How lucky were our Birch Ridge Golf Association Junior Golf Campers this past Wednesday? Real lucky! PGA Professional Chip Beck came to Soldotna and put on a quite a show for our miniature duffers. The personal instruction Beck gave to our juniors was truly invaluable for their development. The Clarion already did an excellent job covering Beck’s day in Thursday’s paper so I won’t go into great detail, but I want to say one thing. …

I have never seen a golfer hit 3-iron flop shots one after another as beautifully as Chip Beck. In fact, I’m not sure if I have ever seen anyone hit a 3-iron flop successfully. Beck, with nearly 40 kids standing a few feet to his right (right in the shank zone!), with no warm-up, feathered one 3-iron after another high into air before the ball landed softly next to the hole. Wow. …

The PGA Tour has had a long running marketing slogan, “These Guys are Good”. Chip Beck is good.

Old Folks Golf

Nineteen of the most wonderfully cranky old persons you’ll ever meet graced Birch Ridge with their presence Monday morning for senior league play. The company has been so pleasant this summer two ladies decided to join the group making for an eventful contest. Pat McElroy managed to rise above his fellow competitors to post his first low-net triumph of the young year. Gary Davis hit a shot unlike any other at the sixth for closest-to honors. Gordon “Slicker than Criscoe” Briscoe greased his trusty iron at the eighth before capturing closest to. The lovable lefty Tom Hodel rolled in the long putt at the finishing hole.

Tuesday Morning Ladies League

Heads were spinning round and round Tuesday morning as the dazzling dames headed out to conquer the Birch Ridge links. Chiya “Pet” Bazan placed her golf ball very close to the cup at the eighth, a shot no other woman could match, to claim closest to. Tanya “Two-Step” Boedeker took home low-gross honors by playing beautiful golf while Chiya won low net. Tanya also won the Bingo-Bango-Bongo contest. I have no idea what that is.

Thursday Night Couples

We had to tell more than a few couples to get a room Thursday night during another round of golfing romance at Birch Ridge. Dave “Super Bowl Champ” Keating paired with his lovely wife, and St. Louis Rams fan, Sharon, to post a score lower than any other couple. Dapper Dennis Simmons and his bride, Diane, played well enough to finish one position off the lead. The Boedeker’s march to golfing immortality continued with another finish on the podium.

Golf Joke of the Week

Two golfers join up at the first for a game and each explains they have a psychological problem and need to play differently.

It appears they both have the same doctor who has prescribed a game of golf using an imaginary golf ball to reduce stress.

And so they hit off with their imaginary balls. After hitting eagles, pars, birdies and keeping down the middle they reach the 18th.

The first one indicates because they are equal in their score that he should hit first so he hits off with his imaginary ball.

“Look at that, a beautiful shot just on the edge of the green.” The second guy hits his imaginary ball and indicates that it has also landed on the edge, next to the other ball.

The first guy lines up and putts. “You wouldn’t believe it, my ball just rolled into the cup, I win!” The second guy responds, “You won’t believe it either, you just hit my ball.”