We didn't get to have a normal 2020 golf season or playoff party due to the Covid19 pandemic so just to wrap things up for this crazy year, here are some photos taken of many of our league members over the years. Some have passed away while others look a few years younger. You can click on the photos to see them larger and to click through them easily.
Continue to stay safe, have a good winter and we hope to see you again in the Spring of 2021.
The final round of the 2020 Playoffs proved to be rather anticlimactic as both Divisions ended up as cake walks for the winning teams.
In the "A" Division, the Whizbangers made sure their lead would remain after the last nine holes and thanks to a final round score of 90, they cruised to the title with a total of 383 and a margin of 15 strokes over the second place Fat Shafts who posted a 398. The other four teams in the "A" flight were all close with only two strokes separating them but too far back to make a charge. Congratulations to the Whizbangers on a solid effort and on snapping the Fat Shafts winning streak.
The low rounds of the night were posted by Ross Prophet and Andy Koetstra who both shot 28. Denis Schick had a two over par 29. The Closest to the Pin winner on hole #4 was Sandy McLeod.
Over in the "B" Division it would have taken an incredible collapse by the Fivesome to squander their lead and they cruised to a 20 stroke victory over the second place Wedgers by shooting a four round total of 408. Eric Korver and Kim Defosse had the low rounds for the night with both shooting 32. Justin Timson earned the Closest to the Pin prize on hole #13.
This was certainly a very strange year for the league with the late start and all of the changes due to Covid19 and the entire league handled the tee times and social distancing extremely well. Thanks for making it work. I know we were disappointed there was no party this year but it's a different world we live in right now and it was obviously the right decision.
Our thanks to Steve Powell once again for ensuring the league ran smoothly all season long. It was and continues to be a fluid situation and Steve was on top of things and we would be lost without his efforts.
I know all of the members of the Wednesday Night Men's League want to thank Alida and Tom St. Denis for brainstorming and finding a way to make our league work this season. It looked as though the year could be completely lost but as the pandemic improved they were able to open things up and figure out a way to get us back out there.
The future is still uncertain but hopefully by the time Spring rolls around we'll see a more normal world emerge and next year we can get back to golf as we know it with a full 12 team schedule. Until that happens, stay safe and take care of yourselves.
Just a reminder for those who still want to golf on Wednesday nights, we will still be going out and playing best ball as long as the weather and daylight allows.
We saw some movement tonight and the last week of the playoffs will be a challenge for teams to make a run at the Division titles but you never know what will transpire.
In the "A" Division the Whizbangers turned in an impressive round of 89, lead by Sandy McLeod and Taylor Rivando who each shot rounds of 29. Steve Guindon added a round of 31. This allowed them to overtake the Southpaws for the lead heading into the final week. Rivando also grabbed the Closest to the Pin prize on hole #12. Steve Westlake of the Fat Shafts had the low round of the night with a one over par 28. Mark Lafee also posted a 29.
Over in the "B" Division the Fivesome have a very comfortable 16 stroke lead with nine holes to play. Kim Defosse had the low round shooting a 29. Randy Grills stuck his tee shot tight on hole #3 to win the Closest to the Pin prize on the front nine.
The Schedule for the final week is posted above. Hopefully all team captains have the schedule soon and will contact you with your tee times to confirm. See you Wednesday.
That's it for the Blue Tees for this year and for some of us, it's welcome news as they proved to be troublesome on night two of the playoffs.
In the "A" Division the standings remain relatively tight and with two weeks remaining a good round by one team or a bad round by another could have a serious impact on things.
The Southpaws moved into first place by themselves with a low round of 94 for the night. That gives them an eight stroke lead over the second place Whizbangers and and nine stroke lead on the Dubbers and Rolling Stones. The KGB had a good night and are ten strokes back while the Fat Shafts continue to struggle and sit in last place 13 strokes off the pace.
The low rounds of the night were turned in by Jim Conley and Tim Donaldson who both shot 28. Kevin Wadsworth posted a two over par round of 29. Andy Koetstra won the Closest to the Pin prize on hole #2.
Over in the "B" Division, the Fivesome have a fairly comfortable lead. They shot a score of 107 and sit eight shots ahead of the Wedgers who turned in a score of 105. The Hackers are well back in third and are one stroke ahead of the Bogies.
Scott Reilly had the low round on this side shooting a 31. Eric Korver was close enough on hole #11 to win the Closest to the Pin.
Next week we start the last two weeks of playoffs with both week on the White tees. Check your tee times and we'll see you there.
By the looks of the scores posted on night one, it looks like all teams found some trouble and I'm sure some teams will be surprised to see how close they still are in the race to win the playoffs.
In the "A" Division there is a tie for first place between the Southpaws and Rolling Stones who both shot 102. The Whizbangers sit in second after posting a 105. The Dubbers are five shots off the lead after a round of 107 and the Fat Shafts and KGB are in last place tied with scores of 110.
Tim Donaldson had the low round of the night shooting a 28. Al Wilkinson posted a two over par 29. Donaldson also left with the Closest to the Pin cash from hole #10.
Over in the "B" Division the Fivesome had the low round of the night overall with a 100. That gives them a ten stroke lead heading into week two as the Wedgers shot a 110 for second place. The Bogies are one shot back after shooting 111 and the Hackers sit in fourth spot after a team round of 118.
Kim Defosse had the Closest to the Pin on hole #1.
Please remember to check the schedule for your tee times and also note the small change to the schedule for week three in the previous post.
Have a good weekend and we'll see you Wednesday night.
"A" Division 1. Southpaws - 102 1. Rolling Stones - 102 3. Whizbangers - 105 4. Dubbers - 107 5. Fat Shafts - 110 5. KGB - 110
The first thee weeks of the playoff schedule has been released with the fourth week yet to be decided. I've included a photo of it below for your reference.
Please note that there has been a change to the grouping. It will now be the Top Six teams that will compete against each other and the Bottom Four teams that will do battle for the two Playoff Divisions this season.
Please check your tee times for Wednesday and we'll see you there.
It's official! The league will begin play on the evening of Wednesday June 10th but as you can imagine it won't be business as usual. I've been provided with the changes and rules that will need to be followed so we can do this safely and within the safety guidelines set by the Province.
League Dues will be $20.
League dues will enter you in the 50/50 and Closest to the Pin for the year.
No league hole-in-one pot.
The Schedule has yet to be set.
Tee times will begin at 5:30pm and the last group will tee off at 6:20pm.
Arrive 10 minutes before your tee time.
Everyone will tee off on either Hole #1 or Hole #10.
NO Spares! Only the four golfers counting will be playing. Arrange your four players ahead of time.
No congregating in the parking lot before or after the round.
You will play each team once.
There will be two or three weeks of playoffs.
No Party this year.
That's the way things are set up as of now. If I hear of any additions or changes I will let you know. See you out on the course.
I’ve received official word that the golf course will open on Saturday. However, the details about how you can golf are still being worked out and the discussion about league play is also taking place but if or how this will move forward is still undetermined.
While other information is still yet to be confirmed I can tell you that if you wish to just golf on your own at Murray Hills you will need to book a tee time in advance. This will allow for better control of the golfers on the course. The hours of operation may also be limited as well.
So the best advice I can give you is to call ahead and speak with Alida or Tom.
Here we are a month and a half since my last post in April and we're still waiting for a possible golf season and league play this year is still up in the air even if the course does open. There does seem to be a bit of hope today as there is talk the Ontario Government may allow golf courses to open this Saturday in time for the long weekend. This has yet to be confirmed by Premier Ford. Considering how wide open the courses are compared to what we deal with each day in grocery stores it would seem we'd actually face less risk on the links. Add to that how fortunate we've been in this area with known cases remaining low. That doesn't mean the risk is gone of course and even if we do get the okay to start golfing soon, there will likely be some wise social distancing measures in place. Of course if you show any symptoms or have a persistent cough you'll want to stay home just in case. So we'll wait and see if and when we can get the clubs out of storage. I do know that Tom and Andy have been busy preparing the course over the last few weeks and it will be ready for our return. These are certainly odd times we're living in and our main priority will always be to look out for our own safety and those we interact with. Once again, if I hear any news one way or the other I'll let you know.
We hoped it wouldn't happen but Tom and Alida have had no choice but to close the golf course. With the continuing COVID-19 Pandemic causing increases in more cases and deaths in the province and around the world, we all have to do what is necessary to try and bring this crisis to an end as soon as possible. Here is the announcement posted to the Murray Hills Golf Course Facebook page earlier today.
Until such time as the course reopens and the league can begin play, stay safe and take care of those you love and as soon as we get the word that things are in the works to begin play, I'll let you know. Hopefully we will be back golfing again this summer.
Winter was going so well and the weather has certainly been cooperating as far as having hopes of returning to the golf course and league play in the near future. However, the current landscape of the world with the arrival of Covid-19 and the new normal of self-distancing, quarantines and empty store shelves certainly has us preoccupied with more important things. While I'm sure we're at least a month away from any start date for the season, I'll be sure to let you know of any developments as I get them regarding the start of league play. If all goes well we can flatten the curve of this thing and return to some form of normal life sooner rather than later. In the meantime, follow all necessary precautions and stay safe. We hope to see you out in the fresh air on the golf course soon.