ASEAN NOW Golf

Thai researchers unearth rare whale skeleton

By Juarawee Kittisilpa

A Thai archaeologist stands next to a whale skeleton, thought to be between 3,000 and 5,000 years old and belonging to a Bryde's whale in laboratory, in Pathum Thani, Thailand December 4, 2020. REUTERS/Soe Zeya Tun

SAMUT SAKHON, Thailand (Reuters) - Thai researchers have unearthed a rare partially fossilised skeleton belonging to a Bryde's whale believed to be around 5,000 years old at an inland site west of Bangkok.

The 12.5-metre (41 ft) long skeleton was found by a cyclist, who spotted part of a vertebrae coming out of the ground, in early November. Excavation has been going on since then.

"This whale skeleton is thought to be the only one in Asia," said Pannipa Saetian, a geologist in the Fossil Protection division of the Department of Mineral Resources.

"It’s very rare to find such a discovery in near-perfect condition," said Pannipa, estimating that about 90% of the whale's skeleton had been recovered.

"Yesterday we found the right shoulder and fin," she said, noting that about 36 backbone pieces had been unearthed.

The bones needed to be carbon-dated in order to determine the exact age of the skeleton, she said.

Once the painstaking process of cleaning and preserving the fragile skeleton is complete it will be exhibited.

Scientists hope the skeleton will provide more information to aid research into Bryde's whale populations existing today as well as the geological conditions at the time.

Bryde's whales, sometimes known as tropical whales for their preference for warmer waters, are found in coastal waters in parts of the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, including in the Gulf of Thailand.

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3 national winners from BMW Golf Cup International National Final 2020 take lead into the World Final in Dubai

Mr. Alexander Baraka (far right), President, BMW Group Thailand, and Mr. Galdric Donnezan (far left), Sales and Marketing Director, BMW Thailand, congratulated the three national winners from
the BMW Golf Cup International National Final 2020 – Khun Abhisit Suan-ake (2nd left), Khun Angwara Prasoppattararangsri (3rd left), and Khun Thanit Luengvilai (4th left) – who are set to compete in
the World Final in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in 2021.  

Nakhon Pathom. BMW Group Thailand recently wrapped up the BMW Golf Cup International National Final 2020 at Nikanti Golf Club, Nakhon Pathom province, with the selection of three national winners to represent Thailand at the BMW Golf Cup International World Final. The three winners took their top spots after overcoming a pool of 78 finalists and 1,460 competing golfers in total. They will proceed to the World Final in December 2021 to face other contenders in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The national winners in each category are as follows:

Category Men 1 (handicap 0-12) – Khun Thanit Luengvilai

(35-38-73 (5), Stableford Score: 40)

Category Men 2 (handicap 13-28) – Khun Abhisit Suan-ake

(40-43-83 (13), Stableford Score: 38)

Category Lady (handicap 0-28) – Khun Angwara Prasoppattararangsri

(41-40-81 (12), Stableford Score: 39)

The BMW Golf Cup International 2020 World Final will be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates – the final venue where Team Thailand made history for the first time as world champion of this competition in 2016.

In addition, BMW is set to contribute part of the proceeds from the BMW Golf Cup International 2020 to the Care4Water Foundation and the Chaipattana Foundation in support of His Majesty the late King Bhumibhol Adulyadej’s sustainable development projects for the fourth consecutive year.

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Jomtien Golf @ Fraser’s - December Golf Schedule

Another great event is going to happen soon at the Banyan Golf Club.

The Rotary Club of Royal Hua Hin will organize its 11th annual golf event on 11 December.

A day filled with great fun and also very important charity initiatives.

Don’t miss it and sign up now!

[email protected]

The Five Most Annoying Things Golfers Do on The Course

Would you think you are a good playing partner?

We all have come across golfers who often, unbeknown to themselves, can be a real pain when playing in a fourball.

Here we have listed a few bad habits, which I am sure often occur, and we just turn a blind eye.

1. Making Every Putt

Of course, no one is going to hate you for making putts. But it is worth noting that if you are dropping bombs on the green and winning your match because of it, don’t go overboard with the gloating, because then people will start hating you for making putts.

2. Not picking up on bad holes

Have some awareness. If it is taking you eight shots to get to the green, do not slow the whole group down and make them watch all that. Pick up your ball, sit this one out, and move on.

3. Always on the phone

Nothing is more discourtesies than always taking calls on your mobile. If you need to take a call on the course, it had better be an emergency.

4. Talking when people are getting ready to hit

It all rolls up into one thing: Be considerate of others.

5. ‘Miraculously’ finding your ball every time

Cheating, in other words. Do not cheat.

I am sure you have other peeves, so please feel free to add your observations to our list.

Greenwood Golf Club - great value at 1,200 THB all in!

did not think there was a high season this winter????

7 hours ago, PFMills said:

I wonder if there would be any interest if someone set up a topic something similar to #2pricethailand but for Golf Courses.

 

Just list the course and prices and maybe giving their opinion if it is worth paying the extra to play or not.

 

 

We listened to you https://forum.thaivisa.com/topic/1194027-is-dual-pricing-at-thai-golf-courses-still-an-issue/

Is dual pricing at Thai golf courses still an issue?

Image: Screenshot of an 'offer' in 2019 from one golf club in Thailand where dual pricing was in place

Living in Pattaya I can only talk about my own observations, but one of our viewers recently asked if we could post a topic on this thorny subject.

They mentioned that the Navy Courses adopted dual pricing. Maybe so, and I suppose as they were originally opened to allow navy personnel to play, it would be fair to assume that they would get preferential treatment and rates.

That said, when I went to Plutaluang Navy Course last Saturday, and their rates were posted for all to see by reception. Green Fee THB200, Caddie Fee THB300 and Cart THB500. These rates were for weekdays and weekends, until end of December. 

Carts were not compulsory on Weekdays, therefore at THB500 a round weekdays, the club is offering great value already.

Sure, the dual pricing issue, especially at palaces and museums, has been wildly condemned and it would seem public pressure has made a difference.

Golf course owners can be a fickle bunch. Some clubs who rely on golf vacationers, try to keep rates high, but I am sure quietly offer locals a lower rate. 

However, from what I can see, Covid 19 has had a major impact on bookings, and hopefully it is slowly seeing the end of dual pricing.

With prices so low is there any point in clubs offering dual pricing?

But who better to ask than you golfers out there? What are your experiences over the past 6 months?

Is there really such thing as a better golf tee?

Tee companies have been telling golfers for years that they can add distance and accuracy to your game.

So, to see if there is anything to these bold claims, MyGolfspy put them to the test. They put four tees to a head-to-head test. They tested the 4 Yards More, FlightPath, Martini and the standard wooden tee.

For the better part of a century, the fundamental design of the golf tee has remained largely unchanged. A peg, a platform and, well, that is basically it. A hundred years of history suggests that simple as it may be, it works well, so why mess with it.

As with any other piece of golf equipment, however, there are challengers. Wood gave rise to plastic, which spawned eco-friendly alternatives, and other alternative designs with fresh (and sometimes unusual) takes how on to best support a golf ball before you whack it.

Many of these revolutionary designs claim quantifiable performance benefits over their wooden counterparts: Higher launch, lower spin, more distance, and straighter drives … if you are willing to pay a moderate upcharge. But do they work?

The test was conducted at MyGolfSpy’s test facility in Yorktown in the States. Ball and clubhead data collected using a Foresight Sports GCQuad Launch Monitor. All shots were hit with PING G410 LST driver and Bridgestone Tour B X golf balls.

For consistency, tee heights were normalized relative to ground level and tees were aligned in the vertical position. In total, 120 drives were hit using each tee.

OBSERVATIONS:

• The FlightPath tee launched slightly higher and produced a slightly higher trajectory than wood. The Martini Data suggests a modest reduction in sidespin. However, it did not result in shots that were, on average, straighter than wood. The Martini tee is the easiest to tee up, which does provide a benefit for golfers with limited range of motion or shaky hands. The Martini tee is phenomenally durable, and its larger design and bright colors make it.

While the test did find hints of a slight performance advantage for a narrow set of metrics, in the end they found no reliable evidence to suggest any of the alternative tees tested provides any significant benefit over wood.

As with anything else, there are preference-driven reasons why you might choose an alternative to wood. That is perfectly reasonable, but the data collected during this tee test suggests that, if improved performance is your objective, you are not going to find it by spending more on a golf tee.

Personally, I find a wooden tee is unlikely to last the round and the brighter my tee, the better, as it is just a lot easier to find.

What do you think?

Bottom line is that nothing here is going to give you 10 more yards, but you probably knew that already.

My Laos partner applied for an extension to her temporary visa which had been extended for free before. Yesterday Jomtien Immigration charged her THB1,900 and gave a Dec 22nd extension.

The Lao border has remained closed since March, so why does the Thai govt need to charge her anyway. She cannot work and she even could not go home in July to attend her mother funeral. Why not just grant free extensions?

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500 Baht for 18 holes - Possibly the best golf deal in Thailand? 

We are always trying to pass on the current best rates available through our Golf Offers forum.

Yesterday, I was at Plutaluang Navy Course near Sattahip, and they have some new rates until the end of December, which are hard to beat.

Green Fee THB200 + Caddie Fee THB300 and Carts are optional during the week, and only THB500 at the weekend.

So THB500 for 18 holes walking is maybe the best deal in Thailand. And at THB1,000 all in for weekend golf is a bargain.

Anyone else know a better deal around?