2026

What are the most holes you’ve ever played in one day?  36? 54?  For many of us septuagenarians (although things used to be different), completing 18 seems challenge enough.

But when you pose the question to third-year member Andrew Hooyman, you get an answer nothing short of startling: 100!  That’s right, 100 holes of golf in a single day.

How does he do it? And why?

The answer: it’s for charity—  play 100 holes and help raise funds to support brain injury survivors and their families.  The event is sponsored by Birdies4Brains, a group founded in 2011 by a golfer whose sister developed an aneurism in her brain; since then, Birdies4Brains has leveraged this unique annual golf outing into a vehicle for providing financial assistance to people like the founder’s sister and their families.  Spoiler alert: to maintain pace of play, all golfers ride and no more than two putts are allowed per hole.  Most years, golfers complete their 100 holes, the equivalent of 5 ½ rounds, by late afternoon.

Join Andrew on June 22 at Keller for a memorable day of golf and an opportunity to make a real difference to those who could use the help. It’s a full day of golf, laughs and a little swag. The field is limited to 39 golfers, so register today!

Just go to www.b4bmn.org or email Andrew at hooyman84@gmail.com.

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

Readers of The Virtual 19^th Hole will recall that two longstanding members of the BMC’s Age Shooters are Larry Fyten (who’s done it so many times, at so many courses, that not even he can keep count) and Gene Haman, who did the deed at Braemar in 2021, firing an 81 at 81 years young. So, it’s no surprise that each of them has done it again.

Both feats took place on May 7, during Thursday League’s opening day, a day of chilly temperatures and wind gusts up to 18 miles per hour.

For Larry, an 18-year member who makes 87 look like 67, it was just another ho-hummer from the N tees: 41-39, missing a score in the 70’s by a single stroke due to a 3-putt on the last hole.  As the math majors and accountants will already have calculated, Larry could have10-putted the last hole and still shot his age.  When asked afterwards about his round, Larry simply noted that he was trying to keep up with Bob Devereaux (who’s still playing regularly as he turns 100 this year!).

Similarly, for Gene, a 30-year member who turns 90 next month, the weather was neither too cold nor too windy, as he put a smooth 89 on the board, also from the N tees.  After nearly making a sandy on 13, and settling for a bogey, Gene overcame some trouble on 14 and finished strong with three straight pars.  In the words of playing partner Clay Halverson, Gene’s round was “not too bad for a guy whose favorite sport is actually pickleball.”  As far as Gene’s own reaction to his round, he conceded, in his typically dry wit, that he was just happy to come through the winter without his picture hanging in the post office.

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