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Published - Thursday, August 23, 2007

Lamb column: Playing for pride not enough for some CVGA players

Bob Lamb | La Crosse Tribune

Bill Rolland is embarrassed.

He shouldn’t be, but his players definitely should.

In case you haven’t heard, the Eau Claire-based Chippewa Valley Golf Association backed out of the eighth annual Challenge Cup against the La Crosse-based Three Rivers Golf Association at Skyline Golf Club in Black River Falls, Wis., on Saturday.

Why? The CVGA has won all but one of the first seven Ryder Cup-type events. However, according to Rolland, who incidentally started the association back in 1957 and has been executive director for all 50 years, playing for pride and spirit of the game just isn’t enough for some players anymore.

Unfortunately, Rolland was the messenger, informing TRGA executive director Margaret “Squib” Olsen several days ago.

“I am so disgusted and I told the players that,” said the 72-year-old Rolland, who with his wife, Beth, have put in thousands upon thousands of hours working to make the CVGA one of the top golf associations in the state.

“In this situation, you play for honor,” Rolland said. “However, the players believe that if you qualify for the Challenge Cup, you shouldn’t have to pay $50.”

The format featured the 12 top point winners from each association competing in a nine-hole, best-ball match, a nine-hole alternate shot match, and individual match play.

Each player was required to pay $50, which included 27 holes of golf with cart, lunch and a shirt.

“I told Margaret to apologize to her players. I’m embarrassed by it,” Rolland said. “A $65 shirt, 27 holes with a cart and lunch weren’t worth it I guess.”

Olsen, a former professional mini-tour player and one of the top amateurs in the Coulee Region before turning pro, agrees with Rolland that some players are forgetting the real reason for playing golf. The Challenge Cup was simply for pride and the spirit of the game.

“That’s what amateur golf is all about,” she said. “The bottom line for me even when I was competing as a pro was still more about the integrity of the game rather than how much money I made.

“Money isn’t as important as protecting the integrity of the game. Are we losing sight of that, I don’t know?” she said. “I don’t want Bill to be embarrassed by this, but those players sure should be.”

Rolland said he usually keeps his cool, but this latest incident was too much.

“I can understand criticism and you would think I’ve had just about every issue in 50 years,” he said.

However, when only seven players agreed to cough up 50 bucks for a day of excellent and friendly competition against the TRGA, Rolland threw up his hands in disgust and made the dreaded phone call to Olsen.

“If there is some kind of infection in some ranks of amateur golf, it seems like it hasn’t infected us as much as the CVGA,” Olsen said.

“You once played to win for honor. The pride factor doesn’t exist anymore” said Rolland, who left for a brief fishing trip to Canada for a few days now that Saturday’s Challenge Cup has been canceled.

“It’s definitely a black eye on the CVGA and I’m not happy about that,” he said.

Meanwhile, Olsen said she is going to try and make lemonade out of lemons at 10 a.m. on Saturday. TRGA Flighted men and women members are partnering for the “Broken Cup,” a friendly 18-hole match play competition.

The top four players from the Men’s First and Third Flights and Women’s Flight, are matched against the Men’s Second, Fourth and Fifth Flights.

Olsen said the event is based on handicaps. Strokes will be given on appropriate holes in the match-ups. The format features partners playing best-ball matches and individual matches within each foursome. There is no alternate shot match play.

“They will be playing for the pride of the Broken Cup,” Olsen said. “We’re doing this just because it’s fun.”

Olsen said the winning team wins a “Broken Loving Cup,” and bragging rights for a year.

Olsen is also adding another twist to this year’s post-tournament celebration. In previous Challenge Cup events, the winning team always celebrated with a bottle of champagne. On Saturday, win or lose, both 12-member teams get to share a bottle of champagne compliments of Olsen.

Bob Lamb can be reached at (608) 791-8228, or at blamb@lacrossetribune.com