Potthoff cards another hole-in-one
Nick Potthoff is one golf instructor who can tell his students to do what he says and what he does.
The Spring Creek instructor sank a hole-in-one on the par 4, 265-yard No. 7 hole at Coyote Creek in Bartonville on May 22. He was playing in the Friendship House Benefit Golf Outing with Courtney Barr, Lynne Keinkle and Chris Doscatch, all of Peoria.
This was hardly a new event for Potthoff. Now 29, he’s shot a total of six holes-in-one, the first at age 12, and then at 16, 21, 23 and 26. He’s had three aces on his home course at Spring Creek, one at Royal Links and one in Crestwick Country Club in Blooming-ton.
Potthoff says it’s al “because of a lot of swing and lots of luck.”
• Dandy Don: Appar-ently retirement suits Don Carlson just fine. The retired Princeton and St. Bede coach made his second hole-in-one in a month when he aced hole No. 8 on the Jacaranda course at Cane Garden Country Club in Florida. He used a pitching wedge to cover the 111 yards.
“I probably won’t get another one, but it’s nice to have more than one,” Carlson said.
• A hole-in one to remember: Memorial Day 2008 will be a day on the golf course Mike Leone surely remembers. The Spring Valley golfer recorded a hole-in-one on the 166-yard, No. 9 hole at Spring Creek with his 3 wood. It was witnessed by Sam Leone and Vince Leone of Spring Valley and Anthony Leone of Rolling Meadows.
• 3-rivers tournament: The final round of the 3-Rivers men’s golf tournament will be held at Wyaton Hills in Princeton. The first round will be played at Sunset Hills in Mount Morris on Saturday.
Wyaton will have five teams, including #1 Curt Yelm and Max Halberg Jr. 71, #2 Fred Kimberley and grandson Mason Kimber-ley, 73; #3 Bill Webster and son Eric Webster, 74, #4 Mike Prendergast and Egan Hicks, 76; #5 Scott Bicker-man and Randy Wright, 77. Jason Fox and Rob Watson, 79, are the alternates.
• Senior Tour: The area senior men’s tour will tee up at Rock River Country Club on Monday. Golfers should preregister by calling (815) 625-0925.
• Wyaton Hills: Gary Lucas shared low gross honors (36) with Max Halberg Jr and Curt Yelm and took low net (29) in the Wyaton Wednesday league ... Connie Hoffman had a low gross 44 and Brenda had a low net 30 for the Wyaton ladies.
• Spring Creek: Barb Mertes (A Class), Pavia DeFoe (B) and Marge Lehn (C) were Play of the Day winners for high net.
• Hunter’s Ridge Ladies: Louis Thompson took both low gross (45) and low net (31) in this week’s play with Lynn Farley scoring a birdie. The Drivers lead the team standings.
• Teeing up: The Illinois Valley Junior Golf League starts Friday at Spring Creek Golf Course in Spring Valley. There are age divisions for boys and girls with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Ages 6-8 will play five shortened holes, ages 9-11 will play nine shortened hoes and ages 12-17 will play nine holes. Weekly preregistration is required by 5 p.m. Thursday prior to Friday golf by calling the proshop at (815) 894-2137. ... A qualifying tournament for the Big I Junior National Finals will be held June 20 at Spring Creek. It is open to all golfers who have not turned 19 before Aug. 8 and has not attended college. Local winners will earn a spot in the Illinois finals on July 16-17 in Pekin. Entry forms are available at local courses or by calling Dick Martuzzo at (815) 223-0277.
