By Gary Curreri

After more than a half a century, the Crystal Lake Golf Club in Deerfield Beach has closed.

Many of the golfers sat around the bar on the final day on March 11 and spoke of the memories they had at the course. Several had moved over four years earlier when the nearby Deerfield Country Club closed in 2014.

Lighthouse Point’s Dottie Birney played at the course for five years. The 6,953-yard championship par 72 golf course was built in 1965 and re-designed by Rees Jones in 1981. It was then renovated in 2000.

“This place was nice because it was a working man’s golf course,” Birney said. “It is a nice place to meet and have fun with all kinds of people. It was a good golf course, a challenging golf course, and I am going to miss it a whole helluva lot.

“The ladies that I play with came here four times a week,” Birney added, “You could come to it, it’s a social place and this was a home away from home. It was a warm nice place. I don’t know where we are going to go now.”

Boca Raton’s John Nixdorf also came over from Deerfield Country Club four years ago. He said they had a regular Saturday group.

“It has been a great spot for the Deerfield Country Club crew to get together and play,” Nixdorf said. “They were really accommodating to us on tee times. It is sad that they are closing, and it was crippling that Deerfield [Country Club]closed…we developed a very nice community [about 20 golfers] and had people of all different levels.”

Hillsboro Beach’s Don Forster played three to four times a week at Crystal Lake. The 88-year-old recorded 13 of his 14 hole-in-ones at the Deerfield Country Club before moving over to Crystal Lake.

“I was at the Deerfield Country Club for 20 years,” Forster said. “Deerfield felt like a home because everybody knew everybody. I have a lot of fond memories there, but I am sad to see this place close too. All I do is eat, drink and play golf.”

Deerfield Beach city commissioners agreed to allow more than 400 homes to be built on the 109-acre Crystal Lake course in August 2017. A total of 290 houses and 125 townhouses are expected to be built on the parcel.

Storey inducted into FAU Baseball Ring of Honor

Deerfield Beach High School graduate Mickey Storey carved out a nice career with the Bucks before he went on to play at Florida Atlantic University and eventually a professional career.

Storey, who turned 32 on March 16, got an early birthday present just days earlier as he was among five inducted in the Florida Atlantic University Baseball Ring of Honor prior to the start of the Owls’ doubleheader win over Seton Hall at the FAU Baseball Stadium.

Storey (2005-08) was inducted along with four former Owl players, including Hugh Adams (2009-13), Bill Cobe (1981-82), Darryl Powell (1981-82) and his former Owls head coach, Kevin Cooney. Cooney was unable to make the ceremony.

The 2004 graduate of Deerfield Beach High School was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 22nd round of the 2007 MLB Draft but did not sign and was then drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the 31st round of the 2008 MLB Draft.

Storey, pitched in the major leagues for Houston and Toronto, making his major-league debut with the Astros in 2012. In January, Storey was named manager of the Houston Astros minor league affiliate – the Class A Quad Cities River Bandits based in Des Moines, Iowa. They play in the Midwest League.

Storey made his coaching debut last season as a development coach with Houston’s Carolina League affiliate, Buies Creek. His assignment with the defending Midwest League champions will be his first as a manager.

Storey lives in Wellington with his wife, Monique and their three children.

By Gary Curreri

Deerfield Beach’s Crystal Lake Golf Club kicked off its 52 year anniversary recently as Crystal Lake staff members fired up the grill, local craft beer flowed and live music played for everyone to enjoy.

“We’ve been told by some of our most loyal players that ‘Crystal Lake is back,’ – and we couldn’t be more excited about it,” said Crystal Lake Golf Club General Manager David Kandel. “We are confident in saying we have been the home of South Florida’s best value golf for more than five decades, and we invite everyone to come on out and experience it for themselves!”

Kandel, who took over as General Manager last January, is inviting players to “Re-Discover Crystal Lake” and its revamped playing experience.

“We’ve got a golf course here that is constantly described as a lot of fun to play,” said Kandel, who worked different roles at the club since 2010 including Pro Shop attendant and Golf Operations Manager.

Built in 1965, Crystal Lake Golf Club is a 6,953-yard championship par 72 golf course that was re-designed by Rees Jones in 1981. An older course with tall pines, scattered palm trees and native flora, it was renovated in 2000 with new tees and tifdwarf USGA-designed greens. The slight doglegs left and right combined with undulating greens present a challenge to golfers of all skill levels.

“If you’re looking for an enjoyable round of golf with some great people, there’s no better place than Crystal Lake Golf Club,” Kandel said. “It was wonderful celebrating the history of Crystal Lake with our amazing golf family. We are lucky to have the best customer base in the industry and it was great celebrating our anniversary with them.”

Kandel said the club is home to perfect golfing weather year-round for snowbirds in colder regions, in addition to those in the local community.

Tee times this season start at $30 and can be booked by calling 954-943-2902, or by visiting the website at www.crystallakegc.com.

Pompano pledges $1,000 donation to Jr. Lifeguards

The city of Pompano Beach Mayor Lamar Fisher recently donated $1,000 to the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard/Grommets Program.

Nemia Schulte, president of the Pompano Beach Junior Lifeguard Association, said Fisher had excess money from his campaign fund, so he donated it to the city program.

“Mayor Fisher has always been a big supporter of the Junior Lifeguard Program,” Schulte said. “In the past, when we had some of our kids selected to Worlds or do well at Nationals, he would issue a City Proclamation for our athletes and team before the Commissioner’s meeting.

“When my eldest daughter Julia was selected to represent the U.S. Youth National Team at Worlds in Australia in 2012, he had presented her with a proclamation,” she continued. “The commissioners also donated money to her to help her to defray some of the cost of the trip. It was really awesome to have them donate to our organization.”

Schulte said it is one of the city’s most popular and successful programs. There are approximately 300 Juniors and Grommets who participate in the program each summer.

“It is not only an educational opportunity for our children, but also one filled with many team-bonding social events,” Schulte said. “It appears that someone knows someone whose family is or has been involved with the program over the past 20-plus years of its existence.

“Also, we are proud to say that the program,” she continued, “has also reached national and international recognition for being one of the most successful junior lifeguard programs in the world.”

There are camps planned for this summer and the United States Lifeguard Association National competition will be held on Aug. 9 in Daytona Beach for Junior Lifeguards.

For more information, send an email to Schulte at nemia2000@aol.com.