PSC Bunker Boys Golf
Monday, January 31st
Silky Oak Golf Club, White tees
1st Kob Glover (21) 39 points
2nd Paul Smith (4) 39 points
3rd Neil Jones (25) 39 points
4th Gez Williams (12) 35 points
5th Michael Brett (16) 34 points
Near pins Gez Williams, Tony Scambler, & Kob Glover.
The last game of the month was scheduled to be played at Mountain Shadow but due to overwhelming demand that booking was canceled and Silky Oak was instead chosen as the new venue following positive reports from our last visit. Some find Silky Oak a bit quirky but nonetheless enjoyable to play. Five par threes, five par fives, and a couple of blind landing areas from the tee make for an unusual layout. As with most other courses, good course management is necessary and thoughtful play is usually rewarded.
An all-in deal of twelve hundred baht represented good high season value and carts were appreciated as there are places on the course where it’s some distance from green to next tee. Carts also were helpful with the speed of play and reduced fatigue on a hot sunny day. A measure of how well people liked the course can be gauged by the fact seventy percent of the group scored thirty points or better.
Once again at the top of the tree, Kob Glover is becoming a real force at the Bunker Boys and may well see her handicap in the teens very soon. Today she had thirty-nine points and beat Paul Smith on countback for first place.
Off a four handicap, Paul had an excellent round which included four birdies, and just missed an eagle having driven the green on the sixteenth. The Taffies occupied third and fourth with Neil Jones also on thirty-nine and Gez Williams in fourth on thirty-five points. Michael Brett rounded out the winner’s circle on thirty-four. Only three of the five near pins were taken going to Gez Williams, Tony Scambler, and as usual Kob Glover.
As expected, Paul Smith took out the first of the year golfer of the month trophies having played high-quality consistent golf all month, although he was challenged by Kob Glover in the closing rounds. Are we about to see the emergence of a new golfer of the month in Kob, and our first ever lady golfer of the month? Only time will tell.
Wednesday, February 2nd
Pattaya Country Club, Medal, White tees
1st Dave Ashman (26) Net 68 points
2nd Steve Durey (18) Net 70 points
3rd Kevin LeBar (13) Net 70 points
4th Jay Babin (22) Net 71 points
Near pins Jay Babin, Alan Harris, & Michael Brett X 2.
The first game of February was played at Pattaya Country Club in warm sunny conditions. As always since the renovations, the course was in excellent condition, and with an all-in fee of twelve hundred and eighty baht for senior cardholders, it was good value.
Numbers were down a little today as medal is not everybody’s favourite format. We also have a couple sidelined with injuries; Who could have known golf was such a hazardous game?
One who clearly likes medal format was today’s winner Dave Ashman who followed up last Friday’s top score with another excellent performance of net sixty-eight. Two strokes back on seventy, Steve Durey edged out Kevin LeBar on seventy points. Kevin was sporting a new driver which gave him up to thirty yards extra distance so we can expect big things from him in the coming months. He also had his favourite caddie on the bag today who proved to be a major distraction to his playing partners. The lengths some people will go to to win. Jay Babin took fourth place with a net score of seventy-one all very respectable scores off the white tees. All the near pins were taken with one each to Alan Harris and Jay Babin with Michael Brett taking two.
Friday, February 4th
Pleasant Valley Golf Club Blue tees
1st Jimmy Carr (18) 34 points
2nd Alan Harris (9) 33 points
3rd Kob Glover (20) 32 points
Near pins Gerry Cooney, Alan Harris, & Michael Brett.
Pleasant Valley was the venue for the last game of the week where we found a course surprisingly damp in places. For some reason, this course is always busy as it was once again today. Luckily for us, we got away ahead of a six-ball and didn’t encounter any delays or holdups throughout the round. For some reason, big groups are allowed to play together at Pleasant Valley, the most we have seen was a ten-ball, imagine being stuck behind them.
The weather gods smiled down on us today as no sooner had we finished than a torrential downpour hit, sending those still on the course running for shelter. Luckily for us, we were in the clubhouse enjoying a cold beer or an iced coffee. The rain lasted all the way back to Pattaya when it fined up again.
Scoring was very modest with Jimmy Carr taking first place with only thirty-four points. The big-hitting Alan Harris took second place with thirty-three. Alan hits his drives about thirty yards past everyone else with seemingly no effort whatsoever, a message there for the shorter hitters. Once again Kob Glover was in the frame taking third place with thirty-two points. Three near pins were won going to Alan Harris, Gerry Cooney, & Michael Brett.
All is in readiness for our annual pilgrimage to Soi Dao where we have a field of sixteen booked to play. For the second year in a row, we will be without our regular trip organiser Keith Norman whom we would like to see back at the Bunker in the near future. As we will have even numbers we expect to have a daily individual winner as well as the best team.
A new range of Bunker Boys golf t-shirts will be available from Monday next week and with only forty available it’s a case of first in best dressed.
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