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Pattaya Sports Club Bowling League
200 Bowlers: Sue
Murphy.
VFW Post 9876 won all four points from
Bavaria to remain in first place. Scores were low in lanes 11 and 12 with
only Ooy Pluemkamon able to bowl a decent 505 series.
Lek Reaper bowled games of 191, 198 and 190 to lead
Canada to a four point win over Caf้ Kronborg and boost Canada into second
place. Antero Ronkainen had a 518 series for Canada.
Green Tree remains in third place after winning three
points from Brother D. Tue Pettae was the only bowler to bowl above 500 as
she had a 505 series but it was well below her handicap.
Indiana finally got on the winning track after winning
all four points from Mittin2012. Sue Murphy was the spark plug for Indiana’s
win with a 200 game and 544 series.
Peter & Dave share the catch
Sea Fishing with KPK Food Services Ltd.
Mike (Captain Chaos)
Gerrard
It was bound to happen? After years of pretty good
successes out on the ocean this trip on Saturday, May 24 proved to be the
worst. Never fret folks it was only the lack of fish that was not so good.
The day out on the ocean was still a great day out for the guys to have a
chat and enjoy the sea air and wind. That was the biggest reason why the
catch was down. Possibly one of the windiest days I have experienced on the
sea, which means that going out to the deep water was a little too
uncomfortable.
Peter Holt and Dave Chilton
pose with their shared catch.
I think Paul Adamson was a little relieved at taking it
easy. He was uncomfortable at the best of times due to a nasty accident
falling off a motorbike. Stick to cars Paul. Much safer!
So it was back into shallower waters for the day. We also
had most of the crew wishing to try their luck at the larger varieties. This
also added to the low catch of the smaller varieties. The speed of the
current was far too fast for small fishing lines to be dropped in. All they
did was go horizontal, barely reaching the sea bottom.
The one decent catch of the day was a 4 foot sand shark.
This fish was caught by both Peter Holt and Dave Chilton and both claimed
responsibility for the catch. Actually the fish was caught in a tangle of
two lines so we decided to call it a draw. No problem, back on terra firma
and a couple of beers later all was good in life again.
Our next scheduled trip is for June 16 so if anyone would
like to join in with us give me a call on 087 091 7565.
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Stonebridge sneaks in for Medal win on count back
PSC golf from The Outback Golf Bar
Wednesday winners from left:
Murray Hart (3rd Div B), Paul & Sugar (near pin sponsors & Sugar 2nd Div B),
Paul Greenaway (winner Div A) and Paul Rodgers (winner Div B).
Monday, May 21, Burapha C
& D – Stableford
Nineteen Outbackers went to Burapha for our normal Monday
outing and we played the C and D nines from the white tees.
The course was in great condition but the rough was
brutal as it has still not been cut down in some areas following the recent
Singha Pattaya Open. The greens were especially good and were a joy to putt
on and the weather was kind with an overcast sky for most of the day,
keeping us reasonably cool.
We had one division with 5 places in the division plus
the ‘2’s.
The winner was Burapha specialist, Pete Stonebridge with
35 points off his 16 handicap who beat Lumpy Russell also on 35 points off
his 11 handicap with Ed Wyckoff (8) also on 35 points taking third. In
fourth was Stephen Mann (10) on 34 points who beat Paul Sharples (9) on
another count back.
There was one ‘2’ from On Lloyd on C8.
1st Pete Stonebridge (16) 35pts
2nd Lumpy Russell (11) 35pts
3rd Ed Wyckoff (8) 35pts
4th Steve Mann (10) 34pts
5th Paul Sharples (9) 34pts
Monday, May 21, Khao Kheow B & A – Stableford
Sad to say but there were only 7 Outbackers today playing
B & A at Khao Kheow, largely attributable to the deteriorating course
condition. Playing B first, lifted up our moods as the course was in average
condition and then on to A where it started to go downhill slightly. They
still are having problems with the greens and we were using preferred lies,
as the fairways leave a lot to be desired.
The happy Outback staff
thrilled with their big jackpot draw win.
The scoring was low with Mick Moore winning with 33pts
from Suzi on 31 and there were no ‘2’s. However, it was a good day out and
excellent value for money.
1st Mick Moore (23) 33pts
2nd Suzi Lawton (18) 31pts
3rd Carl Luke (17) 30pts
Tuesday, May 22, Pattaya C.C. – Stableford
A round dozen played today, although only eleven cards
were returned, on an empty course with lots of work going on, which can be
seen on holes 16 and 17 in particular; we’ll give it a couple of weeks then
check it out and report back.
In the ladies comp it was the turn of Orn (Marney) to get
the win over Laong, who has become the regular weekly winner whilst in the
men’s comp it was a close thing with Terry Marney beating Paul Smets on
count back, both with 32.
There were two ‘2’s today from Laong and Dennis.
Ladies
1st Orn Kanasaengsri (14) 34pts
Men’s
1st Terry Marney (28) 32pts
2nd Paul Smets (18) 32pts
3rd Jim Payne (26) 29pts
Tuesday, May 22, Laem Chabang C & A – Stableford
A full complement of 16 Outbackers were at Laem Chabang
today, playing the C & A loops, as B is still under repair. There were two
competitions today as 12 players wished to play off the blue tees whilst the
remaining 4 played went for the regular whites, except for Suzi who was off
reds as usual.
The men, playing off the blues, enjoyed the challenge of
the course which plays some 400 yards longer than the regular whites, and is
rated and sloped about four shots harder for a middle order handicapper, so
looking at the result, both the winner and the runner-up who had 32pts
apiece, Jon Gruber and Robert Ford, actually played to handicap.
The winner of the whites and red competition was Suzi,
also with 32.
The course was in good shape and we were away on time but
on the back nine we were held up slightly. Capt’ Steve had left his putter
in the kiosk at the start and his poor caddie came charging up to retrieve
it after Steve found it missing on the green. Must have been a senior
moment.
There were two ‘2’s, both achieved from the blues; from
Paul Bourke (C5) and Jon Gruber (C8).
White Tees
1st Suzi Lawton (18) 32pts
2nd David Davies (28) 29pts
3rd Bernie Stafford (12) 20pts
Blue Tees
1st Jon Gruber (19) 32pts
2nd Robert Ford (18) 32pts
3rd Paul Bourke (8) 32pts
Wednesday, May 23, Bangpra – Stableford
An all important day for Aussie NRL fans, with the first
of a series of three State of Origin Rugby League matches is due to kick off
today at 5pm Thai time. In keeping with the occasion, Sugar Ray sponsored
two near pins on behalf of Queensland and Paul Bourke, the other two (near
pins) on behalf of New South Wales. The Outback decked out the bar
accordingly with red, white and blue balloons as well as a barbecue as they
showed the match live on the large TV screens. It was a bit doubtful at one
stage whether the signal would remain intact or if the power would stay on
as the bar was hit by heavy rain and a storm just before the kick-off but
fortunately the storm passed through causing no disruption.
Prior to the start, the 34 players’ names were drawn by
the customers (with some tickets for the staff being very generously donated
by customers); with any of these names being able to win the jackpot,
whoever scored the first try. When Uate went over for NSW everybody was
looking around to see who had the winning ticket, the picture with this
report says it all.
As for the golf, there were 19 Outbackers on this great
course, which was as usual, in excellent condition as two players in Div B
romped 7 clear of the third placed, Murray Hart on 35; with Sugar being
collared by Paul Rodgers, both of them scoring a massive 42pts.
Div A didn’t fare quite so well with the top score of
34pts being achieved by Paul Greenaway from Capt’ Steve (32) in second and
Robert Barnes (31) taking third.
Winners of the 500 Baht near pin vouchers were Paul
Greenaway, Murray Hart, Joe Mooneyham and John O’Keefe.
Div A (0-13)
1st Paul Greenaway (8) 34pts
2nd Steve Mann (10) 32pts
3rd Robert Barnes (13) 31pts
Div B (14+)
1st Paul Rodgers (20) 42pts
2nd Sugar Ray (19) 42pts
3rd Murray Hart (14) 35pts
Friday, May 25, Green Valley – Medal
Our first monthly medal got underway at Green Valley with
a field of 35. An empty course at 9.30, half an hour before our allotted
start time, had many champing at the bit to get underway but as is usual
here, there were a couple of groups still to go out in front of us ,who were
not even on the tee yet.
Up stepped a Korean six-ball that took ages to tee off,
particularly as two of them had to reload after hitting into the water but
things were not what they seemed as they split into two three-balls on the
fairway; they were followed by a two-ball before we finally got our train
rolling and it’s pleasing to report that the pace of play was generally
reported as excellent.
The course once again was in good nick but the scores
were lower than usual perhaps the medal format taking its toll on the
riskier shot. In Division A, 73 net from Paul Greenaway won from a pair of
74’s, in Div B, Martin Kingswood, who was having his first game since
returning from a month in the UK, prevailed with a net 74 from Murray Hart
on 75 and the third place way back on 78. Div C went Aussie visitor, Peter
Macnoe also with a net 71 beating George Bishop on count back with two
players vying for third back on 76.
So Peter Stonebridge turned out to be the winner of our
first medal with a net 71 playing off 16 but only by a whisker on count back
from Peter Macnoe who also had 71. They both had net 36’s on the back nine
but on the last six, Peter S had 23.67 to Peter M’s 24; after deduction of
appropriate proportion of handicap.
We also ran another DeVere sponsored “hidden pairs event”
which adds a little variation to the day, as all the players are invited to
draw a number before they tee off and they are then secretly paired with a
player with the same number. The best net medal score for each hole (on the
two cards) is then calculated and the total for 18 holes noted. The winning
pair today were Barry McIntosh and George Bishop with an excellent net 59.
There were five ‘2’ recorded from Paul Bourke (4th),
Ed Horrocks (16th) and three more on the 12th
from Peter Daff, Jan Eriksen and Steve Plant.
Overall
1st Pete Stonebridge (16) net 71
Div A (0-13)
1st Paul Greenaway (8) net 73
2nd Jan Eriksen (8) net 74
3rd Sel Wegner (13) net 74
Div B (14-17)
1st Martin Kingswood (15) net 74
2nd Murray Hart (14) net 75
3rd Carl Luke (17) net 78
Div C (18+)
1st Peter Macnoe (24) net 71
2nd George Bishop (18) net 71
3rd Andy Makara (27) net 76
DeVere Hidden Pairs
1st Barry McIntosh & George Bishop
net 59
2nd Peter Macnoe & Martin Crichton
net 63
3rd Mick Moore & Andy Makara net 64
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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Takeshi & Cleggy too good
PSC Golf from the Café Kronborg
Peter Blackburn
Monday, May 21, Bangpakong – Stableford
Bangpakong Riverside Golf Club is one of our favorite
venues and we had seventeen starters ready to play this enjoyable golf
course. We assembled at Cafô Kronborg and it was terrific to welcome back
Ronnie Ratte who is recovering from heart surgery.
Due to the longer than usual journey we departed the
Kronny a couple of minutes earlier than our normal 0815 hrs departure time
and Boon kept his foot down on Highway 7 which resulted in our arrival at
the course just 65 minutes later. It did not appear too busy and sure enough
as soon as we were ready our first group teed off 10 minutes ahead of
schedule at 0950 hrs.
Gordon Clegg, The Admiral &
Takeshi Hakozaki.
The weather was great, hot but with a fairly stiff breeze
to cool things down & as usual the course was looking very good. A fair
amount of work is being done resulting in the rough being not so “rough”
which is making some of the fairways seem to be somewhat wider. The greens
appeared to be slower than usual but still very good to putt on and whilst
the stableford scores were not huge it was apparent that a few golfers found
the layout to their liking.
With no-one ahead of us we proceeded at a cracking pace
and with just the one 10 minute drink break we were able to complete our
full round in the excellent time of four hours & ten minutes.
There were 2 flights on the day plus rewards for nearest
the pin on the four par threes and longest first putts on the ninth &
eighteenth greens, all kindly donated by Walter Baechli. Many thanks to
Walter for his generosity.
As mentioned previously there were some good scores and
Takeshi Hakozaki won the A Flight with 40 points, 3 points ahead of Mike
Allidi (20 point back nine) whose 73 gross enabled him to secure second
place on a count back from Frank Donnelly (18 point back nine) in third
place. A three-way count back for fourth place saw Walter Baechli (21 point
back nine) edge out your writer (19 point back nine) and Alain Taddei (16
point back nine) with all three having 36 points.
Another 40 point haul saw Gordon Clegg victorious in B
Flight, 2 points ahead of Dave (The Admiral) Richardson in second spot and
Bo Cardwell third with 36 points. In yet another count back on 35 points
Henry Wong (19 point back nine) shaded out the brave Ronnie Ratte (16 point
back nine).
A Flight (0-19)
1st Takeshi Hakozaki (13) 40pts
2nd Mike Allidi (2) 37pts
3rd Frank Donnelly (19) 37pts
4th Walter Baechli (15) 36pts
B Flight (20+)
1st Gordon Clegg (28) 40pts
2nd Dave Richardson (27) 38pts
3rd Bo Cardwell (28) 36pts
4th Henry Wong (24) 35pts
Near Pins: 4th – Bo Cardwell; 7th – Mike Allidi; 13th
– Takeshi Hakozaki; 16th – Mike Allidi
Long Putts: 9th – Mike Allidi; 18th – Lionel Rowles
The Compass Cap (awarded for worst score on the day) was
won by Lionel Rowles and in Hunter’s absence big Ken (let’s hear it for)
Bernek paraded Deefa the Dog who once more collected many donations to
charity from the ever generous Kronny crew.
Thursday, May 24, Khao Kheow A & B – Stableford
Just fifteen golfers were signed up for our long awaited
return to Khao Kheow as many of our annual visitors are now returning to
their homelands. We did however welcome one regular visitor, Paul Sharples
who is once more here from Oman on one of his many visits to Pattaya. Sadly
though we were saying farewell to Gordon Clegg, returning to his work in
Saudi Arabia and Marie & Lionel Rowles who are off back to Sydney Australia
after enjoying another good golfing holiday here.
Dave Richardson, Deefa the
Dog & Mike Gosden.
Departing the Kronny a couple of minutes early at 0812
hrs it was just a 43 minute drive to the course where there was a fair bit
of activity. The weather was fine although hot & humid with a bit of a
breeze and our first group, a three-ball got away 12 minutes before our
scheduled tee time of 1000 hrs.
We have had mixed reports about the course of late but to
us it seemed very close to the high standard that we are used to at K.K.
There were a few bare patches on some fairways and the greens were perhaps a
touch slower than normal but all in all they were firm and true and a
pleasure to putt on.
We proceeded at a very good pace, completing the A nine
in just a shade over two hours and stopping for a ten minute drink break on
B nine we finished the round in four hours & ten minutes.
There were 2 flights on the day with A Flight being for
handicaps 0 to 19 and B Flight for handicaps of 20 and over.
There were mixed performances on the day with some very
good scores & some very ordinary ones. The winner of A Flight for the second
Thursday in a row was Aussie Mike Gosden with a fine 41 points and Takeshi
Hakozaki finished second with 36 points, 1 ahead of Mike Allidi in third
spot.
B Flight was well won by Dave “The Admiral” Richardson
with a very good 42 points (say bye bye to the 27 handicap Dave) and Mike
Winfield was second with 39 points. The announcement of third place winner
Dick Braimbridge brought the house down as he has just about claimed
permanent possession of the Compass Cap of late but his 35 points on this
day was great to see.
A Flight (0-19)
1st Mike Gosden (12) 41pts
2nd Takeshi Hakozaki (12) 36pts
3rd Mike Allidi (2) 35pts
B Flight (20+)
1st Dave Richardson (27) 42pts
2nd Mike Winfield (20) 39pts
3rd Dick Braimbridge (36) 35pts
The Compass Cap (awarded for worst score on the day) was won by departee
Lionel Rowles and Hunter paraded Deefa the Dog who once more collected many
donations to charity from the ever generous Kronny crew.
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Lewiinski’s take the high road
PSC golf from Lewiinski’s Golf Society
Sunday, April 22, St.
Andrews - Stableford
A Flight
1st Kris Kritsanajootha (8) 40pts
2nd Bob Newell (7) 39pts
B Flight
1st Jon Gruber (20) 39pts
2nd Donald McGuiness (23) 39pts
Near Pins: No 4 Peter Henshaw; No 9 Yui Bietry; No 12
Terry Mangan; No 16 Dave Mather
Before the article reaches its usual pitched tempo, word
about the title might be in order. It has long been a fact that in the rainy
season getting into Lewiinski’s is a problem unless you are wearing weather
proof foot wear. So when some of the Irish boys who are doing a big tarmac
job up the road found they had some leftover and they could lay a small path
and fix the problem at very little cost, the management jumped at the idea;
how long it will last is another thing!
Kris Kritsanajootha, right,
with Colin the Golf Manager.
So anyway, old friend Kris Kritsanajootha, which for the
sake of fitting in the allotted newspaper will therein be known as Kris K,
made his visit a worthwhile one by prevailing in A Flight with an
unobtrusive 40 points. ‘Broad more’ Bob on 39 points took the second spot
strictly on the strength of his back-nine performance over the unlucky Bill
Hurnick.
Jon Gruber was the top man in B Flight with 39 solid
points as his inward nine mathematics were more evenly distributed than
Irishman Donald McGuiness.
Bob Newell, Bill Hurnick, Yui Bietry, Terry Mangan and Ed
Wyckoff split the 2’s pot.
Monday, May 21, Bangpakong Riverside – Stableford
1st Michael Fell 21) 44pts
2nd Michael Healey (14) 40pts
3rd Terry Mangan (12) 40pts
There is a considerable body of competitors who assert
that the newly designed Bangpakong is so difficult that it almost breaks
ones spirit. Well it wasn’t the course that broke the gang’s spirit today;
it was the two new additions, Michael Fell’s exemplary 44 points off his 21
handicap plus the only 2 of the day, and Michael Healy, who marked his first
game with the gang with a cracking 42 points. Terry ‘Pork chop’ Mangan put
his hand in the cookie jar again to round out the flight.
Both Michael’s and Terry have been invited to the
handicap committee’s party.
Wednesday, May 23, St Andrews – Stableford
1st Jon Gruber (20) 42pts
2nd Peter Henshaw (19) 36pts
3rd Gerry Raferty (20 36pts
Desmond Muirhead’s monster seemed to intimidate the
society as a modest group showed up to take it on.
Jon Gruber showed no signs of fear however as he bettered
his handicap by six on the par 74 layout - a feat rarely achieved here.
Peter ‘Don O’corleone’ Henshaw took the silver as good friend Gerry Raferty
had to settle for the bronze as he was the count back victim.
Terry Mangan slotted home the only 2 of the day.
Friday, May 25, Treasure Hill - Stableford
A Flight
1st Chaten Patel (14) 38pts
2nd Thierry Petrement (10) 37pts
3rd Brizzi Salvatore (7) 37pts
B Flight
1st Jon Gruber (18) 43pts
2nd Gerry Raferty (20) 41pts
3rd Eddy Beilby (17) 41pts
The addition of some of our G-C friends contributed to
make it a fair sized turn out. Good and great scores abounded, which is
unusual here, normally anywhere around par is pushing for a podium place but
not today.
A Flight was led home by Chaten Patel with a solid 38
points. Chaten was followed up the podium steps by Thierry Petrement and
good friend Brizzi Salvatore, both locked on 37 points but count back
dictated that they finished in that order.
B Flight produced the brunt of the scoring with Jon
Gruber on an amazing 43 points playing his last game off his old handicap.
Gerry Raferty clipped Eddy ‘the eagle’s’ wings as he took second place on
count back, leaving Eddy to close the flight.
Chaten Patel, Brizzi Salvatore, Klani, Neal Rotjana and
Nick Odnoral shared the 2’s pot.
Note: Lewiinski’s is situated on Pattaya Land Soi 1, Beach Road Soi
13/3 near to Walking Street. Anyone wishing to play with us just pop in and
add your name to the list or call Colin on 089 826 0764. Transport is
provided.
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Cabbages and Pings
The Pattaya Golf Society (IPGC) at Rabbi’s Elephant Bar
The Pattaya Golf Society visited an empty Khao Kheow on
Monday, 21st May, to play a stableford event on the B and A nines. It soon
became apparent why the course is unpopular at present as the B nine was in
a very depressed state, resembling a “cabbage patch” in the view of one
senior member. Fairways are rough and have an assortment of different
grasses growing there, areas of bare patches still exist after months and
the greens are woeful with half complete re-turfed areas or heavy sanding.
Nowhere exists GUR markers.
Thus the gardening exercise began and ended with James
Smith and Alan Pilkington sharing third place with 32 points. Margaret
Wilkinson, playing some very solid golf at the moment, came second with 33
points and the field was headed by Joe Niisato with a very creditable 35
points.
Joe also recorded the only birdie ‘2’ of the day on B3.
The Booby Bevy went to John Mason after a four hour carousel with nature
which saw him enter water, deep grass, sand and a hornets’ nest, whilst
managing to accidentally release his nine iron on the Island Hole into the
tallest coconut tree near the tee box. It was later retrieved by a workman
and cost him one hundred baht for the effort. Well worth the cool beer
methinks!
Khao Kheow is not an option at the moment and it is sad
to see a once proud course in such a depressed state. Hopefully things will
be rectified before the onset of the next high season.
Business as usual for Masa
The Pattaya Golf Society travelled to St Andrew’s to play
its monthly medal round on Wednesday, 23rd May and found a quality course in
excellent condition. The fairways are rich and full, the greens are
consistent, if a little slow and the whole day was one for good scoring.
With the par set at 74, Ken Grimes performed well again
to make third place with a level par net 74 whilst just ahead of him was the
consistent Joe Niisato on net 73. The round of the day was recorded by Masa
Takano, a delicious gross 76 giving him net 69. His golf at the moment is so
impressive and is a reward for many hours on the practice range.
There were no birdie ‘2’s and the average net score for
the day was 77, again an impressive figure. Well done all and Masa in
particular.
Olliffe & Barrell top scramblers
The Pattaya Golf Society played their monthly charity
event at Emerald on Friday, 25th May with the popular pairs scramble being
the format. Nine teams turned out and with a healthy number of sponsors a
good day was in prospect on the course which has seen some improvements in
the last few weeks. Garry Hookey, Don Nellis, Rabbi and Mr Len all sponsored
near pins and these were won by Margaret Wilkinson on hole five and Masa
Takano on the others!
The best total on the par threes was ten and Seil Revels
and Masa took the prize. The latter pair were the definite favourites for
the main prize but they were pushed into fourth place by Steve Evans and
Rabbi who combined well to finish on net 61.8. In second was the pairing of
Garry Hookey and Tony Thorne and they finished on 60.4. The winners were a
canny blend of long hitting and a high handicap and the very late pairing of
Garry Olliffe and Bryan Barrel caught the imagination with an excellent 59
net.
Everyone had a share of the fun on the day and back at
the Elephant Bar in Soi Buakhao the group were told that a magnificent 7K
had been raised for the PGS adopted charity, the Fr Ray Foundation Outreach
Center on Soi Thepprasit. With next month’s event already penned in at
Eastern Star golfers can prepare themselves for another fine day out in Ban
Chang.
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Campbell and Funk on top form
Golf from the Blue Moose Sports Bar
A great day for golf at the Phoenix Country Club this
24th of May where twelve men and one lady teed off at 8 am. The weather was
nice with partly cloudy skies and the course was in good shape but some of
the greens were a bit slow.
Bruce Funk on the left with
Mark Campbell.
The field was set up as “A” flight (0-23) and “B” Flight
(24+). Near pin winners were the Murphy twins, Rich and Dale. Rich (proxied
by Jim Hern) drew a free pizza while Dale got a “Blue Chip”, good for a “top
shelf drink”. Unfortunately Rich was unable to make it back to the Blue
Moose; however, his fellow players enjoyed “his” pizza.
All those who returned to the Blue Moose were feted with
delicious spicy hamburgers and several plates of crackers and dip. Scores
were tallied with the following results:
“A” Flight had Mark Campbell with 39 points followed by
Arnold Van de Graaf with 37 points. “B” flight had Bruce Funk coming in with
36 points followed by Jim Hern with 35 points. A photo was taken of the 1st
place winners of each flight.
Joe Saint had the shot of the day when he hit a 3-wood to
within 2ฝ feet of the pin from 180 yards out on the 12th hole. Fortunately
he didn’t hit any of the players putting on the green at the time. Dale
Murphy later apologized to Joe for standing on his line.
Monday the 21st of May at Pattaya Country Club found Rich
Murphy in first place with 30 points followed by Kunaha Janathorn with 28.
Golf from the Blue Moose is played every Monday at the
Pattaya Country Club (playing the front 9 twice) at 7:26 am. The remaining
week’s play varies but is posted on www.bluemoosepattaya.com.
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Pilkington on pole at Phoenix
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Tuesday winners.
Derek Brook
Tuesday, May 22, Phoenix – Stableford
Whilst this is normally a good course, we do not tend
to book it very often because whilst it may be fine, there is always
something that happens that tends to annoy us all. I could relate a tale
of woe going back years, however it seemed reasonable to go there once
again and see what was on the scales for today.
We had a large turnout for the day, in fact one more
group than we booked; still off we went and this is a relatively short
drive there. Then into the office and booked in all very efficiently,
and soon out to the carts where I had a quick chat with the starters. I
explained that I had an extra group and did they want me to play some
groups as 5-balls, allowed here, or play an extra group. Now here we
have had problems in the past as, rightly so from their point, they time
their starts very tight. ‘No Problem’ they say, weird as I have stood on
an empty tee in the past for a long time and they have refused to let us
go, but so far so good.
Thursday’s top two, Ted
Morris and Tom Cotton, with one of Bert’s finest.
However, with test for the day set, Mountain and
Lakes, I noticed we were behind a 2-ball that was behind a 3-ball; lose
a hole and the marshalls were on your back. So off we went and for the
first few holes I chased my 4-ball to keep up and they did well, but as
we progressed we gradually fell behind. Blow me down, no marshalls but
we did finish the front nine in under two hours!
The course was in fairly good condition, but the day
was really hot and towards the end all the walkers started to flag. A
really hot but fine day out, but always that thought that ‘Big Brother’
would turn up, and who knows we had not even finished yet.
Here I have to say that one of my own personal hates
is still in place, and will I assume always be. Carts are allowed on the
course, yet at about 100 yards before the green the carts are forced
off, so golfers, mobile or not, and their cart, have to part.
So round over with so far none of my expectations on
being annoyed met, it was into the showers and then back to Bert’s,
where we tucked into the ‘Golfers Special’, then into the presentation.
On this day we had two flights and in the A Flight, 0
to 17, the winner was Mike Gaussa with 36 points. Mike is going through
a fine run of form and if he keeps it up will get down to single
figures. In second we had Brian Parish with 35 points and in third we
had Ali Said with 33 points. Ali is an old friend of mine, of at least
20 years, from Sultanate of Oman and along with another old friend
Abdullah Mohammed decided to drop in.
In the B Flight the scores were better. The winner
was Frank Pilkington with 40 points just ahead of Dick Warberg with 39
points. In third we had a count back on 36 points that saw Gordon Clegg
in third and Rita Zoebeli just missing out.
I had to say that I had found no reason to complain
at Phoenix, so we will probably book again. Mind, can I be lucky twice?
Near Pins: Rita Zoebeli, Joel Flor, Paul
Sharples, Frank Pilkington
Long Putts: Paul Sharples, Paul Alford
Friday, May 25, The Emerald – Stableford
It’s quite a long drive to this course, some of it
‘motorway’ but also quite a lot of it down the back roads. These back
roads have been the subject to a fair amount of repair, so whilst a year
ago it was break your suspension road it is now quite smooth. Not a bad
trip.
On this day we arrived in good time and soon on the
first tee we were able to get away a little early, good job as we had a
few extra golfers. So off we went with a strong wind blowing every which
way.
As we sent the 3-balls off first, we, as a 4-ball,
were able to bowl merrily along, especially as we were all in carts. I
say in carts but I had the cart that refused to go the first time I put
my foot down. The other carts soon learned not to park behind me as a
roll backward was always a probability.
This is a course where if you get a level lie you can
class yourself as being a lucky boy. There are many such lies so if you
don’t like a dodgy lie, and do not like going into greens that are
shallow and way above you, then this is not the course for you. If you
can take it, this is a good walk not spoilt on a good course.
On this day the course was in reasonable condition
with the normal many days old holes on the greens, which were actually
quite fast and tricky. It was also quite hot and humid.
Finally round we sat in the restaurant, which is an
outside one, and enjoyed the breeze that blew through. This restaurant
has some good basic food at a good price and many players indulged
themselves in the cold beer and the curries. Then it was back into cars
and in fact an early return to Bert’s and into the presentation.
In the A Flight,0 to 17, the winner was Ted Morris
with 35 points ahead of Max Scott in second with 33 points and Mike
Gaussa in third with 32.
In the B Flight the winner with the best score of the
day was Tom Cotton with 39 points ahead of John Filmer with 32 points on
count back over Dick Warberg in third. It was then time for a couple of
‘cold uns’ and an early night! T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: Dick Warberg (2), Brian Parrish, Max
Scott
Long Putts: Mike Gaussa
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Owen walks the walk
PSC Golf from Mulligans Lakeside
Tuesday, May 22, Emerald -
Stableford
Tuesday was a visit to Emerald, down Ban Chang way. The
course, recently cored & sanded on the front 9 is well on the way to normal
condition, with the back 9 to be done in the near future. It was hot though,
and it was Owen Walkley (11), in a cart coincidentally, who dealt best with
the conditions to come out on top with a solid 37 points. Jim Federspiel
(17) showed a return to some form, to sign for 36 points, sufficient to
gather the second spot spoils.
Near pins were shared around between Jonathan, Jeff &
Owen.
Thursday, May 24, Khao Kheow - Stableford
Khao Kheow A & B was the allotted task for Thursday, with
several tees well forward as the course does maintenance work on the back
tees. The group approached the round with some trepidation following several
negative reports on the condition of the course. No need though, as the
course was in good order, although the rough was penal, the fairways &
greens were in good order (IMO).
Jeff Wylie (5) certainly showed his liking for the course
as he went around in par 72 for a strong 41 points, relegating Tuesday’s
winner Owen (11) to second with 33 points.
Jeff picked up 2 near pins, with Stan getting the Island
hole pin & Banglamung Boys Home being a beneficiary on the other.
Note: Mulligans Lakeside plays golf on Tuesday &
Thursday, with ML hosting prompt presentations on both days. Call 089 094
1841 for scheduling or enquiries. Hope to see you there, cheers & good
golfing!
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Andy M makes a winning
return to Emerald
The Backyard Golf Society
Andy M and staff outside the
Blue Sky Bar.
After a few weeks of not having enough players to hold a
competition it was nice to get to Emerald Golf Course knowing that there
would be at least 10 competitors. We welcomed back Andy M, John Mac,
Russell, and Tony C and along with 6 hard core members of the Backyard Golf
Society it looked as though it could be a very competitive round of golf.
With a tee time of 09:20 we managed to get off early and
even though the front nine greens had been sanded, the course was in
reasonably good condition and quiet so it enabled everyone to get around in
just under 4 hours.
Andy M won the stableford competition with 33 points,
just beating out Mike and Russell on 32. Tony C won the nearest the pin
prize and skin results were as follows: Andy M (5), Tony C (4), Mike (3),
Russell (2), JJ (2), Andy Oz (1) and finally Terry C (1).
With prize giving completed we all went down to Ban Chang for a few cold
ones, celebrating with Andy M and commiserating with Mike for finishing
second yet again!
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Kari tears it up at Greenwood
Jomtien Golf with the IPGC
Monday, May 21, Green
Valley – Stableford
After the Hua Hin trip the numbers have decreased and
will stay like this for the next month or so and there were only 23 out
today, still keeping two divisions going for the men. Upon arrival here the
car park was deserted and with a 10.24 tee off time as always the first
group got out 30 minutes ahead of schedule. There should have been 7 groups
today but with the last group turning up 20 minutes late and with a few
problems at the cashiers desk, no names mentioned, they were back to Jomtien
with no game today.
Green Valley winners Mike
Missler and Rod Howett.
After two months in the doldrums with problems to his
back, Mike Missler returned, still playing off 14, to win division 1 with 37
points after tying Mikael Andersson 21/21 on the back nine, 14/14 on the
back six and finally edging him with an amazing 9/5 on the back three. Grant
Cadell beat Jean Morel for third place on an 18/16 back nine count back
after they both came in with 33 points.
Rodney Howett won division 2 with 35 points, Kari Aarnio
was second on 34 and the Jersey boy (with rumours abounding the possible new
owner of Siam Cats in two months) John Steel was third with 33.
Can you believe there were no 2’s today in either
division so rollovers to Greenwood on Wednesday.
Near pins went to Mikael Andersson, Kari Kuparinen, Ted
Morris, Kari Aarnio, Gordon Everingham, Cully Monks and Bryan Rought.
It’s great to see Josie Monks back in the fold at Siam
Cats after all her recent health problems, welcome back Josie!
Wednesday, May 23, Greenwood - Stableford
A 45 minute journey up the 331 and the club house here
and car park were totally empty - we have never seen it this quiet before.
We were allocated the A and B nines as the C is shut and we only encountered
a two-ball throughout the day here. The greens on the B have been cored and
sanded slightly so this might be the reason but this was unknown to us.
Playing off 5 it didn’t stop Kari Kuparinen with a gross
72, winning division 1 with 41 points. Mikael Andersson was second on 37 and
Alan Pilkington took third with 33.
Lee Casey won division 2 with 38 points, ‘Count back’
Burnie was second on 35 and Monday’s winner at Green valley Rod Howett
claimed third with a meagre 27.
Mikael Andersson got the only ‘2’ in division 1 and with
a rollover from Green Valley he was a happy chappy. In division 2 there are
three rollovers to Pattana next Monday.
The cut today was 5-18 in division 1 and 19+ in division
2.
Friday, May 25, Eastern Star - Stableford
There was a very stormy outlook in the distance as we
approached Eastern Star and we teed off in a cloud ridden sky with a cool
breeze coming off the coast. This lasted for nine holes in really pleasant
conditions and then the heat turned up and on the back nine it was scorching
with no wind whatsoever.
Two 38’s were recorded in both divisions; Pete Sumner won
division 1, Marty Rock was second with a 20/19/19 back nine count back over
Chris Voller who in turn beat Frank Kelly 13/12 on the back 6 after they all
scored 35 points.
Iain Walsh topped division 2 and the goose boy Cully
Monks beat John Harvey who in turn pipped Sid Ottaway with count backs of
19/18/16 after they all scored 34 points.
Pete Sumner and Chris Voller shared the division 1 Eastern Star rollover
kitty in the ‘2’s while Sid Ottaway birdied the 6th for two rollovers in
division 2.
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Good week for the Irish
IPGC golf from The Links
Sunday, May 20, Green
Valley – Stableford
Another good turnout today, for the weekend favourite,
which, along with Pattana, remains one of the best conditioned courses
around. Conditions were still and sometimes slightly overcast, which made
for generally good scoring.
Joe McArdle continued his recent return to form, shooting
his handicap, but losing out to the strong finishing Les Cobban who took
second place by virtue of a 19 to 15 point back 9, despite failing to score
on the 18th. That handed victory to Michael Healy, who returned an excellent
38 points off his 15 handicap.
Ger Lodge.
The ‘2’s pot was shared by Les Cobban who holed out from
a bunker on the 12th, playing partner Joe McArdle who nailed a monster putt
to follow him in, and Alec Hoare.
1st Michael Healy (15) 38pts
2nd Les Cobban (8) 36pts
3rd Joe McArdle (13) 36pts
4th Peter Masters (9) 34pts
Tuesday, May 22, Khao Kheow – Stableford
12 players today, to play the A&B loops on one of the
best laid out courses around. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the
condition, especially on the B9, where the greens are still very slow, with
ever growing sandy patches. Conditions were hot and humid, with the one
four-ball that chose to walk flagging at the end, leaving the two groups in
buggies to battle for victory.
It turned out to be an all Irish affair, with Sunday’s
victor, Michael Healy, just missing out on the places despite scoring a
solid 35 points. Ted Lodge and Donal McGuigan must have both fancied their
chances with 36 points, a score that is more than often enough on the
punishing track, but today this was only enough for the minor places, Donal
taking second by virtue of a 21 to 20 count back. Victory went to Ger Lodge
who amassed a whopping 43 points, his gross 85 being by far his best in over
a year, and will no doubt lead to a substantial cut this coming weekend.
There were no ‘2’s and with no fixture on Thursday, the
pot again rolls over to Green Valley on Sunday.
1st Ger Lodge (20) 43pts
2nd Donal McGuigan (23) 36pts
3rd Ted Lodge (10) 36pts
4th Michael Healy (15) 35pts
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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Senior clear by nine
at Green Valley
Travellers Rest Golf Group
Green Valley winners, Alun
Webber & Ted Senior.
Sunday, May 20, Crystal
Bay - Stableford
It was a limited field today and although numbers were
down they do say it’s not quantity but quality which counts. I am not sure
if other groups find there never seems to be buggies available when you
arrive to tee off, however they do arrive at some point and our golfers are
then transported to new heights.
Winners today were Brett Arnold (12) in first with37
points ahead of runner up Ted Senior (13) on 36 points in third was Tim
Dalton (20) with 35.
Tuesday, May 22, Green Valley - Stableford
It was nice to return to the course which was in
excellent shape. Both fairways and greens were maintained to a good standard
and the bunkers were in pristine condition. No complaints about bad lies
today and our winner today told me this was his best score in Thailand.
Naturally as this came from a certain Mr Ted Senior it appeared a bit of
handicap protection was going on. It was explained this would not save him
from a severe handicap reduction.
So in first place we had Ted Senior on 43 points, and
second was Alun Webber (20) on 34 points. Well done Ted, some great golf
today on a difficult but fair course. Watch this space for your revised
handicap!
Amphan North and Brendan Moore, Thursday’s top two at
Phoenix.
Thursday, May 24, Phoenix - Stableford
Although the Ocean course was closed for maintenance it
was pleasing to report there were no delays reported by any of our groups.
In addition the greens have improved, albeit some areas remain sanded
without any remedial works. It was noticeable there were a number of
difficult pin positions and this, together with the windy conditions, did
affect the scoring.
First past the post today was Amphan North (14) with 39
points and it is pleasing to see Amphan back on the winners’ podium and she
once again proves to be one of our best lady competitors.
Following Amphan home today was Brendan Moore (12) with
and even par 36, snatching second on count back over Roger Wilkinson (14),
while fourth place went to Daryl Ottaway (7) with 35 points.
Note: The TRGG play out of the Bowling Green, Soi
Excite and Fergus Brennan (Tel. 086 056 7019) will be pleased to welcome
golfers to the group. The website is trgg.biz.com where you have info
concerning where and when we play. We also publish our results on www.
masterscoreboard.co.uk.
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One night in Bangkok
PSC golf from The Golf Club
Brad Sproxton, Chaten Patel,
Michael Winterburn and host Dale Shier.
Steve Ellison
Monday, May 21, Green Valley (White tees) – Stableford
1st Mick Beresford (20) 38pts
2nd Kris Kritsanajootra (8) 37pts
3rd Ken Aihara (5) 36pts
4th Jay Burns (4) 36pts
‘And the world’s your lobster…’, as the song goes. More
on that later, first on the agenda is our regular Monday fixture of Rayong
Green Valley. Right now is the time to play this course as it is in top
condition and no crowds.
The gang headed out west with TGC partner John Emmerson
running today’s event. It was a tough old slog as the heat wore us out –
electrolytes were the order of the day. In the end it was smilin’ Micky
Beresford playing off 20 who beat out three top single digit lads for the
top slot. Well played Mick!
Tuesday, May 22, Lam Luk Ka (East) White tees – Stableford
Now this is a golf course! We were treated like royalty
here as we were escorted to the Championship Tees to find they were ours
alone. The other golfers were told to play off the C&D course so it was
truly millionaires’ golf, as no one else was on the course. Not much roll on
the fairways today as recent rains made them still just a bit soggy, but
everything was in tip-top shape.
This was Day 1 of the co-sanctioned T.G.C. – S.H.I.T.E.
Tour for Summer 2012. This Shier Hosted Invitational Tour Event was run
smooth as silk thanks to the generosity of a certain Mr. Dale Shier who
provided just about all of the prizes and Mr. Bradley Sproxton who herded
the cats and organized things beautifully. See the results in the Lotus
Valley article below.
Wednesday, May 23, Lotus Valley (Blue tees) – Stableford
1st Michael Winterburn & Chaten
Patel, 142pts
2nd Mike Gosden & Peter Hind,
130pts
3rd Jack Spencer & Dave Norman,
128pts
Once again we had a day of millionaires’ golf but this
time it was at the spectacular Lotus Valley. This was a 2 day comp with all
28 golfers heading back to the club for a lucky partner draw. This is always
a tense but hilarious event that can change the fortunes of a lucky few.
Such was the case for Chaten Patel with 72 points total and lucky draw
partner Michael Winterburn on form with 70 points over the two day contest.
Their total of 142 points was unbeatable, but so goes the luck of the draw.
If you haven’t played Lotus Valley then you are missing
one of the great golfing experiences in Thailand. Some of the lads called
this the best course they have played in the Land of Smiles while others
just raved about the layout and course condition.
Derek Schade is the manager at Lotus Valley and he will
make you feel most welcome here and we can highly recommend a visit to this
magnificent facility. The Wednesday Sport Day rate of 1,500 baht all in is
almost too good to be true, but 1,500 it is. Our thanks go out to Derek and
his staff for a superb day of golf. Allow 1 hour and 45 minutes from
Pattaya, but well worth it. Thanks again to all who donated prizes and
participated in this great tour. Cheers Dale!
Friday, May 18, Plutaluang (White tees) – Stableford
1st Ken Aihara (5) 36pts
2nd Phil Smedley (12) 30pts
3rd Ann Jones (12) 29pts
Back to Pattaya once again to tackle that tricky Navy
course. A small turnout was always on the cards after the Bangkok tour, as
this was the fourth day of golf this week. That didn’t bother Ken Aihara at
all as he walked away from the field with a fine score of 36 points off his
5 handicap. Phil Smedley has turned his game around and keeps getting closer
to the top of the podium every week. Well played lads!
Note: The Golf Club is located on Soi LK Metro. We play on Monday,
Wednesday and Friday so come join us for a seriously fun day out. Just call
085 434 3377 or see our website www.golfclubpattaya .com and for more
information mail us: pattaya4golf@ gmail.com and see updates at
www.facebook.com/golfclubpattaya.
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Murnin and Parker battle to the wire
Bunker Boys @ The Bowling Green
Monday, May 21, Eastern
Star – Stableford
We haven’t played Eastern Star recently due to the poor
condition of the greens, and it has to be said that there was a certain
reluctance on the part of some members to make this return visit. However,
when we arrived at the course we were pleasantly surprised to find that
there was a special offer for carts (300 Baht for single golfer) and that
the course was almost empty.
Tom Jones practicing the new
golf swing
As expected, the greens were painfully slow, particularly
on the front nine, but the course was generally in good shape. The round was
completed without any holdups, and the general consensus was that our return
visit had been worthwhile.
Mashi was the only golfer to come close to managing the
tricky course and difficult greens, whilst Friday’s winner, Barry Murnin,
crashed back to earth in spectacular fashion to take home the wooden spoon.
1st Mashi Kaneta (10) 35pts
2nd Colin Greig (7) 33pts
3rd Dave Keats (28) 32pts
Near Pins: John Graham, Tony Robbins and Colin Greig.
Wednesday, May 23, Kabin Buri - Stableford
We’d been scheduled to play at Pleasant Valley today, but
we decided it was long overdue to organise a road trip, so hasty
arrangements were made to take 2 groups of golfers to Kabin Buri for an
overnight stay and two rounds of golf. The numbers were down due to the
short notice, condo sales, injuries and other acts of god, but all members
who made the trip enjoyed playing the different courses.
The Kabin Buri course was in its usual excellent
condition, and even though the greens were recovering from recent coring,
they still ran true. The fairways were green and lush, and the weather was
overcast and cool, so perfect conditions for a round of golf.
Geoff Parker and Barry Murnin had an epic battle, with
Geoff having a six point lead after the front nine and Barry reeling him in
hole by hole, eventually culminating in both finishing on 35 points (after
Geoff duffed a short chip on the 18th green –
pressure!), and Barry took the honours on the count back.
1st Barry Murnin (15) 35pts
2nd Geoff Parker (14) 35pts
3rd Mike Corner (19) 34pts
Thursday, May 24, Hillside Country Home Resort – Stableford
The second course in Kabin Buri is not everyone’s
favourite and it has to be said that the greens still verge on the
diabolical, but the course layout is good with an excellent variety of
holes. It’s a thinking course where wayward tee shots are punished
unmercifully and simply bashing the ball doesn’t work, which Barry Murnin
found to his cost on the front nine, before once again recovering on the
inward nine.
We had a brief 15 minute shower of rain on the back nine,
but were able to resume without further delay. Despite the interruption Ken
Young played a steady round and wasn’t bothered by the slow and bumpy
greens, recording his best score for some considerable time to take first
place,
1st Ken Young (28) 39pts
2nd Geoff Parker (14) 38pts
3rd Paul Corner (16) 37pts
Everyone agreed that the overnight stay at the superb
Kantary hotel and two rounds of golf were excellent value for money, and we
may make it a more regular part of the fixture list in the future.
Friday, May 25, Greenwood A & B – Stableford
We haven’t played Greenwood for several weeks, since on
our last visit the greens were infested with moss, and almost unplayable.
Thankfully on this visit there were signs of improvement, but still some
very rough areas, and it looks as though it will be quite some time before
they are back to their previous good condition.
John Graham played steadily throughout the round to take
the honours on the day, ahead of Tom Jones, who had his first good round
since returning from U.K. Evidently Tom received some good advice from his
caddy regarding his stance and swing (after, in his own words, paying
hundreds of pounds to various golf pro’s), so I trust she was adequately
compensated.
1st John Graham (10) 38pts
2nd Tom Jones (23) 33pts
3rd Geoff Parker (14) 32pts
Near Pins: John Graham, and Colin Greig.
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 087 146 9978, email dave. evelyn18 @yahoo.co.uk.
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Alan and Paul share the Monthly Medals
IPGC golf from The Haven
Monday, May 21, Eastern
Star - Stableford
CSS 75 NC
1st Phil Groves (7) 32pts
2nd Benny Hansen (27) 32pts
2nd Paul Hartley (18) 39pts
An extremely low turnout, no doubt caused by the very
poor word of mouth going around the city at the moment meant that just two
prizes were awarded for the day.
Alan Pilkington.
In the event the course was found to be in as good a
condition as it has ever been, with the exception of the greens which have
never recovered for their best which some may remember was in the early
2000’s when they were let go, and even though several attempts have been
made over the years they have all come up a little short. But having said
that, the course is still very good value and deserves its place on the
schedule once a month.
With the difficulties of the greens it was always going
to be a difficult day to score and this was born out as the CSS for the day
went out three strokes and the day became non-counting for upward review of
handicaps.
Phil Groves did not have to over-extend himself to get
what is now becoming a standard win a week as four over handicap was enough
to wrap up another win.
Following his recent reduction in handicap Benny Hansen
is starting to play regularly around the mark although on this day he did
not quite come up to scratch it was a round that was just enough to claim
second place and leave the chasing players well behind.
There were no 2’s in the second division but Phil Groves
cleaned out the first division pot with a solo effort on the 150 yard 3rd
hole.
Wednesday, May 23, Bangpra - Stableford
CSS 72
1st Shuichi Kodaka (18) 35pts
2nd Joe McArdle (13) 34pts
3rd Phil Groves (7) 33pts
4th Darryl Kellett (16) 32pts
5th Brian Libby (9) 31pts
Following the poor results of the previous outing the
pundits in the peanut gallery were predicting a complete washout in the
results as the group took on the always difficult Bangpra course with its
notoriously tricky greens. They were surprised to see that the returns
showed a much better set of results from the contestants with the CSS
remaining at the standard 72.
Paul Hartley.
Shuichi Kodaka, having just returned from a short holiday
in Japan where he must have spent most of his time at the driving range,
slipped straight back into top form with a solid round of one over which was
enough for him to claim the top spot ahead of Joe McArdle. Joe slipped badly
coming home after a very promising front nine of 20 points, with Shuichi
returning 19 for the homeward half which left Joe in second place by a
single point.
Phil Groves returned a better card than his previous
outing but which proved only good for third place just a further point
behind.
Darryl Kellett made it a happy farewell until his next
visit, by which time he hopes that he will have added to the number of his
great grandchildren, with a fourth place which could have been so much
better without the two blowouts on the last two holes. With the top step of
the podium in sight, a tee shot into the water on the par three17th,
and a ball somewhere amongst hundreds of others on the driving range from
the 18th tee meant a faded dream end to his holiday in
the “Land of Smiles”.
Brian Libby rounded out the honourable mentions, just one
behind as he faded badly over the last nine having gone out in two under
handicap for twenty points.
There were no 2’s in the first division but Ger Lodge
cleaned out the roll over pot in the second division.
Shuichi Kodaka.
Before making the presentations Stephen Beard welcomed
back Shuichi Kodaka and Brian Libby and had a farewell for Darryl Kellett.
Friday, May 25, Phoenix - Monthly Medals
Division 1
Blue Tees CSS 74
1st Alan Pilkington (9) net 71
2nd Alan Griffiths (12) net 72
3rd Phil Groves (7) net 76
Division 2
White tees CSS 72
1st Paul Hartley (17) net 69
2nd Alwyne Burley (18) net 76
3rd Shuichi Kodaka (18) net 80
With Phoenix being in excellent condition and with the
special green fees available it was expected that the turnout would be the
best of the week, which turned out to be the case and nobody was
disappointed as they found the course to be even better than their
expectations, with the greens particularly flat and fast.
Stephen & Phil.
The first division was a shoot out between playing
partners Alan Pilkington and Alan Griffiths, with the former taking the
medal with a stunning two over gross back nine having been lagging on the
outward nine by three strokes as Alan Griffiths went out two under the
standard scratch but just failed to keep the momentum going to the end. Alan
Pilkington did remarkably well to become the sixth different winner of this
year’s series of medals that qualify for the end of year Gold and Silvers as
he had started out with a triple bogey on the first but then completed the
rest of the round without a six on the card.
Phil Groves had to settle for another third place with
after completing what for him was a very quiet round at four over par.
Mike Dabanovich had been in contention right up until the
last hole when a lost ball on the eighteenth destroyed any hope of getting
amongst the prizes.
The second division was led in by Paul Hartley whose
power from the tee helped him to take control of the course and finish with
an excellent three under handicap round to claim his first medal of the year
and add his name to the list of entrants for the end of the year
competition.
Alwyne Burley rounded off a very quiet week with a second
place even though it was a long way short of his best golf, and Shuichi
Kodaka suffered a bad reaction to his previous round with a so-so round to
finish the week in third.
There were no 2’s in either division.
Back at the Haven there were welcome backs for Serge
Straeten, Clive Hall and Jon Batty.
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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The Growling Swan –
a new PSC golf outlet
Tuesday, June 5th, 2012 at Eastern Star Golf Course sees
the first competition game out of a brand new Pattaya Sports Club golf
outlet, The Growling Swan.
Formerly The Bunker Bar it is situated on Soi Chaiyapoon,
just a few metres down from Third Road and next door to the “Hot Man” Club.
Since being taken over by Aussie Peter Grey several
months ago the bar has undergone considerable refurbishment and is now a
premier establishment and ideal as a Golf Bar also catering for organized
Lawn Bowls, Pool, Darts and viewing of all international sports.
The bar also has facilities for golfers to securely store
their golf clubs and with friendly staff & management, along with very
reasonable drink prices it should soon become extremely popular with Pattaya
residents & visitors.
The golf days will generally be every Monday & Thursday
with flexibility to change playing days to suit Thai Public Holidays and
various Golf Course Sports Days. Presentations after the game will be
conducted at the golf course being played with the exception of The Growling
Swan Monthly Mug when awards will be presented back at the bar. Transport is
available by way of mini vans. Free tea or coffee will be available at the
bar prior to departure for golf.
Meeting time on golf days will generally be 8.00 am at
the Growling Swan with mini vans departing at 8.30 am.
All golfers are welcome, male & female, low handicappers
and beginners and if not a member of the Pattaya Sports Club then
arrangements can be made to join the club to enable all to enjoy the special
discounts available at the golf courses to PSC members.
The Growling Swan golf fixtures will be available weekly
in the Pattaya Mail and also on the Pattaya Sports Club website.
As mentioned previously the first game will be at Eastern
Star on Tuesday, June 5th with a tee time of 10.26 am.
For any further information please contact Peter on 0806
351 386 or email petermbl@ hotmail.com.
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Central Festival, Honda, Grammy
celebrate Euro 2012 kick-off
Slavek and Slavko, the twin
mascots for Euro 2012, welcome soccer fans to the pre-tournament party at
Central Festival Pattaya Beach on May 23.
Tipyapa Kunyakum
Central Festival Pattaya Beach, the GMM Grammy music
label and Honda Motor Co. celebrated next week’s start of the Euro 2012
football tournament with music, exhibits and contests.
Surin Chantharakkarnkha, manager for dealer Mityon Honda,
hosted the “60 Days to the Euro 2012 Final” on May 23 at Central Festival
Pattaya Beach. Despite steady rain, the outdoor event still managed to
attract quite a few football fans.
Organizers unveiled the Euro tournament’s mascots, Slavek
and Slavko, while sponsors opened booths offering various exhibits and
activities. The Football Mania Road Show entertained the audience and Air
Asia gave away free Thailand airline tickets. Teenage boy band “The Mousse”
capped the event with a short performance.
Burin said the event was aimed at promoting Honda’s
sponsorship of the Thai television broadcast of the European tournament.
Football fan Pongthai Kritnasup said the event gave him
information he needed on the schedules of the broadcasts and the games
themselves.
“I love football and I believe that Euro tournament is
one of the biggest tournaments around,” said English football fan Ranjit
Sadra. “Even though broadcasts in Thailand are late at night, I believe that
is not a problem and would like all football fans to enjoy this big
tournament.”
Jointly hosted by Ukraine and Poland, Euro 2012 kicks off
June 8 at 11 p.m. local time.
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United back on
winning track
Thai Premier League Season 2012
Pattaya United climbed back up to sixth place in the Thai
Premier League standings with a much needed home win over Wuachon United at
the Nongprue Stadium last Saturday evening. It wasn’t all plain sailing for
the Dolphins however as they had to wait until just 9 minutes from time
before club skipper Niweat Siriwong struck a 30-yard free kick that the
Wuachon keeper somehow fumbled into the back of his own net for the only
goal of the game.
Next up for Pattaya is the local derby against Chonburi
on Wednesday, followed by a home fixture against Muangthong United on
Sunday, June 3. Both games should provide a good barometer of where Pattaya
can expect to finish in the league this season.
Bar owners vexed over
Euro 2012 broadcast fees
Boonlua Chatree
Pattaya bar owners have been told they must buy a
television set-top box and pay a 2,000 baht license fee to show the Euro
2012 football tournament which kicks off next week, even though the games
will be broadcast on free TV.
At a May 24 meeting at the Pattaya Police Station,
executives from GMM Grammy Co. which holds the exclusive Thai broadcast
rights for the June 8-July 24 tourney, and Deputy Police Superintendent Lt.
Col. Kietosak Srathong-ooi announced the plan to force bars and restaurants
to buy the TV box to legally show the games.
Police warned the entrepreneurs that anyone who hasn’t
bought the license – similar to the “music license” bars are forced to pay
simply to play tunes on their premises – will be deemed to be breaking the
law and could be subject to fines and/or prosecution.
Bar owners, knowing full well the games are being shown
on terrestrial television – which can be shown in any bar or restaurant
without a license – see the move as something akin to extortion.
“To show Euro 2012 in the club, I will have to buy a
set-top box and pay a 2,000 license fee from the rights holder, even though
it will be broadcast live on terrestrial TV,” one long-time Walking Street
go-go bar manager complained on the Twitter website May 25.
In Pattaya, GMM Grammy has authorized the Inter Music
Copyright Co. Ltd. to be the distributor of the set top boxes, which are
also available at 7-Eleven stores and Big C shopping malls around town. For
more information, call GMM Grammy on 02 841 8888 or go to their website at
www.gmmz.tv.
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Pattaya Sports Club
Fishing Report
Captain Dene
A full complement of eight stalwart members set out from
Khram Marine on May 5 with high hopes but some reservations weatherwise. Our
concerns were justified as an hour and a half later we had to take shelter
in the lee of one of the islands waiting for a seasonal squall to abate.
A very successful fishing day
enjoyed by all.
When we recommenced fishing the wind and the waves
created difficult conditions and coupled with a swift moving tide resulted
in many tangled lines keeping the captain and boat boy busy with the anglers
fuming, waiting for their lines to be freed.
Nevertheless, all but one finished a difficult day’s
fishing with average catches of 6 plus kilos of the usual pla dang, grouper,
yellow tail and cod together with 5 of the big greys around 2 kilos each.
Yours truly had the worst day in over 2 years with only 4 kilos, whilst Jeff
Doutch had the best catch of the day.
One or two drinks with snacks on our return to shore soon
restored our good humour.
On May 10, six of us departed at 07:00 from Khram Marine
on a day that contrasted favourably to the previous trip. The seas were
light, the skies blue and there was little wind. Our spirits were high and
we were eager to start. Fortunately, the fish contributed also and we had
plentiful catches by the end of the day – perhaps the best catch this year.
I caught 4 big greys around 2 plus kilos and plenty of
the usual variety of other fish but was easily beaten by the champ of the
day Khun Daeng, who with Sollie, took home over 15 kilos. The photo shows
some of the 12 big greys caught with Daeng the Champ on the far right.
Four regular members, a newcomer, Dave Dildine and a
visitor on holidays, Tony Moore participated on our trip on May 19. Winds
were quite strong and there was a 2 metre swell with choppy seas. All coped
well with the conditions.
Fishing was quiet initially, but picked up considerably
mid-morning and we all had above average catches of pla dang, grouper, cod
and yellow tail. The day was thoroughly enjoyed by all.
Our trips during the last 2 or 3 months have comprised 6
to 8 participants. A consensus of anglers consider less than 8 anglers on
each trip is preferred as this reduces the number of tangled lines we
encounter. Accordingly I intend to limit the participants of future trips to
7 anglers. This may result in an increase of Baht 100 to Baht 200 in booking
fees in later months as a trip of 6 participants is break-even on current
fees.
Five trips booked for next month are as follows: 2 June, 7 June, 14 June,
23 June, and 28 June. Please contact me on 081 862 6279 for bookings. As
participants will be reduced from 8 to 7 anglers on future trips, priority
in bookings will be given to PSC members on a first booked first served
basis.
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Boston Burglar steals the show
Phoenix Tuesday/Friday Golf Group
Mike Gerrard
On Friday 18th May we had two nice four-ball matches and
welcomed back a couple of old friends (Brian Jacks and Richard
Tereskieviche) who in turn brought along a newcomer, Steve Murray.
With the course now getting up towards full speed (the
greens that is) scoring was quite low under the difficult conditions. Three
players scored only 31 points each to tie first place with Steve winning on
count back of the last nine holes and Bill Hewitt and Kevin Bird sharing
second with the same score and count back.
On to Tuesday 22nd May and with myself a little under the
weather, Bob Neylon duly took over the scribe’s chair, which must have
inspired him to greater things. Bob (The Boston Burglar) Neylon shot a
superb score of 40 points to win the day. Bob did a magnificent job of
looking after the day in my absence that he may well be a contender to take
over full time! However, he will have to find a camera from somewhere
because we do not have a photo of himself with the pretty girls from the
Relax Bar.
In second place was Richard Tereskieviche with 36 points
and in third was Joris Goetschalkx with 30 points.
There were no near pins today but the lucky draw prizes
(sponsored by The Relax Bar) went to the Italian connection of Giorgio
Baccioli, Sergio Volpi & Adriano Reale.
Next week we play our monthly stroke play tournament for
the Trattoria Italiana voucher graciously donated by Giorgio Baccioli every
month.
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Fortt crashes out in season-opener at Bira Circuit
Ben Fortt crashes out on lap
6 of the opening round of the 2012 Superbike national championships at Bira
International racing circuit, Pattaya, Sunday, May 27. (Photo courtesy of
Hiro)
With the 2012 Superbike national championships starting
last Sunday, May 27, at Bira International racing circuit just outside
Pattaya, local talented teenage rider Ben Fortt, who has graduated to SB2
this season, was confident of a strong showing after putting in some very
serious practice during the closed season.
Ben had also managed to grab the team rider slot on the
high profile Panadda Racing team. Last season Ben rode a Suzuki GSXR 1000cc,
but as Panadda racing team are sponsored by Honda he has switched to the
Honda CBR 1000 Fireblade with some very encouraging lap times as well.
Qualifying last weekend was at 1 p.m. and as soon as Ben
could hit the track he got straight in with a 1.06.4 lap which was also a
personal best and the best on the day to put him on the front row and in
pole position.
The main race started at 5 p.m. and as soon as the lights
were out everyone on Ben’s team was hoping he would get one of his better
starts, but this time it was not to be and he also got knocked about on the
first bend and lost a few places. On lap 6 Ben over-pushed it on the fast
first corner, lost control and brought a premature end to his race by
hitting the tyre wall. Ben was pretty knocked about but after x-rays was
released from hospital with some rather colourful bruises.
The young racer said afterwards, “I tried to out-brake
the 2 bikes in front of me and simply ran out of track and ended up on the
grass and that’s not a good place to be as you have no control of the bike.
From there it was straight into the tyre wall.
“I will be back after a week of rest and will be trying
for the win on June 25 for the 2nd round at the Thailand Circuit, Nackon
Chaise,” added Ben.
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Furama Chiang Mai claim bragging rights in regional futsal tourney
The victorious Furama Chiang
Mai futsal team.
The 1st Asia Pacific Furama Futsal
Cup 2012 was held on May 25 at the Sky Kick Arena in Bangkok and comprised
teams from Furama hotels around the SE Asia region, including Singapore,
Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia.
The northern soccer stars of Chiang Mai proved to be the
hottest team on the day and they ended up defeating Bangkok in the final to
deservedly take home the inaugural trophy.
Along with the football there was also a cheerleading
competition and various other activities for all in attendance to enjoy.
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