Liz DeMichael

The beautiful April weather allowed the ladies at Palo Verde to play great golf with lots of wins and surprises…

4/02. Beat the Pro. The first tournament in April for the Palo Verde Ladies Golf Association (PVLGA) was one of the most entertaining: Beat the Pro! Each of the 81 golfers played their own ball, and their net scores were used to challenge the golf pro’s gross score. The PV Pro, Greg Tokash shot 63 and was able to beat everyone except 39 tough gals. I guess he was on his game that day, and most of us weren’t.

4/09 and 4/16. PICO Tournament. 180 ladies belonging to the Palo Verde, Ironwood, Cottonwood and Oakwood clubs played golf together over two weeks. The first week, 90 ladies from the four clubs played a two-person Chapman tournament at Oakwood, while the other half played a Minnesota Scramble at Palo Verde. The following week, the ladies switched courses and played the game established at that location the previous week. PVLGA had 35 ladies finish in the money. The team Phyllis Chase was on finished first. Rita Benfer’s team placed second, and Naomi Bryson’s team finished third. Jo Crook, Julie Lutostanski and Diana Ridd won prizes for closest to the pin. All clubs had fun, and it was a great way to meet other players.

4/23. Best 9 Holes. Each PVLGA player chose the “best 9” holes of the 18 they played. It can really help someone, because the scores on the holes chosen, minus half of their handicap, determined the winners. It didn’t help this old gal though. But we did have some great winners: Flight 1: Vallerie Verbeck (1st), Sherri Butler, Carole Guild and Mary Nelson (tied – 2nd); Flight 2: Linda Carr (1st), Sandy Chavez (2nd) and Christine Lecoutre and Christy Thomas (tied – 3rd); Flight 3: Susie Buell, Cindy Dawson and Bonnie Kane (tied – 1st); Flight 4: Karen Ryan (1st), Dolores Mahaffey (2nd) and Naomi Bryson and Lori Snodgrass (tied – 3rd). Good job, ladies!

4/30 Member/Member Tournament. Perfect weather brought a great turnout and some terrific golf by PVLGA members. The two-member teams played a scramble. Two drives of both team players had to be used on each of the nine holes. The winners were Flight 1: Kathy Bushbaum and Tracy Rice (1st) and Cindy Bosch and Carol Ruff tied with Carole Guild and Tammy Visser (2nd); Flight 2: Susan Lamb and Pat Tjosvold, Anita Barber and Sharon Eisenzimmer, together with Jan Gabriel and Karen Jensen (tied – 1st). Flight #3: Naomi Bryson and Rita Raymond (1st), Bonnie Kane and June Park (2nd) and Liz DeMichael and Kathy Jones (3rd). Well done to everyone who organized the event, the pro staff and the players!

For those PVLGA members who headed off for cooler locations, we hope they landed safely. For the rest of us hunkering down for the summer, let’s play golf!