Slidell golfers will take to the links this weekend as the 31st annual Greater Slidell Golf Championship 2009 takes place today through Sunday.

There will be four flights, the championship flight, handicap, seniors and ladies.

The championship flight features scratch and handicap. The city champion is determined by the best scratch score in that flight. Twenty people signed up for that flight.

Pictured is Pinewood Country Club golfer Jack Abney, winner of five consecutive Greater Slidell Golf Championships, putting on Pinewood's ninth hole during last year's tournament. This year's event will take place today-Sunday. (File Photo by Chris Kinkaid)

The handicap flight had 21 entries, while the ladies had two people sign up. The senior flight is for golfers 50-older and 19 people registered to play in that flight.

Last year’s tournament drew 64 golfers and 62 entries were filled out by Tuesday’s entry deadline.

Only those who are residents of the Slidell area or members of one of the golf courses were eligible to sign up.

In the championship flight, Pinewood Country Club golfer Jack Abney, a 1992 Slidell High graduate, will be seeking his sixth consecutive title and seventh overall. His other title was in 1996.

Last year, Abney had a tough road to the title. He trailed by five strokes after the second round. With his streak on the line, Abney shot a 68 on the final day to capture the championship with a 216 for the three days. Runner-up Nick Siegert posted a 219 total for the three rounds.

Abney, 35, gave his thoughts on this year’s tournament.

“I think it’s pretty much as in years past. I like my chances,” Abney said. “I’m sure there are some younger and older guys who have been practicing and playing a lot of golf lately, who also have a good chance to win this. I played this past weekend and I did pretty well. It was encouraging. I’m ready to play three days of golf, which I don’t get to do very often.”

Abney added that the key to his game is his putting.

Pinewood Golf Pro James Leitz, who played this event its first year, 1979, and came in second behind Ken Langenbeck, said Abney’s been a good golfer for a long time and will be tough to beat if he’s on his game.

“If he plays his best, he’ll be tough to compete with, but there are other players who can contend with him if he doesn’t play his best,” Leitz said.

Royal Golf Club pro Cliff Laigast said the mental game is a big part to anyone’s game.

“Any person who can shoot a par to sub-par round has the ability to win the tournament, but they have to have the mental game,” Laigast said. “If they mess up a hole, they have to have the ability to bounce back on the next one.”

The format is a bit unusual as golfers in all flights will have the daunting task of playing one round on each course. In the championship flight, players will start at Oak Harbor Golf Club and then go to Pinewood Country Club on Saturday before finishing up the tournament at Royal Golf Club.

“It’s playing on three different golf courses,” Oak Harbor Golf pro Jamey Clark said. “You have to put together a good round on your home course and try to piece together two good rounds on courses you’re not familiar with. You normally play well at your home course, but last year, Jack was the exception.”

In last year’s tournament, Abney shot a 76 at Pinewood, 72 at Royal and 68 at Oak Harbor.

Leitz said the format shows golfers’ strengths and weaknesses in any flight.