by Bruce Braun
“I’ve been playing the game so long that my handicap is in Roman numerals.” – Bob
Hope
Our first league play of the season was a smashing success! A total of 62 men arrived for our league opening day. In all likelihood it was probably the warmest opening day we have ever had, not to mention that it was probably the windiest opening day we have ever had!
The 18th hole was straight into a wind that was probably in the neighbourhood of 40 km/hr. Our group struggled, but we figured most groups would have a difficult time on this ridiculously windy day. I was wrong! A shout out to the team of Gord Sando, Richard Cone, Dick Green and Mark Hodgson who birdied the hole! Outstanding performance gentlemen. Apparently, the hat tip goes to President Richard Cone for chipping in!
Anyway, there were lots of laughs, plenty of smiles and a few nice shots! I try to remember to share three rules with my group before starting our round… Rule number one; have a good time. Rule number two; win. Rule number three; rule number one is more important than rule number two!
Before we teed off today, President Cone wanted to describe the details of a threesome. This, of course, evoked comments unrelated to golf and the group had to be corralled back in. OK, once you have removed your mind from the gutter, try to follow me on this one. Here’s a scenario that will likely happen to you. This is because on any given Tuesday the total number of players is often not divisible by four. So, how does a team of 3 golfers play in a 4-player scramble? Players A, B and C have to make up for missing player D . Start by doing this: on the scorecard, on each hole, repeat the letters, A, B, and C, one letter for each hole. Then decide which player is A, who is B, and who is C. Then simply alternate and maintain that order. I will repeat that…
Maintain that order! That is because otherwise your team would have an unfair advantage. The A player plays two balls on the holes marked A and so on. For
example, on the first hole, the A player is also the missing D player. That means the A player hits twice on each shot on the hole until the ball is holed. On the next hole, the B player is also the D player. On the third hole, the C player is also the D player and gets to hit twice. On the fourth hole, the A player becomes the A and the D player again. In
our league there are three cycles in total to coincide nicely with a 9-hole scramble.
Further, in our league, whereby each player is to contribute two tee shots in their nine-hole round, it’s also important to know who is teeing off. For example, if player A is also hitting for the D player he must declare before he hits if he is A or D. If no declaration is made, the default is always A first. This clarification is in place to help prevent the threesome from having an unfair advantage over other teams. After all, if you can pick and choose after your tee shots then there would be less strategy in filling the requirement of two drives per player.
One more heartfelt shout out… our friend Ken Lund came out today to pay his dues but is unable to play as he is struggling with his cancer diagnosis. It was meaningful of
him to share with the league men what he is going through. We are a bunch of friends who happen to play golf. Our hearts are with you Ken.
Results for the league on May 13 is as follows:
Front nine scramble winners were Russ Hintz, Husky Robinson, Tom Kozak, and Murray Johnson with a -4; 31 total.
They won on a countback against Bruce Braun, Lorne Nault and Tim and Paul Warkentin. Congratulations!
Flight one: Tim Tuusa. 41. Won on a countback against Dan Anderson and Bruce Braun.
Flight two: Russ Hintz. 41. Won on a countback against Don Patterson and A.J. Girardin.
Flight three: Larrie Davies. 44.
Flight four: Brad Edie. 44.
Flight five: Jay Ford. 49.
Other achievements:
Closest to the cup second shot on number 1: A.J. “On a Roll” Giardin.
Longest putt on number 6: Dan “Wowser” Anderson.
Closest to the cup first shot on number 7: Dean “The Incredible” Carrie.
Longest putt on number 8: Lorne “Cinderella Story” Nault.
Closest to the cup first shot on number 9: Larrie “Easy Bird?” Davies.
See you next week everybody. Don’t forget to sign up. Also, I would be pleased to have your help with your pictures or anecdotes, or both. Many of you carry your phones with you on your round. It’s OK if you have it on silent mode, but it sure would be nice if you took a picture or two and sent them to me. Your participation in this newsletter would be appreciated!
