PSC golf Bunker Boys @ The Ranch
Monday, Dec. 16, Pleasant Valley – Stableford
We were scheduled to play at the Navy course today, but when our organiser rang up the day before to book a caddy, we discovered that our booking had been cancelled to accommodate a tournament – without of course anybody from the course bothering to tell us. After some hasty phone calls we were able to arrange a suitable tee time at Pleasant Valley and set off up the 7 motorway in bright, sunny weather.
We tee’d off on schedule and the course was in good shape although the greens were slow and grainy – almost at Navy course speed.
Gordon Melia is certainly not a great fan of this course and normally would probably have taken a day off, but this was his last game before returning to U.K. for a Christmas break, and his last chance to secure more points to consolidate his lead in race for the Golfer of the Month title. Gordon certainly seized the opportunity with both hands, and a great back nine score of gross 38 (playing off a handicap of 18) gave him a massive total of 43 points to secure the win.
Never seen before – Skinny drinking tonic water!
Gordon also managed to take the near pin prize on the par three 17th hole, topping his tee shot which went skimming down the fairway heading directly at the pin, but coming up twelve inches short, leaving a straight uphill putt for an unlikely birdie.
Colin Greig took second place on a count back ahead of Geoff Williams with Tony Scambler claiming the final podium position a point further behind.
We welcomed back Blair (Skinny) Newton today at the start of his annual visit, and as the picture shows, he’s turned over a new leaf – forsaking the Heinekin for tonic water!
1st Gordon Melia (18) 43pts
2nd Colin Greig (9) 37pts
3rd Geoff Williams (14) 37pts
4th Tony Scambler (9) 36ps
Near Pins: Colin Greig, Gordon Melia, Tim Winder, and Tony Robbins.
Wednesday, Dec. 18, Bangprakong – Stableford
Another bright, sunny and cool (some said “chilly”) morning as we set off from The Ranch for the 85km trip up the 7 motorway to Bangprakong.
With a course length of over 6,700 yards from the white tees, this course is not short, but it’s always in good condition and is more forgiving than many other local courses, so we usually expect someone to card a good score. Today though the scores were exceptional, with Geoff Williams truly hitting top form and leading the way with a fantastic 44 point total. Following a disappointing first few games, Geoff’s form has been gradually improving and we can only guess what heights he might achieve before the end of his visit – certainly his handicap will be substantially reduced!
Tony Robbins must have been very disappointed to find that his 41 point total was only good enough for second place, and a count back was needed to separate Rab McDonald and Colin Greig for the minor places.
The only disappointing aspect of the day was that the crowded course resulted in numerous holdups, so we were forced to endure our first five hour round of this high season, meaning there were some very tired golfers when we eventually returned to Pattaya.
1st Geoff Williams (13) 44pts
2nd Tony Robbins (14) 41pts
3rd Rab McDonald (14) 37pts
4th Colin Greig (9) 37pts
Near Pins: Colin Greig, Geoff Williams, Mark Stanley and Tore Elliasen.
Friday, Dec. 20, Crystal Bay C & A – Medal
When we arrived at the club house there was some confusion over our tee time, and the course was busy, but we eventually got away only a few minutes later than scheduled.
It was obvious from the first tee that the strong breeze was going to be a major factor and that was borne out with the scoring, when only one player managed to score better than his handicap, on a course where we normally expect someone to produce a high score. The other major factor which came into play was the poor condition of the greens on the A course, which had large patches of rough grass making putting a lottery.
Although the cool breeze provided very pleasant playing conditions, the busy course produced another slow round which apparently affected the concentration of some of the pre-game favourites. Colin Greig wasn’t one of those affected, continuing his good run of form to win the A Flight ahead of Tony Scambler, with Gerry Cooney taking third place ahead of Geoff Parker on a count back.
Geoff Cox produced the best score in the B Flight (can he really be playing off a 16 handicap?), with Geoff Hart and PJ Redmond making welcome returns to the podium.
Our finishing hole today was the tricky par five 9th hole on the A course, and two golfers who shall remain nameless, were apparently competing to see who could record the highest score, both of them consigning three balls to a watery grave, before both walking off with double digit scores.
A Flight
1st Colin Greig (9) net 71
2nd Tony Scambler (9) net 73
3rd Gerry Cooney (13) net 75
B Flight
1st Geoff Cox (16) net 73
2nd Geoff Hart (26) net 75
3rd PJ Redmond (28) net 76
Near Pins: Geoff Cox, Geoff Hart, John Graham, and Tony Scambler.
Notre: 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.
