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.
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.
