One More Night

 

Well it has been a good run. We started Mens Night back on May 20, which was later than usual due to the pandemic and early restrictions placed upon golf courses. And here we are getting ready to have a Men's Night on September 30 which is the latest that I can remember.

This Wednesday is the final night that the Club House is open. Consequently it will be our final official Men's Night of the year. That doesn't mean that we can't continue golfing on Wednesday.

We had 19 possible Men's Nights but lost two, one due to heavy rain and another due to insufficient players. Some years we get to 20 nights played but that requires a later April or early May start. There were some nights with great turnout and others when we just got past the required 10 golfers.

Last week we had 14 golfers. Skins went on four holes. Darcy Kowalchuk and Donovin Tanner teamed up to win three $20.00 skins, on #2, 3, and 8. The only other skin was on #5 when Nick Roullette and Pete Ostash combined for a $40.01 win. Closest to the pins were Nick on #5 and Phil Ostash on #9. Nick also converted his birdie to claim the $46.86 deuce pot.

So come on out if you are free for the final Men's Night of the year. Tee off is 6:00 pm. We welcome back any of the farmers who have enjoyed the great fall season and have already finished their harvest.

At Least We Have No Hurricanes

Last year our final night of Men’s Night was September 4. For the following two weeks in 2019, we didn’t get enough golfers before the weather went south quickly. I hate to remind you but last year was the second of two Septembers in a row when we had snow. Last September was actually the second wettest on record dating back to 1872.

This year we’ve already played golf into middle of September and plan to keep going as long as the weather holds. The way farming seems to be going we might get some guys back next week if we are lucky.

Last week we had 11 golfers. The lower number was attributable to a cool evening and farming. Despite the low number, skins only went on two holes. Winners included Robin Kimpinski / Blake Hunter ($20.00 on #7) and Jason Gorrell / Sonny Blackbird ($20.00 on #8). Closest to the holes were Pete Ostash on #5 and Reegan Kominko on #9. There were no deuces.

Thinking about tomorrow, there may be a chance of showers but the high is forecasted as 16. Be grateful that conditions are favourable. My home province of Nova Scotia is going to get hit today with either a hurricane or a tropical storm. Tomorrow Shoal Lake may get 1-3 mm. Parts of Nova Scotia may get over 50 mm today. And they also have a storm surge warning which means the winds may be so high that ocean waves might flood the coast. I grew on the east side of the province which today is expected to experience extreme impact of the storm as shown in the map above. So we are doing pretty well for Men’s Night tomorrow.

Almost Missed It

 

I just came on my compter to print out the stuff for Men's Night when I realized I forgot to update the stuff for Men's Night. So here it is in a nutshell. There were twelve golfers last Wednesday. Skins went on four holes. Winner included Darcy Kowalchuk / Robin Kimpinski ($20.00 on #1. $20.00 on #6), Charles McKay / Noah Street ($20.00 on #3), and Brad Benton / Reegan Kominki ($24.38 on #9). Reegan also had the only deuce for the $22.50. Closet to #5 was Jason Gorrell and # was Stephen David.

Men's Night tee off tomorrow evening is 6:00 pm.

Bonus Golf

This is the time for extra golf. Summer is winding down but officially fall doesn't start for a couple of weeks. Despite a couple of cool days the weather looks like it will turn around starting tomorrow. Many people are back to work or school with no vacation time remaining. But we are likely a long time from putting our clubs away. 

So why not take advanatge and get out to Mens Night tomorrow evening. It will be 16 Celsius and sunny with a 6:00 pm tee off to get in ahead of the earlier sunset. You could have a few beverages, hang out with friends, and maybe cash in $2250 for a hole-in-one.

If your recall, we had snow in September the last two years. It will not be long before we are looking outside at a barren white landscape longing for nicer weather. And right now is perfect bonus golf weather. Still warm enough to make it enjoyable but not so cold that you need to spend your evenings putting away deck furniture and other summer items. When it's bonus golf time it almost doesn't require negotiating with your significant other. They understand the need to get out a few more times before it's shut down for the season.

Heck it's going to be way nicer tomorrow than last week when it was cool and rainy. We still got 11 golfers out then. Skins went on the first four holes. Winners included Brad Benton / Joe Shwaluk ($73.76 on #1), Chad Tanner / Brandon Tanner ($20.00 on #2, $26.88 on #3), and Robin Kimpinski ($73.76 on #4).

Closest to the pins were Chad on #5 and Brad on #9. There were no deuces. Robin had the low round of the evening with a 36.

Ringer Board Wrap-up

The ringer board ended this week. I will do a brief recap of the regular Mens Night before providing an update on that.

For the second week in a row we had 16 golfers. Skins went on four holes. Winners incuded Austin Hunter / Randy Brandon Jr. ($44.38 on #2, $20.00 on #7), Scott Maynes / Ribsey Sopka ($20.00 on #6), and Blake Hunter / Randy Brandon Sr. ($44.38 on #8).

Closest to the pins were Brad Benton on #5 and Robin Kimpinski on #9. Maynes won the sol $30 deuce pot and Stephen David had the low round of the evening with a 38.

The four leaders on on the ringer board all dropped strokes on the final evening. Robin lost two strokes, Maynes went down 3, Brad dropped 3, and Stephen lost 2. When all the strokes were counted the flight winners were as follows: first flight: Robin -4, Maynes -3, and Jason Hunter -2 on a count back and second flight: Jason Gorrell 2, Wes Arnfinson 7. Anyone that did not get a final score entered for a hole received the Mens Night triple bogey.

75 Words or Less Update

There were 16 golfers this past Wednesday. Skins went on only two holes with Brad Benton and Ian Paterson winning twice ($34.88 on #5 and $56.80 on #9). Brad was closest on #5 and Phil Ostash hit it tight on #9. They shared the $30. deuce pot. 

Next week is the final week to enter ringer board scores. Any unrecorded holes will be noted as triple bogies.

A Rare August Cancellation

This radar image likely shows why not many people showed up =on Wednesday. In fact, with only eight golfers we did not have enough for Men's Night. I am guessing thatmost people either looked out the window or checked out at the weather forecast and decided not to play. They missed out on a fun evening of golf.

It started to rain about 5:20 pm and went hard until 6:00 pm. Then it stopped. We waited a another 10 minutes to see if someone else might arrive but no one did. As a result, no official Men's Night occured and consequently there is nothing to report. There were no skins awarded, no closest to the pins recorded, and no deuces or holes-in-one.

So the skins for next week are the same as what was projected on Wednesday. One challenge is that the ringer board now only has two weeks remaining. If you have yet to lock in your scores you need to start making some decisions quickly.

Instead of going home, the eight people visited the Club House to load up on essentials and then played golf. We were inspired by a man who simply stated "What the hell else are we supposed to do on a Wednesday night". We decided to have a four-man scramble which took two extra holes to decide. Thanks to Sport, Charlie, Robin, Brad, Darcy, Gorrell, and Hubey for coming out.

For future reference, if the weather is bad on a Men's Night you can often find shelter in the comforatble confines of the maintenance shed. It can accomodate several carts and multiple golfers. And if you enjoy engaging conversation you will hear stories and jokes as well as lots of talk about the weather. Most of those seeking shelter in the maintenance shed show off their skills as amateur meterologists and use advanced computer radar and precipitation models to predict when the rain will stop. Of course, there are also those wiser few who choose not to be weathermen. Instead they become calm and rational philosophers who simply state that "the rain will stop when it stops".

A Slight Delay

Men's Night is later today. I am just updating the blog this morning with last week's information. It is what it is. Sometimes we get busy and distracted. Such was the case for me these past seven days.

Last week we had another solid turnout with 39 golfers in attendance. Low score of the evening was a 36 by Terry Brandon who was making his first Men's Night appearance of the season.

Skins went on three holes. Winners included Ron Huberdeau / Randy Turner Jr. ($74.38 on #3), Jason Gorrell / Dion Brandon (#$24.38 on #6), and Robin Kimpinski / Blake Hunter (#94.38 on #7).

Closest to the holes were Theoren Hunter on #5 and Ron Sopako on #9. Both converted their birdies to share the $73.14 deuce pot with Reegan Kominko.

Including tonight, there are three more weeks to add scores to the ringer board. Currently Robin Kimpinski and Scott Maynes lead at -6.

Nice Wednesday...plus No Fire Ants

People often complain about things when they golf. Many bad shots are blamed on the lie of the ball or the high wind. Ocassionally people take liberties and ask for drops when they shouldn't. I have heard people asked if a small patch of dirt on our course was ground under repair. It wasn't. It was just dirt. Also there are people who have difficulty making a straight line between two points when those two points are white stakes for out-of-bounds areas.

But you got to hand it to Bryson DeChambeau for going a step further. Yesterday he attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to get a free drop because of fire ants. He said he saw a couple of red ants nearby and seriously tried to make a case that his personal safety was in jeopardy. The PGA official was not buying it. Like anyone who saw the video of the incident, the official likely thought Bryson was simply trying to dodge a bad lie which included some small sticks upon which the ball was sitting and could not be removed.

On Men's Night we had 36 golfers and no fire ants. Conditions were perfect and the vast majority of scores reflected this. Robin Kimpinski had the round of the night with a 35 that included two lost balls. He also added two scores to the ringer board bringing him to a season leading -6. Scott Maynes is one stroke behind at -5.

Robin paired with Blake Hunter for two skins ($22.50 on #2 and $70 on #5). Robin also had 2 of the 5 deuces of the evening to claim 40% of the $67.50 deuce pot. Other two's were recorded by Kory Stebeleski, Chris Malchuk, and Charles McKay.

Other skins included Larry Oakden / Branden Tanner ($22.50 on #6) and Pete Ostash / Chris Malchuk ($22.50 on #8).

Closest to the holes were Joel Ostash on #5 and Charles McKay on #9.

Hot and Humid Golf

It was a great week for golf included a full Men's Night, a Nine and Dine, and a Horse Race. This was a combination of multiple events and nice weather. The end of July is a busy time at the golf course and this certainly is the case this year. We also have experienced an increase in both our memberships and daily golfers.

Some people might argue that Thursday to Saturday were almost too hot for golf. It certainly was warm and humid. Just ask Jason Gorrell who had about ten gloves hanging on a clothesline attached to his cart.

Last week was our biggest turnout for Men's Night this season with 44 golfers. Usually when we get higher numbers fewer skins are won. This was not the case with six out of 9 holes going. Winners included Charles Blackbird / Wes Arnfinson ($70 on #1), Braeden Allen / Dan Wowryk ($27.50 on #2), Donovin Tanner / Shane Kimpinski ($169.37 on #4), Jason Neufeld / Jim Geekie /9$163.12 on #6),  Scott Maynes / Randy Tanner ($22.50 on #8), and Noah Street / Reegan Kominko ($82.50 on #9).

Closest to the pins were Troy Chwaluk on #5 and Robin Kimpinski on #9. Troy converted his birdie to split the $82.50 deuce pot with Braeden Allen who score his deuce on the par 4 second hole.

Scott Maynes currently leads the ringer board at --5 with a one stroke lead on Robin and Stephen David. You have five more weeks to post scores up to and including August 26.

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Horse Race tournament on Saturday. It was the tenth time we held this tournament and the 53 that played represented the most entrants ever.

Bad Golf Happens

I want to talk a bit about playing bad golf. Before I do I will do the Men's Night recap. That way, if you aren't interested in my ramblings you may simply stop after you find out how everyone did on Wednesday.

We had 32 golfers last week. Skins went on three holes. Winners included Neuf / Jason Gorrell ($20 on #2), Charlie McNabb / Charles McKay ($86.25 on #3), and Chirs Kimpinski / Kendal Korsocil ($42.50 on #8).  Closest to the pins were Keith Martin on #5 and Wes Arnfinson on #9. The $60 deuce pot was split by Wes, Mark Pawluk, and Scott Maynes.

So that was Men's Night...now for some rambling self reflection.

I write a lot about staying positive on the golf course. Sometimes it is challenging. Like most golfers I like to play well. I am fine playing with okay. It is more frustrating when I struggle a bit. 

I am not sure about everyone else but my golf game usually stays fairly consistent. But I have periods of highs and lows. Some days and weeks I hit it exactly where I want to and my score and enjoyment reflects this. On other occasions the opposite is true.  

Since last Sunday I have been in a bit of a funk. I don't feel comnfortable over the ball. I am hitting in places where I usually don't. I am messing around with my swing, my stance, and my grip. I am watching videos, trying positive swing thoughts, and starting to distrust certain brands of golf balls.

In this moment, I feel that my golf game is getting worse every time I play. Apparently that happens to a lot of people. It comes on suddenly, without much warning. One day you’re hitting the middle of the fairway and the next if feels like you’ve totally lost your swing. This situation shouldn’t be handled with panic or anxiety. Your golf swing is not lost. You still have your golf swing. You don’t just lose it.

It's funny because I have golfed a lot this year. I incorrectly assumed thought that my game would just keep improving after every hole added to my annual total. It hasn't as of late. However, I am just going to accept the current situation and not get too stressed about it. Not accepting that you will have periods of bad streaks will cause you to start to fiddle and tinker with your golf swing. I have done that and it hasn't worked.

There is a fine line between a great golf shot and a terrible golf shot. The difference may be as small as a half inch, perhaps the distance between the center of your golf club and the toe of your golf club. Once you get a little tense because of a bad shot or a bad hole, it is easy to lose that half an inch and start hitting bad shots.

So for anyone else experiencing a rough patch, it likely will not last forever. Be grateful that it isn't winter. Be happy that we have a golf course in town that you may play whenever you want. If we put all the emphasis on how we play, sometimes it isn't fun. If we put the emphasis more on having fun, there is less pressure on how you play.

Plus there is no point in worrying. It's not like we have a big horse race tournament on Saturday.

No Such Thing as Illegal Pin Placements

Setting up a golf course is tricky. Not only do you have to rotate tee box locations and pin placements, you have to do so knowing someone will not like what you did. Such was the case yesterday when a few people joked or complained about the tough hole locations.

Certainly there were challenging pin placements but I don't think any could be considered illegal. Also, like wind and rain, it was the same conditions for eveyone. We all had to hit at the same pins and putt toward the same holes.

Now I will admit, I have sometimes tampered with the course setup. Most often it is moving tee boxes back or forth. Sometimes it is to find fresh patches of grass to avoid undue wear. Occasionally it is to make things easier such as when I go to the front of the third teebox when there is a strong west wind. I don't mess with the tee boxes on Men's Night though...at least not since Robin caught me doing it a couple of weeks ago. I did suggest moving a tee box slightly ahead yesterday after hitting a tree branch in my backswing. That seemed reasonable at the time.

The PGA rule 15-3(ii) recommends that holes should be placed at least four paces from any edge of the putting green and even futher if there is a sand trap near the edge or if the areas surrounding the green slopes downward. The key word in the previous sentence is "recommends". As far as I know, there is no minimum distance a pin must be from the fringe.

The rules also suggest that at least a 2 foot radiius surrounding the hole should be nearly as level as possible and of uniform grade. The hole shouldn't be placed on a steep slope on which a missed putt from above will roll a long distance from the cup. In this context, the hole placement on #3 yesterday might be questionable...but it was not illegal.

Having been part of the golf club board for a while, I know there are no shortage of opinions about how we do things. I recall voices of opposition to building the campground. Some people deemed it an unnecessary expense and a potential revenue loser. We know now that is not the case. At the time, it was frustrating to hear people complain when we were trying to improve the course. 

Recalling that frustration, I will pledge to be better. I will not complain about where the pins are and I will not move the tee boxes. We have a small but great group of employees and volunteers that put in a tremendous amount of time giving us a great place to play golf. I am going to resolve to be even more grateful and less critical of their efforts. I encourage you all to consider doing the same.

We had 36 golfers last night. Three of them scored 39 for the low round. Obviously they didn't have too much trouble with the hole locations. Good job Robin Kimpinski, Joel Ostash, and Dale Martin.

Skins only went on three holes. Austin Hunter won two alone when paired with the dummy card. He got $41.25 on #2 and $22.50 on #7. The remaining skin was claimed by Stephen David and Charlie McNabb ($22.50 on #5).

Closest to the pins were Charles McKay on #5 and Kevin Bartam on #9. Kevin had one of the four deuces with the others being recorded by Stephen David, Dale Martin, and Rhys Lanouette.

The Horse Race is scheduled for Saturday, July 25. Anyone interested in playing is asked to contact Scott Maynes.

Finally, don't forget the Nine and Dine tomorrow evening. This will be an opportunity for anyone who didn't play last night to complain about the pin placements.

Angry Golf

Bryson Dechambeau had a big PGA win on the weekend in which he averaged a record 350 yards off the tee. He also berated a cameraman for filming him. We usually don't have too much anger at Men's Night. Occasionally someone snaps at Milt for casting a shadow on their putting line. Once in a while you will hear an angry "Crickets" after someone misses a short putt that they felt should have been a gimmie. Generally Men's Night is fairly quiet and respectful. But there have been a few exeptions.

I am not sure how long I have been involved with Men's Night but this blog started ten years ago, in 2010. In that time I recall a few instances where tempers flared. There was one time when someone hit a little too close to the group in front of them which resulted in a ball being hit back at them. Then there was a little disagreement between two gentlemen that resulted in a group of five breaking up into groups of 2 and 3 about halfway through the round.

To be fair, golf can be frustrating. For every moment of joy there are many things that go less than ideal. Some people handle this adversity well and others have temper tantrams, be they big or small. I have seen probably a dozen clubs thrown including three to the slough adjacent to the eight tee box. Two of those clubs by eight were not recovered. I have also witnessed people hammer a club after a poor drive or putt. I also know the odd seed box has been victimized by a mini-meltdown.

Depending on the player, anger takes a variety of forms. What is most common from my experience is the person who has a blow up hole and goes silent for the next half hour. That's a less than fun 30 minutes especially if you are stuck on a cart with that person. Some people are always happy and simply grateful to be hanging out with some buddies on a nice day hitting golf balls. Others are often just one bad shot away from rage.

Nobody is immune to anger but some handle it differently. Some people have meltdowns while others simply curse an errant shot and move on. Some get a double bogey and it results in a tilt where they have a couple more bad holes. Others respond to the double with calmness while stating that they are going to birdie the next one.

For anyone who thinks that they might be an angry golfer, the following link offers some tips on how to turn things around - https://www.golf-monthly.co.uk/features/the-game/how-to-curb-your-anger-on-the-golf-course-91022

I was away last Wednesday but was hopeful that July 1 would make for a large turnout. This was not the case as only 29 golfers played. Normally that's not a bad number but holiday Wednesdays usually bring more guys. I heard that camping, fishing, and family time resulted in many regulars being away.

Skins went on four holes. Winners included Robin Kimpinski / Jason Hunter ($20 on #1), Reegan Kimpinski / Jason Neufeld ($43.75 on # and $20 on #8), and Matt Ostash / Doug Cripps ($43.75 on #7).

The low round of the night belonged to Brad Benton with a 35. Closest to the holes were Brad on #5 and Doug Cripps on #9. Neither converted the birdie which paved the way for Randy Brandon to claim his second big deuce pot of the year. After winning $186 a few weeks ago he picked up $131.25 on Wednesday.

Thanks to everyone who came out for the Fundraiser Tournament on Friday. Don't forget that we have another Nine and Dine this coming Friday.

Weekly update

It happens a couple of times per year. I get busy and don't get the blog done. When I eventually get to it, I just do a quick update. Today is one of those times.

It was a great night for Men's Night last Wednesday. 40 came out to play. Skins went on three holes. Winners included Noah Street / Rhys Lanouette ($45 on #1), Brad Benton / Ron Susinski ($25 on #2), and Joel Ostash / Reegan Kominko ($80.62 on #8). It is worth noting that three of those winners are under 20 years of age. Great job young guys.

Phil Ostash was dialed in on the par threes, at least off the tee. He was closest to the pin on both #5 and #9 but was unable to convert either birdie. As a result, he missed out on the $75 deuce pot shared by Austin Hunter and Montanna Tanner.

Tomorrow is July 1st which often leads to one of the best turnouts of the year. Of course, we also have our Fundraiser Tournament on Friday. A great week for golf in Shoal Lake.

Feel Good Golf

I just read an article on the 37 Best Feelings in Golf. It starts off by stating that golf is a maddening game, one that isn’t kind to us most of the time. But we love it anyway, and it’s the good moments that keep us coming back.

Think about a typical Men's Night. Some rounds are better than others but it is still fun. Occassionally you follow a double bogey with a chip-in birdie.

Of the 37 things noted in the article, my personal favourite is likely knowing a putt is good before it even gets to the hole. From a Shoal Lake perspective, I certainly appreciate a good drive on the third hole more than anywhere else on the course. And from a broader context, I really enjoy when everyone in the group is playing well on a sunny day free from any cares or worries.

If you want to check out the article, it may be found at https://golf.com/instruction/rules/the-37-best-feelings-in-golf/

Wednesday night was a good night for golf. We had 32 players including several who joined us for the first time this year. Special welcome to the six genetlemen from Waywayseecappo who visited and appeared to have a fun evening. One of them, Chad Tanner, had one of the low rounds of the night at 38. Another, Randy Brandon, hit it to a couple of feet to a far back pin on #5 to get closest to the pin and win a $189.36 deuce pot. Thanks also to Charles, Brandon, Donovin, and Myles for coming to Shoal Lake. You are welcome back at any time.

The low round of the evening belonged to Robin Kimpinski and Scott Maynes with 37's followed by Jason Hunter and Chad Tanner at 38. The other closest to the pin was on #9 by Reegan Kominko.

Skins went on four holes. Winners incuded Wes Arnfinson / Chad Tanner ($39.37 on #2), Darcy Kowalchuk / Rhys Lanouette ($86.25 on #3), Jason Neufeld / Troy Chwaluk ($63.12 on #5), and Blake Hunter / Theoren Hunter ($63.12 on #7).

The golf course will continue to have Friday Nine and Dines every two weeks. The next one is June 26.

The New Normal for Golf

It is interesting how quickly we have become used to a pool noodle in the cup. The golf course has only been open for 40 days yet this new hole configuration already seems standard. Like many of the COVID-19 related changes, we simply adapt and do what we need to do. Occasionally a ball pops out that should stay in but that is a small price to pay for increased safety. We have also seen fewer handshakes, smaller golf groups, and usually just one person per cart.

A couple of interesting developments with the Phase 3 Restoring Services announcement by the Province. Effective June 21, the Club House can increase to 75% capacity and outdoor gatherings may increase to 100. These new measures will help with our upcoming tournaments. Also, people don't have to self isolate after arriving in Manitoba from Northern Ontario and the western provinces. That is great news for our seasonal campers and visitors from Saskatchewan. Finally, as of June 21, you may share a golf cart with someone who is not a member of your family.

So the PGA returns this weekend. It is the first official tournament since the Players Championship was cancelled on Thursday, March 12. It's funny watching them play without fans and crowd noise. 

There was a little more noise on the golf course Wednesday as we hit 31 golfers. It was neat to see everyone spread around outside just before our 6:30 pm tee off. After our regular long winter and spring quarantine, there were lots of people reconnecting after many months apart.

With the increased numbers there were lots of pushes for skins with only one hole going. Joel Ostash and Jim Geekie won $20 on #1. Milt was closest on #5 while Jim Geekie was tight on #9. There were no deuces which means the pot on Wednesday will likely be close to $200. The low rounds were Joel Ostash and Robin Kimpinski with 38's followed by Pete Ostash with a 39.

Thanks to Robin for the nice course set up with some pins in new and weird places.

There's Lots of Golf in 2020

In early April we didn't even know if there would be a golf season. Later that month we found out that we could open at the start of May. Since then there has been a lot of golf played. The weather has been warm but windy. There aren't a lot of other sport alternatives. It seems like a fairly low-risk activity that includes social distancing by it's very nature. Every year many of us are eager to get back hitting golf balls after our long Manitoba winters. Add a spring pandemic and those feelings are even stronger.

Personally I have played 18 days since the start of the season. That includes 408 total holes which is equivalent to 45 nine-hole rounds. Yes I am tracking them. Last year I didn't get to golf until June 19. This year I am making up for it. If it sounds like I am bragging I apologize. I am simply excited to be playing regularly and grateful that our golf season hasn't been canceled.

What other signs are there of increased golf in Shoal Lake. Several people have already got full value from their membership. Another big indicator is the number of new people who are golfing including lots of youth. It is great to see the increase in play among the under 20 crowd. This may be attributable to COVID-19. Many planned activities for kids have been canceled or have yet to start. In the absence of school functions, team sports, and summer camps many are heading to the golf course to fill the gap.

And there is more golf to come. Right now it looks like we will make a go of all of our tournaments. There will be social distancing and other COVID-19 measures employed but we will still have the tournaments. For our fundraiser we will likely reduce the number of entrants. We may have to adjust the horse race tournament in later July. Also we had our first Nine and Dine last night. We intend on running a couple each month for anyone who is interested.

And of course there is Men's Night. We had a fairly good turnout this week with 26 golfers including several people making their first appearance of the year. Skins went of three holes. Winners included Charlie McNabb / Dave Gill ($20 on #1), Troy Chwaluk / Jason Hunter ($30 on #2), and Brad Benton / Shane Kimpinski ($20 on #8).

Wind was once again a factor. Brad Benton managed the conditions well with a low round of 37. Others were not so fortunate. There were six of the 26 scores over 50 and the middle score was 46. That is as high as I can recall it. Closest to the pin was Scott Maynes on #5 and Kendal Koroscil on #9. No deuces were recorded which means next weeks pot will be well over $100.

One final thing to note is that July 1 is on a Wednesday this year. If my memory serves me correct we usually get a huge boost in attendance when this happens. Maybe we will hit 50 golfers then.

Windy Weather Blows

I am not sure if windy golf means you will have a bad time. Definitely the extremely high winds on Wednesday made it interesting. On Men's Night we had 50 km/hr winds gusting to 70 km/hr/.  It affects shots, balance, putting, and conversations. But as is always the case, it was the same weather conditions for everyone. One interesting indicator of how the effect of the wind was no one recording a score on the ringer board.

There's a line from a classic song that says "you don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows". That was clear on Wednesday. It was a straight west wind...until it became a northwest wind...before it changed to a north wind.

It was so windy that wedges were going an extra 30 yards with the wind and 30 yards less into the breeze. It was so windy that on some holes Gorrell didn't have a slice. It was so windy that most of the birds were walking. It was so windy that if Milt actually played you would have seen his hair move.

Despite the gusty conditions, twelve golfers still made it out for the evening. Unlike last week, several skins went with winners on five holes.  They included Scott Maynes / Norm Verboom ($20 on #1, $21.25 on #7), Robin Kimpinski / Kendal Koroscil ($60.63 on #4), Brad Benton / Phil Ostash ($60.63 on #6), and Wes Arnfinson / Shane Kimpinski ($21.25 on #8).

Closest to the holes were Wes on #5 and Neuf on #9. There were no deuces. Robin had the low round with a 37.

We are certainly looking forward to this coming week. The forecast looks fantastic with a high of 28 Celsius and wind only 30 km/hr gusting to 50 km/hr. Compared to this past week that's almost calm. Also, as of tomorrow restaurants are permitted to have people inside so we will be able to do the prizes inside after our round.

And So It Begins

We had our first Men's Night of the year last night. There were only 10 golfers but that was enough to make it official. The consensus was that farmers and related businesses were all busy with seeding is going full force around the region.

Interestingly, with so few players there was only one skin won. The other eight holes had pushes including four with combined birdies. That simply means that more money carries over  building the pots for next week. The lone skin to go was #9 which was claimed by the duo of Pete Ostash and Jason Neufeld who both carded threes. They won $23.13 for their efforts.

Closet to the pin on #5 was Stephen David. None of the 10 golfers hit the green on #9. The east wind at 40 gusting to 60 proved impossible to defeat. Golfers reported hitting 3-4 more clubs than what they usually played.

There were three scores under 40 including Stephen David with a 37 and Robin Kimpinski and Scott Maynes with 38's.

A few days ago in my first blog entry of the year I explained hypothetical situations that might arise with the COVID-19 restrictions. I asked you to imagine a young golfer named Stephen who chips in for eagle on the first hole. You run to embrace them but realize that you can't...so you congratulate him from 6 feet. Well, that actually happened. I chipped in from the side of #1. That gave me the deuce pot of $56.88. So next week, imagine a hypothetical scenario in which the same young golfer named Stephen gets a hole in one on #5 for $2250.

The ringer board is underway with three players tied at -2. They include Robin Kimpinski, Scott Maynes, and Stephen David.

Given the changes in the COVID-19 measures, we likely can revert to our old format next week. You can turn in scorecards at the end of the round with prizes being awarded shortly thereafter.

Men's Night starts on Wednesday

Men's Night begins this Wednesday after a long winter and an unexpected spring quarantine. While we are excited to get going, it is important that we share some important COVID-19 safety guidelines.

These guidelines are essential not for appropriate social distancing but because of provincial directives for golf courses. It is essential that all golfers adhere to these protocols to minimize risk and to limit exposure for the golf course. Please help us keep the golf safe for all involved.

The guidelines for Men's Night are as follows:

• Golfers showing signs of Covid-19 may not participate.
• Limit to groups of 4 at all times.
• All golfers must have their own power cart unless members of the same household.
• Maintain appropriate social distancing.
• Golfers must not gather in groups of more than 10 before, during, or after the round.
• No touching the flag sticks. The flags must remain in the holes. The ball must stay in cup to be considered holed out.
• No hugging or hand shaking.
• Sign up in Club House. It is recommended that you bring your own pen or pencil.
• Pay your $10 Men’s’ Night fee in container in Club House. Please try to use exact change to minimize handling of money.
• Get a regular course scorecard from the Club House and use this for all players scores. At the end of the round, and no later than midnight, text a picture of the scorecard to Stephen David @ 847-0161. Paper copies of scorecards will not be accepted.
• Scoring will be done no sooner than noon the following day. Prize winners will be notified by text that they have won a prize. Prize winners will also be listed on the Men’s Night blog.
• Our hope is to set up e-transfer for payment of prizes and possibly payment of entry fee.
• Any golfers who do not follow the social distancing / rules of play may use their Men’s’ Night privileges.

To help us prepare for one of the challenges, let's imagine the following scenarios:

• You are about to tee off at 6:30 pm in a group of 4 and a friend pulls up into the parking lot. Let's call him Milt. You contemplate inviting Milt to join you making it a group of 5. Unfortunately you realize that is not possible so you wish Milt a nice evening and good luck in finding a group.
• You actually end up letting Milt join you one week just to be nice. On your third hole someone tells you that you can't golf in groups of 5. You aren't angry on being caught. Instead you are grateful for the reminder and quickly break up into a groups of 2 and 3.
• There is this guy named Darcy who often plays with you who catches a ride each week. This year he either walks or rents a car because you aren't in the same household.
• A young golfer named Stephen chips in for eagle on the first hole. You run to embrace them but realize that you can't...so you congratulate him from 6 feet.
• A guy named Robin pays his fee and lights it up during the round shooting a 34. He thinks he will likely win a few skins. Unfortunately he forgets to text a picture of his scorecard to Stephen. The prizes are done early Thursday afternoon and Robin notes that he didn't win anything. When he inquires about it he realizes his oversight before apologizing to Stephen for being so absent-minded.

We will continue on with the Ringer Board this year. There is a list of rules on this blog that you may reference. If you are interested in participating put your $10 in the collection bucket and note "Ringer Board" after your name on the sign up sheet.

Enjoy the remainder of your long weekend and see you all on Wednesday...from a socially appropriate distance.