JACKSON PARK MEN’S GOLF CLUB
MARCH NEWSLETTER
Dear Fellow Linksmen,
Greetings from your men’s club board of directors and happy 2015! I for one am still mourning the worst play called in the history of football but trying to let it go….. Mariners starting soon will help some? And more golf please….. It is time for another fabulous year of golfing at Jackson Park! First of all – I must say yes the rumor is true – we have a range – and yes – it is actually open for business. Practice time. Secondly your board of directors continues to work hard and strives to improve the club tournaments….. and thus the value of your membership. Please join us for another great year in the men’s club!
Membership
It is that time of year to renew your annual membership. Jackson Park Men’s Golf Club privileges run through March each year….. so be sure to send in your renewal as soon as you can. This is the optimum way for continuing your GHIN handicap without interruption and not missing any of the early tournaments coming this spring. The board is keeping annual dues the same again this year – a great value for you, our member. Not only do you get a legitimate handicap through the WSGA and its benefits but access to all our tournaments run monthly February through November. We have the new 2015 schedule posted on the website – check it out and be sure to make any you can – there is lots and lots and lots of prize money to win! Remember all the money goes back to you – in tournament payouts. Last year we had a great crop of first time members – many who did very well on the money list. In addition, prize money was spread out across a wider handicap range – particularly towards the net payouts. We continue to make adjustments to the payout structure so that everybody has a great chance to win – that means you! Tell your golfing friends to join us at Jackson Park Men’s Golf Club – a great membership value. Thank you for your continued support of the men’s club.
Clyde Carlson Day
Our annual membership meeting and banquet was held on Saturday January 17th at Jackson Park. It is in honor of Clyde Carlson – who was in attendance – a true gentlemen and long-time supporter and member of Jackson Park Men’s Golf Club. All who attended enjoyed an evening of frivolities and fun with fellow members. We had a jar raffle and silent auction which gave away more than $1200 worth of golf goodies to attendees. We honored all of our 2014 champions and discussed plans for 2015. This is an annual celebration not to miss! Be sure to mark your calendar for next January and try and make our annual banquet and meeting. Thank you to all the members who attended and a special thank you to Lee Jones, member and trustee, who spent time organizing and running the raffle and auction. Hope to see you all at the January 2016 annual meeting!
February Tournament Results – The Tombstone Event
Sound interesting? New this year at Jackson Park and put on by Josh our very own head professional…… Here’s how it went. Each player got 70 strokes (par) plus their respective course handicap. The players then completed as much of the course as they could until their stroke allotment was exhausted. They then marked the spot of their progress on the course with a flag – in other words their tombstone. Here are the winning sandbaggers of the day…..
First Division
Don “The Dominator” Harrell was the only player who finished the course with his allotment of strokes to take first place and pocket $105. Matthew “Schlanzenger” Stutzenberger took second for $90….. Kyle “Golf Ball Killer” Johnson was in third for $75….. Cory “The Italian Stallion” Rockey took fourth for $60….. Mark “Double Titanium Ball” Ohrenschall came in fifth for $45….. Travis “Footjoy Junior” Jones came in sixth to take $30….. And Jason “Tight Lies” Larson finished seventh to pocket $15.
Second Division
Geoff “Ogilvy” McNeish was the only participant to complete 18 holes with his strokes and take first place for $105. Mike “Muscles” Mardesich finished in second for $90….. Roger “Makes Putts From Downtown” Brown took third for $75….. Brian “Herr Kaymer” Kayler claimed fourth to pocket $60….. Daniel “Double Eagle” Peterson and Jim “Bunkerplay” Bucher tied for fifth for $37.50 each….. And Walt “Wedges” Dickoff took seventh for $15.
KP’s
Jeff “The Steady One” Schoening claimed hole #2 with 13’ 8”….. Matthew “Schlazenger” Stutzenberger took hole #7 with 17’10”….. Brain “Herr Kaymer” Kayler won hole #11 with a tidy 7’5”….. Kyle “Golf Ball Killer” Johnson took hole #13 like he does every tournament with a 2’9” and sank the putt to claim the deuce pot….. Jim “Bunkerplay” Bucher claimed #17 with a beauty – 5’3”. Congratulations to all who knocked it stiff!
March Tournament – RED/WHITE/BLUE on Saturday March 21st
Be sure to join us for one of the traditionally most popular events of the year. If you have not played this one before – it adds tee selection to the mix. Players are required to play 6 holes from the forward tees, 6 holes from the white tees, and 6 holes from the back tees. You choose which you prefer from where. Stroke play format in gross and net – multiple divisions. As always be sure to sign up by the Thursday prior to the tournament. Simply call the pro shop or stop by and fill out an entry form. This event is open to guests so be sure to invite a golfing friend to join us – a great way to introduce prospective members to the men’s club. Hope to see you there!
Course Conditions
This year the board has created a greens committee to act as a link between the men’s club and management. Last year was tough on Jackson Park with budget cuts and water restrictions taking a toll on parts of the course. We are trying to take a proactive approach and reach out to help. Our goal is an obvious one – to get the course in the best condition possible for play in any way we can. We want to help by offering assistance to the maintenance crew – a few volunteer work parties during the season – to help with projects that the crew may not get to due to budget or time restrictions. Filling Divots? Limbing up some trees? Planting some new perennials and shrubs in some gardens? Adding a yearly tree from the men’s club? Anything they will let the club help with. We are still in the planning phase and will see where we can assist. If you are interested in helping let us know and we will keep all the membership posted as to upcoming work party days.
New Tournaments/Changes
In February we tried a new event run by Josh, our PGA pro at Jackson, deemed the Tombstone Event. All who played had a blast and we are already hearing we should do this again next year.
We decided to move our two day championship to peak season in June this year. The board really wants to make this the flagship event for the club – a 36 hole test over one weekend to crown a gross and net champion. Notice this event is also the last Saturday in June instead of the usual third one this year. We did not want to conflict with the US Open at Chambers Bay.
In all tournament play during 2015 pace of play will be strictly enforced. The club will have a new punch clock starting with the March event. See the website for pace of play policy and penalties….. and please just remember – if we all just keep up with the group in front there is never any problems.
There will be additional tournament payout information and statistics available on the website. One of our goals is transparency to all the membership – and we feel certain we have one of the most equitable payout structures around. So we are going to “advertise” it!
At our first board meeting of the year we voted in Reed Johnson as a trustee to fill a vacant position. Welcome Reed and thank you for serving the membership. We will try and take it easy on him for a while J
On behalf of all the board of directors I want to thank you for your continued membership with Jackson Park Men’s Golf Club. We all strive to earn your loyal membership and are here to help with any questions you might have. Please contact me or any of the board via our website and let us know how we can help. We are looking forward to a great year of tournament golf with you, our member. Thank you again and hope to see you out on the course!
Sincerely,
Trevor Cameron
JPMGC President