Featured Story

Goat Hill is for the birds

Welcome, Eastern Bluebirds, your new abodes await.

The fairways on Goat Hill are now home to new residences built especially for New York State’s official bird, thanks to Shelter Island Cub Scout Pack 56.

Bluebirds thrive in open country, such as pastures and fields, making golf courses a perfect habitat.

The scouts put six birdhouses together last fall to fulfill a requirement for their woodworking badges.The kits and material were donated by the Shelter Island Country Club.

“The scouts were really happy that the club approached us to do the project,” said Den Leader Dave Gurney.

Cub Scout Pack 56 and Boy Scout Troop 56 have been active for decades and it’s not unusual to see generations of scouts from the same families. “It’s a great tradition for Island boys,” Mr. Gurney said, whose father, Ric, had been a Troop 56 scoutmaster. Mr. Gurney’s two sons, Johnny and Kenny, are pack members, as is Den Leader Will Marshall’s son, William.

Under leaders’ direction and watchful eyes, the scouts, who range in age from 5-9 years old, learned about woodworking safety and measuring tools; how a saw was used to cut the various birdhouse parts; and how to use a drill, hammer and screwdriver.

The club then bought and painted the posts that host the birdhouses, which were placed as additional 150-yard markers on the first, second, third, seventh and eighth fairways.

Den leaders then made additional birdhouse kits so each of the pack’s 14 boys could build a birdhouse to take home.

And speaking of birds …

Former club champion Pete Disch made an eagle on the 305-yard, par 4 third hole at SICC. The 140-yard seven iron shot landed softly on the green, rolled up to the hole and dropped in. He finished his 18-hole round with a sizzling 72. Congratulations, Pete!

Ladies scramble sets new record

Sue Hine, Cathy Kenny, Maria Razza and Belle Lareau had a great game last Friday, establishing a new record for the Ladies Scramble with a score of 38, or five strokes over par. A scramble is a team effort, with each player hitting from the location of the best ball among the foursome. Well done, ladies!

The ladies play a scramble every Friday morning at 9:15. Teams are formed at random, depending on how many players show up. The scramble is open to members and non-members alike and golfers of all skill levels are encouraged to come play and have fun.

Tournament with a twist

Golfers won’t know which way is up or down, left or right, when they tee it up Sunday, Aug. 16 in SICC’s Backwards Tournament. Play will start from green to tee in this wacky round of nine. Sign up at the pro shop or by emailing [email protected]. Please be sure to indicate whether you need to rent a cart since availability is limited. No walkers, please. Cost is $15 for members and $30 for non-members. Shotgun start is 4 p.m.

Sign up for club championships

All SICC golf members are welcome to participate in the 2020 club championships for men and women. Golfers are grouped based on their average scores so players with similar abilities can compete in flights. Sign up at the pro shop by July 31. Golfers compete in same-day, 18-hole match play during August and play must conclude before Labor Day. Tournament brackets and pairings will be posted outside the pro shop.

Puns and one-liners

I was reminded the other day that a former author of the Goat Hill news column used to include a joke or pun every week, so with a nod to Andy Steinmuller, here goes:

Golf is a game in which you yell “fore,” you score a six, and you write down “five.”

A good golf partner is one who’s always a little bit worse than you are.

Q: Why is the game called “golf”? A: Because all the other four-letter words were already taken.

And my favorite:

What is it called when you fluff a shot and it’s still your turn to play? A dead sheep: “still ewe.”