Larry Miller

In the 11th year, the manufacturing and engineering night at Fluor Field gives Upstate students a chance to 'see, touch and experience' technology.

Last Tuesday, July 14, another fun Taco Tuesday golf event took place. The Little River Women's Club sponsors and organizes the Taco Tuesday events. The July 14 tournament format was called Red, White and Blue. Four-person groups were randomly created by the Women's Club, and it was not a team event. You were on your own. Individual scores were recorded, and handicaps were in play. The Red, White and Blue format demanded that on the first hole golfers tee off from the red tees, on the second hole the white tees and on the third hole the blue tees. Then they repeated the pattern throughout the course: red, white and blue.

Those holes on the green. The ones with the flagpole sticking out. Yes, the holes that we putt our golf balls into. Or at least try to putt our golf balls into. Those holes, each Wednesday, are moved to a different location on the green by Enrique Rosas, and on Saturdays they are relocated by Chris Richardson. Obviously, the holes need to be moved regularly because the constant foot traffic related to a given hole on a given day would create green depressions, brown spots and slants around the cup. Changing the holes regularly also creates a different challenge on each hole. A flag close to the front of the green would require a different approach or chip shot than a flag placed toward the back of the green. A flag toward the back elicits a “Plenty of green to work with,” comment from golfers. If, however, your approach shot lands on the far side of a green with the flag toward the front, you have then created “plenty of green to work with.” The hole cups are changed with a very precise hand tool that excavates the exact amount of green soil to accommodate the placement of the moved hole cup. The old cup is extracted, and the excavated soil from the new cup hole fills in the old cup hole, and the cup is placed in its new home, the new hole. The ring of soil and grass filling the old cup hole is obvious, and how many times has your ball landed inches from the old cup scar? “Wow, that would have been a birdie, or eagle, or an ace in the old hole.”

As a golfer, do you have a one-plane or a two-plane golf swing? Scott Dietz claims he has a 12-plane swing. Scott actually has a two-plane swing. In a two-plane swing, the golfer rotates the shoulders and then raises the club vertically to a horizontal position between the neck and shoulders. The clubhead is pointed at the target and is parallel to the target line. In the one-plane swing, the body and shoulders rotate to the top of the swing without pushing the club up vertically. One smooth movement. In a one-plane swing, at the top of the swing, the hands are outside the shoulders. One plane, two plane probably sounds like gibberish to the non-golfer. Kind of does to me too, a golfer, though I am a one-planer but have been a two-planer. Maybe you just have a plain old golf swing. Not a one- or two-plane swinger but a simple plain swinger. Notice the different spelling? I can't think of any non-golfing comparison. Are you a one- or two-plane eater? What about driving? One plane or two. Talking? Do you communicate on one or two planes? Nope. No comparison. The one- or two-plane golfing universe does not exist in the non-golfing universe.

Last Sunday, August 9th, the three flights of the annual Little River Men's Club Championship matches began. And on the tee are Will Johnson and Jason. Will and Jason were competing in the scratch, no handicap division of the championship. Will bettered Jason 5 holes up with 4 to play. Chuck Allegrini won his match with Julian Lopez, also 5 up with 4 to go. Jake Pardini came out ahead of Phil Dunn 4 up with 3 to play. After playing 20 holes, tied after 18, Bryan Paulson defeated J. W. Walker. Bryan and Jake will play each other next. On the other side of the scratch bracket, Dewey Turner won 6 up with 4 holes to play against Sonny Hanover.

Last week's results of the Little River Men's Club Annual Championships are in. In the no handicap division, Last Friday, August 14th, Will Johnson won his match against Chuck Allegrini 8 up with 7 holes to go. On the front nine, Will had three birdies and six pars, shooting a 32. On the back nine, Will had three more birdies and an eagle for a back-nine 33 and a finishing 65, six under par. Very nice round, Will, against a very good golfer, Chuck. Bryan Paulson won his match last Sunday against Jake Pardini. Next week Bryan will play against Will in the scratch semi-finals. On the other side of the scratch bracket, Grant Pardini won his match against Hank McCusker. Grant will next compete with Matt Howard, who won his match against Dewey Turner 3 up with 1 hole to go.

The Little River Women's Golf Club Annual Invitational golf tournament was played on the Little River Golf Course last Tuesday, August 18th. Four-person teams were computer-generated, and the format was cha, cha, cha. The cha, cha, cha format requires scoring for the team, the best ball, and the lowest score on the first hole. Cha. The two best combined scores are recorded on the second hole. Cha, cha. On the third hole, the three best scores are the team score. Cha, cha, cha. On the fourth hole, the teams go back to recording the team's best score, cha. This cycle is repeated throughout the entire round, ending on hole 18 with a cha, cha, cha. Thirty-six women showed up for the tournament with Bonnie Eagelton driving the farthest from Carson City, Nevada. The first-place winners of this year's event, cha, cha, cha-ing to first place, were team Kathy Shiply, Chong Majias, Kathy Westfall and Susan Saltz, scoring a team 117. The second-place winners, with a team score of 123, were Kathy Shepley, Kira Meade, Marla Peterspon and Gayle Abo. Third-place cha, cha, cha winners were team Bonnie Eagleton, Sally Imorone, Gloria Van Tssel and Nyota Wiles, posting a team score of 126.

The results for the 2026 no handicap division of the Men's Club Championship were decided on Sunday, August 30th. It was a pleasant day, a little wind, but very golfable. Will Johnson and Grant Pardini began their 36-hole adventure Sunday morning. Grant was accompanied by his brother, Jake Pardini, and Will by his young son, Buddy, and friend Wyatt Nichols. On the Front nine of the first 18 holes Will was up 4 holes shooting a four birdie 32 to Grants 1 over par 36. On the back nine of the first 18, Will sank 3 three more birdies, resulting in a first eighteen 67, giving him an eight-hole lead over Grant. Golf Notes caught up with the match on the 8th tee of the second 18 holes.

Last Wednesday, August 26th, when finishing their round, the Stableford gang noticed quite a gaggle or is it a giggle of young women golfers on the first fairway and first tee. The young girls were wearing team-like colored clothing. Checking with Lindy Peters at the Pro Shop, we were informed that the girls were part of women's high school golf teams from Upper Lake, Lower Lake, and Willits. They had come to the Little River Golf Course to participate in a practice golf tournament. Lindy could not answer why there were no Ft. Bragg, Mendocino, or Point Arena girls' high school golf teams.

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