FBGC Masters and 2023 Rapture

I’m in the office all week so my ability to do a proper “recap” is nonexistent at the moment… but a couple of admin notes:

• Final event of the season is at Falcon’s Fire in Orlando at 9:06am. Should be $55+ tax and range balls included for our group. I need to call to confirm but that’s the deal told to me over the phone. 
• Rapture dates based on availability responses will be October 5th to the 8th. Put it on your calendars now. Plan is to go to Sebring which was hurricane’d out last year. 

More to come later when I get some free time. 

Jamaican Open - Spring 2023

We should be all set for Sunday at noon at Grasslands. Hamilton is confirming tomorrow, but says he's verified a few times already.

Looks like we need to pay Hamilton ($60), so bring cash Sunday or be prepared to send PayPal/Venmo. No need to check in at the pro-shop, just grab a cart and head to the range.

Everyone is on the WHITE tees, but there are a ton of options to move back, so let me know.

Also be sure to fill out your Rapture RSVP in the previous post.

 

See you Sunday.

2023 Rapture Dates - Poll

It's time once again, dear Member, for the illusion of choice.

Fill out this survey ASAP to select which dates you can make the 2023 Rapture. Based on responses, I'll start the process of booking courses and hotel rooms. The plan is to re-attempt the Sebring trip that was cancelled last year due to a hurricane.

Do your part. Be a good citizen. Fill out our lovely forms.

The Hangover - Spring 2023 Recap

Fun night catching up with about 33% of the Club — and their WAGs — at our bi-annual party. World of Beer was a comfortable spot, especially with ¡sports! on TV. Unfortunately we failed to solve any of the world's problems... so whatever you were dealing with before will continue for quite some time.

Not pictured: Troy

Golf on Sunday was difficult, as the scores reflected. Cypress Creek is a naturally tough layout... add in some wind and what I considered to be the worst conditions we've seen there in awhile... and nobody finished under par (net).

The fairways were lacking grass in most spots... bunkers were inconsistent... and the greens bumpy. It's been over a year since new ownership bought the course. While they've removed a lot of trees (not enough), most of their improvements have been on the driving range. The range had some of the best grass I've seen in awhile. Which only gives you a false hope of what awaits you on the course.

Mike Ho — fresh off binging tequila jello shots the night before — played a very consistent round with two birdies and two double-bogeys. I hear there might have been a few lucky bounces, which you need to take advantage of on a course this difficult. It's Ho's 5th win, snapping a 19-tournament losing streak.

 

Faz had three birdies to finish solo-2nd, four shots ahead of Gary and Troy. We usually don't see that big of a gap... but beyond Ho and Faz... everyone was one or two blow-ups away from earning some meaningful points.

It looks like Danny failed to record a par, so he's currently on a 23-hole stretch without one (or better). Will he challenge Gorecki's record of 70 straight holes of incompetence? Highly doubtful.

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With another previous cellar-dweller winning... the overall standings are getting pretty tight. A handful of you people are mathematically eliminated. A bunch more are on the verge.

I think there are about 10 guys with a realistic chance of winning the season, which seems like a lot more than usual.

 

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We're off this week for Easter and the Masters. Enjoy your weekend, and we'll return on April 16th at one of our Club's favorite courses... Grasslands. Unfortunately they've pushed their non-member start time to 12:00pm... so if that's too late for you then update your RSVP.

See you all in a couple of weeks.

Last Minute Golf Trip

We had a spot open up last minute for the annual golf trip that I go on that is taking place this weekend.  We are playing 5 rounds at Reunion.  One round Thursday, two rounds Friday, two rounds Saturday.  The rounds Friday and Saturday are the competitive rounds, so it wouldn't be essential to make Thursday's practice round.  We have villas Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.  Tall Mike plans on driving to Golf League Sunday morning, so you don't even have to miss a League event if you feel the need to put your body through that much golf.  I might even try to work out a deal with the Commissioner to get you Hangover Bar credit if you can fill this spot.  No guarantees though.

The spot has already been paid for and it is non-refundable, so it would be up to you to decide how much you want to refund this person, if anything.  That is your own moral dilemma to worry about.

I know it is last minute, but if anyone can and wants to fill the spot please let me know asap by either posting or texting me.

The Hangover - Spring 2023 Preview

As previously mentioned, we'll be at World of Beer by the airport at 7pm on Saturday. Show up to be eligible for the Hangover side pot on Sunday. Lightning are playing at 7, and there's also Final Four games going on.

For the golf, we're going to Cypress Creek for the first time since Summer 2021 - the day Casey won the hole-in-one pot ($854). The pot will only be about $528 on Sunday... so probably not worth winning.

Default tees are the WHITE tees. Let me know if anyone wants to move back (I got Dan's request for the Blacks).

I have not played here since Casey made the ace and subsequently beat me 5&4 in Match Play. I'm told there are new owners and they've done *some* renovation. A handful of trees have been removed, although it's never enough.

 

I was told by Michael — who is the GM, I think — that range balls (small) are included for our group. Rate is $65+ tax.

Recent reviews online give it 4 of 5 stars, but complain about pace. Speaking of...

 

Our first group out (my group) last week was slow. We had nobody in front of us and we played in 4:20. Let's speed that up this week. Drop people off at their ball and then head to yours. And don't wait until all 3 of your competitors have teed off before getting out of the cart and pulling a club (Gorecki).

FBGC Championship - Spring 2023 Recap

Geoff and JW shared a victory yesterday, snapping 14 and 27 tournament losing streaks. Both rounds look impressive on paper — an ideal high-handicap performance with a ton of bogeys and few doubles+.

 

Adam initially held a huge lead of -9 (net) after shooting a career best 38 (gross) on the front. But he eventually woke up from his balloon-filled haze and crashed back down to Earth with a smooth 54 on the back.

We intently watched the leaderboard in the clubhouse as Geoff and JW finished their rounds. The consensus was that JW would win outright, since Geoff is a choker down the stretch. Both received two pops on 18... and both proceeded to record double bogey (net pars).

 

The anti-climactic finish was best case for Reid, as nobody at the "top of the table" earned significant points. But Geoff is now one of four people within a victory of overtaking the top spot.

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Speaking of Champions, let's check on our defending season Champion, Buchert:

So hot right now.

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We always talk about who chokes at the end of rounds... which is an important discussion when it comes to the Rapture draft and pairings. So I wrote some Excel code to look at the previous 2-seasons YTD (15 events) and graph out everyone's average strokes to par (gross) by hole.

 

What sticks out to me is how bad Buchert, Darren, and Gary begin their rounds. People who get noticeably worse are Chandler, Reid, Crum, Danny and Topor. Geoff is worse at the end of rounds, but not to the extent that it's his Achilles' heel.

 

Also Troy plays the 18th hole quite poorly.

We might need to add in more seasons to get a better picture... but comment your thoughts and if your chart helps in any way.

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Next week we're playing at Cypress Creek at 9am. Update your RSVPs now, as I might need to cancel a tee time. Or if you have any guests that want to play, get them signed up ASAP.

 

Our season party will be held at World of Beer by International Mall. I'll be there around 7pm to get food and watch the Lightning game. Stop by any time after that to be entered into the shadow Hangover side-game.

Or you can attend Mike Ho's birthday part at his place in the lagoon to also receive credit.

 

See you sometime soon.

Hangover Bar Suggestions

One of our Board Members suggested we poll the attendees of next week's Hangover outing:

What bar do you want to host our Club's season party?

What could possibly go wrong allowing you people to make suggestions? Make a comment to have your voice heard, and probably ignored.

Golf Net

Hamilton told me a couple of weeks ago he has a golf net bought during the pandemic.

I believe it's this thing, which comes with the hitting mat.

He says he's getting rid of it for free, as long as you pick it up from his place (Lakeland I think). Let me know if you want it and need his info.

FBGC Championship - Spring 2023

Hope everyone had a nice spring break. We're back this week for the 2nd Major of the season - at Lake Jovita (North) - 7:50am - $70+ tax.

Ho is getting us out as a member of Jovita... so it's all under his name. Get there early if you want to use their range, which is included in our cost.

Standard tees are the WHITE tees... but let me know if you want to move back. The 55/25 Club is allowed to play the Green/White if they'd like.

Course notes:  Jovita is working on some of the bunkers, which are marked "Ground Under Repair" with white paint. If you go into one of those, you get a free drop out of it. Make sure it's a bunker that's actually marked with white paint.

 

See you Sunday.

Hangover Info

Only 15 people IN for the Hangover in a couple of weeks. I’m going to book something soon for 16 unless more people get in. 

Info on the Hangover bar will be announced soon.  

Match Play - Spring 2023 Recap

Like it or not — and most of us don't like it — we were due to play Crescent Oaks. It had been 7 years since our last visit, and it's not deserving of our "shadow ban" list.

I'm glad it's over. The 1st and 18th holes are perfect bookends to that layout. There were 10 max scores (28%) on those two holes. Five Members failed to record a par on the back nine! (Topor is now 55 holes away from tying Gorecki's streak of 70 consecutive holes without a par!)

There are some things Crescent Oaks should do to improve:

• Remove / trim a handful of oak trees. 
• Add like 30 OB stakes on various holes to clearly define the field of play
• Expand all 18 greens, which have definitely shrunk over the past 10+ years
• Get creative with the tee box choices. Perhaps add a Blue/White combo
• Fill in some bunkers (they did this in a few spots). You're never getting a TOUR event, so why is it so penal off the tee?

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Where us commoners struggled, Melberg saw an opportunity — shooting a new FBGC Course Record 77 (gross) with 3 birdies and nothing worse than bogey. His -1 (net) was a thing of beauty. Maybe he's poised to make a run at a title, something many low-handicap doubters thought was possible.

And then there was Troy... who had the Club-best +2 (gross) on the final seven holes... resulting in an unbelievable charge up the leader board to tie for the victory. Troy has had a very rough start to the season. If he can shoot -1 (net) at Crescent Oaks, he might just achieve his goal of being a 2023 Rapture Captain. Gotta get his money's worth out of those custom shirts!

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Shoutout to Crum for his career-tying best finish ever (3rd), despite carding three max-9s. I'm told he would have easily won with a little more course management. One day he'll learn... but today he's just not ready.

I'll get yelled at if I don't mention Topor's new FBGC Course Record of 123.

I don't believe the 12 bad pitchers is a record for one event, but at the rate some of you are adding to the Deadbeat List we might need a keg party after the season. This gives me an excuse to post one of the many things I track: "Bad Pitchers per Season" (through 2022). Note how everything jumped after the 2020 handicap changes, and how many more bad pitchers are owed in Spring vs. Summer:

PpR = Pitchers per Round

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We're off the next two weeks for Spring Break and a Make-Up Week we don't need. Enjoy the time off.

Next event is March 26th at Lake Jovita (North). First tee time is 7:50am. Cost is $70 plus tax.

The cost we're quoted is always included on this blog, and in the top of the tee-sheet / leader board. Please check that before paying. I hear some people have been overcharged.

See you in a few weeks.

Match Play Handicaps - Spring 2023

Assuming nobody else bails (big assumption) here are the strokes for each match:

Reid vs. Gorecki (8)

John vs. Danny (8)

Gary (2) vs. Chandler

Melberg vs. Geoff (11)

Faz vs. Moostie (4)

Dave vs. Crum (14)

Travis vs. Troy (1)

Adam (9) vs. Dan

Ho vs. Topor (12)

Mark up your cards based on the hole-by-hole handicaps on the physical scorecard. It might differ from various apps.

2023 Spring - The Concussion Recap

The prevailing thought — which I have not had time to research — is that marriage causes a decline in golfing performance. Dave says my unquenched thirst for knowledge and stats results in me not having a life, so I can't verify the marriage hypothesis. But one thing is certain...

John is undefeated post-nuptial.

Yes, the jokes were flying off the shelves all day, as he navigated a near perfect round of golf. Is he swinging better without his testicles? Unlikely, as he hasn't had those for quite some time.

Whatever the reason, John played incredibly smart golf throughout the Groves. And his putter is back to "best in league" form.

 

Living his best life.

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The Groves was also in good form... for an "executive" course. Fairways were a little patchy and greens a little bumpier than I recall from previous years. But it's a good sensible challenge, only lacking the Countyway grill experience.

They didn't seem to care that Gorecki brought a cooler of beers. So extra faux-BGR points giveth, only to be taketh for shutting down the grill before 5pm.

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Other things that I've heard discussed:

 

- #4 had the widest spread in Club history: Seven strokes: Eagle 3 for Moostie and max 10 for Reid 

 

- #18 still sucks but is a much better hole as a par-5 with the new back tees

 

- Gorecki wanted me to point out that Ho had to get up-and-down for a sandie-birdie on #18 just to tie Gorecki (gross). I took this to mean Gorecki is acknowledging it's embarrassing when anyone ties or loses to him.

- The second half of the season is going to get very interesting... with Reid, Gorecki and Gary at the top trying to get their first ever Championship. The bonus 100 Match Play points on Sunday are essential to achieve their goals.

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This week we are at Crescent Oaks at 10am. Cost should be $65ish - and we haven't played here officially since 2016. It's a brute of a course, so the 55/25 club (Gary, Troy and Danny) can move up to the WHITE tees if they want. Let me know before Sunday.

This scorecard matches the most recent one I have.

Spring 2023 - The Concussion

We're back this Sunday (Feb 26th) at noon at The Groves.

 

We haven't been out there since Spring 2021. It's probably the best par-3 course in our ROTA, so hopefully it's still in good shape.

In our two year absence, it seems they've changed the 18th hole to a par 5. It's still a stupid hole — and par is just a socially constructed number — but that does change a lot in terms of possible pitchers owed and handicaps.

It's the right move for the course, and you should adjust your strategy accordingly.

Currently we are FULL (20 players) with Danny unable to join the field due to his total disregard of the RSVP system.

Pairings are randomized and published. See you Sunday.