Erv Stein
Our PebbleCreek Men’s Nine-Hole Golf Association (PCM9GA) exciting spring event activities, on the heels of our extraordinarily successful April 17 Member-Guest Charity event that raised $10,000 for our local Luke Airforce Base MOAA Chapter, conducted a Cha Cha Cha Scramble Tournament event utilizing our Tuscany Falls West Course on May 8. This 1 p.m. start time was the last afternoon event of the fall-winter and spring season since subsequent events through October of 2025 will have more temperate early morning start times.
Perhaps you may be familiar with the once popular Cha Cha Cha dance step that originated in Cuba in the 1950s. It was derived from the Mambo and evolved as a 3-step dance step sequence. The Cha Cha Cha Scramble format, which is quite intriguing, employs foursomes and a three-hole rotation for determining how many scores are used to create the team score. For example, for the first three holes, each team starting on either hole 1, 2, and 3 would count either 1, 2, or 3 team member net scores for each hole. Net scores of course were based upon each golfer’s prevailing AGA handicap and a higher handicapped golfer typically would get up to two so called “POPS” for a Par 5 hole and conceivably if he wound up with a Par his net score of 3 would be a virtual Eagle.
The afternoon temperature on May 8 was in the marginally tolerable mid-90 range. Our PCM9GA pairing team event coordinator, Steve Schwartz, did a typically outstanding job in ensuring a level playing field since the net scores for each flight for the first to fifth place teams were incredibly close with 3 or 4 strokes of separation. Kudos to the first place and other winning team members as follows:
Front Nine Flight
1st: Albert Williams, Steve Johnson, Dennis Guthier, Donald Burrows (-5 Under Par, 66 Total)
2nd: Gary Houser, Keith Moser, Wayne Tripp, Jim Tackett (-5 Under Par, 66 Total)
3rd: Bill Priebe, Ronald Plotkin, Richard Fulton, Charlie Lowe (-3 Under Par, 68 Total)
Back Nine Flight
1st: Bob Brett, Ken Whitney, Ray Clements, Bob Geiges (-8 Under Par, 64 Total)
2nd: Tim Munson, Peter Rollison, Dale Klapmeier, Brian Wentz (-7 Under Par, 65 Total)
3rd: Joe Oliver, Richard Johnson, Rene Lefebvre, Peter Herman (-7 Under Par, 65 Total)
Congratulations to Closest to Pin and Longest Putt Winners: Bob Brett, Dale Erickson, David Robertson, and Ernie Coudert.
Following the event, many of us gathered at the popular Tuscany Falls Westwind Tavern area to announce and congratulate winners and enjoy drinks and snacks.