Innisbrook - Humbling end to 2012

Dec 1-2: Trip to Innisbrook Golf Resort in Tampa, FL

Innisbrook is home to 4 championship golf courses including the Copperhead, host of the annual PGA Tour event called Transitions Championship.  The second most notable course is Island, host of an LPGA event.

I was in town to compete in the Golf Channel Am Tour Winter Championship at Copperhead and Island.  The format was 36 holes stroke play.  I arrived to the resort at 11pm on Friday November 30 with little time to prepare for my 813am first round tee time at Copperhead.  I geared up as best as I could, rising at 6am, having a full breakfast, hitting the driving range and practice putting green.  My first tee shot was a 3-wood right down the middle, setting up an 8-iron to the green and 2 putt par.  On the second hole, a tight par 5, a ripped 3-wood down the middle (not worth hitting driver but tempting given its a par-5, i was smart about it), laid up with a 6-iron, hit a wedge to pin high and made par.  The third hole has the signature copperhead logo cut out from bushes (you see on TV for the PGA tour), a 380 yard par 4 that requires a 200-yard shot to avoid water.  I hit 5-iron right down the middle then hit a solid 7-iron, but pulled it over the green (hit cart path).  With a chance to hit a flop shot and save par, I proceeded to thin the shot into a bunker.  Okay my bunker play is good, so I hit a great bunker shot to 5 feet.  What do I do? 3 PUTT!!  Ran the first putt by 5 feet and missed it coming back.  UGH! TRIPLE BOGEY, +3 after 3 just like that.

Copperhead course is a narrow track, however if you miss the fairways you can still play a shot back to fairway or possibly to the green.  Its a long course too.  We played at 6,800 yards, par 71.  This is long considering 5 par 3s.  Its got a lot of elevation changes.  You need to accept hitting 3-woods on par 5s and sometimes hybrids on long par-4s.  You will have long irons in your hands.  No gimmie holes.  The challenge for me was not keeping the ball in play, it was the short game.  If you were on the wrong side of the green, the putting was very challenging.  I had 6 three putts, 40 putts in total.  I did not lose a ball all day and shot 91.  I couldn't figure out the speeds (must have been the grain!) and I had no feel with the Florida rough chip shots!  Most greens were well surrounded by bunkers, making precision iron shots important.  I was hitting them greenside all day, but couldn't get up and down or I would three putt.

Day 2 at Island.  Folks were telling me this was the harder course!  Great, coming off a 91 and I have to deal with a harder course.  I was ready for a challenge.  Here we go!  First tee shot - COLD TOP at 730am.  Okay really, do you know how to play golf anymore!?  I made a nice bogey and then birdied number 2; phew.  Some momentum?  Nope.  Missed a 5 footer for par on 3, then 3 putt number 4 for bogey.  I shoot 87.  Another disaster day on the greens, 39 putts, including one 4 putt.

Island Course had many water hazards and thick wooded areas with Cypress trees.  If you went in there, you weren't finding the ball or if you did, you were not playing it.  See picture.  Greens were nicer than Copperhead.  I didn't get a bad lie in the fairway on either course.

I would recommend this place.  The resort was very peaceful, good food, very nice staff and service, and great courses.  I didn't see the other 2 courses, but were told they are each unique, one of them actually being wide open.

The weather was perfect, 80 and sunny both days.

Very humbling golf experience.

I'll tell ya, I got my money's worth on the course and even a little bit of a tan at the pool.  I hope to be back next year!

This wraps up my 2012 season.  Time to recharge.

Happy Winter,
Kurt

Bentley Battle

Nov 4 - First weekend in November, turn back the clocks, sunny and 50 degrees, and playing golf with my college teammates Bates and Richards.  Makes me extra happy I chose to play golf in college, an unbreakable bond of teammates and good friends for life.  That said, when it comes to our annual/bi-annual/other matches, a simple $5 Nassau, automatic press on the back, automatic presses after 2 down, and $1 junk brings as much motivation and pressure as tournament golf, especially in a tight match.

Bates and Richards vs. Flionis and Leary (Batesy's buddy from Marlborough)...Flionis/Leary win the front 1 up after Flio drains a 10 footer for par on 9...Flionis/Leary take a 2up lead on the back side through 13 (birdie by Leary on 11 and Flionis on 13), automatic press hits and Bates/Richards see the green light, they make par on 14 for a win, halve 15, Bates birdies 16 and 17 to win the press, square the overall match, and take the lead on the back nine, S&%T...all comes down to 18...Flionis makes par on 18, which squeaks out the win after Bates's slick downhill 10 footer rims out.  Squash the back nine, Bates/Richards win one press, Flionis/Leary win front nine and overall, Bates/Richards win the dots..net damage to Bates/Richards is $3...Bates beats Flio in side match 2 and 1 (crap)

Couple of key memories:

• Bates uses belly putter and drains multiple big putts, including a dagger on 17 for birdie (sharp right to left breaker from 15 feet), which he follows by saying "these greens are very similar to Marlborough"...nice of him to soften the blow...great putting...hopefully these things are illegal soon so I have a better chance of winning next time
• Bates brings half of his closet in his bag...very fashionable, alongside Richards with the lightly checked slacks
• Flionis/Leary win match 

Course was in great shape.  Looking forward to the next Bentley Battle.

Lata,
Flio

2012 Norfolk County Four Ball

October 13-14 – Another year at the Norfolk County, a 2-day best ball tournament with approximately 80 two-man teams.  The field is always strong and showed no different this year, with a number of the Massachusetts Tri-State players joining off their 9^th straight victory at Old Sandwich.  Its like when the PGA Tour says how many Ryder Cup players are showing up for a tour event.  Added competitive juices and hype.

My focus was to put up a better showing at Presidents, a course that doesn’t fit my eye and gives me problems every year.   That, or either my ball striking is off, and the wind plays havoc with poor ball striking here.  The tournament got off to a slow start.  There was a 90 minute frost delay, pushing back my tee time to 2:15pm off the tenth tee.  Weather was sunny, but cold…mid 50s and dropping by the hour.  Paired with good friends S.Keegan and D.Brennan

Murphy and I gave ourselves a number of opportunities, but failed to make putts all day.  I swear the greens were bumpy from the morning frost followed by a lot of golfers walking over them in the morning, couldn’t get a good roll.  My best shot was a 5-iron to 10 feet below the hole on 13.  Missed the putt.  Fifteen killed us, Murph hit his drive and third shot in the water, I hit a perfect drive, had 180 yards and plunked it…we made double (thanks Keegan and Brennan for still giving us the hole with your 8).  Only one team birdie on 5.  +2 thru 16 holes, then darkness hit.  We had eight and nine left to play.  After Dana calculated most of scores, the cut was projected at +2.  We had to finish our round in the AM and have balls in the air at 730, so the course could be cleared for 10:30 shotgun.  What!?  730!  We needed to wake and make two pars cold turkey or we are going home.   Keegan and Brennan were in good shape with even par. 

Next morning we wake up to sideways rain and cold!  48-50 degrees, windy, rainy.  No warmup.  Eighth tee Murph goes first, cold top…I hit it in 6^th fairway; Murph out of hole after 3 shots, I hit a 7-iron into the wind from 160 to front of green, great spot, wet green, slow right to left putt, right?  Nope, blew it by 6 feet.  Left to right putt downhill to make par, gotta have it.  Made it!  On nine, I missed a 10 footer for par, Mike has 20 feet for birdie, manageable speed, right?  Think twice, blows it by 6 feet.  This is a must make.  Got it!  I can’t remember working so hard to make two pars as a team.  We used up a lot of energy to avoid going home.

Two hours later we start on the 12^th hole with D.Evans and R.Friel.  Good guys.  Weather is cloudy, cold, windy, rainy…temperature rises and falls, rain starts and stop, last 6 holes are sunny and decent weather in 60s…we make birdies on 16, 2, 4, and 8; bogeys on 12,15,1,6, and 11.  My two shots of the day: 1) #4 – 6 iron to 8 inches above hole, ball stayed in its own ball mark; 2) #15 – another perfect drive, 190 yards to pin, I plunk 4-iron in water, drop and hit next shot with 5-iron plunk in water…Mike gets on green in 5 after two water balls…as we walk up to green, spotter marks my second ball in the water, half underwater; Hit it? Okay you never know – I take off my right shoe and sock, right foot is fully underwater, thinking Bill Haas, I play like bunker shot, I open the 60 degree and swing just like a bunker shot, don’t see anything and I hear Murph say that’s great, high lofting shot lands 12 feet past pin, then I make the putt half barefoot for bogey!!!  I went from disgust to excitement making a freaking bogey. 

We shoot 71.  Team Total = 143.  Brennan and Keegan shoot 65.  Excellent. 

Higgins and Falcucci dominate.  See below.

Great to see Swen and B. Murph!  Parka and Stova were the best of Bentley crew.  Thanks to my Dad for caddying in Round 1.  

This year the putter let us down as well as inability to hit a good second shot on 15.  No doubt we will be back next year.  Awesome event.

Fli

Results:

1st Brian Higgins-Dan Falcucci 62-64-126
2nd Andy Drohen-Chris Congdon 63-66-129
T-3rd Andrew Diramio-Ryan Riley 65-65-130
Paul Mitchell-Sean Fitzpatrick 64-66-130
Mike Riley-Arthur Fitzgerald 66-64-130
T-6th Jim Forsgard-Mark Elbery 65-66-131
Matt Bianchini-John Arcure 63-68-131
Greg Chalas-Steve Neidermire 64-67-131
T-9th Michael Haglof-Andy Loconto 68-64-132
Herbie Aikens-Bob Mancini 69-63-132
Steven Kuhn-Michael Butts 67-65-132
Michael Willock-Dan Najarian 67-65-132
Bob Avellino-Ron Harwood 64-68-132

Kurt Flionis - Mike Murphy 72-71-143

Member Member

Oct 6, 2012 - J. Flanagan and I posted an 8 under 63.  We are 4 shots off the pace going into the final round (T2 of 23 teams).  This is a net best ball at 90% tournament.  We had a solid day with 2 net eagles; I birdied 4 (right after John made 5 net 3) and John birdied 11 for net eagles...we also had two net bogeys on 18 and 10.  John putted amazing.  I give him a read and hits it exactly to the spot.  He shot an 89, good round for a 23 handicap.  The weather conditions were very good given its the first weekend of October, mid-70s and sunny with breezy conditions on the back nine.  It is great to be contention for tomorrow!  We played with R. Piccieri and D. Furey, two great guys.  Gotta love the Lex! Ran into M. Champagne and his wife at Tavern in the Square with my parents.  Good to see you Matty!

Final round update coming manana.

KFly

2012 Dennis Four Ball

Sept 15-16:  This year, Mike and I, had to make the 85 mile drive back and forth to Dennis Highlands.  We typically stay at his in-laws house in Dennis, but this year the house was unavailable due to renovations (we drove by and the place is looking awesome, almost done).  So we got plenty of talk in, food in, and traffic on our road trips.  Actually, round 2 was a 750am tee off.  I was up at 430am and in front of Mike's house at 535am!  Mike took me to Mercantiles Cafe in Dennis; if you are ever in the area, its amazing, they make their own bread and voted best sandwiches in Cape Cod.

Our tournament was respectable.  We shot 73-68.  Total 141 (-1).  Its unclear what our finish was, but we should be in the Top 15.  In the first round, the low score was 65.  Mike played great in the first round.  I played terrible.  In the second round, I played very good and Mike didn't play well.  I guess we picked each other up, but I would prefer both of us playing well!  Round 1 - 35-38; 2 birdies and 4 bogeys.  Mike almost holed out two bunker shots (on 2 and 13).  He birdied 1 and 3.  We played with the Curran brothers.  Round 2 - 32-36; 6 birdies and 3 bogeys.  I birdied 3,4,8,13, including a chip in on 3.  Also, made a ridiculous right to left downhill swinger on #4 from 12 feet.  The putt went up a hill, and u-turned back down the hill into the hole.  Mike birdied 1 and 12.  We played with B. Malcolm and R. McCarthy (Bentley grad!).

Dennis Highlands greens were fantastic.  Fast and rolled true.  The weather was high 60s, low 70s and sunny both days.

Next year we need to reduce our overall bogeys and increase our birdies on the par-5s.  We had one birdie on the par-5 eighth in Round 2, nothing else.

Good swing thoughts this week: Stable lower body, slow takeaway, and full turn.  Putting was excellent - very good feel for speed and was using a slow takeaway.  Also, most drivers I have ever hit in 36 holes - 14 the first day and 13 the second day.

Keep the good weather going!
Kurt

4 Day Golf Weekend

Labor Day Weekend 2012 Recap:
August 31 - 7am tee off at Lexington GC with D. Ryan; 75 and sunny, perfect; Flio makes 5 birdies to shoot 72 (bogeys last two holes with two three putts, gag, ugh); Danny shots 82 on his second round of the year; fun day playing with my Bentley golf teammate; we played in three and half hours, its worth getting up early! Note: Fantastic dinner with parents and godfather on LGC porch; my godfather got the ice cream brownie sundae, chatted with Richie L, ate good buffalo chicken fingers, fried chicken, hummus, and fish/chips.  Summer night to a tee!

September 1 - 630am departure to the Deutsche Bank Championship with E Swen, R Riley, and C Tarallo; beautiful weather, high 70s and sunny; we arrived just in time for Els, Mickelson, and Fowler followed by Bradley, Kuchar, and Mahan; then McIlroy, Z. Johnson, and Dufner.  We followed these three groups for 5 hours, not necessarily by choice, as we scattered throughout the course, stopping at various points, such as 11th green and 12th tee, 18th green stadium bar, 18th tee, 16th tee, 3rd tee, and 6th tee.  We watched Bradley shank a shot on number 13 and take a drop from the stance; we watched McIlroy eagle 18, Els advance it only 20 yards from the fescue on 13, Fowler hook it in the woods off 10 tee, and bombs off the tee by Bradley and Mickelson.  It amazes me how quiet the driver sound was the pros tee off, the ball comes off relatively quiet and has amazing hang time.  McIlroy's swing is soooo good.  Shortly after noon, we proceeded off-site to Chipotle and then to Norton CC for a showdown, Swen and I versus Riley (2011 Mass Am champ) and C Tarallo.  After 18 holes, the match ended all square.  I birdied 17 to tie the match and Swen made an awesome par on 18 from the 17th hole.  Riley and Tarallo are very very good golfers.  (Note: We got into the Deutsche without anyone checking our tickets...secret is sealed with me)

September 2 - 2pm tee time with my bro at George Wright GC.  Another perfect day weather wise, sunny and high 70s.  My bro drove his Ping G20 excellent and made one of the greatest pars I have seen on the #4 (par 3).  He hit his tee shot way right and couldn't see the flag from the bottom of a huge hill right of the green.  He proceeded to pitch a shot high enough to clear the hill, low enough to get under a large oak tree, and soft enough to stop it on the green from 60 yards.  He then drained a 15 footer to save par.  I hit the green for a sleeve of Bridgestone balls, missing a $1k hole in one opportunity (shot was not close at all).  We both enjoyed the layout of George Wright, many challenging tee shots, large elevation changes, and a unique Boston history about it, in the heart of Hyde Park.  My bro continued his outstanding touch around the greens with his 7-iron and 8-iron, better than anyone I have seen that doesn't play many rounds of golf.  I putted excellent and had my bro help me with my alignment.  I shot 75.  My bro finished with a fist pumping par on 18.  Can't wait to do this again.  Ran into Freddie W, playing behind us, my former colleague at Wolf.  Both of us were happy to get to play as a twosome, doesn't happen often that you don't get paired up with another twosome or a single in public golf.  Note: Excellent nacho/burger dinner with parents, bro, and his girlfriend at O'Sullys!

September 3 - 745am tee off with W. Scott at LGC for the Peter Manning Bowl.  Paired with D. McCarthy and B. Kenney.  Had a blast!  Walter and I birdied our last 6 holes to shoot net 64, good enough for T7.  We played fairly well given we made a net double bogey on #3.  It is a pleasure to play with W. Scott.  He and I always have many laughs.  I shot 72 gross with 3 birdies, 1 double, and 2 bogeys.  Putting was great again.  Birdies on 11, 13, and 15.  Also, great turnout for the event and a fourth consecutive day of fantastic weather, high 70s and sunny.

I could get used to this schedule...

Flio

LGC One-Day Member Guest

August 24 - Swen and I teamed up for the Lexington One-Day Member Guest.  Swen's first member guest. We shot 3 under par 68 after bogeying the first hole (#4).  Both of us had numerous birdie opportunities within 10 feet that we missed and Swen had one short eagle putt that just missed on #11 (an unbelievable sling draw second shot with a hybrid from right of the fairway trees (third hole side)).  Swen won the closest to the pin on #5.  We finished in second place gross, behind Jimmy Mags's team 66.  Weather was great, low 80s and sunny.  Playing partners were two lawyers, Todd (member) and Jake (guest).  Great time!
Flio

MGA Father Son 2012 at Crestwood CC

August 21 - My Dad and I competed in the MGA Father Son Tournament at Crestwood CC in Rehoboth, MA.  Its a selected drive, alternate shot competition.  Our goal coming in was to shoot in the 70s.  We only play this format once per year.  Its a blast!  Since golf is mostly an individual sport, team competition plays with your mindset.  You are not used to hitting shots that the other person is depending upon.  If I hit a bad shot, my Dad is stuck with the result and vice versa.  Also, you might go multiple holes without hitting an iron shot or a chip shot or a putt, which makes it challenging to get in a rhythm.  On the other side, its great to share the adrenaline and success of competition.  

We gained momentum on the 17th hole, when my Dad hit a shot to 6-feet and then I followed with a shot to 2-feet on the 150 yard hole.  We made our first birdie!  Then on 18, we were just short of the 520 yard par-5 in two, after my Dad hit a solid 3-wood.  I hit a poor chip which resulted in us making par.  We were moving in the right direction, birdie-easy par!  But the round ended for us, too late, we shot 81.

The first sixteen holes were a mix of poor chips and putts that cost us at least 5 shots.  Also, I didn't help our momentum on the first hole, by hitting a 106 yard approach shot from the middle of the fairway to the bunker, sorry Dad!  My Dad almost chipped in for birdie on 10 and I almost did the same on 11.  My Dad hit a huge par putt on 13 from 20 feet downhill!

The golf course was in great shape.  The weather conditions were perfect, mid-80s and sunny.  It was our first time playing Crestwood.  It seemed like a lot of doglegs, where knowing your best angles on tee shots would have helped.  Not a long course, firm greens.  Between my length and my Dad's, we should have been much better.  We played the Joyce father-son team from Farm Neck GC in Martha's Vineyard.

Can't beat playing with my Dad!
Kurt

2012 Lexington Club Championship - Character Building Victory

Played over two weekends, July 21-22 and July 28-29, I have waited over a week to write and reflect on my victory at the Lexington Golf Club Club Championship, the coveted title for every low-handicap golfer at the club.  I've been lucky enough to win it four times.  And I can tell you three things: 1) It will never get old; 2) It will never been easy; 3) It always builds character.

I want to focus on #3.  As I sat on the clubhouse porch, shortly after making an incredible par on the 72nd hole to win by one shot, I couldn't get settle down from the emotions I went through during the final round; losing confidence which led to lack of tempo, tighter grip pressure, and tension.  In these situations, the game moves so much faster, you lose rhythm and every shot becomes harder than it would be under non-pressure rounds.  On the porch, I basically felt like I lost the tournament even though I won.  Watching a six shot lead drop to one by the seventh hole.  My Dad kept encouraging me to stay focused and consistently reminded me of my game plan.

When I prepared to hit my third shot into the 72nd hole from 125 yards to the back left pin (i hit a great punch out from the right woods with a 6-iron to get to this spot), I thought about my well-struck approach on the 9th hole earlier that day which came up well short.  There was still a breeze against us.  I looked at my Dad and said, "I don't know the exact leaderboard, but I feel like we need a par.  I need to be aggressive."  I came through with a fantastic shot to 10 feet below the hole and drained the putt for a 1-shot victory over my playing partner S. Geldart!

As I sat there with my parents and fellow members, I really couldn't believe it.  Everything moved so fast, yet I came through with a great finish and my putting was phenomenal.  I never had a doubt I would make the last putt, even after backing off because of a bug and with the green surrounded by a large group of members.  I had one three putt during 72 holes.  I had 30 putts or less in every round.  My friend Mr. Potter said, "This game builds character."  It is a very meaningful statement, especially at the time given I was disappointed in how it unfolded for me.  Every round you play, pressure or not, takes you through different mental and physical exercises.  You learn how your body and mind react under different conditions.  And you will likely be watching others succeed or fail at the same time in a completely different manner.  If you keep persevering and learning from situations, you will keep building on your character.

I am so thrilled the work I put in paid off and grateful for the support of my parents, brother and his girlfriend, and many others.  My Dad caddied three rounds.  My brother caddied one day.  My Mom watched the final three rounds.  And my brother's girlfriend watched a round too.

This was a very memorable championship.  The roller coaster ride was worth it all.  I can sit here and enjoy the victory as much as if I won by 10 shots.

Thanks for reading,
Kurt

p.s.: 1) I also conquered the ninth hole.  First weekend I was +6 on the ninth.  Second weekend I was even par on it, including a winning putt!; 2) I had a share of the lead or outright lead in all rounds.

Golf and Gamble

July 13-14: Great weekend at Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun with my parents; we packed in gambling at both casinos, golf, and lots of food in 24 hours; my numbers 11, 26, and 30 were hitting at roulette and the pizza at Frank Pepe's was awesome; also recommend the nachos at Scorpion Bar; I played the Mohegan Sun CC - its a difficult course in that the landing areas are surrounded by fescue lined bunkers and the greens are anything but flat - having not played there before, it was not easy selecting clubs off the tee; course conditions were nice but I bet Lake of Isles is a level or two up from this course - I played okay; I feel I lost a shot on many holes due to lack of knowledge, i made 11 bogeys and 2 birdies to shoot 81 - had a fantastic weekend and I'm not a big gambler!

Aces,
Kurt

Dew Sweepers at LGC

July 7-8: The Annual Mid Summer Classic at LGC; my second favorite tournament at the club.  I teamed up with my stalwart, jovial, awesome partner M. Keegan.  We paired up with S. Keegan and D. Brennan, the team I consider to be our biggest challenge.  However, my idea of one of our teams winning this thing failed again as Team Caruso continued its dominance (three years in row??), shooting a two day total of 125.  Nice going to Paul and Jim!

Steve and Dan finished solo second at 128 and Mike and I claimed a tie for 4th place at 131.  We had perfect weather both days, sunny and 80s.  My morning loving playing partners chose to subject me to 716am tee times both days.  We literally we sweeping the dew of the greens.  Despite that, the greens were rolling great, almost at club championship speeds requiring delicate touch from all angles.

Mike and I shot 63-68.  On Day 1 we had a very strong start to the back nine going (on a best ball net basis) eagle, birdie, birdie, par, birdie, and birdie (last three was bogey, par, birdie).  We shot a back nine 30.  Carrying that momentum into Round 2 (modified Alternate Shot), we made a long birdie putt on 1, bogeyed 4, birdied 5, birdied 7, bogeyed 8, and parred 9...to make a long story short, Mike and I played great for the first 7 holes, then went into a +5 on 6 hole stretch that knocked us out of the running.  While we stumbled, Steve and Dan surged, reversing a poor start and making a solid run on the back nine with well played shots around the greens.

Regardless of the results, this group always has a boatload of laughs.  They even got to me have a Corona!  My shot of the weekend came on the 17th hole in Round 2.  Playing as a 100-yard par-3 into a slight breeze, I opted (after some internal resistance) to play a 3/4 gap wedge to lower trajectory instead of a full SW.  Might sound easy, but it can hard to pull out the longer club!!  I struck it perfect, landing inches from the hole and stopping on a dime to inches, tap in bird for my partner.  If often pays off to take out the extra club, leading to a shorter backswing and better tempo!

Mid Summer lived up to all its greatness.  Awesome weekend!  Two weeks until the LGC Club Championship.  I expect another great tournament.

Cheers to the Dew Sweepers,
Kurt

WCA 2012 - Kettle Brook and Wachusett CC

June 30-July 1: Worcester County Amateur
Day 1: Mid-high 80s, sunny, and breezy at Kettle Brook GC.  At 6,912 yards from the tips, with a strong breeze, and large elevation changes, this course can play havoc.  Most of the holes seemed to be playing into the wind, even the 490 yard par-4 ninth.  Scores were much higher than last year, with 70 as the Round 1 low, compared to 65 last year.  I played with a Mr. 69 years old (W. Cosgrove), who brought his reliable caddie from Worcester CC, Randy.  He and I chatted briefly about the Celtics and didn't know KG would return (for 3 yrs!) until after the round.  We later joined up with J. Frew and H. Hough on the 12th tee because play was sooo slow.  We finished in 5 hours and 30+ minutes.  My golf swing was not comfortable at all, however, my short game was excellent.  I had 7 one putts and 30 putts overall.  I bogeyed 17 and 18 to shoot 77.  My adventure was extra fun today with Zully supporting me and driving the golf cart loaded with PBJs, bananas, cashews, and Lara Bars.  Her first time on the golf course!  If I had to pick a few things to characterize my great putting today, it would be a slow stroke and very good feel for the speed.  Birdies on 7 and 14, both par 5s.  Total putts: 30 (1 three putt); 2 birdies, 1 double, 5 bogeys, 10 pars

Day 2: Tee'd off with K. McCarthy (Harvard) and S. Neidermire (Thorny Lea); good group.  My ball striking was night and day compared to yesterday.  I hit my first 8 greens in regulation, 12 out of the first 14, 10 out of 14 fairways; made 9 straight pars (holes 2-10).  I was very confident off the tee; something about Wachusett fits my eye well.  These greens are some the trickiest I play during the summer; you can easily have an 8 footer and then have a return putt of 20 feet if not careful, one of my playing partners putted off the 13th green and had to chip back up to the pin.  I was +1 thru 14 and finished double, double, bogey, bogey to shoot 79.  37 putts (3 three putts); 2 birdies (#12, #14), 2 doubles, 5 bogeys, 9 pars.  I feel a took a lot of positives out of this weekend.  Today, I really saw that my swing can be great under pressure.  I was in the zone off the tee, picking a line and not even concerned about trouble, as I knew the tee ball wouldn't get far off line.  Great tempo.  Great vision on shots.  Relaxed grips, turn, release.

Both courses were in great shape.  Tricky pin placements on both days.  Wachusett CC greens were faster than Kettle Brook.

Happy 4th of July week,
Kurt

Final Results:
JAKE GREER 72 69 141
DEVIN BIBEAU 70 72 142
RICHARD   POWERS 77 69 146
RICKY   STIMETS 76 71 147
SAM RUSSELL 74 74 148
MATTHEW   LEGER 72 76 148
J.C. GUTHRIE 72 76 148
TAYLOR FONTAINE 76 73 149
JOSHUA   FARMER 76 73 149
BRIAN   HIGGINS 73 77 150
MICHAEL   MERTES 80 71 151
DANIEL   FALCUCCI 75 76 151
RJ FOLEY 75 76 151
DYLAN EVANS 75 76 151
ALEX DALEY 75 76 151
RYAN RILEY 72 79 151
FRANK VANA 78 74 152
CHRIS COREY 79 74 153
MICHAEL   HAGLOF 76 77 153
JEFFERY   SANTORA 75 78 153
STEPHEN   QUARTARONE 78 76 154
DAVID   FALCUCCI 76 78 154
ALEX BURY 79 76 155
BRIAN KELLY 76 79 155
HARRY HOUGH 76 79 155
THOMAS   HENDERSON 75 80 155
DAVID HOLMES 73 82 155
JIM RUSHIONI 81 75 156
TERRY DUNN 81 75 156
KURT FLIONIS 77 79 156

Mass Am Qualifier 2012 - Elmcrest

Felt great about my game coming into this one after a good ball striking round (74) at the Year UP Corporate Event at Weston GC on Monday.  My Dad and I woke up at 430am and made the 1 hr 45 min ride to East Longmeadow.  The weather was excellent, mid 70s and a mix of clouds and sun.  I teed off on 10 at 824am with my 3 wood down the right side into the rough, leaving only a sand-wedge shot to a front middle pin.  I made my best wedge swing of the day, knocking it right below the hole to 6 feet and drained the putt for birdie.  What a start!  I made bogeys on 12 and 13, missed a 3 foot birdie putt on 14, and then unfortunately doubled the par-5 15th after knocking a hybrid into an unplayable lie over the green.  +3 thru 6.  After the double, I felt I lost 4 shots in 2 holes.  The rest of the way I made a mix of pars and bogeys, then doubled 18 for a 78, 5 shots off the cut line.  My lag putting was excellent.  I made some awesome recovery punch shots from the woods, including a punch 5 iron to 6 feet from woods 100 yards out.  (missed the birdie putt :( ).  I left very disappointed because my swing is good right now and my putting is good.  The pressure still got to me on my many shots, just enough to miss greens, fairways, and chips.  That said, I did hit many good shots and continue to see improvement in my tournament play.  Golf course was in great shape.  My best swings continue to be those with a quiet lower body, relaxed shoulders, and a compact back swing.
Perseverance,
Kurt

Sherrill Cup 2012

June 6, 2012 - The "Big Four" were back, not to be confused with Celtics big four, determined to win the Sherrill Cup, a 36-hole competition against 24 other private clubs who send their best players.  The day before, Dan, Steve, Rob, and I played a practice round at Essex CC.  The Scottish starter sent us off at 3pm into what I call the 'field of dreams' of golf.  We had the whole place to ourselves.  The young guys won the match!  The shot of the day (and maybe year?) came from me on the par 3 11th.  I was a few yards short right of the green in the first cut of rough, the pin was about 7 paces on the front right, at the bottom of a severe right to left slope.  I say to the guys, 'watch this, Tiger Woods, (referencing Tiger's recent chip (high flop) in at the Memorial Tournament from a treacherous spot on 16)'.  I flopped it high into the air, carrying most of the slope and landing it a few feet to the right of the pin, it rolled and stopped on the edge.  Couldn't believe it, I paused watching and then started walking to the cup, when I got halfway it dropped in!!  Birdie 2, called it!

Okay, moving to tournament day, we teed off at 750am and 230pm with Pinebrook CC.  The weather was overall good, some showers in the morning and a fair wind.  Rob and I played both rounds together, with Lee S. and Andrew B. on the bags.  They were excellent!!  I played well, a few breaks off of the tee, birdied 14, and shot 78.  My only bad hole was 16, when I made double bogey from the 15th fairway; not a hard place to make par from.  That carried over to a poor bogey on 17, then parred 18.  I stumbled in, which was disappointing.  My other bogeys came from lack of up and downs or three putts.  Essex CC does not allow you any breaks around the greens, you have to study every putt, as you can easily leave yourself 5-10 footers all day for par.  Course was in phenomenal shape...greens were perfect.  It was wet from overnight rain and a lot of rain the previous days.

Rob had 78, Steve 78, and Dan 77.  We finished the morning at 311, 5th place and 9 off the lead.

In the afternoon, Rob took the odd holes and I had the even (alternate shot).  We started nicely with par on 1, bogey on 2, and par on 3.  When we got to 4, the wind was howling down wind, exact opposite as the morning when I hit hybrid (note: wind was exact opposite on every hole in the afternoon!).  I was debating between the 4-iron and hybrid.  I couldn't get myself to hit 4-iron on a 238 yard shot, even though short of the green is a very good spot to be.  I hit the hybrid, trying to take off some of the distance, and blocked it so far right in the fescue...LOST ball.  Rob played a nice iron to just short of the green and we made 6.  Two years in a row, this hole crushed us.  The good news was instead of falling apart, we bounced back quickly with an EAGLE on 5!  I hit a hybrid to 6 feet from 218 yards, dead into the wind.  Thank you thank you for making a shot!  It was a risk to go for it.  We parred through eight.  On nine, Rob hit his drive left off of the trees.  I had 215 yards to the green, needing to hit a draw to get in on.  I confidently swung a 4-iron, hitting the branches of a tree on the backswing (and downswing) and MISSED the golf ball, 3 inches above the ball.  WHAT THE HECK!  It became more laughable, then embarrassing.  Rob had to step up and follow that!  Calmly, he hit a nice shot greenside in the rough, and we got up and down for bogey!  Phew...bogey okay, but my confidence a bit shaken.

We birdied 11 and then had a mix of pars and bogeys, finishing at 77.  Two disappointing bogeys to finish on 17 and 18, after perfect drives.  Steve and Dan shot 80.

Afternoon total of 157.  Team Total of 468.  We finished 4th place, one shot out of third.

This is one of my favorite golf days of the year.  Love the course.  Love the team aspect.  Can't wait for next time.

Cheers,
Kurt

Norfolk County Classic 2012

Perfect day in the making - mid to high 70s, sunny, and minimal wind at Presidents GC, paired with good friends Swen and Dan B.  One thing about Presys, its always windy; today was the exception.  My preparation started well with a warmup at Granite Links GC.  I left there at 1155am, giving myself plenty of time to make my 1239pm tee time, since its only a 10 minute ride to the course.  Well, that changed in a hurry when I missed the exit coming back, got lost off the next exit, got back on 93 South and took the wrong exit again!  As I go towards the off ramp, breaklights lead to stand still traffic.  I was panicked because I was lost again and time was ticking to make my tee time...stand still at 1215pm and no idea where the course is from my location.  I put the car in park, jumped out, popped the trunk to grab my cell phone and then called 411.  I connected with the golf course and this guy Frank saved the day, staying on the phone with me until I got to the course.  After a few curse words and raised heart rates, I made it with time to spare, as the tee times were running 5 minutes late.

First tee shot with 3-wood went 50 yards right, almost into the 8th fairway.  I hit a nice second shot with a 6 iron (over the trees) to get back into the hole and then chipped in for birdie!!!  Parred #2 and then birdied #3!  -2 thru 3.  Finished the front bogey, par, par, bogey, bogey, and bogey.  36 out.

Back nine was not so friendly.  I doubled #10 after a flubbed chip, then hit three tee shots on 12 leading to an eight.  Actually a nice eight, I made a four on the third ball.  Never got in going again.  Shot 46 coming in.  Total 82.

Disappointing to end up the way I did.  I felt good with the swing.  Chipping was nice and rolled the putter well.  Still 4 three putts!  My mistakes around the green came from peeking too early and my poor tee shots on 12 were pure nerves. New irons felt good.  I think I'm gaining distance with them.  Three wood came up a few yards short of driving #11.

Focusing on the positive shots I hit out there - many good drives, putts, approaches, and bunker shots.  Best shot of the day was probably my 60 yard approach shot on #6 from a tight lie to 7 feet and made the putt to save par.

Hope to get in a number of rounds between now and the Mass Am!

Stats:
33 putts
3 fairways, 8 greens, 2 birdies, 1 triple, 2 doubles, 7 bogeys, 6 pars, 3 penalty shots (2 with distance)

See ya,
Kurt

Augusta National Trip

April 4, 2012 - Unexpectedly, I had the opportunity to purchase 4 tickets to the Wednesday practice round at the 2012 Masters, one of the most anticipated Masters tournament in years with all the top players in the world peaking at the right time. I stalled for a few days, should I spend the money and go or not?, then I finally stopped and reminded myself that there is no better time than the present and took the tickets! Myself, my brother, my Dad, and my best friend set our minds on a dream trip to August National, the sacred grounds almost every golfer wishes to see or play.

We packed up and headed to Charlotte on Tuesday, teeing it up as soon as we landed at The Golf Club at Ballantyne, a well maintained resort course. The greens were running about a 13 on the stimpmeter. The layout was straightforward, with not many holes that would cause an average player to shoot high numbers, typical of a resort layout. I enjoyed the course and would recommend it to anyone visiting the area...a great value at $60 for 18 holes with a cart. Charlotte golf is so much more affordable than Boston! All of us played pretty well. My brother was the most consistent I have ever seen him play with great touch around the greens and good tee shots. I had one of my best nine holes in a while, shooting 2 under 34 on the back nine, including 3 birdies and 1 bogey. I was very close to birdieing three other holes on the back. I shot 75.

After a nice evening of free beer and nachos at the hotel and a solid dinner at Mac's Speed Shop, we set our alarm clocks for 430am departure to Augusta. The excitement was so high! I couldn't believe we were on our way to Augusta. What would the event be like? Would it live up to the hype? How would the crowds be? Would we have time to get merchandise and see everything we wanted to? The ride in from Charlotte was smooth. We made one stop about 50 miles outside of Augusta at a McDonalds. It was 6am and after we walked in, two cars full of other Augusta bound fans came in. You could feel the energy, we were all on a dream mission.

As you get off the exit to Washington Street, immediately you start seeing people holding signs 'need tickets', 'buying and selling tickets'; then as you drive 1.5 miles down a main road with retail locations on both sides of the road, each retailer offers parking or has signs related to the golf tournament. We passed the Hooters where John Daly's motor home was set up to sell merchandise, sports illustrated had a party tent, ticket companies had tents. The FREE masters parking lot is a gigantic rolling field with stadium lighting, volunteers directing you exactly to your grass spot. From there, its walking distance to the entrance. No shuttles necessary!!

Walking into Augusta, was like a kid walking into Disney World for the first time. Thousands lined up at the gate waiting for the 8am opening. Hundreds and hundreds went through the mini merchandise building that is set up for spectators to get at before they enter the gates. We hit up both the mini merchandise and the large, department store like merchandise building inside the gates. Wow I spent money fast on shirts and other memorabilia!!

I think I could write a book on this experience. I am going to cut this short with a bullet point list of some key memories:

• You have no idea how beautiful this place is until you see it in person
• Driving range and practice facility is a dream for the practicer
• Every blade of grass is impeccable
• The hills on the golf course are very big, you can't really get the perspective on TV
• Augusta roars must be unbelievable, on a Wednesday 16 was loud and the stands weren't even half full...in person, i found it surprising how close 15 green, 16, and 17 tee are to each other...i now know what they mean when they say you can hear the roars almost everywhere on the course
• 12th hole is good as it gets and looks just like you see in the pictures, but even better
• Masters tournament operations knows how to run an event better than anyone I have ever seen - the concessions were immaculate and so efficient, same with the merchandise tent and bathrooms, all cables were underground, green gravel is used on certain edges of the grounds, tv towers were permanent fixtures, no corporate advertising allowed
• Buy your merchandise first thing and bring it back to your car, its worth an hour of your time
• Par 3 tournament was phenomenal, a pure party, fun-loving atmosphere where everybody is so laid back including the players...you really need to spend time here, more than we did, get there as soon as it starts and plant yourself near a green
• 16th hole water skipping tradition is worth seeing
• Rory McIlroy is the real deal
• You can't beat the price of food and drink, cost me $5 for a sandwich, lemonade, and cookie..beer was less than $4
• My Dad snuck us into the clubhouse area and we met Gary Player's wife and mingled around Nick Faldo, Brandt Snedeker, Stewart Cink, and many others
• We walked all 18 holes
• There is literally no rough worth a trouble for these players
• The pine trees are so tall it hurts to try to look up at the top
• The greens are way more undulating in person than on TV

The day following Augusta, we played at Springfield Golf Club in Fort Mill, SC. This is rated the hardest public golf course in the Charlotte area. A great layout. The greens are very firm, roll good, but speeds are inconsistent. The condition is fair, not well groomed, but you get good greens and a solid layout. The value was very good for $51 with a cart. Again, I recommend it! I actually liked the layout much better than Ballantyne. A local person recommended we try Edgewater next time, a Fuzzy Zoeller course - claimed to be best greens in the area. My brother and Dad played great golf, again both driving it beautifully and producing steady results. I shot an 82 and felt I played well for most of the day, a brutal course at 145 slope and 73 rating from the tips.

The memories are unforgettable this week! Thanks Dad, Derek, and Mike! I want to go back!

Happy 2012 season,

Kurt