For the past two years, Martin Ring has hosted the Bob Hemsworth Memorial Trophy as the Senior Men’s Northern champion at Cooke Municipal Golf Course.
Ring will hope for more of the same when the first round of the 2023 Senior Men’s Northern tees off on Wednesday. Having won three out of the last four years, Ring says he gives a lot of credit to the members at Cooke who he plays competitive rounds with on a regular basis.
“One of the things is I’ve gotten comfortable with the fact that I’m playing in the senior men’s and that took a little bit to get my head wrapped around it that as we get older you play different competitions and you know the senior men’s division, I’m old enough to play in it and things just kind of work out. I try to keep my game as sharp as I can. I like to play lots. I like to play competitively. And we’ve got such a great nucleus of players around our club that it makes playing good golf really quite easy in the fact that we’re just so competitive.”
Despite having won the Bob Hemsworth Memorial Trophy three times in the last four years, Ring says the honor of winning it never gets old due to the connection he has with the family.
“It’s pretty special. The boys, Angus and Robby and Mr. and Mrs. Hemsworth were our next-door neighbors with the Ring family. I know all the work that Bob Hemsworth Sr. put into the senior men’s Golf club. He was always so passionate about it. And to have my name on a trophy that’s in memory of Mr. Hemsworth is pretty special. I still keep very good contact with the Hemsworth family. So, it is a very special opportunity.”
Ring, who is a member at Cooke Municipal, says the condition of the course throughout the season has been the best in recent memory.
“The golf course has been absolutely phenomenal. We had the provincial seniors; we had the Elk Ridge Open qualifier and the men’s northern just wrapped up here on the August long weekend. The golf course is just in such good shape here. (Superintendent) Pierre Vezeau and his crew have to give be given full thumbs up for all of their efforts. It’s just a fun place to play. You can tell from the players that are coming in to play the senior northern again this year, there’s lots of stiff competition coming in and a lot of it is because of the condition of the golf course.”
Ring also participated in the 2023 Men’s Northern, qualifying for the Championship Flight with an opening round 71.
“The biggest difference now is when I go into the senior’s competitions is a lot of us are playing the same length, we’ve got (similar) shots. it’s not that I’m being outdriven by 75 or 100 yards, like when I’m playing the young guys in the Northern, it is a difference being that it is a two round stroke play as opposed to a match play format so it’s a little bit different mindset that you got to go out and you have to post a good score, but it is a little friendlier atmosphere in that regard.”
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