T

he 10th season of the weekly B’nai B’rith
Golf League is in the books.
So is the 27th season of the weekly
Inter-Congregational Men’s Club Summer Softball
League.
Champions have been crowned.
The race for the golf league team title among the
dozen two-man teams in the nine-hole league at the
Links of Novi was decided by a single point.
Kerry Chaben and Mike Klinger scored 182
points. They went wire-to-wire on top of the lead-
er board to win their first team championship.
Runners-up Gary Klinger and Dale Taub had 181
points.
There was no sorrow for Gary Klinger in the
league’s individual standings.
He finished in first place with 93 points, four
more than Taub (89), and won his
second straight individual title.
Points are awarded based on holes
won and tied and matches won and
tied.
Gary Klinger is the golf league’s
founder and organizer.
“I love this league, love the breth-
ren and will keep working hard to make this a
great, fun and enjoyable league,
” he said.
“We’re losing a team next year, but
I already have inquiries to fill the
spot, so I expect us to remain at 12
teams.
”
The league has played at the Links
of Novi for nine years, and probably
will return there next year.
There were 14 teams in the soft-
ball league’s three divisions this
season.
The double-elimination playoffs
ended with the three division champions each
going undefeated in the post-season, winning all
three of their playoff games.

SOFTBALL CHAMPS
The softball league champions are Temple Beth El
No. 1 in the Greenberg Division, Temple Israel No.
1 in the Koufax Division and Congregation Beth
Ahm in the Rosen Division.

In the playoff championship games played at
Keith Sports Park in West Bloomfield, Beth El No. 1
defeated Temple Israel No. 5 14-8 in the Greenberg
Division, Temple Israel No. 1 defeated Temple Israel
No. 3 9-3 in the Koufax Division, and Beth Ahm
squeaked past Temple Shir Shalom No. 3 14-13 in
the Rosen Division.
The end of the season also marked the end of an
era for the softball league.
Longtime league co-director Steve Achtman, who
shared those responsibilities with Michael Betman
and Mitch Kline, stepped away from the league
after the playoff championship games, saying his
decision to resign as co-director and
stop playing was made with a heavy
heart.
He said he plans to spend more
time with family and make use of his
new free time on Sunday mornings.
“There are many things that go on
behind the scenes to run a league,
”
Achtman said. “Michael, Mitch and
I have been handling those duties.
We start working on the next season
right after a season ends.
“I’ve made many friends in the league. I hope we
can stay in contact,
” he said.
Achtman said Kline will take over the responsi-
bility of running the league’s fall league. Achtman
created the fall league several years ago and has run
it since then.

Send sports news to stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

Golf Stats

Gary Klinger puts
together a detailed
B’nai B’rith Golf League
season review each
year. Here are some
stats and facts from his
2022 review:
• Perfect attendance:
Mike Klinger, Marc
Ruskin, Larry Shapiro,
Ryan Stone and Stu
Zorn each played all 16
rounds.
• Most birdies: Aaron
Herskovic and Ryan
Stone each had seven
birdies. Herskovic
played just seven of the
16 rounds. Stone played
all 16 rounds.
• Most pars: Ryan
Vieder had 39 pars.
• Most bogeys: Stone
had 62 bogeys.
• Zero: Vieder finished
in the middle of the
pack in the team and
individual standings
despite not making a
single birdie all season.
• Consistent: The team
of Lyle Schaefer and
Stone had a streaky
season. They won
three matches, lost
three matches, won
three matches, lost two
matches, won three
matches and lost two
matches.
• Month of wins: The
teams of Gary Klinger
and Dale Taub and
Bob and Larry Shapiro
each won five straight
matches, the longest
team winning streak of
the season.
• Most improved golfer:
Stone. His 2021 season
average was 47.47. His
2022 season average
was 45.81. That was
a 1.65-stroke drop, or
3.48%. His 2020 season
average was 48.06.

46 | SEPTEMBER 29 • 2022





They’re the Champions

It was a summer of success for these B’nai B’rith golfers
and Inter-Congregational Men’s Club Summer
Softball League teams.

STEVE STEIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

B’nai B’rith Golf League team champions Mike Klinger
and Kerry Chaben.

SPORTS

Gary
Klinger

GARY KLINGER

GARY KLINGER