Wanda Ross
Each year, the SaddleBrooke Lady Niners and the SaddleBrooke Women’s 18ers Golf Associations join together in a combined golf tournament and luncheon. This year’s theme was Pretty in Pink. How bright, beautiful, and festive we all looked dressed in our favorite shades of pink.
Seventy golfers enjoyed this year’s LAGOS Tournament on Sept. 20. Each team included two Lady Niners and two Lady 18ers. We played a Step Aside Scramble, one of our favorite golf formats. In this format, each player hit her tee shot. Then the best ball to be played was chosen by the foursome. The person whose ball was chosen stepped aside and was not allowed to hit the next shot. This continued throughout the round until the ball was holed. This team format allowed the game to flow smoothly, so we finished in time for lunch and prizes. It also enabled both the strongest golfers and the less skilled ones to contribute to the team score. The winners were strategic about their choices regarding which ball to choose. All that strategic thinking definitely added a strong mental component to the game. That’s good for our mental health, right?
Charlotte James from the Lady Niners and Cathe Kropp from the Lady 18ers partnered together to create this event. Before golfing began, we purchased mulligans and magic putts. These added a fun and useful element to the game. The mulligans could be used anywhere on the course except in sand traps and on greens. Yes, a second shot from the same place often is better. The magic putts were a wonderful gift when the ball was on the green but far away from the hole. We gladly counted those as one putts!
We enjoyed a luncheon of Birdie Salads with grilled chicken, mixed greens, mandarin oranges, bell peppers, and fried wontons, with a choice of dressings. Dessert was raspberry sorbet with a Gaufrette cookie.
Prizes were given for the best team scores, closest to the pin, and closest to the squiggly line. We had a very successful raffle. Half of the raffle money was given back to the golfers. Seven ladies were lucky winners. The other half ($260) will go to a cause that Lady Niners supports.
Congratulations to all the winners:
* First place: Lee Ann McClelland, Sheryl Nugent, Marcia Keim, and Wanda Ross
* Second place: CJ Johnson, Patty Mawe, Lynn Wenzel, and Sue Schliepsiek
* Third place: Connie Culley, Jan Kreis, Kathy Coffman, and Lavetta Torke
* Fourth place: Ret Convey, Regina Pang, Karen Wendlandt, and Debbie Thompson
* Fifth place: Eila Sallaberry, Pat Avery, Angie Denahan, and Val Malik
* Sixth place: Mary Floerke, Terri Tindal, Cathe Kropp, and Sue Mobley
* Seventh place: Kathleen Houser, Yvonne Garthwait, Nancy Huffman, and Shirley Hamann
We appreciate our event sponsors who support our Lady Niners league throughout the year: Desert Life Pharmacy, RidgeView Physical Therapy, Coyote Golf Cars, Golf Cars of Arizona, and Morris Hall, PLLC.