Bessie the Bass

Have you ever wondered about Bessie the Bass?

All those that I played with were not sure about the origins of Bessie, and were as curious as I was.

As you know, the player whose ball is closest to Bessie in any given week receives a gift.  Bessie can be located nearly anywhere on the course, but mostly appears on the edge of the fairways. The placement is made before any ladies tee off for the day.

A couple of weeks ago, I played with one of the founders and creators of Bessie the Bass, Mary Finley, who was a wealth of knowledge with a short story to tell.

According to Mary, the goal was to have a game that allowed for an ‘equal opportunity winner’, independent of skill level of the player.

Mary and three other league players were in a tournament at another local golf course a couple of years ago when they experienced this game.  The ‘target’ was not a bass, but a small pony, similar to what you would see on a carousel.  The group thought it would be a great weekly game with the Eagle River league.  They brain-stormed for a great ‘target’, and Bessie the Bass was born.

Don’t forget to look for Bessie each week on the course!