By Ed Townsend
ROSCOE — Redesigning an existing nine-hole golf course into an 18-hole, par-3 course where wedge shots, nine irons and accurate putting led to success resulted in drawing 40 golfers to a fun- filled different type of golf tournament on Sunday, Aug. 7 at the Roscoe Twin Village Golf Course (TVGC).
Behind everything that becomes a success are brilliant minds, and the two golfers who drew up and developed the idea for this type of golf tournament are retired Roscoe automobile dealer Ralph Kirchner and his grandson, former TVGC manager Troy Kirchner.  Designed as a fundraiser for improvements at the nine-hole TVGC, Ralph Kirchner drew up and distributed some fliers which advertised a low entry fee of $18 per golfer plus a cart fee and cash prizes for the winners.
The tournament was to have featured a putting contest on the ninth green, a bunker contest from the back ninth green trap to the ninth green and a longest drive contest on hole No. 1, but heavy rains at the conclusion of the tournament prevented the events from taking place.
Ten foursomes was the limit for this event and 40 golfers competed in events like using tennis balls instead of golf balls on hole No. 4 from the ladies’ tee to the regular green. If any golfer thinks this would be easy, then take a tennis ball and see how far you can drive it down the fairway with your driver.
We witnessed good golfers scoring a 5 on this 120-yard hole. Putting with a tennis ball worked a lot easier than trying to drive the ball off a tee with a driver.
Taking a tee shot from a sand bunker to the fifth green some 35 yards away was another challenge in this tournament designed as a “fun event” by Ralph Kirchner.
Right-handed golfers teeing off with a left-handed club and left-handed golfers teeing off with a right-handed club on the eighth hole saw a number of miffed shots. And throw in a bonus with one of the most picturesque par-3s featuring a tee box at the end of the pond on hole No. 1 with golfers having to thread a tee shot through a narrow opening between four trees and over a pond to the ninth green some 105 yards away.
Key and interesting placement of the tees throughout this nine-hole golf course proved to make all golf shots interesting and challenging for the two-person teams using the best-ball format.
The low score of 51 was recorded by Jean Knickerbocker and her son Thomas Knickerbocker, followed by two 53s by Donald Winters and Charlie Winters and Tom Trask and Barbara Trask.
Following the tournament, food and drinks were enjoyed by all in the clubhouse as heavy rains pelted the golf course.