Norm Ott
The month of January usually means the return to SunBird of more of our snowbird friends and renters and also those who are coming to SunBird for the first time. The SunBird Men’s Golf Association, also known as the Men’s Club, wishes to welcome back all who are returning and welcome those who are newcomers as well.
The Men’s Golf Club is an organization whose purpose is to promote, encourage and advance men’s golf in the SunBird community. Nominal annual membership dues provide a membership in the Arizona Golf Association’s GHIN handicap system, participation in the weekly Men’s Club tournaments and in special events that may be scheduled, including tournaments or groups not scheduled by the Men’s Club that may require a handicap. Players of all skill levels, from beginner to scratch player, are welcome and encouraged to join. Weekly tournaments are set up so that foursomes are made up of players with similar handicaps in the case of stroke/net play or in the case of team play, such as a scramble, there is a balance of handicaps. Everyone has a chance to win. Most importantly, membership and participation in the club affords a great opportunity to meet and make new friends.
Regular weekly tournaments are held each Thursday morning through the season of November through April. All members are encouraged to play, but it is not a requirement. Tournaments generally consist of individual stroke/net play, scrambles, two- or three-person low gross and low net team events or other formats at the discretion of the tournament committee. There are also several special events held throughout the season. These are the SunBird Cup in December, the Match Play Challenge in January and the Club Championship held later in the spring. All members are encouraged to participate in these events.
For more information on membership, you may contact Fred Garmeson, membership chairman, at 480-895-9363 or you are welcome to attend an association meeting on the first Tuesday of each month at 9:00 a.m. in the clubhouse ballroom.
Currently, the SunBird Cup, a net score event, got underway on November 30 and was completed on December 7. The Match Play Challenge, a three-week event, will start on January 18 and will be completed on February 1. Due to required dates for submitting articles for the paper, results are not available and will be reported at a later date.
Finally, and last but definitely not least, Men’s Club member Don Hunt carded two holes-in-one during the last month. They occurred on November 4 in open play and on December 3 in a Sunday couples group, both on the 14th hole. Congratulations, Don!