Official Start Date & Schedule

Alright! We have an official NEW start date for the league and a schedule as well. We also have a revised outline of how things will work, dues and so forth that are explained below.

We start on Wednesday June 2, 2021 and there will be tee times and protocols the same as last season. That means you are to show up 10 minutes prior to your tee time and you're not allowed to linger in the the parking lot after the round. If that changes at any point, I'll let you know.

Here is the NEW SCHEDULE and I will also link it on the side panel to the right.

League Outline

·      League dues are $30 this year with 95% being paid out in prize money

·      Last year’s COVID rules still in effect. Only 4 players and tee times

·      The first 11 weeks play every team once

·      For the playoffs we will split into 3 Flights. Schedule to be advised

·      To be played Aug 18^th and 25^th and Sept 1^st and 8th

·      “A” Flight teams 1-4 by points

·      “B” Flight teams 5-8 by points

·      “C” Flight teams 9-12 by points

·      Each Flight Winner will be determined by total gross as previous

·      For flights tie breakers as follows

·      1^st tie breaker will be points head on

·      2^nd tie breaker will be the lowest individual gross from each team

 See you next Wednesday!

League In Limbo

We hoped for the best but once again the virus has thrown us a curve and the league didn't start tonight as we'd planned.

Hopefully Premier Ford will make an announcement in the very near future that will allow us to get back on the golf course.

How the league will proceed and when will be determined and I'll be sure to let you know once I get news to share.

In the meantime, get vaccinated if you can and stay safe.

2021 Schedule Released

As I mentioned in the previous post, the league is scheduled to begin on April 28th if all goes as planned.

The situation with Covid19 continues to be a fluid one and the vaccine's are rolling out which we hope will mean restrictions will begin to loosen once we get through the current "lockdown".

So with that said, here is the 2021 Men's League Schedule for the first 11 weeks.

If at anytime during the season you wish to look at the schedule you will find a link in the panel on the right.

Stay safe and see you soon.

Golf Course Open

Spring has sprung and unfortunately the Covid19 Pandemic is also still in bloom but even with the current lock down I'm pleased to report that Murray Hills Golf Course opened today for the season.

I'm still awaiting official word on a possible start date for our league to begin play but I've heard the that it will likely be at the beginning of May.

Once I have the "official" info from the powers that be, I'll be sure to share them here but I'm also sure the team captains will hear from Steve Powell once the schedule is set.

In the meantime, I'm sure many of our members will be getting out to shake the rust off. Just remember that you are still required to book tee times or at the very least call ahead.

See you soon and stay safe.

Have A Safe & Happy Holiday

The golf course has officially closed for the season and we now have to settle in for what will likely be one of the longest winters of our lives.

Despite the cold weather, snow and ice we have some hope that 2021 will bring some cheer in the form of a Covid19 vaccine. Perhaps a return to some type or normality by this time next year isn't just a Christmas wish.

In the meantime, to all of our members, your families and loved ones, stay safe and have a wonderful holiday season and a Happy New Year. If all goes well, we'll meet once again in the Spring.

Photos of Past Seasons

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.

2020 Final Standings

2020 Final Standings

1. Fat Shafts (43 pts)

2. Southpaws (40 pts)

2. Rolling Stones (40 pts)

4. Dubbers (38 pts)

5. KGB (36 pts)

6. Whizbangers (29 pts)
7. Fivesome (18 pts)

8. Bogies (8 pts)

9. Wedgers (6 pts)

9. Hackers (6 pts)

Sitting Out This Year

CCCP

Latecomers

Individual Low Gross

 

Peter Hughes - 26

Team Low Gross

 

Fat Shafts - 87

 

Final Playoff Standings

"A" Division

1. Whizbangers - 383

2. Fat Shafts - 398

3. Southpaws - 401

3. Dubbers - 401

5. K.G.B. - 402

6. Rolling Stones - 403

 

"B" Division

1. Fivesome - 408

2. Wedgers - 428

3. Bogies - 435

4. Hackers - 439

Whizbangers & Fivesome Win Playoffs

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. 

Final Playoff Standings

"A" Division

1. Whizbangers - 383

2. Fat Shafts - 398

3. Southpaws - 401

3. Dubbers - 401

5. K.G.B. - 402

6. Rolling Stones - 403

 

"B" Division

1. Fivesome - 408

2. Wedgers - 428

3. Bogies - 435

4. Hackers - 439

2020 Playoffs Schedule

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.

Note: Updated week 3 for teams 1 & 2.

 

Better Late Than Never

Covid19 really put a wrench in our plans this year in more ways than one and although we're about two months late starting an abbreviated season, it was nice to get out tonight and see some familiar faces again.

It was a hot round in more ways than one with some impressive scores and shots along with the extreme heat and humidity.

Denis Schick and Andy Koetstra set the mark to beat for Individual Low Gross as they both posted an even par round of 27. Al Wilkinson and Stephen Westlake also had impressive rounds with each of them finishing with 29. The Team Low Gross mark was set by the Fat Shafts who combined for a total of 87.

Three teams grabbed all six points up for grabs with the Fat Shafts, Southpaws and Whizbangers sweeping their matches. The Bogies took four points while the Dubbers and Rolling Stones battled to a tie and three points each. The Wedgers earned two points on the night.

The Closest to the Pin winners were Andy Koetstra on Hole #1 and Paul Scobie on Hole #10. Lyle Williams was the first 50/50 winner of the season.

Thanks to Steve Powell and Tom and Alida for getting the league set up on short notice and during these crazy times.

Just a reminder to check your tee times for next Wednesday and make sure you have your four golfers there and ready to go 10 minutes prior.

League Starts Wednesday June 10th

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.

Course Opens Saturday

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.

I’ll keep you updated as quickly as I can. 

Signs of Life?

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.

COVID-19 Closes Course

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.

A New Season Approaches...We Hope

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.