Mixed golf league season in full swing

By Laura Hipshire
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

The weather forecast is gloomy at best; the grass is wet and it’s drizzling off and on; the day before it was hailing, and tree branches were lining area streets. No matter, though, Andy Tonkovich and his fellow die-hard golfers are gearing up for their weekly Wednesday golf outing at the Dearborn Hills Golf Course.

Tonkovich has loved golf for more than 60 years, and has a theory about why the sport has such longevity for its participants.

“You can start when you’re young, and continue to play for as many years as you want,” Tonkovich says.

For the past five years, he has honed his golfing skills at Henry Ford Village, where he moved from Salem, S.C., with his wife Dorothy.

Tonkovich oversees the mixed golf league and its 46 members, and takes care of everything from rules and regulations enforcement to posting notices on campus. He also arranges the foursome pairings before their weekly golf outings and keeps track of the scorecards.

“I love to play. It’s about great exercise and fresh air. We’re just having a good time,” Tonkovich says.

Gene Sarazen called me ‘sonny boy’
Years ago, Tonkovich served as caddy for golfing legend Gene Sarazen. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, “Sarazen’s double eagle—i.e., his score of three strokes under par—on the par-five 15th hole in the last round of the 1935 Masters Tournament is one of the most famous shots in the history of the game.”

“He was very nice to me. He called me ‘sonny boy,’” recalls Tonkovich.

Many golfers who live at Henry Ford Village play at the Dearborn Hills Golf Course, known as one of Michigan’s best; it received a three-star rating from Golf Digest and was ranked in the top five golf courses in the state by AAA readers.

Ladies on top of their game, too
If you think golf is just for the guys, think again; there are currently at least 16 women in the league, such as Helene Morris, who also serves as the group’s treasurer.