, Western Australia and a great day was had by all.
The starters approached our group on the first tee and
asked if we could send some groups to D course and to C5 as they had some
slow groups on course and didn’t wish for us to have a slow round. So with a
three tee start and not too many players to hold us up, most completed their
round in under three and a half hours.
The course itself was presented as always in great
condition as far as the fairways and tees were concerned, the greens on C
nine were great, flat, true and fast but the greens on D nine have still not
fully recovered from the scarifying and were a little bumpy and the scores
from most players reflected the different condition of the greens.
With 29 players we played two divisions with 4 places in
each division plus the ‘2’s.
Division 2 was won by Carlo Cocciolone from Royal
Fremantle with 43 points on his 16 handicap, from Bob Lindborg with a return
to form with 41 points on his 23 handicap, with third place going to Ivan
Plunkett with 40 points on his 21 handicap and in fourth place was another
Royal Fremantle member Robbie Kershaw with 37 points off 28.
Division 1 was won by Lumpy Russell, an ex-Fremantle
member, with the day’s best round of 45 points on his 14 handicap, from
Stephen Mann with 37 points on his 10 handicap, with third place going to
the consistent John Cunningham with 36 points on his 5 handicap and in
fourth place was another Royal Fremantle member Charlie Fiorentino (6) with
35 points.
There were seven ‘2’s for the day and they went to Lumpy
Russell, Carlo Cocciolone, and Ivan Plunkett all on C5, Fidge Button on C8,
Keith Buchanan and John Cunningham on D2 and Joe Palermo on C8.
Div A (0-15)
1st Lumpy Russell (14/Hi13.3) 45pts
2nd Steve Mann (10/Hi9.8) 37pts
3rd John Cunningham (5) 36pts
Div B (16+)
1st Carlo Cocciolone (16/Hi15.5)
43pts
2nd Bob Lindborg (23/Hi21.7) 41pts
3rd Ivan Plunkett (21/Hi20) 40pts
Monday, March 26, Khao
Kheow – Stableford
Just 13 Outbackers at Khao Kheow today, who after a
little confusion at the start as to which nines they were playing found
themselves on A & C, starting on A which was generally met with approval as
opposed to the tough opening hole on C.
The greens, which had been damaged a few weeks ago, were
nearly back to normal and thanks to the management for fixing them so
rapidly.
Welcome back also to Paul Sirban, who last played with
the Outback a year ago almost to the day also at Khao Kheow on 25th
March 2011.
Nobody broke par here as Steve Plant recorded the best of
the day, 36pts to take first place in one division, as Martin Kingswood, who
has seen his handicap reduced in recent weeks, produced another good round,
scoring 34pts to take second but this time playing off 18.
There was only one ‘2’ from Dennis Pelly.
1st Steve Plant (14/Hi13.2) 36pts
2nd Martin Kingswood (18/Hi16.7)
34pts
3rd Suzi Lawton (17/Hi20.2) 33pts
Tuesday, March 27, Pattaya
C.C. – Stableford
This was last Tuesday of the month, and the last Outback
day here when all 18 holes are available at this local course; as of Sunday
2nd April, the back nine will be closed for several months for
refurbishment. Arrangements have been put in place for players to play the
front 9 twice (two tee times).
There were 16 Outbackers with the regular Tuesday
organiser Barry Chadbourn back in charge. Some new faces this week with a
welcome to John Eyers, Joe Tynan, Sarah Humphrey and the return of Ian
Covill here for 3 weeks respite from the UK.
Work has already started on the back nine with a number
of tees taken up and a lack of watering making it very dry – but plenty of
run!
With 16 players but no ‘2’s; we were able to have two
divisions with three places in each, albeit that the split wasn’t very even.
In division A (0–20), regular Tuesday man Paul Smets (18)
with 33 points filled the top spot with a count back for second and third
between Ian Covill (14) and David Earthrowl (20), both on 31 points, with
Ian in second with a point advantage on the back nine.
Division B (21+) went to former caddy, Laong Gatepratum
(24), with the day’s best, 34pts leading from the ‘Hamster Man’, John White
(24) runner-up with 32 points. Final place was taken by PCC member Geoff
Moodie (25) on 30.
The Outback has supported Pattaya Country Club for the
past 3 years and will continue when the full 18 holes are back in play. In
the meantime for those who are willing to play 2 x 9 there will be slots
available on Tuesdays through April and depending on numbers, a decision
will be made for future months.
Div A (0-20)
1st Paul Smets (18/Hi19.4) 33pts
2nd Ian Covill (14/Hi15.1) 31pts
3rd David Earthrowl (20/Hi20.8)
31pts
Div B (21+)
1st Laong Gatepratum (24/Hi23.2)
34pts
2nd John White (24/Hi25) 32pts
3rd Geoff Moodie (25/Hi25.8) 30pts
Wednesday, March 28,
Greenwood – Stableford
There were 40 Outbackers today playing C & A at
Greenwood, the course was in good condition but after seven holes the greens
needed a little bit of TLC but this didn’t dampen the scoring. One would
have to seriously question the rating of the course when even the middle
ranked golfers receive two or three shots back and some of the higher
handicappers getting as many as six! Just reviewing the scores afterwards,
with seven players scoring over 40pts and a total of sixteen playing to
handicap or better perhaps underlines that this course is much easier than
rated.
Martin Kingswood continues to play well and his handicap
continues to come down, another 1.8 today as he recorded the top score of
the day, 43pts to take Div B from Tom Bailey on 41. Neil Lavery, having his
last game for a while as he’s off to work in Hong Kong, took Div A with
41pts from the new Outback Capt’, Steve Mann on 38 but the best bunch of
scores came in Div C as John Cogan won it with a marvelous 42pts from three
tied on 41; Andy Makara, and Dick Hayes and Terry Ellis, both of whom were
having their first game with the Outback so welcome to them and well played.
Capt’ Steve was due to play early but his other partners
got delayed so ended up off last, so much for a day off, as he helped Suzi
at the first tee sending the players on their way.
Finally, we would like to say Bon Voyage to John Player,
Fidge Button, Barney Clarkson all of whom have to return to Aus but will be
back soon.
There was just one ‘2’ on A2, from Paul Greenaway.
Div A (0-16)
1st Neil Lavery (13/Hi10.8) 41pts
2nd Steve Mann (12/Hi9.6) 38pts
3rd Bernie Stafford (16/Hi13) 37pts
Div B (17-21)
1st Martin Kingswood (20/Hi16.7)
43pts
2nd Tom Bayley (18/Hi15) 41pts
3rd Tony Pieroni (18/Hi14.8) 39pts
Div C (22+)
1st John Cogan (22/Hi18.2) 42pts
2nd Andy Makara (34/Hi28.8) 41pts
3rd Dick Hayes (24/Hi20) 41pts
Friday, March 30,St.
Andrews – Stableford
28 Outbackers and 14 Rebels travelled to St. Andrews for
the day as Green Valley had another tournament with a shotgun start at noon.
The course was well attended and our regular 10 o’clock tee off had been
pushed back to 10.30 but as usual a number of groups that had booked failed
to appear and we actually commenced tee off just after 9.30 with most groups
completing their rounds in just on 4 hours.
The course itself was in good condition with lush
fairways and good consistent greens that were fast and true. Some complained
about the hard bunkers but to be fair they are all the same and you just
have to adapt your game.
I had the pleasure of playing with Dave Buchanan and his
father Frank and Steve Plant. Anybody that gets a chance to play with Dave
who plays off 1 will see some great ball striking, great etiquette and great
course management, fantastic to play a round with.
Welcome to new members Sarah Humphrey, Stan Dickinson,
Jim Hoffman and Frank Buchanan.
We had two divisions, although an uneven split, with four
places in each plus the ‘2’s.
Winner of Division 2 with a timely return to form was
Steve Milne with a great score of 39 points on his 16 handicap, from the
ever improving Martin Kingswood with 35 points on his 15 handicap, with
third place going to Brian Maddox (22) with 34 points who beat both John
Cogan (17) and Greg Hill (19) on count back.
Winner of Division 1 also with 39 points was Bernie
Stafford on his 12 handicap, from the consistent Dennis Pelly with 37 points
on his 10 handicap, with third place going to Stephen Mann with 36 points on
his 8 handicap and fourth place going to Dave Buchanan with 35 points
playing off -1 with 74 (Par for the course), beating Steve Plant on a count
back.
There were four ‘2’s going to Brian Maddox on hole 3,
Bernie Stafford on hole 5, Bob Lindborg on hole 10 and Martin Kingswood on
hole 17.
Next Friday, April 6, is a holiday but we still have a
booking at Green Valley for those who wish to play, the Green Fee is 1250
Baht
Div A (0-14)
1st Bernie Stafford (12/Hi13) 39pts
2nd Dennis Pelly (10/Hi10.6) 37pts
3rd Steve Mann (8/Hi9.4) 36pts
Div B (15+)
1st Steve Milne (16/Hi16.4) 39pts
2nd Martin Kingswood (15/Hi14.9)
35pts
3rd Brian Maddox (22/Hi20.9) 34pts
Note: The Outback Golf Bar is situated about 6km
from Sukhumvit Road along Soi Siam Country. All are welcome to come and join
us for a beer and a hit. Just call in and put your name down on the list or
call Jack on 087 941 2474.
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Simon sets the standard
PSC golf from The Golf Club
Peter LeNoury congratulates
Tommy ‘Bahama’ Balch.
Steve Ellison
Monday, March 19, Green Valley (Red & White tees) – Stableford
1st Tom Balch (24) 45pts
2nd Peter LeNoury (9) 43pts
3rd Don Bland (4) 40pts
4th Mashi Kaneta (11) 39pts
As the photo testifies, Peter LeNoury was none too happy
to find his 43 points were still not enough to claim the top spot at Green
Valley. Tom Balch played lights out to bag 45 stableford points on the day
and walk away with the win. In fact, if you didn’t manage a 40 pointer, you
were not even on the podium. These guys are good!
Don Bland came in with that 40 points required for third
place and Mashi Kaneta continued his good run with 39 for fourth, with Geoff
Doody in fifth on 38.
I must mention once again how beautiful Green Valley was,
and our thanks go out to the greenskeeping staff for getting her in such
great shape. Good luck to all the juniors who have their big comp there.
Wednesday, March 28, Khao Kheow B & A (white tees) – Stableford
1st Masao Ishikawa (17) 38pts
2nd Greg Gawton (16) 36pts
3rd Andre Fortis (17) 36pts
4th Mashi Kaneta (11) 35pts
5th Pierre Bietry (15) 34pts
Everyone seems to love Khao Kheow and today was no
exception. We were off the B and A tees of this Pete Dye track and had a
great day out. The course was in good shape but plays tougher than most
other courses in the area.
Tommy, Paul, Birthday Bob and
Mark & Eddie with Friday’s medal winner Simon Philbrook.
Only one golfer managed to better his handicap today and
that was the winner, Masao Ishikawa with 38 points. Greg Gawton jumped ahead
of Andre Fortis on count back and Mashi Kaneta came in with 35 for 4th
with Pierre Bietry bringing up the rear with a very respectable 34 points, a
good score at Khao Kheow. You can find Pierre at his new bar “The Little
Hole” on Soi Post Office, with his lovely wife Yui.
Friday, March 30, Bangpra (White tees) - Medal
A Flight
1st Simon Philbrook (6) net 71
2nd Paul Smith (2) net 74
3rd Dale Shier (13) net 74
B Flight
1st Mark Bonner (14) net 72
2nd Eddie Bielby (19) net 72
3rd Tom Balch (24) net 73
Simon Philbrook finally won his second star and another
Monthly Medal to claim his Antigua shirt once more. It was a tough old slog
out there today as temperatures soared and so did the scores. You had to
keep a cool head, quite literally, to do well here at Bangpra. Paul Smith
also had a great day out to claim second on countback over Dale “I never
thought I had a chance” Shier who came in a surprise third.
The B Flight saw fit as a fiddle Mark Bonner knock out
Eddie Bielby on count back for the ol’ 1-2 and Monday’s winner Tommy
“Bahama” Balch in for third place and the podium once again.
Near pins and Pork Chop dinners went to John Emmerson,
Eddie Bielby, Larry Maxey and Peter LeNoury.
We all enjoyed the song stylings of a certain Mr. Bob
Newell who led the night off with his own unique rendition of Frank
Sinatra’s “Fly me to the moon” to kick off Bob’s birthday party and that led
to a songfest that lasted until the wee hours. Happy birthday mate!
Note: Our Songkran road trip this year is 13-20 April and
up in the Khao Yai region at Pak Chong. This is a hot new area for some
terrific new courses including Mountain Creek by Seve Ballesteros, Panorama,
Rancho Charnvee and Bonanza (4 rounds inc. caddy fees) with 7 nights hotel
with breakfast at the Landmark all for 12,000 baht. We will have optional
golf at Toscana Valley and Mission Hills so drop by Soi LK Metro to see us
for details and sign-ups.
The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro. We play on Monday, Wednesday
and Friday so come join us for a fun day out. Just call 085 434 3377 or see
our website www. golfclubpattaya.com and for more information mail us:
[email protected] and see updates at www. facebook.com/golfclubpattaya.
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Fortune shines on Dan at Emerald
The Backyard Golf Society
Dan (L) and Mike (R) with
staff outside the Blue Sky Bar
With the return of John Mac and Terry C bringing along a
few friends from Koh Samui, it was a good turnout for the weekly Backyard
Golf Society’s game at Emerald Golf Course. Eleven players, of which eight
were in all competitions, started the round early and with the hot and humid
conditions it was good to finish the round in under 4 hours and get back to
the relative coolness of the club house.
Dan M ended up the winner after one or two favorable
bounces and ricochet enabled him to reach 35 points, with Mike in second,
again, just short of finally getting a photo by himself in the Pattaya Mail
losing out by one point. Dan M took nearest the pin prize, (2) skins plus
the rollovers to have a very rewarding day. Other skin results were as
follows: Terry C (7), Andy Oz (3), Mike (2) with (4) rollovers left for next
week.
With Dan M full of money we all then went down the road
to alleviate him of some of his hard earned winnings.
Finally a big thank you goes to Emerald for again letting
some of us take up the VIP low season membership with particular thanks to
Candy for setting it all up.
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Batty’s double delight
IPGC golf from The Links
Sunday, March 25, Green
Valley – StablefordA smaller than usual
field this week led to one division with 3 places up for grabs. Again we
were able to tee-off on arrival and although thunderstorms were
constantly passing nearby throughout the morning, the golfers were
spared the downpours and the pace of play was excellent on the unusually
quiet course. With the tees well forward on most holes, scoring was
fairly easy, with the average points haul for the field being 34.
Double winner
Jon Batty.
The scorer was tested to the limit, with a 5-way tie
for the places on 36 points. Jon Lay was the first to fall by the
wayside, after only managing 17 points on the back 9, which left a 3-way
tie on 18 points. Ted Murphy was next to go, his 11 point back 6 being
bettered by Paul Hird (14), playing his final round with the Links this
visit, and the big hitting Irishman Bryan Dore, who aided by some truly
monstrous drives, scored one under gross on the back 6 to secure 15
points and third place.
Andy Galvin’s 19 point back 9 left him in second
place, three shots behind the winner, your scribe, who came back in 1
over gross, despite taking two to get out of the bunker at the last,
which cost me a double bogey. To make matters worse, as the self
confessed worst bunker player in the world, I had spent over an hour two
days before practicing such shots – note to self – open stance, open
blade, ball at front of stance, weight on front foot, follow through!
Any further tips would be much appreciated.
Again there were no ‘2’s, so a double rollover went
to Crystal Bay on the Thursday.
1st Jon Batty (8) 39pts
2nd Andy Galvin (19) 36pts
3rd Bryan Dore (5) 36pts
Thursday, March 29,
Crystal Bay – Stableford
Despite taking a day off on Tuesday, a smaller than
usual turnout travelled to Crystal Bay to tackle the B&C courses. This
was my first visit here for nearly 6 months, and I’m not sure why we’ve
waited so long between visits, as the well laid out course was on the
whole in excellent condition, with the greens receptive and running
true.
The car park was almost empty on arrival and we
rushed to tee off a little early in order to get out in front of a
5-ball that had checked in just before, only to watch them tee off on
the C course as we started on the B!
The windy conditions led to some unusually low
scoring, with 3 players tied in second place despite managing only 29
points. Joe Mcardle missed out on the places, collapsing to 10 points on
the back 9 after scoring an excellent 19 on the front. Joe Peters came
third with a 15 point back 9, one behind Sean Connolly. The winner was
again your scribe, scoring 32 points, aided somewhat by an eagle at the
par 5 18th.
Sean Connolly registered the only ‘2’ of the day and
was therefore the beneficiary of the double rollover pot.
1st Jon Batty (8) 32pts
2nd Sean Connolly (11) 29pts
3rd Joe Peters (17) 29pts
Note: The Links depart from the hotel on Soi
Buakhao at 9.30am on Tuesdays and Thursdays and for Rayong Green Valley
every Sunday. Sign up at the hotel or contact Jon on 080 021 1034. A
full schedule of courses can be found on the IPGC website www.ipgc.org
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Brian Libby and Ron Kerslake snatch the Medals
IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, March 26, Eastern
Star - Stableford
CSS 73
1st Joe Niisato (12) 35pts
2nd Al Rolnik (18) 30pts
3rd Keith Emerson (12) 29pts
4th Shane Heavey (18) 29pts
5th Yasuo Suzuki (11) 28pts
6th David Ross (9) 28pts
With the course in generally pretty good shape it was
disappointing to find the greens not up to the same level, having presumably
not been cut low enough leaving them playing more like Velcro than putting
surfaces. This contributed greatly to the poor returns on what should have
been good day with the weather overcast and a hint of rain that never quite
materialized and meant that the CSS for the day moved out to 73.
Rod Crosswell.
With the low season fast approaching, the numbers are
returning to those that require just one division usually, which was the
situation today.
Joe Niisato took the top spot with a one over handicap
round which was easily the best of the day by a clear five points as he went
out in 19 but could not maintain his momentum coming home.
Al Rolnik was the best of the chasing pack, although
ambling might have been a better description, with a round that never really
got started but on the day proved to be sufficient to claim second spot.
Keith Emerson was surprised to take third after winning a
count back over Shane Heavey with a better 15 to 12 as Shane wilted badly,
amassing just seven points over the last six holes.
Ron Kerslake.
Yasuo Suzuki started to get to grips with the greens on
the back nine which enabled him to win a count back over David Ross by a
margin of 16 to 14 for fifth place on his last game on this trip.
In keeping with the difficulty of the course there were
no 2’s in either division, in fact there were only six threes all day with
many complaining about being unable to hit it hard enough from over four
feet.
Before presenting the prizes there were welcome backs for
Mike Hill, Philip Voas, Arthur Todd and the Kershaw brothers Chris and Colin
together with farewells for Phillip Cass, Keith Emerson and Yasuo Suzuki.
Wednesday, March 28,
Bangpra - Stableford
CSS 72
1st Rod Crosswell (12) 38pts
2nd Bruce Kusyk (13) 37pts
3rd Kevin Townsend (11) 34pts
4th Alan Pilkington (9) 33pts
5th Alwyne Burley (17) 32pts
6th Shuichi Kodaka (18) 31pts
Following the below average returns of the previous
outing there were few confident voices on the journey to the always
difficult Bangpra where the greens, whilst always in top condition, are
notoriously difficult from above the hole. But most were pleasantly
surprised to find that their scores were much better as the consistency of
the conditions throughout the course made golf a lot easier, with the
grounds keeping staff having prepared an excellent test of golf.
Brian Libbey.
Rod Crosswell, in good form following an away trip when
he played very steadily, returned to continue his form with a two under
handicap round that was just enough to pip Bruce Kusyk by a single point.
Rod finished extremely strongly with a two over gross back nine as Bruce
slipped backwards on the inward half with a blob on the tenth hole and even
finishing with two three pointers on 17 and 18 could not quite make up the
difference.
Kevin Townsend, who is also playing very tidily recently,
took third place with a solid round that suffered from a couple of errant
tee shots through the last nine but still did enough to consign Alan
Pilkington, another regular podium placer, to fourth by a shot.
Alwyne Burley did enough on the outward half to tie up
fifth place after Shuichi Kodaka started badly with a couple of blobs and
single pointers and could not generate a good enough finish after scoring
thirteen points through holes 12 to 15.
Once again there were no 2’s in the second division but
Rod Crosswell added to his day’s haul with the only one in the first
division to sweep the roll over pool.
Prior to the presentation of the prizes there were
welcomes for new members Derek Dickson and Peter Whitty together with a
welcome back from a very successful trip to Hua Hin to Rod Crosswell, who
had placed second overall behind Don Everett who himself was still away
celebrating his massive win ahead of his fellow countrymen.
Friday, March 30, Phoenix
- Monthly Medals
Division 1 Blue tees
CSS 75
1st Brian Libbey (9) 75
2nd Alan Pilkington (9) 76
3rd Kevin Townsend (11) 77
4th Phil Groves (8) 77
5th Kari Kuparinen (6) 77
Division 2 White tees
CSS 72
1st Ron Kerslake (28) 66
2nd Serge Straeten (17) 69
3rd Alwyne Burley (17) 77
4th Shane Heavey (18) 77
With the first division playing as usual from the blue
tees over the Ocean and Mountain courses, whilst the second division played
from the white tees, and the wind blowing a little stronger than it had been
for the rest of the week, scoring was always going to be on the hard side
even with the course in pristine condition and the greens running fast and
true.
So it proved to be as Brian Libbey came in as the winner
with a three over handicap return against the par of 72 and with the
standard scratch having been set at 74 and just two players making the
standard of two over handicap from that, it was certain that the CSS for the
day would be moving up, which it did to 75, which put Brian’s round into
perspective as a very good result.
Alan Pilkington claimed second place just a shot back
after a very strong run to the finish that saw him close with a one over
gross back nine which left him ruing an eleven stroke worse outward half
that surely cost him his chance this time to tee it up in the year end Gold
and Silvers.
Kevin Townsend made a good showing in his last
competition before returning to Blighty to do his bit in helping the economy
recover over the summer months as he took charge of third spot ahead of Phil
Groves and Kari Kuparinen after winning a count back with a better 36.5 as
Phil could muster just 39 and Kari 40 for fourth and fifth place
respectively.
The second division was a walk over almost for Ron
Kerslake who had his best round in Thailand by eight shots since 2008 and
leaving Serge Straeten wondering what he will need to do to get into the end
of year play-offs after he returned a very good three under card with a pair
of 43’s on each nine to leave the third and fourth players way back some
eight shots adrift, with Alwyne Burley just getting third after winning a
count back by a margin of 38.5 to 40 after Shane Heave faded with a couple
of doubles in the last three holes.
Marty Rock slipped in the sole ‘2’ in the first division
and Ron Kerslake excelled by putting his first’2’ in Thailand to sweep the
rollover pool in the second division to add to his day’s winnings.
Back at The Haven there were welcome backs for Marty
Rock, Jon Lay, and Kari Kuparinen prior to the presentations.
Note: If you would like to play with The Haven
group, you can contact mobile 082 219 0965 or call in to The Haven Hotel, at
185 Soi 13, between Beach Road and 2nd Road. All
transportation to the course is arranged and you do not need to sign up
prior to the day, but you should be there by 8.30 on Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday on the days you wish to play. A schedule of courses to be played can
be found on our web site at www.thehaven-hotel.com.
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Sharing is caring at Greenwood
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Aussie trio,
Norm, Tony & Pat ‘the NTP Marauder’.
Tuesday, March 27,
Greenwood – Stableford
Tuesday was a visit to Greenwood, where last month and
this, we shared the booking with Eastside Golf, to ensure we had 20+
players, taking advantage of their reduced green fee. The C & A combination
was our test, and the course generally was good, although the greens seem to
have suffered a little from their peak condition of a month or so ago.
Enjoying a surge in form of late, was Kurt Erik Persson
(28) who signed for 35 points, courtesy of a couple of long putts, I am
told. Coming in next was Clive Hoseason (28) with 32 points, while it was
Tom Murray who got to write his name on the NTP markers.
Thursday, March 29,
Pattana - Stableford
Pattana A & B was our venue for Thursday, with the PJ Bar
joining our booking, to take advantage of the vouchers we had available.
Pity the PSC couldn’t see their way clear to get some, so all the groups
could visit this top course and facility.
Today it was Clive Hoseason (28) making the most of his
run of form to secure 39 points. In second spot was Jeff Wylie (6) making a
return to competitions after 2 months off, with 36 points, while Peter
Henderson (14) rounded out the placings with 35 points.
Visitor Pat Quinlivan scored big, collecting 3 NTPs,
while Dave grabbed the other.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf on Tuesday & Thursday, with ML
hosting prompt presentations on both days. Call 0890941841 for scheduling or
enquiries. Hope to see you there, cheers & good golfing!
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Mashi crowned monthly champ once more
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Derek Brook
Tuesday, March 27, Crystal
Bay – Stableford
Turn left on Sukhumwit and keep going until you hit the
three big towers on your right, U-turn and on your left is the entrance. I
say this because this is the only course ‘locally’ you go to that you in
fact do not, in some way, have to cross a set of railway lines. That alone
makes it unique, but when this was in its most pristine condition, this
course, in my opinion, was the best one around.
Mashi Kaneta (left) receives
the ‘golfer of the month’ award from Dick Warberg.
I say that because on this day we were playing a golf
course that is in many respects a faded image of the splendor of several
years ago. But at the end of the day the general opinion was that this was
the most enjoyable venue we have played for weeks.
Today we were to play the A & B Nines, in many respects
they were, or seem to be, similar to each other. Despite a strong wind the
things that were obvious were that the fairways were well grassed and you
could see the ball tee itself up. The rough was really tough and the greens
were really fast and tricky.
Now it seems that all the courses we have played of late
have been below par, either through bad and bald greens, bare and hard
fairways or just not up to scratch. Very disappointing!
Tuesday’s top three with one
of Bert’s finest.
Round over we were through the changing room where we
were reminded of the limitations of Crystal bay, with cold water and ragged
towels and into the Restaurant with its slightly worn out interior. However,
as always with golfers these problems were ignored and the only discussion
was how much the players had enjoyed the course. Yes it is a regular on our
list for definite.
Back at Bert’s it was time for the presentation and not
only that, but being the end of the month it was time for the MBMG Golfer of
the Month award to be handed out.
On the day the winner was Kevin Dunn with 40 points on
count back from Mashi Kaneta. Kevin, as befits a builder, first gave us an
estimate of his result but when pressed we got a reworked final quote. In
third place we also had a count back but on 39 points when Doug Maiko came
in third and Bernie Cairns came in fourth. Brian Parrish came in fifth with
38 points.
Onto the winner of the MBMG Golfer of the Month, and I
wonder who it was? Well with a late run Mashi once again stormed into first
place. Now despite having many photos of Mashi winning the MBMG Golfer of
the Month we lashed out and took another one. Well done Mashi!
B Flight top three at Emerald.
Near Pins: Bob Watson, Mick O’Connor, Kevin Dunn
Friday, March 30, The Emerald – Stableford
On this day we had the promise of a really hot day, and
so it proved with no air movement and very humid. Still we were away a
little early, and despite having a 3-ball to start we were not held up.
However, it has to be said that those who played without carts really
struggled towards the end.
The course itself was not in bad condition. You have to
realise that if you play here you will have very few level lies, you will
nearly always have to play the ball above or below your feet and usually a
cross hill lie. You are also most times playing into elevated greens that
are shallow as you play into them. A difficult test - but on this day all
was fine and the course was in good condition.
Round over it was back to Bert’s and soon time for the
presentation where it was found the B Flight had scored better than the A
Flight. In the A Flight, 0 to 16, the winner was Andre Van Dyk with 34
points on count back over your scribe in second while in third was Mike
Gaussa with 33.
In the B Flight the winner was Tom Cotton on count back
over Don Carmody, both with 37 points, and in third was Brian Gabe with 34
points. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: David Hutchinson, Mike Gaussa, Stan Everingham, Doug Maiko
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Smithson starts the week with a bang
Bunker Boys @ The Bowling Green
Monday, March 26, The
Emerald - Rainbow Stableford
Twenty-one players turned out for our first Rainbow
competition for several months (6 off the red tees, 6 off the whites and 6
off the blues with players making their own choice of tee on each hole). The
Emerald course is always a good choice for this competition, because of the
large variety of difficult holes (long and short), not many people would
choose to go off the blue tees on the 16th for
example.
P.J. - a model of patience.
The additional brain work required in choosing the tees
was no problem for Keith Smithson, who set off birdie, birdie, par, birdie
and kept up that form to eventually finish with a score of 39 points. Even
with the challenging format the round was completed in 4 hours and 15
minutes, so hopefully a good sign that the low season is now kicking in.
A Flight
1st Keith Smithson (2) 39pts
2nd Mike Lloyd (14) 36pts
3rd Tony Robbins (13) 35pts
B Flight
1st Rab McDonald (15) 37pts
2nd Paul Edgar (19) 36pts
3rd John Hughes (16) 35pts
Near Pins: Colin Greig, Keith Norman, John Graham,
and J.J. Harney
Wednesday, March 28, Bangprakong – Stableford
We were scheduled to play at Greenwood today, but after
receiving a number of reports that the condition of the greens there weren’t
good, we made a late change to Bangprakong. The trip up the Chonburi by-pass
was no problem for most drivers, only Lee Butler deciding to take the scenic
route via Bangkok, and hence ended up playing in the last group.
This course is always in good shape, and today the greens
were excellent. Keith Smithson carried on from where he left off on Monday,
shooting a level par round of 72 gross, without a birdie on the card – 18
straight pars! Even that great score wasn’t enough to take the honours on
the day though - his good mate Mike Lloyd beat him by a point to win the A
Flight with 37 points.
P.J. Redmond finally found some good form to win the B
Flight with 35 points, ahead of “Drunken” Duncan, playing his first game
since returning from U.K.
A Flight
1st Mike Lloyd (14) 37pts
2nd Keith Smithson (0) 36pts
3rd J.J. Harney (12) 34pts
B Flight
1st P.J. Redmond (23) 35pts
2nd Duncan Lee (16) 33pts
3rd John Hughes (16) 32pts
Near Pins: Mike Lloyd, Colin Greig, John Graham and
Geoff Cox
Friday, March 30, Bangpra – Stableford
A smaller group of golfers today for our visit to
Bangpra, but unfortunately we were behind two other golf societies, and the
round was painfully slow. At one stage there were 5 groups waiting at the
par 3 second hole, and this occurred depressingly often during the round.
As always with a slow round, it’s difficult to keep
concentration, and the scores on the day reflected that. In the end, most of
the players completed the round in five and half hours, only P.J. (normally
renowned for being such a calm and patient golfer!) lost his cool, and
walked off at the 14th hole.
Colin Greig had a good day on the par threes, taking two
near pin prizes, and recording 3 birdies. Rab McDonald had the best score of
the day, with hard earned 32 points to win the marathon contest.
1st Rab McDonald (3) 32pts
2nd Mark Stanley (13) 31pts
3rd Dave Ashman (15) 31pts
4th Gordon Melia (17) 31pts
Near Pins: Mark Stanley and Colin Greig (2).
Despite a brave attempt by John Hughes, and the late
charge by Rab McDonald, there was no catching Colin Greig as he won the race
to the Golfer of the Month title. That’s two in a row for Colin now, so it’s
high time he went on his spring break to the wilds of Scotland, and gave
somebody else a chance! In fairness Colin has knocked 5 shots of his
handicap over the last 3 months (now playing off 7.6), which is great golf
by anyone’s standards.
Note: The Bunker Boys are a PSC affiliated golf society who now play out
of the Bowling Green on Soi X-Zyte between Pattaya 3rd
Road and Soi Buakhaow. We play three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays,
and Fridays, so if you enjoy a fun day out, and a friendly but competitive
golf competition why not come and join us. We meet at the Bowling Green at 9
a.m. for breakfast and transportation, and new players with valid handicaps
are always welcome. For more information call Dave on 087 1469978, email
dave. [email protected].
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Walter Webber records maiden hole-in-one
Jomtien Golf with the IPGC
Monday’s three division
winners from Khao Kheow: Ron Miller, Dennis Scougal and Willy Van Heetvelde.
Monday, March 26, Khao
Kheow – Stableford
Our first outing here for over eight months and with a
10.34 tee off we arrived and were allocated the C and B courses. The starter
then informed us we could tee off 50 minutes ahead of our scheduled time.
The par 5 first on the C is not everyone’s favourite starting hole but with
38 players out today, amazingly nobody went into the water from their tee
shot.
Playing off nine now, Ron Miller returned the best score
in the three men’s divisions with 39 points. Heikki Alanko was second four
points behind and the Estonian lad Raivo Velsberg, with an 8 handicap, was
third with 32 points.
Willy Van Heetvelde won division 3 with 38 points ahead
of Mauri Friman in second on 35 and Chris Slota, on a four week vacation
from his African residence, was third with 34.
The phone box delegate topped division 2 with 34 points,
well done Dennis Scougall, while Jerry McCarthy took second one point behind
and Jean Morel was in third with 32 points.
Pranee Bosset won the ladies division with 30 points.
In the ‘2’s today there were no rollovers in division 1
and Heikki Alanko, Kari Kuparinen, Toni Stoltsen and Raivo Velsberg shared
the pot while a rollover in division 2 ensued to Emerald on Wednesday.
Near pins went to Pranee Bosset, Heikki Alanko, Kari
Kuparinen (2), Alan Pilkington, Lee Casey, Rod Howett and Jean Morel (2).
It is that time of the year again and the numbers are
diminishing - after the presentation at Siam Cats it was Bon Voyage to our
regulars Roar Berger, Jim Connelly, Fred Duffy, Jerry McCarthy Neville
Scurrell and Harry Vincenzi, we will see you all soon!
Wednesday, March 28, The Emerald - Stableford
There were two divisions out today with no lady players
(they are all in hibernation it seems). Albert’s friend Terry Redding won
division 2 with 40 points ahead of Mauri Friman in second two points behind
and Wily van Heetvelde was in third on 33.
Chris Voller topped division 1 with 37 points but the
main plaudits went to Walter Webber. He stood on the 15th par three with a
seven iron, his shot hits the fringe before the pin and rolled in for his
first ever hole in one. Congratulations from all of us at Jomtien Golf and
the drinks were flowing when he returned to the clubhouse, many thanks
Walter! His 35 points gave him second place and Ron Miller was third with
34.
Walter took the ‘2’s pot from both divisions and also the
rollover from Khao Kheow, he was a happy man. This was our sixth hole in one
since we started 5 years ago and his name will be on the shield at Siam
Cats.
Apologies to Walter - at the time of sending our report
in, his photo was lost in the organizer’s system, but we will try to find it
and publish it next week.
Friday, March 30, Eastern Star - Stableford
Another very hot day here and the greens are still
improving slightly but were still very slow compared with our rounds earlier
in the week. The cut today was 7-18 in division 1 and 20+ in division 2.
One week left before her return to the French town of
Marseilles, in-form Pranee Bosset, now playing off 15, won the ladies
division with 36 points. There will be a cut before her return in September.
Frank Kelly took top podium position in division 1 with
36 points, and a warm welcome return to Peter Marsh who finished second with
34, with Ron Miller in third one point behind.
The mask has been off for a few weeks now but Paul Chabot
was back in the reckoning today, winning division 2 with 35 points. Rodney
Howett was second on 34 and Yves Bosset beat Joe Kubon on a 19/16 back nine
count back for third after they both returned scores of 33.
Near pins went to Pranee Bosset, Chris Voller, Yves
Bosset (2), Bill Bertram and Robert Kitsunn.
There were no ‘2’s in division 1 and three rollovers in
division 2 to next Friday.
Even more departures over the next few days: a goodbye to Andy Baber,
back to Scotland for Dennis Scougal and Chiang Mai for Terry Redding, but we
are not sure who with?
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Mashi & Walter beat
the Tropical heat
The Pattaya Golf Society (IPGC) at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
On Monday, 26th March the Pattaya Golf Society visited
Plutaluang to play a stableford competition on the East and South nines. It
was the first time this combination had been assigned to the group since an
abandoned attempt at a competition some four years ago in the midst of a
vicious thunderstorm. So, optimism was high at the thoughts of what the day
might hold for the field. The course was well turned out but the greens were
vintage Plutaluang, running at 6.5 on the stimp.
On an empty track in third place came Dave Wilkinson with
32 points, representing his best round for a month or two, whilst in second
place was “Rocketman” Rick Schramm, playing his final round this trip and he
finished on a credible 34 points. The day’s best score was recorded by
Jesper Hansen, his 40 points being his best return with the group. It was
also the twelfth forty point plus return with the group so far this year.
Now that the Eurocrat has sorted out his game he can turn his thoughts to
the lesser problem of solving the crisis in Greece!
There were no birdie ‘2’s and the Booby Bevy went at last
to Rick Schramm for no other reason than to wish him God speed!
Barton & Page tops at
Lakeside
The Pattaya Golf Society travelled again to Royal
Lakeside on Wednesday, 28th March to make another assessment of the
extensive changes the club has made to the hitherto benign course in an
effort to toughen up the challenge. An apricot “white house”, additional
lateral bunkers, additional intrusive water hazards, raised and tiered
greens, a “tarted-up” clubhouse - all were there to greet the two flights
with the cut at sixteen and under. Putting is the key to success now and a
reliance on caddies for advice is hasty as they too have to re-learn the
lines.
In the top flight Phil “PJ” Mitchell posted one of his
better rounds, peppered with good luck, to record 32 points to share second
place with Chris Smith who shot the best gross of the day, 77. The flight
winner was again Jesper Hansen who took the win with 36 points.
In the second flight James Smith produced another
competent round to finish third with 32 points and the flight win was shared
by Ken Page and Vic Barton with 38 points apiece.
The Booby Bevy went to an out of sorts Gary Bolger who
managed only thirteen points, three of which came on the final hole. Gone
are the days when it took a four under round to find a place in the frame at
Royal Lakeside and in some ways this is a good thing. Let’s hope it’s not
money wasted.
Page Two
The Pattaya Golf Society chose its favourite course,
Bangpra for the final PGS March competition on Friday 30th and found a
quality course in excellent condition but with all the white tees placed on
the blue tee boxes. The day was destined to be a long one!
Fairways were well grassed and the greens were at their
legendary best. A moderate sized field saw only one flight and in third
place was the only lady in the field, Wan Meeraka, her game holding up well
with a result of 32 points. Racing out of the traps was Mr Len with eighteen
points recorded after just seven holes but thereafter the consistency of his
drive deserted him and he finished with 33 points in second place. The
winner was Ken Page, his second success in as many outings and his 34 points
was a fine result in the conditions.
With the shortest par three at over 182 yards there were
no birdie ‘2’s and the Booby Bevy was sacrificed in favour of a
congratulatory cold beer for Pat Murphy as he had the honour of starting the
one thousandth round with PGS this year.
Bangpra did not disappoint and the group will certainly
enjoy the hospitality of the club for a long time yet as the low season rate
is once again very favourable.
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Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League
200 Bowlers: Aht, Noodle, Joe,
Ooy & Lek.
Sue Murphy bowled a 518 series for Brother D to lead them
to a four point sweep over first place Indiana. Morn Mack had a 504 for
Indiana.
Green Tree is only one point behind first place after
winning three points from Tea Party. Noodle Russell celebrated her birthday
with a 202 game and 546 series to lead Green Tree. Aht Johansson, Green
Tree, had a 234 game, 517 series and Joe Ferral, Tea Party, bowled a 203
game and 519 series.
Bavaria also gained on first place after winning three
points from Canada. Lek Reaper bowled a 221 game and 536 series for Canada.
VFW Post 9876 split their match against Caf้ Kronborg
with each team getting two points. Ooy Pluemkamon, VFW, had games of 211,
187 and 190 for a 588 series.
Kran Nielsen, Kronborg, had games of 199, 182 and 185 for
a 566 series. Wade Myers bowling as a spare bowled a 513 series.
Thai driver Sandy Stuvik impresses during
testing at Oschersleben Circuit
The first official test session for the 2012 Formula
Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup was held at Germany’s Oschersleben Circuit
just outside Magdeburg last month. Sandy Stuvik arrived as the fastest
driver from the previous test in Spain, to race at Oschersleben for the
first time and immediately took the lead in the morning testing session.
Sandy Stuvik.
The 16 year old Thai driver led the morning session until
the last half hour when most drivers went out on new tires to set quick
times. Unfortunately for the Thai driver, his lap 3 and fast lap saw another
car spinning off the track and the session was red flagged. Still, Stuvik’s
outlap time of 1:26:580 was fast enough to secure him the second fastest
overall time for the day.
Following Interwetten. com’s team strategy, Stuvik opted
to save his new tire allotment for the second day of testing, hoping to make
an impact for the overall fastest time at Oschersleben. The team was well
satisfied with the Thai driver setting the 2nd fastest time of the day and
were optimistically looking forward to the season start in April.
After the first day of testing Sandy commented; “I really
like the Oschersleben Circuit and feel it fits my driving style and the
Interwetten .com team gave me a car set-up that allowed me to really push. I
am confident I can improve further though and will go over my driving data
tonight to look for improvements for tomorrow.”
Stuvik sets a fast time during
testing at the Oschersleben Circuit in Germany.
Sandy was constantly amongst the fastest during the first
day of testing and on the second day he set the overall fastest time of
1:26:077 early in the morning and remained on the P1 spot for the entire
morning session. In the afternoon the Thai driver had 1 new set of tires
left, but was again unlucky and saw the track closed with a red flag, just
as he started his first flying laps on the new tires. With more than 20 cars
on track, this is something that happens and as the tires are only at peak
performance during laps 3 to 5 the drivers need to have a little luck on
their side to get clean runs.
The last 2 days of official testing before the start of
the Formula Renault NEC season were held at Hockenheim Circuit in Germany.
Sandy raced at the Hockenheim circuit one year ago and looked forward to 2
days of testing at the circuit, as it also will host the first round of the
championship, in a month’s time.
Sandy was using the same car as he did during the
previous days testing at Oschersleben and the first day was marred with car
problems. First the injectors had to be changed, then well over half the day
went by trying to find the reason the car could not reach top speed. The
data clearly showed the car could not reach full RPM, but it took well into
the afternoon to find that the catalysator had melted.
Finally in the last session the car was again up to speed
and Sandy opted to put on one of the valuable new sets of tires (only 3 sets
were allowed and it is typically 1.5 to 2 seconds faster than a used set).
Sandy exited the pits together with an F312 and on the out lap the sight
impaired F3 driver managed to take both cars out with a do or die maneuver.
Sandy’s battery was depleted, so all he could do was to wait for the service
car after the session had finished.
Day 2 of testing again started with problems, as when
Sandy went out on the new tires, he straight away hit slow traffic and then
another red flag, so the “new tire” advantage was again spoilt.
The track is approx. 1 second faster in the cold morning,
than the warm afternoon, so with this a chance for a glory (fastest) lap was
gone. Nonetheless, the team felt that Sandy had the potential for setting
one of the fastest times.
In the 4th session in the afternoon, almost all drivers
were on used tires and Sandy went second fastest.
Then in the final 5th session all drivers put on their
last set of new tires and it was a shoot out. Sandy did manage to get the
first 4 laps free from traffic and set a time of 1:38:986, which was the 5th
fastest in the session and also overall 5th fastest for the day.
Considering where the young Thai driver’s car was on
weight, on full race specification and with catalysator in the car, the team
is carefully optimistic about being a strong contender when the season
starts later this month.
Team Interwetten.com Junior Racing team did an
outstanding job in solving technical problems that came up and kept the car
and driver in the top group. At Hockenheim Sandy again had the opportunity
to work closely with his driver coach, former F1 test driver Neel Jani, in
perfecting his driving technique and car handling.
Next for Sandy will be another testing session at
Slovakiaring and Red Bull Ring as a warm up for the 2012 season start at
Hockenheim on 21 April, 2012.
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Do-Yeon rescues a point for United with last gasp goal
Pattaya United’s Anuwat Inyin
(2nd left) fires in a shot during the second half of the Thai Premier League
match against Bangkok Glass FC at the Leo Stadium in Bangkok, Sunday, April
1. (Photo/Ariyawat Nuamsawat/Pattaya United FC)
Following two successive home wins, Pattaya United took
to the road for the first time this season to take on Bangkok Glass in the
Leo Stadium in Bangkok last weekend.
In an entertaining opining 45 minutes both teams had
chances to go in front, with Dolphin forwards Ekollo and Obatola causing
problems for the home defence, however it was the hosts who took the lead on
the stroke of half time when French midfielder Flavien Michelini volleyed in
superbly from the edge of the area to give Narit no chance in the Pattaya
goal.
The second period had a bit of everything; chances at
both ends, two red cards and some last minute drama throw in. Bangkok Glass
thought they had sealed the points on two separate occasions but each time
the goal was ruled out for an infringement, sparking scenes of fury on the
terraces and protests on the home bench. As tempers began to boil over,
United’s Keisuke Ogawa clashed with Bangkok forward Winothai and both
players received their marching orders from the referee.
With the action unrelenting and tempers running hot on
both teams, it was almost inevitable that we would have some drama at the
death, and so it proved. With just seconds of the match remaining a scramble
in the Bangkok Glass penalty area saw the ball fall to the feet of United’s
Kim Do-Yeon who calmly dispatched it into the bottom corner of the net to
set off scenes of joy from the Dolphin supporters amassed at one end of the
stadium and yet more protests from the home players and officials.
The goal maintained United’s unbeaten start to the season
and the point gained allowed them to hold onto fourth spot in the standings,
just one point behind defending champions and current league leaders Buriram
United.
Pattaya United’s next fixture is on Sunday, April 8
against Chainat FC at the Nongprue Stadium in Pattaya. Kick-off is scheduled
for 6 p.m.
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Father Ray team takes out Shai Davis Soccer Tournament 2012
Derek Franklin
Congratulations go to the team from the Father Ray
Children’s Home who lifted the winner’s trophy at the 2012 Shai Davis Soccer
Tournament which was played at Planet Football on Soi Siam Country Road.
The Father Ray Children’s
Home team celebrate their win.
Now in its fifth year, this annual soccer competition saw
regular teams from the Pattaya Orphanage, Father Ray Children’s Home and
Sarnelli House – Nong Khai welcome the Banglamung Boys Home who were invited
to play in the competition for the first time.
The competition started with ten players from each team
taking penalty shots against Shai Davis, earning themselves fifty baht if
they kicked the ball into the net.
First game of the day was between the team from Nong Khai
and the Pattaya Orphanage, with the local boys winning by several goals.
In the second game the new team from the Banglamung Boys
Home lost on penalties to the Father Ray Children’s Home, who secured a
place in the final against the Orphanage team.
Play was halted when thunder, lightning and a heavy
downpour caused a blackout and everyone ran for cover.
Penalties were used to decide who would be the third and
fourth winner, and in the end it was the team who travelled from Nong Khai
who came in third place leaving the newcomers from the Banglamung Boys Home
in last place.
Any game between the Pattaya Orphanage and the Father Ray
Children’s Home is taken very seriously. While the players may be friends
off the pitch, when the whistle blows to start a game there is fierce
rivalry.
But it was down to the last penalty kick which decided
the winner, and there were scenes reminiscent of a World Cup final when the
trophy was presented to the captain of the Father Ray Children’s Home.
Pattaya hosts many soccer competitions throughout the
year, but the Shai Davis Tournament is one of the most popular. It brings
together teams from different charitable organisations, each player receives
a specially designed soccer kit and the prestige of taking home a trophy, no
matter if they come first or fourth.
Five years of trying the team
from Nong Khai are still yet to reach the final but can smile anyway.
Trophies were awarded to the
best player in each team.
This year’s runners up, the
Pattaya Orphanage.
The Banglamung Boys Home team
came in fourth place.
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Varuna veteran Malcolm Humphreys battles (and beats) the Briny
Malcolm celebrates with a
bottle of bubbly while wife Norma holds the pencil sketch presented by the
Royal Varuna Yacht Club to mark his amazing swim.
Peter Cummins
What could be more appropriate for a man who has embraced
the sea all his life, than to leave Thailand with a unique achievement?
Malcolm Humphreys, alias The Old Man and the Sea (courtesy, Ernest
Hemingway) or the Ancient Mariner (courtesy, Samuel Taylor
Coleridge), last Sunday swam solo the 9-Kilometre stretch of water between
the Royal Varuna Yacht Club on South Pattaya’s eastern shore, to Koh Larn,
the island of the setting sun, due west. His time of 2 hours, 59 seconds,
could well enter the prestigious Guinness Book of Records.
Malcolm Humphreys is a British 75 years young
long-distance swimmer and Laser sailor who comes to the Royal Varuna Y.C.
with wife Norma to escape the British winter, joining the flock of migratory
birds, doing like-wise to avoid their dreadful northern climes each winter.
Malcolm has quite an aquatic track record. He started
swimming at the age of 15, when he won every trophy in the Richmond upon
Thames Swimming Club, and was a keen water-polo player, while holding the
record for the Bala Lake British Long Distance swimming Association in
Wales, during 1960s.
Malcolm represented Great Britain in the Cross-Schelde
(Netherlands) swim when he was the first swimmer to finish.
Following the birth of two daughters, he decided to take
up sailing as a family activity, qualified as an Ocean Yacht-master and
later completed two trans-Atlantic crossings with his wife Norma as crew.
Since joining Royal Varuna Y.C. it has always been his
ambition to swim to Koh Larn and he is extremely grateful for the support
boats provided by the Club which encouraged him to complete the swim and
returned him to a welcoming committee, members and staff from the RVYC.
At a post-swim reception sponsored by the Royal Varuna
Club, Dave Littlejohn, Varuna Vice Commodore, presented Malcolm with a
pencil-drawing sketch, which had been organized by Gareth Owens, himself a
world-champion sailor.
“We shall place this memento in the Varuna Hall of Fame,”
said Dave at the reception. “It will be an example of courage - AND a
challenge to future trans-gulf contenders.”
Malcolm and Norma returned to their roots yesterday, but
I feel Koh Larn will be waiting for the Varuna Veteran to come back and do
it all again!
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16th PSC Charity Classic raises 400,000 baht
The Pattaya Sports Club recently announced that their
16th Annual Charity Golf Tournament, held at Green Valley on March 16, has
raised 400,000 baht for charities and promoting sports.
They would like to thank all the PSC members who played
in the tournament and great appreciation to all the sponsors. The major
sponsors were Jesters and Sinto. The hole sponsors were YWCA; Casa Pascal;
VFW Post 9876; VFW District V (Thailand/Cambodia); Top Cat; Walter Baechli;
Outback Golf Bar; The Golf Club; Mulligan’s; Kronny Bunch; The Cardwell
Family; Jesters; Classroom Hotel & Bar; TQ Masters; Marriott Dicey Riley’s;
Lewiinski’s; Compass Real Estate; Pattaya Mail and Inspire. Other sponsors
were Punta Turf and Pattaya City Golf.
These are some of the charities that will be supported by
this tournament. Hand To Hand Foundation; Pattaya Orphanage; Able The
Disabled Foundation; Father Ray Foundation.
Again the Pattaya Sports Club EC and especially the golf
chairman, Joe Mooneyham, would like to thank all the players and sponsors
for their support and making this event a most successful day.
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Forget the Olympics -
we’ve got FOBISSEA
Garden International School is to host a major international sporting event
GIS’s football stars celebrate
another goal!
The Group C Primary FOBISSEA games will be held at Garden
International School (GIS) from June 5-8. This mini-Olympics will see
students competing from schools in Nepal, Malaysia and Vietnam. It will be
an exciting time for all the children in GIS, particularly those who are in
Years 4, 5 and 6 and especially for those children who are competing in the
various sporting events.
The school, which is based in Ban Chang, Rayong, now has
a full team of primary students ready to compete in various sporting events.
Several fundraising events, such as a sponsored swim,
disco, sporting mufti day and a ‘Beat the Keeper’ contest, will be held next
term, and there will be a meeting with the parents of participating
students. The fundraisers will help keep the costs for parents to a minimum.
MBf Taylors has already generously agreed to sponsor the
swimming kits and hats. GIS is also very grateful to the other sponsors:
Crathco Ltd, Tanachart Bank and Alliance Insurance. There is still time if
you would also like to sponsor the event, which is expected to gain national
and international coverage.
If you or your company would like to help out, please
contact Ms Lucy, who is coordinating the sponsorship, at
[email protected], the Head of PE, Mr Edwards, at roberte@gardenrayong.
com or Rob Grisdale at [email protected].
For more on the event, please visit www.gardenrayong.com.
One of Garden’s top swimmers.
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St Andrews’ students prepare themselves for a sports event in China
St Andrews International
School’s U13 FOBISSEA (Federation of British international Schools of South
East Asia) Team.
Matt Dunn, PE Teacher
St Andrews School has been invited to compete in the U13 FOBISSEA Games
in Suzhou, China hosted by Dulwich International College. All the students
are busy training hard for this big event. We would like to wish all our
competitors the best of luck!
Blue Moose says goodbye
to Pattaya Country Club
Three Sisters Blue Moose Golf
Rich Murphy on the left and
Dale Murphy on the right.
This 28th of March was our last day of golf at the
Pattaya Country Club, at least until late 2013. The course will be open for
9 holes of golf for those interested. All future golf will be played out of
the Blue Moose Bar and Apartments.
Seventeen players showed up to play. Several areas of the
course were soaked as the sprinklers must have been left on all night. The
greens were shabby which is probably why the course is undergoing
renovation.
Returning to Caddy Shack II for the last time, the cards
were tallied and the winner was Rich Murphy with 40 points followed by Dale
Murphy also with 40 points but lost to Rich on the count-back.
This being the end of the month it was Trophy day. Herbie
furnished snacks of chips, nachos and pretzels. The entree was steamed hot
dogs. No agreement was reached as to the next venue or venues. Bill
Thompson, owner of the Blue Moose will post the agenda on his web page.
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Season opener for PSC Softball
Team PSC and The Teachers pose
for a group photo at Thai Polo Club.
Dave Dolle
For this opening day there would be no horsing around on
this playground at the Thai Polo Club. Team PSC were playing The Teachers
from St. Andrews International School for local softball bragging rights.
The Teachers did their homework and prepared well for
game 1. They put down their pencils and picked up their bats and schooled
Team PSC, scoring 5 runs in the first and never looked back, putting a win
on the board to take a deserved lead.
Fortunately for Team PSC the lunch bell rang and they
were able to lick their wounds and their chops over burgers and beers, hit
the books, then the ball and proving to be too much of a test for The
Teachers in game 2. While The Teachers got an “A” for effort it was Team PSC
that chalked up the “W”.
So in the end this day will go down in the history books
as a win-win for both teams and the lesson learned: “it’s not whether you
win or lose, it’s how much fun you had playing the game.”
Thanks to all our fans and to our host the Thai Polo Club
for the beautiful field, tasty food and beverages. For more information
about PSC Softball visit the Pattaya Sports Club website:
www.pattayasports.org.
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