A NICE NOD to golfing moms from the staff of Port Townsend Golf Club will take place this Sunday.
The venerable nine-hole course will waive the green’s fees and let all moms play for free on Mother’s Day.
If mom likes to putt and pitch, this sounds like a solid option for any son or daughter struggling to come up with an idea for the big day.
Call the course at 360-385-4547 to reserve a tee time.
A trek around the Port Townsend track always leaves me hungry, so I suggest an early morning round followed by a trip out to one of our area’s excellent Mother’s Day brunches.
In the spirit of neighbor helping neighbor, a nice Sunday drive will take you to Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course in Sequim, where the course’s Double Eagle Restaurant is offering a delicious Mother’s Day Brunch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $20 for adults, $18 for seniors and $12 for children.
For more information, call the restaurant at 360-683-3331.
Golf for Grads
SkyRidge Golf Course in Sequim will once again play host to the Golf for Graduates Tournament.
This year’s event will begin at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 29.
Proceeds from the tournament go toward providing a safe, drug-and-alcohol-free graduation night party for the 2010 Sequim High School class.
The format is a four-person scramble with a twist.
Members of the Sequim High School boys and girls golf teams will be auctioned off before the tourney Saturday morning to add a fifth player to your team.
Players can check in for the event at 8 a.m., purchase their “ringer” and tee off at 9 a.m.
The tournament is $50 per person or $200 for a four-person team.
Entry includes a round of golf, a gourmet lunch of blackened salmon, range balls, awards and prizes.
The tournament has space for 18 teams, so early sign-ups are suggested.
For more information, or to reserve a spot, call SkyRidge at 360-683-2373.
If you can’t play but would still like to give to this worthy cause, contact Alan Kowitz at askalan@olypen.com or Paul Boucher at paulgordonboucher@hotmail.com.
The donations are tax-deductible through the Sequim Education Foundation.
Sponsors will receive signage on the course during the golf event.
Clinics and lessons
SunLand Golf & Country Club professional Tyler Sweet will offer free 10-minute lessons at the driving range in Sequim on Thursday, May 13; Friday, May 21; and Monday, May 24.
He will also host a series of free clinics covering the short, mid and long game at noon on Friday, May 14, 21 and 28, and Tuesday, May 25.
To reserve a spot in the clinic or a specific time for a free lesson, call the golf shop at 360-683-6800, ext. 13.
To remind you, SunLand has a special deal for the public on weekends in May.
For just $39, participants will receive a round of golf and lunch.
SunLand is also conducting a drawing for a new TaylorMade R9 SuperTri driver, free rounds of golf and free golf balls.
Those interested can enter the drawing at www.sunlandgolf.com.
Remember to enter the word “contest” into the comments box.
SunLand will draw the winners on June 1.
Rhody Classic
Port Townsend Golf Club will host the two-event Jim Caldwell Memorial Rhody Classic during the 75th annual Rhododendron Festival on Saturday, May 15 and Sunday, May 16.
Saturday’s format is an individual gross and net tournament.
Cost is $35 for members and $45 for nonmembers with prizes, KPs and LPs included.
Tee time is 8 a.m. so that folks can finish their round and head up to the grand parade.
Sunday’s format is a two-person best-ball gross and net tournament with a 9 a.m. tee time.
Entries are $25 for members and $37 for nonmembers.
The tournament raises money for the Rhododendron Festival, which will celebrate its 75th anniversary this year.
Men’s Club match play will also start soon at the course. Play will continue through the summer.
For more information on either event, call the pro shop at 360-385-4547.
Save the date
Cedars at Dungeness will host the fifth annual Claws & Paws Golf Tournament — a benefit for the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society.
The event features two divisions: handicap and Callaway.
Entries are limited to the first 100 players.
The $100 entry fee includes cart, range balls, tee prizes, longest drive prizes, KPs, raffle tickets, luncheon and a prize field of $1,500 (based on 100 players).
Tickets for the luncheon are $15.
All proceeds go to the Olympic Peninsula Humane Society, and all donations are tax deductible.
For more information or to register, call Garrett Smithson at 360-477-2718, or Andy Anderson at 360-809-0144.
Tournament directors are also seeking sponsors.
For more information about becoming a sponsor, call Kandace Schmidt at 360-461-2810 or Marsha Robin at 206-650-5431.
For more information on golfing at Cedars, call the pro shop at 360-683-6344, ext. 1.
Peninsula Cup news
The second annual Peninsula Cup is set for SunLand on Saturday, May 22.
Ninety-six players from six of the seven golf courses on the North Olympic Peninsula will compete this year, an increase from the 60 players who competed last year.
Some of the clubs are conducting their own tournaments to field the best possible team for the competition.
Scoring will come from the 13 best scores: the three best net and 10 best gross from each team.
The public is invited to come out and support their friends, co-workers and club members.
For more information, e-mail tourney chair Ray DeJong at dejong2263@aol.com.
Not a major, yet
While it lacks the official status of the four permanent men’s pro golf major tournaments, The Players Championship is big business in every aspect of the phrase.
It’s played at the first Tournament Players Club ever built, the TPC Sawgrass, right next door to PGA Tour headquarters in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
The tournament boasts a $9.5 million dollar purse, typically one of the larger purses found on the PGA Tour.
The course itself is a lengthy 7,215 yards.
TPC Sawgrass is renowned for its famed par-3 17th hole, “The Island Green.”
The hole is one of the most recognizable and challenging holes on the entire PGA Tour.
The most famous shot ever played on the hole didn’t end up as a hole-in-one.
During the 1998 tournament, golfer Steve Lowery’s tee shot landed safely on the green.
He and his tour compadres walked over to their putts when a rogue sea gull landed near Lowery’s ball with an easy meal on its mind.
The gull struggled to place the ball in its beak, tapping it around the green before achieving success.
Flying away from the scene of the theft, the burglarizing bird realized the ball wasn’t an egg and dropped the ball into the pond surrounding the green.
The incident counted as a course hazard, and Lowery had to tee off once more.
He ended up with what will be the most unlikely bogey of his golfing career.
Lowery’s “birdie” can be viewed at the 37-second mark of this clip of famous Island Green moments: www.youtube.com/watch?v=-BBO6n7HR3o.
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Michael Carman is the golf columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. His column appears on Wednesdays. He can be reached at 360-417-3527 or pdngolf@gmail.com.