LADIES GOLFERS ARE invited to participate in “Viva Las Vegas”-themed events hosted by the SunLand Women’s Golf Association on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 16-17.
A nine-hole “Best Poker Hand” scramble will be held at 2 p.m. Friday, followed by casino games, food and a no-host bar at 4 p.m.
A continental breakfast will kick things off at 7:30 a.m. Saturday, followed by an 18-hole two-woman Better Ball competition.
This round includes tee prizes, raffle prizes and low gross and net prizes that will be awarded during a luncheon following play in the SunLand ballroom.
Participants are encouraged to wear attire that carries out the Viva Las Vegas theme (like an Elvis jumpsuit).
Prizes will be awarded for the best theme attire.
Practice balls will be provided both days at the SunLand driving range.
Handicap numbers are required and ladies need a partner.
The cost to play Friday and Saturday is $90 per person.
Golf on Saturday only is $75 per person.
Golf cart rentals are available for $15 per seat for 18 holes, and $7.50 per seat for Friday’s nine-hole event.
The entry deadline is Aug. 9.
For information and/or a registration form, call the SunLand Pro Shop 360-683-6800 ext. 13, and ask to have Cheryl Coulter or Carol Goodman return your call.
Scramble . . . if you hurry
Early risers can take part in today’s annual Red, White and Blue Scramble at Discovery Bay Golf Club near Port Townsend.
The tourney tees it up this morning with a 9:30 a.m. start.
It is open to all, with emphasis on couples.
Teams will be assigned at the course (the exception being couples can elect to be on the same team).
Cost is $10 per play, plus normal green fees.
Players should get to the course before 9 a.m.
Patriotic tourney set
Celebrating the Stars and Stripes is simply too much to ask of just one holiday.
In that spirit SkyRidge Golf Course in Sequim will hold a Stars and Stripes Golf Tournament on Saturday, July 13.
The two-person, three-format 27-hole event has a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start.
Players will face a scramble format from the black tees on Skyridge’s back nine and a better-ball from the front nine’s green tees, before wrapping with nine holes of aggregate from the back nine’s silver tee boxes.
Signup is limited to the first 28 two-person teams.
Cost is $80 per team and includes lots of golf, range balls, food and $5 for competition money.
A honey pot is $20 per person, and carts are $15 per seat.
To sign up, phone SkyRidge at 360-683-3673.
Cedars junior camps
Cedars at Dungeness in Sequim will host golf camps for ages 5-9 and 10-16 on July 29-30 and Aug. 1.
The younger ones will be on hand from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on July 29-30, and 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Aug. 1.
The older kids will attend from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., July 29-30, and from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Aug. 1.
Putting, chipping, the full golf swing and etiquette will be taught over the first two days.
The last day, campers will be grouped according to age and play a tournament.
Youngsters will play a four-hole tourney, while the older kids will play from four to nine holes.
A cookout and awards presentation will follow the tournament.
Cost is $80 and includes teaching fees, green fees, range balls, a barbecue, awards, snacks and a gift.
To sign up, phone the Cedars Pro Shop at 360-683-6344 or 800-447-6826.
Oh, so close . . .
Peninsula Golf Club members Gary Thorne and Mike Dupuis were unable to secure one of the two spots available during an 18-hole qualifying event for the 2013 U.S. Senior Open last Tuesday.
It wasn’t for a lack of trying.
Thorne, possibly the best amateur golfer on the Peninsula, rallied from an opening-nine 38 to post a back-nine 34 and a 1-over-par 72 on the 6,643-yard Rope Rider Course at Suncadia Resort.
He finished fifth overall, three strokes back from winner Tom Brandes, and two strokes behind second qualifier Tom Hale.
Thorne was just one stroke away from earning an alternate’s place and a chance to at least visit, if not play, in the 2013 U.S. Senior Open.
DuPuis, no slouch himself in the skills department, finished lower down the leader board after posting an 80 (36-44).
The Port Angeles pair were competing against each other and 57 other pro and amateur golfers for two spots at the 2013 U.S. Senior Open Championship July 11-14 at Omaha Country Club in Omaha, Neb.
A hearty round of golf claps for representing the Peninsula so well on a tough, demanding course.
Junior golf camp
Discovery Bay will host a junior golf camp from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. from Sunday through Tuesday (July 9-11).
A snack and prizes are included in the $50 entry fee.
Phone the golf shop to sign up at 360-385-0704.
Free junior golf in July
You’ll have to wait for the calendar to catch up, but beginning Monday, Port Townsend is offering a free junior green fees with a paid adult green fees.
For more information on Port Townsend Golf Club events, phone 360-385-4547, or stop by the course.
Healthy Families event
Healthy Families of Clallam County is the beneficiary of an inaugural golf tournament at Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course in Sequim on Saturday, July 27.
Proceeds from the event will support survivors of domestic violence and sexual abuse in Clallam County.
The event begins with a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start at Cedars, and entry is $90 for the public.
Cedars members should inquire at the pro shop at 360-683-6344 for their entry fee.
Entry includes a golf cart, green fees, box lunch, winner prizes and an awards ceremony.
Several other contests are planned, and there will also be a hole-in-one prize.
Registration forms must be received by Thursday, July 13, to ensure a spot.
A form is available at www.plmga.org/hfregistration.htm.
The tournament reflects an expanded effort by the Olympic Peninsula Boeing Bluebills to assist programs that address domestic violence and sexual assault.
The Bluebills, which include retirees from Boeing and other volunteers, donate time and skills to various community projects.
Last year, the Bluebills hosted a successful golf tournament at Port Ludlow on behalf of Dove House in Port Townsend.
Anyone interested in tee-sign or other sponsorships can request information by emailing hfgolf@wavecable.com.
Golfers also can contact that email address for information, or call the Healthy Families office at 360-452-3811. They can also register by calling the Cedars pro shop.
Golf-ball recycling
Cold-blooded murder stories typically are not the domain of my golf column but I found this New York Times story too interesting to pass up.
It concerns a golf-ball scavenger in the Bronx, found dead in the woods near the course from 16 stab wounds.
The article, available at tinyurl.com/golfrecycler, doesn’t say that the man’s golf-ball scavenging career is linked to the death but it does provide a glimpse into a part of the game many players never see.
The recycling of golf balls is a pretty big business, with the article claiming “an estimated 100 million golf balls are scavenged and resold, creating a vast and largely unregulated multimillion-dollar marketplace.”
For some its a way to earn some extra scratch, while others base vast operations off the sale of recycled balls.
The NY Times piece quotes a 1969 Sports Illustrated article on golf-ball scavenging: “Ball hawks will poor-mouth their profession, tell you it is a nickel-and-dime job,” the SI article said.
“It is the swimming they like, or the outdoors, or the independence. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.
“But a scavenger in North Carolina drives a Porsche and sends his daughter to private school on the profits he makes from operating in 27 states.
“A man like that can afford to be self-deprecating.”
An unnamed employee at the Bronx course said the man had no other job and could make more than $150 on a good day, selling recycled balls for prices from 25 cents to $1.
If anybody reading has leads on any North Olympic Peninsula-based golf-ball scavengers, send them my way, I’d like to write more about the process.
Grand slam possibility
Another epic performance from LPGA Tour star Inbee Park, in winning the U.S. Women’s Open last weekend with a total score of 8-under-par.
She has gone 3 for 3 in the majors this season, already winning the Kraft Nabisco (Dinah Shore) and LPGA Championship.
Next in her sights, the British Women’s Open at St. Andrews from Aug. 1-4.
Betting on sports is legal in the U.K., and I’d wager a few pounds sterling on her chances at the old course.
Her funky, slower-than-molasses golf swing is fun to watch.
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Golf columnist Michael Carman can be reached at 360-417-3527 or pdngolf@gmail.com.