By Derek Thompson | The Selma Times-Journal

Blistering heat made the Selma Country Club feel more like a desert than a golf course Saturday.

The Member-Guest Golf Tournament at the Selma Country Club was designed to be a relaxing weekend for members and their guests to participate in some light competition on the golf course, but a nearly 100-degree Saturday made it difficult for golfers to do that.

“It’s so hot, but thank goodness we are not starting at 1:30 p.m.,” said Tommy Burns, who serves as the PGA professional at the country club. “We will try to make the temperature more palatable tomorrow by making the tee times earlier. We do not want anyone getting into trouble medically.”

Country club Member Andy Reeves said his wife bought him and his tournament guest for the past 20 years, Don Willingham, Dallas County Schools’ superintendent, cooling towels so they wouldn’t overheat.

“You dip it in the ice bucket and then you wrap it around your neck,” Reeves said. “They’re nice. You just flap them out and they stay cool on you.”

Even with the cooling towels Reeves and Willingham said the heat made it a tough day to play golf.

“This heat is just terrible,” Reeves said. “It’s hot. I gave out of gas today. Our goal for tomorrow is to stay hydrated.”

Thirty teams pushed through the hot weather Saturday for the first 18-hole round. Three groups tied with scores of 60; Paul Garner and John Burtham, Charlie Shoultz and Stevie Smitherman, and Lee Calame and Kyle Edmonds.

Four groups were still finishing their round at the time of publication.

The event began Friday with a nine-hole par-3 contest. Burns set up the course where players would be in one fairway and hit the ball to greens they normally wouldn’t play to.

“The tournament’s format is different every year,” Reeves said. “One year it may be best ball like it is today. One year it was alternating shots where he hits it then I would hit next. Another time we had a scramble where we would hit and then go to the next best shot. You got three holes on one green here and a big circle you can hit the ball in there. It’s just a lot of fun.”

Garner and Burtham won the par-3 tournament shooting 7-under on nine holes. Jere Peak and Chris Peak followed in second at 3-under.

Sunday’s tee times for the Member-Guest Golf Tournament were changed from 1:30 p.m. to 10 a.m. due to the weather conditions. The country club will kick things off with a chipping competition from 9 a.m.-10 a.m.

“To me this is more of a social event,” Burns said. “The big thing that has put a strain on everybody is the weather. We might need to rethink when we need to play this golf tournament. Maybe move it to a little earlier in the year or a little later when the temperature is just not so angry. This is pretty vicious weather right here.”