PSC golf from the Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, Nov. 4, Mountain Shadow – Stableford
Another beautiful bright sunny morning and the high season has obviously arrived as 29 golfers turned up at The Ranch for our second visit to Mountain Shadow in recent weeks. Fortunately the course was quiet, enabling us to fit in the extra groups without any problems, and we were able to tee off on schedule.
The sudden increase in numbers meant that we would have two flights for the first time since the end of March, and the organizers quickly came to the realization that their workload would now be significantly increased for the next five months.
October ‘Golfer of the Month’ Geoff Parker (left) with Geoff 2.
The course is currently in good condition but always provides a stern test, as any wayward drives are invariably punished by difficult lies in the copious coconut and mango trees which line the fairways. Tony Scambler got off to a flying start by carding an eagle on the par 4 first hole, and continued in a similar vein to take the honours in the A Flight by five clear points ahead of Dave Ashman and Neil Hurst, who had to be separated on a count back.
This course is clearly designed for lower handicappers, so it was no surprise that the scores in the B Flight were significantly lower than those in the A Flight, but it was still an extremely tight contest. With the cut set at 16 and over, three golfers were tied on 30 points, but PJ Redmond took first place on the count back ahead of Drake Mooser and John Hughes, who were both playing their first game since returning to Pattaya.
A Flight
1st Tony Scambler (10) 39pts
2nd Dave Ashman (14) 34pts
3rd Neil Hurst (11) 34pts
B Flight
1st PJ Redmond (27) 30pts
2nd Drake Mooser (20) 30pts
3rd John Hughes (17) 30pts
Near Pins: Eddie Kelly, Bernie Ruschmeyer, Keith Norman, and Tony Scambler.
Wednesday, Nov. 6, Crystal Bay C & A – Stableford
We had twenty-five golfers today for our visit to the Crystal Bay course, which was in effect a practice round for the upcoming John Preddy Memorial Charity tournament to be held here on the 22nd November.
The first group teed off without delay in bright, breezy conditions and the course was in good shape, apart from the bumpy greens which are still recovering from the recent monsoons.
Crystal Bay is one of those courses where someone usually manages to card a good score, but no one was expecting the winner to come home with an amazing score of 44 points (off a handicap of 10). This is what Chris Cox achieved, which is even more amazing since he carded a modest score of 24 points in the first game of his visit on Monday!
The cut was set at 17 and Derek Stephenson took second place in the A flight with another great score of 41 points, with Mike Lloyd taking third with 38 points.
Our popular veteran, Reg Smart won the B Flight with 38 points which included a birdie on the par four 5th hole (for 5 points!) – such are the joys of getting two shots on a hole! Ken Davidson produced his best round so far to take second place in the B Flight on a count back ahead of Peter Habgood.
A Flight
1st Chris Cox (10) 44pts
2nd Derek Stephenson (14) 41pts
3rd Mike Lloyd (16) 38pts
B Flight
1st Reg Smart (26) 38pts
2nd Ken Davidson (25) 35pts
3rd Peter Habgood (17) 35pts
Near Pins: Chris Cox, Derek Stephenson, Steve Durey and Neil Hurst.
Friday, Nov. 8, The Emerald – Stableford
Following heavy overnight rain, the morning was dark and grey with persistent drizzle, so it was no surprise that only 14 golfers turned up at The Ranch. There was no sign of the rain abating, but this hardy group decided to make the trip to Ban Chang on the off-chance that the weather would clear up in an hour or two. The rain persisted throughout the drive to the course, and we arrived to find only a handful of determined golfers in the clubhouse waiting for the weather to improve.
After an hour or so the rain appeared to be stopping, but as we were prevaricating as to whether to pay the green fee, another storm front moved in with accompanying thunder and lightning, so the decision was made easy as the greens and fairways quickly turned into lakes and rivers.
The disappointed group decided to head off to the hostelries in nearby Ban Chang, and spent an enjoyable couple of hours discussing the vagaries of the weather in Thailand, so the journey wasn’t entirely wasted!
Note: The Bunker Boys are a PSC affiliated golf society, who 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 and meet at The Ranch at 9 a.m. 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 8th Annual John Preddy Memorial Charity Golf Tournament will be held on the 22nd November 2013 at Crystal Bay Golf Club. Entry fee of 1,700 Baht includes green fee, caddy fee, free buffet and lucky draw ticket plus individual and team Stableford prizes. Interested players and sponsors may contact Buff on the telephone numbers above.
