The 2024 Winter Cup was set to be contested at Eagle Ridge Golf Club  in Summerville, Florida on February 10th and 11th. The Villages, a massive retirement community, was only minutes away. 40 golfers traveled from all over the USA to Florida. Several Villagers as well as residents from different parts of Florida also participated in the fun-filled event.

 

The event started off with a draft party where several WC participants and non-golfers gathered together to watch Captains Kevin Hall and Brandon Babineux select their teams. The party was held at Gator Dockside in the beautiful Village Square of Spanish Springs. Both captains alternated their picks until two teams of 20 golfers each were set. Hall and Babineux displayed two different strategies when it came to selecting their teams. Hall went with selecting as many Florida golfers as he could while Babineux focused on handicaps. After an hour of discussion and picks, the teams were set.

 

Beautiful, sunny weather greeted the golfers on Saturday as golfers gathered at Eagle Ridge and excitement was in the air. Several golfers went to the range or the putting green to warm up while others chose to go to the 19th hole to relax and chat. The formats for the competition were scramble for the first nine holes and shambles for the second nine. In the scramble format, each team of two golfers would play their shots, select their best shot and continue in that fashion until the ball was in the hole. In shambles, the two golfers would play their tee shots and select the best one. From there, they would play their own ball all the way. Handicaps were also factored in. Captain Hall’s Red Team scored 109 points to Captain Babineux’s Blue Team 90 points.

 

Gorgeous weather greeted us yet again for Sunday’s individual match play. Both captains would decide which golfer from their team compete against a golfer from the other team. Captains Hall and Babineux chose to face off against each other. Hall got off to a fast start on the first nine holes, building a large lead. With the match seemingly getting away from Babineux, he finally woke up and found his game. Babineux mounted a comeback and played stellar golf on the back 9 while a reeling Hall fought a balky driver and a cold putter. The match ended up being tied. The Blue team tried to rally and overcome the 19 point deficit with several matches being blowouts but in the end, the gap was too much. The Red team pulled out the victory with 305.5 points against the Blue team’s 289.5 points. Captain Hall’s strategy paid off as the Florida golfers earned the bulk of points. Kelly Maggi earned the most points with 28, scoring 14.5 points in the individual match as well as 13.5 points with partner Dennis Berrigan.

 

The general consensus was that the 2024 Winter Cup was a success as everyone had a lot of fun and the golf course provided a lot of variety with the four nines. Golfers were already looking forward to the 2025 WC as it will be held yet again in Florida, date and location to be determined. It is possible we will return to Eagle Ridge although it will not be scheduled during Super Bowl weekend!!