Virtual 19th Hole

On June 24 John Miller made the BMC’s first hole-in-one of the year!  Past BMC aces have been recorded on number 7 (several times) and number 5 (once) but, to the knowledge of The Virtual 19^th Hole, John’s is the first one on number 17.  And not only did he inaugurate 17 with its first BMC ace, he did so in competition, helping Braemar’s 4 Man Over-70 Team win a match against Fox Hollow.  John notes that he recently converted to Titleist AVX balls and has been pleased with the change, most notably on the 8-iron shot he hit at 17 on June 24.  Bearing in mind the leftward slope down from the right of the green, John landed his shot in the right fringe and his trusty AVX took the break perfectly, rolling right into the cup. As it happens, John also shot his age that day (76).

Congrats, John, on a great shot and a great round!

Dick Helde
Editor, The Virtual 19^th Hole
hgelde,richard@gmail.com
612-306-3590

In 2023, longstanding BMC member Richard Black may have assumed that his one-in-a-million shot on 16 would stand the test of time for deploying a Braemar bridge to maximum advantage.  As reported at the time by The Virtual 19^th Hole, Richard’s shanked/ topped approach shot to the green squirted off to the right toward the walking bridge—and rolled right over the bridge and up to the edge of the green.  From there, Richard, whose Tuesday League opponent was understandably shell-shocked,  tied the hole and went on to win the match.

Who would have thought there could ever be a bridge shot to rival that one? 

Fast forward to June 12, 2025, and picture longstanding member Drew Cripps at the second hole, standing on the D tee box, and eyeing his standard bunt driver tee shot. Taking his time over the ball and employing a laser focus, Drew hit his desired low trajectory drive down the right side– but the ball started drifting a bit too much to the right until no one in the foursome could tell if it stayed in the rough or rolled into the hazard.  Or… could Drew have pulled off a Richard Black miracle and rolled the ball safely over the bridge, right over the creek?

As the foursome headed down the fairway toward the bridge, there was still no trace of the ball, so Drew wandered into the rough to continue his search.  Suddenly, the ball came into view– and no one could believe where it wound up. 

Check out the photos below– seeing is believing!  Drew took his drop and finished the hole with a ho-hum bogey.

Dick Helde
Editor, The Virtual 19^th Hole
helde.richard@gmail.com
612-306-3590

Two months into the official 2025 season, The Age Shooters of the BMC is proud to announce the induction of several members, including three new members and two repeat members.

The new members are:

• John Miller, who, on June 24, at age 76, shot his age on the number from Braemar’s D tees, playing in a 4 Man Over-70 match against Fox Hollow;
• Dan Berend, who, on May 23, at age 78, shot his age on the number, playing at Bunker Hills in a Metro Seniors match against Bunker; and
• Joe O’Neill, who, on July 23, 2024, at age 67, shot a 66 at Dwan (par 68), in a Senior 8 Man match against Dwan. Apologies to Joe for the late reporting of this outstanding round of two under!

The returning members are:

• Bill Angel, who shot his three times this year, including a 74 (at age 74, just before his birthday in June), on May 27, from Braemar’s D tees; a 72 (at age 74) on June 10, at Francis Gross’s combination tees; and a 72 (at age 75, just after his birthday) on June 24 from Braemar’s D tees.  All three rounds came in 4 Man competitions and contributed to Braemar victories against Emerald Greens, Gross and Fox Hollow.
• Jim Peterson, who, at 83, shot an 80 on April 23 from Braemar’s N tees. Jim hit the fairways all day and couldn’t miss a putt from inside 10 feet.  He also shot his age in 2023, when, at age 81, Jim fired an 80 from Braemar’s N tees.

Congrats to these 2025 additions to the Age Shooters of the BMC!

Dick Helde
Editor, The Virtual 19^th Hole
helde.richard@gmail.com
612-306-3590

BMC golfing highlights mark each season—although some more than others.  Take the banner year of 2023, when:

• Two BMC members, Taylor Smith and Drew Cripps, made double eagles at Braemar (each on number 4);
• John Miller and Bill Angel made back-to-back aces on consecutive shots, playing the 12^th hole at Bunker Hills’ West Course; and
• Mike Wangen and Cutter Tyllia both qualified to play in the MGA Players Championship and Mike made the semi-finals in the MGA Mid-Players Championship.

But then every year BMC members shoot their age, make holes-in-one and inspire awe in their wives and children.

So, what about 2025? Based on the three golfers highlighted below, 2025 is fast becoming the year of the Stellar Super Seniors (senior status, of course, being conferred at 55, super senior status at 70).

Consider:

Bill Angel

Bill, who just turned 75 this month, has already shot his age three times this year. Talk about a Stellar Super Senior! So, less than two months into the official 2025 season, Bill has shot 74 at Braemar (from the D tees), on May 27; shot 72 at Francis Gross (from the combination tees), on June 10; and shot 72 at Braemar (from the D tees), on June 24.  All three rounds were instrumental in victories logged by our 4 Man Over-70 traveling team. And, by the way, Bill, at 75, also plays on one of Braemar’s 8 Man Over-55 teams.  His game is a perfect example of what’s possible when you drive the ball well, hit great irons and make putts.

Mike Kavanaugh

Mike turned 70 last year to the delight of the rest of our 4 Man Over-70 Team.  But annihilating opponents in their 70s apparently didn’t quench Mike’s competitive thirst, so he also plays on each of our 8 Man Over-55 traveling teams, giving up 10-15 years on those “junior seniors.”  A consistent contributor on each of those teams, Mike, with a USGA index of 5.1, still plays Braemar’s E tees comfortably, posting a solid 74 from there on May 28. However, he’s been particularly integral to the success of our 4 Man team. On June 10, at Gross, Mike shot 76 from the combination tees in a Braemar victory and on June 24, at Braemar, Mike shot 74 from the D tees to help bring home a win against Fox Hollow.

John Miller

Another member of Braemar’s 4 Man Over-70 Team, as well as of one of Braemar’s 8 Man Over-55 teams, John, at 76, made two remarkable contributions to Braemar’s 4 Man victory on June 24. He shot his age, with a sparkling 76 from Braemar’s D tees, and he punctuated his round with a hole-in-one on number 17.  As a testament to John’s persistence, consider that, in two recent rounds, he had makeable putts on the 18^th hole to shoot his age.  But after missing a 6-footer on June 17 and a 4-footer on June 19, he had to settle each time for a 77.   As the old saying goes, John was due.

Congrats to each of these impressive athletes! At least for these guys, 70 is the new 50 at the BMC.

Dick Helde
Editor, The Virtual 19^th Hole
helde.richard@gmail.com
612-306-3590

The results of the second-ever BMC quiz are now in— and here are the takeaways:

• Not surprisingly, most guys prefer questions on course knowledge over those tackling the (admittedly somewhat stuffy) rules of golf.
• But at the same time BMC members (or at least those taking the quiz) know the rules and understand how to follow them.

It was probably apparent that several of the questions in the quiz illustrate how, at times, following the rules can seem like adding insult to injury (eg, having to hit out of a divot or a footprint in a bunker).  Yet, BMC members (or at least those taking the quiz) seem to overcome those disappointments and do the right thing.

A word on the topic of divots and footprints: for guys who don’t fix them and rake them, please bear in mind that rule-following golfers get stuck playing out of your divots and footprints! And as for golfers who struggle physically to rake a trap themselves, how about finding a volunteer in your group who’s willing to rake traps for you?

The quiz results overall were excellent, but there were a couple of questions that caused some guys to stub their toes. One of them addressed the embedded ball rules.  To clarify: due to a relatively recent rules change, you now get a free drop from either the fairway or the rough if your ball is embedded in its pitch mark (as opposed to becoming embedded on a bounce). Although the rules allow courses to adopt local rules restricting free drops to fairways, Braemar and most other courses have not done that.

Some guys also struggled over the rule on accidentally kicking your ball on the green.  Again, a relatively recent rule change clarifies that, if you accidentally move your ball on the green, no penalty is incurred. You simply replace the ball in its original position.

Lastly, no one was fooled by the question about hitting the wrong ball.  But few respondents appreciated that, in match play, the penalty is loss of hole, not two strokes. Nevertheless, the question was simply whether there’s a penalty for hitting the wrong ball– it didn’t ask you to specify what the penalty actually is. So, no one got demerits for miscuing on loss of hole.

With all that said, it’s time to announce the winners. First, special kudos go to the three BMC members who scored 100% on the quiz: Tom Klassen, Drew Cripps and Mike Longman. Great work, guys! And Mike Funck’s only misstep was on embedded balls because he cited the former rule, but, to his credit, Mike also recalled that the general rule can be overridden by a local rule, so he gets an honorable mention.

Tom Klassen (our champion from the first quiz) was the first one to ace the second quiz, so Tom is again our champion. Congrats, Tom!  And thanks to each of you who took part.

Earlier this year BMC members responded enthusiastically to an opportunity to flaunt their home course knowledge by taking the inaugural BMC member quiz sponsored by The Virtual 19^th Hole.  Which suggests that a follow-up quiz on course knowledge should probably be in the offing. But that’s for another day. Instead, today’s focus is on an altogether different topic: the Rules of Golf. And, yes, let’s face it—this is probably the least favorite subject of many golfers… But look at it this way: here’s a great opportunity to show up your golf buddies (and possibly call them on an infraction or two?)!

Below are several situations that come up routinely on the golf course.  To take the quiz, simply determine which, if any, of these violates the Rules of Golf.  This is an “open book test,” so feel free to research your answers.  But bear in mind that whoever gets the best score first will be the winner.

OK, here goes: which, if any, of the following actions constitutes a rules violation?

1.  You pound a tee shot right down the middle and are exasperated to discover that your ball is right in the middle of a divot.  You roll your ball out of the divot to the nearest point of relief, no nearer the hole, and proceed to hit your next shot without penalty.
2. Your well-struck approach shot misses the green by mere inches and yet, somehow, the ball takes a bad bounce right into a greenside bunker.  What’s worse, it comes to rest in a footprint.  Feeling confident that you know how most guys would handle a situation like this, you move the ball slightly out of the footprint and place it at the nearest point of relief, no nearer the hole, staying of course within the bunker. You wind up with virtually the identical bunker shot you would have had if your ball hadn’t been in the footprint. You proceed without penalty.
3. Same facts as in the second question, except that, instead of placing the ball in the bunker, you drop, again no nearer the hole, and staying within the bunker. You then proceed without penalty.
4. Your drive bounces into the rough and comes to rest against a small branch or stick. Because the stick is a movable obstruction, as defined by the rules, you carefully remove it. But because your ball moves slightly in the process of removing the stick, you replace it back in the original spot where it had come to rest.  You proceed without penalty.
5. You hit a beautiful approach shot and the ball lands on the green, coming to rest only four feet from the hole.  You appear to have a straight putt, but you decide to inch toward the hole to take a closer look– just to be sure.  In doing so, you accidentally kick the ball, and it rolls several feet away. You replace the ball back into its original position and proceed without penalty.
6. Your regularly scheduled round comes shortly after a hard rain and the course is soft.  You hit a particularly high tee shot into the rough and it embeds. Although the ball is clearly in the rough, you go ahead and take a drop within the relief area, no nearer the hole, and proceed without penalty.
7. Your drive is off line and the ball comes to rest on the cart path. You take a free drop in the relief area no nearer the hole. Unfortunately, the ball rolls into a divot, so you take another drop, again in the relief area and no nearer the hole, and this time the ball misses the divot.  You then proceed without penalty.
8. Same facts as in question 7, except that there’s a steep slope adjacent to where the ball originally came to rest on the cart path. A careless drop could result in the ball rolling all the way down the slope and out of bounds. You drop the ball as close to the slope as possible without risking it rolling down the hill. The ball winds up no more than a few inches closer to the hole.  You proceed to hit your next shot from there without penalty.
9. In match play, you and your opponent hit similar drives and both balls wind up close together on the fairway.  You accidentally hit your opponent’s ball. You realize the error almost immediately as your opponent observes that the other ball is yours.  Your opponent takes a drop where his drive originally came to rest and you go ahead and play the correct ball without penalty.
10. In general: following the frequently hyper technical rules of golf is fine for guys with low handicaps. But most golfers can’t be expected to master every last rule and exception, so they should be cut some slack. Golf is difficult enough as it is.

Dick Helde
Editor, The Virtual 19th Hole
helde.richard@gmail.com
612-306-3590

The Braemar Golf Association has announced that Jeff Mold, Braemar’s Golf Course Superintendent, has received Braemar’s Distinguished Service Award. Due in no small part because of Jeff’s extensive course management expertise and leadership skills, Braemar has become one of the premier public golf destinations in the metro area and beyond.

Jeff’s career path began with his employment at a golf course under construction near his hometown in Rush City, Minnesota. He enjoyed the work so much he enrolled at Anoka Technical College in their Golf and Grounds Management program. After graduation, Jeff worked at several courses, eventually serving as Assistant Golf Course Superintendent at Edina Country Club. Jeff accepted the job as Braemar’s Golf Course Superintendent during the course redesign/rebuild.

Since the reopening of the “new” Braemar, Jeff and his crew have maintained our golf facilities at the highest standards. As a result, the superb condition of the tee boxes, fairways and greens on the championship course excel those at all but the area’s top country clubs. And the work never stops, starting each day at dawn and continuing until dusk. Supervising a full-time staff of four assistants and approximately 24 seasonal employees, Jeff’s contributions to Braemar have been immeasurable.

Jeff’s hard work and dedication to the excellence of Braemar golf have made him the latest recipient of Braemar’s Distinguished Service Award. Congratulations, Jeff! Braemar is fortunate to have you here as our Golf Course Superintendent.

Dick Helde
Editor, The Virtual 19th Hole
helde.richard@gmail.com
612-306-3590

The results of the first-ever BMC quiz are now in, and we have a winner!

If you follow The Virtual 19^th Hole, you’ll recall that BMC members were asked if they could identify the place on the course that was depicted in a photo displaying some rather innocuous shallow water littered with golf balls– balls that had clearly missed their mark. A challenging test of Braemar course knowledge to be sure. And the volume of responses confirmed that members enjoyed taking up the challenge.

In total, nine members correctly identified number 2 as the hole shown in the photo. Of those, three specifically described the photo as having been taken, as described by photographer Greg Wright, from the riding/ walking bridge looking back toward the tee box, to the north/east.  Several respondents correctly identified the creek on number 2 but judged the photo to have been taken nearer to the narrower walking bridge.  Other contestants who took a shot but fell short took a swing at 16 and, in one case, number 18.

As described, the lesson to be learned was thrown in just for fun since two of the suggested answers were obviously in jest.  Nevertheless, extra credit goes to Vince Bradford, who overcame the inherent limitations of multiple choice and posited that the lesson was to avoid thinking too much!

Congrats to the members whose impressive course knowledge enabled them to zero in on hole 2: Rick Ites, Rick Windham, Vince Bradford, John Hasper, Chuck Wait, Drew Cripps, Tim Smith, Rolf Sonnesyn and Tom Klassen.  The three respondents who specifically identified the correct portion of the creek were Tim Smith, Rolf Sonnesyn and Tom Klassen.

Because Tom’s response came in at lightning speed after only 16 minutes, Tom took the top spot in the competition. Silver goes to Rolf, who needed a few extra hours to get it right, and bronze goes to Tim Smith who, after taking several days to respond, also nailed it–perhaps after completing an inaugural 2025 round and making some careful observations along the way?

Course Knowledge Champion Tom Klassen

Dick Helde
Editor, The Virtual 19^th Hole
helde.richard@gmail.com
612-306-3590

For every BMC member who loves playing golf at Braemar, here’s an excellent opportunity to show off your course knowledge! Simply take a careful look at the photo above and answer the questions below.  Then submit your answers to The Virtual 19^th Hole. Winners will be included in a drawing at the end of the season for Honorable Mention as The 2025 BMC Champion Golfer of the Year.

Questions

1.  On what hole was the photo taken?
2. Where exactly on that hole?
3. Which of the following best summarizes the lesson to be learned from this photo:
   • For the bombers: big mistake trying to drive over the penalty area.
   • For the rest of us: big mistake topping your approach shot to the green.
   • Stop rinsing your balls here or the resulting rise in water level will quickly overflow the banks and turn this area into a massive lake.
   • With a decent pair of water shoes a guy could easily get himself a year’s supply of golf balls here.

Submit your answers simply by replying to the cover email, or to:

Dick Helde
Editor, The Virtual 19^th Hole
helde.richard@gmail.com
612-306-3590