Week 13 Recap - Hit the Ball!

Summer's waning. Know how I know? I couldn't see my golf ball on #9 (the ONE shot I hit straight) after I hit it last night because it was too dark out. It was dark out because it was so late. It was late because it took forever to finish nine short holes. It took forever because we had to wait to tee off on every single hole. We had to wait because of people not playing ready golf. There was a very sizable gap last night between the first and second groups, which seems to have slowed the eight groups behind.

I guess it's time for a not-so-friendly reminder that slow play is one of very few things that can make golfing less fun. I've heard from multiple people that they've quit the league or stopped subbing because our league is just too slow. Please help "encourage" your teammates to play ready golf while you're out on the course. I want this to be fun for everyone.

Following these few tips makes a big difference.

• Hit the ball!
• Tee off on time. The first group almost always has a wide open fairway at 4:52. Hit the ball!
• Obviously, keep up with the group ahead of you. They're how you should measure your pace. If they're pulling away from you, you need to take steps to catch up.
• Be ready to hit when it's your turn! That means get to your ball, figure out the distance and the club you need, envision your shot and get into your stance while others are shooting. There is no need to wait until every ball stops rolling before you can begin your pre-shot routine. Hit the ball!
• Even if you're not out, hit if you're ready. Sometimes the player who's out is struggling and needs time to rake, find a ball, get a different club, etc. If you're ready, hit the ball.
• Limit yourself to one practice swing! It's not the PGA Championship at Whistling Straits - hit the ball!
• Give the gimmes (read more about it here). If your opponent's ball is within the leather of the putter, tell him to pick it up. If there are new golfers or subs in your group, tell them about the gimmes. They really can speed up a round.
  
• TAKE the gimmes. I am now diverging a bit from the rule I laid out last season, which says you have the option of putting anyway. For the sake of pace, if someone gives you a putt, pick up the ball, count your stroke (and your blessings). In other words, don't hit the ball!
  
• Watch where your ball is going so you can find it. (I'm not the best at this one.) Lots of time is lost looking for a ball in the wrong place.
• Chat when you're walking to your balls. According to PGA metrics (I'm not making this up) there should be about 49 minutes of just walking to your ball on this course. Between that and the tee box, that's plenty of time to talk. When it's time to get ready to hit, shut yer yap for a minute. Then hit the ball!
• If you have trouble walking quickly, consider using a cart.
• If you're already behind, be judicious about when you solicit the refreshment cart. When possible, hit first, then quench your thirst.

Interesting article about slow play
Amusing commentary on slow play

Rant over.

As for results, the Loescher team swept their way into first, with the help of the Kraus team, who knocked the Moritz team down a peg (two, actually). Andy Taylor led all golfers with a season-low 35, and Dave Rieves was close behind with a 36. There was quite a mix of good scores and bad scores this week, as our league average increased for the second straight time. Just because it's the dog days of summer doesn't mean we have to play like dogs!

Here are updated standings in the race for the Dave W . . . er . . . Sy Brandt Sportsmanship Award. I decided to be sporting about it and let Paul feel good for another week.

1. Paul Schuettler 21.03
2. Dave Wolfe 20.03
3. Tom Weber 19.00
4. Steve Smith 18.63
5. Brad Nelson 17.63
6. Mike Sanders 16.78
7. Mike Warren 16.63
8. John Loescher 15.98
9. Ed Molter 15.75
10. Bob Moritz 15.47

Week 13 Pairings - July 27

Here are Tuesday's pairings. Pace was pretty darn slow last week. Let's pick it up! Should be a warm one Tuesday. We're all gunning for the Moritz team.

4:52 & 5:00	Williams vs. McGettigan
Matt Blouin	16		Chris Weber	9
Bob Crowe	19		Tom Weber	22
Dave Rieves	6		Scott Gomez	8
Ron Weiss	24		Shawn McGettigan	13
5:07 & 5:15	Nelson vs. Miller
Steve McDonnell	10		David Miller	14
Brad Nelson	17		Charlie Hoslet	16
Mike Williams	9		Doug Hoerr	13
A Tomaszewski	20		Ed Meachen	14
5:22 & 5:30	Moritz vs. Kraus
Bob Moritz	11		Lynn Paulson	7
Paul Schuettler	13		Steve Smith	13
Steve Moritz	9		Andy Taylor	12
Tom Hidde	14		Mike Kraus	13
5:37 & 5:46	Loescher vs. McEvilly
John Lobe	27		Pat McEvilly	13
John Loescher	17		Herb Stanford	26
Ed Molter	16		Dave Delveaux	10
Rob Zimmerman	23		Ed Corcoran	15
5:53 & 6:00	Dvorak vs. Wolfe
Matt Raymer	10		David Wolfe	16
Jeff Dvorak	13		Mike Sanders	18
Mike Warren	9		Paul Barnett	14
Taylor Devalk	New		Adam Hopkins	17

Week 12 Recap

Sorry I didn't get these out sooner. I was busy watching Big Break Sandals Resorts on the Golf Channel. I only watch it for the golf.

Last week's top three teams kept the pressure on each other Tuesday night, with 5, 5, and 6 points. The Moritz lead is now 1.5 points over the Loescher team, and 2 over the Kraus team.

Lots of good scores again this week, led by Lynn Paulson's 34 and Chris Weber's 34. 25 of the 37 golfers with handicaps shot under par and another six were at par. Two golfers had back-to-back birdies on Tuesday - Steve Smith (1 & 2) and Steve Moritz (7 & 8). Next week I'm going in the score book as Steve Wolfe.

The flight tournament starts in three weeks. More news coming in the next couple weeks.

I handed out most of the prizes last Tuesday, but still have balls and cash for those who weren't there.

Below are the most recent standings in my inevitable march to victory in the Sy Brandt Sportsmanship Award. It will be an interesting battle for second place!

1. Paul Schuettler 18.90
2. Dave Wolfe 18.79
3. Steve Smith 18.13
4. Brad Nelson 17.63
5. Tom Weber 17.06
6. Ed Corcoran 15.70
7. Mike Sanders 15.21
8. Mike Warren 15.13
9. Doug Hoerr 14.38
10. Bob Moritz 14.38

Week 12 Pairings - July 20

It's time to go all Oosthuizen on Glenway this week. Here are the pairings. I've got some prize balls and scramble cash prizes to pass out this week.

4:52 & 5:00	Kraus vs. Nelson
Mike Kraus	14		Mike Williams	9
Steve Smith	15		Steve McDonnell	11
Lynn Paulson	8		Brad Nelson	16
Andy Taylor	12		A Tomaszewski	20
5:07 & 5:15	Moritz vs. McEvilly
Paul Schuettler	12		Dave Delveaux	10
Tom Hidde	13		Ed Corcoran	15
Steve Moritz	9		Pat McEvilly	13
Bob Moritz	12		Herb Stanford	27
5:22 & 5:30	Loescher vs. Dvorak
John Loescher	17		Mike Warren	10
Rob Zimmerman	23		Jeff Dvorak	13
Ed Molter	17		Will Nagel	14
John Lobe	29		Matt Raymer	New
5:37 & 5:46	McGettigan vs. Wolfe
Shawn McGettigan	14		Paul Barnett	14
Tom Weber	22		Mike Sanders	18
Scott Gomez	8		David Wolfe	17
Chris Weber	9		Adam Hopkins	18
5:53 & 6:00	Miller vs. Williams
Ed Meachen	14		Dave Rieves	6
Charlie Hoslet	15		Matt Blouin	16
Doug Hoerr	12		Bob Crowe	19
David Miller	14		Ron Weiss	23

Week 11 Recap

Well, I didn't realize how responsive you'd be when I encouraged low scores this week, but the results were pretty amazing. Perhaps it was the return of Travis Thoeny that inspired the league to average 43.3 (lowest since I've been Commish, by 0.7 strokes).

I felt pretty good coming off the course at 5 under par, but felt pretty inadequate when the scores started coming in and we had a 9 under (Brad Nelson), two at 10 under (Tom Weber & Andy Taylor) and an 11 under par (Bob Moritz).

All in all, seven players scored in the 30's led by Bob Moritz and his career low 34. Andy Taylor was one behind at 35. The rest were Travis Thoeny (36), Lynn Paulson and Taylor Devalk (37), Steve McDonnell (38), and Scott Gomez (39).

The Moritz team, behind their Captain, tallied 5 points to maintain their second half lead - by two points over the Kraus team, and 2.5 ahead of the Loescher team.

Updated Sy Brandt Sportsmanship Award standings are below

1. Brad Nelson 17.73
2. Paul Schuettler 17.50
3. Dave Wolfe 15.88
4. Tom Weber 15.75
5. Steve Smith 15.38
6. Ed Corcoran 14.79
7. Mike Warren 14.27
8. Doug Hoerr 13.84
9. Bob Moritz 12.89
10. Ed Meachen 12.88

Other notes:

• The last four weeks (August 10 and beyond) will mark the year-end flight tournament. Stay tuned for details.
• Those same four weeks, we'll be running out of daylight, so the first matchups will either be held at 3:52/4:00 on Tuesdays, or at 5:37/5:45 on Mondays or Wednesdays. Stay tuned.
• 2009 League Champions - the Miller team - are on the clock for the 2010 Post-Season Banquet. The date of the banquet will be Tuesday, September 7.
  

Week 11 Pairings - July 13

Here are the pairings for Tuesday. Inspired by Steve Stricker's domination of the course this weekend, let's send the scores even lower this week.

4:52 & 5:00	Dvorak vs. Moritz
Jeff Dvorak	13		Bob Moritz	13
Brendan West	18		Paul Schuettler	13
Mike Warren	9		Steve Moritz	8
Taylor Devalk (MR)	New		Tom Hidde	13
5:07 & 5:15	McGettigan vs. Loescher
Chris Weber	8		Dave Poznanski (EM)	20
Shawn McGettigan	14		Tom Eberle (JL)	28
Scott Gomez	10		John Loescher	17
Tom Weber	23		Rob Zimmerman	23
5:22 & 5:30	Miller vs. Wolfe
Ed Meachen	14		Mike Sanders	18
David Miller	14		David Wolfe	18
Doug Hoerr	12		Paul Barnett	14
Charlie Hoslet	15		Morgan Machina (AH)	New
5:37 & 5:46	Nelson vs. Williams
Mike Williams	9		Matt Blouin	16
Brad Nelson	18		Ron Weiss	23
Steve McDonnell	12		Dave Rieves	6
Andy Tomaszewski	20		Bob Crowe	18
5:53 & 6:00	McEvilly vs. Kraus
Dave Delveaux	10		Andy Taylor	13
Ed Corcoran	16		Steve Smith	15
Pat McEvilly	12		Lynn Paulson	8
Herb Stanford	26		Mike Kraus	14

Week 10 Recap

Week 10 is now in the books, and the Moritz team swept its way into first place in the second half. The temperature was high and the scores were low, Tuesday. Only four players were in the 30's - Mike Warren, Lynn Paulson, Shawn McGettigan, and Steve Moritz, but there were another SIX golfers who scored a 40. There were six birdies recorded Tuesday, half of them on the 6th hole. I guess people get less jittery when they move the pin out from behind the sand there.

Results and Standings are now posted, along with week 9's results and standings, which took me a while to post. (Week 9 saw our lowest score of the season posted - Dennis Hill's 34. That should give the better golfers something to shoot for the rest of the season.) There were about four adding errors this week, so if your score looks different than you remember, it's likely due to sucky addition.

Here are the long-promised standings in the race for the Sy Brandt Sportsmanship Award. As a reminder, the formula for this award is Weeks Attended + Points Won + Decrease in Average from Previous Year (+ Dave's super-secret formula combobulator).

1. Paul Schuettler 14.91
2. Brad Nelson 14.54
3. Steve Smith 14.41
4. Mike Warren 13.96
5. Dave Wolfe 13.27
6. Ed Corcoran 12.93
7. Tom Weber 12.50
8. Doug Hoerr 12.29
9. Andy Tomaszewski 12.13
10. Mike Sanders 11.59

Week 10 Pairings - July 6

Sitting here on my laptop in a rainy Chippewa Falls McDonalds parking lot on Sunday afternoon, July 4, stealing their wi-fi. Why? (Not for the same reason as the dude in the Playland on Madison's West side last week.) For you. So you could see Tuesday's pairings.

On Tuesday, we start the 2nd half pennant chase. The Dvorak team is now whole,. as we welcome Matt Raymer and Brendan West to the league.

4:52 & 5:00	Wolfe vs. Williams
Dave Wolfe	17		Bob Crowe	18
Morgan Machina (AH)	New		Ron Weiss	23
Mike Sanders	18		Adam Rieves (MB)	New
Jeff Wirth (PB)	10		Dave Rieves	6
5:07 & 5:15	Kraus vs. Dvorak
Steve Smith	15		Taylor Devalk (JD)	New
Lynn Paulson	7		Mike Warren	10
Mike Kraus	13		Brendan West	New
Andy Taylor	12		Matt Raymer	New
5:22 & 5:30	McEvilly vs. McGettigan
Herb Stanford	27		Shawn McGettigan	14
Pat McEvilly	12		Chris Weber	8
Ed Corcoran	16		Tom Weber	23
Dave Delveaux	10		Scott Gomez	10
5:37 & 5:46	Moritz vs. Miller
Paul Schuettler	14		Ed Meachen	13
Steve Moritz	9		Doug Hoerr	12
Tom Hidde	14		Charlie Hoslet	16
Bob Moritz	13		David Miller	13
5:53 & 6:00	Loescher vs. Nelson
Rob Zimmerman	23		Brad Nelson	18
John Loescher	17		Steve McDonnell	11
Ed Molter	17		A Tomaszewski	20
Dennis Hill (JL)	10		Mike Williams	9