MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL!!!!
In one more week, we will be starting a new calendar year, and a brand new season will begin: new winners, new newsmakers, new achievers, and many more happy faces. We had an increase from last year in rounds, memberships and revenue, these increases are all a testament of the enthusiasm with which our membership approaches golf at our club.
We began the year late...January 6. The first three golfers of the year were Brad Harrison, Tim Ellison and Jerry Peffer .
Our draft tournament and event calendar is ready (you can click the link on the right side under "Elk City Favorites" to check it out) so you can start making some plans for the season. Nothing much new, except for those "one time only events" that are not there in 2014, most of the same tournaments will be back.
I would like to finish the year by thanking all of our members and visitors for this great year behind us, it is because of you that Elk City Golf & C.C. continues with its doors open. I would also would like to finish by congratulating all those people who "made the news" for one reason or another, however small or big it was, we know that day was special in many ways ways.
Barring some late news or additions in the closing week of 2013, which we would add to the list immediately, our newsmakers list is ready, and we'll finish our last 2013 post by publishing the names of those who made the list:
WE WILL START WITH "ONE SHOT WONDERS!"
Joe Wynn had the longest putt recorded (or reported) ever in Elk City, when during his group's usual "Wolf Game", he putted from about 60 yards right into the hole for an eagle on #8 and a chunk of change, prompting of of his dear friends to tell him, in no "friendly" terms, that Joe was #1!
There were fewer Hole in Ones than the previous year, but here are the ones reported to the pro-shop (in alphabetical order):
Terry Jordan, #5
Kim Keith, #5
Carter Muncrief, #5
Kelly Smith, #17
Brad Spitzer, #7
Jordan Williamson, Hole #7
Joby Gray, with a north wind, drives past the 8th green, then chips in for a deuce from 25 yards!
"ONE ROUND NEWSMAKERS"
Three of our seniors shots their age at least once, but no one more times than 79 year old Grady Lantz who as late as December 15, shot a 75, the next day he shot a 78. And during the year, he took more than a chunk of change from his group... Money tip: "Don't give Grady 11 handicap on his course!"... and neither to the following two men:
Bob Griffith (75) and Don Andrews (81) also had their rounds of their age or below. Bob, who has been struggling with his vision, hits the ball as long as anyone his age, and Don, small in size and not very long, is as accurate and consistent as can be.
So this is the way this worked out: Bob was the youngest to shoot his age, Don was the oldest and Grady was the one who did it the most times!
Note: By the way, I've had the pleasure of not only playing with all three of these men, but also witnessed some of their feats! Congratulations to all three!
Tres Hill won back to back junior events, first in his hometown, then in Oklahoma City!
"ONE AND A HALF ROUND NEWSMAKERS"
For the third year in a row, Elk City won the Bedlam Cup Matches which are played over the course of 27 holes. The friendly matches, sponsored by Great Plains National Bank, which invite other cities to join us for a day of fun, feature three rounds of nine holes with three different formats over each nine holes played: Low Ball, Scramble and Alternate Shots.
Our "Black" team won 1st place: Cole Bynum, Jorey Price, Justin Brown, Matt Brown, Russ Smith, Craig Martin, Jeremy Gray, Jordan Williamson, David Poole, Tyler Windsor, Ann Cowan, Rod Little, Eddie Davis, Aaron Kauk, Brandon Thomas, Joby Gray
Our "White" team won 3rd place: Tim Ellison, Bob Griffith, Greg Dodson, Bryce Butcher, Bobby Wechsler, Casey Smith, Grady Lantz, Randall Wright, Shawn Wilson, Jeff Donaghey, Ronnie Smith, Craig Phelps, Damon Butcher, Keith Hulen, Jeff Rule and James Ainsworth.
TWO ROUND TOURNAMENT NEWSMAKERS:
We have to start with our Club Championship: Russ Smith successfully defended his 2012 championship by being the most consistent on the filed. In the end, he won by one over young Logan Gore.
Craig Martin is our new "Senior Champion"
Rachel Poole is our new "Women's Champion", she defeated Ann Cowan by one stroke.
Dave Bank is our new "Super Senior Champion" (by the way, he defeated Grady Lantz in the first playoff hole, just as Grady defeated him in 2012!)
In the other flights:
"A": Bobby Connell (winner gross), Damon Butcher (winner net)
"B": Casey Smith (gross), Greg Dodson (net)
"C": Ricky Marr (gross), Brad Harrison (net)
"A": Mona Alvarez (gross), Katie Womack (net)
Eddie Davis won net in seniors over 60.
Honorary Mention: Ann Cowan, the 2011 champion, was best senior in the field and lost to Rachel by one stroke, however, there were no women senior flights in 2013.
Joby Gray won the annual "4th of July Tournament" (Note: as of 2014, it will no longer be called as such). Joby shot rounds of 72 and 68 to come back from behind and defeated Eric Fox in the third hole of a sudden death playoff. Joby missed a short putt to win in regulation on the 18th hole, then missed a short putt for birdie to win the first playoff hole, Eric birdied from 25 feet on the second playoff hole, and Joby "jarred" his in from 15 feet to stay alive; then finally won on the third hole when Eric got in trouble and made bogey.
ELK CITY HIGH SCHOOL BOYS TEAM won the Regional Tournament for the second year in a row. The team members were: Berek Dyson, Cameron , Joby Gray, Brock Walker and Logan Gore. The first four were seniors, graduated and won't be back to play for Elk City in 2014, leaving Logan as the team's leader for 2014. Brock is also the main character in my "picture of the year" (his escape from the water on hole number 6 while playing hole #4!!). Joby and Logan had top 10's in the State Championship and the team
Led by Kelsi Wilson, ELK CITY HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS TEAM qualified for its second State Tournament in a row. Kelsi, at the time, shot her best tournament round ever, a 76, to win individual honors in the Regional and later won second place in the weather shortened State Tournament. The girls ended up in 7th place in the State Tournament.
MADE FOR T.V....
The last name in the 2013 Newsmakers of the Year list is Anya Alvarez, who in early December received conditional status (*) in the LPGA Tour.
(*): she is a "level 17", which means that in full field events, all of the players who have a higher status are admitted into the tournaments first.
Anya will be totally exempt in the Symetra Tour, plus she will be able to play 4-8 LPGA Tournaments where she plans to make the best of it. After each player's start, the status is reshuffled according to money earned, thus, players with a lower status, can climb up the list and players in the top pf the list, can fall down as well. During the final stage, Anya was in the top 10 in greens in regulation in the final qualifying tournament which helped score 73, 69, 73, 71 and 71 for a total of 3 under par.
As you all may realize, only a few people truly know how difficult it is for someone to make it to the pro leagues in any sport, either by personal experience or by knowing someone who has been there. It requires hard work as much as talent. And once there, you need to work twice as hard to stay there. This is not high school golf, everyone in pro sports wants to get "in your pocket". In golf, they might smile at you when you hit a good shot and even acknowledge it, but deep inside, they want to do better than you and they are not pulling for you!
Anya will start 2014 by playing a few tournaments in Australia with the goal of qualifying for the Australian Open without having to use one of her LPGA spots.
At the same time, climbing up the hill, not only requires hard work and talent, but financial means as well. To put things in perspective: "Q-School" alone costs $4,500 entry fee, if you don't make it to the top right away and stay in the Symetra Tour, each entry fee in there costs $500, with not much to play for in comparison to the LPGA where entry fees are much lower and payoffs are 10-15 times as much. Travel and lodging is not cheap either, and neither are caddies (expect for dads, of course LOL!). And if you have some sort of regular job, it is difficult to make your bosses work around your schedule. In short, you need talent, hard work and if you do not have rich parents or relatives, you need someone else to help you get started. Not every golfer who has tried to be a professional golfer has had the luck of backers, to one degree or another....
So, my last thoughts and gratitude goes to those who helped Anya with her expenses from those out of state people whom I had not had the pleasure of meeting, to all of those from Elk City, from SFI to all of the generous members that gave directly or indirectly to Anya's expenses.
Thank you all and may God give you much more!! Have a great Christmas and the best New Year you have ever had!
Sincerely,
Alex Alvarez
P.S. Look for "The Year in Pictures" by month in Facebook and a link here. Coming soon.
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