Larry Miller

In the recent Women's Club-sponsored Taco Tuesday event, 40 golfers signed up and were, by the Women's Club, distributed into 10 four-person teams. The tournament was nine holes, the back nine, shotgun start, beginning at 4:30 p.m. The novel and fun format was called a Vegas Scramble. Each team was given one die. Numbers were assigned to each team player, one to four.

Lots of birds were flying around the Little River Golf Course last Friday, June 26. Playing in the Stableford format, Dave Coddington flew his second shot into the 18th hole for an eagle, 8 Stableford points. Jim Ellis flew his second shot into the 15th hole also for an eagle, 8 Stableford points. Dave birdied the sixth hole and finished the round with 44 Stableford points, propelled by the wings of eagles and birdies. Jim Ellis birdied the third hole on the front nine, giving him a wing-assisted Stableford total of 43 points. The Golf Notes writer birdied the 15th hole, but even with this wing-assisted hole he finished the round with only 23 Stableford points. Playing with his Stableford group, Chuck Allegrini birdied Hole No. 5 but didn't fly the rest of his holes, resulting in a total of 31 Stableford points. Neil Blaney, playing in Chuck's group, birdied Hole Nos. 9 and 15. Neil flew in with a total of 44 Stableford points. Yes, the birds were flying last Friday, six birdies and two eagles for the Stableford group. Dave Coddington and Phil Dunn, Phil had no birdies, combined for first place in Stableford. Neil Blaney and Dave Sroaf combined scores placed them in second place in Stableford.

Lindy Peters, Scott Dietz, David Coddington and the Golf Notes writer, Larry Miller, journeyed down last Sunday to Poppy Hills Golf Course, located in the Monterey area, to play in the NCGA North Valley Zone Championship on Monday. These four players won the opportunity to play in the championship by winning the local Little River qualifying round. The format for the event was that the two best scores were recorded for each team on every hole. A percentage of your handicap was in play. David and Lindy played with two players from the Grass Valley area, and Scott and Larry did likewise. At round's end, the scorecards were examined to determine the winners for the first day of the event.

“And Lindy Peters is on the tee.” At the recent NCGA North Valley Zone Championship played at Poppy Hills and Del Monte golf courses, your name was announced on the first tee, signaling it was your turn to tee off. A retired Air Force officer, dressed in a sporty sports jacket, clipboard in hand, was the NCGA official starter. “And Scott Deitz is on the tee.” The other waiting players would clap as the announced golfer approached the tee. “And David Coddington is on the tee.” Even if the previous group was down the fairway, out of sight, your group had to wait until the starter's clock clicked to your official, designated starting time.

“And Lindy Peters is on the tee.” At the recent NCGA North Valley Zone Championship played at Poppy Hills and Del Monte golf courses, your name was announced on the first tee, signaling it was your turn to tee off. A retired Air Force off…

In the 11th year, the manufacturing and engineering night at Fluor Field gives Upstate students a chance to 'see, touch and experience' technology.

Last Tuesday, July 14, another fun Taco Tuesday golf event took place. The Little River Women's Club sponsors and organizes the Taco Tuesday events. The July 14 tournament format was called Red, White and Blue. Four-person groups were randomly created by the Women's Club, and it was not a team event. You were on your own. Individual scores were recorded, and handicaps were in play. The Red, White and Blue format demanded that on the first hole golfers tee off from the red tees, on the second hole the white tees and on the third hole the blue tees. Then they repeated the pattern throughout the course: red, white and blue.

Those holes on the green. The ones with the flagpole sticking out. Yes, the holes that we putt our golf balls into. Or at least try to putt our golf balls into. Those holes, each Wednesday, are moved to a different location on the green by Enrique Rosas, and on Saturdays they are relocated by Chris Richardson. Obviously, the holes need to be moved regularly because the constant foot traffic related to a given hole on a given day would create green depressions, brown spots and slants around the cup. Changing the holes regularly also creates a different challenge on each hole. A flag close to the front of the green would require a different approach or chip shot than a flag placed toward the back of the green. A flag toward the back elicits a “Plenty of green to work with,” comment from golfers. If, however, your approach shot lands on the far side of a green with the flag toward the front, you have then created “plenty of green to work with.” The hole cups are changed with a very precise hand tool that excavates the exact amount of green soil to accommodate the placement of the moved hole cup. The old cup is extracted, and the excavated soil from the new cup hole fills in the old cup hole, and the cup is placed in its new home, the new hole. The ring of soil and grass filling the old cup hole is obvious, and how many times has your ball landed inches from the old cup scar? “Wow, that would have been a birdie, or eagle, or an ace in the old hole.”

As a golfer, do you have a one-plane or a two-plane golf swing? Scott Dietz claims he has a 12-plane swing. Scott actually has a two-plane swing. In a two-plane swing, the golfer rotates the shoulders and then raises the club vertically to a horizontal position between the neck and shoulders. The clubhead is pointed at the target and is parallel to the target line. In the one-plane swing, the body and shoulders rotate to the top of the swing without pushing the club up vertically. One smooth movement. In a one-plane swing, at the top of the swing, the hands are outside the shoulders. One plane, two plane probably sounds like gibberish to the non-golfer. Kind of does to me too, a golfer, though I am a one-planer but have been a two-planer. Maybe you just have a plain old golf swing. Not a one- or two-plane swinger but a simple plain swinger. Notice the different spelling? I can't think of any non-golfing comparison. Are you a one- or two-plane eater? What about driving? One plane or two. Talking? Do you communicate on one or two planes? Nope. No comparison. The one- or two-plane golfing universe does not exist in the non-golfing universe.

Last Sunday, August 9th, the three flights of the annual Little River Men's Club Championship matches began. And on the tee are Will Johnson and Jason. Will and Jason were competing in the scratch, no handicap division of the championship. Will bettered Jason 5 holes up with 4 to play. Chuck Allegrini won his match with Julian Lopez, also 5 up with 4 to go. Jake Pardini came out ahead of Phil Dunn 4 up with 3 to play. After playing 20 holes, tied after 18, Bryan Paulson defeated J. W. Walker. Bryan and Jake will play each other next. On the other side of the scratch bracket, Dewey Turner won 6 up with 4 holes to play against Sonny Hanover.