The energy of callow youth and the craftiness of an older generation were both in full display on the victory podium of the 2022 One Club Wonder (OCW) Golf Tournament on Sept. 10 at Mountain View Golf Club. Ian Wintemute, who is just learning to shave, won the overall championship and Barry Davidson, who is no longer allowed to possess a razor, sandbagged his way to the low net championship.

Each of these victories came following playoffs which took the form of putting contests in front of a large boisterous crowd that was free with its advice to the competitors.

The OCW was no easy walk in the park for Wintemute as he faced a pack of talented players, many of whom hovered near the top of the tournament leaderboard for the entire day. He finished with a score of 88, outdueling the likes of Blaine Tessier, a legendary figure in OCW history (eight-time champion), and Joe Densmore, a youngster playing with a nine iron (yes, a nine iron!!!) who had the lead after 16 holes. In the end, the 17th hole fed both Tessier and Densmore triple bogeys that resulted in them being tied one stroke back of the winner and exchanging second place sister kisses on the 18th green.

Mr. Wintemute, however, was well advised to keep his party hat stored because the wily veteran Lester Balsillie was busy fashioning a scorecard that, when he emerged from the weeds, showed a final score matching the 88 posted by Wintemute. That led to the need for a playoff.

It needs be noted, before addressing the playoff, that eight players finished within five strokes of the leaders. This included Densmore and Tessier in second place, Ken Taylor and Cole Marshall tied for third, Derek Wirth, Graham Frey, and Derek Baldwin tied for fourth, and Jamie Cairns in fifth. In general, this was a young group aside from Tessier, who seems ageless, and Taylor, carrying the banner for a large group of septuagenarians who make up about a third of the OCW playing field.

Taylor came in with a gross score of 91 that, with a handicap of 12, left him a net score of 79 and a tie with the net score of Barry Davidson. Davidson, a player now in his mid-seventies (age, not score), had a much more imaginative scorecard than Taylor that showed a total score of 102, a handicap of 23 and a net score of 79.

Lester Balsillie not only tied for the low gross score lead, he also missed a tie for the low net score lead by only one stroke with a low net score of 80. Derek Wirth, too, had a low net score of 80.

The first putting contest was between Barry Davidson and Ken Taylor. They were equipped with the clubs they had used during the day being a five hybrid for Davidson and a seven iron for Taylor.

Both players were sharp making crucial putts that prolonged the match to the delight of a caustic crowd. In the end, Davidson outlasted Taylor and victory was his.

The same scenario played out for the putting contest between Ian Wintemute and Lester Balsillie. Wintemute was equipped with his eight iron and Balsillie with his seven iron. Again, both putted well, neither failed and Wintemute simply had one slightly better moment than Balsillie to take the low gross OCW title.

The trophy presentations and closing ceremony then took place. An important and moving moment that always renders the spectators silent is when the most recent past champion – in this case Derek Baldwin – comes forward with “The Yellow Sweater” and assists the new champion – Ian Wintemute – in donning the beloved garment. Mr. Wintemute will have it in his possession for the entire year and is encouraged to wear it at all formal occasions that he may be attending.

For those of a statistical bent, the average gross score was 104 (101 in 2021) and the average net score was 90 (87 in 2021). The 36 players in the tournament played a total of 648 holes on which 87 pars and nine birdies were recorded.

In comparison to the 2021 tournament this was a decrease of four pars and an increase of four in the number of birdies. The eight birdies in this year’s tournament were scored by Lester Balsillie on #6 and #14, Graham Frey on #7, Chris Saunders and Ian Wintemute on #13, Dan King on #14 and #16 (third year in a row), Vic Istchenko on #14, and James McGrath on #16. Sixty-two percent of the pars took place on the par three and par five holes with 27 each on both the par threes and the par fives. The toughest holes on the course were #11 and #12 where only one par was recorded on each hole.

The title of the tournament, One Club Wonder, indicates the obvious point that players must play every shot with a single club. The most common clubs used are the seven iron, the six iron and the five hybrid. The other clubs used this year included the eight iron, the nine iron, the five wood and the seven wood.

The record low gross score for the OCW is 77 and is held by Vic Istchenko who posted it in 2014 and by Blaine Tessier who matched it in 2015. Matthew Sills has the long-standing record for a low net score which is the 67 he put on the board in 2005.

Putting is a central feature of this game with all players struggling to master that art with whatever club they are carrying. The average number of putts per player was 37, which was two more than the average for the 2021 tournament. Derek Wirth had the lowest number of putts with 30. The record for the lowest number of putts in OCW history is 23, which was set by Ken Taylor in 2020.

The One Club Wonder was marked this year by some clear generational advances. Organizers had become concerned during recent tournaments that the grey-haired set was becoming greatly overrepresented in the ranks of OCW players. A combination of circumstances that opened spots in the 36-player field made it possible to address that issue during the past two years.

The OCW Board requested that its Membership Committee, chaired by Dan King, place priority on recruiting younger players to fill those spots and that has been done with great success. The results are clear.

The top player in both of the past two years has been someone the old-timers title as an “under forty”. The score sheet for 2022 reveals that seven of the top 13 scores in the tournament were posted by under forties playing in either their first or second OCW.

That all said, one of the highlights of the tournament was provided by Dave Griffiths on the 17th hole. Mr. Griffiths was an OCW champion in a previous century and has continued to be a regular participant in the event, both as a player and an organizer, ever since. He has progressed to the far side of his seventies and is not scoring as well as he did in past decades. So, on September 10th he progressed to the 17th hole which, historically, is the toughest hole in the One Club Wonder. It had been parred twice since 2014, the last time being in 2018 when Bruce Beaton was at the top of his game. Mr. Griffiths turned to his trusty seven wood which had already been used 111 times through 16 holes and, in just three shots, found himself in the deep rough behind the 17th green. He then made a brilliant chip shot that reached the green and tracked directly into the cup for a par. All of the over seventies congratulate Mr. Griffiths for reaffirming the notion that virtually anything is possible (and that maybe the seven wood should be given greater consideration as a weapon of choice).

The OCW Board of Directors and all participants in the tournament expressed thanks to Derek Wirth, the golf course superintendent, and his staff for having provided great course conditions for the tournament. The Board also extended its thanks to Cole Marshall, the MVGC Head Professional, and all other MVGC staff for their ready assistance and cooperation in all matters related to the tournament.

The first One Club Wonder was played in early October in 1997. It has taken place every year since then and has been a treasured event for all participants during the past 26 years.

– Submitted by Nat Stremy