Baxter bags victory with season’s best

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Travellers Rest Golf Group

Another hot and steamy week in downtown Pattaya even had the locals looking for some shade.  With the mercury hitting around the 40 degrees centigrade mark we farangs were finding life difficult enough just getting through the days without trying to master our golf game as well.

Playing eighteen holes in these conditions is a real test for the young, fit and healthy so you can just imagine what it was like most of the older clientele who regularly turn out for the TRGG.  It may explain why some thought better of trying to play four times a week and cut their outings to just two, heading for the swimming pool or beach or their air-conditioning instead.  Hence Monday and Friday’s outings being cancelled through lack of numbers.

John Baxter.John Baxter.

On Tuesday 30th April we all headed off to Green Valley, which I have to say was looking magnificent.  All the field seemed to be sheltering from the sun under their golf umbrellas and there was some fetching headwear on display.  Something inspired John Baxter (16) to play what he described as his best round of golf of the year and returned with 40pts to take first place.

I think I, Andy Rich (19) was inspired by my very beautiful caddie and shot my best round for many a month to take second with 36pts.  I don’t know what inspired Craig Hitchens (11) but he took third place with 35pts.

On Thursday 2nd May we all braved the elements and went to do our weekly battle with Phoenix (Ocean and Mountain courses).  Young Jim Cleaver (13), that is his handicap not his age, managed to keep his game together and took first place with 39pts.  The ever youthful Roger Wilkinson (14) ran up 36pts which was good enough to take second and that tough old bird Fergus Brennan (12) not to be outdone slipped into third place with 35pts.

Special mention should go to old Methuselah himself Geoff Wilcox who played as well as anybody can remember, or at least as well as he can remember, and managed to finish fourth.  He would easily have won overall if the conditions had not got the better of him about the fourteenth hole when we had to send for his bath chair.

Good luck to all you golfers for the coming week!

Jimmy Cleaver.Jimmy Cleaver.