Tournament brings 42 birdies and eight circle hole winners

MEN'S GOLF CLUB

The Leisure World Men’s Golf Club Tournament was played on Feb. 8. It was a sunny but very cool at the 7:30 a.m. tee time. It warmed up nicely and ended up being a very pleasant morning to play golf.

The course, while looking nice, had fairways that needed needed cutting, which kept short shots from rolling very much, plus the greens were initially quite wet after overnight watering. Additionally, the greens have worsened over the last few weeks. The continuing invasion of weeds has caused the surfaces to be bumpy and uneven, leading to unpredictable rolls of the ball.

Two groups of three flights of variously skilled golfers played for best net scores (gross score minus handicap), plus two circle holes (shots within a 5-foot radius are rewarded) and two closest to the pin challenges. The Turtle Lake Golf Course is a 1,658-yard, 18 hole, par 54 course that challenges all who play.

Note: Golf etiquette insists that while one golfer is hitting, the others in the group remain quiet and still.

A total of 64 golfers teed off and played 18 holes. There were 42 birdies and eight circle hole winners. Additionally, only 16 of 55 golfers were net at or under par including two at gross under par. A special “low gross” challenge was offered again this week and 20 golfers accepted. Tom Owen took first prize with an excellent gross score of even par 54; second place was Alan Sewell with 1 over 55; third was Bill Lyons at 3 over 57.

Closest to the pin on the seventh hole was Jong Lee, and on the 16th hole was John Kolthoff. Low net was Jae H. Lee at a super 6 under 48, followed by Alan Sewell and Dennis Jensen at net 49, then Tom Owens and Mark Rice at net 50, plus 11 others net par or below.

Winners: (All scores below are net=gross score minus handicap) “A” flight (handicaps of 0-6): First place: Alan Sewell, a well-played 5 under 49; second: Tom Owens, a terrific 4 under 50; third: tie between John Kolthoff and Pat Paternoster, a hard-earned 1 under 53; fourth: three-way tie between Steve Walker, Don Newhall, and Trai Nguyen, a sweet 1 over 55; fifth: five-way tie between Bill Long, Bob Turner, Mike Mayfield, Richard Jun and Seung Lee, at 2 over 56.

“B” flight (handicaps of 7-10): First place: Jae H. Lee, the round’s best 6 under 48; second: Mark Rice, an terrific 4 under 50; third: tie between Stan Johnson and Bruce Bowles, a well-played 1 under 53; fourth: John Rudosky, at even par 54; fifth: tie between Dale Williamson and Ken Notorleva, at 1 over 55; sixth: 5-way tie between Ryan Hong, Gary Newhall, John Haley, Jun Um and Brian Tivnan, at 3 over 57.

“C” flight (handicaps of 11-18): First place: Dennis Jensen, a very good 5 under 49; second: tie between Joon Sup Yoon and Darry Holten, at 2 under 52; third: Jack Haskins, a nice 1 under 53; fourth: 3-way tie between Steve Kang, Bill Zurn, and Richard Yakomi, at even par 54; fifth: tie between Paul Shellenberger, Ben Benjamins and Rolando Ramirez, at 1 over 55; sixth: tie between Scott Tuchfarber and Jim Bassett, at 2 over 56.

The next Men’s Tournament will be on Feb. 22 and then every second and fourth Wednesday of the following months. Those who planned to play in any tournament and cannot should contact Alan Sewell, 541-324-8558 or Dave LaCascia, 801-674-5975, as soon as possible. Arrive 10-15 minutes prior to your scheduled tee time and be ready to play.

—Dave LaCascia