TROUBLEMAKERS VANDALIZED THE Port Townsend Golf Club on Sunday night, less than a week before the club’s “first major of the year,” the Arctic Open.
A cart awaiting repair was pushed from its position behind the clubhouse and rolled down over the ladies’ tee on the first hole and down the first fairway where it was flipped on another tee box.
Landscaping stones were removed and strewn about the course in various locations, the protective netting screen between the ninth tee box and the eighth green/fairway area was torn down, and out of bounds stakes and yardage markers were pulled out.
“There weren’t many spots on the course that they [the vandals] didn’t touch,” course manager and head golf pro Mike Early said Tuesday.
“They spent a lot of time out here, that’s for sure.
“With the man-hours [for repair], we are looking at between $5,000 to $8,000 in damages.
“The funny thing, vandalism has been kind of going downhill in the last few years.”
Vandalism was such a commonplace occurrence in years past that Early used to jokingly put a note on an old tractor imploring would-be joyriders to take it out for a spin because “at least it was insured.”
Nobody ever took him up on his offer.
After finding out what happened Monday, Early and his golf staff put out the call for help from those in the golf community in Port Townsend, and a large group was out on the course helping put things right on Tuesday morning when he and I spoke.
Among those who Early could see pitching in were Rich Boyd, Greg Miller, Don Moody, Earl Boriff, Fred Heywood, Jerry Spiekermen, Darrell Gillette, Steve Thompson, Mick Quigley, Al West and Bob Erb.
Discovery Bay Golf Club greenskeeper Eric White was also out on the course lending a hand for Port Townsend.
Port Townsend Police do have a lead: A wallet belonging to an 18-year old was found in the crumpled remains of the golf cart.
The name on the identification found in the wallet wasn’t known by Early.
Things will be back in place on the course by Friday, the practice day for Saturday and Sunday’s Arctic Open.
Spots are still available for the event, the “26th annual Coors Light Arctic Open,” sponsored by Marine View Beverages.
The tournament is a 36-hole two-person best-ball.
Entry is $210 per team and includes the three rounds of golf, lunch served on the course each day, special hole-in-one prizes and closest to pin in all divisions each day.
Players will tee off in a 10 a.m. shotgun start both days of the contest and play in any and all forms of weather.
To sign up for the open, phone Port Townsend Golf Club at 360-385-4547.
Port Townsend has also started its three-month long Winter Electric Individual Best Ball event.
Players can golf 36 holes a week and record their best individual score in the competition.
Cost is $20 per player with an optional skins game.
SunLand’s signature
SunLand’s signature hole, the 140-yard par-3 15th hole, brings up a lot of bright childhood memories of long drives through the Dungeness Valley with my dad.
We’d often travel over to Sequim for various errands and would invariably cruise out along Holland Road past No. 15 on our way to picnic at Port Williams.
A small collection pond provides some water off the tee and the green is surrounded both front and back right with bunkers.
A bunker also looms on the left side of the two-tiered green.
“It has the capability of being an easy birdie hole or it can be set up with a back-hole position that will require precise yardage to have a chance at birdie,” SunLand general manager Tyler Sweet said.
“During the summer time, it looks great with the colors in bloom and the shadows from the west side of the green. It has been one of my favorites.”
SunLand is running a special for the public on February weekends.
Players will receive their greens fee and cart for $29.95 on Saturdays and Sundays this month.
Make a day of it and picnic later at Port Williams.
Winter Links Open
Sequim’s SkyRidge Golf Course’s 27-hole Winter Links Open will be held Saturday.
The four-person team event has an 8:30 a.m. start.
The cost per four-person team is $160.
Teams will then divide themselves into two two-person teams for a scramble nine holes, then switch partners and play nine holes of two-person better ball, and finally switch to your final partner and play alternating shot for the last nine holes.
Each team will end up with a 54-hole score after 27 holes of golf.
Card the two scramble scores, the two better-ball scores and the two alternating-shot scores, then combine for a 54-hole total.
Phone SkyRidge at 360-683-3673.
Seattle Golf Show
Sequim’s Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course and Discovery Bay Golf Club will have booths at the Seattle Golf Show on Friday through Sunday at the CenturyLink Field Events Center in Seattle.
Hours are noon to 6 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.
Admission is $14 for adults, $5 for ages 13-17 and free for youth younger than 12.
This is the biggest golf and travel show on the West Coast with more than 200 exhibitors, travel destinations, manufacturer’s representatives and demonstrators on hand.
Stanley on the spot
Understandably, it was lost in the Super Bowl shuffle, but it was nice to see Gig Harbor’s Kyle Stanley pick himself up and earn his first PGA Tour title on Sunday at the TPC of Scottsdale after his collapse last week.
It says so much about his character as a player and the high level his game is at right now.
Do we have a PGA Tour Rookie of the Year frontrunner already? It sure looks that way.
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Golf columnist Michael Carman can be reached at 360-417-3527 or at pdngolf@gmail.com.