April Flowers for PVLGA

Liz DeMichael, Publicity Chairman

The cool and comfortable April weather allowed the ladies at Palo Verde to play great golf with lots of wins and surprises. Check it out…

4/4. The first tournament in April for the Palo Verde Ladies Golf Association was one of the most entertaining: Beat the Pro! Each golfer played their own ball, and their net scores were used to challenge the golf pro’s gross score. All players shot from the red tees. This year, 102 ladies played. Seventy-one old ladies beat the pro, Greg Tokash. I hope he had a beer or two afterwards (sorry, Greg!).

Some of the low scorers included Mary Martz and Tammy Visser (both at 55), Carolyn Agre, Nancy Howell and Kathy Mlnarczyk (all at 56), Liz DeMichael (57) and Cindy Bosch, Jo Crook, Kathryn Campbell, Gwen Curtis, Denise Devereaux, Mary Fitzke, Anita Hopkins, Marilyn Lloyd, Mary Nelson, Linda Parfitt and Rachel Rainville (all at 58).

4/11 and 4/18. The ladies belonging to the Palo Verde, Ironwood, Cottonwood and Oakwood golf clubs challenged each other to a friendly round of golf over two weeks. This year, 160 players participated. The first week, 80 ladies from the four clubs played in a Select-a-Drive tournament at Oakwood, while the other half played their own ball in a tournament at Palo Verde. The following week, the ladies switched courses and played the game established at that location the previous week. Palo Verde had 29 ladies finish in the money: Susan Lamb (1st), Linda Grendahl (2nd), Dolores Allard and Noella Bannister (tied for 3rd). Congratulations to all our players!

4/25. The Member/Guest Tournament was a great finish to the month. The two-member teams played in a scramble, but all players were required to hit three drives on each of the nine holes. There were some special surprises for the 120 players; two holes with larger cups (#11 and #14), a few holes where the men’s tees were used, and players could choose which of three pins they wanted use on the 5th hole. In addition, players could buy “pick-a-putt” tickets that would allow them, in advance of taking a putt, to pick up their ball and take the stroke on their scorecard. That was handy if you had a nasty putt or if you wanted to ensure you got a birdie. Thanks, Greg, Jon and Joey for setting up such a fun event for our guests and us!

The team winners were Flight1: Mary Fitzke and Judy Onken (1st), Jo Crook and Karen Welker (2nd) and Rachel Rainville and Joni Hiller (3rd). Flight 2: Patti Hegenbarth and Marilyn Kreager (1st), Bonnie Moore and Kelly Dennis (2nd) and Kathy Ivesdal and Kathy Burns (3rd). Flight 3: Carol Ruff and Tammy Bailey (1st), Florence Wright and Virginia Diers (2nd) and Susan Lamb and Gloria Combs (3rd). Flight 4: Noella Bannister and Gloria Mundy (1st), Carolyn Agre and Marky Wilson (2nd) and Paula Elbery and Karen Beltz (3rd).

For those PVLGA members heading off for cooler locations, we wish you safe travels. For the rest of us hunkering down for the summer … let’s play golf!