Golf: Making the Turn – Supporters see plan for UL golf facility coming to fruition

Dan McDonald, The Advertiser, Oct. 26, 2016

Athletic Network Footnote of photo and caption by Ed Dugas:

UL golf team tosses dirt during the ground breaking ceremony for their indoor teaching facility Monday at Oakbourne Country Club. (Photo: Brad Kemp/RaginCajuns.com)

(L-R)Skylar Petroski,Triston Elston, Jack Tolson, Robert Zepernick, Coach Theo Sliman, Thomas Strandemo, Ryan Desormeaux, Fernando Cruz Valle, Ragnar Gardarsson

When George Peppard played Hannibal Smith on the old “The A-Team” television show, his catch phrase was “I love it when a plan comes together.”

That’s how most felt Monday afternoon during the official groundbreaking ceremony for UL golf’s first practice and home facility at Oakbourne Country Club.

Mostly, though, that’s how Theo Sliman, Brad Mosing, Cliff Wagner and Jeff D’Amico must have felt Monday. It was that quartet that first sat around a table in the grill at Oakbourne and formulated a plan that officially came to fruition with the ceremonial turning of dirt and the beginning of construction over the next couple of weeks.

“That was 15 months ago,” said Sliman, the Cajuns’ golf coach. “It seems like a long time ago, and there were some times that I wasn’t sure this was going to happen. But so many people did so much work to make this a reality.”

DETAILS:Learn more about the UL golf facility

Wagner is Oakbourne’s long-time head professional and has never had a true teaching facility. D’Amico, a member of Oakbourne’s board of directors, was also then involved in the planning of the now-active Vermilion Links support group for Cajun golf.

But Mosing was the trigger man. His generous contribution, and a matching one from his father Don Mosing, provided the bulk of the funds — $400,000 between the two — to get the facility moving. The Vermilion Links then kicked in $250,000 — $5,000 apiece from its first 50 founding members — to provide the rest of the funding.

Many others have been involved, and even after the financing was in place, there were a lot of hurdles to be cleared. Mostly, it was the details of an extended agreement between the university, a public entity, and Oakbourne, a private company.

“You have to give a special thanks to Oakbourne and its members,” said UL president Dr. Joseph Savoie, “for continuing to support the university. One of the primary responsibilities of a university is to provide the tools and the latest technologies for our students, and the same goes for our student-athletes. This facility will provide that.”

Joe Giglio III, president of Oakbourne, gave Sliman and Wagner credit for coming up with the concepts that will be incorporated into the 4,000-square-foot pair of buildings.

“Cliff and Theo have worked tirelessly on the details of making this building great,” Giglio said. “It’s going to help both the UL players and Oakbourne members for years to come.”

Sliman and Wagner’s ideas were turned into plans by local architect and long-time Cajun supporter Knobbie Langlinais, and as of Monday’s groundbreaking the Thompson Bros. Construction Co. and Buzzy and John Thompson are tasked with making the building a reality. Construction is scheduled to take six to seven months, which would put completion close to the end of the Cajuns’ spring season.

Bill Bass upcoming

There’s only one more week to get entries in for the annual Bill Bass Open, UL’s annual Homecoming golf tournament that is scheduled for one week from Friday. The Nov. 4 four-person scramble is set one day before the Ragin’ Cajun football team takes on Idaho in the annual Homecoming game.

All proceeds from the tournament go directly to support the Ragin’ Cajun golf team, whose members will be on hand during the event and will hit shots with each participating team.

Entry blanks are available at all area golf courses, and players who have participated in the tournament in the last three years should have received an entry blank by mail. In addition, members of the Ragin’ Cajun Athletic Foundation received an entry form and information in this month’s online newsletter.

An entry form is available at ragincajuns.com on the golf page by clicking on “Additional Links.” Players who enter online may pay entry fees on tournament day.

The four-person scramble event features availabilities for morning and afternoon shotgun starts, with play beginning at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the two waves. Registration begins 90 minutes before each tee time, and lunch will be served after play for the morning wave and before play for the afternoon session.

Snacks and beverages will be available on the course, and there will also be special “Homecoming” holes in play throughout the round.

This year for the first time, RCAF members will get a bonus, with those members paying a $125 entry fee per player. Regular entry fee is $150 per player or $600 per team. Players may make up their own four-person team or may enter as individuals to be paired up on teams, and a team handicap index will be used so that all players have a chance at the Cajun-themed prizes that go to winning squads.

More information on the Bill Bass Open is available by calling (337) 857-8754.

State Seniors success

Several local players finished near the top of the leader board in both divisions of last weekend’s state Senior Amateur Championship conducted by the Louisiana Golf Association, but the overall winner was Oakbourne Country Club.

The event had to be delayed several weeks after the August flooding that ravaged Acadiana and other points in South Louisiana, but instead of heading for higher ground the LGA delayed the championships until mid-October to provide time for the course and the area to recover.

It turned out to be a good move, since the course drew rave reviews from virtually all the players taking part. Many of them came from areas who were hit by the flood waters, so they had an appreciation for the efforts that went into getting the course back in championship condition.

Monroe’s Ken Buchan took the overall title, edging first and second-round leader Grady Brame of Hammond by one stroke with a three-under-par 69 in Saturday’s final round of the state’s premier event for players age 50 and over.

Three Lafayette players finished in the individual top 10, including former State Amateur champion and two-time State Senior runner-up Robert Shelton who had a Saturday 77 and finished sixth with a 225 score. Bill Land was two more strokes back in eighth at 227 but joined Buchan as the only players to go under-par Saturday with a one-under 71, while Brad Mosing finished with an 80 after going 73-75 in his first two rounds and tied for ninth at 228.

Lafayette’s Dwayne Brown tied for 12th at 233 and Youngsville’s Dennis Smith, also a former State Senior runner-up, tied for 14th at 234.

In the Super Seniors division for players 65 and over, there was also a strong local contingent among the leaders. Bill Kallam of Lafayette finished fifth with a 76-81—157 score, while the Lafayette pair of Mark Tolson and Tony Vicknair were one spot back and tied for sixth at 159. Lafayette’s Les Bradley also hit the top dozen, finishing 11th at 78-85 – 163.

Baseball golf

UL baseball’s annual fundraiser tournament to raise funds for the program is just over one week away on Monday, Nov. 7, at Le Triomphe. The four-person scramble tournament has lunch and registration at 11 a.m. prior to a noon shotgun start, and entry fee is $250 per person or $1,000 for a team. Entries and other information are available from the Chitimacha Louisiana Open office at 593-8000 or by e-mailing Danny Jones at djones@laopen.com.

“Making the Turn” appears each Wednesday from February-November in the Daily Advertiser. Clubs, courses and individuals with information about local golf events may email Dan McDonald, editorial director at Golfballs.com, at danmcdonald@cox.net, FAX to (337) 857-8763 or call (337) 857-8754 and leave a message with phone number.