PSC Bunker Boys Golf
Monday, December 9th Pattaya Country Club
1st Ken Davidson (25) 34 points
2nd Jimmy Carr (16) 34 points
3rd Klaus Koerdt (36) 30 points
An unseasonably cool Pattaya morning developed into one of the most beautiful days for golf that one could envision. Clear blue skies, perfect temperature, and no wind. The Pattaya Country Club Course was in very good condition given the recent lack of rain. For the time of year, the course was no too crowded so the pace of play was excellent, finishing in three and a half hours.
Once again we faced the challenge of an angry greenkeeper with some of the most difficult pin placements one could imagine. Many positioned on double breaks so putting was a major challenge and probably accounted for the unusually low scores. There didn’t seem to be any other valid reason.
Cigar smoking Klaus Koerdt, who has been with us now for over a month, made his breakthrough into the winner’s circle taking third place with a score of thirty points off a very generous thirty-six handicap. Jimmy Carr and Ken Davidson were locked together on thirty-four points with Ken taking it on countback.
The predicted cut to Ken’s handicap made no difference as he still played off twenty-five, one thinks a further cut is in order.
Near pins went to Ken and two to Gerry Cooney.
Wednesday, December 11th
Pattana Sports & Country Club B & C
1st Robby Watts (9) 38 points
2nd Patrick Kelly (2) 36 points
3rd Gerry Cooney (17) 35 points
4th Colin Greig (11) 35 points
Near pins Tony Robbins, Gerry Cooney, Jimmy Carr, Peter Kelly/Colin Greig.
One of the more unusual days in the life of the Bunker Boys. First, we were greeted at the course with a pleasant surprise, i.e. free golf carts for everyone. This went down very well, particularly with the caddies.
Our lead group finished the front nine in one hour and thirty-five minutes, only to run up against another society with five groups waiting to tee off on C1. After a thirty-minute delay play continued slowly with the second nine taking two and a half hours to complete.
Throughout the round, a long drive contest developed between Murray Greig and Patrick Kelly with both regularly hitting over three hundred yards (not always on the correct fairway). No winner was declared.
Another curiosity was Colin Greig putting from an estimated one hundred and thirty-five yards on the sixth fairway. As it happens he got closer than most of his playing partners who played more conventional strokes. One might think that this was a very accurate measurement and perhaps a bit of an exaggeration, but it was confirmed by Robby Watts who always uses a rangefinder.
In a bit of an up and down round, Patrick Kelly had six birdies to go with a few bogies.
Two players (Colin Greig & Peter Kelly) could not be separated on one near pin so a coin toss settled it with Peter coming up trumps. A final surprise was in store for us after the game with a Chang beer promotional offer in the outdoor bar at a two for one price.
We have one more round at Pattana this year before we have to bid farewell for some time as the course is fully booked out for the first two months of the new year.
Friday, December 13th Greenwood A & B
1st Tony Robbins (20) 37 points
2nd Murray Greig (20) 37 points
3rd Colin Greig (11) 36 points
4th Neil Jones (22) 36 points
Near pins Patrick Kelly & Michael Brett X 2.
Back to normality for Friday’s round at Greenwood where we were allocated the A & B nines. A-nine had been closed for several months so we were keen to see what changes had been made and we were surprised to see very little if anything had been done. Perhaps no more than a bit of cleaning up around the water catchments.
A bright sunny day with a fluky breeze blowing so all in all not bad conditions for golf. The pace of play was good as the course wasn’t too busy and all three nines were being used.
A very tight competition with only one point separating all four place getters, Tony Robbins and Murray Greig in first and separated on countback as were Colin Greig and Neil Jones for third and fourth. Competition for near pins was much less competitive with one going unclaimed and only one player hitting the green a long way from the pin on the relatively long uphill B 2 hole.
Last game for Klaus Kordt who returns to his native Frankfurt for Yuletide, we expect to see him back in the ranks in late February.
