Category: Loose Cannons

Results – Berjaya Hills Golf & Country Club – 4th September 2012

On By Stuart TaylorIn Berjaya Hills Golf and Country Club, Bukit Tinggi, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Loose CannonsLeave a comment

Cannons all.
For the second week running we played in the rain.
18 LC’s made their way to the mountains through the KL haze and endured the lengthy registration process that seems to be the norm these days at most local golf venues. We eventually got started at 8:15 under leaden skies; all from tee box 1 as the tenth tee is at the farthest point on the course, and this always leads to a rather long delay between the first and last flight. But more of that later.
By the time the first flight got to the second tee the rain began; a heavy drizzle, and it continued intermittently for much of the front nine. Berjaya Hills was in very nice condition with much long needed maintenance in evidence including the repair of the land slip at the 4th tee box which, while not completely repaired, at least has a new tee boxes to replace those at the foot of the slip and a new buggy track circumnavigating the slip which is a great improvement on the temporary detour across the neighbouring fairway that has been in place for the past year or more.
Berjaya Hills is always a delightful place to be, high in the hills with wonderfully clean air and spectacular vistas. The gallery of Gibbons were very noisy, a bit like American golf galleries, and a magnificent Owl swooped into a tree and watched the LC’s putting exhibition with great disdain before silently gliding away in search of something more interesting.
The winner OCB was Stuart Taylor with 42 points and the runner-up was Ted Parslow.
The lowest gross was 77 by Geoff Parlow and the most golf was played by Allan McNicoll with 118. Stuart is cut 6 strokes and Ted1 stroke.
As I mentioned earlier, there is always a long delay at this track because we believe that we have to start from TB 1 as TB 10 is so far away. The first flight, a 3 ball, were back in under 4 hours with the second 3 ball 10 minutes later. There was then a delay of almost an hour before flight 3 walked off the 18th, 10 minutes of it searching for balls within 150 metrs of the green!!! The last flight came in 90 minutes after the first flight. Maybe we need to bite the bullet and put up with the 10 minute drive to the 10th. But even this will not help unnecessary slow play.
Speed the game up guys.
Poor Bob Simpson was sat at the restaurant for nearly an hour before anyone joined him. He text me with “Where is everone?” followed 45 minutes later with “Am I in the right restauant?”. We had left the changing rooms together! And he was in flight 2!!!! 2 members of flight 1 didn’t stay for lunch and Erol, their 3rd member had to wait for John who was in a later flight and I had to wait for George who was in the last flight. Erol & I had a beer at the 18th to pass the time while waiting for flight 3 to appear.
Anyway, some lessons learned. At venues like this where we adjourn to an off site venue for lunch I will pre arrange the flights. This will help.
Lunch at Restoran 126 in the village was excellent and accompanied by much amber nectar and very reasonably priced.
Despite the delays, a good day out.

Photos

Geoff Parslow, Ted Parslow, John Laidley and Glen Wombwell warming up on the 1st tee. Well not exactly warming up … but Glen is warming his hands!
 Erol Akinci and his “Rusty Pecker” at the 1st tee.
 We thought much of the fairway damage on the course had been caused by wild boar action … but here is proof that Alan McNicoll was also to blame!

Panorama photo of the 4th hole.

 “Stop and smell the flowers” as famously quoted by golfer Walter Hagen. These beautiful flowers had dropped from the trees which surrounded the fairways on the 5th hole.
 Here we see some wild boar damage caused just off the green on the 9th hole.
 The unmistakeable profile of Mr. Richard Moss.
 The Berjaya Hills course has some wonderful views over the surrounding hills and has the advantage of being relatively cool due to the altitude.
 Alan McNicoll blasts one away with this new driver on the 10th hole.
 Richard Moss looking in awe at his drive on the 10th.

Panorama photo of the 10th hole green.
 Richard Moss in the valley of sin on the 12th.
 Geoff McLaws looking happy …. couldn’t say that by the 18th!
 The bizarre Colmar Tropicale buildings nestle in the hills in the distance.
 Another fine swing from Alan McNicoll propels him further forward into triple figures.
The fairly straightforward 16th to lull you into a false sense of security and confidence before the last two holes.
A scarifier machine had been in action on the 17th tee box.
Looking back down the tough 17th hole it’s easy to see where you went wrong.

Video

Audio

Something extra this week to complete your multi-media desires – some recorded sounds of the gibbons in the jungle surrounding the golf course. It sounded like they were all screeching with laughter …. and this was probably exactly the case given the displays of our golf proficiency.

Results – Nilai Springs Golf & Country Club – 28th August 2012

On By Stuart TaylorIn http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Loose Cannons, Nilai SpringsLeave a comment


Cannons all.
22 LC’s assembled at a very wet Nilai Springs on Tuesday morning to decide the Champion for August.
Over the years we have had few weather disruptions on a Tuesday morning and only one washout; that was many years ago at nearby Staffield, and so sitting in the clubhouse with the rain falling like stair rods from lead grey sky a certain amount of pessimism was gathering. But by 8 o’clock it started to ease up and by 8:20 we were making our way to the tee. Intermittent rain continued through the first 9 but later gave way to pleasant overcast conditions.
Historically Nilai Springs Golf & Country Club is one of the best maintained tracks we play but I’m sorry to report that this was not the case yesterday. In fact the course was in the poorest condition I have seen it for several years. Not bad you understand…..just poor by Nilai Springs standards. However, I’m sure they will get it back into shape fairly quickly. The dry weather in July and early August had dried out the new herring bone drainage that was recently installed and so several of the fairways had strips of brown grass and they needed a hair cut. The greens were slow, mainly because of the early morning rain which prevented them being cut, and the Pines greens had been recently hollow tined, probably just before Ramadan with poor follow up treatment and so they were very uneven and patchy. Not at all what we have become used to at Nilai Springs.
With few other golfers on the course early on we were round in good time with 20 players gathering for lunch in the clubhouse which was up to the expected standard. The only complaint being the extraordinarily long time it took to prepare my fish & chips. I know that Dory is a farmed fish from Vietnam but I had no idea that they actually had to go there to collect it!! 
  
The winner of the August Trophy was Vincent Vijayan with 43 points off the stick plus 3 bonus points for a total of 46. The runner-up was Siegmund  with 41 points.The lowest gross was shared by the 2 Geoff’s; Parslow & McLaws with 81 and the most golf was played by newcomer Allan McNicoll with 122. Vincent is cut 7 strokes and Siegi 1 stroke.



Photos

 Rick Brown may be difficult to recognise when looking at his new fresh-faced look …. but you only need to check out his shorts to confirm that it’s Rick. Mike Smith as always … counting the money.

 A rainy, wet start to the day

 Bob Simpson hits over the water … yes he did get it over.

 Tony Morris takes cover under his umbrella as the rain persists.

 Tony belts one out in his usual quick fashion. As I noted he is usually picking up his tee before his backswing is even complete!

You can’t see the wood for the trees .. in this case I can’t use my wood for the trees! 

Luckily the greens were exceedingly slow otherwise this putt of mine would have rolled past the hole and down the slope towards the water. 

 Richard Moss didn’t make it today …. but he was in our thoughts.

 The buggy tracks were somewhat waterlogged in places
 Bob Simpson’s secret weapon …. The SkyCaddie …. didn’t appear to help him much!

Nearing the end of the round …. thank goodness



A beautiful panorama on the last hole with Tony Morris waiting till the green clears

Video



Results – Kajang Hill Golf & Country Club – 22 August 2012

On By Stuart TaylorIn http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Kajang Hills, Loose CannonsLeave a comment

Cannons all.

This was a sad day. The long awaited axe falls on Kajang Hill Golf & Country Club on the 31st August, or so I was informed by the counter staff, and so this will almost certainly be our last game at this delightful destination. This is a tragedy for Malaysian golfers as Kajang Hill is certainly one of the better tracks we have had the privilege of playing. Opened in the late 90’s, this M. Saito designed course has established a reputation for good management and maintenance and will be sorely missed.

RIP Kajang Hill.
We had 24 players registered but a late withdrawal saw 22 LC’s and one guest; Ian Hughes, son of David, assemble on a clear morning after heavy overnight rain. We got started at 8:15 and with buggies allowed on the fairways which were surprisingly firm, most of us were round in just over 4 hours. The course was in reasonable condition considering it’s imminent demise but the greens were very slow and the bunkers rather hard with little sand. The lakes too were very low which, after the recent heavy downpours, was a little surprising but didn’t make them any less of a hazard. But all-in-all the course was very playable and greatly enjoyed by all.
The winner, paying us a rare visit these days was Ian Geekie with 43 points and the runner-up was Geoff McLaws with 40 points.The lowest gross was Geoff McLaws with 77 and the most golf was played by Richard Moss with 114.
Ian is cut 7 strokes and Geoff 1 stroke.
All 23 of us enjoyed lunch at the clubhouse where the food was excellent and a nice change from last weeks rip off. Plenty of amber nectar was put away and we were only just short of the amount needed for the bill. A whip round of RM10 per head left us with RM85 for the kitty which has been depleted in recent weeks from subsidising some expensive blow outs. We now have RM1192 in hand.
Photos


And finally we have a little “extra” this week with a specially edited video of Flight No 1 in action on the turf, including many useful tips, insights and instructions from these experienced pros ……. enjoy!
//www.youtube.com/get_player
Alternatively you can see the video at better quality on YouTube here:

Results – Glenmarie Golf & Country Club – 14th August 2012

On By Stuart TaylorIn Glenmarie, http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Loose Cannons1 Comment

Cannons all.
This was our second visit to Glenmarie Golf & Country Club this Ramadan. We played the Garden course 2 weeks ago and found it in rather poor condition. On that day the Valley course was closed for ‘maintenance’ and we decided to take advantage of the Ramadan special offer to play the Valley once the ‘maintenance ‘ was completed. And so 24 LC’s teed it up on the Valley under threatening skies but in expectation of finding this superb layout in better if not best condition compared to our last experience of this “prestigious course”. Alas, we were to be very disappointed.
The Valley course at Glenmarie is a challenging and picturesque track which was completely renovated by Parslow Golf 3 years ago. It should be in fine if not pristine condition but the opposite was true; the only exception being the greens which were large, true and fast. But the fairways and tee boxes……oh dear. They were a disgrace with large bare areas, a lot of fungus evident and great tracts that had been hollow tined and heavily sanded. Weed infestation was rampant throughout the fairways and the rough. The bunkers were basically OK but earlier players had left their mark….bloody great foot prints in the side slopes that you could had buried a cat in. This of course isn’t the fault of the course management; it’s a reflection of the extremely poor behaviour of a large number of Malaysian golfers I’m afraid.
But back to the condition of this golf course. It’s a disgrace. It’s a product of thoroughly bad green keeping practises and lackadaisical management. Both the Glenmarie management team and the members (who pay a hefty price for the ‘privilage’ of membership and should be able to exert some pressure on management), should be thoroughly ashamed. I hope they get to see this report. I played with Ted Parslow and he was quite shocked at the condition, a mere 3 years after he had handed it over in pristine condition. Let’s hope that they get it back into shape otherwise we will not waste our money playing there again, even when there’s an offer on green fees.

The early threat of rain passed and gave way to pleasant weather with a freshening breeze. The round was a little slow as those that started on the front nine were held up by some rather slow players ahead; those that were responsible for the graves in the bunkers no doubt!

Of course, a game of golf with the ‘Cannons’ isn’t without it’s lighter side.
As we were waiting to start at Tee Box 1 Alan Holgate appeared searching the buggies for his “little green bag”. At first I thought he was talking about his caddie poor thing but no, this was a small bag that Alan carries his wallet, car keys, mobile, loose change, Viagra etc in. It was missing. No, it wasn’t in any of our buggies and off he went to continue the search. Why doesn’t he just put all that stuff in his pockets like everyone else? 
Well, it transpired that he had left it in the buggy that he was originally assigned to and left it there when he moved his golf bag to another buggy. 
He found it when he tracked that buggy down to another flight playing Garden. Apparently, he had reported this impending catastrophe to ‘her in doors’ who had immediately cancelled the credit cards. 
Are you OK Alan? Will you be allowed out to play next week unsupervised?
The winner, and about time too, was Geoff Parslow with 43 points and the runner-up was Rain Li Tan with 39 points.The lowest gross was Geoff Parslow’s 75 and the most golf was played by Richard Moss with 111.
Geoff is cut 7 strokes and Richard 1 stroke.
20 players adjourned to South Sea Seafood for lunch which was notable for several things. Firstly we ended up on 2 tables 30 feet apart with a serving station between the two. Not the best arrangement for a social gathering. The food was superb but as Tony remarked “these prawns must have cost RM10 each”. He wasn’t far wrong. The food came to RM868 and the drinks; 25 large bottles of Carlesberg & 2 Asahi plus a load of juices came to RM732 and with the ++ the total bill came to whopping RM1775, the best part of RM90 per head!!! Too bloody much. Next week we will return to normality.
A panoramic view of Barry Cousins in action 
John Laidley drives off

Barry Cousins at the helm
Our flight comprised Stuart Taylor, Barry Cousins, Geoff McLaws and John Laidley.
Barry (Baza) Cousins posing
The greens were in pretty good condition overall on the Valley Course
The Valley Course, Glenmarie

Geoff McLaws using some fancy optical sighting device to get a distance to the green
Mike – do we have a Cannons ruling on the use of such devices …. I guess being the Loose Cannons of nautical heritage it could be regarded as some form of sextant!

The Valley Course has a beautiful layout but sadly let down by poor fairways and bunkers.

You can’t see the faces for the upturned glasses at the South Seas Restaurant but this is Bob Simpson and John Laidley

Results – The Mines Resort & Golf Club – 7th August 2012

On By Stuart TaylorIn http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Loose Cannons, The MinesLeave a comment

Cannons all,
 
The Mines Resort & Golf Club is one of the top golf clubs in the region having hosted the World Cup of Golf, LPGA events and the USGA tour event, The CIMB Classic and so we were privileged to be able to play this superb facility thanks to the kind invitation of member Anthony Hastings and the co-operation of the GM Jean Daniels as Anthony (the member) was unable to join us.
 
15 of the 16 LC’s arrived in good time, mostly without a problem, although the sign posting to such a prestigious destination was rather poor and caused Glen some problems, but perhaps the members like it that way. Keeps the riffraff away. You know you are in a rich mans playground once you set foot in the place. The clubhouse oozes class. Registration took but a few minutes and I received one small chit for the 16 of us. In fact the lady at registration had told me that we could pay when we were finished, before leaving the club. You won’t find that anywhere else.
 
The course has matured and improved since I last played here in the mid 90’s; especially the back nine which was almost unrecognisable, and the whole 18 was in superb condition. The only minor exception being the scarifying of some of the fairways on the approach to the greens in preparation for the CIMB Classic in October. This is a USPGA tour event and Tiger Woods will be competing. I wonder how much that’s costing them?
 
The buggies were top class as too were the caddies several of whom were low handicap golfers and read the greens spot on. A pity then that their golfers couldn’t putt the ball where they were told to!
 
With hardly a cloud in the sky we teed off just after 8 and were the only players on the course. Mercifully a strong breeze developed by mid morning resulting in near perfect conditions. With buggies allowed on the fairways we should have been round in double quick time but alas the 2 flights who teed off on the back nine made rather heavy work of it and finished well after the first 2 flights. 
 
Hopefully we will play here again.

The winner, returning after 5 weeks in the frozen north, was Andrew Robinson with 44 points and the runner-up was Ray Funnell with 38 points.The lowest gross was a modest 83 by Geoff McLaws and the most golf was played by Alan Holgate with 117.
Andrew is cut 8 strokes and Ray 1 stroke.
 
Lunch was at taken at the club with all 16 attending and the food was excellent as you would expect. The beer flowed freely and we were later joined by Jean Daniels who updated us on the plans for Bukit Beruntung which is now owned by The Mines and is to be redeveloped into a 54 hole layout. When I left the hardcore were planning a continuation at another venue……..it all sounded rather dangerous!!!!  I wonder what time it finished?

Next Game – The Mines Resort & Golf Club – 7th August 2012

On By Stuart TaylorIn http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post, Loose Cannons, The MinesLeave a comment

We have been invited to play The Mines by Anthony Hastings. This is one of the most prestigious golf courses in the country, host of The World Cup of Golf and the USGA tournament the CIMB Asia Pacific Golf Classic and so this is an opportunity not to be missed. Unfortunately Anthony will not be able to join us. We are limited to 16 players at the members guest rate of RM680 nett per flight. I will take registration for the 16 slots available giving preference to regular players. And so:-
 
Golf next Tuesday, 7th August 2012 will be at 
The Mines Resort & Golf Club
Limited to 4 flights
Be there by 07:30 LATEST
Names to Mike Smith soonest