The Concussion - Spring 2021 Recap

Troy owns The Groves. In three events at that course, he has 2 decisive wins and a 10th (of 18). It's also back-to-back wins for Troy... putting him on the inside track to joining the Champions Dinner. While six seasons have crowned a Champion with 1 or 2 victories... you historically need that 3rd to lock it up. Although... people have won three events and still not hoisted the Cup.

Casey played a near flawless round to tie for the victory, recording four bogeys and the rest pars on the day. His game doesn't seem to fit this course, but he did finish 2nd here a year ago... so maybe he's more versatile than we give him credit.

 

Geoff was also in the mix until he realized the he had three holes remaining, and went full implode mode. Faz reports this was Geoff's best ever gross score — to par — by three strokes! Casey also had his best ever gross score to par.

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After three straight seasons at The Groves, we can safely say the course is perfect for this event. But I'm a man that likes variety, so I'm still planning on returning to Countryway at some point... and hopefully another course I've had my eye on.

But The Groves was good. Conditions were borderline great. The weather cleared up just as our last group was teeing off, and it turned into really enjoyable day — capped off by a seemingly improbable Buccaneer beat-down in the Super Bowl.

Thanks to everyone who bought pitchers to get the party started a little early.

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When you finish a round, I need the scorekeepers to do a couple of things:

1) Add up your damn scores. Front, back and total. Some of you are lazy and don't add them up... which means you're NOT actually checking to see if they're correct.

2) Compare those scores to the app. Either on this blog or within GolfGameBook... click on each player in the group and make sure the total gross is the same.

We have had mistakes EVERY tournament so far this year. Dave dropped two spots post-round on Sunday due to errors in the app. This is why pros get DQ'd for signing incorrect scorecards.

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We are OFF this weekend, so the Westchase Whipped can brunch with their Valentine's dates.

 

In two weeks we have Match Play at Big Cypress — another retirement community in a trailer park. I was there in late December and their greens were some of the best I've ever seen in the area. Assuming we don't get a ton of rain between now and February 21st, it should be awesome.

Match Play is a scheduling nightmare, since we have to pair up. So update your RSVPs now. And tell me which of the 4 regular guests are in.

See you in two weeks.

Week 4 - The Concussion Preview

We're back for a week... with a little tournament we call "The Concussion."

For the new guys, this is where we play a short-course... a chance to give the driver a rest and show-off our exemplary short-game.

We're at The Groves in Land O' Lakes again (Countryway is apparently trash right now). 9am tee time. You'll be done in 3-ish hours assuming you aren't playing behind the two taller Mikes.

They do have a range, so arrive early. Guys are on the tips (BLUE), and Katie is one up on the WHITES.

This will be the last event before we retire the ol' Randomizer.

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Came across a couple of good graphics from the USGA regarding "unplayable" balls and hazard drops. Any time I get a question I'll be texting you one of these images. So get to know them!

Bunker Drops:

Unplayable Drops:

Red Hazard Drops:

 

Notice how it's based on where the ball CROSSED the hazard. Not where the ball splashed. Some of you need a reminder of this...

 

Yellow Hazard Drops (aka: most water running across the course):

FBGC Open - Spring 2021 Recap

Updates are going to be slow this week due to a bunch of other projects... and celebrating the Bucs win (the only NFL team I've ever known) all night Sunday didn't help.

But Troy picked up his 5th victory and 3rd Major on Sunday, winning by two thanks to an impressive six pars and nine bogeys. Any time he can limit the doubles and triples, hes going to be a factor.

Falling just short was Dave (who figured out his driver just in time for the Black tees), John (who unexpectedly figured out his entire swing?), and Katie (who was headed to Pitcher Zone until she finished +4 gross on the final eight holes!).

That +4 final stretch by Katie (holes 11 to 18) actually tied the lowest gross score in the Club on the day (with Dave, John, Gary, Chandler). Remarkable.

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Some chatter about the conditions out there. It's funny that whenever anyone talks about "conditions," they almost always just mean "greens." But fair enough... greens are by far the most important condition to get right... since 50-ish% of your strokes happen on or around them.

Greens were consistently... weird. Way slower than they looked. Could roll out downhill sometimes, and seemingly not other times. And lots of large dead sand-filled chunks, mostly toward the edges. At least they were receptive?

I personally didn't feel like they were bad enough to complain about. But that's because I'm objectively comparing them to some other places that shocked me to the core (RIP Tarpon Woods). If we look at them based on what we feel "World Woods" should represent... especially if they're attempting to charge people $120... then yeah they were complete shit. 

 

For $69 dollars... eh. That's a decent price for a beautiful "winter" day... and the rest of the course was fine.

I do agree that WW has lost some luster. Which is a shame because we can't stop going there. We are literally surrounded by terrible golf courses.

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Let's talk about bunkers. Technically we didn't change our policy on bunkers due to COVID. 

 

Club Rule #9 has always stated you can fix the sand if your ball is in an un-raked footprint/area. But you could never remove a plugged ball unless you were taking a 1-stroke penalty (as our rule also states). COVID just caused some courses to remove rakes... so you were more likely to find disturbed sand on non-plugged lies.

So to be clear... we're only picking up balls and smoothing sand if you're in an area that is obvioiusly messed up due to another golfer. And you have to put it back as close as possible to that spot. You only get to "move" it two club lengths if you're taking a penalty.

 

Speaking of...

If your ball is "plugged," you either have to play it, or take an unplayable (1-stroke) and drop it in the bunker within two clubs. That rule has been around for... you know... 2,000+ years when Jesus first started golfing.

But wait! There's more! As part of the 2019 USGA "rules simplification," they do allow you to drop your ball outside of the bunker. But it's going to cost you two strokes (USGA Rule 19.3b). I can only imagine someone doing this if they're stymied up against the face of a Scottish sod-stacked bunker. Or a bulkhead.

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Let's talk about the rough. Unless otherwise told (usually due to cartpath-only conditions), you can't touch your ball in the rough. Don't clean mud off it... don't pick it up... don't blow kisses at it. Just hit the ball toward the hole, presumably on the way to a max +5.

In the fairway, we allow you to pick up your ball and clean it (Club Rule #11).

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We're off this week. A few people asked why we aren't playing... and I reminded them we have built-in makeup weeks to use for rainouts. Outside of that... it's important to have time off for WAG-maintenance.

 

Next event is The Concussion on Super Bowl Sunday. I'll have details hopefully soon. It'll be an early-ish and quick round. Update your RSVP now (Feb 7th)!

Update: Going back to The Groves in Land-O-Lakes. Group rate is $28 (after tax). 9am tee time. We'll be done by noon.

See you then.

The Shapeshifter

I feel like it's my duty to warn you all of something on Sunday. You may come in contact with a ghastly presence — somewhat of an apparition — that will try to convince you they are a Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan.

It will say it's rooting for their "home city," despite not living within the actual city limits.

It will claim to be a "fan," but unable to name three starters on defense.

It probably slept through most of the Bucs' regular season games, much like it did the Lightning's and Rays' recent Stanley Cup Playoff and World Series runs.

Do not interact with this creature. Do not share any joyful moments that might arise if the Bucs play well on Sunday. Exert that energy with those who have genuinely suffered while rooting for a dumpster fire the past 18 years.

Because the second that Tampa is no longer a contender... The Shapeshifter will revert to its true form:

"Udderly" terrifying.

Skins Game - 2021 Spring Recap

Reid earned his 13th career victory last Sunday, on a very difficult Hernando Oaks course. A lot of people were in the mix, but ultimately collapsed on the final three holes. Tall Mike had the best chance to match Reid, but put his second shot in the water on 18. Lay-up on that hole, kids... on the right side!

I'm really surprised the scores weren't worse out there. The cold temperature and less-than-ideal course conditions should have produced more pitchers. I guess for the most part everyone played "okay."

By far the worst part of the course was the teeing areas and bunkers. Lots of mixed reviews on the greens. Obviously they weren't great... but they weren't horrendous either. Especially for $32. I kinda felt most of the "bumps" in the greens were pitch-marks that weren't properly fixed. Either way, it seemed most of the strokes lost out there were due to putting.

 

Hernando Oaks has a good routing... hopefully they can figure it out.

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We're up at World Woods this week - 10am on Rolling Oaks ($70ish). This is our first Major, so the points and payouts are a little higher.

By default, I place everyone on the WHITE tees here. However, many of you are going to want to move back to the GREENS (you'll pick up 2-3 shots). Make a comment or text me if you're doing that.

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The Bucs game is at 3pm (kickoff 3:15ish?). Considering I have to sit around waiting on the final groups, you people need to play fast. Stop taking 4+ clubs to each tee box. Stop the practice swings. Keep up with the group in front of you. It's been a long time since football mattered on Sunday.

See you up there.

Spring 2021 - Week 2 Info

Skins Game at Hernando Oaks... 10:05am. 

 

Price is... somewhere in the $30s. I think. Conditions will be consistent with a course that charges us somewhere in the $30s. 

 

We do have some better, higher-dollar locations on the schedule this season so hopefully it's not a complete disaster.

This will be the 4th event played here, and the course is ranked T15 in terms of difficulty (5 strokes over net par). But we haven't visited since the 2020 handicap calculation changes. It could get ugly out there.

They have a new grill/bar/shed since the BGR's last review (3), but COVID makes all dining experiences slightly shittier than in the past.

You can view a "scorecard" here on their website. However, the USGA has already re-rated it more difficult. That means they either slightly changed the tees around, or the centralized database flagged posted scores as consistently too high.

In any case, everyone is on the WHITE tees (Katie RED), unless you tell me you want to move back to the BLUE. Doing so will get you 2-3 strokes.

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This week we go out in order of Handicap Index, paired into groups of 3-4 Members to limit strokes given. Each hole is worth $1, which you've already paid in your dues. Any roll-overs after 18 go to whoever wins the FIRST skin of the day.

Remember, the skins are group specific.

See you up there.

2021 PGA Pool

I run a PGA pool every year, where you select 20 golfers from a sheet and then ride with them until the TOUR Championship in September. No other action required. Many of you in the Club are already in.

For the rest of you...

Excel version of selection sheet is located here.

Rules are located here.

You got 12 days if you want to get in.

#content?

The Classic - Spring 2021 Recap

I don't like calling golf courses "easy." To me, they're either "difficult" or "fun." Golf is hard enough as it is, we don't need to disrespect the maddening mechanics of the swing by calling a course "easy."

You might be able to convince me that a third category is "shit."  But a lot of times a course being shit causes it to be difficult. That was not the case with Club Renaissance. Physical conditions out there yesterday were some of the best we'll see all year — especially under $100.

So without the conditions to blame, we can only conclude that it's an extremely difficult golf course. Buchert had 4 birdies and still managed to lose by 3 shots. Melberg had 4 birdies and owed a pitcher. We averaged over 7 strokes (gross) on two of the par 5s!

Hard is good sometimes, though. It makes for exciting finishes, as Geoff tried to perform his patented back-nine collapse, only to keep the wheels on long enough for Buchert to eject. Geoff was one of only three golfers to have fewer than 4 doubles (or worse). For him to do that with a 22.5 Index — and on that course — definitely makes him worthy of the title.

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A note about the Deadbeat List... yelling at me who owes what to whom after the round isn't going to get something published. There's a 0% chance I'm going to even attempt to remember your debts and issues. Make a comment on these posts and I'll then update it.

However, it's much easier to just pay each other after the round. Venmo... PayPal... use the "request" feature if someone left without settling up. Why even have all this cool and convenient technology if you aren't going to use it? Maybe you don't deserve the $2 owed to you?

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We play next week up at Hernando Oaks at 10am. When I left a message for the Director of Golf... he apparently just booked us instead of calling me back to discuss it. It'll probably be around $30 though... so don't expect the same wonderful conditions we just saw.

 

Apparently the Howard Frankland bridge will be closed... which I'm pretty sure only affects Faz. Casey might see some increased traffic? Everyone else doesn't live in Pinellas.

Update your RSVPs if something changed. See you Sunday.

End of Season Commentary - The Ugly

Please accept my apology for the delay. I wrote the vast majority of this post back in October and then totally forgot about it. And because of that, some of the references or poor attempts at jokes could possibly be outdated and to that I say, deal with it.

Danny

Ol’ Danny MacCovid-19 was the only member to play less than half of the events this season. If he played more often and was somehow able to keep up his average of 90 points per event then he would have finished twice as high in the standings. But…and I mean BUT…that would have been difficult to do with being last or nearly last in every single stat category. He averaged double bogey golf by making par less than 14% of the time, making double or worse nearly 57% of the time and had the third worst bogey average with just over 29%. The only people with a lower average are Mike and Chris. Mike won the damn season and Chris averaged more than 25 strokes better in terms of gross scoring so they should have a lower bogey percentage. Not surprisingly he also had the worst par 3, 4, and 5 scoring average. Will his funemployment lead to better scoring next season? Only time will tell!

 

Katie

The best woman player in the league played six times as many events this season compared to last. While it doesn’t reflect in the stats, she appears to be playing a more consistent game these days so hopefully she will continue playing a lot and return to form. She finished 16^th in the standings by averaging only 43.333 points per event. She needs to start turning more of the dreaded “others” (51.852%) into bogeys (33.333%) to get that average net score of +5.833 down a few strokes. Her one highlight was averaging 4.040 on par 3s, which was lower than nine other members. She should try playing and reporting more off season rounds because I don’t think her handicap has fully caught up with the new formula. If only she knew a group of people that are still playing just about every weekend <confused arms up emoji>.

 

Gary

You guys remember when Gary almost won the cup two seasons ago? That was fun. What’s less fun is playing in all nine events and coming in 17^th place by averaging a measly 27.278 points per event. A+ for attendance and a C- for performance. Someone with Gary’s handicap needs to be way better than middle of the road in all key stats. He had the 7^th best gross scoring average, 8^th best for net scoring, 7^th in par or better percentage, T9 for bogey percentage, and 8^th for “others.” None of that is truly terrible but it’s not going to get it done if he ever plans on seeing another chance at the cup. But who are we kidding? Gary can’t even see his own tee shots. 

 

John

Speaking of legendary follow up performances, how about the people’s champ going from a championship to 18^th place! His season point total was more than 1,200 points less than his championship season. What’s funny is that his gross scoring average was only 1.5 strokes worse than last season. Maybe it was missing three events, a misaligned handicap, and a season full of tough competition that led to such a marked difference.

 

Troy

Yet another poor follow up performance for a guy that came in 3^rd by just over 200 points in the Spring ’20 season but finished second to last this past season. Troy had the worst points per event average with just 16.786 after posting an average of 153.338 in the Spring. Not quite as bad as Gorecki’s average of 1.875 in the Summer ’17 season…yikes! Not to beat a dead horse about the difference between his last two seasons but he fell from the lowest net scoring average (2.625) to 15^th (5.571) and this is probably due to making double bogey or worse more than 42% of the time, a 10% increase! But hey, maybe 2021 will be the year of the Trojan Spring.

 

Brian

Too talented of a golfer to come in dead last but Brian only played in five events and never finished better than 5^th. This led to a measly points per event average of 22.1, which was about the same as his drinks consumed per round average back in the day. I unfortunately don’t think I ever played a single round with him this past season so I don’t know if he still parties like he once did but I sure hope so. I love it when Brian is able to come out and play but I know life gets in the way sometimes, which is totally understandable. What isn’t understandable is how a guy with his potential had the highest bogey percentage in the league with 46.667%. That’s one of those stats where you want to be ranked near the top if you have a high handicap, not if you’re a player like Brian. But I’ve noticed a little handicap bump since the summer so maybe he’s this season’s dark horse if he can make it to more events, here’s to hoping!

Spring 2021 Week 1 - Info

Had some interesting hiccups booking this week. But we're all set to go:

Club Renaissance - 10:20am - $59 plus tax

Little later than usual, but look... it's a private Club and we have 24 freakin' people now. The weather is allegedly going to be nice.

All Members are on the BLUE tees, unless you make a comment or text me that you're moving back. Do that before Sunday, as I can't move you the day of.

 

Katie is on the GREEN tees, and is the defending Champ at this course.

 

 

Pairings will be randomized and published later this week. Stay tuned for some more #content as well.

Remember:

The Board passed a rule requiring everyone to be ready to play at first tee time (10:20am). If you are in a later group, roll the dice that we don't go out early at your own risk.

 

Club Renaissance doesn't have a range on site... but if you get there early enough you can head down to Sandpiper... OR find the hidden range near Scepter. If anyone gives you shit, just tell them you're in a tournament at CR and they sent you over. If they still give you shit, start coughing a lot?

 

See you Sunday.

December 2020 - Mailbag

It's been quite awhile since I've told you people what to do. With the upcoming season right around the corner, here are some answers to questions I've been asked lately:

How far back are you allowed to tee up your ball?

Two club lengths, according to the USGA. I don't think anyone has ever teed up further back than this... but there you go.

 

My ball went into a hazard. Where can I drop?

You have a couple of options under the "new" 2019 rules of golf:

1) Within two club lengths of where the ball went into a hazard or unplayable area.

2) Draw an imaginary line between where the ball entered the hazard and the pin. Go back as far as you like on that line. Drop within two club lengths of the spot you pick on that line.

Keep in mind Option 2 is basically impossible with hazards, woods, bushes on the side. You're probably only going to be able to use Option 2 when you hit it into a lake/stream in the middle of a hole.

Remind people about losing a ball near OB. I saw some sketchy shit last season.

OK... sure.

If your ball goes OB, you take a penalty and must re-hit from the previous spot. Usually this means hitting 3 off the teebox, although it does come in play on your approach or lay-ups sometimes. This is why we stress you should hit a provisional if your ball goes anywhere near OB.

Let's say you don't hit a provisional (shame on you!). You get up to where your ball should be — near OB — and you can't find it. Guess what? We now have to assume it went OB. So either drive back to where you last hit, and hit again (with penalty), or drop within two club-lengths of your best guess where it went OB and take a TWO STROKE penalty (one for the penalty stroke and one for the hypothetical distance to get to where you're now dropping).

Almost always, driving back is the best choice. Hit a provisional when in doubt, so you don't have to waste time.

Sure, there can be a situation where your ball went into some thick bushes with OB twenty yards further to the side. If you your playing partners agree you are in those bushes and not OB, then take a drop for one stroke (instead of two). Just make sure they agree with you first.

My ball is plugged and not in a hazard. Can I remove it?

Yes. You can always remove a plugged ball when it's not in a hazard. Also, whenever you legally get to pick up your ball, you are allowed to clean it. But after removing (and cleaning) an embedded ball, you're supposed to drop it within one club-length from that spot, no closer to the hole.

Remove, clean, drop nearby.

Remember: Our local Club rules allow for you to lift, clean, and place the ball in any fairway.

When is Dave going to pay Adam $252?

Not sure about this one. Dave definitely owes him $2. By all accounts he also lost a $250 flop-bet. I'd like to see that get resolved but I'm staying out of it.

Who are all the randos on the Week 1 sheet? Are they related in any way to Gorecki?

Not Gorecki related. John and Danny have some guys who are interested in the Club. Our By-Laws only allow for 3 more Memberships, and that won't be changing any time soon. Once we get to 24 Members our doors are closed, mainly due to the manual nature of running the Club. I shudder at the thought of regularly booking 6 tee times — weeks in advance — and then just hoping you people show up and have accurate RSVP designations.

Also, the goal has always been to have people who want to join, but can't because of some bullshit rule we put in place in 9+ years ago. That's when you know you've "made it."

I highly recommend everyone go out of their way to introduce themselves to any guests.

RSVPs

Eight of you have yet to fill out the RSVP sheet. I won't be saving any spots for people, especially with 3 guests already set to play the first week.

Fill out the sheet. Keep it updated.

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Over the next two weeks I'm going to write some rules reminder posts. Not that we've had any issues, it's just been awhile since we talked about some of these things. Send in comments or emails if you have any specific situations you want addressed.

Spring 2021 - Membership Dues

Spring 2021 FBGC Membership Dues are now... due. It's time to refill the coffers!

Each season is currently $130, which is the sum of all nine entry fees. Many of you have #clubcredit from finishing in the money, or skipping previous events (much to Casey's ire).

If you owe money, and you're not an old man who refuses to use Venmo/PayPal, then I've gone ahead and sent you a request at no extra charge.

You can review your balance information in the link that is within the "Deadbeat List" portion of this blog.

Spring 2021 Registration

It’s almost time for the Club to come out of hibernation. Registration is now open for all 11 weekends on the calendar, including the make-up weeks. 

As always, use the link on the right side of the blog to fill out the form. Edit your responses whenever something changes. If the RSVP grid doesn’t update immediately... don’t worry... it will eventually.

Hope you all have been enjoying the time off. Sorry I missed all the BGR tournaments that were held. Those looked like a lot of fun!

2021 - Tentative Schedule

Below is the tentative schedule for 2021. Expect us to start up in early January.

With Gasparilla moved to April, I built in some make-up weeks and spared you powerless people the thought of playing on Valentine's Day.

If any event is rained out, we'll just push the entire schedule (Spring and Summer) down to the next open make-up week. Hopefully we won't have the scenario of playing a ton of weeks in a row.

My goal for The Rapture is mid October, depending on the location and housing options.