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USCA Golf Croquet Club Teams

Where else can you find great weather and friendly competition other than Florida in December. That is where 72 players from 13 clubs showed up to play in the ever-popular Golf Croquet Club Teams. This yearly event has grown since its inception in 2015 to become one of the more popular USCA events and a testament to the popularity of Golf Croquet. Not only were teams competing for the honor of winning their respective flight but also vying for the title of top club.

Play was divided into three flights with Championship and First Flight having two blocks of 7 and Second Flight in a block of 8. As with most tournament formats, block play led to the knockout ladder with 4 advancing from each block of Championship and First Flight and the entire Second Flight block and competition was fierce with many close games that could have gone either way.

Teams advanced to the knockout based on wins and net points and the quality of play was exceptionable as the top five teams to make the knockout were only separated by one win. The number one seed was Sherif Abdelwahab and Julie Wright representing Bonita Bay who showed their skill by cruising through the knockout with dominant wins including a 7-0 victory in the semi-finals and a 7-2 final win over Matt Griffith and Billie Ray from Sarasota County Croquet Club.

First Flight also saw several closely contested games and a tight block finish. Standing out was the team of Bruce Hindin and Neill Trimble from The Little Club who were the only undefeated team in the First Flight block play. They managed to hold on to their undefeated status until they met the surging team of Caryl Firth and Mary Galasso in the semi-finals and suffered their only defeat of the tournament. If you are going to lose a game, the knockout is not the place to do it. Caryl and Mary went on to win it all defeating Phil Emond and Alice Scanlon in a tight 7-6 win.

Good play did not stop there as many Second Flight teams appeared to be ready to move up to First Flight status.  The top team appeared to be Robert Habgood and Gregg Wechsler from the John’s Island Club who had also gone undefeated in block play. They managed to keep their streak alive by advancing through the knockout and scoring a close one point victory over Thomas Lobsitz and Robert Smith from Vero Beach Country Club to win their flight and become the only undefeated team in the event.

Along with the pride of winning your flight, top honors for their club were also on the plate. After all, this is “Club Teams”. In the effort for fairness, a page was taken from the 6W Club Teams where clubs are put into three divisions depending on how many teams they had in the competition. This is so clubs who could field many teams wouldn’t dominate smaller clubs with only a few teams.

After it was all said and done there were many smiles and accolades all around. A great way to end the year with the last USCA tournament on the calendar. We all look forward to what the new year will bring and hope to see everyone again soon.

Johnny Mitchell - TD

Top Clubs

Division 1 - Sarasota County Croquet Club
Division 2 - John's Island Club
Division 3 - Vero Beach Croquet Club

Final Order

Championship Flight
1. Sherif Abdelwahab & Julie Wright
2. Matt Griffith & Billie Ray
3. Tate Russack & Cami Russack
3. Hans Peterson & Ellie Griffith
5. Cheryl Bromley & Debbie Davidoff
5. Bob Van Tassell & David McCoy
5. Todd Russell & Bill Simmons
5. Mike Hoggatt & Tim Wright
9. James Creasey & Ron Eccles
10. Cecil Creasey & Susan Creasey
11. Marc Stearns & MaryCarol Stearns
11. Curtis Drake & Wy Louw
13. Zack Watson & Gay Cinque
14. Tom Cooper & Jodie Rugart


Championship Winners Julie Wright & Sherif Abdelwahab

First Flight
1. Caryl Firth & Mary Galasso
2. Phil Emond & Alice Scanlon
3. Bruce Hindin & Neill Trimble
3. Jay Carey & Kim Jones
5. John Grout & Michael Kolowich
5. Alex Galasso & Priscilla Flowers
5. Loretta Cooper & Vickie Johnston
5. Crayton Morrow & Natasha Kittrell
9. Chris Weihs & Karen Weihs
10. Conrad Rugart & Tim Bitting
11. John Dillon & Chris Ordway
12. John Joseph & Jichan Zaatini
13. Jack Rush & Patricia Kells
14. Tom Eggleston & Joyce Eggleston


First Flight Winners Mary Galasso & Caryl Firth

Second Flight
1. Robert Habgood & Gregg Wechster
2. Thomas Lobsitz & Robert Smith
3. Susu Day & Frank Ferro
3. Geri O'Neill & Kathleen Skoog
5. Jennifer Joseph & Heidimarie Michitisch
5. Cindi Cooper & Barbara Knight
5. Bill Kuhn & Madeleine d'Ambrosio
5. Annette Geddes & Stuart Baker


Second Flight Winners Robert Habgood & Gregg Wechsler