Chasing Daylight

Darkness is coming quicker, so for this coming week, you can start teeing off at 5:30 pm. If you can't make it by then, just find an open hole when you arrive and get going.

We didn't have Men's Night this past week. We need 10 golfers to make it official, but only 7 showed up. I guess you could blame it on the weather. It rained most of the day and only stopped around 5:00 pm, and it was a little cooler than we liked.

However, the seven who did show up played a four-versus-three scramble. That round ended in a tie around 8:45 pm. It was hard to see the ball on holes 7 and 8. On hole 9, you couldn't see your tee shot, so we used the cart lights to find our balls, chip, and putt. 

Thanks to the seven die-hards who made it: Blake Hunter, Vern Snyder, Wes Arnfinson, Terry Susinski, Ron Huberdeau, Sonny Blackbird, and Stephen David.

Harvest Season and High Scores

If you stepped outside at 8:00 am this morning and immediately felt your face or toes go numb, you weren’t alone. At 7°C, with a wind chill making it feel like 3°C, it was probably the first Saturday since May where the weather suggested it might not be a golf day. However, we are still having Men’s Nights and the overall forecast suggests we still don’t have to put the clubs away yet.

Speaking of Wednesday’s Men’s Night, a modest 22 golfers came to play. Around here, September means harvest time, and when the grain needs to come off the field, the golf clubs get benched. For the non-farmers who did show up, the evening started out fairly nice, right up until mid-round, when most guys started adding long sleeves or jackets.

Despite reasonable course conditions, the scores were surprisingly high. Ryden Lanouette had the only sub-40 score with a 37. The rest of the scores ranged from a middle score of 46 all the way up to a 56.

Only two skins were won. Stephen David and Robin Kimpisnki won $66.25 on #6 while Phil Ostash and Cohen Koroscil combined for $66.25 on #9.

Closest to the pins were Ryden Lanouette on #5 and Dave Mansell on #9.

The $41.25 deuce pot was shared by Rob Eastcott and Dave Mansell.

There are some pretty big skins available next week. Both #2 and #3 will be over $100.

The forecast for next week is promising. However, if it isn’t 20°C, we will be fine. A little crisp air doesn’t mean the end of golf. It just means our dress code needs an update. Put away the shorts, embrace the long pants, and get comfortable wearing a windbreaker. Heck, throw on a toque if you need it. After all, a warm hat is a small price to pay when there’s over a hundred bucks sitting on the line on the second and third holes.

One other interesting thing to note...Wednesday, September 30 is a stat holiday this year. If you aren't farming it might be a good opportunity to extend Men's Night into the afternoon before.

Don't Let the BER Months Scare You

So, we are entering the “BRR” months, though it’s really more about the “BER” months: September, October, November, and December. Many people assume the BRR acronym just references the weather getting colder. There is no arguing that it gets cooler in Manitoba as the fall progresses, but rememBER, it isn't winter yet. In fact, summer does not officially end until September 22, so technically, we still get two more official summer Men's Nights.

Many people have recently asked me how I feel about summer being over. My reply is that summer isn't over until the golf clubs go away and we start storing our patio furniture and yard tools for the winter. While I don't know for certain how long we have before the weather changes, I know that we still have time to enjoy outdoor activities. And remember, the last few years there have been Men's Nights in October.

We had another enjoyable evening yesterday. For the 24 golfers, the middle score was 44. Robin Kimpinski and Dave Mansell both led the way with a 37. The high score was a 57.

Closest to the holes were Robin on #5 and Orin McKay on #9. They both recorded twos on par 3’s to share the $157.50 deuce pot with Jim Geekie.

Skins went on three holes. Winners included Dave Mansell/Kevin Bartram ($135.01 on #5), Riley Swereda/Phil Ostash ($52.50 on #7), and Robin Kimpinski/Jim Geeke ($31.25 on #8).

Phil’s $26.25 share of the skin on #7 moved him to $318.50 on the season money list. This puts him back on top, 27 cents ahead of Stephen David who is at $318.23. It should be a good battle for first place over the last month or so of the season. Joel Ostash remains in striking distance at $292.23.

Even though the BER months are upon us, don’t pack up your golf bag just yet. And maybe wait a while before you add fuel stabilizer to your golf cart. The golden days of autumn golf are right around the corner. bringing crisp air, firm fairways, and limited excuses not to get a few more rounds in. We still have plenty of good weather ahead and several Men’s Night opportunities left before the snow flies.

Hopefully we see everyone next week.