Pictures:
1. Richard Swayze, Jack Lents and Jim Bateman before play.
2. New league members and teammates, Walt Bowen and Dave Trinkle, after play.
3. Vic Wallace after play.
4. Dale Delong after play.
Best smile: Dale. Best non smile: Jack. Also did you notice how people appear to be just a little more relaxed after play?
Players are encouraged to add their own stories about the day's activities in the comments section.
Comments from the clubhouse:
-Rex Hudson was in awe (I think it was awe...) at Pam Byron's distance: on #6, her drive was 150 yards ahead of his, 50 yards ahead of Jack Butcher's. As it turned out, distance isn't everything - each of the players in the foursome registered a score of seven on the hole.
-Clyde Wake had a honey of a day, shooting a net 28 to take low net score honors. Pam wasn't far behind with a net 30.
-Ken Hudson was doing something right: of the five actual birdies registered during the day, he garnered three of them. I want to know where he is hiding the birdie goddess.
-Newcomer Dave Trinkle had the most pars with seven and a share of the low gross with Mike Bird (yes, that's me...).
-On the way in after finishing on #4, Jack Lents and I stopped and got the closest-to-the-pin marker on #3. Junior Byron had his name on it - so I mentioned to Jack how Junior had started out in the Men's League with two 37's. Good shooting, in control of his game, and looking like he had himself another good outing. Well, then we got back to the clubhouse and found out that Junior's wife came in with a 48 (awfully good!) and Junior, spitting nails all the way around (I guess) tallied a 45 (a not so awfully good). Hmmm, the things we go through to get to the end of the day.
-Other sharpshooters: Jack Lents on #7; Ken Hudson on #8 - long putt; and Pam Byron on #9.
Other comments:
Handicaps for the competition are figured differently this year: the difference between the sums of each team's handicaps are calculated and that difference is applied to individual holes. For instance, this morning Richard Swayze and I had a combined handicap of 13; Jack Lents and Jim Bateman had a combined handicap of 20. Difference of seven with the Jim and Jack team receiving one stroke on each of the first seven handicap holes.
Over the winter, we recalculated the handicaps for each of our teeing areas and made a distinction for the first time between the blue tees and the white tees. The new 'degree of hardness' numbers can be viewed here. New scorecards should be here in a week or two.
The weather was cooler than expected and the scores were higher than hoped for; nonetheless, it was a successful opening day for the Senior League. More good stuff next week, same time, same place.
