FROM THE GREENSKEEPER that gets up before dawn to care for our area courses, to the cart-barn employees who keep carts juiced up, washed and ready for customers all day long, there are many typically unsung workers helping to bring us the game we love to play.
I know of what I speak, having spent a summer between college semesters running the range ball tractor, setting up carts and filling up water stations and cleaning restrooms at Port Ludlow Golf Club.
One such behind the scenes player is Peninsula Golf Club’s golf shop staffer Buzz Burnham.
Burnham scheduled your tee times, called out groups and foursomes, faxed in tournament results and took care of the myriad little details inherent in running a top-notch golf course.
After more than 10 years working at Peninsula, Burnham and his wife, Bev, are moving to Spokane this month to be closer to his family and grandchildren.
“It’s difficult to find people with the work ethic and loyalty that Buzz possesses,” said Peninsula Golf Pro Chris Repass.
“He will be missed by his co-workers and friends at Peninsula.”
Spokane has four fantastic municipally owned courses, and there are numerous quality private courses in the area, so Burnham can stay active in the game of golf if he doesn’t get enough exercise with his grandkids.
Port Ludlow Demo Day
As mentioned last week, Port Ludlow Golf Club will host a huge demo day from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday.
PGA Director of Golf Vito DeSantis has a host of the top manufacturers heading to the “village in the woods by the bay,” including Cleveland, Ping, Nike, Callaway and Adams.
Callaway is bringing its TrackMan system to analyze “everything you ever wanted to know about your swing,” DeSantis said.
Based on Doppler radar technology, TrackMan measures the exact 3-dimensional club movement and ball flight, and provides precise measured data on the club delivery and the ball launch.
This use of 3-D technology appeals to me more than the most recent Hollywood blockbusters.
Callaway technicians will analyze your club and ball data, review the results with you and recommend the equipment best fit for your game.
My guess? Recommendations may be tailor-made for you but they won’t be given for Taylor Made.
Sorry for the bad pun.
Reserve your time with the machine used by the PGA Tour, the USGA and the Royal & Ancient by phoning 360-437-0272.
There will be special demo day discounts and purchase incentives as well.
Port Ludlow ladies
After a rainout forced postponement of their season opener, the Port Ludlow 9- and 18-hole ladies clubs started their 2010 season this past week.
Linda Aho and Teddy Conover took top honors in the first and second flight with scores of 33 and 34, respectively, for the 18-hole group while playing “Mutt and Jeff.”
The 9-hole ladies played low gross and low net last Thursday.
Aho claimed the gross prize with a 54 while Sue Fechner and Eline Lybarger tied for low-net honors with 36 each.
Full results can be found on Page B2.
SkyRidge event
SkyRidge Golf Course’s spring opener is set for a 9 a.m. shotgun start on Saturday, April 17.
The event for the Sequim course will have a two-person scramble format with two divisions.
Each team will use 30 percent of its combined handicap with no more than a 10 stroke difference in their individual handicaps.
Cost is $100 per team that includes honey pot, KPs, range balls and lunch after play.
Phone the golf shop at 360-683-3673 to get in the game.
Notes from PTGC
Port Townsend Golf Club has two events coming up: the Men’s Club Spring Fling and Steak Feed on Saturday, April 10 and the sixth annual Relay for Life Golf Tournament on Saturday, April 24.
The spring fling tourney includes a delicious barbecued steak dinner following blind-draw scramble play.
Entry fee is $35 and includes the steak feed.
The Relay for Life Tournament is a four-person pick-your-own team 18-hole scramble.
Tournament fees are $45 for members and $60 for nonmembers.
The fee includes your round, prizes, KPs, LPs and lunch.
Carts are not included in the fee but a limited number are available by reservation.
A raffle will follow play to benefit the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life program.
Phone the pro shop at 360-385-4547 for reservations for either event.
PT Kiwanis tourney
All told, last weekend’s benefit for the Northwest Kiwanis Camp for children with special needs raised more than $6,000.
Port Townsend Golf Club would like to thank Roger Ramey, Ken Brink, Dave Sather and Rich Gastfield for all the donations and time they put in securing tournament sponsors.
I’ve written it before but one of the nicest things about the game is how many opportunities there are to play the game while simultaneously helping the less fortunate.
The tournament is different than any other tournament held at PTGC.
Players were able to buy two mulligans (one for the front nine, one for the back nine).
They were also able to buy string (a maximum of three pieces at three feet each) which could be used to move their ball the distance of the piece they cut off.
Players could move the ball from out of bounds back into play or hole out knee-knocking birdie or par putts to keep scores low.
Tournament results can be found on Page B2.
Vote for Cedars
Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course in Sequim currently sits in second place in voting for Western Washington golf courses in KING TV’s Evening Magazine “2010 Best of Northwest Escapes” voting.
You can vote by registering for KING TV’s Web site and visiting best.king5.com/the-cedars-at-dungeness-golf-course/biz/543766.
Play for Cedars
The Dungeness Men’s Club is in need of five more players to fill out the roster for a pair of matches against Victoria’s Cordoba Bay Golf Club.
Cedars hosts Cordoba at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13 and then makes the voyage across the Strait to play Cordoba on Tuesday, April 20.
The entry fee for the tournament is $78, and it includes two lunches and greens fees at both golf courses.
For more information, phone the pro shop at 360-683-6344 or e-mail kojack@olypen.com.
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Michael Carman is the golf columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Wednesdays. He can be reached at 360-417-3527 or pdngolf@gmail.com.