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2015 champs aim to repeat feats
Polinksy and McCamon hope for success again
By STEVE WILAJ
YOUNGSTOWN
Going into last season’s final round of the The Vindicator’s Greatest Golfer of the Valley tournament, Ron Polinsky — who was still in contention to finish first — had a talk with himself.
“I told myself, ‘What the heck, I might as well win it. I’m this close,’” he said.
And Polinsky did just that, taking home the 5-8 handicap division trophy.
“I got a taste of it and I sure like it,” he said. “So I really want to win this thing again.”
The seventh addition of the adult Greatest Golfer Tournament is set for Aug. 19-21. It will mark the end of a championship year for Polinsky — one of 10 first-place finishers from the 2015 tourney.
No doubt, it’s a year he enjoyed.
“It’s been a lot of fun with a lot of bragging rights,” Polinsky said. “I got a lot of free beer out of it and I took the trophy to Yankee Run — which is my home course — and they set it up there for a couple weeks on display.
“It’s just been a lot of fun.”
His champion perks also included a year membership to Mill Creek (one of seven tournament courses in 2016), as well as a few gift-cards from other area golf courses.
Like Polinsky, Stan McCamon — the winner of the 9-12 handicap division a year ago — agreed that being tagged one of the “Greatest Golfers of the Valley” for a year was, “Pretty cool.
“I enjoyed it. It was fun,” he said.
However, he admitted the title also came with some other consequences.
“I got a lot of comments about it,” McCamon said with a laugh. “A lot of jabbing about it.”
Same for Polinsky?
“Oh absolutely,” he said. “It puts a little pressure on you when you go out with your weekend buddies. But golf’s a funny game. You don’t know what to do from hole to hole. Let alone day to day. But the experience has been one that I thought was fantastic.”
This year’s tournament courses are: Mill Creek, Avalon Lakes, Tippecanoe Country Club, Trumbull Country Club, Oak Tree Country Club, Youngstown Country Club and Lake Club. Mill Creek hosts Day 1 on Aug. 19, Lake Club hosts the final day (Aug. 21) and the rest host the golfers on Aug. 20.
Polinsky’s fondest memory of his victorious tournament performance came at Lake Club during the final holes.
“My whole family — my kids, my grandson, my wife — they were all there,” he said. “And some friends were there, going down the stretch.
“It really meant a lot to me.”
So, with a new tournament approaching, maybe it’s Polinsky repeating as one of the “Greatest” for 2016. Or perhaps a new face will get to reap the benefits — as well as a little razzing — that comes with a first-place finish.
“Honestly, I didn’t expect to win it,” Polinsky said. “But it’s by far my biggest accomplishment in golf. It meant a lot to me and was a lot of fun.”