30th Rotary scramble is sure to sizzle

File photo of winners Ryan Dumas, Jim Boals, Tom Leafstrand and Tim Genson.

Contributed By Fred Inglis.

Inglis is a 22-year sports reporter/anchor for KTVU – TV in Oakland, Calif. and a two-time Emmy winner.

SHELBY — When I first heard about a golf “scramble,” I wondered if they also serve bacon. I soon learned that golf scrambles don’t usually include eggs, let alone the best meat candy in the world.

But great food and much more will be available when the Oceana Golf Club hosts the 30th Annual Shelby Rotary Club Four-Person Scramble. This two-day tournament is set for Saturday, May 2, and Sunday, May 3.

“Each player tees off in this ‘scramble’ format,” says OGC PGA Professional and General Manager Marc Inglis. “Then, everyone takes their next shot from the spot of the best overall drive. It’s a way to emphasis fun without the pressure of individual scores.”

But everyone likes to win, and this year there will be hole-in-one prizes for all the par 3s. Meyers Chevrolet of New Era is offering a Chevy Trak SUV for the first ace on the 17th hole.

Forty-five teams are already signed up, and Chairman Fred Sanford says this event lives up to the Rotary Creed. “It has to be beneficial for all parties concerned,” says Sanford. “And to my knowledge we have the second-longest tenure of any golf tournament in the area.”

There is still time and space for new teams. Cost is $340 per group. Three different tees will be used based on age, and three different flights are available.

This annual Rotary tournament has raised more than $90,000, and the proceeds go back to the community.

“Most of the money raised has been given back to our high school graduates attending college,” says Sanford. “We also help vocational students, and we send students to the Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp in the summer along with sending students to Camp Miniwanca.”

I remember my first golf scramble tournament. It took me awhile to adjust to the format, but one of my teammates could hit the ball a mile off the tee. Suddenly, I was hitting my second shot from places on the course where I never played before! Together with his drives, another teammates’ approaches, and my lucky putting we were in the hunt against golfers much younger and much better than us. I became a scramble fan! Now, if they had only added bacon….