Famous Faces Add Spark to Santa Rosa
Celebrities are those persons we come to know and love from the media. We learn about them from watching golf matches, football games, movies and concerts, and we know what the newscasters want us to know. Yet, these famous people bring us a thrill when we see them in real life, especially when playing our Santa Rosa Golf Club.
In September, we were honored to have Mike Shanahan, former head coach of the Denver Broncos and Brandt Snedeker, PGA Tour Pro, choose Santa Rosa for a morning of exceptional golf. Snedeker brought his dad out while vacationing at Watercolor and left us with a new course record of 62. There was a renewed electricity in the air those days as golfers garnered a glimpse of the well-known athletes.
SRGBC Member Bob Slowik, former defensive coordinator for the Broncos, Packers, Browns and Bears, introduced Shanahan to the challenge of Santa Rosa. When asked how he felt about being a celebrity, Slowik said, “I’m not a celebrity – just a hard-working football coach.” He continued, “I have been around celebrities, though, specifically Mike Shanahan, and I can tell you it’s difficult for him not to be recognized.” When asked for the most memorable occasion when famous coach met with best fan, Slowik said Shanahan “always handles all encounters beautifully – he’s just awesome. Whenever I’ve been with him at a restaurant, golf course, or wherever, he schedules extra time to allow for shaking hands and talking to people.”
Another famous football player and coach who takes time for his fans is Bart Starr. Long-time friend and co-Hall-of-Famer Zeke Bratkowski has been in Wisconsin with the Green Bay Packer “Starr” and reports, “The fans are so demanding. It’s awful. But Bart is too polite to ignore them. He’s just that kind of guy.” That selfless charm must come, in part, from being the only player to quarterback a team to five NFL championships and be named most valuable player in the first two Super Bowls.
As for Bratkowski, he doesn’t consider himself a celebrity even though he wears the Super Bowl I ring. He played for the Bears, the Rams and the Packers for 15 seasons and coached for seven more. He is a celebrity in the eyes of his fans – many of whom are SRGBC Members along with him.
Is “celebrityhood” a good thing or a bad thing? Slowik said it’s all relative. “Some people have an entitlement attitude. The ones I know give back a whole lot more.” So the next time you see someone famous at Santa Rosa Golf Club, give a handshake, ask for an autograph and remember to thank them for putting an extra spark in the excitement of playing a round of golf at your home course.
The Handicap Committee is beginning the process of rating the holes for stroke allocation. We need every Member’s help by putting your scorecard in the basket beside the handicap computer. Please include your full name, tee played, and local handicap number. You will still need to enter your own score in the computer.
We were once again the host of the Santa Rosa Fall Finale, an annual girl’s college golf tournament hosted by Huntingdon College. Huntingdon Coach Gwen Watson Checho put on another fantastic event. Although the event was shortened to 18 holes, the girls had a wonderful time. Congratulations to Spring Hill for winning the team competition and to Spring Hill’s Victoria Gonzalez for taking individual honors.
Spring Hill ladies
If you happen to be looking for another fun thing to do on the course give the Scotch Foursome a try on the last Sunday of the month. It’s an opportunity to play with some different people and hopefully make some new golfing friends. Also, any Ladies interested in joining/forming an afternoon Open 9 hole group, please contact Lori in the Golf Shop.
We have some big tournaments coming up in November. The Swingers started things out on November 3rd. The Jingle Bell Classic was a new event played November 7th and 8th. This is an outside event put on by Tony’s Dew Sweepers Radio Show. One of our best events of the year, The NFL, is being held November 14th and 15th. Look for the signup sheet on the bulletin board. And finally, the Cross Country Tournament is being held November 19th at 1 pm. .
See you at the Club!
- Lori & Wade
