By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
The Lake Monticello golf course is friendlier to women golfers than is often the case. At the lake, women can choose between the eighteen-hole ladies golf group, the nine-hole ladies golf group or the Pink Flamingos. The women also have a team that plays against women from other courses around the area in the Jefferson League.
The eighteen-hole women’s group plays on Tuesday mornings starting on the front nine. The nine-hole group also plays on Tuesday mornings but starts on the back nine. Lorraine Bergstresser is the coordinator of the eighteen-hole group this season. She said that on July 20, 14 players competed. Judy Kordella had the best gross score, with a 91, while Donna Dinora had the best net score with a 71. Bergstresser also reports that Peggy Colville had two chip ins from off the green. In the eighteen-hole ladies ringer competition, Kordella leads in the gross score competition with 68. In the net score competition, Pam Batchellor is in the lead with an impressive 47.
The nine-hole women’s group is coordinated this season by Helen Gromm. She said that on July 20 the nine=hole group played a “throw away par 5s format.” This means that the competition included only seven holes, the five par fours and the two par threes. Shirley Stewart and Brenda Beach tied with 23 under this format, but Stewart was awarded first place based on a match of scorecards protocol that starts with the last hole and works backward until one competitor has a better score. Third place went to Marilyn Payne with 25 and fourth place went to Kim Conboy with 26. Gromm reports that Beach and Payne recorded pars on 13 and 16 respectively.
A third option for women at the Lake is the Pink Flamingos. The coordinator is Flo Marks. She said that this group is for women who want a relaxed atmosphere, and that it is ideal for beginners or those who have been away from the game and are just getting back to playing. This group plays nine holes starting at 1:30 pm on Wednesdays. Marks has approximately 20 women signed up and the experienced players monitor the beginners.
The Jefferson League team is also coordinated by Bergstresser. She said that there is an important competition coming up on Aug. 5 when Greene Hills will be coming to Lake Monticello. The league standings after three matches are as follows. Greene Hills 95.0, Lake Monticello 87.5, Lake of the Woods 84.5, Orchard Creek (formerly Waynesboro) 84.5, Spring Creek 74.5 and Birdwood 72.5.
The LMLGA (Lake Monticello Ladies Golf Association) will be holding a special tournament event later this season. On Aug. 31, the Golf for Life Tournament will be held at the Lake Monticello course starting at 8:30 a.m. This will be a four-women team captain’s choice event with players teeing off from the forward green tees. The entrance fee will be $75 per player, with all proceeds going to the Marty Whitlow Ovarian Cancer Research Fund at the University of Virginia Cancer Center. The tournament is being played in memory of Gunilla Moore, Cheryl Baressi and Kathryn Hunter, three women golfers who were recently lost to cancer.
Women golfers who are interested in joining any of these groups or participating in the tournament should contact the pro shop for contact information
