GCS Region 7 Hickory Tournament and Trade Show
If there is a Society of Departed Golf Course Architects, then Donald Ross, A. W. Tillinghast, Tom Bendelow and others of the organization have to be amused at the way Bendelow's Old Hickory Golf Club course in Beaver Dam, WI beat up on the enthusiastic Region 7 competitors on September 15. Supposed aches and pains and the inability to find their "A" game swings surely must have combined to make the 70's unheard of, the 80's a rarity, and the 90's most players' achievement level.
When the divots and grass clippings settled and all of the other excuses were tallied, 90 was the low gross score among the membership; an honor (?) shared by a couple of Mikes.....Heller and Knipp, along with Scott Johnson. A poll conducted during the dinner that followed led to a request that no other scores should be made known for general circulation.
Club manager and cordial host, Steve Kaiser, (who took to hickories like a duck to water) should be mentioned for his smooth 85, having been introduced to the wood shaft game only the day before. He also backed up his promise to match a club member for every GCS participant creating six jolly groups. Equipment for the uninitiated was provided by our members primarily through the efforts of Andy Reistetter.
New member (that same day), Dennis Anderson, despite having to play with Bill Reed and the Region Director, must have seen the merits of membership. Or put another way: "I can't ever remember having so much fun, while at the same time being so humbled".
Iowan Gary Moody, one of the foremost makers of replica feathery balls, went around the front nine in 65 blows using one of his examples. He proved that like all balls used in our grand old game, good swings produce good results. When told by the superintendent that the sheep were about to be let out on the course for the evening, Gary switched to a balata ball for the home bound nine.
Friendships begun on the golf course blended into the fellowship of the evening's dinner and social hour. Discussions about the GCS, its history, activities and membership benefits continued all through the next day's trade
(The attempt at humor as contained in this article is only a slight reflection of the good times experienced at a regional event such as this. Try to get to one in your region---chances are great that you'll really enjoy it.)
Joe de Wulf, Region 7 Director
