Tag Archives: Interclub

Same Same But Different

14 Jul

Week in, week out, the routine feels the same; yet it is different, hence the saying, same same but different. Over the weekend, it was yet another outstation golf trip, but with our golf club instead of on our own.

Last Friday, hubby and I joined our club for an Interclub golf trip to Johor. The week before, I was in Seremban with my golf buddies for a 2D/1N excursion; this time, it was a 3D/2N outing.

Our first game was at Johor Golf and Country Club, which has been undergoing massive redevelopment but is open for play. The golf course was very enjoyable; however, the clubhouse is still under renovation, so we were not able to use the facility. Nonetheless, I give it a thumbs-up and would like to play there again once the redevelopment is completed and the clubhouse is ready.

The next day, we played at Orchard Golf and Country Club. Not a very nice course, honestly. Everything that worked the day before fell flat. Putting sucked because the greens were bald! So many times, my ball skidded past the hole and didn’t roll into it; a forgettable round of golf.

The hotel we stayed at is the usual choice whenever we travel down to Johor with the club. You can tell it is an old hotel when there are no modern plug points with USB ports at the bedside for charging use. But the seasoned traveler in me brought all the necessary charging docks, plugs and cables to overcome this, having stayed here on past trips with the club.

Finally, on the last day we had our Interclub golf challenge against Palm Resort Golf and Country Club. We were slated to play the Cempaka course. The other two courses were Allamanda and Melati.

Our day did not start well. An illegally parked car blocked our bus from leaving the open space car park compound, delaying us by 20 minutes. Then, as we made our way to the club, traffic was at a standstill on the narrow road for another 20 minutes, creating further anxiety for an already delayed journey. I thought we would arrive late, but thankfully, there was some breathing space and soon the tournament started after a quick breakfast.

It was a shotgun start, and my flight started on Hole 4. All was fine and going well until we crossed over to the back nine, which was very long. All the Par 3s, my goodness! I had to pull out my driver twice and couldn’t even reach the green. So demoralizing.

Towards the last three holes, the sky turned dark and threatened with rolling thunder, and strong wind followed. Dang! I rushed through my shots. Ugh. Beaten by the weather and overall unfamiliarity of the course!

We left Palm Resort defeated in the team event, unfortunately, but took heart that our club will host them for a return match in September at our home course. The team will take revenge then and take the trophy back. Hahahaha. Moving forward, I feel I could have played better, and would like to return to this golf club. Perhaps another trip down South? Something to think about.

There were some good memories as we left Johor for home at 3.00 pm. Traffic was horrendous, doubling the travel time back, arriving at the club near midnight. What a trip, what a journey towards the end. So another one filed away for remembrance until my next golf trip!

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A Slow Gallop?

3 Feb

Suddenly, it is February already! Good gracious me, where did time go? This year, the Lunar New Year falls in February, and we are doing a slow gallop to usher in the Year of the Horse. Or is it a slow gallop? January has flown by.

What started as business as usual, as far as routine is concerned, has been thrown into disarray! The follow-up medical last week had us waiting for almost seven hours. The doctor had 50 patients ahead of us, remember? It was not a good idea to do our blood tests and see the doctor separately. We should plan to do both on just one day. Oh well, now we know, right?

Then the weekend golf was weather-interrupted. The Interclub game, organized by my golf club over the weekend, was a washout because the skies opened up gloriously and dumped a whole lot of rain. This unexpected downpour came after a period of hot and dry weather leading up to the Lunar New Year. And typically, this festive time is hot and dry.

It’s been a while since I last played a round of golf that was incomplete. My flight had six more holes to play, while some other flights had fewer holes left than we did. Nonetheless, everyone ended up drenched from top to toe. My golf shoes were soaked through to the inner sole, and my golf bag and clubs had to air out for over 24 hours when I got home. That’s how bad the situation was.

Well, golf games and activities aside, the focus should now shift to preparing for the Lunar New Year, which is just two weeks away! Gosh. Where do I even begin my preparations?

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Back-to-back Trip

22 Jul

Last week, soon after I returned from my Interclub trip to Johor and Singapore, I had a day’s rest before heading off on another trip! This time, it was with M2, and we took the train to Ipoh.

The ETS ride by KTM was on time and comfortable. Within two hours, we arrived at the train station. It was a hot day, but M2 and I chose to walk to discover the city.

During our short 3D/2N stay in the city, we were on a mission to eat as much as we could. However, we could only manage 11 choices of food, being small eaters, not counting the Citrus Yuzu Matcha and white coffees.

Lunch on Day 1: Fruit Rojak and Kai Si Ho Fun
The start of Day 1, after lunch drink, Lamington cake and chicken rice dinner

There was time for us to even go for a short excursion to Tasik Cermin. It’s an interesting and new tourist attraction. It was there that we had the most wonderful Ipoh white coffee! So satisfying on a hot day.

Day Two brunch was half boiled eggs and toast with the best coffee!
Day Two Tau Foo Fah and Nasi Ganja breakfast and excursion; and train ride back to KL

Other than discovering food, there was not much else to do except go into every shop to browse the Heong Peah and biscuit choices. Some were very tempting, but as we were traveling by train, it was a constraint to return with additional bags on top of the two we brought. In the end, we packed everything properly and had just two extra bags, albeit a bit bulky.

Dinner on Day Two was moonlight kueh teow and blanched octopus

The short getaway was very relaxing, but ended all too soon. Both of us had some delicious eats, and both agreed that Ipoh’s pace was a tad too slow for us. Before we knew it, we were boarding the train for home.

Duck rice and pork lard noodles for breakfast before leaving Ipoh

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July Interclub Down South

15 Jul

The Interclub trip down South over the weekend came and went by in a blink. Waking up at 4:30 in the morning is not something I wish to do often, but it was necessary, as everyone had to meet at the club to depart by six o’clock in two buses.

Although there were 60 players, some chose to drive instead. The journey was comfortable with fewer people on board, and traffic was manageable along the highway. Despite taking a couple of wrong exits, our group arrived on time.

Our first Interclub match was against Ponderosa Golf and Country Club. After the welcome lunch, the shotgun start matches began. It was a good fight, but our club lost out with a score of 13.5 points versus 16.5 points. However, Ponderosa, being a gracious host, declared everyone a winner! The losing team players received silver medals, while the champion host team members collected their gold medals. What a friendly way to build friendship in a golf tournament.

The next day, the entourage traveled to Singapore via Woodlands to visit the Keppel Club for our second Interclub game. The format of play was a bit different, which initially left everyone confused. It turned out to be a team event; our players were paired with the opponents, meaning we were playing with them rather than against them. The team with the best ball score for Stableford points will be declared the winner.

Keppel Club is not an easy course to play. It may look short, but the distances to the pins were deceiving, especially with the undulating terrain. I felt so drained after the game despite the cool and cloudy weather. The early confusion on the game format aside, I would say everyone left Keppel feeling satisfied and happy.

On the final day, we had a casual game amongst ourselves at Palm Resort Golf & Country Club (Cempaka course), which was not an Interclub match. I played with my regular group, and it was quite an enjoyable round of dueling to see who would end up contributing less money for lunch! Hahahaha.

I’m just glad to be home after the hectic and tight schedule for three rounds of golf.

Keppel Club with a glaring OB spelled out guarding the Par 3; approaching Woodlands on the Causeway, and sights of the other golf courses.

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Timely Change

8 Jul

Recently, I made some changes to the clubs in my golf bag. After that horrible sticky phlegm health issue that took forever to recover from, I lost distance with my driver and woods. And golf was not fun and very trying.

I decided to fix my problems with a few changes. I replaced my XXIO MP900 12.5-degree L-flex driver with an XXIO Prime 10.5-degree R-flex driver. Then I removed both the MP900 3-wood and 5-wood and replaced them with my old Cleveland Launcher woods.

After several games, I’m pleased to say the changes have worked out well. I am gaining 30 to 50 meters more, especially with the driver! Second and third shots become easier with more choices when the distance gained is so much.

Slowly but surely, I feel my game is coming back! Yay. I am very pleased, as it is a confidence booster ahead of the upcoming Interclub golf trip that I will be going with my club to Johor and Singapore. I hope the weather will be kind when the entourage makes its way down south. We leave this Friday.

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Winning Again

30 Jul

It is nice when we play golf and win. It is nicer when this winning repeats itself. During my weekly Tuesday golf with my group, I returned as the champion for two weeks. What brought about this change in fortune after the disastrous Annual Club Championship outing not too long ago?

My glasses. My prescription glasses were giving me problems because the prescription was no longer correct for my vision. And I find it irritating when I play golf, especially when putting. The vision was blurred, and this affected my concentration. But all this discomfort is a thing of the past with a pair of new glasses.

The icing on the cake was the Interclub match over the weekend against the visiting club, Royal Perak Golf Club. It was a four-ball Best Ball format. My partner and I returned as the Best Pair from our club. We both played well, taking turns to score points on each hole. Both of us combined for a best-ball score of 47 Stableford points! Woo hoo.

A dozen new balls! Nice

I’m glad I discovered and rectified the problem affecting my golf performance over the past few months. The game is enjoyable again because I have a clear vision and better concentration to play well and win.

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Annual Championship 2024

4 Jun

After the recent Interclub trip to Jakarta, I now focus on my club’s Annual Championship, which will take place over two days on the Hills and Lakes courses. So far, I have put in two games to fine-tune my weaknesses.

And it must be something I did, for I can see the difference. I have gained back my distance upon tee-off, a timely confidence booster. And shots with the woods and irons are good, likewise, my short game.

Furthermore, putting with the Scotty has been reliable for the last few games. So, I am ready to take on the challenge, having missed the tournament last year. My only minor setback is the right heel, which will ache if I exert too much. I have to manage.

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Jakarta Again! Part 4

31 May

On Sunday, our final day in Jakarta, we had our Interclub game against members of Jakarta Golf Club (JGC). It was my first time playing in such an old golf club, established in 1872. Matured trees lining the side of the fairways made the course narrow and quite challenging.

The hospitable host welcomed us with a hearty buffet breakfast before teeing off. JGC is a walking course – and almost everyone walked, save for a few who needed the buggy. The mode of play for the tournament was Texas Scramble, which was very enjoyable.

Awesome prize but no Hole-in-One that morning.

The halfway huts provided all sorts of beverages for all golfers to enjoy that morning, and everyone took advantage of it! Initially, I opted for lemon juice, but as the weather got hotter, I decided a cold Bintang beer would do me wonders. Two Bintangs later, I was teeing off further with my “Bintang power” – and it did feel like my ball flew further. Hahahaha.

My partner and I had many good opportunities approaching the greens and putting, as our partnership worked well together. And we returned with a much improved second-nine score compared to the first-nine. However, our opponents fizzled out due to tiredness when we crossed over.

When everyone completed their rounds and returned to the clubhouse, a sumptuous buffet lunch spread welcomed us. But our entourage had a plane to catch by six (the earliest batch), so the program went by quickly, and we could leave the club by 3.00 pm. There was no outright winning club for the Interclub Texas Scramble tournament, only winning pairs, which was enough to make everyone happy. We had a police outrider again to ensure our two buses arrived at the airport on time.

This trip did not start well for me but ended on a good note. Each day, the games improved. I played my personal best game during the duel with the hubbies. And I thoroughly enjoyed my time with my micro group of golf buddies.

As for food, opportunities to try different things were scarce due to time constraints and transport logistics. Nonetheless, I managed with all the chili and spicy offerings, and more importantly, I did not experience any tummy ache.

Hotel breakfast was standard choices, but the chili condiments caught my eye! Soto ayam (top right) was a must for dinner.

While there were some shortcomings in managing 60 golfers, it did not put a dampener, and I can file this trip away on a good note. I await the next Interclub trip organized by my golf club again.

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Jakarta Again!

27 May

Last Thursday, hubby and I flew to Jakarta with 58 other golfers from our club for an Interclub golf game hosted by Jakarta Golf Club. It was fun returning to Jakarta again for golf, having been there only last year in August. However, the experience this time from the beginning was not so fun.

It started with a retimed flight from 1.00 pm to 1.40 pm. We did not reschedule our transport pick-up time since it was only a forty-minute delay. However, when we were on our way to KLIA2, messages in the group chat alerted us that the flight had been retimed again to a 5.00 pm departure! Oh no.

Thankfully, a friend who arrived early managed to negotiate for eight of us to take the earlier flight. Phew, all worked out well, and before we knew it, we arrived safely in Jakarta. And this was when the logistics became a nightmare.

One group was flying in at a different time on Batik Air, the same terminal, but another group on Malaysia Airlines arrived later and at a different terminal. The final group on AirAsia (the flight we were supposed to be on) arrived at the latest, but we did not have to wait for them.

The long wait we had to endure was not the end when everyone from the Batik Air and Malaysia Airlines flights came on board, save the last batch, but the bus ride to Karawang for our first two games was another long journey before arriving for a late dinner and check-in. 

Spicy, spicy dinner

There are plus sides, however. We had a police outrider to ensure we didn’t get caught in traffic, dinner at Cabe Ijio was spicy but delicious, and the hot shower made up for all the missteps. What a start to golfing in Jakarta!

Our police escort on a mean machine!

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Golf Getaway

15 Jul

It has been ages since we last participated in an away Interclub golf game organized by our Club. Over the last two years of living with the pandemic, strict SOPs made interstate travel and activities with large crowds difficult. All these are a thing of the past now.

If I remember correctly, interstate travel has been allowed since May this year, and golf tournaments are happening again. There are fewer restrictions, although we still need to mask up, especially in enclosed public areas. So it is nice to represent the Club for the away game, going for the trip via a chartered bus.

We are traveling to Penang first for a social game amongst ourselves. Then on Saturday, the entourage will leave Penang and travel to Ipoh for the Interclub game. Ipoh again – just last week, we were there for lunch!

Well, it is a nice change to play two rounds of golf outstation and not have to drive. I hope the trip will be a good and memorable one. Good outing, good company, good games, and good food!

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