PENINSULA GOLF CLUB head pro Jacob Lippold will add another title when high school golf practices begin Monday, March 3: Port Angeles High School Roughriders girls golf coach.
Lippold and I talked about a wide range of topics for about an hour up at Peninsula’s pro shop last week.
Most of our talk centered on the transition that has occurred since he took over from longtime pro Chris Repass on Dec. 1.
I’ll have a column on our talk and how Lippold is faring next Wednesday.
With Lippold in charge of the Port Angeles girls, there are now four golf pros coaching North Olympic Peninsula high school teams.
Bill Shea, Cedars at Dungeness director of golf/general manager, coaches the Sequim boys; Cedars at Dungeness head pro Garrett Smithson is in charge of the Wolves’ girls golfers; and Port Townsend’s Gabriel Tonan coaches the Redskins boys and the occasional girl who takes up the game.
I think it’s best to have golf coaches who are already skilled at giving lessons and providing follow-up instruction, and having pros in charge can smooth out issues with the home course before they arise.
That said, I wouldn’t worry about the coaches of the Chimacum golf program or the Port Angeles boys team.
Mitch Black for Chimacum and Mark Mitrovitch for Port Angeles aren’t pros, but they are two of the best players on the North Olympic Peninsula and have a track record of helping to polish the golf games of some of the area’s best high school players.
This is my yearly reminder to potential high school golfers, male or female: Come out for the golf team; you will be glad you made the choice.
You’ll learn the proper way to control your emotions on the course, sportsmanship and respect for your fellow competitors.
Golfers also are excused from school very early in the day for tournaments, so if you like to take the classroom into the wider world, this is the sport for you.
If you are a student at Port Angeles, Sequim, Port Townsend or Chimacum, contact your athletic director about paperwork and get things ready in time for the first practice on March 3.
Ladies meeting set
The Discovery Bay Ladies Club will hold a preseason kickoff meeting at the course’s clubhouse at 10 a.m. Thursday.
Club members and any other ladies who would like to join the group are invited to attend.
Seahawks Special
This weekend is the last chance for the public to take advantage of the Seattle Seahawks 12th Man Special out at SunLand Golf & Country Club in Sequim.
Members of the public can take advantage of $12 weekend green fees and $12 weekend cart rentals through the end of the month.
Golf for softball slated
A golf tournament to help the Sequim High School softball program raise funds for a new field, concessions stands and equipment is planned for SkyRidge Golf Course in Sequim on Saturday, March 8.
The four-person scramble has an 8 a.m. check-in with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Players will have the chance to swing away for a hole-in-one on the 165-yard par-3 fifth hole, and anybody lucky enough to convert will win a brand new car from Price Ford.
Cost is $50 per person, and carts are not included but can be reserved for $30 total or $15 per seat.
This event has a 20-team maximum and reservations are encouraged.
Phone SkyRidge at 360-683-3673 to get in the game.
Mark your calendar
Cedars is planning some big events for the upcoming spring golf season.
The course’s second annual “Go Big” spring golf tournament, a solo scramble with oversized 8-inch cups for each hole, foot-long hot dogs, 22-ounce beers/sodas/waters, is set for a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
This one is open to all and there will be Callaway, gross and net divisions.
Green fees are $50 for the public and include competition, range balls and lunch.
Cost is $27 for Cedars members/employees.
Carts are an extra charge.
Cedar’s 32nd annual Big Ball tournament is Saturday and Sunday, April 12-13, with a complimentary round thrown in on Friday, April 11.
The two-person, 36-hole, four-ball stroke play event has a maximum handicap index of 34.0, with 90 percent of the handicap used for the competition.
Partners must be within eight handicap strokes of one another.
Hosted dinners are set for Saturday night at 7 Cedars Casino and a hosted lunch and awards ceremony will follow play at the course on Sunday.
Cost is $350 per team.
Phone Cedars at 360-683-6344 for more information or to register.
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Golf columnist Michael Carman can be reached at 360-417-3525 or pdngolf@gmail.com.
