PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, May 27, Bangprakong – Stableford
It was a disappointing trip to Bangprakong today as we found the course to be well below its normally excellent condition. We were told that the large areas of damaged turf on the fairways had been caused by water damage, which seems hard to believe, but in any case, it’s clearly going to be quite some time before they are back to their previous standard.
Similarly the greens were recovering from recent coring and were quite a lot slower than normal, so the general consensus after the game was that the longer journey isn’t justified at present, and we’ll be giving this course a miss for a while.
Barry Murnin made a winning return at Pattana.
John Graham started the round in excellent fashion, single putting the first four greens (collecting back to back birdies in the process), but unfortunately faded a little on the back nine, leaving the field wide open for Reg Smart, who romped home with 41 points. Tony Robbins finished in third place and also collected two near pin prizes on the difficult par threes.
John Graham’s second place finish gave him an unassailable lead in the Golfer of the Month competition and if he can win the remaining two games he will achieve the maximum 60 point score (i.e. six wins in the month) for the first time in Bunker Boys history.
1st Reg Smart (29) 41pts
2nd John Graham (10) 38pts
3rd Tony Robbins (14) 36pts
Near Pins: John Graham and Tony Robbins (2).
Wednesday, May 29, Pattana B & C – Stableford
Faced with the prospect of starting on the daunting first hole on the B course, we elected to play off the shorter yellow tees today. This hole must be the hardest starting hole in the Pattaya area, with water all the way down both sides of the fairway, and in front of the elevated green.
The course was in good shape and the greens were running true, but some players commented that they were slower than normal, particularly when putting against the grain. Perhaps the main criticism of the course is that some of the bunkers have exceptionally long and thick grass on the faces, and yours truly came unstuck with an impossible lie in the face of the greenside bunker on hole C1, duly resulting in a blob.
A thunder storm threatened briefly half way through the round, but eventually passed us by, without shedding a single drop of rain.
The 2011 Bunker Boys champion Barry Murnin re-found his form, in only his second game back following a nine month break in the States, and won the honours by four clear points ahead of Geoff Parker.
There was some discussion over the free glass of beer provided in the clubhouse, about the merits of playing off the shorter tees, particularly regarding the par 5 third hole on the C course which becomes a comfortable par 4 for the longer hitters.
1st Barry Murnin (14) 38pts
2nd Geoff Parker (15) 34pts
3rd Steve Durey (17) 33pts
Near Pins: Barry Murnin, Tony Robbins and Geoff Parker.
Friday, May 31, Greenwood C & A – Medal
The weather was fine and bright as we set off from The Ranch, but the clouds began to gather as we headed up the 331. Predictably, just as we walked to the first tee, we felt the first drops of rain, and we were forced to wait for 15 minutes as a relatively innocuous shower passed by. Unfortunately this was only a small taste of things to come, and as the first group reached the second green, a huge bolt of lightning struck nearby. John Graham actually felt a charge of electricity through his putter, other players in the group felt the hair on their arms stand up, and my caddie made a spectacular nosedive onto the fairway!
As the storm closed in, all the players and caddies made a dash to the drinks station on the fourth tee and huddled down as the lightning began to crash all around us. Unusually for Thailand, the storm continued unabated for two hours, eventually forcing us to admit that no play was going to be possible, and we were ferried back to the clubhouse in transport provided by the golf club.
Greenwood is one of the few local courses that still maintains a rain-check policy, and we received a full refund of the green fee and buggy costs, helping to soften the blow of losing a day’s golf.
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. bunkersociety.com.
