Monday, September 16th
Emerald
1st Michael Brett (19) 38 points
2nd Geoff Parker (23) 36 points
3rd Dave Galvin (20) 34 points
Near pins Luke Kuijten, Steve Downs, Dave Galvin, & Michael Brett
Sometimes when you have low expectations you can be pleasantly surprised as we were today at Emerald. For several months now the greens at this course have been very unsatisfactory and we were led to believe they were in bad shape again today, to the extent we considered a change of venue, however to our great surprise today they were not that bad at all, not great but acceptable. Could it be that all the effort the greens staff have put in over the months is finally starting to pay dividends? The fairways had a rich carpet of grass and the bunkers were also ok, the rough was thick, deep, and difficult to play from, hence the name rough. Overall at twelve hundred and fifty baht it was decent value.
For years now we were of the belief that a new clubhouse and three new holes were being built, to date we see no progress in that regard, although a Buddha shrine has been erected at the proposed site of the new clubhouse.
A Couple of players failed to come to grips with the course at all, others managed a decent nine but failed miserably on the other nine, with only a couple of players returning a respectable card as detailed above. Just as is common these days the last group dominated the near pins with Luke Kuijten the exception. Dave Galvin claimed that he would have had another had he been allowed to use his driver, something frowned upon unless it’s particularly long, none of today’s par threes would qualify. Not since the days of the late Peter Allen have we seen a driver used on par threes, Bangpakong Riverside may be the exception.
Our numbers were low today and could have been lower were it not for the lure of Ban Chang which seems to have developed a new lease on life for post golf activity, no doubt nothing like that exists in Pattaya.
At the mid stage of the month Dave Galvin is leading the golfer of the month by a couple of strokes, he seems determined to take the trophy back to Dublin at the end of the month, can anyone stop him?
Wednesday, September 18th
Khao Kheow C & A.
1st Michael Brett (19) 34 points
2nd Jimmy Carr (20) 31 points
3rd Tony Robbins (24) 29 points
Near pins, Michael Brett X 2.
A dull overcast day for the mid-week game at Khao Kheow where once again we were allocated the C & A nines, we had the expectation that the B nine would be open by now but it was not to be. The threat of rain was ever present with thunder rumbling in the distance, luckily it stayed away. The course was damp underfoot and played long from the yellow tees, made longer as the air was heavy restricting ball flight. We opted to play pick, clean, and place which was wise under the circumstances.
With several members taking a break due to the weather and several more on holiday we had our lowest number for years. The scores were nothing to shout about with most in the low to high twenties. Today’s winner Michael Brett faltered on the last with a wipe when a score beckoned, nonetheless thirty-four was enough to take first place. Jimmy Carr always in the frame took second with thirty-one and Tony Robbins brought up the rear with twenty nine points. Only two near pins were taken today going to Michael Brett
Our leader in golfer of the month Dave Galvin had a day to forget today, is the pressure getting to him or is the role of leader too much of a burden? the coming few games will tell.
A heads up for all locals and visitors alike, over the high season, if current indications hold up then several courses will be off limits to us due to exorbitant pricing. Even as it stands at present several courses which would be considered as nothing special fall outside our price range. It looks just like last year we will be restricted to a limited number of courses and as is usually the case those courses will be busy.
Friday, September 20th
Mountain Shadow
1st Sunny Khanna (14) 35 points
2nd Dave Galvin (20) 34 points
3rd Michael Brett (19) 33 points
Near pins, Witt Mann, Steve Downs, Sunny Khanna, & Michael Brett.
Following recent heavy rain today’s course at Mountain Shadow was a bit wet so the pick, clean, and place rule was applied, there was also a pick, rake, and drop rule for bunkers which usually are not in great shape at this course. Always a challenging course today there was the added difficulty of slow greens, no run on fairways and a quite strong wind resulting in mediocre scores with only four players making it into the thirties.
A surprise grab and dash raid from Sunny Khanna saw him take the goodies with a solid thirty-five points, Sunny always seems to win when he plays at the Bunker. After a disappointing round on Wednesday Dave Galvin jumped straight into the winners circle taking second place with thirty-four points, one knew he had something as he sported a cheesy grin coming off the eighteenth, as much as to say what pressure? A mixed bag for Michael Brett with three wipes, still his thirty-three was enough to take third. It was good to see all the near pins taken going to Witt Mann, Steve Downs, Sunny Khanna, & Michael Brett.
Our trip to Khao Yai is taking shape nicely with Geoff Parker doing an excellent job organising hotels and courses. Already there is a change to the proposed roster with the popular Sir James course replacing Bonanza on Monday. Further details will be posted as they become available, Geoff has already set up a group line for those attending.
Winner at Emerald & Khao Kheow, Michael Brett.
Winner at Mountain ShadowSunny Khanna.