Left to right: Zoey Newell, Kaylee Jewkes, Celia Schrecker, Makenna Brown, Ashley Engler, Hannah Ports, Raina Ports, and SBWGA President Sherry Fitzpatrick.
Marsha Camp
Aug. 20 was the most delightful playday of the summer. Our club hosted seven members of the ladies golf team from Ironwood Ridge High School. The format was one net and one gross of the foursome, and seven foursomes were lucky enough to have a Nighthawk in their group. It was inspiring to watch those gals wallop their drives of 250 to 275 yards. My second shot on the par 5 third hole on SaddleBrooke almost made it to Makenna’s drive. I had better luck when she had to use an iron on the par 4s.
This team was the runner-up state champions in 2018, and it’s easy to see why. Their coach and assistant coach use a holistic approach to keep these athletes in top shape. Strength training is an absolute must, and they understand the importance of a healthy diet. They practice for a minimum of two hours a day, Monday through Friday, but this team is not satisfied with the minimum.
And now, the tournament results.
First flight winners tied with a score of 132: Nighthawk Hannah Port, Ann Chatham, Connie Culley, and Sandy Collins; and Nighthawk Raina Port, Carol Bidwell, Venetia Lewis, and Angie Denahan. Third place winners: Nighthawk Zoey Newell, Deb Green, Gail Plimpton, and Ret Convey.
Second Flight winners: Nighthawk Kaylee Jewkes, Shellie Pierce, Nancy Huffman, and Nancy Wyllie. Second place winners: Phyllis Sarrels, Karen Vender Jagt, Gloria Eby, and Takeyo Eakin. Third place winners: Patti Pratti, Doris Smith, Jan Bukes, and Shirley Hamman.
Assistant Coach Troy Jewkes told me that even though this is a young team with three freshmen, six sophomores, and one junior, most have been playing since they were seven or eight years old, so they are not lacking in experience, enthusiasm, and commitment. As with most athletic programs that run on a ‘shoe-string budget,’ donations are gratefully accepted. Troy will see that any donations get to the right place.
Mark your calendars for the high school state championships on Oct. 28 and 29 at the Omni Tucson. The girls would love to have us come out, watch them play and root them on, of course. Go Nighthawks!
And this came in from one of my many fans:
Dear SaddleBrooke reporter, I have a rules question. While trying to remove pine needles from around my ball, I accidentally hit the ball, and it rolled two inches. I replaced the ball and penalized myself two strokes. Is that correct? Signed, Sloppie.
The answer from our rules specialist is no! According to rules 8-2 and 8-3, the key is intent. If your intention is to improve your lie, you are assessed a one stroke penalty. In this case there is no intention, and therefore there is no penalty.
That’s all for this month. Remember, to speed up play, hit slow—drive fast.