Golf on November 24th

Faz has a friend in town, so we're supposed to be playing "somewhere." Hopefully we'll shore up the location on Monday. Playing are: Faz, his buddy, myself and Geoff.  Darren is also interested, so if Reid, Ben or anyone else want in... comment ASAP.

**Update**
We got two tee times starting at 9:08am at Stoneybrook.

Playing:
Faz
Eric (Faz' friend)
Geoff
Chandler
Darren
Reid

Two spots left.

Handicap Updates

Usually when a handicap update takes place during the work week, I'll go ahead and calculate them a few days early since people aren't typically golfing. This week's update happens on Friday... with Faz and Reid continuing their push toward golfing greatness.

Both have reached new all-time low handicaps since we started keeping track. Faz's last four rounds of 80, 86, 80 and 82 dropped him to an index of 10.6. While Reid's has now dropped his handicap to 14.9, 6.5 strokes in only eight months!

Lessons and practice are clearly paying off for those guys.

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This weekend I'm heading down to Sarasota National with Gary, Darren and Geoff. The scorecard shows some crazy holes down there (long and short). It'll probably be a massacre.

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For those who have asked, the next season is currently scheduled to start the weekend of February 1st and run through April. Immediately following the New Year I'll ask the "founding members" for blackout dates. Final schedule will be posted in mid January.

Updates!

Reid sent me a text complaining that there aren't enough updates on this site during the off-season. And how there's plenty of things going on in golf to talk about. So....

• I shot a career low 76 last weekend at Lake Jovita North. Beat my previous low by two strokes, and demoralized Darren who was playing with me. I'm about to put myself on the IR, so... at least I'm retiring from golf on a high note.
• Tiger Woods allegedly hit a golf ball from Europe to Asia. It's pretty hokey and there's no video proof he actually hit a good shot. I like how they didn't stop traffic on the other side of the bridge so he could have sliced one into a car.
• Some dude got a 409 yard hole-in-one yesterday in a ProAm. Albatross.
• Snedeker just injured his knee falling off a Segway. He may be one of the nicest guys in golf... but he's goofy as shit.
• I have ONE spot open for Sarasota National on November 17th. It'll cost you $40 cash. First come, first served. Make a comment!

Golf on Saturday - Nov 2

Who is free Saturday morning... sometime in the 9:00 hour? Let it be known.

9:37am at Heritage Harbor. $35

Off-Season Update?

Faz says the lack of updates in the off-season makes him sad.

What's up? There was some great golf being played yesterday at Lexington Oaks with me, Faz and Darren finishing net 66, 67, 68 respectively (79, 80, 95 gross). Geoff was there too but his results aren't important.

Some of us also went up to Black Diamond two weekends ago for a stay-and-play. Totally worth the money if you ever want to splurge on one of the best courses in the state.

In handicap news, Darren and Reid hit their all-time low index of 24.3 and 15.3 respectively. I guess you can make the case the it's setting them up for a difficult time next season... but I'm sure they enjoy the lower consistent scores more than the shot at a trophy.

Looks like this weekends game will be on Sunday again. Probably at one of the places we have vouchers for (Northdale, Pebble Creek, Plantation Palms, Lake Bernadette). Darren and I are in. Comment before Tuesday if you want to join.

**UPDATE**
Got a 9:30am tee time for myself, Darren, Gary and I think Reid at Lake Bernadette. If anyone else wants to play, book a time around then. Reid... let me know if you're in.

Golf on Saturday (Sept 28th)

Tee time booked for 12:30pm at Lansbrook. $24 due at the course. Playing are myself, Geoff, Dave and Huffman.

See you fools there.

Golf - Saturday September 28th

Geoff has been slaving away while remodeling his bathroom. Subsequently, he hasn't been able to hit the links lately. So who wants to play on the 28th in the morning?

People who are in:
Chandler
Geoff
Dave
Huffman

People who are out:
Darren
Faz


Pretty sure Darren is out due to birthday things (he's trying to catch Reid in age). Faz/x, you in? Reid?

**UPDATE**

Alright we're going with the four people listed above. Since nobody suggested a course, I'll book a tee time in the morning at Heritage Harbor or something. More info to follow later today.

Stiking the Ball More than Once

I need to use this space to clarify rules more often... so here is one that came up a couple of tournaments ago.

USGA Rule 14-4
If a player’s club strikes the ball more than once in the course of a stroke, the player must count the stroke and add a penalty stroke, making two strokes in all.

So let's say you're off the green laying two, and about to hit your third shot (a chip with a slightly buried lie in the rough). But you decelerate on it and accidentally hit the ball twice, Gorecki-style.

Wherever your ball ends up, you're now laying FOUR... and hitting your FIFTH shot.

Reid's Improvement

With the handicap update today, it's worth noting what has happened to Reid's game:

In the last 9+ months, he's dropped his handicap from 21.5 to 17.2. Before today I haven't had the opportunity to play with him much, but the rumors are true. He's crushing his drive and keeping the ball in play off the tee, which is now allowing him to consistently shoot in the 80s. If today's round was in the latest revision, he'd have a handicap of 16.5!

Reid said he's been going to the range twice a week lately and it's definitely paying off. So if the rest of you want to improve... practice more often and work on those flaws.

New Rules for 2014

At the end of each season we always review one of my favorite things in golf: rules. While we basically play by the "Rules of Golf" as determined by the USGA and R&A, there are a couple of exceptions.  Yesterday Faz suggested we adopt a few more changes to help eliminate some dicey situations.

Starting in 2014 (and today in all exhibition matches):

- Embedded balls will get free relief "through the green." This is actually a rule adopted by the PGA Tour... but not recognized by the governing bodies of golf (yet). In all levels of golf, you always get a free drop from an embedded ball in the fairway, green, tee box or any other "closely mown area." But only on certain golf tours (and certain courses) do you get a free drop from a ball embedded anywhere not in a hazard (ie: the rough). Next season we'll allow you to take a free drop if your ball is embedded, unless it's in a bunker or other marked hazard.

- Move your ball out of a footprint in a bunker. I'm not sure how often this happens... but if you find your ball in a footprint, just move it out to a smooth spot. Or rake it and replace your ball. However, you can't do this if your ball is plugged in the bunker.

- Remove any rocks near your ball in a bunker. There's no need to scuff up your club... just make sure your lie remains unchanged.

- Balls in a fairway divot can get free relief. I honestly think in the next 10 years the PGA Tour will adopt this rule anyway. You shouldn't be penalized for finding a fairway.

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We now have three seasons in the books and I think the points system is decent. Four people were in the running at the last tournament, so I don't think we need any changes to the payout and cut schedule.

DPT Masters Recap

Not only is Geoff currently remodeling his bathroom at home... he also brought his demolition skills to the golf course. After removing the metaphorical wheels last week, he dismantled the rest of the car today with a ghastly 113. The dead-last performance opened the door for Faz to win the DPT Cup with an impressive gross 80 (2nd place).

Summer 2013 Champion - Chris Fazioli

Reid continued to be the league's Jack Nicklaus, winning his 4th tournament (all Majors). His gross 86 is definitely going to drop his handicap for the off-season.

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Next season will start up the week after the Super Bowl (in February), but most of us will continue to play every weekend during the winter. If you want to join and establish a handicap, now is a great time. Send me an email or make a comment... we aren't really motivated enough to expand the league on our own. Probably because we aren't making money on it.

DPT Championship Recap

Swapping the last two events paid off, as River Strand was mostly dry and able to host our 2nd Major of the season.

Faz and Reid tied for first, with both guys improving on the back nine to shoot net 69. Meanwhile, tour leader Geoff blew up to finish 6th, a performance that wouldn't have made the cut if not for Ben shooting one of the worst rounds of his life. The 50 points Geoff earned helped avoid a logjam in the standings, essentially creating a two man race for the cup.

Next Sunday (Sept 8th) is our final tournament. Six league members have qualified to play for points, so only three people will make the cut. Four guys are in the running for the championship:

Darren is exactly 600 points behind Geoff, which means he can only tie for the cup after next Sunday. To do so he must finish solo first, while Geoff AND Faz need to finish outside the top three. If this happens, we'll do a playoff between Darren and Geoff on another date.

Reid is basically in the same situation as Darren. He needs to win and the guys above him must miss the cut.

Faz can earn the trophy if he makes the cut and beats Geoff.

Geoff wins as long as Darren and Reid don't finish first, and Faz doesn't beat him while placing top 3.

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We're playing Lake Jovita North at 9:42am on Sunday. Cost is $59 after tax. I asked the old guy in the pro shop if they had any Florida resident discounts, and he basically chastised me for not thinking their regular rate was a great deal. It does include range balls... so get their early to warm up.

See you then.

Geoff's Keys to Victory

Jury Duty yesterday was boring. So here's a few ways Geoff can close out the season before the Masters:

1) If Geoff wins on Saturday it's over. His handicap is a 29, so he probably needs to shoot 96 gross to guarantee a victory. This should be pretty easy to do if he just plays smart golf and avoids penalties.

2) If Geoff finishes solo 2nd and anyone but Darren or Faz wins... it's over.

3) Gary and Reid are eliminated if they don't win. They're also eliminated if Geoff finishes solo 3rd or better. So for there to be any real train-wreck in the standings, Geoff is going to need to place 4th or worse (preferably in a tie with Faz or Darren).

4) If Geoff does finish solo 3rd... Darren and Faz must at least finish solo 2nd to have a shot.

5) If Geoff decides to shit the bed... he'll be rooting for Chandler or Ben to take the top spot. A last place Geoff finish means Darren must place solo 5th or better to have a shot next week.

Obviously there are a lot of scenarios. So my advice to Geoff... lay up on the par 5s. And aim away from the water on every hole.

Gorecki Par-3 Shootout Recap

Last minute flooding caused us to switch events, and thankfully Countryway was in pretty good shape despite all the rain we've had.

Geoff stole the event with a pretty impressive +5 performance on the back nine,  shooting a net 59 to beat Ben by two strokes. Executive courses are tough on low-handicaps, since there's no room for blow-up holes. Faz was a victim of this on the final hole, shooting a horrendous 6. But I'm still not convinced the event "favors" high-handicappers, as seen with Ben, Gary and Faz finishing 2nd through 4th. Either way... it is the Gorecki event. So it should be a little frustrating.

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We now finish the season with back-to-back Majors. Next Saturday we'll try again to play River Strand (10:20am tee time). We are full for this event.

Go ahead and tell me if you're in for the Masters on September 8th (Sunday). I think Ben is out, which means only the top three players make the cut. If that happens, it'll be a very interesting final.

Ben and Chandler are officially eliminated. Gary and Reid are on life-support... needing victories and help. Geoff can basically win the season with a good performance next weekend. Remember... to have a shot at the cup, you must be within 600 points going into the final week.

See you all then.

SCHEDULE CHANGE

You all should have received a text by now... but we're playing at 10am tomorrow at Countryway.

River Strand is VERY flooded. So we're pushing that tournament back a week.

I'm told Countryway is very wet too... but it's a par 3 course so it can't be that bad. Make sure to bring lots of dollar bills.

See you then.