Gross Club Champion Tom Lee and the Quest to tabulate the Club Champions

By Paul Bussmann, Gross Men’s Club President

In March 2021, Gross Member and former Club Champion, Tom Lee passed on after a long and difficult fight with Lewy Body Dementia. Years before, I remember playing with Tom in the Club Championship. I saw tremendous golfing instincts and sound fundamentals as Tom got around the course as best be could. His name rang a bell and I asked him if he was the same Tom Lee that I had seen on the Club Championship plaques. He mentioned that he was the same man.

On behalf of the Men’s Club, Ken Troia and I passed our condolences on to Tom’s wife Jo and asked if there was anything we could do to help during these tough times. Jo mentioned that if she could borrow the Club Championship plaques to show at Tom’s reviewal, it would be much appreciated. 

On Friday May 28, 2021, Paul Bussmann went to the Gross National Clubhouse with the intent to take down the Club Champion Plaques with Tom Lee’s name on them and set them aside for Jo Lee to use at the Tom Lee memorial service. Paul started looking at the old plaques and was curious about some of the old history and the roll of club champions. 

I went into the Men’s Locker room and took pictures of the plaques on the wall. I had to take the oldest plaques off the wall and retreat to the grill area to try and decipher the club champions from nearly 100 years ago. With my trusty yellow note pad and ball pointy pen, I wrote down all the club champions dating back to 1927. 

I broke the data into two spreadsheets, “Thru 1946” and “After 1946” or the Old era and the Modern era respectively. Tom Lee was the Club Champion 5 times and that is awesome. To my amazement, there are 4 men with more Club Championship wins than Tom. They include Bill Waryan with 7 wins and Steve Walters, Rob Hendrickson, and Carter Staaf with 6 each. 

Our club has two of the greatest champions on our roster right now with Carter and Rob. This could be a historic year for each man. If Carter or Rob win the Club Championship, they will tie Bill Waryan atop the list with 7 victories each. 

Reading thru the lists made me realize what a rich history we have in this club and what great players we have had and have in this club. The legendary Gene Hanson was a 3-time winner of this championship and that speaks to how difficult it is to win this event. 

I sent pictures of the Championship plaques with Tom’s name on them and provided the spreadsheet to Jo Lee with the Gross Club Champions after 1946. Jo conferred with her daughters and determined that the plaques pictures in conjunction with the spreadsheet were more than enough to make Tom’s service a memorable one. 

Paul Bussmann 

Gross National Men’s Club President 

July 5, 2021

GMC Champions from 2005 - 2020

1983 - 2004

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Pauls crush Steves 4 & 3 in Match Play

Gross Doubles Match Update - July 19,2022

Bussmann/Gustafson vs Date/Larson 

Prologue: 

The Teams arranged the match for 1152AM on Monday July 19, 2021, at Gross National. The combatants introduced each other and set about figuring out the handicap strokes for the match.

Steve Date was the low handicap player with a course handicap of 6. His Teammate Steve Larson had an 8, Paul Bussmann a 20, and Paul Gustafson a 23. Steve Date played at scratch (Np handicap) as the low player in the group, Steve Larson got 2 strokes, Paul Bussmann 14 strokes, and Paul Gustafson 17 strokes. 

The Bussmann/Gustafson team won the tee flip and off we went

Front Nine: 

The front nine was an amazing back and forth struggle between the teams. The Bussmann/Gustafson team won holes 1, 5, and 7. The Date/Larson team won holes 2, 3, and 9. Three holes were halved. Steve Larson scored birdies on the three holes that the Date/Larson team won, and we quickly labeled Steve Larson “The Bird Man”. Steve Date drove the ball beautifully and recorded 8 pars and 1 bogey for a score of 36. Steve Larson shot a 39 with three birdies, Paul Bussmann a 45, and Paul Gustafson a score of 44. The match was all square after 9 holes.

Back Nine: 

Paul Gustafson parred 10 and 11, resulting in net birdies and hole wins for the Bussmann/Gustafson team. The teams tied holed 12 and 13 as Steve Larson just missed a birdie on #12 and Steve Date on #13. On the 14th hole, Steve Larson got his second handicap stroke of the day. The Bussmann/Gustafson group was worried. Paul Bussmann hit his second green in regulation for the day with a hybrid from 175 yards and 2 putted to put the Bussmann/Gustafson team 3 up with 4 holes to go. On the 15th Paul Bussmann recorded a two-putt par and Steve Date, after a 280-yard drive, just missed his birdie putt. The Bussmann/Gustafson team won #15 with a net birdie and closed out the match with a 4 and 3 victory. 

Epilogue:

This was great match and all players played well despite the hot weather in the 90’s for the match. 

• Steve Date had a gross score of 77/Net score of 71

• Steve Larson had a gross score of 76/Net Score of 68

• Paul Bussmann had a gross score of 89/Net score of 69

• Paul Gustafson had a gross score of 88/Net score of 65

The beauty of match play is that you often get to play against Men’s club members that you had never played with. I had never played with Steve Date and Steve Larson, and it was a treat to see them work their way around the course. Steve Date is a great driver of the golf ball and he hit some long drives. Steve Larson is more of a tactician, and he is a fine putter. Most of his putts look they will go into the hole, and we were surprised when they missed. 

Watch for the next update as the Bussmann/Gustafson team head to their third match in August. 

Plump Pauls defeat Slim Jims

Gross Men’s club Doubles Match on 15 June 2021

On 15 June 2021, the team of Paul Gustafson and Paul Bussmann, also known as the Plump Paul’s, took on Jim Rudberg and Jim Langham, known as the Slim Jim’s in a classic Gross Men’s club doubles match. The handicap strokes were calculated and verified on the first tee. Jim Rudberg had a 1.5 index, Jim Langham a 4.1 index, Paul Bussmann a 17.3 index, and Paul Gustafson a 23.0 Index. In the doubles match play, the low handicap golfer plays to scratch, and the other golfers get the stroke difference from their course handicap and the Low man, Jim Rudberg. Jim Langham received 3 strokes, Paul Bussmann 16 strokes, and Paul Gustafson 22 strokes. The men shook hands and the Slim Jim’s teed off first.

The teams halved the first hole as Gustie saved the day for the Plump Paul’s with a 5 net 4 to tie the Slim Jim’s natural pars. On the second hole, the PLumpster’s made a mess of the hole and Jim Rudberg won the hole for his team with a solid par. Slim Jim’s 1 up. This seemed to fire up the Plumpster’s and they ham and egged gross pars on the next 5 holes. Only a gross birdie 3 on hole #6 by the 2020 Gross Men’s Singles champion, Jim Langham, prevented a 5-hole blitz. The Plump Paul’s were now 3 up after 7 holes. Hole 8 was won easily by the Slim Jim’s to reduce the lead to 2 UP. Hole #9 was halved as Gustie’s bogey halved the Slim Jim’s par. On #10, Bussy’s par/net birdie halved the Birdie 4 by Jim Langham to maintain the 2-hole lead. Twice in 5 holes the Slim Jim’s had to produce gross birdies to tie the Plump Paul’s Par/Net birdies. 

On hole #11, Plump Bussy three putted for a 5 net 4 and the Slim Jim’s solid par won the hole and reduced the lead to 1UP. The next two holes were halved, and the Slim Jim’s decisively won the 14th hole to square the match. On #15, both Plump Paul’s salvaged scrambling Par/Net Birdies to win the hole and retake the lead. What a match! On #16 a scrambling Bogey/Net par by Gustie tied Jim Langham’s par. On #17, Gustie came through with a scrambling Bogey/Net par to tie the hole as Jim Rudberg made a solid three. 

On to the 18th hole with the Plump Paul’s 1 UP. Each of the Paul’s got a stroke on number 18. It looked like one of the Slim Jim’s needed a birdie on #18 to win the hole. Paul Bussmann reached the fringe on #18 with a #7 iron for his second shot. Each of the Slim Jim’s hit the green with 25 footers for birdie and narrowly missed their birdies. Bussy putted up to 4 feet short and Jim Langham said that he needed to see the putt go in. Bussy missed the putt on the left side and tapped in for a Bogey 5/Net Par to tie the Slim Jim’s and allow the Plump Paul’s to win the match 1 up. 

Each of the Slim Jim’s shot fine rounds of 73 strokes each. Paul Bussmann fired a 92 and Paul Gustafson shot a 95. The golfers shook hands and the Gross Men’s Club Handicap Chairman, Paul Bussmann, reminded each golfer to post their match play scores. It was a hard fought match and the Plump Paul’s ham and egged it just good enough to stave off the Slim Jim’s tenacity and never give up attitude. Next up for the PLumpster’s are the Sensational Steve’s, comprised of Steve Date and Steve Larson. A few tickets remain if you would like to watch another epic match that must be completed by 25 July. 

Faithfully submitted by Paul Bussmann 

29 June 2021

Photos anyone?

Hi guys,

I’ve been shooting and posting photos during our events this year. I enjoy doing it and I’ve gotten some positive feedback about the slideshows. (There has been some dissent however, with a small, but growing grass roots movement to suspend the posting of images of Dennis Van Norman. That motion will be taken up with the Board of Governors in a special session. )

Since I am only one guy playing in one group, the representation of player photos has not been equitable. I have informally been asking members to take a few pictures once in a while so we can get everyone’s picture on the website a few times.

In the last couple of events, Chris Drummond has stepped up and submitted some pics of the other players in his group. It’s been great having participation from someone other than me. I heartily thank him for that. Mark Bryden also sent some photos earlier in the season. Thanks also to Mark.

Our Club Championship is this weekend. It’s our biggest event of the year, and some of the players have never been featured on the website. So I’m asking if you’ll consider shooting a couple of pictures of the players in your group and email them to me. PLEASE don’t interfere with play or breach any etiquette. These don’t have to be “action shots”, just casual photos. And don’t do anything that affects your own concentration or pace of play. One other thing to consider is that we ARE still social distancing on the course, so I try not to post anything that shows players too close together.

I think the photos are one small thing we can do this year to become a little more familiar with each other even when we can’t gather together as a group in person. I hope you agree.

Thanks, and good luck and good golf to all of you.

Steve Date

Website Manager

steven.date@yahoo.com

BOG Bios by Steve Larson

(Editor’s note: You’ve probably noticed that our BOG look slightly different in each photo, but GMC member Steve Larson was so smitten by the swimsuit edition pic from earlier this summer that he had a poster made and it now hangs in the man-cave bathroom in his basement.

Lars has had some time on his hands since he had to hand over the Senior Champion crown to Bill Zerull on Sunday. His personal appearance schedule and endorsements have both dried up in a matter of a few days. It’s sad, because a lot of people are saying that Steve “seems to be an OK guy, although he’s kind of quiet and doesn’t really look you in the eye when he does finally talk to you”.

What I do know about him is that he has an uncanny ability to make stuff up. He’s a writer of scripts and screenplays by avocation, and he definitely knows how to spin a yarn. However, he told me (while kind of looking past me) that this piece he recently submitted about our Board of Governors is not fiction. In fact, I’ll quote him directly, “ I’d been staring at these guys for weeks and I just had to get to know them personally, so I did some investigating. My report is very truthy.”)

2nd Annual Gross Bolstad Cup

Greetings Gross Men's Club Members,

My name is Dave Aeikens. Like you, I enjoy competitive golf. I am the former captain of the 16-man team at Blackberry Ridge Golf Club in Sartell, MN that finished second in 2014. This is my second year in the men’s club here at Gross. 

I have volunteered to lead the team that will take on University of MN Men's Club in the 2nd Year of a Ryder Cup-style match, scheduled on two consecutive Sundays--Aug. 9 and 16.

Twelve players will make up each team.

• On Aug. 9 at the Les Bolstad Golf Course, two-player teams will play nine holes of alternate shot and nine holes of four ball. 

• On Sunday, Aug. 16 we will play at Gross for singles matches.

 We need to form our 12-man team quickly, plus have a few substitutes if necessary. Please email me by Sunday, August 2nd if you would like to play. Priority will be given to those who can play both days. If you can only play one day, please indicate which day you can play.

 This should be a great event.  The U of MN guys got the win in Year 1, taking home the Challenge Cup and 12 engraved pint steins.

Thanks,

Dave Aeikens

dpaeikens@gmail.com

320-249-3545

A Par to Remember

A Par to Remember

Exclusive report and photos by GMC member John Charnes

I have to tell you about the best par I saw all day, on Hole 14 during today's Combo Course Event. 

My playing partner Steve Date hit a great tee shot that traveled about 250 yards down the middle of the fairway with a slight draw, which then got a ground hook and ended up partially submerged at the water's edge.

Rather than take a drop and a penalty stroke, Steve opted to remove his shoes and socks before wading into the muck in an effort to hit the ball onto the green. However, he pushed it to the right and wound up a few yards off the green.

He then proceeded to chip onto the green, leaving himself a 20-foot putt, which he made for par. He was justifiably quite proud of himself and the rest of us were duly impressed. I was able to take a couple of photos, which are attached. My only regret is that I wasn't recording it with video, as his second shot made quite a splash!

John Charnes

Golf in the Himalayas, by Mike Peck

My time golfing in the Himalayas - Bhutan

By Mike Peck (Gross Men’s Club member)

In 1999 I flew on Royal Bhutanese Airways, BAE-146 Turbo-Prop from Kathmandu, Nepal to Paro, Bhutan. This route passed very close to Mt. Everest which was very cool to see with its elevation of 28,028’. Paro is the 2nd largest city in Bhutan with a current population of 11,000 (6,000 when I was there in 1999). It has the only airport in Bhutan and is considered one of the most dangerous airports in the world. In clear weather, the pilots do not see the runway until 500’, due to their zig zagging around mountains to get lined up for landing. In 1999, the government lifted a ban on television and the Internet, making Bhutan one of the last countries to introduce television.

Just landed at Paro, Bhutan in the BAE-146

Bhutan only allows 5,000 visitors per year. In order to receive a visa, you must sign up for a tour and pay a fixed $250 per day. This fee covers your tour guide, van, accommodations and 3 meals a day. I stayed in the country for 4 days, so $1,000. Last year I took a look and noticed that it was still $250 a day after 20 years!

Archery is the national sport of Bhutan

It was just me and my tour guide. He took me to many cultural sites and I learned that archery was their national sport. The clothing you see in this photo was very common for the men all the time. When we finished touring around Thimphu, I spotted the golf course and it was only 2 pm, so I went over to inquire about a game. I paid my fee to the only person in the small club house and went out to a small shack to select rental clubs. There were 3 boys who offered their caddying services to me. As I was putting together a set of clubs they kept asking me, “Sir, who are you going to hire to be your caddy?” I finally told them the 14 year old would be the caddy and the two 11 year olds would be forecaddies…’don’t lose my ball’.

The 3 caddies that I hired

Royal Thimphu Golf Course is located in the Himalaya capital city of Thimphu, Bhutan, population 114,000 (26,000 in 1999). A 9-hole golf course that sits beside the spectacular 17th century Tashico Dzong (the Palace of the King of Bhutan).

This is the only golf course in the country of Bhutan. Built in 1970’s by an Indian Army Officer. Membership is 100 golfers made up of mainly government officials and diplomats and is open to public visitors.

In recent times the R & A has provided funding to upgrade the course. Two sets of tees so you play the 9 hole course twice. Altitude of the course is at 8,200’. It has spectacular views of the rising mountains on the Tibetan border.

While playing the 9 hole course twice, there was only one other person and he was just ahead of me. Later, I met him in the clubhouse for a beer and he informed me that he was the King of Bhutan’s personal secretary. He told me that, due to a prophecy, the king married all four sisters of a family and they are referred to as The Sister Queens.

Here is a video of a flight from Kathmandu to Paro…you can see Mt. Everest and the famous landing into Paro.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbLHah4XUwk

KSTP report about golf during Covid

5/18 A recent KSTP TV video report about how playing golf has changed during Covid-19 includes comments from Gross Golf Course manager Dave Bratland and other golfers. See it HERE.

Changes to MGA 2020 schedule

A Message from the MGA

 Dear Friends,

The COVID-19 crisis has brought on unprecedented times for our state and nation. On behalf of the MGA, our Board of Directors, volunteers and staff, we extend a hearty thank you to the many heroes who have helped our community confront this public health crisis and navigate these difficult times.

Accordingly, the MGA has updated its events schedule including Member Days, Senior Tour, and men’s, women’s and junior competitions. All events through May 31 have been cancelled. Some will be rescheduled, a few will be cancelled entirely. If you have already entered an event, your fee will be refunded in the case of a cancellation or other conflict.  

The 2020 schedule is subject to change as circumstances dictate. We ask for your patience during the challenging days ahead. Please be assured that the MGA is doing all within its power to reschedule and conduct golf events while keeping the safety of our member clubs, volunteers, staff and participants uppermost in mind during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

 To view the 2020 MGA Schedule, click here. 

If you have questions about the MGA’s men’s championships, contact doug@mngolf.org; for women’s championships and events, contact joel@mngolf.org; and for senior tour, contact tristan@mngolf.org.  

 Thank you for your support in amateur golf in Minnesota. 

Minnesota Golf Association
6550 York Avenue South, Suite 211
Edina, Minnesota 55435-2333mngolf.org

From MPGA President Glenn Frick

4/12/2020

To:  MPGA Executive Committee, Members and Member Clubs

RE: Covid-19

On Wednesday, 4/8/2020, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz executed the following Executive Order that effects Minnesota golf:

Executive Order 20-33

Extending Stay at Home Order and Temporary Closure of Bars, Restaurants, and Other Places of Public Accommodation

Within order 20-33 Section 1, it extends the stay at home mandate until 11:59 pm on May 3, 2020.  

In section 6.jj – Minimum Basic Operations…preserve the condition of a business’s or other organization’s facilities.  This allows golf courses to provide maintenance on the course.  

This order can be found on the official website listing all the governor’s orders.

https://mn.gov/governor/news/executiveorders.jsp

The Executive Committee met on 4/11/2020 to discuss the current state of golf in Minnesota and the direct impact on MPGA upcoming events.  Here are the results of this meeting:

• Match Play Team 

  • 20 Man, 16 Man, 12 Man event scheduled for 5/3/2020 has been cancelled.  We will look at the current match structure for possible modifications to matches if needed and will post any potential updates to that schedule.

  • Senior 8 Man – we are not making any changes to the first event scheduled on 5/5/2020 at this time. 

• Events

  • 4 Ball Championship – Monticello Country Club – At this time, we are not changing this event.  There are 3 possible scenarios for this event that we will discuss further in our next meeting on 4/25/2020. 

    • Option 1 - The Event is Played - It is our hope that on 5/4/2020, the stay at home order and mandated business closures will be lifted at least for playing golf.  

    • Option 2 – The Event is Cancelled – If the order is further extended or restrictions implemented make it impossible for us to play a 2-man team event and we are not able to find an alternate date that will work.

    • Option 3 – The Event is Rescheduled - If the order is further extended and restrictions implemented make it possible for us to play with 2-man teams and we can find an alternate date that will work.

• Health and Safety Committee

  • This newly formed committee will provide Health and Safety procedures for all participants, workers and attendees based on the current requirements in effect on the dates of the event.  They will establish a basic outline of procedures and modify accordingly.

• Minnesota Coalition for Golf

  • We received an update on the efforts of this coalition in working with Governor Walz to allow golf to be played in Minnesota.  The coalition members include the MGA and other allied associations.  We applaud their efforts on the behalf of all golfers and facilities.  

We encourage all members to register for events that they are interested in participating in especially the upcoming 4 Ball as this will help us plan accordingly.  If conditions mandate that the event be postponed and you are not able to make the new date work or if the event is cancelled, you will be provided a full refund for your participation fee if we are notified within the refund guidelines provided with the notice.

We are also asking that those member clubs that have not sent in their dues to please do so.  The deadline to ensure that your members can participate in the tournaments and team match play is May 1, 2020.  

Thank you for your patience and understanding from the entire MPGA Executive Committee.

Sincerely,

Glen Frick

President

Minnesota Public Golf Association

Golf in Wales and Scotland: Stories and photos by GMC member Mike Peck

Wales Golf - 2019 (This was our golf trip last year, son Ian and myself) - by Mike Peck

Ian and I rented a car in London and headed to Wales for some great links golf. I've been wanting to play in Wales for 3 decades.

Our golf trip to Wales was a wonderful experience. Wales is an almost unknown golf destination to play great links courses. In 6 days we saw no tourists, yet the 1st Tee at Royal Porthcawl GC is only a 2:35 drive from London's Heathrow Airport. We stayed in South Wales and played Ashburnham, Penard, Southerndown, Pyle & Kenfig and Royal Porthcawl (saved the best till last but all were great). The top 5 links courses that were recommended to me by a Welsh pro. Temps 70-73 every day. 

The assistant pro was giving Ian some tips before our game - John Daly was there the week before, played 18 with the members, the pro there was John's club maker for many years.

Ian's new swing is developing lots of power - he's 30-40 yards past me now on his drive - (now, 2020, he's hitting his 7 iron 190, 5 iron 210..it's insane...

Incredible views from all of our Wales courses, this from Pennard

Ashburnam was our first links course

Pennard was our next links - fabulous links!!

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Everyone was so friendly in Wales. At Pyle & Kenfig the pro came out to our car in the car park and gave us two free club logo golf balls and welcomed us to the course. In the week we were in Wales we saw no Americans and not even any tourists at all! Great links courses, but not the tourist traffic like Scotland and Ireland. Hope to go back and play in NW Wales.

At the Pyle & Kenfig Dormy House for 3 nights - Day One, we did not know how huge their breakfasts were - the cappuccino machine was in the next room and available!!

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At Southerndown GC, all 18 greens were encircled by electric fences to keep animals off so we had to do a lot of hopping. Great course!!

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Our last course was the famed Royal Porthcawl - Great links which one day will hold The Open. We purposely planned our trip to play this last. We stopped into the pro-shop the evening before our round. The pro looked us up in his computer and told us we were all set up for 9 am the following morning but he said they were not busy and that if we wanted to go off earlier we could. He and all of the staff were very friendly. Even having our names posted the day we golfed.

The 'civilized' deck of the spike bar at Royal Porthcawl — I was afraid to sit in it!

You can take the beach walk-way from Royal Porthcawl into the town of Porthcawl, just a 10 min walk.

Royal Porthcawl

Our tariff to play Royal Porthcawl included a two course lunch in their dining room overlooking the course.

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On our way back to London we stayed a night in The Cotswold's and hiked The Cotswold's Way. It was as peaceful as it can get. We thoroughly enjoyed this as an addition to our golf trip.

We stayed in Winchcombe, which is set in the heart of the beautiful Cotswold's. The Cotswold Way is a 102-mile long-distance footpath, running along the Cotswold Edge escarpment of the Cotswold Hills in England.

We hiked a 7.3 mile path that took us to an ancient burial ground called Belas Knap, a tomb dating from about 3800 BC.

Cheers!

Mike & Ian

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The Elie Golf Links, just south of St. Andrews, Scotland

Elie Golf Links is a very reputable links course which we have played many times over the years. Here is some information about the starter's periscope and a few pics I took of my daughter looking through the scope.

Stater’s Office at Elie Links

The sight of a submarine periscope towering almost 32 feet above the starter’s hut at Elie Golf Links was one of the more unusual spectacles in world golf. At the end of April 2014 the periscope took up its new home in the newly built Starters’ Office.

The periscope was salvaged from HMS Excalibur in 1966 and was presented to the club by member Gavin Reekie.

It gives the starter a perfect view over the hill at the first hole and having made sure the group in front are well on their way, he can then safely invite golfers on the tee to ‘play away.’

Visitors and members alike are encouraged to take a look through the periscope and appreciate the unrivalled 360 degree view it provides.

Indeed, taking a moment to enjoy this memorable experience is all part of a round of golf at Elie. You will not be the first to imagine what it must have been like for the submarine’s captain to peer out from under the waves while HMS Excalibur was still in service.

Both the views north into the Fife countryside and south over the Firth of Forth are a real delight and the canny golfer will also take a moment to see just where the hole on the second green has been cut for the day!

HMS Excalibur and its sister ship HMS Explorer, were the only submarines powered by high test peroxide that the Royal Navy ever built. They were launched in the mid 1950s, but by the end of 1968 both had been scrapped.

It is perhaps fitting that the periscope from such an experimental vessel as HMS Excalibur has ended up in such an unusual resting place. To this day it remains a unique and much loved feature of golf at Elie.

Play Golf Minneapolis Summit was a success

I stopped in at the Play Golf Minneapolis Summit today. The Columbia GC banquet room was packed. The line was long for buying season passes, Player’s Cards, and signing up for golf leagues. There were several options for free food. I sampled them all (multiple times, just to confirm my first impressions) and I enjoyed them all.

Many of our Men’s Club member were there — some as volunteers, manning the GMC table, and others (like me) just showed up to to schmooze, nosh, and collect enough check marks on our booth- visiting card to earn a spin of the prize wheel. By the time I made my way to the wheel, there were only two prize categories left — 50/50 chance of mini-sleeves of two ProV-1s or a coupon for a free round at Theodore Wirth. Anybody want to join me at Wirth this summer?

Here are a few photos from the event. It was kind of fun to see a few other golfers I know and hang out with a bunch of people who all have one thing in common — they can’t wait to get out on a golf course.

Thank you to these fellow GMC members for volunteering today: Bill Oas, Mark Bryden, John Wicks, Dave Aiekens, Ken Troia, Scott Helgerson, Paul Bussman, Jim Hunninghake

Columbia Golf Course Clubhouse banquet room.

Ken Troia, Bill Oas, Mark Bryden, Scott Helgerson

Columbia’s back porch is beautiful.

John Wicks and Dave Aiekens, recruiting new members

Here’s Bill Oas talking to people at the Meadowbrook table. At first I was worried that he was considering jumping ship and joining their club. But then I saw what he was really up to, when he shouted, “Hey! Do you guys see that fire truck outside the window?!?” When they turned around to look, Bill stuffed his pockets with most of the candy in the big bowl and calmly walked away.

The weird kicker to this story is that there really WAS a firetruck outside the window — after a false alarm had been pulled. Hmm . . . seems like a lot of work when the candy was already free.

Note about Mpls. Golf Summit from GMC President Paul Bussman

Dear Gross Men’s club members, 

We invite all of you to break the doldrums of winter and attend the Second Annual Minneapolis Golf Summit at Columbia Golf club – Saturday February 29, 2020 from 11AM through 4PM.

The Gross Men’s club will have a table set up and it will be staffed by some of your Board of Governors. Make sure to stop by and say hello. 

This is also a good chance to buy your 2020 Golf Card or season pass. We will save 8% on top of the price, as no sales tax will be charged if you buy that day. I buy my all course senior season 7-day pass and save almost $100 on sales tax that I don’t have to pay. 

We will be recruiting new members for the 2020 season and ask all of you to continue to recruit, recruit, recruit and encourage friends and family to join this great group of men. 

See you on the 29th! 

Paul Bussmann  Men’s Club President 

Mark Bryden reports from the Monterey peninsula

(Men’s Club member Mark Bryden spent most of January house-sitting and dog-walking on the Monterey peninsula in California. It was brutally hard work, but he was able to fit in some golf.  Here’s his report .)

Luck of the Irish by Mark Bryden

I’m back from California now. I read the news letter and thought I’d send you these two pictures from Poppy Hills in Pebble Beach. My friend and I were greeted from the man in the parking who checks everyone in. The group of guys in front of us had a Murphy in their group. The man running the show said his name was Murphy also. He turned out to be a bit of a joker — a nice guy though. As I was playing the tenth hole, I pushed my approach shot into the brush. I was playing a plain Callaway ball. I only found this ball in the brush, took my penalty and finished out with this ball (a Callaway with shamrocks) I continued to play it and a couple holes later had a little luck of the Irish, as the rake handle kept me out of the sand trap.

The other picture is the ninth green at Poppy Hills the next morning while we were having breakfast.

Yes I did play Pebble Beach. These two pictures are the 18th green right after I finished, and the other is looking back down the 18th fairway. I also played Bayonet/Black Horse, Laguna Seca, and Pacific Grove. I played Laguna Seca the most, as they had the best deal.

More Gross Club and Course History

(From the Gross Men’s Club handbook - updated for 2020 by GMC member Bob Schuette)

Gross Golf Club History:  

The Francis A. Gross Golf Course is the best conditioned course in the Minneapolis stable of municipal courses.  Opened in 1925, it was the third course opened by the city. Theodore Wirth opened in 1916 and Columbia in 1924. It was built largely in response to the popularity of the game in the roaring 20’s and the success of the Wirth and Columbia clubs. Gross was originally called the Armour Golf Club and was named after the Armour & Company meat packing business located nearby. The Armour Company developed the golf course and then sold the land to the Minneapolis Park Board.   This was the first Minneapolis city course with grass tees and greens, and greens fees here were more than double that of Wirth and Columbia, $1 instead of 40 cents for eighteen holes! Gross hosted the 1964 National Amateur Public Links tournament. 

Gene Hansen

Gross produced legendary amateur golfer Gene Hansen who won the Minnesota State Amateur, Minnesota State Public Links and Minnesota State Open in each year 1961 and 1962.  The course also was the starting point for Minnesota hall of fame golfer Don Berry, the pro emeritus at Edinburgh USA in Brooklyn Park, MN.     

The course offers four sets of tees: black, blue, white, and a combo set of blue/white. The course length is 6,715 yards for the black tees, 6,348 yards for blue tees, 4,980 yards for the white tees and 5,550 yards for the combo tees. Gross has gently rolling hills with elevated tees and greens and is considered to be intermediate in difficulty. It is a very walkable golf course with short walks from greens to tees and is well laid out. Gross is known for its small and smooth putting greens with subtle breaks and curves that make putting a challenge.  

Facts about Gross Golf Course: 

• Location: 2201 St Anthony Blvd, Mpls, MN 55418  

• Phone Number – (612) 230-6524 

• Website:  http://www.minneapolisparks.org  

• Type: Public, Golf carts available – riding and pull carts. 

• # of Holes – 18  

• Par – 71  

• Irons and mats only driving range   

• Course Manager – Dave Bratland 

• Clubhouse: Hot food available, snacks, beer, and various food choices. Limited pro-shop golf goods and friendly employees who make you feel right at home.  

Don Berry

Braemar Golf Dome’s new technology

Until a few nights ago, I would have said, “the only thing worse than hitting golf balls off plastic mats inside a 70-yard long plastic bubble is driving over there to watch people do it.”  

My neighbors and some of their friends have been hitting balls at the Braemar Golf Dome nearly every Monday evening for years. About two years ago, they invited my wife Karen and me to join them. We usually go if we’re free that night . . . and it’s fine, it’s OK . . . but I’ve never really taken to it in the way they have. In fact,  I enjoy their tradition of going out to dinner with the group of friends afterward more than the golf-like part of the evening.

I had back surgery in November and I’m not supposed to do anything remotely like swinging a golf club until April. But Mike’s been telling me about the new technology Braemar installed last fall. It’s the same thing you see on TV golf tournaments. “TopTracer provides golfers with an array of data for their swing from every club in their bag,” according to their website. Braemar claims to be the only facility in Minnesota that has these gizmos. So I decided to go over there and watch.  

I have to admit that I was impressed. I think it could really change the plastic bubble experience. Before, you’d whack balls into the far wall and the ultimate flight and destination of anything more than a wedge was a mystery. Now you can do a bunch of different things, from measuring your average distance and direction with each club to “playing” one of several famous courses on the simulator.  

I’m not going to say it’s golf. There’s no real grass, no wind, no rain, the ball still only flies 70 yards and you don’t really putt when playing the simulated courses. But it approximates golf enough for me to wish I could give it a try this winter. 

I used to tell scoffing friends that live in warm places that hitting balls in a golf dome, “is better than nothing”. This tech upgrade seems way better than nothing. I think it’s getting pretty darn close to being something.

And I have to wait until next winter to enjoy it.

New handicap system contains a subtle change in calculation formula

From Bob Schuette:

I suggest item on website about effect of change in course handicap calculation. Assuming no change in handicap index, course handicaps at Gross will be lower this year than last due to change in formula.

Old formula: Course Handicap = index x slope / 113. My index is 9.6. Using slope of 124, my course handicap is 10.54 rounded to 11.

New formula: Course Handicap = index x slope /113 + course rating - par. Gross, I believe is rated 70.0 from blue tees but plays to par 71. So my course rating is reduced by 1.

Tees that carry a course rating less than par will result in lower course handicaps. Course rating above par will produce higher course handicaps.

I think making members aware of this change as early as possible will reduce confusion and, dare I say it, bitching at the start of the season.

Bob

(Here’s a link to a recent article in Golf Digest that offers further explanation and analysis about this issue.)

The Gross / U of M relationship continues

As a Gross Men’t Club Member, you are eligible to play in most of the University of Minnesota Men’s Club events at the U of M Les Bolstad Golf Course. The governing boards of the Gross and University clubs have an agreement to allow members to play in most of the other club’s events. 

You can enter all of the U of M Club’s events except the University Club Championship and the University summer-long match play. You are not eligible for University Shoot-Out points (similar to our Victor points). 

U of M members can enter all of our events except for the Gross Club Championship and our summer-long match play. U of M members are not eligible for Victor points. 

You can find the University of Minnesota Men’s Club schedule by going to golfclub.umn.edu The University Club plays on Saturday mornings and there are a few times when both clubs have events on the same day. Gross and U of M players are not allowed to play in the other club’s event on those days.

Here’s how to enter a University of Minnesota event:

• Go to the Les Bolstad Course clubhouse and fill out an entry form, put it and a check for the entry fee into the men’s club drop box.

• Or, to enter online go to golf club.umn.edu and click on “ENTER ONLINE”. 

• Most entry fees range from $14 to $21 and include skins games.

• The entry deadline is the Tuesday before the event at 6:00 PM.

• Tee times are usually set by the Thursday before the event. You can find your tee time by going to golf club.umn.edu and clicking on “TEE TIMES” or by calling the clubhouse. You can organize your own foursomes for most U of M events. (The entry form allows you to name who you would like in your foursome.) You can also enter as a single and you’ll be added to a foursome.

Incentive program for bringing in new members

Gross National Men's Club

Incentives to increase membership for 2020

Like most golf clubs in the Twin Cities, our club has struggled to retain members. In recent years, the number of members in the Gross club has been declining. If we are going to survive as a club, we have to confront this challenge. The club’s board has been working to solve this problem and has adopted several policies and programs to encourage golfers to join the club.

NEW MEMBERS:

Continue to give a $15 credit to each new member joining the Men's Club

CURRENT MEMBERS:

Incentives to current members who recruit new members:

Recruit ONE new member = One sleeve of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls

Recruit TWO new members = Two sleeves of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls, OR One free round of golf

Recruit THREE new members = Three sleeves of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls , OR One sleeve of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls and One free round of golf

Recruit FOUR new members = One dozen Titleist Pro V1 golf balls, and One free round of golf

Note 1: Titleist Pro V1 golf balls will have a Gross National Men's Club imprint as long as supplies last

Note 2: One free round of golf is for walking weekdays, or walking weekend afternoons, and is transferable to another player

Note 3: One free round of golf can be exchanged for a $20 credit for entry to Men's Club future events

Note 4: One sleeve of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls can be exchanged for a $10 gift card to Golf Galaxy, 2nd Swing Golf, or Gross Clubhouse merchandise

GROSS CLUBHOUSE EMPLOYEES:

Incentives to Gross Clubhouse employees who recruit new members:

A $10 cash reward or a sleeve of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls for each new member recruited