PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, May 26, Eastern Star – (KPK Foods) Medal
It was a bright sunny morning as we set off for the trip to Bang Chang, and when we arrived at the course it appeared quiet, although we had another local society ahead of us. The fairways were in good condition and the greens have improved significantly since our last visit, although they still remain inconsistent, so judging the required pace of a putt was something of a lottery.
The outward nine was played in stifling conditions until heavy clouds started to gather and there was thunder and lightning in the distance, but once again the weather gods were smiling on us, and the round was completed without any rain reaching us.
Winners of the two KPK vouchers for May, Gerry Cooney and Thomas Nyborg with Buff and two helpers.
Eastern Star is certainly not a forgiving course but Gerry Cooney managed to stay out of trouble and recorded the only sub-par round of the day to take first place, seven shots clear of PJ Redmond, with Tore Eliassen claiming third place on a count back over Peter Habgood. The rest of the field had scores which are best forgotten, but everyone was relieved to have completed the round without any holdups in what were truly threatening weather conditions
Only three near pins were claimed: Geoff Parker, Gerry Cooney and Peter Habgood.
1st Gerry Cooney (13) net 70
2nd PJ Redmond (28) net 77
3rd Tore Eliassen (17) net 78
Wednesday, May 28, Greenwood A & B – Stableford
Only eight golfers today for our visit to the normally popular Greenwood course and when we arrived at the clubhouse it appeared deserted.
The weather was overcast with a gentle breeze giving us the coolest conditions we’ve experienced for several weeks and the course was generally in good shape, although some coring work has been done around the edges of several greens which constituted an additional hazard as the any ball pitching into the sand stopped dead.
Our two groups completed the round at a good pace, only catching up with some golfers ahead on the sixteenth hole and all in all it was a fine day’s golf at a very reasonable price.
No golfer managed to play better than his handicap and the two leading contenders had to be separated on a count back, with Tony Robbins taking the top spot (18 points on the back nine) ahead of Alan Sullivan who unfortunately “blobbed” the final hole after going O.B. from the tee.
The par three’s were playing difficult today and Alan Sullivan scooped the pot by claiming the only near pin on the short 5th hole on the B course.
1st Tony Robbins (13) 34pts
2nd Alan Sullivan (13) 34pts
3rd Geoff Cox (15) 31pts
Friday, May 30, Pattana B & C – Stableford
Perhaps it was because there’d been a particularly heavy thunderstorm during the night, or maybe some players don’t appreciate the Pattana course, but there was only a small turnout for our visit today. We decided to forego the normal Stableford competition and elected for a straight challenge between friends for the front nine, back nine and overall scores.
The weather was overcast with very high humidity, so the protagonists were sweating profusely, but the course was in great condition and the greens were as good as any we’ve played recently. With a course length of over 6,700 yards from the white tees, Pattana is certainly a tough proposition and consequently the scoring was tight but not great.
Geoff Parker scraped home on the front nine, but Tony Robbins rallied on the inward stretch and snatched the back nine and overall win, one point clear of Thomas Nyborg and Gerry Cooney. Just as the last player reached the clubhouse the impending storm broke and other golfers still on the course were forced to suffer about 30 minutes of torrential rain.
The highlight of the day was the look on Tony Robbins’face, when his (katoey) caddy invited him out for an evening of dancing and drinking to celebrate his victory!
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 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays and new players are always welcome. We meet at The Ranch at 9 a.m. for breakfast and transportation,. Contact “Buff” on 086 046 5091 or 080 605 5663 for all enquiries or check website: www. bunkersociety.com.
