3rd JC Golf Studs Tradition Outing

I know it's been a few weeks, but it's been hectic in the golf household.  I've been trying to play as much golf as my back allows.

For the past few weeks, I've played perhaps two round per week - weather and back permitting.

This past week, I got to play both Saturday and Sunday.

The weekend outing (noted in the title of the Blog entry) was organized by "GolfStuds", a group that evolved off of one of the groups on GolfMatch.

This was the oddest group (in my opinion) that evolved into one of the best groups/organizations.

For many of you Instagram patrons who are are golfers, you are aware of several Instagram accounts that are composed of female golfers, which attract thousands of followers.  With such followers, they get sponsors to show off clothes, shoes, etc.
There are also a few "Male" versions of these groups, that post less beefcake shots, and more comic/golf posts.

And Honestly, I thought GolfStuds was going to be sort of a combination of both.

WRONG!!

I invite you all to click on their link and read their welcome.  It's a group of golfers (Gender neutral) that love the game of golf.  The intent is to use golf to grow the game - through friendships, youth programs, etc.  And, to support worthy causes.

The gathering this weekend was to support Folds of Honor and The Junior Tour Academy.  Folds of Honor helps out families of our fallen or disabled service-members.  The Junior Tour Academy (as you might guess), aids youngsters entering the game.  The outing raised just under $3,000.  So, not only did we have fun, but we helped some worthy organizations.

23 golfers from across the country gathered at Bethpage State Park.  For most of these golfers, it was a rare treat to play at a facility as majestic as our Bethpage State Park, Home of The Black.

We met in the patio behind the clubhouse at 9:30am.  It was like meeting old friends, for the first time.  We'd all been on GolfMatch and Instagram so long, we knew each others life stories.

The Saturday outing was the official golf day, running 6 foursomes - on Bethpage Red.  I had the opportunity to play with four "locals" (NY Area) whom I've "conversed" with a lot. Reggie, Ovi, and Paul.

Like old friends, we started ragging on each other right off the bat.  It's not easy to be comfortable goofing around with new partners - but we bonded immediately.  Although I didn't play well, it was one of the more memorable rounds of the year.

Afterwards, we all gathered for an awards ceremony, pictures, and to some, a farewell till next time.

Although the group was heading to a dinner in NYC, I opted against it, as I am freaking old - and was damn tired.
They gathered at PrimeOne16, a steakhouse in NYC.  The guest speaker was Major Ed Pulido, U.S. Army (ret).  From what I understand, this guy is amazing.  Wish I could have been there.

Major Ed (center) with Ovi and Paul

Sunday, was the day to play "BLACK".  Unfortunately, New York State frowns upon outings on the Black - unless you can fork over $100,000.
As that wasn't in the budget, we opted to get individual tee times.

As many of you know, getting a tee time on the Black is like hitting Lotto.  So, although I was dialing like a madman the week prior, I didn't get anything (again, like Lotto).  But, calling on Friday (2 days prior) I was able to snag a 9:24am foursome.

I got to play with another  great foursome.
JC - one of the founders of GS, and the organizer of this (and many other) golf events.
Mark C - another friend from the GS/GM community.
Kevin - yet another GS friend.

JC is an ex-LongIslander, and has played the black over 100 times (my back hurts just saying that).  Mark is an excellent golfer, who hits the ball a mile.  Kevin, also an excellent golfer, finished out the foursome.

Although I've played this course dozens of times, its always fun to play with people that have only read about the course.  So, seeing Mark and Kevin tee off on the first hole, was exciting in itself.

We New Yorkers (and Long Islanders, especially) tend to take the availability of one of the PREMIER GOLF COURSES in the country, for granted.  I was able to see the course through "virgin" eyes, once again.

We had a great round.  I tried imparting some course knowledge, like where to hit, not to hit, etc.

By the 17th hole, we were pretty well spent.  It's a tough course, that walks very tough (no carts on the Black).

Mark C - taking a chill on 17

But, wanting to finish strong, I gathered myself for the strong finish.  My drive was dead center, splitting the fairway.  For the first time today, I out-drove one of my partners (Kevin).  I then hit a beautiful 6 iron to the elevated green that landed just over the green in the rough.  A short chip and putt for Up-And-Down, and I finished with a Par - and a 98 for the day.

We had some drinks and lunch afterwards, before we parted.  We hugged (yes, guys hug it out) and shook hands and knew we'd be playing again in the not-so-distant future.

Although many of us play golf a lot, weekends like this are few and far between.  23 golfers from different locations got together to enjoy the game, help some causes, and cement friendships that, previously, had only been virtual.

If you want to check into Golf Studs. hit them up on their website, Instagram account, or on GolfMatch.

More important, if you get a chance for a weekend like this, grab it. They don't come that often.


So, until next time,

Keep it in the Short Hairs

2016 - Round 8 - Centennial Golf Club

May 26, 2017

Course - Centennial (Carmel NY)

Playing partners - Vak, Tyler, Patrick (All Golfmatch members)

Weather conditions - HOT!

This day of golf was an Outing organized within the GolfMatch app.  I've mentioned the app here before.  The app has been all over the news lately.  Wall Street Journal, Golf Magazine, and other media.  As of last week, there were 30,000 members across the country.  Outings, such as this one, are happening just about every week somewhere in the U.S.A.
Here are some of the latest articles from the Wall Street Journal, Golf Channel, and Golf.com

Today's outing was organized by GMer (Short for Golf Matcher) Joe Mercurio.  Joe put together the outing at Centennial Golf Course, a stunningly beautiful venue of 3 nine hole courses.

Today I was finally going to meet many of my virtual golf friends IRL (in real life) for the first time.  All are golf addicts, like me.  I also got to Meet Peter Kratsios, the founder of the App.  All in all, there were 20 GMers at the event.

Getting back to the golf...
Carmel NY, is about an hour and 10 minute drive from Merrick, on Long Island - according to Google Maps.

That must be at 3 in the morning when everyone in the area is asleep.

I left my house at 7am, and picked up Vak around 7:20.  After a quick stop for a bagel and coffee, we were off. Although it didn't appear that we hit too much traffic, we didn't get to the course until 9:30.
If you do the math, this means I've been in my car (except for the DD stop) for 2 1/2 hours.  For those of you reading this that are a big younger than me, you might not understand the issues this causes.

a - my bladder was full from that LARGE iced coffee (bad move Howie!).
b - my back was a stiff as a board.

A quick stop at the loo, and we checked in and paid our meager greens fee.  Centennial cut us a great deal, charging the players only $65, including cart and range balls.

At the range, I met Joe (for the first time) and a few others in the group.  Vak and I wanted to see the short game area, since we don't have that on many courses on L.I.
This was a HUGE mistake for me.  I broke my routine of warming up at the range - a bad move, with a stiff back.
I stepped into a large bunker to work a bit on my sand game.  The last thing you want to do with a stiff back is swing through the sand.  After one swing (yes, the ball popped out very nicely, thank you) I realized my mistake, and went back to the range.  As it turns out, my back didn't loosen up until 7-8 holes into the round.
At the range, I did my normal warmup (Squats, leg raises, etc), and hit a few balls.  However, the starter was a bit backed up so we sat in the carts for a bit.
This gave us a chance to chat with the others in our foursome.  Well, at least one.
Tyler informed us that his friend Patrick was running late, but should be at the course by tee time.(He missed the first hole!).
Tyler, as expected, was a great guy (kid, to me) with a great game.  He hits cannons off the tee.

So, we teed off on the first hole of the Lakes course.  Both Vak and I hit the drive nicely, if a bit faded to the right.   Because this was an outing with a match, we played from the Blues.  For mid-handicappers, this is big.  (Note, Patrick and Tyler played from the TIPS!!!).
The first hole was a par 5, playing 533.  My approach landed a few yards short of the green.  So, I was on in 4.
This is where the fun began.  The greens were UNDULATING!!!  Note the capital letters.
And, FAST (note again).
After a 3-putt, I walked away with a double bogey.

The second hole was a nightmare (the first of many).  A par 4, I was on in four.  Although my drive was in the fairway, the ball was still about 6 inches below my feet.  On Long Island, we don't really have undulating fairways.  I'ts pretty flat.  We may have an uphill or downhill slope, but not too many sidehills.
Try bending down to hit a ball with a stiff back!!!  HA!!!  I finally got the green in 4.  And then, FOUR PUTT!!!  (gotta love this game).

I won't get into the ugliness of the front 9.  But, 2 pars and 3 QUADRUPLE BOGEYS - finished me with a 54.

The back 9 was a bit better.  Not much, as I shot a 49.

So, by the numbers.  103 score.  5 balls lost.  1 ego shot!

I must say this - the course was a difficult as it was beautiful.

So, after the round we all met up in the clubhouse for some vittles and brews.  The first group had already finished their meals, as they finished a half hour before us.

The prizes were given out (no - they didn't give anything out for worst round).  I was able to chat a bit with some other GMers.  We chatted about Game of Thrones, our jobs, but mostly about golf.  Spent some time with Nick A about setting up a Long Island Golf league.  A 9-hole weekly event - scheduled after work.

After a burger and a brew, Vak and I piled into the car and made the 2 hour ride home.  (My back was kinda pissed by now).

So, today was a great day.  Bad Golf, but great day.  I made some new friends, played an incredible venue, and wasn't at work.

What today told me about my game was this:

Warm up A LOT after a long drive.
Try to practice hitting off side-hill lies.  I'm not sure where I can do this on Long Island, but I'll make a mental note.

There will be a lot of golf this weekend.  I'm hoping for a Friday afternoon 9 holes, and rounds on Sunday and Monday.

Until then,
Keep it in the Short Hairs

August 10 - Round 24

The Course - Muttontown Country Club

Playing partners:  Lloyd, Cooper, Brian

On Monday I played in the annual Big Brothers/Big Sisters Golf Outing.  This event was cancelled from a rained out date in early June.  A good friend (Dan) is on the board of directors of the organization and sponsors his "Merrick Madmen" by not only sponsoring a hole (this time the putting green), but also a foursome.  So a big shout out to Dan, and the entire BB/BS organization.  Especially since he was unable to play today.  "You Da Man!"

For those that have not had the opportunity to play at an outing, it's an experience.  There are usually giveaways, food, drinks, and raffles.  Some include breakfast, lunch, or dinner. 

This one was all three!

For those unfamiliar there are usually three types of scoring at an outing:

1. Scramble. In this format each player in the foursome tees off.  The foursome then chooses the best shot from the four, and all hit the second shot from that location. This continues until the team holes out.  This format is popular for large groups as it keeps play moving by eliminating the worst shots.
2. Best Ball.  In this format, each player plays his own ball until all hole out. The best score of the foursome is used.
3. Stroke Play. This format also allows each player to play his own ball.  The total sum of the team is used, allowing for handicaps.  Since many players do not keep a handicap, there are several "one-day" handicap systems that can be employed.
   Two of the ones I know about are the Callaway and Peoria systems.
   I have no clue how this work!

Today's format was Stroke Play.  

Tournaments employ a shotgun start.  This means that each foursome tees off at the same time, on different holes.  Out first hole was the ninth.  

Lloyd and I arrived at 10:15 and checked in. We received a sleeve of golf balls, a ball mark, and a hand rolled cigar.  

As we had brought a change of clothes we went to the locker room to drop our bags and went up to breakfast.  

It was an excellent buffet. I ordered an egg white omelet and then went and got two cheese blintzes.  And, just so that I wasn't "too Jewish", a few strips of bacon.  

We sat next to a guy hawking Murphys Bloody Mary mix, and got two (for me AND Lloyd!!!).  

It was going to be a fine day.  

After a brief warmup, we were off.  Brian was kind enough to give each of us a gift box of two golf balls and a free ride from his limousine service, Serenity Limousine.
I've used them before and highly recommend them. 

Brian is a big hitter.  Not straight, but BIG.  

Coop loves being out on the course, but barely sets up before he swings.  I think if four guys in a foursome played like him, they could complete 18 holes in an hour!
Lloyd? Well, I've discussed his game before -and it needs work.

My drive was off to the left, so I opted to lay up to my 60 yard "prime" layup.  I dropped my pitch 6 feet under the hole and hit the putt for par.  WHAT A GREAT START.

The unfortunate thing about starting on the 9th hole is that you make "the turn" immediately, and are not hungry enough yet for the bbq lunch of hot dogs and burgers.  So, we proceeded to the 10th hole, and played at a nice pace.  Our caddy, Fernando, was excellent, and helped with the putts tremendously.  The day prior was the club championship, so the pin positions were brutal, and the greens were extremely fast.

For most of the day, I was recovering from a poor drive and hoping to one-putt.  My best hole of the day was the 16th, par 3.  150 yards playing 170, as it was into the wind and uphill.  I hit a sweet 5 hybrid that faded toward the hole and landed 14 feet to the left - pin high.

I checked out the "closed to the pin" card, and the closest was 18 feet!  I had a shot!!!  So I scribbled my name down.

I knew that 14 feet could probably never hold up as some of these players were GOOD, and were possibly using a wedge or 9 iron from that distance.
But, it was exciting none-the-less.

I ended the round with an 87 - very respectable, even though I didn't play too well.

The winning foursome "NET" (meaning with handicaps) shot PAR.  The winning foursome "Gross" shot somewhere at 10 over par.
My group was more towards the other end of the spectrum, as I was the low score in our foursome!
I was impressed that the low gross golfer shot 69 - 3 under par!!!  Freaking good.

Also of note is that I kept my streak alive at not winning any raffle prize.  I've gone to plenty of outings, buying thousands of dollars (across the years) in raffle tickets.  The money goes to a good cause, and I don't complain.

BUT, every guy in my foursome has won time and time again.  Drivers, signed photos, TVs, etc.
ME? I get to go home with a pocket full of bakery tickets.

And, the knowledge that my donation helped some kid on Long Island get a better life.
So, I guess I did win (and so do the current 400 "little" kids paired to "Bigs" on Long Island.

Oh - by the way - I didn't win the closest to the pin award.   The winner was under 8 feet.
Such is life....

I'm trying not to overthink my game at this point.  Trying not to analyze too much good/bad.  I know that I screwed up some chips, and some drives - but there was nothing that stood out too much.

I'll hit the range on Thursday, and play Saturday with the Vak.  Hopefully, it will be a good round.

Until then,

Keep it in the Short Hairs