From the Editor
Another couple of months have passed and Par 3 still looks like a ghost town. While having pizza, chicken nuggets and beer brought in after tournaments is nice, it is a poor substitute for having a bar or table to sit at with a glass of beer and a nice menu of food to order to cap a day of golf. And there is no need to ask for volunteers to help clean up.
And, of course, since we still don’t have a general manager, there is nobody around to discuss our disappointment with the way the facility is being managed (or is it mismanaged?).
God forbid that some useless bureaucrat somehow thinks it might be a good idea to find a new operator and reopen the place. That would mean that the bureaucrat would be held responsible if anything went wrong. And we know the two things bureaucrats are the best in the world at – covering one’s ass and not taking responsibility (unless, of course, if things turn out ok, in which case they trample all over each other to take the credit). Prediction – The California Bullet train between San Francisco and Los Angeles will be operating before Par 3 reopens. But the good news is we will have a general manager before New York Jets again win the Super Bowl (barely). Sarc….
Another golf season has ended with Brian Cresta winning the Club Championship and Scott Rehn winning the Tournament of Champions and yours truly winning absolutely nothing. The 2026-27 schedule is listed below so start marking your calendars. We start off with the Senior tournament on October 29.
Due to rising costs and the fact that there has not been an increase in years, your Board has approved an increase in tournament fee from $74 to $79 for the coming season.
Again, comments are welcome. Also, if any member wants to include an Op-Ed piece, it would be welcome.
President’s Message
Summer is winding down and our 2025-26 Tournament Season has concluded. We had a strong turnout for the TOC and big congrats to Scott Rehn on his win to become TOC Champion again!
Renewal season is ongoing and we have had strong responsiveness so far. We will be sending out another reminder in a few weeks to catch all the last minute stragglers. Remember, if you haven’t renewed, you are not eligible to play in upcoming tournaments like the 4Man NCGA Zone Qualifier on November 7th.
As always, if you have any questions or need anything regarding tournaments or anything else in general, please do not hesitate to contact me directly.
2026-2027 Tournament Schedule
Thu 10/29/2026 Senior Championship
Sat 11/7/2026 Club Qualifier NCGA 4 Man Team
Sat 11/21/2026 Turkey Shoot
Sat 12/5/2026 ABCD Santa's Ball
Sat 1/9/2027 2 Man Razzle Dazzle
Sat 1/23/2027 4-Man Scramble
Sat 2/6/2027 2-Man NCGA Qualifier
Sat 2/20/2027 Beat the Pro, Prez & GM
Sat 3/13/2027 Individual NCGA Qualifier
Sat 3/27/2027 2-Man Senior NCGA Qualifier
Mon 3/29/2027 Poplar Green Aeration
Sat 4/17/2027 Match Play Qualifier
Sun 4/18/2027 Match Play Round of 32
Sat 4/24/2027 Match Play Round of 16/8
Sun 4/25/2027 Match Play Round of 4/2
Sat 5/15/2027 5-Club Tournament
Sat 5/29/2027 1,2,3 Best Ball
Sat 6/12/2027 AWAY TOURNAMENT TBD
Sat 6/26/2027 2-Man Chapman Alternate Shot
Sat 7/10/2027 4-Man ABCD Scramble
Thu 7/22/2027 AWAY TOURNAMENT TBD
Fri 7/23/2027 AWAY TOURNAMENT TBD
Sat 7/24/2027 AWAY TOURNAMENT TBD
Sat 8/14/2027 Club Championship
Sun 8/15/2027 Club Championship
Mon 8/16/2027 Poplar Green Aeration
Sat 9/11/2027 2-Man Scramble
Sat 9/25/2027 TOC AWAY TOURNAMENT TBD
Tournament Results
Tournament of Champions
Held at the Eagle Vines course in beautiful American Canyon, 32 players traveled to Napa Valley to determine the champion of champions. Scott Rehn emerged victorious with a net 3 under par 69, followed by Steve Rueda at 2 over 74 and Alfred Bogenhuber, Manny Casillas, Thomas Kmak and Stephen Makishima at 3 over 75’s.
The top three finishers in each of the three flights:
Flight 1 Flight 2 Flight 3
1st Scott Rehn Skip Sanzeri Steve Rueda
2nd Alfred Bogenhuber Dave Koons Manny Casillas
3rd Thomas Kmak Bret Evans George Kellner
Club Championship
Brian Cresta birdied the 36th hole to edge Thomas Kmak by one stroke to win the Club Championship in 2026 posting a 149 for the two day event. Kmak was the first round leader with a 72 with Cresta two shots back. Shawn Fox finished third, four shots behind the leader.
Kmak, however, had some consolation as he was the Net Champion with an even par 140 over the two days. Ed Ferguson was four shots back in second place.
Flight standings, excluding the gross and net champions:
Flight 1 Flight 2
1st Ed Ferguson Skip Sanzeri
2nd Dan Murray Rick Salzer
3rd Dave Butzman Rob Carballar
ABCD Four Man Scramble
1st -17 net Joseph Canepa, Robert Liedtke, Dave Baltor, Emil Picchi
2nd -15 net Joel Spielman, Larry Shaw, Ed Ferguson, Rich Stratfull
3rd -13 net Ej Hill, Skip Sanzeri, Andy Maso, Cheol Kim
12 Man Team
The Poplar Creek team hosted the Baylands team and avenged an earlier loss with a 25-11 win. The Gubert/Rehn and Koons/Cioni pairs accounted for nearly half of Poplar’s points with 6-0 shutouts of their opponents.
In the team’s final match, they hosted Crystal Springs and needed a big win to advance to the knockout round. The group got a win but not big enough to advance. With the first five groups in and the points even at 15 each, the Koons/Cioni team once again came in with a 6-0 shutout to seal a 21-15 victory.
Away Tournament at Las Positas
Despite a slow start in signing up, 31 players made their way to Livermore to challenge the Las Positas golf course. The top two finishers in each of the three flights.
Flight 1 Flight 2 Flight 3
1st Joseph Canepa Allen Miyake Steve Rueda
2nd Kenneth Boone Kirk Hansen Joe Fernando
Two Man Scramble
An interesting tournament which requires good shotmaking, excellent putting and great strategy as three drives and three second shots were required from each player. The team of Skip Sanzeri and Rob Carballar stormed out of the middle of the pack, making birdies on four of the final five holes to capture honors in the First Flight with a 6 under net score, the same score posted by the Second Flight winners, Manny Casillas and Thierry Jahan.
The top three finishers in each flight:
First Flight Second Flight
1st Skip Sanzeri-Rob Carballar Manny Casillas-Thierry Jahan
2nd Keith Schumacher-Ken Witsoe Bret Evans-Jeffrey Peachin
3rd Felila Esikia-Justin Rousil Ed Ferguson-Joel Spielman
NCGA Senior Four Ball Net Championship
Poplar Creek sent two teams to qualify for the NCGA Senior Four Ball Net Championship.
The team of Dave Koons and Tim Cole attempted to qualify at the Metropolitan Golf Links on July 27 and shot a -4 net round. Unfortunately the cut line was -6.
The team of Dave Butzman and Randy Gubert also shot a -4 round at Coyote Creek Valley Course on August 5 but came up short of the -7 cut line.
Rules Corner
1. In stroke play, a player finds his ball up against a gate in a boundary fence. The gate is held closed by a spring. The player can get a free swing at the ball if the gate is open, so he asks another player to hold the gate open for him while he makes a stroke. The other player does so and the player plays the ball back to the fairway. The player:
a. Has proceeded correctly and incurs no penalty.
b. Incurs a 1-stroke penalty.
c. Incurs a 2-stroke penalty; the other player incurs no penalty.
d. Incurs a 2-stroke penalty; the other player also incurs a 2-stroke penalty.
2. Jim’s tee shot on a par-3 hole is thought to come to rest in an area of tall grass. He finds a ball, lifts it without marking it, decides that it was a stray ball and tosses it aside. Jim then has second thoughts and after further identification, he realizes that the found ball was, in fact, his original ball. Unsure how to proceed, Jim returns to the teeing area and makes his next stroke from there, which came to rest on the putting green. He takes three putts to complete play of the hole. What is Jim’s score for the hole?
a. 5
b. 6
c. 7
d. 8
3. In stroke play, a player has marked, lifted and replaced his ball 20 feet from the hole on the putting green. A gust of wind then blows the ball four feet closer to the hole. He putts it from where it came to rest. He gets:
a. No penalty, the stroke counts and he must play the ball as it lies
b. No penalty, but he must cancel the stroke and replace the ball in its original position
c. Two penalty strokes, the stroke does not count and he must correct the error by replacing the ball in its original position
d. Two penalty strokes, the stroke counts and he must play the ball as it lies.
Points to Ponder
Help someone when they are in trouble and they will remember you when they’re in trouble again.
Who knew what time it was when the first clock was made?
Why is there a “D” in fridge but not in refrigerator?
100 years ago, everyone had a horse and only the rich had cars. Today everyone has cars and only the rich have horses.
Why is the letter W pronounced “double U” and not “double V”?
Answers to Rules questions
1. a. He has proceeded correctly and incurs no penalty. Definition of a Movable Obstruction – An obstruction that can be moved with reasonable effort and without damaging the obstruction or the course. If part of an immovable obstruction or integral object (such as a gate or door or part of an attached cable) meet these two standards, that part is treated as a movable obstruction. Also Rule 15.2a (1) – Without penalty, a player may remove a movable obstruction anywhere on or off the course and may do so in any way.
2. c. 7 – Tee shot (1), penalty for picking up ball without marking (2), return to tee (3), second tee shot (4), three putts (5, 6, 7).
3. D. Two penalty strokes, the stroke counts and he must play the ball as it lies. Exception 1 to Rule 9.3 – If the player’s ball on the putting green moves after the player had already lifted and replaced the ball on the spot from which it moved, the ball must be replaced on its original spot. This is true no matter what caused it to move.