Our first Men's Night of 2025 is this Wednesday, May 7 at 6:30 pm. 

Let's make it an enjoyable and memorable season. It is time of excitement that includes optimism regarding new swing thoughts, hopes of more consistent play, and often new clubs and equipment.

Here's to 2024!

 

The season came to a close on a beautiful day last Wednesday. The day before the Club House closed for the year, we had 25 golfers at Men's Night. 

Reegan Kominko and Wes Arnfinson combined for three skins ($58.76 on #4, $34.37 on #5, and $34.37 on #9. Reegan also claimed the $69.38 deuce pot. 

The only other skin went to Robin Kimpinski and NathaN Nowasad who won $34.37 on #3. Closest to the holes were Ashton Tanner on #5 and Ryden Lanouette on #9.

As is my practice, this final blog includes a summary of the year. Here are some of the highlights from this past season, filled with memorable moments, friendly competition, good laughs, and plenty of camaraderie.

Big Picture Highlights:

• Robin Kimpinski topped the money list with $376.85.
• Ryden Lanouette was the ringer board champion.
• We played a total of 24 times, with over 60 golfers winning money, including closest-to-the-pin contests.
• Despite a generous pot, no one was able to achieve that elusive hole-in-one.
• Remarkably, despite some erratic weather, we did not have a single canceled night all summer.
• There were more than a few evenings that ended with some poker at the campground.

Season Highlights:

• Our first round was on May 8. The following week, Wes Arnfinson cashed in for almost $200 with a huge deuce, a closest-to-the-pin win, and a shared skin.
• June was marked by challenging weather. On June 2, gusts reached 70 km/h, and the following week, there was a tornado emergency alert. Although some spouts touched down in the region and hail was a concern, we still managed to play on Men's Night, even with incredibly wet course conditions. That night, Joel Ostash was closest on both par 3s, a rare achievement for the season.
• July kicked off with an interesting mix of scores ranging from 32 to 56, with ten players finishing below 40 and another ten going 50 or higher. We had our best turnout of the year with four golfers, despite no one from Wayway participating. Fred Hrycak had a standout round on July 24, scoring 37 with four birdies.
• In August, Ryden Lanouette wrapped up the ringer board with a final score of -8. Fred Hrycak came within inches of glory when his tee shot on #9 just missed going in.
• September featured consistent turnouts, with plenty of skins being won as we started winding down with earlier tee times.
• October was fantastic, marking the first time that we had two Men's Night rounds after October 1. The first night was extremely cold, but the following week brought beautiful weather.

As we close the chapter on this season, I want to thank each of you for your participation and enthusiasm. It’s the friendships we’ve built and the memories we’ve created that truly make our Men's Night special. Whether you were a frequent player or joined us for a few rounds, your presence helped make our Wednesday nights worthwile. Here’s to 2024...and here's to a short winter! 

Embracing the Cold

 

It was pretty cold out last week. When we teed off at 5:30 it was about 10 Celsius with wind gust up to 50 km/hr. By the end of the round, it was around 7 Celsius air temperature with a pretty good windchill. 

But 12 of us still golfed. It was uncertain until around 5:20 pm when the last couple of guys arrived. People bundled up, wore toques, and spent more time in carts with sides on and windshields up.

These days at the start of the season and the end of the season can be unpredictable with weather. But even on a day like last week, I think of the upcoming 6-7 months we will spend away from the golf course. I think of those days in January when I look out onto the frozen wasteland that is Manitoba, wishing I could be outside hitting golf balls.

This week we are lucky. The weather is forecasted for a high around 24 with mimimal wind. Remarkable weather for golf. And this will be our final Men's Night of the year, given that the Club Hose closes on Thursday.

For last week's recap, only one skin went. Reegan Kominko and Joe Shwaluk combined for a $20 pot on #9. There were no deuces. Closest to the pins were Pete Ostash on #5 and Stephen David on #9. The low round of the evening was a 40 carded by both Pete and Reegan.

October is Almost Here

Before I write anything else, we will try for a 5:30 pm start this week. If you are a little late, no problem.

It is always a good sign when we get 20 Men's Nights in a season. We hit that number last week. Also, the forecast looks very reasonable for this week. That means we will play in October. That doesn't happen every year. 

We also did not have a single cancellation this summer, which is quite rare. Usually those happen due to heavy rain or wet conditions. We could have lost a night back on June 12. That was the day of the tornado warnings and heavy rain and hail in the region. However, the sky turned blue around 6:00 pm the same day and we were able to get the round in despite the extremely wet ground conditions.

I usually make a similar statement at this time of year. I remind people that these golfing days are getting fewer and far between. Soon we will pack away our clubs for that 6-7 month long period. So if you get a chance to golf you should take it. But maybe not today. As I write this, there is a wind warning. The highest breezes are forecasted for 4:00 pm when the wind will be close to 60 km/hr and with gusts as high 85 km/hr.

Last Wednesday, we had 18 golfers. Three people made money. Skins went on two holes with the Cole Hunter/Jason Neufeld pairing claiming both $20.00 on #8 and $24.38 on #9. Cole also had the only deuce to claim the $73.13 pot. Neuf was also closest to the pin on #9. Braeden Allen ws closest to the pin on #5. The low round of the evening was Charles McKay's 38.

Late Season Golf

This is the time where it is best to embrace some Fall golf. The days are getting shorter but the weather is still very nice. Sure there may be a few more leaves on the ground but the fairways and greens are still in excellent shape.

The 21 of us who played last week seemed to enjoy it. Jason Gorrell and Ethan Hunter likely had fun. They combined for two skins...$20 on #2 and an amazing $242.51 on #8.

Other winners included Logan Tanner/Paul Lucas ($24.38 on #1), Zach Bartram/Dawson Tanner ($82.51 on #3), Pete Ostash/Wes Arnfinson ($92.51 on #5), and Jason Neufeld/Charles McKay ($62.51 on #7).

Logan also had closest to the hole on #9. Wes was closest on #5. There were no deuces.

With the earlier sunsets, we will tee off at 5:45 pm effective this week.

From Fairways to Workdays: A Late Season Update

 

At the end of the season, when I get back to work, my blog entries tend to get shorter and come later. That's just the way it is. I love golf and enjoy updating the blog, but sometimes neither are priorities. So here is the update from last Wednesday, seven days afer it happened.

Of the 18 golfers, four won skins. Winners included Joel Ostash/Ron Huberdeau ($69.38 on #2 and $128.76 on #6) and Jason Neufeld/Stephen David ($69.38 on #9).

Neuf had the only deuce of the night for $33.75. Closest to the holes were Zach Bartram on #5 and Robin Kimpinski on #9.

It Happened Last Week

Last Wednesday we had 29 golfers. Only two skins were awarded. Winners included Robin Kimpinski/Stephen David ($185.65 on #1) and Chad Tanner/Shane Kimpinski ($96.26 on #4). 

Robin's two on the par 4 first hole was the only deuce of the evening, earning him the $54.38 pot.

Chad scored the low round of the evening with a 34.

Closest to the pins were Sonny on #5 and Vern on #9.

Ryden Lanouette - Ringer Board Champion

The ringer board came to an end on Wednesday with Ryden Lanouette finishing at -8. Ryden had one hole remaining and got a par on #9 to secure the victory. Finishing second and thrid in the first flight were Phil Otash at -5 and Robin Kimpinski at -4. Darcy Kowalchul also had a -4 but lost on a countback. The second flight was also won in a countback of -2 scores with Fred Hyrcak edging out Ethan Hunter. 

In other Men's Night news, there were 32 players on Wednesday. Robin Kimpinski and Logan Tanner combined to win the only skin of the night, getting $125.01 on #8. Their individual prize shares vaulted them into the top two spots on the season money list ahead of Wes Arnfinson.

Closest to the pins were Darcy Kowalchuk on #5 and Phil Ostash on #9.

Tim Gianotti had a two on the par four first hole to claim the $60.00 deuce pot. He also paired with a four which should have been enough to claim the large $167.52 skin. Unfortunately, another high/low duo both scored birdies to push the hole.

Almost!

This is a visual representation of what I heard happened last Wednesday. I was away but it was reported that Fred Hyrcak almost had a hole-in-one on #9, coming up 6 inches short while right on line. Nice try Fred. Hopefully someone will hit that jackpot prior to the end of this season. It will be worth at around $3500 tomorrow evening.

I can't report much else from last week other than the prizes. I have been away two weeks in a row so I am looking forward to getting back at it tomorrow. Thanks to the boys who looked after Men's Night in my absence.

Not surprisingly, Fred was closest on #9. Reegan Kominko was closest on #5. Both converted their birdies to share the $60.00 deuce pot.

There were 33 golfers last week buut we were short $10 so prizes were based on the $320. collected.

Skins went on just one hole. Neuf and Milt combined to win $20.00 on #7. There are two holes (#1 and 8) already worth over $100. The sixth hole could also get past that level if we get a good turnout tomorow.

Navigating the Waters of Lakeside

 

Given the name Lakeside golf course, we typically don't have a lot of water in play. That is fine with me. We have the ponds on #3 and #7. Occasionally, an errant shot can find the lake on the right side of #8 or go over the back of #9. Of course, we had the additional challenges of on-course causal water due to the heavy rain in June. Like this week's meme, it sometimes seems that if there is water somewhere, it is easier to find than we would like. And the tool to help you find the water is your trusty golf club, whether it's your driver or an iron. The one that frequently surprises people is the pond on the right side of #7. You can be inside 100 yards with a clear path to the pin, yet the ball occasionally goes off to the right. That happens with other shots but the impact is much greater on that hole. It quickly turns a birdie chance into a hope for a bogey.

One positive development on our course is the recent removal of weeds from the pond on #3. It is easier to see shots that clear the pond and how they finish. Thanks to the maintenance crew for cleaning up that area.

I am not sure how the water impacted play last Wednesday. I was away getting rained on at the end of a round in Poplar Ridge. From what was reported, the rain wasn't too much of an issue in Shoal Lake.

The 32 golfers combined to win four skins and get three deuces. Skins winners included Paul Lucas/Ron Huberdeau ($38.13 on #2), Joel Ostash/Joe Shwaluk ($20.00 on #3), Derek Patterson/Blake Hunter ($20.00 on #7), and Scott Maynes/Kevin Bartram ($59.38 on #9). 

Paul, Derek, and Scott split the $60.00 deuce pot. Scott was closest on #5 and Derek hit it tightest on #9.

Remember there are only two weeks remaining to record scores for the ringer board, August 21 and 28. Last week, Ryden Lanouette added a birdie on #7 to get to -8. Jason Gorrell and Phil Ostash are 1 and 2 strokes behind the leader respectively.  For any holes for which one doesn't enter a score, you will receive a triple bogey.

Another Quick One

This will be a quick update. The picture represents an experience that we all have occasionally.

There were 29 golfers last week. Only three skins went. Winners included Jason Neufeld/Hayden Mackedenski ($20.00 on #3), Stephen David/Paul Lucas ($39.38 on #5), and Darcy Kowalchuk/Ron Huberdeau ($39.38 on #7).

Closest to the pins were Ryden Lanouette on #5 and Scott Maynes on #9. The $54.37 deuce pot was shared by Ryden, Scott, Stephen David, and Milt.

There are only three weeks to lock in scores for the ringer board. The final night is August 28. Currently Jason Gorrell and Ryden Lanouette are leading with -7.

The Weather Has Been Good

 

This seems to be the annual trend. The season starts off promising, then the weather is less than ideal, and then it improves in July. Such has been the case this year. While this photo is an internet meme, I have seen many legs and feet that look similar. This is the classic golfer's tan.

Last week was a beautiful day for the 34 golfers in attendance. The low score was 37, Closest to the holes were Jason Neufeld on #5 and Joe Shwaluk on #9. Pete Ostash was the lone winner of the $63,75 deuce pot.

Skins went on three holes. Winners included Darren Ostash/Wayne Griffin ($21.25 on #2, $21.25 on #5) and Robin Kimpinski/Brent Allen ($46.88 on #3).

For those participating in the ringer board, there are four more weeks to record scores. The final night is August 28.

The Night Before Men's Night

Well...it is 9:00 pm on a Tuesday, the day before Men's Night. I am just now doing the blog because of a combination of being busy and being inattentive. In any case, here is what happened six days ago.

There were 41 golfers. Skins went on six holes. Closest to the pins were Braeden Allen on #5 and Nick Roulette on #9. Fred Hrycak and Ryden Lanouette split the deuce pot of $135.02.

Fred had a fantastic evening. He had a 37 with four birdies. He also paired with the dummy for a $25.63 skin on #6.

Other skin winners inclided Mark Williams/Chris Hogg ($25.63 on #2), Braeden Allen/Bill Flynn ($25.63 on #4), Robin Kimpinski/Kevin Bartram ($45.01 on #5), Jayden Nowasad/Jim Geekie ($45.01 on #7), and Scott Maynes/Nathan Nowasad ($45.01 on #9).

That's it for this week. My goal is not to wait until next Tuesday to do the next update.

Wednesday Recap

It is an extremely nice outside on this Friday afternoon...hot, clear skies, and almost little wind. Consequently this will be a quick blog entry.

There were 31 golfers on Wednesday. Skins continued to go at a high rate with 5 holes going. After two previous evenings of multiple deuces, there were none this week.

Hole winners included Robin Kimpinski/Wes Arnfinson ($19.38 on #2), Ryden Lanouette/Joe Shwaluk ($19.38 on #3), Pete Ostash/Jim Geekie ($19.38 on #4), Blake Hunter ($42.51 on #6), and Cyril Patterson/Cubby Bartram ($42.51 on #8). Closest to the holes were Theoren Hunter on #5 and Barry Shama on #9.

Don't forget our next two tournaments...the Horse Race on July 27 and the 55+ on July 30.

Rollercoaster Weather

Boy we have strange weather. On Wednesday, we had the best Men's Night conditions of the year with blue skies, warm temperatures, and minimal wind. 

As I write this on Friday morning, we are still scheduled to have one of the hottest days of the year. The forecast is for a high of 32 with a humidex of 41. It was already quite warm early in the day. Then at 9:10 am, the sky turned black and now we are in the middle of a significant low pressure system with high winds and rain. 

We actually have three separate weather alerts right now. There is both a watch and a warning for thunderstorms. About a month ago we had the same, but for tornados. If you aren't sure of the difference, watches are intended to raise awareness to the potential for hazardous weather conditions, and typically serve as a lead-up to a warning. Warnings are issued when sever weather is either imminent or occuring. Right now it is occuring.

Back to golf. Two weeks in a row, we have had a high number of winners. Skins went on seven holes for the second consecutive time and there were multiple deuces. 

The scores on Wednesday ranged from 36 to 55 for the thirty seven golfers. There were nine people who shot 46. Closest to the pins were Noah Street on #5 and Darren Ostash on #9. They split the $69.38 deuce pot with Jason Gorrell.

Skins winners inclued Joel Ostash/Wayne Griffin ($23.13 on #2), Dave Gill/Jason Gorrell ($23.13 on #3 and $50.63 on #9), Theoren Hunter/Braeden Allen ($23.13 on #4), Scottt Maynes/John Gill ($96.26 on #7), and Sonny Blackbird/Nathan Nowasad ($23.13 on #7).

Gorrell had three birdies, on holes 3, 8, and 9. This helped him to jump into second place on the ringer board at -5. He and Robin Kimpinski are one stroke behind leader Phil Ostash.

Don't forget to sign up for upcoming tournaments, including the Horse Race on July 27 and the Seniors on July 30.

How Low Can You Go?

There were some low scores and some high scores on Wednesday. In fact, there was a 24 stroke difference between the top and the bottom. That is for nine holes. There were around ten scores under 40 and another ten or so over 50.

Two golfers carded an amazing 32 which is -4. Congrats to Matt Ostash and Buck Morton for their stellar play. Matt's was noteworthy given that it included a bogey on eight.

The high score was 56. That golfer shall remain nameless out of respect for his family. Interestingly, one of the 32's paired with this score and the other 32 found a 49 as a partner. Neither won skins.

Those 32's were one off the nine-hole Men's Night record of 31. I had the pleasure of being in the group on both occasions previously. First there was Jason Wowryk whose 31 also had a bogey on eight. Plus he hit it into the reeds on the right side of hole #3. I actually found his ball and he put it to 10 feet on the green from about 140 yards away in almost waist-high cat tails. The other 31 belonged to Scott Maynes who went five under despite some heavily aerated greens. Scott avoided much of the plinko motion by hitting most of his approach shots within five feet.

After too many weeks of poor weather, we fnally had a nice evening. It was excellent scoring conditions with sun, limited wind, and soft, receptive greens. We did have a bit of a monsoon that hit around 9:30 pm which resulted in many guys rushing from the Club House to lower their bag covers or find shelter for their carts.

The better weather resulted in a great turnout with 44 golfers. Amazingly, that was without the Waywayseecappo contingent. Had they come we would have cracked 50 for the first time in several years. The positive attendance likely related to this being the first week of July with several new faces here for the Fundraiser tournament.

On an evening in which I realized that I only had six blank cheques, I was hoping for lots of pushes. Instead, skins went on 7 of 9 holes which likely is the most in a single night in recent history. Winners included Kendal Koroscil/Ken Wowryk ($27.50 on #1), Dale Martin/Sonny Blackbird ($46.25 on #2), Stephen David/Blake Hunter ($46.25 on #4), Derek Patterson/Cole Hunter ($118.58 on #4), Ethan Hunter/Garry Williamson ($73.13 on #6), B.J. Scott/Jason Neufeld ($27.50 on #7), and Reegan Kominki/Nathan Nowasad ($46.25 on #9).

Closest to the pins were Lunk Funk on #5 and Pete Ostash on #9. The $82.50 deuce pot was split five ways among Robin Kimpinski, Jim Geekie, Pete Ostash, Noah Street, and Phil Ostash.

Best wishes for a fun afternoon for everyone participating in the Fundraiser later today.

Double Birdies

Thirty guys showed up this past Wednesday for Men's Night. Scores ranged from a low of 35 to a high of 61.

Skins went on three holes...all won with a pair of birdies. Winners included Robin Kimpinski/Joe Shwaluk ($20.00 on #1), Charles McKay/Ashton Tanner ($45.63 on #7), and Jason Gorrell/Nathan Nowasad ($56.25 on #9). Closest to the pins were Pete Ostash on #5 and Zach Bartram on #9.

This is a big week for the golf course with the annual Fundraiser Tournament scheduled for this Friday. Let's home for minimal rain this week.

A Nice Turnout

It is interesting what better weather can do for attendance at Men's Night. This past Wednesday we had 43 golfers, easily our highest total of the season.

Usually with more players, fewer skins are won. However, there were five holes that went. Winners included Reegan Kominko/Jim Geekie ($43.13 on #1), Robin Kimpinski/Neuf ($43.13 on #2), Myles Shingoose/Ryden Lanouette ($26.88 on #3), Chad Tanner/James van de Velde ($51.88 on #8), and Ryan Mansell/Brett Allen ($86.89 on #9).

Jason Gorrell had closest to the pin on #5 and Ryan Mansell was closest on #9. Ryan and Jason also shared the $80.63 deuce pot.

Tornado Warning

Sometimes I don't know whether I am writing a golf blog or a weather blog. Certainly there has been a lot of focus on things of a meteorological nature this year.

Take this past Wednesday for example. As far as I can recall, this was our first tornado warning on a Men's Night. There were actually funnel clouds spotted in different communities throughout our region.

Around 3:30 - 4:00 pm, Shoal Lake was hammered with heavy precipitation, including hail, for about 15 minutes. During the deluge, I couldn't see the lake adjacent to my house. My road received 1.1 inches of rain in that time period. Shortly thereafter, I jumped on my cart and headed to the Club House.

When I arrived there were not many people around. I joined two guys to play a few practice holes. As we were about to hit our second shots on three, the sky opened up again. We picked up our balls and quickly found our way to the shelter on the rear of the maintenance shed. We stayed there until almost 6:15 pm.

Then something interesting happened. The clouds disappered and it suddenly was warm and sunny. The 24 guys who came to play had fairly good conditions for the round, with a few exceptions. My group started on #1 and were cruising along nicely until the sixth tee box. Suddenly, we could feel the pressure drop and saw dark clouds forming again to the west. We picked up our pace and finished the last three holes as fast as possible. As we putted on #9, a light rain started. That became a heavy downpour a few minutes later when we were inside our sheds. Some groups weren't so lucky, getting soaked because they were still playing.

I have not seen as much water on the course as was there on Wednesday. There was almost nowhere that was dry. There was a stream running in the low spot across #5 and #8 that was likely 8-10 feet wide at 4:30 pm. There were countless shots that hit fairways that were lost in newly-formed water hazards. The fourth hole was extremely saturated from the back tee well into the middle of the fairway. It was a mess.

On the golf side of things, it was a relatively successful evening. Joel Ostash did very well, getting the closest to the hole on both par 3's and splitting the $92.51 deuce pot with Robin Kimpinski. Skins went on four holes. Winners included Reegan Kominko/Ethan Hunter ($25.00 on #3, $60.01 on #6), Sean Blackbird/Jason Gorrell ($76.88 on #5), and Darren Ostash ($25.00 on #7).

Fast forward to today and we are still dealing with weather-related issues. There was a another storm last night which added more water to an already saturated nine holes. This resulted in a course closure for the day due to the grounds being too wet. I probably wouldn't be golfing anyway, given the wind gusts of over 70 km/hr. That wind likely was what caused a large tree to crack off onto our road. It looks fairly small in the picture but it took me a while to clear it away using a bow saw.

Normally I would look at the forecast and make positive comments about the expected weather for this Wednesday. I will forgo that this week because conditions have been so unpredictable as of late. If you are wondering what it will be like for our upcoming Men's Night, I recommend that you look at the sky at 6:20 pm, and hope that it stays reasonable for the next two hours.

Surviving the 70 km/hr Gale

I have written too much about windy golf. I have also noted how we often have less than ideal weather. So I guess there is not much to say about last Wednesday. It was cold and windy. So much so, we were worried we would not get enough guys. We ended up with 14. That isn't a lot for June. 

Two players didn't let the wind get them down. Phil Ostash and Cole Hunter combined for two skins, winning $20.00 on #1 and $109.39 on #2. Those were the only holes that went. Closest to #5 was Milt and closest to #9 was Stephen David. There were no deuces.

The wind last week was gusting to 70 km/hr. That is fairly significant. It was enough to break off a few tree branches. It made the par 4 sixth hole unreachable in two. It put the water on #3 in play for many golfers.

We live in a place of extremes. We have cold winters and hot summers. And there can be lots of variability from one year to the next. Take for example, June 5 which was last Wednesday's date. In 2009, the temperature only reached 0.5 Celsius. The record hight was 34.6 Celsius in 2019.

The 20 km/hr wind forecasted for this coming Wednesday is much more reasonable. But we know that weather can change quickly in Manitoba. Let's be optimistic. Maybe I will get to wear shorts golfing for the second time in 2024.