PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, July 22, Eastern Star – Stableford
Today was a public holiday and a bar closing day for Asarnha Bucha day (Buddhist Lent) so what better way to spend the day than on the golf course. Eleven players set off for the trip to Bang Chang on an overcast but pleasant day, and arrived at the course to find it busy, but fortunately we were able to tee off after only a slight delay.
The course was generally in good shape, but the fairways were covered in worm casts following recent heavy rain, resulting in many shots being played with balls covered in mud. The greens here have improved significantly over recent weeks, but the rough continues to be neglected and some truly punishing lies (and lost balls), await the unfortunate golfer who strays just a few yards from the fairways on many of the holes.
Mashi and Raleigh with the coveted KPK voucher.
Since The Ranch was closed today, we held the presentation in the club house, before heading back to Pattaya in heavy traffic amongst the holidaymakers returning from a day at the beach.
1st Tony Robbins (14) 36pts
2nd Mashi Kaneta (15) 35pts
3rd Mark West (15) 30pts
Near Pins: Barry Murnin, Geoff Parker and Gerry Cooney (2)
Wednesday, July 24, Royal Lakeside – Stableford
The skies were cloudy and overcast as we set off for the slightly longer trip than normal to the Royal Lakeside course. We arrived at the club house almost exactly one hour after leaving The Ranch to find that we were the only players in sight, and the first group were able to tee off slightly ahead of our scheduled time, with a totally empty course ahead of them.
The fairways and greens were in superb condition and the weather was probably the coolest we’ve experienced so far this year, so conditions were ideal for someone to post a good score.
The player who rose to the occasion was Geoff Parker, who posted an impressive score of 40 points to take the top podium position ahead of John Graham. Barry Murnin recorded his best score for several games to take third position, and the lowest score posted on the day was 30 points, so clearly everyone enjoyed the course and the conditions.
The consensus after the game was that Royal Lakeside is currently in better condition than virtually any other course we’ve played in recent weeks (only the soft sand in the bunkers remains problematic), and it’s definitely worth the extra fifteen minutes or so travelling time.
1st Geoff Parker (14) 40pts
2nd John Graham (9) 36pts
3rd Barry Murnin (12) 34pts
Near Pins: John Graham and Geoff Parker(2)
Friday, July 26, Mt. Shadow – Stableford
The dreaded number of thirteen golfers turned out today for the monthly stableford competition sponsored by KPK Foods. The weather was bright and breezy and we teed off on schedule, but unfortunately we were out behind another local society so the leading three-ball groups were in for a long day.
The course was generally in good condition although the greens have been “half-cored”, but this didn’t seriously affect the putting too much.
We welcomed back Raleigh Gosney and he immediately re-instated the least putts competition which was won by Barry Murnin. After the game, Barry’s winning total of 25 putts for the round was greeted with some scepticism by those players who’ve seen his “yippy” putting style.
Mashi Kaneta produced a great score of forty points to win the KPK voucher ahead of Raleigh Gosney, with the ever consistent Gerry Cooney taking third place. Mashi’s win also brought him into contention for the July Golfer of the Month title, level on points with Gerry Cooney, but both of them trailing the leader Geoff Parker by two points, with two games remaining.
1st Mashi Kaneta (16) 40pts
2nd Raleigh Gosney (17) 37pts
3rd Gerry Cooney (13) 36pts
Near Pins: Geoff Parker, Gerry Cooney and Mike Johns.
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.
