PSC golf from the Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Wednesday, April 9, Bangpakong – Stableford
Only 12 players on Wednesday as the pre-Songkran exodus from Pattaya began to take effect, but those that played had another great day around what is surely one of the best courses in the area. Some members complain that the course is too long off the white tees (6,700 yards), but the course is more forgiving than most of our other regular venues and is always in great condition, so the scores here are usually good.
No one had a massive score today, but most players scored 30 points or more, and the eventual winner was John Graham, one point ahead of Gordon Melia, with Paul Smith coming in third place.
Buff (right) presents the KPK voucher to Friday’s winner, Colin Greig.
My own personal criticism of this course is the hole handicapping system, where the par three’s are handicapped 15 through to 18 and yet are some of the most difficult we play. However, today your scribe had a good day, taking the only two near pin prizes that were claimed on the day and scooped the pot.
1st John Graham (10) 37pts
2nd Gordon Melia (17) 36pts
3rd Paul Smith (2) 34pts
Near Pins: Geoff Parker.
Friday, April 11, The Emerald – Medal
A good turnout today for our visit to the usually popular Ban Chang course, but when we arrived at the clubhouse we were disappointed to see a notice informing us that all the greens had been cored and sanded. This was our first medal competition of the month, once again sponsored by KPK Foods, so clearly the condition of the greens was going to have a major influence on the outcome.
It seemed that as the round progressed there was more and more sand on the greens, so much so that on the back nine, the groups ahead of us were leaving messages written in the sand!
Unfortunately, the greens were not the only problem, as once again large areas of the fairways had been designated as GUR (only a few months after recovering from the last set of major works), and it must be said that the course currently offers poor value for money in comparison to others in the area. Several people commented that if the management made some (financial?) gesture to regular players when the course is in poor condition, it would make everyone feel better, but in the absence of that, it’s unlikely that we’ll be returning in the near future.
The players in the A Flight coped with the difficult conditions better, and Colin Greig’s score of net 69 was a fine achievement on the day. Paul Smith took second place on a count back ahead of Geoff Parker, and the only other player to play better than his handicap was Peter Habgood, who took the honours in the B Flight.
A Flight
1st Colin Greig (6) net 69
2nd Paul Smith (2) net 71
3rd Geoff Parker (15) net 71
B Flight
1st Peter Hapgood (22) net 70
2nd Colin Hammond (28) net 75
3rd Ken Young (28) net 75
Near Pins: Colin Greig (2) and Paul Smith (2).
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.
