By TONY CHERBY/For the Sentinel
BUENA VISTA – For many years, we’ve called the Ocean City Senior Tuesday Golf League’s first outing of the season the “John Fee Memorial Tournament” in honor of our past president.
John was also the weekly scribe in whose wake I drifted years ago. In his name, we pay tribute to any of our brethren who may have left us since last we assembled. It’s a hallowed tradition we’d rather skip. Sadly, we can’t this year.
The week’s prize money, donated as always to our departed’s favorite charity, will go to the Artman Lutheran Home Benevolent Fund in memory of Bill Brandreth. Bill left us for greener fairways in January. He was as good a golf buddy as anyone we will ever traipse with from tee to green. His wonderful, gravelly voice will never be forgotten, nor will his cheerful demeanor and unique smile that lit up any fairway ever graced by his presence. Here’s Bill. This is how we’ll always remember him. That’ll be easy, because this is how he always was. Godspeed, dear Bill. Play on and play well.
Every year, I am contractually obligated to note that the O.C. Senior League is the oldest one of those things in South Jersey. And, not that you asked, my research also tells me that for the whole state, we might be second only to the Warrenbrook Senior League up north. They’ve been at it since 1978. We first hit the turf in 1991. Of course, both of those tenures are but micro-blips in the history of our ancient game. As an old Scot once said, “The game was invented a billion years ago – don’t you remember?” But in terms of longevity for old-timer golf leagues (or anyone else), it’s pretty darned impressive.
Speaking of which, Scotland’s St. Andrews Ladies’ Putting Club, aka, “The “Himalayas,” founded in 1867, is the oldest women’s league in the world. Next to the second tee at the Home of Golf, aka, The Old Course, it features an 18-hole putting complex with massive rolling humps. I tried to imagine playing it when I was there in 2015. I could not. The course record at the time was 34 for men, and 36 for women.
Late spring is a wonderful time to golf. Hopefully, I can tell you about how the former goes next week. But this time, the “feel-like” temperature was 99 when the cart containing Two-Gun Tommy Gahr and I stumbled back to the clubhouse for the cool sanctuary of The Bunker. That’s Buena Vista Country Club’s café, where you can get the best hot dogs from here to Cowtown.
A month ago, an unreliable source told me that BVCC got new carts and that it lost a lot of trees during those brutal winter storms. “Hmmm,” I cogitated. “New carts! We’ll be able to get to our wayward, woods-bound whacks faster. And less trees will make it easier to find those disobedient little pills.” And now I can testify that the carts are new, but balls projected into the woods are not easier to find.
Three new guys just joined our gang of Merrymakers and Eternally Hopeful Turf Toes: Bob England, Greg Harlan and Lou Salgado. Welcome, Bob, Greg and Lou. We are most happy to have all of you with us. And Lee Hollerbach’s back after taking a year off to have a new shoulder installed. He’s the longest hitter in the history of our league, and his new hardware hasn’t slowed his driver down one little smidgeon.
Dane Mayson wins Shot of the Day honors for his towering 9-iron from 100+ yards on No. 10, Satan’s own par-5 monster, our No. 1 hcp track. That’s where “the fun” begins at BVCC. His strike to the green, perched some 30 feet above the rest of the place, was superb. It’s a carpet protected in front by two steep bunkers, and by 12–to 18-foot drop-offs on the back and sides. That approach shot, along with its counterpart on No. 13, are the hardest ones at BVCC. Dane came to some 12 feet from the cup, and both he and Stan Borucki, his opponent, bagged pars.
Overall, Philly Frank Coppenbarger had the best round. He tied for Low Net, he tied for Fewest Putts, he had the most pars, and he swept his match. Big Frank is our reigning Most Points winner, and his 2026 season is off to a roaringly good start.
Sir Richard of Osprey deserves to be mentioned, but if I tell you why he may never speak to me again. Let’s just say that while over the years he’s been one of our best putters (Captain Dave overtook him last year), his patented “putt n’ hop” sequence went “catty-wumpus,” as John Madden would say. Now, to be fair, all our putt marks were unusually high, thanks to hard sunbaked greens. After all, we are in the midst of a bad drought. And they are a bit pockmarked from a recent aeration. We averaged over 36 short stick snaps and the day’s best, which usually ranges from 29-31, was 33.
With nine players still backstage and/or South of the Border, 18 of us went for the 4 points up for grabs in each match (2 for Match Play/holes won, and 2 for Medal Play/low net).
Here’s the rundown: Coppenbarger 4, Wright 0; Carter 4, Hawthorne 0; DeLanzo 4, Ghost 0; Hollerbach 4, Franks 0; Ramsay 4, Gardner 0; Curtis 4, Lyons 0; Mayson 4, Borucki 0; Cherby 4, Gahr 0. New members England, Harlan and Salgado also played, but not in matches. They are still establishing their handicaps, which requires logging 3 rounds.
WEEKLY WINNERS
Low gross (86) DeLanzo (Coppenbarger 87)
Low net (73) Carter, Coppenbarger
Fewest putts (33) Cherby, Coppenbarger, DeLanzo
Birdies Franks, DeLanzo
Most pars (8) Coppenbarger
Most bogeys (14) Carter
Closest to the pins:
No. 5 Franks 13’4”
No. 8 Lyons 16’4”
No. 12 Franks 22’
No. 17 Mayson 5’8”
