Making the Turn

Farewells and Final Rounds

Well, my fellow golfers, another season has once again come and gone. With not much of a spring and an unusually cool summer, our window of playable weather seemed much too small. It left most of us with the feeling that our season was over before it really had a chance to begin. It seems like only yesterday when we were chomping at the bit, waiting for the spring frost to thaw and unearth our grassy playground.

Each day I hear someone talk of their momentous “last round,” and each day I wonder as I drive past my favorite course if this will be the last day I see the pins in before they get tucked into storage for a long winter’s nap.

I have already said my good-byes to a few winter birds, migrating south en route to a never-ending golf season. Other friends are already planning their “stay and play” getaways in a calculated attempt to break up their golf-less winter. Then there are the rest of us, who abandon our clubs in the garage, breaking up with them over the winter until next spring’s fling.

Perhaps those of us who do not play golf in the winter share a deeper appreciation for the game than those fortunate enough to play year-round. Perhaps absence for seven months does make the heart grow fonder. When golf leaves, it leaves a void that putting on my basement carpet cannot seem to fill. For golfers like me preparing to hunker down for another Wisconsin winter, spring means golf – and that means my countdown has already begun.

As the golf season comes to a close, so does our inaugural year of the Pulse’s golf page. We hope you have enjoyed it and appreciated our efforts. Although this is the last issue in which “Making The Turn” will appear in 2009, look for us to be back in the spring – just about when your clubs are beginning to thaw. And although our games have gone dormant, our golf minds have not, so please feel free to e-mail us over the winter with feedback, news, story ideas, photos, etc. at [email protected].

Thank you to the individuals, organizations, and Door County golf courses that have contributed to the golf page, and thank you to all the golfers who continue to support our local courses.

Your “Making the Turn” writer,

Bonnie Spielman (Ace McDuff)

And now, some 2009 highlights as we run through our “Season in Review”:

May:

• DCGA Announces Scholarship: The Door County Golf Association announced this year’s scholarship winners totaling $2,000 – Sevastopol senior Sam Weber, and Southern Door golfers Nick Hoegger and Sarah Hansen.

• High Turn Out Despite High Winds At DeJardin: 148 golfers braved the pounding 25-mile/hour winds in the popular Jeff DeJardin Scramble at Idlewild. This year’s winning team was the Washington Island team of Herschberger, Steebs, Mann, and Gunnlaugsson.

• Horseshoe Bay Plays Host to Door County Cup: The five Door County high school golf teams competed in the annual “Door County Cup” at Horseshoe Bay Golf Club. Sturgeon Bay brought home the team trophy, while Southern Door senior Nick Hoegger was awarded this year’s medal.

• Ferdon Named Big 12 Coach of the Year: Sylvia Ferdon, the ladies head golf coach at Baylor University, was named Big 12 Coach of the Year for the 2009 season. Ferdon is a summer Baileys Harbor resident and former golf pro at Peninsula State Park.

• Peninsula Park Clubhouse Receives Facelift: As Peninsula State Park celebrates its 100th year, the golf course’s clubhouse received the finishing touches to its first renovation in over 20 years.

June:

• Sevastopol Golf Team Takes Another Trip To State: The Sevastopol High School golf team takes their second consecutive trip to state. The team finished seventh, while sophomore Ben Ehlers was Sevastopol’s top individual golfer, finishing 19th overall.

• First Two-Time Winner in Horseshoe Bay Member/Guest: Horseshoe Bay member James “J.J.” Johnson of Sister Bay and his guest Stu Sickles captured the first repeat victory of the Men’s Member/ Guest Invitational.

• Adaptive Golfers Are Up For The Challenge: Maxwelton Braes and course pro Jason Daubner host “Go Fore Golf,” where golfers with all types of physical disabilities learn to play golf despite their challenges.

July:

• Kwaterski To Play Dakotas Tour: Gibraltar graduate and Peninsula State Park Golf Course employee Nick Kwaterski heads west to try his hand at the Dakotas Tour, a men’s professional golf tour seen as a potential proving ground for budding golfers.

• Stonehedge Opens Under New Management: Stonehedge Golf Course opens its doors under the new ownership of Jon and Laurie Oswald of Green Bay and Egg Harbor.

• Peninsula Promotes Youth Golf: With the help of many volunteers, both Cherry Hills and Peninsula State Park golf courses made their popular youth golf programs a success.

August:

• Near Upset For Basch in Resorter’s Tournament: In the Resorter’s most competitive field to date, local grinder Mark Basch (15th seed) narrowly loses to number one seed and Western Illinois golfer Andrew Godfrey.

• Ehlers Reaches Semifinals in Junior Masters Championship: Against some of the best junior golfers in the state, 16-year-old Sevastopol High School junior Ben Ehlers worked his way to the “final four” in the Junior Masters held in Racine, Wisconsin.

• Two Courses Compete Tavistock Style: In its second year, the Door County Cup pits Horseshoe Bay and Maxwelton Braes members against each other in a two-day tournament. Team Horseshoe Bay rallies from behind to capture its second consecutive victory.

• Senior State Amateur Comes To Door County: The senior state amateur took place at Horseshoe Bay this year with eight local players among the qualifying field of 218 golfers. John Goettleman (Idlewild) tied for 64th overall, while Mike Woldt (Idlewild) and Dick Brish (Horseshoe Bay) both cracked the top ten in the net division.

September:

• Bisbee Takes Home Cherryland Trophy: With a score of 140 (68, 72) Jeff Bisbee of Green Bay finished with a resounding five-stroke victory in the pro division. Summer Door County resident Mike Frey finished one stroke behind the leaders in the amateur open division with a score of 146 (73, 73).

• A Full Field Supports The “Johnny G”: For the eighth year in a row, the popular Johnny G Golf Scramble held at Maxwelton Braes sold out to a field of 140 golfers. This year’s winners with a score of 12 under: Tony Gonzales (brother to the tournament’s namesake), Mike Becker, Mark Basch, and Dick Brish.

• Fuller Contributes to Phoenix Victory: Cam Fuller, a 2008 graduate from Sevastopol High School and current freshman on the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay men’s golf team, recently contributed to a team victory in his college debut, and assisted the Phoenix in breaking two school records.