By Ken Barhorst
Shelby Oaks club pro Rob Fridley announced it during the awards presentation for the 2016 Shelby County Open.
And now it’s a reality.
After years of being a two-day event, this year’s County Open will be only one day. It will still be played at both the Oaks and the Moose, but it will all take place on Sunday, July 16.
It will be a 27-hole event, which is also a change from the past, when golfers played 18 at the Oaks and 18 at the Moose.
“We will play 18 at the Oaks and then redo the pairings,” Fridley said. “The top golfers will finish up last and play at the Moose.”
Fridley says the logistics have been worked out. Now he just has to hope that Mother Nature is a golf fan, at least on that day.
The plan is for the first flight to start at 7:30 a.m. at Shelby Oaks, where they will play 18 holes. Fridley said they should be done with their round at around 1:30, and then make the short trip back to town to play nine more holes at the Moose, starting at 2:30.
The second and third flights will have a shotgun start beginning at 8 a.m. and play nine holes at the Moose. Fridley expects them to be finished with their round by 10:45, and they will then proceed to the Oaks and play 18 more holes starting at 11:30.
“It’s pretty well figured out as far as the logistics,” Fridley said. “Obviously, we will probably have to have some serious rules and regulations on how we handle a rain delay. So we will have every situtation in black and white by the time the tournament comes around.”
The reason for the change is simple — something needed to be done because of a drastic drop in the number of golfers taking part in the Open. Fridley said that back in the ’90s, the Open attracted well over 100 golfers. Last year when the tee times were posted, there were just 42 names on the list.
“The truth is, I think people enjoy watching more than playing,” he said. “I really believe that people have been signing up in past years thinking ‘where is this flight playing?’ They want to get a better tee time so they have more of an opportunity to watch the first flight and drink a refreshment.
“The second reason is that in the past, the golfers have had to be away from their families for two days,” he added. “And the third reason, the economy is going great guns right now and a lot of people work on Saturdays. The drop in numbers made us feel like we had to do something, and I would assume we’ll get more golfers doing it this way.”
Fridley admitted that he has concerns about it being on Sunday because of church services. But, as he said, “that has always been there” in the past. So it came down to choosing between Saturday and Sunday for the one day, and he thinks Saturdays have more activities that golfers would have to try to work around.
“I try not to fix things if they aren’t broken, and I think the County Open is broken,” Fridley said. “So we needed to try something. I think this will work out, but we might have to make adjustments, if people start complaining that 27 holes is too much for them in one day. If that happens, we might have to cut it back to 18 holes. But my goal is to always incorporate the Moose because I think it makes this a unique tournament with both courses being played.”
He said if things go right, golf should be done by 6 p.m. on that Sunday. If rain interferes, Fridley said the tournament will conclude in some fashion on that day.
“So far everybody is optimistic,” he said. “They are wanting to try it and I haven’t gotten too much negative feedback. I’m sure we’ll get more after the tournament is over.”
And as if there won’t be enough tournament golf taking place on that Sunday, the annual Ladies Shelby County Open is also scheduled for Shelby Oaks on July 16. The ladies will play 18 holes and start at 9:30 a.m.
Signups are underway for both events.
Bob Fridley Junior Tournament — Signups have also begun for the annual Bob Fridley Junior Golf Tournament, which will be held on July 17 at Shelby Oaks.
There will be three flights, including ages 10, 11 and 12 playing nine holes, ages 13 and 14 playing 18 holes, and ages 15, 16 and 17 playing 18 holes.
