Tiger and Stevie Split

I remember the first time that I met Steve Williams.  I was working at the World Golf Championships at Harding Parking in San Francisco as a shuttle driver.  We were giving rides to the players and their caddies from the clubhouse to the driving range, which was about a ten minute walk away.  Naturally with the heavy bags and the need for crowd control, we were given access to a private back pathway which only the shuttles were permitted.  Steve was one of my passengers during one of the early rounds, and later on, so was Tiger Woods.

My ride with Stevie was memorable because he had come out before his boss and was heading up to the driving range.  Tiger was still in the clubhouse doing whatever he was doing so Stevie sat in my cart waiting near the driving range.  A celebrity in himself, we all chatted with him to get some insight into the #1 golfer in the world at the time but his answers were pretty standard.  But I did get to ask one question which had always been an interest to me due to my interest and connection to Thailand.  I asked Steve if Tiger could speak Thai, with a Thai mother and all.  He told me that he thought that Tiger could speak a few words, but mostly only with his Mother but was not at all fluent since his mother spoke pretty good English.  Steve came across as a real, down to earth kind of guy that I would trust completely in a dark alley or battle field by my side.  You could also tell he was pretty self confident in himself as well so he will do just fine in his life after Tiger Woods.

I didn't get to speak with Tiger when I drove him to the driving range because he was riding together with the commissioner of the PGA.  Tiger was telling him how he was getting treatment for his back problems back then from someone in Las Vegas.  Soft spoken and respectful, they continued their small talk until we got to the driving range and the calls of "Tiger", "Tiger", "Tiger", started to get louder.  With arrival, Tiger joined Stevie at the driving range and started  to work.  Neither of them will ever remember me, just one of the thousands of golf fans and volunteers that their lives have crossed, but I do remember them.   Unfortunately, they are not working together any more as of this week.

Yes, Tiger and Stevie did win that particular tournament...in sudden death against John Daly, who unfortunately missed a three foot put on the 17th hole in OT.

Bangpakong Riverside Golf Club

Chachoengsao is a province the lies between Bangkok and  Chonburi (Pattaya).  Mostly an industrial area, one of its characteristics is the large river (Bangpakong) that runs through the area.  Its about an hour's drive from the center of Bangkok along either the Chonburi Motorway or via the Bangna Trad Expressway.  Anyway, on the invitation from my police general friend, I had a chance to play a nice golf course in the province yesterday.  Situated right along the river, its appropriately called Bangpakong Riverside Golf Club.

Like many other courses, this is a resort type course with the developers hoping to sell land for homes, etc.  Its has full restaurant and clubhouse facilities and the course was well maintained.  This time of the year with the rains, many golf courses are partially flooded in some spots and the fairways very muddy.  At Bangprakong, the course was dry and very firm, with excellent greens that rolled very true.  Unfortunately, there is no actual view of the Bangpakong River at any point on the golf course except at the clubhouse area and on the way into the facility.

As far as layout is concerned, this course is very mild with slight doglegs and bunkers being the main challenges.  Water comes into play on a couple of holes, and unless one is really wild off the tee, the generous fairways offer a lot of forgiveness.  The course's primary defense is its length, which at 6700 yards off the whites and over 7100 yards off the tips offers all but the longest hitters a bit of a challenge.  It was windy yesterday and on some holes with a strong headwind, it made getting to the greens in regulation impossible for the average golfer.  There are four par 4 holes longer than 400 yards, and the par 3's were playing 170, 185, 200, 208 yards yesterday.

They are running sports day promotions on Monday and Thursday for 750 baht.  Also there is another special that runs Tues to Thursday that offers the green fee, caddie, and golf cart for 900 baht.  We got our round done in under 4 hours yesterday, just in time to duck a tournament of the Thai Golfer Society which started at noon.   Didn't have a great round, but considering my knee problems which has been flaring up lately, it wasn't too bad for such a long course.   No excuses though, it was a fun outing.  

The restaurant where we had lunch was fair.  Not exceptional in any way except that it had a sweeping view of the course from the dinning room.  Overall, the course was a decent experience and great for a fun day out with good friends.

Score Card Here: