Diablo Grande Opens The Schedule For 2013

Our first tournament of the new year will be the Legends Course at Diablo Grande in Patterson. Sunday January 27th at 1000 is our first tee time. The cost will be $70 and that's with lunch. Payment is due by the 16th, so get your money is as soon as you can as there are only 28 spots available.

www.diablogrande.com will answer your other questions.

2013 Schedule Announced

Check your mailer for next year's schedule. We start in January and usually play on the last Sunday of the month, or the second to last Sunday. Our date in May at Spanos Park in Stockton is on a Saturday, so make note of that. If you didn't get a schedule, or a mailer for that matter, call Hime or Moon right away. Don't get left behind.

Steve Fleming Passes Away

Late last month, Past Club Champion and Tournament Winner Steve Fleming passed away. He was only 61 years old and had been retired from the Teamsters for less than 6 years. You may remember Steve as the large, tall, easy going African American that I introduced to the Daddy Longball gang through working at the Mercury News.
Steve fought prostate cancer for the last few years of his life, so he only got in a few years of retirement and thrice weekly golf playing. There's a couple of lessons here to be learned.
1) Get your PSA checked and take the gloved finger of death. It isn't fun, but neither is cancer.
2) Retire as soon as you can.
3) Enjoy every day of your life as best you can.

Steve was a great guy to golf with and he'll be missed at Daddy Longball.

Joe's Email Hacked

My email, one I've used for years, was recently hacked into and I can't get it back. My new address is diceshooter1960@yahoo.com

Membership Dues Are Now Due And Payable

You should have gotten something in the mail from Moon. Dues for 2013 are still only $65. Right now, get your checkbook out, write the check and mail it off.

Keep An Eye Out

Soon, the announcement for the 2013 Club and NCGA dues will be coming in the mail. Keeping your membership in the Club and the NCGA allows you to keep a GHIN (index) number. It also allows you to play Poppy Hills and Poppy Ridge at the member rate. And, you get to compete in the Club events, instead of playing as a guest.

Speaking of the GHIN number, I noticed when I was passing out the stickers at Dayton that some of you are not posting all your scores. Not posting all your scores defeats the purpose of the GHIN system. One of the members has played over 25 times this year and had 8 posted scores. Post all your scores, good and bad. Let your GHIN number reflect the current state of your game.

Cave Rock

Cave Rock has great meaning to those of us who knew and miss Donny. It has become tradition to stop at Cave Rock after the Sunday round and toast Donny and have a taste of Crown Royal.
It is also kind of traditional, at least I still do it, to honk your horn and wave when you travel just south of the tunnels, right in front of the entrance to where we sip the toast. Every time. No matter the day or month.

Kelly And Joe's Big Belly At Cave Rock

Panoramic Of Lake Tahoe From Cave Rock

Joe On The Memorial Bench

That's Moon and Kelly right behind the bench.

Toasting Donny

Moon Speaking From The Heart About His Brother

Moon Pouring Out The Tastes

Gathered At Cave Rock

This Year's Winners

That's Mark W, Dale P, Joe and Jeremy.

Daddy Longball Club Champions

A Flight:
Champion- Dale P             143
1st Runner Up-  John V     146
2nd Runner Up- Ed C



B Flight:
Champion- Mike R           133
1st Runner Up- Al C         140
2nd Runner Up- Cameron  143

Dayton Valley Closest To The Pin

4) unreported
6) Earl       10'
13) Ed C     10'7"
16) Mark Q   3'10"

Dayton Valley B Flight Winners

B Flight Winners:
1) Joe         58
2) Al C        65
3) Mike R    65
4) Kent K     65 (lost in tiebreaker but his 65 needs to be noted)

Long Drive- Kelly

Dayton Valley A Flight Winners

A Flight Winners:
1) Jeremy G      67
2) John V           68
3) Dave F          70

Long Drive- Spiro
Low Putts- Mike R  29

More From The Back 9

Scenes From Datyon Valley

That's Hime in the middle pic and Chuck B in the bottom  pic.

Getting Ready At Dayton Valley

There were two other outings besides ours on the Sunday of Daddy Longball. There was even a woman's group, something I don't think I've seen when we play any of the courses come Tournament time.

Wolf Run Closest To The Pin

5) Scott S        21'
7) Cameron      25'
14) Bucket       6'9"
17-Money Hole) Rick W      4'9"

Wolf Run B Flight Winners

B Flight Winners:
1) Mark W        61
2) Mike R           68
3) Cameron        69

Long Drive- Al C

Wolf Run A Flight Winners

A Flight Net:
1) Dale P         70
2) Hime           72
3) Ed C            73

Long Drive-  John V
Low Putts- Hime
 

Waiting For The Results

I'm waiting for Chuck B to send me the hard copies of the Saturday and Sunday results. Once I get these I'll update the club blog. I'll have Moon email the mail list when the update is complete.

Scenes From The Dinner

The Members enjoyed the spread that Harrah's puts out on Saturday night. We've eaten here now for more than a couple of years in a row and they do a really good job for us.
Hime got up and spoke a bit, thanking the Members for coming to Tahoe. He also thanked Chuck B, Rick W and Moon for the help running the monthly club.
Joe spoke about Donny's friends and how close they were to Donny and the Valencia/Reardon families. He added that Donny is missed by his close friends each and every day.
Then Moon got up and expressed his heartfelt thanks to the assembled group as Donny's brother. Moon also reminded everyone that they were invited to drink a toast to Donny at Cave Rock in Tahoe after Sunday's round.
Speaking at the dinner is something very important to Hime, Joe and Moon.

No Pics From Wolf Run

I learned a valued lesson Saturday morning. I set my alarm on my cell phone for 5:10. When I woke up and saw daylight, I thought, "oh shit, no golf today." Later, after the players dinner, Jerry F and I were talking and I told him that I always turn off my phone when I sleep. He was surprised that I didn't know that if you turn your phone off, your alarm doesn't work. I'm on my first smartphone and on my old phones, the alarm always worked when the phone was off. I tested it out back in my motel room and sure as shit Jerry was right on the money.
To solve this issue, the first thing I did when I got out of the motel was to drive straight to Rite Aid in South Lake Tahoe and buy an alarm clock with battery backup. I also bought an extension cord so I could reach the plug in any part of a motel room. I now know not to depend on my cell phone alarm.
I was pretty sheepish at the dinner and ate a lot of shit from my fellow Members. Deservedly so.

Jimmy B And Joe On The 17th

The 17th at Thunder Canyon is one of the prettiest par 3's around. Though the top pic is off 15 tee.

On The Back 9

You can just see Washoe Lake through the trees.

More From The Course

Practice Round At Thunder Canyon

We had a pretty good turnout Friday for the practice round at Thunder Canyon in Washoe County. They only charged us $65 and we got lunch. This is a semi-private course that allows some public play. The course seems to enjoy hosting us for our Friday round.