From sand greens to shooting 70s in his 70s, local golfer manicures Adams with precision
For more than 60 years Wendell Price has honed his golf game, from his peach fuzz days as a high school freshman in Caney, Kan., to his days of calm links mastery.
Price came up on a hard-scrabble apprenticeship, the golf course he grew up on, so to speak, featured sand greens. Those days in golf history are virtually passed, although about 100 sand-green courses, primarily nine-holers, still exist.
Price definitely exists as one of the top golfers for the Adams Seniors Men’s Golf Association (ASMGA) — the largest in the state. He proved it again last week by leading a foursome to a first-place tie in the ASMGA’s 4-man shamble, 2 nets tournament.
Joining Price on the foursome were Dave Williams, Alan Brown and Mike Matlock. The quartet recorded 103, tying for the top spot with Dave Harding, Blake Davis, Sid Roper ad Butch Young.
Price was the “A’ level player of the foursome. He credit a big team effort — especially by Brown — for elevating the squad to the top.
“Their putts meant the most,” he said. “It was a total team effort.”
Price — who at age 74 carries a 2-handicap — learned his putting skills on the oily sand greens in Caney.
“It was like a roulette wheel,” Price said, noting the greens sat about five inches below the grass level.
A two-foot wide rake was available on the green to help smooth the path to the hole, Price said.
“It was a pretty different deal,” he said. “We even won the state high school sand greens championship.”
Price is in his eighth year as part of the ASMGA; he has won the annual title four times.
“He makes good ball contact,” said Gary Reheis of the ASMGA. “He hits the ball straight. … He shoots his age (74) or better pretty much every day, He shoots well. He doesn’t shoot much more than 75 and some days he shoots in the 60’s.”
Leaderboard
A FLIGHT: 1—Wendell Price, Dave Williams, Alan Brown, Mike Matlock (103), 1—Dave Harding, Blake Davis, Sid Roper, Butch Young (103), 3—Bob Carse, Farrell Oldham, Dave Holder, blind (104).
B FLIGHT: 1—Derek Griffin, Mike Glades, Boyd Geary, Phillip Warnick (103), 1—Bill Bridendolph, Ray Stas, Ruben Anguiano, Eldred Traxson (103), 3-Gregg Harder, Eric Hsieh, Ken Fitch, Randy Everett (105).
C FLIGHT: 1—Jon Hargis, Ben Lewis, Kim Shepherd, Paul Vassar (100), 2—Ron Williams, Tom Brewington, Jim Anderson, Alvin Yearout (108), 3—Ed John, Marty Lowe, Don Noak, Gerald Barnes (111), 3—Mike Bowden, Kevin Bates, Del Piper, David Griffin (111).
CLOSEST TO PIN: Jordan (No. 3), Carse (No. 6), Hsieh (No. 12), Shepherd (No. 16).
Eclectic day
Dana Jordan tallied 80 to win the A Flight feature title at the recent Adams Women’s Golf Association competition.
Other flight champions included: Phyllis McWilliams (B), Mandy Stewart (9A) and Jana Marion (9B).
Jordan sank two birdies (No. 7, No. 15) and Sue Meiler made one (No. 13).
Low net winners included Mary Baughman (A), McWilliams (B) and Carla Lyle (9A).
Earning low putts kudos were Kathy Brown, Meiler and Sue Ellen Layton (A, tie), Kathy Kubitz (B), Terri Davis, Willy Polk and June Olson (9A, tie).
Two-man tourney
A FLIGHT: 1—Jim Jenkins, John McCollum (128), 2-Mike Tyndall, Dave Holder (139), 2—Dave Harding, Steve Bell (139).
B FLIGHT: 1—Tom Bucher, Don Noak (138), 2—Jim Sasaki, Farrell Oldham (139), 3—Paul Taylor, Blake Davis (145), 3—David Flick, Alan Brown (145), 3-David Ray, Bill Estes (145).
C FLIGHT: 1—Gregg Harder, Larry Palmer (136), 2—Jason Peterman, Craig Sarver (141), 3-Gary Reheis, Danny White (143).
D FLIGHT: 1—Kevin Bates, Ken Taylor (137), 2—Jon Hargis, Tom DeSalme (138), 3—Frank Jordan, Alvin Yearout (140).
E FLIGHT: 1—Eric Hsieh, Gerald Barnes (130), 2 — Mark Abbott, Darrell Potts (139), 3-J.D. Paige, Tom Polk (140).
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Bartlesville golf: Wendell Price is shooting 70s in his 70s
