Last night was a showcase for the Stratford Country Club. It would answer the question, "Why would I join a golf club?" The closing night putt-off, dinner and prize draw invited one hundred and forty male members to join in a putt-off worth $750.00, eat a prime rib dinner and have a chance to win prizes valued at over $4000.00. More importantly the closing men's day was a chance to celebrate the fun that was generated by a lot of male bonding this summer. The humour on the putting green and the fellowship in the dining room could only leave members with positive feelings about this men's season.

As a group we had a chance to thank Dave Lee, Dave Laing and Rob Douglas and the rest of the Pro Shop staff for all they did to bring success to Men's Day. We had a chance to thank Mark Walker for his two years of dedication to the position of Captain. He was certainly willing to break through Club paradigms and try anything that would bring success to the member's events. The sponsors of the prizes for Men's Day were also rightfully recognized.

There are three story lines tonight. The first is a follow-up to last week as those golfers, living on Devob, colluded to walk off the course after nine holes. This week there was more collusion as the "Devon Street Three" came dressed in red shorts and red caps. John McGraw's shirt was more like a rust colour than red but he tried. I had to rush home after the round to change into a red shirt and opened negotiation with Doug Pinder to pitch a tent on his Devon Street property so I wouldn't be left out again.

The pot of gold putt off began at 6:30 pm. The hole chosen was the same as Cathy Murray's $900.00 putt last Thursday. The sun was fading, the temperature was dropping and the pencil was wearing out as an estimated 90 members were called to putt. There were some putts that came very close but the event was ended when Peter Hiller artfully set his on the perfect line. Hi is officially the final pot of gold putter for 2009. Congratulations Peter.

The final story centers on the draw for prizes. Most join Men's Day for fun, male bonding and a taste of competition. Prizes are simply a bi-product.  This year, entry fees and 50/50 draws generated over $20,000.00 in prizes. Last night there were 49 prizes valued at over $4000.00. Each prize has a value and it will be added to the winner's yearly total. There is a list of yearly winnings posted on the website.

There were four grand prizes, each coveted by all in the room. The 1st grand prize chosen by Monty Smith was the plasma television. Second and third prizes chosen were $500.00 gift certificates off of next year's membership. My name and Barry Cameron's name were drawn. Ross Yantzi chose the barbecue as the final grand prize. Finally I personally want to thank all members for supporting Men's Day and helping me to have such a fun year. One final question, with my draw-prize win, will I continue to have to suck up to the Devon Street boys next year?

Ken Hundert