Surabaya Retreat (VI) ...the 'Battle Royale' at Ciputra...

We had almost the whole of Sunday to kill as our return flight to Kuala Lumpur was at 655pm in the evening. Three golfers went home on the early afternoon flight and Pak Zahardin was hijacked by his partner, Fiona, to the Majapahit Spa. So the remaining seven die-hard golfers decided to go back to the Ciputra for another round of golf.

pakRoslan, pakWanHusin, pakHajiAmin,pakTgAzman,pakdokter,pakHyder and pakZulRauf...

PakRoslan decided to let the three of us who were members of the RSGC to play in one flight while the remaining 4 STAROBA golfers played in the other flight. I suppose the two group of golfers had their own score to be settled!

the STAROBA golfers all focussed for the big stake.....

The three of us or the 'Royalists' as pakRoslan called us had our own score to be settled. PakTgAzman, who when he started playing with pakdokter about 3 months ago carried a handicap of 28 had been improving with every game and rightly so at this tournament had come out overall second. As he had been quite regularly winning our weekdays morning games at the club lately, and coming out Vice-Champion as he kept proclaiming himself since his winning yesterday, he was obviously very confident at the start of the game.

Before teeing off at the 1st hole of the Bukit Course, he thanked pakdokter for whatever he believed will be paid to him at the end of the game.....What a cocky bugger!!!

In my usual humble way, pakdokter told the two of them, no matter what the outcome, let us enjoy the game.

see how confident pakTgAzman is...hands on the shoulders with cigar between his fingers...wow..

Pakdokter sliced the ball from the tee at the 1st hole and almost lost the ball beyond the O.B. boundary. PakTgAzman tried to 'calm' pakdokter by advising pakdokter not to panic.... Pakdokter scored an 8 for the hole while pakHyder scored a 6 and pakTgAzman carded a 5 and took the skin for the whole.

Pakdokter noticed that the Bukit Course, although short, was rather narrow and tight with a fast and tricky green. So pakdokter put aside his driver and pulled out the ever reliable wood-3. The drive with the wood-3 was as good and as long as the driver and split the fairways!

The next two holes all 3 of us bogeyed the par 4 and par 3 holes and on the 5th hole pakdokter took his first 'skin' and was square against both the other two players.

Pakdokter bogeyed the remaining 5 holes except the par-3 hole-7 where a score of 5 was recorded. Although pakTgAzman birdied the par 3 and had a par at the hole-8, both of us were square at the end of the 1st Nine. PakHyder was down to both of us and collected no skin at all.

At the start of the 2nd Nine at the Danau Course pakTgAzman once again came to thank pakdokter for sponsoring his winnings! He was so confident that he took out his Havana cigar to give himself a premature victory treat! Pakdokter suspected that he was actually a little nervous.....

In his mind pakdokter told himself that he must bring pakTgAzman back a little down to earth ...

even with pakdokter there he still berani put his hands on the shoulders....

Pakdokter bogeyed the 1st hole and took the first skin. A par at the next par-4 gave pakdokter another skin. All 3 of us parred the next short island par-3 and with 3 more pars and 3 bogeys for the remaining 6 holes pakdokter carded a score of 40 for the Danau 9. PakTgAzman despite trying very hard and managing another 3 pars also for the remaining 6 holes, triple bogeyed twice to return a score of 45. Poor pakHyder was the ultimate casualty. With no skin to claim and a score of 50 for the Danau Nine, he become the overall Father Christmas!

the girls wanted this picture to be emailed to them...

Pakdokter collected 15 balls from pakHyder and 8 balls from pakTgAzman.....

The 2 big bottles of 'Bintang' was one hell of a thirst-quencher!

If Karpal's motto is "Singh is King" pakdokter's modest reminder will be " don't play play...."

pakHyder came out well from this bunker....





one of the many lovely villas at Ciputra...

Danau hole-5 par 4 where both pakdokter and pakTgAzman scored a par...

No!...it's in the water. Pakhyder wondering how his drive could not cross the lake at the last hole of the Danau Course....

hole-8 par 3 of the Danau Course....all 3 of us manage to bogey the hole


In case some of you readers think that this post is just another of pakdokter's big 'klentong', pakdokter has photographed our score card and has posted it here for your scrutiny....heh..heh..