SCAL Golf - Dave's Midwestern Ohio Memories

Series of Guest Blogs by an out-of-state Fish Report reader originally from this area about fond memories of growing up in Midwestern Ohio during the 50’s & 60’s

SCAL Golf

Since ESPN is repeating previous sporting events, perhaps it’s ok to do the same regarding this week’s blog. Here’s a favorite blogpost from 2015, supplemented with some additional photos and commentary, about what may have been the first high school golf competition in Shelby County.

The first public golf course in the area was Shelby Oaks, which opened in the fall of 1965 with 9 holes during my senior year in high school.

Our basketball coach John Kremer was an avid golfer, so he recruited a bunch of newbie golfers including me from the senior class in high school and challenged Anna Coach Bob Anderson to a golf match at Shelby Oaks.

Coach Kremer had us practicing in the outfield of the baseball diamond. Fortunately, I had hit golf balls before, thanks to my uncle Gene from Chicago, who let us hit balls when he came to visit. I distinctly remember about age 12 hitting a golf ball with a 5 iron over the hog stable on our farm from next to the tool shed, a distance about 150 yards. That ball was never to be found, and it went farther by three times than any baseball I’d ever hit.

From that moment on, I was hooked on golf. Unfortunately for my wife, I’m still hooked 60 years later. Anyway, back to the story, the day of the big golf challenge arrived. I have no recollection of how our team did against Anna, but I do recall that I shot a 45, bogie golf my first time out, which I have a difficult time matching to this day. What a memorable round, but not quite Club championship caliber!

Unofficially, I’d like to think that 1965 Redskin-Rockets challenge match was the first ever SCAL golf competition!

Apparently this was a good start as the Redskins are currently reigning SCAL boys golf champions having gone undefeated in league play, with Anna in a close second. The Redskins qualified for the State Tournament and finished 9th. Congratulations to a great team with decent roots!

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