WOMEN’S CLUBS FROM six golf courses throughout the North Olympic Peninsula joined together for a friendly competition recently.
Inter-club activities are popular with opportunities for men’s and women’s golfing groups.
Fifty-six women from the ladies clubs of Resort at Port Ludlow, Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course of Sequim, SunLand Golf & Country Club of Sequim, Peninsula Golf Club of Port Angeles, Port Townsend Municipal Golf Club and host course Discovery Bay Golf Club of Port Townsend played in a nine-hole tournament recently.
The day began with a continental breakfast.
There was a tie for first place between two groups of four-member teams.
The winners, based on a scorecard playoff, were Irene Helander, Lindsay Busch, Jane Peoples and Bobbie Schaller with a net score of 26.6.
Second place went to the team of Sheila Kilmer, Carol Inglesby, Kathy Snider and Jo Hendrickson with an identical 26.6.
Third place went to Ann Meier, Lori Purser, Donna Willenberg and Ginny Hammond with a net 28.3.
Hendrickson and Busch won the closest to the pin contest on No. 3 while Lyn Gilbert and Virginia Dvorshak had the longest drives on No. 5.
Following the golf, the women enjoyed good food and fellowship at the Putters Bay Café.
Plans are in the works for another get-together next year.
Best all-time golfers
The 50th anniversary issue of Golf Magazine (September 2009) came in your mail if you are a subscriber, or on the magazine racks at the drug store if you prefer to purchase one now and then.
This issue has some of the best articles about the greatest golfers who have ever played the game.
I plan to hang on to my personal copy for a long time and use it as a historical reference source for information about the great game of golf during the past 50 years.
That’s as far back as I need to go.
Nicklaus, Watson, Mickelson, Snead and Trevino are all mentioned along with Tiger Woods.
If you have saved all the old issues, you are now holding a treasury of how to play the game.
Arnold Palmer and I have our 80th birthdays this year. I have no idea how he will spend his year but I am planning to enjoy every single day as something special when I can play a round of golf.
Take a few notes as the year progresses, and on Jan. 1, 2010 write me a letter about how you celebrated.
A birdie at age 90
Exciting things happened at the Port Ludlow Member-Guest Tournament this past weekend.
Evie Lee, a guest in the tournament, just celebrated her 90th birthday.
As a gift, her daughter, Suzy Lee, invited Evie Lee to be her guest in the tournament.
There were only three birdies in the two days of the tournament, and Evie Lee had one of them.
She birdied on Timber No. 5.
Needless to say, she got a standing ovation at the banquet that evening. She was definitely an inspiration for everyone at the event.
Port Ludlow women
The Port Ludlow 18-hole ladies group played a game called Scotch Twosome on Aug. 4.
Partners alternated every shot through 18 holes, and used one-half of their combined handicap.
The winners were Diane Kobz and Laura Shisler with a 66. In second place were Carol Oros and Jan Sample with a 76.5.
For third place, Sally Grything and Margo Campbell tied with Suzy Lee and Joy Herring, each twosome with a 77.
The Lady Niners played on Aug 6 and each golfer counted the odd holes for her total.
The first flight winners were Dion Watson in first place with 18.5, Bev Browne had 19 for second place and Ann Nugent had 19.5 for third.
From the second flight competitors, Amy Recht won first with a 16.5, Betty Cragoe was second with 20 and Cynthia Durham had a 20.5 for third.
Correspondent Barbara Berthiaume reports that the weather has been absolutely perfect for good golfing and the scores have improved greatly as they get further into the season.
A hole-in-one
Murray Gwynn reports that the golfing gods have been smiling on him now that he is spending the summer back at home.
Part of his joy comes from his Aug. 6 hole-in-one scored at Peninsula Golf Club.
He was playing the 17th hole, which was a long 177 yards. He chose a No. 5 hybrid for the masterful stroke.
This makes 10 holes-in-one during his golfing career with seven of them occurring at his home course in Port Angeles.
Gwynn says the first 10 are the hardest, and he expects the next 10 to be much easier!
Cougar tourney
The Washington State University Alumni Association is holding the eighth annual North Olympic Cougar Golf Tournament on Saturday, Aug. 29 at SkyRidge Golf Course in Sequim.
The date given in last week’s column was in error.
Call Chris Repass at 360-457-6501 or SkyRidge at 360-683-3673 for more information.
It is a four-person scramble, and the tee time 1 p.m. Lunch is served at noon.
Scramble for Service
Judi Morris (360-379-1602) is the contact person for the 11th annual Soroptimist’s Scramble for Service for Foster Families golf tournament being held on Aug. 29 at Discovery Bay Golf Club.
The entry fee is $75 per person or $275 for a four-person team.
The price includes greens fees, carts, raffle tickets and lunch before the golf, and after-golf appetizers.
Some great prizes will be awarded to three winning teams in each division plus 24 raffle prizes.
Registration begins at 11:30 a.m., and the golf begins with a shotgun start at 1 p.m.
For details, call 360-765-3312
Youth Golf Camp
A Youth Golf Camp is set for Aug. 24-27 at Discovery Bay.
Boys and girls wishing to learn how to play golf or wishing to improve their golf game can call 360-385-0704 for information.
The Discovery Bay professional staff will be teaching and directing the camp activities.
All participants will meet from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. each day.
The fundamentals of game etiquette, driving, chipping and putting will be taught.
More advanced players will be working with Mitch Black, coach of the Chimacum High School golf team.
Space is limited, so call early. Stop by the golf course to sign up a student who wants to learn the game of golf.
Peninsula women
The Peninsula ladies 18-hole golf group played medal play on Aug 5.
Winning scores were posted by Donna Willenberg and Doris Sparks, who tied with 71 each, followed by Sherry Henderson 73, and Barb Thompson, Dona Scarcia and Lori Oakes, tied 74 each.
Henderson had a chip-in on No. 3 and Willenberg had one on No. 4.
Willenberg also played on a winning team at the Lady Niners tournament at Discovery Bay on Aug. 6.
Sandy Granger, 360-565-1237, reports on golf for the Peninsula women’s groups.
She also says the weather has been very good and the ladies are playing some great golf.
Peninsula club tourney
Chris Repass, the head pro at Peninsula Golf Club, announced the final results of the 2009 Club Championship.
Mark Mitrovich, the Port Angeles High School boys golf coach, repeated for the sixth consecutive year as the club champion with a 140 total.
Also on the championship flight leaderboard were Paul Reed, 143; Ryan Seiler, 146; and Gary Thorne tied with Rick Parkhurst with 147.
The first flight net leaders were Rob Botero, 136; Steve Main, 140; Jim Jones Jr., 143; Mike DuPuis, 144; and Jan Hardin, 145.
Second Flight leaders were Dean Bensen, 135; Jim Root, 141; Josh Netherton, 146; and Jeff Colvin and Jim Heckman, both 150 each.
Third flight leaders were Larry Aillaud, 139; Al Osterberg, 143; Bob Dutrow, 147; Ray Dooley, 152; Greg Shield, 153; and Gene Norton, also 153.
The fourth flight leaders were Lyle Andrus, 133; Tom McKeown, 140; Bernie Anselmo and Dennis Ingram tied with 144 each; and Ray Santiago with 147.
As usual, the play of Mark Mitrovich and Paul Reed was spectacular.
Congratulations to all the winners and to all who played.
The best comeback in any flight was Doug Wickham. He is an 18-handicapper who shot 100 on the first day for an 82 net.
He came back on Sunday with a career low of gross 79 (net 61). This round included a hole-in-one on No. 17.
He ended up in a tie with Jay Bruch ,and won his flight in a playoff on the second hole.
Rob Botero won the first flight by shooting a gross 69 on Sunday. His 69 included an amazing nine birdies! It was a great tournament with some mighty fine winners.
The golfing is in full swing all around the area, and I hope you are all remembering that “Golf is an easy game, it’s just hard to play!”
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Billy Sallee is the golf columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. He can be reached, when he isn’t on the golf course, at 360-582-9799 or bmsallee@olympus.net. His columns appear on Wednesdays.
