Ballyowen hosts Scotch tournament

HARDYSTON — For golfers, the attraction to the sport is the challenge presented by arguably the most difficult sport to master, and enjoying a cold adult beverage at the 19th hole following a round of golf with friends.
The Chivas Regal Hickory & Scotch Tournament was played at the Ballyowen Golf Club on Wednesday, Oct. 20. The event attracted a full roster of participants from both the Vernon area and from New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut.
The format of play for the event was a two player scramble in which each golfer tees off. The best of the tees shots is selected to be played and the same process is followed for the 18 holes of the competition. The team with the lowest team score is declared the winner.
At the end of play, the team of Arthur Carragino and Brian McMahon carded a team score of 5 under par 67 to win first place in the event with the second-place team of Andrew Smith and John Smith trailing by just one stroke with a 4 under par 68.
The skill events included closest to the pin and long drive competitions. The closest-to-the-pin contest at the 140-yard par 3 hole No. 11 was made more interesting by the location of one of the Chivas Regal tasting stations located on the hole to get the golfer relaxed before having to hit their tee shots. This did not deter Vernon’s John Whiting who landed his tee-shot 2’ 10” from the hole to win the competition.
Additional skill competition winners included Kurt Wyberanec in the longest drive competition on hole No. 5 and Jack Russel for his closest to the pin tee shot which came to rest 2’7” from the cup on the par 3 hole #4.
Following golf the competitors gathered at Owen’s Pub to celebrate the event, enjoy a fabulous buffet dinner and hear the presentation of the awards hosted by Ballyowen Golf Club’s General Manager Mark Melillo and Executive Chef Andy Lagana and their staffs.
The celebration included an educational seminar conducted by a Chivas Regal ambassador, a four-station Scotch-paired dinner and a complimentary cigar from an on-site cigar roller Robert Menaker from Maxum Cigars. All participants went home with a gift bag that included a bottle of Chivas Regal Scotch.
This event marked the arrival of the end of the regular golf season with the only event remaining on the calendar being the 20th Annual Crystal Springs Golf Resort Employee Cup Championship scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 2, at the Ballyowen Golf Club. However golfers can begin to plan for next golf season by signing up or renewing their Crystal Springs Golf Memberships.
More details about the membership options are available on the Crystal Springs Golf Resort web site at www.crystalgolfresort.com.