Monday, January 6th
Pleasant Valley
1st Paul Smith (7) 37 points
2nd Robby Watts (13) 34 points
3rd Keith Norman (20) 34 points
4th Les Cobban (10) 33 points
5th Colin Greig (13) 33 points
6th Steve Downes (5) 33 points
Near pins. Andy Winterburn, Geoff Williams, & Steve Downes X 2.
One of the worst days of golf ever at Pleasant Valley today, or indeed anywhere else for that matter. Our regular tee time was unavailable due to scheduling difficulties so we were allocated a mid-day tee time. This was delayed for a further thirty minutes due to unavailability of caddies and when we finally got away the round was painfully slow with the front nine taking three hours to complete, the back nine was only slightly better with the last group finishing as darkness fell.
The course was in good condition whilst the greens were speedy which served to highlight some of the subtle breaks on them. Once again a strong wind blew which didn’t help, a field of twenty-five was on hand.
With water aplenty on the course one player had a very bad day losing about ten balls.
Scoring as listed was just about average for this course, many times we have seen better scoring here. We are now deep into the high season so the outlook for better paced golf looks remote. This problem is exacerbated by the fact the budget courses get heavily booked. Not only are we paying more to play now, it’s also less enjoyable.
Wednesday, January 8th
Crystal Bay
1st Jay Babin (32) 41 points
2nd Mike Milland (18) 39 points
3rd Les Humphreys (31) 39 points
4th Mark Hayward (16) 38 points
5th Colin Greig (13) 38 points
6th Greg Berry (16) 38 points
Near pins Colin Greig, Witt Mann, Ben Komssi, & Hubert Stiefenhofer.
One has to wonder what is in the Thai male psyche that compels them to play golf in groups of six or more. Today for reasons only known to himself the marshal put us out behind a six ball on the C nine when the A nine was vacant. As it turned out this particular six ball seemed to be intent on playing as slow as is humanly possible so we waited every shot on every hole until the marshal saw the error of his ways and moved them to the A nine after five holes, which he should have done from the get-go. The Bunker Boys lead group wondered how long into the back nine they would take to catch them up, as it happens it took only five holes before they were tearing their hair out again, an ugly sight for those follically challenged.
The Crystal Bay course was in ok condition, although the regular faults came to the fore, the bunkers which as usual were a shambles, and the C nine greens were slower than the A nine. Despite the difficulties scoring was of a high standard as is usually the case at this course with no fewer than ten players scoring thirty-six or better. Top score of the day went to Jay Babin who has a habit of producing a very good score at regular intervals, why his handicap remains so high is a mystery to most. Today he was in a particularly good frame of mind following the resignation of Justin Trudeau (Castro), a great day not just for Canadians but all those not of a woke disposition. Second place went to Mike Milland who beat Les Humphreys on countback. Another countback to determine the remaining places. It’s unusual when thirty-seven doesn’t figure somewhere on the winners list with two missing out today. The near pins were hotly contested with one hole changing hands five times.
After a long absence we are back to Silky Oak for Friday’s game where we expect big numbers again
Friday January 10th
1st Paul Smith (7) 37 points (17)
2nd Mike Milland (17) 36 points
3rd Colin Greig (13) 36 points
4th Uwe Jurgensen (30) 36 points
5th Michael Brett (18) 34 points
6th Mark Hayward (16) 34 points
Near pins Uwe Jurgensen, Craig Dows X 2, & Keith Hemmings X 2.
Utter pandemonium at Barcelona Valley when we arrived for our first game in ages at Silky Oak, rows of golf bags everywhere and no caddies to be had, even car parking was at a premium. After some negotiation we were allowed to take carts ourselves without caddies, most of whom caught up after a couple of holes, consequently another slow round. It’s funny how rules that at times are set in concrete can change to suit the situation when necessary. Most times golfers are not allowed to drive a cart except when expedient. A beautiful mild day for golf although the breeze was a bit strong at times.
Second win of the week for Paul Smith once again with thirty-seven points, A three-way tie for second place as listed with a countback also to decide fifth place. A rare five near pins on offer today with Keith Hemmings and Craig Dows taking two each while Uwe Jurgensen took the fifth.
Both the Green Valley and Silky Oak were very busy whereas St Andrews not so much, probably a pricing issue.
The constant comings and goings were evident with Sam Gershon and Les Humphreys departing today, next week we expect to see Eddie Kelly and Daryl Vernon, no doubt others will also turn up.
Paul Smith, winner at Pleasant Valley.
Jay Babin, winner at Crystal Bay
Mike Milland, winner at Silky Oak