2016 PGA Season
Calcutta and Green Jacket - 2016
Coveted Green Jacket Winner Decided on Last Day
A stellar final round net 66 put the ever steady Kim Madsen into the very much coveted green jacket for the 2016 PGA season. The day started with the two top contenders, Madsen and the ever steady Dale Borland, tied for the green jacket lead with crowd favourite, Peter Sidonio only two strokes behind. However, Madsen’s steely nerve, consistent swing and always steady putter prevailed on the day. Sidonio, with a very solid front nine wilted under pressure and fell out of the race with his slightly off form back nine. Borland, who lead TRTTHCGJ for most of the year, even with an excellent net 68 on the day, just couldn’t match the magnificent Madsen on the final day.
Other big scorers on the day were Freddy Walters, Bruce Davidson and Blair Murdoch who each shot net 67’s to help their teams into the Calcutta prize money.
The second place trophy in TRTTHCGJ went to ever steady Tip Top Borland, while the third place trophy, which Kirknose Madsen failed to bring, now belongs to the amazingly consistent, El Sid Sidonio.
Calcutta
While most of the PGA was out of TRTTHCGJ, everyone else was grinding to be part of the $1000 Calcutta jackpot. The big winner of the day was Madsen, who not only shot the low net round of the day and won the Highly Coveted Green Jacket, which is now proudly displayed on his living room wall, he lead his highly efficient team to a record setting -27 to capture first prize money in the Calcutta. It was not just Madsen who had a strong day in the group. Both Alex Volpatti and Bruce Davidson brought their A games when the money was on the line and the three of them were able to overcome Allan Goulding’s usually schizophrenic game to set a record low number for the tournament. Second place money went to the team of Brown, Cain, Leigh Sr and Murdoch. Brown, much improved from the weeks before, was able to inspire Murdoch to his best round of the year, and the ever consistent Steve Cain and the bipolar golfing Leigh Sr were steady enough to win some money on the day with their net -21. The rest of us were in the money donating category, although the teams of Burns, Garries, Killeen and Sidonio; along with Grundy, Lyon, Walters and Alexander were able to mitigate their losses by both shooting net -19’s. Stretch Grundy, obviously, did a marvellous job maneuvering his group into contention by overcoming Hoss Outerspace Alexander’s net 79, worst round of the day. The big loser of the day was the team of Borland, Leigh Jr, Mason and Sherk who not only limped in with a net -17 but also limped in period finishing well behind the acceptable pace of play. The winning team really appreciated the donation of their Calcutta money to their eagerly awaiting, greedy paws.
KP’s
Other winners on the day were Shyster Leigh for his KP on hole #3, Hoss Spaceman Alexander for his on hole #8, Shyster Leigh again on hole #12, Flintstone Walters on hole #14, and finally, Tommy Bahamas Sherk for his on hole #16. Well done, gentlemen, in this game of absolute, horseshoe luck.
In The Rough
For a second week in a row, one of our groups experienced slow play. Common to both groups were Tip Top Borland and JR Leigh. Could there be a connection between those two and slow play? At least JR was able to come up with a couple of dozen more balls than when he started after spending so much time in the bush. Put this on notice - Commissioner Burns is off the snide when it comes to slow play!
Many thanks to Dale Borland for logo design for this year’s, PGA shirt. Between the two of us, it worked out very well.
Steadiest golfer of the year goes to Peter El Sid Sidonio, whose net scores were never more than 3 strokes apart. This is starkly opposed by Harley Davidson whose best score was 20 strokes better than his worst score. How do you handicap that guy?
If any of you who have friends who might be interested in playing, let me know and I will add them to my spares list. At the very least they will get and update to the website after every event. But I send out an email every time I need a spare.
Although the broad smile emanating from the Green Jacket winner in his photo is very appropriate considering the magnitude of his accomplishment, the accompanying attire is highly unsuitable. He shall forthwith be doomed to be sartorially advised by Tip Top Borland before attending any PGA functions in the future. He and Borland should be on speed FaceTime so that Borland can approve Madsen’s selection of appropriate attire before appearing in public.
Finally
That brings to a close another highly successful year on the PGA. These Saturdays bring together a group of boys who can share a laugh or two and have a friendly competition. Most of us look forward to these weekends during the Spring when we can start to relive the memories of our competitive youth even if we fail badly at it. For me, it’s getting to spend time with some guys I otherwise wouldn’t know and having several good laughs on these Saturdays that I enjoy the most. Let’s keep it going. I think next year may be our 25th year. It must be good; we keep coming back!
Many thanks to all of the executive who do a great deal of work behind the scenes and in front of the scenes to make all of this happen: Paul Killeen, our chief accountant and event organizer; Larry Brown and Bob Garries, our main prize getters and distributors; Vic Grundy, our key stats man and accountability maestro; Dale Borland, our key day of the event, details man; Blair Murdoch, our games and groups organizer; Steve Cain, our web site communications expert; Digby Leigh Sr, our post match financial payment man; and to the several others who have contributed prizes and who work for a living and keep making contributions to our pension funds. I thank all of you!
floggem non scamus non shankus
--
illegitimus non carborundum
Coveted Green Jacket Winner Decided on Last Day
A stellar final round net 66 put the ever steady Kim Madsen into the very much coveted green jacket for the 2016 PGA season. The day started with the two top contenders, Madsen and the ever steady Dale Borland, tied for the green jacket lead with crowd favourite, Peter Sidonio only two strokes behind. However, Madsen’s steely nerve, consistent swing and always steady putter prevailed on the day. Sidonio, with a very solid front nine wilted under pressure and fell out of the race with his slightly off form back nine. Borland, who lead TRTTHCGJ for most of the year, even with an excellent net 68 on the day, just couldn’t match the magnificent Madsen on the final day.
Other big scorers on the day were Freddy Walters, Bruce Davidson and Blair Murdoch who each shot net 67’s to help their teams into the Calcutta prize money.
The second place trophy in TRTTHCGJ went to ever steady Tip Top Borland, while the third place trophy, which Kirknose Madsen failed to bring, now belongs to the amazingly consistent, El Sid Sidonio.
Calcutta
While most of the PGA was out of TRTTHCGJ, everyone else was grinding to be part of the $1000 Calcutta jackpot. The big winner of the day was Madsen, who not only shot the low net round of the day and won the Highly Coveted Green Jacket, which is now proudly displayed on his living room wall, he lead his highly efficient team to a record setting -27 to capture first prize money in the Calcutta. It was not just Madsen who had a strong day in the group. Both Alex Volpatti and Bruce Davidson brought their A games when the money was on the line and the three of them were able to overcome Allan Goulding’s usually schizophrenic game to set a record low number for the tournament. Second place money went to the team of Brown, Cain, Leigh Sr and Murdoch. Brown, much improved from the weeks before, was able to inspire Murdoch to his best round of the year, and the ever consistent Steve Cain and the bipolar golfing Leigh Sr were steady enough to win some money on the day with their net -21. The rest of us were in the money donating category, although the teams of Burns, Garries, Killeen and Sidonio; along with Grundy, Lyon, Walters and Alexander were able to mitigate their losses by both shooting net -19’s. Stretch Grundy, obviously, did a marvellous job maneuvering his group into contention by overcoming Hoss Outerspace Alexander’s net 79, worst round of the day. The big loser of the day was the team of Borland, Leigh Jr, Mason and Sherk who not only limped in with a net -17 but also limped in period finishing well behind the acceptable pace of play. The winning team really appreciated the donation of their Calcutta money to their eagerly awaiting, greedy paws.
KP’s
Other winners on the day were Shyster Leigh for his KP on hole #3, Hoss Spaceman Alexander for his on hole #8, Shyster Leigh again on hole #12, Flintstone Walters on hole #14, and finally, Tommy Bahamas Sherk for his on hole #16. Well done, gentlemen, in this game of absolute, horseshoe luck.
In The Rough
For a second week in a row, one of our groups experienced slow play. Common to both groups were Tip Top Borland and JR Leigh. Could there be a connection between those two and slow play? At least JR was able to come up with a couple of dozen more balls than when he started after spending so much time in the bush. Put this on notice - Commissioner Burns is off the snide when it comes to slow play!
Many thanks to Dale Borland for logo design for this year’s, PGA shirt. Between the two of us, it worked out very well.
Steadiest golfer of the year goes to Peter El Sid Sidonio, whose net scores were never more than 3 strokes apart. This is starkly opposed by Harley Davidson whose best score was 20 strokes better than his worst score. How do you handicap that guy?
If any of you who have friends who might be interested in playing, let me know and I will add them to my spares list. At the very least they will get and update to the website after every event. But I send out an email every time I need a spare.
Although the broad smile emanating from the Green Jacket winner in his photo is very appropriate considering the magnitude of his accomplishment, the accompanying attire is highly unsuitable. He shall forthwith be doomed to be sartorially advised by Tip Top Borland before attending any PGA functions in the future. He and Borland should be on speed FaceTime so that Borland can approve Madsen’s selection of appropriate attire before appearing in public.
Finally
That brings to a close another highly successful year on the PGA. These Saturdays bring together a group of boys who can share a laugh or two and have a friendly competition. Most of us look forward to these weekends during the Spring when we can start to relive the memories of our competitive youth even if we fail badly at it. For me, it’s getting to spend time with some guys I otherwise wouldn’t know and having several good laughs on these Saturdays that I enjoy the most. Let’s keep it going. I think next year may be our 25th year. It must be good; we keep coming back!
Many thanks to all of the executive who do a great deal of work behind the scenes and in front of the scenes to make all of this happen: Paul Killeen, our chief accountant and event organizer; Larry Brown and Bob Garries, our main prize getters and distributors; Vic Grundy, our key stats man and accountability maestro; Dale Borland, our key day of the event, details man; Blair Murdoch, our games and groups organizer; Steve Cain, our web site communications expert; Digby Leigh Sr, our post match financial payment man; and to the several others who have contributed prizes and who work for a living and keep making contributions to our pension funds. I thank all of you!
floggem non scamus non shankus
--
illegitimus non carborundum
Pagoda Ridge
The game for the day was “Heros and Bums” and everyone who completed the round was deemed to be a Hero on the day. The rain began just before the opening group teed off and became torrential on the front 9. Keeping their games together and occasionally having a half decent swing proved to be quite challenging for most. Managing frustration levels with minimal complaints made everyone a hero on the day. However, most of us proved to be Bums on the scorecard. The Green Jacket Coveting Team of Borland, Madsen, Sidonio and Leigh Jr, were an exception to the rule as their group outdistanced the pack by far, posting a day’s best net +2 in Heros and Bums. The last place team posted a net +28. The rest were closer to last than first. However, the winning team was on the verge of disqualification for extremely slow play. They were a full 3 holes behind by the end of the round leaving the group behind them massively frustrated in their desire to get their round over with and out of the rain. Only the fact that the three leaders in TRTTCGJ and JR The Younger who shot his best round of the year by far were in that group and were obviously grinding over every shot in extremely trying conditions saved them from disqualification. I am trusting that each paid their sanction in full before paying into the beer pot.
There were four golfers on the day who knew how to deal with the very difficult conditions and posted net 71’s: two of the favoured Green Jacket recipients, the ever steady Tip Top Borland and the new leader Kirknose Madsen; along with the ever improving Raising Cain, a very sneaky climber in TRTTCGJ; and the very surprising JR Leigh who finally demonstrated some of that enormous potential he has. And to top it off, he was left off the prize table for some reason and with his very polite, respectful nature, he didn’t say a word. He certainly sticks out in this crowd and he does deserve a prize in retrospect.The other Green Jacket contender,El Sid, also shot an excellent net 72. Impressive rounds on a very difficult day.
TRTTCGJ looks very much like it has boiled down to a three horse race coming into the final round for the year. Both Tip Top Borland and El Sid Sidonio are only a mere two strokes behind the current leader Kirknose Madsen. The other members of his Calcutta group will be pulling for one of these three.
In the other games of the day the two KP winners for the day were Tip Top Borland on hole #8 and the very inconsistent Mumbles Goulding on the challenging #11. Not many even hit the green on #11 so Mumbles win was especially impressive. Big loser for the day was guest, Dro Overgaard who hit his tee shot on the 175 yard par 3 #3 to within 18” but, alas, there was no KP prize on that hole. In a large group of golfers who wished they had stayed in bed the two biggest losers of the day were Mountain Lyon and, keeping the family tradition of PGA mediocrity alive, the ever schizophrenic golfer, Oyster Leigh Sr lead the losers with net 83’s on the day. Mumbles Goulding was also in that lowly esteemed group but he had already won a prize on the day.
In The Wet Rough
Many thanks to our two spares for the day, Coach Abercrombie and Dro Overgaard who made a commitment and stuck to it right until the bitter end. We thank them enormously. They obviously have passed the first test for full time membership on the tour.
Positive reviews were heard about the golf course and this despite the weather. The course might make it back on the rota.
The game for the day was “Heros and Bums” and everyone who completed the round was deemed to be a Hero on the day. The rain began just before the opening group teed off and became torrential on the front 9. Keeping their games together and occasionally having a half decent swing proved to be quite challenging for most. Managing frustration levels with minimal complaints made everyone a hero on the day. However, most of us proved to be Bums on the scorecard. The Green Jacket Coveting Team of Borland, Madsen, Sidonio and Leigh Jr, were an exception to the rule as their group outdistanced the pack by far, posting a day’s best net +2 in Heros and Bums. The last place team posted a net +28. The rest were closer to last than first. However, the winning team was on the verge of disqualification for extremely slow play. They were a full 3 holes behind by the end of the round leaving the group behind them massively frustrated in their desire to get their round over with and out of the rain. Only the fact that the three leaders in TRTTCGJ and JR The Younger who shot his best round of the year by far were in that group and were obviously grinding over every shot in extremely trying conditions saved them from disqualification. I am trusting that each paid their sanction in full before paying into the beer pot.
There were four golfers on the day who knew how to deal with the very difficult conditions and posted net 71’s: two of the favoured Green Jacket recipients, the ever steady Tip Top Borland and the new leader Kirknose Madsen; along with the ever improving Raising Cain, a very sneaky climber in TRTTCGJ; and the very surprising JR Leigh who finally demonstrated some of that enormous potential he has. And to top it off, he was left off the prize table for some reason and with his very polite, respectful nature, he didn’t say a word. He certainly sticks out in this crowd and he does deserve a prize in retrospect.The other Green Jacket contender,El Sid, also shot an excellent net 72. Impressive rounds on a very difficult day.
TRTTCGJ looks very much like it has boiled down to a three horse race coming into the final round for the year. Both Tip Top Borland and El Sid Sidonio are only a mere two strokes behind the current leader Kirknose Madsen. The other members of his Calcutta group will be pulling for one of these three.
In the other games of the day the two KP winners for the day were Tip Top Borland on hole #8 and the very inconsistent Mumbles Goulding on the challenging #11. Not many even hit the green on #11 so Mumbles win was especially impressive. Big loser for the day was guest, Dro Overgaard who hit his tee shot on the 175 yard par 3 #3 to within 18” but, alas, there was no KP prize on that hole. In a large group of golfers who wished they had stayed in bed the two biggest losers of the day were Mountain Lyon and, keeping the family tradition of PGA mediocrity alive, the ever schizophrenic golfer, Oyster Leigh Sr lead the losers with net 83’s on the day. Mumbles Goulding was also in that lowly esteemed group but he had already won a prize on the day.
In The Wet Rough
Many thanks to our two spares for the day, Coach Abercrombie and Dro Overgaard who made a commitment and stuck to it right until the bitter end. We thank them enormously. They obviously have passed the first test for full time membership on the tour.
Positive reviews were heard about the golf course and this despite the weather. The course might make it back on the rota.
Tripper Cup - Rivershore
The PGA took their show on the road this year to The Links at Rivershore just outside Kamloops. This was a return of the group to Rivershore after several years absence but it was the first time that we stayed at the South Thompson Inn right beside the course. The course played to mixed reviews but the weekend event itself was first class with many thanks to all those who added to the organization and the prize table.
Team Butthead prevailed over Team Beavis on the two day event but in reality, the golf course itself prevailed over the golfers. Battling periodic strong winds and chilly conditions, no one netted in the 60’s on either of the days much to the delight of the low handicappers. After Day 1, Team Butthead, captained by Larry Ace Brown, took a commanding 10.5 to 4.5 lead over the struggling Beavis’s. Obviously, all the prior thought and planning that Brown had done in preparing his team was much superior to the preparation put in by Beavis captain Tip Top Borland. It also helped that the two spares for the day, Bill Rublee, who spared for captain Kirknose Madsen on the Saturday, played like Madsen on his best day and Tom Lewis, who spared for Relic Murdoch played like Relic on his usual day. Both were great additions for the group.
Day Two featured a much closer competition but again The Buttheads came out on top for the day - 16.5 to 13.5 producing a final weekend trouncing for the Buttheads 27 to 18. The real captain of the Buttheads, Kirknose Madsen had arrived just in time to put his winning matches in order against captain Tip Top the night before. Although Kirknose couldn’t mange the success of the previous night’s captain, Brown, he still managed to put together a winning formula.The Buttheads each took home a handsome, individual trophy donated by the increasingly popular Tommy Bahama Sherk. One of the matches matches of Day Two, Borland vs. Burns, featured two drastically different preparation techniques the night before. At the end of the evening Burns was seen staggering back to his room with a mostly empty bottle of whisky in his hand long after Borland was soundly tucked into his bed getting his rest for the upcoming day. Borland’s strategy of selling his whisky to Burns turned out to be a poor move as Burns overcame Tip Top’s anticipated steady play to post a 3 to 0 victory. Tip Top was not his usual steady self on the day and he couldn’t overcome Burns’ traditional training habits. Should have had more whisky!
Larry Ace Brown out did himself at the prize table and thanks to donations from some of the members, everyone took home a prize. Somehow commissioner Burns ended up with the bottle of whisky at the end of the night and he doesn’t know how. The truly skilled golfers of the the weekend, however, were low net winners on Saturday, Peter El Sid (sic) with a net 70 and Digby Shyster Leigh with a net 71. Low nets on Sunday belonged to El Sid once again with a net 70 and special guest, Tom Lewis, also with a net 70. El Sid must have significantly lowered the gap in TRTTCGJ. JR, or should we call him Trey, Leigh was disappointed that there was no prize for high net this weekend. Despite hitting his tee shots (and many of his iron shots) beyond the capacity of most of our vision, he had a little trouble keeping the ball in play. What is it they say, “you can score with a slice but you can’t play with a hook.” It could be that the only reason one of the Leigh’s didn’t get the high net this weekend, thus breaking a season long steak, is the fact that there was no prize.
In the real game of skill, The KP contests on Saturday, the winners were guest Bill Rublee on hole 2, Organizer Killeen on hole 7 and Bricklayer Mason on hole 11. Sunday’s KP winners were Blurry-eyed Burns on #2, Mountain Lyon on #7, Bricklayer Mason on #11 and Scoring Nazi Grundy on #17. Congratulations to all you truly talented, or on this day incredibly lucky, golfers.
TRTTCGJ
The Race To The Coveted Green Jacket suddenly got much tighter. Season long leader Tip Top Borland was knocked off his lofty perch all the way down to fourth spot. And Beerhead Player was actually the big winner of the weekend by not playing. He moved into a tie for the lead along with El Sid Sidonio who had a stellar weekend. The big loser for the weekend appears to be Larry Ace Brown who dropped from third place all the way down to ninth. But there was a fair bit of movement in The Race. It looks as if next weekend will be a very big weekend in determining the Green Jacket winner. Right now, it appears to be a three person race among Sidonio, Borland and Madsen. Someone else will have to shoot a very good number next week to close the gap between those three and the rest of us. Beerhead will be out because he won’t meet qualifications but one does have to admire his competitive spirit. I’m sure he will have an argument for qualification. The others who may sneak their way into The Race are the surprisingly steady Raising Cain, the sneaky Bricklayer Mason, and the “my clubs and swing are worth more than your house” Killeen who will have to shoot a very good round next weekend to close a fairly big gap. The rest of us will have to look forward to the Calcutta and dreams of being better. But it’s never over until the fat lady sings.
The PGA took their show on the road this year to The Links at Rivershore just outside Kamloops. This was a return of the group to Rivershore after several years absence but it was the first time that we stayed at the South Thompson Inn right beside the course. The course played to mixed reviews but the weekend event itself was first class with many thanks to all those who added to the organization and the prize table.
Team Butthead prevailed over Team Beavis on the two day event but in reality, the golf course itself prevailed over the golfers. Battling periodic strong winds and chilly conditions, no one netted in the 60’s on either of the days much to the delight of the low handicappers. After Day 1, Team Butthead, captained by Larry Ace Brown, took a commanding 10.5 to 4.5 lead over the struggling Beavis’s. Obviously, all the prior thought and planning that Brown had done in preparing his team was much superior to the preparation put in by Beavis captain Tip Top Borland. It also helped that the two spares for the day, Bill Rublee, who spared for captain Kirknose Madsen on the Saturday, played like Madsen on his best day and Tom Lewis, who spared for Relic Murdoch played like Relic on his usual day. Both were great additions for the group.
Day Two featured a much closer competition but again The Buttheads came out on top for the day - 16.5 to 13.5 producing a final weekend trouncing for the Buttheads 27 to 18. The real captain of the Buttheads, Kirknose Madsen had arrived just in time to put his winning matches in order against captain Tip Top the night before. Although Kirknose couldn’t mange the success of the previous night’s captain, Brown, he still managed to put together a winning formula.The Buttheads each took home a handsome, individual trophy donated by the increasingly popular Tommy Bahama Sherk. One of the matches matches of Day Two, Borland vs. Burns, featured two drastically different preparation techniques the night before. At the end of the evening Burns was seen staggering back to his room with a mostly empty bottle of whisky in his hand long after Borland was soundly tucked into his bed getting his rest for the upcoming day. Borland’s strategy of selling his whisky to Burns turned out to be a poor move as Burns overcame Tip Top’s anticipated steady play to post a 3 to 0 victory. Tip Top was not his usual steady self on the day and he couldn’t overcome Burns’ traditional training habits. Should have had more whisky!
Larry Ace Brown out did himself at the prize table and thanks to donations from some of the members, everyone took home a prize. Somehow commissioner Burns ended up with the bottle of whisky at the end of the night and he doesn’t know how. The truly skilled golfers of the the weekend, however, were low net winners on Saturday, Peter El Sid (sic) with a net 70 and Digby Shyster Leigh with a net 71. Low nets on Sunday belonged to El Sid once again with a net 70 and special guest, Tom Lewis, also with a net 70. El Sid must have significantly lowered the gap in TRTTCGJ. JR, or should we call him Trey, Leigh was disappointed that there was no prize for high net this weekend. Despite hitting his tee shots (and many of his iron shots) beyond the capacity of most of our vision, he had a little trouble keeping the ball in play. What is it they say, “you can score with a slice but you can’t play with a hook.” It could be that the only reason one of the Leigh’s didn’t get the high net this weekend, thus breaking a season long steak, is the fact that there was no prize.
In the real game of skill, The KP contests on Saturday, the winners were guest Bill Rublee on hole 2, Organizer Killeen on hole 7 and Bricklayer Mason on hole 11. Sunday’s KP winners were Blurry-eyed Burns on #2, Mountain Lyon on #7, Bricklayer Mason on #11 and Scoring Nazi Grundy on #17. Congratulations to all you truly talented, or on this day incredibly lucky, golfers.
TRTTCGJ
The Race To The Coveted Green Jacket suddenly got much tighter. Season long leader Tip Top Borland was knocked off his lofty perch all the way down to fourth spot. And Beerhead Player was actually the big winner of the weekend by not playing. He moved into a tie for the lead along with El Sid Sidonio who had a stellar weekend. The big loser for the weekend appears to be Larry Ace Brown who dropped from third place all the way down to ninth. But there was a fair bit of movement in The Race. It looks as if next weekend will be a very big weekend in determining the Green Jacket winner. Right now, it appears to be a three person race among Sidonio, Borland and Madsen. Someone else will have to shoot a very good number next week to close the gap between those three and the rest of us. Beerhead will be out because he won’t meet qualifications but one does have to admire his competitive spirit. I’m sure he will have an argument for qualification. The others who may sneak their way into The Race are the surprisingly steady Raising Cain, the sneaky Bricklayer Mason, and the “my clubs and swing are worth more than your house” Killeen who will have to shoot a very good round next weekend to close a fairly big gap. The rest of us will have to look forward to the Calcutta and dreams of being better. But it’s never over until the fat lady sings.
Squamish I
For the first time that anyone can recall, a PGA event was postponed. Veterans can recall playing in rain and wind (remember The Links at Boundary Shores - we have never been back) and even rain and sleet one year at Morgan Creek. It took us several years before we returned there. But the Squamish event was postponed and it only took one week before we returned to Squamish. Albeit, the delay did cause a serious disruption for several of our members who were unable to attend the rescheduled event. However, two sturdy warriors did attend the initial Squamish event and the locals overheard several disparaging comments coming from their mouths about the lack of manliness of the other members of the group. In fact, they were overheard suggesting that serious sanctions should be imposed on those who opted out of playing. Those two were in attendance and fully prepared to deal with the elements on the day. Well done you two! I commend you for your fortitude. But instead of following through with their high levels of testosterone and playing, thus proving to the rest of us that we truly were wimps, they decided to have a leisurely breakfast and enjoy each other’s company and intellectual repartee while watching the rain build up outside. If they had played, then sanctions for the rest of us, and in particular the commissioner, would surely have been in order. However, after deciding that the rain indeed was too heavy and opting out of golf, they should be sanctioned for not reading their emails! Well done Relic Murdoch and Medium Taylor. I assume breakfast was delicious.
Squamish II Week 5 Review - 2016
A limited field of 16 were treated to a spectacular sunny day at the Squamish Valley Golf Club, a far cry from the sodden misery that would have befallen the group had we played the previous week (great call from the Commish to cancel and save everyone the long journey for no outing....or was that the case? Who fell from their deep slumber on the morning of Saturday 24th, didn't check their email and duly drove to Squamish only to find the tee-times were no more!! Sanctions….only the Commish can decide).
The weather gods shone bright for the 4 groups who we tasked with smashing through the Quota barrier with a birdie fest like no other. Well, not quite. Congratulations go to Kim Kirknose Madsen who from a clean and efficient net 69 was the Quota winner with a commendable +3 on his quota of 26. Close on his tail, but alas not quite good enough, were Doug Beerhead Player on +2, Dale Tip Top Borland on +1 with Mike In the Jar Mason bringing up the rear. Expert golf ensued on the somewhat challenging Par 3's on the day with the aforementioned Kirknose getting another slice of the prize pie with his KP on #5 and the ever steady In The Jar getting it closest on #8; Bruce Harley Davidson was the hot-shot on #11 while Freddy Flintstone Walters was the victor on #17.
As the sun shone down throughout the day, a few players might be assumed to have been affected by the heat and relapsed into a clutches of the reaper for Highest Net score. Al Mumbles Goulding seemed both proud and quite assured that his net 82 was to stand atop the terrible pile, but he was crushed to learn that a century topping gross 101, yielding a net of 86 from Digby Shyster Leigh, was the recipient of the highest net prize. The elder Leigh obviously was maintaining a family tradition of mediocrity.
Next up for the bunch of highly tuned athletic golf specimens on the tour is the road trip to Kamloops and a visit to the South Thompson Inn. A selection of players are traveling up on the Friday for a practice round to further hone and perfect their finely polished golfing skills or perhaps just simply to realize and confirm that the weekend might just be a complete waste of time were it not for the alcoholic consumption and the good company of a group of 19 other hopefuls.
See you in Kamloops. Save travels.
For the first time that anyone can recall, a PGA event was postponed. Veterans can recall playing in rain and wind (remember The Links at Boundary Shores - we have never been back) and even rain and sleet one year at Morgan Creek. It took us several years before we returned there. But the Squamish event was postponed and it only took one week before we returned to Squamish. Albeit, the delay did cause a serious disruption for several of our members who were unable to attend the rescheduled event. However, two sturdy warriors did attend the initial Squamish event and the locals overheard several disparaging comments coming from their mouths about the lack of manliness of the other members of the group. In fact, they were overheard suggesting that serious sanctions should be imposed on those who opted out of playing. Those two were in attendance and fully prepared to deal with the elements on the day. Well done you two! I commend you for your fortitude. But instead of following through with their high levels of testosterone and playing, thus proving to the rest of us that we truly were wimps, they decided to have a leisurely breakfast and enjoy each other’s company and intellectual repartee while watching the rain build up outside. If they had played, then sanctions for the rest of us, and in particular the commissioner, would surely have been in order. However, after deciding that the rain indeed was too heavy and opting out of golf, they should be sanctioned for not reading their emails! Well done Relic Murdoch and Medium Taylor. I assume breakfast was delicious.
Squamish II Week 5 Review - 2016
A limited field of 16 were treated to a spectacular sunny day at the Squamish Valley Golf Club, a far cry from the sodden misery that would have befallen the group had we played the previous week (great call from the Commish to cancel and save everyone the long journey for no outing....or was that the case? Who fell from their deep slumber on the morning of Saturday 24th, didn't check their email and duly drove to Squamish only to find the tee-times were no more!! Sanctions….only the Commish can decide).
The weather gods shone bright for the 4 groups who we tasked with smashing through the Quota barrier with a birdie fest like no other. Well, not quite. Congratulations go to Kim Kirknose Madsen who from a clean and efficient net 69 was the Quota winner with a commendable +3 on his quota of 26. Close on his tail, but alas not quite good enough, were Doug Beerhead Player on +2, Dale Tip Top Borland on +1 with Mike In the Jar Mason bringing up the rear. Expert golf ensued on the somewhat challenging Par 3's on the day with the aforementioned Kirknose getting another slice of the prize pie with his KP on #5 and the ever steady In The Jar getting it closest on #8; Bruce Harley Davidson was the hot-shot on #11 while Freddy Flintstone Walters was the victor on #17.
As the sun shone down throughout the day, a few players might be assumed to have been affected by the heat and relapsed into a clutches of the reaper for Highest Net score. Al Mumbles Goulding seemed both proud and quite assured that his net 82 was to stand atop the terrible pile, but he was crushed to learn that a century topping gross 101, yielding a net of 86 from Digby Shyster Leigh, was the recipient of the highest net prize. The elder Leigh obviously was maintaining a family tradition of mediocrity.
Next up for the bunch of highly tuned athletic golf specimens on the tour is the road trip to Kamloops and a visit to the South Thompson Inn. A selection of players are traveling up on the Friday for a practice round to further hone and perfect their finely polished golfing skills or perhaps just simply to realize and confirm that the weekend might just be a complete waste of time were it not for the alcoholic consumption and the good company of a group of 19 other hopefuls.
See you in Kamloops. Save travels.
2016 Week 4 Review - Northview (Ridge)
Once again, many thanks to Killer Killeen for organizing a round at the Ridge’s excellent layout on another spectacular day for golf. The weather guru has been on our side for the past couple of years now and by the look of things, the way that three of the five teams managed to hold on to their pink balls right through the round, the golfing guru must be starting to look brightly on our play, as well. The pink ball game was a very suitable one for Mother’s Day weekend but there was disappointment in the lack of pink attire (Knuckles and the Nazi aside) from the members. Next year must be better! The three teams who managed to maintain possession of their balls when they walked off the 18th green were the Brown (Medium Taylor, Coach Abercrombie and Mountain Lyon) team, the Borland (Mumbles Goulding, Nazi Grundy and Shaky Player) team and the Burns’ (Shyster Leigh, Flintstone Walters and Dro Overgaard) team who ham and egged their way to victory in the tie breaker by shooting a net -5 with their pink ball, far out distancing the other two wannabes who both shot even par nets with their pink balls - but at least they still had balls at the end of the round.
In the true test of golfing skill or the luckiest golfers on the day, the KP competitions were won by Kim Kirknose Madsen whose magnificent opening shot on hole #5 stood up for the rest of the day and Digby Shyster Leigh whose shot with the pink ball on hole #11 was better that all others. Was it good or was it luck?
Best rounds of the day came from some unlikely sources and from some quietly creeping creeps. Mountain Lyon visited the prize bag for the first time in his two years on tour with an excellent net 67. Shaky Player quietly creeped up the ladder once again with a very strong net 67, as well. But the creepiest golfer of the day was Knuckles Garries who lead all golfers with a magnificent net 66. Where did that come from?
At the other end of the spectrum, showing his schizophrenic golfing nature, after coming from last week’s low net, to this week’s high net 83, was the truly Tragic Tommy Bahamas Sherk. Not only did he sink into his own morass but he brought his teammates to tears when he lost the team pink ball. I hope he bought each of his team members a bottle of whisky so they might have faintly fond memories of the day. What are the chances? Tragic Tommy Sherk!
TRTTCGJ
Positions began to solidify at the top of the leaderboard in TRTTCGJ. Now at almost the halfway point of the tour, Tip Top Borland still its solidly at the top of the board with a very strong net 70 average. Pan Sidonio still sits in second place having gained ground by not playing with his net 70.5 average. Probably making the biggest move of the week into a threatening position was Kirknose Madsen who now sits in 5th place having moved well within reach of the leader Borland. However, the ever steady Ace Brown is lurking in third place at net 70.7. Watch out for the lurking Brown. Fully half the field are within 4 strokes of Tip Top but it will take some very steady and consistent golf from the rest if Tip Top is to be toppled.
In The Rough
A sanction is in order for group #1 (Kirknose Madsen, Tragic Tommy Sherk, Raising Cain and Killer Killeen) who, for some reason organized a table for 14 at the end of the round. Did they think their group and half another was not going to show up? Everybody knows the responsibilities of the first group except, apparently, the members of the first group - chairs for 20, beers for 20 and food for 20. Sanction!
Guess who was last at the table this Saturday?
Will Tip Top’s handicap index have to be closely assessed? Steadily shooting net 70’s should mean a lowering of handicap and a net rise in scoring nets. This consistency would never have happened in the old days.
Having heard very little in the way of negative comments around the table, it’s hard to know what to improve. Feedback, gentlemen, feedback.
An extra sanction for the Commissioner next week who forgot to put in for the post match beers. Double for him next time.
There has been some minor talk about the yearend BBQ and not having a meal associated with it. Rather everyone would just bring an appetizer and mingle. This would mean no one would have to have a major organizational issue and much less of a cleanup. What are the thoughts?
Once again, many thanks to Killer Killeen for organizing a round at the Ridge’s excellent layout on another spectacular day for golf. The weather guru has been on our side for the past couple of years now and by the look of things, the way that three of the five teams managed to hold on to their pink balls right through the round, the golfing guru must be starting to look brightly on our play, as well. The pink ball game was a very suitable one for Mother’s Day weekend but there was disappointment in the lack of pink attire (Knuckles and the Nazi aside) from the members. Next year must be better! The three teams who managed to maintain possession of their balls when they walked off the 18th green were the Brown (Medium Taylor, Coach Abercrombie and Mountain Lyon) team, the Borland (Mumbles Goulding, Nazi Grundy and Shaky Player) team and the Burns’ (Shyster Leigh, Flintstone Walters and Dro Overgaard) team who ham and egged their way to victory in the tie breaker by shooting a net -5 with their pink ball, far out distancing the other two wannabes who both shot even par nets with their pink balls - but at least they still had balls at the end of the round.
In the true test of golfing skill or the luckiest golfers on the day, the KP competitions were won by Kim Kirknose Madsen whose magnificent opening shot on hole #5 stood up for the rest of the day and Digby Shyster Leigh whose shot with the pink ball on hole #11 was better that all others. Was it good or was it luck?
Best rounds of the day came from some unlikely sources and from some quietly creeping creeps. Mountain Lyon visited the prize bag for the first time in his two years on tour with an excellent net 67. Shaky Player quietly creeped up the ladder once again with a very strong net 67, as well. But the creepiest golfer of the day was Knuckles Garries who lead all golfers with a magnificent net 66. Where did that come from?
At the other end of the spectrum, showing his schizophrenic golfing nature, after coming from last week’s low net, to this week’s high net 83, was the truly Tragic Tommy Bahamas Sherk. Not only did he sink into his own morass but he brought his teammates to tears when he lost the team pink ball. I hope he bought each of his team members a bottle of whisky so they might have faintly fond memories of the day. What are the chances? Tragic Tommy Sherk!
TRTTCGJ
Positions began to solidify at the top of the leaderboard in TRTTCGJ. Now at almost the halfway point of the tour, Tip Top Borland still its solidly at the top of the board with a very strong net 70 average. Pan Sidonio still sits in second place having gained ground by not playing with his net 70.5 average. Probably making the biggest move of the week into a threatening position was Kirknose Madsen who now sits in 5th place having moved well within reach of the leader Borland. However, the ever steady Ace Brown is lurking in third place at net 70.7. Watch out for the lurking Brown. Fully half the field are within 4 strokes of Tip Top but it will take some very steady and consistent golf from the rest if Tip Top is to be toppled.
In The Rough
A sanction is in order for group #1 (Kirknose Madsen, Tragic Tommy Sherk, Raising Cain and Killer Killeen) who, for some reason organized a table for 14 at the end of the round. Did they think their group and half another was not going to show up? Everybody knows the responsibilities of the first group except, apparently, the members of the first group - chairs for 20, beers for 20 and food for 20. Sanction!
Guess who was last at the table this Saturday?
Will Tip Top’s handicap index have to be closely assessed? Steadily shooting net 70’s should mean a lowering of handicap and a net rise in scoring nets. This consistency would never have happened in the old days.
Having heard very little in the way of negative comments around the table, it’s hard to know what to improve. Feedback, gentlemen, feedback.
An extra sanction for the Commissioner next week who forgot to put in for the post match beers. Double for him next time.
There has been some minor talk about the yearend BBQ and not having a meal associated with it. Rather everyone would just bring an appetizer and mingle. This would mean no one would have to have a major organizational issue and much less of a cleanup. What are the thoughts?
2016 Week 3 Review - Northlands
Once again, the weather co-operated and we were greeted with spectacular weather and playing conditions for our PGA event. Some of the golf was spectacular, as well. Highlight of the day may have been Peter “Pan” Sidonio’s KP on number 8 which came to rest one revolution short of going in for another ace in the PGA ‘s history. The only other being Larry “Ace” Brown’s year’s ago at North Bellingham. Alas, Brown gets to keep his nickname and Pan falls one revolution short of becoming the latest “Ace.” But, spectacular shot, Pan! The other ho-hum KP on hole number 16 went to the ever steady Tip Top Borland who once again demonstrated his spectacular golfing skills ahead of the rest of the group who either couldn’t hit a massive green or couldn’t two putt.
The day also say a large influx of guests to the group as 6 of our regulars couldn’t attend. The newbies added some new life and perspective to the regulars who could attend and one of those newbies even helped his team onto victory at the prize table. The team event at Vienna, the day’s game was won by Team Borland (once again!) with a team net of minus 16. The very steady play of Tip Top, In the Jar Mason, Bruce “I Don’t Do Audits” Davidson, and special guest Frank “Coco” Cochrane lead the way against a cast of otherwise also rans for the day. It was very fitting (pun intended) that the two who try their hardest at dapperfying the group were paired together and showed that attempting to look good and play well can go together. In second, just behind the day’s best was the “Kid” group lead by Stretch “The Scoring Nazi” Grundy. Apparently, the elder Grundy’s spectacular individual play wasn’t quite enough to overcome the younger Leigh’s quest to donate golf balls to nature as the Kid Group fell just short. Kyle “The Younger” Grundy and the remarkably steady Shakey Player were the other members of this close but no cigars group.
Making a killing at the prize bag (once again!) was the ever steady Tip Top Borland who lead the individual way with the day’s low net of 68. The man knows how the bring out his best for these weekends as they seem to be his lowest rounds rounds he records. However, the vastly improved Stretch Grundy who is beginning to bring his A game on a weekly basis is not letting the spectacular Tip Top out of his sights. Grundy’s net 69 was second best on the day. The rest of us (once again) are also rans.
Steady is the name of the game at the other end of the prize table. JR Graham Leigh is on a personal quest to raise the stock prices of Titleist by both donating golf balls back to the forest and by winning new ones at the prize table, led the way toward mediocrity for the second week in a row. His net 82 edged out the almost as mediocre Mumbles Goulding, who despite some spectacular play stumbled to a net 81. Mumbles, who declared on the 18 that we only need to get 2 pars to be in the prize race - easy, proceeded to achieve two pars on his own.
In the Rough
Some players are more steady than others. Last week, at Morgan Creek, Killer Killeen forgot his fanny pack with his camera at the course. When he discovered it missing after he got home to North Vancouver, he called the course he was told that it was there. He headed back to Morgan Creek to discover that Mountain Lyon and Raising Cain were still in the bar drinking, an hour and a half after everyone else had left. Well again, at Northlands, who was still at the bar drinking long after everyone else has left - Mountain and Raising. They may not be anything else, but they are consistent. Relic, these two could be your new best friends!
TRTTCGJ
The Race To The Coveted Green Jacket continues to be the tightest one ever. The ever steady Tip Top Borland continues to lead the charge after once again recording the low net for the day. However, the ever crafty, quietly sneaky Pan Sidonio has secretly slid into second place on 0.2 net stroke behind our leader. Holding very steady behind the two leaders, probably because they weren’t here this week, are the flamboyant Tommy Bahamas Sherk and Still Ace Brown. Taking a step back on the leaderboard after a less than stellar week are Raising Cain, Sandpaper Madsen and Shakey Beerhead Player. The leaderboard is really starting to solidify as we near the halfway point of the season so the rest of us also-rans really need a very strong showing next week at Northview if we expect to get back in the race. Full details for the TRTTCGJ con be found on the stats page.
On another note, the executive had decided at the beginning of the year that The Green Jacket was to be awarded to the truely best golfer of the season, the individual who consistently scored the best net scores over the full 9 rounds. All 9 rounds were to be included in the scoring, even the match play rounds on the Tripper Cup were to be included and this was done to not only evaluate the best golfer, but also to encourage everyone to attend all rounds. The attending all rounds part has proven to be quite challenging. So the proposal is now that in order to qualify for The Green Jacket players must be at the Calcutta and the best 7 scores for the remaining rounds will count toward the final calculations. So there will be 8 counting rounds for everyone. For those who attend all 9 events, the reward is that you get to throw out one bad score. For those of you who attend fewer than 8 events, you will have to make up 8 scores by adding in another of your highest round scores. And if you have only 6 rounds then your 8 scores will be made by adding in another of your highest scores and second highest score, etc. Hopefully, will serve a couple of purposes by rewarding those who attend the most, by encouraging everyone to attend and by still recognizing the best golfer among us. Remember, you have to participate in the Calcutta to qualify.
Once again, the weather co-operated and we were greeted with spectacular weather and playing conditions for our PGA event. Some of the golf was spectacular, as well. Highlight of the day may have been Peter “Pan” Sidonio’s KP on number 8 which came to rest one revolution short of going in for another ace in the PGA ‘s history. The only other being Larry “Ace” Brown’s year’s ago at North Bellingham. Alas, Brown gets to keep his nickname and Pan falls one revolution short of becoming the latest “Ace.” But, spectacular shot, Pan! The other ho-hum KP on hole number 16 went to the ever steady Tip Top Borland who once again demonstrated his spectacular golfing skills ahead of the rest of the group who either couldn’t hit a massive green or couldn’t two putt.
The day also say a large influx of guests to the group as 6 of our regulars couldn’t attend. The newbies added some new life and perspective to the regulars who could attend and one of those newbies even helped his team onto victory at the prize table. The team event at Vienna, the day’s game was won by Team Borland (once again!) with a team net of minus 16. The very steady play of Tip Top, In the Jar Mason, Bruce “I Don’t Do Audits” Davidson, and special guest Frank “Coco” Cochrane lead the way against a cast of otherwise also rans for the day. It was very fitting (pun intended) that the two who try their hardest at dapperfying the group were paired together and showed that attempting to look good and play well can go together. In second, just behind the day’s best was the “Kid” group lead by Stretch “The Scoring Nazi” Grundy. Apparently, the elder Grundy’s spectacular individual play wasn’t quite enough to overcome the younger Leigh’s quest to donate golf balls to nature as the Kid Group fell just short. Kyle “The Younger” Grundy and the remarkably steady Shakey Player were the other members of this close but no cigars group.
Making a killing at the prize bag (once again!) was the ever steady Tip Top Borland who lead the individual way with the day’s low net of 68. The man knows how the bring out his best for these weekends as they seem to be his lowest rounds rounds he records. However, the vastly improved Stretch Grundy who is beginning to bring his A game on a weekly basis is not letting the spectacular Tip Top out of his sights. Grundy’s net 69 was second best on the day. The rest of us (once again) are also rans.
Steady is the name of the game at the other end of the prize table. JR Graham Leigh is on a personal quest to raise the stock prices of Titleist by both donating golf balls back to the forest and by winning new ones at the prize table, led the way toward mediocrity for the second week in a row. His net 82 edged out the almost as mediocre Mumbles Goulding, who despite some spectacular play stumbled to a net 81. Mumbles, who declared on the 18 that we only need to get 2 pars to be in the prize race - easy, proceeded to achieve two pars on his own.
In the Rough
Some players are more steady than others. Last week, at Morgan Creek, Killer Killeen forgot his fanny pack with his camera at the course. When he discovered it missing after he got home to North Vancouver, he called the course he was told that it was there. He headed back to Morgan Creek to discover that Mountain Lyon and Raising Cain were still in the bar drinking, an hour and a half after everyone else had left. Well again, at Northlands, who was still at the bar drinking long after everyone else has left - Mountain and Raising. They may not be anything else, but they are consistent. Relic, these two could be your new best friends!
TRTTCGJ
The Race To The Coveted Green Jacket continues to be the tightest one ever. The ever steady Tip Top Borland continues to lead the charge after once again recording the low net for the day. However, the ever crafty, quietly sneaky Pan Sidonio has secretly slid into second place on 0.2 net stroke behind our leader. Holding very steady behind the two leaders, probably because they weren’t here this week, are the flamboyant Tommy Bahamas Sherk and Still Ace Brown. Taking a step back on the leaderboard after a less than stellar week are Raising Cain, Sandpaper Madsen and Shakey Beerhead Player. The leaderboard is really starting to solidify as we near the halfway point of the season so the rest of us also-rans really need a very strong showing next week at Northview if we expect to get back in the race. Full details for the TRTTCGJ con be found on the stats page.
On another note, the executive had decided at the beginning of the year that The Green Jacket was to be awarded to the truely best golfer of the season, the individual who consistently scored the best net scores over the full 9 rounds. All 9 rounds were to be included in the scoring, even the match play rounds on the Tripper Cup were to be included and this was done to not only evaluate the best golfer, but also to encourage everyone to attend all rounds. The attending all rounds part has proven to be quite challenging. So the proposal is now that in order to qualify for The Green Jacket players must be at the Calcutta and the best 7 scores for the remaining rounds will count toward the final calculations. So there will be 8 counting rounds for everyone. For those who attend all 9 events, the reward is that you get to throw out one bad score. For those of you who attend fewer than 8 events, you will have to make up 8 scores by adding in another of your highest round scores. And if you have only 6 rounds then your 8 scores will be made by adding in another of your highest scores and second highest score, etc. Hopefully, will serve a couple of purposes by rewarding those who attend the most, by encouraging everyone to attend and by still recognizing the best golfer among us. Remember, you have to participate in the Calcutta to qualify.
2016 Week 2 Review - Morgan Creek
Week 2
Week two on the PGA 2016 Tour turned out to be another stellar day for golf at Morgan Creek. And some of the golf turned out to be stellar, as well. The benign weather conditions accompanied by excellent conditions on the golf course resulted in much better scoring for some of our regulars during our second event of the year. Steve “Citizen” Cain lead the way with a spectacular net 66. Citizen was hotly pursued by close contenders Kim “Pumpkin” Madsen and the surprisingly steady Ken “Tommy Bahamas” Sherk with net 68’s. Next in line was the very steady and always well mannered, Peter “El Sid” Sidonio with a very respectable net 70. The rest of us were in the “also ran” category.
The Race
The Race To The Coveted Green Jacket (TRTTCGJ) had some changes to the top of the board. Continuing to look like this season long race will be the tightest ever, this week resulted in two new leaders appearing at the top - Citizen Cain and Pumpkin Madsen, after their outstanding weekend results, have taken over the season’s lead with net 142‘s. But fully half the field is within 8 strokes of the leaders. First round leaders Killer Killeen and In The Jar Mason fell back in the pack with much more normal average second rounds. Don’t want to peak too early, boyz. Always be wary of the ever steady Tip Top Borland, the surprising Tommy Bahamas Sherk and the lurking Larry “Ace” Brown who are all within two shots of the overall lead. Seemingly looking out of the playoff hunt already, though, are the steadily crappy Relic Murdoch, Bruce “How Did He Ever Win The Green Jacket?” Davidson, Bob “Knuckles” Garries and the surprising Freddy “Flintstone” Walters. But it’s still early days yet! Hot weather and an end to tax season is on the horizon! Flintstone obviously hasn’t hit his stride with his new driver or he is now actually posting his scores for his handicap!
Handicaps
Speaking of handicaps, in the “Isn’t It A Shame” category, Shaky Player’s net 76 on Saturday would have been a net 68 if he hadn’t failed to post his scores on the RCGA website as required by our PGA (and ethical standards everywhere) Code of Behaviour. The resulting 8 stroke penalty moved him away from the prize table for the day and moved him well back from what would have been tied for the lead atop the TRTTCGJ. ISN’T IT A SHAME!
At The Prize Table
The other prize winners for the day were the spectacularly inconsistent Hoss Alexander who once again visited the table for his magnificent KP on hole number 8. He appears to be taking over the mantle of constant KP artist from former member, Medium Taylor. The other KP winner on the day was Relic Murdoch on hole #14 whose amazing shot must have been shocking even for him. But it was timely enough to capture another great prize from out of the bag.
Our putting game of the day was captured by the teams of Knuckles Garries and Alex “Taxman” Volpatti who took first place with a team total 32 putting points. Second place was accorded to the team of Digby “Shyster” Leigh and Tip Top Borland with putting totals of 28 points. I know, a sanction is in order to the Commish for messing up the draw but it was fitting that individual winners Knuckles and Shyster did visit the prize table. I’m blaming Beerhead Player for rushing me so he could leave early but I will take my punishment.
Also visiting the prize table were our two prize losers for the day, Bruce “How Did He Ever Win The Green Jacket?” Davidson and JR “Graham DeLaet” Leigh who bottomed the scorecard and who led the day’s race to mediocrity with nets 82 and 79 respectively. At least JR, as an excuse, was at his initial event for the year and obviously he couldn’t handle the pressure. “?” was just crappy for the day.
In The Rough
Many thanks to Killer for bringing his camera and taking on the task of getting some pictures for the website. However, “Herding The Cats” was an issue. I can see that after years of marriage, all of you are extremely well practiced at ignoring instruction. The only ones who actually made an effort to keep the work to a minimum were the ones who are not in a relationship. How many of you qualify? Eventually, we did get a group picture, I think. Meow!
This event was also one of the only two events on our schedule that had a full turnout of membership. It was great to see the entire motley crew together. I look forward to these Saturdays and the laughs that ensue!
Don’t forget to post all your scores!
Dick
Week 2
Week two on the PGA 2016 Tour turned out to be another stellar day for golf at Morgan Creek. And some of the golf turned out to be stellar, as well. The benign weather conditions accompanied by excellent conditions on the golf course resulted in much better scoring for some of our regulars during our second event of the year. Steve “Citizen” Cain lead the way with a spectacular net 66. Citizen was hotly pursued by close contenders Kim “Pumpkin” Madsen and the surprisingly steady Ken “Tommy Bahamas” Sherk with net 68’s. Next in line was the very steady and always well mannered, Peter “El Sid” Sidonio with a very respectable net 70. The rest of us were in the “also ran” category.
The Race
The Race To The Coveted Green Jacket (TRTTCGJ) had some changes to the top of the board. Continuing to look like this season long race will be the tightest ever, this week resulted in two new leaders appearing at the top - Citizen Cain and Pumpkin Madsen, after their outstanding weekend results, have taken over the season’s lead with net 142‘s. But fully half the field is within 8 strokes of the leaders. First round leaders Killer Killeen and In The Jar Mason fell back in the pack with much more normal average second rounds. Don’t want to peak too early, boyz. Always be wary of the ever steady Tip Top Borland, the surprising Tommy Bahamas Sherk and the lurking Larry “Ace” Brown who are all within two shots of the overall lead. Seemingly looking out of the playoff hunt already, though, are the steadily crappy Relic Murdoch, Bruce “How Did He Ever Win The Green Jacket?” Davidson, Bob “Knuckles” Garries and the surprising Freddy “Flintstone” Walters. But it’s still early days yet! Hot weather and an end to tax season is on the horizon! Flintstone obviously hasn’t hit his stride with his new driver or he is now actually posting his scores for his handicap!
Handicaps
Speaking of handicaps, in the “Isn’t It A Shame” category, Shaky Player’s net 76 on Saturday would have been a net 68 if he hadn’t failed to post his scores on the RCGA website as required by our PGA (and ethical standards everywhere) Code of Behaviour. The resulting 8 stroke penalty moved him away from the prize table for the day and moved him well back from what would have been tied for the lead atop the TRTTCGJ. ISN’T IT A SHAME!
At The Prize Table
The other prize winners for the day were the spectacularly inconsistent Hoss Alexander who once again visited the table for his magnificent KP on hole number 8. He appears to be taking over the mantle of constant KP artist from former member, Medium Taylor. The other KP winner on the day was Relic Murdoch on hole #14 whose amazing shot must have been shocking even for him. But it was timely enough to capture another great prize from out of the bag.
Our putting game of the day was captured by the teams of Knuckles Garries and Alex “Taxman” Volpatti who took first place with a team total 32 putting points. Second place was accorded to the team of Digby “Shyster” Leigh and Tip Top Borland with putting totals of 28 points. I know, a sanction is in order to the Commish for messing up the draw but it was fitting that individual winners Knuckles and Shyster did visit the prize table. I’m blaming Beerhead Player for rushing me so he could leave early but I will take my punishment.
Also visiting the prize table were our two prize losers for the day, Bruce “How Did He Ever Win The Green Jacket?” Davidson and JR “Graham DeLaet” Leigh who bottomed the scorecard and who led the day’s race to mediocrity with nets 82 and 79 respectively. At least JR, as an excuse, was at his initial event for the year and obviously he couldn’t handle the pressure. “?” was just crappy for the day.
In The Rough
Many thanks to Killer for bringing his camera and taking on the task of getting some pictures for the website. However, “Herding The Cats” was an issue. I can see that after years of marriage, all of you are extremely well practiced at ignoring instruction. The only ones who actually made an effort to keep the work to a minimum were the ones who are not in a relationship. How many of you qualify? Eventually, we did get a group picture, I think. Meow!
This event was also one of the only two events on our schedule that had a full turnout of membership. It was great to see the entire motley crew together. I look forward to these Saturdays and the laughs that ensue!
Don’t forget to post all your scores!
Dick
2016 Week One Scoring Highlights
Low Nets:Killeen (70) Mason (70)
KP#6: Player
KP#17: Alexander
Sand Loser: Alexander
Team Scores
Borland -15
Grundy -6
Killeen -14
Madsen -12
Volpatti -12
Low Nets:Killeen (70) Mason (70)
KP#6: Player
KP#17: Alexander
Sand Loser: Alexander
Team Scores
Borland -15
Grundy -6
Killeen -14
Madsen -12
Volpatti -12
2016 Week One Review
Off and Driving
The race for the coveted Green Jacket got under way under sunny skies at the Canal course at Northview this past weekend. After weeks of rain, the weather broke during the last week of March and left a week of sunny skies preparing the course for the season’s initial event. The two ball, best ball event with “the twist” of having each player’s scores be used 9 times proved to be a winner. In fact, the final hole turned out to be the deciding factor between winners and also-rans. With Dave “Hoss” Alexander forced into the position of having to use his final two holes to count, he stuck his tee shot to 3 feet from the pin on 17 and recorded a net 1 on the hole. His true form returned on the final hole, however, and he used his inconsistent long game and his non existent short game to limp in for a triple bogie leaving his team with a net 15 under. This bipolar finish to the round was only bested by the Killeen team who left their final hole’s mandatory score to low handicapper Drew “Mountain” Lyon. Drew spectacularly collapsed after being near the final par 5 green in 2 as he proceeded to take 7 more shots to get up and down and lead his team from being one in front to one behind the eventual winners. Drew now has lost 3 friends but he has 4 others who love him. Congratulations to Borland’s winning team of Dale “Tip Top” Borland, Larry “Ace” Brown, Dave Alexander and Dick Burns.
Handicaps seem to be Working
After years of attempting to get accurate handicaps from our members, the scoring Nazi, Vic “Stretch” Grundy seems to have finally got everyone in line - at least if we can take anything from week one’s results. Net 70’s were the low rounds of the day as the course turned out to be a good test for everyone. Congratulations to winners Paul “The Negotiator” Killeen and Mike “In The Jar” Mason who take the early lead in the Race to the Coveted Green Jacket (TRTTCGJ). Don’t get too smug with your leads though, gentlemen, as there is a large group tucked closely in behind you. That being said, revel in the lead while you can. Early indications look like this could be the most exciting green jacket race ever.
KP’s
In the game that truly demonstrates golfing skill, our two Closest to the Pin winners showed that KP’s are definitely not games of true skill. Doug “Shakey” Player’s magnificent shot on hole #6 to within 3 feet and The “Hoss’s” incredible 135 yard 4 iron over water to a front pin to within 3 feet on hole #17 were both displays of master skill. However, putting the words master skill and Player and Alexander in the same sentence is as big a surprise as the shots themselves. At least Player made his 3 foot putt.
In The Rough
Speaking of rough, did anyone else notice that our gamesman Blair “Relic” Murdoch showed up to the event looking as though he had spent the night in the rough. Apparently, he had over served himself the night before - quelle surprise! - and when he arose for the morning’s event, his clubs, his shoes, his golf attire, and his car had accompanied the lovely Emily to Sechelt. Amazingly, Blair himself made it to the course on time and no one took his appearance or his play as anything out of the ordinary. His net 83 was a testament to that. “Relic” currently sits in last place in TRTTCGJ. It can only get better for Blair - or can it? “Relic” was last seen heading to Sechelt to look for his boat.
It was nice to see the difficult to get along with and former webmaster for the PGA, Hugh “Huge” Taylor at our first event. He was a spare - at least, he was half a spare - for Digby “ Shyster” Leigh. Taylor, once again, is involved in “the biggest loser” and he is well on his way to winning that as there is only half of “Huge” left. We may have to change his nickname to “Medium.” Obviously, “Medium” didn’t like the venue or the company because he was last seen jogging from the parking lot in search of his other half.
Dave “Hoss” Alexander turned out to be the big prize winner of the day as he won the team event, a KP prize and the most visits to the bunker with 15 in total. We learned a couple of things from this, you don’t have to have a particularly good day golfing to win prizes and who knew there were that many bunkers on the course? Dave was last seen soaking his wrists in ice.
Also overheard at the prize table was Ken “Tommy Bahama” Sherk volunteering to organize something “very special” for the Tripper Cup. Whether this ever happens is questionable. However, we will hold him to providing additional trophies to add to our cabinet.
Many thanks to our spares this week, Hugh “Medium” Taylor, Doug “Coach” Abercrombie and Allan “Mumbles” Goulding who not only filled out our roster this week, but also had the good grace not to win any prizes. They may be invited back.
On that same note, Bob “Knuckles” Garries and Mumbles needed to share a member’s slot this year, but with all the need for spares so far, both have almost achieved full time status. Garries currently is missing only the Squamish event and Goulding only scheduled to miss the next event at Morgan Creek. Looks like both will be eligible to qualify for TRTTCGJ.
There was some talk around the table of using all 9 season scores in the calculation for The Race To The Coveted Green Jacket. Perhaps this is an item for further discussion among the full membership. If you have any opinions, could you weigh in on our email list and share your thoughts. Some things to think about - before the first event even occurred, only two events (Squamish and Morgan Creek) will have full participation. A thought was presented to have everyone include 9 scores regardless of having been at 9 events - any gaps would be filled by putting in the missing player’s highest net for each event missed. Any further discussion would be appreciated.
Still no volunteers to host the yearend BBQ!
Flogem non scamus non shankus
Off and Driving
The race for the coveted Green Jacket got under way under sunny skies at the Canal course at Northview this past weekend. After weeks of rain, the weather broke during the last week of March and left a week of sunny skies preparing the course for the season’s initial event. The two ball, best ball event with “the twist” of having each player’s scores be used 9 times proved to be a winner. In fact, the final hole turned out to be the deciding factor between winners and also-rans. With Dave “Hoss” Alexander forced into the position of having to use his final two holes to count, he stuck his tee shot to 3 feet from the pin on 17 and recorded a net 1 on the hole. His true form returned on the final hole, however, and he used his inconsistent long game and his non existent short game to limp in for a triple bogie leaving his team with a net 15 under. This bipolar finish to the round was only bested by the Killeen team who left their final hole’s mandatory score to low handicapper Drew “Mountain” Lyon. Drew spectacularly collapsed after being near the final par 5 green in 2 as he proceeded to take 7 more shots to get up and down and lead his team from being one in front to one behind the eventual winners. Drew now has lost 3 friends but he has 4 others who love him. Congratulations to Borland’s winning team of Dale “Tip Top” Borland, Larry “Ace” Brown, Dave Alexander and Dick Burns.
Handicaps seem to be Working
After years of attempting to get accurate handicaps from our members, the scoring Nazi, Vic “Stretch” Grundy seems to have finally got everyone in line - at least if we can take anything from week one’s results. Net 70’s were the low rounds of the day as the course turned out to be a good test for everyone. Congratulations to winners Paul “The Negotiator” Killeen and Mike “In The Jar” Mason who take the early lead in the Race to the Coveted Green Jacket (TRTTCGJ). Don’t get too smug with your leads though, gentlemen, as there is a large group tucked closely in behind you. That being said, revel in the lead while you can. Early indications look like this could be the most exciting green jacket race ever.
KP’s
In the game that truly demonstrates golfing skill, our two Closest to the Pin winners showed that KP’s are definitely not games of true skill. Doug “Shakey” Player’s magnificent shot on hole #6 to within 3 feet and The “Hoss’s” incredible 135 yard 4 iron over water to a front pin to within 3 feet on hole #17 were both displays of master skill. However, putting the words master skill and Player and Alexander in the same sentence is as big a surprise as the shots themselves. At least Player made his 3 foot putt.
In The Rough
Speaking of rough, did anyone else notice that our gamesman Blair “Relic” Murdoch showed up to the event looking as though he had spent the night in the rough. Apparently, he had over served himself the night before - quelle surprise! - and when he arose for the morning’s event, his clubs, his shoes, his golf attire, and his car had accompanied the lovely Emily to Sechelt. Amazingly, Blair himself made it to the course on time and no one took his appearance or his play as anything out of the ordinary. His net 83 was a testament to that. “Relic” currently sits in last place in TRTTCGJ. It can only get better for Blair - or can it? “Relic” was last seen heading to Sechelt to look for his boat.
It was nice to see the difficult to get along with and former webmaster for the PGA, Hugh “Huge” Taylor at our first event. He was a spare - at least, he was half a spare - for Digby “ Shyster” Leigh. Taylor, once again, is involved in “the biggest loser” and he is well on his way to winning that as there is only half of “Huge” left. We may have to change his nickname to “Medium.” Obviously, “Medium” didn’t like the venue or the company because he was last seen jogging from the parking lot in search of his other half.
Dave “Hoss” Alexander turned out to be the big prize winner of the day as he won the team event, a KP prize and the most visits to the bunker with 15 in total. We learned a couple of things from this, you don’t have to have a particularly good day golfing to win prizes and who knew there were that many bunkers on the course? Dave was last seen soaking his wrists in ice.
Also overheard at the prize table was Ken “Tommy Bahama” Sherk volunteering to organize something “very special” for the Tripper Cup. Whether this ever happens is questionable. However, we will hold him to providing additional trophies to add to our cabinet.
Many thanks to our spares this week, Hugh “Medium” Taylor, Doug “Coach” Abercrombie and Allan “Mumbles” Goulding who not only filled out our roster this week, but also had the good grace not to win any prizes. They may be invited back.
On that same note, Bob “Knuckles” Garries and Mumbles needed to share a member’s slot this year, but with all the need for spares so far, both have almost achieved full time status. Garries currently is missing only the Squamish event and Goulding only scheduled to miss the next event at Morgan Creek. Looks like both will be eligible to qualify for TRTTCGJ.
There was some talk around the table of using all 9 season scores in the calculation for The Race To The Coveted Green Jacket. Perhaps this is an item for further discussion among the full membership. If you have any opinions, could you weigh in on our email list and share your thoughts. Some things to think about - before the first event even occurred, only two events (Squamish and Morgan Creek) will have full participation. A thought was presented to have everyone include 9 scores regardless of having been at 9 events - any gaps would be filled by putting in the missing player’s highest net for each event missed. Any further discussion would be appreciated.
Still no volunteers to host the yearend BBQ!
Flogem non scamus non shankus
The Game - Week 1
The competition for the first event is 2 man best ball. On each hole the captain will select which two men’s scores to count (net of handicap). This selection will occur after the hole is finished and must occur before teeing off on the next hole. Wrinkle. You must count 9 holes for each golfer. No gimmies are allowed. You must putt out everything.
Captains in capitals
9:36 Alexander, BORLAND, Brown, Burns
9:45 Cain, Davidson, Garries, GRUNDY
9:54 KILLEEN, Taylor, Watt (Hamish), Lyon
10:03 MADSEN, Mason, Murdoch, Abercrombie
10:12 Player, Sherk, VOLPATTI, Walter
During the year
Please remember to arrive half an hour before the first tee time so that our rules director and team captains have an opportunity to make sure everyone knows the course conditions and playing rules for the day.
Team captains for each event are responsible for ensuring everyone knows the rules of the game for each event and for keeping accurate and easily readable scorecards for each team. They should summarize the results of the team event for their team, check it twice and turn it into Vic at the end of the round. Vic will tabulate the results and confer with Larry, our prize guru. Team Captains will also be in charge of collecting $5 per player at each event. This money goes to the prizes that have been purchased for distribution. It also is a way that spares can contribute to that fund. Team Captain is a highly qualified position and those individuals should be held in the highest esteem. Only a few pass qualifying school to attain this esteemed position.
The first group out each day will be in charge of organizing the post match tables and ensuring that there is beer on the table for the groups to follow. Remember, there are 20 out each week so the chairs and tables should match that number. Digby once again has volunteered to manage the post match payments so when you contribute, keep in mind what you consume and ensure you contribute an appropriate amount to cover that consumption and a tip. We have been good the past couple of years, so keep it up. Any extra funds will go to the yearend BBQ and prizes so monies go right back to us.
Any sanctions will mean an extra $20 into the pot for a jug of beer. Hopefully, we will have a sanction free year this year as sanctions will not be applied frivolously: only necessarily for egregious violations of the expected high ethical, moral and intelligence standards of this organization.
Dick is in charge of spares for each event so if you are going to miss and event, let him know asap so that he can arrange for a replacement. Blair is in charge of games and grouping so if you have a special request, please contact him but try to keep that to a minimum. He will do his best to mix up the groups and the times that each groups starts during the season.
Once again, the Green Jacket will be awarded to the most consistent golfer of the year. That will be determined by net scores on all rounds played with a minimum of 7 scores posted. This will also include scores from the Tripper Cup which is traditionally a match play event. That means that individual scores for those rounds are important so no gimmes even if holes are conceded. Keep in mind, there is a field you must protect when conceding putts or matches. Only putts within 18” will be given and that is only to speed up play.
Handicaps are the key to scoring and both the competitive balance and integrity of the game. That is why it is important to keep accurate and up-to-date handicaps. We have slowly become much better with this over the years and thus the competition is much improved. Make sure you maintain a current handicap by posting scores as soon as you have finished your rounds and make sure Vic has access to viewing those current handicaps. Failure to do so is a seriously sanctionable behaviour.
Flogem non scamus non shankus
The competition for the first event is 2 man best ball. On each hole the captain will select which two men’s scores to count (net of handicap). This selection will occur after the hole is finished and must occur before teeing off on the next hole. Wrinkle. You must count 9 holes for each golfer. No gimmies are allowed. You must putt out everything.
Captains in capitals
9:36 Alexander, BORLAND, Brown, Burns
9:45 Cain, Davidson, Garries, GRUNDY
9:54 KILLEEN, Taylor, Watt (Hamish), Lyon
10:03 MADSEN, Mason, Murdoch, Abercrombie
10:12 Player, Sherk, VOLPATTI, Walter
During the year
Please remember to arrive half an hour before the first tee time so that our rules director and team captains have an opportunity to make sure everyone knows the course conditions and playing rules for the day.
Team captains for each event are responsible for ensuring everyone knows the rules of the game for each event and for keeping accurate and easily readable scorecards for each team. They should summarize the results of the team event for their team, check it twice and turn it into Vic at the end of the round. Vic will tabulate the results and confer with Larry, our prize guru. Team Captains will also be in charge of collecting $5 per player at each event. This money goes to the prizes that have been purchased for distribution. It also is a way that spares can contribute to that fund. Team Captain is a highly qualified position and those individuals should be held in the highest esteem. Only a few pass qualifying school to attain this esteemed position.
The first group out each day will be in charge of organizing the post match tables and ensuring that there is beer on the table for the groups to follow. Remember, there are 20 out each week so the chairs and tables should match that number. Digby once again has volunteered to manage the post match payments so when you contribute, keep in mind what you consume and ensure you contribute an appropriate amount to cover that consumption and a tip. We have been good the past couple of years, so keep it up. Any extra funds will go to the yearend BBQ and prizes so monies go right back to us.
Any sanctions will mean an extra $20 into the pot for a jug of beer. Hopefully, we will have a sanction free year this year as sanctions will not be applied frivolously: only necessarily for egregious violations of the expected high ethical, moral and intelligence standards of this organization.
Dick is in charge of spares for each event so if you are going to miss and event, let him know asap so that he can arrange for a replacement. Blair is in charge of games and grouping so if you have a special request, please contact him but try to keep that to a minimum. He will do his best to mix up the groups and the times that each groups starts during the season.
Once again, the Green Jacket will be awarded to the most consistent golfer of the year. That will be determined by net scores on all rounds played with a minimum of 7 scores posted. This will also include scores from the Tripper Cup which is traditionally a match play event. That means that individual scores for those rounds are important so no gimmes even if holes are conceded. Keep in mind, there is a field you must protect when conceding putts or matches. Only putts within 18” will be given and that is only to speed up play.
Handicaps are the key to scoring and both the competitive balance and integrity of the game. That is why it is important to keep accurate and up-to-date handicaps. We have slowly become much better with this over the years and thus the competition is much improved. Make sure you maintain a current handicap by posting scores as soon as you have finished your rounds and make sure Vic has access to viewing those current handicaps. Failure to do so is a seriously sanctionable behaviour.
Flogem non scamus non shankus
Things to Remember for our 2016 Season
1. Pace of Play Pace of play is very important to the continued acceptance of our group at local courses so please make sure you keep up with the group who is playing in front of you. Failure to maintain an adequate pace of play will result in sanctions imposed by the executive committee. 2. Lost Balls All lost balls are to be played as a lateral hazard - that is, don’t hit a provisional just go to the area the ball is lost, look for it briefly and, failing to find it, drop a ball near where it entered the bush and play from there, incurring a 1 stroke penalty. 3. Balls in a hazard If you hit a ball into a hazard like a pond, drop a ball close to the point of entry to the hazard - not where it landed - and take a one stroke penalty. 4. Maximum Strokes While keeping an accurate score is important both for maintaining your correct handicap and for us to award prizes after the round accordingly, pace of play trumps hacking and whacking endlessly. So after you have taken more than 8 strokes on any given hole or you are holding up the rest of the group, pick up your ball and record an 8. If the recording of the 8 means you receive a prize for low net when it really should have been higher, then do the honourable thing as a golfer and lie about your score. 5. Handicaps No one in this esteemed group shall receive a handicap of greater than 32 - no one shall be deemed to be that shitty. And no one shall receive 2 strokes on any par 3. 6. Sanctions Sanctions can be suggested to the executive committee for any types of infringements on the rules of golf or the proper behavioural etiquite expected of this esteemed group at any time by anyone within this group. Those suggestions will be reviewed and evaluated by the committee and if deemed appropriate, sanctions will be imposed on the guilty party or parties. 7. Posting Don’t forget to post all your scores on your handicapping website shortly after completing each round so as to keep accurate and up to date handicaps (and avoid sanctions.) |
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