PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, Feb. 11, Greenwood A & B – Stableford
A slightly later tee time than normal, so our group of 26 golfers enjoyed a leisurely breakfast at The Ranch, before heading up the 331 on an overcast but pleasant day. We’d been warned the previous day that there might be a problem with caddies, but when we arrived there was no problem checking in, and we headed off on schedule.
The course was fairly quiet and in good condition with plenty of grass on the fairways and the greens running fast and true, so everything was set for some good scores. In the event 8 golfers played to their handicap or better, but no one could catch Gerry Cooney who romped home with 41 points to win the A Flight in some style. Gez Williams continued his recent good form to win the B flight on a count back ahead of Mike Corner.
A Flight
1st Gerry Cooney (14) 41pts
2nd Tony Berry (10) 39pts
3rd Tony Robbins (12) 38pts
4th Cyril Wallwork (hcp. 14) 38pts
B Flight
1st Gez Williams (17) 36pts
2nd Mike Corner (20) 36pts
3rd Jack Robertson (25) 35pts
4th PJ Redmond (25) 33pts
Near Pins: Cyril Wallwork, Lee Butler, Thomas Nyborg and Tony Robbins.
Wednesday, Feb. 13, Bangpakong – Stableford
An easy run down the 7 motorway today, with the first car arriving 50 minutes after departing from The Ranch, (no prizes for guessing who!) and the others a few minutes later. Once again the course was in excellent condition with near perfect fairways and greens so we elected to play off the white tees, which at almost 6,700 yards is a longer track than we normally play.
40-point man Keith Norman (right) with friend.
The weather was also almost ideal with a cooling breeze so it was a safe bet that someone would shoot an excellent score. It was no surprise then that almost half the field of 21 golfers played to their handicap or better, and even less of a surprise that Keith Norman shot 40 points for his second successive game here. Jack Robertson continued his good run of form to win the B Flight on a count back ahead of Mark West.
Tony Berry and Cyril Wallwork were both playing their last game before departing to the U.K., and couldn’t have had a better day to take back memories of golf in Pattaya before donning the waterproofs and thermals to carry on playing at home.
A Flight
1st Keith Norman (12) 40pts
2nd Tony Robbins (hcp. 12) 36pts
3rd Cyril Wallwork (14) 35pts
B Flight
1st Jack Robertson (25) 39pts
2nd Mark West (18) 39pts
3rd John Hughes (18) 38pts
Near Pins: Bernie Stevens, John Hughes, and Keith Norman (2).
Friday, Feb. 15, Eastern Star – Stableford
A smaller group of golfers today, with a large contingent of regulars playing at the nearby Navy course in the monthly PSC competition. We teed off on schedule and the course was generally in good condition apart from the greens which appeared to have deteriorated even more since our last visit a few weeks ago. The green on the par 3 fourteenth hole now resembles a lunar landscape, and is virtually unplayable.
The poor greens may be one reason for the low scores on the day, but this is always a tricky course, and anyone playing to their handicap here has had a good day. The best performer today was Peter Platt who recovered from an indifferent outward nine to score well on the inward half, and narrowly beat the always steady Gerry Cooney.
Our caddies today left a lot to be desired, and your scribe was one of those to suffer as he played his second shot on the par 5 fourth hole, unfortunately playing the wrong ball, and necessitating the caddy to waddle back 300 yards from her resting place beside the green!
1st Peter Platt (13) 32pts
2nd Gerry Cooney (12) 31pts
3rd Mike Corner (19) 29pts
Near Pins: Peter Habgood and Gerry Cooney (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.
