Tag: Fun Night

Fun Night #2 is Coming — Rotating Tees, a Blind Draw, and Two-Man Teams on July 22nd

Wednesday, July 22, 2026 · Manor Valley Golf Course · Back Nine · Week 14 — Special Fun Night #2

Just when you thought the Wednesday Fun League had run out of ways to keep things interesting, President David Del Signore drops this on the group chat. Gentlemen — Fun Night #2 is here, and it is going to be a very different kind of Wednesday evening at Manor Valley.

Forget everything you know about your usual tee box. Next Wednesday night, the rulebook gets rewritten hole by hole.

🏌️ The Format — Rotating Tees

This is where it gets fun. Depending on which tees you normally play from, your starting position is going to rotate every hole on the Back Nine — and it repeats through the nine.

Gold Tee Players — here is your rotation starting on the 10th hole:

  • Holes 10, 13, 16 — White Tees ⬜
  • Holes 11, 14, 17 — Gold Tees 🟡
  • Holes 12, 15, 18 — Red Tees 🔴

White Tee Players — your rotation starting on the 10th hole:

  • Holes 10, 13, 16 — Blue Tees 🔵
  • Holes 11, 14, 17 — White Tees ⬜
  • Holes 12, 15, 18 — Gold Tees 🟡

So yes — Gold tee players will be hitting from the Reds on some holes and the Whites on others. White tee players will step up to the Golds on some holes and back to the Blues on others. Every hole is a different challenge. Every hole is a different distance. And every hole is an opportunity to either take advantage of a shorter tee or get absolutely humbled by a longer one.

Come prepared for all three. Or come prepared to adapt. Either works.

🎩 The Blind Draw — Two-Man Teams

After the round, the real drama begins.

There will be a blind draw to form two-man teams for the competition results — and here is the twist. The draw is split into two separate hats based on handicap:

  • Hat #1 — Handicaps 0 to 6
  • Hat #2 — Handicaps 7 and above

One name gets pulled from each hat. That is your two-man team. One low handicapper, one higher handicapper — every pairing balanced, every team competitive. No stacking. No loading up the low sticks together. Just the luck of the draw and whatever Stableford points you can muster on a night where nobody quite knows what tee box they are hitting from next.

It is still Stableford scoring, so play every hole like it counts — because it does. Your individual points from the round are what determine how your two-man team stacks up against the rest of the field. First and second place winners will be crowned on the night.

📋 Quick Reference Card

HoleGold Tee PlayersWhite Tee Players
10⬜ White Tees🔵 Blue Tees
11🟡 Gold Tees⬜ White Tees
12🔴 Red Tees🟡 Gold Tees
13⬜ White Tees🔵 Blue Tees
14🟡 Gold Tees⬜ White Tees
15🔴 Red Tees🟡 Gold Tees
16⬜ White Tees🔵 Blue Tees
17🟡 Gold Tees⬜ White Tees
18🔴 Red Tees🟡 Gold Tees

💡 Strategy Corner — How Do You Play This?

Glad you asked. Here is what Wednesday night is going to look like from a strategy standpoint.

Gold tee players — you are going to love the Red tee holes and you might not love the White tee holes quite as much. The shorter distances on the Reds are an opportunity to attack. The extra yardage on the Whites is a reminder that humility is a virtue. Pick your spots, manage your misses, and do not blow up on the longer holes chasing something you cannot reach.

White tee players — the Gold tee holes are your chance to be the long hitter in the group for once. Enjoy it. The Blue tee holes are the equalizer. Commit to a game plan off the tee and trust your scoring clubs from there.

For everyone: course management is everything on a night like this. You are going to hit shots from positions you have never hit from before. Know your distances from each tee, play to your strengths, keep the ball in play, and let the Stableford format do its job. A bogey still gets you a point. Take your medicine and move on.

🎯 The Blind Draw — Who Do You Want?

Here is the beautiful thing about a split-hat blind draw — strategy goes right out the window the moment the names get pulled. You cannot wish for a specific partner. You cannot engineer a good pairing. You just reach in, pull a name, and figure it out from there.

That said, here is the math: your two-man team’s combined Stableford points determine whether you finish first, second, or somewhere else. So the best thing you can do for your mystery partner is go out there and play the best round of your season. Show up, execute your game plan through three rotating tee boxes, bank as many points as you can, and let the chips — and the names — fall where they may.

📣 A Note from the President

“OK league next week is our second fun night. It’s gonna be a little different but it’s gonna be fun. See you next week and let’s have some fun.”

— David Del Signore, President, Wednesday Fun League

Short, direct, and exactly right. David said everything that needs to be said. Show up, embrace the chaos, play your best Stableford golf, and find out after the round who your partner is going to be. First and second place are on the line. The 19th Hole will be waiting.

See everyone on the 10th tee. Let’s have some fun. ⛳

Wednesday, July 22, 2026 · Manor Valley Golf Course · Back Nine · Stableford scoring · Rotating tees by hole · Blind draw two-man teams after the round · 0–6 handicap hat and 7+ handicap hat · First and second place awarded.

Al Powanda Shoots the Lights Out as the WFL Survives Fun Night With Three Clubs and a Prayer

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 · Manor Valley Golf Course · Front Nine · Week 7 — Special Fun Night

Three clubs. A putter. Nine holes of Manor Valley’s Front Nine. And approximately one hundred bad decisions made on the first tee box.

Welcome to the Wednesday Fun League’s first Fun Night of 2026 — an evening that rewarded creativity, exposed overconfidence, and proved once and for all that golf is harder than it looks even when you already knew that. Twenty-five players showed up with stripped-down bags and oversized ambitions, and the Front Nine had absolutely no mercy.

The results were glorious.

🌟 Top 3 Players of Fun Night

While the rest of the field was making peace with the limitations of a three-club arsenal, Al Powanda (Green Assassins!) apparently did not get the memo that this was supposed to be hard. Playing off a 7 handicap with whatever three clubs he trusted most, Powanda carded 20 Stableford points on a brilliant 41-stroke round — just five over par. That is the highest individual score of the week by a wide margin and one of the finest rounds of the entire season. With three clubs. On a Fun Night. Al Powanda does not care about your rules.

His Green Assassins! teammate David Del Signore claimed second at 17 points — and if you want to talk about the most impressive round of the evening from a pure ball-striking standpoint, David shot 40 strokes, the lowest gross total of anyone in the entire field on the night. Four over par with three clubs off a 3 handicap, no excuses, no hybrid to bail him out. Just golf. The Del Signore household clearly did not struggle with club selection this week.

Third place belonged to a three-way tie at 15 points: Joe Smith (DragonballZ), Bryan Conn (DragonballZ), and Kevin Powanda (Green Assassins!). Joe Smith’s 15 points on a tidy 44-stroke round showed exactly the kind of course management a limited bag demands. Bryan Conn posted the same 15 from 53 strokes — the handicap system doing exactly what it is supposed to do. And Kevin Powanda, like his father Al, simply refused to let three clubs become an excuse.

⛳ Full Results — Week 7 Fun Night

#PlayerTeamHCPStrokesvs ParPts
1Al PowandaGreen Assassins!741+520
2David Del SignoreGreen Assassins!340+417
T3Joe SmithDragonballZ544+815
T3Bryan ConnDragonballZ1453+1715
T3Kevin PowandaGreen Assassins!948+1215
T6Chuck TykeStableford Stars1151+1514
T6Tom BaldwinStableford Stars545+914
T6Jeff HenslerStableford Stars1252+1614
T6Larry DzendzelDragonballZ242+614
T6Randy HobaughPar-Tee Animals242+614
11Jake KovacFour Play546+1013
12Tim TownsendStableford Stars142+613
13Matt SimkovicDragonballZ548+1212
14Rich BabjakGopher Killers952+1611
15Adam PetersFour Play247+1111
16Jeff SiegelGreen Assassins!548+1211
17Ray MaffitPar-Tee Animals650+1410
18Al KabanaGopher Killers1055+1910
19Dwight HelfrichDragonballZ1058+2210
T20John GogetsStableford Stars651+159
T20Jerry MorganGreen Assassins!248+129
T20Matt AnkenyGopher Killers550+149
T20Jim ColinearGopher Killers954+189
24Clay KaradusFour Play1158+227
25Todd MorganGopher Killers149+137

🏅 Top 3 Teams — Fun Night

Top 4 scores per team count toward the weekly team total. All team member scores shown below.

The Green Assassins! flexed their depth in a format designed to level the playing field — and somehow posted 63 team points, their second-best team total of the entire season. Al Powanda’s 20 led the way, David Del Signore added 17, Kevin Powanda chipped in 15, and Jeff Siegel contributed 11 for the counted top four. Jerry Morgan’s 9 just missed the cut but adds to an impressive full-team showing.

DragonballZ had their finest week of the season at 56 points — and it took a Fun Night format to bring it out of them. Joe Smith (15) and Bryan Conn (15) shared the team lead, Larry Dzendzel added 14, Matt Simkovic chipped in 12, and Dwight Helfrich rounded out the roster with 10. All five DragonballZ players in double figures. That is a complete performance on any night, let alone a three-club night.

Third place went to the Stableford Stars at 55 points — consistent and quietly excellent as always. Chuck Tyke (14), Tom Baldwin (14), and Jeff Hensler (14) all tied as the team’s top contributors, Tim Townsend added 13, and John Gogets posted 9 to round out a full five-man showing.

Green Assassins! — 63 pts

PlayerHCPStrokesvs ParPtsCounts?
Al Powanda741+520✅
David Del Signore340+417✅
Kevin Powanda948+1215✅
Jeff Siegel548+1211✅
Jerry Morgan248+129—

DragonballZ — 56 pts

PlayerHCPStrokesvs ParPtsCounts?
Joe Smith544+815✅
Bryan Conn1453+1715✅
Larry Dzendzel242+614✅
Matt Simkovic548+1212✅
Dwight Helfrich1058+2210—

Stableford Stars — 55 pts

PlayerHCPStrokesvs ParPtsCounts?
Chuck Tyke1151+1514✅
Tom Baldwin545+914✅
Jeff Hensler1252+1614✅
Tim Townsend142+613✅
John Gogets651+159—

Gopher Killers — 39 pts

PlayerHCPStrokesvs ParPtsCounts?
Rich Babjak952+1611✅
Al Kabana1055+1910✅
Matt Ankeny550+149✅
Jim Colinear954+189✅
Todd Morgan149+137—

Four Play — 31 pts

PlayerHCPStrokesvs ParPtsCounts?
Jake Kovac546+1013✅
Adam Peters247+1111✅
Clay Karadus1158+227✅

* Four Play had only 3 scorers this week — all three counted.

Par-Tee Animals — 24 pts

PlayerHCPStrokesvs ParPtsCounts?
Randy Hobaugh242+614✅
Ray Maffit650+1410✅

* Par-Tee Animals had only 2 scorers this week — both counted. The team desperately needs more bodies on the tee sheet next Wednesday.

🤔 What Did Everyone Actually Bring?

The million-dollar question going into Fun Night was always club selection — and based on the scorecards, the field took a wide range of approaches.

The low-stroke performers — Del Signore (40), Powanda (41), Dzendzel (42), Hobaugh (42), and Townsend (42) — almost certainly had at least one versatile mid-iron that did heavy lifting across multiple situations. That kind of stroke economy suggests smart, simple selection: something reliable off the tee, a workhorse approach club, and something for around the greens. No frills, no gimmicks, just execution.

On the other end, the players north of 50 strokes — and there were several — likely either gambled with aggressive clubs that left them in trouble, or discovered the hard way that a fairway wood is a terrible chipping club. Both are valuable life lessons.

And then there is Clay Karadus — 58 strokes, 7 points, and a front nine that probably featured at least one moment of staring at his three clubs and wondering which one to use to chip out from underneath a tree. After the ball-in-the-tree incident on hole 13 last week, Clay’s relationship with Manor Valley’s timber is becoming a storyline all its own. We are rooting for you, Clay. Truly.

⏱️ A Word on Pace of Play

Alright, WFL. We need to have a little chat. Pull up a chair. Grab your post-round beverage. This will not take long — and neither should your round.

Pace of play matters. Everyone is out there to have a good time, but nobody’s good time includes standing on a tee box watching the group ahead deliberate endlessly over a pitch shot from 30 yards. Nine holes of Stableford golf should move. Here are the three golden rules:

Play ready golf. If it is safe and you are ready, hit. Do not wait for ceremonial order-of-play if the group is backed up. Ready golf is friendly golf.

Pick up when you are out of points. Once you cannot score on a hole — double bogey is your ceiling in Stableford — there is absolutely no reason to finish the hole. Pick it up, move to the next tee, and keep things rolling. Your group and the group behind you will both appreciate it.

Be ready when it is your turn. Club selected, yardage assessed, routine started. Nobody is expecting a Tour pro pre-shot ritual on a Wednesday evening at Manor Valley. Think on someone else’s shot, not your own.

A good pace of play means everyone finishes before dark, gets to the 19th Hole with time for a proper recap, and leaves in a good mood. That is the goal. Let us keep it moving. ⏩

🔜 Week 8 — Welcome to Period 2: Mid-Season

Wednesday, June 10th is Week 8 — the first night of Period 2: Mid-Season. The Fun Night clubs go back in the trunk, the full bag comes back out, and the competition ramps up with a fresh set of standings to chase.

Period 1 belonged to the Green Assassins! — they earned their Championship berth and carry the momentum of a dominant six-week run. But Period 2 is a clean slate for everyone else. The Gopher Killers, Stableford Stars, DragonballZ, Par-Tee Animals, and Four Play all have something to prove starting next Wednesday night.

New handicaps are in effect. The Back Nine awaits. The competition is fierce. And somewhere on the 13th fairway, there is still a tree that has absolutely no interest in giving Clay Karadus his ball back.

See everyone on the 10th tee Wednesday night. Let’s go. ⛳

Scoring data sourced from official WFL weekly scorecards. Week 7 is a special Fun Night event — 3 clubs plus putter, Front Nine. Team totals use top 4 scores per team. All individual scores shown.

Open post

A Tree, Two Golf Balls, and One Very Unlucky Tee Shot on 13

Wednesday Fun League · Manor Valley Golf Course · Hole 13 · Back Nine

In the long and storied history of the Wednesday Fun League, players have found water, found bunkers, found the woods, and found ways to make a simple par-5 look extraordinarily complicated. But on a warm Wednesday evening at Manor Valley, Clay Karadus achieved something that belongs in an entirely different category of misfortune. He found a tree. Not the rough near a tree. Not the roots at the base of a tree. The inside of a tree.

The 13th hole — a generous par-5 from the back tees — handed Clay an opportunity off the tee. What happened next defied reasonable probability. His ball sailed off the club face, tracked toward the tree line, and disappeared into a narrow gap in the trunk of a massive old tree at the edge of the fairway. Not lodged against the bark. Not resting in a root. Fully inside the tree. Swallowed. Gone.

🌳 The Shot Heard Round the Fairway

Anyone who has played golf long enough has hit a tree. Most of us have watched the ball ricochet off the trunk and kick back into the rough, or bounce through the canopy and drop somewhere findable. That is normal golf. What Clay accomplished on 13 was something else entirely — a precision shot that threaded a golf ball through a gap in a split trunk that most people would struggle to post a letter through.

The gap in question runs vertically along the face of the tree, narrow enough that you would not give it a second glance walking past. The darkness inside the cavity makes it nearly invisible from the fairway. The ball found it anyway. Physics, geometry, and a healthy dose of bad luck aligned in perfect harmony to produce one of the great unintentional trick shots in WFL history.

The image does not lie. There it is — nestled deep in the shadowy crevice of an ancient trunk, unreachable, unplayable, and utterly unforgettable. If Clay had been trying to pull off that shot, he could not have done it in a hundred attempts.

⛳ And Then There Were Two

Here is where the story takes a turn that nobody saw coming.

As the group gathered around the tree to assess the situation — part investigation, part eulogy — someone looked closer into the cavity. And there, already residing in the hollow of that old tree, was a second golf ball.

Clay Karadus was not the first.

Somewhere out there is another WFL member — or perhaps a golfer from a completely different era — who walked up to that same tree, peered into that same gap, and had the exact same sinking feeling. Their ball is still in there. It has been in there long enough to become a permanent resident, a ghost of a round played and forgotten, preserved in the dark like a time capsule nobody asked for.

Two balls. One tree. An untold story and a very fresh one sitting side by side in the hollow of the 13th fairway.

📋 The Rules Situation

For those wondering about the ruling — a ball lodged inside a tree is an unplayable lie under Rule 19 of the Rules of Golf. The player has three options: stroke and distance back to the original spot, drop within two club lengths of where the ball entered the unplayable area (no closer to the hole), or drop on a line extending back from the hole through the point where the ball came to rest. All options come with a one-stroke penalty.

There is no relief without penalty for a ball inside a tree. The tree does not care about your handicap, your scorecard, or your feelings. It has been standing there for decades, it will be standing there long after we are all done playing, and it now holds two golf balls as proof of its patience.

🏌️ A Moment of Perspective

The great thing about golf — and the Wednesday Fun League in particular — is that the moments that last are rarely the birdies. Nobody is going to be talking about a straightforward par on 13 at the end of the season. But Clay Karadus threading a golf ball into the hollow of a centuries-old tree, only to discover a predecessor already waiting inside? That story gets told for years.

Golf does this. It humbles the skilled, punishes the unlucky, and occasionally produces something so absurd that the only appropriate response is to laugh, take your penalty stroke, and play on.

Somewhere inside that tree on the 13th fairway, two golf balls are waiting. If you find a third one in there this season, we will dedicate the entire post to whoever managed it.

Play well — and aim for the fairway. ⛳

Photo credit: Wednesday Fun League · Manor Valley Golf Course, Export PA · Hole 13

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