Pattana G.C.  Stableford

A welcome return to Pattana after several month’s hiatus caused by disagreements over pricing during the previous high season. Following heavy overnight rain, the course was soggy in places, but the weather on the day was fine and relatively cool. We played the A and B nines and the lack of roll made some of the holes play very long, with some of the higher handicap players struggling to reach the greens in regulation. Only Geoff Parker managed to better his handicap on the day to take first place. Second place was Eddie Martin, with the ever consistent Mashi coming third, although the rumour is that Mashi lost out on the “bits”, for the second game running to Geoff, a severe disruption to his regular golf income.

Results:

1^st  Geoff Parker                                   (hcp 16) 38 points

2^nd Eddie Martin                                   (hcp 15) 35 points

3^rd  Mashi Kaneta                                 (hcp   9) 34 points

Near pin winners –  Geoff Cox, Mashi and Geoff Parker (2)

Wednesday 1st September 2010

Emerald G.C. Medal

A smaller group of golfers than usual made the trip to Bang Chang, to find the course in good condition and the weather perfect. Colin Greig was the star of the day, recording his best ever round in Thailand, and impressive it was too. With a gross score of 76 (9 under handicap) he was unbeatable. His round included 8 consecutive pars on the back nine, and he just missed out on the 18^th when his putt lipped out of the hole. Well done Colin, and I don’t think we’ll be seeing you playing off a 13 handicap again in the near future ! Geoff Parker finished second, 11 points behind Colin and beating PJ on a countback.   

Results:

1^st   Colin Greig                                    (hcp 13) 45 points

2^nd  Geoff Parker                                  (hcp 16) 34 points

3^rd   PJ Redmond                                  (hcp 19) 34 points

Near pin winners –   Geoff Parker and Colin Greig(3)

Monday 30th  August 2010

Mountain Shadow G.C. Stableford

We arrived at the course to find it empty and in surprisingly good condition, with the fairways even appearing a little on the dry side. Always a difficult test, the greens were in good shape, but variable in speed, with 3 putts being the order of the day, and Gerry even recording a 5 putt ! When asked how he managed that, he replied that he sank a 6 footer ! Takeshi continued his recent run of good form to take the honours with an impressive 38 points, ahead of Colin Greig, Geoff Cox, and newly crowned Golfer of the Month Peter Habgood.

Results:

1^st  Takeshi Hakozaki                           (hcp 12) 38 points

2^nd Colin Greig                                       (hcp 13) 36 points

3^rd   Geoff Cox                                        (hcp 16) 35 points

4^th  Peter Habgood                               (hcp 17) 32 points

Near Pin Winners –  Gerry, Mashi, PJ, and Roger

Khaow Kheow G.C.  Stableford

A good day today for those who normally find the Khaow Kheow course to be too demanding. We played the C and A nines and discovered that all the yellow tees on the C nine had been moved forward to the white tees, thereby removing the teeth from what is normally a very difficult track. The big hitters reveled in the shortened course and near perfect conditions, and scores reflected that. Peter Habgood hit the shot of the day on the par 5 eighth hole, sending his drive over the trees, and leaving a wedge shot into the green – easy game! Eddie Martin produced a superb performance to romp home with 45 points (normally unheard of at Khaow Kheow), closely followed by Tony Robbins with 41 points, and Peter Habgood finishing 3^rd with 38 points to virtually wrap up the Golfer of the Month title.

Results:

1^st   Eddie Martin                                  (hcp 17) 45 points

2^nd Tony Robbins                                 (hcp 14) 41 points

3^rd  Peter Habgood                               (hcp 17) 38 points

Near pin winners –  John Hughes, Mashi and Geoff Parker (2)

Wednesday 25th August 2010

Phoenix G.C. Stableford

We arrived at Phoenix in good time, and were able to tee off early, which is a very rare event at this course. The weather was fine and the course was unusually quiet and in good condition, so the round progressed without any holdups. Given the good conditions, the scores were not as good as usual, with no golfer bettering their handicap. Mashi continued his good run of form to take first place, whilst Peter Habgood consolidated his lead in the Golfer of the Month competition by securing second place ahead of Roger Privett.

Results:

1^st   Mashi Kaneta                                (hcp 10) 35 points

2^nd  Peter Habgood                              (hcp 17) 33 points

3^rd  Roger Privett                                  (hcp 16) 32 points

Near pin winners –  Hai Sul, Reid, and Mashi (2)

Monday 23rd  August 2010

Crystal Bay G.G. Medal

Good weather today, however the course was showing signs of damage due to recent heavy rain, so pick, clean and place was the order of the day. Most golfers struggled with the difficult conditions, but Geoff Parker and Takeshi were having their best rounds for quite some time. The wheels came off for Geoff on the 17^th hole, where he carded a 9, but still managed to record an excellent nett 69. Takeshi was superb on the par 3’s putting two tee shots to within twelve inches of the hole, and recording 3 twos in the round, something not seen very often in Bunker history.

Results:

1^st  Takeshi Hazo                                  (hcp 13) nett 67

2^nd Geoff Parker                                    (hcp 16) nett 69

3^rd Reid Sheffal                                     (hcp 0 )  nett 73

Near Pin Winners –  Geoff Parker, Reid Sheffall and Takeshi (2)

Green Valley G.C.  Stableford

Several of the star regulars were playing in the monthly PSC competition, both William Macey and Colin Greig acquitting themselves well, but the overall honours being claimed by Mashi. The remaining diehards made their way to Green Valley in very unpromising conditions, but the rain held off for the first 10 holes. A persistent drizzle then followed for the remainder of the round, making conditions very tricky. Fortunately there was no spectacular lightning similar to Wednesday, and all the golfers were determined not to lose two rounds in a week. Peter Habgood got off to a storming start (4 consecutive pars on the first 4 holes) then wobbled a little when the rain came, but eventually managed to pull it together again to take first place, P.J. and Roger Privett also managed the conditions well to take second and third places respectively.

Results:

1^st  Peter Habgood                               (hcp 17) 37 points

2^nd P.J. Redmond                                 (hcp 19) 33 points

3^rd  Roger Privett                                  (hcp 16) 32 points

Near pin winners –  Eddie Martin, P.J., and Roger Privett

Peter’s win takes him into the lead in the Golfer of the Month competition but it promises to be a close finish when the in-form Tony Robbins returns from holiday next week.

Wednesday 18th August 2010

Bangphra G.C. Medal

We arrived at Bangpra to find that 3 other golf societies were booked on the same day(fortunately not at the same time!), which proves how popular this course has become since the recent renovations, There is still some maintenance work ongoing on a couple of fairways, but the course is generally in very good condition. We teed off on time, but the round promised to be slow, on a crowded course, more resembling high season. The greens proved to be as fast and tricky as ever, particularly after some of the very slow greens we have played recently, and 3 putts were being made with regularity. All proceeded well until the 10^th hole when ominous dark clouds appeared and the rumble of thunder could be heard approaching. In the end all 3 groups congregated at the water stop on the 12^th tee as the thunder and lightning crashed all around us. The caddies were huddled in a tight knit group, and were truly terrified, not much chance of persuading them to leave the shelter. We waited for an hour in torrential rain and watched as the course became more and more flooded, before cancelling the competition. Many golfers were still reluctant to head back to the clubhouse, as the lightning was still very close, but eventually all made it back safely. No rainchecks at Bangphra, and the course management at least must have had a very good day, given the number of golfers on the course.

Monday 16th August 2010

Treasure Hill G.G. Stableford

A smaller than usual field made the trip to Treasure Hill, perhaps the daunting reputation of the course deterring some of the weaker hearted players, The course is undergoing extensive work and promises to be a potentially excellent in a few months time. In the event the fairways and greens were generally good, although the 17^th hole now has a temporary green, and there is extensive drainage work on the par three 6^th hole. It was millionaire’s golf today as the course was empty and the weather good, a brief storm coming in as the last players were walking up the 18^th fairway, som nam nar for being slow! The shot of the day was produced by Mashi on the infamous par three 2^nd hole, his 200 yard tee shot finishing 18 inches from the pin for a tap-in birdy and 4 points, thank you very much. Only a couple of blemishes on Mashi’s card, as he cruised home to take first place. Second place was taken by Peter Habgood who beat Geoff Parker on a countback, after 3 consecutive pars on the final three holes.

Results:

1^st  Mashi Kaneta                                 (hcp 10) 31 points

2^nd Peter Habgood                               (hcp 17) 29 points

3^rd Geoff Parker                                    (hcp 16) 29 points

Near Pin Winners –  Peter Habgood and Mashi (2)

Greenwood G.C.  Medal

Friday the 13^th turned out to be a lucky day, with the Greenwood course in great condition and the weather ideal. Playing on good greens for the first time this week, proved tricky for some, and the fairways provided very little roll, so the course was the winner on the day, with no golfer bettering his handicap. Tony Robbins completed a successful week (2 first places and a second) before departing on holiday, hopefully giving someone else a chance to win. Colin Greig claimed second place (losing to Tony again) and William Macey took third place winning a four-way countback. Very unusually, only 2 near pins were claimed.

Results:

1^st  Tony Robbins                                 (hcp 14) nett 73

2^nd Colin Grieg                                       (hcp 13) nett 74

3^rd  William Macey                               (hcp 16) nett 78

Near pin winners –  John Graham, Hugh O’Donnell

The Golfer of the Month competition has reached an interesting halfway stage, woth the two current leaders (Tony Robbins and John Graham) taking a break for holidays or work, and leaving the field open for some new faces on the leaderboard.

Wednesday 11th August 2010

Wangjuntr G.C. Stableford

Taking advantage of the low season promotion we decided to make a longer than usual trip to Wangjuntr Valley course for the first time as a society. A decision was made to play from the blue tees ( the main instigator being Gerry), and this proved disastrous for some of the higher handicap golfers who could not negotiate the 200 plus yard carry over water on the 9^th hole. Some of the holes are very long (a 479 yard par 4, and a   623 yard par 5 for example) and the course is really only suitable for lower handicap golfers. At the best of times this is one of the most difficult and longest courses in the area, and today the course was shabby and undergoing maintenance to several greens. Hence the scores were low with Peter Habgood taking the honours, defeating Tony Robbins on a countback with 31 points. Third place was taken by Bruce Gladden with 29 points. A feature of this course is that it includes 5 par 3’s (and 5 par 5’s) but only 3 near pins were claimed on the day, by Dave Galvin, Peter Habgood and Reg Smart. Generally the overall concensus was that the condition of the course was disappointing, and that it is not really suitable for a society competition, and certainly not from the blue tees.

Results:

1^st  Peter Habgood                               (hcp 17) 31 points

2^nd Tony Robbins                                (hcp 14) 31 points

3^rd Bruce Gladden                                (hcp 15) 29 points

Near Pin Winners – Dave Galvin, Peter Habgood and Reg Smart

Monday 9th August 2010

Rayong G.G. Stableford

Rayong C.C. has become a regular venue in recent months, but this time we found the course in rather poor condition, with very dry fairways, inconsistent sanded greens, and shabby tees. Although most golfers enjoy the layout, they struggled on the greens and the scores were generally lower than we have come to expect here. Tony Robbins enjoyed a return to form to win the competition with 37 points, beating Colin Greig on a countback. The shot of the day however, came from Geoff Williams who narrowly missed a hole-in-one to finish 3 inches from the pin on the 12th hole, snatching the near pin prize from Geoff Parker, who was counting his chickens, after finishing 3 foot from the pin.

Results:

1^st  Peter Habgood                               (hcp 17) 31 points

2^nd Tony Robbins                                 (hcp 14) 31 points

3^rd Bruce Gladden                                (hcp 15) 29 points

Near Pin Winners – Dave Galvin, Peter Habgood and Reg Smart

Emerald G.C.  Rainbow Stableford

The very unusual prospect of losing 2 games of golf in one week seemed likely as we sat in the Bunker Bar in the morning. As our scheduled departure time approached, the heavy persistent rain continued and some of the less optimistic souls were wavering as to whether to make the trip to Bang Chang. In the end the decision was made, and a dozen intrepid golfers set off to the course, with the rain still hammering down. We arrived at Emerald as the rain stopped and the course appeared playable, so we duly paid the green fees and headed to the first tee. Before the first group teed off the rain came again and we were forced to wait another hour before the skies cleared and the river running down the 1^st fairway subsided. Peter pushed his first tee shot into the hazard, pulled his second way to the left, promptly threw a tantrum, declared the course unplayable, and stormed off the tee, heading presumably to cool off in Bang Chang. The remaining golfers played 3 soggy holes before the course began to dry out, and the day got better and better. We completed the 18 holes without any further rain until the final group was walking down the 18^th fairway – Amazing Thailand !  At the end of the day everyone agreed that the wait had been worthwhile, especially PJ who recovered from a run of bad form to run away with the competition with 38 points. Runner up was Bruce Gladden with 36 points, and John Graham beat Gerry Cooney on a countback to claim 3^rd place.

Results:

1^st  P.J. Redmond                                 (hcp 19) 38 points

2^nd Bruce Gladden                                (hcp 15) 36 points

3^rd  John Graham                                  (hcp 10) 35 points

Near pin winners – Brian Maddox, John Graham, Tony Robbins, and Geoff Parker.

Tuesday 3rd August 2010

Laem Chabang G.C.

Taking advantage of the Sports Day prices we played Laem Chabang for the 2^nd time in recent months. This time the condition of the course was much improved from the previous visit, and everyone agreed that at this price, the course is well worth playing, and provides a fine test of golf. The lack of roll on the fairways made the course play long, and the scores reflected that, with no golfers breaking their handicap. The best round of the day with 35 points was recorded by John Graham, recently returned from the desert, so there are suspicions that he may have been practicing bunker shots during non-working hours. Second and third places were decided on a countback with khun Sakorn edging out Brian Maddox on 34 points Similarly Kevin Hamilton beat newly crowned Golfer of the Month, Bruce Gladden, on a countback with 33 points

Results:

1^st John Graham                                    (hcp 10) 35 points

2^nd Sakorn Pramoolchart                     (hcp 23) 34 points

3^rd Brian Maddox                                  (hcp 19) 34 points

4^th Kevin Hamilton                               (hcp 16) 33 points

Near Pin Winners – Gerry Cooney (great shot), Kenny Chung and the other two went to khun Sakorn.

Monday 2nd August 2010

Plutaluang Navy

We decided to schedule a return to the Navy course after an 18 month hiatus, following a number of problems playing there, caused mainly by intrusions of 6-balls at any point around the course, and a general lack of proper organization. Several of our regular members (well at least Gerry) expressed a wish to give the venue another try, but unfortunately the golfing gods had other ideas. After leaving Pattaya in heavy rain we arrived at the course to find it dry, but before we could even complete registration, the heavens opened, and within 45 minutes the fairways and greens were extensively flooded. After a further wait we decided to abandon the competition, and cash refunds were provided by the course without any problem, so thanks to them for that. Three determined golfers (including Gerry) decided to wait out the rain, and were eventually able to complete 15 holes, whilst others decided to boost the profits of several establishments in nearby Bang Chang.

Mountain Shadow

There were four golfer’s in with a shout for the golfer of the month title in the last game in July played at Mountain Shadow. Mashi, Bruce Gladden, Eddie Martin and Gerry Cooney all needed a win today to win it, but it was early leader Bruce Gladden who came back in style to win on the day and pip Gerry Cooney to win the golfer of the month trophy by just one point! Geoff Parker was runner up today and unlucky Gerry could only finish third. Bruce’s win was the first time for him and puts another new name on the golfer of the month trophy so congratulations go to him!

Results:

1^st Bruce Gladden                                 (hcp 16) 35 points

2^nd Geoff Parker                                   (hcp 16) 33 points

3^rd Gerry Cooney                                 (hcp 10) 31 points

Near pin winners – Takeshi Hakozaki took two today with the other two going to Alan Sullivan and Gerry Cooney.

Wednesday 28th July 2010

Greenwood

Yet another golfer came into the frame in the golfer of the month competition in the shape of Eddie Martin, and a fine figure of a man he is too! Eddie’s one under par was enough to win today’s Medal round ahead of Brian Maddox in second place and Gerry Cooney picked up some useful points by finishing third.

Results:

1^st Eddie Martin                                    (hcp 18) nett 71

2^nd Brian Maddox                                 (hcp 20) nett 74

3^rd Gerry Cooney                                  (hcp 10) nett 75

Near Pin Winners – Only three greens were hit again today one by the in form Gerry Cooney the other two went to Geoff Parker and Eddie Martin.

Monday 26th July 2010

Rayong C.C.

Gerry Cooney is making a late surge for the golfer of the month title, Gerry won again today beating Bob Turner who took the runner up place, beating Mashi on a count back. Mashi’s third place also keeps him in touch with the leaders too.

Results:

1^st Gerry Cooney                      (hcp 11) 38 points

2^nd Bob Turner                          (hcp 19) 36 points

3^rd Mashi Kaneta                      (hcp 11) 36 points

Near Pin Winners – Only three greens were hit so Gerry Cooney, Mashi and Bob Turner shared the kitty.

Phoenix

Playing a Medal round at Phoenix Roger Privett, who’s a member there, pulled out all the stops to win, beating Mashi but only after a count back, both players shooting a three under par round! Bruce Gladden kept his nose in front in the golfer of the month competition by taking third place.

Results:

1^st Roger Privett                                   (hcp 16) nett 69

2^nd Mashi Kaneta                                 (hcp 11) nett 69

3^rd Bruce Gladden                                (hcp 16) nett 71

Near pin winners – Only three par three greens were hit for some reason, prizes going to Mashi, Roger Privett and Tony Robbins.

Wednesday 21st July 2010

Treasure Hill

The two golfers leading the golfer of the month table fought it out today with Gerry Cooney coming out on top to win by two points! Bruce Gladden took second place and Tony Robbins came in third a couple of points further back.

Results:

1^st Gerry Cooney                                   (hcp 11) 36 points

2^nd Bruce Gladden                                (hcp 16) 34 points

3^rd Tony Robbins                                  (hcp 14) 32 points

Near Pin Winners – Near pin prizes were spread around between Gerry Cooney, Geoff Cox, Colin Greig and Bruce Gladden.

Monday 19th July 2010

Crystal Bay

Crystal Bay was unusually tough today and the scores reflected as much! Eddie Martin had the best round of the day winning with a one under par nett 71. Old rivals and best pals Reg Smart and Peter Habgood were both surprised to find themselves in the money, Reg taking second place with a nett 75 and Peter taking third place with a very modest nett 80!

Results:

1^st Eddie Martin                        (hcp 18) nett 71

2^nd Reg Smart                            (hcp 24) nett 75

3^rd Peter Habgood                   (hcp 17) nett 80

Near Pin Winners – Tony Robbins took two near pins, Reg and Eddie won the other two.

Green Valley

Gerry with Roger hovering in the background!

Gerry Cooney’s had a good start to the week winning at Burapha and Khaow Kheow but he was away trying his luck at Treasure Hill in the Pattaya Sports Club Monthly Medal. Roger Privett took advantage and took the honours winning with 38 Stableford points, Eddie Martin was second three points back and Peter Habgood came third a further three points behind.

Results:

1^st Bruce Gladden                              (hcp 16) nett 70

2^nd Reg Smart                                     (hcp 24) nett 71

3^rd Tony Robbins                              (hcp 15) nett 73

Near pin winners – Geoff Parker claimed one and Eddie Martin won two with the fourth green not hit.

Wednesday 14th July 2010

Burapha

Playing a Medal round today Gerry Cooney slaughtered the field winning for the second time this week by a massive ten shots with a two under par score on his card!  PJ Redmond claimed second place by way of a count back ahead of Colin Greig in third place.

Results:

1^st Gerry Cooney                                 (hcp 11) nett 70

2^nd PJ Redmond                                  (hcp 18) nett 80

3^rd Colin Greig                                      (hcp 12) nett 80

Near Pin Winners –Gerry, PJ, Colin and Geoff won one each.

Monday 12th July 2010

Khaow Kheow

Playing Stableford the scores were very close today, only one point separating the top three. It took a count back to separate William Macey and Roger Privett, William coming out on top to take the runner up spot, Gerry Cooney narrowly winning with a point more than those two.

Results:

1^st Gerry Cooney                      (hcp 11) 34points

2^nd William Macey                  (hcp 16) 33 points

3^rd Roger Privett                      (hcp 17) 33 points

Near Pin Winners – Mashi and Colin Greig took two apiece!

Phoenix

Two time winner Bruce!

Bruce Gladden was back to his best again shooting a two under par round to put himself well ahead in July’s golfer of the month competition. Last month’s runner up Reg Smart took second place with a sub par round only one shot behind and Tony Robbins came in third with a nett 73.

Results:

1^st Bruce Gladden                                 (hcp 16) nett 70

2^nd Reg Smart                                        (hcp 24) nett 71

3^rd Tony Robbins                                 (hcp 15) nett 73

Near pin winners – Geoff Parker, Henry Wong and Mashi took the other two!

Wednesday 7th July 2010

Bang Pra

Soggy conditions which prevented any roll on the ball accounted for the relatively poor scoring today at Bang Pra with count backs separating all the leaders. Mashi Kaneta came out on top to win ahead of Geoff Cox, both finishing with nett 78. Geoff Parker, who’s shown he hasn’t lost his touch having been away in Cambodia for six months, took third place, again, on a count back ahead of Gerry Cooney.

Results:

1^st Mashi Kaneta                                  (hcp 10) nett 78

2^nd Geoff Cox                                        (hcp 15) nett 78

3^rd Geoff Parker                                   (hcp 15) nett 79

Near Pin Winners – Geoff Cox, Mashi, Reg Smart and PJ.

Monday 5th July 2010

Rayong Country Club

Bruce Gladden is the man to watch this month as he followed up his superb round at Royal Lakeside on Friday wit an equally impressive round today at Rayong Country Club! After shooting a nett 69 on Friday, playing Stableford format Bruce followed up by scoring 40 points at a course he loves to win by five points ahead of Roger Privett who beat Eddie Martin on a count back.

Results:

1^st Bruce Gladden                     (hcp 17) 40points

2^nd Roger Privett                     (hcp 17) 35 points

3^rd Eddie Martin                       (hcp 18) 35 points

Near Pin Winners – Bruce Gladden, Eddie Martin, Roger Privett and Gerry Cooney.

Crystal Bay

Geoff Cox made up for missing out on Wednesday by winning quite comfortably today. Joe Vanderwegan has been playing well recently but has been just missing out but he got in the money this time, taking second place ahead of Peter Habgood who beat his playing partner Reg Smart on a count back which extends his lead in the golfer of the month table!

Results:

1^st Geoff Cox                                       (hcp 14) 36 points

2^nd Joe Vanderwegan                    (hcp 20) 34 points

3^rd Peter Habgood                           (hcp 17) 31 points

Near pin winners – PJ Redmond, Eddie Martin, Mashi and Geoff Cox.

Wednesday 16th June 2010

Greenwood

On a deserted course playing a Medal round Gerry Cooney kept up the pressure on Peter Habgood in the race to be golfer of the month by shooting a fine five under par round to easily win today. Reg Smart is still in with a shout, and his second place today keeps him in the frame as he beat Geoff Cox on a count back.. Reg’s second place finish moves him up into second place in the golfer of the month table also and he’s determined to push Peter all the way!

Results:

1^st Gerry Cooney                                (hcp 12) nett 67

2^nd Reg Smart                                      (hcp 25) nett 74

3^rd Geoff Cox                                        (hcp 14) nett 74

Near Pin Winners – Joe Vanderwegan, Terry Gill, Geoff Cox and Gerry Cooney.

Monday 14th June 2010

Khaow Kheow

Peter Habgood followed up his win at Green Valley last week with another win today to put himself firmly in the driving seat for the golfer of the month trophy. Playing Stableford Alan Sullivan took the runner up spot a couple of points behind and Gerry Cooney was a little surprised, but pleased, to find his 29 points enough to take third place!

Results:

1^st Peter Habgood                   (hcp 19) 34 points

2^nd Alan Sullivan                     (hcp 11) 32 points

3^rd Gerry Cooney                    (hcp 12) 29 points

Near Pin Winners – PJ Redmond, Reg Smart and Peter Habgood rounded off a good day by winning the other two.