MGA Father Son @ Charter Oak

August 16 - Bright and early, 445am wake up call, blueberry gruel, cantaloupe, and collard greens at 5am, 530am pickup by my Dad, and 710am tee off at Charter Oak. My Dad and I were yawning a bit, but ready to take on the challenging 6,600 yard tournament layout. Charter Oak weaves through the woods with heavy elevation changes, undulating greens, large strategically placed bunkers, and long par-3s covered with hazards.

My Dad striped his first tee shot down the middle, showing no signs of nerves. He said he didn't remember hitting it, but it was solid! With the green light, I hit driver around the corner on the dogleg right par-5. My Dad then hit a nice hybrid to within 40 yards of the green. I pitched it to 7 feet and my Dad's birdie putt just edged by the hole. So close! Tap in par to start. We parred the next 5 holes with my Dad making a 12 footer on #2 and me making a 15 footer and 12 footer on #5 and #6. Even par through 6. We hadn't hit anything great, but kept our tee ball in play and made some clutch putts.

Then on #7, a 210 yard par-3 over water, we both hit our tee shots in the water. This turned into a double bogey and left us a bit deflated. We then had 3 putts on each of the next 4 holes. For the remainder of the round, our short game failed us and we shot 83 (39-44). We overreacted to our mistake on number 7. I think we really needed to bounce back with a par on 8, however, an ugly bogey from inside 100 yards set us into defensive play, losing our rhythm. On a positive note, we did make 2 sand saves on #6 and #12. And my Dad hit a nice, manufactured slice from the woods on 18, almost on to the green. (I put him in the woods - remember this is alternate shot)

The golf course played challenging, but fair. The weather turned out good, after 24 hours of heavy rainfall. Due to yesterday's rain, the course played long and we played preferred lies in our own fairway. We played with the Bohane's from South Shore CC and Olde Barnstable GC. Good guys.

I absolutely love this tournament. We have what it takes to post much lower. We left disappointed in our results, but grateful for the experience. Afterward, we watched the Murphys finish up and ate lunch together. Mike and I chatted about our excitement for the Dennis Four Ball and my upcoming trip to California. The four of us recapped our rounds, laughing at some of our silly mistakes. Great day!

Cheers to Father-Sons,
Kurt

P.S. congrats to STAG for its first earnings call in company history