Superintendent’s Revenge Golf Tournament Was a Day of Formidable Fun

The annual Superintendent’s Revenge Golf Tournament pits golfers against each other and against some very creative obstacles set up by Golf Course Superintendent Scott Walwyn and his crew.

If you’ve never seen or played Superintendent’s Revenge, here’s how it works: It’s a shotgun tournament with all tournament elements managed by Golf Pro Matt Brumbaugh and the Golf Shop Team. All golfer teams start at the same time from a different hole. To keep things moving and ensure everyone finishes at the same time, there’s a limit of four swings once you hit the green. Tee and pin placements are moved from their regular spots, so the course feels new, even if you’ve played it before. The obstacles are fun—and a little frustrating (in a good way!).

We met up with one team of SDCEA residents who took on the revenge challenge. “This was my first year, and it’s been a blast from the get-go,” said Anthony Abbott. When asked if he found the course difficult, teammate Dane Clark kidded, “The pin positions have been absolutely horrendous. Not fun—”

“Extremely fun!” interrupted Bruce Roland.

“Fun” and “challenging” were the words of the day. “We had a great time,” said SDCE resident Matt Jorge. “It was obviously challenging, but not if you were as lucky as we were,” he joked. But he was seriously proud to tell us, “We only bogeyed one hole!” An accomplishment indeed.

Another proud team calling themselves “The Vicente Vixens” were beaming at the end of the tournament. “We didn’t come in last place this year. In fact, we were first in the ladies’ division.” We didn’t have the heart to tell them they were the only team of women, but a win is a win. Congratulations to Darla White, Robyn Bolitho, Esther Franck, and Cathy Knowles for being the best (if only) ladies to face the Revenge this year.

The Lafata foursome won Best Gross Score: Joseph Sr., Joseph Jr., Johnny, and Dominic.

So, what exactly was challenging about the course? Hole One, named “Let’s Begin… HAHAHA,” had a tractor parked right in front of the green! But Kyle Cardiff told us, “Pin placements are the most challenging aspect.” He and his team agreed Hole Four, named “Cypress,” was one of the toughest. “You gotta shape it around the tree.”

But were the holes too challenging? We asked Ryan Roland what he would say to the superintendent about the Revenge course. “I’d rather go out of a bunker.” We’re pretty sure he was joking.

That’s one of the best things about this event—everyone is such a good sport, and the camaraderie and friendly vibe is strong. Just ask the players who came from out of state to participate in the fun. “We come to San Vicente Resort to play this course four or five times a year, but don’t tell everyone because this is our hidden gem,” said David Fearn, whose team made the trip from Phoenix, Arizona. “We won last year but weren’t so lucky this year. That’s okay, though—we love it here because the people are genuinely kind, and we’ve made great connections with these people over the years.”

Turnout this year was fantastic—an impressive 22 teams enjoyed BBQ food, and competed for over $2,000 in prizes and bragging rights, including superintendents from neighboring courses who came out to play. Paul Brown, Superintendent of the Maderas Golf Club course in Poway, mentioned the “wonderful atmosphere” and was impressed with how many people participated. “Scott does a great job.”

Former Superintendent of Rancho Bernardo Inn Golf, Mark Partridge, raved too. “The staff do an amazing job on this event. The people are nice, and it’s a really enjoyable environment. And the course was awesome!”

We caught up with Scott after the event to ask how he thought the day went, and he immediately talked about his team. “I just want to thank my crew,” he said. “I appreciate that they come in at 4 and 5 am some mornings to make this happen. They truly go the extra mile.” He added, “We want people to come back year after year, have a great time, and feel like they got their money’s worth. It’s fun to make the course challenging but not impossible—it’s a fine line. We spend a lot of time on this.”

It was, obviously, time well spent because while we would have loved to talk to Scott longer, we didn’t want to get in the way of all the players who wanted to shake his hand on the way out and thank him for a terrific day on the course. We have no doubt they’ll all be back next year. Make sure you keep your eye out for the 2025 Superintendent’s Revenge and join in the fun!

Photos By Rachel French and Nim Miranda.