From: thor@lucent.com (thor@lucent.com) Search Result 49 Subject: RSG-OHIO 1999 REPORT [very loooonnng] Newsgroups: rec.sport.golf Date: 1999/09/28 View: Complete Thread (3 articles) | Original Format The fourth annual get-together of rec.sport.golf inhabitants (and ex-inhabitants), known as RSG-OHIO, was held September 17th-19th in the Central Ohio area. It was a great time - I had a blast reacquainting with old r.s.g-ers and meeting new. John Pflum has put some pics on a web site: http://www.pkgconsult.com/rsgog1/index.htm Other pictures and info hopefully will be going up on my site: http://ttsoft.com/thor/rsgohio CONVERGENCE Golfers began arriving Thursday evening, but hurricane Floyd got in the way of some. Mark Koenig flew in from the Dallas area, no problems there. Bill from PA arrived a few days early so missed the weather. But Dave Tutelman from New Jersey met Fred in Philly, and headed to Ohio, but the wind and rain was so strong they had to pull over for a couple of hours. They did make it Thursday night after picking up Coops - just a couple hours late. Others from Indiana and different locations in Ohio made it no problem. But Mike from New York had the most trouble - his plane ended up being canceled. He then tried to get here Friday and had THREE different flights canceled, so he missed the Friday AM round and half of the PM round. But missing four flights was not enough to keep Mike "UBE" from RSG-OHIO, the most Shmajor of RSG events. The weather here in Ohio, BTW, was absolutely ideal - of course (It helps being Thor). PRE-WARMUP ROUND Friday we played a great bargain of a course that is always in the best of shape - and at only $25.00 was perfect for our Pre-Warmup round. We had four groups - I played with Bill Sponseller (PA), Mark Koenig (TX), and Joe Conte (IN). Joe is a LONG time rsg-er, longer than anybody I know. Bill and I took on Joe and Mark on the back 9 in a best ball match. Mark and Joe won, but we held our own throughout. On the 12th, a short but uphill par 5, Mark was on the green with a 15 foot eagle putt. Bill and I were both on the green in regulation, but I was about 30 feet and Bill probably 40 feet. "We have to make one of these", I said - Bill missed, then I stepped up and concentrated... rolling... rolling - on its last gap it fell in for the bird! Now Mark had to be careful not to leave too long a second but unfortunately blew it by and missed the comebacker. That was about my only contribution, as Bill carried me the rest of the way, but in the end we still bought (still owe! - sorry!) the beer. WARMUP ROUND (TM) In the afternoon we were lucky enough to get to play on a private course called Little Turtle, where Shawn Beachy (RSG-OHIO 1997 Champion), and Brian M are members. This is a tight course, but was in great shape except that a couple holes were reseeded and thus were playing as par 3s instead of par 4s. The greens here are very tricky, and Jim Hoskins (RSG-OHIO 1996 champion) bet Tiger Woodchuckle 2 dollars that he would 4-putt at least one green if he counted putts from the fringe. I played with Tiger, Shawn, and Dave Tutelman. We kidded that Tiger Woodchuckle intentionally was pitching close to the green rather than on it, in order to have a better chance of chipping close for his first putt, but of course he wouldn't do that (and isn't that accurate either :-), and he won the bet, though he did have a tricky 3-foot 3rd putt at least once. The club had arranged for us to eat and carouse in their restaurant right after the round which was very convenient - so we had great great food - they had a buffet with some new 'possibles' for their menus - a wonderful duck in creamy sauce was my favorite, and a good time was had by all. Thanks Brian and Shawn!!!! THE MAIN EVENT (TM) Saturday morning was the tournament portion of RSG-OHIO. As the day began, 24 keen golfing minds wondered who would hold the fabled CoffeeMaker trophy? Who would wear the Maroon Jacket? Who would prevail and be victorious at the fourth anual RSG-OHIO, the most Shmajor of rsg events??? I guess September is just not a good time to try to play Granville, as I just have not had good luck with it for RSG-OHIO. This is a strategic layout with fast, tricky crowned greens. The greens last year were furry and slow and the course in general poor shape. This year they aerated the greens and hadn't even dressed them - which was directly opposite what they informed me of on Monday, that they had used the small tines and had been dressed and should be fine for the weekend. At least they gave us a big discount. So I apologize for the greens - it was tough to putt, and some crazy bounces on chips as well - I hope all had fun anyway. I know I did - I played with Mark Georg, Jim Hoskins (RSG-OHIO 1996 Champoion), and Mike Plowinske from New York - great group, though only Jim Hoskins brought his 'A' game with him. But it was a beautiful day on a great course in great company. Introducing the RSG-OHIO 1999 Champion: Jim Hoskins, our first multiple winner!!!! Some pictures of RSG-OHIO 1999, including Jim and the CoffeeMaker trophy are at http://www.pkgconsult.com/rsgog1/index.htm We also had prizes for 2nd, 3rd, low gross, skins, long drives, closest to pins, long putts, and Ladies Champion - Anita from Springfield, Ohio. We were very rushed as we had to hurry to the first tee for Ohio vs The World in Match Play Madness (TM)!!! I don't rembember all the winners, and didn't get them written down in the rush, but remember the long drives were won by myself and Mark "Rocket Launcher" Georg. My drive beat out Mike "UBE" Plowinske, who I played with (UBE = Ugly But Effective :-). Many prizes were donated by Golf Edge businesswoman and sportsmodel Lisa Horst: http://www.golf-edge.com http://www.horstnet.com/lisa_ann Other donors included Mark Koenig, Shawn Beachy, and Guy Cooper. Hope I didn't miss anybody, in any case - THANKS! MATCH PLAY MADNESS (TM) What is Match Play Madness???? Well, each year at RSG-OHIO we play an event steeped in tradition and respect, called Ohio vs The World. Sometimes we just play regular match play. But the first year (1996) and this year (1999 :-), we played a little invention of mine called Match Play Madness (TM). The way it is played is similar to regular match play - but it is modified to try to get the golfers completely away from the scorecard, and away from the myriad technicalities and rules and back to the basic - you hit the ball without touching it until it is in the hole. So, Ideally, there is only that one rule: Rule 1. You hit the ball without touching it until it is in the hole. Decisions on Rule 1: Can I...?? No. You cannot. The only thing you can do is hit the ball without touching it until it is in the hole. If you can't do that you are out of the hole. Hit it or you are out. No drops. No moving of obstructions. Play it as you find it at all times. No cleaning your ball, no touching your ball ever except to tee it up or hit it out of the hole Hit it OB, or in a water hazard, or lose your ball - you cannot win the hole. You can concede the hole or hope your opponent also cannot stick with Rule 1. NOW, I said ideally - but nobody wants to anger greenskeepers and so we don't play stymies, thus Rule 2. Rule 2. You touch your ball if and only if asked to because it is in somebody's line on the green. AND NO YOU CANNOT CLEAN that lump of mud off - hold it carefully in two fingers. Then, there is a philosophical rule so that the true joys of Match Play Madness can be experienced: Rule P-1. A golfer who refers to their total stroke play score or what it might have been if they were keeping track of it, or who actually does keep track of it on paper, loses their match. Anyway, it is different - I think it works rather well - sort of grows on you. May not be for everybody, but worth a try! OHIO VS THE WORLD in MATCH PLAY MADNESS (TM) Ohio vs The World is a lot of fun. Ohio is not usually very competitive, but the event has always been the highlight of RSG-OHIO to me. And the spirit of the comeraderie in the event is what matters anyway. Now Ohio did pretty well this year as we had some pretty good golfers come play at RSG-OHIO for the first time (Great to meet you guys and hope you come back next year!). Ohio had never obtained more than 1.5 points in this event, but got off to a good start when Rick Armstrong def Mark Koenig in their waited-two-years-to-happen grudge match. I lost my match to the remarkable game of Bill Sponseller, despite him having to hit a wedge through the handle of a rake that his ball was laying against (Rule 1). Other Match Play Madness rules effects were - I think Mark Koenig played off a cart path (Rule 1), Jim Hoskins and his opponent both lost their ball in a hazard or OB? on #2 so halved that hole rather quickly (Rule 1). Deuce Dean and Steve Metzler both hit in the water on #3 so halved (Rule 1). Then on the final hole Pete Hope hit his ball behind a cart - he made me proud by not even asking 'Can I move the cart?' (He knew Rule 1). I didn't get down all the match pairings and results but it was a close-fought battle, as Ohio actually won some matches and as the last matches came to a close it was neck and neck! And the final match, the most talked about match in RSG-OHIO history, set up by all the trash talk at RSG-HERSHEY this spring by these two titanic 27-handicappers, DEUCE DEAN (Ohio) v STEVE METZLER (World), which hard-fought battle still raged as they came to the 9th and final hole!! Deuce could bring Ohio even for a half in the event if he could pull off a win!! They arrived at the last hole Dormie with Joe up. Steve had to win the hole to halve the match. This hole has a pond directly in front and right of the teeing ground that goes maybe 50 or 60 yards. Not in play normally - but in this match, anything could happen. Steve hits a grounder off the tee that hits a few feet left of the water - all could have been lost, but lo! A good bounce away from the water in good shape past the hazard. Deuce tees up and recites his swing thought: "Swing as Hard As You Can", and as usual it works! The ball screams off the clubface at an altitude of mere millimeters, skimming along the surface of the pond, finally entering the pond. But the sheer momentum from the mighty blow with which it was struck cause it to skip - up, out, and over the edge of the pond, rollong, rolling, about 180 yards out, center cut! What drama! What technique! The drive set Deuce up for an easy double-bogie, but Steve rallied and had a 10-footer to win... missed it so Deuce gets the win and Ohio halves OVTW!!! Final score: Ohio 5 World 5 Or something like that - it was even anyway. And such a lot of fun, esp sitting at the 9th green watching the matches come in. Fending off rules questions with "Rule 1", "There is only one rule", "Spirit of the Game!", and the like. Couldn't have been better, aerated greens or no. All evening the World kept insisting 'We retained the cup!', but, well, there IS NO CUP! :-) GRUB, GROG, and GOSSIP (TM) Time for some ales and tales at Damon's. We had the annual prize for best tale of the events of the weekend, and I wrote down the tales with some crayons they gave me when I sat down. I didn't even ask for the crayons... the waitress just gave them to me. I guess she could just tell somehow that I have the Mind of a Child. Anyway, I lost the napkin, so only really remember the tale that won, told by me, but the prize went to the subject of the tale, Chris Georg: As I sat at the 18th green after my round in The Main Event (TM), watching the groups come in. We see Chris Georg - a youngster who loves to hit his driver and hit it long and hard, but a little wild, searching in the trees for his ball. Others go to help, but alas - nothing is found. The 18th tee is up a huge and steep hill WAAYYYY above the fairway. The next day I played there again and paced from the tee to the fairway at 160 yards. Assuming a 30 degree angle (rough guess) that would be 240 feet above the fairway, which jives with my memory of reading it being approximately 300 feet up. Chris is young. Chris takes driver in hand. Chris runs up the hill. Running ALL the way. He hits his drive - this time a good one. And then, unbelievably (for us old farts :-), RUNS all the way back down. A grand tribute to youth. MORE GOLF (TM) Sunday was played at a fantastic new course near to and owned by the Longaberger Basket Company (http://www.longaberger.com). Everybody has raved about this course - and maybe it didn't live up to ALL the hype, but I think that must be because there was simply too much hype. But it was absolutely beautiful. The conditions were excellent, and the golf was great! There are several holes I would love to play again, as the hills made distances look much different than they appeared, so some of the carries not as long as you thought, etc. Fred and I walked the course, which many have said was unwalkable, but it really isn't that bad, IMHO. The green-tee distances are relatively short, and the elevation changes rather gradual (nothing like the 18th at Granville). There is one hike between 9 and 10 past the halfway house, but it is flat and not really a problem. The starter/ranger couldn't believe we even wanted to walk, and made many appearances in the initial holes to see that we were keeping up. At the end of the round, which we played in 4:15, he came up to us and said we were the first who had walked the whole thing, and made great time, too as usually groups finish in about 5:00. Of course they weren't fueled by Golf Edge Bars (http://www.golf-edge.com). So, if you want to walk this course, call Lisa! Coops and I play a match every time we get together, and neither of us was playing our best, but I managed to scrape out a win. It is great to have an 'ongoing match' with someone who you play with a few times a year, as you get to observe changes in their game as you reacquaint yourselves - always a highlight - Coops, had great fun as always, and maybe next time! On one hole at Longaberger, a par 5, Mark Koenig hit his drive fairly well, but it tailed right into some long rough near a drain. The ball was in a dip with some VERY long grass all around it. He took his stance and his foot was maybe one inch from this large drain. I said 'you can get a drop off that if it is in your stance', but he declined, saying that was stretching the rules. He slashed at the grass, the ball skittered right and only 50 yards or so into more heavy rough. Next shot the grass grabbed his club and turned it over so it shot to the left, still in the rough but a milder section, and within 100 yards or so of the green. A great wedge and good putt for a PAR - must have been very satisfactory, IMHO - much more so than if a 'questionable' drop had been taken. COME AGAIN Alas, all great and good things come to pass, and RSG-OHIO 1999 was one of the best times ever!!! I am so glad you all came, hope you had fun, and hope you come again next year. Great to make new friends, and just have a blast golfing and talking about golf. Unfortunately, I am now immersed in the depths of post RSG-OHIO depression. Sigh. EPILOGUE Thor played Granville on Monday also - his league outing was there. They finished at 5:00 and the league dinner not until 7:00. Thor hadn't had enough golf, so he headed out again for 9 more holes. This day, the 6th hole (par 5) was closed. Thor was alone with his thoughts and cruising along free of the RSG-OHIO pressures, reliving some events, and finally swinging freely and playing well. He gets to the 4th hole, a par 3, where 3 coaches in carts from a HS golf team had cut in front of him. They see Thor on the tee and wave him up - He steps up and hits it to 12 feet, misses the putt, tap-in par. Thor says lets play the next together then you can get ahead on the closed 6th hole. The fifth is a dogleg uphill par 4. Thor pounds a huge monster draw around the corner to 120 yards, hits his second on the green. They putt out and zoom off.... Thor walks the par-5 6th in the evening silence, and arrives at the 7th (downhill par 3). The coaches walk off the green and see/hear my ball *thump* 6 feet from the hole (made the birdie too), and walk off shaking their heads. They probably thought Thor was a player - those were by far the best holes he played the whole weekend. And this great gemme lives on. -- -- -- David "Thor" Collard -- http://ttsoft.com/thor -- thor@lucent.com