A family feel for Holstein

Bryce Alderton

When Sally Holstein has a chip shot in Friday’s Tea Cup Classic VII

at Mesa Verde Country Club, she will no doubt occasionally be

thinking about dinner.

Not necessarily dinner that evening, but dinner anytime.

The Big Canyon Country Club women’s champion and younger sister

Sue DeMille, Holstein’s caddy for today’s 18-hole, stroke-play event

featuring the four women’s club champions from the private clubs in

Newport-Mesa, frequently get together for a chipping contest, with

the loser buying dinner.

“We chip close to 200 balls,” Holstein, 52, said about the

competition with her sister, a member at Santa Ana Country Club.

“Now, when I go play Big Canyon, I know exact distances and I am

relaxed and calm. I just chip it instead of getting tense, which I’ve

done many times.

“The practice of doing it over and over again boosts the

confidence. It helps having a sister with you so you don’t get bored.

I usually buy her dinner.”

The two teamed up to win the gross division at Big Canyon’s ladies

two-day tournament for the first time in June.

Holstein will practice her swing in DeMille’s backyard one day and

the next, DeMille will stop by Big Canyon to share a few putting

tips.

“She helps me and vice versa,” said Holstein, who first began

taking golf lessons when she was 12 on the urging of her parents,

George and Elinor.

“The first time I hit a driver, I said, ‘I like this sport,’ ”

Holstein recalled. “My parents always motivated me to play golf. They

would leave for four or five hours to play golf when we went on

vacations, so I wanted to [play along] so I could see them.”

Holstein, a Costa Mesa resident and accountant for a commercial

property manager, was first a member at Irvine Coast Country Club,

now Newport Beach CC, before joining Big Canyon in 1983, where her

parents already were members.

Competition with Sue began to heat up, causing Holstein to focus

more on her game.

“Sue started to beat me and I had beat her previously,” said

Holstein, who also has an older sister, Sandy Thomas. “She lived at

Big Canyon and played more than I did. At that time I was only

playing once a month.”

Holstein joined a ladies group and began playing twice a week,

much like she does these days.

Friday, Holstein will join Akemi Khaiat, Mesa Verde’s women’s club

champion, Marianne Towersey (Santa Ana CC) and Debbie Albright

(Newport Beach Country Club) when the Tea Cup begins at 1:30 p.m. at

Mesa Verde. Holstein’s only other Tea Cup appearance was also at Mesa

Verde, in 1999.

“I love the course, it is a bit more open [than Big Canyon],” she

said.

Holstein, who is single, will try to maintain a calmness once she

steps on the first tee, but knows it won’t be easy with galleries in

tow.

“I’m not used to playing in front of people, but I’m almost

excited,” Holstein said. “I’m just going to try to take deep breaths,

think good thoughts and hopefully the ball will go in the air.”

Holstein, who went to Corona del Mar High, and Towersey grew up on

the same street and competed against one another often from the time

they were young.

“She is so good, she should be a professional, but she decided to

be a mom instead,” Holstein said of Towersey, who finished fifth in

last week’s California Women’s Championship. “I’m going to enjoy the

day and play with my friends.”