GOLF NEWS
Fit for Golf
The first part of the article will consider which muscles need improvement and which ones are already functioning properly. Some simple tests can be carried out to judge the length of the muscles and pinpoint what is required. Looking at the areas that are used more in golf we will concentrate on back rotation, hip rotation and neck rotation. The other areas of the body shouldn’t be neglected but to cover all the angles will take too long.
The body is designed to move in a rhythmical way. Once muscles and joints start to tighten up the whole mechanics of movement is thrown out of line. Back rotation is where a lot of people struggle. Two positions are to be adopted for the tests. Firstly lie on the floor on the back with the arms out to the side at shoulder height. Bend the knees to 90º and keep the soles of the feet on the ground. Drop the knees to one side but make sure the shoulders and arms stay still. Take the legs to the other side and compare the ranges of movement. If you are not sure then get a friend to measure the distance from knees to floor on each side for the comparison. To further test the back sit on a chair and cross the arms over the chest. Keep the arms tight to the chest and don’t lift the bottom off of the chair while you turn the shoulders to one side. Again the help of someone to mark the end range will be helpful. Compare sides once more to see which needs improving.
Tightness through the hip leads to lack of fluency in the swing. Sit with the legs out stretched and the back supported. Turn the foot outwards and then inwards. Check to see if there is a difference in how far the toes travel. Always keep the bottom on the ground and the legs straight.
Inability to turn the neck can lead to lifting the head during the swing and we all know what happens next! Sit on a seat with the back straight and the arms resting on the legs. Turn the head to one side. The chin should be over the collar bone at the end of the movement. Mark where each side travels to and decide which side needs the attention most.
Now you know what you are working with. Next month, stretches that will help to get a better range of movement will be prescribed.
If you can’t wait for next month and would like to get yourself more flexible then call Terry on 081 0096588 or visit www.fit-foregolf.com
Butterfly Rock Golf Club
The past month has been essentially uneventful, with the competitions being widely shared, although the usual suspects still appear on a regular basis. The courses are quieter (apart from the Songkran holiday) and the regulars are settling back in to enjoy the “millionaires golf” we are privileged to receive in the low season.
May will herald the first of our annual trophy competitions with the club staging the Whippet Trophy at Majestic Creek. This will be a “Better Ball” event and members should ensure that they sign up early for this popular competition, won last year by the team of Kevin Dwyer and Peter Fitzpatrick.
Our Order of Merit continues with three names beginning to stretch out in front. Brian McLeod leads by two points from the current holder, Paul Williams who, in turn, is four points ahead of Phil Simons. It should be an interesting competition as there is still a long way to go.
The “First Lady” experienced the downs and the further downs of golf during the past month. Unusually, even for this Club where the purchase of jugs of beer is a common occurrence, she was obliged to buy one for her playing partners as a result of failing to pass the Ladies Tee box, having teed off from it! Her explanation to the effect that she hadn’t seen the rock she hit was considered in mitigation but rejected in favour of the fine. Debs was considerably, but briefly, cheered however, when she shot a meritorious 38 points at Lake View (C&D) only to remember that she had excluded herself from the competition. Her second place was handed to a gleeful Alan Rawson.
After a brief change of plan, we have returned to the computer booking system and may I urge all members to check in to our website to enter their names for the Monday roll ups and for the Wednesday competitions. It is important and helpful to the event organizers to know the numbers in advance and, if you are not on the list, you risk a wasted journey should the numbers be greater than our slots. Our website is at www.brgc.biz and is maintained on a virtual daily basis with results, handicap revisions, news and much more. Members should also note that, as from May 1st, the Monday competition at Lake View will start at 10:00 and not 11:00 as hitherto.
One high spot of the past month was Paul Frampton’s party at the Marriott Hotel to celebrate his Birthday and engagement to the lovely Juan. Good food, copious quantities of alcohol and a delightful setting ensured a most enjoyable evening for all concerned. Regrettably, the standard of golf the next day left much to be desired but the evening was a definite success. Thank you Paul.
Good golfing to you all.
BRGC Results
17th March Lake View (A+C) Stableford
1st David Leaver 33 pts (16 hcp), 2nd Adrian Byrne 33 pts (26 hcp), 3rd Brian McLeod 32 pts (9 hcp)
19th March Sawang Medal
1st Brian McLeod 79-9-70, 2nd Paul Frampton 93-21-72, 3rd Paul Williams 75-3-72
24th March Lake View Stableford
1st Paul Frampton 40 pts (21 hcp), 2nd Adrian Byrne 39 pts (26 hcp), 3rd Alan Rawson 37 pts (18 hcp)
31st March Lake View Stableford
1st Duang Bach 39 pts (34 hcp), 2nd Phil Simons 37 pts (21 hcp), 3rd Howard Lewis 34 pts (26 hcp)
2nd April Lake View Medal
1st Craig Miller 78-12-66, 2nd Paul Williams 76-3-73, 3rd Mike Ford 87-13-74
7th April Lake View Stableford
1st Adrian Byrne 39 pts (25 hcp), 2nd Bill Malone 36 pts (19 hcp), 3rd Phil Simons 36 pts (21 hcp)
9th April Black Mountain Stableford
1st Paul Williams 35 pts (3 hcp), 2nd Nid Byrne 32 pts (23 hcp), 3rd Craig Miller 31 pts (11 hcp)
14th April Lake View (C&D) Stableford
1st Peter Tucker 41 pts (11 hcp), 2nd Alan Rawson 36 pts (18 hcp), 3rd Roger Towner 35 pts (19 hcp)
BRGC Fixtures for May 2008
7th Majestic Creek – The Whippet Trophy (Better Ball) - 11:00
14th Lake View (A & B) – 3 Person Scramble – 10:00
21st Black Mountain – 11:00
28th Sawang – Stableford – 11:00
Saga Tailor Tour
The 5th season - 14 April 2008.
New for this season is that we will be running a separate Seniors flight parallel to the main event. The Senior flight will have its own order of merit (OoM). To qualify for the senior flight you have to be 50 years young or going to be 50 during 2007.
03-Mar Black Mountain
Place Name Score OoM Baht
1 Kenny Walker 73 40 2250
2 Marten Milling 74 34 1550
3 Choompol C.C 77 27 450
3 Jorgen Persson 77 27 450
3-Mar Black Mountain “Seniors Flight”
Place Name Score OoM Baht
1 Choompol C.C 77 10 900
2 Jeff Chapin 78 7 600
17-Mar Lake View
Place Name Score OoM Baht
1 Shinichi Goma 71 40 2250
2 Choompol C.C 73 34 1550
3 Jeff Chapin 76 24 225
3 Suwit Pahulo 76 24 225
3 Kenny Walker 76 24 225
3 C. Longbottom 76 24 225
17-Mar Lake View (A+C) “Seniors Flight”
Place Name Score OoM Baht
1 Choompol Cham Chemn 73 10 900
2 Jeff Chapin 76 6 300
2 Suwit Pahulo 76 6 300
31-Mar Palm Hills
Place Name Score OoM Baht
1 Simon Yates 76 40 2300
2 C. Longbottom 77 27.5 850
2 Jorgen Persson 77 27.5 850
2 Jeff Chapin 77 27.5 850
2 Suwit Pahulo 77 27.5 850
31-Mar Palm Hills “Seniors Flight”
Place Name Score OoM Baht
1 Jeff Chapin 77 8.5 750
1 Suwit Pahulo 77 8.5 750
07-Apr Lake View (A+B)
Place Name Score OoM Baht
1 Kenny Walker 69 40 1950
2 C. Longbottom 74 34 1350
3 Simon Forsslund 78 29 600
07-Apr Lake View (A+B) “Seniors Flight”
Place Name Score OoM Baht
1 Jeff Chapin 80 10 1100
Order of Merit 5th Season
Place Name OoM Points
1 Kenny Walker 572.8
2 Suwit Pahulo 415.3
3 Jorgen Persson 332
4 Jeff Chapin 292.3
5 Marten Milling 228.1
6 John MacKenzie 215.8
7 C. Longbottom 199
8 Shinichi Goma 194.3
9 Simon Yates 189
10 Larry Kitt 151
SENIORS Order of Merit 2nd season (07/08)
Place Name OoM Points
1 Suwit Pahulo 151.5
2 Jeff Chapin 103.5
3 Larry Kitt 75
4 Choompol Cham Chemn 50
5 Dave Allgaier 25
6 Roger Donaldson 23
7 Chris Woollams 17
8 Jonathan Davis 14
9 Roddy Watkins 10
Tournaments coming up:
Start of the 5th season of the
SAGA TAILOR Tour
Mon, 5 May 21th STT Tournament 08.00 Royal Hua Hin
Mon, 26 May 22th STT Tournament 08.00 Springfield
Mon, 9 Jun 23th STT Tournament 08.00 Lake View (A+B)
To stay updated visit our web-site:
www.golfhuahin.net
Hope to see you all at our tournaments.
Jorgen Persson Suwit Pahulo
PGA of Sweden Thai PGA
081-434 6540 081-856 4509
BLACK MOUNTAIN HI!
Meet Harald Elisson (Harry), Director of Golf at the Black Mountain Golf Club in Hua Hin. Clad in the black livery of the organisation, he’s a friendly 32-year-old Swede from Stockholm and so far, he’s been enjoying his Thai experience. “My ambition is that people coming here to Black Mountain will have the complete Five-Star experience, first from playing on the course and then taking advantage of all our facilities,” he says. “We aim to offer a complete package, with visiting golfers being resident and able to play as often as they like. Being voted first runner-up among Asian courses recently was a great accolade for us.”
The sweeping grounds at Black Mountain are certainly impressive, with the lush greens well hydrated by three lakes worked by an advanced computerised system “We have such a good system here now that we can still keep the course going for two years without rain”, he says, with some pride. “And we can supply water for the planned housing project, also.”
Harry’s background was in international telecommunications, but he is of course a keen golfer who worked in marketing on a golf course in Phuket. Now he is back in Thailand, getting paid for something he really loves doing. Can anyone do better than that?
The Black Mountain course opened for business in April 2007 and in March 2009 will be one of the venues in The Asian Tour, with 144 players taking part in this top class competition. The course record so far is 63 strokes for the 18 holes, set by the resident Golfing Professional, Simon Yates.
“I like to play myself, when I get some time, usually in the low season. My inspiration as a golfer was Adam Scott,” says Harry. “When asked about it I like to think that the ‘signature hole’ on this course is on every one of the 18 holes.”
Black Mountain employs no less than 185 caddies, almost all of them female, who have all been through a rigorous training course, including English lessons from a resident languages expert from a local university. Harry declares, “We are very proud of our caddies, and what they are now able to do.”
Green fees at Black Mountain start at 3,000 baht, with special discounts for big groups. “We like to encourage large tour groups here,” says Harry, “we already have corporate groups playing here, and we work with local hotels for accommodation. But when we get the hotel built on site, we will be in a position to offer our guests the whole package: the course, a top-class restaurant, and full hotel living amenities including a mini-market, fitness gym and a swimming pool on the premises. Our aim is to be a completely self-contained community here. And in roughly two years time, we will also have another 18-hole course here for our guests. In the meantime, there are houses available here for sale and eventually there will be condo units also.” For a golfer, what can be better than actually living right beside a beautiful course in The Land of Smiles?
What would be his best tip for keen golfers playing on the Black Mountain course? He thought about that for some time. Then he spoke.
“Have fun!” he said.
GOLF - CAMBODIA
In all my years in Asia, I’d always wanted but had never been to Cambodia, so when the opportunity finally arrived, I jumped at it! The temples of Angkor have always held a mystique for me and all the Khmer people I’d met have been so friendly, I couldn’t wait to go! But, I was intrigued when told to “bring my golf clubs!” “Golf! – In Cambodia? – At Angkor Wat???” I knew there was golf in Phnom Penh but now it seemed there was golf on offer in Siem Reap, the base for visits to the amazing temples.
After the 1-hour flight from Bangkok, I was soon heading into town in the company of hundreds of motorbikes. The town, I was told, had grown dramatically over the last couple of years as more people came to visit what should be classed as the 8th Wonder of the World. But Siem Reap has retained its charm, and reminded me a little of New Orleans with it’s French colonial style buildings, many now restaurants with balconies overlooking the bustling streets.
I was checked into the very grand Sofitel Phokeethra Hotel, then headed off to the hotel’s golf course – The Phokeethra.
Venue of the recent inaugural Johnnie Walker Cambodian Open, the course manager said the locals were kept out of the event after being told the moat that surrounds the course had been filled with crocodiles for the occasion! I was pleasantly surprised at the contours of the course, considering its right in the middle of flat fertile rice fields. The condition was excellent with the 4th (par 5, stroke index 1) and their own Amen Corner of the 15, 16 & 17th the most memorable of holes. I ended up playing to just over my handicap, which in my book is always a sign of a well thought out course. After a shower, change and excellent lunch, my driver/guide took me off for my first encounter with the wonders of Angkor, and where better to start than Angkor Wat itself! It’s actually bigger than I had imagined and the glory of the ancient Khmer empire was immediately apparent with the intricate stone carvings and murals of a fairly bloodthirsty race of people. For me it was more impressive than the pyramids of Giza.
For 2 hours I wandered corridors and climbed ever higher towards the very seat of the Khmer King. Unfortunately, you cannot get right to the top at the moment as a few months back a drunken Korean tourist had lost his balance and fell to his demise…. but they are in the process of installing safer wooden steps.
Getting back to the car I thought we would be heading to the hotel for sundowners but within 15 minutes I was standing in the basket of a tethered hot air balloon, taking photos of Angkor Wat as the setting sun gleamed gold on the ruins – Spectacular!
In the evening I was again picked up and taken “downtown” for an introduction to Khmer food at the famous Red Piano. Looking over the balcony I indulged in local lake fish prepared in a variety of ways, some stir fried dishes (not spicy like Thai food) and Pharok – a strong fermented fish paste that didn’t agree with my palette!
The nightlife is good too and while much calmer than Bangkok, there’s still plenty of places to enjoy watching and meeting people in the numerous bars, bistros and clubs.
The next morning, after an early breakfast, we were again transported back a thousand years as we discovered the glory of Ta Phrom, well before the tourist buses turned up. If you like photography it’s perfect, as the early morning sun pierces through the trees, creating an astonishing atmosphere in this temple that has all but been taken over by the surrounding jungle.
By 10am I was on the 1st at Angkor Golf Resort, quite probably Nick Faldo’s greatest achievement yet! I’ve been very lucky to have played many great courses around the world, Asia in particular, but I must admit, this is now my favourite. In true Faldo style, you are challenged to “make the shot” and if successful you are rewarded with a “I don’t want that one back” feeling and, “Glate Shot!” from the cute Khmer caddie. Apart from the dastardly 13th, I had a good round and after a couple of the local Angkor beers and a sandwich, we were off to Preh Rup for yet another stunning sunset and plenty of photo opportunities.
The following day, we travelled to the ladies temple, Bante Sreah, a wonderful pinkish coloured temple before heading up into the hills bordering on to Laos. A 30-minute easy climb and I was at Kbal Spean where Linga’s (Hindu symbols of worship) are actually carved into the riverbed floor – it’s really impressive. A light lunch of noodles and then off to Beng Malea. This was the prototype to the prototype of Angkor Wat and it’s really deep in the jungle – Tomb Raider stuff and definitely my favourite!
By late afternoon we had arrived at a small river next to a village where I boarded a motorbike taxi which then took me out towards Tonle Sap, South East Asia’s largest fresh water lake and source of the previous night’s excellent fish! A boat was waiting and off we went through the mangrove. After 20 minutes we were now in a village of floating houses – Kampong Pluek. The village is very poor, there is a Bhuddist temple and everyone was very friendly. The children ran around shouting “Goodbye!” which felt strange, as if they knew we would not be staying long… Then back on to the boat and out to the lake itself for one of the most memorable sunsets I have ever seen.
The next morning I was taken to another pier – they are movable as the lake’s edge moves in and out around 6km as the Siem Reap River is the only river in the world to flow in both directions, depending on the time of year. I had chosen to take the ferry to the capital, Phnom Penh which was a bit long at 6 hours but you can take the short flight or a car journey of around 5 hours with a couple of interesting stops along the way including lunch in a wonderful setting, I’m told.
Arriving in Phnom Penh by boat was fantastic and my guide was waiting to take me to my hotel, The Raffles Royal, a colonial hotel with those rare attributes of both history and style. Phnom Penh reminded me of the old Asia when I first arrived here 25 years ago; bustling, chaotic but somehow it all works!….
A late lunch at the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC) over looking the river and a wander around the famous market finished off a long but excellent days travel.
My last morning and I was taken to the sobering Toul Sleng School, more infamously known as the torture centre during the Khmer Rouge regime’s rule. Then the Killing Fields, much smaller than I had imagined but nevertheless, the potency of the place was all too apparent, fragments of bone still peaking through the paths and there were no signs or sounds of birds….
In the afternoon, I played the Cambodian Golf & Country Club which was above average but nothing to compare with the Angkor courses. My guide, Mr. Kim told me the other course in the city, Royal Cambodian is the Prime Ministers favourite but in his opinion was “a field not worthy of a buffalo!” I’m not sure if this was a critique of the course or something entirely different… In the evening I caught my flight back to Bangkok.
All in all, Cambodia more than bettered my expectations and I’m back off there next month to explore the upcoming beach resort of Sihanoukville plus Kep and Kampot – Asia’s undiscovered beach destinations.
Cambodia is easily accessible by air from 7 destinations around Asia and I really have to recommend it to all you adventure golfers! Paying in US dollars in an already cheap country was a bonus, the friendly people, great food, excellent golf and off-course sights and sounds makes Cambodia a must-do!
Come visit Cambodia soon! Visit www.exoticgolfholidays.com/cambodia.htm for more information.
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