Chipmunk Chatter from the Wawenock Golf Club

Men’s Morning LeagueWednesday of last week was a very pleasant but humid morning without rain. I was almost hoping for rain to cool us off. Our perfectionist stat man, Joe McDermott has come through once again with our weekly results, and he is a very happy man because he and his partner, Tony Papa, took first place for the day with a net score of 30.

There was a three-way tie for second with the teams of Jim Spinney/John Schleicher, Jay Morris/Ken Anderson and Ian Drewette/Don McClure scoring a net 32. Coming in third were Clyde Madan/Gary Stadtlander and Hal Smith/Ben Ogburn with a score of 33.

There was a tie for low putts with the teams of Spinney/Schleicher and Doug Merrick/Bill Fogg with 13. Closest to the center line was Gino Dinucci, who is usually down the center of every fairway.

After one member of our foursome put his drive in the fairway, he announced unenthusiastically, “up the middle.”

Joe McDermott, who is always philosophical on the course, responded with, “Never quibble with up the middle.” Yes, “up the middle” certainly beats all of the alternatives.

Then after another member of our foursome was bemoaning the wetness of the course, one, who thinks he’s funny, exclaimed, “If there is anyone who enjoys aquatic golf, Wawenock is the place to play.” It turned to be a difficult week for league golf with the men’s evening league being rained out and the women’s morning league unable to play because of a very wet course.

Camps and ClinicsWawenock is offering golf camps and clinics to all levels of junior golfers this summer. Most of these are free although donations will be accepted. There is no need to own or rent equipment as the course has lots of children’s clubs available.

Hopefully parents and grandparents are reading the column this week and will seize the opportunity to introduce their children to a wonderful life-long sport. Long time member Charley Richards turned 93 this week, continues to play the game and has little trouble shooting his age.

There will be three junior golf camp sessions July 9 to 11, July 16 to 18 and Aug. 13 to 15. Sessions will be from 9 to 10 a.m. and open to kids 5 to 12 years of age.

Teaching will be conducted by Wawenock veteran players. Coffee and breakfast snacks will be available for parents.

Free junior girls golf clinics will be offered to those aged 9 to 15 on Mondays 10 a.m. to noon. These will start on July 8 and run for six weeks. The clinics will be limited to 10 players. Katie Rethman will be the instructor.

There will be a free high school clinic for new and seasoned high school players, who want assistance with their game. Course etiquette will also be covered. This clinic begins July 8 on Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon for six weeks. Current club champion, Kyle Feltis, will provide instruction.

Our new teaching professional, Kevin Rillovick, will conduct a junior intermediate/advanced clinic on Sundays from 1 to 2 p.m. for children ages 12 and up. Clinics will be limited to 10 players. The cost is $20 for each clinic. Scholarships are available. To reserve a place in these camps and clinics call the Pro Shop at 563-3938.

Evening Ladies LeagueThe Evening League played Blind Draw June 24. After each player finished the round, their names were placed in a hat. Two names were drawn and paired up as a team. The team with the lowest net score won.

First place honors went to the team of Jane Earl and Trudi Snediker. There was a tie for second place honors by the teams of Carmen Reed and Connie Cameron, and by the team of Alex Whitney and Andrea Williams. Jane Earl had chip-ins on Nos. 10 and 18, Michelle Christensen had a chip-in on No. 18, and Missy Grosse had a chip-in on No. 16.