PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s
Tuesday, July 17, Bangpakong – Stableford
Now this is a course that if it was a little bit closer we would play much more than we do. Only the sheer distance puts it as an irregular visit, as drivers do not mind going to most of the closer venues. The drive there is not particularly onerous, but after a round in the sun, and the heavy traffic at that time of the day, the drive back is not fun.
However, every now and then we do like to treat ourselves, so a little earlier than normal it was into cars and a slow gentle drive up to Bangpakong Riverside Golf Club. This course is a wide and open layout located around the Bangpakong River, or at least includes some elements. It is also windy, as most courses by water are, and on this day it was blowing as usual.
Tuesday’s top four with one of Bert’s finest.
The open layout is one of those in which you can hit the ball hard, follow it and hit it again. The long hitters were going to have a major advantage, so we played off the yellow tees, which despite being of that colour were still close on 6,400 yards. If you hit the ball in the rough, there was a fair degree of difficulty, but it was usually playable, and if you were wildly off line you could go ‘OB’ or even in the water.
Still, all in all, this is a course where you can go and play on great fairways and have a fine day out. Only negative on the day was that the greens were very slow, and getting to the hole was a real problem. After playing Bangpra the previous Tuesday the difference was really noticeable, however as the score started to come in it was obvious that many golfers had found putting no problem, nor playing a good round either.
The Restaurant here provides really good food, at a price. So it was that most players simply scooted out to the cars and started out on the long journey back. Some of us however had a bite to eat and a soft drink to put the fluids back in the body.
Suffice to say that the drive back was a pain in the ‘you know what’. The roads were packed and it seemed to be one of those drives that seems as if all the cars are backed up and all lanes full. It was a pleasure to finally get back to Bert’s and have a cold soda water, then onto the results.
We only had one flight and you had to score really well to be in the picture. The winner with 44 points was Daryl Evans, a really excellent round. Then we had a three-way count back on 40 points that saw Brian Parish in second, Dick Warberg in third and Mike O’Brien in fourth. We had a three-way count back on 39 points that saw Graham Buckingham in fifth and George King and Henry Wong missing out.
Worthy of a mention was John Harrison with 38 points and two near pins who shot his best round of the year. Well played all! T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: John Harrison (2), Henry Wong, Brian Parish
