freddy's fairway thoughts
By Fred Seely
The Jacksonville Area Golf Association elected its 2022 officers at its annual meeting at Deerwood. The new officers are (from left) Vincent Celestino, secretary, Marsh Creek Country Club; Billy Walker, treasurer, Cimarrone Golf Club; Jay Johnstone, Sawgrass Country Club, co-VP Tournaments; John Tancredi, Marsh Landing Country Club, VP Administration; and Jeff Adams, TPC Sawgrass, president. Not pictured is Gregg Deiboldt, Sawgrass, co-VP Tournaments.
Northeast Florida’s annual awards are presented by the Jacksonville Area GA and recognize those who have made a difference in our golf community. The 2020 award winners were announced last month and were (from left) Chester Stokes of Marsh Landing, Long-Time Service Award; Shannon Wheeler of Plantation Country Club, Superintendent of the Year; Richard Blackston and Dr. Justine Wheeler of the Moore-Myers Children’s Fund, Community Service Award; Billy Walker of Cimarrone Golf Club, JAGA Director of the Year; Melanie Bevill of Hyde Park Golf Club, Club Executive of the Year; and Mike Broderick of Deerwood Country Club, Professional of the Year.
Former PGA Tour executive Duke Butler III (right) and family ran the JAGA Family Championship at Jax Beach Golf Club last month with 172 players. He’s with John Monahan, father of PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, and Santa Claus. 50
The father-daughter pair of Scott and Kaitlyn Schroeder won the JAGA Family Championship for the second straight year. He’s the golf coach at the University of North Florida; she’s the Florida girls champ and the second-ranked player nationally in the class that will enter college in 2023. Oink! The feral pig problem isn’t limited to the well-publicized challenges in East Texas. While the porkers haven’t attacked Florida courses to a great extent, they’re here and they aren’t going away without a fight. Several courses in the Northeast part of the state report problems with the pigs tearing up the grass at night. If there’s a bright spot here, it’s that they don’t seem to care to root up greens. Getting rid of them is difficult. They’re big, they come out at night, and they’re fast. It’s also against the law to shoot them in most populated areas. Poison isn’t a solution, either, as that might affect other (and more friendly) animals. The Texas farmers have a weapon though it’s a lot of trouble and doesn’t get rid of a whole lot of the critters. It’s a circular fence that’s suspended on poles. The farmer puts corn in the middle, sets up a night score and waits until the herd find the corn. Then the circular fence is dropped remotely, trapping the pigs. It then becomes a shooting gallery. Can’t imagine a golf course doing this. But, who thought that pigs would be a problem? Arab vs. Arab The big publicity has been the PGA Tour vs. the Arabs, but be advised that it’s not the only competition coming from the Golf Central • Volume 22, Issue 9
