Senior Amateur - by Craig Dolch

VERO BEACH — The Vero Beach Country Club celebrated its 90th anniversary earlier this month, but waited until this week to throw a party for the state’s top senior amateur golfers.
It’s not the first time the venerable club has hosted the Florida State Senior Amateur Championship.

Head professional Randy Hedgecock said he was surprised to learn this week marked the fifth time, meaning the club has averaged hosting a Senior Amateur every 18 years, a fitting number for a golf course.
“It’s a great honor,” said Hedgecock, who has been at the club for 27 years. “You can’t put a price on the prestige it brings the club.”

At 90, the club still packs a punch. That was obvious Tuesday when only one player, former PGA Tour executive Mike Bodney, of Jacksonville, broke par. Bodney shot a 2-under 70 that gave him a two-shot lead over Rick Woulfe, of Fort Lauderdale; Michael Gennette, of Orlando; and Sam Till, of Bonita Springs.

“A pretty vanilla round,” Bodney said. Vanilla, unless your name is Bubba Watson, usually is a good way to describe a competitive round. Bodney, who worked for the PGA Tour from 1985 to 2010, made three birdies and a bogey. He knew the latter meant more on this tough day. “This is the kind of course where when you make a mistake, you have to try and limit the damage,” Bodney said. “There are a lot of 6s out there.”

Several Treasure Coast golfers made some noise for a while Tuesday, but eventually encountered trouble during the windy conditions. Nelson DeBow, of Port St. Lucie, shot a 1-under 35 on his front nine, but took 41 strokes coming home for a 76. Gary Golbelsky, of Port St. Lucie, made eight pars and a bogey on an opening 37, only to shoot a 40 on his back nine for a 77.
Bob Watson, of Stuart, turned in an even-par 36. But on his back nine, he made three of those 6s and settled for a 78. “The driving around here is pretty snug, and when the wind starts blowing like it did (Tuesday), there are four or five really challenging shots off the tee,” Watson said.

Paul Nunez, of Hobe Sound, followed the pattern, shooting 37 and 40 for a 77. It probably didn’t help that he played late in the afternoon, when passing storms threatened play. “I lost my focus out there a little bit because we were trying to make sure we got finished,” Nunez said. “It’s also tough to make putts out here. The greens are very subtle.” Tom Cawley, of Palm City, shot a 77 that could have been much better had he not played the four par-5s in 3-over. He recently moved to the Treasure Coast from Cleveland, so he could gain some local knowledge. “I was very surprised I had never heard about this course before,” Cawley said. “I was very impressed with the type of grass on this golf course.”

Vero Beach is one of the few clubs on the Treasure Coast that uses paspalum grass, which is more tolerant to salt and heat. But paspalum is an acquired taste because it is sticky. “Chipping around here can be difficult,” Hedgecock said. “You have to get used to the paspalum.” Woulfe only has played one tournament at the Vero Beach Country Club prior to this week, but it was a good experience. Two years ago, Woulfe teamed with Doug Bell to win the Senior Mid-Am Four-Ball with rounds of 61 and 67. “I like the conditions on this course,” said Woulfe, who has been the Florida State Amateur Association’s Senior Player of the Year seven times. “I thought they did a good job with the pins (Tuesday), considering the conditions. This course can play hard when it blows, like it did (Tuesday). I’d be surprised if the winning score is much better than 2- or 3-under.”

It’s never easy for a private club to host a prestigious event like the Senior Amateur. The members don’t want to give up their course for several days during the spring, but this marks the fifth FSGA event Vero Beach has hosted in the past three years. “There’s definitely a benefit to hosting tournaments like this,” Hedgecock said. “It’s good to hear the comments from some of the best amateurs in the state and how much they like it.” Hedgecock had to be happy when players would walk into the scoring area and say things such as “I never knew this course existed, but what a great layout” and “That’s one of the best conditioned courses I’ve played.”

The fortunate golfers get two more chances to test themselves at Vero Beach Country Club (the 36-hole cut is for the low 60 players and ties). For the rest, the party’s over.

Written by: Craig Dolch is a Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers correspondent with more than 30 years of golf writing experience.