Ariel’s winning team members were (from left) Jan Helyer, Derek Greenslade, Bruce Miller, Garry Helyer, John Berkaw, Steve Hooper, Cookie Smith (captain), Wally Gold, Lou Kapp, Rick Brown, Tom Jones, and Lana Greenslade.
The 12-member team from Ariel won the biggest golf event of the year as they finished first among the 180 players in The Landings Intervillage Golf Challenge. The contest was incredibly close as teams one through five were separated by just two points.
Ariel claimed the top prize for the first time with a final tally of 134.3. They barely eked out a victory over Steamboat Bend East by finishing just three-tenths of a point ahead of their worthy opponents, who finished at 134.6. The competition remained close for the next three teams. Clipper Cove was third, with a score of 135.3, Steamboat Bend finished fourth at 135.8, and Riverside was fifth at 136.3. All players on the top five teams were rewarded with dollars to spend at The Landings Golf Pro Shop.
Fifteen villages competed in the 2026 event, all featuring three teams of four players competing against each other. After the scorecards were turned in, the golf pro staff computed the final tally after adjusting for each player’s handicap. The winning teams were not always comprised of a village’s best players; lowest scores came from those who played better than normal on that day.
The members of the Ariel team were John Berkaw, Rick Brown, Wally Gold, Lana and Derek Greenslade, Jan and Garry Helyer, Steve Hooper, Tom Jones, Lou Kapp, Bruce Miller and team captain Carol (Cookie) Smith. This team might also have won honors for total combined ages of the players since two have celebrated their 90th birthdays.
The talented Steamboat Bend East teams played well in finishing with a score of 134.6. Team members were Dick Cooper, Jim Demers, Carol Donohue, Dick Langton, Brian Londergan, Dennis McNamara, Fred Muhleman, MaryKay O’Hara, Jerry Poissant, Jessie Shipp, Ty Tylander, and Jo Wagner. Both the first and second place Village teams were captained by females: Carol Donohue was Steamboat Bend East’s leader.
The rest of the teams finished in this order: 6. Flagship 140.7, 7. Windjammer 141.3, 8. Sunset Harbor 142.1, 9. Schooner 143.2, 10. Harbortown 144.0, 11. Trawler 144.1, 12. Sunset Cove 145.3, 13. Longboat 146.6, 14. Lighthouse 148.0, and 15. Mariner’s Cove 148.5.
Pro shop certificates for $25.00 were given on four holes for closest to the pin, two for women and two for men. Women’s winners were Ann Spang on #2 at 6’11”, and Denise McNamara on #11 at 4’7” from the hole. Men’s winners were Brian Terrell on #3 at 6’2” and David Denk on #14 who was only nine inches away from the hole!
A festive dinner was held in the Main Deck of the Helm Club after the event. That’s when all the winners were announced in dramatic fashion, starting with the last team and working up to the winner. The food and beverage team did an excellent job of keeping all the participants happy as they waited for the results. Golfers are already planning their revenge for next year.
