Welcome
Valley Widers,
Less than a week now from Year 15 of the best weekend of the year.
We look forward to the breeze — sometimes howling winds — of the Northern California coast. The walk through the marshlands of holes 15 through 18 as the sun sets in its final location. The solitude of the giant coast redwoods. The echoing of that recognizable knock when we hit one dead center.
We are testing out a new format this year — it's described in the pages that follow. We hope it raises the excitement level for all.
See you on the tee,
Matthew & Dustin
This Year's Format
Each round is a 16-golfer field split into two 8-man teams via snake draft. Every point counts toward the weekend-long chase for Champion Golfer of the Year.
Captains & the draft
For Round 1, the organizers assign two captains and communicate them out to the group. For Rounds 2, 3, and 4, the group votes on two captains each night. Each captain then snake-drafts 7 teammates to build an 8-man team.
- Round 1 draft: Wednesday, September 30 at 5:00 PM. Teams communicated immediately after. (Late Thursday tee times and long travel from Bakersfield and elsewhere make an on-site draft impractical.)
- Rounds 2–4: Draft held the night before each round.
Play & scoring
All rounds are scramble golf — gross scores only, no handicaps. The team format shifts on Saturday.
Rounds 1, 2, and 4 (4-man scramble): Each 8-man team assembles two foursomes. Each foursome plays and posts its own score.
- 1 point per player on the single lowest-scoring foursome of the round.
- 1 point per player on the 8-man team with the lowest cumulative score of the round.
Round 3 at Northwood (2-man scramble): The 8-man draft happens the same way, but each team splits into four 2-man pairs. All eight pairs play a 2-man scramble.
- 1 point per player on each of the two lowest-scoring pairs of the round.
- 1 point per player on the 8-man team with the lowest cumulative score of the round.
A player on both a winning group and the winning 8-man team earns 2 points that round.
Friday bowling — the Black Ball Bonus
After Friday's round and dinner we head to Windsor Bowl for a standalone bowling event with its own draft. Cliff Alapa subs in for Rich Rhodes as the 16th bowler.
Bowling captains are Cliff, Matthew, Dustin, and Jason. Each drafts a 4-man team from the remaining bowlers, then all four teams roll a 2-game series.
The winning 4-man team earns the Black Ball Bonus for Saturday's round: each winning bowler receives one "black ball" mulligan.
- Redeemable at any time during Saturday's scramble, off the green only (no putts).
- When played, the black ball becomes the team's ball in play — the team must proceed from wherever it lands, regardless of where the original team shot ended up.
No golf points are awarded for bowling. But a mulligan in the pocket should meaningfully raise a bowler's stock in Saturday's draft.
Champion Golfer of the Year
Individual points accumulate across all four rounds. The player with the most cumulative points at the end of Sunday's round is crowned Champion Golfer of the Year. No prize — just the satisfaction of the title.
Schedule
Day 1 — Thursday, October 1
- 1:00 PM Arrive at The Links at Bodega
- 2:00 PM Round 1 tee times begin
- After golf Dinner at Fishetarian, then back to the houses
Day 2 — Friday, October 2
- 12:00 PM Round 2 tee times begin at The Links at Bodega
- After golf Freshen up at the houses
- Evening Drinks & eats at Russian River Brewing (Windsor)
- Later Bowling at Windsor Bowl — Black Ball Bonus for Saturday on the line (Cliff subs in for Rich)
Day 3 — Saturday, October 3
- 11:15 AM Depart the houses for Monte Rio
- 12:30 PM Round 3 tee times begin at Northwood Golf Club (2-man scramble)
- After golf Dinner at Wonderland Pizza in Monte Rio, then back to the house
Day 4 — Sunday, October 4
- Morning Pack up and check out of the houses before the round
- 8:30 AM Round 4 (final) tee times begin at The Links at Bodega
- After golf See you next year