PSC golf from the Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, Nov. 19, Eastern Star – Stableford
An almost full turnout of golfers as 31 players set off for what was to turn out to be an interesting, and at times exciting, round.
The eight groups tee’d off on schedule under bright cloudy skies, but by the time the first groups reached the third hole the rain arrived. Fortunately, it was only necessary to stop for 10 minutes, and the round continued smoothly, until some very threatening dark clouds started to gather on the inward nine. The thunder and lightning was very close by, and although no rain arrived, several of the more sensible groups took shelter for 15 minutes until the storm passed.
One of the cavalier players, who chose to play through the lightning, was heard to comment on how difficult it was to putt when one’s bum is tightly puckered. The simple answer is that you don’t mess around with lightning on a golf course, and what’s the point of taking a chance, when you only have to wait a few minutes to carry on without risk to life or limb.
Individual winner, Freddy.
The round was eventually completed in bright sunshine and the main topic of conversation back at The Ranch was unsurprisingly, tropical storms – and when are they going to stop this year!
A Flight
1st Gerry Cooney (12) 37pts
2nd Paul Smith (5) 34pts
3rd Neil Hurst (12) 34pts
B Flight
1st Paul Edgar (17) 30pts
2nd Les Burns (30) 27pts
3rd Gary Leigh (17) 26pts
Near Pins: Colin Greig, Gerry Cooney, Neil Hurst and Keith Smithson.
Wednesday, Nov. 16, The Emerald – Stableford
A late change of venue was necessary when we were unable to secure the extra tee times we required at Khao Kheow, so we opted to switch to the Emerald course. Our last visit to Emerald was at the end of September, and at that time the course was severely damaged and we’d decided to give it a rest for a while. We’d heard recent reports that the course was recovering, so today was an ideal opportunity to assess the progress made.
Unfortunately we were disappointed to find that the course hasn’t fully recovered, although some of the damaged areas around the greens are starting to improve. The fairways were muddy and soft following recent heavy rains, so conditions were far from ideal. All in all it’s going to be a couple more months at best before the course gets anywhere near back to it’s previous condition, which is sad because most players would rate it as one of their favourite local venues.
Winning team, Rigsby’s Rogues (Rigsby at the back)
Ex-Bunker Boys champion John Hughes rediscovered some form to record the best score of the day, one point ahead of Keith Smithson, and they were the only two golfers to play to their handicap on the day.
A Flight
1st Keith Smithson (2) 36pts
2nd Gerry Cooney (12) 35pts
3rd Paul Smith (5) 34pts
B Flight
1st John Hughes (17) 37pts
2nd Gary Leigh (17) 35pts
3rd Mike Corner (18) 33pts
Near Pins: Geoff Hart, Gerry Cooney, Roger Touhey and Paul Smith.
Friday, Nov. 16 – 7th John Preddy Memorial Charity Tournament
A full field of 72 players assembled at Mountain Shadow to compete in the annual competition for the coveted John Preddy trophy, and to raise funds for the A.T.T.C. charity. We were generously supported by our sponsors, KPK Foods, Indophil Resources, The Ranch, DHL, and the Triangle Bar, so there were some great technical and lucky draw prizes available.
The players were competing in 4-man teams for the individual Stableford competition and a simultaneous team competition (best 3 individual scores on each hole). After the usual last minute cancellations, substitutions, and late arrivals all the teams eventually got away and the course was in good condition and relatively clear, so the only holdups were caused by our own slower teams.
Both the individual and team competitions were keenly contested and some great scores were returned. Even the novelty competition on the 18th hole (nearest the tree) required a winning shot from Thomas Nyborg which ended up touching the tree – and leaving him no second shot!
There was a great turnout for the presentation and free buffet back at The Ranch, and Buff did us proud with a great spread of food, which was almost (but not quite) totally consumed by the hungry golfers. The raffle was a great success (thanks to a great job by Gordon and Marion selling the tickets) and we’ll publish the details of the funds raised for A.T.T.C. in a later report.
Individual Comp
1st Freddy (20) 43pts
2nd Owen Walkeley (10) 40pts
3rd John Hughes (17) 38pts
Team Comp
1st Rigsby’s Rogues (John Hughes, Paul Smith, Keith Smithson, and Mike Lloyd) 123pts
2nd Brian’s Bandits (Brian Maddox, Owen Walkeley, Les Burns and Tom Jones) 121pts
Long Drive: Paul Smith
Long Putt: Nick Caulfield
Near Pins: JJ Harney, Lee Butler, Laurence Harding and Paul Smith.
Nearest the Tree (18th hole): Thomas Nyborg
Booby Prize: Scott Bruehart
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 three times per week 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. You can find all the news, schedules and results on our website at www.bunker society.com.
