Virtual 19th Hole

With the 2024 golf season now well underway and our BMC leagues running at full tilt, it’s high time we gave a special shout-out to our traveling teams (you can find more information on our traveling teams on the website).

Unlike league play, where BMC members compete against other members, the traveling teams play against golfers from other clubs.

And this year we’ve added a fourth traveling team: the 4-Man Over-70 Team. In addition, the BMC supports a 16-Man Team, an 8-Man Senior Team, and a Metro Seniors squad.

16-Man Team

The 16 Man Team is composed of our ultra-low handicappers, the crème de la crème. 

In the season opener for the 16-Man Team, an away game against Keller held on May 5, Braemar faced off against a particularly tough competitor. Although it was a nail-biter, the match wound up as an 11 – 13 loss.  Nevertheless, many Braemar highlights brightened the result, so the team feels well-positioned to take on Keller in the upcoming rematch.   Leading the way for our guys were Michael Kraft and Alex Hintz, with a 3-0 win, and Cutter Tylia and Mike Wangen, winning 2.5 – .5.  The rematch against Keller will be played at Braemar on June 2. Stay tuned to see if our home field advantage will help put Braemar over the top in the grudge match.

The 16-Man Team normally plays from the championship tees at Braemar and similar tee boxes at other courses. Team captain Bryan Francis creates the best 16-man line-up available for each monthly match.  As with the 8-Man and Over-70 matches, these are gross score, best ball match play competitions.  One point is awarded for each nine and one for the 18.  Ties are worth a half point.

8-Man Senior Team

This team, captained by Mike Longman, is a showcase for the BMC’s best golfers over age 55.

Opening their season on May 7 at Braemar, the 8-Man Team produced some real fireworks. In what may have been a historic first, Braemar actually pitched a shutout– winning by the remarkable final score of 12 – 0. Hey, a lopsided win is one thing—but, in four matches, not a single loss or even a tie?  Incredible.  Playing for Braemar were Jeff Roseland (with a .3 hcp.), Mike Kavanaugh (4.9), Tim Smith (4.3), Mark Paetznick (3.8), Mike Longman (3.7), Hans Rasmussen (3.2), Rick Passolt (2.5), and Bill Angel (6.8).  Great play, guys!

Theodore Wirth, the victim in this historic competition, will get another shot at our guys in an away game on May 21.  Another Braemar win would lead to a sweet 2 & 0 start to the season.

Metro Seniors

The Metro Seniors matches are arranged a bit differently from the other traveling team competitions.  Held weekly, these are individual net score matches and are played by a spritely group of golfers as young as 50.  Captain Greg Baron sets the line-ups for Braemar.  Each match is for 6 points, 2 on the front, 2 on the back, and 2 for the 18.

In their first two matches several Braemar golfers have already had stand-out performances, including Jeff Roseland, sporting a plus 2 handicap, winning all six points in his first match; Chris Reeves, winning all six points in his first match; Dr. Bob Peterson, with a five-point victory: and Dan Berend, with a four-pointer. Our Metro Seniors squad is currently in tenth place.

4-Man Over-70 Team

This year the MPGA introduced a new match play team competition: the 4-Man Over-70 competition.  To ensure Braemar could participate, longstanding BMC member Dr. Bob Peterson took the reins and built our Over-70 team.

And, when the bell rang to initiate the season, our 4-Man Team answered the call. On April 30, in an away game against Emerald Greens, Braemar brought home a 3.5 – 2.5 victory.  In our second match, a home game on May 16 against Fountain Valley, the 4-Man Team won handily, 6-0. The next match will be an away game on June 13 against Keller. Keller’s talented team is expected to pose a serious challenge to the Over-70 squad starting the year 3 & 0.  Again, stay tuned.

The over-70 matches are similar to those for the 16 Man and 8-Man Teams, but with just four players to a team, meaning two best ball matches in each competition. Captain Peterson creates line-ups for the matches.

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

They say records are made to be broken.

Well, thanks to our unseasonably mild temperatures this winter, we’ve definitely been obliterating Minnesota weather records– and BMC members have not hesitated to take full advantage on the golf course.

In what may be a first ever, we’ve had year-round golf this year, including rounds in the unfathomable months of January and February.  When has that ever happened?  Several courses opened for business during these typically off-season months, and word has it that BMC members were spotted at, among other venues, Pioneer Creek, Bunker Hills, Ridges at Sand Creek and Rum River Hills.

Of course, winter golf in Minnesota is bound to involve a few abnormalities.  Hit it into a pond?  See if the ball skips over the ice and ends up safely on the other side.  Having trouble pushing your tee into the frozen ground?  Just bring a drill along to pierce the turf–as BMC member Drew Cripps observed another player doing at Rum River Hills.

Lacking the fortitude of some other BMC members, yours truly held off on my inaugural 2024 Minnesota round until March 12. Playing with fellow members Rick Danmeier and Tom Klassen at The Ridges, we had a beautiful day in the mid-60s, it’s just that our putts kept coming up short.  Maybe our golf muscles had gone soft due to a lack of snow shoveling?

Of course, many of us headed south this winter, golf clubs in tow (in some cases only to experience weather no better than here).  Among the highlights: a hole-in-one by Past President and Thursday League Coordinator Greg Wright.  On his first shot of 2024 Greg, playing with his brother-in-law, struck a wedge on the 120-yard first hole at Jupiter Dunes on Florida’s east coast.  Unfortunately, Greg couldn’t see the ball land because he was facing directly into the sun, but the boisterous cheers from onlookers on a nearby porch confirmed the result.  Recall that Greg was the leading money winner last year in Thursday League, so don’t be surprised if he fires his first Braemar ace this summer.

Maybe the most exotic golf venue played this winter by a BMC member was at Bali National Golf Club (in Bali, Indonesia).  Drew Cripps, accompanied by wife Susan, was up before dawn to reserve a tee time at this jewel in the jungle (where greens fees reportedly rival Pebble Beach’s), and he reports that the views were breathtaking.  The photo below was taken just after sunrise from the left of the first tee, which, without careful observation, you might otherwise miss at the far right of the photo.

Based on our mild winter weather this year, is anyone planning to scrap their plans to head south next year?  Or does our most recent wintery blast cool your jets?