PSC Bunker Boys Golf
Monday, March 16th Pattaya Country Club Stableford
1st Daryl Vernon (19) 39 points
2nd Jimmy Carr (17) 38 points
3rd Michael Brett (16) 37 points
4th Dave Ashman (21) 33 points
Near pins Dave Ashman, Daryl Vernon, & Jimmy Carr.
Widespread torrential rain fell in the Pattaya area on Sunday afternoon so the prospect of an improvement in the condition of courses was in store. As we drove into Pattaya Country Club the course did indeed look greener than our previous visit, it’s remarkable how quickly courses recover with a bit of rain and Monday this course was in nice if not excellent condition.
Another hiccup at check-in when we found our PSC vouchers were not effective till 1st April, so panic stations as once again there was no compromise on green fees and we couldn’t use our vouchers. After some hurried phone calls, the matter was resolved, the prospect of fifteen golfers walking away in the current circumstances was too much so common sense prevailed.
The course was better to play than the last visit and was extremely quiet so another speedy round ensued. Fifteen was a decent number as we welcomed back Mike Lloyd and Klaus to our ranks.
As he does at regular intervals Daryl Vernon had the round of the day with an excellent thirty-nine points. Daryl was putting for birdie on the last but ended up with a bogey so his score could have been even better. Jimmy Carr had another fine round of thirty-eight in second place with Michael Brett a stroke further back in third. A gap to fourth place where Dave Ashman had thirty-three.
Near pins went to Dave Ashman, Daryl Vernon, and Jimmy Carr. Curious how all the people with near pins were also on the winner’s list.
In an aging golf society, the issue of which tees to play from comes up at regular intervals. With advancing years comes a loss of power and stamina which becomes a serious problem for some more than others. On some courses such as today, it matters little but on others, it impacts the shorter hitters greatly if there are long carries from the tees and no bailout area so we may need to review our club rules and implement a few revisions to make play more enjoyable for all which after all is the object of the game.
Wednesday, March 18th Pleasant Valley Stableford
1st Jimmy Carr (17) 42 points
2nd Raleigh Gosney (20) 41 points
3rd Daryl Vernon (18) 40 points
4th Mike Lloyd (170 37 points
Near pins Steve Durey, Jimmy Carr, Roland Davison, & Keith Norman.
A very good number of nineteen were on hand for the midweek game at Pleasant Valley on a steamy hot day. Overnight rain for the past three nights meant the course was looking lush and green. The greens, however, were particularly slow. Luckily we were out ahead of a ten-ball, something that seems to be common at this course, so we had a fast interruption-free round.
Scoring for Wednesday’s round was excellent with Jimmy Carr continuing his good Monday form with an even better score of forty-two Wednesday. Raleigh Gosney in his last game of this term surely must have thought he had won with a score of forty-one but had to settle for second place. Monday’s winner Daryl Vernon, our resident diplomat had another good score of forty points in third place with Mike Lloyd playing his best game in Pattaya for a while rounded out the scoring with a steady thirty-seven points.
All the near pins were taken going to Steve Durey with a beauty, Jimmy Carr, Roland Davison, and Keith Norman.
We are about to see another big exodus before air travel becomes a thing of the past during this current Corona Virus crisis. Courses will urgently need to review their pricing structures with numbers crashing as well as exchange rates so the competition for the available golfers should be keen and reflected in reduced green fees. Clearly the courses in the best condition and with the best rates will prevail whilst the others will struggle.
Friday, March 20th Greenwood C & B Stableford
1st Michael Brett (16) 41 points
2nd Keith Norman (15) 39 points
3rd Geoff Parker (17) 39 points
Near pins Daryl Vernon, Rocky Ishikawa, & Keith Norman X 2.
The Bunker Boys made a very happy return to Greenwood Friday to find a course in excellent condition and at a very favorable green fee rate using PSC vouchers. If there was a criticism it was the greens which were a tad slow as they had not been cut for a few days to retain moisture in the soil. Despite another large group on the course, we managed to avoid each other and enjoyed a fast round.
Friday may be the last decent size group of the high season as Jack Penny to NZ and Raleigh Gosney to Japan have already departed and over the weekend we see the departure of Barry Murnin to Florida, Daryl Vernon upcountry to Surin before returning to Lancashire and Keith Norman to Bristol. What a diverse group we have. We wish all safe travel in this troubling and difficult time in our history and hope to see all back in the “City of Fun” soon under better circumstances.
This has been a week of high-quality golf with several excellent scores returned. Friday three of our members, Rocky Ishikawa, Geof Cox, and Steve Durey all had thirty-six points and didn’t even make it into the winner’s circle. Geoff Parker, who has been struggling with his game lately came good with thirty-nine points. Was this a flash in the pan or a return to the dizzy heights of the past for Geoff? Only time will tell.
In his last game of this term, Keith Norman took second also on thirty-nine on countback. Friday’s winner Michael Brett had a better day with the wedge and putter to take first place with forty-one points.
Near pins went to Rocky Ishikawa, Daryl Vernon and two to Keith Norman.
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