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72 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, August 30, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 29, 2004 Wood sets Cedar Links record with 8-under 62 By TIM TROWER Mail Tribune Steve Wood didn’t let a penalty stroke on the third hole ruin his round Thursday at Cedar Links Golf Course. He took a drop with an unplayable lie in the bushes to the right of the green, got up and down for par, then proceeded to set the amateur course record. Wood shot an 8-under-par 62, breaking the 14-year-old mark of Mark DeBoer and matched by Wood (twice), Bob Harrell and Glen Clark. "I didn’t know how important that would be later on," Wood says of his save at No. 3, "or my knees really would have been shaking." When he shot the 63s, Wood had a bogey each time. Advertisement "I had to find a way to not to have a bogey," he says. Wood, 49, who has been playing the course for about 20 years, credited a hot putter with the blistering round. He made a 30-footer at No. 13 to begin a run of four straight birdies that got him to 8 under. After the 15-footer fell at No. 16, Wood thought to himself, "I’d give 100 bucks for two pars right now." He made an easy 3 for par at No. 17, then found the middle of the fairway on the difficult 18th. It left the 1-handicapper a 195-yard 5-iron to the middle of the green. Two putts later, he had the record. "That was the toughest shot of the day," he said of the approach shot. "I was kind of shaking at the time." Among the highlights were a chip-in on No. 1 for birdie and a par at No. 7, where "you feel like you stole a shot when you make a par." Wood’s playing partners were Charlie McFarland, Jim McMeen and David Oas. "They were giving me the silent treatment the last couple of holes," says Wood. "I think they were more nervous than I was." Norm Homeier has the professional course record of 61, which he set two years ago. THERE’S A PICTURE in Danny Coughlin’s office that depicts how far Stewart Meadows Golf Course has come in a decade. The trees, freshly planted, are staked, but the stakes are taller. There’s little to impede the view across the 66-acre parcel, and no place for 39 sand traps, four ponds and a creek to hide. The picture was taken a month before the nine-hole course opened to the public on May 29, 1994. Yup, 10 years ago today. "You used to be able to look across the golf course and see everything," says Coughlin, who has been head pro at "The Meadows" from the beginning. "It was like looking across three or four football fields." Not so today. The trees have grown up and become factors: At the No. 2 tee box, the shortcut up the third fairway has become precarious; at No. 6, two willows on the pond peninsula have rendered that bailout area useless; and on No. 9, trees lining the right side have cinched up the route to the green. "I’ve watched it go from being a very user-friendly golf course to actually having a little more teeth as the trees have gotten up," says Coughlin. "I really believe the trees just started coming into play the last couple of years, and they’re really going to come into play in another five years." There have been a few changes over the years. The No. 2 tee box was built up, expanded and fortified with brickwork; the No. 4 and No. 7 tees were redone; and the No. 6 tee was leveled to provide more usable area. Two willows each were planted by the No. 4 and 6 ponds. "We added a lot of willows in the wet spots," says Rod Smith, greens superintendent. "They draw the water in better. They don’t die as much in the moisture and wet weather as your other trees. You don’t get root rot." Much of the labor now has to do with creating new drain lines. "We’re always working on drainage," says Smith. "Aesthetically, we haven’t done a lot besides the trees. You put a few in, take a few out." Among the other areas that have improved are sand traps and the greens themselves. "They’ve improved the sand dramatically in the last few years," says Herb Burrow, who has played the course from the beginning. "They put in a different kind that’s much more playable." Ken Gentry cited the maturation of the greens, which used to get torn up on approach shots because the root system hadn’t developed. "Now," he says, "you can fix ball marks and make them look brand new again." The course is now thriving with an active men’s club, twilight league, ladies’ club and senior days twice a week that attract about 250 players each day. Stewart Meadows is not the most difficult course in Southern Oregon, but it’s getting tougher with each season. "I’ve had guys tell me that it’s too short and too easy," says Gentry. "I said, ‘You just come out and play it. There’s a lot of trouble out there.’" It’s been 10 years in the making. AN ADDITION to the No. 1 tee area at Stewart Meadows will put the course in pretty good company. A conversation-piece sign will be erected featuring arrows pointing toward famed courses and the number of miles to get there. Kapalua, 2,455. Pebble Beach, 399. Pumpkin Ridge, 225. Augusta National, 2,292. Pinehurst, 2,368. Oh, and Stewart Meadows, 0. ANYONE WHO checked the long-drive sign on the fourth hole at Eagle Point Golf Course during the Youth for Christ tournament last Saturday might have done a double take. The sign was just past the right-side sand trap on the par-5 hole, and the name on it was Trina Rasmussen. Rasmussen, the reigning women’s club champion at Rogue Valley Country Club, hit from the ladies’ tees but still got off a monster tee shot in the morning group. By the end of the day, which included a full flight of afternoon teams as well, only one other player — Mike Rust — surpassed her. "I’ve been hitting my drives fairly well," she admits. In fact, she would have won the long drive on No. 18 by a huge margin, but she used a tee upgrade — it moved her 25 yards up — and therefore was ineligible for the contest on the No. 1 handicap hole. Rasmussen’s goal is to get her game in shape to play in the Oregon Amateur. "I know I have it in me," says the 39-year-old, who carries a 6 handicap. "It wouldn’t be this year, but hopefully next year. I want to go and be able to compete. I’m not saying I’m going to win it, but I want to be able to play at that level. I need to get down to scratch at least. That’s my goal." Rasmussen’s tournament play is mostly confined to the club championship, which she’s won twice, and the Southern Oregon, in which she’s been ousted in close matches against Johnna Nealy and Pam Hubbard the past couple years. Nealy shot 4 under and beat Rasmussen, who shot 2 under, in last year’s quarterfinals. The year before, Hubbard beat Rasmussen in the semifinals on the 19th hole. Have a local golf story idea? Reach sports editor Tim Trower at 776-4479, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. 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