Flight 1 winners (photo by Andrea Gray)
Flight 2 winners (photo by Andrea Gray)
Denise Cashmore
Author John Gray wrote, “Fortunately, perfection is not a requirement for creating great relationships.” Add to that … or to have fun on the golf course! And so began the Mars/Venus Golf Tournament, in very windy conditions. This year’s 10th annual event was hosted by the MountainView/Preserve Women’s Golf Association (MPWGA) on Feb. 7 and 9 (host alternates every year between MPWGA and MountainView/Preserve Men’s Golf Association). Shout-outs to Barb Laskowski and Pete Lima for chairing this great event and The Moore Advantage Team for the sponsorship. Laskowski said, “It wasn’t the weather we ordered, but it worked out!” The event has “evolved” from Men versus Women to mixed teams of both sexes, allowing the most competitive of handicaps, some great banter, and an opportunity to meet different golfers in the community.
Competition began after a one-hour frost delay at The Preserve Course with a 2 Best Balls/Rotating Partners format (every six holes, partner was rotated). Jacque Twitty, on one of the leading teams after day one, said, “We had to ham and egg it,” and that “Mars and Venus were in the same orbit” for her team. KP (closest to the pin) holes were awarded to Jane Megrdle and Bob Osebold on hole number 4, Connie Sherman and Todd Roberts on number 6, Mary Clark and Mark Kunnen on number 11, and Jane Megrdle (again!) and Gary Hodges on number 14.
Day two also had a frost delay at the MountainView Course and was downright blustery, making the Cha Cha Cha format quite challenging. Scoring used the rotation of three balls, then two balls, and then one ball—repeating throughout the 18 holes. KP holes were awarded to Ann Martin and Greg Cahill on hole number 4, Donna Roth-Hillis and George Kaplin on number 8, Ann Bershaw and Tony Cardillo on number 13, and Corky Bosch and Doug Zink on number 17.
Overall results were grouped in two flights, and the winners managed their leads on both days. Flight 1 winners (by seven strokes) were Jane Megrdle, Brenda Creel, Harry Clausen, and Carl Weller. Clausen proclaimed of his team, “I have to say that the ladies carried us!” Megrdle said of her two KPs, “My first one was close, but the second one really looked like it would go in.” And the Flight 2 winners (by just one stroke–whew!) were Jacque Twitty, Linda Berg, Bill Bowers, and Jim Grosjean. Grosjean said, “We tried our best to squander the big lead from round one, but we held on somehow.”
An awards luncheon was held after the event at the MountainView ballroom, where Kim Cox provided cute Mars/Venus planet centerpieces, and resident PGA Head Golf Pro Mike Karpe handed out his usual good humor and the tournament cash prizes for winners. Flight 1 paid out through 6th place, and Flight 2 paid out through 5th place. Calling out to all you Martians and Venusians to join us next year!