The Chippewa Golf Club Monday Night 2-Man Scratch League kicked off last night, and the conditions and weather could not have been better. The golf course was in great shape and a great turn out made for a perfect starting event for the season.

Allen Freeman and Ryan Stefanski bested the field with a 4-under par score in the 2-man scramble format, winning by a single shot over three teams. Stefanski made a sweeping uphill 15 foot putt on the 18th hole to secure the win. Complete details follow…

Monday Night Scratch League Week No. 1 Results
Monday, May 5th 2008
Back Nine, Scramble Format
 
1 Freeman - Stefansky  (32)
T2 Cea - Pulk (33)
T2 Mallette - Kracker  (33)
T2 Spino - Oates  (33)
T2 Jones - Schonover  (33)

Pro Pot - Freeman - Stefansky (32)  $140
 
Skins - Chappy - Johnston  (#14)  $540
 
Senior Skins
Weaver - Weaver  (#10)  $46
Cea - Pulk  (#11)  $46
Chappy - Johnston  (#14)  $46

– Allen Freeman

One of the best weekly amateur golf leagues in Northeast Ohio, the 2-player Monday Night Scratch League at Chippewa GC in Doylestown, begins this Monday, May 5th.

The 9-hole amateur league is contested at scratch and features a different two-player format each week (scramble, better ball, aggregate score, and 3/3/3 jumble, etc.). The league features weekly gift certificate prizes, plus a weekly optional cash skins game and a cash “pro pot”. Season long points are tabulated to determine a year-end winning team.

The 9-hole Monday scratch league begins at 4 p.m. and the tee is held open for the league until 6:30. That timing allows anyone who also wants to play in the Monday $100 Big Skins Game, which starts at 11:30 a.m., to roll right into playing the evening scratch league. But the biggest bonus is that the greens fees and cart fees are covered for the entire day when participating in the $100 Big Skins Game, making a Monday at Chippewa one of the best golf deals in all of Northeast Ohio!

New teams looking to join the league should contact Dan or Don in the Chippewa pro shop at 330-658 6126 to get on the waiting list. A year-long league entry fee is required from both members of the team to join, which is used to pay the gift certificate portion of the pot each week. Teams can designate more than two players as members of their team, allowing for substitutes on various nights throughout the season.

Weekly results and the season-long points totals from the Chippewa Monday Night Scratch League will be posted to this web site, so look here for complete information as the season progresses…

– Allen Freeman

One of the best local scratch games in Northeast Ohio is the $100 Big Skins Game held every Monday at Chippewa GC in Doylestown. The game is open to anyone, pros or ams, and it’s a straight skins game — meaning anyone who can make a birdie has a chance.

It’s very straight-forward: pay the $100 plus (discounted) greens fees at the pro shop when you arrive, casually make up a group on the first tee, and go play summer-rules golf. $20 of the hundred goes to a pin shot on each of the four par-threes, which stays in line with the “go for it” format. The remaining $80 goes to “big skins”, meaning that the pot is divided equally among each of the players who “win” a particular hole against the field.

The $100 Skins Game is an amazing deal for several reasons:

1) Chippewa is always in great condition and owner Kevin Larizza and his guys always seem to get it right;

2) the $100 Skins Game starts at 11:30 a.m. every Monday so that the amateur players can roll right into the 2-Man Monday Scratch League starting at 4 p.m.;

3) Chippewa only charges $25 for the golf and cart when you enter the game;

4) you can get as much (or as little) side action as you want;

5) the guys who play in the game are serious but a lot of fun;

6) the pace of play is pretty zippy, as it usually takes only 3 1/2 hours to finish the 18 holes;

7) you can show up when you want, as it is an open game with no season-long commitment and no need to sign up or call ahead.

The game started off with just a handful of guys and has grown over the last couple of years. Most Mondays see 16-24 guys put up ” ‘da Benjamin”; sometimes more. Even on the crappy rainy days, 10 guys will tee it up.

Do the math — if you can hold off everyone else on a given day and take the entire pot, it’s some serious cheese. Even a “taste” can be tasty. But regardless if you get a skin or not, it’s always fun, the competition is great, someone always gets a good needle on the first tee, and you never know who is going to win when.

So if you feel like playing hookie on a Monday and want some competitive golf at a great-conditioned course, now you know where to go…

–Allen Freeman