PSC Golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, Oct. 13, Mt. Shadow – Stableford
Four groups of golfers today, and when we arrived at the Mountain Shadow course it appeared to be deserted, with no other golfers in sight anywhere on the course. The weather was bright and sunny and in contrast to the last couple of weeks, there were no rain clouds on the horizon as the first group set off to tackle this challenging layout.
The course was in good condition although several bunkers hadn’t been raked, and the caddies didn’t appear to want to go near them which is a disappointing trend.
The leading four ball quickly opened up a significant gap ahead of the following groups and eventually returned to the clubhouse in exactly three and a half hours after a great round of golf in almost ideal conditions.
Peter Habgood.
As usual at this venue, it was a day when the lower handicappers came to the fore, with Alan Freeman once again taking the top spot, one point clear of Tony Robbins. Peter Allen was the exception to the rule, making his first appearance on the podium in fourth place in what was his eighth game with the Bunker Boys, and he also collected his maiden near pin prize to complete a successful day.
1st Alan Freeman (3) 34pts
2nd Tony Robbins (13) 33pts
3rd John Graham (11) 30pts
4th Peter Allen (36) 29pts
Near Pins: Geoff Parker, Peter Allen and Alan Freeman (2).
Wednesday, Oct. 15, Green Valley – Medal
A surprisingly small turnout of golfers today for our medal competition at the usually popular Green Valley course. When we arrived at the course the car park was busy, but on reaching the first tee we were able to tee off a few minutes early, and throughout the round, the leading group didn’t catch up with any groups ahead of them.
The course was in it’s normally good condition, but the greens had been lightly sanded and were consequently variable in speed.
We welcomed back Ross Schiffke for his first game since his recent marriage, and he celebrated in style by taking first place, beating John Graham on a count back. PJ Redmond was making his debut from the silver tees, and the shorter course distance enabled him to get back into contention for a place on the podium after a long absence.
Previously the Bunker Boys have been reluctant to introduce the possibility of older players playing in competition from the silver tees, but PJ’s success proves the decision to be correct, and provides a genuine opportunity for new (old?) faces to challenge the usual suspects.
Alan Freeman continued his domination of the near pin prizes, taking three on the day, with only Al Collinge preventing him from chalking up another clean sweep.
1st Ross Schiffke (19) net 72
2nd John Graham (11) net 72
3rd P.J. Redmond (23) net 73
Near Pins: Al Collinge and Alan Freeman (3).
Friday, Oct. 17, Pleasant Valley – Stableford
It was another bright, sunny morning, and when we arrived at the course after fighting our way through the ever worsening traffic on the 7 motorway, the clubhouse was quiet.
The first group teed off on schedule but soon caught up with the golfers ahead on the 6th hole. From there on the round was painfully slow as the whole course was held up by a six-ball group who were determined to get their money’s worth, completely oblivious of the stacked up course behind them.
The course was not in its best condition, appearing to have suffered badly from the recent rains, but also from neglect, with several bunkers in very poor condition and the greens slow and bumpy.
Peter Habgood was the only player to play to his handicap on the day to take first place ahead of Tony Robbins and Geoff Parker, both with 31 points, but with Tony taking second place on a count back over the last six holes.
Near pins went to Tore Eliassen and Alan Freeman (2), with the island hole prize being shared between Les Hall and Alan Freeman when we were unable to separate them.
Following the presentation back at The Ranch, Alan Freeman generously rang the bell for his fellow golfers to celebrate the 18.5 near pin prizes that he’s won during his ten game trip (the half was today) – he was departing on Sunday, so now everyone else can look forward to getting back into the frame!
1st Peter Habgood (20) 36pts
2nd Tony Robbins (13) 31pts
3rd Geoff Parker (15) 31pts
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 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 or go to website: www.bunkersociety.com.
