Monday, October 14th
Crystal Bay.
1st Ian Flannigan (22) 37 points
2nd Rob Folland (14) 33 points
3rd Jimmy Carr (21) 29 points
4th Takeshi Hakozaki (17) 28 points
Near pins Stuart Stammers, Rob Folland & Jimmy Carr.
A most peculiar day at Crystal Bay today where after only a couple of holes everybody was bathed in perspiration in the hot humid conditions but by the end of the round everyone was drenched by rain. Had our lead group been a bit less tardy the chances are that we would all have finished dry, yet another drawback of slow play.
This course continues to surprise people with a lot of favourable comments, but nobody had a good word to say about the bunkers which were shambolic, the greens were a bit bumpy in places but overall people were satisfied with the state of the course.
Normally a high scoring course it was anything but today with only Ian Flannigan putting in a good shift to win with thirty-seven points. This goes to show what a remarkable game golf can be, on Friday Ian couldn’t get off the tee and from memory had a no return, what an unbelievable turnaround? Second place went to Rob Folland with a modest thirty-three. Twenty-nine points was enough for Jimmy Carr to claim third with Takeshi Hakozaki a stroke further back in fourth place. Hot favourite of the day Stuart Stammers had a disastrous round with a grand total of twenty-one points, Stuart went to the driving range and had a lesson on Sunday which clearly had anything but the desired effect, many golfers are forever tinkering with their game forgetting the golden rule ” if it aint broke dont fix it”. Only three near pins were taken as listed.
Our next game is at Khao Kheow which will no doubt be our last game there before high season pricing kicks in, from what we have seen so far the outlook for high season doesn’t look great with many courses pricing themselves out of the market with the result that the cheaper courses will be heavily booked.. It’s not just golf courses, it has been noted this week that many restaurants around Soi Buakhao have also increased prices although not to the same extent.
Wednesday, October 16th
Khao Kheow A.& B.
1st Alan Sullivan (15) 39 points
2nd Jimmy Carr (22) 37 points
3rd Rob Folland (14) 35 points
4th Steve Downes (6) 34 points
Near pins Rob Folland, Jimmy Carr & Alan Sullivan.
A horrendous day for golf at Khao Kheow today. Play commenced on the A nine and within a matter of a few holes the rain came down, not in a downpour but heavy enough get get everyone wet, Shortly after the real storm hit with strong winds, some of the loudest thunder you could hear accompanied by some of the scariest lightning you could imagine which sent people scurrying for shelter, possibly a few brown undies along the way. When the storm finally abated and people regained their composure, the rain continued almost all day, not enough to stop play, just enough to add to the misery.
We finally got to play the B nine which has been closed for at least six months and it was certainly in great shape. Most of the tees have been renewed and look great, flat for a change, the fairways were as expected and the bunkers well sanded and manicured. Despite all that it was difficult to see what took so long to achieve as the nine looked pretty much like it was before apart from the tees which are now all level.
Despite the challenging conditions some scores were up to scratch, none better than Alan Sullivan who excelled with a magnificent thirty-nine points to take first place. Second place went to Jimmy Carr with thirty-seven points, Jimmy made a welcome if surprising appearance at the bar for the presentation. One who didn’t attend was Rob Folland who took third place with thirty-five points, one senses a return to top form for Rob. Steve Downes took the remaining spot in the winners circle with thirty-four points. As is often the case the near pins were taken by people in the winners circle.
There seems to be a possibility that the course may take a more pragmatic approach to high season pricing although this remains to be seen, could it be that high season bookings are not meeting expectations, only time will tell.
Friday October 18th
With a number of good scores in the making play was abandoned after nine holes. The course was hit by light rain which quickly increased to a downpour over time to the point where the course was flooded and play impossible Luckily everybody was back in the clubhouse by the time the thunder and lightning struck, nobody feels comfortable out in that.. Whilst the rain is brilliant for the courses, Emerald never looked better than today, players are fatigued by having to dry out their gear in between rounds, so the end of monsoon season can’t come quick enough for everybody. Next week we take on Greenwood in a medal competition before Mountain Shadow and Treasure Hill, two of the hardest courses on our roster then heading to Khao Yai the following week.
Ian Flannigan, winner at Crystal Bay.
Alan Sullivan winner at Khao Kheow.