Aug 22, 2013
You know how we keep harping on you guys to show up early, pay your fee and if we're lucky we'll get on the course before our appointed hour so we can get home early and take that required nap that's so important to secte/septe/octeganarians? Well, we forgot to include the owner/manager of Birch Creek in our pleadings. For those of you who arrived after 6:50 you missed all the fun of hanging your car's butt out into the right lane of the frontage road for any Franklin County pickup truck to plow into while we waited for the owner/manager to show. Yes, we had at least 20 cars lined up outside the stupid front gate of the course from whatever time Ed de la Pena arrived (probably in the neighborhood of 6:15) until the owner/manager finally showed at approximately 6:45. Evidently there was some misunderstanding by him about what time we would be ready to play. He assumed from our email that the Commish sends out that we wouldn't be there to play until 7:30. What Larry's email implies is that we'll be ready to play by 0730. I guess he assumed that we don't do something important like sign in and pay our fees which as we all know can take 30-45 minutes! Especially when you have 97 players like we had today.
I'm all for capitalism and starting your own business, and being successful at it, but evidently this guy has to be in control of everything and doesn't trust his staff to do something as simple as unlock a gate to let folks in from a potentially dangerous situation on a highway. Word came to us that he has to be the one to open the gate to allow folks to enter, he wouldn't allow any of his staff to do it, although some members were there the whole time.
Enough of the rant, but the situation was beyond ridiculous for those of us waiting outside the gate. Much longer and we might've voted to turn around and deprive him of a lot of money for the day.
Birch Creek is a good place to play. The holes are significantly different and when the course is in good shape, as it was for us, playing is enjoyable, even those missed 3 foot %^&^*#$%*(#@ing putts!!! The fairways were great, and the greens, tho pockmarked, were quite true, except for that %^&^*#$%*(#@ing putt. As a special treat an occasional hawk, or was it a turkey vulture, would circle the course looking for some kind of prey, or was it that %^&^*#$%*(#@ing putt? Anyway, conditions were great, humidity was up, temps were up but unfortunately the breeze was down. Perhaps all these things caused that %^&^*#$%*(#@ing putt. But, I don't want to dwell on that one item that upset me almost as much as waiting to get into the %^&^*#$%*(#@ing course.
Just so you all know, every team was below par today. That certainly does not happen very often and in this case it just might be attributable to the 75 year rule. These mature guys get to hit from the red tees which in the case of the Murphy's, Jarvis's and the de la Pena's of the world, can mean one heckuva big advantage. And if we spread this 75 year wealth out enough a lot of teams will benefit from their experience, cunning, and even driving ability. Thus all teams today reaped the spoils of the joys of being 75, except for that one team that missed that %^&^*#$%*(#@ing putt!!!
Results:
Flight "A"
All alone in First with a very impressive -13 was the Mark Gordon, Bob Franke, Randy Pratt, and Joe Cernich team which probably entered the fray as the odds-on favorite to run away with low score anyway. Nice shooting guys, and probably nice putting too.
In Secondwas the Phil Helm, Karson Kosowski, Bob Pahmeier, and Frank Vien team. These guys understandably scorched the course in -12 and noting that Bob and Frank hit off the front tees they were certainly capable of shooting lower.
In Third was the Don Giarraffa, John Dierker, Bob Haddad and Joe Jarvis squad with a -11. Bob and Joe from the front tees, hmmmmm. And Don and John are certainly no slouches either.
Next with a -9 was the Bill Howell team, followed by the Harold Howard team nosing out the George Keil team with a 64 by virtue of the SCP hole #14.
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Flight "B"
In First The Tom Gill, Ron Muse, and Dale Crittenden team managed to be top dog in this flight with a 65
In Second the John Aubuchon, Wayne Lamborn, Pete Grouzos, Bob Foeller team
and in Third the Charlie Fischer, Ernie South, Ted Schuessler, and Doug Torrie team.
Also with a 65 but knocked out of the running because of the SCP was the Jack Eckhard team. The Bob Meinhardt and Dan Snowden teams each carded 66's.
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Flight "C"
In First the Steve Wallach, Bob Gay, Mark Hagler, and Don Moschenross team took honors with a 67
Taking Second the Charley Wilson, Jack Panula, Dan Fergus and Tom Murphy squad
In Thrid the Ron Martens, Dave Rapp, Jerry Mullen, Gene Erard team.
The following teams all shot 68's and finished in this order because of the SCP: The Bob Bischoff team, the Pierre Sans Souci team and the Lou Pessoni team.
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Flight "D"
In First The Bob Checkly, Larry Willman, John Prather, and Harold Lindahl team shot 69, as did the Bob Eddy, Gary Turner, John Beal, and Paul Pals team, and the Dan Ottoline, Vince Koehr, Earl Phillips, John Ross team, but Checkly's team won out by virtue of the SCP.
Finishing with 2 under 70's were the Tom Wulf team and the Tim McCullen team, while the Brian Cox and Alan Schaeffer teams both carded 71's (only because of that %^&^*#$%*(#@ing putt).
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Awards:
Closest to the pins for the day:
#5 Tom Wulf (never heard anyone cheered jeered that loudly before) #8 Ron Muse #12 Larry Riedisser #16 Roger Nikrant
Skins:
Just one and it was an eagle on #6 by the Mark Gordon team, and of course Randy Pratt was on that team.
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