PITCHERS AND CATCHERS report this week, most today, to Major League spring training camps in Florida and Arizona.
Last Friday, having arrived an hour early for Forks’ boys basketball playoff game, I enjoyed a fleeting glimpse of the sun setting west of La Push at 6 p.m.
And last weekend, viewers could enjoy Pebble Beach in all of its late-winter finery as PGA players and celebrity amateurs enjoyed a sun-splashed tournament on lush greens and fairways on a course carved out of the Pacific coastline.
Spring is still a ways off, and golf’s true season-opening barometer, The Masters, even further.
But glimpses of California, accompanied by a sunny February day, the kind we experienced Monday, helps you believe the worst of winter is nearing its end and the darkness has been defeated.
Embrace the light, folks, and play a round or two at an area course.
Golf for Softball
Golf for Softball, a benefit tournament for the Sequim High School softball team, will be held at SkyRidge Golf Course in Sequim on Saturday, March 10.
A four-person scramble, the event has a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Entry fees are $50 per person and will include 18 holes of golf, range balls and lunch.
Carts are an extra $15 per seat ($30 total).
The tournament is limited to 20 teams.
A $250 prize is guaranteed for the first-place team.
Proceeds will raise money for equipment, tournament fees and travel expenses.
Sequim made the Class 2A state softball tournament last season and is shooting for a return this May.
For more information, phone 360-683-3673.
Winter Links Saturday
SkyRidge will hold its 27-hole Winter Links Open on Saturday.
The four-person team event will have a 9 a.m. shotgun start, barring frost.
Each team must have a total handicap of 24.0 or higher.
Teams will split into two, two-person teams for nine holes of scramble play, then switch partners for nine holes of two-person better ball before playing alternate shot with a different partner for the final nine.
Each team ends up with a 54-hole score after 27 holes of golf by counting 18 holes in all three formats.
The cost is $160 per team and includes golf, food range balls and four KPs.
An optional honey pot is $80 per team.
Cart seats are $15 apiece.
For more information, or to register, phone 360-683-3673.
February golf special
Port Ludlow has a month-long deal running in which players can receive 18 holes of golf, GPS cart rental and a sleeve of Titleist Pro V golf balls for $40.
Cedars events on tap
Keep your calendar open for a trio of events coming up in March at Cedars at Dungeness in Sequim.
The course will hold a spring version of its popular night golf tournament, a nine-hole tournament preceded by dinner and a keg party, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday, March 10.
The cost is $65 for the public, $50 for members/employees.
Awards will be given to the most outrageous outfits.
A demo day featuring Callaway, Cleveland/Srixon, Ping. TaylorMade, Titleist and Mizuno equipment will be held at the course’s driving range from noon to 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 14.
Free hot dogs will be provided.
The course also will hold a St. Patty’s Shootout, a par-3 competition, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 17.
Every hole will have a KP prize and an Irish dinner and drink ticket are included in the $60 price tag ($42 for members).
For more information, phone 360-683-6344.
Seattle golf show
The annual Seattle Golf Show will be held at the CenturyLink Field Event Center on Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4.
The event runs from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday.
Admission is good for both days and is $14 for adults, free for kids 12 and younger.
The Seattle Sounders have a game at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 4 at CenturyLink Field, so the option for a doubleheader is available.
