Page 3 - PPA National Championship 2022

championship. The Martinez Putt-Putt Golf Course is unlike a typical

Putt-Putt course in that it is not flat; and all the holes cannot be seen

from the clubhouse. There are ascending holes that can contribute to
late round fatigue - and inconsistent holes that will take a player to a

prostrating annoyance. In the past, the Martinez course was known to

be an easy trek with top ten scores averaging 24 or 25. However, the
Martinez course has, of late, proven to be a course to challenge a

player’s patience and expose his or her putting weakness. There are
holes on each course that could place a player in a position to take

over-par strokes. There are holes that will enter a player’s mind before

ever reaching the hole, and there are holes that are so simple in design
that to miss the “ace” putt will seem like a bogey. Yes, this year’s

National Championship will be interesting, and it will not be a run-away

win. There will be some very low 20s scored – but the Martinez course
has the reputation of balancing the low scores with bewildering higher

scores. If the winner averages a score below 25 for the 8-round

contest, he or she will be a very accomplished player. It can be done-
just not expected. Local professional Frank Warren conveyed that an

average score on the Red Course is 26 and an average score on the Blue

Course is 27. Regardless of the score, what is expected will be a group
of players very close to the lead going into the last stretch of holes.

There may even be a multiple-player playoff, which has not happened
in a long time.

Martinez is an area just on the edge of Augusta, GA. Augusta has been

the home of many successful PPA members. These include Ralph Sapp
and Ron Slocum. Both players have won many PPA tournaments, but

not a National Championship. That honor belongs to Tracy Moore. But

there is more to the story of how Moore became the 1965 National
Champion, the importance of the title, and what it means to the history

of the PPA. So, part of this issue will be presenting the story of Tracy