12 THE CHARBONNEAU VILLAGER
September 2019
GATHERING ON THE GREENS
Informal, neighborly golf
groups invite others to join
By CLARA HOWELL
S
ome Charbonneau residents
refer to the Charbonneau
Country Club as a “cruise
ship on land,” because of the
numerous activities available to res-
idents — at least that’s what Ken
Teunon says.
“It’s not just golf. ... We have a ten-
nis facility which has separate mem-
bership but at the same time, as far as
the Charbonneau Country Club is con-
cerned, there’s a number of exercise
classes people participate in — wheth-
er aerobics or Zumba (or) yoga —
there’s all sorts of other clubs.”
And while Charbonneau is primarily
known for its avid golfers that can be
found on the greens during the sum-
mer months, there are more than 10
community golf groups that reserve
the course on different days. There are
three major golf groups: the women’s
18-holers, the Niners and Men’s club
that are part of the Charbonneau Golf
Club. But there are plenty of informal
golf groups that don’t require a mem-
bership with the Golf Club.
Teunon is part of Tri-Village Golf,
which is open to all Charbonneau
residents.
Tri-Village Golf — which initially
consisted of the Village Green home-
owner’s association: Village Green
Court, Village Green Circle and Lake-
side neighborhoods — began 15-20
years ago. It was organized by Jean
and Ed Groman before Don and Shirley
Higgins ran it for several years. When
Don died suddenly last year, Teunon
agreed to take it over this year as the
coordinator.
Since Tri-Village formed, the group
has expanded to include other HOAs
and residents.
“Everyone is welcome,” Teunon
said.
The group meets twice a month on
Monday nights at 4:30 p.m. with a
PMG PHOTOS: CLARA HOWELL
Ken Teunon coordinates Tri-Village Golf.
5 p.m. shotgun start.
There is a 36-player minimum, so it
is typically 18 couples with a foursome
on each of the nine holes.
“It’s not the legal requirement but
the golf course wants to fill a course
up more than anything,” Teunon said.
“If they’re closing the course down for
us to do the scramble, they’d like to
have full participation on the nine
holes but if we’re four short, they’re
usually pretty good.”
While there’s no membership fee, it
costs $3 per couple to play so the win-
ning group can receive prize money
and of course, bragging rights.
“It’s a very social scramble, couples
golf, no high stakes,” Teunon said. “It’s
more of a social gathering than any-
thing else.”
A different couple volunteers to host
each evening of golf and people can
bring their own food and beverages if
they wish.
Another golf group, similar to Tri-
Village Golf, is the Wednesday Night
Golf Group that kicks off at the same
time as Tri-Village but involves a pot-
luck dinner.
“It’s as social as it is fun. If you golf
out here, it’s a fun quick evening of golf
because we usually have some sort of
scramble so it’s not a serious game of
golf,” said Rose Mason, who heads the
Tri-Village Golf and other informal golf groups provide a social gathering place for Charbonneau
residents.
There are other informal golf groups residents can join that don’t require membership fees.
Wednesday evening crew with her
husband, Don.
This informal group started about 15
years ago and also has players contrib-
ute about $3 for prize money.
“It’s not high stakes,” Mason said.
“It’s a lot of friendly competition. The
game can be silly enough that anybody
can win. It’s not just the best player.”
Mason said joining one of the golf
groups is a great opportunity to meet a
neighbor that lives in a different area
of Charbonneau. She said anyone can
join and to contact her at dmason.
[email protected].
The golf group fills up fast so Mason
encourages those interested to call and
see if there’s room to play or to get on
the substitution list.
“We have 27 holes of golf and that
takes up a lot of land,” Teunon said.
“That’s a big part of our landscaping so
I think these things are organized be-
cause a lot of people are retired out
here and looking for things to do and
get together and enjoy each other
more than anything else.”
For those interested in joining
Tri-Village Golf, contact Teunon
at [email protected].