cheshiremusicman

Without attracting proceedings for breach of copyright, I have copied and pasted the plea from another member ofthe forum

"Can anyone tell me or give me any hints, advice or contacts in respect of the procedure to take a farang building developer to the Civil courts for breach of contract" Can anyone share their experiences with me? Are things lost in interpretation? Can the judiciary be trusted? How much would it cost, how long would it take and what are the possible outcomes? Can an action be taken by a private individual (similar to a minor claims court in the UK) or do you need to employ the services of a lawyer? PM's welcome."

I get the impression from the forum that developers and their agents in Hua Hin are all crooks .... is it possible to get a property finished ?

I can't give you chapter and verse on this, but I was told by a friend of mine who is in the process of suing a 'developer' here in Hua-hin, that his lawyer has told him that he should wait until August this year to proceed, as there is a new law that will get cases to court very speedily and is 'designed to address the present problems of suing builders & developers' just saying 'Well go on a sue me!'. As stated by a previous post - they know that they can wear you down with delay after delay etc and it can take years to get them into court.

I will contact the lawyer and try to find out what exactly he was refering to and come back to the forum with any news.

Let us all hope that this has some 'TEETH' and a blxxdy big bite!

I cannot believe the the Bus Driver will not be penalised for this, if it was in fact his fault.

The two boys who were killed were the son and step-grandson of a neighbour of mine and I had the unfortunate task of dealing with their deaths and the death of the german girl who was also killed. It was an experience that I hope I never have to undertake again in my life and really opened my eyes as to how the Thai people deal with death.

I photographed the scene the folowing morning, after attending the Hua-Hin hospital to get the boys bodies moved to the mortuary at Soa Paulo hospital as they did not have the facility to keep the bodies chilled there.

The evidence that I saw was that the bus left a skid mark some 45metres long, which started on left hand side of the road and then swept ACROSS the road, therby taking the bus INTO the path of any oncoming vehicle NOT AWAY FROM IT!

The bus then travelled another 40 metres down into the klong before coming to rest in the water.

There was NO sign of any skid or braking marks from the Honda jazz and I beleive that they did not even see the bus coming at them, otherwise they would have swerved AND braked violently to try and avoid the bus.

I later attended the police station in Hua-Hin with my neighbour, along with some Thai friends and presented all the photographs that I had taken and was told that there was an investigation underway.

Unfortunately some 12 days later my Mother was taken seriously ill in the UK and I have only just returned after orgainsing her funeral and have heard nothing yet as to any outcome of the police special investigation.

I agree with one of the previous contributors that it is scandalous that these accidents keep occuring and many of them on almost the same stretch of road.

I am sure that we have all suffered from being intimidated on the roads by the stupid driving of the bus drivers who just use there sheer physical presence to dominate the roads. Also the suitability of many of the bus's is in question (or should be)

I was travelling behind one of the large intercity bus's the other day and it should never have been allowed on the road, as it was blatantly obvious that the chassis was twisted. The bus was 'crabbing' so badly that if the driver had had to brake then I feel sure that the vehicle would have been uncontrollable.

I have to say that the police officer at Hua-Hin that I met, dealt with the case in a very sympathetic manner and I firmly beleive that if the outcome of the investigation had anything to do with him then any evidence that was relavent would be brought in front of the investigating team.

This is probably not the correct time to be saying this, but as I had the onerous task of trying to collect as much photographic evidence as possible I went to photograph the Honda jazz and was amazed as to the integrity of the passenger area after such a horrendous impact and would certainly say that the Jazz's designers did a brilliant job in trying to make this particular vehicle as passenger safe as possible. Unfortunately our bodies can only take just so much G force of impact and this of course is the one problem that cannot be resolved no matter how well a vehicle is designed.

Can anybody tell me if they know of an independent 'Accident Investigator' for a road traffic accident.

This involved three fatalities,so no snide remarks please, just information if possible.

The accident occured in the Hua-Hin area and I am trying to instigate this on behalf of the families who lost their loved ones.

ANY help with regard to stopping distances of the inter city single level coach's or websites that can help in this would be most appreciated.

Hi all,

just a quick question:

We are selling up in the UK and moving over to Pattaya permanently. We've had our house on Nern Plub Waan for about 5 years and it's time to cut the ties to the UK and move over permanently.

We obviously have some household items (nothing too large, we're talking a couple of 'Tea-Chests' maximum) and I've been looking for ways to get this shipped over ready for when we arrive. We obviously don't want to have to pay import duty etc. and I am aware that we only get 1 sea + 1 air container excluded from this normally. I've found this website (https://www.transglobalexpress.co.uk/seafre...seafreight5.asp) which appears to have reasonable prices for what we are looking to ship (around £140.00 per tea chest), does anyone know of a better/cheaper whay of us taking these items with us, or would we be better off selling everything and buying new (supposing that we can replace everything of course).

Thanks in advance,

Dave

PS: the wife & son are both Thai nationals so we can claim the allowance for repatriation etc. for them.

My wife an I shipped our goods from the Uk 12 months ago using half of a 40 foot container. we used a company called 'Coles Removals' ( London) and the agent at Bangkok was 'Asian Tigers' . Total cost £1300. We paid NO import duty - AT handled this for us and both my wife and I are English, but held 'Retirement Visa's' at the time.

Personally I have only experienced one long delay at Immigration. Most of the time I have whizzed through with minimal fuss.

However threads like this only serve to lessen the real problems and bad experiences people have with Immigration services at the new airport and childishly mock those with real grievances.

Flew out to Hong Kong last week at midday and it took nearly 60 minutes to get through passport control- absolutely blxxdly rediculous, and the 'Officers' just couldn't have cared less. Some of them only did 10 minutes at their station and then changed over - must be the stress of the job or maybe the weight of all those ribbons they have on their jackets, do you think that they get them for 'exemplary delay tactics'? Arrived HK and it took under 2 minutes to exit passport control and the same on the way back. Not too bad on the way back to BKK as we arrived at 0030 and it took some 10 mins to get through - even that it is too dxmn long.

Most assuredly, FACTOR IN ONE EXTRA HOUR FOR PASSPORT CONTROL WHEN LEAVING BANGKOK AIRPORT.

Does anybody know what the deal is with all these optical shops in Hua Hin. I haven't counted them but there must be 100 of them in the town center. There is no way that the economics of this makes any sense. If half of them get two customers a day I would be surprised. Their prices are not that great. Is this some kind of tax write-off or money laundering scheme? It certainly would not surprise me. Ahh, the LOS.

I don't profess to know much about 'the frame pushers'; but remember reading on this, or the HH forum, that a Doctor Pairat who runs an eye clinic at 88/1 88/2 Phetkasem road; on the block opposite the market Village is very ethical with regard to prescribing glasses and people have reported that he will sell for about 50% of the prices being charged in the shops in HH.

I have no personal knowledge of this man, and no connections with him, but am glad to pass on the info from other people and I shall be visiting him to get my eyes checked out in the next few weeks so will keep you posted.

As for his ethics, I remember that one poster reported that he had visited with a friend who had been prescribed glasses after 'eye tests' in numerous shops in HH and was told by Dc P that he did NOT need glasses and would be wasted his money, enough said!

Coming over with family first week april.

Looking for nice hotel, dont mind going upmarket .

Want to be away from the tour type hotels .

Any advice guys.

Thanks

I suggest that you have a look at the 'Anantasila by the sea' ( they have a very good website)some 10mins south of Hua-Hin, lovely hotel and good (sensibly priced) food.

We live about 5mins away from this hotel and go there frequenly for a nice evening meal. Lovely ambiance with soft music and sea breezes. It fronts right onto the beach with clean water, which does not get crowded and is run by a lovely Thai lady who lived in England for many years who speaks excellent English. I am taking my wife there tonight for her birthday meal. I have NO connection with the hotel. The Sofitel, Marriot or Dusit (north of Hua-Hin) are all reputedly excellent hotels if you wish to stay in the centre of HH, but I would personally still consider them to be 'tour hotels' albeit 'upmarket! - the Dusit is some 15 mins north. Hope that this is of some use. If you need any more info please feel free to pm me.

Have done 90 day reporting twice now.... The lady in this office is professional, pleasant and knows what she is doing.

In and out within 05 minutes, thats assuming there is no que....

Cheers Ralph

The wife and I have had exactly the same experience with this lady, - very pleasant and obliging. Long may she work there!

Golfers eating bananas may finish up being well under par

Golfers should stop and think before eating lots of bananas to build up their energy levels during their rounds as an excess intake of such a high potassium source over a period of time could lead to kidney diseases and heart failure, a nutritionist has warned.

Sanga Damapong, a nutritionist with the Department of Health, said it is not true that eating bananas or potassium supplements helps golfers and other sportsmen suddenly regain their strength and energy. In fact, the body's system cannot absorb the mineral for immediate use, he said. People consuming large quantities of dietary potassium may suffer adverse health effects and kidney disease, he added.

More from the Bangkok Post here.

Why don't we golfers have a competition, to see how many bananas we can stuff into our golf bags and pockets before we set off on our 18 holes! How many bl--dy bananas does this guy think that we can eat in one round of golf? Another case of some so called 'specialist', with too much time on there hands, coming out with banal statements. Pity the man can't think of better ways to use his 'expertise'.

Hi Guys

Anybody have experience with supplier of custom fit clubs , not really bothered about a named brand unless a speedy turnaround.

They are for my wife, she last had some made in the UK three + years ago and has improved somewhat since then...frequently shoots less than me now..although I tell her she 'only plays half the course' that goes down well!

Any input/experience greatly appreciated. thanks

Unless you have an experienced club fitter with the correct equipment, you will be shooting blanks. Most makers will have you submit to them various lengths and distances, and some with a range will look at the shape of your shots, they all have their gimmicks. But, to find out what YOUR clubs should be for YOUR swing you need several things, among them: a True Temper Shaft Lab, this device measures YOUR swing as far as how you bend the club, where the kick point is and gives recommendations as to what shaft characteristics are right for YOUR swing. There are not many of these around but they are set up to measure 8000 points on the shaft to tell what is going on in YOUR swing. You get a graph of what is happening in YOUR swing and everyone is different although YOUR swing may be similar to others. This is step one.

You then then need to test various shafts, heads, grips and balls to optimize YOUR game. You need to find what shaft and head gives you the best club head speed, ball speed, spin rate, side-spin rate, loft, lie, dispersion, etc.

It is not a process that you can do over the phone, at a regular golf range, or on a form.

Mine took almost 3 hours, I got all my clubs reshafted and I now have a set matched to MY swing, and I am more accurate (avg. 3 yards from center on drives), less with irons, added avg. 27 yards off the tee and 10+ yards on irons.

And, and, the clubs feel great.

If you want to learn about club fitting do a search for D'Lance Golf in Denver and go to their site, they do a good job of explaining what a true club fitting is.

As you can tell, I am very happy with what they did for me.

TK

Fascinating info, re getting 'custom made clubs'; but is it possible to get this advice/service in Thailand? Does anybody know anymore on this subject, as I am sure that thousands of golfers here in LOS would like more info!

the following is what i've always followed, i could be wrong!

rice555

Grafting citrus trees

Many of the fruits we eat come from trees. Fruits are an important human food, rich in vitamins. Some fruits, such as papaya and passion fruit, grow easily from seed. But if you have tried growing citrus fruit from seeds, you may have been disappointed with the results.

These trees will take many years to produce fruit, and the fruit is often not very good. These problems can usually be avoided by raising grafted fruit trees. Many people think that bud grafting is too difficult for them and needs to be left to experts. In fact, with practice, it is very simple.

Many thanks 'rice555' for the very detailed explanation of the grafting process. don't know if I will live that long to see 'lemons' that I can pick in my own garden! Maybe continue buying them at the high prices asked here in Thailand, or I could stop the wife drinking gin and tonic; hence the need for the lemons.

what kind of root stock are you going to graft onto?? I was going to use sour orange for my lemons. rice555

Forgive my ignorance 'rice555' but why is it necessary to 'graft onto a root stock' , will the plant/tree that emerges from the lemon 'pip' not grow into a lemon tree eventually; or this a way of speeding up the process?

try city beach,book through asiarooms.com.....http://www.asiarooms.com/thailand/hua_hin/city_beach_resort.html

Neil.

I just wonder if you have any interest in this place as you keep plugging it? And then others, including me, come here and say its a dump!

But considering that in this case the OP is looking for something akin the Sofitel and on the beach, the City Beach, despite it's name, fails on both counts!

I have to agree with 'Neil', as everybody that I have ever run into that has stayed at the 'City Beach Hotel' has said hat it was very poor and noisy.

If you don' mind being south of HH try the 'Anantasila by the sea'. My wife and I eat there regularly and it has some beautiful rooms and great ambience, low noise and right on the sea shore. They also run a shuttle bus.

I have NO connection with this hotel, we just live 5 minutes away from it.

Hi, Fiance and I are moving to Hua Hin in April for couple of years and plan to get married in August. Anyone out there got any recommendations for a good resort in Hua Hin gonna be a small wedding, max 10 people? Done the usual internet search, and there's plenty of choice, just wondered from experience where's good?

Have a look at the 'Anantasila by the sea'. My wife and I have been going there for dinner since some friends introduced us to it. The hotel has lovely ambience and serves good food, at reasonable prices and is right on the beach. They don't play loud music, just soft semi- classical and vocal stuff that is easy on the ear. I have just had a look at there website and the rooms look very nice. I have NO connection with the hotel, but if you didn't know it was there you would probably not find it.

I feel sure that if as you say you are planning on August to get married then you can get them to do a deal for you - it's not exactly 'high season' is it? The wife of the owner speaks very good english, as she spent many years living in the UK and if I remember rightly she is called 'Sukini' or 'Sukina' - very elegant lady, ask for here by name if you decide to take a look.

Does anyone know of a place to have papers notorized in english in the HH area?

There is a 'Notary' who also offers 'translations' in the top floor of the 'old shopping Mall' in HH, think that they will be able to help you.

LAWN UPDATE: I used that 16-16-16 vitamin fertilizer, pretty expensive, i think 1,200 baht for a 50 kilo bag... but it made a HUGE difference... really worked well... lawn is quite lush and green. I used up about 2/3 of the bag.

May I add that I really enjoy this forum... i'm pretty much a "lurker" here, but it's so real here.. down to earth... unlike the Pattaya forum.

Just seen this and glad my suggestion did the trick! I bought another 50kg bag of 16-16-16 the other week and it cost 920B at my local faming shop. Reckon that I use about 40kg every time I feed the lawns, but it is really worth the money to see the lawns developing. I am now using a 'top dressing' of 'river sand' which I shake onto the grass from one of those large earth baskets that the Thais love so much - very effective as a cullender for the sand.

ive searched around and on internet but cant find a phone number or contact for buying in fertilizer in bulk.....any help would be much appreciated.

I don't know where you are in LOS, but around the Hua-Hin area, or any area where there is farming going on you must be able to find lots of stores that stock the fertilisers. We have numerous stores where fertilisers constitute 95% of their entire stock. What kind of quantitites are you looking for? I buy lawn/plant fertilisers in 50kg bags, that cost from 600 - 900B per 50kg.

Yes I guess this was a false alarm, I got a call from someone who was there yesterday, Friday 18th, afternoon, and all looked the same to him. Sorry for the false alarm, even though it was a well warranted subject of concern.

My wife and I went recently to renew our retirement visa and the staff looked the same, except for the head guy who I beleive WAS replaced recently. I didn't recognise the new head of the department, but it seems to me, that the lady with the long hair runs the show, as she was giving the 'head' instructions in no uncertain terms. 'She', seems to run hot and cold in the space of a minute and can be extremely intimidating or wonderfully pleasant - ALL within the same meeting.

I don't think that the 'move' to the new offices helped; as who in their right minds, would want to travel down that minefield of a 'road' for want of a better term every day to get to work!

I don't seem to have seen any Lemon trees growing in Thailand and would like to incorporate a few in my garden. Does anybody know where I can obtain any plants?. I am based in Hua-Hin. I would have thought that they would grow well in Thailand, but they seem to be scarce in the shops and expensive - any reason for this, or don't the Thais like them? Limes, or some hybrid between a lime and a lemon seem to be popular in the shops.

Lite Beer ,It depends on what type of mower you have.

Ozzy

Black and Decker. Rotary

If the blades are on one bolt (swingers ) its safer to take them off and give them a sharpen on a grinder ,if they are two bolt fastened you can just tip the mower over and do them in situ.If you dont have a grinder whip them off and take them to a welding shop, probably cost you 20 baht,.

Sharp blades are also a lot gentler on your motor also.

Cheers

ozzy

Always try to ensure that the 'blade' is balanced after grinding or fileing it, by centre balancing it on a bolt or nail and see that it remains horizontal - this will ensure that you are doing your best to stop out of balance vibrations from setting up in the machine. Just remember, that the blade(s) spin at very high speeds and it only takes a very small inbalance to set up some very strong vibrations.

Are there any selective weedkillers here that kill unwanted weeds, but do not harm the Malay grass? I've asked in Chiang Mai & the reply is always "mai mee" & a look of amazement that such like could possibly exist.

Please have a look at my previous comments on this thread re a liquid called '2-4-D', this is probably the best selective weedkiller than you can buy, but as I said previously - I stand corrected if anybody knows anything better.

There is an old saying in the lawn care industry, that says .cut short,root short...cut long root long..

Short cut lawns require more frequent watering and feeding because the roots are closer to the surface which dries out much more quickly,whereas cutting higher promotes longer roots plus

the longer grass helps shade the soil from the suns heat.

Example..... Your golf course is all nice and green but the greens require watering up to twice a day to maintain their green-ness and growth as they are short cut daily but the fairways with longer growth need much more infrequent watering.

So if you want a lawn like a bowling green you have to prepared to water daily ,(early morning or after sundown) and feed regularly.

Do I know about lawns? probably not ! but after I retired I started a lawn care and landscaping business on the Gold Coast to keep active and indulge my love of gardening and farming. It grew to over 500 satisfied customers and 6 trucks before I decided it was just to much for an old retiree.

I'm sure that you DO know about lawns, and from what you said you obviously know that it takes a H--l of a lot of work to keep a decent lawn looking good. There is NO easy way that I know of keeping a lawn without constant work - unless you prefer Astra turf of the equivalent, but I prefer to see it keep growing and frustating my desire for a lush lawn - maybe one day with luck I will acheive it. Re the watering, what in you estimation is the lDEAL time to water the lawns in the tropics.

I have always felt acceptable golf was merely enjoying the game without detracting from the enjoyment of others in your group and those ahead and behind you.

Your comments are correct, but the issue is how to achieve that when you are playing with clients who come to Thailand to play golf and they play much quicker than you do. Hence, my comments early on in this thread to pick up the ball on a bad hole and cheer on the clients as they play. I played many, many times with clients when I first started and I fully understand the OP's question. The key is to let the clients have a great time without humiliating yourself as you want to do business with them.

I do remember one client (a global head) pulling me aside as he watched me struggle and telling me that a par 4 for them was really a par 5 for me. His comments were for me to tee off with an iron and try to get to the green on a par 4 in 3 and two put. If I did that, I could hit a 90, which would have been a great score for me. Even a 100 playing this way wouldn't hold anyone up.

I agree entirely with the above comments, treat every hole as the par+1(minimum) or 2, so if on a par 4 think of a six as par for you etc. You will be amazed at your score, if you treat the game this way when you are starting out. DON'T get into the mind game of 'Can I hit it as far as him' A lot of ego goes into golf and normally it produces the wrong shot. Stay on the fairway and you will give yourself a chance - go off into the rough and you will only kill your score. The previous comments about the 'Short game' are very very true, just watch the pro's, ALL of them can knock the ball a country mile, but the ones that come in with the lowest scores are the ones that can chip and putt. Remember the old adage 'You drive's for show and putt's for dough' The other (very true one is ) 'The best wood in most beginers bag is the pencil' As previously mentioned, try using a 5 wood and nothing less until you get more confident - you will be amazed just how far you will get with this club and remain on the fairway. but for the last time 'practice the chipping and putting from 50 yards out - this is where the game is won and lost' Just you watch the people you play with and see how many times they get within say 10/20 yards of a par 5 in three and then take a minimum of 3/4 shots to get down - its true beleive me. Enjoy your golf and if you have not done it already, get some lessons in order that you don't ingrain bad habits into your swing. Many of the people that I have played with in the past have spent a fortune on new clubs every year, in the vain hope that it is going to make them a better golfer, but, I can count on one hand, the number of them who have gone and had lessons from a decent teaching pro, it is money very well spent. Just to finish with I must say that if you are 'hooking' as a beginer it bodes well for you, as most people ( as previously mentioned) 'slice' rather than 'hook', so you are most definitely on the right side of the swing ( and probably one in a thousand as a beginer that does this) - good luck, and keep practising until they nail the lid down - NOBODY will ever master this game in its entireity, you only allowed to have flashes of 'what might be' by the golfing Gods, and that is enough to keep you going from day to day.

As I quoted on another forum and this from one of the golfing greats namely ARNOLD PALMER:-

"GOLF IS DECEPTIVELY SIMPLE AND ENDLESSLY COMPLICATED. IT SATIFIES THE SOUL AND FRUSTRATES THE INTELLECT. IT IS AT THE SAME TIME REWARDING AND MADDENING - IT IS WITHOUT A DOUBT THE GREATEST GAME MANKIND HAS EVER INVENTED."

Its always interested me, what do people see in golf? Why did you start playing and what do you love about it? It seems like a very frustrating game to me, but I like the idea of it not being a team sport (I am not into team sports). So, I'd love to hear from the golfing nuts what made you crazy about golf

Although I wouldn't classify myself as a golfing nut or someone who loves golf, there are many reasons why it is a very enjoyable pastime. Of course, these same reasons could also be said of many other pastimes.

- It is a sport that allows me to unwind after work. Going out and hitting the ball and taking a walk as the sun goes down is very relaxing and theraputic. It helps the mind to relax. Golf is just one of many pastime activities where this can be done.

- By use of the handicap system, one can compete on a fair and equitable playing field with other players of all skill levels, both much better and much worse.

- It is a game with common rules and etiquette and it is recognized most of the world around. For business or friendship, it is a way to establish a common bond that can lead to friend and business relationships.

- It is a sport of mind over matter. The mental game is equally as important as the physical game. Twenty to thirty years ago, I was in much better shape, could hit the ball further and could shape a much wider variety of different shots (like draws, fades, high, low, etc.). But I'm a heck of a lot better player today than I was then. Back then, a score in the high 80's or low 90's on a medium difficult course was really good. Now, being able to go to low 80's on very tough courses is within reach. The difference is that the improvement in my mental approach and short game saves more shots than the lost raw physical skills have given back.

- There are so many ways to compete, such as match play, stroke play, 2-man better ball, 4-man scrambles, etc.

- Playing in accordance with the rules. Not very many people know most of the basic rules very well. But they do add a lot of enjoyment and fairness to the game. It is also a reflection on the individual, whether one plays by the rules, bends the rules, or completely ignores the rules.

- There are so many different ways to gamble, such as skins, Nassau, long drive, closest to the hole on Par 3's, etc. I don't care what anyone says. But putting some money on the line between equally skilled or fairly handicapped players, and seeing who plays the best or conducts himself with the most steady decorum under pressure, can tell you a lot about the person away from the golf course.

- Providing the minimum physical health is maintained, it is a game than can be enjoyed throughout life. My now-deceased grandfather played well into his 70's. My father is 77 and can still get around for 9 or 18 with a buggy. I hope that I am able to do so if I live that long.

- There so many different kinds of courses to play, such as links, parkland, flat, hilly, dry hard and fast, lush soft and slow, wide open with few trees, tight with lots of trees.

- There are so many different conditions to play under, such as hot, cold, wet, dry, windy, calm and usually combinations. The challenge is adjusting for the different conditions.

- And although I do really enjoy playing golf with women, and would rather watch the women professionals than the men play the game live or on TV, there are always the male bonding aspects such as throwing back a few in the bar after the game, bragging rights for the best shots of the day, busting balls for some of the worst, swapping stories, etc.

'Spee' , beautifully put - you encompassed all the things that golf does for me and I am coming on 65. I have only just in the last year started again to play golf after problems with arthritis etc in the UK and I am doing my damnedist to get back down to single figures again - we all live in hope where golf is concerned I think you will agree.

To quote one of the golfing greats - Arnold Palmer said:-

"Golf is deceptively simple and endlessly complicated. It satifies the soul and frustrates the intellect. It is at the same time rewarding and maddening - It is without a doubt the greatest game mankind has ever invented."

To the person who related to sweating and playing squash etc - I used to play squash at a quite reasonable level in my younger years and could play 3 games of competitive squash one after the other, so I was no slouch, but beleive you me my friend; If you haven't played golf, you have truly missed out on one of lifes great sporting enjoyments. I hope that I will be able to play well into my 80's ( if I live that long). My Mother took up golf when she was 65 when my Dad retired and she said "what the heck I might as well join in" and she played well into her 80's. I remember one day, when she was 75 and I took her out for 9 holes and after she had driven off from the first tee, she turned to me and said " Oh I do wish that I could hit the ball as far as I used to do!" It is truly a great game and can be enjoyed at all levels. I take great consulation from the fact that I can see professional golfers ( who works at their game 7 days a week) make the same basic mistake as we all do at times and you say to yourself "There is hope for me yet". EVERY game of golf is totally different from the last and it does test your mental as well as physical abilities. I sincerely hope that the OP who started this thread gets the chance to try the game and the very best of luck.

Very sad that the guy got killed. We had better remember just how protective they can be at times - as well as unpredictable. Suppose, that we think of them as being very big benign animals - only to our cost. Strange thing that here in Thailand, you don't seem to here of people being killed by 'water buffalo' and as I understand it they are far more dangerous than elephants - at least that was what a friend of mine from India told me.