Birch Ridge Golf Report: Walker Cup is back as Peninsula Cup

As we reach the height of summer, competitions are heating up at Birch Ridge Golf Course.

Monday, Senior Men’s Golf was held and the format was three clubs (including putter, if you decided to use it). There were 21 participants and the winner was Mike Hollingsworth with a net 31.

He shot the best gross score he’d ever shot with three clubs — a driver, 7-iron and wedge. If you have talent, you don’t need 14 clubs. Steve Hammarstrom won closest to the pin at the sixth and Mike Hollingsworth won closest to the pin at the eighth. Longest putt went to George Stein.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Tuesday ladies day only had seven players. I think the ladies were tending their gardens and various other tasks in a busy summer. It was a beautiful day. Leona Jackson had both low net and won the “mystery hole.” Carmen Stephl had the longest putt at 19 feet.

Wednesday, Men’s Night was crowded with 24 players. The team of Jakob Brown, (a Jr.) Mark Baker, Trevor Baldwin and Jake Eveland won low gross with a score of 6-under-par 29. Trevor Baldwin also had two pure birdies, one on No. 2 and one on No. 7. Jakob Brown was closest to on both par 3s — Nos. 6 and 8.

Thursday, five couples came out for Couples Night. As there were only five couples involved, only the best net scores were considered.

The format was shamble, with both hitting a drive, then picking the best one and playing alternate shot into the hole. The twist was you had to use your significant other’s putter.

The scores were all high and the win was a tie between Gary Dawkins and Lori Riggs Bishop, and Pat and Myrna Cowan. Closest to the pin was Del Hoagland at the sixth. The weather was great. A super time was had by all.

Friday, I traveled to the Kenai Golf Course to meet with Gordon Griffin, Pedro McCall and Tommy Carver, with the purpose being to reinstate the Walker Cup. The event will now be called the Peninsula Cup as two pros from each team are allowed to participate.

Gordon Griffin will be the captain of the Kenai team and Pat Cowan will be the captain of the Birch Ridge team (with help from Zac Cowan and the organizer, Pedro McCall).

The dates of the competition are set as Aug. 15, 17 and 19. Format is match play — two-man best ball on Aug. 15, tee-off time 5:30 p.m. On Aug. 17, the format is two-man match play alternate shot, tee-off time 5:30 p.m. Aug. 19, it will be 12-man individual match play, tee-off time 11 a.m.

All matches will be held at the Kenai Golf Course because I lost the coin toss with Mike Chenault’s Speaker of the House coin.

More in Sports

Soldotna's Wyatt Faircloth celebrates his touchdown with Owen Buckbee and Dalton Armstrong on Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, at the First National Bowl Division II title game at Pride Field at Colony High School in Palmer, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
SoHi’s Armstrong commits to track and field at Mount St. Joseph

Soldotna’s Dalton Armstrong recently committed to continue his track and field career… Continue reading

tease
SoHi baseball opens season with loss, tie

The Soldotna baseball team opened its season Thursday at the Sitka American… Continue reading

The Seward cheerleading team. From left to right are head coach Jean Beck, freshman Sophia Hughes, junior Somi Clendaniel, junior co-captain Juniper Ingalls, junior captain Lola Swanson, sophomore Josie Andrews, sophomore Addison Gerlach and assistant coach Brittany Swanson. (Photo provided)
Seward cheerleaders lead peninsula with runner-up finish at state basketball competition

The Seward cheerleading team led the Kenai Peninsula by finishing second in… Continue reading

Rachel Johnson kicks the ball in May 2014 for the Nikiski soccer team at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. (Clarion file)
3 area athletes make Alaska High School Hall of Fame

Kenai Central’s AJ Hull, Nikiski’s Luke Johnson and Nikiski’s Rachel Johnson are… Continue reading

Kenai River Brown Bears goalie Owen Zenone saves a breakaway by Cole Christian on Saturday, March 29, 2025, at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Wolverines notch weekend sweep of Brown Bears

The Anchorage Wolverines pulled off a weekend sweep of the Kenai River… Continue reading

Seward's Ava Jagielski drives on Glennallen's Brejanay Stone-Jordan at the Class 2A girls state championship game Saturday, March 15, 2025, at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Peninsula puts 3 players on 1st-team all-state teams

The Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches announced its All-State Teams this week,… Continue reading

Soldotna’s Ryan Buchanan works to pin Kodiak’s Luke Lester during the boys 119-pound final of the Northern Lights Conference Championships Saturday, Dec. 14, 2024, at Palmer High School in Palmer, Alaska. (Photo by Jeremiah Bartz/Frontiersman)
SoHi’s Buchanan to wrestle at Morningside

Soldotna High School’s Ryan Buchanan has committed to wrestle for Morningside University… Continue reading

Soldotna's Ituau Tuisaula powers up against Nikiski's Kaycee Bostic on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2020, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
SoHi graduate Tuisaula completes season with loss in NCAA tourney

Soldotna High School graduate Ituau Tuisaula competed her senior season with Stephen… Continue reading

tease
Boonstra 5th, Hippchen 14th at USCSA nats

A pair of Kenai Central graduates had solid finishes at the U.S.… Continue reading

Most Read