By THE HANDICAPPER IV
OCEAN CITY – The Brambley Golf League closed out its 33rd season in grand fashion by hosting two events to wrap up another stellar season.
The first event was the annual Best Ball Tournament and the second was the 23rd Jean D. Robinson Awards Luncheon. The Best Ball Tournament was held at the Ocean City Municipal Golf Course and the Awards Luncheon was held the following day year at the Greate Bay Country Club.
The Best Ball tournament featured 11 groupings for a total of 43 players. There were awards given out to the three top team finishers as well as the individual competition skills winners. All the teams had catchy nick names which added to the fun. The first-place winner was the “Colony Clubbers” led by Captain Liz Dykie and included team members Helene Weathers, Jim Downam and Charlie Smyth. They shot an incredible 6 under par to finish with a score of 31, a tournament record. In second place were “Carter’s Crusaders” led by Captain Dave Carter and included Frank Coppenbarger, Rich Hawthorne and Maryann George. They shot an impressive 4 under par to finish at 33. Third place went to the “R3J’s” who were captained by Jim McElderry and included Judy McElderry, John McVerry and Ron Bush. They were 3 under par at 34. In the Skills Competition, the Longest Men’s Drive went to Dave Carter and the Ladies Longest Drive went to Elaine Rearden. The Closest to the Pin prize for the day went to Tom Bowman.
The seasonal awards went to the following individuals: Rich Hawthorne for Overall Low Gross, Jeff Mitchell for Flight B Low Gross, Mary Hughes for Ladies Low Gross and Jean Bush for the Senior Division Low Gross. In the Low Net categories, the Flight A winner was John McVerry, Flight B champion was Jim Downam, Helene Weathers won the Ladies groupings and Jim McElderry and Walt Thompson tied to win the Senior Division Low Net title. Fred Marcell won the seasonal competition for Closest to the Pin with his shot of just 2’7” from the cup.
Perhaps the highlight of the day belonged to the inductees to the Brambley Golf League Wall of Fame, a tradition which began several years ago to honor members who have made significant contributions to the League. This year’s inductees included longtime but still active members Elaine Rearden and Fred Marcell, as well as retired league players Joan and Dexter Faunce. Each received an individual plaque and all are now included on our perpetual plaque. Congratulations to the 2024 Wall of Fame Class!
League President Bernie Krieg, in remarks, acknowledged our long-term partnership with the City of Ocean and thanked Mayor Jay Gillian and Community Service Director Dan Kelchner for providing additional riding carts to the course this year. Head groundskeeper Mike Lehman was praised for his fine work in keeping the course in tip top shape and kudos to Pat Connelly and JoAnna Johns for running the registration table. We appreciated Harriet Thompson for once again doing a fine invocation for us. Special thanks to Mark Franks for his help at the luncheon with set up, breakdown, and photography services and for all that he does throughout the year.
Lastly, we want to dedicate this year’s luncheon to its namesake Jean Robinson who could not attend due to her recent surgery. Jeanne, as usual, provided the floral arrangements for each table and as always continues to provide the inspiration for the luncheon. The Brambley Golf League has formally completed the regular season. However, for our die-hard golfers we will continue to meet on Mondays for informal matches until the course closes in October.
At top, members of the Brambley Golf League’s 33rd season posing at Greate Bay Country Club after their annual awards luncheon. (Special to the Sentinel)
