Despite multiple hurricanes attempting to derail the 2024 Rapture, we finally made it to Verandah. The entire event was pretty smooth — aside from the usual AirBnB nonsense that plagues vacation rentals these days. But for the most part, everyone was in great spirits, and this year's contest was an instant classic.
The Destination
Our list of basic requirements has slowly grown over the years: heated pools, enough beds for everyone, houses relatively close together, and the ability to flush toilet paper. With few rental options in the North Fort Myers area, we resorted to renting two spots in Cape Coral.
The Cape is an older town with a somewhat worn past, and has been rebuilding steadily since Hurricane Ian's devastation in 2022. To my surprise, the area now boasts an abundance of bars and restaurants, all just a quick five-minute drive from our rentals. The bar scene also felt younger than we expected — though that might have more to do with us now being "the olds."
The one drawback of our location was the 45-minute commute to and from Verandah.
Still, Cape Coral offered plenty of entertainment for anyone looking to
soak their cork, making it a fun and lively home base overall. The Gray Team took advantage of this, while The Blue Team was "lame" and went home early Friday and Saturday.
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Early to the bar, and early to bed. Like adults!
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The Courses
Verandah was top-notch, and caters to semi-rich retired Northerners, with a clear emphasis on active lifestyles. It has two excellent golf courses and an expansive practice facility.
The course conditions were superb — but definitely a step below what we experienced at Talis Park (2021 Rapture in Naples). Still, given the heavy rains they endured over the past month, the grounds were in remarkable shape.
Whispering Oak (Jack Nicklaus 2007) was hands down the standout course. Its fairways were generous off the tee, and the greens were intriguing without crossing into "unfair" territory. It was pretty obvious which way balls would break, but gauging the amount of movement and speed was a true test. The greens were also notably faster than what we typically play, yet still surprisingly receptive.
I'll go ahead and say it... this is the best Jack Nicklaus course I've played to date. It offered more "fun" elements than Avila, Reunion, or Concession, making it a more enjoyable experience.
Old Orange (Bob Kupp 2003) was also good, but flawed. There were some standout holes, especially the par-3 17th. However, the par-5 9th and 13th were terrible, both asking the same question: can you hit a dead-straight ball 200+ yards multiple times?
And by "dead-straight," I mean you had about 20 yards of landing area — miss that, and your ball was gone. It felt a lot like the notorious 9th at Moccasin Wallow.
The greens at Old Orange were easier to read, with some interesting features that kept things engaging. The short par-4s were fun, especially the 18th, though none of our matches made it that far.
Bottom line: for those who didn't, couldn't, or wouldn't attend this year's Rapture, you missed out on some fantastic golf courses. Unfortunately, we’ll likely never return, as Verandah is fully private — and judging by the death stares I received from members who ended their rounds early on Sunday (passing us due to Group 1’s slow pace), I’m pretty sure some complaints were filed.
The Rapture
Pre-competition published picks:
- Gary picked Gray (7 - 5)
- Geoff picked Blue (8.5 - 3.5)
- Chandlerdamus picked a tie (6 - 6) with Geoff choking away the first playoff hole.
All three days were marked by intense winds, with sustained gusts of 15-17 mph during the first two rounds, and slightly calmer conditions on Sunday. Despite the wind, it may have been the most comfortable weather we've ever had in Rapture history.
Day 1
Match 1 - Chapman
Chandler/Faz faced one of the most impressive Chapman performances in history, as Brendan/Reid finished even-par (net) through 15 holes of competition. While other teams may have posted better scores, Breid (Reidan?) perfectly complemented each other.
They were so in sync, that they inexplicably attempted to play a scramble after just two shots on the first hole — something Gary/Buchert and Darren/Reid did back in 2016.
How could that possibly happen... again? It's one of the longest running jokes in Club history, and is mentioned all the time, as a quick search shows:
I'm starting to think, after all these years, Gary was unfairly blamed!
Anyway, the match was never close, as Brendan's clutch chips, pitches, and putts turned their opponents a darker shade of blue. Reid had just as many amazing shots, though we’ve come to expect that from him in the Rapture. Reid now sits tied for first* in total point percentage all-time (*more than one Rapture attended).
Interestingly, Brendan has now solidified his status as the greatest current Chapman player of all time, with a record of 7-3-1. You'd think he'd know how the format was played! Or did he obtain all those wins playing the wrong format? We may never know.
Chandler/Faz played like complete booty cheeks.
Gray wins 4 & 3.
Match 2 - Chapman
Team Blue was always very high on Casey/Troy, pairing them together for the first two rounds and even having the old men share a room in the Chicken House. This strategy appeared to be a stroke of genius on Friday, as the Navy Vets smoked their foreign challengers with ease, like a pack of Virginia Slims.
Dave/Moostie managed to win only two holes during the round, finishing an unofficial +6 through 15. Historically, they have struggled in the Chapman format, with Dave holding a record of 3-7-1 and Moostie at 2-8-1. This is something future Captains should definitely keep in mind.
Blue wins 4 & 3.
Match 3 - Chapman
The day’s biggest “upset” came when Melberg/Gary defeated Ho/Geoff. The pregame analysis broke down like this:
- Melberg = good
- Gary = Mr. Magoo
- Ho = road to scratch
- Geoff = defending champ
Instead we got:
- Melberg = good
- Gary = from 2002
- Ho = cold dead snatch
- Geoff = pretending chump
Other reports indicated that Gary had significantly improved since the handicap lock, while Geoff’s putting wasn’t up to his usual standards. And, as always, nothing is ever Ho's fault.
Gray wins 3 & 1.
Day 2
Match 4 - Four-Ball
This felt like the dagger to the Blue Team, as the sacrificial lamb duo of Moostie/Gary sent Troy/Casey out to sea.
The Grays never trailed, expertly slow-playing their opponents with atrocious cart management, steadfastly refusing to drop each other off at their respective balls, while hopelessly falling behind the group ahead.
According to the app, the Grays birdied (net eagle) the par-5 9th hole... so someone will need to explain how that was even possible. Knowing this group, the score is likely incorrect, and this match actually ended in a tie.
Gray wins 2 & 1.
Match 5 - Four-Ball
Dave/Reid delivered the biggest beatdown of the weekend, disposing of Ho/Faz with indifference.
Reid struggled through the first few holes but quickly found his rhythm, racking up two birdies (both net-eagles) along with two additional net-birdies.
Faz, on the other hand, had difficulty maintaining consistency throughout his bag, leading to some epic club tosses. I’m starting to think Dave has a knack for bringing out the on-course tantrums of our Members, as it always tends to happen in his group.
Ho pompously guaranteed victory that morning, citing his flamboyant outfit and ability to drive the ball farther than Dave. We were all shocked when the Irishman seemingly didn't
give a shit about Ho's asinine antics, and proceeded to shoot a 74
(gross), with 14 greens-in-regulation.
In fact, if Dave had played solo against Ho/Faz, he would have been 3UP with 4 holes to play.
Gray wins 6 & 4.
Match 6 - Four-Ball
Brendan came crashing back to Earth after his stellar play the previous day, struggling to find consistency off the tee. Unfortunately, Melberg was unable to be the "egg" to Brendan's "ham," as he too faced difficulties on many of the same holes.
The Grays managed only one net-birdie all day — an actual birdie by Melberg that extended the match for one more hole.
Chandler/Geoff were slightly more consistent, opting to place all the pressure on Geoff's 10 strokes, and letting Chandler fill in where needed.
Honestly, looking back at the scorecard, everyone in this match played like crap. Let's move on.
Blue wins 4 & 2.
At this point Gray was leading 4 - 2 headed into Singles, needing 2.5 points to win the Moses.
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A team confidently in control!
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Day 3
Singles
Troy edged out Brendan 1UP in a thrilling back-and-forth match, taking the lead with a clutch par on the 17th hole.
Geoff maintained control throughout his match against Moostie, winning 3&1
and avoiding a back-nine collapse by stealing holes 15 and 17 with
bogeys! Woof!
Chandler outlasted Dave 2&1 in a dogfight that featured 13 pars each and, notably, zero birdies. This was Blue's biggest upset of the day.
Faz woke up grumpy and took it out on Gary, winning 3&2 and posting an unofficial gross score of 78.
Reid carded an unofficial 81, waxing Ho 3&2 while never trailing in the round.
And finally...
Melberg failed to win a hole against Casey until the 10th, but birdies on 11 and 13 helped him square the match as they approached the final hole. With everyone watching on the short par-5, Melberg knew he had to win the full point to halt the Blue Wave and force a playoff:
- Both players hit solid tee shots down the middle, with Melberg positioned about 20 yards closer to the green.
- Casey made a wise decision to lay up, assuming that a par would secure the Rapture.
- Melberg, needing a birdie, opted to go for the green but came up just short, leaving his ball a few yards off of the putting surface on an up-slope.
- Casey took a wedge for his approach — but completely laid sod over the ball, sending it a mere 30 yards.
- In the end, it didn't matter as Melberg got up-and-down for birdie to clinch the match 1UP.
The Playoff
In the sudden death singles match between Geoff and Brendan, they began on hole 1, a par-5. Geoff received a stroke on the 2nd hole, which meant Brendan faced added pressure to secure a win right from the start.
Long hitters are forced to lay-back on the first, so Brendan chose an iron to find the fairway. Geoff took driver, yet their balls came to rest almost side by side, with Brendan just slightly away.
Both players laid up to nearly identical spots, but once again, Brendan was marginally farther back.
Brendan was first to approach, striking what looked like a perfect shot toward the front pin. But it drifted right at the last moment, catching the edge of a bunker and leaving him short-sided. Seeing this, Geoff curiously adjusted, choosing a shorter club and deliberately punching his ball 10 yards short of the green, safely avoiding trouble.
Geoff’s ensuing chip stopped on the fringe, leaving him a challenging 25-foot putt for his fourth shot.
At this point we were getting a lot of 2017 Rapture vibes, where Katie beat Gary on the first playoff with a double bogey.
Brendan, laying three in the bunker, opened the clubface, took a confident swing, and... *click*... the ball sails 30 yards over the green, drawing gasps (and groans) from the crowd.
His next chip, a heavy mishit, barely traveled 10 yards. But Brendan quickly regained composure, executing a delicate follow-up chip to within 4 feet, now laying six.
Geoff finally putts from the fringe, leaving his ball about two feet short (laying 5).
Brendan, faced with a daunting left-to-right slider, makes his putt for a soul-crushing double bogey 7.
Though Geoff's 2-foot putt was straight uphill, his reputation as a nervy player left a ton of doubt amongst the spectators.
Nevertheless, Geoff drains the putt, turns to the crowd, and shouts: "Reid, shut the fuck up!"
A celebration as bold as it was iconic, immortalized in the memory of all who witnessed it.
Blue wins the Rapture in a playoff.
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Geoff - The Winning Captain
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I’ll likely have additional Rapture content later this week, as I still have more to say about you people. And I know how much you enjoy skimming through posts to find your name while ignoring everything else!
