An Ollie's Christmas

Well the big day was yesterday for my family and the annual gift exchange.  As you may recall we can only spend $10.00 and the gift must have been purchased at Ollie's.  The 2013 exchange may go down in the family history as one of the more unique.  It was hard to tell whose gift was the most sought after (or not) when one had the opportunity to steal from another.  I can easily say that no one went after the Belly Dancing Kit (complete with finger cymbals) or the motorized watering can.  But the book on string was popular.  However the most sought after was the four foot 3-d color yourself dinosaur.  Go figure!  Personally I ended up with a camo seat cover for the new car and dead mallard duck dog toy ( that was after giving up my rubber band loom and sparkling bands ).  Oh I almost forgot the Salvidor Dali shelf clock my sister gave all the men in the family (that's already in the family gallery).

 T Squared is going under the knife for a bionic knee today.  We'll get a report from Mrs Shifflander later.  Not much else going on.  Have a safe New Year's and we'll see you on the flip side.

CC

Winding Down

After several fun filled days with kids, dogs, son, and daughter-in-law we are now in the return to normal mode.  We had a great time over Christmas and hope everyone else did too.  We know that the holidays can be stressful (we have had our share), but it is always fun when we can all get together.  We still have my family gathering this Sunday and it is always full of surprises.  This will probably be no exception.  Since we all have everything we want or need we started a tradition years ago where each person buys one gift, max $10, and then we have a gift exchange.  The catch is that the gift must come from a certain retail es tablishment.  A good example was in 2011 you had to buy it at a truck stop.  I'll let your imagination work on that for a while.  But, my Dad looked great in the bright orange mad bomber hat.  This year everyone had to shop at Ollie's.  I didn't know what Ollie's was let alone that Toledo had one.  Ollie's is best described as Value City reborn.  I'm so excited I just can't wait until Sunday.

The JrSrs gathered Thursday at the casino for our weekly lunch.  The wait staff in the Scene wanted to know if we were back for the winter.  We must have made quite an impression last year.  Anyway I think there were nine of us.  Ther were too many conversations going on to tell you what was discussed, and since we in the casino no SOTD.   Watch for the SD's notices,  but I'm sure we'll be meeting there until the flowers bloom.

Have a safe and happy New Year.

CC 

Nothing Is Ever Simple

Have you ever notice this phenomena?  Last week I was having a problem with my email and contacted Buckeye for assistance.  They cleared up my problem quickly.  While still on the phone the Buckeye rep. asked if I might be interested in their phone system since they were running a special pricing program.  They caught me at the right moment since I had just paid our ATT bill and thought it was quite high since we just use local service.  So I agreed to talk with the sales people.  The short of it was we could save money by going to the VIP bundle, improve our Internet speed, and convert over to the Gateway DVR system (which the Nurse wanted).  The installation went off without a hitch.  That is until we tested the security system.  I had checked with Habitec and was told there shouldn't be any problem (we have an older system).  For some reason the security system wouldn't connect with the command center.  After about an hour of phone calls back and forth with the techs they decided my system needed to have a programing change.  The service call was scheduled (which I have to pay for) and the problem should be resolved. 
Well the tech showed up this AM,  and was totally unaware what the problem was and didn't have the ability to change the program.  His boss ( who I talked with) didn't include this vital piece of info when he wrote up the service order.  So now I'm waiting to be rescheduled and don't know when that will be.  This just confirms that "no go idea goes unpunished.

I wasn't able to make lunch yesterday due to a lunch meeting for TDGA business (held in the other room), but did stop by to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  And most importantly roll the bones.  I was glad to see a big group and no winners.  Everyone was in a festive mood. 

I received a letter from the township chastising me for blowing some of the snow, they pile knee deep at the end of my drive, back onto the street.  I guess I could have buried the fire hydrant.  Enough said.

CC

The Mailbox

It seems like every year the snow plow driver likes to assault our mailbox. The first snow fall was no exception.  Two passes down Ford Road and I'm in repair mode.  And that's why I haven't put up a new one TTS.  However this time I don't think I have enough duct tape to fix this.  It's not on the ground yet (haven't looked this AM) but it doesn't look good.  It's off to Home Depot later today.

Speaking of snow.  I used the snow blower more times this season than I did all last year.  Normally I'm of the opinion that God put it there and he'll remove it when he's ready.  But the Nurse felt otherwise and was concerned about getting out of the driveway.  So I fired it up and cleared as much as possible before running out of gas.  I did go to the gas station and will say the roads were quite bad and was very happy we had plans to stay home last night.

We had a good crowd for lunch Last Thursday.  Even TTS was there after missing most of the fall for a variety of reasons.  It was good see him.   Since we couldn't play golf we just rolled the bones and went our separate ways.  One close call, but no winners.  Thank goodness since the money is on deposit at the casino (just kidding).  Plans are to meet again next week. Watch for the SD's email.  Starting in January we'll met at the casino until the club reopens in the spring.

CC

The Celebration

Last week was my father's 90th birthday.  The nurse and I took him out for lunch on Thursday and then we had a big family gathering on Sunday to cap off the celebration.  We gave him his choice for lunch, and he picked the Golden Corral.  If you never had the pleasure (the Nurse and I hadn't) it was a real experience.  True to the TV commercials they have the Towers front and center.  Now I can't say they are the 8th wonder of the world, but they are unique.  The buffet had something for every palate and in all honesty what I had was pretty tasty and well prepared.  Since the Nurse and I were rookies we were taken under the wing of a regular and shown the ropes on how to pace yourself.  My dad seemed happy,  but was disappointed that there wasn't any shrimp at lunch.

The family celebration was big affair with four generations present.  The ages ranged from 90 to 9 months.  All were well behaved including my son's two dogs.  Well the small one did jump on the table and steal some cake when no one was looking.  The big one just waited patiently, with sad eyes, for handouts.  My daughter-in-law had a special cake with a casino theme that was popular with all the young boys because of the icing.  Since my dad requested that he get no gifts we gave him 90 $1.00 lottery tickets (scratch off variety).  He called this morning to say he won $46.00 and had two entries for the drawing to be on the Saturday night lottery show.  With his luck he'll probably get picked.

I'm still learning about the new chariot.  But yes it will parallel park itself. The time I tried was a little unnerving, but was really slick.  Plus, we now have ham for Christmas dinner.

I won't comment on the big game, but am still a little bummed out about the result.

See you Friday for lunch.

CC

Where Were You?

I showed up yesterday at the training table, but I was the only one.  The weather was just too good to not think about playing golf and I thought there would be others of the same mind set.  I guess I was wrong.  I played anyway and lost $5.00 in my own field skins game (think about it).  It was really a pretty nice day to play and I had the whole course to myself.  It was little wet, but I've seen much worse.  Looks like Eric and his crew have done a good job preparing everything for winter.  Based on the weather report Wednesday may be the last day to play for a long while.

We got the new chariot a couple of days ago.  I'm still trying to figure everything out.  There's a lot of new tech stuff that would drive TTS crazy.  I have to go back to the dealer for a parallel parking lesson.  They suggested I not try to use that function without some instruction first.  And, I have to pickup my own ham from the Honey Baked Store.  The My Touch system is really pretty cool, and I wish I had it before this.

Off to have lunch with the family patriarch.  He turns 90 today.  We should all be so lucky to have his health and mental alertness.  He still drives to the casino from Findlay to play blackjack (weather permitting) about once a week.

CC

Double WOW!!!!

Those were some finishes to the games on Saturday.  I knew the OSU vs Michigan was going to be close, but that was too close.  I give the Michigan coach credit for going for two after the TD.  I don't think they could have stopped OSU in OT.  Then follow that up with the Iron Bowl.  That may have been the best finish ever.  Although it is still tough to top the Stanford/ Cal game with the band.  Anyway now the Bucks have to take care of MSU and keep their fingers crossed.  Does anyone remember the game from 2003 for the national title?  This is starting to look very similar.

OTR called yesterday and wanted to play a few holes.  I had to pass because of Christmas lights and back spasms.  The lights I could have put off for a day but the back was too ouchy.  I've never had this problem before and thought it better to wait a couple of days (say Wednesday) before trying to swing a club.  Wednesday may be a good day to try for a few holes.  Keep your eye on the weather.

Laters,

CC

It's Cold

Why is it that the weather always takes a nasty turn at Thanksgiving?  It has been that way since I can remember.  I think we dodged the snow bullet but have been hit with the frigid air.  If you're traveling be safe and prepared.  Enough about the weather. 

This is the big game weekend.  On paper the Bucks look good, but they don't play the game on paper.  I'm sure we'll have an interesting game.  Some will be happy and others not so much.  Then there is the new twist with the Big 10 Championship next week.  That game should really be good.  Goooo Bucks.

If you want to get confused go look at new cars.  We've been doing that over the last couple of days and it has turned out to be more complicated than I thought.  I'll never understand pricing, but who does.  At the end of the day we settled a Ford Escape (assuming they can locate one that had the options we wanted).  I think what really sealed the deal was the free Honey Backed Ham if you got a car on Black Friday.  We're supposed to take delivery on Monday.  The car that is.  I don't know about the ham.

The lunch crowd at the casino was a little light on Friday.  I guess everyone was shopping.  Speaking of shopping I was up early and went to Bass Pro.  It was a big crowd, but pretty civilized.  Most everyone was buying jeans and ammo boxes (the old army metal ones).  I originally went for jeans, but got caught up in the frenzy and bought ammo cans too.

Well the game is about to start. 

CC

PS - LTG you were right.  We have ice on the lake.  This is the earliest I can remember seeing some. 

That Stinks!!!

Last night on our way home from dinner we hit a skunk at Bates and Ford.  The little critter was running across the road and decided to turn back when it saw on coming traffic.  Guess he thought he could outrun me.  Well, I fooled it.  Caught it with the right front tire.  I had to leave the car out last night.  I called the GWH (more on him later) to see if he had odor remedies.  He was no help other than to suggest clothes pins for our noses.  I finally went to one of the big box pet stores and they sold me some Skunk Off.  We'll see how good that is.

Speaking of the GWH.  I asked him how is hunting expeditions went.  His response was they were very successful, he had nothing to clean.  In fact he didn't even see any elk and very few mule deer out west.  The biggest white tail deer he has seen was in his own back yard, an eight pointer.  I think he is now building a blind on the patio.

Twinkle Toes fared much better on his fishing trip to the Amazon.  He caught a 14lb Peacock Bass and no jungle rot.  He told us a lunch the day the trip exceeded his expectations.  I'm sure he'd be happy to show you the pictures if you ask.  He showed them to us and we didn't.

We had lunch on Thursday at our favorite round table.  Surprisingly there were 8 JRSR'S present.  We rolled the bones and no one was a winner.  Watch for The SD's email to see when the next meeting is called.

Until then,

CC

The Season In Review

Now that Thanksgiving is fast approaching I thought I would wrap the season up and give you some of the gory details.  Please consider the following:

1. The JR/SRs played 572 rounds in 2013. That is down 193 rounds or 25% from 2012.  I can only think that is mostly weather related. 
   Remember we had an early start to the season in 2012.
2. Of all the players Tx2 and Bob D. had the greatest increase (% wise) from the previous year.  I guess they couldn't find anything better to do.
3. I collected 7.3 dozen balls from the lake on #2.  ProV1's still are the most popular ball to lose and were 29% of the total.  Range balls were still popular and were 6% of the balls found.  The 2013 total is better than the previous year, but I'm sure the poachers (i.e.  my neighbors) had a negative impact.  My guess is that they found three to four dozen.

Check the bulletin board for the full details.

Starting next week I'll start giving you guys rules questions.  We'll see if you have been paying attention this summer.  It seems like we had a weekly discussion of the hazard options.

CC

Nasty Weather

We caught the heavy weather on the final leg of our trip home.  This was one of the few times we have pulled off the road to wait the storm out.  I'm a bit of ahead of myself so let me back up.  On our return from the Myrtle Beach area we stopped in Germantown to see the family for a couple of days.  After watching the Browns implode we decided to hit the road at halftime.  If we hadn't stopped for chili we would have been home before the heavy weather.  Anyway we were watching the weather map as we made our way north on I75.  At  Lima we heard the tornado sirens and watched the sky really turn black.  We seemed to just be ahead of everything until we got to Cygnet.  Then heavy rain started and the wind really picked up.  It got so bad that I decided to pull into the rest stop before Route 6 and let it pass (couldn't see to drive).  After about 15 minutes we resumed driving.  When we got to the split it was really erie,  no lights anywhere.  The only thing working were the traffic lights.  Of coures without electricity we couldn't open the garage door.  After finding a flashlight we got in the front door and managed to light some candles.  After about 2 hours the power came back on and life returned to normal.  Based on the news we probably dodged a bullet on the highway.  This isn't the first time we've run into bad storms between here and Dayton.

The highlight of the trip for the Nurse was when she had me down three shots coming into the last three holes while playing at Pine Lakes International (The Grand Daddy).  I was playing poorly and having back spasms.  She was playing really well (best round of 2013).  I had to reach down and par the last hole to keep my honor.  But let me tell you it was really close.  Overall we had good weather and a nice time.  We hadn't been to the Grand Strand in a number of years.  It has really become very commercial and congested. 

I heard Tx2 had a hole in one recently.  I wonder if he was using that women's hybrid he carries?  I'm sure we'll get all the details at the the winter dance.

Gotta go to the gym and then pick up the mail. 

CC

Black Ankle Road

While traveling across North Carolina on our way to Myrtle Beach we ran across an exit on I73/74 for the above mentioned road.  Now, while that won't mean much to many of the JR/SR's it should bring back some fond memories to the Bay Harbor crew.  If you don't know the story of "black ankle disease" talk to the LR Dr.  The Nurse asked what I was chuckling about as we passed the exit.

We finally made it to the Grand Strand after a small problem with directions from Google.  We have a great unit on the 8th floor overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.  We'll probably play a couple of rounds of golf over the next week.  The weather is supposed to be pretty mild with sunny skies for the first four days.  They are calling for showers on Thursday.  We'll probably do some shopping then.  We're stopping in Gtown on our return trip to stay with the Rabbit Wrangler and Miss Emma for a couple of nights.  Both have made their respective basketball teams after surviving tryouts.  That's a pretty a pretty big deal for the WR since this is Junior High basketball.

Hit them straight and don't get frostbite.

CC

Again

Twinkle Toes continued his fine play yesterday and tried to win the skin money again.  Fortunately his competition stepped up and held him at bay.  I can't figure out where he found the "golden answer" and start striking the ball like he did 25 years ago, but right now it is working.  We tried to pry the answer out of him, but he showed great resistance and wouldn't crack.  At least he won't be around for what few days we have remaining.  He's off to the Amazon to go fishing for a week.  We hope he catches fish and not jungle rot or worse.

Fred S was seen on the course with Gilhooley and Dr. J.  Gilhooley is still on IR but rode along to give his knowledge on shot making to the other two.  When we stopped to say high I heard Fred mumbling something about a rope and the nearest tree.  Go figure.  Dr. J just sat in his cart with a glazed look.  Go figure.  This all took place after Gilhooley tried to help TTS on the first tee.  TTS just wanted to see if he could still hit a tee shot.  I won't go into the details but TTS left for home babbling to himself.  Something tells me Gilhooley's future doesn't include being a golf instructor.

Thursday is showing potential.  See ya at the training table.

CC

His Toes Twinkled

Twinkle Toes waited all year to play his best round and walk away with most of the skin money.  Over the last two day period he won at least five skins.  I think his four yesterday was a one day record (at least as far as I know).  The rest of us were just players in this black comedy.  Come to think of it it is Halloween.
Anyway,  it was a great day to play for the end of October.

Bob D told us he was playing by himself the other day and decided to go down into the hazard on #17.  Ten minutes later he emerged with 49 golf balls.  He said there was probably more there, but his pockets were so full his pants were falling down.  I guess I've been looking for balls in the wrong place.

If you're still confused about the hazard rules there is a short quiz in the current issue of Golf Digest.  It only takes few minutes to take and is a good refresher on the rules.  In fact,  it would be a good idea to tear the page out and keep it in your golf bag for future reference.

Remember October 31 is the last day for score posting in the TDGA.  The only scores that will count until next April 1 will those played in an active season (ie Florida).  So your basically stuck with your current handicap.

Keep your fingers crossed for more good weather.  Historically we usually get to mid November before we really have to call it quits.

CC

Saturday Morning

Saturday morning turned into a coffee klatch due to the blustery cold winds.  That is until OTR challenged our manhood.  Throwing good sense in the trash OTR and three others (including myself) teed it up for a little skins game.  Several others (names to withheld to protect the sane) decided this was not a good idea and headed home for college football.

OTR's idea was that the first player to win a skin took all the money and we return to the warmth of the grill room, and Bloody Mary's.  He thought one hole would probably be enough and we could all retain our honor and not suffer from hypothermia.  Well the best laid plans don't always work.  After playing the loop we didn't have a winner.  We decided the new par 3 tee on #18 would be the playoff hole.  After a lot of drama ABE won all the money.  Check with OTR for the details since he had his heart broke on #17 when he had what appeared to be a sure winner.

I witnessed hillbilly logic first hand on Saturday.  We were going to start on #1 until some body suggested the loop was a better venue because we couldn't get too far from the clubhouse.  Well OTR had already hit one when this suggestion was readily agreed to by the rest of us (Slap Shot, ABE and myself).  We stood there in amazement as he teed up another ball.  We questioned what he was doing.  He said you don't think I'm going out there for just one ball do you!  How do you refute that.  Here's the real irony -  He couldn't find his first tee shot.

Indian Summer may be here this week.  See ya at the training table.

CC

You Never Know

You never know when the last round of the season will be.  So three of us teed it up yesterday despite the overcast skies and cold wind.  We didn't get all 18 holes in since they were working on the fairways, but Twinkle Toes did manage to win the most skins.  Based on history we have a few more rounds left this season.  The reason I can say this with certainty is that I always par 18 on my last round.  Didn't happen yesterday so we will play again.  Plus it isn't November.

I finished my Halloween ccostume this AM.  I can't wait to see who shows up as what tomorrow night.  We have a lot creative members.  Some would say they have a warped sense of humor.  But, I'm one who thinks they just want to have fun (to paraphrase a song sung Cindy Lauper).  Hope to see many of you there.

CC

Lightning Strikes

Yes lightning can strike the same spot more than once.  I've heard important events occur in multiples of three.  The SOTD fits into that theory.  Tuesday Twinkle Toes hit the SOTD for the third winner in one week.  While his winnings were small, only $46, by some standards he did win.  And yes he kept the fives.  So while the pot hasn't been completely depleted it is rather small. 

His winning was insult added to injury since his team won the daily game in a scorecard playoff.  I even tried to stretch the rules in a feeble attempt to win, but couldn't make it work.  That should tell you something about bad we were.  Even the score posted by Twinkle Toes, the Appraiser and Bob B wasn't anything to be proud of.

I don't know about today.  The weather looks iffy and they are working on the fairways.  But I have to show up with some money and prove I didn't invest it at the casino.

CC 

He Took Our Money

This is a three part story. 

It first starts with Gilhooley.  I  think he has been setting this up all season.  He had planned a trip to New York and knew he needed gas money.  I am sure he figured we would let our guard down in October since we get kinda laid back about JRSR golf.  The first phase of his plan involved winning the majority of the field skins on Tuesday ($18).  Knowing that would only get him to the border he convinced me to play FBT, winner take all on Wednesday.  He then proceeded to play well below his handicap and walk away with another $35.  Of course then he announced he was leaving "Dodge" and we 'd see him after the weather turned cold when we couldn't play golf.  The only bright side his handicap came down to where it should have been in the first place.

The second and third part of the story involves the SOTD.  After Gilhooley won the FBT the Appraiser says he rolled 4's (two rolls) to win $146.  I questioned the validity of this claim since the requisite number of witnesses weren't present.  But our barmaid swore it was a good roll (remember she is in good standing with the Ohio Bar), and I reluctantly paid off that night at the Prime Rib Dinner.  You should have seen the look on Mrs. Appraisers face when I handed him an envelope with 146 singles. 

The third part is when the next day JJ proceeds to roll five twos in 2 rolls for another win. Since I was sitting there when it happened I couldn't really question it.  He won $76.  All is not lost we still have $82 in the pot looking for a new home.  These things seem to come in three's so another winner could be close at hand.

Saturday golf was a wash out.  But, Sunday was a sunny day for the couples par 3 event.  There were 32 players who met for brunch and golf.  The course played tougher than people thought it would.  The Team of Dr. AH and I with our wives won in a closely contested tournament.  That's the first time I've won anything in a long time.  The permanent markers are in on the backside.  We hope to have the front done shortly.  If you want to practice your short game or just something different give it a try.  The Pro Shop has a scorecard prepared for your use.

The weather is turning cooler this week.  We'll play when we can.

CC

PS - For those of you who aren't aware we have put in tee markers to make every hole play as a par three.  No hole will be longer than 150 yards and none shorter than 55 yards.  But all the holes require skill and will challenge you game.

Not Much New

Not much was really new yesterday.  We had seven show up under overcast skies.  The rain held off until early evening.  Anyway we played a little field skin game and Gilhooey walked away with most of the loot.  Surprisingly the course was playing firm and fast.  The greens are pretty well healed, but running a bit slower due to Eric's preparations for cold weather.  Speaking of the greens,  I posted a chart on the bulletin board that shows the change in soil composition due to Eric's efforts over the past ten years.  It's a little technical, but shows we have made a big change and can now be considered to have a sand base.  Thus, the greens are healthier, and putting like we all would like. 

I'm still having problems with updating the SOTD info.  Currently we have $292.00 in the kitty that is looking for a new home.  Only one close call yesterday.   We have also played 553 rounds.  That is well behind 2012, but I'm sure weather related.

Currently the sun is shinning.  I think I'll play today to build up an appetite for the prime rib.

CC

Guest Day (?)

Well not really a true guest day since most of the guests were from the FGG, plus one alumni in the form of the Local Weatherman.  But anyway it made the field rather large at 15 players.  The group voted against a Silly Season format so we had a 3BB of 3 competition that turned into quite a challenge for most.  That was really true for the FGG guys who normally play something a bit easier.  Anyway The Lr DR. and his cohorts managed to post minus 6 and walk away with the big prize.  My group was dragged down by LTG, who could only manage to shoot 75, and lost a scorecard playoff at minus 2.  We started out at minus 2 after 2 and then proceeded to lose 5 shots on #5.  It was ugly is all I will say about that.  But what a great day weather wise.

Saturday saw the return of the SD.  His time away didn't improve his game.  As is his pattern he has  moments of great brilliance and periods of "what is going on".  The short of it is we took $4 from him and the GWH.  But another great day in October for golf.  I couldn't stick around for the post round banter.  I had to hustle off for a memorial service for a former neighbor.  This is happening with way too much frequency, but I guess it comes with getting older.  No matter I still don't like it.

Several of our friends have started the winter migration.  Dickie G, Silk, and KC were leaving for Florida this week.  They'll miss the Prime Rib Dinner Wednesday.  Hope the rest of you can make it.  Also if you missed the "Don't Give Up The Ship" presentation you missed a really interesting evening (regardless of what OTR says).  Thanks To Dave W. (not Lof A) for sponsoring the evening.

Great weather is expected for the next few days.  Look forward to seeing you at the training table.

CC

Taking Advantage

Yes we took advantage of the weather yesterday.  Ten JR/SRS showed up to show off their skills (well some did).  And, four took advantage of the other six and took their money.  It wasn't a runaway, but enough to win.  Twinkle Toes, The Appraiser and I thought we couldn't lose after picking up 8 strokes on two holes.  We forgot who we were playing against.  Dickie G, and Uncle Bob are tough to beat (no matter who their teammates are), and then throw in Dr. AH and we had no chance.

Now about the skills part.  Gilhooley was seen hustling Dr. J to the range immediately after the round for some remedial work on everything.  L of A was heard making an appointment for an eye exam.  He couldn't find his ball in the middle of the fairway on #1.  We didn't have any trouble finding his brand new Pro V1, and put it our cart.  And, no we didn't give it back to him. 

The course continues to be in great shape.  The greens are healing nicely, and should be back to normal within the week.  The weather forecast looks great for the next few days.  Make sure you show up because you never know when the weather will change.  I'm on the road today, but plan on playing Thursday.  If we get enough A players we can have a Silly Season game.

See ya,

CC

PS - It looks like the SOTD stats updated.

Washed Out

Yesterday was a wash out for golf.  I felt bad for the FGG since they were holding their championship.  It was supposed to be a 36 hole affair with varying formats.  I'm not sure  what they decided, but I did overhear that OTR had the most points at the time they quit playing.  I think we can blame the day on Jack N..  Every time he has a big event at Murfield (ie President's Cup) we get rain and lousy weather. Any way we tried to wait it out, but ended up going home for a nap before a big afternoon of college football.

LTG called late in the afternoon to say he was going to resume play if I wanted to tag along.  I passed since we decided to go to the movie to see Gravity.  Go see it if you get the chance.  It was really good with great special effects.  We were home in time to watch OSU and Northwestern.  A darn good football game.  It never should have been that close , but you have to give Northwestern credit for a heck of a game plan.  The Bucks hung in there when they could have folded.  I sure hope they are recruiting linebackers.  I also hope they take Roby's press clippings away from him.  This is the second week in a row he's been torched.

SOTD is now $265.00.  Some close calls, but no winners.  We're long overdue.  The weather looks good for Tuesday.

CC

Going Low

That's what most did yesterday.  Scores were exceptionally good for several people.  Bob D, in particular, shot even par, and recorded 5 birdies.  That's the best score I've ever heard of during one of our weekly games.  Rumor has it that Twinkle Toes had a season best after receiving a swing tip from yours truly while on the practice tee.  Even your humble blogger hit the ball really well off the tee after using this tip.  The Pilot let KC and I hit a second tee shot on 18 with his driver.  He had replaced the shaft with a super expensive exotic one made from some secret material.  We both hit the ball about 20 yards farther. Maybe it was a fluke, but I'm considering spending the $$ to upgrade.  Who says you can't buy a game?

I don't really remember who walked away with the cash.  The LR Dr. was running the show and money was flying every where.  No SOTD winners. The pot continues to grow.  We've got to have a winner soon.

The weather continues to hold.  Scattered showers are predicted,  but temperatures are still holding.

See ya,

CC

The Agony

That's what LTG felt after he made a natural eagle on #6 and couldn't win a skin.  We watched the shot disappear into the hole and thought he would be a lock to win a skin.  His effort was canceled by the LR Dr. who made a natural birdie with a stroke.  Both were last seen walking off mumbling to themselves.  Actually they were babbling incoherently.  So much for extra special play.  We had invoked the two putt rule because of the greens aerification, and played skins.  Competition was really keen and those fortunate few won $12 per skin.

No SOTD winners, and $10.00 was added to the pot.  Yesterdays update didn't take so I'm relegated to updating you this way until I find out what is wrong with edit command.  Anyway, the total in the pot is $240.00

The weather looks spotty for the next few days.  Hope to see you at the training table.

CC

Problems

Due to some unknown problem with the blog site it hasn't taken my uodate to the SOTD history.  Currently there is $230.00 in the pot.  Maybe this will self correct.  It's all a mystery to me.

CC

Flak Jacket

That's what I needed after Saturday's round.  I was Irwined by none other than The Appraiser (the creator of the Irwin).  Dr. AH and I thought we were out of range, but TA hit a Schwier and nailed me in the back below my left shoulder blade.  This mind you was after an earlier close call for Dr. AH.  Needless to say we were very careful for the rest of the round.  When I saw OTR in the grill room I told I felt his pain.  Surprisingly there was no bruise or lasting pain.  I think it shook up our opponents so badly they fell apart and we won 4 bets.  Plus we won the inter squad match with Gilhooley and his crew for a change.

Sunday the Nurse and I tried to play couples golf with the T Squared's.  But after being washed off the course twice we gave up and sat in the grill room with Bloody Mary's and watched the Browns win (imagine that).  That seems to be our luck with couples golf recently.

This week looks good weather wise, but the greens will be aerified.  I think it;s time for a little fun on Tuesday.  Be there or be square as they used to say.  We'll see which team can really go low.

See ya,

CC

He Really Quits

So says The Lr. Doctor after not winning the SOTD for the umpteenth time.  Mind you he says this after every time he rolls the bones.  He may take a hiatus, but I think the lure of easy money will tempt him and he will play again in a few days.  He should know by now that when the pot gets in the $200 range we're due for a winner, and it's just as likely to be him as anyone.

Play on Tuesday was marked by tough greens (what a surprise) and a course that is drying out again.  Needless to say the scores weren't great.  But KC and his pups managed to squeak out the back and total for the win.  The other teams tied,  but LTG's crews took home the front based on their superior play.

Yesterday the Nurse and I headed to Brookville, OH to watch the Rabbit Wrangler play football.  It was a perfect day and his team was victorious again.  His team never trailed, but the game was in doubt until the last three minutes.  Since he's the center we are always on guard when it comes to the long snaps for punts.  We shouldnt have worried though.  He executed three long snaps perfectly and didn't have any exchange problems.  But, blocking is sometimes a foreign concept.  He's not alone in that regard I've seen some pro lineman that have the same problem. 

The final Stag is today and I'm going to pass on golf this AM.  I have to be in Findlay to take care of some family business with Dad.  However, it looks like another beautiful day to play.  Since October is quickly approaching I hope everyone takes advantage of the good weather.

See ya,

CC

9 + 9 = Disaster

That's what you call a bad start to the JPK.  The GWH and I teamed up to take on the field and lost to the course.  We didn't play well on Saturday when we were +4 after two holes in the alternate shot format.  We pulled it together somewhat and finished the day in respectable form.  Now mind yoy, we weren't closr to the lead.  More like the lower half of the field.  Sunday dawned rather cool and clear.  We drew #10 as our starting hole due to our play on Saturday.  That's where things started to go South.  The hazard off the tee (for me): a drop and a shot to the fairway and then things really went South.  Recording nine on the first hole of the day doesn't set the right tone.  We tried to rally, and did some what until another nine jumped up on #15.  Since our goose was cooked we relaxed and played pretty well after that.  I will say we didn't finish DFL.  Our Sunday playing partners were even worse.  Kennel Club and Dr. J recorded a 10 and a nine.
Maybe the best part of the day was collecting $4.00 from them from our own private game.  Heard that Tony H. won.  Wonder what happened to OTR, Uncle Bob, and Gilhooley?  They had all posted good scores on Saturday.

Silly Season will start this week for the JR/SRs since I think we all need a break from the serious stuff.  The weather looks like early autumn, and should be great for golf.

See ya,

CC 

 

So Bad We Were Winners

Dick G became the latest Jr/Sr to get OJT in running the daily game.  True to form he came up with a challenging format.  Because of the odd number of players he elected to use the blind draw method to complete the three man teams.  The LR Dr, Uncle Bob and I were so bad that the draw improved our score by 11 shots.  Because we paying F/B/T  we ended up winning the B portion.  It's amazing how that works.

As I sit here this AM writing this I notice it is overcast.  I hope that it isn't going to rain since Twinkle Toes and I are off to Lenawee CC to play golf and then attend the Fall Advisory Bd meeting of the TDGA.  It would be bad enough to get wet here, but no fun when you are an hour away from dry clothes.

Silly Season is fast approaching, along with the approach of Fall this weekend.  I've got some ideas in mind for playing formats that should provide some fun.  Stay tuned and be sure to show up.

See ya Thursday,

CC

Can A Rhino Swim?

Well it depends on whether they had lessons when young.  Actually Asian rhinos can, but African rhinos can't.  The reason they can't is they can't keep their head above the water because of a big hump of fat behind their head.  That was just one of the fun facts I learned when The Nurse visited The Wilds last week.  I also learned you must take a book to read when sleeping in a yurt in the boonies.  They didn't have any TV/radio to occupy my time.  I can't remember the last time I went to bed at 9 PM.  Anyway we had a good time and learned a lot.  If you can't go to Africa this trip, won't take it's place, but is a nice one day experience.

With the SD out of town we had a cameo appearance from The Appraiser.  I actually thought the SD was in costume for the day.  The similarity between the two games was remarkable.  Dr. Ah and I still prevailed but it was touch and go for awhile on the backside.  The Appraiser would come to life when the GWH needed a rest.  If anyone wants to complain about green speed I think we need to have a "come to Jesus meeting".   Actually the speed was fine, but the pin placement was borderline.

Good weather in the future.  Time to prep your game for the JPK.

CC

Losing Twice

LTG's crew, after winning for the last several times, managed to lose two score card playoffs yesterday.  This was an all-time first.  They lost total and then lost the backside.  To top it all off they may have been the better team on Tuesday, but didn't score when it really counted.  Their only consolation was it made for great conversation.

I didn't report on the Saturday Game.  This was the last one before the SD left for California , The Americas Cup and wine country.  His mind must have been on the trip because it wasn't on golf for the most part.  Although he did show up at times and tried to help his partner.  The GWH more than held up his end of the bargain, but they still managed to lose enough so that Dr. AH and I broke even after paying off the inter squad event with KC's crew.  Thanks guys.

For all those concerned all is well on the home front.  Even The Nurse was confused about the date of the Senior Inter club.  The short of it is I'm not playing since it would be impossible to get back from The Wilds in time to play.  This is probably for the best anyway since my game is on vacation.  Good luck to Team Belmont. 

Two close calls on the SOTD, but no winners. 

CC

Howling At The Moon

That's what Kennel Club will be doing after winning $102 in the SOTD on Thursday.  We were due for a winner and he rolled three's in two rolls.  When the first four came up I knew we had a winner before he even rolled.  But don't fret.  There is still plenty of money left to be won by someone.  There's a $108 in the pot.

LTG and his crew were "on fire" again and went low to take all the money.  The Aappraiser was the big bandit this time shooting a season low.  Of course LTG was plaing well, and I guess The Pilot even made a contribution.  Thankfully I couldn't play yesterday and didn't throw my money down that rat hole.
Looks like good weather in the forecast for the next week or so.  I'm guessing I'll have ample opportunities
to make a contribution to someones retirement fund.

Football update.  The Rabbit Wrangler's team suffered their first loss.  That puts them in the same group with the defending Super Bowl champions.  They got thumped last night to kick off the NFL season.  I guess Patton M. still has something left in the tank, and New England may wonder about letting Wes W. go.

See at Happy Hour,

CC

Another Holiday Weekend

Well another Labor Day weekend has come and gone.  All in all it was pretty good.  The weather cooperated, except for a short period yesterday morning.  The Nurse and I followed the Dandy Dozen yesterday and it was great entertainment.  It was a good example of not how well you play, but how many mistakes you make.  Plus as they say "never give up".  The winner hit the tee hedge on #5, survived the hole and made history.  The defending champion- AKA Dr. Tooth made a valiant effort, but came up short after having an impossible shot from the trees on #9.

The Saturday golf match was the classic "kiss your sister" affair.  A lot of back and forth with no money changing hands.  I finally started to figure out the green speed and started putting better.  While not making much on Saturday I was at least getting the ball to stop very close or lip out.  Sunday they started to fall.  A par makes up for a lot of mistakes.  We just played nine on Monday after the heavy shower disrupted our plans.

Golf this week is kinda goofy due to outings and the short week.  Make sure you check the SD's announcements.

CC

PS -  Note to Gilhooley and company no more Mr. Nice Guy.  We're tired of donating.

Nose Tackles and Rabbits

Well the nose tackles were handled and the rabbits were wrangled on Thursday.  The WR's 7th grade football team won it's opening game.  It was a thriller, going down to the last seconds.  The WR plays center and did a pretty good job.  In fact he even handled the long snapping for punts without incident ( much to the relief of his Mother and Father).  After a quick change from pads to jeans it was off to the junior county fair and the rabbit wrangling.  He just made it and finished 4th out of 22 entrants.  His Father and I missed the whole thing because we got caught by a sulky race and were delayed in parking.  So after having the traditional fair dinner of corn dogs and funnel cake we called it an evening and headed back to the homestead.  Everyone was glad to get out of the heat and humidity and into the air conditioning.

The Nurse and I decided to stay overnight and glad we did.  There was huge accident on I 75 SB at mile marker 68 that happened about the time we would have gone through that area.  Three semis, three cars and a huge fire.  I 75 was shut down in both directions.  The south bound side was still closed Thursday morning.  The south bound backup must have been 10 miles when we went through about 8:15 AM.  What a mess.  I heard on the news there 2 fatalities.  The economy must be getting better.  Traffic was very heavy going down and coming back.

It was good to take a couple of days off from the links.  It certainly couldn't hurt my game.  I know I' supposed to play three days over the weekend so we'll see if the layoff helped.

See ya at Happy Hour,

CC

The Tip Worked

Twinkle Toes received a swing tip during the Mars vs Venus event and put it to good use yesterday.  In fact he posted his best score of the season and helped his team to walk off with the biggest share of the money.  We'll check next week to see if he can still remember what he was told.  Most of us have a short memory.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I thought the humidity yesterday made it extremely miserable to play.  Or maybe my play contributed to my discomfort.  In any event I'm glad to take a couple of days off.  The Nurse and I are off to see the Rabbit Wrangler play his first Jr. High football game and then do a quick change, run to the fair and wrangle his rabbits.  Talk about burning the candle at both ends.  I checked the weather forecast for the Dayton area and it will be at least as uncomfortable there as here.

No SOTD winners.  We must be getting close since the pot is almost $200.  That's the point where we usually have a winner.

We need to vote on a new term.  Bob D. said I just made a Perfect Bachey while filling divots on #15 yesterday.  In other words he filled the divot with one even poor from the sand bottle.  It must be catching since the Appraiser said he also made a Perfect Bachey a short while later.  Let me know if you think it's worthy of inclusion in our list. 

See ya later,

CC

I'm Confused

That was the comment from the GWH as he looked at his putt on #13 yesterday.  I admit I wouldn't want a 25 foot down hill curler either.  The SD, his partner, wasn't much help and only added further confusion.  So the GWH stepped up, closed his eyes and somehow rolled in a Hi Ho Silver to make birdie.  That's all I need to say on how our day was going.  Dr AH and I managed to keep our losses to a minimum but couldn't overcome dumb luck.  Our weekly opponents now have false confidence and think they are on the road to winning their money back.  We'll see!

Saturday was another beautiful day to play golf.  Sunday looks to be more of the same.  We have a good turnout for the Mars vs. Venus.  It should be a heated competition.  I know the Venus Team is pulling out all the stops and using every piece of gamesmanship they can think of.  I'll post my comments early next week.

The Nurse and I had a pleasant dinning experience last evening at Element 112 in Sylvania.  Very upscale, and something you see in a major metro area.  The food was very good.  We would suggest you order the Chef's nightly tasting.  There is something for all palates.  One caution - take cash.  It is a little pricey for the area.

Got to go get my battle dress on,

CC

Mutiny

It was a scene from Mutiny On The Belmont Wednesday at the 4th green.  LTG, OTR, Twinkle Toes and I had teamed up to play in the TDGA Shamble Tournament.  On paper we looked to be a good team, and through three holes we were.  The crew picked the only ball on the green at #4, and them proceeded to putt everything off the green and made 4.  They then designated me captain and blamed me for the decision.  Needless to say with mutiny in the ranks the ship foundered and we didn't recover for many holes.  By then it was too late.  We finished strong but couldn't overcome our earlier choices.

Check with OTR and ask to see his new head wear.  He now has protection against being Irwined.  Who knows maybe he will be trend setter.  In my mind it looks better than his Ricky Fowler look.

The BCC Senior Inter Club Team opened a can of whup ass on the other clubs Friday and won easily.  I don't remember the margin, but it must have been at least 30 strikes.  It was interesting to hear the comments from from the visiting players.  Most everyone had trouble with the greens, but really had problems with the rough.  I heard several people say they would quit golf before playing BCC everyday because it was too tough.  I don't know about you, but I'm proud of our course and the work Eric and his staff have done to get the course where it is.  However, we could use a little more consideration on where we set some pins.

See ya,

CC (or as my teammates called me Captain Bligh)

Close Competition

Yes it was!  Twelve showed up in hopes of showing their skills and walking away with the accolades of a winner, plus the cash.  It was a closely fought competition with four three man teams.  The format, 2BB of 3 was a challenge.  It came down to the last hole where my team picked up two strokes to squeeze out a win.
That should help us to toughen up fro the Senior Interclub to be held at BCC on Friday.  Not only do we have our turf to defend, but we have the chance to be leaders for the season (if not winners).  Plus we really have a challenge on Sunday with the Mars vs Venus.  The ladies are talking some smack and are really gearing up.  If your wife hasn't signed you up call the pro shop.  We still could use a few more hands.

Not much else to report.  The weather and the course are great.  We are in the dog days of summer and football is right around the corner.  Before we know it Silly Season will be here.

Later,
 

Frick and Frack

Like the Phoenix who rose from the ashes Frick and Frack had a rebirth of sorts on Saturday.  They finally meshed their games to beat us for the first time in several moons.  While it wasn't a devastating loss it was interesting that each played well at certain times.  The super speedy greens played to their advantage for a change.  Speaking of the greens.  They were as fast as I can remember them ever.  Personally I don't think they were designed to have pins set in some of the locations with that kind of surface speed.  We already have some of the toughest putting greens in the TDGA and Saturday was confirmation of the ratings and then some.

Nice birthday party the club threw Saturday night.  Chef Kiel prepared some great food.  The weather was perfect.  Plus we had a nice crowd to enjoy the evening.  It's too bad we can't convince others what a great place Belmont is.

The weather looks like it is returning to summer norms this week.  Plus it's going to be pretty busy with the TDGA Shambles on Wednesday and the Senior Interclub on Friday.  And, the Mars vs. Venus is Sunday.  It looks like the women are trying to mount a serious challenge.  We need all able bodies to man the walls and repel their challenge.  Make sure you sign up.

See ya at the round table,

CC

The Champions

The 5th Annual JRSR Championship is in the history books.  We have new champions this year.  The LR Dr. was the low gross winner shooting 84, and Gilhooley was the net winner after posting 67.  Both scores are pretty good considering how tough the course was playing.  I heard there were a lot of short (and I mean really short) putts missed.  Seven, eight, and even the occasional nine were popular scores.  But, I think we all had fun.  Even if we hit the wrong ball.  Right Twinkle Toes?  It was good to see our wounded warriors show up and participate.  TTS had some prepared remarks, but didn't get to present them.  Watch for them in one of the SD's emails.

Thanks to our professional staff and clubhouse staff for making the day perfect.  That was one of the best steaks I've had in a long time.  Now we can get back some regular golf.  Be prepared for some exciting games in the coming weeks.

No SOTD winners.  That is pretty unusual.  Normally we have at least one winner on Championship Day.  We're back over $150 in the pot.

See ya on the flip side.

CC

PS - JJ Archie Bell and the Drells sang Tighten Up in 1968.  I knew it was something like that, but couldn't quite put my finger on it.  For the rest of you you had to be there to understand.

Preparations

To toughen up the crew for Thursday we played 3 BB of 4 yesterday.  The course was playing firm and fast and the scores were reflective of the conditions.  LTG's team some how managed to get under par and walked away with the majority of the money.  My crew started out like "a house on fire" but burnt out quickly.  It finally turned really bad on the last nine holes.  Double bogey seemed to be the most popular score by our A players.  When that happens you know you won't be in the money.

The only bright side was when I heard TT Squared warn Twinkle Toes to pay attention so he wouldn't Irwin him coming out of the bunker.  That was the moment I knew another legend (and term) was born.  So we now have a new verb for our Webster's.  Make sure you only use this verb properly since its namesake is a little sensitive.

Off to practice (and I need it),

CC

Moaning And Groaning

That's what you heard around the training table yesterday after the first round of the championships.  You would have thought someone had died based on all the long faces.  If it was going to be easy then everyone would get their name on the trophy.  I'll admit the pin placements were challenging, but they weren't anything we haven't seen before.  There were a few good rounds recorded.  One of them was by our own.  Silk posted a very respectful 85 (which included a triple).  He really struck the ball well, and putted with a lot of confidence.  Personally I had the worst nine holes 've had in 20 years.  When it takes four shots to get out of a bunker you know the day isn't going well.  I pulled it together on the back nine and improved my score by nine shots, and wasn't totally embarrassed.

I forgot another first from Thursday.  When we left the tee on #1 we saw a pair of mangled Ray Bans laying in the rough.  Sure enough they were JJ's.  Some how they fell out of the cart and OTR managed to run over them.  Let me say they were beyond repair.  It seems this is not the first time this has happened to JJ.  Ray Ban has him on their watch list and won't honor any more warranty requests.  Yesterday I noticed he had a new pair of cool looking shades.  Upon close inspection I saw they were labeled Ironman.  That's pretty appropriately named I thought.

Practice hard, the 15th will soon be hear.  The early money is on Silk.

CC

Day Of Firsts

The first first was TZ finally won the SOTD for $115.00.  I wasn't present for the event and there was some question about the validity of the second roll, but TZ claimed it was legit and he even coerced the bartender into backing him up.  After much discussion and a close vote of those assembled i agreed to pay him.  He now has no reason to complain about the dice.  Now the LR Dr. is the only one who hasn't won.  I told him not to fret there was still plenty of cash left in the pot.

The second first (actually the second second) was when the Appraiser lined one from the green side bunker on six and caught OTR in the head.  Of course OTR was dazed and didn't play as well for the rest of the round.  As expected our group didn't get any sympathy from the group and wouldn't let us have consideration for his pain and suffering.  Of course we lost by one shot.  The reason this event wasn't a first was because I recalled that TTS nailed Fred S a number of years ago when Fred forgot and rode ahead of TTS (off the side and not in the line of play).  I checked with OTR last evening and he seemed OK.  I guess hillbillies really do have hard heads.

This is Club Championship Weekend.  Good luck to all those participating.  This should serve as a good warm-up for our Championship next Thursday.  To date we have 20 signed up and it looks like a great field.

CC

Caught Another One

Bruce F. decided he would give the JRSR's a try yesterday.  Of course he was on the winning team and thought it was pretty cool to invest $5 and get $15 back in four hours.  Being the sharp financial guy he is he decided this was the best ponzi scheme going and said he would be back for another bite at the apple.  It certainly helped that he had two of our best sand baggers, Dr. AH, and the LR Dr. There must be something to this doctor thing.

We must be getting close to a SOTD winner.  There were a lot 4 out of 5 numbers coming up.  If my memory serves me right this always happens before the JRSR Championship.  Speaking of which, the SD says we have 20 signed up to play.  We are guaranteed to have anew gross champion since Bill N can't make it this year.  The LR Dr is the oldest JRSR without a major.  Could this be his year?  I'm sure it will be a hotly contested to see who can go low.

Time to go practice.

CC

Really Slick

I'm a bit behind in posting since Miss Emma and the Rabbit Wrangler have been in town.

Saturday was a great day to tee it up.  Little did we know the greens were like lightning before we played.  It was a rude awakening when we hit the first hole.  Our worthy opponents tried to take advantage of our surprise and opened a big lead on the front side.  It took us a while but we fought back, closed the gap, and only lost one bet.  We adjusted to the green speed and they didn't.  Based on the scores I saw posted and comments we weren't the only ones to have problems.

We had a lot of fun with the kids.  However it was lights, camera, action for three days.  The RW is really starting to understand golf.  I think I'm in trouble in a few years.  Miss Em is a year or so away, but hung in for 9 holes on a modified par 3 course.  She needs one more year before really being strong enough to swing effectively.


Gotta go take the kids back.

CC

Breakout

That's what the SD had on Tuesday.  He shot a 20 year best score (he says) of 89.  Pair that with the LR Dr. and Uncle Bob (both first class bandits) and there was no way anyone else could win.  Especially when they posted the score of -23 in a 3BB format.  The only saving grace was JRSR rules don't allow them to win everything in a front/back/total game.  I'm glad he got that out of his system before Saturday.

We had another successful gathering last night for the lobster dinner.  Kudos to the SD for organizing the event;  to the Todd and his staff for service;  and to Chef Kiel and his staff for a great meal.  Next up will be the wrap up prime rib dinner in October.

Today is August 1.  There's only 14 days to our JRSR Championship.  I've been making the daily formats tougher to get you guys ready for the big day.  So quit complaining.  The alternative is you can take over the clip board.  Based on the stories I heard about T Squared last week I don't think there is much interest in that.  Although the LR Dr. has almost finished his apprenticeship and ready to assume more duties.  I'm looking for nominations for the next apprentice.

See ya at the training table.

CC  

Tying Is Winning

Our weekly opponents agreed with the famous quote from former OSU president Gordon Gee.  We had opened a can of "Whup Ass" on them on the front side and then eased off.  The back side was nip and tuck all the way to the end.  We won the last hole when TGWH couldn't match my par on 18.  That win squared everything and no money changed hands.  We did lose the intramural match with Kennel Club and his crew (again).  The first liar never has a chance.  I don't who said that first but it is true.

What a chill there was on Sunday.  I had to dig out a light weight pullover for just sitting around the house.  It was even colder this morning.  The rest of the week looks to be back to normal temperature-wise.  And should be great golf weather.

See ya,

CC

Confusion

For a group that must have at least an average IQ well above 120 I'm constantly amazed at how many can get confused over keeping score.  Such was the case yesterday.  It took about four explanations but everyone finally figured it out.  The loot was pretty well spread around.  My partner and I got beat in a score card playoff after Silk's grandson Drew picked the hole where Dr. AH dunked one from the fairway to 3 for 1.  I have a lot of mixed feelings about that, but such is life.

There was a fairly large crowd for the stag yesterday.  Normally you would think there would be at least a few balls in the lake on #2.  But no!  All I found was one range ball.  Like the rest of the economy my ball retrieval business is suffering.  Normally by this time of the year I've found about 5 dozen balls.  So far I've gotten less than 4 dozen balls.  I'm not sure what the problem is.  I know there are new ball hawkers in the hood (Mr./Mrs. LTG),  I think more ball retrievers have been  sold.  Plus my observations indicate most of us can't hit as far as we used to, and as a consequence we aren't getting the trickle in effect we used to.  Come on guys adjust your aim.

See ya at the (reserved) training table.

CC

So Close

After a lot of grumbling about the day's format nine teed it up for a very tough and closely fought game.  Three man teams playing three best ball (for front, back, total) doesn't get any tougher, but the scores were really close.  In fact all teams tied on the front side at plus three.  One team excelled on the back nine and finished minus two or three.  I think my team got pencil whipped in the scorecard playoff on the front.  But, a funny thing, everyone thought it was a great way to keep everyone interested and it went pretty quickly.

Great weather coming up for the rest of the week.  Thursday we play in the AM due to the stag.  Based on what I saw in the forecast we might even need a sweater vest.   But, no rain forecasted.  The greens should be perfect.  They were really good yesterday, and created a few problems for our skilled putters.

See ya on the tee.

CC

It Happened Again

This past Saturday we teed it up again for the Saturday Match.  Things were much closer for the first eight holes.  We made the turn with a slight advantage.  For some unknown reason our opponents went to sleep and didn't wake up until the 19th hole.  There was a look of shock on their mugs when they realized they had lost five bets to Dr. AH and I, but also another $5.00 to the guys behind us.  Kennel Club had talked us into a little friendly team competition.  We came up a little short there and had to fork over part of our winnings too.

What a great finish to the Open Championship.  I had to run an errand Sunday morning and by the time I got back the whole tournament had changed.  I really like the fact that Lefty came through and finished strong.  I felt bad for Lee W. because I really thought he was going to finally win his major.   Now if LLefty can only win the US Open.  Who knows with it being at Pinehurst #2 in 2014 maybe that will be his time.  I still remember the great tournament when he was on baby watch and Payne Stewart beat him on the 18th hole.

Looks like things have finally cooled off today.  The steady rain was a welcome sight.  But, I don't think the outing players thought so.  Let's hope the course faired OK.

See ya Tuesday,

CC

A Hot One

Yes, it was a hot one yesterday, but we all survived.  To me it didn't seem as bad as it was on Tuesday, but it was still pretty hot.  The scores were reflective of the heat and changing conditions on the course.  Everything seemed a little drier, and faster.  Anyway, -8 was the low score and walked away with the loot.  For the second time this week I happened to be on the winning team (a truly rare occurrence).

Check the bulletin board in the locker room out.  I've posted a listing of rounds played this year.  Many have qualified for the upcoming championship, but several need a few more rounds.

Watching the British Open has been quite interesting.  The warm dry conditions with shifting winds are a real challenge for a lot of the pros.  This could be another time when the course wins.  Did you see the fan with the windmill headdress for Ian Poulter?  Quite funny.  It would have been funnier if he had clown makeup on.

I think the heat is going to moderate in a few days.  We all are in favor of that.  Plus a light shower would be welcome.

See ya,

CC

Gatorade

The Gatorade flowed freely yesterday in an attempt to keep hydrated in the heat and humidity.  I think Tuesday was the warmest day we've played golf this year.  Thank goodness the sun was behind the clouds on most of the backside.  It probably cooled it down to a cool 90 degrees.  What's with the LR Dr?  The guy with the background in a hot climate growing up thought it was too hot to play!  Anyway we all survived and a few of us even won a little "shoe money".

I checked in with those on the invalid list and all seem to be doing well.  TTS started rehab and bought a new (used) Lincoln.  Jim E is doing well with knee #2 and hopes to make lunch one day soon.  He says it may be a bit soon to try to swing a club, but may try putting and chipping.

Remember Thursday is the start of the British Open.   For those of you who have insomnia TV coverage starts at 4 AM est.  With a little luck you can get quite a few hours of viewing in before showing up for lunch.  Lefty has an early tee time on Thursday.  And don't forget the LPGA is in town.

Speaking of championship golf.  The JR/SR Championship is rapidly approaching.  Most everyone is qualified, but there are a few of you who still need rounds.  I'll publish a list next week of those players who are short.  Just a note - each year the tournament has grown in size and stature.  And, our group is the envy of many clubs in the area.

See ya,

CC

Time Flies

It seems like only yesterday that I wrote my last post.  I don't know where the time goes, but I seem to have been busy without realizing it. 

The Nurse and I spent as very pleasant evening Friday on the patio with friends. Drinks, dinner and conversation around the fire pit to wrap the evening up.  It couldn't have been any nicer.  We have the best setting in the area.

Saturday was another day of tense competition on the links.  Dr. AH and I were getting beat like a cheap drum after nine holes.  I truly thought the pendulum had swung the other way.  We turned it around on the inward nine and managed to eek out a small win and finish on the positive side of the ledger.  The SD and TGWH were in shock, and were last seen mumbling incoherently on the walk to their cars.

Sunday we teed it up with the Gilhooley's for a casual round.  The course was finally starting to dry out.  Still soft and slow on the greens, but much better than Saturday.  This week we should be back to normal.  The temperatures are finally summer-like.  The downside is the sudden change has brought out the dollar spot on the fairways.  It is virtually impossible to stop this attack on the grass.  Hopefully Eric has able to spray early enough to keep it from spreading. 

Worked on the TDGA Course Rating Comm. yesterday at Delphos CC.  Nice small town course where the members seem to take great pride in what they have.  Over the years they have had a number of improvement projects which the members have made using an event like our Founder's Tournament.  They have a very unique hole-in-one monument (done from a dead tree).

Get the cool clothes out.

CC

Visitors

Monday the Nurse and I traded the grand dog for the grand children.  I'm sure the dog was confused since she was reunited with her family for 20 minutes and them separated again.  Plus this all took place in the parking lot at a McDonald's.  Thanks to the weather everything has been limited to the movies, fishing, and the pool.  The golf course has been way too wet to play without wearing your water wings.  To date the Rabbit Wrangler has 4 and Miss Emma has 3 bass each.  But Miss Emma has the largest fish.  It was between 2 and 2 1/2 lbs.  The others were nothing to laugh about either (for either one).  Of course yours truly is lagging behind in landings and size.

Tuesday was another day with no carts.  Five hearty souls decided to hoof it around the course.  LTG said he changed shirts after nine and lightened his load by five lbs.  It was really humid and hot, and no relief appears to be in sight.  Only the rain is supposed to clear out.  Maybe we'll have carts on Thursday.  Eric Told me he hasn't seen the course this wet in a long time.  Plus he said he can't recall daily storms with this kind of volume ever.

Note to the LR Dr. -  Go see Despicable Me 2.  A fun animation movie.  The Minions are the real stars.

See ya,

CC

Dodging Raindrops

That's what it has felt like during this holiday week.  I'm sure we have had July 4ths where there has been more rain but I can't think of one. With the course as wet as it is it is hard to get enthused about playing.  Every time we start to dry out another wave of storms dumps a couple of inches on us.  Let's hope it doesn't heat up too quickly.  That could cause a real problem with the turf.

Tuesday's JR/SR was a spirited affair among nine of us.  Scores were really close with My team winning for a change.  Thursday was an off day due to the holiday.  I think most of us were playing in the flag tournament.  I decided not to embarrass myself and elected not to play.  i was afraid my flag might be planted on #16 with the way I've been striking the ball.  As it turned out it would have been on 18. 

We should be back to a normal schedule now.  If the weather will cooperate it will be a plus.

See ya at Happy Hour.

CC

Enough Already

It was a short summer, or so it seems.  I can't believe we are having this cool spell to start the month of July.  This has really been a strange Spring/ Summer season.  It seems like the club can't catch a break with annual 4th of July celebration.  At least they got the fireworks off without going to a rain date.  I thought it was a pretty good show, and hope you did too. 

Saturday golf was a little sloppy with all the rain we've had.  For once no money changed hands.  No one played well for the entire round.  There were shades of brilliance by everyone when it was sorely needed.  The Nurse and I canceled our game with OTR and his Mrs. because of the wet conditions (translation - no carts).  They are forecasting showers through Wednesday so we'll see if we play golf.  We can't even get any sunshine to help dry the place out.

The grand dog has settled into a routine, but I'm sure she misses her family.  The geese are at least staying away right now.  The ducks however seem to be surprised by her presence.  Can't imagine what they think that big, black dog is laying in the grass is.  It is funny to watch their reaction.  So far no incidents with the skunk family that has been showing up in the evening.

Talk at you later,

CC

Back Of My Neck

I think we all remember the song Hot Time Summer In The City where the back of his neck feels gritty.  Well that's what it felt like on Thursday morning.  I'm not complaining about the heat but it was a bit hot and humid.  Since the stag was in the PM we played in the AM.  At least 8 showed up, but only 7 really played.  I'm not sure what I was doing, but I don't think you could really call it golf.  It was more like lunging with a quick release.  The skin money was concentrated in half the field.

I'm starting to think we're in south Florida with these evening thunder storms.  The course is starting to show the effects of these constant monsoons.  No standing water, but certainly soggy conditions.  Hope we catch a break and get the fireworks in without a big storm to spoil the party.

The Nurse and I have the grand dog for 10 days.  It is always a treat to be awakened by a big black, furry thing breathing in your face a 5:45 AM.  But, she is such a good natured dog you really can't get too upset with her.  The fireworks and thunder do bother her, but she is too big to be a lap dog (she tries). 

Have a good weekend,

CC

Done In Again

The scorecard playoff did us in again.  I don't mind losing, but hate it when it is by the scorecard.  You can play well for 17 holes, but have a tough time on #6 and it all goes down the drain. 

Tom T (aka T Square) decided it was his turn at the SOTD and took half the pot with five snake eyes.  Fortunately we still have $80.00 left.  To the best of my knowledge there are only two JRSRs left who haven't won.  I won't embarrass them by publishing their names, since they are getting really sensitive about it.

Don M was at the club for lunch and a little range time yesterday.  He was looking good and hitting the ball pretty well.  For the those who don't know, he was one of the founding members of the JRSRs back in 1996.  I hope he won't be a stranger and will come  to lunch more often.

Remember Thursday is Stag Day.  We will play in the AM.

CC

Well Deserved

A well deserved honor was bestowed on one of our own yesterday at the club's annual meeting.  The SD and the Mrs. were named Members of The Year for 2013.  This was in recognition of their contributions to the club over the years and most recently his efforts organizing the prime rib dinners we have enjoyed over the last three years.  Congratulations.

The SD and the GWH didn't fare as well on the golf course on Saturday.  They continued to extend their losing streak.  I have no other explanation other than to say the pendulum always swings the other way.  It is really interesting since they start and finish strong.  It is the middle 14 holes that give them trouble.

One of my pet peeves is slow play.  In my opinion this got out of hand on Saturday.  I give Brad a lot of credit for trying to keep things moving.  There is no reason an Old Pal Match should take ssubstantially longer than a normal game.  For some reason you say Old Pal and everything slows down.  This is from a bunch of guys who complain about slow play on any other day.  Why people don't practice "ready golf "  is a mystery.  And, when you are holding the entire course up DON'T SIT BY THE GREEN AND RECORD YOUR SCORES!  At one point there were four groups on the same hole.  I think we can all agree that shouldn't happen.

The weather has definitely turned to Summer.  Just in time for the Fourth of July.  This week should be a warm one, with the occasional thunder storm thrown in to cool things down.  Hope every one's AC is in working order.  Don't forget the sunscreen.

See ya,

CC

PS - If you were at the club Friday night I hope you noticed how busy it was.  Between Twilight Golf, Floaty Friday, rehearsal dinners and normal dinning the place was packed.   Give credit to Todd and the staff everything worked pretty smoothly.

Really!!

That was my reaction when I heard the winning score on Thursday.  Being Captain I thought I picked a fairly difficult format;  2BB on the odds, and 3BB on the evens.  We weren't very good but not totally awful.  But the other teams must have been on steroids.  Maybe there were some best rounds of the year.  I know there was a career best from the LR Dr. (74),  but we weren't even on the same planet.  Poor OTR couldn't compensate for the sub par play of Dr AH, Twinkle Toes, and yours truly.  This happens again and we're going to have some random drug testing.

Here's the medical report:  TTS was seen at Pizza night, and went to Kroger's for ham loaf fixings.  He says he tires easily but is getting better each day.  Jim E. had his second knee done on Tuesday and is doing really well.  He thinks he could be back on the course by the end of August.  We'll see.  He might have been on the joy juice when making that statement.

Summer is here.  It is pretty hot today, and it is supposed to be that way for several days.  At least we'll get some roll in the fairways.  I'm sure we all would like an extra 10 yards off the tee.

You'd better pay attention to the small dogs and babies.  We saw a coyote walking on the course the other day.  This was in the middle of the afternoon! 

CC

Soggy

All the rain finally caught up with the course.  LTG and I played our Old Pal match  on Sunday with the course as wet as it has been all Spring (yes technically it is still Spring).  I guess we should have expected it after some of the storms that have come through lately.  But I digress.  We won't talk about the results.  Suffice it to say we always catch our opponents on their best day.  It was close for quite a while, but we couldn't overcome the strokes bunched together on the backside.  Plus my putter took lessons from Phil's on our last hole to extend the match.

Speaking of Phil, wasn't the US Open great theater!?  For all his heroic play Phil just couldn't pull it off in the end.  I don't know anyone who wasn't rooting for him.  You just had to love Merion.  For a course that was supposed to be a pushover no one broke par.   Made some of the best pros in the world look pretty bad.  I know they sure screwed up my pool picks and took me out after two rounds.

Looks like some good weather this week.  Hope to see you at the training table.

CC

The Phone Call

I was sitting at home yesterday minding my own business and watching the US Open when the phone rang.  Most of the time when it rings at that time of day it's some solicitation or a JRSR informing me they have won the SOTD.  Since we didn't have carts I figured it must have been a solicitation.  Wrong.  It was LTG.  So naturally I assumed he hit the SOTD again. Wrong again.  He just wanted to confirm we were going to play golf Friday afternoon.  And he let casually slip he made an ACE on #17.  I knew he was playing with the LR Dr. and Bill N.,  but I thought they quit at #9.  Anyway I hustled over and joined them for a drink.  There was no SOTD winner, so they pot continues to grow.

It looks like we're back to normal after the storm from Wednesday night.  The range is open and carts are allowed on the course. 

See ya,

CC

That Was Some Storm

That was some storm that came through last night.  For once the weatherman got it right.  You know it is bad when you get the phone call in the middle of the night from the emergency warning system.  I had been watching the weather on TV but was still surprised when the phone rang.  The Nurse was already in the basement with her phone and purse expecting the worse.  Fortunately nothing happened but a lot of rain, and I do mean a lot.

I didn't play yesterday, but a briefing from LTG..  TZ was a big winner in the field skin game.  Tuesday saw the Lr Dr. play captain.  He chose the teams and still couldn't win.  His format, 3 BB of 4, was a tough one.  It was hard to believe that minus 14 was the winner.  Especially from four chops.  I guess BD was really hot and shot 74 (bogeyed a four par 3's).  Hard to beat that when your partners are getting a boatload of strokes and "Frick and Frack" it all the way around.

Rumor has it that  TTS was baking a cake on Wednesday.  Can cookies be far behind?  Also I hear he plans on coming to lunch on Thursday.  Hope he makes it.

The US Open is off to weather delayed start.  Hope this weather clears out soon.  Does anyone know the ruling if you embed your ball in a wicker basket on the pin?  If not, ask me at lunch.

See ya,

CC

The Unthinkable Happened

Dr AH and I were able to put a major whopping on our friends again.  That's two weeks in a row that we dinged them.  It could have been worse, but the SD chipped in on 18 for par.   I think we're pretty much back to even for the 2013 season, but still behind if you include last year.  Dr. AH was the hot player and seems to have benefited from taking the week off for a wrist/thumb injury. 

Heard the Belmont garden walk went well and the club raised $800 for plantings around the club grounds.  Plus there was a big crowd for dining Saturday night.  It's hard to believe some had to wait for a table.  Throw in the wedding and the club had a good Saturday.

After today the weather looks good for golf.  Remember the Invitational is this week, and Thursday is the practice round.  Make sure you check the SD's email for our schedule.  Also heard twinkle Toes and TZ won their Old Pal match in 19 holes (against some flat bellies).  I guess TZ really picked up his game over the last six holes.

See ya,

CC

They Still Haven't Won

There are still three JRSRs who haven't won the SOTD.  One came close yesterday, but again there was "no cigar".  So the pot has started to grow again.  Of course it helps to have a big group rolling each day.  Such was the case on Thursday.  Even though the weather didn't look promising, we still had 11 players show up to take their shot at winning the gold.  I made the mistake of not playing takes all.  You guessed it.  I was on the team that would have taken it all.  But you know the old saying - "pigs get fat and ....".  OTR was our our captain and played really well.  Plus TZ and Twinkle Toes were hot when it really counted.  Even my game contributed at the right times.  It really was a team effort.

We had a new player join us.  John W (aka Sky King) was introduced to our daily fun.  He was heard mumbling something about being another pigeon.  We tried to reassure him that his day would come.  I'm not sure he bought into the concept, but am guessing he'll be back.

I talked with TTS the other day.  Actually I had short visit with him.  He's looking good although still pretty weak.  I tried to impress on him that he should follow the doctors orders and not overdue it.  We all know how patient he is.  Any way he'll probably be ready for more visitors soon.  I know St. Gwen will be.

Talk at you later,

CC

Another One Returns

We heard rumors that Bob K was coming back to the club, but until yesterday he'd had been a no show.  It take him long to establish he was another force (aka sandbagger) to be dealt with.  I won't call it beginners luck since he has always been a good stick,  but to win on your day back was a bit of a surprise.  Anyway welcome back Bob.  We continue to have big groups (which is great), and it makes for good competetion.  It was also good to see the Used Car Salesman join us.

Twinkle Toes had one of his sons visiting and he brought him to lunch.  The son is certainly a whole lot better looking than Twinkle is.  But, I don't know whether he can "trip the light fantastic". 

The Nurse and I went to pizza night yesterday.  There was a big crowd there.  Let's hope it keeps up for the rest of the season.  The pizza was pretty good too.

OTR played in the new Tuesday Golf League and said that paid better than our group.  Sounds like he's found a new group of pigeons to pluck.

The rest of the week looks good.  See ya at the training table.

CC

It Never Fails

When you have all your rain gear it never rains.  Such was the case Saturday for the Member Member.  It sure looked like it was going to rain;  the radar said it was going to;  and it felt like rain.  But after loading all the gear in the cart it never rained.  But the course was very wet from the rain the evening before.  They let us play lift, clean, and cheat.  For most of us that didn't make any real difference, but for OTR and Dbl J it must have helped.  How else can you explain them lapping the field!  They posted a great score and walked away with the marbles.  Congrats to another pair of JRSRs.  Just goes to show that seasoned veterans can still play.

Sunday dawned with another cool morning.  The Nurse and I played with Mrs. Dr AH and TM.  We called it quits after nine holes due to lack of interest, cool breezes, sprinkles, and my desire to see the end of the Memorial Tournament.   And my poor play also contributed to a lack of interest.  But, I'm glad I watched the tournament.  It was definitely a pretty good finish.  I was happy to see Matt K. win. 

I hope the wind will quit blowing like we're in a perpetual hurricane soon.  I know we go through this every Spring, but enough already.  Plus, can we put some growth retardant on the rough.  We have been spending too time on searching for balls.  Besides it's June and we are supposed to be done with these conditions.

Did you look at the numbers for the SOTD?  Between payouts and the current pot we have passed the $3000.00 mark.  That's in less than four seasons.  I have a summary by winner that you can see, but won't publish it in case the IRS is paying attention.  Call for an appointment.

See ya,

CC

Three Times In A Week

Gilhooey was the 3rd SOTD winner in the last week.  Now his winnings weren't a record, but he was happy with $37.00 when added to his $15.00 from the skin money he won yesterday.  We had a small field since many of our group were playing in the stag.  I'm just as glad I played early since it heated up after lunch.  I'm sure the guys were glad there was wind in the afternoon.

I spoke with TTS last night.  He is home, and happy to be there.  He said he finally got a decent night's sleep.He still has a long way to go but is gaining strength everyday.  He's not ready for visitors yet, but happy to talk on the phone when not napping.  I think the first thing he asked for dinner was ham loaf.

Not much else new.  Hope to see you at Happy Hour.

CC

He Bags One!

Yes, TGWH finally bagged a win  in the SOTD.  It was a small win, only $55.00, but he was one of the last players to roll the required combination to win.  He rolled five 2's in two rolls.  For some reason 2's have been hot.  Dr.  AH won with that number and a number of other people have had four of them.  Now if we can get TZ to win everyone of the regular players will have hit at least once.

Despite the wind LTG and his crew played slightly better than the two other teams.  While they weren't sterling 8 under was enough to walk away with the cash.  My group came alive in the last four holes and almost pulled out the win, but came up just short.  Thursday is the first stag of the year so we'll be playing early.  Base on the forecast for the temperature that may be a blessing.

See ya at the breakfast table,

CC

PS - Word is that TTS may come home on Wednesday.  That's probably good news for all concerned.  Especially the hospital staff.

Lightning Strikes

That's what happened to our worthy opponents on Saturday.  The round started as it normally does with TGWH making a par on the 1st hole.  Then our opponents followed that with a win on the second hole.  Dr AH and I were in shock since Uncle Auto showed up early in the round.  But then the lightening struck.  Dr. AH and I proceeded to win the next seven holes to take the front side by a wide margin.  Our opponents were in shell shock  and continued to play poorly the rest of the day.  By the time we were done we had one 8 bets and most of the money back we had lost this season.  Not many days are like Saturday and you have to relish them when they happen.  I'm sure the tide will change and we will be in that position in the future.

The Rabbit Wrangler and Miss Emma were in town for a short holiday visit.  They went to the zoo Sunday morning to see the new polar bear cubs and the new crocodile.  I went to the casino to meet my father and make sure he came to lunch.  We all had a nice visit and then everyone headed in different directions.  Unfortunately no golf, but we were scheduled to play Monday.  True to form for Memorial Day in Northwest Ohio it was cold and rainy.   I think that is 4 out of the past 5 years it has been that way.  We used to go away for the holiday because of that treason.  Anyway after napping the afternoon away we met friends for dinner at the club's cookout.  I will admit we needed the rain, but....

This morning dawned with the rain still here.  I even saw LTG fishing in it.  Right now it seems to have moved on and we should be able to play golf.  Plus the temperature is supposed to start rising and get hot the rest of the week.  I hope that doesn't give Eric problems with the course.  Hot humid days can cause havoc with the turf. 

See ya at the training table,

CC

PS - TTS continues to slowly recover.  There is some talk of him coming home this week.  I guess he was even grumpy the other day.  Imagine that!

Seven For Seven

Yesterday wasn't a total bust.  Seven us got seven holes completed before the sky open up for a cold shower.  Being creative we decided seven holes was enough and called it a day.  LTG and Double J (aka JJ) won in a score card playoff.  We tried to have a couple of winners in the SOTD, but nobody could get the dice to roll the fifth number.  Two winners in one week would have been too much anyway.  Four of us stayed and decided to play the loop after the rain had moved on.  Bad idea.  The temperature dropped about 15 degrees and it was bone chilling damp.  When that was over we went in for coffee and cookies.

I don't know anything new on TTS.  He is still mending and I'm sure quite sore.  Hope to get an update later today.

Hope everyone has a good holiday weekend and is ready for summer.  One more week of spotty weather then Jack's tournament.  After that everything seems to change for the better.  I'm not sure the club is open on Tuesday, but I'm planning on it and will look forward to seeing you at the training table.

CC

I Don't Believe It

There's a lot I don't believe, but it's hard to think you can be minus 14 in a two best ball of four on the front side and lose.  But it happened in a score card playoff to Dr. AH and his crew.  We got Ziemed on the second playoff hole where we picked up two strokes and still got beat.  We were playing front, back, total and lost every which way.  Second, It's hard to believe that Dr. AH could roll five twos and win the SOTD ($92) for the fourth time.  I don't know what probation he's on but I'll think of something.

TTS came through his surgery in good shape.  I'm not sure of all the details but know he was OK after all the repair work they did.  Dr. AH may have a little info.  I'm sure we'll get more info today once St. Gwen has had a chance to rest.  It was a pretty long day yesterday for all involved.

Tonight is our first gathering - prime rib night.  Hope to see you all there.

CC

More Of The Same Old Tricks

It never ceases to amaze me how the GWH and the SD can wake up twice a round and play beyond their skill level.   And, it always seems to be on the holes where they are on "double scholarship".  If I didn't know better I'd think they were taking lessons from TZ on how to use strokes to great advantage over your opponent.  Needless to say Dr. AH and I were not the winners on Saturday.

Did you see the picture of OTR riding the subway?  He didn't look like a happy camper.  But then again it was a train, and we know how he feels about trains in general.  I didn't hear of any international incidents so I guess the LR Dr. didn't have any problems with a stampeding elephant or white stallion.

It was nice to be outside at Happy Hour last Friday.  Too bad it was a little too chilly to eat outside.  The fire pit was very popular even though a few people lost their eyebrows.  We sat out there again Sunday after the Couple Shamble and it was really pleasant.  We have the best view of any club in the area.  Speaking of the shamble my team came in second.  That was really amazing since we started out 2 over on our first hole an really didn't get into serious red figures until deep into the back nine.  It was truly a team effort with everyone coming through at the right time.

The weather report is mixed for this coming week.  Looks like some thunder showers are headed our way. 
But, I think we can get some golf in.  See ya at the training table.

CC

PS - Talked with TTS on Sunday.  He seems to be in good spirits despite  what he is facing.  Surgery is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon (starting about the time we tee off).  Let's keep him in our prayers.