With recent monsoons having limited play at area courses, this seems like the perfect time to catch up on other golf news. For instance, have you heard about the Scramble Scoop Golf Ball Retriever? Basically, the Scramble Scoop is a net attached to a lightweight shaft that allows golfers in carts to scoop up balls on the move. According to the message on the website — www.ScrambleScoop.com — it was primarily designed for golfers playing in scrambles who have to pick up three or four balls before going to their selected drive. Among the selling points are reducing back, hip and knee strain casued by bending and squatting. You can order one for just $16.95 . . . Since we have an alligator or two in Southeast Texas, the sad lesson learned by a 74-year-old golfer in South Carolina is worth retelling. Seems the fellow reached into a pond to retrieve his ball, only to have a 10-foot gator grab an arm and drag him into the water. Although his partners were able to pull the man back to the bank, he lost part of his arm in the process. What a terrible price to pay for a golf ball. Remember that next time you are near a hazard that might be home to an alligator . . . Former Port Arthur PGA Tour player Marty Fleckman, who once led the U.S. Open after 54 holes as an amateur, was recently recognized as one of the top golf teachers in Texas. Fleckman, the Director of Instruction at BlackHorse Golf Club outside Houston, is offering a weekend golf school Nov. 13-14 for $695. Included are two days of insruction that include full swing with video analysis, short game instruction, pre-shot routine and 27 holes at Blackhorse over two days, accompanied by Marty and other instructors. Lunch both days is included. Anyone who is interested should contact Fleckman at 281 225-4800 or e-mail marty@martyfleckmangolf.com . . . I’m not sure how much of a bargain it is, but the Texas Golf Association is offering members a special deal to play Pebble Beach between Nov. 22 and March 31. Pebble, of course, is the site of the 2010 U.S. Open. For “only” $1,605, TGA members can play one round on the Links at Spanish Bay, one round at Pebble Beach and stay two nights at The Inn at Spanish Bay. TGA members can call 800 877-7963 and mention promo code GOLFTGA.

CHIP SHOTS: Kelly ex Anthony Broussard was the area star of first stage PGA Tour Q schools. Broussard, playing at Grasslands Golf & Country Club in Lakeland, Fla., carded rounds of 71-64-64-71 for a 16-under 272 that tied for second. LU exes Casey Clendenon and Shawn Stefani, playing at Lantana CC in Lantana, Texas, finished T3 and T7, respectively, with Clendenon posting 70-72-66-68 for 276 and Stefani, who qualified for the U.S. Open last summer, shooting rounds of 71-68-68-72 for 279. That trio will join Orange’s Michael Arnaud for the second stage Nov. 18-21 at Deerwood Golf Club in Kingwood. They will be trying to advance to the final stage, and earn a PGA Tour Card, Dec. 2-7 at Bear Lakes Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla . . . One Southeast Texan who has no Q school worries is Chris Stroud. When the PGA tour stop in Mississippi was canceled because of unplayable conditions last week, it removed even the slightest possiblty Stroud could drop out of the top 125 in the long remaining event on the 2009 schedule. Stroud now awaits the birth of his first child, which is expected to come early Friday afternoon. His next competitive round of golf will apparently be in the Bob Hope Desert Classic Jan. 21-24 in La Quinta, Calif. He finishes 2009 with $735,019 in official earnings . . Here’s a couple of other dates on the just released PGA Tour schedule that you might want to circle. The Shell Houston Open is set for April 1-4 at Redstone Golf Club and will once again precede the Masters (April 8-11). The U.S. Open is June 17-20 at Pebble Beach, the British Open is July 15-18 at St. Andrews and the PGA Championship is Aug. 12-15 at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wis . . . Bill Taylor won the Monday Seniors at Belle Oaks with 6 points. There was a three-way tie for second at 1 point between Larry Guidry, Twyman Ash and Mike Barnett. Taylor won closest to the pin on No. 8 . . . The team of Richard Briggs, Hilario Padia, Allen Sohoski and Gene Harrison won the Belle Oaks DogFight at 10&9. Placing second at 9&2 was the foursome of Tim Turner, Derrick Wolf, Rick Pritchett and John House. Closest to the pin winners were Padia (No. 8) and Pritchett (No. 15) . . . The Babe Zaharias DogFight was won at 16&5 by the team of David Evans, Lee Solis, Ed Hetzel and Ray Trahan. Second at 15&3 was the foursome of Darrel Dugas, Larry Johnson, Pete Reobroi and Gary Wagner. Closest to the pin winners were Hilario Padia (No. 2), Rick Pritchett (no. 7), Adam Noel (No. 12) and Butch Landry (No. 15) . . . The Seniors at The Babe was played in a Florida Scramble format and finished in a two-way tie for first. The team of Larry Stansbury, Ben Thornton, Paul Duplantis and Paul Brown finished at minus 8, as did the team of Gerald Huebel, Harrell Guidry, Orland Defrates and Harold Wilkinson. Placing third at minus 7 was the foursome of R.C. Russell, Don MacNeil, James Bolton and Dwain Morrison . . . The team of Richard Joffroin, James Roberson, Paul Roy and Nick Gonzales carded a 60 to win the Nederland High School Cheerleader and Golden Guardian Scramble at Babe Zaharias. There was a tie for second at 65 between the team of Mark Kirby, BobbyTupper, Jay Crawford and Brad Royer and the foursome of Jeff Rinehart, Kim Broussard, Ronne Lasalle and Troy Broussard. James Roberston was the long drive winner on No. 4, while Paul Roy (No. 2) and Doug Weeks (No. 12) claimed closest to the hole prizes.

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