PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, Nov. 11, Pattana A & B – Stableford
A full complement of 32 golfers today for our KPK Foods sponsored comp at Pattana, but the day didn’t get off to a very auspicious start when we arrived at the clubhouse to find that the cost of the green fee had increased from 900 baht (when we made the booking several weeks earlier) to 1,200 baht. After protracted discussions with the management and a threat to take our 32 players elsewhere, we eventually agreed on a compromise of 1,000 baht and headed off to the first tee somewhat later than scheduled.
The surprising thing was that there was only one group on the course behind us throughout the round, so the management would have looked rather foolish if our eight groups had walked away – this is Thailand!
‘Buff’ (right) presents the KPK voucher to Gerry Cooney.
There’s always a discussion over which tees to play off when we visit here because many regard the white tees to be too long on several holes. Today we elected to go off the shorter yellow tees which played straight into the hands of one the most consistent ball strikers in the society, namely Gerry Cooney. Gerry annihilated the rest of the field, coming home with a massive 45 points although newly arrived visitor, Toshi Kamakuri put up a great performance with 43 points, which was only good enough for second place on the day.
With the large field, the near pin prizes were tightly contested and both Keith Norman and Mashi Kaneta almost (but not quite!) managed to score aces.
A special mention is due for the unluckiest golfer on the day, Reg Smart, who would have won the B Flight with 35 points, but forgot to hand in his card until after the presentation had been made! With the cut set at 17 and over, Eddie Kelly was declared the winner in the B Flight with 33 points, with Ken Davidson, Steve Durey and Ken Young in a three-way tie on 32 points, which had to be sorted on a count back for the minor places.
A Flight
1st Gerry Cooney (14) 45pts
2nd Toshi Kamakuri (14) 43pts
3rd Keith Norman (12) 35pts
4th Tony Scambler (10) 35pts
B Flight
1st Eddie Kelly (18) 33pts
2nd Ken Davidson (25) 32pts
3rd Steve Durey (19) 32pts
4th Ken Young (29) 32pts
Near Pins: Dave Ashman, Gerry Cooney, Keith Norman, and Mashi Kaneta.
Wednesday, Nov. 13, Bangpakong – Stableford
The slightly longer journey than usual always deters a few golfers, but the trip is only one hour door to door, and those that didn’t make the journey today missed a treat. Someone was heard to make the comment that the caddies here are a much higher standard than many of those on the local Pattaya courses, and your scribe would concur wholeheartedly, having spent the round in the company of a truly pleasant, attentive and competent young lady.
The weather was bright and sunny and the course was in excellent condition with lush fairways and greens, which today were running slower than we usually expect here.
Someone always cards a good score on our visits here, and it’s normally the lower handicappers that score well, because the course is generally more forgiving than many others that we play on a regular basis. It was no surprise then that the best scores were in the A Flight, with Gez Williams and Keith Smithson needing to be separated on a count back for the top podium spot.
The cut was set and 16 and over putting Mike Lloyd into the B Flight where he finished one point ahead of three players tied on 35 points, with Colin Jones being the unlucky golfer to miss out on the count back.
A Flight
1st Gez Williams (14) 41pts
2nd Keith Smithson (2) 41pts
3rd Roger Tuohy (10) 39pts
B Flight
1st Mike Lloyd (16) 36pts
2nd Gary Leigh (17) 35pts
3rd Mike Corner (19) 35pts
Near Pins: Brendan Harnet, Gez Williams, Geoff Parker and Mike Corner.
Friday, Nov. 15, Greenwood – Stableford
Another good turnout for our visit to the popular Greenwood course, and we were allocated the B and C nines for today’s competition. The course was in good condition but the greens on the front nine had been lightly sanded, making it difficult to judge the pace of putts.
The round progressed smoothly in bright and breezy conditions, and although a dark cloud appeared towards the end of the round, no rain was forthcoming.
Keith Norman almost completed a spectacular end to his round, chipping in to birdie the 16th and 17th holes and hitting the green on the 18th with a fine second shot, but unfortunately he left his birdie putt short, accompanied by a chorus of jokes about his masculinity from his playing partners.
The cut was set at 15.9 and there was a three-way tie on 36 points in the A flight with Paul Smith winning the count back ahead of Gez Williams and Tony Scambler.
The overall winner on the day and also the winner of the B Flight was Peter Habgood with 38 points, one point ahead of Eddie Kelly, and these were the only two players to better their handicaps on what proved to be a difficult track.
A Flight
1st Paul Smith (2) 36pts
2nd Gez Williams (13) 36pts
3rd Tony Scambler (10) 36pts
B Flight
1st Peter Habgood (17) 38pts
2nd Eddie Kelly (18) 37pts
3rd Ken Young (29) 36pts
Near Pins: Gordon Melia, Neil Hurst, Paul Smith and Roger Tuohy.
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.
