My wish to you all

SWGA/SSWGA Jingle Bell

It was the final event of the season for both the SWGA and SSWGA ladies....a bitter sweet experience I think.  Bitter, because it was the LAST one and sweet, because it was a lovely day....if you forget about the cart paths only and lots of mud and wind!  With all that said, 25 of the 41 ladies that had originally signed up actually showed up, and we appreciate your efforts. 

And speaking of appreciation, we surely appreciate Palmetto Country Club for hosting us at the last minute and being so patient with all the re-pairings.

The crazy hat winner was Gayle Gansfuss with her very "stylish" green hat.  The scramble winner results are in the right column, but here are a few photos to enjoy:

SWGA Annual Luncheon/Business Meeting

If you haven't already done so, mark your calendars for our Annual Business Meeting and luncheon on Friday, January 8, 2010.  This is a very important (and fun) meeting where we vote on our new officers for the 2010 golfing year.  Please plan to be there.  More information will follow soon.

Jingle Bell Scramble Moves

Due to wet conditions at Northwood Country Club where our Jingle Bell Scramble is normally held, the tournament has been moved to Palmetto Country Club.  Everything else remains the same:  December 3rd, 10:00am shotgun start, bring an unwrapped gift for Toys for Tots, and wear your "crazy Christmas hat" contest.  If there are ladies you know without internet service, please help pass the word around.

State Mid Am Tournament

Nine of our “local gals” made the trip to the LWGA State Mid Am Championship held at Beau Chene Golf and Country Club in Mandeville on November 7 & 8.

The tournament consisted of two days of stroke play amidst 53 humongous sand bunkers and water on probably 75% of the holes…..what a challenge!

But we did a good job of representing NW Louisiana. In the Second Flight, Teri McGuire won 1st Low Gross, former SWGA member Debbie Magee won 2nd Low Gross, and Kathleen McCoy won 2nd Low Net.

In the Third Flight, Gayle Gansfuss won 2nd Low Net.

Each of the four flights had Closest to the Pin prizes and we took home two of the four: Martha Lawhorne (3rd Flight) and Kathleen McCoy (2nd Flight).

The weather was PERFECT and the social event at Friends Restaurant on the Tchefuncte River was beautiful. As usual, it was good friends, good food and good fun. Next year’s Mid Am will be at Black Bear Country Club in Delhi, just a hop, skip and jump from us…so put it on your calendar for next October 15-17.   In the right column, there is a brief slideshow of pics taken at the tournament.  Enjoy!

SWGA Turkey Shoot

The annual Turkey Shoot Scramble was held at Palmetto Country Club today in beautiful 70 degree weather, which was a blessing after all the week of tornados, rain and flooding.  In spite of all that, the course was in great shape, although still very wet alleviating any expected "roll" on the ball.  But about 40 ladies ventured out to enjoy the social activity and see if they could remember how to hit a ball after all our rainouts.

Please see the right hand column for the winning teams and a short slideshow of a few candids.

Southern Trace Flooding

For those of you that haven't seen the awful flooding at Southern Trace CC, Kathryn Salpietra sent these pictures taken this morning at the course.

This is the DRIVING RANGE!

This is hole #9.....................................

This is Hole 11 and 12.............................................................

And this is Hole 18..........................................................

SSWGA Halloween Scramble

This year's Halloween Scramble at Westwood was held on October 28th on the rain-drenched course.  In spite of the "cart path only", a great time was had by all:  teeing off with a tennis racket; teeing off with a plastic ball and bat; teeing off while sitting on a swivel bucket; teeing off with your putter; and putting with a broom.  These were just a few of the challenges and I'm not sure if ANYONE hit the ghost for a a hole-in-one.

The whimsical golf contest was followed by a very serious chili luncheon provided by many of the SSWGA ladies.  A great time was had by all.  See the results and a slideshow presentation in the right column.

LWGA Mid Am Championship

It's not too late to sign up for this year's Mid Am Championship to be held November 6-8 at Beau Chene Country Club at Mandeville, LA.  This stroke play event is one of the few ladies' weekend tournaments, so if you work, this might be the tournament for you.

The practice round is on Friday and is an additional $36.  The $145 entry fee includes Saturday & Sunday golf as well as the Saturday evening cocktail party/dinner at Friend's Coastal Restaurant and the awards luncheon after play on Sunday.

Deadline for entries is October 29, so you only have a couple weeks.  If you need more info, check out the previous posting on this subject which includes all info, including the entry form.  Don't miss out on the fun!

The Roadrunner has "Run"

We snuck in between raindrops on Wednesday to complete the 2009 Roadrunner, which was a tremendous success.  Forty 2-lady teams competed in the scramble format, ending with a beautiful and tasty luncheon and awards ceremony. 

You can see the results of the tournament in the right column as well as a slideshow of candids and winners.  Incidently, congratulations to Sue Ford and Jo Ann Fleming for their special "Busiest on Course" award!  If you didn't play, you missed a great day!

WSGA Senior Championship

The Southern Women's Golf Association Senior Championship was hosted by the Bentwater Yacht and Golf Club in Montgomery, Texas, September 21-24. The tournament included 112 ladies (50 years and older) from fifteen southern states.

Six of our local ladies participated in this outstanding golfing experience....about as close to a professional event as most of us will ever play in. Making the trip were SWGA members Donna Cobb, Mary Jo Gray, Martha Lawhorne, Kathleen McCoy, Shirley Pettitt and former SWGA member Debbie Magee.
The Monday practice round started out pretty well with no rain, but things changed quickly. On the first day of the 54-hole event, we were greeted with a rain delay. After waiting and waiting, we finally were able to play 9-11 holes before darkness fell on us.

The next morning there was still no sunshine, but the fine mist and occasional drizzle seemed wonderful after the first day of play. We started at 8am to finish our first round of the tournament. Shortly thereafter, we started the second round at 12:30pm and were able to finish without getting drenched. After the second round, we were flighted according to our two-day totals. The final round started like the first round....wet, and again cart path only. But through it all, spirits weren't dampered and we had a great time.

When the scores were all computed, two of our six ladies won tropies: Mary Jo Gray, Fourth Place, Fourth Flight; and Kathleen McCoy, Fourth Place, Fifth Flight.

Next year, the Senior Championship will be hosted by the Texarkana Country Club, right at our back doors, on October 24-28. You should consider playing in this great championship while it is so close to us.

Green Team Retains Crown

It was a close match today in the Best Ball competition between the Blue East Team and the Green West Team. The Green Team needed only 6 points to retain the championship, but the Blue Team nearly succeeded in taking it away. Green scored 6 1/2 points today while Blue won 7 1/2. A great competition!!

Even the weather cooperated with us. Only the groups that had to play 16-18 holes of golf actually got a bit wet, but their spirits were not dampened one bit. Everyone seemed to enjoy the event again this year. We're already looking forward to next year.

Thanks to Jill Litton for working so hard to make this a great tournament. Thanks to Shirley Pettitt for supplying the "green hankies" used in the victory celebration. And thanks too to Donna Cobb who led the pep rally for the Blue Team this morning. What can I say? GO GREEN!!! (Check out the Day 2 slideshow in the right column.)

Barbara Fay White Cup Team Matches

....and the rain came and went.....several times, but Day 1 of the 2009 Barbara Fay White Cup is now in the bag. The skies looked ominous and we got wet a few times, but that didn't damper the spirits of the 56 ladies that showed up in spite of the bad forecast. That's dedication and it is appreciated, especially by Jill Litton, Team Matches Chairman.

After the first day of Modified Alternate Shot, the Green Team (defending champions) had the lead with 9 points out of 14. Two of the matches went all the way to 18, ending in All Square. How exciting!

Thursday is Best Ball day. Fifteen teams will vie for the championship. The Green Team must win 6 matches to retain its title. The Blue Team must win 10 to gain the title. Yep, it's going to be an exciting day!

Team Matches

Let the games begin!!! It may not be the Olympics, but it's a great competition between the East and West ladies' association golfers. If you aren't familier with the concept, the Red River separates the clubs into the two groups. Last year was the first year of this format and it was named the Barbara Fay White Cup in honor of Ms. White who was inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame last year.

This year's two-day event will be held on Sept. 15 & 17 at Olde Oaks Golf Club, a totally "neutral" course where there is no ladies' association. The first day pits fourteen 2-lady East teams against the West teams in the Modifield Alternate Shot match play format. We tee off at 9am with a shotgun start, hopefully with no rain to hamper the competition.

Day two consists of fifteen 2-lady teams on each side playing Best Ball, match play format. There will be a total of 29 points and the team with the most points becomes this year's champions. These West team is the defending champions.

After the competition on Thursday, there will be an awards luncheon at Olde Oaks. If anyone would like to attend the luncheon, even if you aren't playing, contact Jill Litton. The cost of the luncheon is $13.

Good luck to all the competitors and you might say a little prayer that the rain holds off till late afternoon.

LWGA State MidAm Championship

The Eleventh Annual Louisiana Women's Golf Association Mid Amateur Championship is being played this year on November 6-8, at the beautiful Beau Chene Country Club at Mandeville, LA.

Friday, Nov. 6th is the practice round, followed by two days of stroke play on Nov. 7 & 8. If you've never played it, you shouldn't feel intimidated by it....it's handicapped, just like any other big tournament, so you are playing against ladies with similar abilities.

The $145 entry fee covers two days of golf, cart, range balls, cocktail party/dinner on Saturday night, and lunch on both days. The practice round is an additional $36. The Tournament Chairman has gotten very good hotel rates at LaQuinta, Comfort Inn, and Super 8 Hotels.

The field is limited to 96 entries and must be received by October 29th.

For full details regarding the tournament and as well as the entry form, go to these links and print the information. Come join the fun just north of New Orleans.

Page 1: (Click for General Info)
Page 2 (Click for Entry form/program)
Page 3 (Click for Entry details)
Page 4 (Click for Accommodations)

SWGA Championship

First, a note from Jimmie Zey, Championship Chairman:

"I would like to thank everyone who participated in the SWGA Championship tournament. The first day was such wonderful weather, but the second day certainly challenged all of us. This will be a tournament that we can recall as we relate our interesting adventures to our family and friends as we reach our golden years. I appreciate everyone hanging in there through rain, thunder/lightening and sunshine and rain...rain...rain, and I look forward to next year...when I am only a player. Thanks again to all!!! Jimmie"

Now I will start by saying to Jimmie that the tournament was great in spite of all the uncertainty related to the weather. The first day was beautiful and we had high expectations for the second; however, Mother Nature had other plans. A special thanks to the Pro Shop personnel who did everything in their power to assist us in making decisions and changes.

The leader after the first day was JoAnna Ward, winning the Medalist award and trophy with her 81 score. Net Medalist was Robin Nattin with a net score of 69. Only three strokes separated JoAnna from the second place gross score posted by last year's champion, Lillian Granger.

Then came the second day which started with over an hour rain delay. We finally got to play about 3-4 holes when thunder and lightening caused another delay. This happened several times before we were able to finish....with a beautiful sunshiny ending. Unfortunately, a number of ladies just had enough after the second or third delay and withdrew from the tournament. They missed an exciting ending with JoAnna Ward and Lillian Granger facing off on a sudden playoff, and JoAnna emerging as the winner.

You can see the full list of winners in the right column of this blog. In addition, there are three separate slideshows of (1)all the players, (2) all the winners, and (3) candid shots taken during the tournament. My thanks to Allison Rains who took lots of pictures on the first day of the tournament.

Congratulations to all of the winners and to Jimmie Zey for hosting a great tournament. And let's not forget the "special" award won by Jeannie Ward.....Lucky 7!!!

Local Gals at Solheim Cup

The United States hosts the Solheim Cup, the Olympics of women's golf, this year at Rich Harvest Farms Country Club near Chicago, Illinois. And amongst the 100,000 fans will be three of our own SWGA gals: Cathy Morgan, JoAnna Ward, and Cathy Buckley. They have been planning for a long time to attend the event that starts on Friday.
Cathy sent me a few pics so I thought I would share with you. Sure wish I were there with them. GO USA!!!!

SWGA Playday at Crooked Hollow

Crooked Hollow Golf Club was the site of today's SWGA playday, hosted by the Broadmoor Women's Golf Association. Thirty-two ladies braved the heat and what turned out to be a wet day of golf. I'd like to thank John for all his hospitality and efforts to help make our playday a success. For today's results, check the right hand column.

See you next month at the SWGA Championship at Palmetto Country Club.

State Four Ball

It's alway bittersweet to write about a tournament that we've completed.....because that means it's finished....till next year.

Once again, the State Four Ball at Stonebridge was a great success, with not one rain drop (although it may have felt REALLY good). The 108 ladies that participated contended with not just each other, but with heat indexes of 105-107 degrees. Everyone hung in and had a great time. I might add, when the Grounds Keepers cut the rough, they are going to find LOTS of balls!

SWGA had a good showing with 18 participants.

And of those 18, we had five teams that placed in their flights.

In the First Flight, Moise Allen (STCC) and partner A. Ridley won 1st Low Gross with a two-day total of 153 (127 Net). Mary Jo Gray (WGAS) and partner P. Gentry, won 2nd Low Gross with a two-day total of 155 (131 Net).

The Second Flight also had two SWGA team winners, all from BWGA: Shirley Pettitt and Kathleen McCoy won 1st Low Net with a 124 (158 Gross), while Donna Cobb and Tina Essler took 2nd Low Gross with their 160 (128 Net). Shirley Pettitt also won Closest to the Hole, landing it about 3 feet from the hole on #17. You GO girl!

And the Third Flight belonged to Martha Lawhorne (BWGA) and Di Ann Montgomery, winning 1st Low Gross with their 173 (129 Net).

Another tournament filled with good FUN, good FOOD, good FRIENDS!

Womens Southern Senior Championship

Many of you probably never heard of the Womens Southern Golf Association. It consists of players from fifteen states. Each year there is an Amateur Championship for all ages as well as a Senior Championship for ladies 50+. To play in the regular Championship, you must have a handicap index of 18 or less, while the Senior Championship allows handicaps as high as 23.5.

This year, the Senior tournament is at Bentwater Yacht and Country Club in Montgomery, TX. It's really a beautiful place with three courses, and we'll be playing the Weiskopf Course. (You can Google the place and get some really nice pictures.)

The tournament is September 22-24 with a practice round on the 21st. Format consists of 54 holes of stroke play and you are flighted after the first 36 holes. The $220 entry fee includes one practice round and three rounds of golf, all cart fees, practice balls, club storage, gratuities and social events. There is a Cocktail Party/Buffet on Monday, Sept. 21st as well as an awards luncheon following completion of play.

The field is limited to 112 players and fills up FAST, so if you plan to play, sign up right away. You can find full details and an entry form at this link: http://www.womens-southerngolfassociation.org/

Hidden Jewel

Today several of us made a "road trip" to Marshall, TX to golf at The Challenge at Cypress Hills. What a wonderful experience! I've lived in the Shreveport area for almost 15 years (this time), and never heard of this course. I understand it had a different name and different owners in the past, then was closed about a year, and has reopened with new management and a totally new layout.The course is hilly with losts of large old trees; the fairways and tee boxes are lush green grass; the greens are undulating, but receptive, offering a challenge to read them correctly; and there is water on eight holes, although not in play from all of the ladies' tees. Probably because the layout was recently redone, the course hasn't been re-rated and sloped yet.

If you didn't know the course was out there, you wouldn't just happen onto it. Going west on I-20, you take Exit 628 and turn left over the interstate. It's only about 8-10 miles past the exit to go to Crooked Hollow. The weekend rate is $40 ($35 if you're over sixty like me) and $35 during the week (maybe $30 if you're old). It's a really nice golfing experience. Give it a try when you want to explore a new course.

SSWGA Southern Trace Playday

Thirty-one ladies showed up to play at Southern Trace on what turned out to be a really great-weather golfing day. A little breeze helped...not to mention the low humidity. It was a beautiful day at a beautiful facility. Check out the playday results in the right column. See you at our next playday on August 11th at Palmetto!

Golfer with no arms

If you want to be truly inspired, or maybe feel a bit guilty when you complain about one of YOUR shots, take a look at this video (and give it time to do it's little advertising promo before the video starts): http://www.thegolfchannel.com/golf-videos/meet-butch-lumpkin-9477/?ref=26000

This guy is truly amazing!

Stonebridge Playday

Well ladies, I have to apologize for my performance today. I failed to take a SINGLE picture. I must have been brain-dead again. It just didn't enter my mind....even after I made sure to put my camera in my golf cart bag. So I'm sorry for the lack of pictures.

It wasn't one of our best attended playdays (only 29 participants), having lots of last minute cancellations....I'm sure due to the heat. It was pretty hot, but thank the Lord for the breeze we had all day. Donna Phillips, Events Chairman, used up a whole eraser on her pairings sheet. I'm sure it was stressful. But all went well and I have posted the results in the right hand column.

Hopefully it'll be a little cooler next month when we have our playday at Crooked Hollow. Hope to see you there.

Jena 2-Lady Scramble

Another great road trip! The 2-Lady Scramble at Jena (LaSalle Country Club) was a great success. Our most gracious host was Mary Edwards who owns Edwards Motel in Jonesville, LA. We had a great evening at her home located on the motel property, visiting with ladies from many, many different towns. The food and fellowship was fabulous.The nine-hole course was really a treat, with wonderful putting greens (small, but really smooth). There was just enough water and sand to make life interesting. I don't know how many ladies participated, but there were a bunch of us. From our SWGA group we had only myself, Donna Cobb and Cathy Morgan. Donna and I won third place in our flight, shooting a 75. We were thrilled. We each won a $60 gift certificate to Academy Sports. (I sure hope they carry LARGE ladies golf shoes!) Also pictured with us SWGA gals are Stacy and Candy who handled the tournament.

It was great fun and great networking. We'll do it again next year. Hope you join us!

SWGA Championship

I know that September seems a long way off, but the time will fly by, and before you know it, it's time for our SWGA Championship at Palmetto Country Club. If you haven't already marked your calendar, please do so NOW. We want you to participate!!!! The tournament is Tuesday -Thursday, September 1-3. Let's try for record attendance!

About the Florida water.....

Be sure you don't put TOO MUCH Florida water in your water! I believe it was Charlotte Calhoun that told me today that she had forgotten my "formula" for preparing the Florida water wipes in the sandwich bags....so she guessed.....wrong. She put like over a tablespoon of undiluted Florida water in EACH sandwich bag with ONE wet wipe! Wow! I bet the smell of that mixture burned her eyebrows right off her face!

Remember, a little bit goes a long way.....but it's great when used correctly.

Nikki Patterson Invitational

The first Nikki Patterson Invitational was a tremendous success at the Golf Club at Stonebridge today, as 29 teams (116 ladies) participated in the event to commemorate the life of one of their members for whom the tournament was named. The Stonebridge ladies and staff did a wonderful job both on and off the course, making for a totally rewarding day for all. The overall gross winners of the Championship Flight were Joanna Ward, Cathy Morgan, Tracy Ryan, and Gina O'Neal with a whopping 14 under par! Good golfing ladies!

To see all the pictures, click on one of the slideshow pictures in the right column and you will get directed to Picasa where you can see all the pictures in larger size.

Fox Run Playday

Please note that the Fox Run playday that had to be cancelled due to storm damage has been rescheduled to October 22nd. Mark your calendar!

Red Hot Chili Pepper Tournament

The Natchitoches Country Club hosted the Red Hot Chili Pepper Tournament on Monday, June 22nd. The two-lady, 27 hole tournament consisted of 9 holes of best ball (which was the flighting round), followed by a brunch, then 9 holes of alternate shot and 9 holes of scramble, followed by an awards luncheon.

The SWGA was well represented with eight ladies participating. There were three winning teams: Mary Jo Gray and Debbie Magee, Phyllis Ryan and Joyce Middleton, and Shirley Pettitt and Martha Lawhorne.

A Really COOL Tip

During the State Amateur Championship, one of my matches was against Pam Washington, a really nice lady from down in the New Orleans area. During our round, Pam shared a "cool" tip that I want to pass on to you.I know that many of you have not heard of "Florida water", because when I mention it to most ladies, they are puzzled. I'm not sure exactly what it is either, except that it makes cold water even colder. In the past, I've always added Florida Water to my little ice chest with a little water. During the round, I soak a cloth in the water and wipe my face, neck and arms to get instantly "energized" by being SOOOO cooled off. By the time I dunk the cloth in the water a few times, it gets pretty raunchy-looking and you sure wouldn't want to share any of this wonderful stuff with anyone else.

Pam came up with a great solution. Here's how I did mine, based on her idea. Here's what you need to purchase: unscented Huggies wipes (I bought the heavy duty ones); Ziploc sandwich bags; and Florida water, which can be purchased at most drug stores and probably at many sporting goods stores under various brand names.

I mixed one cup of water with a teaspoon of Florida water. Place one wipe in a sandwich bag and pour in about 1/8 cup of the water mixture. Seal the bag, getting the excess air out of it. This mixture did nine bags. Place the bags in the freezer. When you leave for the golf course, place the bags in your ice chest.

As you need to cool off, remove one bag and use the disposable wipe to wipe your face and neck. Ahhhh. How refreshing! And now you can share your "coolness" with your cart buddy. Thanks, Pam.

State Amateur Championship

What fun! It was great! Hot....but great.

There were only eight of us local SWGA ladies in the tournament this year, but we did a good job of representing our club. Pictured are Phyllis Ryan, Mary Jo Gray, Kathleen McCoy, Debbie Jordan McGee, Nancy Young, Donna Cobb, Joyce Middleton, and Martha Lawhorne.

As luck would have it, Joyce, Donna, Debbie and me were in the same flight, so we knew it would get interesting. Sure enough, Donna was matched against Debbie on the first day; Debbie was matched against Joyce on the second day; and I was matched against Joyce on the third day. Joyce and I played each other for first place in our flight's Winner's bracket. We were tied after 9, tied after 18, and on the nineteenth hole, she won, giving me second place. Donna won our flight's Consolation bracket. Phyllis Ryan won her flight's Winner's bracket. If you've never participated in one of these State Tournaments, you've missed a great experience. Put it on your calendar for next year. It's always in June. Hope to see you there!

For Sale Items

While golfing today, my friend and I were discussing our many "extra" clubs and who may be interested in this one or that one. Then it came to me: I bet all of us have clubs that we no longer use and would like to sell, while others of us are always looking for different clubs to try.

So I thought, why not have a For Sale column in this News Site. You just let me know what you have and give me a contact email or phone number. If someone is interested in your stuff, they can contact you direct for a price, or I can post a price with the posting.

So go through your stuff and see what you might want to get rid of. Be sure to give me a complete description, including the condition of the item. You can even provide a picture if you would like. I'll be adding stuff myself, making room for more clubs in my bag.....just what I need! Kathleen

Southern Trace Playday

Fifty-two ladies braved the hot weather and high humidity to play today at Southern Trace, which was in impecable condition.

Jerry Hobson (FRLGA), Paulette Lee (WGAS) and Sherry Barnes (ERCC) putt out on a really beautiful green at Southern Trace.