Cape Region golfers are traveling to other locales to test their games as the summer golf season heats up.
Jake Hollerback, the 2025 DIAA boys’ champion and the leading golfer for his Sussex Central squad, played the Golf Association of Philadelphia’s 111th Junior Boys’ Championship at Merion Golf Club (West) in Haverford, Pa.
It is the major tournament for juniors in the GAP Junior Division, with competitors from Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Jersey golf clubs. Hollerback plays at Baywood Greens, where his dad Tony is the head golf pro.
The qualifying medal round took place June 16, with match play scheduled for June 17-18. Hollerback’s 72 was good enough to make the cut.
He then won his June 17 opening round of 16 match against Logan Turner of White Manor Country Club 3 and 2. Hollerback followed that up with an afternoon 5 and 3 quarterfinal win over Lannon Boyd of Overbrook Golf Club.
In the June 18 semifinals, Hollerback lost 7 and 6 to Sean Curran of host Merion. That afternoon, Curran won the championship flight against fellow Merion member Nicky Nemo in 19 holes.
Maybe there’s something to be said for home cooking.
Ryan McNett, an all-conference and all-state golfer for Cape, missed the medal cut June 16 with his 81, two strokes above the 144-player field’s scoring average of 79 for the day.
Six Cape Region golfers made up the entire field of the women’s side of the Delaware Four-Ball Tournament held June 3 at Odessa National Golf Club.
Jackie Everett and Lisa Schofield of Kings Creek CC won the title with a better ball score of 75 on the par 72, 5,284-yard layout. Lisa Powell and Deb Ward, also members of Kings Creek, took second place with an 81. Lynn Sweeney of Kings Creek and Mary Ann Veitch of The Rookery combined for a third-place finish.
John Cole and Shane Miller of Plantation Lakes Golf & Country Club represented the Cape Region golfers in the men’s competition with a par 72, T-12 finish.
Bushnell distance devices
I once again met with Bushnell’s Candice Wood at the 2025 PGA Show in January, where she introduced me to several products, including the optics company’s newest small rangefinder, the A1 slope ($299.99).
The little device comes with a flexible wrap called the Magnetic Skin. It provides all the magnetized stickiness anyone would want to keep it in place on a golf cart or other magnet-friendly surface. However, Wood noted that quite a few rangefinder users have no interest in the magnet option, preferring to keep the device in a jacket pocket or a push-cart container. Removing the Magnetic Skin makes the rangefinder even smaller, which she said adds to its appeal.
The A1 model comes with the typical slope on/off capability for tournament-legal use. A haptic vibrator element called JOLT assures the user they have indeed hit their visual target. The optic range extends over 350 yards with six times magnification, good for most situations on the course.
The rechargeable battery uses a USB-C connection. Wood said a single charge should last for 3,000 target acquisitions. For some folks I have observed, that’s about the same as an 18-hole round - but for the rest of us that means the charge should last a long time.
She also showed me the Ion Elite watch, which the two of us discussed at the 2024 Show ($199.99). Wood said, “I think this is the best GPS watch we’ve ever made,” which considering Bushnell’s reputation is saying something.
In addition to the usual front/middle/back yardages, the device can move the pin location on the green display view for increased accuracy. The watch also comes with a slope feature. That means little on the flat Cape Region courses but would come in handy at upstate clubs such as Deerfield or Odessa National.
We also discussed Bushnell’s new Pro X3+Link, the company’s top of the line rangefinder ($599.99). When integrated with the Bushnell mobile app, the device provides compensated slope data and integrated wind speed and direction. It takes that information, combines it with your personal shot analytics, and makes club recommendations.
Think of it as an electronic caddie, without the ability to make rude remarks about your swing – although post-shot commentary would be another great new feature if Bushnell could figure out how to do that.
I also looked at the new Tour Hybrid, a laser rangefinder with additional built-in GPS display, which in my opinion combines the best of both systems ($399.99). It also comes with Bluetooth connectivity to the Bushnell mobile app.
Local club competition results
The Mulligan’s Pointe Ladies played a 1, 2, 3, best ball game June 17, using one par five score, two par four scores and three par three scores.
Terese Kane, Lisa Wooditch, Jackie Adams and Susan Shockley won first place. Tammy Findlay, Kay Monack, Stevie Scales and Adams (blind draw) took second.
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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.
