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Winners of Verandah’s inaugural ladies invitational enjoy bubbly trophy
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FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 28, 2012) – Verandah resident and winning golfer Martha Jakowlew plans to wait to savor the sweet taste of victory – literally. As the overall champion of the inaugural 2012 Verandah Ladies Invitational, Jakowlew and her guest and teammate Carol Lago received oversized bottles of champagne etched, just like a trophy, with details of the event, the Verandah Club logo and the declaration of their No.1 ranking.
“We’re saving the champagne until we can celebrate together,” said Jakowlew who’s already planning to defend her title next year. “It was such a thrill to win the inaugural event.”
Jakowlew and Lago, members of the same country club in their hometown of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, beat seven other flight twosomes to claim the club championship – and the champagne trophy – during the March 8-9 invitational.
The popularity of the women’s golf program at Verandah, the 1,456-acre master-planned community along the Orange River in Fort Myers, prompted the club to consider a larger event for the ladies, said Nathan Groce, director of golf at Verandah Club.
“The men’s member-guest tournament is our big event of the year, and we wanted to do something special for the ladies,” he said. “We wanted to create a unique event so members could show off Verandah to their guests and provide an experience they would remember the rest of their lives.”
The 36-hole better-ball tournament attracted 112 golfers – 56 Verandah golf members and their guests – and included a putting contest and the three-hole shootout among the top eight flight winners to determine the grand champions.
A tie at the last hole between the Jakowlew/Lago team and Sandie Pearl and Pat Aboia forced a chip-off.
“The shootout was nerve-wracking because everyone was watching us play,” said Jakowlew, who took up golf 15 years ago and was a member of the event’s planning committee. “The invitational was absolutely fantastic; we had almost a full field.”
“The members’ guests were from all over the country and Canada,” said Groce. “Some came down just to play.”
The ladies’ invitational also included an opening-night Italian bistro-themed buffet dinner featuring a magician. The following day, competitors enjoyed both breakfast and lunch together and received a gift bag of Footjoy shoes, balls and gloves. A raffle paid the winner’s entry fee.
Flight winners received an etched bottle of wine.
“The idea is that you drink the wine and keep the bottle as the trophy,” said Groce.
Verandah offers two world-class courses. Old Orange, Verandah’s first 18-hole championship golf course designed by award-winning golf course architect Bob Cupp, was inspired by the spectacular oak trees throughout the site. Whispering Oak, the challenging but beginner-friendly course, was designed by Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II.
Verandah offers villa homes and estate, custom and traditional single-family homes in a variety of neighborhoods, including homes available for immediate occupancy. Home and homesite packages are priced from the low $190,000s to more than $1 million, and pricing on custom homesites now starts in the $50,000s.
For more information, visit Verandah’s information center, located two miles east of I-75 on State Road 80, call 866-694-7199 or log onto www.Verandah.com.
2012 Verandah Ladies Invitational flight results:
Flight 1
Net – Pat Terry, Theresa Flynn
Gross – Lee Meyers, Amy Hoffman
Flight 2
Net – Martha Jakowlew, Carol Lago
Gross – Terry Errico, Kathy Reines
Flight 3
Net – Vickie House, Nancy Klausing
Gross – Deb Jansen, Barbara Hanson
Flight 4
Net – Jenny Gibson, Joan Rice
Gross – Liz Grader, Chris Myers
Flight 5
Net – Karen Evanoka, Beverly VanDerzee
Gross – Mary Ann Schoen, Ginger Micksch
Flight 6
Net – Sandie Pearl, Pat Aboia
Gross – Gretchen Gielty, Danene Krueger
Flight 7
Net – Kay Groves, Sophia Harrison
Gross – Christy Douglas, Charlene Fuhrman
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