PSC Bunker Boys Golf
Monday, January 13th
Crystal Bay C & A White
Stableford
1st Mashi Kaneta (17) 42 points
2nd Keith Norman (12) 40 points
3rd Andy Gray (23) 39 points
4th Phil Mashiter (4) 39 points
5th Peter Kelly (13) 38 points
Near pins Tony Berry, Keith Norman, Ken Elmore, & Jimmy Carr.
Following last Friday’s debacle, it was nice to get back to normality on Monday. Everybody arrived at Woodys Bar on time, no transportation issues, we were able to tee off ahead of schedule and finish in about four hours which is quite acceptable in high season.
We were allocated the C & A nines and what a difference there was between them. The C nine was overwatered and very damp in places and the greens were particularly slow compared to the A nine. There was no wind to speak of so allowing for the difference in green speed there was no other reason not to score well and several did just that.
In another rare visit, Mashi Kaneta swept the boards with an excellent score of forty-two points to capture first place. Keith Norman made a return to form after a bit of a lull with a solid forty points in second place. Once again Andy Gray found himself in the winner’s circle off a lower handicap of twenty-three with thirty-nine points pushing Phil Mashiter into fourth on countback. Peter Kelly brought up the rear with a very respectable thirty-eight.
All the near pins were taken going to Tony Berry, Keith Norman, Ken Elmore, and Jimmy Carr.
Wednesday, January 15th
Bangpra
Stableford
1st Peter Kelly (14) 38 points
2nd Les Cobban (8) 37 points
3rd Michael Brett (17) 37 points
4th Neil Jones (22) 36 points
5th Stuart Tinkler (17) 36 points
6th Dave Ashman (22) 34 points
Near pins Keith Norman, Stuart Tinkler, Peter Kelly, & Tony Robbins.
Our midweek game was played at Bangpra where we encountered the usual problem of having to wait till the appointed hour before we could check-in and pay green fees. The course was very busy so a very slow round of over four and a half hours ensued. Whilst still very dry the course was in much better condition than expected. Clearly, some of last Friday’s downpour at King Naga fell here also.
A good field of twenty-six was on hand, just about the right number to generate strong competition without any group having to wait too long to tee off, and keen competition is just what we got.
Some very good scores were returned with the top five all at thirty-six or over. Peter Kelly had a very hot putter today and topped the list of winners with thirty-eight points. Les Cobban and Michael Brett had thirty-seven each with Les having the better back nine taking second. Likewise, Neil Jones and Stuart Tinkler were locked together on thirty-six with Dave Ashman bringing up the rear with thirty-four.
A very happy day for Keith Norman winning all three sixes and a near pin. The other near pins went to Stuart Tinkler, Peter Kelly, & Tony Robbins. Shot of the day went to Colin Greig who shed his right shoe and sock to play out of the water on the Gordon Melia hole which he did successfully.
Back at the clubhouse, there was a power outage which meant change rooms in complete darkness and showers with no pressure and only boiling hot water.
A very funny incident occurred on the eighteenth tee when a monkey stole a soft drinks bottle from a cart and refused to give it back. It was quite hilarious watching the monkey struggle to get the drink out of the bottle which he had still failed to do by the time we left him to his puzzle, clearly a monkey is not as smart as octopus.
In the coming weeks, there are a few events to watch out for, first The Annual Memorial Tournament on Wednesday, February 5th at Greenwood, second the annual trip to Soi Dao organised by Keith Norman on Monday, February 10th, and finally, on Wednesday, February 26th the inaugural “Ironman” event consisting of golf at King Naga (special rules apply) followed by dominos and killer pool at Woodys Bar organised by Daryl Vernon. Something very different and should be a lot of fun.
Friday, January 17th
Parichat, Rainbow
1st Tony Berry (14) 37 points
2nd Roland Davison (12) 36 points
3rd Ken Elmore (19) 36 points
4th Michael Brett (17) 36 points
5th Dave Galvin (22) 35 points
Near pins Phil Mashiter, Colin Greig, Ken Elmore, Michael Brett.
It seems like somebody has cast an evil spell on the Bunker Boys, for the second Friday in a row Friday’s booking at Treasure Hill didn’t exist so we had to make alternate arrangements. After some phone calls Greenwood nor Pattavia could accommodate us so we made our way to Parichat where we played a game of rainbow.
As one might expect we had a delay of about thirty minutes before teeing off and then with only one caddie for every two players, other caddies joined in along the way. The course was in great shape again but the greens were deceptively slow.
As has been said many times this course is ideally suited to the rainbow format. One new golfer who never played sixes or rainbow before had the rules explained to him by Jimmy on the first tee and was told that at the end of the round he would be advised how much he owed, not sure he got the joke.
A very tight competition for places with only two points separating first from last. Tony Berry took first with thirty-seven points. Roland Davison, Ken Elmore, and Michael Brett were all locked together on thirty-six points and placed by the countback rule. Dave Galvin finally made it to the winner’s circle for the first time in eight years of trying with thirty-five points, a round that contained the only eagle of the day.
On the tenth fairway we noticed several small holes about the size of a golf ball. A caddie said they had been made by snakes so golfers should be on the lookout particularly on this part of the course.
A further problem facing the Bunker Boys Friday was the fact that somebody tore up the club rule book. A group of golfers who overindulged in post-match shenanigans arrived back at Woodys Bar at least half an hour late for the cutoff time for cards to be submitted. Nevertheless, their scores were counted and two were among the winners upsetting some who thought they had winnings to come.
