The Press-Dispatch
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The Press-Dispatch Sports Wednesday, April 8, 2020 A- 9 In 1986, a group of people working to establish a golf course in Pike Coun- ty had a golf outing on a non-existing golf course to promote the idea of the course. Current Petersburg Mayor R.C. Klipsch and Mike Voyles mowed off greens in locations they and others had penciled out on paper. "Mike and I did that. We mowed greens and had a scramble to demon- strate to people what a nice layout that would be for a golf course," said Klipsch almost 35 years later. He said they picked teams and played a scramble. "We played nine holes and had a winner and every- thing, and Tom Gray cooked chili," said Klipsch. The following is a story about the outing that appeared in the April 24, 1986, issue of The Press-Dispatch. A small group of Pride's Creek Golf Course committeemen, under the direction of Pre-construction Open greenskeeper R.C. Klipsch, were en- gaged in tournament layout work at the Prides Creek site. The park mow- ing team spent an entire week mowing fairways and getting the nine-hole golf lakeside course ready for this Satur- day's biggest day, the first play ever organized on the future Prides Creek Golf Course. Although Saturday was almost a day of tears for dozens of golfing enthusi- asts, the pioneer, die-hard golfers and sup porters gathered in the afternoon rain for the chance to play the course. As was the case for the Friday aerial photography of the links, by 1:30 Sat- urday, all was clear, beautiful and in full swing. Several foursomes played the nine- hole scramble tourney, while a host of onlookers remained at the makeshift club house (three picnic tables). The color and black and white photos were printed and distributed by Tom Gray, clearly marking the lay of the land and the nature of the course. Staying at the number one tee was a good idea for many of those who braved the weather to witness and play in the first-ever golf tournament in Pike County. At the table, for those who dared, was a pot of gourmet chili begun the night before by caterer An- gelo "the Chili Angel" Garcia, a fellow who bears a striking resemblance to Jim Klosterman. Saturday's steady rain up until tee time could have been reason enough for canceling the tourney, but Klipsch held out for a break in the weather, bringing with him a band of "Golfing Pioneers,'' according to Tom Gray. Gray noted that the proper attitude turned the day into four hours of sun- shine and a fine start for the Pride's Creek Golf Course. No one was any worse for wear for the three hours of play or the couple of bowls of chili everyone consumed. For this reason and the fact that Ange- lo Garcia put forth a fine effort in his gourmet catering, "The Chili Angel" was selected as the winner of the Pre- construction Open. But of much greater importance was the fact that all the participants came away with a comprehensive un- derstanding of the Prides Creek golf course. Discussions turned to im- provements, the very thing that the tourney was designed to generate. As a result of this input, the latest pro- posed layout of the course has been revised to the following: The number one green will be placed closer to the water, with a large trap behind to catch overstruck shots. This hole is perhaps the most beautiful on the course and rates a par four. The number two tee will be moved away from the first green and up the hill so as not to impede either first- or ninth-hole play. This tee placement will add as much length to the second hole as will placement of the second green closer to the point of land, and like the number one green, will be protected by a large sand trap between it and the water's edge. Number two will be a par three hole of challenging proportions. Number three was the most talk- ed about hole, and it has seen sever- al revisions. It now plays as a par four over water, and is a big change from the original long uphill fairway. Very little of the beautiful pines, autumn ol- ive or hardwoods will have to be cut be- cause of this change. Numbers four and six remain un- changed, challenging par fives that take Golden Bear types to be on the green in two. Number five could have been a par three, but has since been lengthened and is now a question mark as to tee position. Number seven was a par four dogleg to the right, but the open play prompted a unanimous revision. It will now be a par three paralleling High- way 61, with the green in the corner going north. Number eight benefits from the revision, adding another 50 yards to the uphill play. The green will be moved back closer to number sev- en green. The result is a "for real" par four. The final hole is a long par four, starting on one hillside and cresting another. The tee shot is blind into a hillside, and the second shot will ap- proach a green protected by a small stream. A respectable drive followed by a clear second shot could land on the green for a chance at a birdie. Looking back: Prides Creek Golf Course Golf Course committeeman Jim Pell and Chamber of Commerce representative William Weathers accompanied golfers and golf course supporters during the preconstruction tourney. Pell eventu- ally shed his wading boots for other attire for a surprisingly dry nine holes of golf. File photo Wyatt Rauch was one of many area golf enthusiasts that partici- pated in the first round of organized golf in the county. The occasion was the Preconstruction Open for the Prides Creek Golf Course. Al- though the day started out with umbrellas and overcoats, an hour into the tourney and all participants were enjoying a marvellous spring day on an even more pleasing local golf course. File photo CAP'S COMMENTS By James Capozella Our over protective legislation on everything imaginable hinders a quick and economic re- sponse to times of crisis, such as the present pan- demic. Regulatory red tape had to be torn down so that the U.S. could re- spond to needs such as personal protective gear, hospital care equipment and the like. In this coun- try, the snarled mess of regulations begins with a "certificate of need" that usually takes months of hoop jumping. Then there is the in-depth analysis of the civic, cultural, eco- nomic and environmen- tal impacts that protect us during normal times. Countries like Uganda won't struggle with reg- ulatory red tape, but do have urgent needs when their population of 43 mil- lion rely on a grand total of 55 ICU beds country-wide. Right now, 35 percent of the world is in lock down. We are a part of those three billion individuals whose lives are changed and at risk. Some of the benefits of this for the civ- ilized world are lowered crimes of all types and a reduction in automobile deaths, That's the posi- tive side. The down side is a torpedoed economy with record unemploy- ment, business losses and a general depression. While we try to flatten the curve, every govern- ment sector, private busi- ness, club and restaurant is shuttered or off by 80 percent during the cur- rent stay-at-home order. In Pike County, everything, such as schools, Kiwanis, Lions, VFW, Moose, the courthouse, library, city hall, American Legion, Ea- gles, auctions and church- es are suffering. Expenses keep piling up and income dwindles. The state is the same way with thousands of charity gaming licens- es not producing and ca- sinos closed. Indiana's ex- penses are up and income down for all the same rea- sons we are hurting at the county level. It is a minor miracle we have the "benefits" of not being under a modern dic- tatorship or in a position where a million people can be slaughtered and no one (UN) steps in to prevent it or control it. To our south, we have a very large pop- ulation where lawlessness is the norm. Mexico expe- rienced 2,585 homicides in the month of March and, of course, much of that spilled over the bor- der and continues. Away from the bor- der, places like New York and Chicago see lowered crime rates now. A fri- can-Americans and Lati- nos make up 85 percent of those homicide numbers. In southern California, 85 percent of the homicide warrants are for illegal aliens they cannot find. More than 3.7 million Americans had back- ground checks run by the FBI prior to purchasing a firearm last month. A less- er number used a firearm with or without discharg- ing a weapon to defend themselves, their family, business or property. The law in much of this coun- try allows for self-protec- tion and freedom of fire- arm ownership as a per- sonal choice. Most of the 7.8 billion people on the planet do not have both of those options. We are five percent of that 7.8 billion individuals, but somehow we are home to 66 per- cent of the lawyers on the globe. The Press-Dispatch 812-354-8500 | www.pressdispatch.net *By enrolling in the Birthday Club, you agree to have your name, town and birth- day, or the person's name and town and birthday of whom you are enrolling, printed in e Press-Dispatch on the week in which the birthday occurs. Joining is easy! Visit pressdispatch.net/birthday or send your full name, address, city, state, zip code, phone number and birthdate to birthdayclub@pressdispatch.net.* Each week, a list of birthdays will be published in the paper! You could win a FREE PRIZE from area businesses and a three-month subscription to e Press-Dispatch. MUST RE-ENROLL EVERY YEAR! 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