2021 Rapture Recap

Another Rapture in the history books, as Geoff an his Blue Team completely annihilated Tall Mike and his Orange Team. It never really felt close, even though being down 1-3 after the first session is far from a death sentence. The Oranges knew something was wrong... and they were in trouble. It's not like their morale was down in the weeds. Spirits were quite high, and they spent all evening hashing out half-baked ideas to even the score. But the Moses was going up in smoke — to put it bluntly.

Melberg on Hole #1 at Talis Park.

A path to victory would be damn near impossible without at least splitting Day 2 (Chapman) — and for some reason the match-ups looked worse than they did the day before. It didn't help that our Chairman (hey, that's me!) got the tee time wrong and we were late to Vineyards CC, losing all range time and starting two matches on the 2nd hole. In what might be the biggest Rapture Miracle of all time, 15 of you people rolled with the unfortunate circumstance and made the best of it with minimal complaints. Still, it wasn't good for the team with a Range Rat as a Captain. 

 

One of the keys to an Orange comeback would be to somehow get a point out of Darren & Danny. That outcome would heavily rely on Gorecki (also a Range Rat) who played terribly on Day 1 and legit ruined a dominant performance by Melberg (73 gross). Turns out — as many of us have speculated — Gorecki's biggest hindrance is his own smooth brain. He striped a ball off the first tee down the middle, and was lights out on the greens — sinking multiple putts outside of 6-feet. Ho proved to be a perfect partner, and the match was never in doubt after the front nine.

Blue's 6-2 lead after Day 2 was the second largest in history. Orange needed 6 of 8 points the final day to force a playoff. This years' Rapture was going to be either one of the biggest beat-downs in history, or one of the worst collapses.

 

Orange is the new suck.

Late on Sunday, the scoreboard showed 2-2-4, giving a glimmer of hope of an exciting finish. But once Travis won the 18th hole in a tight match with Brendan, the outcome was final. Orange was unable to save face with the remaining close matches, losing all but one.

Blue Team wins - 13 - 3.

2021 Rapture Winners

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Since my opinion is the only one that matters — as I'm the only one willing to write #content — here are my thoughts on the weekend:

- In eight years, only three Raptures have been "blow-outs." It's way too small of a sample size to infer any legitimate conclusion. But our tournaments are handicapped, so outcomes should always be a combination of 1) who's coming in hot and 2) who historically just isn't good at closing matches.

- Three players were on all three teams that received an ass beating.

- Darren beat Gary 2&1 to score Orange's only point on Sunday. It was Darren's first ever victory in Singles at the Rapture. He earned the most "pay for performance" money on the Orange team. Not bad for the last pick of the draft.

 

- Sunday might be the best I've ever seen Gorecki putt. I'm told he did the same on Saturday. He also chipped in for par (net birdie) on 17, and had a few other clutch up-and-downs... including one on 18 to win — handing Chandler his first ever loss in Singles at the Rapture.

- Four guys went 3-0, earning $50 net on the weekend: Geoff, Reid, Ho, Travis

- Three guys went 0-3, earning -$50 net on the weekend: Dave, Casey, Danny

 

- On Sunday, Casey made a 40-ish foot bomb for par on 18 to potentially halve his match. Ho then covered him up with an 8-ish footer of his own to win. This was the only exciting thing I saw on the final hole, and it would have been cool if it meant something.

- Melberg shot a 75 on Sunday despite hitting two balls OB.

- We once again got extremely lucky with the weather, somehow avoiding any cart restrictions despite a few downpours on Thursday and Friday. I think the 1st/2nd weekend of October will be the target for the foreseeable future. It's our best chance for decent weather while avoiding holidays, rate hikes, and meaningful football games.

- The final total for the weekend was $375 (golf and housing). Again, the Rapture is a value event. One where we check out courses we would never visit under normal Club/League/Vacation circumstances. Our group already has a yearly big (and expensive) golf trip. So every time you people start suggesting overpriced resort destinations... I immediately stop listening to you. My face may still look like I'm listening... but I'm not.

- All three courses were great. Talis Park was immaculate, without a single bad lie anywhere on the property. A lot of people commented on the greens (and fairways). Those were both Sea Dwarf Paspalum, which is a salt-tolerant grass. We don't have any course in our area (to my knowledge) using it.

- Conditions on Vineyards CC (South) were solid as well. The greens were punched/verticut more recently than I had hoped, but they rolled nice and were faster than Talis Park. For those wondering, their greens were Tiff Eagle, which we see a lot of in Tampa. The layout itself was kida "meh." Nothing memorable, all the holes looked the same.

- Finally, River Hall was a great way to end the event. Wide open but with enough bunkering and thick grassy areas to keep your driver honest. I absolutely loved the contours of the greens (also Tiff Eagle).

- I heard a couple of comments about group "cohesiveness." When we increased participation in 2017, the Rapture basically went from one 12-person trip to two 8-person trips. Coordination is quite difficult, as Gorecki learned at Thursday dinner. Some of you need intensive hand-holding — which I'm not saying as an insult. You'll be perfect for geriatric river cruises later in life. But making decisions on the fly, and actually getting up and "doing things" isn't for everyone. Good or bad, when you're drafted onto a Rapture team... that is your pod for the weekend. 

- "Why don't we just get one giant house?" Great question, River Cruise Person. It's looked at every year. They're extremely difficult to find, and usually cost thousands per night. I'm also not convinced that 16 people in one house is a good idea. But if I ever see the right one, we'll give it a shot.

- We now go into our long off-season. As always, I encourage you to post outings or organize events (you won't). We'll fire up next season sometime in January. Until then, I'll continue to post any administrative stuff that comes up. Thanks to all for another great Rapture!

Gary and Reid - 18th at Talis Park

Orange House Breakfast

I'll start by making a few things clear.

• I will go ahead and say that Brendan first envisioned Rapture breakfast, but ultimately I am claiming responsibility for the execution.
• There seems to be a baseless debate as to who makes the better breakfast. Its me!! I wasn't even there to make breakfast one morning last year, due to a #faketeeballgame, and still got rave reviews.
• Prep work is important and I don't fault Brendan for casseroles.
• Brendan makes great menus but relies on the more competent to meet expectations.

With that said, and it probably didn't need to be said anyways, the dream team has spent countless hours curating the following culinary delights:

• Friday - The Orange Team will fuel up with omelets to order, hash browns, and a selection of seasonal fruit.
• Available ingredients will be - Sausage, Bacon, Peppers, Onions, Mushrooms, and Tomatoes
• Saturday - Back by popular demand will be brioche French Toast and sausage complimented by Fruit and Yogurt
• Sunday - Since we will be on the road at 8am everyone will have a bagel, egg, cheese, and sausage or bacon or vegetarian sandwich ready to take on the road accompanied by a banana.

I anticipate us having some food available for blue house people, but not planning on cooking for 16. So give us a call in the morning and I will let you know.

2021 Rapture Rules and Info - Part 2

Let's talk about the golf:

The first two rounds tee off at 11am. Both are private Clubs, one of which I called in a favor from my father-in-law. Be sure to wear proper golf attire at all times.

The last round is an hour north, at 10am. So we'll be checking out early and playing on our way back to Tampa.

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Round 2 is Chapman, which is a modified alternate shot. In seven years, we're not sure Gary has ever played this format correctly — despite detailed explanations like this one. Don't be like Gary. Learn the format.

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A few rules reminders for The Rapture:

- You have to ride with your opponent in Singles (day 3).

 

- You can NOT give your teammate advice on the green in Singles (day 3). You can help read putts the first two days, but on the final day it's an individual event.

 

- There is NO +5 max on any day. That being said... pick up your ball and move on when you have no chance of winning a hole. That's the spirit of Match Play.

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We'll be using GolfGameBook, but the physical scorecard at the golf course is king. If you get 4 strokes, be sure to put dots on your scorecard. GolfGameBook isn't guaranteed to have the correct hole-by-hole handicaps.

 

A seasoned GGB veteran should be the one in each group using the app... and making sure whatever it says matches the scorecard... even if that means you have to fudge the numbers.

 

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Handicaps are locked. Here's the final information:

 

Round 1 - Talis Park - Four-Ball (Member Tees - 6140 yards)
1 - Faz (3) / Travis (4) vs. Dave (0) / Brendan (9)
2 - Melberg (0) / Gorecki (18) vs. Moostie (9) / John (10)
3 - Ho (0) / Geoff (7) vs. Casey (1) / Darren (6)
4 - Reid (7) / Gary (4) vs. Chandler (0) / Danny (14)

Round 2 - Vineyards (S) - Chapman (II Tees - 6295 yards)
1 - Ho / Gorecki vs. Danny / Darren (5)

2 - Reid / Geoff (7) vs. Moostie / Dave
3 - Gary / Faz vs. Chandler / Brendan
4 - Melberg / Travis vs. Casey / John (6)

Round 3 - River Hall - Singles (White Tees - 6051 yards)
1 - Gary vs. Darren (2)
2 - Travis vs. Brendan (5)
3 - Faz vs. Danny (12)
4 - Gorecki (14) vs. Chandler
5 - Geoff (4) vs. John
6 - Ho vs. Casey (1)
7 - Melberg vs. Dave (2)
8 - Reid (1) vs. Moostie

 

See you Thursday.

2021 Rapture Rules and Info - Part 1

Listen up people...

We are rooming together by team. It seems AirBNBs are adding stricter language, and higher monetary penalties. I guess owners are tired of people breaking things and pissing into storage containers.

 

I looked at over 50 potential rentals to eventually find two within walking distance, with pools, and a good "value." You're going to have fun. Let's not ruin my ability to book future Rapture locations by having too much fun.

 

 

Houses:

Both houses have a pool. Both have strict language about "no smoking." Those of you with oral fixations are going to need to get creative. Especially if you can smell your "special cigarettes" over a block away. Take a walk around the neighborhood or something. Or hotbox Darren's car like he did in high school.

The Orange house seems very uptight:

    - No guests allowed

    - No outside music at any time

    - No outside noise after 9pm

    - Only three cars allowed on property

    - The woman lives in the neighborhood, and I have to personally meet her to get the keys.

    - There's a "security camera" onsite...

The Blue house is where any poker/banko will have to take place. But for the most part, we shouldn't be partying too hard in the houses. That's what bars are for.

 

If someone has an air-mattress they enjoy, make a comment and bring it. Especially in the Blue house. It might be your best chance of avoiding Ho's midnight cuddles.

 

I'd also highly recommend bringing soap/shampoo/towel. I believe both of these houses allow us to flush toilet paper.

I'll email each team an address before we leave.

 

 

Bars/Restaurants:

 

Within 1.5 miles is Mercato — which is basically the outdoor section of International Mall. "The Pub" (same one at International) is where a lot of people go for overpriced drinks.

The "North Naples Country Club" is a dive bar that's a 12-minute walk from our houses, and has good reviews on Yelp.

 

Jet's Pizza is at the end of our street (2 blocks).

There's also the "Bone Hook Brewing Company" down the road. And the beach is only a 5-minute drive, with some bars/restaurants as well.

 

A Super Walmart is very close for all your snack and toiletry needs — much more convenient than Orlando last year.

 

Final Payment:

 

Everyone has paid me $160, which only covers housing. I allegedly have to pay for the entire group Day 1 and Day 2. We also all owe $50 to the pot for the "pay for performance" purse. 

 

Because of this, I'll figure out what the final total is ($210-ish) and charge you all later. Maybe even after the Rapture. Don't worry about it for now.

2021 Rapture Picks

We're 10 days away from heading down to the 2021 Rapture. Here are my picks:

Round 1 - Four Ball

Faz/Travis vs. Dave/Brendan - Any time Faz gets a few pops on the scorecard, he's difficult to bet against. However, Travis' handicap finally caught up to him after a honeymoon improvement period.

 

Dave and Brendan both have winning Four Ball records, and Brendan's 9-ish strokes are deadly with the guidance of Guru Harrio. Dave/Brendan cruise 4&2, and Dave sells Brendan a 30-pack of "teachings" in the Tennessee wilderness.

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Melberg/Gorecki vs. Moostie/John - John and Moostie have an unbreakable bond, going back to their Elephant Walking days at the frat house. They'll be very comfortable feverishly grinding over the course, lubed up with copious strokes.

 

Melberg will be doing all he can to captain his ship through treacherous waters. There's no doubt he's up to the task, as we saw when he shot 6-fucking-under (gross) at Southport Springs. Too bad Gorecki is a boat anchor, dragging the team (and the iceberg) to the bottom of the ocean. Orange wins 3&1.

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Ho/Geoff vs. Casey/Darren - I really don't like either of these teams. Geoff's been getting lessons and his handicap has recently dropped — which is good and bad depending on how you look at it. Ho fell off the Rainbow Road to Scratch, only to miraculously land on the track below creating a shortcut. His Index decreased over 4 points in the last four months, apparently peaking too early.

 

Casey is 0-2 in this format, and his previous five rounds have ranged from +9 to +23 (gross). Darren has been struggling lately, desperate to find some sort of consistency before our most prestigious event.

 

If I was going to show a stranger what it's like to be a Member of our Club... I'd show them this match. Put it down as a halve.

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Gary/Reid vs. Chandler/Danny - On paper, Gary/Reid should be a good team, as long as they don't blow-up on the same holes. When this happens they bicker like an old married couple (ie: 2020 Rapture).

 

Chandler is struggling with putting yips, which could plague him all weekend. Danny gets 14-ish strokes, so I think the outcome falls on his shoulders. If he plays well... it'll be an easy point for Team Orange. Armed with this knowledge, I'm picking Gary/Reid to win 2 Up.

 

 

Round 2 - Chapman

Ho/Gorecki vs. Darren/Danny - This match comes down to the 5-ish strokes Darren/Danny are getting... vs. the ability for Ho to stay positive while he's hitting 200+ yard approach shots and watching Gorecki pump his Kirkland Signature balls into the water. I think the Vineyards is going to beat us up a bit, which will be especially difficult for teams of opposite skill-sets.

 

The Double Ds just need to do what they do best... sag and swing. Give me those two boobs 2 & 1.

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Reid/Geoff vs. Dave/Moostie - Guru Harrio moves on to his next sucker student: Tall Mike. Dave will encourage Moostie to be himself, and stay on his chosen path. If Mike is meant to be a slow golfer, then dammit, Dave is going to help him realize his dream.

 

Reid/Geoff's 7-ish strokes are nothing to sneeze at, but the annoyance of listening to the Dave Moostie Band all day — without any harmonica interludes — causes Geoff to eject on the final hole. Orange wins 1 Up.

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Faz/Gary vs. Chandler/Brendan - Faz and Gary getting a stroke? Woof. In golf, distance is king, and both these Blues are long hitters (even if Gary no longer believes it). Right now, our Club's default patriarch is hitting the big stick better than he has in years.

Brendan recently went through the shanks, but swears he's high and dry on Noah's Ark at the moment. The only time CBBD paired up was in 2016 Chapman, where they lost to JW/Gorecki (2&1). That's a stain that won't wash out, no matter how much "perspective" (ie: children) Brendan has gained since then. Faz/Gary win 2&1.

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Melberg/Travis vs. Casey/John - Melberg and Travis are used to playing the back tees, where they both hit towering bombs with decent accuracy. In my opinion, similar playing styles are the best pairings.

In contrast, Casey and John are prone to completely lose their drivers during the round. It's difficult to win in Chapman when you don't have two reasonable approach shots. To me, this would be the Stone Cold Lock of the Century of the Week (the Bucs somehow won this game), if not for the 6-ish strokes Casey/John receive. Blue still wins 4&3.

Heading into Singles, Orange is leading 4.5 - 3.5.

Round 3 - Singles

Gary vs. Darren - Darren has famously never won a Singles match in Rapture history. He's only getting 2-ish from Gary, which might not seem like enough given Darren's poor recent play. However both of these guys played an exhibition match recently, with Gary going Eagle - Birdie (gross) the final two holes to tie Darren. I'm not going to predict a tie. Darren wins 1 Up and stops the winless streak.

Travis vs. Brendan - What do you think will be higher? The 5-ish strokes Brendan receives... or the total hours of sleep Travis gets over the weekend? Brendan wins as Travis crashes.

Faz vs. Danny - Faz is worried about giving Danny 12-ish strokes. It's a lot, especially on a course that looks pretty wide open. High handicappers (basically just Danny and Gorecki) are about .500 in Singles. But by day 3, Danny will probably have sprained an ankle trying to hit a ball out of a lake. Faz wins.

Gorecki vs. Chandler - Somehow, in 11 years of Club history... Chandler has never played Gorecki in Singles. Neither in the Rapture, nor in seasonal Match Play. It's completely unbelievable. So... Gorecki wins with his embarrassing 14-ish strokes.

Geoff vs. John - Geoff gets 3-ish strokes. Him and John have never faced off in Singles either. I'll take John since Geoff is going to act like his favorite high school necklace and choke.

Ho vs. Casey - Casey only getting 1 or 2 strokes here... which doesn't seem like enough. Ho is playing some really good golf lately. Allegedly. He doesn't seem to do that with us. Do we make him nervous? Ho wins regardless.

Melberg vs. Dave - The match we all wanted to see. Dave should be getting a couple pops after dropping off that 74 from the tips at Ozark National. Technically Melberg and Dave have the highest Singles winning percentages in Club history. I'll take Melberg, who was drafted #1 overall for a reason. Plus... I'm down on the Euros in team golf right now.

Reid vs. Moostie - This match might not finish before dark. Reid's Singles record is way better than Tall Mike's — and he's 2-1 against him directly. You could say Singles is good for Reid. Hooray for Singles. Singles for life! Reid wins.

Final prediction... Blue wins 8.5 to 7.5.

Ryder Cup - Saturday Watching

Some of you may be aware the Ryder Cup is this weekend. I'll be having people over on Saturday to watch if you're interested. Coverage is literally all day — 7am to 6pm — so I'm not really "planning" anything. Just giving us a place to hang out and grill if you'd like.

- Come over whenever.

- Bring any food you'd like for the grill.

- Bring alcohol.

- Yes, wives and girlfriends are welcome.

- I'll have a 2nd TV for football (on mute).

See you Saturday. Maybe.

 

Also, I'm told someone is actually planning an "event" for us on October 3rd. The new BGR, perhaps? Stay tuned for that.

Rapture Reminders

We're less than a month away from the 2021 Rapture. Things you should be doing, or have already done:

• Making sure you're off work on Friday, October 8th
  
• Coordinating rides down to Naples on Thursday, October 7th. Comment on here when you get a car figured out so we have an idea who's arriving together.
• Informing your WAG you'll be gone that weekend.
  
• If you're planning on getting COVID, I'd recommend doing so now. If not... then be careful out there.
• We only have two alternates: Billy and Topor. If someone has to bail for any reason, we'll attempt to replace them with those alternates. But the closer we get to the event, the more likely they won't be available to fill in.
  
• If a team is down a player and we can't get a Club Member alternate... their partner will be playing by themselves Rounds 1 & 2. In Chapman they'll just be playing one ball (not multiple shots). In Singles, it's an automatic forfeit.
• This will probably lead to three lost points. Bailing in team golf should be super penal, and every Club event operates this way (as Faz discovered up in NJ).
• Report your scores. Some of you do a good job of this, or at least use apps that I can check. Others are complete shit. Text me scores if you play during the off-season and we aren't "friends" on an app.
  
• Get your gear in order. Balls. Gloves. Rain gear. Blue/Orange shirts. Etc.
  
• We usually do a terrible job with pictures. Picture Day is going to be Friday before our first round at Talis Park. Wear your best colors then.

These are *estimated* strokes for each match. They're subject to change on October 1st, but this should give you an idea if you want to make some commentary/picks::

Round 1 - Talis Park - Four-Ball
1 - Faz (3) / Travis (4) vs. Dave (0) / Brendan (9)
2 - Melberg (0) / Gorecki (18) vs. Moostie (9) / John (10)
3 - Ho (0) / Geoff (7) vs. Casey (1) / Darren (7)
4 - Reid (7) / Gary (5) vs. Chandler (0) / Danny (14)

Round 2 - Vineyards (S) - Chapman (Alt-Shot)
1 - Ho / Gorecki vs. Danny / Darren (5)

2 - Reid / Geoff (7) vs. Moostie / Dave
3 - Gary / Faz (1) vs. Chandler / Brendan
4 - Melberg / Travis vs. Casey / John (6)

Round 3 - River Hall - Singles
1 - Gary vs. Darren (2)
2 - Travis vs. Brendan (5)
3 - Faz vs. Danny (12)
4 - Gorecki (14) vs. Chandler
5 - Geoff (3) vs. John
6 - Ho vs. Casey (1)
7 - Melberg vs. Dave (2)
8 - Reid (1) vs. Moostie

2021 Rapture Course - Chapman

Our final course is booked for the 2021 Rapture, playing Chapman on Saturday at 10am at Vineyards (South).

This is a private course which was recommended, so I have no idea what to expect. They're also asking us to pay as a group, so I'll add it to your tab and collect while we're down there — about $210 for: Friday golf, Saturday golf, and $50 entry fee.

This course was built in 1987, designed by Bill Amick — who also did Mangrove Bay & Pebble Creek! It hosted a Champions Tour event five times, the first two (1990 & 1991) won by Lee Trevino.

Based on the tee options, it's going to be a little longer than we've ever had for Chapman (6,362) — which is bad for Team Orange as they possess two of the shortest hitters (Chandler & Darren). Of course, this also means that chipping around the green will play a big factor, which is bad for Team Blue.

Everything is now officially booked. Remember we check-in the afternoon of Thursday, October 7th. There's limited parking available so we need to carpool as much as possible. Start coordinating with people now.

2021 Rapture Course - Four Ball

The general area of Naples has about 90 golf courses, about five of which are public. A few are even "no calls... no solicitations... invite only" courses that don't have tee times and look amazing (if you can afford the membership and know the right people).

So I knew booking this years Rapture would be a struggle, but worth it if we land the right spots. The top course on my list was Talis Park, a private Club which I've played a couple of times (Gary and Darren have been there too). It's basically a flatter version of Bella Collina, but I think the course is much better (less tricked up).

It was also co-designed by Greg Norman and Pete Dye. I can't confirm this, but it feels like Norman did the front nine and Dye did the back nine. Completely different looks, and I recall thinking I just played two separate courses. It's odd, but not necessarily in a bad way.

I had to go through the father-in-law's real estate broker friend in order to get us a tee time. In typical private club fashion, we'll be playing Friday (Oct 8th) at 11am. $75+. I also have to pay for the entire group at once.

 

But don't worry — just like the IRS, I'm never done collecting. I still have yet to charge you the $50 for our Pay For Performance game (the $160 you paid me was just housing). So I'll collect that and Round 1 greens fees while we're down there.

 

One more course to go!

 

Par-3 13th hole.

2021 Rapture Draft Results

I woke up drunk thinking it was Sunday. Thanks to all who showed up last night.

 

Geoff's team is BLUE. Moosite's team is ORANGE.

 

1 - Melberg
2 - Chandler
3 - Dave
4 - Faz
5 - Reid
6 - Casey
7 - John
8 - Travis
9 - Ho

10 - Brendan
11 - Danny
12 - Gary
13 - Gorecki
14 - Darren

 

Round 1 - Talis Park - Four-Ball
1 - Faz / Travis vs. Dave / Brendan
2 - Melberg / Gorecki vs. Moostie / John
3 - Ho / Geoff vs. Casey / Darren
4 - Reid / Gary vs. Chandler / Danny

Round 2 - Vineyards (S) - Chapman (Alt-Shot)
1 - Ho / Gorecki vs. Danny / Darren

2 - Reid / Geoff vs. Moostie / Dave
3 - Gary / Faz vs. Chandler / Brendan
4 - Melberg / Travis vs. Casey / John

Round 3 - River Hall - Singles
1 - Gary vs. Darren
2 - Travis vs. Brendan
3 - Faz vs. Danny
4 - Gorecki vs. Chandler
5 - Geoff vs. John
6 - Ho vs. Casey
7 - Melberg vs. Dave
8 - Reid vs. Moostie

2021 Rapture Draft

We're holding the Rapture draft this Friday, August 20th, at Red Dog (aka: The Dog).

I'll be there around 8pm, maybe earlier depending on dinner. Attendance is by no means mandatory, or even important. In fact, you might find the draft anticlimactic and not worth negotiating/begging for permission to go out to a bar on a Friday night.

Tall Mike won't even show up until about 10pm (estimated... Tall Mike Time is difficult to calculate). And depending on how the Captains want to Captain, they may not even listen to your suggestions during the pairings creation.

But if you want to hang out at our unofficial Clubhouse — which is now somewhat of a college bar after UT kids discovered it during the 2020 "lockdown" — then I'll see you Friday. Significant others welcome.

For the Captains:

I'll bring a couple of "draft sheets" to help you keep everything straight. The quicker we get through the process of drafting and then creating your pairings for each round, the better.

2022 - 2023 Board of Directors Vote Results

Thanks to everyone for voting in a timely manner. With all 23 Members voting, the results are:

Faz - 22

John - 22

Geoff - 22

JW - 17

Gorecki - 9

I'll get with the new board about meeting very soon. If anyone has pressing issues you'd like discussed and voted on, now is the time to say something. Either here, or to a Board member. Especially if you have any thoughts on the elimination of "gimmie" putts. Or how much you dislike Dan. Or any new logo ideas.

Charity Golf Scramble

There is a Charity Golf Scramble for Shriners on Thursday, September 30th at Buckhorn Springs Golf and CC.   It will have your typical charity goodies: Free polo and welcome bag, all the booze, maybe cigars and light breakfast, and usually a buffet dinner, and silent auction.  Pretty care free environment.  It starts at 12:30 but registration will be a few hours before that.  

Rease, Troy + 1, and I have a team already.  Anyone else want to join or create a team?  Feel Free to sign up directly or reach out to me.  Prices go up September 14th.  It is $500 for a foursome right now ($125 each).

site to register: Egypt Shrine Temple Doug Cox Memorial Golf Tournament

Their details:

Early Registration fee of $150 per person or $500 per foursome ends September 14, 2021, so don't delay. Registration anytime on September 14, 2020 through the day of event will be $175.00 per player or $650 per foursome.

The Egypt Temple Shine is proud to present the annual Illustrious Doug Cox Memorial Golf Tournament, to be held on Thursday September 30, 2021, at Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club. Join us for a day of great fun as we host a four-man scramble on one of Tampa's finest golf courses. 

Registration is per player, and includes the following:

All Green Fees
Range Balls
Golf Shirt and Welcome Gift Bag
Tee Gifts
Water / Soda / Beer
Post Play Dinner
Awards Ceremony

Each team will consist of 4 players, shotgun start at 12:30 pm.

We will also host a Silent Auction and Putting Contest at this event!

PROCEEDS ARE FOR THE BENEFIT OF EGYPT SHRINERS.

Golf Course Flyover Video Brandon FL | Buckhorn Springs

2021 Rapture Course - Singles

Got our first Rapture course reserved.

River Hall Country Club, located in Alva about an hour north of our AirBnBs (on our way back to Tampa). We'll be playing our final round — Singles — starting at 10:18am, for $59ish.

This is a Davis Love III design, built in 2007. I have never played one of his courses, and this looks to be a high-handicappers dream. Wide open off the tee, not long by any means, with large greens. You can watch a flyover of each hole here (pro tip: turn off your sound and set the speed to 2x):

However... that shitty drone footage doesn't do a good job with the elevation changes of greens and fairway ridges. For example, the par-3 16th green looks flat and surrounded by bunkers. From the ground it looks like this:

Clearly two distinct tiers and probably a 4-6 foot drop off the back into sand. It'll probably play a lot like the original Esplanade in Lakewood Ranch... but I'm just guessing. I'm not going to see this course before we get there.

More to come later!

2021 Rapture Draft

Draft will be held at Red Dog, on Friday August 20th. I'll be there around 8pm if anyone wants to hang out like we used to. Whenever Moostie finally makes it out, we'll hold the draft and the pairings reveals.

I've received housing payment from all 16 participants:

1 - Geoff (Captain)

2 - Moostie (Captain)

3 - Dave

4 - Brendan

5 - Melberg

6 - Gorecki

7 - Casey

8 - Chandler

9 - Ho

10 - Reid

11 - Darren

12 - John

13 - Gary

14 - Faz

15 - Danny

16 - Travis

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Alternates:

1 - Billy

2 - Topor

 

If anyone bails after being selected, we will attempt to replace them with the next alternate. If no alternates are available... or if we run out of alternates... then the Captain can try to convince one of the 5 Members who are OUT to attend. We will not fill spots with non-Members.

 

I'm starting to work on booking us courses, but remember that we play Friday, Saturday AND Sunday (October 8th, 9th and 10th). Get your PTO in now if you need to. I'd also recommend taking a half-day on Thursday the 7th to travel down to Naples.

 

Here are some Faz Stats from last season, which the Captains may find useful. Names in yellow are people who played in less than 5 events: