Judy Onken
Palo Verde Couples League is one of the oldest sanctioned golf clubs in the community. Its current membership is at 300 plus and open to men and women of all skill levels. Games are varied throughout the year with some two–person team competitions and some four–person team competitions. Each couple consisted of one man and one woman. Many teams are married couples although several are widows and widowers or simply people whose spouse does not play golf. At this time there are two brother and sister teams. Morning or afternoon shotguns on Fridays are dedicated to “the couples”.
The Couples Championship (sometimes referred to as Divorce Court) is typically held in March and consists of two rounds. The first is an alternate shot format, the second the combination of all shots for each couple. The lowest gross score and the lowest net score are deemed champions.
The 2026 champions, Arlene and Jerry Davis have won the low gross accolade three times. The first time they won, their brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Kathy Davis, were the low net winners. The Davises visited Sun Lakes on the recommendation of a waitress at Tom’s Bar-B-Q in Chandler when asked about nice homes with good golf courses. While they visited, Jerry played the golf courses and Arlene looked at houses. They bought three days later. They have been snow birds here for 23 years. Arlene and Jerry were high school sweethearts and were married in 1968. Jerry was an entrepreneur establishing convenience stores catering to the tourists of the Outer Banks. He’s fulfilled a life-long dream of owning a golf course and spends summers playing the Sea Scapes course in Kitty Hawk.
Our Low Net Champions are Paul and Michele Olson. They are relatively new snow birds to Sun Lakes from Landon, N.D. They’ve wintered in Arizona for nine years, five in Sun Lakes. They enjoy Hale and Gammage theaters as well as playing golf three or four times a week both here and “Off Campus” at nearby courses. Paul worked in a new car dealership and Michele worked as a speech therapist and special needs education. You may notice she counts her golf strokes “a one, and a two”…that’s because her great uncle was Lawrence Welk. They love meeting other couples playing in the club and have developed great friendships and love their game and fun times after with lunch on the patio.
When asked the attributes of their winning golf games, Arlene answered, “If Jerry plays well and I stay out of trouble, we can win.” Michele says, “pure luck.” Truthfully, both couples played well and the club is proud to have them represent us.