One More Night

Well tomorrow is officially the final formal Men's Night. Given that the Club House is closing October 1, tomorrow will be the final evening for skins. That doesn't mean that you can't keep golfing every Wednesday.

As the final evening, it would be great if we could get a boost in attendance. The forecast looks extremely promising. My assumption is that many in the farming/agricultural sector have completed harvest and might be interested and available for the final evening. If not, best of luck in your ongoing work. If you do come out tomorrow, please make sure to thank Francis and Joseph for taking care of us on Men's Nights. Also don't forget tee off at 6:00 pm.

Last week we had 15 golfers. Skins went on three holes. Winners included Blake Hunter all alone ($20.00 on #1), Sonny Blackbird / Kendal Koroscil ($20.00 on #8), and Brad Benton / Stephen David ($25.64 on #9).

Closest to the pins were Scott Maynes on #5 and Reegan Kominko on #9. Neither made a birdie but Brad Benton did make a deuce to claim the $52.51 pot.

Only Two Weeks to Go

 

Here we are on the first day of Fall...the second last formal Men's Night of the year. We know next week, September 30, will be the final evening because the Club House closes on October 1. That doesn't mean we can't keep golfing if the weather permits.  Today is also the first day of Fall...and what a beautiful day it is with a forecasted high of 25 Celsius. Let's not forget that we had snow on September 22 

Last week we had 15 golfers. After a deluge of winning holes the previous week, only a single hole went this time. Stephen David / Brad Benton won $20. on #2.

Closest to the holes were Darcy Kowalchuk on #5 and Phil Ostash on #5. Neither they nor anyone else made a deuce.

Men's Night Continues...Until It Ends

 

Someone asked me when Men's Night ends. I replied "it ends when it ends". We don't set a date for the final evening of play. We just let it happen organically. When the weather is too cool to get us 10 players we look to the forecast the following week. If it doesn't look promising, we call it a year. 

Last Wednesday the weather was fine and we had 13 golfers. Skins went on six holes. Stephen David had the double bonus of being the middle score with a 41 and pairing with his own dummy card. That resulted in three $60.00 skins on #2, #6, and #7.

Other skins went to Charles McKay / Drew Ostash ($20.00 on #3), Joe Shwaluk / Robin Kimpinski ($20.00 on #5), and Chad Tanner / Pete Ostash ($20.00 on #8).

Closest to the holes were Brad Benton on #5 and Darcy Kowalchuk on #9. The $24.37 deuce pot was split by Joe Shwaluk and Robin Kimpinski.

I am hearing that some farmers are getting close to being done...so maybe tomorrow or next week we get a boost in numbers. Here's hoping.

Big Payout Wednesday

For only 12 golfers last week, there was a lot of money won. Skins went on five holes including two big ones as well as a large deuce pot had a solo recipient.

Scott Maynes and Kendal Koroscil combined to win a $96.00 pot on #1 and $121.27 on #5. 

Donovin Tanner claimed the $116.26 deuce pot for his two on #9. Donovin also was closest on both #5 and #9. Finally he teamed with Pete Ostash for two skins ($28.13 on both #6 and 9).

The remaining skin went to Reegan Kominko / Doug Cripps ($20.00 on #2).

Remember tee off tomorrow night at 6:00 pm.

Ringer Board Wrap Up

It's really hard to find a picture of a ringer board online. Speaking of ringer boards, ours wrapped up this past week. Scott Maynes claimed the honours with his -7 score which he locked in with two pars on his remaining holes. Brad Benton dropped a stroke to finish second at -5.

It's Wednesday morning...a week from our last Men's Night. Therefore this blog entry will be quick.

There were 20 golfers last week. Skins went on four holes. Winners included Brad Benton / Kendal Koroscil ($20.63 on #2), Jason Gorrell / Darcy Kowalchuk ($20.00 on #3, $49.39 on #8), and Charles McKay / Nathan Maynes ($20.63 on #7). Closest to the pin on #5 as Keith Martin. No one hit the green on #9 and there were no deuces.

 

Lots of Summer Remaining

 

A week in August with cooler rainy weather is a tipping point for some people. It sometimes creates anxiety in some who have been enjoying the great weather. They unfortunately turn into those people who start saying that "Summer is over".

Summer isn't over. It doesn't officially end for over a month. Just because it is the third week of August doesn't mean you have to pack up your bags, put away your deck furniture, and get your winter clothes out. We are often fortunate with nice weather in September.

I have golfed on 59 days this year. As of this time last year I played 54 times. I finished 2020 with 76 golf outings. So if I am fortunate enough to get another 22 rounds in this year, surely summer can't be over on August 21. Let's collectively remember how much winter weather sucks and let's do everything we can to golf, camp, boat, and sit outside as much as possible.

Now my intro aside...the weather wasn't ideal for golf on Wednesday. Consequently, we only had 13 golfers. The curious thing was despite the low numbers, only won skin went. Stephen David / Darcy Kowalchuk won $20 on #3. The positive aspect of that result is that the other holes continue to build in value. The first hole is now worth $76.00 and the fifth $101.27 plus whatever is added next week. There were no deuces. Closest to the holes were Joel Ostash on #5 and Pete Ostash on #9.

Good luck and have fun to everyone going out for Night Golf this evening.

Don't forget the final night for the Ringer Board is Wednesday for anyone needing to enter scores.

No Pictures on a Scorecard

I saw this picture a few days ago and wanted to use it in the blog. Last night's weather makes it work well. Firstly, the high wind required that on some holes, we aimed at different holes. From the back tee on #8 we were taking a driving line toward the centre of the fairway on #5. Secondly, the high wind was doing some funny things with the golf balls and often they were not ending up where we intended.

Even on days when the wind is calm balls can go astray. Not just on other fairways, but on certain locations on certain holes. For example, if you miss off the tee on #6 and your shot goes long and over the trees onto #7, we say "It's in Dan's apartments". That is honouring former resident Dan Stokes, who had a tendency to end up in that area. By the way, Dan is visiting tomorrow for the Horse Race weekend.

Of course, as long as your ball is in play it doesn't matter. As the blog title states, there are no pictures on the scorecard. Many of us have parred holes despite being on the wrong hole on a shot. I thought about it and I have done that on every hole on the course except for #9. I have hit the eighth green once off the 9th tee but I didn't par it. Its a tough second shot into the green over all those trees beside #8.

The most errant shot that I have ever witnessed was about 12 years ago on Men's Night. A guy I was playing with hit it between the green on #8 and the tee box on #9...from the first tee. If I recall correctly, he didn't par the hole. The gentlemen teeing off on #9 did find it amusing.

Golf is a game of both common and uncommon experiences. All of us have made perfect shots but not everyone has a hole-in-one. Hitting errant shots is a common occurrence. Similarly, everyone who played last night shared the common experience of hiding out from the intense rain and wind that hit us for about 12-15 minutes. However, not all groups got to witness a playing partner snap a club after a missed second shot on #7. That experience was likely unique to my group last night.

Due to the weather, we had a very low turnout last night with only 17 golfers braving the forecast. Low numbers usually result in lots of skins being won and such was the case last night with six holes going. 

Kevin "Cubby" Bartram pulled a rare feat which will from here on in be called the "Double Dummy". He was the middle score on an evening where there was an odd number of golfers. So his card was copied as the dummy card. Then when we did the random high / low group pairings, Cubby's card matched with his own dummy card. That worked out well for him as he won two skins alone, $20.00 on #3 and $67.87 on #6.

Other winners included Stephen David / Brad Benton ($67.87 on #2), Reegan Kominko / Charlie McNabb ($20.00 on #4), Pete Ostash / Shane Kimpinski ($28.76 on #7), and Kendal Koroscil / Ron Susinski ($28.76 on #9).

Closest on #5 was Joe Shwaluk and Kendal Koroscil on #9. Neither they nor anyone else made a deuce. I will do a quick shout out to Joe who played really well in my group despite the crazy wind. He had just a single bad hole which he thought related to putting a heavy jacket on to protect him from the elements.

Well that's it for this week. Don't forget the Horse Race is this Saturday with the qualifying round starting at 9:00 am. Also only two more weeks to enter scores on the Ringer Board.

Golf Balls - Do They Matter?

I am doing the blog shortly after Men's Night. As a result, I am starting with some general musings prior to talking about what happened yesterday evening. If this doesn't appeal to you, skip to the end to see the results from last night.

Everyone seems to like different golf balls. Some spend $65 a dozen for premium balls. Others get them by the plastic case at Walmart. Many of us are partial to a particular brand, but others hit whatever comes out of their bag for the next shot.

Ball selection may even change depending on circumstances. For example, many people hit a ball of lesser quality for the first tee shot of the day or on a harder hole. Sometimes the better or newer balls don't come out if it is too windy. Often we use higher quality balls during tournaments. All of those things are reasonable and within the rules of golf. What you can't do is replace a ball mid hole unless it is lost. I bet once a week I see someone hit a distance ball off the tee and swap it out for a different ball for an approach.

Certainly better golf balls perform best under ideal conditions. Maybe they go a little straighter and farther off the tee. The reality is for the slower swing speeds of the average golfer, the difference is negligible. Most of us aren't hitting high spin shots into greens. Few of us are shaping the ball to the left and right at will. Also, if you are someone who loses 3-4 balls an outing, a more expensive golf ball is likely not going to help you.

All I know is when I am standing over a $5 golf ball I feel a little less confident than with a $1 ball. It isn't that I think I will hit it badly. It is simply that I would rather not lose it. There's enough things to think about when hitting a ball. I would rather not care whether or not my next shot results in a missing ball.

My advice to you is to spend as much money as you want on golf balls. Hit what you think suits your game or what makes you feel confidant. Whether you spent $20 a dozen or $60 really doesn't matter. However, feel free to buy those premium balls. I love finding them on the course.

I assume that there were lots of balls lost last night given the wind. Scores ranged from 36 to 59 and there seemed to be lots of use of the Men's Night max. Skins went on only two holes. Brothers Cyril and Derek Patterson teamed up for $34.38 on #3 while Myles Shingoose and Phil Ostash won $20.00 on #4.

Closest to the pins were Blake Hunter on #5 and Scott Maynes on #9. That's three weeks in a row on the same hole for Maynes. Scott shared the $54.38 deuce pot with Cyril Patterson and Stephen David.

Good luck to everyone playing in the Hamiota match play tournament this weekend.

Counting Holes Isn't Everything

 

When I do this Men's Night update quickly, I often write a little bit more than just the results. Such is the case this week. If this doesn't appeal to you skip to the last three paragraphs.

This image at the start of this blog is an excellent representation of why most of us golf. It is quite accurate for me other than the walking down the fairway part. I only walk on the golf course when my cart breaks down during the round.

Take this last Wednesday for instance. As is often the case, I got out at 2:00 pm and was joined by three friends. Another joined us for the Men's Night round. When that was finished, we joined five other guys for two-man best ball. We played until it was too dark to see. 

Throughout the afternoon and evening, there were both good and bad shots and small amounts of money changed hands to pay off wagers. At the end of the day, it didn't matter what your score was or how you played. The important was that we got to hang out with some friends on a nice day in July doing something that we enjoyed.

Last year I started tracking the holes that I played. As of Wednesday, I have 1239 holes over 47 times golfing. At the same time last year I had 1125 holes and finished with 1818. While my goal isn't to get to a certain number, it is to play as much as I can. We spend our long and cold winters looking outside wishing the weather was better. We need to take advantage of it when it is good. Also, I don't want to make the hole tracking a competition, especially given that Scott Martin has 1454 holes in as of today.

One noteworthy thing about my 1239 holes this year, only 18 were played on my own. Two times I went out and played nine. On both occasions I found it a bit boring and wished I was playing with someone else.  I tried playing an extra ball but that just seemed to extend the boredom.

On Wednesday I played 51 holes for the day. There were 25 others who joined me for the official Men's Night round. The vast majority of those out played a bit either before or after Men's Night

Skins went on four holes. Jason Gorrell / Noah Street won $20.00 for #4. Jason's win was assisted by his chip in eagle on the par 5 hole. Other winners included Stephen David / Mike Susinski ($39.38) on #7 and Robin Kimpinski / Ron Sopko ($20.00 on #8, $85.63 on # 9).

Closest to the pins were Scott Maynes on #5 and Robin Kimpinski on #9. Both scored twos on the evening to share the $50.75 deuce pot with three others - Cubby Bartram, Brad Benton, and Pete Ostash.

The ringer board ends on August 25 so those involved need to start thinking about locking up some scores. Rob Kimpinski added another birdie to get his season total to -7 with three holes to record. Brad Benton is one stroke behind at -6 while Darcy Kowalchuk and Scott Maynes are both at -5.

Revenge of the Dummy

Last week, the infamous dummy card struck again. It presents itself when we have an odd number of golfers. Sometimes it is helpful and allows someone to win a skin on their own. Other times it isn’t so kind. Such was the case on Wednesday.

Jason Gorrell had a great two on the par 4 first hole. He paired with someone who birdied for a net 5. Normally -3 on a single hole would be a guaranteed win. However, Jason was also the middle score of 37 golfers. As the middle score, we replicated his card and called it the “Dummy”. Jason’s card went to the low pot and his dummy went to the high pot where it also paired with someone who had a birdie on 1. So the two combined 5’s pushed.

On a positive note, the first hole wasn't worth much...just $23.13. Also, Jason also split the $69.38 deuce pot with Keith Martin.

Closest to the holes were Montana Sutherland on #5 and Scott Maynes on #9. 

Skins went on three holes. Winners included Jay Bell / Logan Tanner ($48.13 on #3), Dale Martin / Darcy Kowalchuk ($48.13 on #4), and Theoren Hunter / Sonny Blackbird ($48.13 on # 8.

There are five weeks remaining to get scores entered on the ringer board. If you don't get scores in for particular holes you automatically get assigned triple bogies.

Our annual horse race tournament is Saturday, August 14. We had to move from our regular day in July due to uncertainty about the health orders. We recognize that this may create conflicts for some people. Anyone interested in signing up for the Horse Race is asked to call or text Stephen David at 847-0161.

Holy Smokes!

Since Men's Night is in one day, I need to do this writeup for last week. As I type away, I see that the forecast for tomorrow is "Mainly cloudy. Widespread smoke". Interestingly, the layer of smoke will knock the daytime high down to 22 Celsius despite a humidex of 30. Other than the smell, the smoke doesn't bother me but I am sure that there are others who don't fare so well. It is likely not a fun time to be asthmatic.

Manitoba golf conditions are so varied. We hit balls with snow still on the ground while also playing during heat waves. Wind is so frequent that it throws you off a bit when it is calm on the course. But smoke is a whole different thing. From what I have read, it is relatively safe to be out golfing in such conditions as long as you don't have a pre-existing condition or vulnerability.

On a positive note, it has rained fairly steady today and that has the potential to reduce the smoke in the air. Let's hope it continues raining through the night to clean the air and to give farmers a much needed soaking.

Last week, we had a season high of 40 golfers. One neat thing was that the middle score was 44. There were six of them and three went up and three went down. Then after the random draw, all the 44's paired with another 44.

Skins went on four holes. Winners included Jason Gorrell / Ron Huberdeau ($25.00 on #1), Joel Ostash / Troy Chwaluk ($46.25 on #2), Robin Kimpinski / Darren Ostash ($88.75 on #6), and Ron Susinksi / Mike Susinski ($66.25 on #7).

Charles McKay was closest to the pin on #5 while Nathan Nowasad was closest on #9. Charles converted his birdie to share the $75.00 deuce pot with Troy Chwaluk.

Anyone interested in signing up for the Horse Race, please let me know.

No Laying Up on Men's Night

 

How do you approach Men's Night golf? Are you slow, steady and analytical or do you grip it and rip it?

Men's Night is an interesting time for golf. Some people play a composed game while focusing primarily on their score. Others play a little more freely, favouring the big shot over the safe play. Two things seem to be true regarding these varied approaches. Firstly, whatever you choose to do is right for you. Secondly, whatever you choose to do will cause someone to question your choice.

My personal game on a typical Wednesday transitions from Door #1 to #3 from 2:00 to 9:00 pm. I start off taking my time and thinking about my shots before getting a little looser as the day progresses. Usually my end game is a hybrid of caution and aggression. Of course, when I hit a driver on the first hole, I hear how I shouldn't hit that club there. Then when I lay up on #7, I am asked why I don't go for the green in two. 

On Wednesday, we had 34 golfers which seems to be our weekly average this past month. Skins went on five holes. Winners included Rhys Lanouette / Phil Ostash ($41.25 on #1), Robin Kimpinski / Cubby Bartram ($41.25 on #3), Scott Maynes / Theoren Hunter ($21.25 on #4), Alexander Maddess / Kendal Koroscil ($41.25) on #5, and Reegan Kominko / Noah Street ($21.25 on #9).

Closest to #5 was Charles McKay and closest on #9 was Sonny Blackbird. Only Sonny converted his birdie and he shared the $63.75 deuce pot with Nathan Maynes.

If you didn't get your cheque for a prize they will be on the board next week. Usually I go in as soon as my round ends and wait for an hour or so as people slowly turn in cards. Then I do the prizes and drive around the course and deliver cheques to anyone who is still around.

This week I took a different approach. As I finished nine, five kind gentlemen from Wayway allowed me to join them and we played a nine hole scramble. At the end of the day, I played 50 holes in total.

The weekend has a great forecast. Whether you plan on golfing or something else, have a good one.

Hello July

Once July hits there is a lot going on...mainly leisure related. Consequently, my blog updates get briefer and usually focus solely on the results. I am not sure of the readership of the blog but I view it as a historical document. I want my future grandson to know what happened in 2021 in case he is running Men's Night in 2045.

Last week we had 32 golfers. Skins went on five holes. Winners included Sonny Blackbird / Charlie McNabb ($61.25 on # 2), Dale Martin / Keith Martin ($20.00 on #4), Brad Benton / Jamie Kaskiw ($20.00 on #8), and Jason Gorrell / Ron Susinski ($77.50 on #9).

Closest to the pins were Jim Geekie on #5 and Myles Shingoose on #9. Neither converted their birdie.

The $60.00 deuce pot was shared by Scott Maynes and Robin Kimpinski. Robin's two was a chip in eagle on #1.

Robin added a birdie on #3 to get to -5 on the ringer board. He leads Brad Benton and Maynes by 1 stroke and Darcy Kowalchuk by 2.

A Quick Update

There were 36 golfers on Men's Night which was our highest turnout of the year. Six skins went which is high for over 30 golfers. Winners included Nick Roulette / Theoren Hunter ($41.25 on #1), Brad Benton / Kendal Koroscil ($22.50 on #3), Darcy Kowalchuk / Logan Tanner ($57.50 on #4 and $64.25 on #7), Scott Maynes / Myles Shingoose ($71.25 on #5), and Alex Maddess / Keith Martin ($80.00 on #8).

Closest to the holes were Charles McKay on #5 and Pete Ostash on #9. The $67.50 deuce pot was claimed by Jason Neufeld.

An Unfortunate Delay

Each year we lose 1-2 Men's Nights due to heavy rain. Sometimes numbers are low at the start or end of the season due to cooler temperatures. However, losing four in a row this year due to health orders really sucked. I can't imagine many safer places for viral transmission than having 2-4 guys playing golf on the 70-75 acres that make up our golf course. I understand the need for health orders but it was hard to understand why we couldn't golf when 100's of people could be jammed in Walmarts across the province.

Fortunately, that month-long shutdown is over and we were able to return to play this past Wednesday. There were 30 golfers this week. Scott Maynes had a solid evening, recording a score of 35 with three birdies. Scott also combined with Alexander Maddess for skins on two holes ($48.75 on #3 and $64.38 on #6). Those were the only skins of the evening.

Closest to the hole on #5 was Nathan Maynes and on #9 was Donovin Tanner. The only deuce of the evening was Kendal Koroscil who chipped in from in front of #9. He won $56.25 for his efforts.

Hopefully, sometime in the near future, they will open patios and the restaurant so that we can have some food together after the round and support Francis's business even further.

For the record, I have no idea how big the golf course is. I checked online and it suggested that most golf courses range between 100-180 acres with a typical 9 hole running around 70. I also know the campground is 14 acres so I just estimated.

COVID Restricts Men's Night

There will be no formal Men's Night for the next few weeks. A new provincial health order states that organized team, league play events, or competitions such as Ladies Night, Men’s Night, Club leagues or Match Play events are not allowed at this time under Order 13 (4). Our hope is that this order ends as scheduled on May 30. 

In the interim, we will not be doing Men's Night group skins or prizes for closes to the hole, deuce pot, or hole in one.

You are still permitted to golf on Wednesday. For non-members, we will honour the reduced Men's Night rate of $10 for green fees during this shutdown. Also, if numbers warrant we will also look at running the beer cart on Wednesdays.

There are two additional current measures that impact golf. Firstly, group sizes should not exceed 5 golfers. Secondly, they have reintroduced the restriction from last year which states that you should only share a golf cart with members of your own household.

I suppose we should be grateful that we can even play given that Ontario is currently restricting all golf. This is a small inconvenience that we can easily handle for the greater good.

Last Mens' Night for a While

There were 26 golfers on Wednesday. Conditions weren't bad but a typical windy night for Shoal Lake in May. It started off warm but got progressively windier and cooler.

Skins went on three holes. Winners include Charles McKay / Brandon Cloud ($20.00 on #1), Scott Maynes / Stephen David ($20.00 on #2), and Austin Hunter / Theoren Hunter ($38.75 on #7).

Chad Tanner was closest to the hole on both #5 and #9. He was not able to covert either birdie. There were four deuces by Scott Maynes, Dawson Tanner, and Montanna Sutherland.

This will be our last Mens' Night for a couple of weeks as new public health orders will be preventing outdoor gatherings. Hopefully, we get back at it sooner than later.

Here We (I) Go Again

We have an older crowd generally at Men's Night but it is skewing younger the last year or so. Such was the trend again to start the 2021 season. I didn't do an official count but we had 22 guys for our first Men's Night and likely half were under 25. Therefore I think I need to get the Whitesnake reference in early.

On the first round of the year, we had skins go on four holes. Winners included Dawson Tanner / Logan Tanner ($36.88 on #1 and $20.00 on #2), Charles McKay / Reegan Kominko ($36.88 on #4), and high school buds Robin Kimpinski / Milt ($29.38 on #9).

Closest to #5 was Charles McKay and closest on #9 was Milt. I was going to use his last name but he is up there with those single-named celebrities such as Madonna, Adele, and Kermit. Neither Charles nor Milt made their putt and no one else recorded a deuce on the evening.

The Ringer Board started off again with Darcy Kowalchuk jumping out to an early lead at -1. He's technically tied for first but I gave him credit because he's my buddy and he's getting older and I wanted to give him a shout-out. Plus, alphabetically he is first.

It looks like a great day for golf tomorrow. The warm weather is about to begin.