Golf 9 - Hole

Andy Rodgers Wayne Futak	Don't have time or energy for a full 18 holes of golf? Our SIR 9-hole group is the answer. We organize several tee times beginning around 9 am at Pleasanton Fairgrounds golf course on Tuesdays and Fridays. At $15 a round it’s a great deal! Most golfers walk the course to get some exercise while working on their game. Carts are available for anyone who wants one. We also travel to other 9-hole courses in the area occasionally on Fridays. Please check off this activity group on your website profile so we know you are interested in any emails we send out. You can use the Contact Us website feature to email Andy and Wayne.
	Several members of the 9-hole golf group recently enjoyed an outing at the Pleasanton Golf Center, our home course. Left to right are Dan Cold, Leroy Vares, Ed Locatelli, Truman Howard, Bill Olmo, and Bo Brummett.
	The 9-hole golf group (the Niners) usually plays at the Pleasanton Fairgrounds Golf Course on Tuesday & Friday mornings. It is located on the infield of the racetrack at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. There are three par fours and six par threes for a total par of 30. The fourth hole is a 259 yard, par 4, dogleg left. A horse race fan would say it goes down the last half of the backstretch and around the clubhouse turn. On the left side of the fairway, before the dogleg, is a large screen that protects the golfers teeing off on the seventh hole and blocks the green. In the far right corner of the fairway is a large tree, not a good place to be. For years we have joked about who put his tee shot closest to the tree. It happened so often that Niner Emeritus Gary Soto created a "Closest to the Tree Award" (see below) that used to be presented to the golfer whose tee shot was closest to the tree each week. There have been many recipients over the years, including Ed Locatelli, Bill Olmo, Gary Soto, Clem Teeters and many others. Ed Locatelli racked up the most wins over time so the award is now in his permanent possession. He was also awarded a stand to display it on. Spouses have looked at the award and thought it was a good prize to win. We Niners know better. It is a great source of laughs and good fun. Gary Soto also made a trophy for another contest you don't want to win: the "Most Balls Lost in the Water Contest" for the par-3 eighth hole that has a large pond between the tee box and the green. The award looks like the eighth hole at the Fair Grounds Golf Course. It is so detailed (see below) that the sand in the trap is actually from the hole. The contest has had many, many "winners," but Bill Olmo bested everyone in a landslide, and the trophy is in his permanent possession. Gary also decreed that the pond thereafter be called Lake Olmo.
	Our group also plays at Diablo Hills in Walnut Creek, Poppy Ridge in Livermore, or other local courses, usually on alternate Fridays.
	Consult with our member online directory to contact Andy or Wayne if you have any questions.