2016 Ryder Cup

Few things:

1) Still need to rename this event. But I don't want to do that until we stumble upon something awesome.

2) I wanted to look a new place for us to hold the event this year. I took a shot in the dark and reached out to Black Diamond. It's one of the top courses I've every played in Florida. Anyway, they gave us a decent quote for the golf, but logistically it will require us to play Friday, Saturday and Sunday... rent houses off VRBO... and cost about $300 per person for the weekend.

I'm going to also reach out to Mission Inn (one of the best in the state I've never played) and possibly Reunion. I'm expecting BOTH to be in the $300+ range.

Another option would be to head back to World Woods if it's available. Last year that cost $180 a person. Sebring the first year was $190.

Weigh in with any thoughts or suggestions. Mainly about how much you think that weekend is worth. I'm going to look into Orlando courses like Grand Cypress... and maybe we can piece together 3 rounds with cheap hotels. But any feedback from the peanut gallery would be great.

Jamaican Open - March 6th

Reid is making us play Pebble Creek on Sunday, March 6th. We have 2 spots open since Dave and Faz are last minute scratches. Geoff... Tell your boy he's in. That leaves one spot open with Gorecki bound to bail again.

We tee off at 8:30 am. It was the only time we could get that wouldn't be a 6 hour round. I'll post pairings tomorrow when I get back to Tampa.

Also, remember to wear a shirt that is the color of the Jamaican flag (league players only).

See you people then.

DPT Open - Spring 2016 Recap

Who doesn't like putting at Southern Hills? Everyone. Just a ridiculous day out on the greens, all thanks to Pete Dye. The best way to avoid it, chip in from 30 yards off the green like I did on #7. For par. You know... because that's just how my day went. It definitely didn't feel like a round of 78.

JW came out of nowhere for 2nd, thanks to a pretty solid back nine performance. And Dave battled near the top of the leader board all day until blowing up on the final par 3 17th hole. He still finished solo 3rd.

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Next season Southern Hills will be closed as they put in a faster and better putting surface on all greens. It'll be a true nightmare when finished.

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We're off this week. Go practice! Especially you, Gorecki. Next event will be the Jamaican Open at Pebble Creek. March 6th.

Tell me if you're OUT. Right now all I can remember is JW.

DPT Open - Pairings

Current pairings for this Sunday, 11am.

Group 1
Gary
Jason S.*
Steve C.*
Daniel B.*

Group 2
Tall Mike
Faz
Geoff
Troy*

Group 3
Chandler
JW
Dave
Garcia*

Group 4
Reid
Darren
Big John
Buchert


*not in tournament

Week 3 - Update

We have 11 league members in for Southern Hills... with only Guest not signed up. So we're cancelling the 5th tee time, giving us 16 spots.

Next 5 "Guests" (get it?) who say they're in can join!

Update - Gorecki bailed.

Geoff Skins Game - Spring 2016 Recap

Heritage Harbor is hard. We only play it in the winter because it's cheap and close to home. But it's always cold and windy. The fairways are super tight because there's not much grass on them. Chipping around the greens is a nightmare. Bunkers are terrible. And many of the holes are just unfairly designed.

The greens though yesterday were the best I've ever seen at HH. So there's that.

Heritage Harbor is now the most difficult course in the league that we've played more than once. The average and median net scores to par are 7.5 and 5.5 respectively. Yesterday was no different, as nobody finished below net par.

Tall Mike kept the double pars off his back nine scorecard to win his 2nd event ever, and now sits atop the standings. Geoff was leading most of the day until blowing up on 15, 17 and 18. Dave couldn't make enough pars to win, while Chandler carded a rare quadruple bogey to ruin his chances of a victory.

We also almost had two double-pitchers, with Buchert shooting +16 and Big John +18. It was an ugly day for most of us. Good news though, we won't be back to Heritage Harbor for another calendar year.

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The Baron's reign of terror is over. Darren has held the #1 spot in the Official Rankings for the past 19 events, starting on January 18th , 2015. Dave, much like Jason Day, accomplished his number one goal in life by ascending to the top of the rankings for the first time.

Chandler, Buchert and Tall Mike round out the 5 players that have the most realistic chance to be Ryder Cup captains when the standings are locked in the middle of next season.

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This week we're playing at Southern Hills on Sunday at 11:00am. Get out there early if you want to take advantage of their practice facility. We also have a few spots open if you want to bring anyone. But let me know ASAP. Geoff... let me know for sure if your mortgage buddy is coming.

Week 2 Pairings

First group is out at 9:30am. Heritage Harbor (the one in Lutz). $10 cash entry for the skins game.

Group 1
Geoff
Chandler
Buchert

Group 2
Tall Mike
Dave
Reid
Guest - if he makes it 

Group 3
Gary
JW
Big John
Steve A.

Skins game will once again be broken up into two tiers. Payouts will be calculated in the clubhouse once we're all done. Below are the tiers and how many strokes (80% handicap) each person gets:

Tier 1
Buchert (0)
Dave (0)
Chandler (0)
Gary (0)
Reid (3)


Tier 2
Big John (0)
Darren (1)
Guest (4)
Tall Mike (6)
JW (7)
Geoff (8)

Horses for Courses

It's no secret that certain courses just "fit the eye" of certain players. Tiger Woods used to dominate Torrey Pines and Firestone Country Club. Dustin Johnson owns Pebble Beach, despite never actually winning there. And Big John is the mayor of... Southern Hills?

Yes, even we fall into trends on our tour. Let's take a look at who excels and who rides the struggle bus at our most played tracks:

First up, course ownership. This shows the best (and worst) average net score to par, with a minimum of two tournaments played at each specific location. It's actually interesting how few courses we've played two or more times. Do you own a course? Or are you that course's bitch?

Faz is probably glad to be missing Heritage Harbor this week...

Obviously, not everyone fits into those categories. So what is the best, and worst, course per player? Again... must need two rounds played on a course, which eliminates Buchert from the list.

Dan has an impressively small spread.

The takeaway from this data is that we love Stoneybrook... and we hate Heritage Harbor. You know... the course we're playing this Saturday (9:30am). See you all then.

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Continue to tell me if you're playing Week 3 at Southern Hills.

Week 3 Registration

Who's in for Week 3, tentatively at Southern Hills? It's our first Major of the season and the ONLY time we'll be at Southern Hills in 2016. They're ripping up all the greens and putting down some better, faster grass.

Remember, Week 3 we move back to Sundays... so date is the 21st.

Let me know!

Copperhead & Valspar Championship Update

We now have 5 people who have purchased the Valspar voucher, allowing us to play Copperhead this Spring/Summer. You can reference this post for details and a link.

Five is a terrible number to book a tee time. So who else wants to go play the course? Get off your ass, buy the voucher, and let me know when you've done so.

Update:
Gorecki and Darryl are buying one. JW's buddy is also interested so I think we have 8 now

Chandler Classic - Spring 2016 Recap

It's good to be back! Despite the miserably cold and wet conditions all day, Week 1 was pretty smooth. Hernando Oaks is definitely rebounding as a solid Brooksville track. Difficult in spots, but very manageable if your short game is on point.

Faz's short game wouldn't typically be described as "good," which showed during his front nine 46. But at the turn, he jokingly proclaimed he was going to shoot 36 on the back. His short game was lights out after that, with 6 one-putts in the first 8 holes. He was pretty flawless until missing a two-footer on the final hole to shoot... 36. His lowest nine hole score ever. "El Patito" turned an ugly duckling round into a beautiful swan.

But Faz's historic round was barely enough to catch Geoff "The Realtor" Leighly. Geoff bogeyed the front nine to death, amassing a huge lead at the turn. He failed to make par on the back, but still managed to hold on to a tie for first place.

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This week is the Geoff Skins Game at Heritage Harbor (not to be confused with Heritage Isles). First group is out at 9:30am on SATURDAY.  We have 3 groups, and 10 guys signed up. Just waiting to hear from Darren and Guest.

Week 1 - Chandler Classic Preview

We are officially booked for Week 1, on February 6th on Hernando Oaks. Tee time is 10:20am, and cost is $23 cash. Vouchers for everyone have already been prepaid. So money is owed to Chandler, Reid and Darren.

Parings:

Group 1
Buchert
Faz
Chandler
Gorecki

Group 2
Reid
Brendan
Guest
Tall Mike

Group 3
Big John
Darren
JW
Geoff

After this weekend, parings will be based on standings. So play well... or you might find yourself in the Gorecki Cellar.

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Now is also the time to tell me if you're in for Week 2, Saturday Feb 13th. Location and time TBD. Comment if you're in.

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Finally... if you're doing the 2016 Fantasy Golf Pool, you have through Wednesday of this week to get in your entry and money. Don't be left out or booted because you didn't pay.

Golf Player Logos

Individual player logos are becoming more prevalent as pro golfers look to maximize their "brand." Arnold Palmer basically started the trend while searching for an un-registered trademark for his company. I'm probably in the minority opinion, but it's pretty ugly.

Great signature. Shitty logo.

Jack Nicklaus got in on the action, playing off his nickname: "The Golden Bear." Simple and recognizable. Probably one the top two best golf logos in history, which is fitting for the GOAT.

If he had enough foresight, Jack would have gone with an actual goat logo.

Next up is Lee Trevino, who literally just didn't give a shit. He played the game for money and as a hobby. So when it came to his logo... he put a hat on a hat. More than any other golfer, his logo tells you everything you need to know about Lee.

Supermex.

The best logo ever (in my opinion)? Greg Norman. Excellent looking design that has been slapped on golf courses, wine, meats, clothing, eye-wear, restaurants... the list goes on. He only won two majors, but he's killing retirement. Not counting being fired by Fox after one US Open boradcast.

The gold standard of personal logo design.

The Seve Ballesteros logo is a great example how to use an actual image. In this case, it's his reaction to winning the 1984 British Open at St. Andrews. He even had it tattooed on his left arm.

I can only imagine his reaction if he won a DPT Cup.

The new-era logos began with Tiger Woods. His logo is honestly really good, and probably the best use of a player's initials. This seems to be where everyone is going today, and most are terrible.

The one on the right? Ian James Poulter. And yes, it looks like a penis.

But what about us? We have a tour, trophy, rankings... we need some logos. So I re-hired the genius designer of the "Dudes Playing Together" logo to craft a few ideas. The next step is to embroider them onto shirts.

Chandler gazing at all those championship trophies.

Faz: "Patito." A much better use of initials in this design.

Moostenbrink.

Reid's logo, like Seve's, captures his finest moment(s).

Scotland 2017 - Update

It's been almost a full year since we announced our plans to golf in Scotland. Next month it'll be time for me to reach out and get some quotes for the trip. Currently, the following people are interested enough to be included in the non-binding quote: Chandler, Gary, Darren, JW, Reid, Dave.

The plan would be to go at the end of June. It's about an 8 day trip, where we play 6 rounds in 5 straight days. A ton of golf... but literally once in a lifetime. I imagine the quote will be about $5k per person before flights, but the group can debate a few options once we have them.

We had talked about bring the WAGs with us, but the plan is to now NOT do that. It's a lot of money for them to spend to basically not hang out with us much.

Let's talk about the golf... GolfDigest just released their rankings of the World's 100 Best Courses, as well as the top courses in every country. Here's our current itinerary along with their World and Scotland rank:

Course                                   World Rank           Scotland Rank
St. Andrews (Old Course)               8                                 2
Turberry (Ailsa)                              22                                4
Carnoustie (Championship)             26                                5
Kingsbarns                                    69                                8
Royal Troon                                  N/A                             10
St. Andrews (New Course)             N/A                             18

It's an amazing list, with four of the six in The Open ROTA. Royal Toon is hosting this year, and Carnoustie is hosting in 2018.

Bottom line: it's not cheap... the weather will probably be terrible... but I couldn't be more excited to cross this off the bucket list.

2016 PGA Tour - Fantasy Golf Pool

An email was just sent out to the entire league, containing the rules and entry form for our 2016 Fantasy Golf Pool. I'll post the same info here. Feel free to send to any friends or family that might be interested.

The Gist: Pick 18 golfers and ride with them until the Tour Championship. No need to set line-ups each week. Just make selections based on the rules below, and hope they don’t get injured!

• Season begins at the WASTE MANAGEMENT PHOENIX OPEN (2/4/2016) and ends at the TOUR CHAMPIONSHIP (9/22/2016). 
• Three European Tour tournaments are also included: BMW PGA CHAMPIONSHIP, SCOTTISH OPEN, and the OMEGA EUROPEAN MASTERS. 
• In total: 39 events. 
• Entry must be submitted by 2/3/2016, with entry fee of $50.00. Cash, check or PayPal (to Chandler) will be accepted. Be sure to use the family/friend option if paying with PayPal.
• Select (18) total players. See entry form for details.
• Points are awarded to the TOP FIVE SCORES in each tournament. See rules sheet for more info.
• FIVE TOURNAMENTS will be worth DOUBLE POINTS: All four majors and the Players Championship.
• The number of entrants will determine the prize distribution. First place tie-breaker will be based on points scored in the four majors.

Click to download the RULES SHEET.

Click to download the ENTRY FORM (Excel).

Email me your picks and get your money in by February 3rd.