DC Golf Tour Glenn Dale Recap

Glenn Dale Golf Club: Revisiting a Classic…

May 14, 2011 – On a Saturday where the forecast called for Spring showers all day long, 58 golfers playing on the DC Golf Tour came out to Glenn Dale Golf Club for a 2-Person Shamble Tournament.  Almost as if by design, the rain stopped abruptly 30 minutes before our first tee time, and didn’t come again until the final group was coming up the 18th fairway.  The only thing missing was a rainbow.

What is a Shamble Format Tournament?
A Shamble Tournament is a combination of a Scramble and a Better Ball Format and is basically tee shot option.  Each player of a two-person team tees off.  The players then decide which tee shot is better and mark that location.  From then on, each player plays their own ball until in the hole.  The player with the lowest score on that hole is the Team Score.

We first introduced this unique format to the Tour last year, and it was received quite well.  It gives players the opportunity to discover how they might score, if every tee shot was in play.  In addition, it tends to level the playing field amongst the players, as evidenced by the results.  Full results are posted online at www.dcgolftour.com.

This was a tournament for Tour Rookies, as three teams comprised of first-time Tour players won First Place in each of the three flights.  In the Championship Flight, Zach Mellman and Sean Franklin shot a Team Score of 67 (-3).  The First Flight and Second Flight each had a three-way tie at the top, with George Decker and Mike Baker winning the First Flight with a score of 71 (+1), and Michael Alexander and Victor Marquez taking home the Second Flight with a score of 75 (+5).  On the DC Golf Tour, all ties are broken by matching scorecards, with the hardest handicap holes determining team placement.  Congrats to all the tournament winners!

The Golf Course
Built in 1956 by Terrell Brazelton and designed by George Cobb (of Augusta National fame), Glenn Dale Golf Club is a wonderful golf course that is open to the public.  The local knowledge is that you MUST stay below the hole, or suffer the consequences.  I managed to stuff it in on No. 2 to four feet, but was above the hole, and felt lucky to make par.  It’s not a long course by any means of measurement, but it will challenge your club selection and magnify each of your decisions.  The conditions are lush, with the rough grown up and the greens quick.  My favorite hole on the course is No. 9, a 400 yard dogleg right with an elevated green.  Getting on in regulation is the first challenge, getting down in just two more can be a herculean feat.  Adding to the difficulty is the clubhouse patio that overlooks the green.  Players are treated to their own gallery – for a hole – and you’d better believe that people are watching.

With very reasonable rates, there’s really no excuse not to go play Glenn Dale Golf Club.

The DC Golf Tour
The Tour is having its next event at PB Dye Golf Club on Saturday, May 28th. Format is a 2-person Team Better Ball. Like all DC Golf Tour Tournaments, this event is open to the public, and you can sign up as a twosome, a foursome, or a single (you have a guaranteed partner). Tour Membership is optional, not required. Players can register online at www.dcgolftour.com.

The DC Golf Tour is a great way to meet new, like-minded golfers, and enjoy a taste of tournament competition in a fun and inviting environment.  A great example of the mindset of the Tour Players occurred on hole #8.  I was playing in the last group, and one of the players from the second-to-last group approached me as I was finishing the hole.  Aaron Grocholski, a long-time tour player, informed me that his playing partner, Tour Member David Langer had an extra club in the bag, and only noticed it on No. 7.  They both knew there would be multiple stroke penalties assessed, and yet did not hesitate to inform me of the violation.  This is a Tour where we have fun, yet we adhere as best we can to the rules of golf.  In doing so, we honor the game, and ourselves.  Aaron and Dave finished in sixth place in the First Flight, five shots out of first place in the Championship Flight.

If you have any questions regarding the DC Golf Tour, feel free to contact me.

DC Golf TourRamesh M. Sundaresan
DC Golf Tour Director
ramesh@dcgolftour.com

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top