A small, but appreciative, group from the Sonoma Men’s Golf Association made the drive to Pope Valley in Northern Napa County earlier this month to play Aetna Springs Golf Course.
One of the oldest courses in the United States, the fantastic nine-hole course provided a stern test in strong and gusty winds.
When all the scorecards had been turned in, Karl Mayer and Ron Sharek matched scores with 68, before Mayer was awarded first place in a scorecard playoff, as Sharek had to settle for second. Tony Enz’ score of 70 was good enough for third place, while the battle for fourth between Steve MacCarthy and Mick Burrows, who each carded 73s, went to a tie-breaker, with MacCarthy given the nod, and Burrows rounding out the top five.
Nick Blonder’s 74 was easily the best of the day in the gross division, and, despite being seven shots back, Greg Tellis’ 81 was good enough for second.
In the closest-to-the-pin competitions, Don Roesh had no issue with the second hole playing at 218-yards, as his approach finished 24 feet, 8 inches from the hole.
Ian Tervet conquered the picturesque fourth, firing his tee shot from 119 yards to just 4-9.
The strong winds made the 11th, at 228-yards, too much, and no one managed to hit the green, while Jack Harding joined the party on the 134-yard 13th, with a shot to 10-11.
The SMGA returns to action Sunday, May 18, at Yocha De He Golf Club.
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The Sonoma Valley Golf Club has been busy of late, playing its home course of Eagle Vines and traveling to Yocha De He Golf Club.
At Eagle Vines on April 8, Hugh McNeilly grabbed first place in the first flight with his round of 69, followed closely by southpaw Jim Schnabel’s second-place 70, while Terry Buss took home third with a 73.
In the second flight, Bob Leal ran away from the field with his round of 64, as Al Marty’s 66 earned him second place, while Marty Martindale’s 69 was good enough for third.
Setting the course on fire in the third flight was Jack Kearney with his round of 63, two clear of Tom Reynolds’ second-place 65, and five clear of Bob Jaeger’s 68 for third.
In closest-to-the-pin action from the white tees, Joe Frank walked away happy on the sixth with a shot to 14 feet, 3 inches, while Barry Robertson liked the eighth hole as his ball finished 17-6 from the flag. McNeilly showed one reason he was at the top of the leaderboard with his shot to just 4 feet on the 12th, while Jerry VanWallinga’s shot to 16-5 was the best on the 15th.
From the gold tees, Herb Seidell joined the party on No. 6 with a shot to 7-6, while Tom Culligan mastered the 8th with a shot to 15-4, Martindale made easy work of the 12th with a shot to 4-9, and Leal added to his winning day with a shot to 8-7 on the 15th.
The red tees saw Reynolds fire a shot to 12-9 on the sixth, while Dick Moore managed to get his ball to 22-5 from the hole on the eighth. Kearney’s shot to 6-2 was the best on the 12th, while Dan Radke walked away a winner with his shot to 14-10 on the 15th.
The SVGC was back to Eagle Vines on April 22, and this time Cony Gustafsson ran away with the first flight with an impressive round of 61, followed by both Frank and Dave Bartel carding rounds of 75 for second and third place, respectively.
In the second flight, Mike Lipson carded a fine 67, good enough for first place, while another tie saw Dave Voepel and Marc Sylvester battle it out with their rounds of 70, before Voepel grabbed second on a tie-breaker.
Jerry Marino stepped up in the third flight, firing a 68, which was good enough for first place, while the “day of ties” continued, with both Bob Ford and Mike Cox matching scores of 69, before Ford edged out Cox in the tie-breaker.
Closest-to-the-pin saw Pavel Janosko master the second with a shot to 8-5 from the white tees. Barry Robertson’s shot to 35-6 on the fifth was good enough for a win, while Jim Andre was smiling after his shot to 7-10 on the 14th. Casey Tatarian showed no fear on the 16th, his shot stopping 6-9 from the hole.
From the gold tees, Lipson added to his winnings for the day, hitting his shot to 26-7 on the second hole. Dick Kingsbury found his ball an even 13 inches on the fifth, while Bill Rosa’s shot to 17-4 on the 14th was good enough for a win. Voepel showed why he was a winner, firing hit shot to 17-9 on the 16th.
Finally, playing the red tees, Kit Wood stopped his ball 20-6 away from the hole on the second, with Ford claiming the title on the fifth with a shot to 14 inches. John Fanucchi joined the party with his shot to 11-3, and Cox closed out the day with a shot to 20-4 on the 16th.
At Yocha De He on April 29, the SVGC members were grouped in teams of four and played a group stableford event.
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