Sad News Prior To Start The Season

Our League received some sad news prior to the start of the season when we learned that Ron MacDonald had passed away on Monday at the age of 78.

Ron was a long time member of the Dubbers. He was a quiet man on the course but was always willing to share a laugh or some good conversation and he will be sadly missed. Our most sincere condolences go out to Ron's wife Karen and the entire family.

Friends are invited to call at the Weaver Family Funeral Home - East Chapel, 29 Bay St., Trenton on Friday April 25th, 2014 from 10 - 11 AM. A Celebration of Life will follow at 11 AM in the East Chapel.

Here We Go!

I just got the word from Steve Powell.

We start the league on Wednesday April 23rd at 6pm.

Hopefully we're done with the snow and the temperatures will start to climb again finally.

See you guys then.

The Winter That Won't End

Are you guys getting cabin fever and itching to get the clubs out of storage and start swinging again? I know I'm looking forward to losing my first balls of the new season.

As it stands right now there's no word on any official start date for the upcoming league season. Obviously it all depends on the return of some heat and the melting of the snow along with the drying of the course.

Last year it was mid-April before we got things going and I'm guessing this year won't start any sooner but as soon as I hear any concrete date or get an update of any kind on the course, I'll be sure to post it here.

I know that Alida has also started a Murray Hills Facebook page where you might also be able to get details even sooner so you might want to Like that page if you haven't already. That's provided you're a Facebook user of course.

Hope to see you on the course within the next few weeks.

2013 Playoffs - Final Round

I don't know what weather radar the Weather Network uses or who posts the forecasts on their website but they might want to rethink their methods because they're useless. Although rain was called for earlier, a quick check of the local radar showed no rain in the area or expected for our final round of playoffs today. As we quickly found out, that wasn't the case as light rain fell for most of the last 18 holes of another Men's League final.

Andy Koetstra tees off on Hole #11

Despite the soggy conditions it did remain relatively warm at least which made golfing a bit less uncomfortable and some teams and golfers were able to post some impressive scores.

Before I run down the final standings I want to congratulate all of the winners of each division, the Closest to the Pins cash and the prize winners following the round. Also you'll find more photos by scrolling down.

Thanks to Steve Powell for his continued hard work each season to keep the league and final day running smoothly for all members to enjoy. It's safe to say that the work by Steve behind the scenes may not be noticed by many but it certainly is appreciated by all.

Dave Walker prepares to hit his tee shot on Hole #17.

We should also thank Tom and Alida St.Denis for another great year at the course. The course was in great shape all season long even when Mother Nature wasn't providing much help. Also thanks to Alida, Debbie Stewart and Lynn McPhee for their efforts today in tallying the results and organizing the meal. I hear that dessert was even located by some guys.

And last but not least, thanks to Kim Defosse and Peter Hughes for looking after the organization and running of the annual putting competition. Peter did a fine job filling in for Steve Westlake who I understand is now home and resting comfortably. We hope to see Steve back on the course soon.

In the "A" Division the Rolling Stones turned in an impressive effort today posting nine hole scores of 83 and 85 and turned their slim one stroke lead from Wednesday into a 26 stroke margin of victory with a total of 351. The Southpaws finished in second place posting a 377 total.

Over in the "B" Division the Whizbangers were unable to close the gap enough on the KGB who grabbed the title by just two strokes. The KGB finished with a 368 while the Whizbangers posted a 370 total.

In the "C" Division the Bogies lead wire to wire and kept the pedal to the metal today by shooting rounds of 96 and 99 which allowed them to cruise to a 21 stroke victory over the second place CCCP.

Even Leafs & Habs fans get along on the final day.

To all of our league members, thanks for another great summer of golf and good times. Hopefully we're back out for another season before we know it. Have a safe Autumn and Winter and we look forward to seeing you again next Spring.

And on a personal note, thanks again to those of you who checked in on the blog each week. Each year I think a few more guys find out about it and I hope you enjoyed the updates all season long.

Here are the final standings for the 2013 Playoffs:

"A" Division

1. Rolling Stones - 351

2. Southpaws - 377

3. Wedgers - 392

4. Dubbers - 401

"B" Division

1. KGB - 368

2. Whizbangers - 370

3. Fat Shafts - 403

4. Latecomers - 430

"C" Division

1. Bogies - 392

2. CCCP - 413

3. Fivesome - 451

4. Hackers - 464

Click on photos to see them larger

2013 Playoffs - Round Two

It was a very comfortable evening for some golf action tonight as the cooler temperatures were welcome after the humidity of last week. However, even though the mercury dropped some, the scores didn't for many teams as there was some movement during tonight's second round of playoff action.

Over in the "A" Division the Rolling Stones comfortable four stroke lead after round one vanished as they struggled this evening and posted a score of 99 which was 15 strokes worse than their opening round. The Wedgers who were in second place also faltered and dropped to third but still only remain five strokes off the pace. Meanwhile, the Southpaws remained fairly consistent to their score last week and shot a 94 which leaves them one stroke back heading into the final 18 holes on Saturday. The Dubbers had an off night posting a 109 leaving them well off the pace.

The "B" Division is a two team race. The Whizbangers had the lead going into the round but struggled and posted a 99. This allowed a surging KGB squad to take full advantage by shooting an 88, vaulting them into a six stroke lead. The Fat Shafts turned in a slightly better round but sit 22 strokes off the lead after shooting a round of 101 and will be battling the Latecomers for third spot on Saturday after they turned in a round of 97 and remain five strokes back of the Fat Shafts.

Over in the "C" Division it's shaping up to be a great finish this weekend as the first place Bogies hold a slim one stroke advantage over the CCCP. The Bogies shot a 100 tonight while the CCCP had a 102. The third place Fivesome improved their scoring tonight posting a 103 but sit 17 strokes out of first with 18 holes to play. The Hackers shot a 115 on their second nine and will need a lot of good things to happen if they hope to turn their playoff run around.

Once again I won't be posting the Closest to the Pin winners from tonight's round but all winners will receive their prizes following Saturday's round. The low score of the night was turned in by Dan Vance who shot an even par 27.

REMINDER: Don't forget that we tee off at 3:00pm on Saturday. All league members who show up will play however as usual only the top three players from each team will count each nine holes. The groups will be evened out as best as possible so no more than six players will be in each group.

The updated standings after 18 holes of play are as follows:

"A" Division (tonight's score & total score shown)

1. Rolling Stones - 99 (183)
2. Southpaws - 94 (184)
3. Wedgers - 100 (188)
4. Dubbers - 109 (204)

"B" Division

1. KGB - 88 (182)
2. Whizbangers - 99 (188)
3. Fat Shafts - 101 (204)
4. Latecomers - 97 (209)

"C" Division

1. Bogies - 100 (197)
2. CCCP - 102 (198)
3. Fivesome - 103 (214)
4. Hackers - 115 (225)

2013 Playoffs - Round One

The first round of the 2013 playoffs got off to a sizzling start tonight on a few fronts.

Cooling down on the deck following a humid round.

After a summer nearly void of any real heat and humidity it returned with a vengeance tonight as the season and summer approaches an end. If the humidity didn't bother you, perhaps the bugs did as they seemed to be thriving in the weather conditions.

But the weather wasn't the only thing hot tonight as several teams turned in some very impressive rounds to start the short playoff run.

In the "A" Flight the Rolling Stones turned in the lowest team gross of the season shooting an 84 to set the pace. It comes one week too late to claim the regular season prize but it did pace the Stones to a four stroke lead after the first nine holes. The Wedgers sit in second place after posting an 88. The regular season champion Southpaws had a solid round of 90 and trail by six strokes while the Dubbers shot a round of 95 and are 11 shots out of first.

Over on the "B" Flight the Whizbangers who finished the season in sixth place looked more like a team that should be competing in the division above after shooting an 89. This gives them a fairly comfortable cushion heading into next week as they lead the second place KGB by five strokes after they posted a 94. The Fat Shafts struggled and posted a round of 103 and find themselves 14 shots off the pace. The Latecomers who had a very strong regular season faltered on night one shooting 112.

One of the more notable stories for the night was in the "C" Division as the CCCP shot one of their most impressive rounds in recent memory as they scored a 96. Not to be outdone, the Bogies also played well and find themselves one shot back after posting a 97. The Hackers combined to shoot 110 while the Fivesome sit in fourth place after playing to a 111 total.

Norm Toyne had the low round of the night as he helped his Wedgers team by shooting a one under par 26.

Next week we play nine more holes from the White Tees before moving to the Blue Tees for the final round of 18 holes on Saturday September 7th. That will be followed by our annual year-end party and meal.

The Standings after the first nine holes are as follows:

"A" Division

1. Rolling Stones - 84
2. Wedgers - 88
3. Southpaws - 90
4. Dubbers - 95

"B" Division

1. Whizbangers - 89
2. KGB - 94
3. Fat Shafts - 103
4. Latecomers - 112

"C" Division

1. CCCP - 96
2. Bogies - 97
3. Hackers - 110
4. Fivesome - 111

2013 Final Regular Season Standings

2013 Final Regular Season Standings

1. Southpaws (105 pts)
2. Rolling Stones (90 pts)
3. Dubbers (86 pts)
4. Wedgers (83 pts)
5. KGB (77 pts)
6. Whizbangers (72 pts)
7. Latecomers (60 pts)
8. Fat Shafts (54 pts)
9. Bogies (42 pts)
10. CCCP (37 pts)
11. Hackers (28 pts)
12. Fivesome (22 pts)

Individual Low Gross
25 - Norm Toyne

Team Low Gross
87 - Southpaws

That Went By Fast

The final points of the regular season are added up after the round.

Just like that another regular season of Men's League golf has come to an end. We've been lucky with the weather for most of the season and hopefully that trend will continue as we move into the next two weeks of playoff action.

For the second year in a row the Southpaws will be crowned Regular Season Champions. They amassed a total of 105 points this year which was 15 points better than the second place Rolling Stones.

Norm Toyne's single round score of 25 held up as the Individual Low Gross winner while the Southpaws Team Gross of 87 was best for the season.

Wrapping things up tonight, five teams took all six points available in their matches. This included the Fivesome, Southpaws, Dubbers, Wedgers and KGB. The Rolling Stones earned five points and the Latecomers took one point.

The Closest to the Pin winners were Dave Walker on hole #9 and Nick Vangemeren on hole #18. Paul Scobie was this weeks 50/50 winner.

The low individual score of the evening was 27 shot by three different golfers, Kyle Wilkinson, Tom St.Denis and Nick Vangemeren.

The Playoffs start next Wednesday night. The next two Wednesday's will be nine holes each from the white tees with the final 18 holes from the blue tees on Saturday September 7th. This will be followed by our annual wrap-up party.

Good Luck to everyone!

Lost In Transit

Sorry guys but there won't be an update this week.

Rick Dean gets his par on Hole 6.

After getting all the information from the evening's round, I misplaced it somewhere between the golf course and home and can't find it. I'm guessing it fell out of my pocket when I took my phone or keys out.

My apologies. That's the first time that's happened since I started doing this.

All I can tell you is that we have just one week of regular season golf remaining before the playoffs begin.

I also want to congratulate Norm Toyne for winning the Murray Hills Golf Club Championships last weekend. He edged Andy Koetstra by one stroke on the final hole. Also congratulations to Steve Westlake who was this year's winner in the Senior Men's division.

See you Wednesday night.

Two Weeks Left

The bad news was we didn't quite get the round in before it rained. The good news is we did finish the round before the severe thunderstorms and tornado watches rolled into the area.

With only two weeks of regular season golf remaining there isn't a lot left to be decided but there is a battle happening for that final two spots in the "A" Flight. With only nine points separating third and sixth the next two weeks will be crucial for teams hoping to get into or remain in the top division. For the teams sitting from 7th place to 12th, your fate is already decided.

Grabbing all six points in their matches were the Southpaws, Wedgers and Rolling Stones. The Whizbangers took five while the Latecomers and KGB earned four points. Earning two points each were the Fat Shafts and Dubbers while the CCCP took a single point.

Sandy McLeod shot the low round for the night with an even par 27. For the third time in a month Benny Brock had his name drawn for the 50/50. The Closest to the Pin winners were Dave Walker on hole #7 and Ryan Cuculuzzi on hole #16.