This month's golf news and features

Inaugural Hua Hin - Cha Am Golf Festival

August 3rd - September 8 2002
The Hua Hin Hoteliers Club, the Hua Hin Cha Am Golf Course Association, the Hua Hin-Cha Am Tourist Association and the Tourism Authority of Thailand have linked together to get the region firmly established as the premier golfing resort in Asia with the first golf festival.
Six local golf courses and the area's driving ranges are offering special rates and prizes for golfers of all ages. Juniors will enjoy a 400 Baht green fee which includes the caddy fee. The standard rate at all courses will be 800 Baht (including caddy fee).
DATE TIME COURSE TOURNAMENT
Aug 3 TBA PaeMai Driving Range Golf Festival opening ceremony
Aug 3 0900 PaeMai Driving Range Heartland First Swing
Aug 4 0900 Springfield Nike Springfield Junior Classic
Aug 10 0900 PaeMai Driving Range Heartland First Swing
Aug 11 1000 Majestic Creek Seniors - 50 years and over
Aug 17 1000 Milford Bangkok Golf Spa Open Scramble
Aug 18 0900 Hua Hin Mens Stroke Play
Aug 24 1000 Palm Hills Palm Hills Junior Scramble
Aug 25 0900 Lake View Lake View Open
Aug 30 1000 Majestic Creek Team Stroke Play
Sept 1 1000 Palm Hills 1st Golf Festival Palm Hills Open
Sept 4 1000 Milford Milford Open
Sept 6 1000 Springfield Heartland Skins Game Qualifying
Sept 7 1000 Springfield Heartland Skins Game
Sept 8 0900 Lake View Hua Hin Golf Tours Long Drive
Sept 8 0900 Lake View Golf Festival Final

The top places in each competition will qualify for the grand final at Lake View on Sept 8th, along with lucky draw entrants picked out of the hat.
If you fancy your chances at any of the above events go along to sign up at the pro shops on the six courses invovled. There are some great prizes to be won. The Marriott Resort and Spa is offering special rates for golfers, Sunday to Thursday 3,800 Baht single and 4,600 Baht Double, Friday and Saturday, 4,300 and 5,100 Baht for single and double, incl buffet breakast.
For more information contact Marriott Resort and Spa on 032 511 881 or any of the above courses.

LARRY ENGLISH CLEANS UP IN PATTAYA
The Society's third annual trip across the bay (we travelled by bus) was hugely successful. Thirty people travelled, most on the coach and we stayed at the Areca Hotel in Soi Diana.
Three days of golf, the accumulative singles competition (Stableford format) was won by our Canadian member, Larry English, with an aggregate score of 107 points, off a handicap of 10 over 72 holes. Second was veteran David Hoy and third Gerry Wright.
Each day we held a team game won respectively at Khao Khiew by Team Ulf, at Laem Chabang by Team Lee Milke and at Siam Country Club by Siam Country Club.
Our guests from Warrington, Mickey, Lee, Frank, Ron and Albert accompanied by one of our newest members Kevin Milke (Lee's father) were a revelation and we enjoyed their company immensely. Kevin is mine host at the Sabai Pub.
The only things lost on this outing were Soloman's two mobile phones and his ATM card!!
OTHER RECENT RESULTS: 25th June at Royal Hua Hin one group 0-40 hcp, 1st Tomas Ericsson 36 pts, 14 hcp, 2nd Mike Anderson 34 pts 14 hcp. 28th June at Springfield a grp 0-20 hcp, 1st Robert Baker 68 net 14 hcp, 2nd Mick Evans 69 hcp, 12 hcp. B grp 21-40 hcp 1st Han Hackvoort 37 pts 22 hcp, 2nd Lasse 31 pts 35 hcp. 5th July at Palm Hills one grp 20 players 1st Tim Ericsson (visitor) 66 net 23 hcp, 2nd Brian Gidney 70 net 10 hcp. 8th July at Springfield 29 players A Grp 1st Larry English, 69 net 10 hcp, 2nd Mark (visitor) 75 net 11 hcp. B grp 1st Mike Godfrey 39 pts 30 hcp, 2nd Jim Lynch 36 pts 21 hcp, 12th July at Hua Hin 16 players one group 1st Pawn, 36 pts 16 hpc, 2nd Peter Gouldby 33 pts, 7 hcp, 16th July at Springfield 37 players A grp, 1st Larry English 65 net 9 hcp, 2nd Pawn 67 net 14 hcp, B grp 1st Soloman 41 pts, 21 hcp, 2nd Petra 39 pts 22 hcp.

AUGUST FIXTURES
2nd Fri Springfield 9.36 t off
6th Tues Majestic Creek 9.00 t off
9th Fri Palm Hills 9.12 t off
13th Tues Springfield 9.00 t off
16th Fri Milford 9.00 t off
19th to 22nd Away trip to Phuket
23rd Fri Lake View 9.00 t off
27th Tues Majestic Creek 9.00 t off
30th Fri Springfield 9.00 t off

Pro Tips - Practice Rounds

You'd like to play some golf. But you don't have four hours to kill. You'd love to get a round in. But you can't get a tee time. What's a poor golfer to do? Here's an alternative to not getting to golf.
The next time you want to play a round of golf, but can't - maybe you still can. Go to a driving range that has practice putting and chipping facilities, and...
...PLAY A ROUND OF GOLF AT THE DRIVING RANGE!
Yes, you can play the equivalent of a round of golf at your practice range. Here's how:
First, get a scorecard of a course you know well. Of course, you'll stretch and loosen up. Hit a few practice putts on the practice putting green. Hit a few chips. Then get yourself a bucket of balls. Hit a few practice shots, and then get ready for "your round."
Say the first hole is a 390 yard par four. You'd get out your driver or 3-wood and hit away. You'll rate yourself on how well you hit it. Then, you'll gauge what club to hit on the second shot by how well you hit your drive.
After your approach shot, you determine whether your next shot is either on the green, or a chip or a pitch shot away. Then, you write down what your next shot would be... a chip, a pitch, a long putt, a medium length putt...
Then, you play the next hole the same way, keeping track of each of your shots on the score card and what distance each of the remaining chips, pitches, putts would be from the cup.
Play either 9 or 18 "holes" worth of full shots this way on the driving range. Be honest. Use your imagination. Play it as if it WERE a real round of golf.
Then go to the chipping-pitching area, and remember what shots you had on each of the "holes" you've played. Then, play your pitches and chip shots to the pin on the practice area. Write all of these down, remembering the distances you would have left to the hole on each of your "holes."
Then, go on to the putting green. Putt each of your 18 "holes" out, remembering how far cach of them would have been. Putt from various angles, trying to simulate what would have been the putts you'd have had based on the shots that led up to them. Putt everything out.
Then, add up your scores, remembering how the really good "holes" would have probably been pars, while the not-so-perfect ones would have probably led to bogeys or doubles.
After you've holed out your last putt and added up your score, you've completed a "round of golf," and you'll know approximately how well you played that day. You'll have the equivalent of a round of golf played under your belt. And it will have only taken about an hour. Or a little more. If you're honest with yourself, it will be very close to what you would've shot had you been on the big course.
An alternative-type round of golf. It makes a bucket of balls a hell of a lot more interesting. It's good practice. It's fun. And it's definitely less expensive. Try it some time!

Features

this month

regulars

stories

sports

golf

funnies

back issues