Smoke, night golf, and ringer boards

The picture to the left is a smoky Golf.  Smoky golf has been very common as of late.  This past Wednesday was a bit of a reprieve from the hazy conditions that we have been experiencing for quite some time.  That smoke is back again today.  You can see it out the window and smell it as soon as you step outside.  That's too bad because several of us are of to night golf in Hamiota this evening.

Speaking of night golf, we will be hosting our own such event on Friday, September 7.  The sign up sheet is in the Club House.  Since I am mentioning upcoming events, the final Jack and Jill is scheduled for this Tuesday, August 28th.

On Wednesday, we only had 19 golfers.  This isn't surprising given that harvest is now in full swing in the area.  Skins went on three holes.  Winners included Terry Brandon (#43.76 on #2), Robin Kimpinski / Stephen David ($26.88 on #5), and Dave Reagh / Brad Benton ($26.88 on #7).

Closest to the pins were Brad Benton on #5 and Blake Cramer on #9.  Robin Kimpinski had the only deuce of the night for $35.64.

The ringer board ended this week.  Robin Kimpinski won the first flight and $68 on a countback against Brad Benton.  Both finished at -8 with Brad claiming $34 for second.  Third place for $17 was Scott Maynes at -5.   The second flight winner was Jason Neufeld at -1.  He made $34 for his efforts.  Runner-up in the second flight was Darcy Kowalchuk who got $17 for his even par final score.

One final thing to note...we will start teeing off at 6:00 pm for the remainder of the season.

I miss golf

Some say that the sign of a good summer is that you have been busy and travelling a bit.  By that mark I guess it has been a good one.  However, as the result of being busy I have missed five Men's Nights including last week.  I am definitely looking forward to getting back this week.

It isn't just missing golf that gets me...it's missing Men's Night.  I don't think I am exaggerating when I say that Wednesday is my favourite day of the week from May to September.  I know that there are others who share this sentiment.  It is always fun to get out with the boys and hit some balls, have a few drinks, and share some laughs.

Fortunately I have only been missing golf because of other fun summer activities.  There are others who have been prevented from playing because of doctor's orders, or farming, or because they are building cabins.

There were 24 golfers who didn't miss golf last Wednesday. Skins went on two holes.  Winners included Charles Blackbird / Dion Brandon ($84.38 on #1) and Derek Patterson / Scott Maynes ($84.38 on #4).

Closest to the pins were Mike Zenchyshyn on #5 and Derek Patterson on #9.  The $45.00 deuce pot was split between Dion Brandon and Chris Malchuk.

Finally best of luck to our Men's Night brethern who are involved in the Tamarack Golf Tournament in Clear Lake.  They include Darcy Kowalchuk, Jim Geekie, Bob Moffatt, Sonny Blackbird, Wes Arnfinson, Keith Martin, and Dale Watson.

The dog days of summer - part 2

After starting this week's blog entry, I realized that I wrote about the same theme previously.  I checked some old posts and found that on August 15, 2015, I talked about the dog days of summer, that time of year where we typically have our hottest days.

I think it is okay to occasionally write about the same or similar topic.  However, I recognize that I tend to repeat certain themes in my posts.  This was evident earlier this week.  A golfing partner, who shall remain nameless, was talking about how the summer was almost over.  I reminded him that we had lots of time remaining and asked if he read a recent blog about this exact topic.  He stated "Yes...I read you 15th or 16th post of being optimistic".  He is likely the target audience of my motivational entries but doesn't realize it.

We have had some warm stretches this summer and we are definitely in the middle of one right now.  We are experiencing plus thirty temperatures every day with this Saturday projected in the mid-30's.  That will make for a warm Horse Race.

I read today that a Manitoban climate expert says a higher number of 30 C days is expected to be the new normal for the season in coming years — and the average is only going to rise after that.  As of Thursday, southern Manitoba had already experienced 18 days with a recorded temperature of 30 C or higher, compared with the annual average of 13.3 C, according to Environment Canada.  By Saturday, we will have 20 such days.  We are likely faring better than other places.  Ontario and Quebec have had a heat wave for most of the summer.  The Maritimes just ended several weeks under heat advisory.

This warm weather is great for those of us over 40.  The hot days seem to take care of the muscle and joint pain that can be an issue during cooler weather.  A person with whom I golf has probably used the phrase "hard to gold in these conditions" at least 20 times in the past two weeks.  He is joking of course, because we are all enjoying hot, sunny days with little to no wind.

Two of our over 40 golfers definitely liked the conditions yesterday.  Wayne Griffin and Sonny Blackbird combined for two big skins - $110.01 on #3 and $91.26 on #5.  Other skin winners include Ron Huberdeau / Scott Martin ($20.00 on #7) and Jim Geekie / Scott Maynes ($69.38 on #8).

Closest to the pins were Mike Zenchyshyn on #5 and Brad Zimmer on #9.  Mike converted his two to share the $50.64 deuce pot with Ashley Brandon.

Looking at the names above, all are over 40 with the exception of Mr. Maynes.  It definitely seems that the hot weather is better for the old guys.

That's it for this week.  There is a sign up sheet at the Club House for the Nine and Dine tomorrow (Friday).  If anyone has yet to sign up for the Horse Race on Saturday, call or text me (Stephen David) @ 847-0161.

Horse Race this week

Our annual Horse Race tournament is this Saturday.  The 18 hole qualifying round begins at 9:00 am.  This is followed by the calcutta and flighted horse races.  As of right now we are only at 24 entries so we are hoping to pick up a few more at Men's Night this week.

Last week we had 30 golfers.  There were lots of pushes with only two skins going.  Winners included Austin Hunter / Dale Martin ($74.38 on #4) and Blake Hunter / Ashley Brandon ($20 on #7).

Jason Gorrell chipped in for 2 on the par 4 first hole to claim the $56.25 deuce pot.  This vaulted Jay to the lead in the season money list with $251.13.

Closest to the pins were Charlie McNabb on #5 and Austin Hunter on #9.