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Wright book well worth the reprint

August 21, 2021

World Golf Hall of Fame member Mickey Wright passed away Feb. 17, 2020, shortly after her 85th birthday.

The Southern Californian enjoyed a successful amateur stint before going professional in 1954. She won multiple majors among her 82 victories on the LPGA tour.

Wright also contributed to golf literature with her book, “Play Golf the Wright Way.” A reprint edition came out a few months after her passing and is available in paperback ($14.95 SRP).

“Play Golf the Wright Way” never enjoyed the commercial success of Ben Hogan’s equally slim volume, “Five Lessons.” Nonetheless, Wright’s thoughts on golf from several decades past hold up to current assessments about how to play the game.

Nearly half of the book’s 96 pages are photographs of Wright, mostly stop-action shots of her exquisite swing. That is a primary reason for the book’s ongoing appeal, because Wright’s reputation for how she swung a golf club continues to this day.

It also helps that Wright is plain-spoken. She gives clear explanations of not only what to do but also why. She had definitive ideas about the stance, the grip, the takeaway and the follow-through that her own experiences convinced her were the right things to do. Unlike the heavy hitters on the men’s tours, her swing data is also completely relatable to the amateur golfer.

Considering the equipment Wright used during her prime compared to what golfers use nowadays, we can better appreciate her comment in the book that she was one of the longer hitters in the LPGA when she averaged 225 yards. That length remains a worthy and not-yet-achieved goal for most golfers.

Whenever the subject of who to watch comes up among golfers I know or the readers of my column, I always suggest the benefits of watching the smooth, efficient swings of the members of the LPGA. This reprint proves that my advice would have been just as valuable 50 years ago as it is today.

Club champions crowned at The Rookery

The Rookery held its Club Championship Aug. 7-8 under less-than-ideal weather conditions.

Tim Gallagher won the Men’s Championship Flight, with Justin Stolba in second and Dale Jarrell in third. Vicky Sama won the Women’s Championship Flight, with Lisa Dillon and Becky Caprano tied for second.

Claire McArdle won the Women’s Senior Flight, with Janet Evancho in second and Joan Turci in third. Sid Simon won the Men’s Senior Flight, with Thomas Rudden and Tom Doyle tied for second.

Ken Monarque won the Men’s Net Flight, followed by Bill Turner in second and Bill Baydalla in third. Baydalla also aced the 9th hole in the second round.

Janet Montague won the Women’s Net Flight, with Suzy Hornyak and Jane Kuhfuss tied for second.

Local club competition results

The Rehoboth Beach Ladies 18-hole group played a Two Best Balls of Four member-guest tournament Aug. 18, with Genine Fidler, Rebecca Krimski, Nan Bender and Kimi Hutchinson winning overall gross. Kerry Lockwood, Kelly Brown, Jullie Burton and Kimi Hutchinson won overall net.

Jeanne Allan, Dorothy Filbert, Annie Casertano and Mary Wolff won first-place net in the first flight. Tina Brinsfield, Amy Micholas, Peggy Roca and Janice Calomiris finished second.

Beth Forbes, Penny Barkley, Barbara Collins and Karen Borges won the second-flight net. Lora Drewer, Lisa Lekawa, Gina Bergin and Charlotte Marcon took second.

The Kings Creek Ladies 9-Hole group played a team best ball of 3 game Aug. 17, won by Joan Repetto, Tara Coates and Fran Sneider. Rosemarie Schmidt, Darci Whitehead and Brenda Schilli took second. Janet Hartman, Hope Lavachia and Kathy Board finished third.

The Mulligan’s Pointe Ladies played a 9 Hardest Handicap Holes game Aug. 17. Mary York won first place in Division A, followed by Peggy Claussen in second and Sue Ahern in third.

Susan Shockley won first place in Division B, with Janice Hausch taking second and Donna Dolce finishing third.

The Rehoboth Beach Ladies 9-hole group played a Back Nine, Even Holes game Aug. 17. Deborah Hudson and Mary Enzler tied for first. Lynn Kokjohn took third and Lynn Runsten finished fourth.

The Kings Creek Ladies 18-Hole group played a 3 Blind Mice game Aug. 12. Erin Reid won first-place gross in the first flight and Nancy Froome won first-place gross in the second flight.

Sharon Denny won first-place net in the first flight, with Jen Flinchbaugh in second and Diane Knizer in third. Anne Farley won first net in the second flight with Melanie Pereira in second and Joanne Yurik in third.

The Rehoboth Beach Ladies 9-Hole group played a Scramble with the 18-Hole Ladies Aug. 10, won by Joyce McCoy, Deborah Hudson and Rosemary Farley. Jeanne Allan and Karen Schneiderman came in second.

The Rehoboth Beach Ladies 18-Hole group played a 2, 2, 1 team game Aug. 11. Sally Fogarty, Bailey Scheurer, Dale Lipnick and Barbara Collins won first -place gross.

Carole Ann Medd, Beth Forbes, Sharon Emerson and Carol Wetherhold won first net, followed by Kerry Lockwood, Jullie Burton and Pris DeSena. Gina Bergin, Elise Coar, Marcy Saliba and Lora Drewer finished third.

 

  • 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.

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