It's Over For 2015

This can be a time when we get a bit downtrodden and dejected. Summer is coming to a close, the leaves are falling from the trees, and the long range forecast shows cooler temperatures. However, instead of being sad it's all over, we need to be glad that it happened. Most people would agree it has been a great summer, and a fantastic Mens' Night season.

In a fitting end to a season that had a bit of everything, everyone who played on our final Mens' Night won something. Sure there were only 11 guys because of the cool weather and farming, but still, that is impressive,

Skins went on six holes. Winners included Robin Kimpinski / Ron Anderson ($20 on #1), Scott Martin / Darcy Kowalchuk ($20 on #2), Stephen David / Blake Hunter ($20 on #3), Scott Maynes / John Derhak ($50 on #5), Brad Benton / Joe Shwaluk ($20 on #9), and Jason Neufeld ($20 on #9).

Closest to the pins were Scott Martin on #5 and Brad Benton on #9. Neither they nor anyone else scored a deuce.

The season money winner was Jason Gorrell with a total of $351.50. Second place went to Brad Benton with $258 and Dan Stokes finished in third with $181.75. Jason displaced Scott Maynes who had been the money leader the two previous seasons.

Thanks to all of the golfers who came out this year for Mens' Night. Thanks also to our awesome Club House crew John Derhak, Shawna Hebert, and Tara Horne.

Even though Mens' Night is officially over for the year, some guys are still planning to go out and hit some balls on Wednesday evenings as long as the weather permits. If that doesn't work for you, see you some time next April when we resume for 2016. That's barely seven months away!

One More and Then We Are Done

This coming Wednesday is the final Mens' Night of the year. We started way back in April and we've made it to the end of September. There have been lots of golfers, many golf balls struck, and a good number of laughs.

It is also our 22nd gathering of 2015 which puts us right up there with the most Mens' Nights in one year. We have had earlier starts and later finishes to previous seasons but this year everything seemed to align just right on both ends.

I challenge all of you to get out on Wednesday if you can. Come out for one more evening of golf, another time to hang out with the boys, and for a final chance at that elusive hole-in-one prize. Bring a friend, a neighbour, or invite that new guy that just started at work. The more the better.

Even with the fall farming season in full swing there was a pretty good turnout last week, with 15 players teeing it up.

After seeing seven skins fall the previous week, only two went this time. Dan Stokes and Scott Maynes won $20 on #1 while Ron Anderson and Brad Benton teamed up for $20 on #7.

Wes was closest to the pin on #5 while Scott Martin earned the honours on #9. Scott converted his birdie and joined Jason Neufeld and Brett Griffin in splitting the $39 deuce pot.

Not much more to report...because I was away for the second week in a row. I was golfing in Clear Lake so I cannot complain. If you are going to miss golf you can't get a better reason than because you were golfing elsewhere.

If you can't make it this week, get out tomorrow for what may be one of the last really nice weekend days of summer. It's supposed to be sunny and 24.

No Guilt For Me

I didn't make it to Mens' Night last week. I heard it was pretty good for the 12 guys who played. I had a unbreakable commitment...my 15th wedding anniversary. Despite my wife's encouragement to play I just couldn't do it. She told me it was okay to golf on our anniversary. I just couldn't convince myself that it was.

Golf needs to be an enjoyable guilt-free experience. It just isn't the same if you try to play when you feel that you should be somewhere else. You can't be thinking about the work you are neglecting or those unfinished chores. You don't experience the same level of enjoyment if you wonder if your significant other resents your time on the course.

I am fortunate that I play a lot of guilt free golf. So I was happy to take a night off to celebrate my anniversary. Plus everyone has to miss the occasional Mens' Night.

For the 12 who did play, 6 won money this week. Skins went on 7 holes. This was unusual even for a low number of players.

The brothers Kimpinski (Robin and Chris) won four holes including $20 per hole for #1, 6, and 9 plus $59.50 for #4. Brad Benton and Wes Arnfinson teamed up for two skins, getting $20 for both #1 and 7. The final hole winners were Scott Martin and Jason Gorrell who earned $25.50 for their combined efforts on #3.

Ryan Merasty was closest to the pin on #9. None of the 12 golfers hit the green on #5. Also, there were no deuces.

We have not decided when Mens' Night will wrap up. It will be contingent on the weather and weekly turn out. Once we decide to end the season we will let you know.

For the record, I also can't play on Wednesday, September 9, 2020. That will be my 20th anniversary. Even though I will be absent, I hope that day five years from now is sunny and warm...and I hope all of the farmers are done their harvest early that year.

That Was a Close One

We almost had to cancel Mens' Night this coming week. Some guy from Brandon was supposed to aerate the greens. For some reason he was starting at 3:00 pm and going until 8:00 pm. Scott Maynes told me this a couple of weeks ago. I told him not to tell anyone else until closer to the actual date. I have crisis management training. I knew that it was a bad idea to incite the masses prematurely.

At the end of the evening, with some trepidation, I gathered the courage to tell the others. They took it remarkably well. Some instinctively started comforting their friends. There were some tears on cheeks and the occasional cry of frustration. Yet despite the despair, people were doing okay.

Then like many traumatic situations, there was a glimmer of hope. It was suggested we switch Mens' Night to another evening. First I heard "Let's do Thursday". Then a voice, similar to mine, said "No, Stephen has a board meeting then. What about Tuesday?" Quickly there was consensus and Mens' Night was saved. The tears stopped flowing and the sobbing waned.

But wait. Mild panic arose when we realized we didn't clear the night switch with clubhouse management. Even though Butch was present during the previous discussion, we didn't ask him if it was okay. Cautiously I approached him, nervously explaining the situation and asking if we could have golf on Tuesday. Butch replied with "Oh yeah, I forgot to mention it. They are aerating on Thursday instead, you can have it on the regular night".

Suddenly cheers erupted from the crowd behind me. Plastic glasses and beer cans met in mid air to toast our good fortune. High fives and hugs ensued. I just stared dumbfounded looking at Butch. Why didn't he tell us sooner. We could have lost someone,

I quickly worked past my feelings of anger while looking at the happy faces that filled the club house. There was Brad Benton, smiling and telling stories of how he teamed with the dummy card to win two skins ($20 on #7, $20 on #9). The tears on Robin Kimpinski's face were replaced by laughter as he and Jason Gorrell recounted the skins they won together on #1 ($20) and #8 ($31.50). Even the normally stone-faced Scott Martin seemed happy as he congratulated Brett Griffin on their shared $20 skin on #6.

With Mens' Night saved, we were free to celebrate with Ron Anderson and Brad Benton who were closest to the pins on #5 and #9. We even cheered for Brad when we discovered that his two on #9 won him a share of the $28.50 deuce pot with Ian Paterson.

The evening wrapped up with many of us sharing our feelings about the crisis that was averted...and pledging to return next Wednesday at 6:00 pm to support each other further.

Three in the Tree

Normally I don't write anything about what happened before Mens' Night on the blog. Occasionally, if someone has a practice round of 36 and follows it by a 48 I mention it. Or if a 48 is followed by an official 36 I say something. But usually I keep the golf references to what occurs between 6:00 and 9:00 pm.

However, sometimes very unique happens. This Wednesday, for example, while enjoying some warm-up holes, Dan Stokes hit a great drive on #8 to the 100 yard mark. Then he hit his wedge over the green to the trees behind the green. And the ball did not come down. Below is a picture of Dan pointing to his ball. Remarkably, he hit his third shot from where it was lying and then got up and down for bogey.

For the actual Mens' Night round, the highlight was Leslie Blackbird's score of 33. He paired with Neuf to win skins on three holes ($20 on #2, $20 on #6, and $44 on #7).

The only other skin of the evening went to Jason Gorrell and Dick Edgeworth who won $22 on #9.

Closest to the pins were Scott Martin on #5 and Jason Gorrell on #9. Gorrell converted his putt to share the $30 deuce pot with Robin Kimpinski.

Gorrell's combined winnings put him at exactly $300 for the season, the first time anyone has reached that plateau.

With the fall farming season starting up, there were only 20 golfers. Many more turned out for the season-ending Nine and Dine on Friday.

Remember we have switched to a 6:00 pm tee off time for the remainder of the season. Hopefully we will see you on Wednesday for our 19th Mens' Night of the season.

A Good Day for a Golf Movie

It doesn't seem to be a great weekend for actual golf, especially today with the heavy rain and thunder. You may have to get your golf fix somewhere else.

There is always golf on TV. Tiger Woods is playing in the final group on a Saturday for the first time in a couple of years. There's also the Canadian Womens' Open.

Or you could watch a golf movie on Netflix, but not Caddyshack or Happy Gilmore which are curiously absent. They also don't have Tin Cup, making me think that Netflix doesn't like golf. They do have a nice documentary about competitive youth golf called The Short Game which is worth watching.

The Ringer Board wrapped up this week. Jamie McCutchin won the first flight with a -8 score, followed by Robin Kimpinski at -7 and Darcy Kowalchuk at -6. Jason Neufeld captured the second flight with a -2 with Scott Martin second at even par.

The prizes for the ringer board were divided as follows - 70% for the first flight (40/20/10) and 30% for the second flight (20/10). With 19 golfers participating, the cash payouts were 1st flight ($76, $38, $19) and 2nd flight ($38, $19).

For the regular Mens' Night there were 24 golfers. Numbers were predictably down a bit given that many of our friends in the farming industry were busy getting ready for harvest.

Skins went on five holes. Winners included Jason Neufeld / Jason Hunter ($34 on #1, $39 on #6), Darren Ostash / Kyler Demond ($24 on #2), Wes Arnfinson / Larry Koroscil ($143 on #3), and Darcy Kowalchuk / Kevin Bartram ($20 on #9).

The $36 deuce pot was claimed by Darcy Kowalchuk. Closest to the pins on #5 and #9 were Ryan Merasty and Darren Ostash respectively.

Before I wrap it up I would like to congratulate Dave Gill who had a hole-in-ne at the Tamarack Golf Tournament this week. Dave's ace was on the 12th hole in Clear Lake and helped him win his match.

Remember, starting next week we go to a 6:00 pm tee off for Mens' Night.

Dog Days of Summer

There were lots of golfers this past week. How many, I am not certain. I was away. I heard there were either 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, or 50 golfers depending on whom I asked. Looking at the sheet now, I think the number was 44 but their appears to be more than that listed.

In any case, it was a good night for golf. I was out of town but I assume it was a hot one. A couple of people said it was the hottest Mens' Night ever. This could be hyperbole because I am sure there has been a hotter Wednesday some time in the recent past. It would be safe to assume that it was an extremely warm and humid evening.

We are in the middle of what is commonly referred to as the dog days of summer. The expression "dog days" refers to the hot days of summer originally in areas around the Mediterranean Sea. The coincidence of very warm temperatures in the early civilizations with the rising, at sunrise, of the dog star Sirius led to the association of this phrase with these conditions. The dog days of summer are most commonly experienced in the months of July and August, which typically exhibit among the hottest of summer temperatures.

Skins only went on three holes. Winners were Robin Kimpinski / Ron Coombs ($41 on #5), Joel Ostash / Ron Huberdeau ($27 on #8), and Jamie McCutchin / Ivan Crampain ($22 on #9).

The Kimpinski brothers, Robin and Chris, were closest to holes #5 and 9 respectively. They converted their putts to share the $81 deuce pot with three other people, Sonny Blackbird, Ron Susinski, and Jamie McCutchin.

There were lots of scores entered for the ringer board. The final opportunity to post scores is this coming Wednesday. Right now Jamie McCutchin is in the lead with a -8.

Hopefully we will see another good turnout this coming Wednesday. The hole-in-one pot seems due to go soon, plus the third hole skin should be worth around $150 this week.

If you are free this Sunday between 4 - 6 pm, feel free to drop by new campground adjacent to the golf course. We are having our grand opening / volunteer appreciation event.

Golf No Matter What

The picture above is something that I found on the internet. The caption that accompanied it said "When you are playing golf, no matter what happens, keep your head down". It also illustrates the theme for this week...golfing no matter what the conditions are like.

So...it didn't rain on Mens' Night this week. That might be surprising for anyone that looked outside at 1:00 or 3:30 or even at 6:00 pm for that matter. But once we got going at 6:30 pm there wasn't a drop of rain for the next few hours. Fortunately, we hit the requisite number of 10 golfers to make it an official Mens' Night.

Following the final night of 2013, I wrote a blog entry entitled "Seven Alone" which talked about the seven guys who braved the cold and damp conditions to play. Interestingly of those 7, 5 played this past week.

It shows that there are some people that golf no matter what the conditions. This statement isn't intended to be critical of those who like it warmer and dryer. It is simply an observation. Some of us are willing to golf even when reason and logic suggests that we should not.

I think this speaks to the allure of Mens' Night. It isn't merely about the golf and the scores. It is a night where we clear personal and work schedules to ensure that we get a chance to get out and hang with the boys. Occasionally there are conflicts that we can't avoid, mainly on the recommendation of our significant others. But generally, we play whenever we can.

For the most part it is only exceptionally bad weather that keeps us away. Even that is relative. A couple of weeks ago, for example, we played on an evening when wind gusts were bending the tops of the flags until they almost touched the ground. We played and were grateful that we didn't have the "almost tornado" of two night prior.

I have only a few pictures of golf on my phone. A common theme is the fun that results when we golf when we shouldn't. There's a shot of the fifth green with a double rainbow after a wicked thunderstorm. There's another one of a bunch of us riding out a torrential rainfall while visiting in the maintenance shed. Finally I have one of four of us bundled up with layers of clothing, toques, and mitts. That one is from a cool day last October.

So thanks to the other nine guys who came out this week. And for those that couldn't come, maybe we will see you on Wednesday.

Skins went on five of nine holes with two double winners including Dan Stokes / Scott Maynes ($20 on #1 and $75.50 on #2) and Jason Hunter / Jason Gorrell ($20 on #4 and $66 on #9). Joe Shwaluk and Brad Benton teamed up for the other skin, $20 on #7. Closest to the pins were Robin on #5 and Brad on #9. There were no deuces.

There are only two more nights to add scores to the ringer board - August 12 and 19. Remember if there are any holes for which you do not enter a score you get the Mens' Night triple bogey. Good luck making sure that is not the case.

Let's hope the weather is fairer this week. If not, good luck for those that are willing to brave the elements.

Golf by the Numbers

Numbers are important in golf. Your select specifically numbered clubs to hit numbered balls after deciding on the number of yards to your target. You use informal statistics and probability to make decisions about where to hit and what to hit. Some golfers even record their shot distances on their GPS devices so they get a sense of their trends and patterns. And of course, you use numbers to track your progress, both in terms of scores and handicaps.

So this week I will present an overview of Mens' Night which focuses on numbers.

This past Wednesday there were 28 golfers, 9 of whom won prizes. It was an incredibly windy start to the evening with wind gusts up to 75 km/hr. Skins went on 4 holes including Mike Susinski / Darcy Kowalchuk ($35 on #1 and $20 on #7), Pete Ostash / Jason Gorrell ($51 on #6), and Scott Maynes / Ron Anderson ($20 on #8).

Jamie McCutchin and Brad Benton scored 2's so they split the $42 deuce pot. Blake Hunter was closest to the pin on #5 and Mike Susinski hit it tight on #9.

This season we have had 14 Mens' Nights during which 45 golfers have won over $2000 in prizes. Yet we have not had 1 hole in one...but it feels like it may be coming soon.

Speaking of holes in one, the odds of an amateur making a hole-in-one are 12,500 to 1. The odds of a low handicapper making an ace are 5,000 to 1 while the odds for a professional golfer are 2,500 to 1. If you are a low handicapper and play 1,000 rounds in your life (an average of 25 rounds for 40 years), you have a 20% chance of making at least one hole-in-one.

Well that's it for this week. It's Saturday afternoon and 23 Celcius outside, the wind is only 15 km/hr and there is only a 20% probability of precipitation. I need to get outside. Unfortunately, there seems to be 0 people available to golf.

The Happy Golfer

There are three things that matter in golf...where you play, how you play, and who you play with...and the first two don't matter.

This quote is from the latest issue of Golf Digest which focuses on happiness. The basic premise of most of the stories and articles is that happy people enjoy golf more than unhappy people. That isn't necessarily an earth-shattering revelation, but it is still worthy of some reflection.

Many people who golf focus on imperfections. Bad lies, bad swings, bad shots, and bad scores fill their brains. Even when they golf relatively well they lament the one bad hole. Last night for example, I heard someone ask another how he played. "Terrible" was the response. You can imagine my surprise when I saw that person's card and noted that he had a 40 on the evening.

There are others that simply enjoy the chance to get out and golf and enjoy the outdoors. I heard one of these happier people describe their round as "lots of fun" last night. When asked how they played they said "really good". Imagine my surprise when I saw that person was just under 50.

The point of the opening quote is that golf should be more than just one's score relative to par. While we reward scoring in our mens' night format, the emphasis of the evening for most people is getting together with some friends and enjoying an evening chasing golf balls around the course. While I enjoy playing and would never turn down a skin, I am happiest when there are lots of guys out playing and having a good time.

I am happy to say that we had 42 golfers last night including a few new faces. I would bet that Mike Susinksi and Jamie McCutchin were happy when they hit it closest to the pins on #5 and 9 respectively. Mikey was likely doubly happy when he scored a two on the same hole and ended up splitting the $63 deuce pot with Brad Benton,

Brad seemed happy a little earlier when he cashed in for a $90 on #5 with Stephen David (that's me). Scott Maynes and Luke Funk appeared to smile when they won $56 on #4. Hubey was definitely elated when he won a $21 skin with Robin Kimpinski on #8. Derek Ostash was still okay when he won the $21 for hole 7 even after learning that his partner (Ervin W.) departed before signing the cheque.

I know that there are at least 40 people excited about the horse race on Saturday. We actually have 48 people signed up...so I am assuming 8 will be unhappy with the weather, the format, the food. their play, or some other aspect of the day. I hope they at least have the good fortune to have one or two happy people in their group.

In closing, I invite you to think about the recently painted deck at the Club House. Were you among the happy majority who was glad that the old, worn surface was refinished and who was grateful for the volunteers that did the work? Or, were you among the unhappy minority who didn't like the colour and complained to a friend about how the natural wood finish should have been maintained? I bet if you are in the first group you are generally a happy person. If you are in the second group, the converse is likely true.

See you Saturday!

Four Deuces!

Remember a week ago or so when it was almost like a mini drought around here? It hadn't really rained in a month or so. I actually was contemplating buying a pump to get some water from the lake for my lawn.

Fast forward until now. Most people would agree we have had too much rain as of late...including that two inch deluge on Monday evening. Even yesterday, it rained pretty hard from 3:00 - 4:30 pm. Fortunately, all that did was delay the practice round for some early birds. Once Mens' Night started at 6:30 pm the weather was great for the 32 golfers who came to play.

A heavy rain before golf usually means that some Mens' Night scores will be really low and others will be really high. Such was the case yesterday, when several players took advantage of the soft, receptive greens to attack pins. There were quite a few others that had trouble with the soggy conditions, with many stories of chunked shots and fat approaches.

One group actually had the four lowest scores of the night with Brad Benton, Scott Maynes, Scott Martin, and Jason Gorrell scoring 37, 37, 38, and 38 respectively.

They were part of a fivesome with Dan Stokes...who wasn't among the low scorers for the night. I knew he was having some trouble during the round when the beer cart girl stopped by my group. She remarked that "Dan Stokes doesn't seem like he is having fun tonight".

Fortunately for Dan, his evening turned around later. His lone par on the eight hole found a good partner with Derek Kempthorne and they claimed the massive skin of $133.50. This win also jumped Dan to second place on the season money list.

Another sizable skin went on hole #7 when Jamie McCutchin and Stephen David combined for $83.50. The only other hole that went was #1 which was good for $20 for Milt and Cubby.

There were four deuces on the evening with John Gill, Darcy Kowalchuk, Blake Hunter, and Scott Maynes splitting the $48 pot. Blake's two on #5 and Darcy's two on #9 were the result of tee shots that gave them the closest to the pin honours for the night. Blake missed the $1500 hole-in-one prize by less than a foot. I know this because later he said that he was "11 inches from not going to work tomorrow".

Scott Maynes' deuce on five also helped him to move into the lead on the ringer board with a score of -6. There are five more weeks to post scores, with the final night August 19th.

For anyone who likes ordering golf stuff online, I came across a really good Canadian site called Golf Avenue that sells new and used equipment and offers free shipping on orders over $150. Their website is www.golfavenue.ca.

Don't forget that the Horse Race is next Saturday. Currently we are at 47 entrants with a cap of 60 players. To enter, text me at 847-0161 or by email at sdavid@mts.net.

Finally, welcome back to Jason Neufeld who played last night after being out of commission for a while.

The beauty of simply showing up

One of the nice things about our Mens' Night formats is that you can show up once and win money. You pay your $8 for skins and you have a crack at whatever has accumulated to date.

Such was the case last night when Barry Bone played and won $112.25.  He split the $58.50 deuce pot with Jamie McCutchin and paired with the dummy card to win $83.00 for the skin on #9. This single evening performance catapulted him to the #2 spot on the season money list. Not bad for an $8 entry fee.

Despite not getting a share of the deuce pot, Scott Maynes was great off the tee on the par 3's with closest to the pin on both #5 and 9.

With 39 golfers out there were lots of ties for skins. The only other holes that went were # 1 (Brad Swereda / Brad Burns for $36.50) and #6 (Mike Susinski / Terry Susinski for $20). The skin on #8 continued to be elusive and will likely be over $150 next week.

While I have your attention I will make a couple of quick golf club related announcements.

Firstly, our Horse Race tournament is only a few weeks away on June 25th. We already have 21 entries. With a cap of 60 golfers you may want to get your name in soon. To register, text me at 847-0161 or send me an email at sdavid@mts.net.

Our campground project has come a long way in a single calendar year. It was a year ago this coming Friday that we started. Exactly one year later, at the end of this week, we will be officially open with 58 full service sites. There are already 2 campers in lots as of this morning with at least 20 more due. 

If you know of anyone looking for a seasonal lot there are still approximately 36 available. We expect these to go quickly once word gets out about the awesome full service campground next to the golf course and lake that just opened in our community.

Night of the Ostash's

Well, we didn't crack 50 golfers last night. We only had 34. But we sure had a lot of Ostash's. It seemed like there were around 30 of them. Someone suggested the number was more like 10 or so. But still, when almost a third of the guys playing are from the same family that is noteworthy. When we paired off scores later there were 3 of 17 groups that had two Ostash's. I thought that their family reunion was not until Saturday. Maybe I was wrong.  It had to be on Mens' Night. Or maybe it was Tuesday...during the Jack and Jill, when there must have been 7 or 8 female Ostash's as well.

Not surprisingly the low round of the night was an Ostash with Matt Ostah carding a 35. One of the three skins were won by an all-Ostash team. Pete and Milt teamed up on #6 for the $48 prize.

The other skins went to Ryan Merasty / Mike Susinski ($48 on #2) and Scott Maynes / Wes Arnfinson ($20 on #4).

There were three deuces with two of them made by the same guy. Congrats to Blair Neal who won 2/3 of the $51 pot as a result. The other two was by Mike Susinski who won $17 for his efforts. Blair has closest to the pin on #5 while Mike just missed the ace on #9.

Robin Kimpinski added a birdie to the ringer board to take the lead at -5. Milt Ostash was really excited about adding scores...but then became distracted and forgot to tell me which holes he was entering.

Next week there will be no fireworks and probably fewer Ostash's. However, the 8th hole should be worth around $130. Many other pots are building as well. Plus it's July. If you are male and not golfing on Wednesday evening...you need to be.

I will see many of you at tomorrow's Fundraising Tournament. For those playing, best of luck for low scores and lots of fun. For any asthmatic players, the forecast for tomorrow is "smoke"...so best of luck for clear airways.

Environment Canada even has a new weather icon for such conditions (shown above). The actual forecast states "Mainly cloudy. Widespread smoke. High 28. UV index 6 or high." Let's hope none of those Ostash's have respiratory issues.

Coming events

There are quite a few things happening at and around the golf course. After a brief update on this past week's Mens' Night, I will highlight some of these coming events.

This week 33 golfers enjoyed one of the nicest evenings of the year. The sun was shining, the greens and fairways were cut, and the pins were placed in ideal locations.

The deuce pot that had accumulated for three weeks disappeared when three golfers made 2's. Congratulations to Ian Paterson, and Scott Martin who split the $139.50 prize.

Closest to the pins were Ron Huberdeau on #5 and Ian Paterson on #9.

Skins only went on two holes. Dale Martin and Ken Ostash won $20 for #1 while Stephen David and Kevin Bartram won the same amount on #4.

So, now for the upcoming events:
- This Friday is an exciting day for the golf club as we will have lot selection for those on our seasonal camping list.
- The ladies are hosting a Jack and Jill on Tuesday.
- The annual fundraising tournament is next Friday, July 3rd.
- Our next Nine and Dine is July 17th.
- The annual Horse Race tournament is not that far away...scheduled for Saturday, July 25th. If you are interested in signing up, send me a text at 847-0161.
- The Seniors' tournament is July 29th and the Credit Union event is July 30th.
- Finally, don't forget that our next Mens' Night is on the Canada Day holiday.

Let's Set a Record

Wednesday was our tenth Mens' Night. That is significant because it occurred in the middle of June. Assuming we get to mid-September as we did last year, we have the potential of having 13 more evenings of golf. Given that it is still mid-June is significant for another reason. The first day of summer is officially next week...so we are still enjoying spring golf.

For those who enjoy variety in their weather, the afternoon and evening had sun, then some high winds, a bit of thunder, and reports of hail before a few heavy downpours made way for relatively clear skies. It was cooler than anticipated and I realized the need to pack some pants in my golf bag. There were a few toques in play as well as some long underwear and mittens and some borrowed wind pants. On a positive note there were no bugs. It was even too cold for the wood ticks.

We had 29 golfers with skins going on four holes. Winners included Brad Benton and Ron Huberdeau ($30 on #1), Darcy Kowalchuk and Blake Hunter ($60 on #3), Joel Ostash and Wes Arnfinson ($20 on #4), and Scott Martin and Dan Stokes ($30 on #5).

Closest to the pins were Luke Funk on #5 and Scott Maynes on #9. For the second week in a row there were no deuces recorded. That means a big pot next week...at least $130 I would guess.

There was a report of an interesting mix up on #4 with Jason Hunter hitting the wrong ball or something. It was a complicated multi-part story that I wasn't completely able to follow. Talk to Brad Benton for further details.

In two weeks the stars align for possibly the greatest Mens' Night ever. In two weeks it is Wednesday, July 1st. This is perfect because almost everyone will have the day off and few people should be away because the holiday is not attached to a long weekend.

Having Mens' Night coincide with July 1st is pretty rare. The last time it occurred was 2009. The next time this happens is 2020 and then not again until 2026. It is actually rarer than a Leap Year. Therefore, I encourage everyone to not only come out on July 1st but to bring someone along who doesn't normally play.

In two weeks, let's beat the record of 55 golfers that we set a few years ago. I have already made arrangements with the Municipality. It we have the best turnout of all time they will set off fireworks later in the evening to acknowledge our efforts. How cool will that be?

Thank you, thank you, thank you

I am going to flip the script a bit this week. I will start with the quick highlights from Wednesday and then write about this week's theme...thankfulness.

 

Terry Brandon and Brad Swereda teamed up for two skins including $23.50 on #2 and $59.50 on #4. Other skins went to Brad Benton and Dave Gill ($20 on #6) and Ian Paterson and Randy Tully ($23.50 on #7).

 

Closest to the pins were Cubby on #5 and Robin on #9. Neither they nor anyone else converted a deuce.

 

With seven Mens' Nights already this year, some pots are building up quite nicely. Also, our secondary hole-in-one prize just passed $1000 to go with the primary pot which was capped at $1500.

So back to the theme for this week...thankfulness. Increasingly, I hear complaints about different aspects of the golf course. It seems that a lot of people have a hard time focusing on anything but the negative. This can become frustrating if you don't remember that the majority of people are grateful for the awesome little course that we have here in Shoal Lake. I would hope that I am among those who focus on the positive. Therefore, the last few paragraphs this morning will acknowledge some of the good things.

 

Thanks to John Derhak, Shawna Hebert, and Tara Horne for the great customer service on Mens' Nights so far this year. Your efforts are greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks to Dave Chegwin and his crew for working hard to get the course in shape for play. I know it can be a challenging job in which you heard more complaints than praise.

Thanks to the guys who come out every week to make Mens' Night a success.

Thanks to the golf club executive members for all they do to support the course. Most recently, you may have seen two members, Dan Stokes and Brenda Simspon, repainting the deck and picnic tables. This was made possible because Mel Maynes previously sanded everything.

 

Thanks to the countless people who have volunteered at our campground development, including those gentlemen already working as of 7:45 am this morning. As I sit her on a nice Sunday morning, the scrapers are hauling clay down my road toward the course. This clay will form the base for the interior roads and lots in the campground prior to the addition of gravel. The project is coming along nicely.

Since I mentioned the campground, I will admit that I have been part of conversations complaining about the occasional low turnout at campground workout parties or lamenting why it seems it is always the same people involved. Going forward, I resolve to be excited about those people that do show up and to be respectful of those that are not able to be there. Lots of people have lots of things going on beside building a campground. There are jobs, families, and other volunteer commitments.

Finally thanks to anyone that I missed acknowledging today. If you were overlooked someone will let me know.

 

 

Chase the Ace...and Chase the Canola

 

This will be a quick one. It's almost 7:30 and I have to be at the campground by 8:00.

Last Wednesday we had only 16 out for Mens' Night. That was due largely to the fact that our farming friends had to reseed their canola due to a recent frost.

Four skins were won. Mark Pawluk and Milt won two, getting $20 for #5 and $44.50 for #5. Neuf and Ron Anderson cashed in for $44.50 on #1 while Charlie McNabb and Brad Benton won $30.50 on #9.

Closest to the pins were Scott Maynes on #5 and Dale Newton on #2. The $24.00 deuce pot went to Jason Neufeld who allegedly drained a 40 footer for two on #9.

Mark Pawluk was a surprise winner of the Chase the Ace fundraiser, pulling the lucky card despite 49 others in the deck. He won half of the $300 pot as a result.

Since I mentioned the campground, I should give you an update. We are nearing completion of the sewer and water lines and have some electrical work requiring completion. We should be getting close to bringing the clay and gravel in for the roads. Of course, there is always work to be done and that work is predicated on volunteer labour. To date, there have been countless man hours and machine hours dedicated to the cause. If you are interested in lending a hand, please let us know.

Another Weather Rant

As I write this early on Saturday morning I can't help to think about how much the weather seems to suck.  It did get warm in April and we have had our share of good days, but there have been several bad ones. Even worse, it seems like the coldest days are hitting Mens' Nights and weekends on a regular basis. And it isn't that early in the season anymore either. Monday is June 1st.

On Wednesday, for example, it seemed sunny and almost warm on first impression. Shortly after arriving at the golf course I realized that wasn't the case and regretted not taking a jacket.

Despite the sneaky coolness of the evening, 45 golfers showed up to play. It was an excellent turnout, as high as we normally get in mid-summer.

There was a neat contrast when everyone came in after their rounds. Half the people were bundled up with layers, jackets, and pants. The other half were like me, still in shorts and golf shirts...because we didn't look at the forecast.

Skins were won by Stephen David and Troy Chawluk ($36.50 on #2), Sonny Blackbird and Brett Griffin ($36.50 on #5), and Jason Neufeld ($22.50 on #7). Closest to the pins were Jamie McCutchins on #5 and Robin Kimpinski on #9.

Last week I wrote quite a bit about Jason Gorrell and how awesome he was. Well this week, he didn't add to his ringer board lead and he was not able to win a skin. Many of us are glad he came back to Earth a bit. On an off night, all he could manage was another deuce on the par 4 first hole. Of course, being the great Gorrell that he is, his deuce was worth $109.50. Last week I mentioned that he had a slight money lead. Well, now he is has $205.50 and the person in second place has $46. I need to apologize by stating previously that he would break the $200 barrier by July given that he did it by the end of May.

But enough about Gorrell....I want to talk more about the weather. As I write this today prior to 7:00 am, it is -2 in Oak Island. That is significant because four of us are golfing there later in a scramble. Tee off is at 10:30 am when the temperature will be 6. It will get to a high of 11 but not until 5:00 pm which will be after we finish. Did I mention that the weather sucks? Thank god I love golf.

Young Phenom Rises to the Top

Bobby Jones in 1930, Tiger Woods in 2000, Rory McIlroy in 2013…and now in 2015 we have Jason Gorrell. These are arguably the greatest seasons in golf.

After several years of struggling to find his way, young Gorrell has started off this year in historic form. He has consistently been among the low scorers every week. He leads the ringer board with a score of -4. And he is dressing at a level of coordination and country club sophistication that has John and Dave Gill sitting up and taking notice.

 

Most impressive among Jason's countless accomplishments is how he running away with the money list. After only four weeks of play, he is sitting $50 ahead of his nearest competitor with $96. To give you some perspective on Jason’s money total, last year the full season leader totalled $283 with only one other person over $200. Two years ago, only a single person cracked the $200 barrier. These were after 20 week seasons which extended into mid August. Jason is on pace to crack $200 by July if present trends continue.

Unnamed sources are suggesting that an alleged two week family vacation to Phoenix this past winter was actually an intensive 14 day work session with famed golf instructor Stan Utley.

 

When asked to comment on Jason’s rise to fame, a fellow golfer (who asked to remain anonymous) stated that he was proud of his friend. “Jason isn’t really that athletic so it makes it even more impressive” said his colleague.

 

Former Mens’ Night #1 Brad Benton was unavailable for comment due to the lifetime media ban placed upon him in 2011 by Commisioner Stephen David.  In any case, we are certain that Brad wishes nothing but the best for Jason.
 

Not surprisingly, Jason also had one of the two closest to the holes, hitting it tight on #5. Chris Kimpinski was best on the par 3 ninth hole.

 

The only downfall with Jason's rise to prominence has been a noticeable decline in the number of golfers coming to play. For example, despite the great weather only 28 played this past Wednesday.

 

Several players have stated off the record that they are simply not showing up because they feel they can't beat Jason Gorrell.  Robin Kimpinski's recent comments epitomized the general feeling. "I used to win every week but now it seems just pointless. It really is impacting my self esteem" lamented Kimpinski.

Another Jason (Hunter) partnered with Charlie McNabb to win two skins, taking in $20 for #3 and #9. The only other skin was won by Stephen David and Wes Arnfinson who took home $20 for their combined efforts on #7.
 

To see Jason Gorrell in action, please join us at the Lakeside Golf Club next Wednesday evening. He will be doing a media session at 4:30 pm followed by a meet and greet for fans. Free admission for children under 8 and Prairie Mountain Health employees.

 

Up Yours Golfers...Love Mother Nature

I was determined not to make weather a focal point of blog posts. Each year, usually in the midst of the June rains, I resolve not even to mention weather.

But today as I write this...you have to be kidding me. Compared to right now, Wednesday evening was balmy. It's May 17th and it's -1 C with a windchill of -9 C. It is forecasted for either snow or freezing rain later today. There are wind gusts of 65 km/hr. I just drove to Strathclair and there were waves crashing across the highway from the lake / slew on the north side.

While it was much nicer on Wednesday in comparison to today, it was still cold enough to keep golfers away in droves. Some last minute scrambling got us to 11 golfers which was enough to have an official Mens' Night.

Jason Gorrell had a solid round, posting the low score of 38 and winning two skins for his efforts ($20 on both #2 and #6). Like his mentor and life coach Scott Maynes last week, Jason paired with the dummy card and took the money for himself. Interestingly, it was not Robin Kimpinski who allowed this to happen as was so often the case previously. Robin was at home under a blanket or something because it was too cold for him.

Dan Stokes just missed holing out on the par 4 first hole before tapping in for the eagle. He won the $20 deuce pot and split the $20 skin on the hole with Neuf.

That was essentially the golf highlights for the evening. Neuf was the only person to hit the fifth green and won closest to the pin honours. No one found the green on the short ninth hole which was playing 3-4 clubs longer than usual.

On a positive note, the meteorological crew are calling from 18 Celsius and sunny for this coming Wednesday. 18 Celsius is the normal daytime high for mid-May. Not -1C !

We may not even have to wait until Wednesday. I just checked and tomorrow looks like a scorcher...7 Celsius. Once the snow melts I may just have to go hit a few balls.

4 H Golf

I don’t miss many Mens’ Nights…but I missed yesterday. My absence was not because it was cool outside nor was it due to the fact that it was raining a bit.  I spent the evening at the 4H Achievement Night in Oakburn…an event that I attended of my own free will, out of love and respect for my daughter and mild, subconscious fear of my wife.

There are many similarities between 4H and Mens' Night. The mission of 4H is to engage youth to reach their full potential. Mens' Night also helps people fulfill their full potential...albeit those people are typically middle-aged men.

4H focuses on four areas of personal development - head, heart, hands, and health. These all have direct applications on Mens' Night. Golfers are often well served by making good decisions (using their heads) as they work around the golf course. Some get ridiculed for using an iron on the first tee while others use their driver and end up in trouble. Some of us wish in our heart that we could hit it over the trees on #7 as readily as others. Hands are critical elements in golf. Nice shots are attributed to "good hands" while bad shots are blamed on poor hand position and grip. Finally there is health. Few people would disagree that regular participation in Mens' Night improves one's overall outlook on life which often leads to better health. However, going to Mens' Night while skipping a family event can lead to poor health, both emotionally and physically, depending on the perceived importance of said event. I knew that last night was important…so I made sure to be in Oakburn instead of on the golf course.

I did drop down for a visit at the Club House shortly after arriving home. I showed up in time to do the prizes and hear about how things went. There were only 13 golfers but all reported a good evening of golf. Apparently they only were rained on for the last two holes. Everyone that I saw looked relatively dry and generally happy.

Robin almost pulled off an extremely rare double feat. He was the “dummy” of the evening and he did so by almost scoring a 5 on every hole except for two of the last few holes.

The “dummy” comes into play when we have an uneven number of players. The middle score goes to the low pot and an exact replica of that person’s card goes to the high pot. This gives someone on the low side a chance to pair up with the dummy and potentially win money on their own.

Scott Maynes benefited from this rule, pairing with the dummy card for a $20 skin on #4. Other skins went to Jamie McCutchins and Neuf ($20 on #1), Jason Gorrell and Milt ($20 on #2), Joe Shwaluk and Brad Benton ($32 on #5), and Blake Hunter and Sonny Blackbird ($20 on #9).

In addition to his shared skin, Brad was closest on #5 where he made the putt for the evening’s only deuce, garnering him another $20.  Dick Edgeworth was closest to the pin on #9.

Fortunately I have no conflicts next Wednesday and the long term weather forecast looks promising. Until then, have a good week…and don’t forget Mothers’ Day is Sunday.

 

Break free from the chains of winter

Finally another cold season is done and another season of Mens’ Night begins. While the past winter were reasonable compared to the previous year’s deep freeze, it has still been six months for most of us since golf.

The inaugural evening of 2015 landed on a warm and sunny April 29^th. Twenty-four golfers played with many of them teeing off for practice well before the 6:30 pm shotgun. Among those present was Scott Martin who came for his first Mens' Night since 1974.

Skins went on six of nine holes with twelve different golfers getting some cash. Winners included Jason Gorrell and Sonny Blackbird (#20 on #1), Scott Martin / Blake Hunter ($20 on #3), Dan Stokes/ Stephen David ($25.50 on #4), Chris Kimpinski / Brad Benton ($20 on #6), Dale Watson / Jason Neufeld ($20 on #7), and John Gill / Ryan Merasty ($20 on #9).

Closest to the pin on #5 was Terry Brandon while Brad Benton hit it the tightest on #9. Jason Gorrell found the green on the par 4 first hole and made the putt, earning $36 for the only deuce of the evening.

We got the ringer board started with four guys entering scores. The goal is to shoot the lowest 9-hole score by recording what you think will be your best score you can on each hole over the course of the summer. In our case, we will have a Ringer Board running on Mens’ Night running for nine weeks from April 29th to August 19^th. If you like your score for a particular hole you lock it in for the year. Darcy Kowalchuk is already -3 with three birdies. Last year’s winner Jason Neufeld finished at -8 for the season so Kowalchuk is off to a good start.

This week the forecast is not ideal…but given that it is only Sunday morning there is lots of time for the weather to turn around for Wednesday. And if it doesn’t get better, there are a few of us who picked up enclosures for our golf carts, so try to find a dry spot to ride.

Good luck to all of you working in farming and agriculture related business. May your seeding get done quickly and your year start off positively…and may we see you at Mens’ Night soon.

Mens' Night starts Wednesday

So I almost predicted opening night properly...just missing it by a week. To be fair, in my final post last year I said our first Mens' Night this year would be April 22nd. It was going to be that day...until I canceled it the day before due to winter temperatures.

In any case, we start this Wednesday, April 29, which is two weeks earlier than last year. Tee off at 6:30 pm. Spread the good word.

Check out the left side of this page for updated information on skins and the ringer board.