By Rick Colvin
Albatrosses are birds with a 12-foot wingspan that range widely across oceans in the southern hemisphere and the North Pacific. They are extremely rare and some subspecies are endangered.
An albatross in golf—a score of 3 under par on a hole—is also extremely rare. According to the National Hole in One Association, the odds of holing out from a tee is 12,700-1 for amateur golfers. The odds of making an albatross are 6 million-1, making it more far more likely that you’ll be hit by lightning. (555,000-1)
LMGA member Mike Staman beat those steep odds in the Pick Six event on March 11, hitting a second shot from 130-yards on the par-5 18th at Deer Creek that landed on the left side of the green, and arced to the right and into the hole. Staman’s team member, Steve Voss, had hit a good drive from the Skidaway tees that put Staman in position for the spectacular shot. The team of Jeff DeLuca, Peter Hering, Staman, and Voss shot a 55 for 2nd place in the second flight.
The team of Ken Aaron, Michael Allen, Bob Murphy and Dave Resler shot 53 to take 1st place in the flight. Michael Allen said “putting, putting, putting” was the key to the round, which included a stretch of six straight birdies on the front nine; the team of Dave Angell, Robert Balmes, Martin Halper, and Eric Rosenstock also shot 57 but took 3rd, after losing a card-off with Staman’s team.
Putting was also the key to victory for the team of Matt Amman, John Bellucci, Joel Klein and Frank Schepis, which took 1st place in the first flight with a 55. Bellucci and Schepis poured in six birdie putts of 15 feet or more, including a putt by Bellucci from the slope in front of the green on No. 4. “It was an awesome thing to watch,” Amman said.
Bruce Bertkau, Phil Redmond, and Tom Richards shot a 57, including birdies on the last four holes, to take 2nd place in the first flight; that team won out over Charlie Bradford, David Brown, Warren Davis, and David Foley also shot 57 to take third in a second card-off with the team of Larry Batanian, Dave Creasy, Tony Lombard, and Scott Stockslager.
Membership Notes
New LMGA member Robert Edwards and his wife, Angie, moved to The Landings in March. Robert is the GM for a technology company called DXC. Both British, Robert and Angie lived in Chicago the past three years and, before that, they were based in Hong Kong for seven years. Robert’s father, Howard, a passionate golfer, introduced him to the game at the age of 12. By the way, Robert is still working and is looking to join a group that plays on the weekend.
New LMGA member David Dunigan and his wife, Lisa, recently became part-time residents of The Landings, and will split their time between here and Bordentown, New Jersey; the couple owns and operates a company that provides equipment to liquor stores across the country. David was introduced to golf 25 years ago by friends and, when not golfing, races Porsches.
Steve O’Loughlin played with the LMGA for the first time. Welcome!