Reunion Hole of the Day (part 2)

Today's hole is #15 on the Legacy (Palmer) Course.  We get to play this gem tomorrow... probably during an afternoon rainstorm.  It's a manageable par-5 that Duc and I reached in two during my first trip to Reunion.  But it all depends on where you tee off from.

Mmm... marshy.

"The tee shot on this mid length par 5 is very demanding but rewards a courageous shot over the water. Aiming farther right is the riskiest but more rewarding line off the tee, leaving the possibility of hitting this par 5 in two."

The Palmer and Watson courses have four sets of tees for us to bounce around on, so this hole will play 527, 487, 475 or 371.  But if you're hitting from the white tees your score is probably horrible enough to knock you out of the tournament on the first day.  As with yesterdays HotD, #15 follows an easy birdie-hole.  So there's a good chance you'll be on the black or gold boxes.

So let me tell you about that tee shot.  From the tips its about a 250 yard carry to the rough.  From the golds it's like 240.  There is no room for error for any right-handed golfer who slices or fades the ball.  And if you do make it to the fairway, you're hitting to a green that is about 40 feet above your head.

The hole really isn't that difficult... but if my team is hitting from the tips... I'll just sit in the cart and let Justin take care of it.

Reunion Hole of the Day

Although work is kicking my ass today, it's kinda hard to concentrate when I'm looking forward to "Gorecki Whiskey Fest 2011" this weekend.  So let's start a new (and very short-lived) series called "Reunion Hole of the Day."

Today's hole is the anus.  Wait... wrong column... but very fitting (oh, the puns).

Today's actual hole is #16 on the Tradition (Nicklaus) Course.  Here is their "official" description:

"Check your yardage carefully! You can’t afford to miss it short. The signature sixteenth hole features a daunting carry over water to a shallow firm green protected in front and back by deep bunkers. Holding this putting surface will be a challenge. Leaving the green with a par or better will inspire you to finish strong."

Your dick is probably wider than the green.

How about an honest description...

After a long day of getting your ass kicked, you now find yourself facing this bullshit par-3.  And the Jamie Evan's Invitational rules don't help matters, since the previous hole is an easy par-5 so you're more than likely going to be teeing off from the blue or gold tees on #16.

The gold plays 210 yards, blue 177 and white 158.  But the hole is up-hill to a very narrow green.  Anything short is either in the water or a larger bunker.  Hitting it long will land you in some jacked-up bunker(s) that look like a sandhill crane took a shit on Jack's initial design, and he just decided to leave it because he's rich and has probably only been to Reunion once in his life.

The first time I played this hole I was hitting from the gold tees into a 15mph wind.  I think I used driver.

Jack Nicklaus is an asshole.

Reunion Weekend

It's Reunion Weekend for 7 of the DPT golfers (plus Gorecki). It's going to be a crazy three days of golf, and will probably be quite windy and wet due to a tropical storm.


Regardless... I'm excited.  That is all.

Ties in the Playoffs

Today's issue is how to handle ties in the playoffs.  Traditionally, scramble tournaments settle ties by either looking at the holes in order of handicap (hole handicap in this case) until a winner can be determined, or by comparing back 9 scores.  I like the back 9 approach better than the hole handicap approach, since it's more of a complete body of work.

There is a "practice course" out at World Woods.  But I've never played it, so I'm not sure if you have to walk it or not.  And we should probably have an official plan assuming we can't play any more holes.

Start the debate.

(DPT Golf) > (All Other Leagues)

Here's the updated chart showing the cost of DPT Golf vs. TBCS (which is the only other team league we found in the area).

The final version of this will be slightly higher, due to us treating ourselves to a "stay and play" weekend at World Woods. But we'll have also played 10 full rounds on 10 different courses during the season.  What this doesn't show is that people who missed weeks weren't penalized financially.

The playoff tee times are now posted.  Only 5 people need to pay... so get on that.  Later I'll post a list of "amenities" in the villas.  I'm pretty sure they have a propane grill for us, so when I confirm that we'll start posting up what to bring.

Playoffs - Seedings & Handicaps

The DPT Golf inaugural regular season is over.  Bardmoor was a great course (especially for $25) so we'll definitely go back there in the future.  Here's how the playoff seedings were finalized:

Bito/GoMex pounded Robb/Gorecki, shooting a 2-under 70 despite having two 3-putts. Gorecki blamed the 6,579 yard course for being too long for his old man game.  Too bad World Woods and Reunion will be much harder. Final Score: Bito/Gomez win 70-79 (net).

Cong/Thanh threw down an impressive 76 on Frank/Steve, giving them hope at a miraculous playoff appearance.  Shooting 12 pars in the round gave the Asians a victory once Team Vape fell apart beginning on hole #12 (hmm...).  Final Score: E-Flo/Cong win 74-79 (net).

The match with the most at stake turned into a slug-fest on the back-nine, as Reid/Geoff made countless amazing shots and putts to earn a playoff spot.  Ebony and Ivory had a 5 stroke (net) lead at the turn... only to shoot 8-over on the back. Justin/Chandler couldn't quite capitalize due to bad butting, and only made up four of those strokes. This was J&C's third one stroke loss of the season. Final Score: Reid/Geoff win 77-78 (net).

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Bito/Gomez earned the #1 seed with the scoring average tie-breaker over Frank/Steve.  E-Flo/Cong and Robb/Ryan were knocked out of the playoffs due to a 3-way tie for last place, advancing Justin/Chandler due to scoring average. Reid/Geoff actually earned their playoff spot, and are probably the most dangerous team because of their high handicap.

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As mentioned previously, the playoffs will be challenging.  Rolling Oaks (125 slope) and Pine Barrens (123 slope) are both about 6,500 yards and very different styles of course.  We will be using "course handicaps," but we won't re-adjust after the first round.

If you recall in my Course Difficulty post, the USGA considers 113 an "average" slope. So to calculate the official Course Handicap, you take the slope of the tees you're playing on... multiply that by your handicap index... divide by 113... and round to the nearest whole number.  Both slopes at World Woods are similar enough that it doesn't affect any handicaps.

Rolling Oaks & Pine Barrens:
Bito/Gomez - 5
Frank/Steve - 7
Justin/Chandler - 7
Robb/Ryan - 9
E-Flo/Cong - 9
Reid/Geoff - 12

Whoever you're match up with... use this chart to determine strokes given.

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Let's revisit the handicap indexes over the season (I say that like you have a choice):

It's important to remember that handicaps are not your average score... rather your average offset by the lowest you could possibly shoot.  However, I think if you compare the differences in the indexes, they're not too far off the averages anyway.  But you can easily see the groups of skill level, and also what happens when a high-handicap team goes low (Reid/Geoff in week 6).

More to come later today...

50% off Golf Groupon today.

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Thoughts?

Playoff and League Fees

Alright people.  Time to pay for the playoffs!  You only owe me for the one night in the villa, and $10 for our league fee.  The league fee will be used on either alcohol or prizes for the winners (I'm still sorting that out).  Regardless, it'll all be spent on the league.  We pay for the golf separately before each round ($48... which includes tax, range balls and lunch).  Frank also gave us a coupon that we'll try to use which might knock off $10.  But we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

What you're paying for now:
Villa cost - $38
League fee - $10

You have a couple of options.  You can pay online here through PayPal... or you can pay me in person.  Either is fine with me, just make sure you do it.

If your name is E-Flo or Buchanan, then you have already paid me the league fee.  So use the drop-down menu to select your personalized option.

DPT Golf Playoffs

Villa & League Fee $48.00 E-Flo and Buchanan $38.00

Week 8

This Sunday we're playing our final week of the regular season at Bardmoor Golf & Country Club.  I've never been there, but I hear it's nice... and pretty difficult.  Playing from the gold tees, it'll be the highest slope rating we've seen this season (127).

The first group goes out at 11:12am... and before anyone starts whining about that tee time being too late (Bito) it was the first time they could accommodate all of us.  The Pro Shop lady gave us a good deal ($25 + tax) but wanted to stress we better show up with twelve people.  So E-Flo and Buchanan need replacements if you guys haven't found them already.

So what's at stake this week?  Well... if Justin/Chandler, Reid/Geoff or Robb/??? win they are in.  The Asians (Cong/???) need a win and some help.  Bito/Gomez need a win to lock up the #2 spot... but can still get #1 if they shoot low and Frank/Steve lose.  Frank/Steve are guaranteed #1 or #2.

Later this week I'm going to eventually discuss handicapping... and put up a PayPal link for you to pay for the villas at World Woods.

Things to buy.

For the last few days I have been Richard Kimble'ing around at all the local pawn shops. There are a fucking bunch. I haven't find it... YET. But I fucking will!

But at least I found something else cool. Today I stumbled on a cart bag in pretty good condition. I gave it a 2nd look, don't like my bag, I want a cooler, better organization, etc.

Being in the hood, I'm not sure they knew what they had on their hands. Priced at $90 was the bag, a full set of fairly new Cleveland Tour Action Clubs, a brand new Odyssey White Hot Tour Putter, 10 Sleeves of new balls, 2 new Gloves, about 20 new loose balls, about 20 used loose balls, 2 golf multi tools, and a "excalibur". I took some pics, I'm selling everything but the bag & the loose balls.

Each sleeve = $2

Each Glove = $5

35inch Odyssey White Hot Tour #2 = $60

35inch Odyssey White Hot Tour #2 = $60

Golf Multi-Tool Brand New = $5

Excalibur?? = $1 .... Barter for a blow-pop?

*Not pictured - Swiss Army style Multi Tool = $5

If no one wants this stuff, I'll take it up to T&D

Week 7 Recap

Week 7 was the defining moment of our inaugural regular season.  While the top two teams battled it out for a guaranteed spot in the playoffs (they both ended up clinching anyway), the bottom four struggled to stay alive in the hunt.  Ironically, every team is still mathematically eligible.  But the Asians need a miracle and a sub-par round next week to have any chance.

The Claw was as bad as we thought it was.  While conditions were nice, it'sjust too tight and unforgiving for us high-handicappers who spray the ball off the tee. So far this season, only Bloomingdale ranks harder in slope.  On #14 (that horrible par 5 known as "The Claw) my team got a "smart" bogey by going: topped 3-wood, pitching wedge, 5-wood, pitching wedge, putt, putt.

Oh... and TMZito tried to get us kicked out of the clubhouse due to some provolone cheese.  Good times though.  And it was also nice to have everyone playing for only the 2nd time this season.

Justin/Chandler vs. E-Flo/Cong - The winner of this match controls their playoff destiny, while the loser needs a lot of help.  Both teams got off to a slow start, with the whities stringing 3 bogeys together before settling down and the Asians getting double-bogey on the first two par 5's.  And then it got really ugly on the back side.  The paring was a combined 11 over on the first six holes, and Justin/Chandler clung to 3-stroke lead with three to play.  Chandler basically wasn't even contributing at this point, so Justin decided to stick his tee-shot 4 feet from the pin on #16 to seal the win with a birdie.  But E-Flo/Cong got revenge after the round, as their soccer team karate chopped Pete Carroll and team USA.

Uhh....

Final score: Justin/Chandler win 78-83 (net).

Robb/Buchanan vs. Reid/Geoff - The second match-up also featured teams that needed to win to assure some post-season golfing. With two strokes to start the round, Ebony and Ivory were in great position until they decided to shoot 5-over in the first five holes. Robb/Ryan had a three stroke lead at the turn, which quickly faded as they began the second half: bogey, bogey, bogey, bogey, double-bogey, double-bogey, bogey.  That's right... 9-over in a seven hole span.  Not to worry, however, as Reid/Geoff shot 7-over in the same stretch, with a nasty triple-bogey on #15.  This match was ugly, and yet down to the wire.  Final score: Robb/Buchanan win 82-83 (net).

Bito/Gomez vs. Frank/Steve - A preview of the finals, perhaps? Maybe not.  The best two handicapped teams are still... well... handicapped.  But a win would go a long way to lock up the top seed.  So what's better: old school glass bowl or the vaporizer?  As Frank would say... the vape is hype!  Allegedly Bito had one of his bad days as his team recorded three double-bogeys. Frank added some miraculous shots to Steve's steady play, allowing them to close out the game on hole #15 (picking up 3 strokes on that hole). Final score: Frank/Steve win 74-79 (net).

Tomorrow I'll post up week 8 details, as well as an explanation of how you turn a "handicap index" into a "course handicap" (which we will be using for the playoffs at World Woods).

Playoff scenarios

It's crunch time. Only two weeks to go.

While no one can technically be eliminated this week. Eflo/Cong, Robb/Ryan, and Justin/Chan will be in serious trouble with a loss.

However on the clinching side. 3 teams can book their place in the playoff.

Frank/Steve - Win and they are in. If they lose they just need Eflo/Cong and/or Robb/Ryan to lose. Or a Justin/Chan & Robb/Ryan loss.

Bito/Gomez - Win and they are in. If they lose they just need Eflo/Cong and/or Robb/Ryan to lose. Or a Justin/Chan & Robb/Ryan loss.

Reid/Geoff - Win and they are in.

I didn't do ties, because we haven't had one yet. But the only teams a tie would be okay for would be Frank/Steve & Bito/Gomez, they would both clinch. Everyone else would still be in a precarious position heading into the final round.

Should be fun.

Week 6 Recap

Great week of golf... and I'm beyond shocked we didn't get any rain on Sunday.  The standings are a mess, with NO team clinching or eliminated from the playoffs despite only two weeks left in the schedule.

E-Flo/Cong vs. Robb/Buchanan - Gorecki filled in for Buchanan this week, and proved once again he is lights out... for the front nine.  I'm not really sure how he's going to survive the Reunion trip where we have to play three days in a row.  Anyway... with the Asians starting one stroke in the hole, it wasn't a good time for them to double-bogey the easy #1 (par 5) while Gramps & Young Blood laid-up for birdie.  By the time 13 holes had been played (right before Gorecki's nap), E-Flo/Cong found themselves down 3 strokes with five to go.  My team had the pleasure of watching Robb/Gorecki hit their second shot from 30 yards off the tee in standing water on the par-3 15th... which led to a 6.  I'm not sure what happened, but the whities went +7 on the last 5 holes to choke away the victory.  Regardless, it was some hot Ballic on Ballic action.  Final score: E-Flo/Cong win 77-82 (net).

Justin/Chandler vs. Bito/GoMex - One of the frustrating things about golf (there are millions) is how long the game is.  You can literally play consistently great for 3.75 hours... only to lose on the last two holes.  That's what happened to Justin/Chandler.  Getting two strokes at the start of the match, both teams showed rust with bogeys on #1.  Justin/Chandler were then able to sneak two birdies in the front nine, with only one other bogey to shoot even par and build a 3 stroke lead (net).  The next 5 holes were matched stroke for stroke by Bito/Gomez, and following a "lucky" bogey on #15 by White Obama & Casper it was only a two stroke gap with three to play.  That's when it all came crashing down.  Justin/Chandler missed a 6-foot uphill birdie on 16, scrambled to get bogey on 17 and hit two horrible bunker shots to get bogey on 18.  And during that time, Bito decided to make a 55-foot birdie putt on 17, and hit his tee shot less into the woods than Gomez on 18 to give his team a chance for par and the win.  It was quite demoralizing... but Bito stepped up and won the match.  Final score: Bito/Gomez win 71-72 (net).

Frank/Steve vs. Reid/Geoff - Bobby Boucher/Flay/Bottle Service stepped in this week to pound DPT into submission.  Giving an unprecedented 10.5 strokes... both teams were going to have to shoot well (relatively) to win.  In fact, Reid/Geoff probably had their best outing yet... but getting a double-bogey on #1 and bogey on #2 while Frank/Bobby birdied those holes immediately erased half the original lead!  The SuperBad Boys didn't falter until a double-bogey on #16... but still held on for a 1.5 stroke victory (net).  They also had an impressive 7 birdies on the round.  Final score:  Frank/Steve win 67-68.5 (net).

Next week we're going to try to get back on Westchase.  I'm waiting to hear from Buchanan on if his guy will set that up for us since we were rained out last time.  The make-up parings are killer and some of the tightest we've had all season.  Every match is a must-win.  Tomorrow I'll post up Bito's analysis, unless he wants to go ahead and do so today.

Embedded Balls

If you watch the "Big Break" (Reid made me start watching it due to his Jamaican brother going deep into the show) you may have noticed a controversial ruling about an embedded ball last week.  So let's clear this up for you fellow DPT Golfers.

First, the back story of what happened on the show.  Reid's boy hit his tee shot on a par 5 into a fairway bunker.  His second shot was crushed... directly into the bunker lip.  I'm sitting on the couch watching the show with the girlfriend, and I say: "That dude is toast. His ball is unplayable and with the penalty stroke there is no way he gets bogey."

All of a sudden, the show casually mentions how he's awarded a free drop outside the bunker.

I immediately lose my shit and start re-winding the episode.  How can I teach Ms. Alison the proper rules of the game, if the Golf Channel starts destroying the fabric of sports?  No, I'm not overreacting.

Let's look at the ball and the lie.

Actual image from the show.

Ok. That is one shitty lie.  I think Geoff had 3 of these at El Diablo. But how did the Golf Channel rule a free drop? Well, they claim the ball was hit so hard into the lip, it was sitting under the roots of the grass.  And no part of the ball was touching sand, therefore it was no longer in the bunker.  Since it was considered embedded in its on mark, a free drop was given.

Let's not get caught up on whether or not that ball is still in the hazard.  I'll take their word and assume it's not.  My problem is... you still don't get a free drop for the embedded ball.  Here's the USGA rule:

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25-2. Embedded Ball

A ball embedded in its own pitch-mark in the ground in any closely mown area through the green may be lifted, cleaned and dropped, without penalty, as near as possible to the spot where it lay but not nearer the hole. The ball when dropped must first strike a part of the course through the green. "Closely mown area" means any area of the course, including paths through the rough, cut to fairway height or less.

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As the rule clearly states, you only get a free drop from an embedded ball in the fairway or any grass cut to fairway height.  The rule specifically mentions "paths through the rough cut to fairway height" because in PGA events where players don't use carts, they mow some of the rough to make a nice path for them.

See the path? Good for you.

The ONLY time you get a free drop in the rough is if your ball encounters an "abnormal ground condition."  The USGA defines this as: "any casual water, ground under repair or hole, cast or runway on the course made by a burrowing animal, a reptile or a bird."

Local rules also may apply, but 99.9% of the time that only involves a situation where a course doesn't want you to hit a ball out of their flowerbeds.  And such a rule is always listed on their scorecards.

Long story short... the Big Break fucked up.  A "free drop" should not have been given because the ball was not embedded in grass mowed to fairway height.  If you find yourself in the rough... you have to play that shit as it lies.  Or you can take an "unplayable" drop with a penalty stroke.

What is this world coming to?!?

Week 6 Preview

We have 3 weeks to go, and will undoubtedly have to play some of those in the rain.  I've reserved Northdale starting at noon for the discount rate of $21.

Steve is out, but will be replaced by the dreaded Bobby.  Buchanan is out and will be replaced by Gorecki.  I think E-Flo is out (unconfirmed) but I'll talk to Cong tonight about his replacement.  No team has been eliminated from the playoffs, so now is the time to turn it on.

See you guys soon.