The Cape Henlopen High School golf team continued its fine 2017 season with a double victory May 15 at Rehoboth Beach Country Club. The Vikings defeated the Royals of Delmarva Christian 172-214, and the Smyrna High Eagles 172-224, in sunny but windy conditions.
Matt Zehner won medalist honors with a two-over par 38. "I had two birdie lip-outs, and one eagle lip-out on the 9th hole," he said.
Dane Palmer's 42 was another sign of progress for the sophomore. "I played pretty well today. I didn't have any double bogeys, and parred [holes] 2, 4, 7, and 9."
Nolan Brown shot a 45 for the Vikings' third spot, while Saxon Kalb and Michael Bollig tied for the last scoring position with 47s.
Kalb said, "I had some good pars, and I was driving and putting pretty well. My chipping wasn't great."
The Vikings hosted Sussex Academy May 16 at Kings Creek Country Club, where the challenging course took its toll on both teams, as Cape won 176-203.
Zehner won medalist honors again with his 39. "I had one bogey and one double," he said, with the double coming on the par-5 7th.
Palmer shot 44 with a triple bogey on the 7th hole, while Brown's 46 included a quadruple bogey on the second hole. Bollig's 47 completed the Vikings' score.
Sussex Academy featured several players from the Cape Region. James Riddle shot a 44 to lead his team, followed by Chris Marshall's 52, Trey Mitchell's 53, and Tom Hudson's 54.
Academy coach Mike Loftus is pleased with his very young squad's season-long performance, nearing a .500 record in only the second year of its existence.
Nexbelt
The folks at Nexbelt sent me a new Golf Series belt to test and comment on for this column.
The belt has, as they say, No Holes. Instead, it uses a gear arrangement, set ¼ inch apart, that slides through the buckle and locks in place where needed. A release lever on the underside of the buckle makes it easy to adjust or remove the belt.
I like these types of belts because, to put it bluntly, my body is currently "in transition." The usual one-inch space between belt holes doesn't always work so well out on the golf course.
Having a belt that fits me snugly while I'm walking or bending down to retrieve a golf ball from a hole is a nice benefit, not just for me but also for my playing companions - at least, that's what they tell me.
The Golf Series belts come with a ball marker in the buckle, retrieved by flipping the front cover down. I tested other ball markers in addition to the one that came with the belt. The non-magnetic ones fit just fine. Magnetic markers might not want to stay in the molded slot, however.
The belts retail online at nexbelt.com in a wide variety of styles and colors.
Many men's designs sell for $49.99 SRP, while some of the women's golf belts sell for $39.99 SRP.
EWGA Eastern Shore Chapter seeking new members
The Eastern Shore Chapter of the Executive Women's Golf Association is inviting Cape Region women to take part in the organization's busy 2017 roster of activities.
With over 300 members, the chapter has 11 different leagues, including an evening hours Sunset League for working women, a New Golf/Refresher League, and several 9- and 18-hole leagues.
Wednesday Golf Socials are held on the second Wednesday of each month at popular courses such as Lighthouse Sound. In addition, the EWGA has arranged for clinics at Bear Trap and other layouts.
For more information, visit ewgaeasternshore.com, or contact Judy Kight at 410-591-9291 or email judykight1968@gmail.com.
Local club competition results
The Rehoboth Beach CC 9-Hole Ladies played a two-player team better ball low net game May 9.
Bardell Offutt and Jane Humphries took first place, with April Sweet and Kathy Piazzon in second. Piazzon also won a chip-in challenge on the 18th hole.
The Rehoboth Beach CC 18-Hole Ladies played a four-player gross and net game May 10.
Jeanne Allan, Barbara Collins, Daisey Hudson, and Carole Medd combined for first-place gross. Hudson was low-gross individual.
Barb Kursh, Carol Wetherhold, JoJo Barrows, and Joan Crowley won first-place net, followed by Beth Carpenter, Karen Storms, Kim Stockson, and Pauline Porter. Stockson was low-net individual.
The Kings Creek CC Ladies 9-Hole group played a Cross Country tournament May 10. Players counted only 5 holes' scores toward the total - 10 or 18, 11 or 17, 12 or 16, 13 or 15, and 14.
Lesley Corydon won the first flight, with Tina Brown in second and Jeanne Drake in third. Brown also won closest to the pin on the 16th hole.
Rosemarie Schmidt won the second flight, with Mardee Corbett in second and Pat Devoll in third.
The Sussex Pines Ladies 18-Hole group played a Mutt and Jeff event in which the low scores for the par 3s and 5s are used.
Kathy Hudak and Dawn Slacum tied for first, and Hazel Pusey finished in third.
The Kings Creek CC Ladies 9-Hole group played a team format 2, 1, 1 game May 17, where two best net scores are used for the par 3s and a single best net score is used for the par 4s and 5s.
Susan Eisenbrey, Kathy Nave, and Susan Spence won first place. Carole Ellison, Gail Petren, and Linda Miniscalco took second, with Ann Bailey, Annette Stellhorn, and Noreen Buzerak in third. In addition, Amy Rowe took closest to the pin honors on hole 5.
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Fritz Schranck has been writing about the Cape Region's golf community since 1999. Snippets, stories and anecdotes from his columns are included in his new book, "Hole By Hole: Golf Stories from Delaware's Cape Region and Beyond," which is available at the Cape Gazette offices, Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Biblion Books in Lewes, and local golf courses. His columns and book reviews are available at HoleByHole.com.
Contact Fritz by emailing fschranck@holebyhole.com.
