PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, March 18, Royal Lakeside – Stableford
We had a good turnout of 21 golfers today for our visit to the Royal Lakeside course, on a bright, breezy morning. When we arrived at the course we were able to tee off without delay, but it was immediately obvious that the breeze was much stronger here than in Pattaya, and it was to prove troublesome all day.
The course was in great shape as usual, but the greens are always difficult, so the expectation was that anyone playing to their handicap would probably be the winner. The only criticism one can make about this course is that there’s too much sand in the bunkers, and with the strong breeze they were very much in play today, as were the many water hazards.
Colin Greig relaxes before another successful round.
In the event Keiichi Kasami was the only golfer to better his handicap, taking the honours in the A Flight, ahead of Colin Greig and Mark Stanley. There was a 3-way tie on 33 points in the B Flight with Lee Butler (time you got back into the A Flight) winning the count back ahead of newcomer Drake Mooser and Jerry Wasselenkoff.
A Flight
1st Keiichi Kasami (9) 37pts
2nd Colin Greig (hcp. 11) 34pts
3rd Mark Stanley (11) 32pts
B Flight
1st Lee Butler (17) 33pts
2nd Drake Mooser (24) 33pts
3rd Jerry Waselenkoff (19) 33pts
Near Pins: Jerry Waselenkoff, Colin Greig (2).
Least Putts: Drake Mooser (28)
Wednesday, March 20, Treasure Hill – Stableford
A large field of 26 golfers today for our regular visit to the notoriously difficult Treasure Hill course.
The course has been showing continuous signs of improvement over the last several months, so it was somewhat of a surprise to find that the fairways and greens were in the worst condition in recent memory. It appears that, for whatever reason, the grass has not been cut for some time and patches of rough were truly punishing, just a few feet off the fairways and greens.
The greens themselves were slow and inconsistent, so conditions were against good scoring, and some horrendous scores were returned by the higher handicap players.
Difficult conditions suit the better golfers, so it was no surprise that Keith Smithson returned the best score of the day with 38 points to win the A Flight. Fellow players were quick to point out that Keith had a somewhat fortunate start to the round, having hit two trees on the par 5 first hole before chipping in from 110 yards for par!
Mike Lloyd has seen his scores steadily improving since his return, and produced his best performance so far this visit, to take the honours in the B flight.
The putting competition was won by Mark Stanley with an impressive total of 26 putts on a day when most players struggled on the slow greens.
A Flight
1st Keith Smithson (2) 38pts
2nd Colin Greig (11) 36pts
3rd Mark West (13) 32pts
B Flight
1st Mike Lloyd (15) 35pts
2nd Raleigh Gosney (16) 33pts
3rd Tore Elliassen (15) 32pts
Near Pins: Tore Elliasen, Mashi Kaneta (2).
Least Putts: Mark Stanley (26)
Friday, March 22, Bangpra – Stableford
A busy day at Bangpra today, and we had to sit around for 30 minutes past our scheduled tee time, before we were allowed to tee off. Eventually all six groups got away, but it was a long, slow, and at times very hot day, with several players complaining that they wilted on the back nine.
One visitor, who shall remain nameless, scored 17 points on the outward nine and the grand total of 4 points on the inward nine, proudly taking possession of the wooden spoon.
Colin Greig took the honours in the A Flight on a count back over Gerry Cooney, with Keith Smithson taking third place also on a count back over 3 other players with 34 points.
Reg Smart recorded his third win of the year in the B Flight, and our two visiting lady golfers khun Anna and khun Wanta took three of the four near pin prizes between them.
It was a successful week for Colin Greig with an outright win and two overall second place finishes, giving him an almost unassailable lead in race for the Golfer of the Month title, with three games remaining.
A Flight
1st Colin Greig (11) 35pts
2nd Gerry Cooney (13) 35pts
3rd Keith Smithson (2) 34pts
B Flight
1st Reg Smart (30) 34pts
2nd Gordon Melia (19) 33pts
3rd Raleigh Gosney (16) 32pts
Near Pins: Gerry Cooney, Anna, Wanta (2).
Least Putts: Keiichi Kasami (28)
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.
