The scene at Hole #10 after finishing the first 9, perhaps the abiding impression of the day?

40 Tee Setters made the trip out to West Jakarta and the lovely Padang Golf Modern (PGM) when, in another win for Teeset’s Pawang Hujan, we had yet another mid-rainy season afternoon of umbrella free golf.

At 10 o’clock there were already 11 players waiting with their 100,000 Roops in hand – and this a full hour and half before the scheduled tee time, and by 11 o’clock we had the full complement ready to go with only the exception of a Wina (who else!!) still on the road.

Among the 40 were a couple of Tee Setters who had arrived in the morning on the red eyes from Bangkok and Manila, Evaldo Roos and Sam Westen respectively. Great stuff guys.

A couple of Newcomers in the shape of Aussie Craig Goldthorpe and Jim Walker from Canada. A warm Tee Set welcome to them both.

Some big Welcome Backs with the biggest certainly being Debbie Minicola who hadn’t darkened Tee Set’s door since June last year; we hope it won’t be another 29 weeks before we see you again, Debbie!

A high of 8 players joined the first round of 2014 after not having played since the 2013 Championship with, among their considerable number, being 2011 Tee Set Champion, Mustafa Baadaad, though his prolonged absence did not appear to have diminished his wily course sense according to those who played with him.

The PGM Starter did a great job in getting us off 2 tee boxes 20 minutes earlier than scheduled and we were to complete the front 9 in a near record time of 1 hr 45 mins. Shame about the 45 to 60 minute wait between holes 9 and 10 and 18 and 1, as 4 or so groups were inserted into the field at both holes.

Why does this happen, there are only so many people you can fit on a golf course at any one time! And if they had a system, we could at least have taken a break for lunch or something as is done in more organised venues in other countries on those super busy weekend days.

Really rather disappointing, even after the Starters kind provision of several pitchers of beer for the boyz as compensation, as the course was in great shape, the staff in the club house keen and friendly, the food was just fine with the exception of Geoff Thwaites fish apparently – and the beer satisfyingly cold.

Maybe we are looking for perfection in the wrong place and should be happy (or a little happier) with what we get. Any views? That of the Immediate Past PoE was that despite the crowd, the round was still completed in less time than it takes to bowl out a full lineup of English batsmen. Your Pommy scribe has no comment.

The Play

Sam Westen continues to make a mockery of the theory that low handicappers cannot win lowest net; his 70 off the stick from a 3 handicap was good enough to take Low Gross and Low Net if we had let him, however, Tee Set Rules (yes, honestly, we have a few though invariably yet to to be found in written form) state you can only win one prize, so Sam was awarded only the former prize, though in an exception that merely serves to prove that rule, Sam was in fact also rewarded for that rarely seen bird, First Eagle, on hole 5.

With Sam out of the running, Craig Ewers took the money for Low Net with a commendable 68 while the immediate Past President of Everything pocketed the 100,000 roops for Low Putts of just 26.

PGM’s generally small elevated greens makes them tough to hold and short chips and a one putt became the order of the day and this was certainly to the liking of Mo Maharam who came in with just 25 putts, though his buggering off early meant the low putts award went to the next in line, the past President of Everything who, with 26 putts, was declared winner.

Keith Miller immediately lodged a protest as he had also taken the same number of blows with the blade in his net 70 – but had rank pulled on him, a matter which will shortly be the subject of a law suit. Seems a little over the top over 8 bucks but “money is money” opined Keith in a prolonged post round session that saw some not leaving the sociable PGM clubhouse until nearly 7pm.

Anlo du Pisani startled his playing partners with an immediate birdie on his very first hole though reality was to settle in a little after that start.

Well done  to Christian Molau who took his first ever prize, that for 1st Par for >= 30 Handicapper, better than a skirt, Christian!

Just one skirt on the day, that of long playing member, Koen Verhayen, who told us that he was fooled by water that he “didn’t know was there”. Mmmm.

Special mention to On Shenman who successfully made it through her second game of golf with Tee Set. Keep it up On, don’t let the odd fine worry you, happens to the best of us 🙂

Fuller, player by player results. Some more photos of the day.

Next Up

Our new Schedule Meister, Wina Nugraha, is doing great work on putting an exciting schedule together for us and we will be able to reveal this, and our new home for the Monthly Medal, in the near future. In the interim however we are pleased to advise that next week’s Tee Set will be at the re-modelled and top class Senayan GC in the heart of the city and possessed of some of the finest  turf and greens in Jakarta and its surrounding areas -and certainly the most luxurious and superbly equipped clubhouse.

Tee off will be from 1 and 10 at 11am prompt, with green fees etc of 700,000 roops walking an eminently walkable course while a cart runs to a sensational 600,000 – you may care to share it with a friend to halve the cost. We suspect most Tee Setters will walk on principle.

Unfortunately, we have now been advised that we can have only 32 slots on the day at Senayan. We could have spit the dummy and moved elsewhere, however, the opportunity to play this course as Tee  Set for the first time proved too much even for our truculent nateure – and your committee decided to live with the limit.

So, it is especially important to register early this week if you want to be sure of a place at Senayan as numbers are limited to that 32 – and will be strictly allocated on a “first come, first served basis”. We will close registration as soon as we get 36 Tee Setters, with 33-36 going on the waitimg list. We will advise the lucky Tee Setters as soon as they are all known.

It hardly goes without saying that it is essential that if you get a place for Senayan that you tell us if you subsequently find that you cannot play, this in order that we can bring in the wait listed of course.

See yah Sunday!! …. Tee Set