PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, Oct. 8, Greenwood C&A – Stableford
The prospects for golf looked gloomy as we had breakfast at The Ranch, with the remnants of tropical storm Gaemi passing over Pattaya, producing grey skies and drizzling rain. Several regulars were deterred by the weather, but a quick call to the course confirmed they were open and the small group of “die-hards” set off to face the worst the weather could offer.
The rain had stopped when we reached the course, and the car park was empty, so it was clear that most locals had also decided there was little chance of playing a full round today. It was buggies allowed only on cart paths, so we elected to play ‘pick, clean and place’ for the fourth game in succession.
Lee Butler launches another ball into orbit.
The fairways were wet and soggy, but the greens were O.K. and the round progressed smoothly with no other golfers sighted on the course, and only a 10 minute shower of rain as the first group reached the 12th tee.
Geoff Parker coped with the difficult conditions better than anyone else, and managed to play to his handicap to take the top podium position. Geoff Cox was in second place and collected two near pin prizes on the way, to cap a successful day.
Back at The Ranch everyone agreed that the day had been thoroughly enjoyable despite the wet conditions – after all what better way to spend a rainy day in Pattaya?
1st Geoff Parker (13) 36pts
2nd Geoff Cox (15) 34pts
3rd Tony Robbins (12) 33pts
Near Pins: Geoff Parker, and Geoff Cox (2).
Wednesday, Oct. 10, Bangpra – Medal
A complete contrast to Monday morning as our group of 16 golfers set off to Bangpra in bright sunshine and under a dazzling blue sky. On arrival we found that the course was still extremely soggy following the recent rains, and once again, we elected to play ‘pick, clean and place’. This proved to be a good decision because the fairways were completely covered in worm casts, where the blighters had surfaced, presumably to avoid drowning.
The round progressed smoothly until the leading groups were approaching the end of their round and a rogue black cloud appeared, apparently from nowhere. The first two groups managed to complete the 18th hole before the heavens opened, but unfortunately the third and fourth groups had fallen several holes behind when the deluge came. The fairways quickly turned into rivers and the course became unplayable, forcing us to cancel the competition and record our first washout of the year.
Friday, Oct. 12, Phoenix Ocean & Mountain – Stableford
Another bright sunny morning as we set off on the short journey to Phoenix and a pleasant surprise greeted us when we reached the first tee as we found that the ground was dry and firm. The starter set us out on the unusual combination of Ocean and Mountain nines, and all went well until we reached the first hole on the inward nine to find 4 groups waiting to tee off – obviously the starter was having a bad day!
The inward nine was congested and painfully slow, producing our longest round for quite some time and reminding everyone that the start of the high season is not too far away.
The winner on the day was Tony Robbins (who’s becoming a bit of a Phoenix specialist) with an impressive 40 points, two points clear of Lee Butler.
1st Tony Robbins (12) 40pts
2nd Lee Butler (14) 38pts
3rd Paul Smith (3) 31pts
Near Pins: Paul Smith, PJ Redmond and Tony Robbins(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 http://www. bunkersociety.com.
The annual John Preddy Charity Golf Tournament will be held on Friday 23rd November 2012, at Mountain Shadow G.C., more details to follow shortly.
