Injury Report - 3/3/21

"Known" injuries as of today. Feel free to post updates and correct the record.

Adam 

Internal injuries - shits whack

Left knee - possible ligament damage

Status: Out for the Hangover due to knee pain.

Casey 

Ego - loss of distance off the tee

Status: Threatened to quit the Club, but currently fighting through it. A true hero.

Chandler

Right shoulder - torn labrum

Neck - pinched nerve/strained muscle

Status: Can't turn head sideways.

Faz

Thumbs - crack in cold weather

Wrist - strained

Status: Skipped FBGC Championship to rehab wrist... reluctantly playing this week.

 

Danny

Hip - elongated/shifted sacrum

Status: X-rays & MRI negative. Doctor told him to sac(rum) up and golf. Currently trying random remedies off the internet.

 

Darren

Right Left wrist - previous strain from early 2020

Status: Still not 100%... but good enough to play. Poorly.

 

Dave

Lower back - tends to "go out"

Status: Rehabbing for over a year with internet Gurus and drum circles. Seems to be fine now.

Gary

Detached retina - can't see shit

Status: Surgically repaired. As good as it's gonna get.

 

John

Upper body injury - Yo-Yo Syndrome

Status: Just re-joined Orange Theory Fitness. Expected to make a full recovery.

 

Gorecki

Lissencephaly

Status: His smooth brain doesn't allow him to recognize there is a problem.

 

Moostie

Lower back - tends to "go out"

Status: Famously been fighting through it for years. Rolls around on the ground every week. Pops a lot of pills. Still less of a hindrance than his family.

 

Reid

Lower back pain

Shoulder pain

Status: Discomfort led to an over-the-top swing causing hosel rockets.

 

Troy

Lower back?

Elbow?

Status: Spotted wearing preventative equipment before a round. Clearly not an issue as he's about to win a Championship.

Hangover Invitational - Spring 2021 Preview

When World Woods is technically the worst course we've seen, you know it's been a good season. Time to ruin it.

 

Any of you who have listened/read my nonsense over the last 10 years knows... I like variety. Look at the "Courses" tab on this website, and see all the different places we've held tournaments. It's been years since we've visited some of those tracks, usually because they suck. Most golf courses in our area suck. It's quite sad.

Recently, Melberg told me Lansbrook (another Ron Garl design) was in "decent shape." We've played there once, back in Summer 2016 (Gary won with -2 net). My recap from then complained about how wet it was after a week of rain. Like all the courses in that section of Palm Harbor... it doesn't drain very well.

But whatever, I figure we need to start revisiting some of these establishments. The pro on the phone told me the course was in "phenomenal shape," and gave us a discounted rate of $48+ (no balls). I also snuck out with Geoff last Friday to see for myself. So here's your preview:

• Fairways and greens are in-fact... pretty good. Greens were smooth, nice pace, good undulations to them, and fairly receptive.
• The rough is mostly crap. Lots of areas are hard-pan. You will not have a good lie in the rough. And you will be in the rough all day.
  
• The bunkers were a mixed bag. Some had newish looking white fluffy sand. Others were compact old dirt. In some areas, there was more sand outside of the bunkers then in them...
• Despite not having much rain recently, it was wet in some areas, especially in the woods. If you go into the trees, you probably won't even be able to hunt for the ball. Which isn't good since we're expecting rain this week (and Saturday).
• The layout is brutal. The opening tee shot is more difficult than Bloomingdale. The 5th hole is offensive. In our only event there, out of nine players we had: 1 par (Gorecki! His only par of the day!), 1 bogey, 1 double, 3 triples, and 3 max quads (+5 max wasn't a thing yet).

As in 2016, base tees are the BLUES... but the tournament set-up committee will allow you to move up to the WHITES (already moved you up, Gorecki). 

 

Interesting note about the USGA's centralized handicap database... they are using it to re-rate courses based on reported rounds. Despite Lansbrook's scorecards being printed in 2020 — and without any major changes to the yardages — the Slopes are way higher now. So use what I have on our tournament page (as should always be the case).

 

First tee time is 9am. Bowling on Saturday night (time/location TBD).

FBGC Championship - Spring 2021 Recap

Amazing round yesterday by Melberg. A gross 74 on that course, in those windy conditions, is a thing of beauty. It was Melberg's first ever victory!

It was also the perfect storm for Melberg to win, as the course was rated a little too "easy." This effectively takes strokes away from the higher handicapped guys, giving an advantage to the better players.

And while all of what I just typed is true... we still only had four players in the Pitcher Zone. Two of those (Katie & Adam) basically Kool-Aid Man'd their way into that Zone on the final hole. And Gorecki, of all people, almost won (when was the last time he didn't make a triple bogey or worse?).

So maybe it wasn't that difficult.

I liked Azario better than the original Esplanade course. The greens were much more interesting, with wild contours. Understandably they weren't in perfect shape due to the age of the course — but I'd be terrified to see them running faster. The $65 rate they gave us was perfect. The dudes who played before and after us paying $130 were getting ripped off.

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Troy has moved ever closer to winning the season, as well as becoming a Rapture Captain. Remember... there are only 6 more events that count for 2021 qualification. I'm going to start looking for courses and houses soon. Dates will be in late-September or early-October.

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This week is the Hangover Invitational. We're headed to Lansbrook for the first time in 5-years... but more on that later this week.

For the actual Hangover — which is our season party — we're going bowling Saturday night. Our Social Chair is going to reserve us some lanes, probably over at Pin Chasers on Hillsborough by the airport... assuming some of you northern people are actually allowed leave the house.

Those who have expressed interest in attending are Chandler, John, Faz, Melberg, Reid, Gary, Dave, Brian T (new guy)...

If you are planning on joining Saturday night, make a comment. Bring your WAGs. Let's check off that USGA requirement and socialize with each other.

FBGC Championship - Spring 2021

We're at the new Esplanade at Azario down in Lakewood Ranch. Again, this is not the course where Tall Mike won the Championship last season, giving Gorecki a case of the sniffles.

This is slightly east of that course. We've never been there. Give yourself some extra time to figure it out. Tee time is 9:33am.

Ho has played it a few times, and was nice enough to get us booked and a stellar deal ($65 plus tax). The pro down there called me, and mentioned twice that he had us set up with the "special rate, instead of $129." So apparently they have sellers remorse, and were hoping we'd bail so they could fill the tee sheet with more expensive rounds.

Ho has also reported that the course is rated way too low (easy). This happens when new courses open, and we saw the consequences of this when we played Lakewood National (Piper) — seven pitching were owed that day. The initial rating system, preformed by the FSGA, is broken. Eventually it'll get buffed as rounds are recorded in the World Handicap database (not ours, suckers!)... but for now we have to use the ratings provided.

Katie is on the RED tees. Guys are initially set to WHITE. Many of you are going to want to move back to the BLUE tees... so make a comment and let me know.

Azario Scorecard

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Couple of rules texts I received last round:

• If you attempt to hit a ball but fail to make contact... it's still a stroke. Even if the ball doesn't move. Key word is "attempt." You've probably seen Tiger (RIP) bail out of a swing last second because a shadow moved. That wasn't a stroke because he purposefully stopped his swing and didn't attempt to make contact.
  

• You're allowed to get relief from a sprinkler head that is IN YOUR LINE OF PLAY if an only if the following 4 conditions are met:

1. The ball must lie through the green (not in a bunker or water hazard); and
2. The immovable obstruction (sprinkler head) must be on or within two club-lengths of the putting green; and
3. The immovable obstruction must be within two club-lengths of the ball; and
4. The immovable obstruction must intervene on the line of play between the ball and the hole.

So if you're putting from way off the green (say... 20 feet), and there's a sprinkler between you and the hole... you don't get to move your ball.

See you Sunday.

FBGC - Memberships

People are asking... so let's talk about Memberships.

 

If you think this post is too long... have your wife's boyfriend read it out loud when he tucks you into bed at night.

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While we started out as a "league" in 2011, we long ago transitioned into a Club. Why is this important? Because we still have status with the USGA as an Authorized Golf Club. They required us to create By-Laws, a Handicap Review Board, and pass yearly tests (which I continue to do). Golf's governing bodies want all players in Clubs, and they want those Clubs to be organized.

One could argue that none of this is necessary. But from my perspective, the well-oiled machine doesn't operate without taking things somewhat seriously. Any ounce of "who gives a shit" only adds rust to the cogs. Which is why we created the Board of Directors — hopefully always populated by people who have shits to give.

Part of the USGA requirements was to set a maximum number of Memberships (minimum is 10 by their decree). It can be any number we want, as long as we host enough events so each Member has a reasonable opportunity to record multiple rounds with peer-verification, as well as partake in non-golf "cohesion activities." I set this number at 24 Members, because:

1) It was my best guess at how large we could get without me wasting spending countless hours manually processing results, stats, schedules, handicaps, trips, and "special needs/requests."

2) Six foursomes was thought be the right size for most courses to offer a discount, without private courses pushing us out until the afternoon.

In hindsight, the correct number was probably 20 Members. But whatever... we're locked in at 24, and that isn't going to change any time soon.

We currently have 21 official Members, and 4+ guys who have expressed interest in joining. Per our By-Laws, prospective members must jump through a lot of hoops:

• Be publicly sponsored by a current Member in good standing.
• Play in at least 5 Club events as a guest.
• Pass an initial Board vote, receiving 3/5ths affirmative to proceed to a general Club vote.
• Receive at least 75% affirmative votes in the general Club vote, with at least 3/5ths of current Membership partaking in the vote.
• Not be named any variation of "Mike" (lol jk?)
  

Five people have made it through this extremely high standard. But why make it so difficult? Because your fellow Club Members are the people you hang out with on Sundays after begging your WAGs to leave the house. They're who you compete against. Who you win/lose money to. Who you sit next to in a cart for 4+ hours. Who you share a house/room/bathroom with at the Rapture and other trips. Membership is basically the most important aspect, and yet we've never had 100% voter turnout.

 

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Unfortunately, at least one current prospective member isn't going to make it (again, only three open spots). Theoretically, all of them could fail to earn enough votes. The Sponsors should have already communicated something to this effect, regardless of knowing the exact voting thresholds. If they didn't, it might be time to send some of them to FBGC Re-Education Camp.

 

In any case... Cy Young, Joe DiMaggio, Yogi Berra, and Whitey Ford all didn't make the Hall of Fame on the first ballot. It took Bill Gates years to receive an Augusta National invitation after inquiring about a membership (something they frown upon). Dave may never be allowed to join Pine Valley due to his inability to pay Adam $252.

How current Members vote on Prospectives is an individual choice. The Club has given no official guidance, as it would be inappropriate to do so. Our Membership cap is strictly about keeping things manageable.

Of course, we have open spots basically every week. If someone doesn't make the voting threshold this year, they're always welcome to keep filling in. Hopefully the guests are having a good time playing more golf on a wide variety of courses — despite not officially partaking in our prestigious events.

Match Play - Spring 2021 Recap

Troy just won his 3rd event in a row, a feat that has only been accomplished two previous times in Club history (Darren - Spring 2015, Chandler - Summer 2015). While everyone is still mathematically alive for the season title, Troy basically has one ass-cheek on a chair at the Champions Dinner. 

 

Geoff (who also played well yesterday) is the only realistic challenger. Unfortunately, expecting Geoff to close out anything in golf is a foolish proposition. Back-9 Geoff lost by six yesterday, failing to make a par on the final seven holes — shooting +14 (gross) during that stretch.

Only three times in Club history has someone won 3 events and failed to get their name on the Cup: Geoff - Summer 2013, Chandler - Spring 2016, Gorecki - Summer 2020.

Mark it down... it's over.

All that being said, whatever Troy did yesterday is quite remarkable. Big Cypress was extremely difficult, with the fastest (and best) greens we're going to see all year. Those two things are mutually exclusive, by the way. But due to the gusty conditions, the green speed made putting near impossible on a few holes that weren't surrounded by trees. It was also amazing how many holes seemingly played directly into the 20-30mph wind.

None of this would lead you to believe Troy (or anyone else) was going to shoot -5 (net). But on tough courses, with uncomfortable conditions, sometimes keeping your ball in play is most important. The woods are filled with long-hitters. And the trees of Big Cypress collected a lot of balls yesterday.

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Nothing too exciting to note in the matches. Only Brendan's ghost match made it to the final hole. Gorecki shot his highest score (gross) in 3.5 years, leading to the only real beat-down (by Gary).

I made some drastic behind-the-scenes improvements to our Match Play documentation. Clicking on your Match Play record (on your personal profile) now shows your head-to-head records with every Club Member (non-ghost matches). Enjoy.

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I only saw JW buy a pitcher yesterday. We now have 15 pitchers owed in the bank, with some of you racking them up at a record pace. Let's get those paid out this week. Usually after Esplanade we head to Truman's Tap & Grill, which has cheap beer. Assuming COVID didn't kill it.

 

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We're playing down at the new Esplanade course this weekend. Ho was nice enough to set it all up for us, so give him some props. I've never been there, but I will have a bunch of info for you on Wednesday. In the meantime, UPDATE YOUR RSVP. And let me know if any of the guests are playing.

Speaking of... info on prospective Membership and voting will be posted tomorrow.

Match Play - Spring 2021 Preview

Hope all you lovebirds had a nice, soggy, week off. We're back this week with Match Play out at Big Cypress in Lakeland. 

 

I've been trying to get us on this course — unsuccessfully — for over a year now. It's probably Ron Garl's second best course in the area (behind Eaglebrooke). Other designs by ol' Ron that we've played include: Bloomingdale, University Park, Huntington Hills, Northdale, Rogers Park, Lansbrook, Summerfield Crossings, Babe Zaharias, The Eagles, and Buffalo Creek.

Guess what? This course is actually kept up really nice. And it contains all the swamp and trees your Ron Garl Fan Club hearts desire.

Situated in a 55+ retirement trailer park (not an exaggeration), you're in for a pretty tough challenge. Dave snuck out for a practice round last Friday and reported: "course is in great shape and very challenging... greens were the fastest I've played this year... we will see some huge numbers"

First tee time is 9:15am-ish... just be ready to go by then. Rate is $52 plus tax, and the Director of Golf (Allen Tener) said they'd throw in range balls. So if you're told otherwise, drop that name.

The problem with Big Cypress, like most Ron Garl courses, is it doesn't drain well. HOPEFULLY the rain that comes through this week is spotty. We should have perfect weather on Sunday (sunny and low 70s).

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In Match Play we pair up against players based on standing. The winner of your 80% allowance match gets a bonus 100 points (50 for a tie). Unfortunately, I'm not going to have the pairings completed until late Saturday night. Three of our guys have a pool tournament, and if they play well Saturday they'll be skipping golf on Sunday.

 

We also have 5 guests playing, so that'll be another variable which makes pairings difficult.

Regardless, you people need to arrive early on Sunday. There's a gate and I'll be emailing your names to hopefully speed up the check-in process. Be sure to check the scorecard/pairings sheet on this blog Sunday morning.

Guys are on the GREEN (6,100ish) tees. Katie on RED (4,800ish). While there is one set of tees behind the greens, you don't want to play it (6,700ish).

See you Sunday.

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.