Match Play - Spring 2022 Recap

Billy picked up his second career victory yesterday, with an impressive -1 (net) on a very challenging course. I thought the winning score would be a little lower, but I underestimated how bad we are. Billy made clutch birdies on 14 and 18 while the rest of the field ejected down the stretch. 

Dave — Spring 2022's future Champion — was at -1 (net) heading into the incredibly easy finishing hole... only to spray an iron into the woods off the tee. It was his only score on the day worse than bogey, and an absolute choke-job. Dave hit zero drivers yesterday from the Burgundy tees.

Darren looked like he could get to -2, but shot +6 (gross) on the final four holes. Not to be outdone, Adam literally flew too close to the sun, going +10 (gross) in that same stretch. The Slender Man immediately combusted and nobody has seen him since.

The conditions at Club Renaissance were awesome. I agree with John it's not necessarily "unfair," but it isn't "fun." Unless you win while dressed as a South Korean grandmother on vacation in Sun City:

Here's some other shit I noticed:

- Troy became the first person ever to finish DFL and still win his match (3&2 over Gorecki).

 

- Danny set a new course record with a 113. There was a lot of hoopla in the grill as Topor approached that number.

 

- Biggest beatdowns of the day: Casey over Danny, Darren over Moostie — 5&4. Honorable mention was Dave over Chandler (hey, that's me!) 5&3.

 

- Chandler and Moostie have the longest current active losing streak in Match Play (includes Rapture Singles) with 3. JW has the longest current active "winless" streak (5). Brendan holds both records with 6 & 7 respectively... which were separate streaks!

 

- We've played Club Renaissance 5 times — with 80 official scores recorded on the par-5 16th hole. Only 6 have been a par or better (7.5%). The only birdie ever recorded was Crum in Spring 2021.

 

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We have another difficult but well conditioned course this upcoming Sunday. 10am at Big Cypress. They have a range, but give yourself plenty of time to get out there.

More on the course later in the week.

TCR - Intel

I joined Dave for his 3rd practice round today, and he beat me 2&1. Buchertdamus!

Conditions are awesome out there. Greens are very fast. It's going to be a bloodbath.

There's a drop zone on 12, which is the only par 3 where you hit over water. Some sneaky OB out there, especially behind the green on 7, 10 and I think 11. You go long on those and you might be calling a Lyft.

Dave says range balls are NOT free at Sandpiper... but they've always been free (sitting out) at Falcon if you can find it.

Huge numbers incoming. Many pitchers. Good times. -3 (net) wins. I'll maybe post some picks/commentary tomorrow.

Match Play - Spring 2022 Preview

We're headed down to Club Renaissance on Sunday - 9:40am tee time - $70ish.

There's no range at the Club... but you can go to Sandpiper or the hidden Falcon range we use when we play Scepter. Either way, if someone gives you shit just let them know we're in a tournament at Club Renaissance and they said to use the range.

Just like Saddlebrook, be sure to arrive early if you want to use the range.

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Our standard Stroke Play format is happening like normal, with the winner receiving Club Credit. Your head-to-head match is worth a bonus 100 points (50 for a tie), which doesn't matter this year since Dave basically has the title locked up.

Even though "gimmies" are a central part of Match Play... they do not exist due to the Stroke Play tournament. Handicap allowance is 100% for Stroke Play and 80% for Match Play. Be sure to ride with your opponent.

Speaking of, these are the current match-ups, strokes, and previous head-to-head records. We're going out in order of standings, except for the three scrubs at the bottom who are filler for now and playing "ghost" matches:

Dave vs. Chandler (1): Dave 1-0-0

 

Danny (12) vs. Casey: Casey 1-0-0

 

Brendan (1) vs. Billy: no matches

 

Gary vs. Reid (3): Reid 2-1-0

Moostie vs. Darren (1): Darren 2-0-0

 

Buchert vs. Geoff (5): no matches

Troy vs. Gorecki (6): no matches

 

Melberg vs. Dan (1): no matches

Topor (4) vs. Adam: no matches

*Ho vs. [Billy] (4): n/a

*John (3) vs.[Casey]: n/a

*Crum (6) vs. [Chandler]: n/a

*Bottom guys can earn points (100 or 50) for beating/tying the "ghost." But the result will not count for, or against, the "ghost" player.

 

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Club Renaissance is a difficult course, with some of the tougher par 5s on TOUR, and one ball-buster par 3 (7th). Expect another week of 8+ pitchers owed.

 

I believe this scorecard is still valid:

 

Everyone is on BLUE except Dave, Melberg and Dan (BURGUNDY). If anyone wants to move, let me know.

Our course records are Dave (76) and Brendan (111). The high record might be in danger!

See you Sunday!

Scoring Records

Per Casey's request, the "Courses" tab now lists the lowest and highest gross score recorded in league play on each course. Eventually, you'll be able to click the adjacent link to see WHO owns each record.

 

I have to run to the store to buy more duct tape so check back for that later.

 

If you're curious (highly doubtful) how many records each person owns of the 72 courses played at the time of this writing:

 

Low Gross Records:

 

	Low Records
Chandler Brown	21
Dave Harrington	20
Chris Fazioli	10
Gary Brown	8
Brian Buchert	7
Chris Melberg	5
Dan Rogers	2
Darren Broom	2
Ben Gmeinder	1
Casey Rease	1
Justin Miller	1
Mike Hauch	1
Travis Netherton	1

High Gross Records:

 

	High Records
Mike Gorecki	25
JW Ferguson	8
Danny MacLean	7
Geoff Leighly	6
John Webermeier	5
Robert Reid	4
Ryan Zambito	4
Brendan Donoghue	3
Katie Austin	3
Steve Perillo	3
Brian Topor	2
Casey Rease	1
Adam Lynch	1
Ben Leugers	1
Darryl Gorecki	1
Eric Floresca	1
Josh Crum	1
Mike Oostenbrink	1
Troy Najour	1

 

The Concussion - Spring 2022 Recap

I guess Casey isn't going to write his own recap... so here we go:

Countryway was honestly in good shape. One of these days I'll create a graphic to define these very scientific terms... like "good" and "decent." But some time away from the course definitely paid off. And despite a few mix-ups at the grill (mainly people claiming the wrong order), the experience was a fun one. Awesome to see so many people hanging out and enjoying $7 (or $6?) pitchers.

Thankfully the course is so brutal handicap-wise that most of the purchased pitchers were replenished. We still have 9 in the clip!

This was the first time we played Countryway post the handicap calculation changes in 2020, which should have added 4 strokes to everyone's score. Sure enough... our previous meidan-to-net-par was 3... and on Sunday it was 7.

Casey's 5-stroke victory was not the largest margin in Countryway history (John won by 6 in Spring 2015), but it was the most impressive given the size of the field has now doubled. It's also his second victory at this course — winning previously in 2018 with an Index 3.5 points higher! Damn, I guess some of us do improve over time. Casey is now tied with Troy for the most ever (3) Concussion victories.

Other shit I noticed:

- Gorecki needs to go to GolfMoffitt

- Troy had 4 birdies (!) and lost by 6

- JW's collapse on 18 to fall into pitcher territory sounded rough

- Dave is going to top-5 his way to his first Championship, and half the former Champs will skip whatever vegan restaurant he chooses

- I need to also do an analysis of Danny's starts vs. Geoff's finishes

Overall an enjoyable day. Congrats to Casey. Sorry we forgot the big check.

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We're off this week since we didn't need our built-in Make Up. Nine of you were "out" anyway, so I guess that's a good thing. I'm hoping it's a product of you people looking at the schedule, and wisely planning activities with the WAGs around it.

In any case, I got two spots open for this Sunday (more info below).

I've been working hard on our next two events, and have been a bit disappointed in my search. Most places are refusing to offer any group discounts, with rates for some of our old staples eclipsing $150. Not happening on my watch! My apologies to those of you who hate money.

For Match Play (Feb 27th), we'll be at Club Renaissance at 9:40am. Greens fees are $70-ish.

The following week the FBGC Championship (Mar 6th) will be at Big Cypress at 10:00am. Greens fees $51ish.

Both courses are allegedly in great shape.

Now... back to this Sunday: the two spots I have open are for Big Cypress at 11:07am. So if you want to preview the next Major course, make a comment below.

The rest of you enjoy your weekend.

The Concussion - Spring 2022 Preview

When discussing the creation of this Club, a par-3 event was one of the first things brought up by our founding Members. It's still proper "golf," and the idea of racking up greenies and hole-in-ones (ha!) seemed fun.

It might not be our most popular event, but globally "short courses" are becoming all the rage:

• The Cradle at Pinehurst
• Top of the Rock & Mountain Top at Big Cedar
• The Preserve at Bandon
• The Gimmie at Concession
• The Nest at Cabot Links
• The unnamed par-3 at Augusta National

I feel like the rise of par-3 courses is a direct result of the distance issue. Even the most stubborn "ball go far" golf bros secretly enjoy using short irons and firing at pins. And we all know smaller course equals faster rounds.

Streamsong just announced the construction of a new 18-hole short course by Coore & Crenshaw. Maybe one day I'll allow us to overpay for a tournament out there.

Unfortunately, in Tampa's suburbs, we get Countryway — expertly crafted in 1989 by Steve Smyers (Cheval, Crescent Oaks, Southern Dunes).

It's been two years (four events) since we last played here. This was mostly due to my desire for variety. The Groves was a great find. Southport Springs was interesting, and maybe worth a return visit down the road. But 50% of the "Dream Season" respondents requested a return to Countryway, so here we are.

Everyone is on the tips. Winning scores here are wild, with both low and high handicap players prevailing. Many of you have your lowest (and highest) rounds ever compared to par on this course.

 

We haven't been here since the handicap calculation changes, so I only expect -3ish (net) to get it done. Weather is going to be chilly and maybe rainy. You know... the usual.

 

The grill is one of the best on TOUR. Definitely unload some of your owed pitchers after the round. Of the people showing up we have 10 pitchers on deck!

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Potential Rules Issues:

 

I do not believe there are any "Drop Zones." 

There are (were?) internal OB stakes between 13 and 14. We are ignoring those specific stakes. They're to stop people from attempting to drive the 13th green, and spraying the ball into the 14th tee. But the trees are tall enough to protect the tee, and I actually want people to attempt to drive 13. So please ignore those stakes.

 

Actually... go ahead and ignore any internal OB on Sunday. There might be stakes between 14 and 18. You should definitely be allowed to play from what few parallel fairways you find.

 

Driving a par 4 counts as a greenie if you make birdie or better.

Traditional outside OB is indicated by white stakes or inside edge of boarding sidewalks. This means if your ball is on a sidewalk, it's OB. And if there are no sidewalks or stakes, then the road is OB.

 

The 5th hole is the widest hole out there. But a road runs down left side off the tee (which is OB). Sidewalk is very tight behind the green (which is also OB). Use caution.

 

Anything else... you people figure it out.

See you Sunday.

Spring 2022 - Week 3 Recap

Dave and Chandler — who played a practice round at Saddlebrook on Friday — tied for the victory shooting 75 and 78 (gross) respectively. 

 

The number of improved strokes by the practice round participants were:

Dave - 13

Brendan - 12

Chandler - 10

Topor - 5 (adjusted for moving tees)

 

Pretty astonishing considering the weather yesterday was much worse. Does this mean playing a practice round will improve your tournament performance? NO! Nobody should ever play a practice round. In fact, for the rest of the season, none of you should even practice. Keep doing what you're doing!

It sounds like Chandler's driver and Dave's 4-iron off the tee were the key to victory, as they each hit 11 and 10 (out of 14) fairways respectively. Neither of them made worse than a bogey, so their putters cooperated as well. They must have known putts were slower uphill than you think... but faster downhill than you think.

 

Tall Mike almost aced the 18th, resulting in a short birdie putt to finish solo 3rd. Darren also played great and easily could have won another Major.

JW was +7 (net) after five holes — recording three 9s — and reaching for his Lyft app. Then the birdies began to drop. Four to be exact, with one from off the green on the final hole. That math adds up to -9 (net) on the final 13 holes. He should have won this event.

 

The rest of you weren't very good.

 

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Odds and ends:

• There was some debate (discussion?) about the painted OB line close to the teebox on 5. I'm not sure why they're calling it OB... but at least it was marked... and when in doubt, play the course as it is marked.
  
• Speaking of, the Board will have some discussions later about DropZoneGate. My official stance is Group A did the correct thing, which was come to a consensus. That's how golf tournaments work, even on the PGA TOUR. You work with the people in the group to make a determination and try to "protect the field."
  
• I put a lot of effort each week into discussing issues that might arise with course set-up... ie: lack of OB markings at Plantation Palms. The alleged drop zones at Saddlebrook slipped past us this time. It's impossible for us to see/know everything. More on this later.
• Be careful who you trust is giving you yardages from the range finder. Sometimes those things get set to meters. Sometimes people don't know how to use them.

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We're playing at Countryway this Sunday — 9am tee time for $25ish. There's no range. It'll be our last event with random pairings this season.

 

See you then.

Saddlebrook - Recon

Some of ya'll want to imply I'm not actually a "man of the people." But I'm the only one willing to post factual intel on the upcoming course!

Winning score is going to be around -1... maybe -2. Greens are very soft despite not getting rain in weeks. Fire at the pins? Green speed is medium. Slower uphill than you think... but faster downhill than you think. They're also some of the smallest we'll ever see.

If you get there early enough for the range... just drive to the range by the entrance first. Hit some balls, then drive to the clubhouse. I think they leave balls out there so you don't need tokens or anything (I might be wrong about this).

Fairways are over-seeded with rye, so they look green (which doesn't matter) and have some decent grass to them (which does matter). Rough is crispy and dormant, so balls can sit up nicely. You can also putt from off the greens if you aren't comfortable. Bunkers are all decent.

 

OB is sneaky... not as bad as Plantation Palms... but if you hit it near a house/road it's probably OB. Be careful on #12. Chainlink fence runs down the left side — which is all OB — and if you hit it over there you won't find your ball.

Long drive will be on #11.

Dave, Topor and Travis have all decided to move up to WHITEs.

Speaking of Travis — our youngest Member turns 30 today... or tomorrow... not really sure. He's going to Bel-Mar and/or Red Dog tomorrow (Saturday) night. Come say hi if you want to get a beer.

Weather should be chilly and raining on Sunday. We'll assess Lyft Lift, Clean and Place based on any cartpath only restrictions.

After the round, those of us who love freedom should meet up at Glory Days for lunch. 

See you Sunday.

This guy... broke the Cup.