Happy New Year!

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays and is looking forward to a prosperous and golf-filled year in 2023!

As I have stated many times, we are always looking for ways to increase the amount of golf available to our members so we are initiating a new Friday League play at Bonita Fairways starting this Friday! Thanks to Judy Kotorak as she will be coordinating this league for the Chapter.

Remember to bookmark the calendar so you don’t miss any of the wonderful events we have planned for our members!

If you have any ideas for more golf events, or if you would like to volunteer to help out, please let me know.

Patty Gift 

LPGA Amateur Golf Association

SWFL Chapter President

2023 LPGA Amateurs SWFL Chapter Board Members

Pembroke Pines

Mildred Boyer

Wellington

Michelle Meehan

Bonita Springs

Jennifer Shoemaker

Mary Ann Shockley

Kimberly Mulryan

Cape Coral

Sonya Fellows

Linda Cash

Naples

Katherine Parris

Tammy Boone

Marian Koval

Deanne Brandstetter

Illinois

Marilee Viola

Indiana

Ann Davis

Massachusetts

Christine Whitman

Kathy Labrie

New York

Patty Pitts

Cathy Guida

Texas

Bridget Kimichik

What a great turn out for the 2022 Jingle Bell Open at Cypress Woods Golf and Country Club. 

It was great to see so many new members participate in this annual FUN event.

We had 100 players participating this year, trying their luck putting with a Candy Cane, hitting a tee shot with a baseball bat or tennis racket, trying to hit the same club from tee to green, trying their luck hitting the tee shot with oven mitts on or making Eagles or Birdies with Santa's Helper hitting the approach shot.

Ladies Net Division scores were very close & a few required score card playoffs:

1st place - Judy Kotarak, Kim Thompson, Betty Amend and Janet Greene

2nd place - Kathleen Millard, Dayle Deangelo and Stephanie Wagoner

3rd place - Eileen Dexheimer, Reiko Powderly, Susan Born and Lori Koss

4th place - the team of Susan Welter, Kay Russell and Mary Michno

5th place - Carol Mirando, Paula Congiu, Margaret Costa and Carole Boivin

Ladies Gross Division:

1st - Patty Gift, Barb Murtagh, Jennie Taylor and Kerstin Koenig

2nd - Sue Kennedy, Dee Anderson, Charleene Wiseman and Sandra Secora

Mixed Team Division:

1st - Kim and Bill Goodwin and Joan and Kyle Kelley who just edged out

the team of Christine Fabretti, Al Atkinson, Leslie and David Nuttall

Our closest to the pin winners:

Carol Mirando, Peggy Meyerowitz, Susan Welter,and Carol Borski.

We saw some great costumes in the Spirit of the Season - from the Holiday Bakers with Home Made Cookies, to the Snowflakes, to the Christmas Trees, to the Hanukkah Gnomes, to the Rastafarians, to the Dutton Ranch Girls and so many more.

In the end " Reindeer" Judy Hughes and the "Elves" Team of Willa Belcher, Pat Genutis, Pat Wheeler and Pauline Whelan won the prizes for merriest outfits.

Another highlight was the Heads and Tails "competition" to win 2 roundtrip airline tickets donated by Variety Travel - Joan Kelley beat Faith Matous in the final showdown. Thank you Jennie Taylor for facilitating.

Players, thank you very much for your participation and your support of the Pace Center of Girls.

Not only did we send Marianne Kearns, Executive Director at the Pace Center for Girls, home with a car full of items from the girls wish list, gift cards and member cash donations, but we were also able to donate a total of $3000 to their Holiday Fund! Your generosity makes such a positive difference to the girls, and we greatly appreciate it. 

A special thanks to ALL the volunteers that helped to make this event such a success and to Cypress Woods for hosting the 2022 LPGA Amateurs SWFL Chapter Jingle Bell Open.

Save these dates - Details to Come - Registration Opening Soon!

Monday January 23 - Ladies' Golf Night

5:30p - 8p - PGA Superstore, Naples

Thursday February 9 - Rules & Etiquette Seminar with Q&A

6p - 8:30p - Quail Village Clubhouse, Naples

All Event or League Play registration credit card charges

will appear on your credit card statement as:

CPP*SOUTHWEST FLORIDA

When a Member 'disputes' a registration charge,

the Chapter is charged a $25 fee for each disputed transaction 

We ask you to please be mindful of this - going forward, the $25 fee for disputing a legitimate charge will be passed on to the member

January 28, 2023 - Stoneybrook Golf Club in Estero

 Tee times start at 12:37 pm off #1 and #10

The format will be a 4-person SHAMBLE competition

Each foursome may select 1 playing partner

with the other 2 being assigned by handicap

Cost to play is $90 - Registration opens 1/10 & closes 1/24

Please contact Michelle Riordan for details - [email protected]

We have 4, WAIT...FIVE Winter Leagues running in the 2023 season. We've just added a new Friday League at Bonita Fairways; see below for more details.

Please note that there will be ONE email announcement each week with the dates/times for the play that week.

Take note of the Registration Open/Close windows for each event and sign up as registration opens. 

Saturday @ Stoneybrook

Tee times: Generally start around 9am

Coordinator: Mary Kaye Ruth ([email protected])

18 holes, Weekly (as scheduling permits)

Saturday @ Quail Village  

Tee times: Start at 1pm

Coordinator: Kerstin Koenig ([email protected])  

18 holes, Twice a Month as follows:

Jan 7 and 21

Feb 4 and 18

Mar 11 and 25

Apr 8 and 22

Tuesday @ Hibiscus Nine & Dine

Tee times: Start at 2:30pm

Coordinator: Mary Erickson ([email protected])

9-holes only, Weekly 

Historically, players have enjoyed food and beverages at Mulligans after the round

Wednesday @ Quail Run

Tee times: Start at 12pm

Coordinator: Susan Aborn ([email protected])

18-holes, Weekly

Friday @ Bonita Fairways: 

Tee times: Start at 10:58. 

Coordinator: Judy Kotarak ([email protected])

18-holes, Weekly

This newly added league will play a challenging executive course with great opportunities to work on your short game! Many thanks to Judy for volunteering to run this new league!

Watch for further updates on the LPGA Amateurs SWFL Event Calendar

While our SWFL Full-timers are now familiar with our new registration software, it will feel a bit different for our returning Snowbirds. 

Everyone will want to bookmark our Master Calendar which contains all upcoming events/play dates and is updated frequently:  LPGA Amateurs SWFL Event Calendar

Each event will have a CLICK HERE link that takes you to the registration page for the event and provides further details about the event. When you click on that link, the system will ask you to sign in with your EZ userid & password and then will ask you who you are registering (usually Yourself unless you are registering a guest).

Then, you'll be taken to the event information page which is also the registration page. But you'll only be able to register for the event when registration is open - 7 days prior to day of play and closes 3 days prior to play.



If registration is closed, you'll see this message in red at the top of the page:

Online registration is closed. Please see below or contact the administrator

for more information, as other registration options may be available.

Once you register for an event, you'll receive a confirmation email. Please save this email for your records. There will be a $10 administration fee for refunds associated with duplicate registrations.

Please refer any questions related to the calendar of events or registration to Michelle Riordan @ [email protected]

Thank you to those of you who have renewed their GHIN membership for 2023.

There is still time to renew/transfer/create a handicap through the Chapter

Our 2023 GHIN fee is $30.00

Renewal signup deadline for 2023 is 1/11/23

Register Online - Events Calendar (ezfacility.com)

Current Golfnet users, your free handicap service through the

LPGA has been terminated. You are welcome to transfer

your handicap to the Chapter paying the $30.00 fee.

There is no need to transfer your membership if you are currently using your Club's handicap system or if you renewed with the FSGA for 2023.

Please remember: 9 holes or 18 holes - you play - you post!

A driver and a wedge accomplish different jobs. A driver is longer in length

and designed to launch the ball off a tee. A wedge is shorter in length and

more upright, and shot height comes from the loft on the face. By adapting

your set up to the club you are using, you’ve won half the battle.

Using the wedge, picture your swing matching the upright shape

of a Ferris wheel, more of an up and down motion.

Using the driver, picture your swing matching the flatter, rounded shape of a

Merry-go round, more around your body. These images may help give

you a better understanding of swing, rather than specific technical

advice about things such as plane and path.