PSC golf from the Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, July 8, Green Valley – Medal
It was a damp and dismal start to the week in Pattaya, following heavy overnight rain and persistent drizzle throughout the morning. Despite the weather, a group of 12 hardy golfers braved the rain to assemble at The Ranch for the first medal competition of the month, once again sponsored by KPK Foods.
After some debate as to whether it was worthwhile setting off for the course, we decided to give it a try, and as we drove down highway 36 the rain got heavier and the skies darker, so prospects for the game looked bleak indeed. On arrival at Green Valley the drizzle was still falling and we decided to have a coffee (or in Skinny and Neil’s case, a large beer) and wait to see if the weather improved. After twenty minutes the skies started to brighten up and we decided that it was worth taking a chance to try and get a game.
Geoff Parker wins the KPK voucher at Green Valley.
Geoff Parker produced his best performance for quite some time and recorded a net 70, despite missing three short putts (as usual!). Alan Freeman was playing his final game before returning to U.K. and produced the best performance of his visit to take second place ahead of Mark West.
Back at the Ranch the KPK voucher was presented to Geoff Parker and everyone agreed that those golfers deterred by the miserable weather in the morning had missed a great day on a superb course – once again a perfect example that you never know what you’re going to get (in more ways than one) in Pattaya.
1st Geoff Parker (14) net 70
2nd Alan Freeman (3) net 72
3rd Mark West (15) net 73
Near Pins: Lee Butler, Tony Robbins and Alan Freeman (2)
Wednesday, July 10, Phoenix (Mountain and Lakes) – Stableford
Once again light drizzle was falling as we assembled at The Ranch for breakfast, but the skies were brighter than they’d been on Monday and the mood was generally optimistic. By the time we arrived at the course the rain had stopped, but buggies were restricted to the paths, so we decided that winter rules would once again be applied. The decision proved to be the right one because the fairways were soggy in places, although generally the course was in good shape.
Gerry Cooney had a sparkling outward nine, scoring 22 points, but unfortunately the wheels came off on the back nine, where he was only able to accumulate a meager 11 points. This left the field open for Tony Robbins (20 points on the inward nine) to ease past Gerry and secure the top podium prize.
There was a three-way tie on 33 points, with Geoff Parker (13 points on the last 6 holes) taking second place on the count back ahead of Mark West, and Gerry Cooney being edged out of the prizes to complete a disastrous day for him.
1st Tony Robbins (14) 35pts
2nd Geoff Parker (14) 33pts
3rd Mark West (15) 33pts
Near Pins: Gerry Cooney, Les Burns and Barry Murnin (2)
Friday, July 12, Emerald – Stableford
A bright breezy day today for our visit to Bang Chang, and when we arrived at the course a pleasant surprise greeted us, as there were no other golfers anywhere to be seen. The course was in reasonable shape, and the large bare areas on the fairways have at least now been marked as GUR, and also showed significant signs of improvement since our last visit.
The round progressed smoothly and the leading three-ball were back in the clubhouse in well under four hours, without encountering any other groups throughout the round.
The scores on the day were extremely tight with a four-way tie on 34 points, resulting in Geoff Hart taking first place on the count back ahead of Gerry Cooney and Les Burns, and PJ Redmond being the unlucky player to miss out on the prizes.
Back at The Ranch, we said goodbye to Blair Newton (formerly known as Skinny) and Neil Griffin, who are both returning to the U.K., so the bar will be a quieter place over the next few weeks.
1st Geoff Hart (23) 34pts
2nd Gerry Cooney (13) 34pts
3rd Les Burns (29) 34pts
Near Pins: Geoff Hart and Gerry Cooney (2).
Gerry Cooney’s second place finish on Friday enabled him to narrow the gap to 5 points behind Geoff Parker at the halfway stage in the race for the Golfer of the Month title. Barry Murnin is in third place, but Geoff Hart already has two wins from three games, and is definitely the dark horse coming up on the rails in the second half of the month.
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.
