Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Hacker's World

This weeks golf outing was a four-man scramble in the Bank of Prescotts tournament at Glenwood Country Club.

Glenwoods course is currently ranked as the seventh best in Arkansas, but will soon be moving up the list to fifth, according to Sean Carey, director of golf operations. It is a ranking well deserved.

The Glenwood course is beautiful, a real scenic wonder and a sight to behold. It is, however, as treacherous and deadly as it is lovely. The course literally eats golf balls.

The rough at GCC is thick, so thick a ball cant be seen unless the golfer is standing directly over it looking down. All of us on the team I was on lost at least one ball. In my case the number was seven. Some went in the water, while others were lost in the rough or woods.

The team I was on consisted of Gary Chambless, Barrett Yates, Mike Huett and myself. I was most definitely the d player of this group as Chambless and Yates consistently hammered drives of 300 yards or more.

Glenwoods course has everything a golfer could want to be challenged. There are water hazards, sand traps, woods, roughs, beautifully manicured fairways and bent grass greens. The greens caused us problems from start to finish.

To a man, we thought because of the lack of rain of late the greens would be fast. We couldnt have been more wrong  they were slow. At times it seemed as though we were putting through molasses.

We did well as a team, having no bogeys during the tourney. We shot a seven-under 65 on the par 72 course, but were out of the running for first place, which was won with a score of 12-under.

I was happy to be able to contribute a few decent shots during the tourney, though we used more of Chamblesss and Yatess than anyone elses.

One of the biggest problems for everyone during the day was the heat. With temperatures in the mid to upper 90s, it made for rough going. The drink girls were kept busy delivering water and sports drinks to the players. Staying hydrated was as important as playing well  or attempting to play well in my case.

While playing in the tourney was a lot of fun, it didnt give me a true idea of how well I could personally play the course. After all, those shots I mishit didnt count as we took the best lie (a good word to use in golf, as golfers and fishermen tend to stretch the truth just a tad from time to time).

Overall, though, I thought I played well. Granted not as well as the other three, but well for me and my skill level.

The Glenwood Country Club changed hands a few years ago, prompting rumors it was no longer a public course. Nothing could be further from the truth. GCC is still a public course with unlimited green fees for $55 a month, cart rental required. Take it from me and rent the cart, the hills will kill the average golfer trying to walk the course in this heat.

Once the tourney was over, the Bank of Prescott provided lunch. The menu included black-eyed peas, green beans, cornbread, potatoes, candied yams, roast beef and smoked chicken, with German chocolate cake for dessert.

Following lunch, John Brannon, bank president, handed out the prizes to the winners. Nobody went home empty handed, unless they left early.

A few remained to play more, while most returned to Prescott.

Next weeks Hackers World will see a return to Glenwood Country Club for an attempt to break 100 for the first time. (No, Im not holding my breath, but a man can dream, cant he?) It will include more information about the club and course.