First off, I would like to thank our sponsor Angelo Simeonidis for his generous donation of gourmet coffee packages to all our participants. In addition, the flight winners will also receive a prize package once the handicaps and flights have been determined.
Windy, tough conditions were the order of day on the Weekend Tour at the Oaks of St. George. The toughest hole of the day was clearly the Par 5 6th, playing into the wind, with an average score of 6.6 . Kudos needs to go to Mitch Oldenburgh who birdied number six and pocketed a skin to boot. Special mention should go to Trevor Gaffney who birdied the always tough 10th hole.
The low round of the day, by six shots no less, was recorded by Jason Gibbons (78). This is Jason's second year on Tour. His previous low round was 75 at, you guessed it, Oaks of St. George, must be something in the water. Honorable mention should go to Michael Quart. It wasn't his lowest score on Tour but in the tough conditions his 91 has to rank as one of his better rounds.
The Weekday Tour faired a little better what with the weather cooperating. Number six was still the toughest hole of the day and Jack Bolzan recorded the only birdie of the day on that hole. I would personally like to than Heiner Rogge for not playing in skins as he and I made the only Pars on #7. John Coy and Charles Orchard picked up three and two skins respectively.
Nils Granholm continued his stellar play and won Low Gross with an 82. Three shots ahead of John Coy and a resurgent Jim Hunter. Mr. Hunter has claimed for two seasons now that he belongs in the Norman Flight and now I can see why, way to go Jim.
In the "I have a good excuse" category, Charles Orchard struggled to an 88. When asked about his round, Charles replied that he had just finished a gruelling three day golf outing representing a Toronto Golf Forum (Toronto Golf Nuts) in their annual Ryder Cup match against an Ottawa Golf Forum. TGN did beat Ottawa to take the Cup and as I understand it Charles was one of the stars of the team, so kudos to Charles and the rest of the TGN crew for their hard fought victory.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
International Pairs Qualifier
Over the past five years, the International Pairs competition has become the fastest growing golf event both in Canada, and in more than 30 other countries around the world. It is a handicapped tournament for amateur golfers. It is a two-person event held at golf clubs across Canada with the winning pair from each club advancing to the Canadian Final. Winners from the Canadian Finals then travel to St. Andrews, Scotland to represent Canada in the World Final ...all expenses paid.
We're getting an early start on promoting our International Pairs Qualifying Tournament. We expect at least 25 teams this year with the possibility of 50 teams and sending TWO teams to the Canadian Finals. (One team for every 25 teams entered)
The Canadian International Pairs final is a two day event on September 29th & 30th at The Raven at Lora Bay, site of the 2007 Telus Skins game and The 2008 Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic as part of the Nationwide Tour.
Winners of OUR qualifier receive entry into the Canadian Finals, overnight accommodations, dinner, prizes and the chance to represent Canada in the World Finals at St. Andrews Scotland. ALL AT NO EXTRA COST !! Just pay the entry fee to the qualifier and winners don't pay any additional costs (maybe some souvenirs).
Our qualifier will be held Saturday July 26 at Victoria Park East starting at 10:00am. All present and PAST Duffer's Dream Tour members and their guests are eligible to compete. The qualifier is a Two-person Net Best Ball format, verifiable handicaps will be required for non-Tour participants.
If you would like to know more about the qualifier and how to register please e-mail us at duffersdream@sympatico.ca
We're getting an early start on promoting our International Pairs Qualifying Tournament. We expect at least 25 teams this year with the possibility of 50 teams and sending TWO teams to the Canadian Finals. (One team for every 25 teams entered)
The Canadian International Pairs final is a two day event on September 29th & 30th at The Raven at Lora Bay, site of the 2007 Telus Skins game and The 2008 Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic as part of the Nationwide Tour.
Winners of OUR qualifier receive entry into the Canadian Finals, overnight accommodations, dinner, prizes and the chance to represent Canada in the World Finals at St. Andrews Scotland. ALL AT NO EXTRA COST !! Just pay the entry fee to the qualifier and winners don't pay any additional costs (maybe some souvenirs).
Our qualifier will be held Saturday July 26 at Victoria Park East starting at 10:00am. All present and PAST Duffer's Dream Tour members and their guests are eligible to compete. The qualifier is a Two-person Net Best Ball format, verifiable handicaps will be required for non-Tour participants.
If you would like to know more about the qualifier and how to register please e-mail us at duffersdream@sympatico.ca
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Annika Sorenstam Announces her Retirement
At the ripe old age of 37, Annika Sorenstam announced she is retiring at the end of the 2008 season. Annika made the announcement during a press conference in New Jersey, site of this week's Sybase Classic on the LPGA Tour.
Annika's record is well known, the first female golfer to shoot 59, 72 LPGA victories (3rd all time), 10 majors (2nd all time), 8 player of the year honors and competed on the PGA Tour at the Colonial. Although she missed the cut by four shots, her demeanour and class was evident throughout the highly publicized and scrutinized event.
Sorenstam has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and will be enshrined into, agruably, the hardest to qualify for, the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. In 2008, she already has three wins, including last week at Kingsmill with world number one, Lorena Ochoa, in the field.
Annika said she wanted to devote herself to other interests and wants to start a family with soon to be husband Mike Magee. Sorenstam also has a line of clothing, a golf academy in Florida and an ongoing golf course design business.
Sorenstam has been the driving force behind the success of the LPGA in the century. Her domination of the sport has been rivalled only by Tiger Woods and now the reigns have been handed over to the new kids on the block. Don't be surprised to see Annika regain her number one ranking this year and go out on top.
Annika's record is well known, the first female golfer to shoot 59, 72 LPGA victories (3rd all time), 10 majors (2nd all time), 8 player of the year honors and competed on the PGA Tour at the Colonial. Although she missed the cut by four shots, her demeanour and class was evident throughout the highly publicized and scrutinized event.
Sorenstam has been inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame and will be enshrined into, agruably, the hardest to qualify for, the LPGA Tour Hall of Fame. In 2008, she already has three wins, including last week at Kingsmill with world number one, Lorena Ochoa, in the field.
Annika said she wanted to devote herself to other interests and wants to start a family with soon to be husband Mike Magee. Sorenstam also has a line of clothing, a golf academy in Florida and an ongoing golf course design business.
Sorenstam has been the driving force behind the success of the LPGA in the century. Her domination of the sport has been rivalled only by Tiger Woods and now the reigns have been handed over to the new kids on the block. Don't be surprised to see Annika regain her number one ranking this year and go out on top.
Monday, May 12, 2008
The Duffer's Dream Tour - Weekday Edition
The first round of the Weekday Tour got underway today. The weather cooperated nicely as the light rain finished 15 minutes before our first tee time. With a smaller field, the gamblers were out in full force, only three players didn't participate in skins and a total of eight were won.
Low round honors were shared by Charles Orchard and John Coy who each carded an 83. Only one shot back was Nils Granholm who recorded his second lowest score in his four year Tour career. Nils' lowest was a 77 (in 2005) at Innerkip Highlands which beat me by a shot, but we won't go into that.
And in a tale of two nines, Tour rookie and my playing partner today, Ray Doucet shot an opening front of 52 and followed it up with a nice 41 on the back, for a nice recovery.
Low round honors were shared by Charles Orchard and John Coy who each carded an 83. Only one shot back was Nils Granholm who recorded his second lowest score in his four year Tour career. Nils' lowest was a 77 (in 2005) at Innerkip Highlands which beat me by a shot, but we won't go into that.
And in a tale of two nines, Tour rookie and my playing partner today, Ray Doucet shot an opening front of 52 and followed it up with a nice 41 on the back, for a nice recovery.
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Duffer's Dream Tour - Round 1 Recap
The Duffer's Dream Tour 2008 season got underway at The Cairn Croft Niagara Classic at Peninsula Lakes on Saturday. While most players were trying to find their games, four of the Tour members were trying to find their way to the course. After traffic delays forced the entire foursome to find an alternate route to the course, they called Penlakes to get directions, they arrived about 20 minutes late for their tee time. Thanks to Peninsula Lakes for accomodating them and they even had time to warm up prior to their round.
However, the fun didn't end there. Because of the delay in teeing off there was three pay as you play groups between them and the Tour. After finishing the Hillside nine, the starter, who was not the morning starter, instructed the group to the Quarry nine instead of our back nine at the Orchard. The news gets better, one of the group carded a days best 81, but on the wrong 18 holes !! After much angst the Commissioner made the ruling that a two stoke penalty for each hole played incorrectly, to a maximum of four strokes, had to be applied to the round. The one bright spot is the player in question did win a skin on the correct front nine and won $65 for his troubles.
The low round of the day belonged to Greg Watson who carded an 82. Special mention should go to John Warner who bested last year's round at Penlakes by 8 strokes for a 92. Although handicaps will be announced after the third round, John should be a contender for the low net win.
However, the fun didn't end there. Because of the delay in teeing off there was three pay as you play groups between them and the Tour. After finishing the Hillside nine, the starter, who was not the morning starter, instructed the group to the Quarry nine instead of our back nine at the Orchard. The news gets better, one of the group carded a days best 81, but on the wrong 18 holes !! After much angst the Commissioner made the ruling that a two stoke penalty for each hole played incorrectly, to a maximum of four strokes, had to be applied to the round. The one bright spot is the player in question did win a skin on the correct front nine and won $65 for his troubles.
The low round of the day belonged to Greg Watson who carded an 82. Special mention should go to John Warner who bested last year's round at Penlakes by 8 strokes for a 92. Although handicaps will be announced after the third round, John should be a contender for the low net win.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Thundering Waters
After bursting on to the scene with much fanfare and an attempt by the course's signature designer to hit one over the falls, Thundering Waters is still trying to find its way in a busy Niagara golfing market. The course itself has gone through major changes since it first opened in the fall of 2005, mostly due to condos being built on what was the first and second holes and the tenth. It does seem strange for a major re-design in only three years but course staff insist that was always the intention.
I first visted the course in the fall of 2005 covering the Candian Tour's Niagara Pro-Am and found that the course was not quite ready for prime time. The tees were hard as a rock and golfers had to use one to get their tee in the ground. The fairways on one and two were sparsely covered with grass but the layout and the greens were very good.
Jump ahead to my visit this week and things have changed dramatically. One would think that with John Daly associated with a golf course that the primary focus would be hitting it a long way off the tee. But the exact opposite is true at Thundering Waters. Precision off the tee is paramount to scoring well as is hitting to the correct side of the pin. Most greens sit above the fairway with fall offs to collection areas and if you short side yourself, getting up and down is going to be difficult. It is not a long course but it is a shot makers course.
The course is in very good condition for April and most of the greens have wintered well. There is one temp green in play at the moment but will be gone in another month. The layout is a bit confusing at times with the changes but can be navigated as long as you're paying attention. The Clubhouse is nicely appointed with good locker room facilities and a very nice grill room. All the carts have a GPS system that give eact yardage to the flag from anywhere on the hole plus distances to bunkers, hazards, etc...
Green fees are in line with other courses in the area that offer similar amenities and the customer service is excellent. From the bag drop, to the Pro Shop and on course staff they are all smiles. For more information and directions visit their website at http://www.thunderingwaters.com
I first visted the course in the fall of 2005 covering the Candian Tour's Niagara Pro-Am and found that the course was not quite ready for prime time. The tees were hard as a rock and golfers had to use one to get their tee in the ground. The fairways on one and two were sparsely covered with grass but the layout and the greens were very good.
Jump ahead to my visit this week and things have changed dramatically. One would think that with John Daly associated with a golf course that the primary focus would be hitting it a long way off the tee. But the exact opposite is true at Thundering Waters. Precision off the tee is paramount to scoring well as is hitting to the correct side of the pin. Most greens sit above the fairway with fall offs to collection areas and if you short side yourself, getting up and down is going to be difficult. It is not a long course but it is a shot makers course.
The course is in very good condition for April and most of the greens have wintered well. There is one temp green in play at the moment but will be gone in another month. The layout is a bit confusing at times with the changes but can be navigated as long as you're paying attention. The Clubhouse is nicely appointed with good locker room facilities and a very nice grill room. All the carts have a GPS system that give eact yardage to the flag from anywhere on the hole plus distances to bunkers, hazards, etc...
Green fees are in line with other courses in the area that offer similar amenities and the customer service is excellent. From the bag drop, to the Pro Shop and on course staff they are all smiles. For more information and directions visit their website at http://www.thunderingwaters.com
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Decorso has South Georgia on his mind
It was deja vu all over again on the Nationwide Tour. Bryan DeCorso held a one stroke lead going into the final round on the Nationwide Tour. If that sounds familiar, it is because DeCorso was leading last week by one shot going into the final round where he ended up in a Tie for fourth.
This week, at The South Georgia Classic, Bryan DeCorso looked in control during the final round. He had a brief scare after Bogeying the 10th that cut his lead to one but he quickly got that back with a birdie on 11. He cruised in from there posting the low round of the day (69).
Bryce Molder made the biggest move of the day, also posting 69, by firing at the flags trying to catch DeCorso but ended up in a tie for second with Greg Owen. The only other Canadian to play the weekend, Brad Fritsch, finished in a tie for 66th.
This is Bryan's first win on the Nationwide Tour and the Guelph native's first win since, since, let's just say its been a long, long time. He has toiled on the mini tours and has quit the game more than once. But in 2005, he dedicated himself to playing full time but his break through came just three short weeks ago. Bryan sought the help of Greg Towne, an Orlando based swing coach, and hasn't looked back. He felt so good about his game that he called Bill Paul, Director of The RBC Canadian Open, for an exemption. After this weekend, I expect we'll see Bryan DeCorso playing at Glen Abbey in July.
This week, at The South Georgia Classic, Bryan DeCorso looked in control during the final round. He had a brief scare after Bogeying the 10th that cut his lead to one but he quickly got that back with a birdie on 11. He cruised in from there posting the low round of the day (69).
Bryce Molder made the biggest move of the day, also posting 69, by firing at the flags trying to catch DeCorso but ended up in a tie for second with Greg Owen. The only other Canadian to play the weekend, Brad Fritsch, finished in a tie for 66th.
This is Bryan's first win on the Nationwide Tour and the Guelph native's first win since, since, let's just say its been a long, long time. He has toiled on the mini tours and has quit the game more than once. But in 2005, he dedicated himself to playing full time but his break through came just three short weeks ago. Bryan sought the help of Greg Towne, an Orlando based swing coach, and hasn't looked back. He felt so good about his game that he called Bill Paul, Director of The RBC Canadian Open, for an exemption. After this weekend, I expect we'll see Bryan DeCorso playing at Glen Abbey in July.
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