After losing by one stroke last year, Coach Bobby Olmstead and the kids creamed the cronies this year by winning eleven under par at the second annual Turtleback Open 18-hole scramble held last Sunday.

And that’s not all.

This year, they were competing against 17 other teams versus nine last year, and competition was tough. Twelve teams came in under par with Team Gudgell (Wally Gudgell, Greg Griffin, Steve Bailey and Chris Dolan) placing second with nine under, and last year’s winners (Leonard Wood, Dick Rudd, Pete Huie and Kent Sawyer) coming in third with minus seven. Longest drive was won by Terry Moran Hodge and closest to the pin was Neil Sharkey.

But everyone was a winner on this sunny Orcas Sunday at the Orcas Island Country Golf Club. More than $2,000 was raised for the care and maintenance of Turtleback Mountain. Club Manager, Nikki Freeman, and her crack staff served up a delicious barbecue and buffet dinner while door prizes galore were handed out. The clubhouse deck was filled at dinnertime, and everything from a round-trip airline ticket and a timeshare vacation to a champagne cruise for six was bid upon and awarded at the silent auction.

“It looks like the good old days at the course are back,” said Liz Clark and Geoff Lemon, long-time members of the club.

There’s more to come for die-hard golf enthusiasts with the All Island Ladies Scramble coming up on July 22, another “Nine, Wine and Dine” on Aug. 3, and the Members Tournament in September. The Club will also be the venue of this year’s Orcas Center Fundraiser, and there’s buzz about an inter-island competition against the Lopez and San Juan Island clubs. A photo slideshow of folks at the Turtleback Open and other golf news and events can be found at www.orcasgolf.com.