John Brewers Open

A John Brewer's Tavern regular, Mark, summed up the tournament in one line.

"You all are a bunch of drunks" (in a drunk voice)

The free booze started upon tee off at 8:30am and the bar was still open tab afterward in the Sandy Burr clubhouse. Needless to say, the drinkers showed up to get their money's worth. The group in front of us was drunk by the third hole. One of the guys fell out of the cart on a sleep downhill path, luckily uninjured. He probably didn't feel a thing. That group took the last place prize for worst score of the day. They won 4 cases of beer...how fitting.

The sober team of me, my Dad, my brother, and John Caissie shot 6 under par. Respectable, but not our best. We made a nice run on our final stretch, birding 3 of the final 5 holes (we started on number 9). All four of us made good shots throughout the day. We were edging the cups on putts and didn't birdie the par 5 11th or par 5 2nd.

Derek launched some towering drives and executed his masterful 7-iron chip as usual. Dad was also driving it well and took the crown for most putts that touched the hole but didn't go in. He basically made a naturally bird on #1. John Caissie did well considering his stiff neck and numb arm.

Some 300 lb guy beat me in the long drive by 10 yards. I won on a pound for pound measure!

12 under par won the event, 10 under was second place.

Great day weather wise and nice to see Jo Beth out there.

We will be looking for a sober event next year.

Relax and play golf,

Kurt

Club Championship - Round 2 - Perseverance

Three double bogeys put a major blockage in my attempt for two consecutive low rounds. I shot a 76 (+5). I struck the ball well throughout the day, giving myself multiple birdie opportunities on1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, and 16. My actual birdies were on 6, 13, and 16. I made a 25 foot left to right putt to the center front pin on 6, hit the flag stick on my eagle chip shot to 13, and tapped in for bird on 16. It was another gorgeous day. The only difference was that wind was a factor. I'd say at least one club less on certain holes. Also, the general air flow and humidity seemed to keep the ball air borne longer, regardless of the wind. My approach on 4 from 140 yards flew the green in the air with a 'smooth' PW.

My pairing was the same as day 1. Steve Keegan put on a show, masterfully making his away around the course to shoot 70 despite finishing bogey, double.

I'm pleased with my game. A few holes continue to give me problems. Its amazing how one's body reacts the same on one hole at different times. I played the second hole in five each time, hitting each shot in almost the exact same spot; drive down the right side of the fairway (perfect position), approach shot to the right greenside bunker, bunker shot to 8 feet above the back right pin, and then missed the putt both times on the low side (just barely).

Continue to putt very well. I had two three putts, but also made some lengthy putts and lagging putting was solid.

Next weekend is going to be a bunched race to the finish with many in contention. Rumor has it that Bob 'PGA' Green is leading the tournament at 143 (+1). If that's the case, I'm three back with 36 holes to go. Perseverance is the key.

Zen baby Zen,

Kurt

Club Championship - Round 1

The Lexington GC Club Championship was off and running today with good weather and a field of 41 golfers. Weather and course conditions were prime for scoring: no wind and soft greens due to thunderstorms the night before. The only challenge was staying hydrated and keeping nourished with high heat (high 80s). Oh yeah, that mental thing too is always a challenge...just do your thing and let if fly!

Round 1 Leaders:
Kurt Flionis 70 (-1)
Rob Lynch 72 (+1)
Bob Green 72 (+1)
Dan Brennan 72 (+1)
Steve Tunney 72 (+1)

My keys to success in Round 1 was great putting, focus on the process, and patience. Pre-round routine was solid with Verstegen stretching, Zen putting techniques, and course tough practice shots.

I played with Steve Keegan, Steve Geldart, and Steve Jackson. It was literally me and the 'Steves'.

Memorable moments for me were birdie on 1, recovery shot on 10 from the 4th tee box (i took it over the trees with a 9 iron to back fringe, two putted for par), and long birdie putt on number 4. My wedge game was as good as its been a while; hit it tight on 13 and 15. Trust, trust, trust.

Its great to compete. Its been since April for me. The usual fellow competitors and friends were playing. The strange part was that I didn't get to see many of them because my group was last off.

Tomorrow we go first at 7:08am.

Course Conditions were good. Greens were rolling, but not nearly as fast as prior years.

Thanks Dad! Great teamwork.

Good luck to everyone tomorrow

Kurt

4th Annual Kravin Cup

The Bentley golfing crew was back in action for the 4th annual Kravin Cup at Crosswinds Golf Club in Plymouth, MA. Masterfully led by former Bentley Golf team captain Erik Swenson, 16 former and current team members joined together to play a 8 vs. 8 Ryder Cup style competition. It was a 27 hole event; 9 holes 2-man best ball, 9 holes 2-man scramble, and 9 holes individual match play.

I couldn't be happier to have this day marked on the annual calendar. And I truly realized how much it means to be there after almost missing the day due to schedule conflicts with a wedding and work. I would have regretted it! Thanks to Swenson, I was able to sleep the ride down to Plymouth early Sunday morning (June 27) after a late, late wedding night which included an encounter with Kendrick Perkins, Al Jefferson, and Tony Allen at 230am in Boston. Will Perkins be done as a Celtic after his Game 6 NBA finals injury?

The golfing experience was classic; creating many new stories and reliving old ones. Terrence Tedeschi and myself battled Jay Gargiulo and Matthew Freedman in the first 9 holes, gaining a halve point with no one going up by more than 1 hole. Tedeschi calmly made a 30 foot putt on the 9th hole for birdie to halve the match.

On the second nine, the perennial Team Woburn of Billy Murphy and I put on a show beating our opponents 3 & 2 in the scramble format, shooting 5 under par after parring the last two holes. I was solid tee to green and Billy did his thing draining putts, including a 35 foot downhill bender for eagle on the first par 5. We rallied off birdie, eagle, birdie to take command of the match. The competitive juices are pumping every year when teaming up with Billy the Kid.

My final nine was a match against the sweet swinging Jay Gargiulo who puts like Ben Crenshaw. Fortunately, Jay missed some putts and I was steady throughout the match to win 3 & 2. I owe my success to keeping the ball in play as much as possible by picking spots and executing my plan.

I'm grateful for having a great group of friends like these guys. The day is always very competitive, but the results are overshadowed by the laughter and smiles between the crew.

Other Highlights: Erik Swenson outdriving Matt Freedman moments after Freedman said he would walk off the course if someone outdrove him on the long drive; first year we added long drive, closest to the pin, and skins to the event; Brandon McDowall holing a 25 yard pitch shot in a 'pitch off' to award the remaining cash pool...ridiculous shot and he used a Pinnacle golf ball.

Crosswinds: fun track, greens roll great and run at 10.5ish, fair layout but you can easily lose golf balls on errant golf shots, 27 holes, no clubhouse but large tent with nice grill food going during the day like you would get at home

Visualize, Think, and Tune prior to addressing golf ball, then trust your intuition.

Kurt

Playing with the Pros

I'm back with the blog! (well maybe) I have to admit I'll be sporadic over the next month as I prepare for the CFA exam on June 5, a long study process. Thanks to my best friend Mike getting married in Miami last month (April), I had reason to pull out the golf clubs earlier than expected. My plan all long was to play as many events as possible on the Minor League Golf Tour (MLGT) (www.minorleaguegolf.com). Its a mini-tour in Southern Florida for aspiring professionals. As more and more mini tours fell off the scene in the recession and player budgets further tightened, MLGT's popularity has skyrocketed. Its an afforable tour for guys chasing a dream of playing on PGA Tour. It attracts club professionals, experienced PGA Tour players (Guy Boros, Ken Duke), Nationwide Tour experienced players, amateurs (must be a 6 handicap or better) and more.

So what was I thinking trying to play against these guys? The winning score is usually 5 or 6 under par for 18 holes! Most of the time you have to shoot par or better to finish in the top 15. Well, this is exactly why I was playing. I wanted to be front row and center against some of the best professional players. In fact, some of these guys that regularly played out here, I played against in college. I wanted to learn how they get around the course. I wanted to hear their stories. And most of all, I wanted to measure my own game against theirs.

I played three events over four days. Each event is 18 holes. First two days, I blew up with rounds of 85 and 89. Oh man it was rough. I made a '10' on the third hole of my first event. Talk about setting yourself back. The thing about these first two days was that I actually hit a lot of good shots. My score was hurt by penalty strokes and very poor play inside 100 yards. Part of the problem was playing new courses and lack of practice coming off the winter. I hit around ten water balls in the first two rounds. I didn't look at these rounds as complete failures. Each of the two rounds had one bad nine. I shot 46 on the front nine of round 1 with a 10 and I shot 49 on the front nine of round 2. Taking those away, my other four nines were 39,40,37, and 38. My best stretch was on the back nine of round 2 at Links at Madison Green (7,000 yards, rating 73.6, slope 144). Starting on number 10, I went birdie, eagle, par, par. You think I'd shoot low?, I followed that with bogey, bogey, double, bogey, double. At the Links at Madison Green, the winning score was 68, an incredible round given the high winds and course rating!

In my last event, I pulled myself together and shot 75, beating both pros in my group. I played steady, smart golf and showed great improvement inside 100 yards. I felt like a professional, strategically placing myself around the course, making good approach shots and recovering from trouble. The short game was better. I made 2 birdies and 5 bogeys. I finished one shot out of the money. Ending on this note was a great feeling and is driving me to come back again.

Reflecting on the experience, I learned a lot about whats its like to play golf day and day out. All of my playing partners were decent guys and each one had a different story. I played with one guy who has experience on the Canadian Tour, South African, and Asian Tour. He had sponsorship from Taylor Made and private investors. Another guy was an amateur and said he was going full time professional after he played his club championship. One guy who worked in membership sales at a private club and recently got significant encouragement to play full time, so he quit and here he is playing the MLGT with plans to compete on the Tar Heel tour in NC over the summer. Then, a club professional who left the day-to-day golf operations in Florida to play full time. Each one of these guys has a dream to make it to the big stage. Its a lot of time and money with very few making it. I admire their courage to take a chance.

Watching these guys play, I realized even more than before that I can make shots just like this guys, but the difference is that they do it more consistently and with more confidence. A good example was on par-5 at Abacoa Golf Club. I hit my drive past my playing partner (the guy sponsored by Taylor Made). I had about 260 yards to pin, he had 270ish. The options were lay up to the right size, with anything from an 8 iron to 6 iron or to go for the green, entirely protected by water on the front side. Maybe obvious what happened, but I laid up with an 8-iron. My playing partner waited for the green to clear and ripped 3-wood on the green. That's the difference! On a short par 4, 320 yards on paper, about 270 in a direct line, again green protected by water, this guy rips 3-wood just over the water leaving a chip shot. I hit hybrid safely to the right. Most pros are not afraid of the consequences of a risky shot because they know they can recover and believe its well worth the chance. And the result is many birdies, a must on the tour.

Another proven lesson is that short game is a momentual skill. All of the pros have it. It is a differentiator when you get to the highest level.

Every guy out here has a laser measuring device. Its huge for tournament play. I'm there pacing off yards from the 150, so old school. I'm getting myself a device ASAP!

I could continue to go about this experience and what I learned. If you have an opportunity to compete at a higher level, even if its just a small taste like I got, go for it, you won't regret it!

This won't be the last time I play with the pros...

Giddy up,
Kurt

First trip to Cali - Torrey Pines and more

Last month, my friend Mike and I spent a long weekend in San Diego, CA to play as many holes of golf as possible. We played 5 rounds in 3 days, including The Vineyard at Escondido, Mt. Woodson Golf Club, Coronado GC, Torrey Pines - North Course, and Balboa Park GC. If you haven't been to San Diego, its absolutely beautiful out there and filled with nice golf courses for the right price. Coronado GC, my second favorite course we played after Torrey Pines, costs $20 after 12pm and is right on the Pacific Ocean. The course condition is as good as a top tier public course in Massachusetts.

The highlight of the golfing experience was our round at Torrey Pines. We chose to play the North Course to save ourselves $100. This is still a recession people! We pulled into Torrey at 530am and there were a dozen cars already in the parking lot. Mike and I both walked up to the Pro Shop area looking to the check in. Come to find out, we had to go up to a random car with its heading lights on and trunk open in the parking lot to claim a spot in line. By the time we figured this out, we probably lost a few spots in line. Torrey Pines has a first come, first serve policy between 6am to 730am. After that, its tee times. We got the 12th or 13th spot. This number got us off the North tee at 7am with two gentleman, one from Long Island and one local from La Jolla. The local guy plays the course for a mere $40!!! Why can't we get a marquee course in the Boston that gives significant resident discounts?? It just doesn't exist. Granite Links costs $125!

At Torrey, you are welcomed by a stunning view looking out into the Pacific Ocean over the cliffs at 7am with a soft breeze and high 60s in mid-February. Its light enough to play at 6am as the sun rises. The fairways are cut tight and narrow and you feel the joy of walking on the same grounds as the greatest golfers in the world.

Mike and I played a different type of match play (hole-by-hole, quota, etc.) each round on the trip. For Torrey, we chose to play USGA stroke play. Finish everything out, tournament style. Winner takes all. We battled it out in a Tour-like finish and tied with 77s. Mike and I were both a 2 under par on the last 5 holes. On the 397 yard par 4 15th, Mike made a mammoth putt of about 50 feet for birdie and then a drained a 25 footer from off the green to save par. On the par-3 17th, about 180 yards, we both hit nice approaches to pin high. Mike went first and drained a 18 footer. Then I preceded to drop a 15 foot putt right on top of him to go all square into 18. We both made par on the par-5 18th. We couldn't have asked for a better day weather-wise and our golf games made us smile even more. Even better, after Torrey, we were on our way to round #2 of the day and the final round of the trip at Balboa Park.

As we New Englanders know, the golf season is short around here, so it was a treat to split up the winter break in California. Mike and I spent our time outside the golf course in Los Angeles to see my cousin Jay (who is the Jing Master out in LA at Erewhon Foods), at a famous Mexican restaurant in San Diego (El Indio - two visits), and a few trips to In-And-Out Burgers.

I left San Diego thinking wouldn't it be nice to live out here...

Namaste,
Kurt

Still Golfing and Offseason Tips

Its often rare to have 50 to 60 degree weather a few weeks before Thanksgiving. Please keep it coming Mother Nature. Remember, we patiently waited for you to give us sun after a month full of rain in June!

I played yesterday, 11/7, with my Dad and Mike 'the Irishman' Murphy at Lexington. We cruised around the course in less than 4 hours. I take November rounds as 'bonus' days in New England, adding to my appreciation of the game. I can honestly say my game has held up well this deep into the season. I played a stretch of 8 holes at 2 under par and 12 holes at 1 under par. The other six holes pushed me back the relative to par, so I closed with a 77. My Dad's sand play was picturesque with deft touch on #8, #10, and #14, each settling close for pars. The Murph man drove it well and scored around par on the final 9.

How do I think my game has stayed consistent this late in the season? Couple things: 1) I highly recommend serious golfers or non-serious golfers looking for a new workout program to pick up Mark Verstegen's 'Core Performance Golf' golf book. I picked it up for less than $20 on Ebay and its become my off-season bible (and likely year-round for the foreseeable future). The front cover says it will increase your drive 25 yars, lower your score, and play pain-free. Within a matter of a month, I feel like I've gotten to a higher level with my understanding of golfing energy. By focusing on the right muscles and movements of the golf swing, I feel like I have total control of my game. In the past, I've struggled this time of year and felt like I couldn't coordinate a golf swing, i.e. "no feel" for club position, transition, etc. Using this program, I've opened up my golfing muscles and have come to the course with the most important tool in fine shape, THE BODY. The book includes nutrition tips, at home workout options, on the road workout options, and easy to understand workout descriptions. Verstegen is known to be one of the top trainers in the country and works with several professional athletes.

I must warn you that you might feel uncomfortable doing some of these workout moves at the gym or find it tough to pull off (such as medicine ball throws). There is also some equipment worth buying. The cost of investment is covered multiple times over by the benefits, yielding a strong NPV for those investment saavy people. I'd be happy to pass along tips to anyone interested. Even if you are scared off by the workout routines, you can still pick up great on-course nutrition tips, daily nutrition tips, and simply adopt the pre-round stretching routine. You will walk to the first tee feeling fully warmed up and stripe your first tee shot down the middle. Non-golfers or non-serious golfers will gain more flexibility and more functionality, improving everyday living.

This is a big part of my offseason plans. More to come on my plans this winter and some tips on how to improve your game during the winter blues in New England.

Keep on golfing!!
KF

Oh yeah, #2 thing for consistency this late in the season is practice putting at home. My routine is to take at least 10 practice putting strokes per day against a straight line, such as the the edge of a rug or the base of a wall. I do it before work or before bed. Only takes a 1 minute. You don't even need to hit a ball, but pretend its there. Focus on maintaining a steady head and keep the putter on a straight line, internalizing the feeling of a straight backstroke and making a confident stroke THROUGH the ball at a pace that matches the pace of your backstroke. Take notice how it feels to make a good putting stroke down the line. When you get to the course, even if you haven't played in weeks, you won't be pulling back the putter like an intoxicated human, but more like a sharp precision machine with confidence to make any putt.