The flyer for the sixth annual Greater Cincinnati Women’s Golf Association’s “Nine, Wine & Dine” event promised “LOTS of fun!!” Organizer Patti Horne has no doubt that the promise was delivered. “Oh, yeah,” she said. “People loved it. It just has a casual, fun flavor to it. It’s nine holes, only less pressure. We were rained out last year, so people were anxious to play.” A full house of 48 players split into 12 four-player teams showed up at Wyoming Golf Club on September 14 for golf, wine, dinner and frivolity.
“Kenwood had the most foursomes, three or four,” Horne said. “Kenwood was a huge supporter.” The format was a four-person team handicapped drop-out scramble with low gross and net awards. Each player hit a tee shot and the best shot was selected. Whoever hit that shot dropped out while the other three players hit their second shot. This was repeated until the ball was on the green. All four got to putt.
The team of Susan Brainer, Karen Hjelm, Sue Hyzdu and Ginger Lippmeier-Suarez finished first in the low gross competition, one point ahead of the team of Mary Herrmann, Stacey Hinkle, Barb Reed and Ann Turner.
Robin Roberts, Peggy Bisher, Julie Frick and Pam Lohbeck won the low net competition, one point better than the team of Sharon O’Dowd, Carol Suess, Cheryl Wood and Laura Deters.
Closest to the Pin winners were Suess on No. 6, Deters on No. 7 and Judy Pershern on No. 9. Kathy Crull was Closest to the Line on No. 2 and Kathy Jacob on No. 5. Brainer logged the Longest Putt, knocking it down on No. 4.
Prizes were Amazon gift cards. “They weren’t high stakes, by any means,” Horne said. Perfect weather helped make the event even more enjoyable, said Horne, who also serves as the GCWGA’s Tournament Chair. “There was no rain, and it wasn’t too cold,” she pointed out. “A lot of people chose to eat outside instead of inside, and they were comfortable.”
The “Nine, Wine & Dine” was part of a busy month of golf in September. “This was the last tournament – the grand finale,” Horne pointed out. “We still have Fall Team going on. We had the Senior Met the week before. The coronavirus scenario impacted some of the tournaments, yet we had wonderful participation at all of them. We had full fields at all events. I know a lot of people didn’t want to participate. They didn’t want to be part of a group or be in a cart, but without golf, a lot of us would be stir crazy. It was a savior to be able to get out and have something to do.” Horne herself has played a lot of golf, even though she had a knee replaced earlier this year, but she did not play in the “Nine, Wine & Dine.” “It was at my club,” she said. “I played in it the first year when we invented it, but I don’t want to take up a spot. “I enjoy running it and watching it.”
By Mark Schmetzer