PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, Feb. 4, Bangpra – Stableford
Only 15 golfers departing the Ranch today, as a contingent of eight regulars had already headed off to Soi Dao for a two-day competition. We had planned to play a medal round, but because the group was small and comprised predominately of high handicappers, the decision was made to revert to stableford.
Everything looked quiet as we arrived at the course and we were hoping that maybe we could tee off early, but the starter informed us that a large group of golfers from the hotel were scheduled to tee off before us, and they duly arrived right on time.
Gez Williams takes an early lead in the Golfer of the Month race.
After the first hole it was obvious it was going to be a long day and the decision to play stableford turned out to be the right one because the greens were faster than we’ve experienced for some time (some said ever!), and four putts were almost became the norm.
There were 4 groups on the par-3 seventeenth hole when our first group reached there, which just about summed up the day, and the round was eventually completed in just under 5 hours.
Dave Keats won the honours on the day with a modest 31 points, one point ahead of Peter Habgood, and everyone agreed that the poor scores were mainly down to the difficulty of the greens. Dave Keats had 6 “wipes” on his card, so his medal score would have been interesting!
1st Dave Keats (31) 31pts
2nd Peter Habgood (21) 30pts
3rd Gez Williams (17) 28pts
4th Tony Robbins (12) 26pts
Near Pins: Alan Harris, John Hughes, Gary Austin and Peter Habgood.
Wednesday, Feb. 6, Crystal Bay A&B – Medal
The Crystal Bay management had called the day previous to inform us that our scheduled tee time had been put back 20 minutes because they had overbooked, so we set off from the Ranch expecting another long day. In the event we arrived at the course to find it surprisingly quiet, and the starter informed us that we could tee off straight away – before our originally scheduled time – only in Thailand!
There were no holdups throughout the round, and the first four-ball were back in the clubhouse in under 4 hours, which made a very pleasant change from some of our recent rounds.
The course was generally in good shape, but the bunkers are being badly neglected, particularly around the edges, where the unlucky golfer can easily find himself with an almost unplayable lie. When you consider just how pristine this course was kept just a few short years ago, it’s a little bit sad to see it deteriorating, but it’s fair to say that most players still enjoy playing here.
With a field of 24 golfers, the cut was set at 15 and under, and all the best scores were in the B Flight, with Gez Williams and Thomas Nyborg both scoring 38 points, but Gez was declared winner on the count back.
A Flight
1st Alan Harris (10) 35pts
2nd Tony Robbins (12) 34pts
3rd Cyril Wallwork (14) 34pts
B Flight
1st Gez Williams (17) 38pts
2nd Thomas Nyborg (20) 38pts
3rd Raleigh Gosney (18) 36pts
Near Pins: Gary Austin, Tony Robbins, Mark West and Geoff Parker.
Friday, Feb. 8, Pleasant Valley – Stableford
After reading some horrendous reports of bad management and organization in the Pattaya Mail the previous week, we set off for Pleasant Valley with some trepidation. We arrived to find the course quiet with no shortage of caddies, and we tee’d off on schedule – different day – different experience!
The course was generally in reasonable shape, with good grass on the fairways, but the bunkers are being badly neglected, and the greens were grainy and slow. It has to be said that the management here could make some significant improvements with very little effort or cost, i.e. rake the bunkers, install proper hazard markers and fix the leaking sprinklers.
Having said all that, it turned out to be a pleasant (sic) day, and none more so than for long term absentee Alan Sullivan. Alan was playing his first game with us since the move to The Ranch last August, and proceeded to plunder the pot, winning the A Flight and collecting a near pin prize in the process.
Reg Smart made a welcome return to form, scoring 37 points to win the B Flight, which included 25 points on the back nine – what happened on the front nine Reg?
A Flight
1st Alan Sullivan (12) 39pts
2nd Tony Scambler (8) 36pts
3rd Geoff Parker (13) 36pts
B Flight
1st Reg Smart (30) 37pts
2nd Tore Eliasson (16) 36pts
3rd John Hughes (18) 36pts
Near Pins: Alan Sullivan, Tony Berry, Tony Scambler and William Macey.
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.
