Barry Vermillion

Some interesting tidbits about our North Texas area golfers are being compiled in the DR-C Golfer Survey 2008.

When the survey closes Sept. 30, I will let you know the complete results but there are some percentages and choices that probably won’t change much.

Question 12 for example asks, “Which golf course listed below do you play most often?”

Of the 102 respondents to date, 21.6 percent play at the Pioneer Golf Course at Texas Woman’s University in Denton ranking it first followed by 14.7 percent that play Lake Park Golf Course in Lewisville.

Question 14 asks you to enter your favorite local golf course. Currently, Turtle Hill Golf Course in Muenster tops the list followed by Bridlewood Golf Club in Flower Mound. Third is Denton Country Club in Argyle.

Question 15 asks for the name and location of the golfer’s all-time favorite golf course that they have played. The answers range from around the globe with St. Andrews in Scotland listed a few times, Inn of the Mountain Gods in Ruidoso, New Mexico, to Golf du Château de Cheverny, Tours, France. There are also some local courses on the list.

I invite all golfers to share their opinions and ideas by completing our online DR-C Golfer Survey 2008. Be a part of helping us determine how we report recreational golf news. The time needed to complete the survey is approximately 5-8 minutes. You don’t have to answer all the questions, but when you submit a completed survey you will automatically be entered into our monthly drawing for a chance to win a box of Nike Golf balls sponsored by WeatherToGolf.com.

Oh yeah, of the Denton area golfers surveyed, 92.2 percent play right-handed and 7.8 percent are lefties.

United Way 18th Annual Golf Tournament results

The 18th Annual People Helping People United Way Golf Tournament was played June 23 at the Denton Country Club golf course and was co-chaired by Denny Aldridge of James Wood AutoPark and Paul Chandler of Meridian Bank.

Here are the winning teams: 1. PointBank; 2. Bill Utter Ford; 3. Russell-Newman; 4. Lone Star Ag Credit.

And yes, the DR-C Golf Team played valiantly, but I was one of the members, so there you are.

The ladies’ longest drive was won by Stephanie Storey of Anderson Spector and Co. The men’s longest drive was won by Rick Villarreal of the University of North Texas. I don’t remember the yardage but I do remember how long it took our team to finally pass his marker in the fairway. And no, I don’t remember how many strokes we took.

Closest to the pin shooter was John Woods. The putting contest ended with a tie of Joe Goocher of Metzler’s Food and Beverage and Jeff Lawrence of Presbyterian Hospital of Denton.

Kim Birdwell of United Way of Denton County announced the tournament raised more than $39,000.

Landmark Bank Open at WinStar Golf Course

The Landmark Bank Open will be played July 30 through Aug. 2 at WinStar Golf Course in Thackerville, Okla. The tournament is an official event of the Adams Golf Pro Tour Series.

Tournament Director Russell Bullock said the tournament should be a great success and the players will really enjoy the golf course.

Spectators are invited and welcome to attend the tournament. Free tickets are available at any Landmark Bank locations and at WinStar Golf Course. Each ticket may be redeemed at the casino for $10 incentive play each day.

If you are interested in volunteering or being a caddy for a pro call WinStar Golf Course for more details at 580-276-1240.

For more information about the tournament and how to get free spectator tickets contact Russell Bullock at 580-238-8632 or by e-mail at russell.bullock@chickasaw.net.

1st Annual City of Mansfield Mid-Amateur Championship

The 36-hole, two-day City of Mansfield Mid-Amateur Championship will be played July 26 and 27 at Mansfield National Golf Club and Walnut Creek Country Club in Mansfield with 8 a.m. starting tee times each day.

The Saturday round will be played at Walnut Creek Country Club and the Sunday round at Mansfield National Golf Club.

The format is individual stroke play flighted after the completion of the first round on Saturday.

To be eligible to enter, golfers must be amateurs age 25 years of age or older.

Entry fee is $150 per person for the Mid-Am Division (25 or older) and $125 per person for the Senior Division (50 or older) and includes green and cart fees, prizes and a meal after play each day.

Deadline to enter is 5 p.m., July 21.

For additional information, call Mansfield National Golf Club at 817-477-3366 or Walnut Creek Country Club at 817-473-5840.

Lake ParkMen’s Golf Association results

Here are the results of the Lake Park Men’s Golf Association tournament played at Lake Park Golf Course in Lewisville on July 13: low gross score — 1. Ray Russo, 65; 2. Steve Hancock, 70; 3. Jon Albrecht, 70. Low net score — 1. Chris Rhodes, 62; 2. Don Jones, 66; 3. Mike Miner, 68.

Here are closest to the pin winners: hole No. 3 — Patrick McClain; No. 5 — Don Jones; No. 7 — Chris Rhodes; No. 15 — Bill Lambert; No. 17 — Scott Parker.

Currently, the top 10 LPMGA members based on points earned for Player of the Year: 1. Alan Magill, 2. Jon Albrecht, 3. Steve Hancock, 4. J.D. Elledge, 5. Chris Rhodes, 6. Scott Higginbotham, 7. Bobby McKenzie, 8. Ray Russo, 9. Frank Sypniewski, 10. Russell Smeed.

For membership information and tournament schedule call LPMGA President Scott Higginbotham at 972-221-3966 or 214-952-9745.

5th Annual Robson Ranch Men’s Golf Association Member/Guest Tournament Results

The RRMGA 5th annual Member/Guest Tournament was played June 27 and 28 at the Robson Ranch Wildhorse Golf Course in Denton. A total of 85 teams competed in seven flights during the two-day, 36-hole tournament. A modified Stableford System was used for scoring.

Here are the winners: 1st (Woods) Flight — 1. Ray Crump and Mark Vogel; 2. Llynal Carey and Eric Carey; 3. Lawry Cohen and John Conklin; 4. John Allen and J.D. Allen.

2nd (Mickleson) Flight — 1.  Frank Ruggerio and Harry Anderson; 2. Stephen Shephard and Pat Kinney; 3. Mike Miloser and Greg Ferguson; 4. Larry Turner and Mike Sipe. 3rd (Nicklaus) Flight — 1. Bill Tillman and Billy Boyd; 2. Wayne Cieslik and Gerald Cieslik; 3. Gil Ortiz and Chris Robinson; 4. Ray Cromer and Mike Slapak. 4th (Palmer) Flight — 1. Hal Jungman and Steve Byrd; 2. John Thompson and Randy Crowe; 3. Don Pooley and Larry Frank; 4. Benny Manaol and Earl Collins. 5th (Nelson) Flight — 1. Richard Dinkins and Jeff Dinkins; 2. Dave Miller and Stacy Curtis; 3. Fran Chupp and Lowell Roth; 4. Charles Bowen and Andrew Bowen. 6th (Hogan) Flight — 1. Gary Potter and Jason Potter; 2. Dave Delong and Larry Rhutasel; 3. Jerry Meyer and Herman Oswald. 7th (Snead) Flight — 1. Larry Jones and Budge McDonnold; 2. Bill Campbell and Bill Campbell III; 3. Kirby Taylor and Jake Rackley; 4. Joe Lowry and Bob Neslage.

BARRY VERMILLION can be reached at 940-566-6890. His email address is bvermillion@dentonrc.com  . For more area golf news log on to www.dentonrc.com/sports/golf  . If you have any area golf news, events, or want to submit your name for the Golfer Profile, call or email the details to golf@dentonrc.com  .