June and July are great for area golf

By Todd Lancaster, Sports Editor

July 08, 2008 10:44 pm

— I would have to say that June and July are the biggest months of the year for area golf.
We had a great Country Oaks Classic, won by area PGA pro Brett Melton. The event came down to the final hole, just the way it is supposed to. PGA TOUR player Bob Sowards was here, along with some other super players like Darrett Brinker and Quinn Griffing. The event just keeps getting better and the level of play is very strong.
Other winners from that weekend included Pete Parsons, who beat Kenny Graber in the Nike Shootout, and Brian Emmons, Bill Ricke, and Morris and Mack Petty in the Pro-Am. In the Championship Flight, a pair of 16-year-olds, David Mills and Adam Schenk, battled for the title, with Mills winning. Other winners included; Bob Hanneken (A), Jerry Scott (B), Terry Butcher (C), Charles Keller (D).
Junior Golf is also going on over at Washington Country Club on Wednesdays and will be starting on July 15 at Country Oaks, with two three-day sessions.
I also want to encourage people to check out the set of Cobra irons, woods and bag that is being raffled off at Country Oaks. The money is going to help Dick and Kathy Grissom, who were victims of the recent flood. Tickets are $10.
I love the British Open and everything around it. However, if you are a satellite user, you may not have ABC. If that is the case, you can call a company called All-American Direct and for a couple of bucks, they will get you an ABC feed out of Denver and San Fransisco. Just to hear BBC commentator Peter Allis say that Monty “is at level par” or make some reference to the RAF and the Battle of Britain are worth two bucks alone. It only takes about a day to get it hooked in, so you still have a chance before next week.
Over at WCC, The Washington Country Club Open, normally held in June (since 1975) was postponed until Sept. 6 and 7 due to a date conflict and the clubhouse not being ready to be open to the public. There will be a “shootout” Friday evening, Sept. 5. There will also be a couples scramble July 20 and The club will have an open house July 25, 26 and 27.
On July 18, the WCC will have the “Beat Daddies” from 9 p.m. to 1 p.m. This is an outstanding band and if you love great music you don’t want to miss the “Beat Daddies.”
The reality of a Tiger-less TOUR has set in, but it has not effected Ryder Cup Ticket sales. There are only “Stub Hub” type tickets left and they are about three times over face value.
They are getting much closer over at the new Pete Dye Course in French Lick. They have already secured the Professional National Tournament in 2010 and are really promoting the resort, casino and the Donald Ross Course in national magazines.
So until next time, losing your ball is penalty enough.