PSC golf from the Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, Oct. 15, Mountain Shadow – Stableford
A fine sunny morning as we set off from The Ranch, but travelling down the 7 motorway the clouds began to gather, and as we tee’d off a light drizzle was beginning to fall. After the main body of players completed the third hole, the storm broke and we were forced to make a quick dash to the nearby drinks station, to watch despondently as the fairways and greens quickly turned into rivers and lakes.
The prospects for continuing the round looked unlikely as the thunder and lightning crashed around, and the drinks station quickly ran out of coffee! No one was seriously considering braving the storm to head back to the clubhouse, and after a delay of about an hour the rain stopped and the floods quickly started to drain away.
Welcome back to Jack Robertson.
We decided to continue the round and the course improved miraculously after just a couple of holes. The remaining holes were completed without further interruption under bright, clear skies – once again another example of the amazing weather in Thailand.
Mashi didn’t let the difficult conditions affect his game as he returned to winning ways after an indifferent run of form over the last few weeks, which had seen his handicap increase by a couple of shots.
We welcomed back Jack Robertson starting his annual visit, but he’s going to take a few games to get back his fitness and form following an illness over the summer.
1st Mashi Kaneta (13) 37pts
2nd Neil Hurst (13) 36pts
3rd Geoff Hart (21) 34pts
Near Pins: Gordon Melia, Mike Johns and Mashi Kaneta.
Wednesday, Oct. 17, Pleasant Valley – Stableford
Our first visit to Pleasant Valley for some time and we elected to play off the blue tees, (an unpopular decision with some players) but with a course distance of 6,400 yards it’s within our normal range. The problem with playing off the blue tees is that a couple of holes do present the shorter hitters with some real problems in attempting to clear the hazards, with no obvious bail-out areas.
Whilst obvious improvements have been made to the clubhouse and infrastructure since our last visit, the course was not at its best, with scuffy fairways and poor greens.
The weather was overcast for most of the day, but we only experienced a brief five minute shower of rain halfway through the round.
Geoff Parker played steadily and won the honours on the day ahead of Dave Ashman and William Macey. Geoff was level par on the par three’s for the day – always a great step towards making a good score.
1st Geoff Parker (13) 37pts
2nd Dave Ashman (14) 35pts
3rd William Macey (19) 34pts
Geoff Parker had a great day on the par three’s, taking all four near pin prizes for the first time in his Bunker Boy’s career, and we think for only the second occasion in the history of the Bunker Boy’s society.
Friday, Oct. 19, Greenwood C & A – Medal
A pleasant surprise today when we arrived at Greenwood to find the course dry and surprisingly quiet. We were playing our second medal round of the month (the first one having been washed out at Bangpra) and the course provided a stern test with several of the par 4’s playing very long. The greens were showing some signs of recovery from recent damage, and the ball rolled quite well although the surfaces still looking scarred.
Neil Hurst produced the best performance on the day, to record his maiden win with the Bunker Boys, narrowly beating Geoff Parker on the count back. Jack Robertson completed his third round since his return, but has so far failed to make the top 10 – so down to the driving range this weekend Jack, and we look forward to seeing you back in the winner’s enclosure soon.
1st Neil Hurst (13) net 75
2nd Geoff Parker (13) net 75
3rd Alan Freeman (2) net 77
Near Pins: Alan Freeman, Neil Hurst and Lee Butler (2).
Note: The Bunker Boys are a PSC affiliated golf society, who now play out of The Ranch bar on Pattaya 3rd Road (in front of the fire station, and almost opposite the Buffalo Bar). We play three times per week on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, so if you enjoy a fun day out, and a friendly but competitive golf competition why not come and join us.
We meet at The Ranch at 9 a.m. for breakfast and transportation, and new players are always welcome. Contact Buff on 086 046 5091 or 080 605 5663 for all enquiries. You can find all the news, schedules and results on our website at www.bunkersociety.com.
The annual John Preddy Charity Golf Tournament will be held on Friday 23rd November 2012, at Mountain Shadow G.C., more details to follow shortly.
