Jack Frost nips noses of 78 tournament goers

Despite the frozen ground, winter weather advisory, temperatures in the teens and single-digit wind chill, 78 people fought Jack Frost and Mother Nature to play in the 27th Groundhog Golf Tournament, Jan. 30 at Delcastle Golf Course.

New Castle County sports administrator Bob Fischer said 184 people played in the 1989 tournament, but that after that the county began limiting registrations.

"We were maxed out this year," he said. "You can't accommodate more than 80 or 90 players in these temperatures."

More than 2,000 golfers have played in the 12-hole tournament over almost three decades, held each weekend before Groundhog's Day. Many players return year after year.

Stan Lyons, of Pike Creek has played in the tournament for five years and said he has seen unattractive weather conditions.

“The first year [I played there was] eight inches of snow,” he said. “A couple of guys pulled their clubs in sleds.”

Lyons, who placed first in the 2005 tournament, said he is used to the bitter air and comes prepared.

“There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad clothing,”   he said. “We dress for the weather.”

John DeLucia, of Newark, is another five-year veteran. The dedicated golfer looks forward to the tournament each year.

“This is a special event,” he said. “I look forward to it. If you do well, at the end of the day you win a couple prizes. If not, you had fun.”

Evan Pappanicholas, of Newark, said he has been playing  so long he wouldn’t miss out just because of the undesirable weather.

“I have a good time,” he said. “I love playing. It’s chilly, but we deal with it.”

Fischer said the tournament has been around so long because there is always a good turnout no matter what Mother Nature has up her sleeve.

“We’ve had all kinds of conditions,” Fischer said. “We’ve played in six inches of snow before.”

He said he has seen a variety of interesting things in past years.

“The lake was frozen one year and guys were hitting balls off the lake,” Fischer said. “We’ve had people fly up from Florida before. Some people come in flip-flops and Hawaiian shirts.”

Although rain or snow can delay the tournament, Fischer said the county will try to reschedule for two weeks before calling it off for the year. That has only happened once.

He said he thinks the tournament has such a high attendance because its fun and breaks up the winter months.

“It’s a very successful tournament,” Fischer said. “The participation is the most important. It’s more fun than competitive. There’s not much to do in January and February. It gives them one up on their opponents. They are out playing while their opponents are sitting on the couch in a warm house. This is their spring training.”