This month's golf news and features
Hua Hin Golf Festival
The Hua Hin/Cha-am Golf Festival will be held throughout the month of August 2006. Springfield Village Golf & Spa, The Imperial Lake View Hotel & Golf Club, Palm Hills Golf Resort and Country Club, Kaeng Krachan Golf and Country Club, Sawang Resort & Golf Club, The Majestic Creek Golf & Resort and Royal Hua Hin Golf Course are the major courses participating in this golf festival.
Every day throughout August, select to play a round of golf at any one of these courses in Hua Hin/Cha-am for just THB800 per person/round – fees do not include caddies or golf buggies, and are not available at courses when organised events are taking place on every Sunday.
You can apply to compete in organised tournaments every Sunday for just THB1200 (Fees include caddy, souvenir memorabilia and dinner) with lots of prizes. Players achieving holes-in-one at designated holes receive prizes worth THB100,000 – 1,500,000. There is also a longest-drive contest, free golf-swing clinics with the renowned golf pro, a try out the latest range of golf equipment, browse and buy from a wide range of specially-discounted golf products at all the courses that are part of this golf festival.
For those readers unfamiliar with the excellent courses in the area, following is details of the courses taking part in the festival during August.
Imperial Lake View Hotel & Golf Club
Designer : Roger Packard
Open : 1993
Course Length
18 holes Par 72
Length : 6,915 yds.
Address
79 Moo 4, Tambol Sampraya
Cha Am, Petchaburi
Thailand, 76120
Telephone (02) 261-9000 Ext. 4247, (032) 456-233-40
Fax. (032) 456-241
URL http://www.imperialhotels.com
Distance
25 minutes from Hua Hin hotels
Lake View suits the average club golfer and the low handicapper. There are a number of hidden holes with greens not visible from tees, which tend to give one a sense of adventure. Well-defined rolling fairways provide necessary pointers for you to retain a sense of direction while large mounds and strategically-placed bunkers which catch the errant shot produce a succession of testing golf holes.
Thousands of mature palm trees are a feature of the course with water hazards coming into play regularly. The greens have interesting borrows to test your putting expertise.
The clubhouse has first class amenities adjoining a 75-room hotel overlooking the 18th hole.
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 out
Par 4 5 4 3 5 4 4 3 4 36
Blue 410 550 426 185 521 401 329 194 422 3,432
White 395 544 415 177 500 387 316 163 413 3,310
Women's 334 463 338 130 422 309 243 125 327 2,691
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 in Total
Par 4 4 5 4 3 5 4 3 4 36 72
Blue 430 382 471 433 207 540 404 176 440 3,483 6,915
White 420 363 453 415 196 520 391 157 396 3,311 6,621
Women's 344 318 391 341 108 458 314 113 318 2,705 5,396
Palm Hills Golf Resorts
Designer : Max Wexler
Open : 1991
Course Length
18 holes Par 72
Length : 6,892 yds.
Address
1444 Petchakasem Road,
Cha Am Petchaburi
Thailand, 76120
Telephone (032) 520-801-9 Reservation : (02) 259-3726-7
Fax. (032) 520-820, (02) 261-3791
URL http://www.palmhills-golf.com
Distance
15 Minutes from Hua Hin
The first of the new courses to open in 1991, Palm Hills is the closest to Hua Hin. It was the main venue for the inaugural Thailand World Pro Am tournament in 1993 and the Max Wexler design blends with the natural terrain of the surrounding hills to provide a layout that is enjoyable to golfers of all standards. Water hazards feature at regular intervals.
Thousands of brightly coloured bougainvilleas add to the natural beauty and the back nine provides some tremendous views of the Gulf of Thailand. The greens can be fast with some very tricky borrows.
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 out
Par 4 5 3 4 4 4 5 3 4 36
Blue 409 508 198 406 369 367 550 177 407 3,391
White 379 459 178 379 345 363 509 142 382 3,317
Women's 314 408 130 323 275 320 439 110 314 2,633
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 in Total
Par 4 3 5 4 4 3 5 4 4 36 72
Blue 432 160 551 390 382 173 571 420 418 3,497 6,888
White 406 139 525 356 338 149 550 390 383 3,236 6,373
Women's 365 127 438 309 295 128 511 352 340 2,865 5,498
Royal Hua Hin Golf Course
Designer : O.A. Robins
Open : 1924
Course Length
18 holes Par 72
Length : 6,678 yds.
Address
Hua Hin Prachuabkhirikhan
Thailand, 77110
Telephone (032) 512-475,(032) 531-070
Fax. (032) 513-038
Distance
5 minutes from Hua Hin
One of Thailand's gems is just a stone's throw from the centre of town. Cross the railway line at the station and you can walk on to the first tee. It's a classic example of a natural golf course, set in undulating terrain around impressive limestone escarpments. The fairways are lined with mature trees making shot accuracy the key to a good round. Several holes provide panoramic views of the Gulf of Thailand.
There are no water hazards, though monkeys have been known to make off with golf balls placed close to the jungle on several of the holes on the back nine.
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 out
Par 5 4 5 3 3 4 4 4 4 36
Blue - - - - - - - - - -
White 569 384 535 155 131 444 385 332 397 3,332
Women's 489 328 460 130 112 385 328 284 341 2,854
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 in Total
Par 4 5 4 4 3 5 3 4 4 36 72
Blue - - - - - - - - - - -
White 356 565 305 356 149 564 198 413 440 3,346 6,678
Women's 302 484 267 303 131 481 166 354 371 2,859 5,713
Sawang Resort Golf Club
Designer : Isao Katsumata
Open : 1993
Course Length
18 holes Par 72
Gold : 6959 yds
Blue : 6444 yds
White : 6097 yds
Red : 5269 yds
Address
99 Moo 2, Sapang
Kaoyoi, Petchaburi
Thailand, 76120
Telephone (032) 562-555-7, (01) 1924407, (01) 1920558, (02) 717-5191-3, (02) 719-3350-1
Fax. (032) 499-558, (02) 719-3932
URL http://www.sawangresortgolf.com
Distance
50 minutes from Hua Hin hotels
Sawang Resort and Golf Club is a fair test for all classes of player. The resort also incorporates a big clubhouse, hotel and sits in perfect harmony with its surrounding valley Petchaburi's rolling hills.
The course is about 50 minutes from Hua Hin on the main highway road to Bangkok. Situated in a private valley of Khao Yoi, the course is gently caved in to the landscape surrounded by the flesh water lakes.
The lay out has a very natural feel to it with a mixture of both water and trees - lined holes. It is generally quite an open course that appeals to all standards of player while also offering the lower handicapper the opportunity for some "High risk shot".
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 out
Par 4 5 4 3 4 4 4 3 5 36
Blue 400 510 371 187 355 368 393 162 523 3,110
White 320 489 343 165 330 342 311 162 501 3,019
Women's 303 398 301 154 290 314 344 123 440 2,667
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 in Total
Par 4 3 4 5 4 4 3 4 5 36 72
Blue 339 125 410 499 432 348 164 381 476 3,174 6,284
White 321 125 382 466 392 348 164 364 466 3,018 6,037
Women's 290 102 290 418 311 302 132 332 418 2,602 5,269
Springfield Royal Country Club
Designer : Jack Nicklaus
Open : 1993
Course Length
18 holes Par 72
Gold : 7063 yds
Blue : 6695 yds
White : 6281 yds
Red : 5660 yds
Address
193 Moo 6, Huay Sai Nua
Cha Am, Petchaburi
Thailand, 76120
Telephone (032) 593-223-5, (02) 231-2244
Fax. (032) 593-227, (02) 231-2249
Distance
25 minutes from Hua Hin Hotels
With five sets of tees to play from, Springfield is a championship course in the true sense of the word. The course is classic Jack Nicklaus with large areas of sand and well-appointed water hazards while offering the average golfer a fair challenge when played from the standard tees. Off the back markers, there are some big carries just to reach the fairways.
Springfield is one of the best-maintained courses in Thailand with excellent clubhouse facilities. It is very popular with the majority of the Hua Hin-based touring professionals who practise there regularly to keep their game finely tuned between the Asian PGA Davidoff Tour events.
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 out
Par 4 5 4 3 4 3 5 4 4 36
Blue 378 553 451 209 418 167 535 393 429 3,533
White 325 483 407 168 381 133 481 347 396 3,121
Women's 298 422 365 145 349 117 428 305 361 2,790
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 in Total
Par 4 4 5 4 3 4 4 3 5 36 72
Blue 410 397 518 422 178 450 408 202 527 3,530 7,063
White 367 254 476 382 150 423 362 173 473 3,160 6,281
Women's 332 317 449 342 137 381 329 158 425 2,870 5,660
The Majestic Creek Country Club
Designer : Dr Sukitti Klangvisai
Open : 1993
Course Length
18 holes Par 72
Length : 6,961 yds.
Address
164 Moo 4 Tambol Tabtai
Hua Hin, PrajuabKhiriKhan
Thailand, 77110
Telephone (032) 520-162-6, (032) 619-167, (01) 942-3619
Fax. (032) 520-477
Distance
25 minutes from Hua Hin hotels
Directly inland from Hua Hin, Majestic Creek was the latest of the 'new' courses to open. Dr Sukitti Klangvisai, Thailand's leading course architect, has used the backdrop of the foothills of the mountain range dividing the kingdom from Myanmar (Burma) and the maze of streams which bisect the area to produce a layout which needs to be played with imagination and skill.
Low handicap golfers will appreciate the course design, which features many challenging tee shots.
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 out
Par 4 4 4 3 5 3 4 4 5 36
Blue 421 345 373 157 547 140 388 447 588 3,406
White 383 320 320 134 508 139 357 419 553 3,133
Women's 316 263 269 95 474 111 321 382 464 2,695
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 in Total
Par 4 4 3 5 4 4 4 3 5 36 72
Blue 374 418 234 578 363 405 450 145 588 3,555 6,961
White 332 364 201 542 337 361 418 114 553 3,222 6,355
Women's 294 316 151 509 236 318 355 99 495 2,863 5,559
Kaeng Krachan Country Club
Designer : Not known
Open : Not known
Course Length
18 holes Par 72
Length : 7, 331 yds.
Address
229/1 Thayang-Kaeng Krachan Rd,
Km.30,Thayang,
Petchaburi
Telephone (02) 618-7400-1, (01) 8177254, (032)427596, (032)459318,
Fax. (02) 618-7402
Distance
40 minutes from Hua Hin hotels
Description Placed in a scenic setting about forty minutes from Hua Hin. A beautiful and interesting course to play, surrounded by the hills and set by a peaceful lake. Please note that this course is closed every Monday.
Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Out
Par 4 4 5 3 5 4 3 4 4 36
Blue 368 394 579 173 554 459 211 441 484 3663
White 322 338 510 149 530 419 185 390 428 3271
Red 262 333 447 133 441 383 165 349 399 2912
Hole 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 In Total
Par 5 4 3 4 4 5 3 4 4 36 72
Blue 579 411 194 383 373 566 233 468 461 3668 7331
White 530 335 175 337 318 489 185 374 413 3156 6427
Red 434 328 130 313 239 459 164 360 345 2772 5684
Hua Hin Golf Society
Pattaya Trip
Joe Sims won the overall individual championship with 105 points (Stableford) over three rounds beating Lee Mieke (our vice chairman's son) by two points.
49 gentlemen made the trip and all returned except for Winfried and Soloman. Winfried subsequently returned after intensive golf lessons, and to this day (19 th July) Soloman is still there.
2 Ball Best ball Summer League
After four rounds Berny/Sam and Peter T/Bill Battell are unbeaten and tied with 10 points each.
Recent results
20th June at Palm Hills (Summer Pairs also played on this Day).
24 Players one group only. Stableford.1st Peter Dunne 36 points 5 hcp. 2nd Ulf Sparvman 35 points 2 hcp. 3rd Brian Giles (G) 33 points 22hcp.
23rd June at Majestic Creek
30 Players one group only. Stableford.1st Doug Miller 41 points 14 hcp. 2nd Berny 40 points 18 hcp, 3rd Bob Welsh 39 points 9hcp. 4th Terry Burge 39 points 18 hcp.
27th June at Lake View 38 Players two groups.
Group "A" 0-18 hcp. Strokeplay 1st Soloman 67 net 12 hcp. 2nd Neung Chueanil 70 net 12 hcp. 3rd Bob (Guest) 70 net 16hcp.
Group "B" 19-36 hcp.Stableford. 1st Peter Harrison 37 points 22 hcp. 2nd Brian Herbert 33 points 21 hcp.
30th June at Palm Hills21 Players one group only. Stableford.1st Robert Laminit 38 points 9 hcp. 2nd Doug Miller 37 points 13 hcp. 3rd David Baird 36 points 22 hcp.
Pattaya Trip
Day 1 Burapha Monday 3rd July.48 Players 2 Ball Aggregate Stableford
1st. Joe Sims / Mike Chesters 75 points; 2nd. Helmut Ruchti / Trevor Paynter 70 points
Day 2 Laem Chabang Tuesday 4th July.48 Players 2 Ball Aggregate Stableford
1st. Peter Dunne / Sam Sheriff 73 points; 2nd. Joe Sims / Chris Davidson 68 points
Day 3 Phoenix Wednesday 5th July. 42 Players 2 Ball Aggregate Stableford
1st. Mick Evans / Roger Donaldson 70 points; 2nd. Russell Beard / Mike Humphrey 65 points
12th July at Majestic Creek 20 Players one group only. Stableford. (Summer Pairs also played)
1st Roger Donaldson 42 points 9 hcp. 2nd Chris Schofield (g) 42 points 13 hcp. 3rd Boom Schroeder 40 points 18 hcp.
14th July at Springfield 37 Players one group only. Stableford.1st Scott Kyle Little 43 points 16 hcp. 2nd Joe Sims 38 points 6 hcp. 3rd Rolf Johannson 36 points 32 hcp. 4th Laurence Garrett 36 points 7 hcp. 5th Adrian Ball 36 points 16 hcp. 6th Fritz Schroeder 36 points 7 hcp.
18 th July at Palm Hills 32 Players two groups. Group "A" 0-18 hcp. 23 Players. Strokeplay. 1st Al Tickerman 67 net 10 hcp. 2nd Don Wyber (g) 71 net 18 hcp. Group "B" 19-36 hcp. 9 Players Stableford. 1st Kathy Herbert 33 points 27 hcp. Only one prize in this group.
Fixtures for August
Tuesday 1 st Royal Hua Hin
Friday 4 th Majestic Creek
Tuesday 8 th Springfield
Friday 11 th Lake View 6th Round Matchplay + Stableford Comp 4 Ball Texas Scramble
Tuesday 15 th Sawang
Friday 18 th T.B.N.
Tuesday 22 nd Majestic Creek
Friday 25 th Kaeng Krachan 7th Round Matchplay + Stableford Comp
Tuesday 29 th Springfield
Forthcoming Events
Late August Trip to the Kanchanaburi area, 3 days 2 nights
Middle of October preliminary round of the annual match play championship (individuals)
Early December Stroke play championships
Tuesday 19 th December 2 ball Texas scramble at Lake View followed by Annual Christmas Charity Dinner at the Dusit Resort
Fit for Golf
For an activity that involves lifting the arms the scapular, or shoulder blade, should be fixed. Golf is one of these activities. The muscles that need to be developed are at the back of the neck and in-between the shoulder blades. The muscles that need to be made more flexible are the chest and front neck muscles. Failure to have a healthy balance in this area can lead to lack of movement and possibly injury.
Firstly let's look at the tight muscles and how to stretch them. Trapezius; the big muscle that starts at the back of the head and forms a diamond shape ending at the middle part of the spine and the outside of the shoulder. The top part of this can get overworked and may need loosening. A good way to stretch this muscle is to drop the head forward and place a hand on top of the head. Lightly apply pressure to the top of the head dropping the chin down. As with previous stretches prescribed the breathing is important. Take a breath in and hold for 5 seconds while the head lightly pushes back into the hand. Relax after 5 seconds and ease the head forward a bit more. Repeat 3 to 5 times.
The next area where the need for flexibility improvement is common is the outside of the neck. Two stretches are recommended for this. The first one is to turn the head to one side. Don't drop the chin or let the ear drop to one side. Place a hand on the side of the jaw facing away from the shoulder and ease the head round a bit more to get a light stretch. Follow the same technique as the last stretch. Don't force the head round. If you feel any discomfort, dizziness, or spots in front of the eyes are experienced then discontinue the stretch. Repeat 3 to 5 times.
Second neck stretch entails standing side on to a wall. Turn the head away from the wall and place the hand on the back of the head and the elbow on the wall. Lean into the wall and put the neck on a light stretch. Repeat the stretching technique previously described. Each time let the chin drop forward a little. Repeat 3 to 5 times.
The chest muscles can shorten with our everyday activities so getting more flexibility out of them will help movement all the time not only while playing golf. For the stretch for this area; stand in a doorway and place the elbow on the wall at shoulder height. Bend the elbow to 90º to get more control over the stretch. Lean forward while keeping the shoulders to the front. Again use the stretching technique used before. Repeat 3 to 5 times.
Next month we will look at strengthening exercises for the areas discussed in this article.
If you haven't got a ball but would like to try some of these exercises then contact Terry on 01-0096588 or drop an e-mail via the website www.fit-foregolf.com
Butterfly Rock Golf Club
The club is gaining momentum with the membership now up to 32, and turn out for Wednesday competition increasing weekly. We have a number of new members who are also new to the game and progressing through their handicap gaining process. Membership is still open, but from now each new applicant must be proposed and seconded by 2 members, and if they have a handicap, their handicap certificate must be attached to application form. If they are new to the game and do not have a handicap, we will take them through the system so as to obtain a handicap, when they achieve that they will be able to play in competitions.
Results.
Wednesday 14th June
Majestic, medal (stroke play). Couple of greens top dressed, bit too much top dressing, but course in good condition. Reasonable turn out.
Result. Nearest pins: 4th Steve Ross, 6th George Harrison, 12th Robin Heath and 17th Robin Heath. Winner was Steve Ross with net 68, 2nd Mike Ford nett72, 3rd Robin Heath net 72 c/b and 4th Mike Lord net 77.
Thursday 22nd
Lake View , Team competition. This was a multi tee team event, first 6 holes off yellow tees with 1 score from 3 team members to count, the next 6 holes from white tees with 2 scores to count and the final 6 holes from red tees with all scores to count. Ladies played from same tees as men and received 6 courtesy shots, men 0-12 lost 1 shot, men 13-24 received 1 shot and men 25+ received 2 shots. Very much enjoyed by all players.
Result: Nearest pin 8 and 14 Brian Reeve
1st. Team of Mike Ford, Steve Ross and George Harrison 81 points
2nd Team of Bob Welsh, John Anstey and Craig Morgan 78 points
3rd. Team of Peter Dunne, Brian Reeve and Barbara Anstee 76 Points
4th Team of Stuart Clark, Mike Lord and Phil Simons 72 points
Wednesday 28th
Palm Hills, Bisque Bogey. Another new format for our members, basically a bogey.
Difference, you the players choose where you take strokes. You must nominate between leaving green and teeing off next hole how many strokes taken on previous hole. You may take more than 1 shot, but keep count, better than par +, level with par 0, worse than par -, most +'s wins. The 2's pot commenced again today 5 players entered (Pot 500Baht)
Two's were scored by Robin Heath, an eagle on 9, and George Harrison, neither were in pot, so pot rolls on to next event.
Result: Nearest pin 3,8 and 15 Bob Welsh, 11th Phil Simons
1st. Phil Simons +7
2nd Robin Heath +4
3rd Sven Wermelin +3
4th. George Harrison, Trevor Paynter, Mike Lord +2
Wednesday 12th July
Kaeng Krachan (stableford)
Course was in good condition, even though the greens had been recently tyned and top-dressed. We were looked after well by the new manager,
A good turn out and a very enjoyable day, resulting in one of our higher handicappers winning. A high scoring day where the CSS went down to 69
The 2's was a roll over from the last event, we again had 2 x 2's Robin Heath and Lee Bremble and again neither were in the 2's pot, so it rolls over again.
Result: Nearest pin 4th Craig Morgan (nice shirt donated by Phil Simons) 12th Mike Ford and 16th Bob Welsh.
1st. Phil Simons 40 points
2nd Robin Heath 39 points\
3rd Craig Morgan 38 points
4th Shared by Dad and Son, Robert and Lee Bremble 37 points
Future Fixtures
Aug
2 nd Royal Ratchburi
9 th Palm Hills
16 th Springfield
23 rd Lake View
30 th Khaen Krachan
Sept
6 th Majestic
Features
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Prachuabkhirikhan, 77110, Thailand.
Tel: (+66) 032 531078 Fax: (+66) 032 531079 Email: huahin@observergroup.net