by Bruce Braun
“My favorite shots are the practice swing and the conceded putt. The rest can never be mastered.” – Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, UK Politician.
OK, we’ve got a lot to get through here so hang in there. We’ve got the final standings for our Senior Men’s Club Championship and today’s 18 hole scramble results and a couple words about the survey today. Also, you may remember there was a season long attempt to get a hold of an original nine hole Beauty Bay scorecard. That didn’t quite happen. The oldest card found was from 1998 with much thanks to the sleuthing of Ray Howard. Read on everybody…
1998 Beauty Bay scorecard:
Take notice of the length and pars of holes 8 and 9… also take note of the hole-in-one by Bill “No Gimmies” Creed. This card comes to us with great effort by Ray Howard. It was mailed to us from Edmonton by the son of Warren Creed. Warren is Bill’s son. Thank you Ray. The search continues… da da da dum!
Survey results:
After today’s scramble you should have received a survey that offered numerous questions. Thanks to all of you who participated. A compilation of those results will be forthcoming.
Results of today’s 18 hole scramble:
Today 66 league members enjoyed an 18 hole scramble format, followed by a meal in the clubhouse and announcements of winners in today’s event as well as our club championship that took place the previous two weeks.
Gold medal: Wes Rapinda, Dick Cairns, Duncan Ross, and Marvin Koski with a -6.
Silver medal: A.J. Giardin, Lee Belanger, John Bowiec, and Gord Hunter with a -5.
Bronze medal: Jim Bergman, Doug Porlier, Jack Sinninghe, and Darren Ainsworth with a -4. This team won on a countback with a birdie on 18 against three other teams!
Other accomplishments:
Longest putt on number 1: Don “In Total Disbelief” Paterson.
Closest to the cup on number 2: Paul “Cha-ching” Vincent.
Closest to the cup on number 7: John “Straight Shooter” Zilinski.
Longest putt on number 11: Chris “It’s a Miracle” Pugh.
Closest to the cup on number 14: Darren “Butter Cut” Ainsworth.
Longest putt on number 18: Lee “Stuffed It” Belanger.
Honorable mention goes to non-golfing members: Lorne Greenwood, Eugene Ahlstrom, and Doug Pelletier.
Results of our senior men’s club championship:
72 seniors participated on August 29 and 54 golfed on September 5. It was a nail biter. Drumroll please…
Club champion, low gross: ****Gerry Beilner, 79****
Club Champion, low net: John Boweic, 63. (John’s round included an eagle on the eighth hole! And, if we had an award for senior golfer who most regularly shoots his age, or better, John would have his house full of trophies!)
Flight winners, gross:
Flight one: Bruce Braun, 80. Won on a countback against Keith Lake.
Flight two: Frank Bastone, 82.
Flight three: Leo Heyens, 88.
Flight four: Tom Kozak, 89.
Flight five: Tony Moniz, 102.
Flight winners, net:
Flight one: Gord Sando, 70.
Flight two: Murray Kesselman, 67. Won on a countback against Lee Belanger.
Flight three: Husky Robinson, 66.
Flight four: Dean Carrie, 65.
Flight five: Chris Bell, 73. Won on a countback against Gary Read.
Matchplay Champion: Keith Lake.
As a note, winners will have their trophies adorned with a plaque bearing their name along with the date. The trophies are on display upstairs in the clubhouse. Be sure to check them out with loving admiration. No word yet on when your nameplate will be delivered.
I want to paint the picture of the final few holes to express some of the drama that took place during our senior men’s championship. Without the benefit of TV cameras, announcers, a gallery and real-time scoring it wasn’t possible to see the following unfold…
Gerry Beilner was the man to beat with his opening round of 80 on August 29. He followed up that display with a solid 79 on the final day of the championship to win by one stroke. Gerry started on the third hole, which left holes number one and two as his final two holes. He birdied both of them in spectacular style resulting in a stunning one under 34 for the front nine. Outstanding! Meanwhile, in different groups, both Keith Lake and Bruce Braun (yours truly) completed their efforts with scores of 80, but not enough to edge out Gerry. Others were just a couple strokes off the pace. John Bowiec and Frank Bastone shot 82s. Gord Sando and Bruce were tied through 16 holes until Gord suffered putting woes on the 17th green. Bruce’s final hole of the day was number 18, which he birdied with a chip-in from about 15 yards out. That was the ever-so-tiny scrap of luck to edge out Keith on the countback. All in all it was a very close contest. This reporter caught up with Bruce after his round. Here are some snippets from our riveting conversation…
Reporter: “Congratulations, Bruce. Excellent performance. You won the first flight.”
Bruce: “Thanks. I think it’s the only flight that oozes the fact that you came in second!”
Reporter: “OK, well, it’s a different kind of first place then. But it’s still a first place. You get a trophy!”
Bruce: “True.”
Reporter: “You edged out Keith Lake with a spectacular chip-in birdie on your last hole. Tell us about it.”
Bruce: “It was totally unexpected. I haven’t birdied that hole in ages. But I feel bad… sort of. Keith Lake had been having a pretty spectacular season. He’s posted some amazing individual scores. Pick any news article in July and his name is in there with low front nine or low back nine. He’s been on a winning scramble team and he’s even cashed in on the 50-50 draw. Don’t forget, he’s also this seasons matchplay champion. I pay attention to these things! Last year he won low net in flight one. So, I edged him on this one, but I tip my hat in his direction.”
Reporter: “Well said. And what about Gerry?”
Bruce: “Oh my gosh, where do I start? He’s a legend. The guy just had a heart attack a few weeks ago. On August 1. His birthday no less! And 10 days after surgery he’s back at the golf course checking out the new pipes! Makes me wonder what else the surgeon did for him?! He’s not a big guy, but he sure can bomb it. And he knows how to make putts. He is a deserving victor.”
Reporter: “The three of you are likely to go head to head again next year, don’t you think?”
Bruce: “Sure, but there’s more than three of us.”
Reporter: “ Thanks for your time today Bruce.”
Bruce: “You bet. It was convenient.”
A big round of applause to all of you! I will keep most of my thanks somewhat vague lest I run the risk of missing someone. But I will highlight a few. A standing ovation goes to our leagues’ executive committee under the tutelage of our president, Richard Cone. A special head nod to Marvin Koski who has been doing the numbers for nine years now. That’s a lot of figuring of scores, handicaps, countbacks, and so on. For events like the club championship I would like to point out that Marvin has to pour over and inordinate amount of numbers. First, consider that not every scorecard has been added, then those that are added are still checked for accuracy. (Yes, some of us are terrible at math!) Take the average of 63 golfers for our championship and multiply by 36 holes and that equals 2268 numbers. Add the fact that there are five flights, gross and net scores, and countbacks, and it’s any wonder than Marvin maintains his sanity! Each Tuesday afternoon Marvin sends me the compiled results which you get to see shortly thereafter. A BIG THANKS to you Marvin! And on that note, we are looking for someone to help with that position next season. Could it be you?
In addition to the executive committee, there are also numerous other volunteers that make this league run like a well-oiled machine. From the loony pot, the 50-50, the rewards, the BBQ, today’s meal, and to all of you who lined up the carts after your round, thanks a bunch. I would be remiss to not once again mention a big thumbs up to all of the Beauty Bay maintenance and clubhouse staff. Thanks. And two more… To my editor and proofreader, my wife Ingrid, who holds no punches. Comments akin to “This sounds stupid,” “This is a run-on sentence,” “What are you trying to say here?,” “You spelled this wrong,” and so on. Thank you sunshine! And finally, to my iPad that allows me to sit in my rocking chair upstairs, turn on the dictation mode and blather endlessly! I love that feature!
That’s it. We’re done! A resounding “Whew”! Congratulations, and thank you to all the individuals that put together a terrific season and to all those that participated and made this league what it is. The weather is expected to be nice for the next few weeks so there’s no reason that you still can’t come out. Just organize your group, get a tee time and ease into autumn. Be sure to savor these last few weeks. I know several of you have made winter plans which involves more golf. That sounds wonderful. What a life! Pinch yourself just to be sure it’s real!
As a final word, this year our Beauty Bay Senior Men’s league roster totaled 93 members. That is a terrific increase from the past few years and a very good sign. Thanks for being part of our league. We look forward to seeing you again next year! Bring a friend!
