Little Balls For Cancer

Mark, Lyle, Andy and Bundy strike a pose

For the eleventh straight year I recently took part in the Terry Fox Golf Tournament and although we remained dry, everyone had a bad hair day thanks to the gusty winds.

The forecast heading into the day was calling for wind gusts up to 80 km/h, rain and cool temperatures. Luckily we only saw a few brief drops of the wet stuff and thanks to being dressed for the day it wasn't all that chilly after all. However the winds didn't disappoint which made for some tricky club selections.

OK, the truth is we usually try to win the tournament as I think we've won it at least four times in the past but there were a couple of teams that may have brought in a few ringers which meant our chances were very slim. But other than bragging rights, the real reason we play is to raise money for the cause...cancer research.

Well, we didn't win. In fact we struggled all day long in the best ball game and eventually finished at one over par. It's the first time in eleven years that we didn't have a single birdie the entire round. We weren't the only team to struggle.

It was amazing how many times we'd hit what appeared to be an excellent tee shot only to have the wind swallow the ball up and drop it or move it no where near the trajectory should have taken it. Mother Nature had our number and all we could do was keep our hats from blowing off and shake our heads in disbelief.

For the second year in a row our team consisted of Mark Adams, Lyle Williams, Andy Koetstra and myself. We had a lot of laughs as we struggled along and over $8000 was raised for the cause. I don't know if they'll be having the tournament next October but if they are, you can bet we'll be there again.

Golf Winners Again

I don't like to brag...probably because I rarely have an opportunity to do so but I thought I'd do it just this one time.

Back on October 13 I took part in the Terry Fox Golf Tournament for the seventh year in a row. My current team (foursome) has been together for six of those years and of those six we've won the tournament four times, including this most recent event.

Of course we play mainly to support a good cause but with so many members of our golf club taking part we also enjoy bragging rights for a year.

It's a good time and with so many of us taking part there are usually some impressive shots during the round. This year was no exception.

Tee Off For Terry Fox

The 5th Annual Tee-Off for Terry Fox Golf Tournament was held at the Murray Hills Golf Course on Saturday October 15th. This fun day of golf is put on by the Student Government from ENSS in Brighton each year and has been a major contributor of funds in their efforts to raise money to fight Cancer.

I have golfed in all of the tournaments over the 5 years and along with my team-mates, we've had a fair bit of success.

Once again this year, about 39 teams of four hit the links on one of the nicest days for the tourney ever. We had a mix of sun and cloud with only about 5 minutes of light rain to dampen our grips. The winds were quite gusty which made playing that much more challenging.

To make a long story short, my team of Andy Koetstra, Fred VanLingen, Lyle Williams and myself won the tourney by 3 strokes as we finished minus six on the day. We had made it as low as minus 8, however bogies on the last two holes dropped us a bit.

With so many groups participating, our foursome had to play with two other foursomes. The fact that the other two groups were all members of the golf course like us made for a fun day of joking and good competition.

My gloating wouldn't be complete if I didn't mention the fact that this was the second win in a row for us and third overall in the five years in this event. We've done well to say the least.

But the bottom line is the money raised and I'm pleased to report that almost 9-thousand dollars was raised for the Terry Fox Cancer Foundation and a lot of fun was had by all. I congratulate the organizing committee on another well run tournament and I look forward to next October.

The Greatest Game?

What is golf? Some define it as “a game played with a small ball and a bat or club crooked at the lower end. He who drives the ball into each of a series of small holes in the ground and brings it into the last hole with the fewest strokes is the winner.” Hmmm…sounds simple enough. Then why do I love to hate it…and hate to love it?

Golf is a game that I have come to love over the past 5 years or so. Sure I’d played it as an adolescent; but back in the day it was just once or twice a year. Since I became a member of the Murray Hills Golf Course in Wooler, I’ve taken my love of the game to a whole new level.

I’m happy to say that this new level no longer involves wrapping my putter around a tree or trying to set the record for 5 iron tossing. I’ve comfortably settled into the level where my game still stinks on a regular basis but is good enough to keep me thinking that there’s hope of improvement. I’m sure I’m not the only one at this stage in their game. That’s not to say I don’t unintentionally break the odd club from time to time. That’s just normal wear and tear. Ok, I broke the head off a putter while hitting a ball like a baseball after playing a particularly stinky round...but that was a rarity.

One area of my game where I have truly improved over the past couple of years is my vocabulary. I’ve come up with several interesting and never heard combinations of curse words on the links. Now with golf being a gentleman’s sport, I certainly do my best to mutter those profanities under my breath during most occasions. Nevertheless there are times when I don’t quite catch myself soon enough and the odd F-Bomb will slip beyond my lips.

Despite the fact the game can leave me frustrated, fuming, weeping, perplexed and minus a few clubs, all of the bad feelings drift away as I sit with my buddies at the clubhouse drinking a few cold pints while making plans for our next assault on the course.