8th Annual Par 3 Challenge

Par 3 Challenge Winners

^Champion:

^{John Surrette - 59}

^Women's:

^{Catey McGauran - 71}

^Juniors:

^{Nathan Lund - 75}

KP Winners

^{1   Steve Ekstrum

2   Charles Fletcher

3   Joe Bilyeu

5   Aaron Sewell

6   John Hilger

8   Rex Dempwolf

9   Don Althauser - 6""



10   Del Valerio

11   Bryan Holloway

13   Sam Gallagher

14   Bobby Pedroza

15   Richard Johnson

16   Charles Fletcher

17   Chris Doty}

Division Winners

^{TBD - will be posted Monday.}

Prizes will be available Wednesday Jun 4.

Par 3, For the Course

Written by: Chelbi Park

^{Did you participate in our annual Par 3 Challenge on June 20th, 2026?}

^{If the answer is yes, we all enjoyed seeing your face out on the greens and taking a chance at winning your division and or one of our many KP prizes. Hanging out with you was a pleasure!}

^{If the answer is no, then my guess is that you’d likely tell me it is because you don’t have a good short game; so I really am writing this piece for you.}

^{The reasons we hear as to why someone doesn't play in our tournament is because their short game sucks and the hills are scary. We understand not wanting to make a fool of yourself in front of other golfers who may or may not be better than you and especially when you've paid to participate. But we ask you, just what if you surprise yourself and win your division or win a KP? What if you and your playing mates play for the heck of it just to see where you fare in the scoreboard? Unless you play…you won’t know.}^{Too many of you are missing out on the opportunity to enjoy a fabulous afternoon with like minded individuals. So what if your game needs work… come hangout with us and work on it these coming months.}

^{Over the past year I have had the opportunity to speak with our now late yearly member Paul Berman who played nearly every day and our 5 time Par 3 Challenge Winner, Ryan Hinrichsen. It seemed only appropriate to get you some tips and tricks from those who seem to have our course locked down.}

^{Paul was one of our annual members that truly just loved the game. He never went out there to prove anything to anyone but to himself. It was never a rushed game for him…by 1pm he usually would have already played at least two rounds and only really left because he got hungry. We’d often see him play our course with only a single iron in hand! He unofficially played in the tournament every year; he humbly wanted to give others the opportunities to win, but enjoyed being a part of the event. I asked him what you should do to work on your short game and he told me,}

^{“Stay down through the ball. Keep your head down until after you make contact…until your shoulder comes up. Then count 1,2… Hitting from 150 yards to the greens is where you should do most of your practice. But the most important thing is to enjoy the walk.”}

^{I interviewed Ryan again because I wanted to pick his brain some more, seeing as he won five of our challenges consecutively… Clearly he is doing something worth noting. After some back and forth this is what he had to say:}

^{"In the months leading to [the] Par 3 challenge I generally play 3-5 times a week. The greens [at Village Greens] are small and run off on the edges, so it takes a precise shot on each hole. Having a great short game helps a lot if you miss the greens. Being able to get it up and down keeps scores low.}

^{As someone who [has] never had a lesson I can't really speak for techniques [that are guaranteed to work]. I have found that whatever works for you might not work for others. Golf is about whatever works for you and what you like. I think I [have been] able to have a great short game because of my [practice habits]. When I was younger I didn't have much money after moving out, but I had such a love for golf that I would go practice chipping and putting 5 days a week for a couple hours because every course lets you do that for free. My swing is nowhere near perfect, but I have found things that I can do to get the club square at impact and that's all that matters. Whether you take it inside, outside, or whatever, if you can get it square at impact you will succeed.}

^{When I began golfing years ago I always tried to imitate Tiger Woods. Watching him in his prime and trying to mimic his chipping and putting stroke helped me improve my short game a ton… His swing in his prime was unlike anything people had seen before. It was near perfection. I tried to mimic him in any way I could, but stayed honest with myself about physical deficiencies. Some things he did I was not able to do like take the club all the way to parallel. Going parallel is not for everyone. There are a lot of things that can go wrong in the swing. [Below are] two videos [that] have really helped me through the years, especially the second link: https://youtu.be/D2lEqU5rqoE?si=zs0pjg7iSGBFTFsl, https://youtu.be/H6FpiF4nDoU?si=2BAcF8gV6RhSAU4o}

^{Having the correct mechanics to practice makes all the difference. Those videos show you how to manipulate the club face, how to hold the club, ball position, and how to set your feet and hips. If you practice those techniques in the second video then you at least have the correct framework to work off of, but in the end it takes practice. If you make the correct contact with the ball it will spin naturally. You do not have to swing hard to create spin, you only have to make the correct contact with a descending blow and finish your swing.}

^{The clubs I use for the par 3 are all irons, I use a 60, 56, and 52 degree Vokey wedge mostly around the greens. Then I use my Titleist T150's for most of the other shots. That would be my 4-PW. Most holes do not require anything more. I also make sure to bring my trusty old Scotty Cameron putter. My advice to other players is to give yourself a good lie since we do “lift, clean, and place” in the tournament and make sure to swing through the ball. For alignment I always pick something in front of me [about] a foot or two [away] like a piece of grass, a pine needle, or something I can line up with and just swing through that line. A good lie can do wonders for your short game.”}

^{We challenge you, to challenge yourself. Come and join us next year just for the fun of it and see where your score stacks up. We get the feeling you will surprise yourself.}^{If you're struggling, try talking to the individuals that are here all the time, that is never a bad place to start…}

^{“Just because something I do could be better doesn’t mean it’s not good enough.” - Holley Gerth}

2026 KP Sponsors

^{We are incredibly thankful for all the businesses and families that were able to afford to sponsor our event this year. We had several previous sponsors that just couldn't make it work for one reason or another. We had hoped to have all 18 holes sponsored again, but we were only able to get 14 of them.}

^{Please be sure to give our sponsors your patronage as a thank you for their generosity.}

^{If you would like to sponsor a hole for next year please reach out to us here on our website using the submission form below. We are always looking for new businesses to help promote and give our golfers new places to visit!}

^{Lenny's Classic Barbershop}

^{Dana's Pour Expressions}

^{The DAVID KING FAMILY}

^{JOE BILYEU/VFW Post 2669}

^{South Park Village Dry Cleaners}

^{The Woodturning Experience}

^{Hi-Tide Bar & Grill}

^{West Bay Napa Auto Parts}

^{Gold Mountain Air}

^{Jessica Beverage at Future Fist Mortgage}

^{Erica Tudela at Paramount Real Estate Group}

^{Port Orchard Pub}