A Note from our SWD Captain

What a winter this has been! With our unprecedented snow and ice, those of you who play golf this time of year have been forced to hibernate. Now that the weather has become “Pacific Northwest Normal”, I hope you’ll get back out on the links with friends and your game doesn’t get too rusty.

Thanks to Sue Ursino, Saturday Golf is in full swing – it’s for ladies of all abilities to play a casual game and have fun together. It’s an easy way to some new ladies, play with friends and enjoy the camaraderie of golf; there are no competitions. Sue is a wealth of knowledge and she’s happy to answer questions as you go. When you want to join in the fun or have questions how this works, contact her at sursino@comcast.net.

Some helpful seminars for SWD members are about to start! Scheduling these on Saturday mornings, our goal is to be inclusive of women whose work or parenting schedules don’t allow participation during the weekdays. These sessions are valuable for everyone, regardless of golf capabilities. There’s always something to learn. This information will be new to some of us and a refresher for others. Mark your calendars and consider staying for lunch afterwards with your friends!

Feb 4, 9-11 – The Rich History of Sahalee, presented by Sue Ursino

Mar 4, 9-11 - How to Play YOUR Best Golf, presented by Sue Ursino

April 1, 9-11- Pace of Play Tips & “Ready Golf”, presented by Michelle Hood

May 6, 9-11 - The Mental Side of Golf, Pro Shop

June 3, 9-11 - Match Play Strategies, presented by Sue Ursino

Your Board has been working diligently addressing the survey results and you’ll see some exciting changes when the season starts I emailed the survey results to all SWD members; if you missed it, let me know so I can resend it, marcia.mcafee@comcast.net. If you have any questions or have ideas to share or discuss, please email me. Even though I’m in the CA desert for the winter, I’m actively working on SWD business.

Sue Ursino and Fatima Siddiqui have assumed the responsibilities of our Hospitality committee, following our much-appreciated efforts of the last few years of Barb Johnson and Anita Nishikawa All new members and any lady who wants help “fitting in” will be offered a Golf Buddy to guide, give an understanding of our competitions, casual golf and introduce her around. We need YOU to offer to be a Golf Buddy if you are friendly and want to make our group better and more inclusive! Please contact Sue Ursino, sursino@comcast.net or 425392-2056

The golf calendar has been finalized, and Bryan Nicholson has already emailed many of the event dates Last year three of our four major tournaments were combined with the men’s division. Based on your feedback, only two are combined this year: the Club Championship and the Senior Club Championship. As a new member of the Golf Committee, I now understand how challenging it is to plan events! Here are dates to add to your 2023 calendars:

Tuesday, April 25: Season Opener

Friday, May 12: Women’s Swing Day (new event!)

Friday, June 9: Spring Field Day

Tuesday, June 27: President’s Cup

Friday-Saturday, July 7-8: Senior Club Championship (combined)

Thursday-Friday, July 13-14: Invitational

Thursday-Friday, August 3-4: Member-Member

Friday-Sunday, August 11-13: Club Championship (combined)

Tuesday, August 29: Fall Field Day

Tuesday, September 26: Casual Guest Day

More details are to come but for now, just add these dates to your calendar, making them a priority. Don’t sign up for an event or weekly competitions? One of the things we hear SO often as a reason not to sign up for competitions and/or tournaments is "I'm not good enough, I wouldn't win anyway, and I don’t fit in" Our survey confirmed those comments. Well, I have news for you – you DO fit in! We currently have 107 members, 4 who have not yet established a handicap. Of the 103 members who have a handicap, here’s who is playing:

Handicap +1 through 10: 13 members

Handicap 11 through 19: 15 members

Handicap 20 through 29: 43 members

Handicap 30 through 43: 32 members

The top players are in the minority! 28 members have handicaps less than 20 and 75 have handicaps 20 or higher See, you DO fit in! If you’re unfamiliar with our system, the games or simply need some help meeting ladies, reach out to enjoy the benefits of a Golf Buddy. Contact Sue Ursino, sursino@comcast.net.

We encourage women to participate in our weekly games. Think of it as just another opportunity to play golf and meet new people, and don’t let the “side game” be a distraction You are not required to participate in the weekly competition; you can simply join a group for a round of golf. Only want to play 9 holes? That’s okay too. And, while we may think everyone who participates is a scratch golfer, you can see that approximately 2/3 of the SWD members sport a handicap of 20 or higher. Regardless of your handicap, we all just want to play golf and have fun.

Going forward into our regular golf season, we will strive to make SWD more friendly, inviting casual play and spruce up our Tuesday and Friday-Saturday competitions for variety!

Marcia McAfee SWD Captain