Golf classic goes goofy this year
Published 10:10 am Monday, August 30, 2010
The 16th annual Orcas Center / Island Market Golf Classic last Saturday set a fun new standard for this Orcas tradition.
It was a serious beginning…
Forty-four enthusiastic participants showed up at the Orcas Golf Club for a morning 9-hole tournament under cool grey skies that threatened to open up on the course but gradually cleared to become a beautiful and warm day.
The following winners took home prizes donated by local restaurants:
Lowest Gross Men’s Team: Steven Bailey, Wally Gudgell, Richard Keck, and Terry Moran-Hodge.
Lowest Gross Mixed Team: Suzanne Gropper, Diane Lasko, Bill Rakow, Matt Taylor
Longest Drive Men: Matt Taylor
Longest Drive Women: Suzanne Gropper
Closest to the Pin: Terry Moran-Hodge
And then things got a little strange…
After a lunch of burgers and beer donated by the Lower Tavern, golfers set back out on the course for some golfing with a focus on fun. At Hole #1, for example, players were required to drive off the tee box using a three person slingshot rather than a golf club. Players used a croquet mallet to putt on the Hole #9 green, and the Marshmallow drive was, well, self-explanatory. Raffle prizes were provided by Best Buy of Burlington, and lots of folks, including a few who had never golfed before, had a great experience even if they may not be playing the Masters any time soon.
“I got some good shots and enjoyed the whole thing, even the putt-putt holes,” said Rodger Carlson, a first timer to the Golf Classic.
The new format was the brainchild of Golf Classic Chair Theron Soderlund. Justin Taylor, one of the golf club owners, said “the format appealed to the avid golfers and also drew a broad audience which should help expand the tournament in future years.”
