Concussion Time Change

Southport Springs is in rough shape. Slow, fuzzy greens… with a bunch of dead spots. Fairways are the same.

But the scout team voted to just keep it booked since Countryway and The Groves are reporting similar conditions. 

We are going to play lift-clean-place everywhere.

We also moved the tee times up to 7:45am. There’s no range… so let’s get in and out faster.

If you’re someone who can’t handle shit conditions, I’d recommend you skipping next week.

Throwback Thursday

Spring 2013 Hangover Party - April 5th - TAPS (downtown Tampa)

Drinking mind-erasers.

 

FBGC Open - Summer 2026 Recap

Didn't we rename this thing?

 

Anyway, Waterlefe is an amazing course. It's a fun and interesting layout that really elevates players who are hitting it well. Any non-committed, scared swings are penalized heavily.

 

Unfortunately the greens still hadn't recovered a month after being punched. This is not normal, and it's clear they haven't been watering for whatever reason. The rest of the course was in great shape, and some of the rough was surprisingly juicy.

 

So who hit the ball the best? I watched a handful of Marcus' tee shots and he was striping it. With only three "blow-ups", he was able to win comfortably as the only player in red-net figures. Three birdies on the day is impressive! Marcus now has two career wins — both Major victories — and jumps to the top of our standings.

 

Billy made par on the final three holes... which is also very impressive... and high-fived Dave as he passed him on the leader board.

 

Everyone else isn't worth talking about, but here are some odds and ends:

• At most places, if you're in the clubhouse first, you can watch yourself move up the leader board. This is very true at Waterlefe with a daunting finishing stretch. This week we saw Chandler (that's me!) move up the leader board long after the round was over... because some idiot in his group (also me!) didn't give him credit for his birdie on 17 in the app.
• The par-3 15th at Waterlefe is the closest we'll ever see to the par-3 12th at Augusta. This is not a joke. In fact, it's probably more penal because the surrounds are tighter and the green is more severely sloped. We had one birdie (Geoff) and two pars (Chandler, Ho). Everyone else made a double-bogey or worse!
• It's very difficult to win at Waterlefe with a double or worse on the first hole. Geoff made a 9 on it and won by a stroke back in 2013! Buchert did it again in 2022! But most people who eject on this hole are done for the day. 

We're off for Father's Day weekend. Southport Springs will host our next event in two weeks. See you then! 

FBGC Open - Summer 2026 Preview

Long drive #12 (par 4)

 

First tee time is 10:12am.

  

Not much new to say about Waterlefe. This will be our 10th official event on the course, placing it only behind Southern Hills (17) and Countryway (13).

 

Everyone fears this course, but it's actually rated slightly easier than average in terms of difficulty (+4 median net to par). Wide fairways and sizeable greens help lower the scores.

 

9 of the 13 winners at Waterlefe have a first name that starts with "C".  So Faz with his inflated handicap should win Sunday.

 

See you then. 

Random Club History - 2012

On June 29th, 2012... Gorecki beat his dad in golf - straight up - for the first time in his life (35 years old at the time). He did this in an exhibition match at Legacy Golf Club (now part of Lakewood Ranch G&CC) with a score of 100 - 107. We were practicing for our first ever Major, played at Southern Hills the next day.

Geoff and I were lucky enough to witness this touching moment of Father/Son history.

Three weeks later on July 21st, we played the first (of only three) "Just the Tips" tournaments. It was a back-to-back tournament weekend due to a rainout. Only four people showed up. There were no greenies or sandies earned. Northdale was playing 6,824... and this leader board was amazing:

No, we will not be bringing this event back.  

The very next day we played a soggy TPC Tampa, which resulted in Gorecki's first ever victory and this gem of an excerpt from the write-up:

Everyone played like crap with the exhausting conditions, except Gorecki who shot one over his handicap to earn his first victory of the season.

Of course... he cheated all day... pairing himself with the Clique-o-Ballics, who couldn't watch him while they were constantly hunting for Dino's wayward drives. After we caught Gorecki hitting a mulligan on the first tee, he responded: "I'm not in your group, so I don't have to play by your rules." Commissioner Geoff pointed out: "You also don't have to win our money."

Skins Game - Summer 2026 Recap

As predicted in the weekly preview, Topor won at Seminole Lake this past weekend, with an impressive 44 (gross) on the front, followed by typical Topor-Ball on the back. He and Marcus had a double-bogey-party on the final stretch, with Topor's par on the difficult 16th proving to be the difference.

 

Other stats of note:

• Faz going 4 - 10 - 4 on the par-5 stretch on the back. He also hit 7 balls OB on the day which is probably a record for him.
• Gary making 6 pars in the final 7 holes on the front... only to implode with a 53 on the back (draining a long putt for birdie on 18 to avoid a pitcher).
•  Geoff with three sandies on the day.
• Dave did this back in 2022
• Buffalo Ben had 4 at the old Stoneybrook back in 2013
• Chandler (that's me!) hit all 14 fairways 

The rest of you were not noteworthy.

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Seminole Lake had probably the best conditions we've seen in a long while. Great fairways, rough, and greens. The first group waited on every shot and still played in 3:52. Somehow, Tall Mike's threesome kept up! 

 

It sucks that they increased our rate 23%+ over last year... but at least it seems they're putting it back into the course?

 

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We play our first Major of the season next Sunday at Waterlefe. Tee time is 10:12am (allegedly after their members).

 

They only increased their rates 13% on us year-over-year.  I don't think range balls are included. We might be at the point where it's too expensive to warm up anyway. 

Season Updates & Rapture Dates

Long drive Sunday is #5 

 

Everyone is on WHITE tees unless they want to move back:

 

 

 

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Week 3 (Waterlefe) and Week 4 (Southport Springs) are booked and officially capped at the first 16 to RSVP.

 

Week 5 (Jovita) has 24 spots reserved, I believe.

 

Week 6 (Hunter's Green) is capped at the first 16 people to send me $80. There's a slight chance we can go to 20 people.

 

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It's been a nightmare booking Week 3. The Rapture hasn't been much better.

 

Dates are October 8th to October 11th. Anyone who tells me later the dates weren't published will be sent a passive-aggressive screenshot of this post.

 

We are only taking 12 players. 

 

I have Candler Hills reserved for the Saturday round.  Juliette Falls won't let us book until 2 weeks out... so not sure how that'll work. The same manager chick was sending me emails in 2019 begging us to come back!

 

AirBnB options aren't great. I'll probably book us in Inverness again (40 min away from courses) just because those were decent setups (nice, many beds, pools) and the town actually has bars.  Black Diamond wants $350+ per person to play.

 

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Speaking of greens fees, they've been a hot issue since the foundation of our Club. Our technology upgrade project has me going through old seasons, and I've been re-reading old posts. This one was our announcement of the new stroke play era, where I wrote:

"As I complained to co-founder Geoff regarding the incessant whining about tee times, greens fees, availability, locations, handicaps, etc... it dawned on me that we didn't really need anyone else..."

Here's a list of all our after-tax greens fees when that post was written (2012):
 

Heritage Harbor - $19

Northdale - $22

Bloomingdale - $24 

Summerfield - $26

The Eagles - $27

Bardmoor - $27

Crescent Oaks - $29 

Cypress Creek - $32

Heritage Isles - $33

Dunedin CC - $34

Pebble Creek - $36

Diamond Hill - $37

World Woods - $48

For context, $35 back then is about $52 now, adjusted for inflation.

See you Sunday!

Skins Game - Summer 2026 Preview

We're playing the best public-access option in Pinellas on Sunday, a 10:30am start at Seminole Lake. It's a solid old-school Florida layout... pretty flat with pushed up greens and lots of bunkering. Built in 1962 by Chic Adams who also designed Diamond Hill — a property and layout that couldn't be any more different.

 

Unfortunately, Seminole Lake is in high demand so there are no deals to be had and we have to go out after their members. Such is the state of golf at the moment.

 

It looks like mid to high handicaps excel here, as the firm greens rack up strokes for everyone at an equal clip. Gorecki won last year by 5 strokes (he was getting 27). This makes Topor the early betting favorite if he can play smart, avoid the numerous lakes and OB boundaries, and not physically overheat.

 

The weather looks dry and hopefully overcast.

 

We're going out in order of Skins Handicap this week, with guests sprinkled in as needed.

 

See you Sunday. 

Summer 2026 - Week 1 Summary

Oh boy. I'm not sure what to say about yesterday's tournament at the new "Saddlebrook National." The course is in great shape. The deal we got was amazing. The weather was warm and sticky but the wind wasn't blowing very hard.

 

And yet everyone played terrible.

 

We should have had a few people under par, yet Dave won with a +1 (net). Dave rightly pointed out that most of the course favored a player who fades the ball, which Dave isn't.

 

Danny set the course high record (with Geoff) and still finished T2 (with Faz). He was the only person to par the 14th hole, and also managed to make two 10s (we should up the +5 max!).

 

It's not a "fun" course. The routing is a disaster. But John reminded me par is a social construct so I'm not even going to complain about some of the scorecard decisions.

 

We should go back every season while prices are reasonable.

 

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Next week is 10:30am start at Seminole Lake. We had 20 spots reserved... I dropped that to 16... and now it looks like we only have 12 players attending. Not good!

I grabbed a couple of Ho's buddies to fill out our roster, but please invite others so we don't look like a bunch of chumps who can't fill out a tee sheet.

 

We might have to reduce the Rapture to 8 people! 

PGA Frisco - Fields Ranch East

In 2023, the PGA of America moved its headquarters to Frisco, TX after spending nearly 60 years located in Palm Beach, Florida. Keep in mind the "PGA" is NOT the "PGA TOUR"... rather it's the entity that oversees the Club Pros that fold your shirts and give lessons. They also run the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup.

The East course was designed by Gil Hanse, and built specifically to host Major championships, becoming the final anchor location for the "Five Families" of golf:

The R&A - St. Andrews Old Course
The Masters - Augusta National
The USGA - Pinehurst #2
PGA TOUR - TPC Sawgrass (Stadium)
PGA of America - Fields Ranch (East)

Before Fields Ranch East even opened it was awarded the:

2023 and 2029 Senior PGA Championship
2025 and 2031 Women's PGA Championship
2027 and 2034 PGA Championship

And I fully expect a Ryder Cup to go there at some point (probably 2039).

 

So how was it? Pretty awesome!

 

It's a big-boy course that's listed at 7,860 for the Championship, and can easily be stretched beyond 8,000 (however, no Major is ready to be the first to officially do that, as it'll drum up more ball rollback debate). Their "signature hole" (I disagree with that assessment) is a par three that plays straight uphill into the prevailing wind... and is 269 on the card!

 

The 13th is back there somewhere.

  

The wind is brutal in this part of Texas, and we had a full weekend of constant 20+ mph sustained. The greens were surprisingly small, and work is already being done to soften the edges to add more pin-able areas. 

 

Not pin-able.

 

Caddies told me Scottie Scheffler bullied the course into adding a new teebox on 18 because he didn't like the angle (there's nothing wrong with the angle, he's a grumpy man-child). 

Bryson DeChambeau (another man-child) apparently walked off the course during a practice round after 11 holes because the teeboxes "weren't level" - a trick that Chambers Bay also used.

 

Those complaints make me even more excited for the tournament next year. When TPC Sawgrass opened, the pros immediately tried to have it banned after one event. Now it's regarded as a challenging masterpiece. Will Fields Ranch East be seen in the same light 40 years from now? Probably not. But there are a lot of great holes out there.

 

It's like one of those movies where the more you think about it... the better it gets. 

 

With thick fescue waste areas, they can make this course incredibly difficult.

  

The entire resort complex (and Omni hotel) was pretty nice as well. Logistically one of the worst run places we've been to (although not nearly as bad as Southern Pines), but you can see the potential. There's a massive putting and par-3 course that's lit until midnight, and plenty of places to get food and drinks. You really don't have to leave the resort.

 

From the hotel... 18th green in the center... 10th tee on the right.

Their other course on property was decent with even more land movement, but that was our windiest day and everyone was just trying to survive. I'm not sure we were able to fully appreciate it.

 

Bottom line... very enjoyable location and experience. Don't get caught up in the course/set-up discourse next year at the PGA Championship. It's a great test of golf. It's not unfair. And if scores are low it's because the PGA of America chickened out.

Saddlebrook Notes

It's been awhile since we played here... but...

 

The range has been moved "closer" to the first tees. Range is included in greens fee. 

 

Parking is basically valet only, unless you want to roll the dice and just park in the valet only lot. You'll then have a long walk to the pro shop. The entire setup is terrible, and even if you valet it takes forever to get your car when we leave. I'd recommend arriving early to avoid any delays parking.

 

The new "sports bar" is in the main hotel where the valet is located. We should just eat there afterward.

 

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Unrelated to this Sunday, you may have noticed our schedule changed slightly. 

• Ho is out of town Week 2, which would have doubled our Lake Jovita rates. So we moved that to Week 5. 
• Hunter's Green didn't inform me they are punching their greens days before our originally scheduled Week 3 event... so we moved that to Week 6
• It's been a challenge finding "decent" places for Weeks 2 and 3... Seminole Lake agreed to take us Week 2, but we need to go out after their members (10:30am).

Adjust your RSVPs accordingly. As it stands now I'm probably going to drop Week 2 down to 16 players. Or perhaps even 12...

Week 1 - Summer 2026

One spot remaining 

We're at the "new" Saddlebrook National on Sunday, May 31st - 9am start. What used to be the "Palmer" and "Saddlebrook" courses have been hacked together into three different nines. Their signature nines are Pine and Oak.

 

It's a Frankenstein's Monster of a course, with a par-5 now playing as a long par-4... and multiple par-4s now par-3s with teeboxes slapped in the middle of old fairways. You'll also drive past old par-3s that no longer exist (although it looks like they should). If you don't get the sense the entire routing is "off"... then golf architecture isn't for you. And that's OK! Slap balls and hit cups!

 

A couple of weeks ago the course was in immaculate condition. A new range sits on the old Palmer 1, 2 and 18 (yes, the fun little par-3 finishing hole is gone). And we're getting a $55+ rate with range balls included. It's a great way to start the season, and we should probably just play here every season.

 

I've already reduced us to 16 players.  The next 5 to register are IN.  By about Tuesday I'm going to start asking for guests to fill the spots.

 

Everyone is on the WHITE tees, with the old men / shit golfers on GOLD if they desire.

 

Here's their scorecard from our new top-secret classified alien technology:

 

 

 

 

Let me know if you want to move back. See you next Sunday. 

Week 6 - Hunter's Green

Hunter's Green is punching their greens a week before our scheduled event in Week 3. So we're moving it to Week 6 (July 26)... where it'll be two weeks after they punch a 2nd time. I guess that's better. Anyway..

Same deal as last time... $80 and an 11:30am start. 

I have to pre-pay for everyone, and we must get to 16 people. Send me $80 if you're playing that week. Ask friends if you have any.

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In a related note... as we build technology for the future... we're probably going to need to start locking the field 8+ days out. And by that I mean 1) dropping groups to whatever multiple of 4 allows, and 2) penalizing anyone who bails within 7 days of the event.

We have 20 spots reserved for Saddlebrook (week 1) and I'm about to drop that to 12 or 16 based on RSVPs. 

Spring 2026 Champs Dinner

Great night celebrating great Champions. Looking forward to the Summer season!

Summer 2026 Schedule

Schedule is updated on the blog, and reservation form is active. Nobody owes any dues thanks to our one-time collection at the beginning of the year.

 

I've scouted a few places — and it's pretty rough out there. We're going to start paying $130+ for places that charged us $40 a few years ago. So cancel your gooner subscriptions now.

 

Disney Palm - course was in excellent shape a few weeks ago. Not sure what they'd charge us but we should consider any of their courses. FL Resident rate seems to be around $140+ right now.

 

Seven Springs - I go here every few years to remind myself how bad the layout is. Greens were fine (borderline good, but slow). Fairways and rough lacked grass in many areas. $75 to be frustrated all day.

Club Renaissance - A FBGC staple! Greens are decent... firm with a few dead spots. Fairways were bone dry with no grass. Charged us $85 for a morning tee time.

 

Cypress Run - Dave's private course. Greens weren't good... bumpy and dried out. Guest rate is $130 and there's zero chance they'd host us anyway. 

 

Silverthorn - Front nine had me thinking we should go there. Back nine had no grass anywhere. The only green patches on fairways were weeds. Greens were ok... slow like Seven Springs. $71 to tee off at 10:00am.

 

As for places I was targeting... Southern Dunes was charging $185 for FL residents a few weeks ago. They're cutting that down to $80-ish because they're closing one hole per week all summer for irrigation repairs. So they're out.

 

Southport Springs was requested for a Concussion. Recent reviews say it's really bad. Same problem of no grass growing anywhere.

 

TPC Tampa is charging $200+ right now but I think there's a Florida or Group rate they don't advertise online.

 

Any other suggestions?