Ringer Board Champion

There were 26 golfers on hand last night as Phil Ostash claimed the Ringer Board for 2026. Despite a bogey on hole 8, Phil's final score of -5 gave him the first-place finish. Stephen David and Scott Maynes both had -4 with Stephen placing second on a countback.

The second flight was claimed by Wes Arnfinson, edging out Brett Griffin on a countback.

The low round of the evening was Joel Ostash's 37. On the other end, a 55 was the highest. 

Closest to the holes were Darren Ostash on #5 and Stephen David on #9. Stephen converted the birdie to share the $112.50 deuce pot with playing partner Joe Shwaluk.

Skins went on five holes. Scott Maynes and Ron Huberdeau won two holes, including $20.00 on #1 and $120.01 on #5. Other winners included Cole Hunter/Mark Swereda ($81.88 on #3), Joel Ostash/Cohen Koroscil ($37.50 on #6), and Phil Ostash/Joe Shwaluk ($37.50 on #9).

The three golfers atop the season money list all added to their totals. Stephen David jumped from third to first and is now at $318.17. Joel Ostash is in second with $309.10 followed by Phil Ostash at $292.23.

Don't forget we tee-off at 6:00 pm for the remainder of the year.

Late Summer Golf

As we enter the final week of August, we will start 6:00 pm tee off this week. While I understand it is not ideal for everyone, the adjustment is necessary with the earlier sunset. This past week, a couple of groups actually finished as daylight was fading.

This coming week is also the final opportunity to add ringer board scores. Right now, Stephen David and Phil Ostash are tied at -6.

On Wednesday, we had 34 golfers. Riley Swereda continued his great scoring, leading the field with a 37. The high score was 53.

Two skins went. Riley combined with Wes Arnfinson for a $21.25 win on #1 while Scott Maynes and Keith Martin earned $65.63 on #8.

Closest to the pins were Phil Ostash on #5 and Ron Huberdeau on #9. They both won $20 for their efforts. We used to have sponsors for each hole but that ended about five years ago. Since then, we just take the money from the entry fee.

Each week, we collect $10 from each golfer. The nine individual hole skins receive 6.25% of the total collected. This accounts for 56.25% of the pot. When you add on the 12.5% for the hole-in-one and the 18.75% for the deuce pot, the total goes to $87.5%. The remaining 12.5% covers the two closest to the pins and other miscellaneous expenses. The latter aren’t significant or regular but include things such as new clipboards or banking expenses. For example, last week I picked up another 200 cheques for $80.

By the time mid to late August rolls around, Men’s Night takes on a completely different rhythm both in terms of the golf and the setting.

Sixteen weeks into the season, golfers usually fit into one of two groups. On one side, you have the guys who have their swings dialed in close to perfection, effortlessly hitting balls both down the middle and where they are aiming. On the other side are those of who are still tinkering with their swing. Whether we are playing well or struggling a bit, most of us are grateful to still be playing.

The changing season is impossible to ignore. The evening air has turned crisp, the sun sits lower at the end of the round, and the fading daylight is a subtle reminder that the golf season is winding down. Conversations on the course change from talking about the heat and mosquitoes to debating whether it’s time to add a sweater or a jacket during the round.

There are still some Men’s Night left. We generally go to the first or second week of October. However, the signs of fall are becoming harder to ignore. Before we know it, we’ll be putting the clubs away for another winter. For now, though, there are still rounds to play, scores to post, skins to chase and, perhaps most importantly, a few more Wednesday evenings to enjoy some time on the course with friends.

Missing Men’s Night Makes You Miss Men’s Night

I missed Men’s Night this week. A completely unavoidable absence, of course. Like many others, missing a Wednesday evening doesn’t mean you stop thinking about it. In fact, I texted a few times to get updates.

Since I wasn't there to witness the action firsthand, here is what I heard happened with the 36 golfers who played.

It was a big night for Joel Ostash. He split a $288.76 deuce pot with Vern Snyder and also paired with the dummy to claim a $96.26 skin on #9. Joel’s earnings on Wednesday vaulted him to first place in the season money list with $290.35. 

Phil Ostash moved into second place in the season money list. He split a $60.01 skin with Brent Allen which brings his total to $273.48. Stephen David sits third at $261.92.

Two other skins went on Wednesday. Orin McKay and Jordan Murray shared a $44.38 pot on #1 and Darren Ostash and Kevin Bartram won $44.38 on #6.

Closest to the pins were Ryden Lanouette on #5 and Keith Martin on #9.

The low score of the week was Riley Lanouette with another 34. Despite frequently being among the best rounds each week, this has not translated into significant earnings for him in 2026. That shows the nature of the random low/high pot pairings. That being said, most of us would trade any weekly skins to in exchange for shooting at or below par.

The high score was a 57. Interestingly, the middle round was 46, which is as high as we have seen it.

There was not a lot of movement on the ringer board. Stephen David still leads at -6 followed by Ryden Lanouette, Reegan Kominko, and Phil Ostash at -5. Of the three in second, Phil was the only one who added a birdie, moving up a position. Scott Maynes record another hole which leaves him just one empty spot on his scoresheet. That could position him well given that there are only two more weeks to record scores.

So far this year we have had 14 Men’s Nights. We started a bit late on May 13 and had one cancelled on July 1. There has been a total of $2694.88 in prizes paid out to 42 people, not including the closest to the holes.

After the rain on Friday, it looks like a great week of weather. Whatever your plans are, I hope you get to enjoy the outdoors. Hopefully we will see you all again this Wednesday.

The Deuce Pot Keeps Growing

This past Wednesday we had 36 golfers. Matt Ostash shot a 33 for the low score of the evening. The high round was 55. That may be one of the biggest gaps we have had between top and bottom scores.

Closest to the pin on #5 was Derek Patterson and on #9 was Scott Maynes. While not Men’s Night related, I would like to do a shout-out to Scott who was the Champion of our recent Horse Race. Craig Miller claimed the first flight while Ron Huberdeau won the second.

Skins only went on two holes. The father-and-son duo of Dave and Ryan Mansell paired up with two birdies to win $22.50 on #2. The other winners were Matt Ostash and Nathan Nowasad who got $38.13 for their combined 10 on the par-5 fourth hole.

The deuce pot of $223.13 went unclaimed. I am away next week, so I am hoping for either no deuces or five deuces. The latter is a long-standing tradition on Men’s Night. If there are five winners, the deuce pot is pushed to the next week. The individuals receive no money but the amount is added to their season earnings. This has only happened on a few occasions and often when the pot is small. However, it is likely that the pot will be $300 next week. So, the best advice I can give you is to get a deuce and hope that there are no more than three other golfers that do the same.

Another deuce pot practice that we don’t need to use often involves the possibility that someone gets multiple deuces. In this instance, they would get an apportioned part of the pot. For example, if there were four deuces next week, and Sonny Blackbird got two of them, he would get 50% of the prize.

Since I am mentioning Men’s Night rules or standards, I will also note how the hole-in-one pot works. Right now, we have three pots, the main one that is $4712,63 next week and two back-up pots of $2250. If one person or three people get an ace next Wednesday, they split the main pot. The backup pots are there in case someone else gets another hole-in-one a few weeks later.

Another one that has come up recently is the dummy card. We use this if there is an uneven number of players. Imagine there are 33 golfers on a given Wednesday. We divide them into groups of 17 and 16 with the extra one going low side. Then we replicate the middle score and write "Dummy" on the top. That one goes into the high pot. When we randomly match high-low partners, someone in the first group gets a chance to win alone if they get the dummy card.

Remember that the Ringer Board runs until August 26, so you have three more weeks to add scores. If you fail to enter a score, it is recorded as a triple bogey, as per the Men’s Night max rule.

A few people asked me when earlier tee times will begin. That typically does not happen until the end of August. We will keep you posted.

And finally, the Fundraiser Tournament that was postponed in early July is scheduled for next Friday and Saturday. Given a lower number of entrants than previously, one might imagine that it goes to just one day. If you are interested in more information, contact the Club House or check out the Lakeside Golf Course and Campground Facebook page.