The most popular partnership tournament in Austin is the Lions Municipal Spring Partnership.
Originated by Lloyd Morrison, this partnership offers players the opportunity to play Lions Municipal Golf Course and celebrate new and old friendships.
Morrison has quite a history with Lions Municipal and Austin golf in general. Shown here is a photo clip from when he won the Austin Men’s City Championship as a high school student by defeating five time city champ Roane Puett. Morrison was the head professional at Lions for over twenty years and now oversees Hancock Golf Course.
The field consists of players who are serious about winning the championship and players who are there primarily to celebrate their relationships and enjoy the golf course.
Some teams have played in this championship for years and years. For example, the team of Billy Clagett and Tim Wilson. Clagett, shown here posing after making yet another putt, is known as Mr. Muny for winning the Firecracker Open six times. Tim Wilson, who has also won the Firecracker and played for the University of Texas, has been around this course with Clagett more than a few times as a teammate and fellow competitor.
Phillip Vescovo and Carl Holtzman, Ron Tallant and Johnny Fisher have played together so long they don’t remember when they first started. Vescovo said “I think we started in 1981 or 87 but I can’t remember. We’ve played every year since then”. These are life long friendships and this is an opportunity to celebrate those friendships.
Some teams, like Greg Messerole and Bubba Sykes, are brothers in law and the Lions Spring Partnership turns into a family affair where the wives and children join in the celebration. Peach Reynolds and Mark Reynolds are brothers and have played together several times.
Others, like Jamie Beaman and Matthew Perrine, along with Michael Cooper and Austin Cotton, represent the pairing of established golfers with the younger generation of talented junior golfers. The older players pass on the tradition as well as benefiting from the excellent play of the juniors.
Then there is the purely younger contingent, represented by Reese Ramsey and Robert Richard who play for Westlake High School. Ramsey, shown here, is a sophomore at Westlake and showing promise. He contributed to the recent win by the Westlake Boys in their District championship.
Last year’s winning team of Kody King and Matt Fisher will not be in the field because King has turned professional.
All the participants have a special bond with Lions Golf Course and the tradition of the tournament. Lloyd Morrison, who was the head professional at Lions when he started this tournament, said this was his favorite event of the year. That sentiment is shared by many participants in the partnership.
Steve Hammond, who now runs the event, has supported the traditions of the tournament. This includes the early morning registration for the tournament where participants must show up at the course by 5:30 or 6:00 am to get their name on a list for the in-person registration that starts at 7:00 A.M.
In addition, Hammond has incorporated some new features this year by using GolfAustin.Org tournament software that provides a leaderboard accessable via the internet, sends tee times to participants and in general makes managing the tournament easier for all concerned.
Follow your favorite team by using the free GolfAustin.Org app for I-phones and Android devices OR go to the GolfAustin.Org website where scores will be posted.
Good luck to all the teams.
