Bucks County Golf

There are golf stories and there are golf stories. At http://www.golfbuckscounty.com/ we like to write about each and every golf story that affects Bucks County, the Delaware Valley and beyond.

Over the year we wrote a lot of commentary on issues facing the world of golf, rated and featured golf courses such as Bensalem in the area and Blue Heron Pines down the shore.

If it's about local golf and you have an interest, we write about it.

This year saw numerous stories of outstanding occurrences on and off the golf course. And while we received many comments about our coverage of the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, the two area LPGA visits and the Walker Cup Matches, most reader  comments came about because of stories on local golfers.

We regularly reported on the play of those in the Levittown Golf and Social Club, Nomads Golf Association, Delaware Valley Golf Association as well as Middletown and Oxford Valley Ladies Golf Associations. We chronicled stories from private and public courses alike. Our "Ace Report" in our Local Golfers section lists each and every hole-in-one reported to our editors, and that list goes back for years and displays more than 600 aces.

Along the way we continued with our regular determination of Player of the Month when a local player does something which is deemed more than awesome!

The golfer who most caught our attention in 2009 was 14-year-old Zachary Herr.

The Council Rock North freshman has been on the radar screen for many years, but came into his own in 2009. His list of accomplishments are many, including being awarded the President's Leadership Award from the United States Golf Association and American Junior Golf Association for his charitable work.

In just two years Herr has overseen the Zach Attacks Cancer Foundation which has generated more than $85,000 for charities including the Fox Chase Cancer Center.

On the golf course Herr sparkled. He claimed his second consecutive Men's Championship at Jericho National Golf Club, won his first AJGA event at the Northeast Classic in Connecticut and was named to the prestigious AJGA All America Team as an honorable mention.

Locally Herr captured the Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Championship just one year after winning its Junior-Junior Championship. He was also runner-up in the Pennsylvania State Junior Championship.

But Herr wasn't the only golf story that made headlines this year. Newtown's Glenn Smeraglio, a nine-time men's club champion at Yardley, moved his game to Commonwealth National in Horsham. From there he went "home" to Yardley and won its annual Invitational, then claimed the GAP Marston Cup and served as playing captain on the GAP Compher Cup team.

Two years ago Levittown's Mark Miller and Yardley's Phil Bartholomew claimed major championships in GAP events, with Miller claiming the Philly Open and Bartholomew the Philly Amateur. The two teamed in 2009 to capture the 11^th Capital Cup at Trenton Country Club.

A familiar name has been a stalwart at "The Oatlands" for years. Michael Minter, who played for Pennsbury High School in the day, captured his sixth men's club championship at Trenton. Another repeater was Georgetown University and Archbishop Wood graduate Tim Hager, who secured his sixth consecutive men's crown at Lookaway Golf Club. Hager turned professional in the fall of the year. At Bensalem, Matt Foust claimed his third consecutive championship.

In women's play, Mary Thomas secured her 10^th championship at Doylestown Country Club while Mary Beth Driscoll won her sixth consecutive at The Bucks Club.

Council Rock North's Brandon Dalinka played a major role in his team's success this year, and stood tall in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association's State Championship Tournament, finishing third. Dalinka was the PIAA Eastern Regional Champion.

Washington Crossing professional Jon Rusk, a former state scholastic champion while at Council Rock, had rougher times. Although he advanced through the first stage of PGA Tour Qualifying, he was ousted in his bid for a third trip to the Nationwide Tour in the second stage.

Chris Ault emerged as a local force with a victory in the Yardley men's club championship and fifth place finish in the Pennsylvania State Men's Amateur Championship. Along the way he failed to advance past the first stage of PGA Tour qualifying.

The Delaware Valley Golf Club claimed its second DVGC Ryder Cup championship over Juniata, and named member Geoff Routzahn Player of the Year. He also earned its President's Club for having the low seasonal gross average score, while Alex Gibson earned the Harry Vardon award for low seasonal net average score.

Mike Lagomarsino teamed with Joe Dunphy for the Nomads Golf Association Team Championship, while Zachary Herr, Ed Fenton, Blaise Hopkins and Raleigh Chapin teamed to earn the GAP Junior Team Championship.

Tom Bartolacci, Jr., of Washington Crossing added another trophy to his championship case when he was named Senior Player of the Year by the Pennsylvania State Golf Association. Furlong's Roc Irey was fifth in the standings. Bartolacci plays out of Saucon Valley while Irey plays out of Lookaway.

Erica Herr emerged as a strong player in 2009. The 13-year-old was second in the Pennsylvania State Junior Girls Championship at qualified for the USGA Junior Girls Championship. She wasn't the only young lady to earn plaudits, though, as Jackie Rogowicz captured her first Women's Club Championship at Yardley.

Over the year you, the reader, have left more than 200 comments to our stories, some good and some bad but all appreciated. You laughed at some of our Commentaries:  "Thoughts from an Idle Mind" and wondered why so and so or whoever wasn't featured on our pages. We learned from you the reader along the way.

Some of you remember the departed Dick Dougherty, the former Courier Times sports editor, who would always remind one and all that "names make news." We've taken that to heart, and more than 1000 names can be found in our search box on our front page. Yours is probably there. If not, we'd be happy to list it and your golf accomplishment.

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