Season Finale 2010

Seven players braved a cool but relatively calm day for what could be the last game of the year - Rich Johnson, Doug Lyon, Jim Mason, Brad McAreavy, John Schantz, Bill Schwert and John Teegardin.

Our streak of few wins on the front nine continued as only the first hole was won by the field with Doug Lyon's birdie.  We went to the back nine with eight carryovers and doubled up.  Our resident 14 handicapper, Bill Schwert, was up to his old tricks as lead team wins on the 11th with a net birdie 4 and on the 12th he had  a birdie 3 for net 2!!  Thankfully, for the rest of us, he gave those wins back with team losses on the 14th and 16th.

With four holes won on the back the 18th was worth five carryovers.  Once again Brad McAreavy (who else) created controversy.  Brad was next in line to be captain. He was not happy when Jim and I informed him that with five carryovers the rule was to draw a ball not go in order.  Once again JT and Bill were the only players getting a stroke and once again it was their ball that was chosen - today it was JT instead of Bill.

Bill was the last hitter so JT had to wait out the field.  When Brad bombed his drive it just stoked his belief in the unfairness of the entire proceeding!  Bill hit a poor drive but the team was set. Neither Bill or JT could get home in two and in fact the best they could do was to leave 20 feet for par.  I gave them a scare when my 60 foot birdie putt from the front of the green just missed going in.  JT 2-putted for net four and today, at least, the mighty Schwert was held in check.

Except...he wasn't.  Bill Schwert, 14 handicap and all took the mark title today.  Yes, he only had two marks but that was more than anyone else.  A grand total of five marks today and for the second time in known history Jim Mason was held without a mark!. Was it only a month ago when Dave, Brad and I had 18 marks between us?

Game Summary

West Course

Players 7

Carryovers to next hole capped at 3

Mark Leader -   Bill Schwert 2

Money Leader - Brad McAreavy $8.00

What the Schwert?!@#*

Today proved why having a higher handicap golfer in our midst changes the complexion of the game.  Depending on your perspective that could be a good or bad thing.

Again we had a slow front nine as only three holes were won.  We carried 6 holes to the back and doubled up.  On the 12th Bill Schwert proved to be crazy like a fox or just plain lucky.  Bill pulled his tee shot left and looked to be in trouble. He passed on a few tee shots and we got down to me as the last hitter.  I hit a really poor tee shot left and Bill passed on me because he didn't want to drag me down with him (or so he said).  Getting a stroke he went alone.

As it turned out Bill actually had a shot to the green from the left rough.  He knocked it on the green, two-putted and won the hole.  The rest of us were dumbfounded.  When we left the tee I was pretty happy I was not picked.  As we walked off the green I couldn't quite figure out what had happened.

As we arrived at the 17th, Bill's win on 12 had been the only win on the back nine. I was captain and took it all the way back.  My tee shot came up just short of the green and I watched as the other five players scattered their tees shots.  Since no one had hit the green it was an obvious loner.  When Brad McAreavy missed his 6-footer for par the field had run out of par chances and I knocked in a tricky downhill curling 3 1/2 footer to take the win.

We trudged over to the 18th with eleven holes on the line. As the captain's ball was drawn four of  us hoped it would not be stroker who was pulled.  No such luck as Bill Schwert's ball emerged.  When JT hit a good drive the field was is deep do do.

No one could hit the green in two and the field had no real good chance for a four before I hit my third.  I almost holed out from short of the left bunker and secured a par for the field.  It was left for JT to knock in a four footer for a team win.  When he did Bill and John walked away with $22 each for the win.

With a team win on 1 and 2, a loner on the 12th and the big team win on the 18th Bill was the big winner on the day. He even got a break as there were only 5 (5!!!!!!!!!!) marks on the day.  What the Schwert!!??@#

Game Summary:

West Course
Players 6

Carryovers to 9 & 18

Mark Leader -   John Schantz 2
Money Leader -Bill Schwert $33

Nirvana in November

Only 6 players today (5 on the front nine as Doug Lyon joined us on the back) on a gorgeous late fall day.

On the front nine only the 5th hole was one with my birdie for the field.  Both Dave Fries and Jim Mason split the 8th with birdies. On the back nine we played the holes for double and six holes were won.  The action was split among the players with no one a clear cut winner or loser.

Dave and Jim battled all day for the mark lead.  In the end they both marked on #17 to tie with 5 a piece and take 10 of the 12 total marks on the day.

Game Summary

West Course

Players 6

Carryovers to 9 &18

Mark Leader   - Fries & Mason 5 

Money Leader - Dave Fries $18.00

Oh Where Oh Where Has Our Club Champion Gone

Well, I have been lazy in doing posts this year and it's finally caught up with me.  I usually do these posts on my laptop while watching Sunday NFL games.  But my laptop is so infected with viruses it's unusable and the Bills are so pathetic I can't even bear to turn the TV on (although I hear they are actually starting to play football these days).  So it's been a few weeks since this game was played.  I can't give the blow-by-blow but I have some overall recollections.

Tom Blank sure is playing some nice golf.  And why not.  He's only won every senior club championship since he became eligible to play.  While he didn't have the mark lead he did rack up 4 solid marks.  

Doug Lyon is playing his best golf of the year, with a 6! handicap (although it turns out he was really a 5 and should not have won the 18th today).  Doug tallied 5 marks today with a birdie , greenie on #4 (shot to 2 feet), birdie on #9 (field win), birdie on #12 and sandy on #14.

Brad McAreavy sure can wallop some tee shots.  He's pretty much got driving the green on #12 down these days.  BUT he gets an asterisk for being shamed into taking a loner after driving it to 20 feet.  Doug Lyon managed to match his birdie to halve the hole for the field.

Mike Labue, our perennial king of the bad break, was having a quietly strong day.  Up $17 through 10 holes it looked as though Mike would have one of his best days ever. Then he was done in by the Lyon family.  First on #13 where Mike (as captain) and Doug Lyon, both getting a stroke, could not match a field net 3 while playing for a three hole carryover.  Then on #15 Mike and John Lyon, again both getting a stroke, were stunned by my bridie 3 with a two hole carryover in the line.  The two quick losses sent Mike tumbling all the way back to finish the day up only $.50 on the day.

Then there is the fearless Bill Schwert. Saddled with a 14 handicap Bill is generous enough to play the mark game with all the supposed hot shots.  He held up well and took down a respectable two marks with the greenie on #8 and sandy on #16.

Last but not least - Jim Mason.  Our reigning club champion has been little heard from this fall as he nurses a very sore back.  We don't miss losing money to him but I need someone else to back me up when Fries and McAreavy try to change the rules of the game; something which happens far too frequently.

Game Summary:

West Course
Players 10
Carryovers to next hole capped at 3

Mark Leader -   Doug Lyon 5
Money Leader - Doug Lyon $16.00

Four's a Crowd

Another small group today as it was a cool day.  It was only two weeks ago the Fries, McAreavy, Schantz threesome put 18 marks on the board.  Today confirmed just how fine a performance that was as the foursome of Mason, McAreavy, Schantz and Turner could only manage 10 marks.

Jim jumped out to the mark lead on the front nine with two birdies and two greenies.  He could not maintain his level of play on the back nine and notching one more mark with a birdie on 11.  No one else challenged Jim until the unexpected happened on the 16th.  Turner and Schantz were facing off against Mason and McAreavy.  Brad's second shot found the green and left him with 20 feet for eagle, Rob was out of the hole and I was 30 yards short of the green laying two.  As I hit my pitch shot I was not too thrilled, but when it landed it took a better bounce than I thought it would and kept rolling and breaking until, yes, it fell in for the eagle.  The first (and what would turn out to be the only) eagle of the season.  It could only happen to Brad (or maybe Mike LaBue).

The game itself was back and forth with various combinations of partners winning and losing holes. The only real surprise was Rob Turner failing to get any marks and losing on the game - a rare combination for him.  Of course maybe we cheated him a little by taking away 5 of his 7 strokes.  That wasn't very nice.

Game Summary:

West Course

Players 4

Left, right rules carryovers to next hole

Mark Leader -   Jim Mason 5

Money Leader - Jim Mason $14

Nine Holer

Another nice field today with 9 players participating.  Dave Fries made an appearance and had to leave after nine holes - $16.50 lighter in the wallet. Thanks, Dave, please come again!

Five holes were won on the front, including the 9th, all the carryovers were used and we went to the back nine with a clean slate.  The back was a lackluster affair as only two holes were won.  The 12th by Mason and Schwert with Bill's net 3 (it's almost unfair) and the 17th where McAreavy and LaBue won when Brad birdied the hole.

It was a good day for Brad as he had 5 of  the only 13 marks on the day with birdies on 11,13,16 & 17 (greenie).  And Bill Schwert is proving to be a force in the game with his 14 handicap.  Bill finished the day plus $15 in the game but gave back some of it as he continues to participate in the mark game,.

Game Summary:

West Course
Players 9
Carryovers to next hole capped at 3

Mark Leader -   Brad McAreavy 5
Money Leader - Brad McAreavy $14.50

Ithaca Was Gorges

There is no detailed report today.  I was off to Ithaca, NY where my daughter was participating in the "Goblin Games" girls lacrosse tournament.  While we did not have time to visit the many gorges and falls in the Ithaca area we did get to have lunch at the famous Moosewood Restaurant.

There was one bit of controversy to report.  When the day began Brad McAreavy was the low handicap at 2.  Later on the front 9 Dave Fries joined the group.  Brad wanted to retroactively recompute the results of the third hole (which would have given him a win) since he had a 2 handicap and Dave was a 0. He argued he wasn't going to get the full benefit of his handicap while others in the flock would.  Brad went so far as to call Jim Mason (who was out today with his sore back) for a ruling.

He might have called me but figured he would get too much abuse for asking the question.  Jim was nice enough to just say "What! Are you crazy?!!"  Actually, Jim probably just told him "No" but I couldn't resist the opportunity to throw my response in there as well.  We'll be shaking our heads over this one for many years to come.

Game Summary

West Course

Players 6

Carryovers unknown

Mark Leader   - Lyon, McAreavy, Teegardin 3 each

Money Leader - Lyon, McAreavy $6.00 each

Three's Company

A day after the big opener and an eleven-man flock we had a grand total of four (yes four!!) players - Brad McAreavy, Dave Fries, John Schantz & John Teegardin.  Despite the small turnout it turned out to be knock down drag out battle in the three person mark game.  At the end of the day Dave had fired a 68(?), I had 69 and Brad, well Brad played well but he hasn't broke 70 since when?  Either way it meant a lot of marks.

Brad was shut out of marks on the front but battled back with birdies on 10 & 11 (sandie),  sandie on 12 and took the greenie on 14 to round out a 5-mark back nine.  Dave played strong all day with birdies on 2,5,10,15 & 16 plus a sandie on 14 to total 6 marks on the day. I scattered a little bit of everything with birdie on 3, greenies on 4 & 8 birdies on 15,16 &17 (greenie) to rack up a total of 7 marks.

The final tally? 18 marks between the three of us.  A total that might not be matched in some games with 3 to 4 times the number of players.  JT wisely chose not to participate in today's mark game and at the end of the day the biggest loser on the day had dropped $2.00.

Game Summary:

West Course

Players 4

Left, right rules and Carryovers to next hole

Mark Leader   - John Schantz 7

Money Leader - John Schantz $3.00

Let The Games Begin

We had a perfect day for the season opener and a large flock to go with it. Recently minted Duke graduate Mike Schwert made the trip up from NYC to try and supplement his hedge fund earnings.  As it turned out he did a pretty good job of separating us from our money.

With 11 players it was a good day to lay low and hide in the field.  Fortunately 2010 club champion Jim Mason was in attendance to draw attention away from the rest of us.  Jim came out of the box strong with a birdie for a field win on the 1st and it looked like he was off to taking our money again.  While Jim nabbed the greenie on number 8 the rest of the day was not so good.  

He was he was the captain's pick favorite on non stroke holes and today he paid the price. It was a rare BIG off day for the all time champion, maybe even a record losing day for Jim (I might have to do some research) . Of course it's not unusual for Jim to take some losses in the game.  What is unusual was the lack of marks - only managing 2 of the 24 total marks on the day.  He did take it easy on us though. On the 16th he lay two in the right hand bunker up against the back lip.  Instead of putting the ball forward to give himself a playable shot and a chance at a relatively easy sand save he went for the impossible shot and could not pull it off.

Mike Schwert was the hot player on the day.  Mike started strong with birdies on 1 and 2, tossed in  birdies on 11 &16 and greenies on 14 &17.  If Mike had been able to avoid a three-hole carryover loss as the twosome on the 9th it would have been a really big day.

The twosome could only manage two wins on the day - Bronson & Lyon on the 13th and McAreavy & Blank on the 17th.

Special thanks to 14 handicapper Bill Schwert for participating in the mark game.

Game Summary:

West Course
Players 11

Carryovers to next hole capped at 3

Mark Leader:   Mike Schwert 6
Money Leader: Mike Schwert $34.00