By Bruce Meadows
September 2019
Lewis dominant at Windsor . . .
Adam Lewis is fast becoming a legend at Windsor Golf Course, if in fact that isn’t already the case.
Lewis, an outstanding golfer at Windsor High, Santa Rosa JC and Sonoma State, has become very predictable, in a very good way . . . unless you are teeing it up against him.
Lewis, 37, has won the last six Windsor club championships, and his most recent victory was a record-setting effort. He shot rounds of 64-61 to edge Oscar Heath for the title.
Lewis played for coach Dave Herrington at SRJC and was on the team when the Bear Cubs won NorCals in 2002 at Fountaingrove GC, and then for Val Verhunce at SSU . . . he played on Val’s first-ever SSU men’s team in 2004-5, a squad that included Jarin Todd.
Adam was all-conference in 2001 and All-NorCal in 2002 at Santa Rosa JC, when the Bear Cubs went on to place fifth in the state.
“I just heard about this (Lewis claiming his sixth consecutive club championship) last week . . . amazing,” said Verhunce.
But not all that surprising
“Adam has always been a talented player,” continued Verhunce. “Even as an SSU player, he could do things that most guys couldn’t. If it meant making a birdie or hitting a certain shot he always had the mindset that allowed him to rise to the challenge. “
Herrington had his own memories of coaching Adam.
“One thing I will always remember about Adam is how he practiced . . . every day (M-F, 3-5 p.m.), recalls the longtime Bear Cub coach. “Always there early, before 3 p.m., and always left after 5 p.m. Between that time you would see nothing but work, effort and commitment to his game. That’s why he was that good.”
Adam had dreams of playing professionally and competed on the Spanos Tour, a California-based operation. But through a variety of unfortunate developments, including that the sponsor stepped aside, Adam ended up losing close to $9,000.
He worked as a golf instructor at Windsor for four years and got to Level 1 in the PGA Development Program, but realized “while I loved golf, I didn’t really love the golf business.”
So he hooked up with a wine and beer distribution firm, Young’s Market Company, an operation he wisely sees as “recession-proof.”
From time to time, he would think about pro golf, but getting married (Corey) and now having two young boys, Caleb and Mason, he realized the travel and the uncertainty of an income had to be considered.
“And I didn’t want to go the sponsor route,” he adds.
His boys play, but adds, “they like to chase the geese.”
Adam started playing golf at age 15, tagging along with his uncle. He remembers being “a typical kid learning to play, shooting 100 but having a good time.”
But by the end of his first summer playing, he was shooting in the 80s, and he went on to star and become an all-league player at Windsor.
In his showdown with Heath, a former UC Davis standout who competed on the mini-tour circuit, Adam carded a first-round 64 while Heath had 70.
On his final-round 61, a Windsor course record, he made bogey on No. 7 “but got all out of the round I could.”
He birdied the first five holes and shot a 31 on the front nine, and 30 on the back nine. which included five more birdies.
The 61 bettered the 62 he shot a few years before, from the blacks, which tied the course record set by Windsor pro Jason Schmuhl.
“That made me feel good,” said Adam. “Jason is one of the best club pros in the country.”
“Adam has been a great player for a long time and he just keeps getting better,” notes Jason. “I’ve played a lot of golf with him throughout the years. “
With two young kids and a job, Adam still finds time to play golf, maybe not as much as he’d like to, but enough to keep him going. He plays in a Thursday league and tries to get in 18 holes on the weekend.
Although he’s only 37, he admits at least thinking about playing professionally when he becomes eligible for the PGA Champions Tour.
“That’s a long ways off, but I do think about it,” says Adam. “I’m actually continuing to improve, to manage my game better . . . I won’t rule out giving it a try when the time comes.”
‘Save the date’ . . .
Tom Isaac is reminding golfers to “save the date” for the 11th annual golf tournament to benefit the B’nai Israel Jewish Center.
The event is scheduled Sunday, Oct. 13, at Foxtail North GC in Rohnert Park. The tournament will be followed by dinner, with Tom planning to get more details out in the near future. That includes the entry fee, with “your entire contribution going to the B’nai Israel Jewish Center.”
Registration will be 11:30 a.m. with a 12:30 p.m. shotgun start to follow.
Oakmont clinics . . .
Clinics, taught by LPGA pro Jessica Reese Quayle, are scheduled on Wednesdays, 10 a.m. and cost is $35 per class. Remaining clinics: Sept. 18, pitching; Sept. 25, sand.
For more information or to sign up, go to golfwithjessica.com
Glow Ball at Fairgrounds. . .
Fairgrounds GC has two more Glow Ball events this year, both Fridays: Sept. 27 and Oct. 25. Sign up in the Pro Shop, or call 284-3520.
Let’s hear from you . . .
Thanks again for comments, questions and suggestions. I love to get them and would really like to get as many as possible. If you have information about anything golf-related, including upcoming clinics, activities, tournaments or sales, please let me know. And if you have questions, complaints or compliments about golf in our area, I want to hear them.
If you have a golfer you know who you think would make an interesting story, tell me about it and I will take it from there. Having trouble with your game? Let me know what it is and I’ll try to get an answer for you from a local pro.
We would be proud to include you as one of our sponsors – thanks to Bill Carson at Wine Country Golf for his continued support – so if you care to get some details about being a sponsor of GOLF 707, email me at bmeadows4sports@aol.com