August 23 - I teed it up in the U.S. Mid Amateur Qualifier at Framingham CC with my Dad caddying. The weather was awful. It rained for 4 straight hours. In fact, officials were crossing the line in getting this tournament in. On the 13th green, the groundscrew had to squeege the green in between groups. When I got up to my approach shot on the green, I had to take relief from casual water! The official almost gave me a penalty for dropping the ball instead of placing it for relief. You always should ask to be safe!
Another unusual situation occurred on the par-5 12th hole when I was in between a few trees. I setup to play a low 4-iron shot. As I drove low through impact, the club made a low crack as it shaved off a rock i never saw. My 4-iron was officially damaged with a chip on the bottom of the club. Time for new irons! I have to earn them! The actual 4-iron shot ended up right were we wanted and I managed to save par; maybe I should hit rocks more often.
I finished with an 81, 9 bogeys and 9 pars. Not very good. This was a good chance to steal a spot in bad weather, when I usually excel. The cut line was 75. I put myself in a poor position off the bat with 5 bogeys on the first 7 holes.
My Dad is the best. He went the whole way without complaining about the weather despite carrying a wet bag with an umbrella, towels, clothes, food, etc. We look forward to the next event together! Thanks Dad.
Appreciate everything,
Kurt :)
Friday, August 27, 2010
Arlington Golf League goes to New Hampshire
On August 7 and 8, 2010, the Arlington Golf League took its 'talent' to North Sutton, NH. Some brought golfing skills, other brought drinking, eating, and bonfire skills to name a few. The crew consisted of 22 golf league members, including my Dad (the real Prez), and 2 non-league members, my brother and I.
Day 1 - Derek and I teamed up with the Cooke brothers (Tommy and Billy) for the bramble competition. It was a great format. Select best drive on each hole and play your own ball in to the hole, taking 2 out of 4 scores on the par 4s / 5s and 3 out of 4 scores on the par 3s. Also, the 'D' player (with highest handicap in group) got to play from the first two best shots on a par 5. Billy Cooke was the 'D' player and only plays golf a few times a year. He took full advantage of the 2 shot rule, making birdie on one par 5 and making a key bogey putt for us on a par-4. Kudos to Billy for stepping up his game at the right times. We made no score worse than bogey. The hole of the day for the team was the 471 par 5 13th. I hit a great driver down the right side of the fairway, leaving us about 170 to the pin. Derek lasered a 6-iron over the pin, stopping on a dime to 6 feet. Billy two putted that shot for bird and Derek sank the eagle. Team Brother dominance won the competition on Day 1!
Night time included many beers for Jennings, Jimbo Riley, Bohannon, and Pissotti. Bohannon and I played 4.5 holes barefoot and showed up late for dinner. I think Bohannon scared the daylights of the groundscrew guy when he started mocking the guy for his marital problems. Don't ask how he gets these conversations going. We all stayed at the Inn across the street from the golf course. The boys pulled Phil Morris's truck into the backyard of the hotel (this was not your typical inn, no lobby or vending machines or bar, just grab the keys from the golf shop attendant and bunk up in a room with sheets and a TV from 25 years ago) and unloaded coolers of beers, playing cards, and sticks of salami.
Steak dinner was good. Sat across from the chimney sweeper. Nightmare! Watched Jennings eat bowls of sour cream with no chives. Saw Phil Morris passed out (face planted) in his golf clothes as i walked by his hotel room. Bonfire going late into the night with a roundtable of chatting, drinking, and singing by Jimbo Riley.
Day 2 - After seeing frightening sights in the hotel rooms at 7am (hint - people rising with blinds open), I made my way to breakfast and the golf course. This was the individual day, stableford format, gaining 5 points for birdie, 3 points for par, 2 for bogey, and 1 for double. Each player was assigned their own point totals and whoever did best relative to their target was champion. I was playing with my Dad, Derek, and Jimbo Riley. What a fun group! Jimbo didn't stop making comments throughout the round such as 'Derek for a point', 'Mike you blew that point', 'now Derek really go through this one, come on'. Jimbo was cruising along well, flirting with the cart girl as he bought bud lights at 930am......nevertheless, he made my Dad pull the cart over to the woods on 16 to 'puke' in the woods. I had a blast playing! Hole of the Day - The 376 yard par 4 7th hole. My Dad hits his approach, yelling get up, and it lands perfectly to the front edge of the green over a bunker and feeds to the hole, within tap in range. Minutes later Derek hits his third shot from approx. 100 yards in a similar spot and similarly yelling get up...it tracks, tracks, and turns right into the cup!!!! WOW, HOLE OUT. This is the beginning of the end for the rest of the field. Derek wins the tournament at +8. I battled but couldn't muster enough and finished second at +7. The Flionis boys dominated this one...two for two!
Enjoyed it Dad and Derek! Look out for Derek's game. Its starting to bud up.
Oh yeah, can't forget to mention Dad taking us to The Restaurant in Woburn for breakfast. They make a mean greasy breakfast.
Rumors floating that Samoset Resort will be on the schedule next year. Lets do it!
Smiles,
Kurt
Day 1 - Derek and I teamed up with the Cooke brothers (Tommy and Billy) for the bramble competition. It was a great format. Select best drive on each hole and play your own ball in to the hole, taking 2 out of 4 scores on the par 4s / 5s and 3 out of 4 scores on the par 3s. Also, the 'D' player (with highest handicap in group) got to play from the first two best shots on a par 5. Billy Cooke was the 'D' player and only plays golf a few times a year. He took full advantage of the 2 shot rule, making birdie on one par 5 and making a key bogey putt for us on a par-4. Kudos to Billy for stepping up his game at the right times. We made no score worse than bogey. The hole of the day for the team was the 471 par 5 13th. I hit a great driver down the right side of the fairway, leaving us about 170 to the pin. Derek lasered a 6-iron over the pin, stopping on a dime to 6 feet. Billy two putted that shot for bird and Derek sank the eagle. Team Brother dominance won the competition on Day 1!
Night time included many beers for Jennings, Jimbo Riley, Bohannon, and Pissotti. Bohannon and I played 4.5 holes barefoot and showed up late for dinner. I think Bohannon scared the daylights of the groundscrew guy when he started mocking the guy for his marital problems. Don't ask how he gets these conversations going. We all stayed at the Inn across the street from the golf course. The boys pulled Phil Morris's truck into the backyard of the hotel (this was not your typical inn, no lobby or vending machines or bar, just grab the keys from the golf shop attendant and bunk up in a room with sheets and a TV from 25 years ago) and unloaded coolers of beers, playing cards, and sticks of salami.
Steak dinner was good. Sat across from the chimney sweeper. Nightmare! Watched Jennings eat bowls of sour cream with no chives. Saw Phil Morris passed out (face planted) in his golf clothes as i walked by his hotel room. Bonfire going late into the night with a roundtable of chatting, drinking, and singing by Jimbo Riley.
Day 2 - After seeing frightening sights in the hotel rooms at 7am (hint - people rising with blinds open), I made my way to breakfast and the golf course. This was the individual day, stableford format, gaining 5 points for birdie, 3 points for par, 2 for bogey, and 1 for double. Each player was assigned their own point totals and whoever did best relative to their target was champion. I was playing with my Dad, Derek, and Jimbo Riley. What a fun group! Jimbo didn't stop making comments throughout the round such as 'Derek for a point', 'Mike you blew that point', 'now Derek really go through this one, come on'. Jimbo was cruising along well, flirting with the cart girl as he bought bud lights at 930am......nevertheless, he made my Dad pull the cart over to the woods on 16 to 'puke' in the woods. I had a blast playing! Hole of the Day - The 376 yard par 4 7th hole. My Dad hits his approach, yelling get up, and it lands perfectly to the front edge of the green over a bunker and feeds to the hole, within tap in range. Minutes later Derek hits his third shot from approx. 100 yards in a similar spot and similarly yelling get up...it tracks, tracks, and turns right into the cup!!!! WOW, HOLE OUT. This is the beginning of the end for the rest of the field. Derek wins the tournament at +8. I battled but couldn't muster enough and finished second at +7. The Flionis boys dominated this one...two for two!
Enjoyed it Dad and Derek! Look out for Derek's game. Its starting to bud up.
Oh yeah, can't forget to mention Dad taking us to The Restaurant in Woburn for breakfast. They make a mean greasy breakfast.
Rumors floating that Samoset Resort will be on the schedule next year. Lets do it!
Smiles,
Kurt
Friday, August 6, 2010
Out West for MGA Father Son
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My Dad and I traveled to Springfield, MA for the 34th annual MGA Father Son Tournament (our 2nd time competing). What a trip! I'll tell you Springfield is quite different than the buzzing city of Boston. Besides the Basketball Hall of Fame, I didn't feel much energy in the area. We stayed in the downtown Marriott which had nice rooms and a great breakfast. Would recommend to travelers. We had dinner at Max Tavern's at the Hall of Fame. Solid food. Its known for its steak. I had the NY Strip and my Dad loved his prime rib.The golf tournament was held at Wilbraham CC, a semi-private course, par 72, approx 6,300 yards. Course conditions were great: nice fairways, tee boxes, and fast greens. The front nine was built in 1922 and the back nine was built in 2002. The nines are completely different with the front nine having soft, tiny greens and fairly forgiving fairways. On the back side, the fairways narrow and greens are very firm and average to above average size. We found the course fun to play and challenging, requiring the player to choose between multiple clubs off the tee, shape shots, and putt well (undulating greens). Accuracy is paramount on this golf course. If you don't find the fairway, bogeys can be accumulated in a hurry. Price is right too. You can join here cheap (less than $2k/year) for full golf privileges and practice facility (range, putting green, chipping and bunker green). No initiation fee.
My Dad and I played beautifully on the front nine, making two birdies to shoot 1 over par. In the photo above, my Dad and I analyzed a birdie putt on the difficult 9th. My Dad drained the 20 footer for bird, the shot of the day! I bet no one else in the field birdied 9.
The back nine was a complete 180. We shot bogey golf, never regaining a flow. We blame it on losing the tee honor after the 11th hole. Our playing partners than set their pace of speed golf and we couldn't keep up without losing focus. After being +1 thru 10, we finished at 82. Our downfall with mediocre driving and poor short game.
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Our playing partners were Dennis and Nick Lopata from Wilbraham CC. It was beneficial having the home team on our side and they were two great guys. We enjoyed lunch and beers after our 3 hour and 45 minute round.
Its second consecutive year we have put together solid performance for a major stretch of the tournament. The experience of teaming up with my Dad is the best part about it. I know where I get my drive to compete. Team golf ball was the Callaway Tour i(s). I've decided to take a leave from the Titleist and try the Callaway, seeing how Titleist isn't paying me anything.
Format was a modified alternative shot, meaning select best drive and alternate the rest of the way in.
Great fun! Can't wait for the next one!
Let the good times roll,
K
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Club Championship Final Two Rounds - Running the Statistics
Congratulations to Garrett Johnson for winning the 2010 LGC Club Championship with a 72 hole total of 292. Tied for runner up was Steve Keegan and Bob Green at 301. I was tied for fourth with Lee Smith at 302. My weekend rounds were 80-76.
This year's event had 4 days of perfect weather. The players couldn't have asked for better. As always, Sunday is a great time as most of the players hang out afterwards to watch the final groups and some stay for the Women's Club Championship too (congrats to Annie Sperandio). Also many family and friends come over to watch the final stretch. My brother, Mom, Gram, and Brandin came out to watch. It was awesome! It was my Gram's first time seeing me play and made my day.
Reflecting on my tournament, it was a disappointment that I was not at least in close contention to win on Sunday. Today, I needed to shoot a career round to win. I expect to be there every year at the top. So I felt the need to look into the numbers. I tallied up my stats and compared to my past victories. The verdict is: too many 'double bogies or worse'. holes Here are the number of doubles or worse for the tournament:
I was +2 on 65 holes and +16 on 7 holes.
Winning a 72 hole requires focus and attention on every shot. You can't let one bad shot take down your guard. Minimizing your mistake to a bogey is very acceptable. Sometimes you have to let go of your urge to hit the heroic shot to get back to your target in regulation and play safe leaving a longer approach, but still leaving the door open to save par. Its okay to have Bogey Option Par (this means when you are putting for par its like a 'guaranteed bogey' with the option to make par).
Up next is the MGA Father-Son! My Dad did a magnificent job caddying and now he is going to carry me out in Springfield this Tuesday.
Good vibrations.
Breathe easy,
K
This year's event had 4 days of perfect weather. The players couldn't have asked for better. As always, Sunday is a great time as most of the players hang out afterwards to watch the final groups and some stay for the Women's Club Championship too (congrats to Annie Sperandio). Also many family and friends come over to watch the final stretch. My brother, Mom, Gram, and Brandin came out to watch. It was awesome! It was my Gram's first time seeing me play and made my day.
Reflecting on my tournament, it was a disappointment that I was not at least in close contention to win on Sunday. Today, I needed to shoot a career round to win. I expect to be there every year at the top. So I felt the need to look into the numbers. I tallied up my stats and compared to my past victories. The verdict is: too many 'double bogies or worse'. holes Here are the number of doubles or worse for the tournament:
- 2010 - 7 (total of +16 on these holes)
- 2006 - 3 (assuming +6)
- 2005 - 1 (assuming +2)
- 2004 - 2 (assuming +4)
I was +2 on 65 holes and +16 on 7 holes.
Winning a 72 hole requires focus and attention on every shot. You can't let one bad shot take down your guard. Minimizing your mistake to a bogey is very acceptable. Sometimes you have to let go of your urge to hit the heroic shot to get back to your target in regulation and play safe leaving a longer approach, but still leaving the door open to save par. Its okay to have Bogey Option Par (this means when you are putting for par its like a 'guaranteed bogey' with the option to make par).
Up next is the MGA Father-Son! My Dad did a magnificent job caddying and now he is going to carry me out in Springfield this Tuesday.
Good vibrations.
Breathe easy,
K
Friday, July 30, 2010
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
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
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
Saturday, July 24, 2010
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
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
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