Dennis Holt Receiving Bob Gabric Award from Ron McNutt (photo by Scott Baker)
Scott Baker
The SaddleBrooke Men’s Putters gathered on February 26 for their third and fourth quarter Awards Breakfast, recognizing a year of outstanding performances, steady improvement, and strong participation among members.
The event featured special guests Christopher Boyd of Charles Schwab, Tim Wilcox of Sonoran Investment Management, Jane Chanik, Head Golf Professional, and Mike Roddy, Head of SaddleBrooke Golf.
Annual Honors Highlight Exceptional Play
Top annual awards, each including a complimentary membership, were presented to golfers who distinguished themselves over the course of the season.
Mike Sachse captured the prestigious Bob Bowlin Award for Best Average Gross, posting an impressive 36.45 average over 39 rounds.
Jim Jevne and Rick Murray shared the Syd Eagle Award for Highest Ace Average, each recording 1.15 aces per round.
Bobby Carbone earned the Most Aces Award with a remarkable 41 aces in 38 rounds, while Ron McNutt was recognized for perfect participation, earning the Best Attendance Award after playing all 43 rounds.
The Most Improved (Year Over Year) honor went to Vince Mazzier, who improved his game by 3.14 strokes compared to 2024.
Quarterly Improvement Leaders
In third-quarter play, Dave Barta led the field with a 5.6-stroke improvement over eight rounds, followed by Ron McNutt (3.2) and Ron Blake (4.2).
Fourth-quarter honors went to Vince Mazzier (3.0), with Mike Sachse (1.2) and Tom Cluley (0.6) rounding out the top three.
Sponsored Awards Recognize Top Performers
Awards sponsored by Charles Schwab and Sonoran Investment Management highlighted both gross and net scoring excellence.
Tom Johnson led third-quarter gross scoring with a 35.6 average, followed closely by Al Weigel (36.0) and Bob Berkley (36.4). In the fourth-quarter tournament, Nick Mares claimed first place with a 36.4, ahead of Denny Teusch and Frank Traczyk.
Net scoring honors for the third quarter went to Dave Barta, who posted a 34.63 average net score over eight rounds. Tom Johnson and Dave Johnson finished second and third, respectively.
Fourth-quarter net winners included Mark Albrecht in first place, followed by Bob Tibor and Nick Mares.
Special Recognition
The event concluded with the presentation of the Bob Gabric Award to Dennis Holt. The Bob Gabric award is presented to the member who best exemplifies what Bob Gabric was:a good sportsman, a promoter of SaddleBrooke Men’s Putters, a person who thought of others first, not himself, and a Friend. The award was presented by last year’s recipient, Ron McNutt, marking a moment of tradition and camaraderie among the group.
The breakfast not only celebrated individual achievements but also reflected the strong sense of community and friendly competition that continues to define the SaddleBrooke Men’s Putters.
Practice your putting once a week during a congenial competition with other guys. Putt every Thursday morning (10 a.m. winter, 9 a.m. summer) on the main Saddlebrooke putting green. We putt 18 holes with par 36 and use handicaps to even out the random teams competing for prizes ($3, $2, $1) and have individual gross and net prizes ($5, $3, $1). Pay $1 to putt each week with a $25 membership fee. Try it by putting as a guest for free. Just show up Thursday morning about 15 minutes early.