PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, June 16, Mt. Shadow – Stableford
The weather looked distinctly unpromising as we headed up the 7 motorway, and when we reached the turnoff at Khaow Keow it appeared that heavy rain was falling on the hills. There were still heavy clouds around as teed off on schedule but the overcast skies and fresh breeze meant the temperature was as cool as we’ve experienced recently.
There were other golfers a couple of holes ahead of our leading group, but the pace of play was good and there were no hold-ups until we reached the 16th green, and even then it was only a couple of minutes.
Gerry Cooney (left) gets a winner’s hug from the “Boss”.
Gerry Cooney is something of a specialist here having won two previous annual championships on this course, and once again he produced the best score of the day carding 38 points. Gerry’s round included an impressive eagle on the par five 11th hole where a driver and a three-wood left him with a straightforward 8-foot putt – easy game!
Mashi Kaneta finished one point behind Gerry to take second place and there was a four-way tie on 32 points with Tony Robbins once again winning the count back to take third.
Not a single drop of rain fell throughout the round, so all in all it was an excellent day’s golf on a challenging course which was in generally in good condition apart from a couple of bunkers which hadn’t seen a rake in months. Steve Durey had the misfortune to land in one of those with his ball ending deep into a dog’s footprint, but the shot was made even more daunting by the presence of a snake, which Mashi eventually managed to encourage to move away!
Only three near pins were claimed, by Paul Corner, Sean Murphy and Steve Durey.
It’s good to be able to report that the renovation work in the changing rooms is nearly completed, so the after game shower was much more pleasurable than before.
1st Gerry Cooney (13) 38pts
2nd Mashi Kaneta (14) 37pts
3rd Tony Robbins (13) 32pts
Wednesday, June 18, Burapha A & D – Stableford
Our last half dozen games have been played on courses which were virtually empty, but it was no real surprise when we arrived at Burapha to find the course was busy. The Sports Day rate attracts many local golfers to play this championship course during the low season, and the combined rate of 1,650 Baht (green fee, caddy, and compulsory buggy) is a bargain, especially for those golfers who normally use a buggy.
The C course is currently closed for renovations so we elected to play the A and D courses, which present a tough challenge from the blue tees. We teed off slightly before our scheduled time and the pace of play was reasonable until we reached the par three 6th hole on the A course when there were suddenly two groups waiting on the tee. Fortunately the back nine was quieter and the round was completed in good time.
Once again the skies were overcast making the conditions relatively cool, and although the greens aren’t currently in their normally excellent condition, it was still a great day’s golf.
The scores on the day reflected the difficulty of the course, and it was Geoff Parker who rediscovered some semblance of form after a recent slump, taking the winner’s spot one point clear of a three-way way tie on 31 points. Paul Corner won the count back (17 points on the back nine), with Colin Greig taking third place ahead of the unlucky Barry Murnin who had the misfortune to put his drive O.B. on the 18th hole, putting him out of the prizes.
Only three near pins were claimed, by Sean Murphy (2) and Colin Greig.
1st Geoff Parker (14) 32pts
2nd Paul Corner (13) 31pts
3rd Colin Greig (7) 31pts
Friday, June 20, Eastern Star – Stableford
We had a better than expected turnout of golfers for our visit to the Eastern Star course, which is not everyone’s favourite since the greens are always problematic (slow) and any wayward shots are often severely punished.
The game was made even more difficult today with the majority of fairways having been treated with weed-killer, which has left large areas of bare earth, producing some horrible lies and punishing what would normally be good tee shots.
The weather was bright and sunny bringing the temperature back up after our previous couple of rounds which had been played in much cooler conditions.
The round progressed at a reasonable pace throughout, but once again the numerous hazards and O.B.’s took their toll and only Sean Murphy managed to play to his handicap to take first place, four points clear of Gerry Cooney in second. Sean’s day was almost made complete when he narrowly missed scoring ace on the par three 17th hole, but managed to miss the birdie putt from less than two feet in what was clearly a case of handicap protection!
The remaining scores were disappointing and the wooden spoon was closely contested between two regular golfers who both had nightmare days (and shall remain nameless to save their embarrassment) finishing on 15 and 16 points respectively!
For the third game in succession only three near pins were claimed, this time by Sean Murphy, Geoff Parker and Paul Carey
1st Sean Murphy (16) 36pts
2nd Gerry Cooney (13) 32pts
3rd Geoff Parker (14) 29pts
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. and new players are always welcome.
Contact “Buff” on 086 046 5091 or 080 605 5663 for all enquiries or got to website: www.bunkersociety.com.
