PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, July 1, Crystal Bay C & A – Stableford
Fourteen players today set out to tackle the C and A courses at Crystal Bay under bright sunny skies accompanied by a gentle breeze. The fairways were dry and firm after several days without rain, but unfortunately the greens were still recovering from recent coring, and bumpy slow putts were the order of the day.
Buff, the boss of The Ranch bar, was making his second appearance of the year on the golf course, and was partnered with Geoff Parker in a separate competition within the main competition against Neil Griffin and Blair (the golfer formerly known as “Skinny”) Newton, the self-declared Bunker Boys pairs champions.
June Golfer of the Month, John Graham, tees-off a new campaign.
The course was quiet and the round progressed smoothly (apart from the bumpy greens), with the conditions almost perfect for good scoring. Blair Newton duly rose to the occasion scoring an unbelievable (for those who’ve seen him play) 43 points, leaving Geoff Parker and Barry Murnin trailing in his wake, five points behind.
Good scores were in abundance, as on the day, seven of the fourteen players played to their handicap or better, and 36 points was only good enough for seventh place!
Blair and Neil also saw off the challenge from Buff and Geoff, so a raucous evening ensued back at The Ranch, as other challengers lined up to take on the “champions”. Blair received an immediate three shot cut in his handicap for his efforts today, so the “champions” should be ripe for plucking by the next contenders.
1st Blair Newton (29) 43pts
2nd Geoff Parker (15) 38pts
3rd Barry Murnin (13) 38pts
Near Pins: Barry Murnin and Takeshi (2)
Wednesday, July 3, Greenwood C & A – Stableford
There was some confusion and delay on arrival as we tried to redeem our rain-check from the washout on our last visit, but eventually everything was sorted out and our four groups set off on an empty course.
There were some heavy clouds around but the course was in good condition and our progress was smooth until a thunder storm rumbled in as the leading group reached the eighth tee. After a brief ten minute delay, we set off again and the remainder of the round was completed without further interruption, although the humidity was at sauna level.
It turned out to be a good day for two of our hardy veterans as Geoff Hart and Reg Smart claimed the top two podium positions, and were the only two golfers to play to their handicaps on the day. “Speedy” Graham claimed third place and also set the course record for the quickest round, with the leading group playing the eighteenth hole as the fourth group teed-off on the ninth!
1st Geoff Hart (23) 37pts
2nd Reg Smart (28) 36pts
3rd John Graham (10) 35pts
Near Pins: Henry Wong and Kenny Chung
Friday, July 5, Plutuluang – Stableford
We managed to get scheduled onto our requested West and North courses today, as our previous couple of visits had been played on the South and East nines. Our four groups set off in bright sunshine and it was soon evident that the course was in great condition, and even the normally slow greens were running much quicker than expected.
The West and North courses are surely the most difficult nines here with numerous water hazards, and the familiar call of “quack-quack naam” could be heard from Skinny and Neil from the first hole. The defending Bunker Boys pairs champions had accepted another challenge from Barry Murnin and Geoff Parker and it was soon evident that their title was in severe jeopardy, as they slipped to nine points down after nine holes.
The round progressed smoothly and the weather remained glorious throughout the round providing a great day’s golf which was enjoyed by all. Buff made the presentations back at The Ranch, and to the great relief of everyone, he announced that the pairs champions had been well and truly thrashed, and we wouldn’t need to endure any more choruses of “We are the champions” from probably the worst two singers in Pattaya.
Phil Moore was playing in only his third game since returning to Pattaya, but produced the best score of the day to take the honours ahead of Geoff Parker, who took second place on a count back ahead of Lee Butler.
1st Phil Moore (14) 38pts
2nd Geoff Parker (15) 36pts
3rd Lee Butler (15) 36pts
Near Pins: Gerry Cooney, Phil Moore, Lee Butler and Barry Murnin.
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.
