So off we went, all 11 of us. We were glad to have Peter, who had made special arrangement to plan his family-visiting trip to Ipoh, to coincide with our travel. Welcome on board, Peter; but watch out for your uncle, Dennes. He has been itching to snatch a few British Pounds from your wallet!
Yong joined us for the first time, so we told him that this is his qualifying trip. We shall assess his performance (...eh not golf, but behavioral profile...) before we could accept him into this elite group.
Our target golf destinations for this Kunming trip, were basically Spring City Golf Resort and Stone Forest International Golf Club.
Sprint City Golf Resort, which has been awarded by US Golf Digest as World Top 100 Golf Courses and Asian Golf Monthly - Best Golf Course in Asia & China.
Stone Forest International Golf Club is carved out from the Stone Forest which has been listed as one of the world's "eight natural landscapes".
Out brief itinerary as follows:
Day 01 Kuala Lumpur/ Kunming, depart 1305hrs
On arrival, proceed to Spring City Resort. (app 1.5hrs journey)
Welcome dinner at resort.
Day 02 7.30am Tee off at Lake Course (18 holes)
Lunch break and continue Mountain Course (18 holes).
Day 03 7.00am, check out and proceed to Stone Forest Golf Resort.
After golf, transfer to Kunming Jinjiang Hotel (app 2.0hrs journey)
Day 04 After breakfast, transfer to Wanda Golf Resort, tee off at 9.00 am.
Back to Hotel after game.
Day 05 Free day for optional game/sightseeing/shopping
Day 06 Transfer to Airport for departure at 1740hrs .
As per past practice, it was agreed that we will be having daily tournament based on stableford points. Handicap will be adjusted daily according to our well proven rules. Please see below on Handicap System and daily prize distributions. The four days total points shall cumulated into championship positions, aptly known as Kunming Master 2014.
Day 1 - Tuesday, 4th March.....
By the time we arrived at the Spring City Resort, the day is already getting dark. However, we were pleasantly surprised as we opened the door to our room. It was truly a 5* resort! Clean, spacious and the bath tub is a big bowl! Then someone shouted from neighbouring room to look out from our balcony. There is only one word to describe our expression of the view before us...WOW!
Day 2 - Wednesday, 5th March.....
The temperature in Kunming hovers around 7-22C throughout the year with clearly marked dry and wet seasons. The rainy season falls between May to Oct, while the rest of the months will be dry. In the morning, the temperature is about 15C, so we could feel our hands slightly numb before the first tee off. From what we saw from the balcony yesterday, I think everybody is excited to play the Lake Course this morning.
Although it is called the Lake course, only few holes are built around the lake, otherwise the immaculate fairways are guarded by trees and tall grass on both side. The stipmeter is 12.6 on the greens; extremely fast for all KRTU members to cope with. Only Lee and Peter managed to read the speed and came back top of the leaderboard on game 1.
The winners....
After a quick lunch at the clubhouse, we were off to the Mountain course for another 18 holes. The arrangement was made to maximize the promotional package offered by Spring City GC. Moreover, the weather was cool throughout the day and we were using buggy. So I believe it will not be a problem to play 36 holes in one day.
Except the 2 winners at the Lake course, everyone else seems to do well with scores of 30 and above. Maybe the slower green speed suits the majority. To me, I short putted many holes. I think the green speed of the previous course is still stuck in my mind!
At the end, Dennes played par golf and deserve to win this round. James and Khoo were just 2 points behind.
The happy winners....
After 36 holes in one day, every one is looking forward to a good massage to recharge. We found a place in the small town about 15 minutes drive down the resort. The service was just average, ....RMB for leg, back and shoulder. Good enough for the day!
Day 3 - Thursday, 6th March.....
Today, we would be playing the StoneForest International Country Club, which we heard so much about from Dennes. This is truly one of its kind in the world. You see pillars of stones, of all shapes and sizes, stand up high above the ground in isolation or formed clusters into small hills. The view is simply spectacular, especially standing on some of the tee boxes. Seeing is believing!
The fairways are pretty wide and there are no water hazards. Only the small trees and mini stone forest guarding both side of the fairways. So every one played reasonably well, although the course is rather short at 6190yds. In my flight, Lim had 2 birdies and Gan, Yong and myself; had 1 birdie each.
The game ended with Lee scoring another 1st, while Liaw also got his first big pay check.
Shot of the day must go to Gan on hole 9, which is a short par4 of 296yds. His 2nd shot from the bunker with a pitching wedge from about 70yds away, landed the ball about 3 ft from the pin. Confidently, he rolled the ball for an excellent birdie. Yong also scored a birdie from about 5 ft away on the same hole! This was the highlight of the day for all of us in the flight. We gave high5 all round, including the caddies. They were equally excited.
Day 4 - Friday, 7th March.....
Initially, we were supposed to play at Wanda Golf Resort, but one of the nine was under repair. Had no choice to change the venue to Wind Valley GC, which is not very far away from Spring City. This course is relatively new, shaped along the mountain and water of the YangZong Lake.
The first thing we immediately noted really puzzled us. There is no index on all the holes! According to the caddies, hole 13 is the toughest. So it was unanimously agreed that this is Index 1 and the rest of the index will be assigned upon draw lots. An experience of a different kind!
As the name implied, we could feel the wind as we made the first tee off. It picks up speed as the day went by. By the time, we started the 2nd nine, the wind was howling to the point that at some holes, it was hard to stand on the spot. It was so strong, a condition we had never experienced! Apparently, the wind gets stronger after 9am and the condition is the same throughout the year.
On reaching hole 13, and standing on the tee box; we could understand why the caddies said this is the toughest hole! The tee box sits on the edge of the mountain high above, the fairway is carved along the edge in a reverse C shape where the green judges out from the cliff face like a sore thumb. Though this par 4 is 440yds, an accurate and good drive is a must in order to cut across the valley to reach the green on 2nd shot. Easier said than done because by the time we reached this hole, the wind was blowing like crazy.
At this point, I had to write down my own experience of this hole because it still lingers in my mind until today. Just need to get it off!....
I had a fantastic drive, the ball cut across the valley and landed 150yds from the hole. My second shot with a 7-iron was just perfect and pin high as well. By sheer stroke of bad luck, a gust of strong wind just came at the wrong time. I could see my ball crashing vertically down into the valley just probably 2 feet short of the green! I took a penalty, used the same iron but this time aimed more right off the pin. The ball landed exactly where I anticipated, but unfortunately rolled off the green into a bunker which is built into the wall about 10 ft below the surface. I ended up with an "8" on this hole.
Checking through the scores later, all the low handicappers scored double par or worst on this hole. James, who was in my flight; had the best score of bogey 5. All thanks to his "bad" tee off, where he had to play a safe short on his second approach.
I think I feel better now!
At the end of the day, all of us agreed that this was an experience that we will not forget. However, we will never come back to play this course again.
Looking at the scores, only Gan and Yong are big winners under this windy condition....
Day 5 - Saturday day, 8th March.....
Today, it is free and easy for all. other than the 3 Ls (Lee, Lim and Liaw); the rest had chosen to play another round of golf at Shinning Star GC. While I was preparing to go out at about 8am, there was a breaking news flashed across the TV. All it said was a MAS flight from KL to Peking has lost contact with the tower after about 1.20hrs into the journey. It was confirmed that 153 Chinese nationals were on board this ill-fated MH370. I left a note to my room mate to follow up on further development.
The 3 Ls had earlier decided the walk about the city. In the midst of it, I noticed that Liaw was very eager to find a wet market, which eventually we did after many hours of walking the streets. Then a bunch of fruits, that look like turnips; struck his attention. He asked the seller, who confirmed the fruit is called "Maca". He was obviously excited like a kid who got a new toy! Then, he told us what he saw on the health channel yesterday.
The doctor recommended Maca, which is a new organic product for kidney treatment, sleeping problem and general food for health and vitality equivalent to oriental vigra.
But the Maca on displayed were in raw form, which definitely will post a problem at the Airport Immigration. So we suggested to him to check out Pharmacies and Traditional Medical stores (TMC).
At one of the Pharmacy, a bottle of Maca with 30 capsules cost Rmb488! My gosh..that is about RM9 per capsule! Not far away, we found a TMC. The lady showed us a small packet of sliced and dried Maca, probably 10g but the asking price is Rmb186...By now, we realized that this is by no means a cheap product...
We were on our way back after lunch, suddenly we saw the lane that leads to the same market, (obviously we had been walking in a big circle); by this time, Liaw has decided to buy even the raw fruits and somehow bring them home and find a way to slice and dried it.
This could be one of the happiest shopping moment, especially for Liaw who later broadcast the news to everyone else during dinner.
(Add note: when we met at KRTU the following Tuesday, he was almost dancing with a broad smile and repeatedly said....it worked! it worked!....a very happen men indeed.)
Day 6 - Sunday, 10th March.....
We still have a few hours to spare before gather for lunch and ready to leave for departure.
After last night's story on Maca, Liaw voluntarily took a group to do more Maca shopping and some went for another round of massage.
Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, is known as 'the City of Eternal Spring' for its pleasant climate and flowers blooming all year long. We could see flowers everywhere we travelled.
We were told that cherry blossoms are in full bloom right around this time.
As such, Lim, Alex, Yong and myself decided to see Cherry Blossoms at Yen Tong San, which is a park about 15 mins by taxi. We were not disappointed.
Kunming Masters, final results.....
After 4 days of golf, the scores returned clearly show that it's yo-yo games for most of the players. Lim is undoubtedly the most consistent player, whilst Alex, who normally has his name on the leader board is surprisingly out of the radar this time. Alex, banyak pressure ka????
Although Lee finally emerged as the overall Kunming Master Champion, the scores between each top position is merely 2 points apart. Nobody scored under par in any game as well. Once again, proving that our Handicap system is a working formula.
To cap it all, Peter had graciously sponsored a green "jersey" (eh..green jacket oredi old fashion la...) to the Master Champion. As a major sponsor, Peter, you are automatically qualified for our next trip....
Also good news to Yong....it was unanimously agreed that you pass the test, though not in flying color!
Summary - overall results.....
Kunming Masters, handicap system.....
Before starting off the 1st game, all players Handicap will be based on our KRTU experience, also using Dennes's HCP as a reference point. This HCP can be changed according to the player's comfort level. High Handicappers also has the option to tee off from the white tee box.
Before the next game, HCP will be adjusted daily according to our usual rules as follows.
- daily champion, deduct 2 stroke from current HCP (regardless of returning score)
- daily 2nd, deduct 1 stroke from current HCP (regardless of returning score)
- if score is -1 to -3, deduct additional 1 stroke from current HCP, regardless of position
- if score is better than -3, deduct additional 2 strokes from current HCP, regardless of position
- if score is +3 to +5, add +1 strokes to current HCP, regardless of position
- if score is +6 and over, add +2 strokes to current HCP, regardless of position
Daily winners, position 1-5: Overall winners, position 1-5:
- 1st, 100 rmb - 1st, 200 rmb
- 2nd, 80 rmb - 2nd, 160 rmb
- 3rd, 60 rmb - 3rd, 120 rmb
- 4th, 40 rmb - 4th, 80 rmb
- 5th, 20 rmb - 5th, 40 rmb
Feedback received......
from James Teong, March 18...
https://plus.google.com/photos/107889453367436801158/albums/5990583454556482353?authkey=COe7trn-4uOlqwE
by YS Liaw
https://plus.google.com/photos/107889453367436801158/albums/5992066435050466561?authkey=CNOvz-TXxZPIbQ
Breaking News.....
1 March 2014. Just 3 days before our departure, there was a bloody terrorist attack at a crowded train station, which is located straight down the road about 500m from Jinjiang Hotel, where we stayed for 3 nights. The assailants killed 29 people and injured more than 140 with knives and machetes. Police fatally shot 4 and captured 1.
8 March 2014. While 8 of our team members had left the hotel early to play another round of golf at the Shinning Star GC. I was watching TV on the bed and saw the following news flash.....
Yong joined us for the first time, so we told him that this is his qualifying trip. We shall assess his performance (...eh not golf, but behavioral profile...) before we could accept him into this elite group.
Our target golf destinations for this Kunming trip, were basically Spring City Golf Resort and Stone Forest International Golf Club.
Sprint City Golf Resort, which has been awarded by US Golf Digest as World Top 100 Golf Courses and Asian Golf Monthly - Best Golf Course in Asia & China.
Stone Forest International Golf Club is carved out from the Stone Forest which has been listed as one of the world's "eight natural landscapes".
Out brief itinerary as follows:
Day 01 Kuala Lumpur/ Kunming, depart 1305hrs
On arrival, proceed to Spring City Resort. (app 1.5hrs journey)
Welcome dinner at resort.
Day 02 7.30am Tee off at Lake Course (18 holes)
Lunch break and continue Mountain Course (18 holes).
Day 03 7.00am, check out and proceed to Stone Forest Golf Resort.
After golf, transfer to Kunming Jinjiang Hotel (app 2.0hrs journey)
Day 04 After breakfast, transfer to Wanda Golf Resort, tee off at 9.00 am.
Back to Hotel after game.
Day 05 Free day for optional game/sightseeing/shopping
Day 06 Transfer to Airport for departure at 1740hrs .
As per past practice, it was agreed that we will be having daily tournament based on stableford points. Handicap will be adjusted daily according to our well proven rules. Please see below on Handicap System and daily prize distributions. The four days total points shall cumulated into championship positions, aptly known as Kunming Master 2014.
Day 1 - Tuesday, 4th March.....
By the time we arrived at the Spring City Resort, the day is already getting dark. However, we were pleasantly surprised as we opened the door to our room. It was truly a 5* resort! Clean, spacious and the bath tub is a big bowl! Then someone shouted from neighbouring room to look out from our balcony. There is only one word to describe our expression of the view before us...WOW!
Day 2 - Wednesday, 5th March.....
The temperature in Kunming hovers around 7-22C throughout the year with clearly marked dry and wet seasons. The rainy season falls between May to Oct, while the rest of the months will be dry. In the morning, the temperature is about 15C, so we could feel our hands slightly numb before the first tee off. From what we saw from the balcony yesterday, I think everybody is excited to play the Lake Course this morning.
Although it is called the Lake course, only few holes are built around the lake, otherwise the immaculate fairways are guarded by trees and tall grass on both side. The stipmeter is 12.6 on the greens; extremely fast for all KRTU members to cope with. Only Lee and Peter managed to read the speed and came back top of the leaderboard on game 1.
The winners....
| Day 1: 5 Mar 2014, 9am | ||||||||
| Lake course, Spring City Golf Resort | Nx Game | |||||||
| Name | H’Cp | 1st Nine | 2nd Nine | Total | Position | H’Cp Adj | ||
| 1 | Dennes Chin | 11 | 10 | 12 | 22 | 5 ocb | 2 | |
| 2 | Peter Chew | 11 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 2 | -1 | |
| 3 | Lim KS | 12 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 3 | 2 | |
| 4 | Lee CP | 14 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 1 | -2 | |
| 5 | Alex Geok | 16 | 12 | 8 | 20 | 10 | 2 | |
| 6 | James Teong | 16 | 14 | 8 | 22 | 6 | 2 | |
| 7 | Gan KH | 20 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 4 | 2 | |
| 8 | Yong | 20 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 8 | 2 | |
| 9 | Liaw | 24 | 9 | 12 | 21 | 7 | 2 | |
| 10 | Kee | 24 | 10 | 11 | 21 | 8 | 2 | |
| 11 | Khoo SH | 32 | 10 | 9 | 19 | 11 | 2 | |
 |
| Some smiling faces after game 1 |
After a quick lunch at the clubhouse, we were off to the Mountain course for another 18 holes. The arrangement was made to maximize the promotional package offered by Spring City GC. Moreover, the weather was cool throughout the day and we were using buggy. So I believe it will not be a problem to play 36 holes in one day.
Except the 2 winners at the Lake course, everyone else seems to do well with scores of 30 and above. Maybe the slower green speed suits the majority. To me, I short putted many holes. I think the green speed of the previous course is still stuck in my mind!At the end, Dennes played par golf and deserve to win this round. James and Khoo were just 2 points behind.
 |
| Good putt, Peter |
| Day 1: 5 Mar 2014, 2Pm | ||||||||
| Mountain course, Spring City Golf Resort | Nx Game | |||||||
| Name | H’Cp | 1st Nine | 2nd Nine | Total | Position | H’Cp Adj | ||
| 1 | Dennes Chin | 13 | 17 | 19 | 36 | 1 | -2 | |
| 2 | Peter Chew | 10 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 11 | 2 | |
| 3 | Lim KS | 14 | 16 | 17 | 33 | 4 ocb | 0 | |
| 4 | Lee CP | 12 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 10 | 2 | |
| 5 | Alex Geok | 18 | 17 | 12 | 29 | 9 | 2 | |
| 6 | James Teong | 18 | 13 | 21 | 34 | 2 ocb | -1 | |
| 7 | Gan KH | 22 | 16 | 16 | 32 | 6 | 0 | |
| 8 | Yong | 22 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 5 | 0 | |
| 9 | Liaw | 26 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 7 | 1 | |
| 10 | Kee | 26 | 16 | 14 | 30 | 8 | 2 | |
| 11 | Khoo SH | 34 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 3 | 0 | |
The happy winners....
After 36 holes in one day, every one is looking forward to a good massage to recharge. We found a place in the small town about 15 minutes drive down the resort. The service was just average, ....RMB for leg, back and shoulder. Good enough for the day!
Day 3 - Thursday, 6th March.....
Today, we would be playing the StoneForest International Country Club, which we heard so much about from Dennes. This is truly one of its kind in the world. You see pillars of stones, of all shapes and sizes, stand up high above the ground in isolation or formed clusters into small hills. The view is simply spectacular, especially standing on some of the tee boxes. Seeing is believing!
The fairways are pretty wide and there are no water hazards. Only the small trees and mini stone forest guarding both side of the fairways. So every one played reasonably well, although the course is rather short at 6190yds. In my flight, Lim had 2 birdies and Gan, Yong and myself; had 1 birdie each.
The game ended with Lee scoring another 1st, while Liaw also got his first big pay check.
Shot of the day must go to Gan on hole 9, which is a short par4 of 296yds. His 2nd shot from the bunker with a pitching wedge from about 70yds away, landed the ball about 3 ft from the pin. Confidently, he rolled the ball for an excellent birdie. Yong also scored a birdie from about 5 ft away on the same hole! This was the highlight of the day for all of us in the flight. We gave high5 all round, including the caddies. They were equally excited.
| Day 2: 6 Mar | |||||||||
| Stone Forest Intl GC, Kunming | Nx Game | ||||||||
| Name | H’Cp | 1st Nine | 2nd Nine | Total | Position | H’Cp Adj | |||
| 1 | Dennes Chin | 11 | 18 | 12 | 30 | 6 | 1 | ||
| 2 | Peter Chew | 12 | 11 | 15 | 26 | 9 | 2 | ||
| 3 | Lim KS | 14 | 17 | 15 | 32 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 4 | Lee CP | 14 | 16 | 18 | 34 | 1 ocb | -2 | ||
| 5 | Alex Geok | 20 | 13 | 14 | 27 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 6 | James Teong | 17 | 18 | 15 | 33 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 7 | Gan KH | 22 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 11 | 2 | ||
| 8 | Yong | 22 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 9 | Liaw | 27 | 17 | 17 | 34 | 2 | -1 | ||
| 10 | Kee | 28 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 5 ocb | 2 | ||
| 11 | Khoo SH | 34 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 10 | 2 | ||
Initially, we were supposed to play at Wanda Golf Resort, but one of the nine was under repair. Had no choice to change the venue to Wind Valley GC, which is not very far away from Spring City. This course is relatively new, shaped along the mountain and water of the YangZong Lake.
The first thing we immediately noted really puzzled us. There is no index on all the holes! According to the caddies, hole 13 is the toughest. So it was unanimously agreed that this is Index 1 and the rest of the index will be assigned upon draw lots. An experience of a different kind!
On reaching hole 13, and standing on the tee box; we could understand why the caddies said this is the toughest hole! The tee box sits on the edge of the mountain high above, the fairway is carved along the edge in a reverse C shape where the green judges out from the cliff face like a sore thumb. Though this par 4 is 440yds, an accurate and good drive is a must in order to cut across the valley to reach the green on 2nd shot. Easier said than done because by the time we reached this hole, the wind was blowing like crazy.
 |
| Hole # 13 - Lim standing in front of the green and holding on to his cap to prevent it being blown away |
At this point, I had to write down my own experience of this hole because it still lingers in my mind until today. Just need to get it off!....
I had a fantastic drive, the ball cut across the valley and landed 150yds from the hole. My second shot with a 7-iron was just perfect and pin high as well. By sheer stroke of bad luck, a gust of strong wind just came at the wrong time. I could see my ball crashing vertically down into the valley just probably 2 feet short of the green! I took a penalty, used the same iron but this time aimed more right off the pin. The ball landed exactly where I anticipated, but unfortunately rolled off the green into a bunker which is built into the wall about 10 ft below the surface. I ended up with an "8" on this hole.
Checking through the scores later, all the low handicappers scored double par or worst on this hole. James, who was in my flight; had the best score of bogey 5. All thanks to his "bad" tee off, where he had to play a safe short on his second approach.
I think I feel better now!
At the end of the day, all of us agreed that this was an experience that we will not forget. However, we will never come back to play this course again.
Looking at the scores, only Gan and Yong are big winners under this windy condition....
| Day 3: 7 Mar | |||||||
| Wind Valley golf resort | |||||||
| Name | H’Cp | 1st Nine | 2nd Nine | Total | Position | ||
| 1 | Dennes Chin | 12 | 17 | 11 | 28 | 4 | |
| 2 | Peter Chew | 14 | 13 | 7 | 20 | 10 | |
| 3 | Lim KS | 14 | 19 | 10 | 29 | 2 | |
| 4 | Lee CP | 12 | 17 | 8 | 25 | 7 | |
| 5 | Alex Geok | 22 | 17 | 10 | 27 | 5 | |
| 6 | James Teong | 17 | 15 | 11 | 26 | 6 | |
| 7 | Gan KH | 24 | 13 | 17 | 30 | 1 | |
| 8 | Yong | 24 | 13 | 15 | 28 | 3 ocb | |
| 9 | Liaw | 26 | 16 | 8 | 24 | 8 | |
| 10 | Kee | 30 | 9 | 6 | 15 | 11 | |
| 11 | Khoo SH | 36 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 9 | |
Day 5 - Saturday day, 8th March.....
Today, it is free and easy for all. other than the 3 Ls (Lee, Lim and Liaw); the rest had chosen to play another round of golf at Shinning Star GC. While I was preparing to go out at about 8am, there was a breaking news flashed across the TV. All it said was a MAS flight from KL to Peking has lost contact with the tower after about 1.20hrs into the journey. It was confirmed that 153 Chinese nationals were on board this ill-fated MH370. I left a note to my room mate to follow up on further development.
 |
| Maca Fruits |
But the Maca on displayed were in raw form, which definitely will post a problem at the Airport Immigration. So we suggested to him to check out Pharmacies and Traditional Medical stores (TMC).
 |
| This poster was found in the toilet of the airport |
At one of the Pharmacy, a bottle of Maca with 30 capsules cost Rmb488! My gosh..that is about RM9 per capsule! Not far away, we found a TMC. The lady showed us a small packet of sliced and dried Maca, probably 10g but the asking price is Rmb186...By now, we realized that this is by no means a cheap product...
We were on our way back after lunch, suddenly we saw the lane that leads to the same market, (obviously we had been walking in a big circle); by this time, Liaw has decided to buy even the raw fruits and somehow bring them home and find a way to slice and dried it.
It was the sweetest word to hear when the stall lady told us that she had the dried ones for Rmb 160/KG. All of us bought 1/2 kg each without second thought.
(Add note: when we met at KRTU the following Tuesday, he was almost dancing with a broad smile and repeatedly said....it worked! it worked!....a very happen men indeed.)
Day 6 - Sunday, 10th March.....
We still have a few hours to spare before gather for lunch and ready to leave for departure.
After last night's story on Maca, Liaw voluntarily took a group to do more Maca shopping and some went for another round of massage.
Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province, is known as 'the City of Eternal Spring' for its pleasant climate and flowers blooming all year long. We could see flowers everywhere we travelled.
We were told that cherry blossoms are in full bloom right around this time.
As such, Lim, Alex, Yong and myself decided to see Cherry Blossoms at Yen Tong San, which is a park about 15 mins by taxi. We were not disappointed.
A stroll in the park....
After 4 days of golf, the scores returned clearly show that it's yo-yo games for most of the players. Lim is undoubtedly the most consistent player, whilst Alex, who normally has his name on the leader board is surprisingly out of the radar this time. Alex, banyak pressure ka????
Although Lee finally emerged as the overall Kunming Master Champion, the scores between each top position is merely 2 points apart. Nobody scored under par in any game as well. Once again, proving that our Handicap system is a working formula.
 |
| Lee - the Kunming Master Champion 2014 |
 |
| Kunming Master Champion 2014 with Green Jersey, sponsored by Peter |
Summary - overall results.....
| Kunming Master 2014 | |||||||
| Name | 4 Days Tot Points | Overall Position | Name | Top $RMB Winners | |||
| 1 | Lee CP | 120 | 1 | 1 | Lee CP | 400 | |
| 2 | Lim KS | 118 | 2 | 2 | Lim KS | 380 | |
| 3 | Dennes Chin | 116 | 3 | 3 | Dennes Chin | 280 | |
| 4 | James Teong | 115 | 4 | 4 | James Teong | 220 | |
| 5 | Yong | 111 | 5 | 5 | Gan KH | 140 | |
| 6 | Liaw | 110 | 6 | 6 | Yong | 120 | |
| 7 | Gan KH | 109 | 7 | 7 | Liaw | 80 | |
| 8 | Peter Chew | 103 | 8 | 8 | Peter Chew | 80 | |
| 9 | Alex Geok | 103 | 8 | 9 | Khoo SH | 60 | |
| 10 | Khoo SH | 98 | 10 | 10 | Alex Geok | 20 | |
| 11 | Kee | 96 | 11 | 11 | Kee | 20 | |
| Kunming Golf, 4-9 March 2014 | ||
| Total expenses approx: | ||
| RM | ||
| Air Ticket: | 400.00 - 1000.00 | |
| Golf Package: | 4000.00 | |
| Caddy Tips: | 400.00 | |
| Meals/Prize: | 400.00 | |
| Guide/Driver tips | pkg incl | |
Kunming Masters, handicap system.....
Before starting off the 1st game, all players Handicap will be based on our KRTU experience, also using Dennes's HCP as a reference point. This HCP can be changed according to the player's comfort level. High Handicappers also has the option to tee off from the white tee box.
Before the next game, HCP will be adjusted daily according to our usual rules as follows.
- daily champion, deduct 2 stroke from current HCP (regardless of returning score)
- daily 2nd, deduct 1 stroke from current HCP (regardless of returning score)
- if score is -1 to -3, deduct additional 1 stroke from current HCP, regardless of position
- if score is better than -3, deduct additional 2 strokes from current HCP, regardless of position
- if score is +3 to +5, add +1 strokes to current HCP, regardless of position
- if score is +6 and over, add +2 strokes to current HCP, regardless of position
Daily winners, position 1-5: Overall winners, position 1-5:
- 1st, 100 rmb - 1st, 200 rmb
- 2nd, 80 rmb - 2nd, 160 rmb
- 3rd, 60 rmb - 3rd, 120 rmb
- 4th, 40 rmb - 4th, 80 rmb
- 5th, 20 rmb - 5th, 40 rmb
Feedback received......
from James Teong, March 18...
"Lee CP write up of the trip is so wonderful, i think he put in a lot of effort especially his time.
I personally need to thank Lee of his "Blog". Hope we could play golf together in the near future.......(Hopefully my visa still valid...ha ha)
Last but not least, i would like take this opportunity to thank all the others to make up my Kunming Trip so meaningful, fun and enjoy."
from Yong, March 18....
"Hi Kakis,
Congratulations to Lee for a great blog. I never expected such a detail story and such glorious pictures. Job well done.
Thank you guys for the great trip. Food was good. Company was great and the golf, fantastic. The trip was well worth the money spent. Every course was immaculate and each with its own character. I like Stone Forest best. Although Wind Valley was mind boggling, it was a great experience. I do not think we could ever play in such condition unless we return which I do not mind.
When is the next trip? I hope it would be soon."
Congratulations to Lee for a great blog. I never expected such a detail story and such glorious pictures. Job well done.
Thank you guys for the great trip. Food was good. Company was great and the golf, fantastic. The trip was well worth the money spent. Every course was immaculate and each with its own character. I like Stone Forest best. Although Wind Valley was mind boggling, it was a great experience. I do not think we could ever play in such condition unless we return which I do not mind.
When is the next trip? I hope it would be soon."
from Peter, March 17....
"Hi Guys, Mat Salleh here
Now back nearly a week catching up with some backlog, luckily not that much.
Thanks to you guys for making the trip a good one, keeping us entertained.
Apart from Wind Valley, the courses were very good, my favourite is still the Lake course and I could play on that everytime.
James tee shot to the short par 4 at Shining Star was outstanding, unfortunately the rest of his game needs working to become a good player.
I will be waiting to hear of Lim’s progress in the year and I sincerely hope that he could achieve the 9.4 handicap to win my RM$50, have you put into practise the bunker shots?
Sandy Shen emailed to enquire how we got on and I managed to conveyed our gratitude for her generous dinner the first evening.
Looking back, I should have bought some maca (as per Liaw’s recommendation) and enjoy the herbal benefits!
Well done to Mr Lee for winning the Kunming Masters. I am invited again to watch the Masters, look out for me on TV.
Weather here now is great, sunny and about 17 c, managed to play over the weekend. I have much golf lined up this year.
Hope you all have a good season and practise hard as I will be after your money when I get back to KL.
More Photos.....enjoy
by KS Limhttps://plus.google.com/photos/107889453367436801158/albums/5990583454556482353?authkey=COe7trn-4uOlqwE
by YS Liaw
https://plus.google.com/photos/107889453367436801158/albums/5992066435050466561?authkey=CNOvz-TXxZPIbQ
Breaking News.....
1 March 2014. Just 3 days before our departure, there was a bloody terrorist attack at a crowded train station, which is located straight down the road about 500m from Jinjiang Hotel, where we stayed for 3 nights. The assailants killed 29 people and injured more than 140 with knives and machetes. Police fatally shot 4 and captured 1.
8 March 2014. While 8 of our team members had left the hotel early to play another round of golf at the Shinning Star GC. I was watching TV on the bed and saw the following news flash.....
MAS Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew, lost contact with the tower en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing about an hour after taking off from the KL International Airport at 12.41 am Saturday. It should have landed in Beijing at 6.30 am.
Passengers from China numbered 153, including one infant.
Until the time of writing, more than 7 days had passed, there is still no sight of the plane even though 14 countries has mobilized more than 30 plans and even bigger numbers of ships and sea crafts in the Search And Rescue (SAR) operations. China even redirected 10 satellites to scan all possible crash sites. Despite all the technical calculations and use of the latest SAR technology, not a single piece of identifiable objects had been found. This is a real mystery, and frustrations to all involved.
Our thoughts and prayers go to all affected.
