PSC golf from the Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, April 8, Greenwood A & B – Stableford
Another holiday today, but when we arrived at the course it was surprisingly quiet, and we were able to tee off without delay. The sky was overcast, but the weather remained fine all day and a breeze developed on the inward nine, which made the conditions even more agreeable. The greens on the outward nine had been recently cored, and were consequently bumpy and slow, but the inward nine were quicker and better.
The first 3-ball of Gerry Cooney, John Graham and Tony Robbins were making good progress until the 6th hole when they caught up with an elderly group of Korean golfers (surely they couldn’t have been older then Gerry and Tony!) and they were then forced to complete the rest of the round at a snail’s pace.
Peter Habgood.
Neil Hurst was playing his last game before returning to the U.K. and went out in style (more than you can say about the trousers he normally wears!) taking the honours with 37 points. Steve Dury took second place ahead of John Graham who beat Mark West on a count back which went down to the last hole.
1st Neil Hurst (12) 37pts
2nd Steve Dury (17) 35pts
3rd John Graham (11) 34pts
Near Pins: Gerry Cooney, Tony Robbins and Colin Greig (2)
Least Putts: Steve Dury and Tony Robbins (27 each)
Wednesday, April 10, Green Valley – Stableford
We had a good turnout today for our first medal competition of the month, at the always popular Green Valley course. The weather was hot and humid, but not nearly so scorching as last week. The course was generally in good condition, with a few worn patches evident, but the dry conditions meant there was plenty of run on the ball.
The pace of play on the front nine was good, and then our first group arrived on the 10th tee to find 4 groups waiting there, as a Thai airforce competition had been allowed to start simultaneously from the 1st and 10th tees. Once we got going again the pace was reasonable and all in all, a good day was had by all.
Five players managed to better their handicaps, but no one could come close to Peter (“I hate medal competitions”) Habgood, who managed to win his second medal competition in a row! Peter was four shots clear of “occasional raider” Al Collinge, and Mark Stanley took the third place on the podium beating Colin Greig on a count back. Usually one of the more consistent players with the Bunker Boys, Colin shot 5 over on the final four holes to slip out of contention.
Al Collinge only hit one green in regulation all day (winning a near pin!), but he got up and down from everywhere, taking a miserly 9 putts on the inward nine to give him a 24 putt total overall – a new record for the Bunker Boys.
1st Peter Habgood (22) net 65
2nd Al Collinge (15) net 69
3rd Mark Stanley (11) net 70
Near Pins: Al Collinge, Colin Greig Geoff Hart and Steve Dury.
Least Putts: Al Collinge (24)
Friday, April 12, Treasure Hill – Stableford
Fifteen golfers today set off from The Ranch to tackle the difficult Treasure Hill course. There’d been a heavy storm the previous day which had knocked down a large tree near the practice green, and had also prevented the ground staff from cutting the fairways. The greens were in good shape though, and the rain had settled the sand in the bunkers, so there weren’t as many plugged balls as we’ve become accustomed to.
There’s always a debate when we play here, as to whether we should play off the yellow or white tees, and today it was left up to Gerry Cooney in the first group and he elected to play off the shorter yellow tees. This certainly suited William Macey, who took a day off from his PSC charity duties, to tear the course apart. Tore Eliassen was in second place with 39 points, a score which would normally be good enough to win here, but not with William in the field. Gerry Cooney pipped Colin Greig on a count back to take third place.
The weather had been good, but a thunder storm arrived after all but the last group had completed their round, but they’d lost two holes on the group in front, so som nam na guys!
PJ provided the after game entertainment by locking his keys in the car after loading his clubs, (second time in recent memory) and eventually decided to break a window to solve the problem – giving his passengers a breezy drive back to Pattaya!
1st William Macey (20) 42pts
2nd Tore Eliassen (15) 39pts
3rd Gerry Cooney (13) 35pts
4th Colin Greig (10) 35 pts
Near Pins: Alan Sullivan, Geoff Cox, Gerry Cooney and Tore Eliassen.
Least Putts: Colin Greig (29)
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.
