HAND-TOSSED PIZZA? I’ve heard, seen (and eaten) my share.
A hand-tossed hole-in-one? That’s altogether new to me.
Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course assistant pro Garrett Smithson might have invented a whole new sport after a recent outing at Everett Golf and Country Club.
Smithson and fellow Cedars pros Bill Shea and Jeff Lindsey, along with North Bellingham Golf Course pro Nathan Vickers, were competing in the second day of the Western Washington Chapter of the Pacific Northwest Section of the PGA’s year-ending tournament on Oct. 25.
While standing on the tee box of the short 115-yard par 3, No. 8 hole, Lindsey commented that “You could almost throw it in from here.”
Accustomed to quick on-course side bets and boasts, Smithson quickly agreed to a $5 wager with each member of his foursome.
All Smithson had to do to win was carry the front bunker guarding the green, 100 yards from the tee box.
Smithson let loose with a mighty toss of his Titleist Pro-V1X while still staying within the teebox stakes.
The foursome saw the ball clear the bunker, clinching the bet for Smithson, but they couldn’t find the ball.
Its whereabouts remained a mystery until Lindsey walked toward the hole, peered down and pointed at the ball, snug in the cup.
The group let loose with a big laugh followed by a big lament.
“It was one of those things where if we had a camera and put it up on YouTube, it would have become an overnight sensation,” Smithson said.
I like that it was wholly unintentional.
Smithson’s plan was to throw right of the bunker but he went straight over the impediment.
“I’ve probably played thousands of par-3 holes with just one hole-in-one,” Smithson said.
“I’ve thrown a few balls out on the greens [while instructing players] and I’ve got a much better batting average this way,” he said.
No word on whether Smithson entered the score as a one or bought his playing partners the standard post-play round of drinks in the clubhouse (wink-wink.) See photo of green on Page B2.
Cedars Golftoberfest
Sign-ups are underway for Cedars at Dungeness’ Golftoberfest in Sequim on Friday, Nov. 11.
Two-person teams will compete in nine holes of scramble, nine of best ball and nine of alternate shot beginning with a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start.
There will be three divisions: gross, net and Callaway.
Participants will receive a German-style lunch (I can taste the wurst and schnitzel!), cigars, range balls, carts, KPs, beer on every third hole and green fees for $70.
Organizers also promise fun side games and $1,500 in prizes based on a field of 100 players.
Entry forms are available at http://tinyurl.com/3grtyxb, by phoning the golf course at 360-683-6344, or by stopping in at the pro shop.
Petroff benefit
The Cornucopia Golf Benefit Tournament for Crescent High School senior Jonathon Petroff, 17, will be held at Sequim’s SkyRidge Golf Course on Sunday.
Petroff has been diagnosed with Hodgkins Lymphoma, a cancer that originates in the body’s lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell.
The four-person scramble will tee off at 9:30 a.m.
Cost is $160 per team with an optional $20 honey pot.
Carts are $12 per seat.
Proceeds from the event will go to the Petroff family.
To play in the event, phone SkyRidge at 360-683-3673.
Composters rejoice
Port Townsend Golf Club maintenance members have been hard at work gathering up all the fallen leaves out on the course and mulching them up.
Course staffers have placed the leaves in different locations around the perimeter of the course (but mostly on San Juan Avenue).
Those who would like to snap some of this garden gravy up, can do so for free.
Gardeners can drive by the course and find the piles (while being ever-mindful of golfers and golf balls) or phone the course at 360-385-4547 to find out where the piles are located and when would be a good time to pick them up.
Last major of the year
Port Townsend will hold the annual Hilltop Tavern Open Golf Tournament, set this year for Saturday at Port Townsend Golf Club.
The “last major of the year” will let players in this tourney enjoy Hilltop owner Judy Lundgren’s world-famous lasagna at the post-round awards ceremony.
The tournament format is a two-person scramble (men and women welcome).
Players will also compete for a hole-in-one prize courtesy of Gary’s Auto.
Phone the club for details at 360-385-4547.
Winter rates at PTGC
Port Townsend recently switched to its winter rates.
Players can golf nine holes for $13 and 18 holes for $17.
Less than $1 a hole to play? That’s a solid deal right there.
Salish Cliffs review
Puetz Golf staffers recently traveled to the newest golf course in the state, Salish Cliffs Golf Club at the Little Creek Resort and Casino near Shelton.
They posted a pictorial essay of the new digs, complete with commentary on what they encountered on their web site at puetzgolf.blogspot.com.
At first read, it seems like the new course plays a lot like Kingston’s White Horse Golf Club.
The fairways are spacious but there is plenty of rough to be found if you miss wide left or right.
Greens are a little hard like White Horse but the course only opened at the end of the summer and the Puetz guys played at the driest time of year.
Most interesting, at least to an old cart rat like myself, is the state-of-the-art golf carts required for play.
The course is really hilly, so its mandatory to drive.
These carts contain an internal warning system that alerts the driver to slow down when approaching bridges and will stop completely when getting too close to greens.
A little too much like “2001: A Space Odyssey”?
Perhaps, but it will save the course time and money if any hooligan tries to steal golf carts or vandalize the course’s greens.
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Golf columnist Michael Carman can be reached at 360-417-3527 or at pdngolf@gmail.com.