Bunker Boys at The Ranch

by Geoff Parker

Bangphra G.C. (Stableford)

Bangphra is one of the favourite courses for the Bunker Boys, and is currently one of the few courses that we're playing twice a month. The staff here are always pleasant and welcoming, and the starter is always efficient and on top of his job, so it was no surprise that we teed off promptly. The weather was overcast and the course was in its normal excellent condition, so it was only a question of which golfer could find his putting touch on the difficult greens. It was no surprise that August golfer of the month, Gerry Cooney, came out on top again. There was a veritable plethora of players on 34 and 33 points, giving Buff his first experience of calculating difficult count-backs. Geoff Parker claimed second place, edging out Lee Butler, Peter Habgood and the unlucky John Graham on the count-back, and the three players on 33 points all missed out.
Results:

1st Gerry Cooney(hcp 14) 36 points

2nd Geoff Parker(hcp 14) 34 points

3rd Lee Butler(hcp 14) 34 points

4th Peter Habgood(hcp 18) 34 points

Near pins: Lee Butler, Paul Smith, William Macey and Geoff Parker.

Eastern Star G.C. (Stableford)
Slight chaos as we checked in at the Eastern Star course, with four different promotions running simultaneously! Eventually everything was sorted out and we set off under sunny skies, but with a stiff breeze blowing in from the sea. Eastern Star is a tricky course at the best of times, but the breeze made things even more difficult, and a number of golfers were heard bemoaning the number of balls they'd consigned to the watery depths. The greens keeper must have been having a bad day because some of the pin placements were set in the most difficult possible positions, none more so than the par three 13th hole, where it was set at the back left edge of the green, on a 45 degree slope! Tony Robbins continued his recent run of good form to beat Geoff Parker by a single point, after Geoff carded a double bogey on the 18th. The breeze was probably largely responsible for the fact that only two near pins were hit on the day.
Results:

1st Tony Robbins(hcp 13) 36 points

2nd Geoff Parker(hcp 14) 35 points

3rd Gerry Cooney(hcp 14) 33 points

Near pins: Lee Butler and Gerry Cooney

Crystal Bay G.C. (B and C courses) (Stableford)

We set off to Sri Racha expecting to find the course waterlogged after heavy rain the previous day and overnight, but it was in surprisingly good shape. Buff (the boss of The Ranch) was playing his debut game with the Bunker Boys, and led the field away, playing into a stiff but pleasant breeze. The course was busy and, consequently, the outward nine was slow, but fortunately the pace picked up on the inward nine. Lee Butler had decided to revert back to using his old set of irons after some inconsistent performances of late (read that as spraying the ball in all directions), and the decision was certainly justified as he romped home with the winning score of 40 points. Gerry Cooney continued his good run of form to take second place ahead of Colin Greig
Results:

1st Lee Butler(hcp 13) 40 points

2nd Gerry Cooney(hcp 16) 38 points

3rd Colin Greig(hcp 8 ) 34 points

Near pins: Gerry Cooney, Paul Smith and Tony Robbins (2).

The Bunker Boys are a PSC affiliated golf society that now play out of The Ranchbar on Pattaya Third Road (in front of the fire station, and almost opposite the Buffalo Bar). We play three times a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday), 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. The society is also in the process of resurrecting our website which you can find at http://www.bunkersociety.com.