We SaddleBrooke Lady Niners thoroughly enjoy golfing with each other but we also like golfing with men. On Tuesday, April 26, we held a fun Ladies Choice tournament. Each Lady Niner invited a gentleman of her choice (who was not her husband or partner) to play with her. The theme of this event was Best in the West. How fun it was to dress like cowgirls and cowboys. Out came our cowboy hats, bandanas, Western shirts with fringe, cowboy boots and even denim, definitely not our usual golf attire.
The format for this event was a Modified Chapman with teams of two, a lady and a man. Both players on the team hit tee shots. Then, they played their second shots using their partner’s tee shot location. After both players’ second shots, the team selected one ball location from which to complete the hole, using an alternate shot format. If Player A was last to hit the selected ball then player B hit next. Alternate shot continued on the fairway and the green until the ball was holed out. This format is truly a partnership.
The team handicap was calculated using 60 percent of the lower course handicap, plus 40 percent of the higher course handicap. Ties were broken by a card playoff comparing scores on holes in order of difficulty. Congratulations to long-term Niner Gloria Franklin and her neighbor Jerry Hollingsworth for winning this golf tournament.
After the round of golf, we ladies and our men guests attended a campfire luncheon at the Vistas Restaurant of BBQ chicken, Southwest cole slaw, mac n’ cheese and homemade cornbread with ice cream sundaes for dessert. Many enjoyed our Wild Wild West drink for the day that was whiskey, peach schnapps and cranberry juice. Winners were announced not only for golf but also for best costumes, cash raffles and door prizes. Congratulations to Wanda Ross and Tom Houston for the best Western attire.
May is special because that’s the month for our President’s Cup, a match play tournament. Usually golfers compete for the lowest score for the full nine holes, which is called stroke play. Match play is a very different format; each golfer competes against only one other golfer. The two golfers compete to win more holes than their opponent. In essence, it’s a series of separate games for each hole. After every hole, the scores are compared to determine who wins that hole. Whichever golfer completes the hole with the fewest strokes wins the hole, and therefore a point. If both scores are identical, the hole is halved, resulting in no change to the overall score and the score for that hole is “all-square”. A winner is declared when the player in the lead has a score greater than the number of remaining holes, which makes it impossible for the opponent to win. This is a very fun tournament format.
Our Lady Niners President’s Cup started on Tuesday, May 10, with 16 ladies competing. After each round of golf, the winning golfers advance to play another round and those who do not win are dropped from the competition. Our eight winners on Tuesday, May 10 advanced to the next round, held on Thursday, May 12. Those four winners advanced to the third round, held on Tuesday, May 17. Those two winners will advance to the last round, to be held on Tuesday, May 24, when a winner will be announced. If the score ends at “all-square”, there will be a tie breaker on Thursday, May 26. We are eager to see who wins.
