Hundreds of golfers tee it up in Sisters

Golfers from across the region teed it up in Sisters in the ninth annual Central Oregon Shootout held last Friday, Saturday and Sunday on three local golf courses.

The Big Meadow Golf Course at Black Butte Ranch, Aspen Lakes Golf Course and the Resort Course at Eagle Crest hosted what has become the second-largest annual tournament in Central Oregon.

"The field has grown each year," said Jeff Fought, the director of golf at Black Butte Ranch and the tournament co-founder.

The event was first held in 2003 at Black Butte Ranch and Aspen Lakes Golf Course. "Wayne Clark (Aspen Lakes' head golf professional at the time) and I modeled the tournament after a Pacific Northwest PGA tournament called the Spaulding Shootout," said Fought. "We had lots of fun playing the three different formats in that tournament and decided to do something similar on this side of the mountains."

The event, held at the end of April each year, helps to kick-start the golf season for the local courses.

It's a boon to the local economy in a traditionally slow period. This year there were 336 participants, many, if not most, from outside the local area. Most have made the Shootout an annual event.

"We love the format and, of course, the golf courses," said John Lyda of Beaverton who, with his partner Griff Aproberts, has played in the event six times.

The three-day tournament format is two-person teams playing a scramble the first day, best ball the second, and Chapman format on the final day. The team divisions are: Ladies net, men's gross, and men's first, second, third and fourth net scores.

In 2005 the popular event filled the two courses, so Eagle Crest was invited to join, and since then the slogan has been: Three great days - three great

courses.

"It's a good way to start the season," said Pam Mitchell, owner/partner and Director of Marketing at Aspen Lakes, "and it's a great opportunity to showcase the golf course. For us, this tournament and the Pacific Amateur in the late summer are like bookends for the season. The golfers, many of whom have played in every year of the tournament, really enjoy themselves. They bring their spouses and make a vacation of it."

The event this year began Thursday afternoon with a "Demo Day" at Black Butte Ranch's Big Meadow Golf Course driving range followed by a reception at Robert's Pub. Approximately 250 golfers met to check in for the tournament, pick up their tee prizes and enjoy food and drink.

True to the character of springtime weather in Sisters Country, snow began to fall in the early evening, heavily enough to cause a delay of the start of the tournament the following morning. Friday morning the sun did come out, at least long enough to melt the snow so play could begin. The weather got progressively better over the weekend, so the tournament ended under sunny skies on a glorious spring

afternoon.

The players love the golf courses, the format, and they appreciate the generous prizes awarded. Of the 168 teams, 52 of the two-person teams won prizes, with the winning team of each division winning $850 worth of merchandise credit at the golf shops.

The first-place teams and their three-day cumulative scores are: Ladies - Phyllis Hughes and Mary Lou Milne, 194.75; Men's Gross - Dwight Hietala and Pat Woerner, 209; Men's 1st Net - Don Ruecker and Gary Saalfeld, 191.75; Men's 2nd Net - Frank Robinson and Ray Carpio, 187.25; Men's 3rd Net - Pete Ramano and Randy Boruff, 187.75; Men's 4th Net - Greg Simanson and Stan Itaoka, 181.25.

For information on next year's Central Oregon Shoot-out contact the golf shops at Black Butte Ranch, 541-595-1500, Aspen Lakes, 541-549-4653 or Eagle Crest, 541-923-4653.