The day

A number of those still licking their wounds after spending last Sunday in a traffic jam and failing to get any golf in were to shrug it off and try again today. Well done to all of them, you know who you are!

No such issues this morning as everyone but Wina was there in good time, and without incident to enjoy breakfast, though not on the terrace on this occasion as a massive tent was covering the front of the clubhouse so as to accommodate the Club’s own Monthly matchplay apres-play.

Busy day for the starter managing 120 players on the monthly medal and then another 31 Tee Setters all eager to try out the new Stone Hill nine. Thought we were to set off half and hour late, all managed to finish before dark but it was touch and go for a while with the pace of play being pedestrian in parts. A mildly Bintang fuelled committee discussion after the event decided that persistently slow groups will be put at the back of the field in future.

Glamour was still available despite the unwelcome change in restaurant staff uniform from small handkerchief sized to full length sarong. We are told that weekdays the handkerchief uniform is back, so we’ll be testing this theory on the return journey from Rancamaya next Monday.

The run back into town at less than an hour and a half was a suitably excellent end to an excellent day.

The play

We are sure that regular Grade A winner Chris Murchison will forgive us for giving star billing this week to our youngest ever major prize winner, 9-year-old Daniel Gaisler, who was to take Low Net B Grade with a 72.

Daniel pictured here with but a small cross-section of his fan club in the background!

Well done Daniel, and we suspect this is not the last time you will be getting your red one back!!

Congrats also to the other Grade winner, Tim Frear and indeed Low Grosser, Tim Knight.

While the “Stone Course’s” nine holes at Rainbow is clearly a fantastic new asset for Jakarta golfers, it is undoubtedly a tough challenge, not least on the greens which are larger than average and where is difficult to find a flat spot. Despite this, Mark Johnson’s inability to find a green in regulation together with his steely concentration on the putting surface is an object lesson for all Tee Setters in how to reduce their scores.  In the process Mark put Fernando “El Guapo” Gaggino to the sword with a 4 and 2 victory in their matchplay, allowing El Guapo to slide back into his Supreme Commander role and his usual pursuit of taking his playing partners’ money.

The Web Guy found a wayward driver, a non-functioning chipper and a propensity for finding bunkers all too much on the Stone Course in delivering a career worst Tee Set score of 59 to set up Most Improved of 14 strokes with a 45 on his back nine.  We also saw and end to his excellent run on putting, blamed in part to the constant trampling of his line by playing partner “Malty” Suermondt.

The Former President of Almost Everything snuck back in again for a skills prize to mask his overall performances with a birdie on the first while Leona featured yet again with First Par over 30 Handicap which more than covered her Most Strokes fine.

No Sandy Pars recorded, despite 10 unsuccessful attempts by the Singing President, due mainly to lousy putting – yes, Malty S was trampling his line too!

In the other battle, Jaco got off to a flyer against matchplay veteran Tom Alcedo, only to falter and let Tom in on the back nine.  No doubt Tom’s uncanny ability to hit the ball from 100m all the way along the ground to within single putting range shook Jaco’s confidence, but not quite enough, and Jaco escaped with a narrow 1 up win.  Jan and John decided to postpone their match to an easier course – a decision both were very happy with after their respective unrewarding rounds though Malty was Anal enough to score the two cards and reckoned he would have won one up!!

Dave Baglivo gave those of us waiting on the first tee a taste of things to come next Saturday night, speeding off to follow his tee shot, with Marvin Gaye and the rest of Motown joining him and Geary in his mobile music machine.  They say tempo is everything in a golf swing Dave!

Excitement as Tiger Woods joined the rest of the Tee Set cross-dressers this weekend, when the funds were to get a significant boost as he mistakenly understood the 50,000 fine to be in dollars rather that rupiah.

Fuller, player by player results here .

Next up – the Rancamaya weekend

Exciting news from the organisers that, to add to the BBQ, Jazz band, Bouncy Castle (yeeeesssssssssss) and all the rest, has been added a Margarita machine that produces probably the very finest of the ilk to be found in these parts.

We also have to report that the hotel is now full for the weekend, so, if you are not one of  then it is, unfortunately, not now possible to join in the fun for the entire duration.

If you are signed up for the weekend but find that you are, for whatever reason, not able to fulfil your commitment, then please let us know immediately so that we can make use of your room.

Sunday will however see us playing the traditional Tee Set affair and Tee Setters who are not booked for the weekend are of course extremely welcome to join then – just sign up here … if you have already signed up for the weekend then DO NOT sign up again as you will confuse the VP – Lists – and make him sulk again.

The full itinerary and info pack will be despatched to all participants by e-mail on Thursday, however for now it is important for you to know that play on Saturday is even more disorganised than usual.

So take lunch, form up into your own groups and get out there and start playing before 14:00 – and make sure you are washed, scrubbed and on parade in time for the evening’s festivities by no later that 7pm.

Pretty frocks and expensive perfume for the ladies and beachware or smarter for the guys is about the only dress code guidance we can offer.

See ya at Rancamaya!! … Tee Set

PS that long-term let in Cibubur is now in the Classifieds