2011 Annual Meeting and Luncheon

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

With that said, it's time to kick off our new year of SWGA events.  Our business meeting and luncheon will be held at 11:00am on Friday, January 14th at the University Club.  This will be the last time that we'll be meeting at this venue since the Club is closing on January 31.  We have really enjoyed our meetings at that location and will miss it in the future.

If you've attended the meeting in the past, you know the purpose:  business, new officers, great meal and wonderful socializing.  For those of you who haven't attended in the past, please make plans to attend this meeting.  We will talk about our 2010 achievements, saying goodbye to our old officers and hello to the new ones.  New and old business will be discussed, so if you have any concerns, this is the forum in which to present them.

The cost of the luncheon this year will be $16, which includes tax and gratuity for a fabulous meal, including drinks (non-alcoholic) and delicious desserts.  It is well worth the trip just for the food and it's a great time to visit with ladies you don't get to see very often....especially without their golf attire!

We need to give an accurate count to the University Club by January 11th, so please contact your Club Rep to let her know if you will be attending.  I promise you, it will be worth your time and effort.  Hope to see you there!

SWGA/SSWGA Jingle Bell

Who would have thought that on December 2nd we could play golf in 68 degree weather?  It happened today and forty-six ladies enjoyed that lovely weather at our annual Jingle Bell Tournament held at Palmetto Country Club.

With a fabulous score of 63, First Place honors went to Team Ward (Bea Roach, Joanna Ward, Jimmie Zey, and Gayle Gansfuss). 

Not far behind them and taking Second Place with a 67 score was Team Pettitt ( Shirley Pettitt, Linda Heins, Charlotte Calhoun, and Carolyn Phillips).

Then it got a little more complicated.  There were three teams tied at 69.  After a scorecard playoff, Team Essler won Third Place.  (Tina Essler, Kathleen McCoy, Caroline Stevens, and Barbara Offer)

After the second scorecard playoff, Fourth Place went to Team Morgan (Cathy Morgan, Marge Snyder, Theresa Kruse, and Vien Wheeler).

The Fifth Place Team was Team Middleton (Joyce Middleton, Kay Swope, Linda Colvin, and Grace Ireland).

There were three Closest to the Pin Winners:  Hole #3 at 14' 8" was Teri McGuire; Hole #11 at 6' 1" was Tommye Englecke; and Hole #17 at a mere 4' 1/2" was Jimmie Zey, and yes, they birdied the hole!

The Closest to the Straight Line award went to Jeanette Bohringer who was only about 12" off the line.  Wow!

Congratulations to everyone who played today....not just the winners....because we are all winners when we get to participate in an event with 46 golfing friends who are such an important part of our lives.

Click on the slideshow for fullsize pictures of today's activities and winners.
 

This was the last event of the year for both SWGA and SSWGA.  What a grand finale!  Our next event is our Annual Business Meeting on January 14th at the University Club.  At that luncheon, we elect new officers for 2011 and give out the special end-of-year awards.  There will be more information coming on this event.

SSWGA Turkey Shoot

THE WEATHERMAN WAS WRONG!  What was supposed to be a nice, sunny day ended up being quite cloudy and almost COLD.....but twenty-nine ladies persisted....and finished with smiles.  It ended up being a great day of golf and fun.

A 73 got the First Place honors for the team of Gayle Gansfuss, Grace Ireland, Donna Guenard-Taylor, and Joyce Middleton.

Second place went to the team of  Tina Essler, Linda Christiansen, Theresa Kruse, and Tommye Engelcke with a score of 74.  There was a tie for third place with a score of 76, which was broken by a scorecard playoff.  Third place went to Teri McGuire, Joanne McDonald, Charlotte Calhoun, and Bea Roach; and Fourth place was Mary Coker, Jimmie Zey, Jeanette Bohringer, and Jean Brown.

Click on any picture in this slide show for fullsize pictures:
 
This event was also the platform for the annual meeting and election of SSWGA officers. This is the slate of officers for 2011:

President:  Grace Ireland (PCC)
Vice-President: Theresa Kruse (PCC)
Secretary: Jean Brown (STCC)
Treasurer: Gayle Gansfuss (ERCC)
Events Person:  Susan Berry (BWGA)
Hospitality Person:  Barbara Offer (BWGA)

Special end-of-year awards went to the following ladies:
100% participation: Jackie Wood (BWGA) and Pat Miller (BWGA)
Low Gross:  Mary Coker (STCC)
Low Net: Marge Snyder (BWGA/NHGC)
Low Putts:  Susan Berry (BWGA) and Pat Miller (BWGA)

If you'de like to join the SSWGA, you need to pay your $20 membership fees by March 1, 2011, in order to be included in the new member directory.  If you are 50 years young, you are eligible to be a member.

SWGA Turkey Shoot Scramble

What a great day of golfing fun!  Forty-six ladies showed up on the foggy morning, but quickly shed their sweaters in the clear, unseasonably warm temperature.

The twelve teams scored very well on this day with a range from 65 to 75.  The First Place team of Suzanne Tinsley, Donna Cobb, Jeanie Ward, and Phyllis Coulson really did well scoring seven birdies and all the rest pars.

Second place was a tie with a score of 67.  The scorecard playoff was still tied with the 1st handicap hole, but the second handicap hole was birdied by Team Gray and parred by Team Pettitt.  Second place team was Mary Jo Gray, Kathleen McCoy, Becky Hollier, and Pat Rice.  Third place was Shirley Pettitt, Linda Heins, Jane Smith and Grace Ireland.

Three teams scored 69, so once again the scorecard playoff was the determining factor.  And once again, it was Hole #10 that broke the tie.  The Fourth Place team was Joyce Middleton, Judy Ferguson, Gayle Gansfuss, and Carolyn Phillips.

We had three Closest to the Pin winners:  Hole #3: Jeanie Ward (12'11"); Hole #11: Donna Cobb (6'6"); and Hole #17: Paulette Lee (3'4").  Closest to the Line was won by Cathy Buckly, who I understand was right on the line.

Congratulations to all the winners.  We're hoping you plan to play in the Jingle Bell Scramble on December 2, again at Palmetto Country Club, 10:00am shotgun start.

Click on any of the pictures in the slideshow to bring up a fullsize version of the pictures.

Blog Links

As a reminder, there is a list of links that are one-click away in the bottom right column of this blog.  If you need to post a score to the LGA system or look up the handicap for another member of the LGA, there are links for both.  In addition, there is a link to the Louisiana Womens and Southern Womens Golf Assns.

Several of the local Golf Clubs also have links and if your club has a website that you would like to have included on the blog, let me know.

2010 WSGA Sr. Tournament

Texarkana Country Club hosted the annual WSGA Senior Tournament October 25-29 with 107 ladies from twelve states participating.  The WSGA is comprised of ladies from fifteen southern states and this tournament moves from state to state with new venues each year.  Texarkana CC is a beautiful and challenging course that tested the chipping and putting skills of all levels of golfers.

Eight of our SWGA ladies participated in the event this year.

Shown in the picture is Billie Jean Reasor, Mary Jo Gray, Martha Lawhorne, Debbie Magee, Teri McGuire, Gayle Gansfuss, a new friend, Donna Cobb, and Kathleen McCoy.

The SWGA group came through again this year bringing home one of the lovely trophies, and that was done by Debbie Magee of Stonebridge.  Debbie won second place in the Fifth Flight with a strong come-back on the final day.  There were also four other Louisiana ladies that won prizes, so we did well.

Next year's Senior Tournament will be held in Aiken, SC at the Palmetto Golf Club on September 26-29.  There will be a group of us going, so make plans to make the trip with us.

Check out the slideshow for pictures of activities that include the practice round, Welcome Dinner, action shots, and awards luncheon.  For fullsize photos, click on any picture in the slideshow: 

Blue Team Takes Trophy

2010 Barbara Faye White Team Matches concluded with the Blue (East) Team taking 15 points from the Green (West) Team with a final tally of 15-10. This was the Blue Team’s first victory since we started the Solheim Cup format for the matches. And the victory was sweet for the 28 ladies playing for Stonebridge, Fox Run and Palmetto Women’s Associations.

The Best Ball competition on Day One ended with the Blue Team ahead of the Green Team by two points, and the gap increased on the Second Day of scramble competition.

The weather cooperated with us for the first time in a long while and, win or lose, all the ladies enjoyed the spirit of the competition. Thanks to everyone who participated. We hope that next year it will be bigger and better.

Check out the slideshow:

Dennis Walters Event/Tournament

On Friday, October 29, the First Tee of Geater Texarkana is sponsoring a golf tournament at New Haven Golf Club in Texarkana. THE COURSE IS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!! This is a 3 person tournament. Cost is $225 per team or $75 per person. The tournament begins at 11:30 a.m. You will be fed very well. There are a couple of places that will be set up with food.

At 4:00pm the ball drop will be held. This is a big fund raiser for the First Tee. Tickets are $5. The number on the ticket is placed on a golf ball. The balls will be dropped from a helicopter and the 5 balls that are either in or closest to the hole will win. There will be 5---$1000 winners.

Dennis Walters was going to college on a golf scholarship. He was in a golf cart accident and paralized from the waist down. He now plays from a golf cart that has been altered to accommodate him. He has been on TV and is very inspiring.

At 4:30pm, Dennis will be doing an exhibition on the driving range.  This is FREE to the public.

Mary Birdwell of the First Tee of Greater Texarkana would love to see lots of the ladies from everywhere at the tournament----she promises that you will not be disappointed. .

If you have any questions or would like to play in the tournament, Mary's cell number is 903-277-8976 or work is 870-774-4653.

State MidAm Tournament

The Audubon Golf Trail's Black Bear Golf Club hosted the 2010 LWGA State MidAm tournament on October 15-17 just north of Delhi, LA.  Fifty-one ladies participated in the event that took place with the most perfect weather one could ask for.  The course is very challenging with sand bunkers or other hazards in your eye at nearly every shot.  The scores reflected the difficulty of the course.

Only five of our SWGA ladies attended this year:  Kathleen McCoy, Mary Jo Gray, Debbie Magee, Gayle Gansfuss, and Teri McGuire.

Unfortunately, we had only one winner: Teri McGuire won 2nd Low Net in the First Flight.  Coming close was Gayle Gansfuss who tied for 2nd Low Gross in the Fourth Flight with three other ladies.  She lost the scorecard playoff and then was one shot out of winning the Low Net awards.  Bummer.

Three of next year's State Tournaments are already scheduled and the dates will be added to this blog under "Other Golfing Events." 

Tournament photos are in a slideshow presentation in the right column of this blog.  Simply click on any picture and it will take you to a fullsize slideshow.

Sarah "Pete" Spurgin

Our good friend Pete lost her battle with cancer yesterday, October 17.  Pete valued her privacy to the end and chose not to have a public funeral.  She did however make this request:

 "To those with whom I played and to those with whom I worked, you know the rest, and I enjoyed my time with you.  So if you wish to remember me, sit on a porch somewhere and have a cold one.  My service will be private."

With this thought in mind, Teri McGuire is having a special "porch gathering" at her home at 717 Ratcliff, Shreveport, on Wednesday, October 19th.  If you plan to be there to celebrate Pete's life, you might want to call Teri at 470-2409 to let her know so that she'll know how many to expect.

A permanent memorial will be added to this site when all the information is gathered.

Susan G. Komen Eastridge CC

Low Gross winners of the Susan G. Komen benefit tournament were the team of Barbara Wilhelm and Christina Parsons with a nice score of 76.  Congratulations ladies and thanks to everyone who participated to help fight breast cancer.

2010 Roadrunner

Beautiful weather.  Wonderful golf course.  Great food and drink.  Lasting relationships.  Gorgeous prizes.

What more can be said of the 2010 Roadrunner at Eastridge Country Club on October 5-6?  It was great fun for the eighty ladies who participated this year in the "Fleur de Lis Fling".  The chilly 40-something degree weather warmed up quickly to a very pleasant high of about 80 degrees.  Perfect.

We all want to thank Kevin for placing our second shot on the 10th green today.  Wish we had him for all those "tight spots" we encounter.  Thanks also to the staff for making the event run so smoothly....again.

A complete list of winners is in the right column as well as a slideshow presentation of as many folks as could be rounded up to say "cheese".  Remember to click on any picture in the slideshow to get a large picture view.

Money Hill Best Ball

 Money Hill Golf Course hosted it's Best Ball Tournament in Abita Springs, LA on September 29th.  Three of our SWGA ladies made the trip down south to participate this year:  Martha Lawhorne, Donna Cobb, and Kathleen McCoy, all BWGA ladies.  Martha and Donna were partners while Kathleen teamed up with a Lafayette member DiAnn Montgomery.

Although neither team won a prize, everyone had a great time on the really nice course which is still getting over lots of damage from Hurricane Gustav a few years ago.  There are hundreds of young oaks where mature oaks had been.  I can't imagine what it would have been like with the big ol' trees! 

Fabulous weather, great course, good food, good friends.....golfing Louisiana style!

2010 Team Matches

Let the games begin!!!  This year's Team Matches (The Barbara Fay White Cup) will be held at Shreveport Country Club on October 19 and 21.  We have dropped the A, B, C and D divisions and everyone will be paired with a team mate according to like handicaps.  On October 19 the format is Best Ball, where both team mates play their own ball and who ever scores the lowest on the hole uses that score for the team.  The second day is a scramble.  Both days are match play, so you play to win the HOLE, rather than the GAME.  That means you can have a really bad hole and still win the match.  It's great fun.

The West Team (Green shirts/khaki bottoms) are ladies from Eastridge, Broadmoor, and Southern Trace.  The East Team (Light Blue shirts/black bottoms) are Fox Run, Stonebridge, and Palmetto.  Unlike several years ago, if you want to play in team matches, you get to play in team matches....even if it's just one of the days.  Everyone gets a chance to play.

You need to sign up with your Club Rep and pay your fees by October 12.  The golf is $25 each day and the awards luncheon is $15.  It will be a 9:00am shotgun start both days.  I played the course yesterday and it was in very good condition.  The greens had been aerated a few weeks back, so that shouldn't be a problem.  The fairways are still green in spite of the draught.  The sand traps are in good condition and I got to sample a few myself. 

Please sign up as soon as possible so we'll know how to plan.  If you've never played, give it a try.  I think you'll like it.  It's super competition and great camaraderie.

Squire Creek Invitational

The Annual Squire Creek Invitational was held on September 21-23 this year.  Approximately fourteen of our SWGA ladies participated in the noteworthy event.

Of those fourteen, twelve ladies actually placed in the event.  That's a pretty darn good percentage!  Here are the entire results:

FLIGHT ONE

First Gross - Corre Stegall – Marge Richters
Second Gross - Lisa Russell – Lillian Granger
First Net - Teri McGuire – Kim Darnell
Second Net - Sandra Smith – Sandy Renner

FLIGHT TWO

First Gross - Debbie Haddad – Ilene Jenkins
Second Gross - Cathy Campbell – Terry Theirot
First Net - Carolyn Elliot – Brenda Pettis
Second Net - Anne Ridley – Moise Allen

FLIGHT THREE
First Gross - Linda Scott – Alice Hunt
Second Gross - Elaine Deming – Karen Koen
First Net - Marge Snyder – Jill Litton
Second Net - Melissa Jerry – Brenda Wales

FLIGHT FOUR
First Gross - Bess Hensel – Carol Graham
Second Gross - Dot Henson – Susan Harkins
First Net - Donna Phillips – Jimmie Zey
Second Net - Sharla Kaiser – Jean Hebert

FLIGHT FIVE
First Gross - Gayle Gansfuss – Charlotte Calhoun
Second Gross - Ada Bryant – Nancy Abrusley
First Net - Freddie Satterfiel – Cindy Weems
Second Net - Mary Morton – Dana Agnew

See the right column for a few slideshow pictures.  Click on any picture to get a larger view.

2010 SWGA Championship

The SWGA Championship is now history, and now Joanna Ward of Palmetto Country Club is part of that history, winning the tournament for the second year in a row.  Her rounds of 80 and 84 were a whopping eleven strokes better than the nearest competitor.  In addition, she was the first day Medalist,while Hui Bordelon was the Handicap Medalist with her net 66.

The Overall Net Champion this year was Marge Snyder, currently a member of BWGA, with her net scores of 67/68.  Marge is hoping to be back to her home course at Northwood by next year, but obviously, she can play good golf wherever she plays.

Stonebridge was in great shape and did an excellent job of hosting the 32 ladies that entered this year's Championship.  The weather was unusually hot for this time of year, but the ladies toughed it out like trojans.

Unfortunately there was some confusion and lots of discussion regarding  the "One Ball Rule".  I don't know or understand  how the question started, but I want to clarify with this:

USGA Rule 15-1:   When changing balls, the player is permitted to substitute a ball of another brand or type unless the Committee has adopted the One Ball Condition of Competition (see Appendix I; Part C; Section 1c). This optional condition (usually referred to as ‘The One Ball Rule’) is generally adopted only in events that are limited to professional golfers or highly-skilled amateur golfers. Generally, this condition of competition is not adopted in club-level competitions.

According to the SWGA old-timers, SWGA has never used "The One Ball Rule" and I don't suspect that we ever will, so this is no longer an issue.
 
Congratulations to all the winners and a giant thank you to everyone that participated in the event.  The list of winners is in the right column as well as two sets of slideshow presentations.  Click on any picture to go to larger pictures.

Fun-tini Tournament

Jeanie Ward and Gayle Gansfuss were the only local girls to make the trip down to Alexandria to play in the Fun-Fini Tournament on September 11, but they say it was well worth the trip. 

This 6/6/6 (best ball/scramble/alternate shot) format was loads of fun and the pool party that followed the golf was no slouch either.  They highly recommend the tournament so be on the lookout for it next year.

Women's Southern Senior Amateur Championship

The WSGA consists of players from fifteen southern states from Texas to the District of Columbia, and from Florida to Oklahoma.  The annual tournament moves to a different site each year.  This year it will be as close to us as it can get without being IN Shreveport.  It's being hosted at the Texarkana Country Club, just over an hour north of Shreveport.

This is a 54-hole stroke play tournament with players being flighted after the first two days of play.  After playing in last year's tournament in Houston, I can tell you this is the closest thing you'll get to an LPGA tournament, complete with jacketed officials and spotters with little flags to help speed up play.

The WSGA has made it easy to enter this year by providing online entry forms and payment through paypal.  You can go to this site for more information and entry forms:  http://www.womens-southerngolfassociation.org/Senioramateur.htm.  Don't wait too long to sign up.  The field usually fills up fast and there is a waiting list.

If you'de like more information, please feel free to contact one of the following SWGA members who have attended:  Donna Cobb, Martha Lawhorne, Shirley Pettitt, Kathleen McCoy, or Billie Jean Reasor.

World Am Update

Well, the Myrtle Beach adventure is history and I'm back home talking about my experiences.  Seems like I always have some drama to talk about.  But before that, let me say that it was a great experience.  After starting in first place in my flight on the first day, I had serious doubts that it could get BETTER....and I was right. 

The second day was disaster at a course I disliked immensely, along with alot of other players.  The third day was better, but surely not great.  I think my brain had given up after the second day's scores, which is something that I have to overcome when I play long tournaments.  The last day ended up being a good one because I knew I was out of the running.....unless I scored a 54....so there was no pressure.  I just had fun.

I ended up in 21st place in my flight of 48, so I wasn't embarrassed.  I learned today that a 74 year old man won the tournament yesterday with a score of 74 gross/69 net.  There was also a man that got hit by a golf ball that was shanked by someone in his foursome.  He ended up with 12 stitches, but he came back and finished the tournament....with a headache!  Let me tell you, these players are DEDICATED.

Now for my disaster....On the last day of play, I had to drive to a North Carolina course, about 45 minutes north of our condo.  I get in the car and type the address into the GPS, and there is no match found.  Great.  So now I'm driving along in this foreign land, holding the Mapquest instructions and trying to read where to turn next.  I was a nervous wreck by the time I arrived.  The brochure that was provided to us with the addresses failed to show "North" in the address.

So I get to the course 45 minutes before tee time.  We have to use a bag drop area at all courses, so I stopped and left my bag which had my putter clipped to the side as I always do.  I took the rest of my stuff to the cart while waiting on my clubs to be put on the cart.  As you know, my routine includes taking lots of pictures, so now I'm looking for my camera to get some candid shots.  I found my camera CASE, but no camera. 

I go to the Pro Shop and had them call the course from the day before to see if they found my camera.  Yes they did, and they gave it to one of the 47 other ladies in my flight to give to me.  Great.  I'm relieved, so now I go down to get my putter so I can hit the putting green since I've now run out of time to trek down to the driving range. 

I get to the cart where my bag is attached.  There is NO PUTTER.  Panic.  I tracked down the dude that had taken my clubs and told him my putter was missing.  He told me that it had fallen off the bag so he just put it INSIDE my bag.  However, my putter wasn't IN my bag.  Oops! 

He must have put it in the wrong bag!  I spent the entire time going cart to cart digging in everyone's bag looking for my putter, even after they had made announcements asking people to look in their bags.  Ten minutes before tee time, I still had no putter so I went and borrowed one from the Pro Shop.  When I arrived back at my cart, someone came running with my putter and the crowd of ladies erupted in applause!  Success!  So I get to start my round with no driving range practice and not a clue about the roll of the greens.  What the heck!  Let's just enjoy. 

But what about my camera?  I was in a threesome that day, and the golf gods were with me, because one of the ladies in my threesome was the lady they gave my camera to.  What's the chances?  The other lady in that threesome was a lovely lady from Guademala.  She had no GPS or range finder, so I became her personal caddy.  She ended up winning low net for the day.  I was proud for her.

If any of you want to combine golf with a family vacation, Myrtle Beach is a great place to do it during the World Am.  There is all kinds of activities for the whole family and shopping like you've never seen before.  The tournament is held every year the week before Labor Day, so keep it in mind for next year.

World Am Tournament

As many of you have heard (from me mostly) I'm in Myrtle Beach playing in the World Amateur Golf Tournament along with 3100 other players from every state and 30 different countries.  Never thought I would ever do anything like this, but my brother talked me into it.  Each player plays at four different courses and the ladies are flighted by 49 and under (by index) and 50 and above (by index).  I'm in the old lady group.  There are about 42-48 ladies in each flight. 

We played our first round today and it was a beautiful course called Millbrook Plantation in Pawleys Island, SC.  I played pretty well, shooting 88 (with a 9 on a par 4!).  My flight consists of ladies from about 16.5 to 20.2 indexes. 

Every night there is the 19th Hole celebration at the Convention Center with free food, drinks, and entertainment.  There are giant monitors above the stage that gives the leaderboard standings of each flight. 

I had to share my excitement with you.  I looked up to see MY name in FIRST PLACE in my flight after today's round!!!  If I never win anything else, I won a dozen golfballs for having Low Net today.  I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself.  Tomorrow may be horrific, but today was wonderful!  Wish you were all here with me.

Note from Kay

As you know, Kay Swope recently lost her sister and we received this note that we would like to share with everyone:

SWGA Members - I wish there were a new way to say thank you for all the cards and phone calls.  Your thoughtfulness meant so much to me.  My sister is at peace now, where she should be after a very long illness.  Thanks again.  Kay Swope

SSWGA Playday at Crooked Hollow

What a lovely day for the twenty SSWGA ladies to play at Crooked Hollow.  There was actually a cool breeze in the morning and the threesomes moved along quick enough that by the time it was getting really hot, we were done.

After playing, the SSWGA Board had a meeting and it was decided that because Northwood is still in transition, the playday that was scheduled for Northwood on September 28th will be moved to Crooked Hollow, with a 9:00am  shotgun start.  The course is in great shape.  John Graham and his staff always makes the day pleasurable.  Sign up for the fun.

SWGA Playday Querbes

HOT! HOT! HOT! It was indeed a scorcher, but thirty-seven ladies turned out to support the SWGA group at Querbes today. With a 110 degree heat index, we did well with having thirty-five actually finish.

The rough was just that....rough! More grass than we've ever had at Querbes. The greens rolled nicely, although slower than lots of clubs' greens, so they were a bit of a challenge to some.

The best score of the day was an 83 by Paulette Lee, and Pat Miller putted out of her mind with only 27 putts....including two from off the green.

The Broadmoor ladies would like to thank all of you who braved the heat to come out and play.

Our next SWGA event will be our annual Championship at Stonebridge on September 15-16. Please get your entry forms and sign up early so we can make our plans.

LWGA State Four Ball

The 2010 State Four Ball Tournament is now history, with lots of good memories….in spite of the searing heat! One hundred ladies turned out to participate in the event, and of those one hundred, twenty-two were SWGA ladies!!! That’s outstanding!

We had no winners in the Championship Flight this year, but in the First Flight, Robin Nattin got Closest to the Pin; Lillian Granger/Lisa Russell won 2nd Low Gross; and Joyce Middleton/Pam Gentry took 2nd Low Net.

Our largest group of SWGA ladies were in the Second Flight. Of the 26 ladies in that flight, 14 were our ladies. Paulette Lee/Suzanne Tinsley took top honors with the Low Gross, while Kay Swope/Becky Farr won 2nd Low Net.

In the Third Flight, Martha Lawhorne/DiAnn Montgomery took 2nd Low Gross. Check out the slideshow presentation in the right column for a few candids.

Congratulations to everyone: you are ALL winners if you participated!

The next State event is the Mid Am Championship on October 15-17 at Black Bear Golf Course in Delhi, LA. Entry forms will soon be available.

Phyllis Graham 2-Person Scramble

The 2-person scramble to benefit John and Phyllis Graham in her fight against breast cancer was a TREMENDOUS success!!!  Fifty-six teams showed up in the 105 degree heat to show their love and appreciation for John and Phyllis. 

This Crooked Hollow event had area-wide support and a number of our SWGA ladies participated....and a couple even won something!  Our two winners were Nancy Young who won one of the closest-to-the-pin awards and Donna Ihle and her hubby Jack who won SOMETHING in their flight.  There were so many people there that it was hard to keep up with who all the winners were.  In the five flights, scores ranged from 63 to 91 and there were countless door prizes donated by many local companies.

The event was run extremely well with breakfast snacks, roving water/drink carts all day, and a fried fish luncheon afterward.  Good job to all those who made it happen.  Our prayers remain with John, Phyllis and the family and hopes of a full and speedy recovery.

SWGA Championship

This year's championship will be hosted by Stonebridge on September 15 and 16.  Please mark your calendars and make plans to participate in this SWGA event that will "crown" our champion for the year.

The two-day tournament is stroke play.  The first day will be tee times starting at 8:30am and the second day is an 8:30 shotgun start.  The tournament fee is $50 which covers green fees for three days, prizes, and the awards luncheon.  The cart fee will be $16 each day.  Practice rounds are available September 7-9 and September 14.

Entry forms are being distributed to your club in the next few days, so be on the lookout for them.  If you have any problem finding an entry form, click on this link and you can print one:  https://docs.google.com/fileview?id=0B9Dc03NrT_AXMjZmMTljZTgtNzE3Yi00OWE2LWJkNTctODg4ZTc1YjFjYzAw&hl=en&authkey=CMLa2xg
This posting will be updated as more details are available, but we want to be sure you block the days on your calendar so that you can be there.

Insect Repellent/Sunscreen

This may be old news to you ladies, but I just had a revelation today. I had recently been looking for a product that was a bug repellent AND sunscreen so that I wouldn’t have to mess with both. Today, my cart mate offered me some of that exact product!

Avon makes a product called SKIN SO SOFT Bug Guard Plus IR3535® EXPEDITION™ SPF 30 and it comes in an aerosol or pump spray bottle. Right now, the product is on sale for 50% off at $7.99 for the aerosol or $6.99 for the pump (both are 4oz bottles).

I did a little research and found that there is another similar product made by SmartShield but it is more expensive unless you can find it on sale.

If you have an Avon Representative already, you may want to contact her before this sale ends, as I understand that it will not be offered again this year. If you don’t have a representative, you can go to this address www.youravon.com/byarbrough and order online. If you buy $30 right now, the shipping is free. If less than $30, it’s only $3 to be delivered directly to you.

I’ve ordered mine already. I figure there’s still plenty of mosquitoes out there that need to get starved.

Thank You

Joanna Ward (PCC) asked that we post a huge "Thank You" on this site for all the cards, calls, and text messages of support she received due to the loss of her dad, Charles Ward, on June 11th.  He was a frequent visitor to this site as he liked to check up on how his lady golfers were playing.

Our prayers remain with Joanna and her family.

SWGA Playday Stonebridge

Wow!  What a day!  A nice wind helped keep our temperatures down alot for the forty-one ladies who braved the temps and made it out to play today at Stonebridge, where they hosted a "bargain" day of golf for $15.  Our many thanks to Stonebridge and those who made it happen.  The course is beautiful and in great shape, and I KNOW because I visited ALOT of the course.

Today was the first day we tried using "gimme" putts for the SWGA playday and it seemed to work great.  Anything to speed up play is a help when we're in these hot summer months.  Lots of putters got taped-up at the 15" mark.  It's really amazing how a two-foot putt begins to looks like a 15" putt, so the measuring aid was of great help.

And in case you think you had a BAD day, the average NET score for all players was 74.4 and the average number of putts was 35, so maybe it wasn't so bad afterall.  We had a low gross of 83 and a high of 117.

Our next SWGA event will be hosted at Querbes Park Golf Course on Thursday, August 12th, with another 8:30am shotgun start.  The BWGA ladies extend a special invitation for you to come out and see our newly-decorated locker room that is moving from the dark ages into the current world.  More to come on that event.  Watch your email.

For a few pictures and a list of winners, see the right column of this blog.

SSWGA Playday Fox Run

Hoorah!  We finally got our Fox Run playday completed....with no rain!  Twenty-eight ladies showed up today to take part in the event.  Thanks to the Fox Run personnel for their help and for making sign-in run smoothly.  List of winners is in the right column.  The next SSWGA event is at Crooked Hollow on August 17th with a 9:00am shotgun start.  See you there!

SSWGA Playday Querbes

Twenty-six ladies turned out for our SSWGA Playday at Querbes on July 1st.  Except for the wet conditions, it was a great day for golf and the course was in great shape.  In addition, the newly remodeled locker room was an enjoyable change for everyone.  If you missed the event, you missed a great day of golf and fellowship.  Check the right column for a list of all winners.

Because our Fox Run playday scheduled earlier in the year was rained-out, we have another SSWGA event on Thursday, July 8th at Fox Run.  Tee times start at 8:00 am and you should be receiving an email notifying you of the time.  Hope to see you there. 

2010 Nikki Invitational

Stonebridge Country Club hosted the 2nd annual Nikki Patterson Invitational 4-lady Scramble on June 30th, with 116 ladies participating on 29 teams.  It was a great tournament with some of the coolest weather we've had this summer.  Although it was cart paths only, the course was in great shape and those in charge of the tournament did an outstanding job of organizing it.  Once again, Nikki would have appreciated it.

Winning top honors, the Overall Low Net winners was the team of Granger, Cason, Darnell and Trichell with a net score of 54.  

Plans are already underway for next year's tournament which is scheduled for June 28-29, 2011.  Mark your calendars.  You won't want to miss the fun.  The list of all winners and a slideshow presentation is located in the right column of this blog.  Just click on any picture and they will be enlarged to give you the entire group of pictures.