June 29, 2018
Eagle Ridge Golf League News
You never write, you never call, you never come by, or even send an email. I am now convinced that no one reads this article! But it doesn’t matter because I enjoy writing it.
I’m just kidding. Actually, it has been three weeks since I have made a report and there has been a lot happening. First, the June 12 date was rained out, so there was no article submitted.
The June 19 date was played. I had the results in hand and was ready to write the report the next day, Wednesday. The Turner sisters (my wife Beverly is a “Turner girl”) had begun a sisters’ trek to Nashville. I had set aside the evening for viewing all the “shoot’em up bang” movies that Beverly doesn’t care to watch. Those plans were set aside; first, the monitor on my desktop PC died and, then the girls had automobile problems in Owingsville. I rescued the girls as the sick car made its way back to Huntington carried by a wrecker. No article was written, and my “blood and guts” films were replaced by the Hallmark Channel.
On Thursday, Beverly and I went to the Smokies for a short vacation. I took my laptop, signed onto the Internet, connected, but my computer could not pull up the mail which contained the league results. Then “it,” meaning the laptop, decided to become sick with a virus, a bacteria, Hep “C” or perhaps even operator error. Regardless, it would not work! Beverly and I returned to Louisa on Sunday evening with a new monitor, and on Monday morning I started again to write the article, but then decided it was a waste of time. I was going to write this article within a couple of days, anyway.
Just the facts; this is my story, and I’m stickin’ with it.
—
League Results from June 19
On Tuesday, June 16, the entire afternoon was overcast, and there were scattered showers. At times you could hear thunder in the background, but no lightning. I went to the course, and it was still overcast. The radar showed thunderstorms in our area. Luckily, they all missed us. It turned out to be a comfortable evening to play golf. However, as one would expect, the turnout was smaller than usual.
The scores for this outing would be what I would call normal. Some people were on their game, others were not as sharp. That is why the game of golf is often compared to life; there are good days, and then there are better days. There was one shot that I must mention. The long drive went to Brad Lafferty, the one who carries his cheering section with him. He hit a “zinger!” Brad has indeed upped his game, and I attribute it all to his pretty young wife and his cute little boy. You will understand what I mean when you read the next section.
Now for the scores and the highlights for June 19:
Scores
Low Net Score (32) Mike Hogan
Low Gross Score (37) Troy Hughes
Longest Drive (#7) Brad Lafferty
Fewest Putts (14) Troy Hughes
Skills Competition
Closest to the pin, 2nd shot (#11) Mike Hogan
Longest Putt (#18) Ronnie Wellman
Par 3, Closest to pin (#12) Bill Jackson
Skins Troy Hughes (#9)
Ronnie Wellman (#10)
League Results from June 26
The weather conditions for Tuesday, the 26th were much the same as the prior week. There was rain on and off all morning and afternoon. Most were just sprinkles. I arrived at the course later than usual, waiting for mother nature’s decision. By tee off time, the weather was overcast but satisfactory. The playing conditions were excellent. Rodney has done a great job with the course. With all the rain, a lot of times torrential rain, he has maintained the greens and most fairways in excellent condition. The hardest hit areas have been the tee boxes. Tees are mostly flat and subject to standing water. He’s bringing the tees back by sprigging. There are several tees closed for repair to allow the new grass to thrive. Kudos to Rodney and his staff for all their excellent work.
As one would expect, the player count was down, but not by much. More people were playing than I expected. Tuesday we played the front 9. The front offers players holes with challenges that rank as some of the most difficult in the tri-state area. It is not the length of this 9 that is the challenge, it is the preciseness of the shots that the holes require. The front contains some of the most unforgiving holes I have played.
Number 4 is the long drive hole. Unlike number 7 on the back 9, you will find players’ choice of club used from the tee box varying from a 6 iron to a driver. It all depends upon how far you can hit the club. The drive is a placement shot that requires a precise distance. If the ball goes too far, then you end with an unplayable lie in heavy rough on a straight downhill lie; if too short, then the ball must be laid up to reach the fairway below. The long drive is the ball that goes the furthest and ends in the fairway. As I mentioned in the June 19 report, Brad Lafferty, due to carrying with him his cheering squad, won the long drive on the back 9. He crushed it. On Tuesday Brad again won long drive with a finesse shot. His ball was the longest drive I have ever seen on number 4, ending only inches from going out of the fairway at its furthest point. Then Brad won low net score with a 30! I also attribute this to his cheering section. Way to go Brad!
Now for the scores and the highlights for June 26
Scores
Low Net Score (30) Brad Lafferty
Low Gross Score (35) Troy Hughes
Davey Fields
Longest Drive (#4) Brad Lafferty
Fewest Putts (14) Troy Hughes
Skills Competition
Closest to the pin, 2nd shot (#5) Troy Hughes
Longest Putt (#18) Mike Hogan
Par 3, Closest to pin (#3) Troy Hughes
Par 3, Closest to pin (#17) Ronnie Wellman
Skins Troy Hughes (#6)
Ronnie Wellman (#17)
Other News
In other news, for the first time, the golf league is playing a split season. The winner and runner-up for the first half of the season will be decided next week. These two players become finalists in the league championship. All points will be scrapped, and the second half of the season will start anew with a blank slate for all players.
Now would be an excellent time to join the league. Regardless of where a player finished in the first half of the league (even if you did not play), a player can get into the finals for the league championship by winning the second half. Then a year-end playoff will determine the league champion.
That’s all for today folks.
Bill Jackson
Submitted: June 28, 2018
