Golf sees revival after Olympic reinstatement

With the rise and fall of Tiger Woods and the reinstatement of golf for the 2016 summer Olympics, the sport is experiencing a mini revival. The Lambda Links Golf Club is the local LGBT chapter of the sport boasting a membership roster of 80 players. The members play each weekend from April 1 to Oct. 31, rotating weekly between Saturday and Sunday. Membership is $35 and entitles the players to three guest passes for the season and priority tee times for themselves and guests with passes. Also included is eligibility for official United States Golf Association (USGA) handicap as a member of a sanctioned USGA golf club.

The Links play different courses every weekend in the D.C., Maryland, and Virginia metro area utilizing the stroke play format. Matt LaChance, secretary of the Links stated, “The costs range from $40 to $80 for 18 holes depending on the course.” In stroke play, golfers record the number of strokes taken at each of the 18 holes and the player with the lowest score is the winner. When taking the handicap into consideration, the player subtracts their handicap from the total score to generate their net score, and the player with the lowest net score is the winner. Handicaps are essentially a representative of the average over par of a number of a player’s previous above average rounds, adjusted for course difficulty. To keep things interesting, the Lambda Links toss in six special club events during the season, which include a four-person scramble event, a two-person best ball event and the season end club championship.

If you are interested in becoming a member, the Links welcome all skill levels though the following criteria must be met:

• You have played at least five 18-hole rounds of golf.
• You know about pace of play.
• You are familiar with the rules of golf.
• You are familiar with golf etiquette.

Nonmembers may play with the Links for an extra $5 each time. However, nonmembers must wait until Thursday before the playing weekend to request a tee time slot, taking what is still available. A nonmember is a person who does not have a guest pass from a current club member. A nonmember or guest may also participate in the special club events for an extra cost of $10. They may also participate in the club championship but are not eligible for prizes or trophies. The remaining events for the 2010 season are the club championship on Sept. 25 and the Halloween tournament on Oct. 31.

Inquiries can be directed to lambdalinks@yahoo.com Check out the Lambda Links at lambdalinks.org

Gay Games update

A couple of local athletes were omitted from the last column’s Cologne Gay Games medal count: Karen Dixon took gold in golf and power lifting; Jay Walton won two bronze medals in figure skating.