Geneva 2026

Date: 5/07/2026  

From: Frank Alexander

CHIP SHOTS

WHO IS IN? WHO IS OUT?

     COMMIT TIME – Golf is in the air around Northeast Ohio. The links have turned green. Golf carts rumble down cart paths increasing in numbers by the day. Permission to venture off the blacktop and onto the turf is granted more often. That signifies Geneva time is fast approaching. The different Committees have taken initial steps in preparing for this year’s event. Many of Geneva Committees cannot complete their duties until they are given the final roster. I am asking yea or nay commits currently on participation. Once a field is set, the Committees for Merchandising, Handicaps, Scramble, and Pairings can complete their work. I am also taking requests for desired foursomes for Friday and Saturday rounds. The goal is to make this outing as enjoyable and competitive as in the past. Communication helps achieve these goals.

     WHERE IS HE NOW? – For nearly nine months, Geneva lost contact with Jay Green. Or…did Jay Green lose contact with the world? Any calls to Jay connected to weird, wild, and nonsensical recordings. He was lost but thanks to Bill Boggess, he was found. The phone number was changed, and Billy took the time and effort to track Jay down. Billy told me, “He was way out there.” He was right. I called and talked to Mr. Green for 15 minutes and the number of topics he covered could fill an hour newscast except none had a finish and many made little sense. He was excited about a trip to Miami of Ohio of which he was about to embark with his friends Becky and Jodelle but told me nothing of why he was going. I am not sure he knew why he was going yet he invited me to tag along. Oglebay was another destination in his future. I was unsure if this was a past trip. My confusion grew when he analyzed a long three break putt that Greenie made on one of Oglebay’s mounded greens. He mentioned twice that he was Mini-Legend Jack Berger’s partner last year, but the record indicates Jay did not attend. I managed to confirm that he still lives in a senior community on east Broad Street in Columbus. The big news that I heard

from Jay was that he no longer drives. He claimed it broke down and Pat was going to fix it. These stories may bring a chuckle, but the reality is they are sad. I watched Ralph DiCarolis’ mind eat away and slowly and uncontrollably wilted. Many of us were close to Bill Kirk who fought the same disease. Jay was a major player in Geneva’s growth. Before the internet (yes, Geneva has been around long before anyone had internet), Jay was my eyes, ears, and contact, gathering information on who was coming to Geneva every year. The number of players attending Geneva is due to his efforts. Jay was a promotional wizard and could be considered its spokesperson. Geneva owes much to Jay Green. Before we hung up, he said he wanted a corduroy coat noting they were always in fashion.

     WHAT KIND OF BIRD DOESN’T FLY? – Here is a story that may interest you. Many have been banned from casinos for counting cards. That was not the reason for Geneva Brother Jim Centorbi’s banishment. Jim’s gambling commitment is not strong enough to spend hours learning that trade. Cento was escorted from the MGM Grand Racino in Cleveland for another reason. As the story goes, he was frustrated at his luckless results on the slot machine. Enough was enough. His Italian blood rose like a stick of dynamite thrown into a ball of fire. An instinctive blow with his fist ensued. Crack went the glass. Security descended on him like pigeons to bread. They did everything but slap on the cuffs. Told he must pay to replace the glass, Jim agreed. A security guard paraded him out the front door in Officer Pat Dorn fashion. Months later, he received the bill, much more than he budgeted. On to court he went, Jim and his public defender. The parties agreed on a payment plan and Jim Centorbi avoided jail time. “Now, the rest of the story.” For a year, Jim stayed out of the racino. Cento has never been shy. He has a “What are they going to do to me?” attitude. Besides Jim’s many Geneva golf honors (multiple Gavin Cups, Skins, and Best Ball Championships), he may be most remembered for climbing on stage and whooping it up with “The Girls Gone Wild.” So, it was no surprise when Jimbo stopped back into the racino. His face, name, and number decorated the racino banned list. Lo and behold, The MGM Grand had sold the racino. All clear. Not quite. Entering the renamed racino, all Jim’s old buddies still worked there, including the officer who paraded Jim out a year

earlier. As of yet, Cento has been able to duck the dick. By the way, the answer to the question posed at the top of this paragraph, according to Chucky Burtz, “A jail bird.”

     SCHEDULE SET – The final piece of scheduling is on the books thanks to Shawn Dorn. He reserved six tee times on Manakiki for Thursday, July 23, starting at 11:30. This routine of a practice round on Geneva’s Friday course has become a staple to the Geneva weekend. If you would like to participate, give Shawn a shout . The actual outing opens at noon the following day on the Manakiki track. Kerry Joyce has played 18 holes there already this spring and says to be prepared for thick, 2” roughs. I suggest we make a more concerted effort to keep the ball in the fairway. The rest of the weekend will be played on the more forgiving Geneva course. A quick reminder, the field will be chasing Mike Pagnanelli, Dagan Abdon, Pat Dorn, and Kyle Willis for the Best Ball Crown. “A” players pick the opposing teams. If overcoming Pags’ Best Ball team is a chore, he teamed with Mini-Legend Jack Berger to set a Gavin Cup record 45 under par in 2025. That is some shooting. The past winter has taken a physical toll on two perennial Geneva players. Both Bill Boggess and Mini-Legend Jerry Graves are desperately trying to recover from off-season surgery. Their old bones and muscles have yet to cooperate. They are relying on expert doctors to fix them up. Isn’t that their job? Maybe they should turn to a higher power. Ben Franklin once said, “God heals and the doctor takes the fees.”