S outh Suburban Golf Course in Centennial, Colorado has three different ladies’ leagues on Tuesday mornings: The 18-Hole league, 9-Hole league, and the Par 3 league with a talented 99-year-old golfer: Bobbi Finley (pictured). All three of the leagues are very well-known in the community with waiting lists to join. Par-3 league President Cindy Streater said they raised the limit of the Par-3 league to 100 participants and still currently have 33 ladies still on the waitlist. Marcy Kontak said, “I just joined the league after being on the waitlist for quite some time.
The courses at South Suburban can be difficult. As it is one of the top public courses in the state, the greens are very challenging, water comes into play quite often, and there are lots of trees. And since most of the women joined South Suburban, the 18-hole course switched the front and back nine.
The Par-3 league that has an average participant age of 75, including the 99-year-old Finley, plays a different game every Tuesday. On June 12, 2023, they played a game called “Hate ‘Em”, where the ladies got to throw out two holes of their choice before they teed off of hole #1. All the women have a lot of fun. Sue Shurgot said, “I’ve been playing in leagues here since 1990. I love it here.” Every woman in the league stated that the South Suburban ladies’ leagues stand out to other courses in the area because all the participants are very kind, welcoming, and not ‘cliquey’. Each week, the women are paired with new partners. Then after their round, they eat in the restaurant together.
Wanda Sells mentioned that the leagues have a nice buddy system where women who are joining the league play at least four rounds of golf, to obtain a GHIN handicap, and learn the rules of golf from women who are already in the league. Once their handicap is obtained, they are placed in a flight A, B, C, or D. In these early rounds of golf for new golfers, it is key to learn the etiquette of the game. Bobbi, along with many other women, has taught newcomers that it is not okay to walk in someone else’s line of putt on the green. And that you can’t just walk off the green while others are putting even when you’re done with the hole. This is important because every putt matters!
Now Bobbi Finley is 99, but she will celebrate her 25th birthday on February 29, 2024! Her leap-year birthday plans include turning 100 years young in Paris with her family. Bobbi joined South Suburban in 1998. She has played in the 18-hole league, 9-hole league, Littleton Course league, and now to the Par-3 league. She used to play in the 9-hole league at South Suburban on Tuesdays and the 18-hole league at Littleton on Thursdays. Bobbi also used to play with a group of ladies that would go around and play all the different courses in town. As time passes, she said, “There comes a time when you have to change.” She has known most of the women in the league since 1998 - who are all now her best friends because her best friends that are her age have passed away. She is especially close with Shirley Briggs as she has played with her at South Suburban for 20 years now. Bobbi says, “My favorite part of the league is the social part. I love that I get to meet so many new people, including the people I’m playing with today. I have never met them before.”
Bobbi is originally from Arkansas. She met her husband in high school. He joined the Air Force during World War II, so they moved around a lot. She has lived a very interesting life traveling. Her and her husband lived in France, Germany, Alaska, and every state except South Carolina. It wasn’t until 1947 that they moved to Colorado and started their family. She has three children – two sons and a daughter, five grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren. Her son volunteers at South Suburban helping with the junior golfers on the side but works full-time for Callaway doing demos at all the Colorado courses. Bobbi is a walking Callaway demo as her golf bag consists of only Callaway golf clubs and golf balls. Additionally, her son goes to Ireland 3 times a year to play golf, so she went one time to play golf with him.
Bobbi’s whole family are all golfers thanks to her husband taking up golfing as his hobby. She has been a widow for 30 years now, but she owes her love for the game of golf to her husband. Bobbi said, “Two years ago, all my family were together, and they were talking golf, and I said, ‘Just think you could have been talking fishing if my husband had decided to pick up fishing as a hobby instead of golf.’” Bobbi had her first golf lesson at age 40, but it wasn’t until her late 50s and early 60s that she started to really play.
When Bobbi isn’t golfing, she sews and reads. She hand-sewed 45 masks, 3 quilts, 25 soup koozies, and a hat during the pandemic. One fun fact about her is that her birth name is Barbara, but her family all started calling her Bob, so now she goes by Bobbi. Although Bobbi has lived a healthy life, she says, “It’s just luck that you live so long.”
Other Quotes from the South Suburban Ladies:
“I just started playing golf in 2020 during COVID” - Dori Seperich
“We have got such a great group of ladies. Everyone is so nice.” - Cindy Streater
“I play for fun. I like to sign up early so I don’t have to play in the heat.” - Carolyn Brotzman
“I started playing golf in 1970. I used to be good until a snowboarder broke my shoulder 25 years ago.” - Deonne Moseley
“The bottom line is to have fun” - Marilee Boe
We have been in the league for 7 years. It’s a lot of fun!” - Paula Riebe & Gayle Harris
“I have been in the league forever: 20 years.” - Christie Hauschild’s