FBGC Dream Season - (vol. 1?)

A #content idea popped into my head tonight, and now you people have a homework assignment:

 

Every Member is tasked with clicking the "Pool Pump" button, and creating their own "Dream Season." What we need is nine events, with nine courses associated. Furthermore:

• It should be a realistic list. Don't put shit like Scotland... or courses in Lafayette, LA because your in-laws live there. If your Chairman got hit by a bus tomorrow and you had to plan the next season... where would you go?
  

• Cost should be in-line with whatever you believe is expected from the Club every season.
  

• If you're struggling between Winter courses vs. Summer courses, then give both options. I can't imagine that your ordering of events would change depending on the season... but if that's the case then submit two completely different lists.

• Participation is not mandatory. And our Chairman will not submit a list — because you can already find 19 of his hand-crafted schedules on this website.

 

Gorecki, playing the front tees, surrounded by vultures on Buffy Creek.

  

*Your answers will be data mined, and analyzed for future #content.

According to Golf Digest...and your former Board Member

Our Comish has granted me access to start a post...meh...#blogbetter

Saw this article today and thought it was appropriate to share with league members in the context of Buchert's recent suggestions.

FBGC already embraces most of these 'rules'...just nice to know that GD agrees!

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/dumbest-things-in-golf-part-4?utm_medium=email&utm_source=102121&utm_campaign=hitlist&utm_content=DM22351&uuid=6e7f3f17b4ca4e7c8f33e76bef9ef5aa

Buchert's Off-Season Thoughts - 2021 Edition

We have a Board meeting next week. Below was sent in by Buchert, for review and discussion:

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Random Off Season Ideas – Which will all be rejected, but I’m going to put them forward anyway to help Dear Leader with #content.

- Relegation: I was late to the party and just started watching Ted Lasso. First of all, it is an
amazing show and I highly recommend checking it out. For those of you that are unfamiliar with
the term Relegation, the British Football (soccer) Leagues have a system where the bottom
teams are demoted to the lower league and the best teams from the lower leagues can be
promoted to a higher league. With our league basically maxed out for membership, should we
look at a Relegation system to make things interesting at the bottom of the rankings each
season? This is coming from someone that has spent A LOT of time in last place. If there are
people that are interested in joining the league but there is no room, this could be a decent way
of rotating people in. Ultimately, if you do get relegated, you would be able to get back in the
after the following season because other players would then be relegated.

- Get rid of lift, clean and place in the fairways: This rule was around before I joined the league,
so I’m not sure why it was implemented. However, it seems odd that we try to follow some of
the most complicated rules of golf and ignore the most basic: play your ball as it lies. If we’re
thinking about getting rid of gimme putts, maybe we should just go all the way and play golf in
its purest form?

- Set handicaps at the beginning of the season and make no adjustment throughout the season as
far as league events or potentially just one or two adjustments. Obviously, this would get rid of
or lessen the fact that playing well in the beginning of the season makes it harder to win at the
end of the season.

- Adjust the “good” pitcher score down to -8 or lower. So that there is no financial penalty for
shooting a good score, the person shooting the worst net score in your foursome has to buy the
pitcher.

2021 Rapture Recap

Another Rapture in the history books, as Geoff an his Blue Team completely annihilated Tall Mike and his Orange Team. It never really felt close, even though being down 1-3 after the first session is far from a death sentence. The Oranges knew something was wrong... and they were in trouble. It's not like their morale was down in the weeds. Spirits were quite high, and they spent all evening hashing out half-baked ideas to even the score. But the Moses was going up in smoke — to put it bluntly.

Melberg on Hole #1 at Talis Park.

A path to victory would be damn near impossible without at least splitting Day 2 (Chapman) — and for some reason the match-ups looked worse than they did the day before. It didn't help that our Chairman (hey, that's me!) got the tee time wrong and we were late to Vineyards CC, losing all range time and starting two matches on the 2nd hole. In what might be the biggest Rapture Miracle of all time, 15 of you people rolled with the unfortunate circumstance and made the best of it with minimal complaints. Still, it wasn't good for the team with a Range Rat as a Captain. 

 

One of the keys to an Orange comeback would be to somehow get a point out of Darren & Danny. That outcome would heavily rely on Gorecki (also a Range Rat) who played terribly on Day 1 and legit ruined a dominant performance by Melberg (73 gross). Turns out — as many of us have speculated — Gorecki's biggest hindrance is his own smooth brain. He striped a ball off the first tee down the middle, and was lights out on the greens — sinking multiple putts outside of 6-feet. Ho proved to be a perfect partner, and the match was never in doubt after the front nine.

Blue's 6-2 lead after Day 2 was the second largest in history. Orange needed 6 of 8 points the final day to force a playoff. This years' Rapture was going to be either one of the biggest beat-downs in history, or one of the worst collapses.

 

Orange is the new suck.

Late on Sunday, the scoreboard showed 2-2-4, giving a glimmer of hope of an exciting finish. But once Travis won the 18th hole in a tight match with Brendan, the outcome was final. Orange was unable to save face with the remaining close matches, losing all but one.

Blue Team wins - 13 - 3.

2021 Rapture Winners

-----------------------------------

Since my opinion is the only one that matters — as I'm the only one willing to write #content — here are my thoughts on the weekend:

- In eight years, only three Raptures have been "blow-outs." It's way too small of a sample size to infer any legitimate conclusion. But our tournaments are handicapped, so outcomes should always be a combination of 1) who's coming in hot and 2) who historically just isn't good at closing matches.

- Three players were on all three teams that received an ass beating.

- Darren beat Gary 2&1 to score Orange's only point on Sunday. It was Darren's first ever victory in Singles at the Rapture. He earned the most "pay for performance" money on the Orange team. Not bad for the last pick of the draft.

 

- Sunday might be the best I've ever seen Gorecki putt. I'm told he did the same on Saturday. He also chipped in for par (net birdie) on 17, and had a few other clutch up-and-downs... including one on 18 to win — handing Chandler his first ever loss in Singles at the Rapture.

- Four guys went 3-0, earning $50 net on the weekend: Geoff, Reid, Ho, Travis

- Three guys went 0-3, earning -$50 net on the weekend: Dave, Casey, Danny

 

- On Sunday, Casey made a 40-ish foot bomb for par on 18 to potentially halve his match. Ho then covered him up with an 8-ish footer of his own to win. This was the only exciting thing I saw on the final hole, and it would have been cool if it meant something.

- Melberg shot a 75 on Sunday despite hitting two balls OB.

- We once again got extremely lucky with the weather, somehow avoiding any cart restrictions despite a few downpours on Thursday and Friday. I think the 1st/2nd weekend of October will be the target for the foreseeable future. It's our best chance for decent weather while avoiding holidays, rate hikes, and meaningful football games.

- The final total for the weekend was $375 (golf and housing). Again, the Rapture is a value event. One where we check out courses we would never visit under normal Club/League/Vacation circumstances. Our group already has a yearly big (and expensive) golf trip. So every time you people start suggesting overpriced resort destinations... I immediately stop listening to you. My face may still look like I'm listening... but I'm not.

- All three courses were great. Talis Park was immaculate, without a single bad lie anywhere on the property. A lot of people commented on the greens (and fairways). Those were both Sea Dwarf Paspalum, which is a salt-tolerant grass. We don't have any course in our area (to my knowledge) using it.

- Conditions on Vineyards CC (South) were solid as well. The greens were punched/verticut more recently than I had hoped, but they rolled nice and were faster than Talis Park. For those wondering, their greens were Tiff Eagle, which we see a lot of in Tampa. The layout itself was kida "meh." Nothing memorable, all the holes looked the same.

- Finally, River Hall was a great way to end the event. Wide open but with enough bunkering and thick grassy areas to keep your driver honest. I absolutely loved the contours of the greens (also Tiff Eagle).

- I heard a couple of comments about group "cohesiveness." When we increased participation in 2017, the Rapture basically went from one 12-person trip to two 8-person trips. Coordination is quite difficult, as Gorecki learned at Thursday dinner. Some of you need intensive hand-holding — which I'm not saying as an insult. You'll be perfect for geriatric river cruises later in life. But making decisions on the fly, and actually getting up and "doing things" isn't for everyone. Good or bad, when you're drafted onto a Rapture team... that is your pod for the weekend. 

- "Why don't we just get one giant house?" Great question, River Cruise Person. It's looked at every year. They're extremely difficult to find, and usually cost thousands per night. I'm also not convinced that 16 people in one house is a good idea. But if I ever see the right one, we'll give it a shot.

- We now go into our long off-season. As always, I encourage you to post outings or organize events (you won't). We'll fire up next season sometime in January. Until then, I'll continue to post any administrative stuff that comes up. Thanks to all for another great Rapture!

Gary and Reid - 18th at Talis Park

Orange House Breakfast

I'll start by making a few things clear.

• I will go ahead and say that Brendan first envisioned Rapture breakfast, but ultimately I am claiming responsibility for the execution.
• There seems to be a baseless debate as to who makes the better breakfast. Its me!! I wasn't even there to make breakfast one morning last year, due to a #faketeeballgame, and still got rave reviews.
• Prep work is important and I don't fault Brendan for casseroles.
• Brendan makes great menus but relies on the more competent to meet expectations.

With that said, and it probably didn't need to be said anyways, the dream team has spent countless hours curating the following culinary delights:

• Friday - The Orange Team will fuel up with omelets to order, hash browns, and a selection of seasonal fruit.
• Available ingredients will be - Sausage, Bacon, Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes
• Saturday - Back by popular demand will be brioche French Toast and sausage complimented by Fruit and Yogurt
• Sunday - Since we will be on the road at 8am everyone will have a bagel, egg, cheese, and sausage or bacon or vegetarian sandwich ready to take on the road accompanied by a banana.

I anticipate us having some food available for blue house people, but not planning on cooking for 16. So give us a call in the morning and I will let you know.

2021 Rapture Rules and Info - Part 2

Let's talk about the golf:

The first two rounds tee off at 11am. Both are private Clubs, one of which I called in a favor from my father-in-law. Be sure to wear proper golf attire at all times.

The last round is an hour north, at 10am. So we'll be checking out early and playing on our way back to Tampa.

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Round 2 is Chapman, which is a modified alternate shot. In seven years, we're not sure Gary has ever played this format correctly — despite detailed explanations like this one. Don't be like Gary. Learn the format.

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A few rules reminders for The Rapture:

- You have to ride with your opponent in Singles (day 3).

 

- You can NOT give your teammate advice on the green in Singles (day 3). You can help read putts the first two days, but on the final day it's an individual event.

 

- There is NO +5 max on any day. That being said... pick up your ball and move on when you have no chance of winning a hole. That's the spirit of Match Play.

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We'll be using GolfGameBook, but the physical scorecard at the golf course is king. If you get 4 strokes, be sure to put dots on your scorecard. GolfGameBook isn't guaranteed to have the correct hole-by-hole handicaps.

 

A seasoned GGB veteran should be the one in each group using the app... and making sure whatever it says matches the scorecard... even if that means you have to fudge the numbers.

 

 ---------------------

 

Handicaps are locked. Here's the final information:

 

Round 1 - Talis Park - Four-Ball (Member Tees - 6140 yards)
1 - Faz (3) / Travis (4) vs. Dave (0) / Brendan (9)
2 - Melberg (0) / Gorecki (18) vs. Moostie (9) / John (10)
3 - Ho (0) / Geoff (7) vs. Casey (1) / Darren (6)
4 - Reid (7) / Gary (4) vs. Chandler (0) / Danny (14)

Round 2 - Vineyards (S) - Chapman (II Tees - 6295 yards)
1 - Ho / Gorecki vs. Danny / Darren (5)

2 - Reid / Geoff (7) vs. Moostie / Dave
3 - Gary / Faz vs. Chandler / Brendan
4 - Melberg / Travis vs. Casey / John (6)

Round 3 - River Hall - Singles (White Tees - 6051 yards)
1 - Gary vs. Darren (2)
2 - Travis vs. Brendan (5)
3 - Faz vs. Danny (12)
4 - Gorecki (14) vs. Chandler
5 - Geoff (4) vs. John
6 - Ho vs. Casey (1)
7 - Melberg vs. Dave (2)
8 - Reid (1) vs. Moostie

 

See you Thursday.

2021 Rapture Rules and Info - Part 1

Listen up people...

We are rooming together by team. It seems AirBNBs are adding stricter language, and higher monetary penalties. I guess owners are tired of people breaking things and pissing into storage containers.

 

I looked at over 50 potential rentals to eventually find two within walking distance, with pools, and a good "value." You're going to have fun. Let's not ruin my ability to book future Rapture locations by having too much fun.

 

 

Houses:

Both houses have a pool. Both have strict language about "no smoking." Those of you with oral fixations are going to need to get creative. Especially if you can smell your "special cigarettes" over a block away. Take a walk around the neighborhood or something. Or hotbox Darren's car like he did in high school.

The Orange house seems very uptight:

    - No guests allowed

    - No outside music at any time

    - No outside noise after 9pm

    - Only three cars allowed on property

    - The woman lives in the neighborhood, and I have to personally meet her to get the keys.

    - There's a "security camera" onsite...

The Blue house is where any poker/banko will have to take place. But for the most part, we shouldn't be partying too hard in the houses. That's what bars are for.

 

If someone has an air-mattress they enjoy, make a comment and bring it. Especially in the Blue house. It might be your best chance of avoiding Ho's midnight cuddles.

 

I'd also highly recommend bringing soap/shampoo/towel. I believe both of these houses allow us to flush toilet paper.

I'll email each team an address before we leave.

 

 

Bars/Restaurants:

 

Within 1.5 miles is Mercato — which is basically the outdoor section of International Mall. "The Pub" (same one at International) is where a lot of people go for overpriced drinks.

The "North Naples Country Club" is a dive bar that's a 12-minute walk from our houses, and has good reviews on Yelp.

 

Jet's Pizza is at the end of our street (2 blocks).

There's also the "Bone Hook Brewing Company" down the road. And the beach is only a 5-minute drive, with some bars/restaurants as well.

 

A Super Walmart is very close for all your snack and toiletry needs — much more convenient than Orlando last year.

 

Final Payment:

 

Everyone has paid me $160, which only covers housing. I allegedly have to pay for the entire group Day 1 and Day 2. We also all owe $50 to the pot for the "pay for performance" purse. 

 

Because of this, I'll figure out what the final total is ($210-ish) and charge you all later. Maybe even after the Rapture. Don't worry about it for now.