Phoenix Chapter - American Singles Golf Association May 2009

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1 CELEBRATING 16 YEARS OF SINGLES GOLF IN AMERICA Phoenix Chapter - American Singles Golf Association May 2009 Memorial Day Outing Features Gorgeous Mountain Courses This year s outlaw event for Memorial Day weekend will be based at the Radisson Fort McDowell Resort & Casino in Fountain Hills, announced Outlaw Chairman John Tuel. We will be playing three of the most scenic courses in the Phoenix metro area. All are located in the foothills of the McDowell Mountain Range, and offer some stunning views. They include Desert Canyon, Sun- Ridge Canyon and Eagle Mountain. All three offer natural desert beauty, spectacular views and well-manicured courses. The schedule is as follows: Saturday, May 23: SunRidge Canyon. Cost: $73; Sunday, May 24: Desert Canyon. Cost: 52; Monday, May 25: Eagle Mountain. Cost: $83. The Radisson is giving Phoenix ASGA members a special discount of only $88 a night a real deal. This hotel is located on Highway 87, about two miles north of Shea Blvd. It is nestled in the Sonoran Desert on lands owned by the Yavapai Nation, so there is no other development there just beautiful desert landscape. The hotel has a beautiful outdoor patio, modern rooms, and a large casino with entertainment. There will probably be some wellknown acts there during this holiday weekend, so check the hotel s Web site ( For those who want to sneak in an hour or two for shopping, downtown Fountain Hills is only a 10-minute drive away. According to John, who is organizing this event, there will also be a group dinner either Saturday night or Sunday night. Participants must register with the hotel individually. Your must also register for each of the three golf courses. The sign-up deadline for the golf is May 15. For the hotel, it is May 20. This should be a great weekend; we have three outstanding courses lined up, and great pricing for golf and lodging, John says. For more information, see the Phoenix ASGA Web site, or contact John directly at his , which is: proudpol@ cox.net. Phone is Tough Group Splashes Through Kokopelli By Sylvia Klemke Some 24 participants signed up to play at Kokopelli Golf Club in Gilbert on April 11. Rain was forecast, but this is April in Arizona, so everyone hoped it would evaporate, as it often does. As we hit the tee boxes, we felt the first drop of moisture. The rain started out fairly light, and we hoped for the band of weather to quickly move through. However, it turned into a steady little rain in 60-degree temperatures, and one by one the groups threw in the towel, headed for the parking lot, and then drove home to watch the Masters. All, that is, except Jim Montague (does this surprise anyone?), Bill Ternes, Sandy Cable and Phyllis Rankin. They stayed the course and were rewarded with about an hour without rain to finish their round. They turned in a scorecard with a respectable 133 for the team (11 under par) and were awarded first place for their commendable efforts. Phyllis also won closest to the pin for ladies on a tough par 3. Congratulations to the winners for hanging in there! NEXT BIG NATIONAL EVENT: Memorial Day Weekend at The Homestead, May 22 to May 25 Details at Other Multi-Chapter Events: SinglesGolf.com/events National Website: ASGANational@aol.com New Office Hours: 8:00am to 4:00pm, M-F (Eastern) National Office: or GOLFMATE To join ASGA or renew your dues, contact the National Office at above number or go to Next Meeting Date: Thursday, May 14th, 2009 Meeting Location: Camelback Inn Our Website: Our Hotline: (See next page for list of officers and board members.) To join, renew dues, make a change of address, phone, etc., call National Hotline at left.

2 Phoenix Chapter of the American Singles Golf Association President Jim Montague Phone # jmontague@ikon.com Treasurer Jandy Hughes Phone # Jandy@jandyhughes.com Membership Chairman Linda Jacobson Phone: Mai1996@aol.com Assistant Membership Chairman Elisa Stahl Phone: Elisarn2@msn.com Golf Chairman Dennis Cain Phone: dcain@cox.net Assistant Golf Chairman Sylvia Klemke Phone: sklemke@cox.net Social Chairman Gail Despain Phone: gdespain2@cox.net Communications Chairman Mike Schwanz Phone: mschwanz@cox.net Outlaw Events Chairman John Tuel Phone: proudpol@cox.net Handicap Chairman Van Ellen Patrick Phone: vanellen.patrick@adesa.com TM Assistant Social Chairman Debbie Gill Phone: dgill@larsonallen.com El Mirage Winners No Illusion The last chapter event in March was held on Sunday, March 29, at Pueblo El Mirage Golf Club in El Mirage. Some 34 players teed off for an 8:30 a.m. shotgun. The regular contest was bit different. On a blind draw made after everyone finished, people were paired in twosomes after the event; one person with a 20 handicap or more; and one with a 20 handicap or less. The first place team (chosen in a blind draw) ended up being John Tuel and Marlene Barczynski, a guest. There was a three-way tie for second. The winning teams sharing this prize were: Jim Montague and Cobyann Berglund; Joe Rayo and Marlene Barczynski; and Mike Schwanz and Kathi Willis. The fifth place team of Faye McKinnon and Paulette Motyll also took home some prize money. Closest to the pin winners were: Hole No. 17: Mike Schwanz and Theresa Barry (a guest from the Minnesota ASGA chapter); Hole No. 7: Dennis Cain. A FOND FAREWELL TO A GREAT PLAYER By Jim Montague Hi, everybody. I first wanted to thank all the people who have participated in this year s events, as well as those held in previous years. In this issue, I want to recognize an individual, Tom Short, who has made a lasting impression on me over the years. Tom and I are both serious golfers who are very competitive. In our chapter, golfers are paired, if possible, so that each foursome has an A, B, C and D player. That way, the total handicap of each group is close to being even. Since Tom and I are both A players, we only have played together twice. The first time we played was at Lone Tree Golf Course in Chandler. That day, I couldn t do anything wrong and shot my best score in Arizona a 73. We had a fun group. What I remember was that even when I hit my very best drives, Tom was at least 20 yards past me, and shot his usual 76 or whatever. The second time that we played together was when Paul Gordon was the golf chairman. Paul said to me that he wanted More Upcoming Golf Outings Confirmed Out golf committee has finalized arrangements for several more outings in upcoming weeks. Here is the updated schedule: Date Golf Course Region Saturday, May 9 Coyote Lakes Golf Çlub Surprise Sunday, May 17 Whirlwind Golf Club Chandler Saturday Monday Memorial Weekend Outlaw Event Fountain Hills May Saturday, June 6 SunRidge Canyon Scottsdale Sunday, June 21 Golf Club of Estrella Goodyear Saturday, July 11 Foothills Golf clubs Ahwatukee Saturday, July 25 Troon North Scottsdale As always, please check the Phoenix ASGA Web site for further details. All of these outings will be morning shotguns.

3 to pair the better golfers in one group, so Tom Short, Dennis Cain, Ray Trojanowski and myself played together at Golf Club of Estrella. I somehow managed to play well that round, and actually shot the best score in that group. At most ASGA events, though, Tom Short had the better score. A couple of years ago, when we played at Gold Canyon, we decided that the white tees would be way too short, and we wanted more of a challenge. Although we were playing in different groups, we decided to play from the black tees, at 6900-plus yards. The yardage didn t matter to Tom, and he shot his usual 76 from those tees. However, I was all over the place and shot an 87, which included several penalty strokes from hitting several balls out of bounds. (Trust me, the Dinosaur course at Gold Canyon is very tough from 6900 yards.) Tom and I had a similar conversation at an ASGA event at Palm Valley, so we both played from the blue tees at 6700 yards. That day I shot an 80, and won by a stroke or two that day. Tom had just recovered from a hand injury, and wasn t at his best. Shortly after I became president of our club, Tom helped our group gain access to play Gainey Ranch, through his connection with his father. He secured 36 spots at a great rate in the $40 range. We had excellent attendance, and everyone who played that day should thank Tom for his generosity. The reason I m writing this is that Tom is soon going to be moving back to the East Coast to be near his family. When Tom recently informed me of this, I said that his presence will be sorely missed. As we chatted, I told him that I am trying my best to become a more accomplished golfer, but have a long way to go to play up to his standards. He told me that I was closer than I thought. I may be able to compete from the short tees of yards, but not consistently from the back tees of yards. I remember Tom saying to another ASGA golfer that he appreciated that I would go back with him to play the back set of tees; I will always remember that comment of respect from him. I will miss Tom because I knew I did something special if I beat him playing a round of golf. In a social golf group, it was nice to watch the focus and determination that he displayed when he played the game. I don t know a lot of details about his life except that I heard that he grew up playing hockey, and had to have been a heck of an athlete. I always enjoyed watching Tom hit balls on the driving range; his ball made a different sound than balls hit by the rest of us when he made contact. Thanks for letting me express myself; I just thought you might want to know a little bit more about one of our group s best golfers. I want to ask all of you a favor. The next time you sign up to play with the ASGA, try to look for the qualities that make the people in your foursome special. I think we can all learn and appreciate our fellow members if we make an effort to do so. I surprise myself all the time with what I learn from the people with whom I play, and I think you will, too. Finally, I want to thank my group that stayed and played through the rain at Kokopelli Golf Course on April 11. I had a great time playing with Sandy Cable, Bill Ternes and Phyllis Rankin, and I appreciate my group for not quitting. I look forward to seeing you at our future outings. New Handicap Program Up and Running We strongly urge all members to register for an official handicap, through the Arizona Golf Association. For those who have not yet done so, please contact our Handicap Chairman, Van Ellen Patrick. Her e- mail is: VanEllen.Patrick@ adesa.com. Phone: The cost is only $25 for Phoenix ASGA members a good deal. Anyone wanting to keep their handicap with us, and who has an existing GIN number, needs to contact Van Ellen about that as well, concerning how to make the transition. A final reminder: When you sign up for an event, please put your current handicap index in the Note box when you sign up, so we will have it in advance for the scorecards. Thanks for your cooperation. Sign Up For Hole-in-One Fund Our chapter has an annual hole-in-one fund contribution for members. Each year, the money in this pot rolls over if someone does not win the money. If you have not yet signed up for 2009, the fee is only $1. You can give your money to any Phoenix ASGA board member. Payout will occur when anyone participating in the fund gets a hole-in-one during any official ASGA tournament. Official ASGA tournaments include any of our monthly outings, as well as our official outlaw events. As of April 1, there were approximately 30 people enrolled. The overall pot is about $200.

4 Treasurer Jandy Hughes is overseeing this program. For more information, her at She can double-check to make sure you are on the list, if you can t remember. ABOUT OUR MEMBERS Happy Birthday to these members: Jan Courtney - 06/06 Gary Dowell - 05/14 Kathy George - 05/03 Bill Kaehler - 05/23 Larry Mann - 05/12 Ann Peck - 05/30 Carolyn Sandoval - 06/09 Raymond Trojanowski - 05/21 These members are up for renewal: (date shown is last day of membership) Terri Dunlap - 05/31/2009 Julie Harris - 05/31/2009 Barbara Kirschner - 05/31/2009 Jerry Matsukado - 05/31/2009 Susan Meador - 05/31/2009 Elisa Stahl - 05/31/2009 Jeanne Strom - 05/31/2009 Tom Zentmeyer - 05/31/2009 Welcome newest members: Margrit Bilinski - Joined 04/15/2009 Melissa Kallett - Joined 04/20/2009 Pat Olszewski - Joined 03/30/2009 Carolyn Ottesen - Joined 04/17/2009 Phyllis Rankin - Joined 04/14/2009 These members recently renewed: James Allen Michael Bacha Dennis Cain Gail DeSpain Faye McKinnon Randy White These members did not renew their dues: (date shown is date membership expired) Robert Carter - 03/31/2009 Mike Kelly - 03/31/2009 Cathey Moses - 03/31/2009 Manuel Pettigrew - 03/31/2009 Howard Rourke - 03/31/2009 Donald Zeman - 03/31/2009 Our chapter currently has 94 members.

5 CELEBRATING 16 YEARS OF SINGLESGOLF IN AMERICA AMERICAN SINGLES GOLF ASSOCIATION MAY, 2009 Event Dates: May 22-25, 2009 A Great Weekend Planned at Homestead Resort And We re Looking for a Few Good Men We cannot complain, we re living the lives of professional golfers, touring beautiful cities and playing courses only the rich and famous could afford to play then we wake up...oh, we re back to dreaming again Homestead Resort... is this a dream or a reality? It s totally up to you. You can hang with your friends this Memorial Day Weekend or you can make new ones at one of our nation s premier resorts. Countless U.S. Presidents have visited this historic venue in the rolling hills of Virginia and countless ASGA Chapter Presidents have teed-off there as well. Why Homestead? It s convenient to our membership base to the extent that probably 50% of our membership can drive there but most importantly, we feel home there. It s just our kind of place. Are you man enough to attend? It seems we ve got ourselves into a bit of a predicament. We know women love these spa resorts but when do we SCREAM out loud and tell the MEN to sign-up as well? Women tend to register in pairs and the men register alone. But we re definitely seeing a shortage of men for this event. So men, we ask the question again: Are you man enough to attend? If you joined this organization to play golf, okay, we ve taken care of that. If it was to meet women and you haven t done it yet, what are you waiting for? We don t roll out the red carpet, that s why we re at the Homestead. You ve got to take it upon yourself and stop second guessing yourself in front of life s mirror. Pick-up the phone, give us a call. Register now before another woman registers! We can t tell the women they can t register any longer simply because they re a woman (we like staying out of jail!). So guys, tell your friends, tell your father and your son. We need more men to attend this event. Said enough? BTW, details at SinglesGolf.com/homestead. Details on the registration form enclosed with this newsletter. Other Upcoming Multi-Chapter Golf Weekends Can t make it to the Homestead this May? Here s a list of other upcoming events... Tampa Bay Invitational - Palm Harbor, Florida (Innisbrook Resort) - June 26-28, Hosted by the Tampa Bay chapter. Details at SingleGolf.com/events. For more info, contact Manus O'Donnell at ManusOD@aol.com. Amelia Island Weekend - Jacksonville, FL (area) - August 21-23, Hosted by the Jacksonville chapter. For information go to and scroll down to Amelia Island link. For the registration form, go to Sign up now as space is limited. For further info, contact Dorothy at darn@bellsouth.net Labor Day Weekend - Santee, SC - September 4-6, Hosted by the Upstate, SC chapter. Details to be posted to the website (details at SingleGolf.com/events) soon. Stay tuned! Reno Roundup - Reno, NV - September 11-13, Hosted by the Sacramento chapter. Details posted at Mountain Fall Weekend - Asheville, NC (area) - October 16-18, Hosted by the Asheville chapter. For complete details, registration form and contact info, go to This event sold out last year so please sign-up early as space is limited. The Big New Year's Golf Event Somewhere South - We will again head to a warm down South to celebrate New Years. Details will be posted in August. Save the dates: December 29, January 1, Got a Friend Who d Like to Start an ASGA Chapter? You are who you are and where you are in life because of ASGA. Well, probably not. But you do have to realize ASGA s been good for you. Why else would you join and have fun with the fellas on the fairways? So if you like ASGA so much, can you help us grow a little? We d like to start some new chapters. Know a business associate or friend or relative in another city where we re not (see List of Chapters link on our homepage at SinglesGolf.com)? If they re successful in getting at least 20 members signed-up, we ll pay for your registration fee at any upcoming ASGA multichapter event! Let us hear from you! - Tom Alsop, President / Founder American Singles Golf Association (GolfASGA@aol.com)

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