Competitive tournament could lead to others

There's never been a lack of golf tournaments in Cape Girardeau County.

The calendar has been full of two-person, three-person and four-person scrambles. There's even been an occasional glowball tournament.

But for years, something had been sorely lacking from the golf landscape. It seems competitive, individual stroke play tournaments are rarer than double-eagles.

Yes, area country clubs traditionally hold their annual club championships, and junior tournaments are on the rise, but for the average adult golfer who does not belong to a club, there has never been a tournament field to go up against.

That need was addressed four years ago, when Sabrina Tate, director of golf at Cape Jaycee Municipal Golf Course, organized the first Parks Development Foundation Tournament. The tournament, which usually attracts 60 to 70 competitors, will hold it fifth edition Saturday and Sunday.

The individual format, which flights the field according to handicap, provides golfers an opportunity to play the game in its purest form.

"I'm a huge advocate of playing the ball down and playing by USGA rules," Tate said. "I enjoy playing that way and I've played in some amateur and a couple of professional tournaments, and there are numerous scrambles around here. This is different. I wanted to get a group of guys in here interested in playing by the rules."

The tournament allows players from different skill levels, whose only encounter with competitive golf might have involved a remote control, to get in the game. It isn't scramble golf in which a person can hit an errant shot but play a partner's perfect tee shot in the middle of the fairway. This tournament requires golfers to live with their every shot, whether good or bad, and post a score at the end of the day.

"It's hard to find people that want to play true golf," Tate said."I admire these guys that get out here -- and there are some high handicappers that get in this thing. They just want to feel the pressure and play the game and see how they do. This is really the only test that you can put yourself in."

Tate opened the door to women for the first time last year. Despite there being two women's leagues at Jaycee, few females entered the tournament. Tate said many of the women don't like to play the ball down.

"It's intimidating, too serious, too competitive, and a lot of women's nature is just recreation, which is OK," Tate said.

This year a 55-and-over senior flight will debut, replacing the women.

Tate has hopes the tournament will grow, even beyond her own course. She has approached other local golf courses about co-hosting the event and turning it into a larger regional tournament. While others like the idea, they haven't committed their courses to the venture.

"I'm still interested in doing something like that," Tate said. "I'm really open to it. We just have to get the other courses to get into something like that."

Any men interested can still sign up. Registration ends today at 5 p.m. Entry fee is $63. For more information, call 334-2031.

Jaycee putting green closed

Tate said a failed experiment has closed the Jaycees practice green, but new one will be constructed for next year.

Global Golf International Development of Jackson, Mo., is assisting in the creation of a new putting green. The course plans to use a different strain of Bermuda grass on the practice green which more closely resembles bent grass.

"We're going to do it right," Tate said. "Hopefully this works out for us and we can look at doing some greens on the course eventually."

The 18th green will be used as a practice facility for this weekend's tournament, but a long-term solution has yet to be decided.

Dalhousie paths complete

Dalhousie Golf Club, which opened to the public earlier this month, has completed work on its cartpaths.

All cartpaths were useable as of Monday and sod work around the paths is expected to be completed by the end of the week.

Chip-A-Ways

Linda Williams shot 42 to claim first place in 'A' flight at the Chip-A-Way's weekly outing at Cape Jaycee Municipal Golf Course.

Mary VanCleve, Fern Trickey and Waunita Van Dyke tied for first in `B' flight with 52. Lil Angle won the play of the day -- 'Score on Par 4's' -- and Jean Graham posted the low-putt total (15).