The Annual Butte Creek Spring Opener was held last Friday and Saturday.
The Friday activities consisted of an afternoon shootout, divided into three flights, followed by dinner and the team buyouts. Saturday was a Two-Man, One Best-Ball Stableford format. A total of 28 teams participated. The shootout and the tournament were divided into three flights based on total team handicap.
Tournament results are shown in Stableford points. First flight: 1, Chas Grower and Mike Wear 49; 2, Jason Pezzetti and Casey Baker, 46; 3, Rob Sylvester and Lloyd Hightower, 45; 4, tie, Scott Hanosh and Josh Hanosh, along with William Landon and Ethan Huff. Overall low gross was a tie between Williams and Huff, and the team of Bob Leckinger and Tyler Collier, 41.
Second flight: 1, Dave Harrison and Royal “Aire” Hawkley, 55, which was also the overall highest point total in the tournament and earning some extra Player-of-the-Year points; 2, Matt Davis and Mike Sohnrey, 51; 3, Austin Prott and Travis Beckley, 50; 4, tie, Richard Rutledge and Nathan Johnson, along with the team of Derek Minetti and Richard O’Sullivan, 48.
Third flight: 1, Andy Poyner and John Poyner, 54; 2, Bill Kyle and Jeff Mimbs, 49; 3, Tom Hughes and Jim Stevens, 47; 4, Pat Pillsbury and Curtis Avrit, 45. Closest to pin summary: Hole No. 3; 1, Pezzetti; 2, Davis. Hole No. 6: 1, Johnson; 2, Hawkley. Hole No. 12: 1, Brian Sweeney; 2, Mimbs. Hole No. 17: 1, Jim Westcott; 2, Rob Lee.
First flight shootout: 1, Tyler Collier and Bob Leckinger; 2, tie, Jason Pezzetti and Casey Baker along with Chas Gower and Mike Wear. Second flight: 1, Tyler Messina and Brady Webb; 2, John MacTavish and Garth Moore; 3, 5-way tie, Richard Rutledge and Nathan Johnson, Dave Harrison and Royal Hawkley, Matt Davis and Mike Sohnrey, Jim Westcott and John Olsen, Nick Andrew and Riley Andrew. Third flight: 1, Tom Hughes and Jim Stevens; 2, Chris Kobz and Landon Kobz; 3, Andy Poyner and John Poyner.
The players were limited to 5 clubs and putter in the weekly Butte Creek Women’s Golf Club outing, not that the scores changed significantly. The field was divided into two flights based on a player’s handicap. First flight net score: 1, Jeanie Stone, 73; 2, Jayne Bunting, 75; 3, Debbie Maderos, 76. Second flight: 1, Cyndi Bailey; 2, Janet Alves, 76; 3, tie, Kay Kurdziel and Darlene Thomasson, 79.
Bidwell Park Golf Course
The Bidwell Women’s Golf Club enjoyed a good turnout of 52 members and guests for its first Guest Day tournament of the year. The field was divided into two flights in the 4-Player, Two Best-Ball format. First flight: 1, Barbara Albers, Becky Callas, Betty Linzy and Sheila McMurphy, 139; 2, Donna Ensele, Janice Garrett, Debi McDermont and Sandy Sample, 143; 3, Pam Colman, Tammie Cook, Amy Luiz and Susan Wever, 144; 4, Sandy Fortino, Jennifer O’Donoghue, Susan Pease, and Joye Smith, 145.
Second flight: 1, Terry Chambers, Lynne Collar, Paula Kokal and Liz Mosher , 136; 2, Kristy Anderson, Shane Collins, Janet Ford and Debbie Hatch, 139; 3, Lynne Beyers, Stephanie Beyers, Irma Jenkins and Kay Kurdziel, 142; 4, Eleanor Calvert, Deena Cooper, Rachael Graham and Melodie Johnson, 144.
Closest to pin on No. 2: 1, Pease; 2, Jenkins; 3, Stephanie Byers. Closest to the pin on No. 4: Collar.
Canyon Oaks Country Club
The Canyon Oaks Women’s Golf Club played a One Best-Ball Threesome for its weekly game. Each player was required to use her tee shot at least three times during the round. The winning team was comprised of Lynne Byers, Cynthia Paulo and Vickie Spelts with a net score of 55. Sally Pearson won the closest to the pin contest on hole No. 14.
Las Plumas High School Invitational
Fourteen teams from as far away as Phoenix High School in Southern Oregon participated in the recent Las Plumas Invitational Golf Tournament at the Table Mountain Golf Course in Oroville. Foothill HS from Palo Cedro took the top spot with a total team score of 240. The other top five finishers were: 2, Red Bluff HS, 246; 3, Shasta HS, 260; 4, Woodcreek HS, Roseville, 263; 5, Oroville HS, 274.
The closest to the pin winner on No. 7 was Jack Pittman from Woodcreek HS. William Wolf, from Colusa HS won the long drive contest with a drive of 282 yards. The overall low two-man team score was put up by Braden Campbell and Griffin Smith, Oroville HS, with a score of 67. A highlight of the tournament was a hole-in-one by Fred Barrera from Enterprise HS on the 140-yard, 12th hole.
PGA HOPE
The PGA’s Helping Our Patriots Everywhere is a charitable foundation established in 2007 by the Northern California Section PGA. It teaches veterans and active duty military service members all the basic golf mechanics from posture, alignment and grip to playing 9 holes. The clinics are held at the Bidwell Golf Course on Thursday beginning around 10:00 a.m. and are open to all veterans, active or retired.
Spectacular shots
Harry King aced the 3rd hole at Canyon last week while in the company of Alex Vasquez and Trevor Owens.
Dave Altman scored an eagle 3 on the par 5, 5th hole at Canyon Oaks. Witnessing Altman’s 100-yard, pitching wedge approach shot find the bottom of the cup were his playing companions Wayne Vieira, Brian Fink and Bob Stearns.
Jim Gaumer hit a perfect 8-iron approach shot on the par 5, 10th hole at Butte Creek for an eagle 3, as attested by Debbie Maderos, and Carl and Susan Martellaro.
A little history of Bidwell Golf Course
Bidwell Golf Course, originally called the Municipal Golf Links, was built in 1920, entirely by the local citizens of Chico who volunteered their time and equipment to do so with design help from bill Selkirk, the Pro at Del Paso in Sacramento, who was the brother of the first Pro at the Municipal Golf Links, Peter Selkirk. Frank Trimball, a course designer from Sacramento also assisted.
Two years later, in 1922, Walter Hagen, the reigning British Open Champion, and Joe Kirkwood, the Australian Open Champion and renowned trick-shot artist, were touring the world performing exhibition matches. They would take on local players in these exhibition matches not only to demonstrate their skills and promote the game of golf, but also to allow the local citizenry to witness a couple of the finest players in the world at the time demonstrate their skills. The duo played four, 9 hole matches on November 30, 1922, at the Municipal Golf Links against eight different local players. Getting local players involved enhanced the attraction to see what the better local players could do against two of the world’s best professionals.
Those local players that had the good fortune to be selected and to compete against Hagen and Kirkwood were: Ralph Butler and Pierson Burt; Grinnel Burt and J.F. Van Loben Sels; Dr. H.L. Voorhies and Dr. R.C. Morris; and S.A. Reynolds and Ralph Gorrill. During the final match, Hagen set the 9-hole course record of 31, and had two drives reported to be over 300 yards, and this was in 1922! The greens were sand, which is also amazing that Hagen could shoot 31 on what was still considered a “cow pasture”. The duo and the local participants, along with some other dignitaries, were served a turkey dinner on the course following the day’s matches.
The purpose of me enlightening you about the above match is to re-print the article entitled “Golf Etiquette” that was in the Enterprise Record on Nov. 29, 1922, the day before Walter Hagen and Joe Kirkwood’s visit, which I’m sure will bring on a smile: “1) Do not laugh, talk or move around in the vicinity of a player when he is about to shoot. 2) Do not walk on the sand greens, or in the bunkers or traps. A heel print or footprint will oftimes change the course of a putt on the green, or give a player a poor lie in a bunker. 3) Do not stand in front of a player when he is about to shoot. It may result in an injury to yourself, and the marring of the day’s play. 4) Do not pick up, or touch, a ball in play. This will disqualify the player and result in the loss of the hole being played by his side. 5) Keep behind the men on the ropes and aid them in maintaining a free and open course for the players. 6) Kindly obey these rules and aid in making this a successful exhibition match. The reputation of a golf course is based primarily upon the etiquette of its players and visitors.”
Ed Anderson’s local golf column appears Tuesdays. He can be reached at edanderson1936@gmail.com.
