Treasure Hill
1st Michael Brett (15) 32 points
2nd Jimmy Carr (16) 31 points
3rd Chris Dellamare (1) 28 points
Near pins Jimmy Carr, Michael Brett, & Chris DellamareX 2.
Today we had the pleasure of welcoming back Sean Murphy, and Chris Dellamare for the first game of June at possibly the most difficult courses on our playing roster, Treasure Hill. The course was in good condition until the start of the back nine when the rain came tumbling down requiring us to shelter for about forty minutes. Thereafter we had to play pick, clean, and place as the course was waterlogged in places, the greens seemed unaffected which is a tribute to the drainage on the course.
Conditions made scoring difficult as was reflected in the cards returned. Michael Brett scraped in, in first place with a modest thirty-two points, this score should have been at least three or four better but a series of lip-outs and near misses on the greens kept the score down. Jimmy Carr came second with thirty-one and Chris Dellamare rounded out the winner’s circle with a score of twenty-eight, a good score under the conditions off a handicap of one. Chris looked like taking all the near pins but ended up with two, Jimmy and Michael got the other two. Jimmy’s near pin was so far from the hole he needed to all his weight into the put just to get near the pin.
Wednesday, June 5th
Bangpra
1st Takeshi Hakozaki I(13) 33 points
2nd Sam Gershon (24) 32 points
3rd Gerry Cooney (21) 29 points
Near pins Jimmy Carr, Takeshi Hakozaki, Sean Murphy.
Today we had our first blow-in when passerby Sam Gershon decided to grasp the nettle and join us for a game at Bangpa. Staff at the course must have recently attended a P.R. course as they were much more amiable and welcoming, a very pleasant change from previous visits. Mist covered the mountains at the back of the course, so we expected we might have a little rain. How wrong can you be? by the completion of the sixth hole, it was torrential and with a strong wind blowing it was difficult to find a dry area to shelter in the drinks station. The wet coupled with a preponderance of thick coarse grass on the course made play very difficult, a fact that was reflected in the scoring. Another factor was a waite of fifty minutes to resume play meant several players had lost any rhythm they had before the rain.
Takeshi Hakozaki was cruising till the back nine when he fell away somewhat, nevertheless, he did enough to take first place with thirty-three. Sam Gershon showed glimpses of a much better player than a handicap of twenty-four would suggest and took second with thirty-two, and Gerry Cooney rounded out the scoring with twenty-nine in third. Near pins went to Jimmy as always, Takeshi and a super shot from Sean on the last par three which he converted into a birdie. We are now deep into monsoon season, I’m afraid we can expect disrupted play and difficult conditions for the next two months at least.
Friday, June 7th
Pattaya Country Club
1st Sean Murphy (18) 34 points
2nd Sam Gershon (24) 33 points
3rd Tony Plummer (18) 32 points
Near pins Sean Murphy, Tony Plummer.
Pattaya awoke to grey overcast skies with the threat of rain in the air and that’s exactly what happened. Persistent drizzle and light rain meant a day for umbrellas, not enough to require a break in play for shelter but just enough to make conditions uncomfortable, although the temperature was pleasant. The course was in good condition, in particular, the greens were to everybody’s liking.
Sean Murphy is playing some of the best golf we have seen from him and took first place with thirty-four points. Back at the bar, there was a chorus of requests for him to replay his near pin shot. Sam Gershon is clearly consistent and for the second day in a row took second place with an almost identical score of thirty-three points. Tony Plummer completed the winner’s circle in third place on thirty-two, also nailing a near pin with Sean taking the only other. Darryl Vernon back for his first game in two months only to take next week off to go up country, and Chris Dellamare is also absent for the next week or two involved in a competition in Hua Hin.

Sean Murphy wearing green naturally.