The Scribe's 2011 Report
(A Completely Impartial Accounting of the BGA's Weekly Events)
Any questions or comments, "Contact The Commish (RS)"
or send "helpful" tips and swing thoughts to:
Contact the Snowman (BL) Contact Mr. FourSkin (BC) Contact Mr. Fifteen (CS)
The "Net Score" in red indicates the winner of "The Weekly Beer"
Oct. 12 Rainout 60 degrees
In a way that exemplified the 2011 season, our final round was washed out on Wed., Oct. 11. Even though there had only been one lost round this year, there were at least a dozen times that our wives and friends made fun of our be-draggeled looks after we finished yet another soggy or muddy or, yes, even icy round. From our first round in March through the last round in October we have played in every kind of weather Baltimore has to offer. Hail? We played in it. Snow flurries? Yeah, them too. Hurricane watch? Tornado warnings? Yep, we finished at least 20 minutes before they hit. T'storms and lightning? Of course we played in that although we do tend to pause and think about the lightning. Beautiful 75 degree weather? Well I think we had it once or twice. Triple digit temperatures? Sure, it is Baltimore in the summer, you know. The time we were rained out (Sept. 7) we got to the sixth green before the free-flowing currents between our balls and the cup prevented us from putting. We are dedicated, to say the least.
Because the Specimen Cup competition is too tight to declare a winner, the BGA Board of Directors has decided that we will try one more time to get in the last round of the season on Wed. Oct. 26. Mark your calendars because it will most likely be a day of weather extremes!
Oct. 5 Beautiful afternoon 74 degrees
As submitted by "The Relief Scribe": As the seconds tick down in the 2011 season, the BGA took to the links for the penultimate round of the year. It was a beautiful afternoon weatherwise. Unfortunately the golf was not. It was an extremely frustrating afternoon with the short stick for all members of the BGA. The BGA is a brutal organization as there are no gimmes. Countless near misses on what looked to be a sure putt left each member recording between 20-24 putts for the round. A unexpected backup midway through the round (5 groups were on #5 at the same time!) caused the intrepid duffers to engage in a mad scramble to complete the round as they raced against the setting sun. The round was finished with no time to spare and BC managed to emerge victorious for the weekly beer and quenched his thirst with a beer each from the brothers Swanson. All eyes will be on the course at Mt. Pleasant next Wednesday as the grueling 2011 season comes to an end with the cheeseburger championship on the line.
Scores: BC 46 (net 39), BL 57 (net 40), CS 51 (net 42) RS 52 (net 42)
Sept. 28 heavy humidity, chance of t'storms 81 degrees
On a day when the Orioles played their first relevant baseball game in September in 14 years (they eliminated the Boston Red Sox making Bosox fans "wicked sad") the highlight (lowlight?) of this round was bookend snowmen posted by The Snowman. This represented an improvement of 2 strokes from last week when he began and ended with bookend Pavorattis. The golf today was uniformly mediocre with Mr. Fifteen being the Best of the Worst as he became the first player to go into double digits this season in Beers Won. The Big News was the new nickname that Mr. FourSkin was given by golfers other than the BGA in a charity tournament he participated in.
Scores: BC 47 (net 41), BL 59 (net 42), CS 46 (net 37), RS 51 (net 41)
Sept. 21 Guest Scribe this week is "The Snowman" scattered showers 73 degrees
With the Scribe on vacation and BC attending to family matters, CS and the Snowman took to the links in an effort to gain much needed cheeseburger points in the waning weeks of the 2011 season. As reported by Frosty the Scrivener, the duo teed off under ominous skies. The initial drive of the Snowman just cleared the road. It hopped off the bank and came to rest several yards behind the fence behind the ladies tee. He went on to record an El Nino (9) and followed it up with a Pavorotti (a 10) on #2. Somehow the Snowman managed to right the ship with back to back pars on holes 3 and 4. After 7 holes the Snowman appeared to have a comfortable 5 stroke lead in the quest for the beer. Mr. Fifteen stepped up to the challenge and responded by scoring a par and a bogey on the final two holes. However the Snowman's cart and game turned back into a pumpkin as he ended the round the same abysmal way he began, recording yet another Nino and Pavoratti. As a result, CS easily took the weekly beer prize with a score of 49/net 40. He just managed to stay on the good side of 50 as he too recorded an El Nino and struggled with the short stick for much of the round. With only three weeks remaining in the 2011 BGA season the Race for the Cheeseburger enters the home stretch and is still up for grabs.
Scores: BL 62 (net 45), CS 49 (net 40)
Sept. 14 Partly sunny, threat of t'storms 86 degrees
Sure this round had plenty of room for improvement, but, by and large, it was one of the year's better efforts. Mr. Fifteen dropped his handicap a stroke and Mr. FourSkin put himself in position to raise his handicap next week. Darkness fell quickly as the final hole was played by "feel" through the green but there was enough light so that the "2-putt" rule was not used. With 4 more weeks left in the season the gathering gloom is becoming a factor. CS began with a snowman on #1 but then gathered himself to beat The Commish by a single stroke (CS birdied #7 to RS's bogey) and thereby drink a FREE BEER at Baltimore's fabulous Crackpot Restaurant. The Snowman put in a pair of frosties and also a hanger but that was not bad enough to have to buy the evening's beer as BC, a victim of his own low handicap, finished with a BGA high net of 40.
Scores: BC 46 (net 40), BL 54 (net 37), CS 44 (net 34), RS 45 (net 35)
Sept. 7 Rain, lots of rain, more rain, floods and rain 71 degrees
Hurricane Lee, now merely a tropical storm was firmly ensconced directly above Baltimore as our tee time approached. Having already received over 4" of rain today and more on each of the three previous days, we used common sense for a change and checked to make sure the course was open. It was so we were there! The Snowman begged off as he was afraid the wet conditions would hurt his handicap but the rest of the golf b'hoys showed up. Not surprisingly, we were the only golfers there. A light drizzle complemented our tee shots and we were off. Carts were not permitted but free pull carts were made available to anyone brave enough to play. The rain ceased before we reached the first green and we were able to play through the tee shots on #6 in relatively dry conditions. Because the greens were so wet there were no "easy" putts as we quickly learned that anything over 10 feet would find a squishy spot and come to an abrupt stop. Mr. Fifteen had an 8 footer for birdie, The Commish faced about 15 feet and Mr. FourSkin was looking at an impossible 60 footer as the rain began. Since 7 holes would constitute a complete round (the "more than 70% completed" rule), we waited for the rain to let up. It didn't. Twenty minutes later the green had become a lateral water hazard with currents and even some waves and reluctantly the round was aborted. Refusing to give up his birdie attempt, Mr. Fifteen found that he couldn't hit the ball hard enough to reach the hole. It pains me to say it but, "The Snowman was not only right, he was the smart one." Ouch, that does hurt.
August 31 beautiful, low humidity 82 degrees
Hurricane Irene was in the rearview mirror and had done only slight damage to the golf course as we teed it up for the last round of August. A year ago in the last round of August The Snowman recorded one of the worst rounds of his career by shooting a number that only an offensive lineman would like (71), but alas because of lasting effects from the hurricane he was unable to post for this round. Mr. FourSkin began the round as if he was on a quest for another Chee'burger dinner with pars on five of the first six holes. A double, triple, and 2 bogeys ended his quest but it was still plenty good enough to win a FREE BEER from both The Commish and Mr. Fifteen.
Scores: BC 43 (net 37), CS 50 (net 40), RS 50 (net 40)
August 24 sunny, very breezy 83 degrees
After a season to forget, The Commish opted to walk instead of ride in an effort to "find his game" again. Unexpectedly the walking man won his first outright beer of the season. Showing his lack of conditioning, Commish wilted at the end and finished by double bogeying the last 3 holes to finish with a 46. The Snowman bought the beer by shooting a score worthy of appearing on an NFL interior lineman's jersey, 62! Mr. FourSkin barely cleared the "Road Hole" en route to shooting bookend hangers and a lackluster score of 48 with 21 putts. Beginning with a snowman and a hanger, Mr. Fifteen pulled his game back to mediocre and finished with six 5's over the last 7 holes to end up on the wrong side of 50.
Scores: BC 48 (net 42), BL 62 (net 45), CS 51 (net 41), RS 46 (net 35)
August 17 sunny 86 degrees
Highlights of round: BC is 1 under par after 3 holes, birdie (on #3), 3 pars and 5 GIRs (12 "chees'burger points"); RS hits 5 fairways (8 CB pts); BL 4 CBs and CS 6 CB pts and wins weekly beer from BL
Lowlights: BC finishes with double bogey on #7 and triple on #9; BL starts with an El Nino and ends with a Snow and Hanger; CS steady round only lowlight a 3-putt on #6 for bogey (1 par, 7 bogeys, 1 double); RS 3 double bogeys and a triple in last 6 holes.
Scores: BC 43 (net 37), BL 58 (net 41), CS 45 (net 35), RS 48 (net 37)
August 10 beautiful, low humidity 89 degrees
Displaying the style and grace that has made him the golfer he is, Bill "The Snowman" Levering was setting a torrid pace on Wed., August 10. Carrying a 9-hole handicap of 18, Frosty's net score stood at a mere "12" after 6 holes. Three holes remained and if he could play them in 19 strokes or less he would be rewarded with his second "Chee'burger" of the season. Choosing one of his nine woods on the 7th tee (a dogleg right with O.B. right)....he hit his drive down the middle of the fairway, or so it seemed. When the ball was finally found it was in the right rough some 225 yards out...double bogey 6. The drive on #8 found the fairway but was short of the bend on this dogleg left. A smart recovery shot, a good chip over the bunker and two putts later he was safely in for a bogey. Now onto the very difficult finishing hole...445 yards uphill to a green that has proven to be the BGA's second toughest to putt. After 8 holes his net scores were par, eagle. birdie, birdie, par, eagle, par, birdie ... net 23! After being reminded that he could shoot his namesake score of snowman (8) and still win the cheeseburger dinner, he laughed and powered his tee shot some 65 yards downhill into the rough, left of the fairway. A few hacks and swings (all with various woods) put him on the green in nickel (5) some 20 feet left of the flag. If he sank the putt he would tie the all-time BGA record of net 29. His 20 footer ended up 9 feet short and left. Trying to hand The Commish his camera to record his victory, Mr. L was shaking so badly that Commish needed both hands to grab the camera. Putt for a seven missed. Now Frosty needed to sink a 4-incher to hit snow on the nose and eat for free, again. With hands trembling, he sank the putt and became just the second person to win TWO CHEESEBURGER DINNERS in a single season. Congratulations and as a reward his handicap has plummeted to 17 for next week.
Scores: BC 45 (net 39), BL 49 (net 31), CS 46 (net 36), RS 47 (net 36)
August 3 heavy drizzle, threat of major storms 86 degrees
The Snowman was on vacation but he left his golf game in the care of The Commish, and the results were sad, very sad indeed. Before the round ended Commish had hit 8 woods off the tee and another 7 lining the fairways. Add in more than a few bunkers and a cold putter and score a Frosty-like 51 for The Commish. Mr. Fifteen started play with dreams of winning a beer and a free cheeseburger dinner. Putting for birdie on the opening Par 5 "Road Hole," CS 3-putted for bogey. Undaunted he birdied #2 and rolled in a par putt on #3. At this point he was "cursed" by Mr. FourSkin who told him his "round was toast." A double bogey, a pair of triples, and a trio of 3-putts ended CS's chances for glory. Meanwhile the aforementioned Mr. FourSkin shot a very controlled round of 4 pars and 5 bogeys to finish with a very nice round of 41, net 34 to win another FREE BEER at the Crackpot. A balky putter was all that kept BC from an even better round in the high 30's. As a reward, his handicap for next week has dropped to a season-low of 6.
Scores: BC 41 (net 34), CS 47 (net 37), RS 51 (net 40)
July 27 clear skies, low humidity 90 degrees
After more than 20 years of record-keeping, you would think that the BGA Central Office, Bureau of Statistics and Futility, would have seen it all, but yesterday our intrepid quartet shocked even themselves.
In addition to seeing who would win the FREE BEER for the low net round (Mr. Fifteen), the real competition was in the Ryder Cup-style Best Ball contest. The Snowman and The Commish were pitted against the Misters Fifteen and FourSkin, and they were winless in their first 4 attempts this season. The first hole was won by BC/CS when Mr. Fifteen's "almost" birdie chip rattled the pin and gave him a tap-in par 5 (net 4) which beat The Snowman's snowman (a net 6). The Commish tied the game with a par on the 4th hole setting up the unlikely pivotal par 3 Sixth Hole.
Playing about 135 yards downhill, pin back. CS flew a 9 iron pin high 30 feet right of the flag facing a sidehill, downhill putt. BC stepped up with an 8 iron and hit a fade towards the pin ending up 20 feet left with an uphill putt. RS used an 8 iron and ended up a few feet from BC's ball. Up stepped The Snowman with memories of his Streckfus (an 11) on this hole just a week before. Having to wait until the group in front teed off from the blues on #7 (Frosty is known to hit lateral drives that can scatter golfers on that next teebox), he had time to consider what lay in front of him. Using his "trusty"(?) 11 wood BL placed a beautiful shot that ended up between BC and RS's balls just a mere 25 feet away from birdie. Everyone 2-putted but with his handicap stroke The Snowman won the hole for his team with a net 2 and then held on the win the team competition 2 to 1 with closing net scores of birdie - par - par - and par.
As far as The BGA Central Office, Bureau of Statistics and Futility has been able to determine the Sixth Hole was the first time that all 4 players played a hole and garnered every Chee'burger point available. Four Greens in Regulation and four Pars, Not too shabby for the b'hoys from The Bad Golfers Association.
Scores: BC 44 (net 37), BL 54 (net 36), CS 45 (net 35), RS 49 (net 39)
July 20 hot, humid 94 degrees
The good news about the weather is that tomorrow the temps will be triple digits and the heat index between 110 and 115. Today, by comparison, was almost balmy. Mr. FourSkin had the round of the day but he definitely has to share the spotlight with The Snowman. BC overcame a drive unto Hillen Road on #2 and then proceeded to get a 1-putt par on #3 and back-to-back birdies on #6 and #7. Needing pars on the final two holes for his net 31 and a FREE CHEE'BURGER, BC 2-putted for par on #8 and then drove 255 yards behind a tree on the right on the last hole thereby losing his chances at par and finished with a double bogey 6 for a round of 40. However, Frosty stole BC's thunder with a round reminescent of Route 66, wandering all around the countryside. In fact, his final score of 66 was comprised of a pair of snows, 3 hangers, 3 sixes, and then his score on the Par 3 Sixth hole. A wayward tee shot with his 13-wood on the short hole, playing about 130 yards downhill, left him 100 yards away and in deep (2 foot), thick rough on a slope of about 35 degrees. Too proud to re-tee and hit his third, Frosty switched clubs to a 7 iron for better control and took a mighty whack and moved it 3 yards to the left. His third came out of the long stuff, barely, and came to rest on the cartpath. Taking a drop he whiffed his 4th. His fifth hit the cartpath curb and ended behind himself, once again in the tall, thick stuff. The sixth stroke did cross the cartpath to end in deep rough. on another downslope. At this point the ball has advanced just about 60 yards from the teebox and is still on the wrong side of the creek. Knowing this BL takes a mighty swing for 7 and barely moves the ball. Showing his "devil may care" attitude, The Snowman lashed out with his 8th shot and crossed the stream to end up short of the green on an upslope some 40 yards from the pin. Finally proving that the 7 iron was the correct club, Frosty chipped the wrong way and came to rest on the green about 35 yards away. A terrific 2-putt gave him a classic 11 and his third "Streckfus" of the season.
Scores: BC 40 (net 33), BL 66 (net 48), CS 49 (net 39), RS 46 (net 36)
July 13 hot, muggy, intermittent showers 85 degrees
Mr. FourSkin's day began normally enough as he scored a snowman on the first hole.Then something unexpected happened as he parred #2 screwed around a bit on #3 & #4 but then strung together 4 straight 4's to finish the round with a 43 that included 4 GIRs and 5 pars. This string of brillance won BC the weekly beer from The Commish. Continuing his good luck BC also won the Trivia contest on the third tie breaker and was awarded a 2nd free beer from The Snowman. RS strung together a season-high 9th consecutive round with a net score in the thirties but played a truly mediocre round and recorded a 48. BL had a nice score going into the final two holes but ended up with an 8 and a 7 to record a 55 for the round.
Scores: BC 43 (net 36), BL 55 (net 37), RS 48 (net 38)
July 6 hot and muggy 92 degrees
After the excitement of last week's "ROAD HOLE INCIDENT," the papparazzi were everywhere in hopes of Mr. Fifteen having a repeat performance. In an effort to give a "complete and impartial accounting of the BGA's weekly event," The Snowman was standing by with his camera in hopes of capturing CS dribbling off the tee. Frosty, sadly, was disappointed as CS hit a great drive down the center about 265 yards, easily at least a 253 yard improvement from last week. The round featured 2 chip-ins (Mr. FourSkin on #2 and The Commish on #6), some fine putting by BL (14 putts) and BC (15 putts) and 5 GIRs by CS on his way to winning THE BEER for the second week in a row. The highlight of the round was CS hitting a driver off the deck to reach the difficult par 4 finishing hole (#9) in regulation and 2 putting for par. This par allowed the team of BC/CS to defeat BL/RS in the team game as they maintained their perfect record of 4 - 0 against the fan favorites of Frosty and the Commish who have been playing like the Baltimore Orioles this season.
Scores: BC 44 (net 37), BL 54 (net 36), CS 45 (net 35), RS 48 (net 38)
June 29 sunny, low humidity 87 degrees
With the Commish away on vacation, the three remaining members of the BGA took to the links on this beautiful day for golf. Frosty the Scrivener assumed the position of scribe for this week's report. The last time a member of the BGA suffered the ultimate humiliation of failing to cross the nearby driveway with their tee shot on #1 (the "Road Hole") was during the 2008 season. At the midpoint of the 2011 season that streak has now been broken. Mr. Fifteen (CS) trickled his opening drive a monstrous 20 yards to the driveway. After barely making it to the road, the ball was last seen dribbling its way down the drive to Hillen Rd. Hole #1 proved to disasterous for the entire BGA as both CS and Mr. FourSkin (BC) recorded snowmen. Not to be outdone, the Snowman grumbled his way to a Streckfus (11) courtesy of numerous duffs and a four putt. CS managed to recover from his initial humiliation with some strong putting and shot a 45 (net 34) to win the weekly Crackpot beer from BC. He recorded a bird on the challenging hole #5 along with a par on #3. It took 3 hours to complete the 9 hole round thanks to the incredibly slow and horrible play of the foursome in front. The sprinklers were turned on in an attempt to speed them on their way, but it only succeeded in nearly watering the Snowman and his paltry drive on #9. BC is playing the round under protest as a review of a controversial lie on hole #1 resulting in a penalty is needed. Upon return of the Commish the review board will convene and a final ruling will be made (note: he doesn't have a prayer).
Scores: BC 48 (net 41), BL 58 (net 40) CS 45 (net 34)
June 22 sunny and hot 91 degrees
Today the BGA impressed themselves with surprisingly fine play tinged with pathos and "what coulda been's." Most importantly The Snowman used his 19 handicap to fine tune a round of 50 giving him a net of The Magic Number of 31 to win the season's 2nd Cheeseburger dinner. BL needed a six on the final hole and proceeded to two-putt from 15 feet to hit his number. Mr. Fifteen stood on the teebox of the last hole, a tough uphill 445 yard par 4 needing his fifth par of the round to also win a Cheeseburger dinner. His second shot ended up on the frog hair around the green less than a foot off the putting surface but a chip and his par putt left him about a foot short of fine and FREE dining. All in all it was a good round for all as Commish and Mr. FourSkin played up to their mediocre standards and everyone recorded net scores in the 30's.
Scores: BC 46 (net 39), BL 50 (net 31), CS 43 (net 32), RS 46 (net 36)
June 15 beautiful, sunny 83 degrees
Even though The Commish and The Snowman shared the weekly beer prize and for the second week in a row RS had five 1-putts, this week was focused on Mr. Fifteen, and in particular his first hole. A bad drive, a fairway bunker, a topped shot or two, a greenside bunker and a mediocre chip placed him on the green in triple bogey (that's an eight, for those counting at home). Not having a double digit score this year, CS made a good putt, right-to-left breaker, cross-grain and downhill. The ball winked at the hole as it went by and settled about 7 feet under the hole--9. Knowing he was going to make a Pavoratti (at least), CS left a half-hearted putt about a 18 inches short--10. Next putt was dead-center for what he believed would be a Streckfus but the ball hit the back of the cup and instead of dropping in it came back towards him--11. A confident tap in for 12. Other than that The Snowman had no snowmen, Mr. FourSkin had no birdies and the team game was decided on the final hole, 1 up for Team Swanson vs. Team Bills.
Scores: BC 45 (net 38), BL 52 (net 33), CS 55 (net 44), RS 43 (net 33)
June 8 hot and sunny 100 degress (heat index 106)
Another fine day for golf. The Snowman failed to post for the second time this year and the remaining combatants played snowman-free golf. In a very close contest only a single stroke separated The Commish and Misters "15" and "FourSkin". That single stroke came on the 8th hole when BC's approach shot almost went in for an eagle and he had to settle for a birdie putt of almost 2 inches. This birdie not only allowed BC to reclaim the lead in birdies this season but proved to be the stroke he needed to tie CS for the low round of 45. In very similar rounds everyone parred #6 and bogeyed #9. RS had one 6 and one 7, BC had two 6's and a single 7, and CS recorded his personal number, triple 6's.
Scores: BC 45 (net 38), CS 45 (net 34), RS 46 (net 36)
June 1 threatening, possible violent storms and hail, 92 degrees (105 heat index earlier)
While Mr. Fifteen and The Commish both shot 44, today was all about Mr. FourSkin. Beginning with a par on the first hole, BC went on to record 7 pars and 8 greens in regulation as he recorded a neat 38 and, with his 7 handicap, won the season's first "Merit Chee'burger" at our favorite bar, The Crackpot. Interestingly, BC had the most putts for the day as he he had a balanced 19 strokes from the field and 19 putts on the greens. Along with his fine shotmaking, he averaged just under 250 yards off the tee. Other accomplishments of note came from The Snowman as he opened with a frosty then played 5 holes quite adequately but closed with El Niño, 12 and a hanger for a total of 63. His 12 came with the help of 7 sand shots around the green.
Scores: BC 38 (net 31), BL 63 (net 44), CS 44 (net 33), RS 44 (net 34)
May 25 clear, sunny temp. 85 degrees
Mr. Fifteen failed to post for the first time this year and the scores showed marked improvement. Coincidence? I don't think so. Anyway hole #1 produced 3 2-putt bogeys which for the BGA is superior play. Poor Commish dropped in 4 1-puuts but complained about the three 1-putts that "got away" as the dimpled sphere hung on the edge and merely peeked at the bottom of the cup. Mr. FourSkin briefly took the birdie lead when his putt dropped on hole #2 but when the Commish dropped in his putt on #6 the season-long competition for bragging rights was once again tied at three apiece. Meanwhile The Snowman was quietly going along and uncharacteristically not recording a single frosty. For his effort, he was rewarded with FREE BEER as he posted his low net round of the season.
Scores: BC 42 (net 35), BL 52 (net 33), RS 48 (net 38)
May 18 dark skies, heavy rain all day until tee time, tornado watch posted 66 degrees
Once again under adverse conditions the BGA teed off for the ninth round of the 2011 season. The first hole was dismal with a 10 by The Snowman, an 8 from The Commish, and a pair of 7's from the Misters Fifteen and FourSkin; but, for three golfers the round was going to get better. To put a quick end to the suspense, Frosty's round did not get any better as The Snowman shot a "Roger Maris" with a pair of 6's, 7's, 8's and a single 10. The Misters each recorded 4 pars but the shot of the day belonged to The Commish. On the par 3 sixth hole, with the pin cut back left, Commish's ball flew over the pin, did a 10 foot "backup bugaloo," and looked into the cup for an "almost" hole-in-one as it rolled past on the left leaving a relatively easy tap-in for birdie. The sun did come out during the round and sunglasses were needed by the ninth hole. Later that night more thunder and lightning just gave further proof that "The Golf Gods Always Shine on the BGA." Personally, I think they need their weekly dose of humor.
Scores: BC 44 (net 37), BL 61 (net 42), CS 46 (net 34), RS 47 (net 37)
May 11 clear skies, "San Diego" weather 74 degrees
Finally the weather was fine for golf. After 8 weeks of playing in mud, we enjoyed a pleasant round of golf and didn't need rain gear and/or protection from hail and tornados. As a result for the first time this year, the quality of our golf improved to mediocre from just plain crappy. The Snowman became the season's first no-show as a "family matter" came between him and the BGA. In a close contest Mr. FourSkin again won the FREE BEER by a single stroke as The Commish couldn't find the hole with his putter (22 putts) and Mr. Fifteen likewise 3-putted 4 greens. With all three tied going into the very difficult ninth hole, BC stepped up with a 290 yard drive, hit the green from 175 and 2-putted for his par. RS chipped his third to 10 feet then missed the putt and settled for bogey while CS chipped on and 3-putted for double bogey and the right to buy BC a beer at the fabulous Crackpot Restaurant and Bar, Home of the BGA.
Scores: BC 44 (net 37), CS 51 (net 39), RS 48 (net 38)
May 4 cloudy, rained all day until tee time, standing water and wind 54 degrees
None of us were proud of this round but this one was all about Frosty. The round began with all four of us ending right of the fairway; The Snowman (BL) and Mr. Fifteen (CS) being right of the tree line almost scoring a fairway on #9. Big Bill Levering proceeded to swing and dribble until he reached the green in bogey, three putts later he was in with an easy El Nino (a nine!). He did not lose the hole, though as another nine and a snowman were also recorded as the BGA played for the 7th consecutive week in wet, mostly miserable course conditions. The Snowman improved to an 8 on hole #2 as he only used 2 putts before moving on to the third hole where his scores were to improve dramatically. Over the next 3 holes he recorded scores that many swear represent The Snowman's personal golf instructor, 6-6-6. Classic double bogeys as each needed just 2 putts. Hole #6 is usually BL's nemesis hole, a relatively simple par three, downhill and over a small creek. Mr. FourSkin (BC) hit a fine shot nine feet left of the pin leaving him an uphill putt. The Commish (RS) was next and seemed to be a little closer but turned out to be about 2 feet farther away on a similar line. CS ended up on the front of the green almost 40 feet away from the pin. Up stepped BL with either a nine wood, an 11 wood or his favorite 13 wood in hand. The wind was blowing in his face as he took a mighty swipe and the ball began its parabolic descent towards the pin ending up a mere 6 feet above the hole. It was a shot for the ages as Mr. Levering averages 5.3 on this simple par 3. From 40 feet CS 3-putts for his bogey. RS calmly lines up his birdie putt from both sides of the hole, can't figure the break so, with eyes closed, slams home the birdie putt. BC, seeing The Commish's putt roll true, put his birdie putt in the hole, too. Now Frosty stood over his putt with a chance to make the third birdie on a single hole. For the season the BGA had only a single birdie, by CS on an extremely lucky putt. Hands trembling with the pressure, BL showed why HE IS The Snowman by pushing the downhill putt to the right, 5 feet past the hole. Two putts later he was in with a bogey 4, and his "BEST" hole of the round. Curing his putting woes, BL 2-putted the remaining three holes. Unfortunately after, all of the strokes were added up, the scores were a double bogey 6, a two under triple bogey 10 and a bookend 9 to close out the round. Such is the life and times of the man known far and wide as THE SNOWMAN.
Scores: BC 45 (net 38), BL 64 (net 45), CS 54 (net 43), RS 53 (net 44)
April 27 mostly sunny at tee time, tornado warnings, strong wind, lightning and rain by hole #6 76 degrees
Mr. Cockey came to play today. While the rest of the BGA was having difficulty putting on the damp. slow greens, Mr. FourSkin made this round "all about him." Opening with a pair of bogeys no one expected what was to come. Four consecutive one-putts helped BC reel off 5 consecutive pars and coming to the 8th tee he needed only to play the last two holes in 1 over to score a 39, net 31, and win the first Cheeseburger of the year on pure merit. After being reminded of how close he was to winning, Bill hooked his tee shot into the woods on #8 but recovered nicely to record a bogey. Needing par on the tough #9 he hit it the tee shot 255 into a strong headwind right down the middle of the fairway. Just missing the green on his approach, a chip and a putt would clinch the deal. A good chip and a near perfect putt that stopped half an inch from the hole made 3 of the four of us very pleased. Mr. FourSkin's only reward for shooting a season's best 40 was to lower his handicap and make it that much harder to win a freebie in the future.
Scores: BC 40 (net 32), BL 57 (net 39), CS 52 (net 41), RS 51 (net 42)
April 20 mostly sunny 81 degrees
Good weather finally shone upon the BGA; however, bad golf rained down upon the players. For example, The Commish began his round with an El Nino (9) and ended it with a hanger (7) by 3-putting from 3 feet. And he won the beer. Commish and The Snowman ended up tied for the win and Mr. FourSkin and Mr. Fifteen tied for the loss so that instead of a single beer being won, the maximum total of 4 FREE BEERS were awarded with each low net player getting a beer from each of the high net players. As that immortal Hall of Fame broadcaster, Chuck Thompson, used to say, "Ain't the beer cold!!!" The final 3-putt by The Commish negated a fine putting round as he finished with the low number of putts with 17. Three players had snowmen (BC, BL, and CS) and an equal number posted El Ninos (BL, CS, and RS). Mt. Pleasant was still very wet with standing water in most of the bunkers and the greens are hard to putt because they are so slow and soft.
Scores: BC 53 (net 45), BL 59 (net 40), CS 56 (net 45), RS 49 (net 40)
April 13 cloudy, rainy all day until tee time, 56 degrees
Your Scribe was so depressed over this round that it took 5 days to get the results written down. In the beginning it looked like CS and RS were scoring phone numbers as Mr. Fifteen started with the toll-free exchange of 8-8-8 and Commish shot had a "call me, chat line" start of 9-7-6. Don't mistakenly believe that The Snowman and Mr. FourSkin were tearing it up, even though at the end of the day they were drinking FREE BEER compliments of The Commish. Frosty got off to a glorious 8-8-6 start while BC had a BGA best start of a pitiful 7-5-5. When all was over and mud, slop and strokes were tallied up BC finally posted a sub-50 round for the first time this season. Thanks to an ever-increasing handicap, BL shared in the prize even with his 58. Sadly, The Commish was unable to do anything except write down crooked numbers and finished with a 15-year high score of 59.
Scores: BC 48 (net 40), BL 58 (net 40), CS 55 (net 44), RS 59 (net 50)
April 6 sunny, gentle breeze, 63 degrees
Play began with two pars and a bogey on the first hole. Even though the drives were not great our 2nd and 3rd shots were. The Snowman, however, went to the beach on the second hole and, statistically at least, recorded a sand save by one putting. Unfortunately before that one-putt there were 5 sandies and a chip shot, all of which added up to a season-high Streckfus (an 11). No one played very well and at the end The Commish had raised his handicap even though he shot the low round of the day, a 50. BL recorded 3 sixes and the rest higher and, even with an 18 handicap, he bought the beer for a rejuvenated CS, who lost by two strokes but played to a handicap that gave him enough strokes to win.
Scores: BC 52 (net 44), BL 67 (net 49), CS 52 (net 41), RS 50 (net 42)
March 30 rain, wind, snow, sleet and hail, 42 degrees and dropping fast
We thought it was impossible to play in worse weather than last week but we were wrong. We have played in rain and even snow before but when the Golf Gods began throwing hail at us on the 4th hole we knew we were in for trouble. Conditions failed to improve very much except that as the temperature dropped the hail let up. Of course it turned to snow and by the time your loyal Scribe arrived home, slightly before 9:00 p.m., everything but the roads was, once again, white with snow and the thermometer read 31! The scores were much as you might guess...someone had a nine on #1 someone else on #2, 3 snowmen on #4 (the now infamous "Hail Hole"), throw in a couple of 4-putts and a closing frosty on #9 and there you have it. The snowman on the last hole by The Snowman allowed him to slip into a tie for the beer with Mr. Fifteen and a sad and humbled Mr. FourSkin had to buy 2 beers in penance for his "fine" play as he recorded his second straight 54. Two weeks into the season and three players have already seen there handicaps go up a stroke.
Scores: BC 54 (net 47), BL 56 (net 39), CS 50 (net 39), RS 51 (net 43)
March 23 rain, fog, tornado warnings, temp: 44 degrees
The season got underway with everyone crossing the "Road Hole" safely. Scores for the first hole of the season were 7-7-7 and, for The Commish, a 10! Fog prevented actually seeing some of the greens until wedge distance (usually shot #3) and by the time the round was over the scores were in typical BGA-style. In addition to the season's first Pavoratti, The Commish also had the first par. The Snowman had the first snowman, and Mr. FourSkin finished the round with the season's first El Nino. The last hole was finished and before we got to our cars the floodgates opened and the deluge began. Cold, wet, foggy, muddy. Another perfect Opening Day in the BGA.
Scores: BC 54 (net 47), BL 56 (net 39), CS 51 (net 40), RS 51 (net 43)
The Commish Trains for 2011:
If you have not found the page that has some of the drills I am using here is a link to "Tips From The Commish." Basically I find that my practice time amounts to about 3 minutes a day so I try to maximize what I can do in a small amount of time. Without a doubt, my 3 minute drills are much more practice than my opponents are putting in so I feel really good about this upcoming season. Please do not write to The Snowman or Misters FourSkin and Fifteen to let them know about these secret drills.
Oct. 12 Rainout 60 degrees
In a way that exemplified the 2011 season, our final round was washed out on Wed., Oct. 11. Even though there had only been one lost round this year, there were at least a dozen times that our wives and friends made fun of our be-draggeled looks after we finished yet another soggy or muddy or, yes, even icy round. From our first round in March through the last round in October we have played in every kind of weather Baltimore has to offer. Hail? We played in it. Snow flurries? Yeah, them too. Hurricane watch? Tornado warnings? Yep, we finished at least 20 minutes before they hit. T'storms and lightning? Of course we played in that although we do tend to pause and think about the lightning. Beautiful 75 degree weather? Well I think we had it once or twice. Triple digit temperatures? Sure, it is Baltimore in the summer, you know. The time we were rained out (Sept. 7) we got to the sixth green before the free-flowing currents between our balls and the cup prevented us from putting. We are dedicated, to say the least.
Because the Specimen Cup competition is too tight to declare a winner, the BGA Board of Directors has decided that we will try one more time to get in the last round of the season on Wed. Oct. 26. Mark your calendars because it will most likely be a day of weather extremes!
Oct. 5 Beautiful afternoon 74 degrees
As submitted by "The Relief Scribe": As the seconds tick down in the 2011 season, the BGA took to the links for the penultimate round of the year. It was a beautiful afternoon weatherwise. Unfortunately the golf was not. It was an extremely frustrating afternoon with the short stick for all members of the BGA. The BGA is a brutal organization as there are no gimmes. Countless near misses on what looked to be a sure putt left each member recording between 20-24 putts for the round. A unexpected backup midway through the round (5 groups were on #5 at the same time!) caused the intrepid duffers to engage in a mad scramble to complete the round as they raced against the setting sun. The round was finished with no time to spare and BC managed to emerge victorious for the weekly beer and quenched his thirst with a beer each from the brothers Swanson. All eyes will be on the course at Mt. Pleasant next Wednesday as the grueling 2011 season comes to an end with the cheeseburger championship on the line.
Scores: BC 46 (net 39), BL 57 (net 40), CS 51 (net 42) RS 52 (net 42)
Sept. 28 heavy humidity, chance of t'storms 81 degrees
On a day when the Orioles played their first relevant baseball game in September in 14 years (they eliminated the Boston Red Sox making Bosox fans "wicked sad") the highlight (lowlight?) of this round was bookend snowmen posted by The Snowman. This represented an improvement of 2 strokes from last week when he began and ended with bookend Pavorattis. The golf today was uniformly mediocre with Mr. Fifteen being the Best of the Worst as he became the first player to go into double digits this season in Beers Won. The Big News was the new nickname that Mr. FourSkin was given by golfers other than the BGA in a charity tournament he participated in.
Scores: BC 47 (net 41), BL 59 (net 42), CS 46 (net 37), RS 51 (net 41)
Sept. 21 Guest Scribe this week is "The Snowman" scattered showers 73 degrees
With the Scribe on vacation and BC attending to family matters, CS and the Snowman took to the links in an effort to gain much needed cheeseburger points in the waning weeks of the 2011 season. As reported by Frosty the Scrivener, the duo teed off under ominous skies. The initial drive of the Snowman just cleared the road. It hopped off the bank and came to rest several yards behind the fence behind the ladies tee. He went on to record an El Nino (9) and followed it up with a Pavorotti (a 10) on #2. Somehow the Snowman managed to right the ship with back to back pars on holes 3 and 4. After 7 holes the Snowman appeared to have a comfortable 5 stroke lead in the quest for the beer. Mr. Fifteen stepped up to the challenge and responded by scoring a par and a bogey on the final two holes. However the Snowman's cart and game turned back into a pumpkin as he ended the round the same abysmal way he began, recording yet another Nino and Pavoratti. As a result, CS easily took the weekly beer prize with a score of 49/net 40. He just managed to stay on the good side of 50 as he too recorded an El Nino and struggled with the short stick for much of the round. With only three weeks remaining in the 2011 BGA season the Race for the Cheeseburger enters the home stretch and is still up for grabs.
Scores: BL 62 (net 45), CS 49 (net 40)
Sept. 14 Partly sunny, threat of t'storms 86 degrees
Sure this round had plenty of room for improvement, but, by and large, it was one of the year's better efforts. Mr. Fifteen dropped his handicap a stroke and Mr. FourSkin put himself in position to raise his handicap next week. Darkness fell quickly as the final hole was played by "feel" through the green but there was enough light so that the "2-putt" rule was not used. With 4 more weeks left in the season the gathering gloom is becoming a factor. CS began with a snowman on #1 but then gathered himself to beat The Commish by a single stroke (CS birdied #7 to RS's bogey) and thereby drink a FREE BEER at Baltimore's fabulous Crackpot Restaurant. The Snowman put in a pair of frosties and also a hanger but that was not bad enough to have to buy the evening's beer as BC, a victim of his own low handicap, finished with a BGA high net of 40.
Scores: BC 46 (net 40), BL 54 (net 37), CS 44 (net 34), RS 45 (net 35)
Sept. 7 Rain, lots of rain, more rain, floods and rain 71 degrees
Hurricane Lee, now merely a tropical storm was firmly ensconced directly above Baltimore as our tee time approached. Having already received over 4" of rain today and more on each of the three previous days, we used common sense for a change and checked to make sure the course was open. It was so we were there! The Snowman begged off as he was afraid the wet conditions would hurt his handicap but the rest of the golf b'hoys showed up. Not surprisingly, we were the only golfers there. A light drizzle complemented our tee shots and we were off. Carts were not permitted but free pull carts were made available to anyone brave enough to play. The rain ceased before we reached the first green and we were able to play through the tee shots on #6 in relatively dry conditions. Because the greens were so wet there were no "easy" putts as we quickly learned that anything over 10 feet would find a squishy spot and come to an abrupt stop. Mr. Fifteen had an 8 footer for birdie, The Commish faced about 15 feet and Mr. FourSkin was looking at an impossible 60 footer as the rain began. Since 7 holes would constitute a complete round (the "more than 70% completed" rule), we waited for the rain to let up. It didn't. Twenty minutes later the green had become a lateral water hazard with currents and even some waves and reluctantly the round was aborted. Refusing to give up his birdie attempt, Mr. Fifteen found that he couldn't hit the ball hard enough to reach the hole. It pains me to say it but, "The Snowman was not only right, he was the smart one." Ouch, that does hurt.
August 31 beautiful, low humidity 82 degrees
Hurricane Irene was in the rearview mirror and had done only slight damage to the golf course as we teed it up for the last round of August. A year ago in the last round of August The Snowman recorded one of the worst rounds of his career by shooting a number that only an offensive lineman would like (71), but alas because of lasting effects from the hurricane he was unable to post for this round. Mr. FourSkin began the round as if he was on a quest for another Chee'burger dinner with pars on five of the first six holes. A double, triple, and 2 bogeys ended his quest but it was still plenty good enough to win a FREE BEER from both The Commish and Mr. Fifteen.
Scores: BC 43 (net 37), CS 50 (net 40), RS 50 (net 40)
August 24 sunny, very breezy 83 degrees
After a season to forget, The Commish opted to walk instead of ride in an effort to "find his game" again. Unexpectedly the walking man won his first outright beer of the season. Showing his lack of conditioning, Commish wilted at the end and finished by double bogeying the last 3 holes to finish with a 46. The Snowman bought the beer by shooting a score worthy of appearing on an NFL interior lineman's jersey, 62! Mr. FourSkin barely cleared the "Road Hole" en route to shooting bookend hangers and a lackluster score of 48 with 21 putts. Beginning with a snowman and a hanger, Mr. Fifteen pulled his game back to mediocre and finished with six 5's over the last 7 holes to end up on the wrong side of 50.
Scores: BC 48 (net 42), BL 62 (net 45), CS 51 (net 41), RS 46 (net 35)
August 17 sunny 86 degrees
Highlights of round: BC is 1 under par after 3 holes, birdie (on #3), 3 pars and 5 GIRs (12 "chees'burger points"); RS hits 5 fairways (8 CB pts); BL 4 CBs and CS 6 CB pts and wins weekly beer from BL
Lowlights: BC finishes with double bogey on #7 and triple on #9; BL starts with an El Nino and ends with a Snow and Hanger; CS steady round only lowlight a 3-putt on #6 for bogey (1 par, 7 bogeys, 1 double); RS 3 double bogeys and a triple in last 6 holes.
Scores: BC 43 (net 37), BL 58 (net 41), CS 45 (net 35), RS 48 (net 37)
August 10 beautiful, low humidity 89 degrees
Displaying the style and grace that has made him the golfer he is, Bill "The Snowman" Levering was setting a torrid pace on Wed., August 10. Carrying a 9-hole handicap of 18, Frosty's net score stood at a mere "12" after 6 holes. Three holes remained and if he could play them in 19 strokes or less he would be rewarded with his second "Chee'burger" of the season. Choosing one of his nine woods on the 7th tee (a dogleg right with O.B. right)....he hit his drive down the middle of the fairway, or so it seemed. When the ball was finally found it was in the right rough some 225 yards out...double bogey 6. The drive on #8 found the fairway but was short of the bend on this dogleg left. A smart recovery shot, a good chip over the bunker and two putts later he was safely in for a bogey. Now onto the very difficult finishing hole...445 yards uphill to a green that has proven to be the BGA's second toughest to putt. After 8 holes his net scores were par, eagle. birdie, birdie, par, eagle, par, birdie ... net 23! After being reminded that he could shoot his namesake score of snowman (8) and still win the cheeseburger dinner, he laughed and powered his tee shot some 65 yards downhill into the rough, left of the fairway. A few hacks and swings (all with various woods) put him on the green in nickel (5) some 20 feet left of the flag. If he sank the putt he would tie the all-time BGA record of net 29. His 20 footer ended up 9 feet short and left. Trying to hand The Commish his camera to record his victory, Mr. L was shaking so badly that Commish needed both hands to grab the camera. Putt for a seven missed. Now Frosty needed to sink a 4-incher to hit snow on the nose and eat for free, again. With hands trembling, he sank the putt and became just the second person to win TWO CHEESEBURGER DINNERS in a single season. Congratulations and as a reward his handicap has plummeted to 17 for next week.Scores: BC 45 (net 39), BL 49 (net 31), CS 46 (net 36), RS 47 (net 36)
August 3 heavy drizzle, threat of major storms 86 degrees
The Snowman was on vacation but he left his golf game in the care of The Commish, and the results were sad, very sad indeed. Before the round ended Commish had hit 8 woods off the tee and another 7 lining the fairways. Add in more than a few bunkers and a cold putter and score a Frosty-like 51 for The Commish. Mr. Fifteen started play with dreams of winning a beer and a free cheeseburger dinner. Putting for birdie on the opening Par 5 "Road Hole," CS 3-putted for bogey. Undaunted he birdied #2 and rolled in a par putt on #3. At this point he was "cursed" by Mr. FourSkin who told him his "round was toast." A double bogey, a pair of triples, and a trio of 3-putts ended CS's chances for glory. Meanwhile the aforementioned Mr. FourSkin shot a very controlled round of 4 pars and 5 bogeys to finish with a very nice round of 41, net 34 to win another FREE BEER at the Crackpot. A balky putter was all that kept BC from an even better round in the high 30's. As a reward, his handicap for next week has dropped to a season-low of 6.
Scores: BC 41 (net 34), CS 47 (net 37), RS 51 (net 40)
July 27 clear skies, low humidity 90 degrees
After more than 20 years of record-keeping, you would think that the BGA Central Office, Bureau of Statistics and Futility, would have seen it all, but yesterday our intrepid quartet shocked even themselves.
In addition to seeing who would win the FREE BEER for the low net round (Mr. Fifteen), the real competition was in the Ryder Cup-style Best Ball contest. The Snowman and The Commish were pitted against the Misters Fifteen and FourSkin, and they were winless in their first 4 attempts this season. The first hole was won by BC/CS when Mr. Fifteen's "almost" birdie chip rattled the pin and gave him a tap-in par 5 (net 4) which beat The Snowman's snowman (a net 6). The Commish tied the game with a par on the 4th hole setting up the unlikely pivotal par 3 Sixth Hole.
Playing about 135 yards downhill, pin back. CS flew a 9 iron pin high 30 feet right of the flag facing a sidehill, downhill putt. BC stepped up with an 8 iron and hit a fade towards the pin ending up 20 feet left with an uphill putt. RS used an 8 iron and ended up a few feet from BC's ball. Up stepped The Snowman with memories of his Streckfus (an 11) on this hole just a week before. Having to wait until the group in front teed off from the blues on #7 (Frosty is known to hit lateral drives that can scatter golfers on that next teebox), he had time to consider what lay in front of him. Using his "trusty"(?) 11 wood BL placed a beautiful shot that ended up between BC and RS's balls just a mere 25 feet away from birdie. Everyone 2-putted but with his handicap stroke The Snowman won the hole for his team with a net 2 and then held on the win the team competition 2 to 1 with closing net scores of birdie - par - par - and par.
As far as The BGA Central Office, Bureau of Statistics and Futility has been able to determine the Sixth Hole was the first time that all 4 players played a hole and garnered every Chee'burger point available. Four Greens in Regulation and four Pars, Not too shabby for the b'hoys from The Bad Golfers Association.
Scores: BC 44 (net 37), BL 54 (net 36), CS 45 (net 35), RS 49 (net 39)
July 20 hot, humid 94 degrees
The good news about the weather is that tomorrow the temps will be triple digits and the heat index between 110 and 115. Today, by comparison, was almost balmy. Mr. FourSkin had the round of the day but he definitely has to share the spotlight with The Snowman. BC overcame a drive unto Hillen Road on #2 and then proceeded to get a 1-putt par on #3 and back-to-back birdies on #6 and #7. Needing pars on the final two holes for his net 31 and a FREE CHEE'BURGER, BC 2-putted for par on #8 and then drove 255 yards behind a tree on the right on the last hole thereby losing his chances at par and finished with a double bogey 6 for a round of 40. However, Frosty stole BC's thunder with a round reminescent of Route 66, wandering all around the countryside. In fact, his final score of 66 was comprised of a pair of snows, 3 hangers, 3 sixes, and then his score on the Par 3 Sixth hole. A wayward tee shot with his 13-wood on the short hole, playing about 130 yards downhill, left him 100 yards away and in deep (2 foot), thick rough on a slope of about 35 degrees. Too proud to re-tee and hit his third, Frosty switched clubs to a 7 iron for better control and took a mighty whack and moved it 3 yards to the left. His third came out of the long stuff, barely, and came to rest on the cartpath. Taking a drop he whiffed his 4th. His fifth hit the cartpath curb and ended behind himself, once again in the tall, thick stuff. The sixth stroke did cross the cartpath to end in deep rough. on another downslope. At this point the ball has advanced just about 60 yards from the teebox and is still on the wrong side of the creek. Knowing this BL takes a mighty swing for 7 and barely moves the ball. Showing his "devil may care" attitude, The Snowman lashed out with his 8th shot and crossed the stream to end up short of the green on an upslope some 40 yards from the pin. Finally proving that the 7 iron was the correct club, Frosty chipped the wrong way and came to rest on the green about 35 yards away. A terrific 2-putt gave him a classic 11 and his third "Streckfus" of the season.
Scores: BC 40 (net 33), BL 66 (net 48), CS 49 (net 39), RS 46 (net 36)
July 13 hot, muggy, intermittent showers 85 degrees
Mr. FourSkin's day began normally enough as he scored a snowman on the first hole.Then something unexpected happened as he parred #2 screwed around a bit on #3 & #4 but then strung together 4 straight 4's to finish the round with a 43 that included 4 GIRs and 5 pars. This string of brillance won BC the weekly beer from The Commish. Continuing his good luck BC also won the Trivia contest on the third tie breaker and was awarded a 2nd free beer from The Snowman. RS strung together a season-high 9th consecutive round with a net score in the thirties but played a truly mediocre round and recorded a 48. BL had a nice score going into the final two holes but ended up with an 8 and a 7 to record a 55 for the round.
Scores: BC 43 (net 36), BL 55 (net 37), RS 48 (net 38)
July 6 hot and muggy 92 degrees
After the excitement of last week's "ROAD HOLE INCIDENT," the papparazzi were everywhere in hopes of Mr. Fifteen having a repeat performance. In an effort to give a "complete and impartial accounting of the BGA's weekly event," The Snowman was standing by with his camera in hopes of capturing CS dribbling off the tee. Frosty, sadly, was disappointed as CS hit a great drive down the center about 265 yards, easily at least a 253 yard improvement from last week. The round featured 2 chip-ins (Mr. FourSkin on #2 and The Commish on #6), some fine putting by BL (14 putts) and BC (15 putts) and 5 GIRs by CS on his way to winning THE BEER for the second week in a row. The highlight of the round was CS hitting a driver off the deck to reach the difficult par 4 finishing hole (#9) in regulation and 2 putting for par. This par allowed the team of BC/CS to defeat BL/RS in the team game as they maintained their perfect record of 4 - 0 against the fan favorites of Frosty and the Commish who have been playing like the Baltimore Orioles this season.
Scores: BC 44 (net 37), BL 54 (net 36), CS 45 (net 35), RS 48 (net 38)
June 29 sunny, low humidity 87 degrees
With the Commish away on vacation, the three remaining members of the BGA took to the links on this beautiful day for golf. Frosty the Scrivener assumed the position of scribe for this week's report. The last time a member of the BGA suffered the ultimate humiliation of failing to cross the nearby driveway with their tee shot on #1 (the "Road Hole") was during the 2008 season. At the midpoint of the 2011 season that streak has now been broken. Mr. Fifteen (CS) trickled his opening drive a monstrous 20 yards to the driveway. After barely making it to the road, the ball was last seen dribbling its way down the drive to Hillen Rd. Hole #1 proved to disasterous for the entire BGA as both CS and Mr. FourSkin (BC) recorded snowmen. Not to be outdone, the Snowman grumbled his way to a Streckfus (11) courtesy of numerous duffs and a four putt. CS managed to recover from his initial humiliation with some strong putting and shot a 45 (net 34) to win the weekly Crackpot beer from BC. He recorded a bird on the challenging hole #5 along with a par on #3. It took 3 hours to complete the 9 hole round thanks to the incredibly slow and horrible play of the foursome in front. The sprinklers were turned on in an attempt to speed them on their way, but it only succeeded in nearly watering the Snowman and his paltry drive on #9. BC is playing the round under protest as a review of a controversial lie on hole #1 resulting in a penalty is needed. Upon return of the Commish the review board will convene and a final ruling will be made (note: he doesn't have a prayer).
Scores: BC 48 (net 41), BL 58 (net 40) CS 45 (net 34)
June 22 sunny and hot 91 degrees
Today the BGA impressed themselves with surprisingly fine play tinged with pathos and "what coulda been's." Most importantly The Snowman used his 19 handicap to fine tune a round of 50 giving him a net of The Magic Number of 31 to win the season's 2nd Cheeseburger dinner. BL needed a six on the final hole and proceeded to two-putt from 15 feet to hit his number. Mr. Fifteen stood on the teebox of the last hole, a tough uphill 445 yard par 4 needing his fifth par of the round to also win a Cheeseburger dinner. His second shot ended up on the frog hair around the green less than a foot off the putting surface but a chip and his par putt left him about a foot short of fine and FREE dining. All in all it was a good round for all as Commish and Mr. FourSkin played up to their mediocre standards and everyone recorded net scores in the 30's.
Scores: BC 46 (net 39), BL 50 (net 31), CS 43 (net 32), RS 46 (net 36)
June 15 beautiful, sunny 83 degrees
Even though The Commish and The Snowman shared the weekly beer prize and for the second week in a row RS had five 1-putts, this week was focused on Mr. Fifteen, and in particular his first hole. A bad drive, a fairway bunker, a topped shot or two, a greenside bunker and a mediocre chip placed him on the green in triple bogey (that's an eight, for those counting at home). Not having a double digit score this year, CS made a good putt, right-to-left breaker, cross-grain and downhill. The ball winked at the hole as it went by and settled about 7 feet under the hole--9. Knowing he was going to make a Pavoratti (at least), CS left a half-hearted putt about a 18 inches short--10. Next putt was dead-center for what he believed would be a Streckfus but the ball hit the back of the cup and instead of dropping in it came back towards him--11. A confident tap in for 12. Other than that The Snowman had no snowmen, Mr. FourSkin had no birdies and the team game was decided on the final hole, 1 up for Team Swanson vs. Team Bills.
Scores: BC 45 (net 38), BL 52 (net 33), CS 55 (net 44), RS 43 (net 33)
June 8 hot and sunny 100 degress (heat index 106)
Another fine day for golf. The Snowman failed to post for the second time this year and the remaining combatants played snowman-free golf. In a very close contest only a single stroke separated The Commish and Misters "15" and "FourSkin". That single stroke came on the 8th hole when BC's approach shot almost went in for an eagle and he had to settle for a birdie putt of almost 2 inches. This birdie not only allowed BC to reclaim the lead in birdies this season but proved to be the stroke he needed to tie CS for the low round of 45. In very similar rounds everyone parred #6 and bogeyed #9. RS had one 6 and one 7, BC had two 6's and a single 7, and CS recorded his personal number, triple 6's.
Scores: BC 45 (net 38), CS 45 (net 34), RS 46 (net 36)
June 1 threatening, possible violent storms and hail, 92 degrees (105 heat index earlier)
While Mr. Fifteen and The Commish both shot 44, today was all about Mr. FourSkin. Beginning with a par on the first hole, BC went on to record 7 pars and 8 greens in regulation as he recorded a neat 38 and, with his 7 handicap, won the season's first "Merit Chee'burger" at our favorite bar, The Crackpot. Interestingly, BC had the most putts for the day as he he had a balanced 19 strokes from the field and 19 putts on the greens. Along with his fine shotmaking, he averaged just under 250 yards off the tee. Other accomplishments of note came from The Snowman as he opened with a frosty then played 5 holes quite adequately but closed with El Niño, 12 and a hanger for a total of 63. His 12 came with the help of 7 sand shots around the green.
Scores: BC 38 (net 31), BL 63 (net 44), CS 44 (net 33), RS 44 (net 34)
May 25 clear, sunny temp. 85 degrees
Mr. Fifteen failed to post for the first time this year and the scores showed marked improvement. Coincidence? I don't think so. Anyway hole #1 produced 3 2-putt bogeys which for the BGA is superior play. Poor Commish dropped in 4 1-puuts but complained about the three 1-putts that "got away" as the dimpled sphere hung on the edge and merely peeked at the bottom of the cup. Mr. FourSkin briefly took the birdie lead when his putt dropped on hole #2 but when the Commish dropped in his putt on #6 the season-long competition for bragging rights was once again tied at three apiece. Meanwhile The Snowman was quietly going along and uncharacteristically not recording a single frosty. For his effort, he was rewarded with FREE BEER as he posted his low net round of the season.
Scores: BC 42 (net 35), BL 52 (net 33), RS 48 (net 38)
May 18 dark skies, heavy rain all day until tee time, tornado watch posted 66 degrees
Once again under adverse conditions the BGA teed off for the ninth round of the 2011 season. The first hole was dismal with a 10 by The Snowman, an 8 from The Commish, and a pair of 7's from the Misters Fifteen and FourSkin; but, for three golfers the round was going to get better. To put a quick end to the suspense, Frosty's round did not get any better as The Snowman shot a "Roger Maris" with a pair of 6's, 7's, 8's and a single 10. The Misters each recorded 4 pars but the shot of the day belonged to The Commish. On the par 3 sixth hole, with the pin cut back left, Commish's ball flew over the pin, did a 10 foot "backup bugaloo," and looked into the cup for an "almost" hole-in-one as it rolled past on the left leaving a relatively easy tap-in for birdie. The sun did come out during the round and sunglasses were needed by the ninth hole. Later that night more thunder and lightning just gave further proof that "The Golf Gods Always Shine on the BGA." Personally, I think they need their weekly dose of humor.
Scores: BC 44 (net 37), BL 61 (net 42), CS 46 (net 34), RS 47 (net 37)
May 11 clear skies, "San Diego" weather 74 degrees
Finally the weather was fine for golf. After 8 weeks of playing in mud, we enjoyed a pleasant round of golf and didn't need rain gear and/or protection from hail and tornados. As a result for the first time this year, the quality of our golf improved to mediocre from just plain crappy. The Snowman became the season's first no-show as a "family matter" came between him and the BGA. In a close contest Mr. FourSkin again won the FREE BEER by a single stroke as The Commish couldn't find the hole with his putter (22 putts) and Mr. Fifteen likewise 3-putted 4 greens. With all three tied going into the very difficult ninth hole, BC stepped up with a 290 yard drive, hit the green from 175 and 2-putted for his par. RS chipped his third to 10 feet then missed the putt and settled for bogey while CS chipped on and 3-putted for double bogey and the right to buy BC a beer at the fabulous Crackpot Restaurant and Bar, Home of the BGA.
Scores: BC 44 (net 37), CS 51 (net 39), RS 48 (net 38)
May 4 cloudy, rained all day until tee time, standing water and wind 54 degrees
None of us were proud of this round but this one was all about Frosty. The round began with all four of us ending right of the fairway; The Snowman (BL) and Mr. Fifteen (CS) being right of the tree line almost scoring a fairway on #9. Big Bill Levering proceeded to swing and dribble until he reached the green in bogey, three putts later he was in with an easy El Nino (a nine!). He did not lose the hole, though as another nine and a snowman were also recorded as the BGA played for the 7th consecutive week in wet, mostly miserable course conditions. The Snowman improved to an 8 on hole #2 as he only used 2 putts before moving on to the third hole where his scores were to improve dramatically. Over the next 3 holes he recorded scores that many swear represent The Snowman's personal golf instructor, 6-6-6. Classic double bogeys as each needed just 2 putts. Hole #6 is usually BL's nemesis hole, a relatively simple par three, downhill and over a small creek. Mr. FourSkin (BC) hit a fine shot nine feet left of the pin leaving him an uphill putt. The Commish (RS) was next and seemed to be a little closer but turned out to be about 2 feet farther away on a similar line. CS ended up on the front of the green almost 40 feet away from the pin. Up stepped BL with either a nine wood, an 11 wood or his favorite 13 wood in hand. The wind was blowing in his face as he took a mighty swipe and the ball began its parabolic descent towards the pin ending up a mere 6 feet above the hole. It was a shot for the ages as Mr. Levering averages 5.3 on this simple par 3. From 40 feet CS 3-putts for his bogey. RS calmly lines up his birdie putt from both sides of the hole, can't figure the break so, with eyes closed, slams home the birdie putt. BC, seeing The Commish's putt roll true, put his birdie putt in the hole, too. Now Frosty stood over his putt with a chance to make the third birdie on a single hole. For the season the BGA had only a single birdie, by CS on an extremely lucky putt. Hands trembling with the pressure, BL showed why HE IS The Snowman by pushing the downhill putt to the right, 5 feet past the hole. Two putts later he was in with a bogey 4, and his "BEST" hole of the round. Curing his putting woes, BL 2-putted the remaining three holes. Unfortunately after, all of the strokes were added up, the scores were a double bogey 6, a two under triple bogey 10 and a bookend 9 to close out the round. Such is the life and times of the man known far and wide as THE SNOWMAN.Scores: BC 45 (net 38), BL 64 (net 45), CS 54 (net 43), RS 53 (net 44)
April 27 mostly sunny at tee time, tornado warnings, strong wind, lightning and rain by hole #6 76 degrees
Mr. Cockey came to play today. While the rest of the BGA was having difficulty putting on the damp. slow greens, Mr. FourSkin made this round "all about him." Opening with a pair of bogeys no one expected what was to come. Four consecutive one-putts helped BC reel off 5 consecutive pars and coming to the 8th tee he needed only to play the last two holes in 1 over to score a 39, net 31, and win the first Cheeseburger of the year on pure merit. After being reminded of how close he was to winning, Bill hooked his tee shot into the woods on #8 but recovered nicely to record a bogey. Needing par on the tough #9 he hit it the tee shot 255 into a strong headwind right down the middle of the fairway. Just missing the green on his approach, a chip and a putt would clinch the deal. A good chip and a near perfect putt that stopped half an inch from the hole made 3 of the four of us very pleased. Mr. FourSkin's only reward for shooting a season's best 40 was to lower his handicap and make it that much harder to win a freebie in the future.
Scores: BC 40 (net 32), BL 57 (net 39), CS 52 (net 41), RS 51 (net 42)
April 20 mostly sunny 81 degrees
Good weather finally shone upon the BGA; however, bad golf rained down upon the players. For example, The Commish began his round with an El Nino (9) and ended it with a hanger (7) by 3-putting from 3 feet. And he won the beer. Commish and The Snowman ended up tied for the win and Mr. FourSkin and Mr. Fifteen tied for the loss so that instead of a single beer being won, the maximum total of 4 FREE BEERS were awarded with each low net player getting a beer from each of the high net players. As that immortal Hall of Fame broadcaster, Chuck Thompson, used to say, "Ain't the beer cold!!!" The final 3-putt by The Commish negated a fine putting round as he finished with the low number of putts with 17. Three players had snowmen (BC, BL, and CS) and an equal number posted El Ninos (BL, CS, and RS). Mt. Pleasant was still very wet with standing water in most of the bunkers and the greens are hard to putt because they are so slow and soft.
Scores: BC 53 (net 45), BL 59 (net 40), CS 56 (net 45), RS 49 (net 40)
April 13 cloudy, rainy all day until tee time, 56 degrees
Your Scribe was so depressed over this round that it took 5 days to get the results written down. In the beginning it looked like CS and RS were scoring phone numbers as Mr. Fifteen started with the toll-free exchange of 8-8-8 and Commish shot had a "call me, chat line" start of 9-7-6. Don't mistakenly believe that The Snowman and Mr. FourSkin were tearing it up, even though at the end of the day they were drinking FREE BEER compliments of The Commish. Frosty got off to a glorious 8-8-6 start while BC had a BGA best start of a pitiful 7-5-5. When all was over and mud, slop and strokes were tallied up BC finally posted a sub-50 round for the first time this season. Thanks to an ever-increasing handicap, BL shared in the prize even with his 58. Sadly, The Commish was unable to do anything except write down crooked numbers and finished with a 15-year high score of 59.
Scores: BC 48 (net 40), BL 58 (net 40), CS 55 (net 44), RS 59 (net 50)
April 6 sunny, gentle breeze, 63 degrees
Play began with two pars and a bogey on the first hole. Even though the drives were not great our 2nd and 3rd shots were. The Snowman, however, went to the beach on the second hole and, statistically at least, recorded a sand save by one putting. Unfortunately before that one-putt there were 5 sandies and a chip shot, all of which added up to a season-high Streckfus (an 11). No one played very well and at the end The Commish had raised his handicap even though he shot the low round of the day, a 50. BL recorded 3 sixes and the rest higher and, even with an 18 handicap, he bought the beer for a rejuvenated CS, who lost by two strokes but played to a handicap that gave him enough strokes to win.
Scores: BC 52 (net 44), BL 67 (net 49), CS 52 (net 41), RS 50 (net 42)
March 30 rain, wind, snow, sleet and hail, 42 degrees and dropping fast
We thought it was impossible to play in worse weather than last week but we were wrong. We have played in rain and even snow before but when the Golf Gods began throwing hail at us on the 4th hole we knew we were in for trouble. Conditions failed to improve very much except that as the temperature dropped the hail let up. Of course it turned to snow and by the time your loyal Scribe arrived home, slightly before 9:00 p.m., everything but the roads was, once again, white with snow and the thermometer read 31! The scores were much as you might guess...someone had a nine on #1 someone else on #2, 3 snowmen on #4 (the now infamous "Hail Hole"), throw in a couple of 4-putts and a closing frosty on #9 and there you have it. The snowman on the last hole by The Snowman allowed him to slip into a tie for the beer with Mr. Fifteen and a sad and humbled Mr. FourSkin had to buy 2 beers in penance for his "fine" play as he recorded his second straight 54. Two weeks into the season and three players have already seen there handicaps go up a stroke.
Scores: BC 54 (net 47), BL 56 (net 39), CS 50 (net 39), RS 51 (net 43)
March 23 rain, fog, tornado warnings, temp: 44 degrees
The season got underway with everyone crossing the "Road Hole" safely. Scores for the first hole of the season were 7-7-7 and, for The Commish, a 10! Fog prevented actually seeing some of the greens until wedge distance (usually shot #3) and by the time the round was over the scores were in typical BGA-style. In addition to the season's first Pavoratti, The Commish also had the first par. The Snowman had the first snowman, and Mr. FourSkin finished the round with the season's first El Nino. The last hole was finished and before we got to our cars the floodgates opened and the deluge began. Cold, wet, foggy, muddy. Another perfect Opening Day in the BGA.
Scores: BC 54 (net 47), BL 56 (net 39), CS 51 (net 40), RS 51 (net 43)
The Commish Trains for 2011:
If you have not found the page that has some of the drills I am using here is a link to "Tips From The Commish." Basically I find that my practice time amounts to about 3 minutes a day so I try to maximize what I can do in a small amount of time. Without a doubt, my 3 minute drills are much more practice than my opponents are putting in so I feel really good about this upcoming season. Please do not write to The Snowman or Misters FourSkin and Fifteen to let them know about these secret drills.
When the 2010 season ended I knew I had to strengthen my "core" in order to gain stability and distance. This can be looked at either as drudgery or working towards a goal, but I felt it was necessary for me. Since I already belonged to a gym I have added some ab work and also hamstring stretching to the regular cardio stuff I was doing. I am not qualified to give too much advice on this but BrickBodies does have your Commish blogging on their site if you care to check out my thoughts on that part of my training.
However, I am a Bad Golfer so I feel qualified to share my techniques in that arena so here goes:
Mar. 3, 2011 22 degrees
Today all of the snow was gone and since I haven't hit a golf ball since the Great Crackpot Golf Tournament in Nov. I couldn't resist trying. I have been practice swinging with an interlocking grip rather than my usual "overlapping" one, and took 3 balls outside to see what the results might be.Three goo pitches then 2 out of 3 good chips back to the house. I was done. Too cold, but pleased with the results. Interlocking still is not a natural feel, yet.
Feb. 14, 2011 "A Warm Day and A New Idea For Bunker Practice"
Yesterday was 56 degrees and the ice pack had turned slushy. For the first time in a couple of weeks I could swing a club outdoors and I thought, "Why not practice bunker shots?" Place the ball on a tuft of ice crystals, place my feet on the ground or lower ice flow and it would simulate digging into a bunker, right? Didn't work. Not too surprisingly my footing was unstable; but what surprised me was that when I "exploded" out of the ice I couldn't tell if it was a good shot or not. The ball disappeared in a shower of ice and snow and then it landed in a field of white. White on white is hard to find! Oh well, later this week it is supposed to be in the 60's so maybe the back of winter has been broken. Back to indoors putting. Sure hope the Snowman was right when he didn't see his shadow a couple of weeks ago.
Feb. 1, 2011
The powdery snow has long since been replaced by deeper, crusty snow and ice so swinging clubs outside is futile. Balance? We don't need no stinkin' balance! Unfortunately in this game balance is key so I have moved my practice inside to work on putting. Rather than slip and slide and have my "muscle memory" learn how to spin and slideout on swings, I am concentrating on making my eyes focus on a single dimple on the ball and putting. I can practice 10-12 footers on my rug, which is not quite as slick as the greens at Augusta but probably isn't much slower than early spring at Mt. Pleasant. So I place one of my dog's marrow bones as the target, it's about half the size of a golf hole, and practice until I hit it 8 out of 9 putts. What I have found is that I miss quite often if I look at the whole ball and putt; however, as soon as I remember to focus on a single dimple instead of the whole ball the putts go exactly down the line. Eight out of 9, no problem and practice is over. Why it works, I don't know but for me, at least, it is a great way to start feeling excited about my putting. After all, didn't Yogi say that, "Nine-tenths of putting is half mental and the other half is dumb luck" ? If he didn't say it, I'm sure he thought about it.
Jan. 12, 2011
A few inches of fresh powder means that for the next couple of days I can check my swing path in the snow. Today i drew a line in the snow to represent where my ball would be and practiced with a wedge to see the path and also low point in what would be my divot. What a great way to check those things without tearing up the lawn. The Misters Fifteen and FourSkin better watch out 'cuz The Commish is coming for them this spring!
Jan. 3, 2011
Old tip I have been practicing the last 2 weeks... when putting FOCUS EYES on a single dimple on your golf ball. Took 3-4 days before I could focus that finely but now putts are contacting putterhead much more consistently. Able to practice 10 footers down office corridor every morning before work. Putt to a small target so hole will look large on the greens. Goal this year is to average 1.90 putts per hole. Last season was 2.065 and 2009 was 2.025.
Dec. 20, 2010
Still cold in a.m. Snow from last week has almost disappeared so back to Extension thru Pile of Leaves drill . Went with 4-iron today and really felt light in my hands. Grip pressure felt feather light and without having a ball to worry about the swing feels "right." Daily 3 minutes of practice seems to be building a repeatable swing with the extension pushing the leaves so I don't take club "inside" too quickly. Hope to push 4-iron to 180 yards this season. Cleaned grooves and put club away...elapsed time 6 minutes and I can feel good about golf swing all day. Oh yeah, 2 more people contacted Gary Marlowe thru this site for lessons this winter; a good time to just work on your technique and not worry about results.
Today was the first day of measurable snow so that meant I could use the tip about never passing up the chance to check your swing path in the snow. For the previous month I have been doing the "Extension Through a Pile of Leaves" drill and it felt like I was extending the club down the line further, but now the snow check would confirm or deny what i was feeling. I was particularly working with my 3-wood in an effort to get more consistent and perhaps be able to run it out to 230 yards. The snow allowed me to hit my six iron this morning and the path was as close to perfect as i deserve. A slight out to in and it felt good. Now to check the 3-wood. The path was good but I found that I was hitting slightly behind my pretend golf ball. I moved the ball position back about two inches and BINGO, three swings in a row hitting exactly where I wanted and leaving a "snow divot" that i was pleased with. Without the snow to check myself I would have been hitting those 3-woods off the turf fat next season. Well, it was cold and my three minutes were up so time to go to work. Side Benefit: I rotate what club I practice with each day and before putting it away I give it a quick cleaning. When 2011 season arrives all of my grooves will be clean and ready to spin. HaHaHa.