USCA FL District Southwest GC Championship
April 27-29, 2023
Bonita Bay Croquet Club
The southwest Florida inaugural Golf Croquet district championship tournament began on April 27. Hosted by the luxurious Bonita Bay club in Bonita Springs, the lawns were in perfect form, and everything remained beautifully organized thanks to, of course, our beloved Sherif. The Bonita Bay club surprised everybody with some amazing swag, tasty orange juice, which was fresh squeezed, just for us, and delicious pastries.
By the end of the first day, in first flight, Ray George, Ed Kane and Michael Kolowich (all from Bonita Bay) showed their strength at being nearly impossible to beat. In championship flight, the same would hold true for Julie Wright and Tim Wright, also both of Bonita Bay . The famed Naples tennis pro, Spike Gonzales, surprised himself with a poor first day, only to discover that he was playing with a major defect in his mallet, causing his ball to list to the left by 10 degrees. (We still wonder why Cami Russack doesn’t regularly list to the left with the ring she sports).
By day two, Spike had fixed his mallet and made it to the semi finals! And speaking of tennis pros, Mr. José Benjumea came on strong the first day and carried each game all the way to the finals where he was finally beaten by Ed Kane of Bonita.
Championship finals showed Tim Wright and Tate Russack neck to neck with Tate winning 7-5. A nice crowd of players and spectators from many clubs clapped and cheered for these men!
By 5:00 the awards were presented , the winds picked up, and we all bid farewell to Sherif who was then headed to the cooler climates of the North Carolina mountains.
See you all next season!
Jennifer Joseph
Championship Flight
1. Tate Russack
2. Tom Wright
3. John Joseph
3. John Grout
5. Cami Russack
5. Fred Heald
5. Jennifer Joseph
5. Julie Wright
9. Jicham Zaatini
10. Lin Irey
10. Howard Glicken
12. John Ward
First Flight
1. Ed Kane
2. Jose Benjumea
3. Gregory Gonzales
3. Raymond George
5. Jeff Cohen
5. Michael Kolowich
5. Madeleine D'Ambrosio
5. Mike Anthony
9. Fran Anthony
9. Doug Elliott
9. Cindi cooper
12. Marilyn Ward