By Bruce Meadows November 2019 Why should kids play golf ??? I came across the following information online recently, thoughts of a father and the effect junior golf has had on their lives and the lives of those around them and thought it might be enjoyable, possibly helpful for parents and…
Sonoma County Open May 20-21
The Sonoma County Open is scheduled Saturday and Sunday, May 20-21, at Foxtail Golf Course in Rohnert Park. Both days of competition will be on the North Course.
There will be five flights offered for the stroke-play event: Men’s Gross and Net; Women’s Gross and Net; Senior (ages 55-64) Gross and Net; Super Senior (ages 65 and over) and the Championship Flight, played at gross only for players with a GHIN Index of 4.0 or lower.
Jessica Reese-Quayle, one of the best female golfers to ever come out of Sonoma County, has taught golf at Oakmont GC for three years, but lamented those days when it was too rainy or cold to give instruction.
That’s changed since Reese-Quayle, with the help of her dad Ken Reese, created The Golf Teaching Lab in the former Oakmont offices near the first tee of the East Course.
Thousands of acres have been burned, hundreds of people have lost their homes and other valuable possessions, including their animals, businesses – and the jobs that go with them – have been destroyed and the future is uncertain, challenging and downright frightening for so many.
Circle Friday, Aug. 31 on your calendar if you are (1) eager to play one of the best golf courses in the area, and (2) if you like the idea of supporting the continually improving golf programs at Sonoma State University.
The ninth annual SSU Men’s and Women’s Alumni/Scholarship Tournament is on that date and the 18-hole affair will be held at historic Sonoma Golf Club, a classic course built in 1928. Sonoma was purchased in 2014 by Escalante Golf of Fort Worth, Texas.
Bill Carson represents Wine Country Golf Group, which includes Windsor, Rooster Run and Adobe Creek, all popular 18-hole layouts.
But Carson, director of operations for WCGG, has a good feel for the bigger picture when it comes to promoting golf throughout our community.
He recently filled me in on what WCGG is doing these days, but while he obviously is primarily concerned about the success of his three courses, he is an altruist when it comes to wanting golf to prosper throughout Sonoma County.
He talked about introducing advanced tees for beginners and children, typically about half the length of the white tees, explaining “we want to encourage beginners and make it more fun to play for everyone.”
It no doubt depends on your ability as a player. A tough shot for a touring pro, for example, would not necessarily be the same as the most difficult shot for a high-handicap amateur.
Personally, the most difficult shot for me has always been anything out of the sand. I have played pretty well over the years, but like to pretend there are no bunkers on the golf course . . . when I get in one, I usually draw a blank.
SSU golf program continues to improve
The golf program at Sonoma State University keeps getting better, under the guidance of popular local longtime golf pro and head coach Val Verhunce.
The men’s team, which started up in 2004, and the women’s team, which began in 2007, have shown steady progress, including an NCAA Division II championship for the men in 2009.
If you happen to meet Daryl Rossi on the golf course, and the topic of handicaps comes up, look at his golf game, not his right arm.
Or what would normally be his right arm.
Rossi, 53, was born without a right arm, the result of an undetermined birth defect possibly linked to his mother taking the drug thalidomide.
It’s been a long time — way too long — since local golfers have had a forum, a place where they could express their opinions and listen and respond to the thoughts of others in our community. It’s been an equally long time since local golfers have had a chance to read about other golfers or golfing developments in our area, whether it be feature stories or just small but significant items about the game.