Micah Woods Official Site

December Golf Report

Does finishing 2^nd count as a defeat? In some circles it may, but when you win a big white shoe bag adorned with pink and purple ribbons, it sure feels like a great victory. And that was the case for me in December with golf at the Spring City Golf and Lake Resort in Kunming, the aforementioned prize, additional prizes for winning closest-to-the-pin contests in two consecutive chances, and generally having a great time with playing companions of the best sort. I was at Spring City to speak at a turfgrass management conference. A full report of this conference, in Chinese, is available here, or a summary can be found here in English.

I also played at the Banyan Golf Club in Hua Hin (pictured below), at Springfield Royal Country Club in Hua Hin (winning again), and closed out the month with a round at the classic Luisita Golf Club in the Philippines (also victorious). My record in golf matches this year is approximately nineteen victories, one defeat, and six occasions of indeterminate outcome. Those six draws, as we shall call them, were due to my stellar play that would normally produce a victory but with unusual circumstances intervening (such as technically finishing in 2^nd place) that make me hesitant to claim a clear victory. This Pacquiao-like year comes to a close with an inimitable match record and illimitable confidence for the golfing year ahead.

Hua Hin Reconnaissance Mission

I made a two-day visit to Hua Hin this week to visit two golf courses (Banyan Golf Club and Springfield Royal Country Club) and enjoy the salubrious weather prior to Christmas, and to make a discreet reconnaissance of this popular resort area in advance of my sisters' impending visit to Thailand. I stayed at a great resort, able to jump right into the swimming pool from the deck adjoining my room.

It was a busy trip, with two rounds of golf, restaurant inspections (successful beyond description), swimming, relaxing breakfasts (see below) by the sea, visits to temples (see at right) with swarms of monkeys (not pictured) underfoot, and a bit of work (ドジョウ ブンセキ) completed as well.

I'll be back to Hua Hin next month for more of the same.

A Feathered Phenomenon

Every Christmas season, I am reminded of the Cratchit family's dinner of that "rarest of all birds." You may imagine my excitement, then, when I dined at Yung Kee this week, one of the best restaurants not only in Hong Kong but in all of Asia. In the words of the Cratchits, "there never was such a goose." And I must say, the food at Yung Kee was excellent, especially the famed roast goose.

Who is Mirah Woods?

That is the question many people are asking today after my photo was prominently misnomered at Sina.com. I was at the extraordinarily good Spring City Golf and Lake Resort Resort in Kunming this week to speak at the Turf Management - Best Practice III conference. The conference was great, and you can read a full report about it and see more photos of Mirah Woods and Micah Wood here, here, and here.  

Along with speaking at the conference and leading field workshops about turfgrass management, I also had a chance to play the golf courses at the resort, enjoy the local lamb, hot pot style (and a nice variation on ジンギスカン), and win prizes for my spectacular play.

 

That's right, after a birdie-filled Founder's Cup at the Philippines last month, I continued my stellar play in China by winning both nearest-to-pin prizes on the front nine of the tournament at Spring City, narrowly missed the prize for straightest drive, and posted a 79 that was good enough for 2^nd place and (a prize of) a visually striking white shoe bag adorned with pink and purple ribbons (photo not yet available nor forthcoming).