The The The The

River Cloud Results—Full Handicap

1 KLIMCKE SANDIE 35 41 32 34 142

2 PEIFER LEN 35 35 35 32 137

3 HARRIS JULIE 30 31 35 36 132

4 QUINN PETER 25 40 35 32 132

5 TURTON PETER 33 36 34 29 132

6 TRAFFORD ANTHONY 30 36 39 25 130

7 DANGERFIELD NEIL 33 34 26 34 127

8 KLIMCKE SIMON 29 39 33 26 127

9 HARRIS IAN 25 28 34 32 119

10 HUDSON DI 26 32 30 31 119

11 BARKER MALCOLM 30 28 29 29 116

12 SINGLETON MIKE 23 33 37 23 116

13 BICHARD JOAN 29 30 26 29 114

14 WEBSTER MARY 28 27 28 30 113

15 JAGGER JOHN 28 33 22 29 112

16 CROSSLAND DENISE 28 30 27 26 111

17 LE MAISTRE JANE 26 34 20 30 110

18 QUINN MICHELLE 24 30 27 27 108

19 BACH KIKI 25 33 23 26 107

20 LONG JOSIE 23 30 26 21 100

very model of Zen style that was exactly what was required for all those escaping the snow and ice of the UK. Our welcome cocktail was on a little candlelit terrace on the banks of the river overlooking dark pools

with floating candles.

The image was faultless but the idea of having my “Zen”ophobic notice board on display threw the management into convul-sions. Eventually it was agreed that it could go in a conference room up the stairs and down a corridor. The hotel was beauti-ful but typically they overpriced the bar and restaurant and so everyone ate out every night. It is a mystery to me why anyone should think that we will happily pay £6 for a bottle of beer when

across the street it is £1.

Some things in Chiang Mai never change and the Riverside restaurant with its live music and Northern Thai cuisine is still just as it was 10 years ago. Great food and great value. The night market still sells the same handicrafts and fake goods, far cheaper than the rest of Thailand. But the biggest

change was in the golf courses.

Our first Am Am was at Royal Chiang Mai, one of our old fa-vourites. Apart from a shortage of buggies it was as good as I remembered. Ann Fern was the victorious captain ably sup-ported by Ron Bent, Neil Dalton and Michelle, the first sign that Michelle was a force to be reck-

oned with.

A free day was spent lazing around the pool, shopping and massage for which Chiang Mai is famous. Then next up was the completely refurbished Lamphun course, renamed Alpine. The change was unbe-lievable. New tees and greens

Having started to play golf just 3 years ago, Michelle Duxbury took to the game like Dux to water. (terrible pun - Ed) With husband Sean playing off 10 she had every incentive to get her handicap down quickly. Now playing off 16 she shows the maturity on the course of someone who has been playing for much longer. She has a lot of talent which is recognised by her club pro who has been

coaching her.

In her first Greencard event in Marrakech Michelle had been a real contender but finished with a very disappointing final round to drop right off the leader board. Having led from start to finish on the Thailand event she was determined that there would be no repetition this time. At the traditional drinks party at my Hua Hin home she only drank Coke. Sean, her husband, who was in second place, tried a different ap-proach making a bold assault on the rather dubious South

Africa Red.

As the final round got under way Michelle showed no sign of

nerves and plotted her way around Springfield like an old pro. The course was playing tough having just hosted the Asian “Q” school and the flags had not been moved since the final round the previous day. Sean on the other hand began disastrously. Empirical evidence, if any further was required, that golf and hangovers are not great

partners.

By the time she came up the 18th she was 8 points clear and all pressure was off and to prove the point she hit the island green using the Barnes Wallis approach shot much favoured by the head up reverse pivot school of golf. Her rounds of 37, 35, 34 and 35 were the very model of consis-tency over 4 very different courses. Altogether a terrific and popular win for a charming and

modest young lady.

But this event started much ear-lier up in the Northern city of Chiang Mai. It was 9 years since our last visit and in that time 6 golf course have been built and there are now some real quality hotels. We chose the Chedi on the banks of the Ping river. A

Paul Kaye, Gail Hegarty, Michelle Duxbury and Len Piefer in the Dusit Thani

MICHELLE WINS AT SECOND ATTEMPT

C o n t e n t s

Michelle Wins at

Second Attempt

2

Baxter by a

Length

3

Malaysia 4 &

5

South Africa 6 &

7

Agadir 8

Tour Points &

Mid East Unrest

9

Print and Be

Damned

10

Grand Finals

Quinta do Lago

10

G r e e n c a r d G o l f

H o l i d a y s

4 H i l l c r o f t , A n c h o r

R o a d , C a l n e S N 1 1 8 H R

T e l : 0 1 2 4 9 8 2 1 5 0 7

F a x : 0 1 2 4 9 8 2 1 4 5 8

W e b : w w w . g r e e n c a r d g o l f

. c o . u k Golfer M a r c h 2 0 1 1 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1

I n T h i s

I s s u e

Thailand for

New Year

Chiang Mai and

Hua Hin

Kuala Lumpur &

Borneo

Agadir

South Africa

Grand Finals

Venue

Comment

P a g e 2

and superb warm up areas abetted by some serious landscaping made the course very easy on the eye. This time it was Sean Duxbury captaining his side of Anne Stephenson, Gail

Hegarty and Mark Foster to victory.

But we had saved the best until last. The new Highlands course has a reputation throughout Thailand and it didn’t disappoint. Heavily bun-kered with fast greens it was a real challenge, but Peter Archer’s team of Neil Dalton, Sally Ward and Sandra Garrington overcame the difficulties

for a fine win.

Once again we failed to fill a charter flight to Hua Hin and so we were obliged to travel via Bangkok. Every-one was booked in Business Class and after a typical Thai run around to find where I had to pay the bus car park we eventually boarded our high-liner VIP bus, complete with Green-card bar, with Nam as hostess. The karaoke lounge downstairs rapidly descended into a scene from ER as the red win box disintegrated leaving a plastic container bearing an un-canny resemblance to a plasma bag, but Howard Domney our resident wine connoisseur pronounced it fit for purpose and it was soon con-nected to the blood supply, albeit orally rather than intravenously. A

2.5 hr bus journey is never much fun

but this one passed in no time.

It wasn’t long before we were gathered in front of the Dusit’s fairy lights for yet another, possibly superfluous cocktail, before sitting down to a fun evening at the Seafood BBQ.. It was clear that this was going to be a group that

gelled.

The weather was warmer than Chiang Mai and it didn’t take long before the group spread out on the loungers

across the Dusit’s ample gardens.

But it wasn’t long before we were back to the serious stuff of competition and Round One of the tournament was played at Banyan. This is Hua Hin’s newest course but it is maturing nicely and is always in great shape. WE doc-tor it slightly to make it a little easier from the Blue Tees and this makes it a very fair course for both boys and girls. Michelle’s 37 set the bench mark and only Neil Dalton and Len Peifer came

close with 35.

Another two days on the beach or play-ing golf on Hua Hin’s many courses and we were off to Palm Hills for Round Two. This was in the pro-gramme because Springfield was host-ing the Q school but everyone enjoyed it – especially Paul Kaye, whose 37 catapulted him up the leader board.

Frank Ryan and Peter Archer were

joined by Michelle on 35.

Black Mountain has recently hosted the Royal Trophy and an Asian Tour event and is in magnificent condi-tion. The facilities are superb as Stig, the owner, spares no effort in his quest to make it the finest golf resort in Asia. The superb scoring surprised me as Sean Duxbury led the way with 38. Sheree Wilde scored 37 and Peter Barrington, Sandra Garrington, Neil Dalton and Rohan Edmondson all shot 36. It was a shame that Rohan had to leave early as he was within 5 points

of Michelle.

So that left Michelle and Sean on top of the board and the rest is history as they say. But Paul Kaye enjoys Springfield almost as much as the bars of Hua Hin and his superb 36 took him up to 2nd place. Gerry Gen-tle matched him and gained his place in the finals. Len’s 34 got him

3rd place and Neil hung onto 4th.

It was one of the friendliest events of recent times, with a few new faces and some welcome younger blood. Hopefully they will be with us next year when I think we will maybe re-peat our trip to Siem Reap and Ang-kor Wat in Cambodia now that there

are 3 courses.

1 BAXTER ALAN 39 36 34 35 144

2 GILLAM NEIL 35 36 33 35 139

3 GENTLE GERRY 29 32 37 30 128

4 FIELDING REUBEN 31 31 30 35 127

5 TRAFFORD ANTHONY 29 34 32 31 126

6 HEGARTY GAIL 35 29 31 31 126

7 DAVIS GEORGE 32 29 31 33 125

8 BARRINGTON PETER 24 34 31 34 123

9 FERN MELVYN 34 32 26 31 123

10 HEGARTY CHRIS 28 34 27 33 122

11 BAXTER ELLIE 30 28 33 30 121

12 TILBROOK GEORGE 30 29 30 29 118

13 MCSORLEY PETER 33 26 21 31 111

14 S-PHILLIPS CHRIS 27 35 22 27 111

15 CROSSLAND PHIL 26 20 30 32 108

16 FIELDING GWYNNETH 18 26 32 29 105

17 TILBROOK ALLAN 33 31 15 26 105

18 FERN ANNE 20 25 28 31 104

19 BERNARD HELEN 26 25 25 25 101

20 CROSSLAND LINDA 26 18 26 24 94

THAILAND ONE RESULTS—STABLEFORD

1 DUXBURY MICHELLE 37 35 34 35 141

2 KAYE PAUL 31 37 29 36 133

3 PEIFER LEN 35 28 34 34 131

4 DALTON NEIL 35 27 36 33 131

5 GENTLE GERRY 28 32 33 36 129

6 BURKE RICHARD 28 31 33 32 124

7 ARCHER PETER 28 35 32 29 124

8 WILDE MICHAEL 29 34 32 28 123

9 HEGARTY GAIL 32 34 30 26 122

10 DOMNEY HOWARD 31 28 33 29 121

11 MARTIN MARIAN 32 30 26 32 120

12 BARRINGTON PETER 22 29 36 32 119

13 ARCHER ANNE 26 31 32 30 119

14 WILDE SHEREE 32 22 37 28 119

15 HEGARTY CHRIS 31 31 31 26 119

16 DUXBURY SEAN 28 33 38 20 119

17 ORMEROD SIMON 19 32 34 31 116

18 GARRINGTON RUSS 30 30 28 26 114

19 WARD SALLY 23 30 28 31 112

20 BACH KIKI 30 25 27 29 111

THAILAND TWO RESULTS—STABLEFORD

Carton House ResultsCarton House ResultsCarton House ResultsCarton House Results————StablefordStablefordStablefordStableford

Seamus & John Shearan stand on the step below so as not to tower over Glen and JackieSeamus & John Shearan stand on the step below so as not to tower over Glen and JackieSeamus & John Shearan stand on the step below so as not to tower over Glen and JackieSeamus & John Shearan stand on the step below so as not to tower over Glen and Jackie

P a g e 3

1 SHEARAN JOHN 31 42 41 34 148

2 HARRIS GLENN 33 37 36 32 138

3 MCCONALOGUE SEAMUS 34 34 40 30 138

4 ROBINSON IAN 33 36 33 34 136

5 WARREN JOE 30 39 38 25 132

6 SMYTH VAL 31 28 37 34 130

7 GILLAM NEIL 29 35 35 29 128

8 MOSSE LEWIS 29 33 34 30 126

9 MCGARVA NEIL 31 32 34 29 126

10 CARTER JACKIE 27 34 37 27 125

11 GOLDSTEIN HUGH 30 35 34 25 124

12 VAULKHARD PATRICK 32 35 32 25 124

13 PEPPER GLYN 30 33 35 25 123

14 PEPPER KEVIN 28 35 36 24 123

15 MARTIN DAVID 35 30 35 22 122

16 BELFORD TRICIA 27 33 32 27 119

17 TAYLOR JANE 26 30 31 29 116

18 SHEARAN KEVIN 20 33 31 29 113

19 STEVENSON MAGGIE 21 32 28 31 112

20 STAUSBERG HANS 26 32 27 19 104

ALAN BAXTER BY A LENGTH Asian “Q” School and so was in great shape. Both Alan and Neil topped the board with 36 and Chris Spencer-Phillips shot 35. Anthony Trafford, Peter Barrngton and Chris Hegarty all managed

34. It was becoming a two horse race.

Because of the Royal Trophy we had to decamp from Black Mt and play Round Three at Palm Hills. It is some time since we have included it in the tour and it was a pleasant experience to return. The greens are always perfect, if a little quick for some and the traditional layout suited those who prefer the tighter, shorter courses. Gerry Gentle being one of them with his 37. But there followed a pair of Baxter’s, Alan 34 and Ellie 33, and Neil also shot 33. Try as he might he just was-

n’t going to close the gap.

So with just one round to go Alan led Neil by 5 and Gerry was a distant 3rd 6 points

further back.

Springfield rarely throws up surprises as it is such a fair course and the Final Round proved no exception. Alan, Neil and Reu-ben all shot 35 and Peter Barrington 34, to leave the leader board pretty much unchanged. Reuben moved into 4th place and Gail Hegarty captured the Ladies Prize and 5 Tour Points which should stand her

well on Thailand Two.

As we relaxed on the beach the next day thoughts inevitably turned to next year. Do we go back or do we look for a change. The Thai Baht has become stronger and stronger and the trip is thus no longer cheap. Not only that but the flights are expensive now and so numbers have slowly dwindled from the highs we achieved 3 and 4 years ago. So I think it

is probably time for a change.

We did several superb NYE’s at Doha and I have noticed that the further East you go in the Emirates the warmer it is at that time. This year Bahrain was around 14C, Doha 20C, Dubai 25C and Ras al Kaimah 27C. There are two good courses now at Ras Al Kaimah, one of the wannabe little Emirates, about an hour’s drive from Du-bai. There is also a brand new Rotana hotel built in a pueblo village style by the

sea.

Prices look interesting and I think we could manage 8 nights, half board, 5 rounds of golf and the NYE party for about £1400. Flights in economy would be about £450, maybe less if booked earlier. I shall be in Dubai in March and so will

check it out.

This of course does not mean there will be no Thailand next year, but there will proba-bly only be one. Albeit quite a long one, maybe 16 nights with 7 nights in one place and 9 nights in Hua Hin. Thailand is developing so fast there is always some-

where new to go.

This was our fourth visit to Thailand for the New Year’s eve party and our group slowly assembled over a number of days, but by the 28th December nearly everyone was there and so we gathered

by the pool for our welcome cocktail.

Thoughts of snowbound airports and VAT rises faded in the glow from ten thousand fairy lights dripping from the trees and we knew that once again we were in our adopted Thai home – the

Dusit Thani Hua Hin.

The next day we were off to Banyan, one of Hua Hin’s newest courses, but al-ready in immaculate condition. The stiff backs and rusty swings slowly got back into the groove but whereas 6 teams were separated by just 10 points, Alan Baxter’s team of Anthony Trafford, Pauline McSorley and Melvyn Fern romped home by a furlong, a full 29 points ahead of the runners up. Ex-traordinary; team captain was clearly on

a mission.

The last two New Year events have gone to our Cheshire boys, last year Reuben Fielding took the prize and the year before it was Gary Corbett. Always a contender but never a winner here, Alan decided to put down the Thai Whiskey bottle, go to the gym each morning and show us that he didn’t have a Thailand

jinx.

Round One was played up at Black Mountain, a course that is only 4 years old but has already hosted two Asian Tour events and now the Royal Trophy. We were lucky to be playing on the last day before the course was closed for maintenance for the Trophy. The sun was shining, the breeze was up and the greens were lightning. But Alan got into the saddle and showed the field a clean paid of heels from the off scoring 39. Gail Hegarty was next alongside Neil Gillam on 35. Gail was delighted with

her best Greencard score in ages.

Before we continued we had the little interlude of the New Year’s Eve party to get through. This year’s theme was Pan-tomime characters. Not an easy one when you know it is going to be 30C. Captain Hook’s coat looked a bit heavy for me. But of course Greencarder’s did us proud. The most original idea was Lyndsey Trafford’s witch with Anthony as her black cat. Traff in a black leotard and whiskers was a sight to behold, just a shame he forgot his posing pouch! But for that they would surely have won. As it is Alan Baxter’s Captain Hook stole the show with Reuben’s Robin Hood a close second. In the kid’s section little Mimi Tinkerbelle won herself 2,500 Baht of ice

cream.

I was beginning to think that the hotel desperately needed us to come back next year. But the judges decision was final and Greencarder’s stood shoulder to shoulder on the podium. But of course the evening isn’t just about the Fancy Dress. The prawn pyramids, the lobster baskets, the sides of beef and the moun-tains of desert all go to make up one of

the most sumptuous buffets imaginable.

The stage set was magnificent and as we made our way to the tables we were sere-naded by the Bangkok Royal Symphony Orchestra. There followed some wonder-ful singers belting out our favourite num-bers before the evening continued to the

traditional disco beat.

On the stroke of midnight we headed down to the lake to watch the dancers perform on the water with smoke drifting across it and a stupendous firework dis-play overhead. If you had never been there before it was a magical evening. If you had already experienced a Dusit New Year then we knew what to expect but

that didn’t lessen the experience.

But after a day nursing hangovers it was back to the serious stuff at Springfield. The course is shortly to be hosting the

Alan Baxter flanked by Neil Gillam, Gail Hegarty and Gerry GentleAlan Baxter flanked by Neil Gillam, Gail Hegarty and Gerry GentleAlan Baxter flanked by Neil Gillam, Gail Hegarty and Gerry GentleAlan Baxter flanked by Neil Gillam, Gail Hegarty and Gerry Gentle

P a g e 4

“….“….“….“…. I suspect I suspect I suspect I suspect

with the with the with the with the

benefit of benefit of benefit of benefit of

hindsight hindsight hindsight hindsight

General General General General

Haig would Haig would Haig would Haig would

have chosen have chosen have chosen have chosen

another plan another plan another plan another plan

for the for the for the for the

Somme.”Somme.”Somme.”Somme.”

Paul Kaye hav-Paul Kaye hav-Paul Kaye hav-Paul Kaye hav-

ing a laugh at ing a laugh at ing a laugh at ing a laugh at

Graham’s ex-Graham’s ex-Graham’s ex-Graham’s ex-

pensewith the pensewith the pensewith the pensewith the

Orang u Tang Orang u Tang Orang u Tang Orang u Tang

headcovers . headcovers . headcovers . headcovers .

Sheree and Sheree and Sheree and Sheree and

John are oblivi-John are oblivi-John are oblivi-John are oblivi-

ous as to the ous as to the ous as to the ous as to the

cause of the cause of the cause of the cause of the

hilarityhilarityhilarityhilarity

CYCLONE YASI STEALS THE SHOW

but the back nine was fine. Sheree & Michael Wilde were joint captains of their team with Jimmy Barton and Sue Henney and they won by 3 shots. Jim was delighted

as this was his first prize in years.

We had another free day in KL and our adventurous group wizzed off round the city on the monorail taking in museums and the Petro-nas Towers. But the skies were permanently grey and a hint of rain

was never far away.

Next day we were at Kota Permai, another Malaysian Open course. We had swapped from KLGCC because they suddenly insisted on an 8am start and compulsory breakfast and lunch. Given that we were in an hotel which possibly had the best breakfast we had ever seen this seemed a little silly, not to mention having to leave the hotel at 6am. Kota Permai was a top quality course, and everyone was happy, especially Len Peifer, Irene Agass, Marion Martin and Bruce Wilkie who won the Am Am. It was a frantic dash back through the traffic to be back in the club by 7pm. We needn’t have panicked

as they kept it open for us!

Early nights all round except for those who wanted one last night at the riotous Beach Club bar oppo-site the hotel, an excellent spot for those wishing to brush up on their

Vietnamese or Togalog.

Our departure from the hotel was incredibly orderly with everyone getting their bags down on time. The bus drivers seemed to think we had nothing to do and we ar-rived at the airport barely an hour

before our flight. But Air Asia, the Easyjet equivalent, took it in their stride and soon all the golf bags were checked in and we were off for the 2.5 hr flight to Kota Kinabalu. Our hotel, Sutera Harbour, was just 5 mins from the airport and check in was smooth. Time for a swim before our cocktail party overlooking the South China Sea and a beautiful

sunset behind the islands.

We decided against golf on a Sunday and we scattered to do our different things. Favourite was a boat trip over to the islands for a spot of snor-

kelling and some lunch.

I went up to Sabah to collect the scorecards and the clubhouse was heaving. I had no premonition as to what was about to happen. We arose early for the short drive to the club and instantly it was obvious that the Going Was Heavy. As I squelched between tees, we decided

on winter rules but it wasn’t enough.

Several players gave up at halfway having lost 3 balls plugged in the fairway. What should have been a great first round on our member Graham Steel’s home course turned into a Greencard Passchendaele. The casualties were heavy and tem-pers were frayed. With the benefit of hindsight I should have played a Texas Scramble and delayed the first round. But I suspect that with the benefit of hindsight General Haig would have chosen another plan for the Somme. He didn’t and it cost us 20,000 lives and 40,000 wounded. My decision only cost a lot of deri-

sion, but it stung.

But Sheree Wilde and Graham Steel stuck to their guns and scored 30 each and Paul Kaye and Michael

Wilde were 2 back on 28.

Happily the next day we were at Sut-era Harbour Golf Club which was dry enough to have carts on the fairway and the sun shone brightly and good humour was restored all round. John O’Keeffe top scored with 35 and Peter Archer continued his Thai good form with 34. Len Peifer, Anne Archer and Di Hudson all scored 33. This meant a nice tight leader board with just 5 points separating the top

7.

Another day of snorkelling before we left Kota Kinabalu with mixed feel-ings. The hotel was a little tired and not a patch on the service at the Shangri La but the Ocean Sea Food

Malaysia is a humid country, much more so than Thailand, but in January and February the rain is mostly confined to late afternoon showers, not this year. As we drove away from a sun drenched Hua Hin for the short hop down the peninsular to Kuala Lumpur we might as well have been setting off

for the Columbian rain forest.

Just south of Langkawi the plane met heavy turbulence as we threaded our way through thunder

clouds and landed in a steamy KL.

The Shangri La gave us our first surprise by upgrading the entire group to their Horizon Club rooms enabling us to have free snacks all day and crucially free booze be-tween 5pm and 7pm. In a Muslim country that can’t really come to terms with alcohol this was a real bonus. (Beers are about £4 a can everywhere and a G & T can’t be had for less than £6. So alcohol is OK if you pay through the nose). But it was a great facility. In a city centre hotel where the group can easily scatter we knew that at 6pm they would all be in the club hosing

back the Merlot.

After a Free Day exploring the City we all met up in Arthur’s Bar for the Welcome Cocktail. Had I known I would have organised it in the Horizon Club! Everyone had arrived safely and we were ready

for golf.

We started at Saujana, a 36 hole complex in the city. We played the front Nine of one course and the back nine of another – two totally contrasting nines. The condition of the front nine was disappointing

jungle trip was a huge success and Reg entertained them all. We all assembled at the course optimistic that even if it was wet under foot we would at least play in the sunshine. And we did. Conditions were no better than the day before but golf was playable and miraculously we managed our 4 rounds. Only 31 stalwarts completed the course but they showed

great character in adversity.

The competition was unbelievably tense. Standing on the last tee Sheree and John were tied and Graham was one back. But John and Graham had shots. Graham put his approach into the green side bunker, John was on the front edge and Sheree had made a mess. All John had to do was get down in two or maybe even three and he would win. But he hadn’t counted on the old silver fox stiffing his bunker shot. Once a 3 handicap always a 3 around the green. John’s chip was tentative and then when he missed Graham had a tricky 3 footer for victory. The former British Sen-

ior’s Champion doesn’t miss those.

When we returned to the clubhouse the drinks were on the house. Another little gesture from Tim the GM that did a lot to

turn things around.

So the local man won which some would say was a little unfair but Graham has been through a lot since we last saw him and he didn’t run away with it. That last hole will live with Sheree and John for a

few nights yet I suspect.

In the end we had a great final night and the group had been very convivial but I fear that Yasi was the real winner and Malaysia was the loser. I can’t see us hurrying back to Borneo in the near future. It is a shame because the Shangri La’s performance from start to finish was su-perb. Without them I think I might have

been running from the lynch mob.

restaurant in town was excellent; so many tanks teeming with fish, prawns

and crabs.

We boarded our buses for the short drive to Nexus. It was a beautiful course sandwiched between the rain forest and the sea. Monkeys leapt onto the carts to steal sandwiches and I Phones and Monitor Lizards patrolled the rough – and carts were allowed on

the fairways again.

Malaysia was regaining her smile and Dr Brian Orme, in his 80th year and team mates Paul Kaye, Anne Archer and Marion Martin won the event on count back from Jeannie O’Keeffe, Ros Thomas, David Clifford and David

Lloyd.

By the time we had unpacked in the Shangri La at Rasa Ria and assembled in the Wedding Pavilion for our wel-come cocktail to watch the sun sink slowly into the sea I think we could safely say that it was becoming a very good trip. For all that it except Bruce who had mislaid his passport. He did-n’t really remember much about his last night at Sutera but was sure that he had cleared the safe. Anyway next day he returned to the hotel and I called the bus company to search the bus again. To no avail, the passport was gone. Police reports were made and Consulates put on stand by. Bruce’s return to UK was goijng to be

fraught.

But a casual glance at CNN didn’t really foretell of what was about to happen. Cyclone Yasi had already done its worst in Queensland but the remnants pow-ered on towards Indonesia. It may have lost its bite but it was still loaded to the gunnals with water and boy did it rain on us. All day for 10 hours solid it poured down turning the gardens into boating lakes and causing visits to the Orang uTang sanctuary to be cancelled.

Malaysia ResultsMalaysia ResultsMalaysia ResultsMalaysia Results————StablefordStablefordStablefordStableford

The golfers mooched around the hotel not knowing what to do. Happy hours came and went, Scrabble and draughts were played but we all knew that there would

only be a slim chance of golf the next day.

I awoke early at 6am and peered through the gloom and could see that the rain was still incessant. I called the club and re-scheduled for midday and then stuck a

postponement notice on the board.

Happily it did stop raining and I decided to go ahead, albeit with some fairly generous local rules about casual water. It was the correct decision. It was horrible and boggy but not as bad as Sabah and was far better than doing nothing. It did rain a little at the start and a little at the finish but on the whole a game was played. Sheree Wilde staked her claim with 35 and Graham Steel elbowed his way back onto the leader board with 32 and Geoff Henney and John

O’Keeffe both scored 31.

So Sheree was 3 points clear of John and Graham was one further back. Paul was the last member of the final group 7 be-hind Sheree but he was only interested in getting the 10th place he needed for the

finals.

No sooner had we left the course than the heavens opened again and it rained and drizzled until we went to bed. I had a chat with the GM and told him that through no fault of his the stay at Rasa Ria was be-coming a disaster. The course was sodden and the Orang u Tangs were out of sight –

the two principal reasons we were there.

Like a good Hebridean giant that he was, Tim proposed a solution. Another after-noon start on the course and hope for the best, preceded by a personalised visit to the Orang u Tangs only for Greencarders the next morning. At least I felt that if there was no golf we would at least see the

funny little creatures.

As it happened the rain stopped shortly after breakfast and the sun came out. The

1 STEEL GRAHAM 30 29 32 36 127

2 O'KEEFFE JOHN 26 35 31 35 127

3 WILDE SHEREE 30 30 35 30 125

4 KAYE PAUL 28 32 28 30 118

5 ARCHER PETER 20 34 28 34 116

6 HENNEY GEOFF 26 26 31 29 112

7 WILDE MICHAEL 28 29 21 30 108

8 RICKETTS ED 23 28 25 31 107

9 ARCHER ANNE 23 33 28 23 107

10 PEIFER LEN 23 33 25 24 105

11 LLOYD DAVID 26 26 25 27 104

12 MATHEWS JOHN 23 28 16 36 103

13 O'KEEFFE JEANNIE 20 26 28 29 103

14 BARTON JIM 25 27 25 24 101

15 WILKIE BRUCE 22 20 27 29 98

16 PARKS FRED 18 32 23 25 98

17 CLIFFORD DAVID 25 23 26 24 98

18 LIMB BARRY 17 23 23 29 92

19 AGASS IRENE 15 25 26 24 90

20 HUDSON DI 14 33 17 22 86

The View from our Rasa Ria cocktail, and a hint of what might have beenThe View from our Rasa Ria cocktail, and a hint of what might have beenThe View from our Rasa Ria cocktail, and a hint of what might have beenThe View from our Rasa Ria cocktail, and a hint of what might have been

If it wasn’t for questions of security the Western Cape would be the nearest place on earth to Paradise. From the tip of Cape Point to Port Elizabeth the Garden Route has all the ingredients for a fabulous golf holiday. In autumn the famous Cape winds abate and Capetonians experience day after day of blissful warm sunshine. Rainfall is rare in early March and the

weather is perfect for golf.

But although we have been there many times we never really felt that we had the right itinerary – until this year. We had 7 nights at The Vineyard in the shadow of Table Mountain. Then we moved up to Arabella on the Whale Coast near Her-manus for 4 nights before finishing at one of the finest golf resorts in the world at Fancourt. These were the same venues we used in 2003 when our trip was spoiled by a violent weather front from which Cape Town’s Stormers rugby team takes its name. Day after day of continu-ous drizzle culminated in the mother of all storms that blew down trees all over Fan-

court.

But that was unlucky and in 2011, apart from a little drizzle on the morning of the

final round, the weather was perfection.

By now Greencard are well known at The

Vineyard and they do their best to look after us with good rooms. The service in the hotel makes it one of my favourites. A glass of wine on the sun drenched terrace looking up at majestic Table Mountain is one of life’s rare pleasures. Their two restaurants are superb and the pool and leisure centre are designed to ensure you don’t venture

far.

But golfers’ needs must and so after a per-fect day getting over the jet lag we drove the short distance to Royal Cape GC; cer-tainly no longer the Cape’s grand old lady but nevertheless a beautiful course with a certain colonial style. Under cloudless skies we played an Am Am that was won by Reuben Fielding’s team of Linda Relf and two newcomers, Christine Richardson and

Alun Leonard.

After the Free Day spent atop Table Moun-tain or taking lunch beside the sparkling Atlantic in Hout Bay we made the quick drive over to Somerset West where we played another Am Am in the shadow of the Hottentot Holland mountains. Erinvale is a great club for the European “Swallows” as they like to think of themselves. The views from the course are stunning, looking back over False Bay towards Cape Town. This time we were joined by some of our mem-bers who live there and it was Sue Clarke,

Michelle Quinn, Peter Barrington and

Jim Barton who took the honours.

By now we were over the jounrey and ready for an excursion and so we loaded up the minibus and set off over Chap-man’s Peak to Simonstown to see the penguins and then drove along the coast at False Bay, past all the town-ships to Stellenbosch where we dropped anchor at Rust en Vrede vineyard to sample their red wines. Peter was grateful that Jimmy didn’t like many of

them!

From there it was just a drive and a 3 wood to a restaurant run by Ernie Els’ sister at Guardian Peak. High above the vineyards we had a superb meal washed down with copious amounts of wine for the princely sum of £22 a head. We had a boisterous drive back the hotel accompanied by some loud 60’s

music.

But it was time for serious play and for the first round of the tournament we drove out to Paarl to the SA Open venue at Pearl Valley – the course that adorns our website home page. It is a very challenging Nicklaus design and when the wind blows it sorts the men from the boys. It fell to last year’s winner Alan Orritt to lead the way with 39 and Martin Fell was next on 36. Fiona Grogan was caught in a Fielding sandwich between

LORD HARRIS OF MONTAGU

Martin Fell, Ian Harris, Fiona Grogan and “Chicken” Orritt at FancourtMartin Fell, Ian Harris, Fiona Grogan and “Chicken” Orritt at FancourtMartin Fell, Ian Harris, Fiona Grogan and “Chicken” Orritt at FancourtMartin Fell, Ian Harris, Fiona Grogan and “Chicken” Orritt at Fancourt

Reuben and Gwynneth on 34.

And so our perfect week in Cape Town came to an end and with heavy hearts we packed our bags and made our way round the coast to Kleinmond for a spot of fish and chips on the beach before checking into the Arabella Western Cape and Spa. Whilst last year they overbooked and moved us into villas around the estate, this year we were all given rooms with superb views over the lagoon and golf

course.

Arabella is a wonderful course with a Scot-tish feel – tall pines, a loch and a moun-tainous backdrop. Always immaculately maintained it is a “must play” on any tour of the Garden Route. In the Am Am Sam Grace hit the kind of form of which he is capable and led his team of Sue Hender-son, Jean Corbett and Richard Bleakley to victory. Arabella is also in striking dis-tance of Hermanus, better known for its whale watching in November but also home to some excellent seafood restau-

rants.

Round Two was played at Arabella and Peter Barrington conquered his demons for 36 points, one better than Peter Quinn and Ian Harris with Fiona and Julie Harris

leading the ladies with 32.

A badly kept secret was that I had been rewarded for last year’s debacle with one of the hotel’s top suites and so we decided on an Open House on the last evening for drinks. To most it was already superfluous given that huge quantities of Sauvignon Blanc had been downed après golf, but nevertheless we had an excellent party in the only room I have ever seen with a sauna and a Jacuzzi in a conservatory overlooking the golf course. The bar has been set! We left the Cheshire Mafia to room service in the dining room while those brave enough to risk my driving headed for Hermanus in the Angel Bus; our minibus that was primarily for Rich-ard’s Angels, our five single ladies who didn’t fancy driving, but it was used to transport 13 rowdy Greencarders into

Hermanus for dinner.

Word had it that the road works on the N2 to George would cause long delays and so we were advised by the local police to drive an alternative route over the Little Karoo, home of the Karoo lamb. As it tran-spired it was unnecessary, those sticking to the main road made better time, but we had an awe inspiring drive through the mountain passes, past Ronnie’s Sex Shop in the middle of the desert and down

again to the coast.

Fancourt kept up the general theme of giving us upgraded rooms and we all stayed in the rooms that were built for the President’s Cup, and very nice they were too. The time for fun golf was over and Round Three was on the Outeniqua; a beautiful parkland course in the shadow of the eponymous mountains that is so mani-

cured that it looks like an English country garden. An enjoyable round that saw Ian Harris with 37 firmly plant his standard on the battlefield. The Chick was happy enough to maintain his lead with 33 but the girls did well – Angeles 35 and Fiona

and Edwina 34 were 2nd, 3rd & 4th.

Once again the après golf was excellent and the Chick was even seen to buy a second bottle of SB. Luckily the following day was a Free Day and the Angel Bus went to Knysna for a bite of lunch on the marina. It didn’t seem possible when we went to bed that the clouds would roll in and for most of the night it rained quite

hard.

The next day was murky and damp and spirits were low at breakfast (apart from Peter’s who finished the whole bottle of champagne) but as ever our luck held out and shortly after we teed off the rain ceased and by the half way house the sun had come out. The Chick had started one point clear of Ian who was himself one ahead of Fiona, with Martin 4 points back. The Montagu is another SA Open course and at 6,900 yds from the medal tees is a fearsome challenge especially in

the wet.

Would Chicken Orritt be able to hang on and successfully defend his title? He tried gamely and finished with a good 30 but he was no match for Ian who shot the lights out on the back nine and finished with 41 points. Sam Grace had another excellent round of 38 but Martin’s 36 enabled him to overtake Fiona who was leading lady in 4th. The Montagu finishes on an island green in front of the club-house and the leading group came to the sunbathed green in the kind of conditions that makes the hole one of the most pho-tographed in South Africa. It was the

perfect end to a fantastic tour, made all the better for the wonderful camaraderie dis-played by the whole group and even Martin and Ian managed a smile for the cameras

which meant it must have been a good trip!

Now that we have found the perfect for-mula it seems churlish not to repeat it in 2012 but we feel that it is time to return to South America and in Feb 2012 we will fly to Santiago instead, returning via Bariloche and Buenos Aires with a boat trip over the Andes in between. Whilst we cannot guar-antee that it will be as good as SA2011 we can be sure that the Chilean SB and the Argentinian Malbec will flow. But never fear in 2013 it will be back to Cape Town.

It’s too good to miss.

1 HARRIS IAN 29 35 37 41 142

2 ORRITT ALAN 39 30 33 30 132

3 FELL MARTIN 36 31 29 34 130

4 GROGAN FIONA 34 32 34 29 129

5 FIELDING REUBEN 34 25 31 31 121

6 BERTRAN ANGELES 26 28 35 31 120

7 BARRINGTON PETER 27 36 26 27 116

8 QUINN PETER 25 35 30 26 116

9 CORBETT GARY 30 31 27 26 114

10 GRACE EDWINA 32 24 34 23 113

11 GRACE WALLACE 29 31 33 19 112

12 GRACE SAM 16 27 29 38 110

13 QUINN MICHELLE 28 25 29 27 109

14 WHELAN TRISH 21 26 32 29 108

15 LEONARD ALUN 21 26 28 31 106

16 HARRIS JULIE 21 32 22 31 106

17 FIELDING GWYNNETH 33 31 18 22 104

18 GOLDSTEIN HUGH 29 23 21 30 103

19 RICHARDS’N CHRISTINE 26 23 29 25 103

20 FORREST BARCLAY 28 23 29 23 103

South Africa ResultsSouth Africa ResultsSouth Africa ResultsSouth Africa Results————StablefordStablefordStablefordStableford

Look what I found in Ronnie’s Sex ShopLook what I found in Ronnie’s Sex ShopLook what I found in Ronnie’s Sex ShopLook what I found in Ronnie’s Sex Shop————Gwynneth & Jean in disguiseGwynneth & Jean in disguiseGwynneth & Jean in disguiseGwynneth & Jean in disguise

LET’S DO EL

ROMPIDO

£499

FINALISTS FLIGHTS

WILL NOT BE IN-

CLUDED IN 2011

We have reluctantly decided that

the flights to the Grand Finals in

2011 will not be included in the

winners’ package. The reasons are

quite simply cost. The price of tak-

ing golf clubs alone is now over £50

on many airlines and when you

throw in some hold luggage the

flights are costing nearly £200.

We feel it would be better to im-

prove the quality of the accommoda-

tion and for this reason Finalists will

receive a larger voucher that will

enable them to stay in the hotel in

future and if they choose the apart-

ments they will receive the balance

towards the cost of their flights. We

believe this will enable us to offer

everyone a better Finals Week.

“A “A “A “A great

result

for him

but one

that

possibly

leaves

his

domestic

life in

tatters.”

Bill & Bill & Bill & Bill &

Shirley Shirley Shirley Shirley

with Alan with Alan with Alan with Alan

McLaugh-McLaugh-McLaugh-McLaugh-

lin in lin in lin in lin in

AgadirAgadirAgadirAgadir

BILL COUPE ROLLS BACK

THE YEARS

chaotic scenes surrounding the caddie master and the allocation of caddies, business got under way in serene con-

ditions.

The scoring was quite hard going, espe-cially on the yellow nine holes which were tight in places and certainly pro-vided a test of accuracy off the tee. Having endured unusually tough times on recent events Shirley Halhead redis-covered her form and headed the leader board with 33 points. Karl Dixon, Andrew Baker and Judith Wain-

wright all finished the day with 32.

The second round was played at Golf du Soleil, a 45 hole complex located next to the Dunes course. The admini-stration side of things was much calmer and the caddy master seemed to have everything nicely under control with the allocation of caddies. We played the yellow and red nines and there were some great holes, with one or two exceptions, the greens were very good and overall the group had some very positive feedback on the complex. Pauline Crosthwaite had the day's best score with a very solid 35 points. Alan McLaughlin had 34 while Neil Gillam

and Bob Kerr both shot 33.

At the half way point it was very close at the top of the leader board. Neil was leading on 64 with Bill, Karl and Shirley

just two points behind.

The weather had been superb from the moment we arrived and nothing changed for the free day allowing the group to either chill on the beach or use the impressive pool area. Others ventured down into Agadir to see the

harbour or do a spot of shopping.

We returned to Dunes for round three and this time played the blue and the red nines. The caddy master was pretty much the same and I guess with the stress levels they must have a high

turnover for his position. Anyway with all caddies allocated play got under way and it would prove to be a great day for Alan McLaughlin who came in with a score of 37. Shirley continued her good form with a 36 and Dorothy who kept under the radar shot an im-pressive 35, one better than Bill. Neil didn't have one of his better rounds

finishing the day with 27.

So going into the final round Shirley was now leading on 98 with the chas-ing pack not too far behind. Bill and

Alan had 96 and Dorothy had 94.

The sunshine continued as we played the final round at the aptly named Golf du Soleil. After the front nine Alan and Bill had matched each others score with 17 points and had made one back on Shirley, the gap now stood at just one point. So it would all come down to the last nine holes. Alan then started to loose ground as he found a few bun-kers which cost him vital shots. So it came down to a straight battle over the closing stretch between Bill and Shirley. The final hole was a par 3 over water and with the group gathered around the 18th green it is not a tee shot you would relish to win a tourna-ment. However, both crossed the haz-ard without incident and Bill putted out to finish just one shot ahead of his good lady. A great result for him but one that possibly leaves his domestic

life in tatters..

Congratulations to Bill who qualifies for the finals which will be held for the first time at Monte da Quinta, a wonderful hotel in the Algarve. Alan McLaughlin finished in third position just a single point ahead of Neil Gillam who in turn

finished one ahead of Bob Kerr.

It is always great to escape at this time of the year and it was an excellent week on many fronts. The weather was simply superb and the group gelled beautifully, who can forget "Duncan the Dancer" and "Miriam the Mover".

Thank you to all who attended.

Having visited Marrakech for sev-eral years we were looking for a fresh venue for our February event. It is always a tough part of the cal-endar to fill as the requirements are to find an area reachable on a short haul flight which has a high percentage chance of sunshine. We had looked at possible venues in Tunisia, Eygpt and Agadir. I think

we chose wisely.

We stayed at the Sofitel Royal Bay, which is about 30 minutes from the airport. Transfers were included and very well managed and with taxis being so cheap in the evening there really is no need to have hire cars. We were greeted at the hotel with cold towels and mint tea which were much appreciated after our

very early start.

The Sofitel is located on the beach and only a very short taxi ride to a variety of restaurants and shops. If you wanted to have dinner in the hotel there are three restaurants and the food was excellent in both

choice and quality,

We were to play five rounds at three different golf clubs, all of which were a short transfer of

around 15 minutes from the hotel.

The first round was the usual Am Am which took place at Golf de L'Ocean. The club will be hosting the European Tour in March. The winners, scoring an impressive 118 points, were captained by Neil Gil-lam and included Dave Letchford,

Julie Allen and Duncan Miller.

The following day we moved to the Dunes golf course. There are 3 nine hole loops here and we played the red and yellow. It is mandatory to have caddies in Morocco and once we had overcome the rather

Agadir Results—Stableford

1 Bill Coupe 29 23 34 36 132

2 Shirley Halhead 33 29 36 33 131

3 Alan McLaughlin 25 34 37 31 127

4 Neil Gillam 31 33 27 35 126

5 Bob Kerr 27 32 33 34 126

6 Dorothy Blackburn 31 28 35 29 123

7 Pauline Crosthwaite 25 35 33 28 121

8 Nick Wigzell 28 27 29 36 120

9 Karl Dixon 32 30 28 28 118

10 Andrew Baker 32 28 27 28 115

11 Richard Munroe 25 35 24 28 112

12 Julie Allen 28 25 31 23 107

13 Sue Howarth 30 25 25 24 104

14 Bob Garner 25 23 30 25 103

15 Gill James 21 29 30 21 101

NameNameNameName H’Cap Tour Points Club H’Cap Tour Points Club H’Cap Tour Points Club H’Cap Tour Points Club

TOUR POINTS TABLE AFTER SOUTH AFRICA

When we were planning the 2011 programme we looked long

and hard at alternative North African venues to replace Mar-

rakech, which was running towards its sell by date.

Both Egypt and Tunisia got into the frame as being good

places for a bit of winter sun. But were rejected mainly be-

cause that is all they have to offer. On the whole the food is

uninspiring, and service is only ever used in a tennis context.

But they do have some fine hotels and courses. Back then in

August it would have been impossible to foresee the events in

the region that have unfolded since.

How fortunate that we chose to return to Morocco, albeit in

the new venue of Agadir. And even there we were aware that

the first rumblings of dissent were under way. Noisy demon-

strations took place within ear shot of the golf courses.

What is the future for these countries? Real predictions are

hard to make as you can be sure that the breathless reporting

from Tahrir Square from our “impartial” BBC correspondents

is surely missing the whole story. Conditioned as they are to

see any demonstration against authority as a fight for democ-

racy they are usually unable to see through these simplistic

doctrines.

Just as with their total misunderstanding of the Red Shirts in

Bangkok last year I fear that the turmoil in the Middle East is

being misinterpreted. The underlying cause of these manifesta-

tions has little to do with democracy and everything to do with

wealth distribution. The demographic time bomb for nearly all

these countries is a ballooning youth population.

Improving healthcare and education mixed with an uncompro-

mising medieval religion is a combustive formula. In a society

that sees women as chattels and where men are allowed up to

4 wives it is hardly surprising that the birth rate has exploded.

In the last 40 years there has been an unprecedented baby

boom. In all these countries nearly 70% of the population is

under 30, without work, but with the benefit of a vastly im-

proved education.

CountryCountryCountryCountry 1970197019701970 2009200920092009 %age%age%age%age

Egypt 35 million 89 million 154%

Tunisia 5 million 10 million 100%

Libya 2 million 6 million 200%

Bahrain 200,000 800,000 300%

Morocco 15 million 32 million 113%

The stifling, repressive religion under which they live has made

it virtually impossible to develop modern industrialised econo-

mies. Hence there is no work. It is no accident that in Egypt it

is the Coptic Christians who own most of the businesses but

make up only 10% of the population.

The link between the rise of militant Islam and this demographic

is clear. Failing dictators always launch foreign adventures

against imaginary enemies to distract their populations from

their domestic failures. Whereas in the past an invasion of Is-

rael or Iran might have had some popular appeal, today’s youth

don’t see a great future in strapping on an explosive waistcoat

and blowing themselves to bits. They would much rather a Toy-

ota and a TV.

They can see on the internet that life is better in practically

every other part of the world and they want that kind of life.

They are not particularly bothered what form of government

gives them the chance of a better future but you can be sure

that it won’t be the Muslim Brotherhood. Nothing about Iran

inspires a young Egyptian. And you can be equally sure that the

new regimes will be looking East not West for assistance.

The oil rich states have showered their largely indolent popula-

tions with free money and services and have mostly escaped

unscathed—for now. But Feudal regimes cannot survive in an

interconnected world. Facebook was designed to help people

stay in touch. In the Middle East it is being used to foment a

backlash against the generations who have stolen their wealth

and robbed them of their aspirations. When you teach people

to think for themselves don’t be surprised if they do. This socie-

tal transformation has only just begun and where the runaway

train will end up is anyone’s guess but it won’t be Western style

democracies. And all the while lurking in the background is the

West’s insatiable demand for oil. I fancy a non-Muslim country

next February for Greencard.

THERE’LL BE TROUBLE AHEAD?

Neil Gillam 9 16 Wentworth

Paul Kaye 6 16 Brough

Gerry Gentle 13 14 John O'Gaunt

Peter Archer 10 10 Ipswich

Alan Baxter 6 10 Mere

Bill Coupe 7 10 Lancaster

Michelle Duxbury 15 10 Shaw Hill

Graham Steel 10 10 Moor Park

Shirley Halhead 8 9 Lancaster

John O'Keeffe 12 9 The Wisley

Leonard Peifer 8 9 Santa Maria

Alan McLaughlin 11 8 Braintree

Sheree Wilde 5 8 Chobham

Neil Dalton 13 7 Meon Valley

Fiona Grogan 12 7 Wentworth

Gail Hegarty 13 7 Chorlton-cum-Hardy

Mike Wilde 5 7 Chobham

Robert Kerr 7 6 Troon Welbeck

Anthony Trafford 15 6 Weston Park

Dorothy Blackburn 15 5 Aspley Guise

Richard Burke 12 5 Santa Maria

Geoffrey Henney 3 5 Woodbridge

Pauline Crosthwaite 6 4 Hankley Common

George Davis 10 4 Lee Park

Peter Quinn 18 3 Greenore

Edward Ricketts 10 3 Farnham

Nick Wigzell 18 3 Orchardleigh

Anne Archer 10 2 Ipswich

Melvyn Fern 13 2 Willesley Park

Andrew Baker 9 1 Royal Wimbledon

Howard Domney 10 1 Mere

Christopher Hegarty 8 1 Chorlton-cum-Hardy

Ian Harris 8 10 Domaine Imperiale

Alan Orritt 10 9 Penwortham

Martin Fell 5 8 Copt Heath

Reuben Fielding 12 13 Tytherington

Peter Barrington 15 7 Springfield

Angeles Bertran 18 6 Santa Maria

Gary Corett 8 2 Mere

Edwina Grace 13 1 Ham Manor

PRINT AND BE DAMNED If one came out and said that printing

money to buy debt can help an al-

ready debt ridden society most people

would call for the men in white coats

and unlock the padded cell.

But in fact all money is created as

debt. You walk into a bank and ask

for a loan to buy a car and the Man-

ager agrees to lend you £20k. He

doesn’t have £20k, probably only £2k,

but he agrees to the loan and adds

£20k to your account. You go and

buy your car and the dealer takes

your cheque for £20k and banks it.

So the bank gets its money back.

You though, must pay a hefty amount

of interest on your loan, and of course

the capital, for the next 5 years. It is

this interest that is the real money

created and which goes to finance the

next loan (and bonuses).

All works fine until you stop paying.

And that is the crux of the problem. If

we all stop paying, the bank has no

money to lend, just an old repos-

sessed car (or house). So the dealer

can’t sell his cars and doesn’t order any

more from the factory, which then lays

off people, who stop paying tax and start

asking the govt for money just when its

revenues are drying up.

When this happens the total supply of

money in the economy contracts as

debts are paid off or written off and con-

sequently demand in the economy for

goods and services falls off a cliff. If

nobody does anything to prevent this

good businesses go down with the bad

in a never ending spiral.

To much derision Mervyn King and Ben

Bernanke started printing money (using it

to buy the banks’ bad debts) which

meant that they stayed in business. Of

course the knee jerk reaction for die hard

monetarists is that hyper inflation will

follow as sure as night follows day. But

that is only true if the total money supply

has been increased. If you take the fall

in property prices and the collapse in

lending and private debt, the total money

supply has been contracting, so putting

back £200bn in QE doesn’t mean that

there will be inflation. It might, depend-

ing on where the money goes, but if it

underpins falling assets then confi-

dence returns and so does business.

Without a doubt there is an impact on

the value of the Pound but nothing like

the effect of a 10-20% fall in GDP

which would put millions out of work.

My view is that Mervyn King has been

incredibly astute in his handling of the

crisis. For now he has saved the econ-

omy and provided we see growth pick-

ing up millions of people should thank

him for saving their jobs and busi-

nesses.

They won’t of course, because the

“Cuts” will get all the headlines, but

without QE the cuts would have been

real, not just a slow down in the rate of

increase of the National Debt.

Of course we are not out of the woods

yet as the next oil price shock is just

around the corner but the real

shocker—Deflation—seems to have

been averted.

Ever since we left La Manga Club we have

been struggling to find a suitable venue for

the Grand Finals. Our temporary home at

Vila Sol lacked the variety of courses for a

prestigious competitive week and although

the hotel was good we needed to find an

alternative.

By no longer paying for the flights we can put

more budget into the venue and that means

that we can have better accommodation and

golf. And in Portugal there is none finer than

the Monte da Quinta Suites and the 3 Q de L

courses—North, South & Laranjal.

So we have signed up to a 3 year deal that

will make the chase for the elusive 10 Tour

Points worthwhile. It does mean that the

Greencard Masters will be more expensive

but the quality of the trip is superb.

Included for Qualifiers

• 7 Nights b & b in a shared room 1 Bed-room apartment at the 5 star Monte da Quinta Suites

• 7 days car hire between 2

• 5 rounds of golf on the Q de L North, South (2) and Laranjal (2)

• All tournament fees

Upgrade Prices

Single Supplement 1 Bed Apt £149

Single Supplement 2 Bed Apt £79

Extra Night 1 Bed Apt p Apt £80

Extra Night 2 Bed Apt p Aptt £100

The 2 Bedroom Suites are ideal for 2 single people to share with only a small single supp.

The Greencard Masters

As always we will be proposing a tourna-

ment for the non-qualifiers as well. The

Greencard Masters will be the usual format

of an Am Am followed by 4 rounds of sta-

bleford with some great prizes. Be there to

crown the 2011 Champion.

Prices for the Greencard Masters

Golfer 1 Bed Apartment £869

Golfer 2 Bed Apartment £629

Non Golfer -£240

Single Room Supp 1 Bed Apt £149

Single Room Supp 2 Bed Apt £ 79

Golf Only £449

FLIGHT NOT INCLUDED

Grand Finals at Quinta do Lago—October 29th to November 5th The Monte da Quinta Suites Laranjal Golf Course