Happy New Year – the new year, a time to say good bye and a time to say hello.  I am sure many of you are like me,  looking forward to moving on to a new year. There will still be some challenges but we are optimistic about managing what is, instead of worrying about what could be. I am expecting the golf courses will operate in a similar way as last year but because we have been through it we know how to manage and we learned some new things along the way.

Let’s watch that light at the end  of the tunnel grow brighter and brighter. We will be out on the golf courses before we know it, enjoying each other’s company and that human connection we are missing.

Registration has to be handled differently this year. Members that deferred 2020 lessons and league membership have been contacted by us already requesting your lesson choice. We will open up registration on the website February 1 for members refunded and new members. Members that were refunded will get priority but it is important that you registered sooner vs later.

To say I have been procrastinating planning winter practice puts it mildly.  We are determined to stay positive and are trying our best during these trying times. If we all stay safe and do what is being asked of us, and yes I know it is in some ways confusing, but we will do what we  need to do so that COVID can be behind us. I am working at organizing practice sessions at the Eaglequest Golf Dome in the north and the south dome at the National Golf Academy. Practice will have to be organized and communicated earlier and numbers may be restricted; and in some cases early payment required. A schedule and procedures will be sent by email before the end of the year.

The following is our favorite MOB as it reminds us why we started Golfaround in the first place.

Golfed with my husband at Kananaskis yesterday.  He was congratulating me on my improved game and that is thanks to you guys.  I enjoyed the day.  Didn’t really score my round but had a true double par or less on most of the holes.  Picked up and played from his ball on a few holes.  Beat him legally on one hole (although he has to have a really bad hole for me to claim that!). Had lots of good drives and a few chips and putts that made me happy. I didn’t feel that was impacting the day for the other 2 singles that joined us, even though they were amazing golfers.  It was a scorching hot but a wonderful day.  Jill Newman

Some more things to brag about:

Lorie Baddock gets herself out on a number of very bad lies at Pine Ridge Golf Club

Fran Esler birdies #17 a Lynx Ridge – good things happen to those who wait

Wanda Moffatt has a beauty 1 putt on #18 at Redwood Meadows – the way you want to finish

Terri MacDonald lands a 15 – 20 footer on the green into hole

Rhonda Rankin birdies #2 at Cottonwood – nice job on a tough Par 3

Cheryl Worthy get 2 birdies on Mickleson National – a tough and beautiful track

Merina DeCosta starts with a birdie and finishes with at Par on Mountain course at Elbow Springs golf course, don’t ask her about the middle

Well we weren’t going to do any posting this month but Doreen Bauret 1st Hole in One “ever” is very news worthy don’t you think!!! Congrats on your 114 yard hole in one on Hole #13 at Lakeside Greens in Chestermere with the Golfaround Day league gals.   There better have been some celebrating.

If I thought the new rules would cause some confusion the COVID ones take the “cake”. I think it is best if we use the KISS principle….keep it simple, we are after all recreational golfers. I don’t think we should take it too seriously and we should enjoy the round and camradery that comes with it. It has been really nice to have the 10 min tee times and I do like some of the “new” rules/practices that have been put in place to play during a COVID season.  It has made the rounds quicker and more comfortable.

FLAGSTICK

Golf courses DO NOT want you touching the flagstick. We have seen a few different gizmo’s to ensure we are not touching the flagstick or reaching our hand into the cup…..pool noodles in the cup, plastic lifters to pull your ball out, cups raised an inch above the putting surface, & introducing a “gimme circle.”

I think we should rate the different gizmo’s, some of the  courses have been pretty innovative and some work better than others. Tell us what you think….what has been your favorite and what course did you find it at?

NO RAKES, NO BALL WASHERS

You can’t rake the bunkers so you may find your ball in someone’s foot print. With COVID rules you can move it to a better lie i.e. somewhere else in the bunker. Golf Courses for the most part have removed the rakes, so far D’Arcy Ranch is the only one that had the rake on the back of the cart and I forgot to bring it with me almost every time.  Even if we don’t have a rake an effort should be made to smooth out the area where our footprints have been.

Missing the ball washers – Take a wet towel to clean your ball when it has traveled somewhere other than the fairway and gets a little dirty.

END OF THE ROUND

We can’t shake hands but I have seen some pretty good replacements, the putter tap, hand over the heart, the elbow bump…what else are you girls doing?

The most important thing this season is to remember how fortunate we are to be out playing the game we all love and it should be about having FUN!!!

Cathy M and Martha Watson – social yet distant on a beautiful night at Jagare Ridge. Great way to open the Golfaround season.

Laurette, Lori  and Therese,  – end-of-round putter tap to say thanks for the round at The Links in Spruce Grove.

Here is what the Edmonton ladies are saying about their first week:

• I appreciate all your efforts for your golfers, here and in Calgary.  Lyn I send you a big thank you for your efforts in making certain that we have golf games scheduled. I really do appreciate your time that you are giving to make all this work so well for us.    I know that we are a resilient bunch when it comes to weather and challenges with our golf games.  You are a very important part of this golf community that you are working so hard for.   Thank you again for all that you do so that we can just play golf.  Marlene Bykowski
• Things have been great so far (well, I only played once but it was fantastic). Lyn is so organized and does a great job. Thanks to all of you for the extra effort this year! Leanne
• The first weeks have gone very well in Day League, courses well organized and great to get out to golf and share a few laughs. Kudos to Lyn as well as you for the organization!  Gloria
• I sure appreciate the work you guys do to organize golf games for us this summer even though our league and lesson fees are deferred until next year. It must be difficult. I’m hearing that some golf courses have decided not to run their leagues for this season. I’m also hearing how difficult it is to get tee times. So a big THANK YOU from me!  Glennora 
• Thank you Kristy and Lyn for all the hard work. Getting out and golfing has been a welcomed “normal”. So far everything seems to be going great!

With apprehension we played our first  game of golf the beginning of May with COVID 19 protocols in place. We were pleasantly surprised and so enjoyed being outside and playing the game we all love. Wow are the golf courses busy, I think everyone was tired of being cooped up. It was so nice to get outside on those fairways and greens, what a privilege. A big thank you to the golf courses that still support Golfaround. We got some league play started the last week in May and in true fashion that beautiful blue sky turned ugly in the afternoon to welcome the start of the Golfaround season. The storm blew through quickly leaving behind a beautiful evening to golf.  Sometimes you just have to wait and see, which the majority of us do.  Di and I played at Serenity Golf Club with Jody and Heather.  They called themselves beginners, I think not. They played so very well, hammering that ball off the tee and down the fairway….ok so a couple went astray…but that is golf. They both had some amazing drives and I know Jody got a par on a par 5.  Jody new to Golfaround this year and albeit nervous soon felt comfortable. It was nice to see Heather, a returning member sharing her knowledge and experience. We did the 19th hole at The Dog and Duck, they were so happy to have us back. Our 1st time out since everything closed, what a treat to be out again with fellow golfers social distancing of course. Here  is what some of the others said about their first rounds of the season.

• Thank you for organizing our golf during this crazy Covid 19 season!  Last night at Valley Ridge was a great start to the season…..weather cleared up & we had a sunny night!  Pat Squibb
• Had a wonderful day at Heatherglen.  We even had lunch and a beer .  As one of the girls said it felt like “normal”  The weather helped too Mary Cook
• It was awesome and we stayed for lunch after. Almost felt normal!!  Cheers Pat Wismer
• We did have a lovely evening last night at the Winston … some blustery wind at the beginning but it settled down and we got all 9 holes in – bonus was no rain!  Thanks so much for doing all this work to allow us to enjoy some “outdoor” time! Melanie Shelley
• We had a great game last night and you are so right that unless you actually go to the course at the time its impossible to know whether you will play or not. Nights like last night feel extra lucky! Brenda
• Last night was enjoyable, weather was good once we got there, a bit cool on different holes. but fun. Charlotte Vermeulen
• Just wanted to tell you that we had a lovely round at McKenzie Meadows last night.  So awesome to be out there golfing again!  Thank you for setting this up!!!
• When I arrived at 5:10pm it was black sky and pouring rain but it did look like the sky was going to break up.  The attendant stopped me at the entrance to the parking lot and took my name and tee time.  He said to wait at my car until I heard the announcement to head out.  So as is the norm in Calgary, by 5:30 the rain had stopped and the sky was looking good.  It was windy and cool but with the appropriate clothing, totally golfable.  Cindy
• My tee time at 6pm was in the sunshine and the four of us had a great time, albeit none of us had our best golf game! Beth

How many women does it take to change a windshield washer wiper”. Well it took 6 of us diehards one snowy night after we hitting balls followed by libations at the Dog and Duck.   The owner/cook of  Dog & Duck was on his way out help but we thought we would give it a try.  With determination and light provided by mobile phones, Dorothy finally got the wiper attached.

To all of the helpful golf women

Thank you all so much for your help last night with the windshield wiper repair. There was no way that I would have been able to make it home without the wiper attached. What a great group of women. My only regret is that we did not get a video of the expertise work that was going on.  If the snow would stick to the mountains it would be much better for us. Thanks again. Dana

Some more great news for the Edmonton ladies, we added a 9 hole day league choice on Wednesday mornings. This allows us to grow the Day league and it is a nice option for those that do not have the whole day for a game of golf.

There are benefits to playing 9 holes for all of us. Let’s face it we live in a very busy world with work and family commitments and it is tough to find some time for ourselves. It is important to get a well-deserved break every now and then, but going out and playing 18 holes of golf isn’t always easy due to time, cost, and physical limitations.

• Playing 9 holes should take just under 2 ½ hrs
• 9 holes rates are less than 18 hole rates – as we try to get the best bang for our buck these days
• Playing nine holes allows you to get great exercise without overdoing it if you face health restraints

Come out and play holes – no more excuses!!!