GBCC: Tournament bonanza of a weekend

At Gardiner’s Bay Country Club this week, it was a member-member tournament bonanza. The men kicked off the proceedings with their “Silver Bowl” on Saturday. I am very happy to report we had 76 members compete, which was a wonderful turnout. Thank you to all the members who participated and made the event so successful. The format was two members playing together as a team with one score from the team to count on each hole.

The heat was oppressive and the golf was impressive. Russell Holmes, our current club champion, finished birdie birdie for a 69 on his own ball. His partner, Matt Sandberg, helped out too, bettering Russell on a couple of holes, which is tough to do, and combined for a team gross 67 to take home the spoils. They beat Jay Sessa and Jimmy Powers by three.

Meanwhile, in the net division, Bruce Dalton and Jerry Berner obliterated the field with a net 58. Dalton, shooting 81 as a 19 handicap, and Berner got his mojo back to lower the total by a few more. They won by three from Allen Kopelson and Jeff Krevat (61). Mike Stromberg and Roy Bumsted beat their friends and playing partners Joe Taranto and Ken Nolan in a card playoff on 62 to finish third. Stromberg birdied the last to do so. That was a hot group on a hot day, although Taranto et al. got a little revenge the following day when Stromberg set record losses in their “Full Junk” game. Sorry Mike! It was a roller coaster of a weekend for our very own ex-Jet.

The following day, Sunday, we held our Grand/Parent & Child tournament. They played foursomes golf. Foursomes is the official name for “Alternate Shot.” It’s a brilliant form of golf as it builds teamwork and a greater understanding of course management. This is because wherever you hit your ball your partner has to play it. Needless to say, several kids were asking if they could adopt new fathers as the dads left them with recovery shots from the trees, the bunkers, the pond, and several knee-knocking downhill left to right three-footers for par. Sorry, dads, keep practicing!

Brendan Shea and Dad Brian didn’t have any trouble as they won the net division with 32 over our front nine. Congratulations, guys! One dad, whom I might start calling “Vintage Bordeaux” as he continues to improve, is Jay Sessa. At 55 years young, he is playing wonderful golf, as is his daughter Samantha, who at 14 is a spectacular prospect. However, the Cards, young Jake and dad Jay, kept pace for the longest time. Both teams shot 37 gross, which is sensational in foursomes. It was a beautiful evening and with the sun setting we held a sudden-death playoff on our 9th hole with a big crowd watching. The Sessas were too tough and made a par three to win the playoff. It was entertaining golf that thrilled the onlookers.

As a side note, over the weekend we held a fundraising 50/50 raffle in support of GBCC Junior Golf.

Youngsters Erin and Ian Roddy started the event on Saturday at the crack of dawn. Sitting by the first tee, they were dressed smartly in their GBCC Junior Golf Academy shirts and hats, although I think Erin was sleep-selling tickets for  the first hour.

GBCC member Patrick Shaw was the lucky winner and in an act of tremendous generosity donated his 50-percent winnings back to GBCC junior golf. It was not an insubstantial amount of money. Bravo and thank you, Mr. Shaw!

Lastly, on Monday and Tuesday, the ladies battled for their member-member. It was a marathon over 36 holes and two different formats. The gross winners were Nancy Ivers and Sally Winston with 182, beating Judy Bennett and Sue Scanlon who had 184. The net winners, snatching victory from the middle of the pack with a sublime 60 for a 130 total, were Ginny Brooks and Veronica Clements. They beat Betty Jones and Julie O’Connor, who finished second with 132.

Thank you to all the members and their guests who made the week a very successful one.