Norm Ott
The annual Greenskeeper Tournament, sponsored by Brenden Waddell and the SunBird Golf Club Turf Crew, and the Silent Auction, sponsored by the CRAB Tournament Committee, were held on March 20, 2021. The Silent Auction replaced the annual live auction held as part of the CRAB Tournament weekend, which had to be canceled due to COVID restrictions. As in the past, the proceeds from these events benefited the golf course.
The tournament had a total of 37 foursomes (148 golfers) tee it up on this beautiful Arizona spring morning and play a scramble format. The field was divided up into three divisions: Men (17), Men/Women Mixed (16), and Women (4). As usual in the Greenskeeper Tournament, Brenden had a couple of surprises; namely, a chamber-pot-size hole cut in one of the front nine greens, and on one of the back nine greens, the hole was the size of a Campbell’s soup can. Following the play, the golfers enjoyed a brisket barbeque lunch. A great time was had by all. The gross and net score winners in each division were as follows:
Men: Gross (44) Gene Dunbar, Craig Zubchevich, Jim Heyak, Earl Walker; Net (45) Roy Comeau, Roland Stock, Ross Bennett, Jack Baudistel
Mixed: Gross (48) Bob and Joyce Gerber, Dick Tiffany, Lou Lepore; Net (43) Bob Clause, Mary Albright, George and Jean Jones
Women: Gross (49) Karen Gilmore, Cindy Vig, Margie Leach, Jane Sirois; Net (49) Kay Wulfekuhler, Sue Koslofsky, Mary Dawson, Peggy Albright
The real winner, however, was the SunBird Golf Course which received $8,921 in proceeds from entry fees, 50/50, mulligans, and sponsors.
The Silent Auction part of this event was held simultaneously with the tournament. Approximately 90 Items to be auctioned included delicious pies and cakes, golf balls and equipment, merchant gift cards, and many more, all donated by the SunBird community and local merchants, and were placed on tables along Waterview. Each item had a bid sheet on which the bidders placed their bids. All but 15% of the items received a bid. The auction opened at 7 a.m. and closed at about 1:30 p.m. After closing, the high bidders received their purchases. The total sales from this auction totaled $3,714, all of which went to benefit the golf course. Since the inception of an auction in conjunction with the Sand Trap/CRAB Tournaments in 2013, the auctions have generated about $90,000 for the golf course.
The success of events like these is dependent on the participation of the community in volunteering, in playing, and in donating. A special thanks go out to Brenden Waddell and the Turf Crew for the tournament organization, to John and Marsha Brockish for tireless work in pulling the auction together, the many volunteers, and, of course, the SunBird community.