2014 Norfolk County Classic

May 17-18, 2014
Year after year I like this tournament more and more.  I wish my scores would get better in the same fashion. Despite shooting a 79 and finishing T62, I took more out of a 79 than I ever have.  I didn't walk away frustrated, tense, or de-motivated.  It was the exact opposite.  I only remembered my good shots, felt like I shot 72 and was confident about my game.  I finished my round even on the last five holes, with great ball striking.  I hit 7 out of 9 greens on the back nine.  My swing is coming around after some great work with G. Parker at CityGolf over the past few months.  My putting felt great too.  I'm confident the scores will come in lower throughout the season.

Round 1 was unfortunately cancelled due to heavy overnight rain, which setback the golf course from being able to handle carts and get the entire field through 18 holes.  Its too bad because Saturday ended up being one of the best weather days of the year.  Sunday's weather was nice, relatively calm winds for Presidents, sunny, and mid-60s.  When I prepared for my opening tee shot at 1247pm with C. Carlson and B. Mahoney, I knew the best score was 65 by M. Parziale.  Wow, an incredible score.  My quest to come close to that score was squashed with doubles on 1, 4, and 6.

My parents and uncle came to watch when I reached 14th green.  They lit a fire under me, which led to a par, par, birdie, bogey, par finish.  My most memorable shots were my hybrid off the 15th tee (crushed, so good it ended up in fairway bunker...i didn't have the guts to go for it from 177 and played left) and sandy birdie on 16 (from first part of the right greenside bunker). Strategy to hit hybrid off #12 tee worked well and 4-iron off #11 didn't work well as it reached the first bunker near the green (will adjust next year, depending on weather and course conditions).  Oh, and being left of the pin on #14 is ridiculously hard; that green is brutal in general.  Hardest on the course?

Nice playin by Mr. Guthrie who I tee'd it up with last year as well buddies Mr. Falcucci, Mr. Riley, and Mr. Burke.  Congrats to M. Parziale.  Special thanks again to the staff at Presidents; they put on a great course and tournament.

2014 Norfolk County Classic
Final Results
Championship Flight
Individual Stroke Play
1 Matt Parziale Thorny Lea G.C. 65 -5 PGC
2 Daniel Falcucci Cyprian Keyes G.C. 68 -2 PGC
J.C. Guthrie Wedgewood Pines C.C. 68 -2 PGC
4 Ryan Riley Thorny Lea G.C. 69 -1 PGC
Kyle Kelly Franklin C.C. 69 -1 PGC
Jordan Burke Needham G.C. 69 -1 PGC
Michael Willock Cohasset G.C. 69 -1 PGC
8 Eric Daniel Presidents G.C. 70 E PGC
Frank Vana Andover C.C. 70 E PGC
Andy Drohen The Ranch G.C. 70 E PGC
11 Sean Fitzpatrick George Wright G.C. 71 +1 PGC
Vin Bucci Old Sandwich G.C. 71 +1 PGC
Phil Smith Vesper C.C. 71 +1 PGC
John Gilmartin Indian Ridge C.C. 71 +1 PGC

Learn something from every round,
Kurt

Golf Course or Apples??

May 3 - Lyman Orchards GC - Jones Course
I made the 2 hour drive from Boston to compete in the Golf Channel event.  I envisioned a high end public track on a vast piece of land with apple orchards, retail market, horses, frisbee golf; basically you name it farm lifestyle in a box.  The result was a vast piece of land with a full retail market of freshly baked apple pies, chicken pot pies, and many other local products.  In addition, there was a nice learning center with a short 9 hole course, pitching and sand green, putting green, and a nice range with ample targets.  The golf course was a disappointment, with some consideration given to the fact they were still recovering from the long winter; greens were sanded and punched and fairways/rough were saddled with leftover rain (poor drainage topography). In top condition, it would play much better and possibly change my opinion.  On this day, I left with a couple of large apple pies and chicken pot pies for the family and friends and not wanting to return; weak layout and bad condition.  My score didn't help either: 82.    

Temperature was mid-60s and partly sunny.

As I write this, the weather is heating up and golf season is picking up!

Enjoy every moment on the course and play with a purpose,
Kurt

6 & 4

April 27, 2014 - The fearsome foursome of Flionis, Lynch, Keegan, and Brennan had a Sunday morning showdown.  The three of us tee'd off around 745am.  I say three of us, because my partner Rob was still waking up.  He joined us on the 2nd tee after I carried the team to a win on the first hole. Rob proceeded to make a stellar birdie on 2 to give us the 2-up lead.  We never looked back.  10 team birdies, 9 under par best ball (62).  A 6 & 4 thrashing that will always be 'chirped' at Keegan and Brennan throughout the 2014 season and maybe longer.

Weather was cold for late April; runny nose and cold hands.  You wouldn't know by the drastic difference in apparel.  I had a under armour and a full rain suit.  Rob was in shorts and a light jacket. Temp may have hit 50 degrees.

My day was sweetened by a victory in the Paul Revere Cup, an 18 hole 100% NET MAJOR at the club.  It is very rare for a low handicap to win.  I shot 68 gross, 66 net for a one shot victory.  One of my best rounds at LGC, with a career high 7 birdies, running off 4 in a row on the back nine.

Unfortunately (as this is so much fun), this will be the last battle of Flionis/Lynch vs. Keegan/Brennan until the fall season. Well, maybe not so bad for them, they could use some practice time....

What a start to tournament season at the Lex!

Cheers,
Kurt

p.s. (I think this 2-0 Lynch/Flionis since we started the new match record...see "1-0" blog post)

Houston Trip in 65 hours

April 3-6, 2014:  Flio, Bates, and Richards; a flow, a beard, and a buzz from Boston, New Hampshire, and South Shore.  Our flight to Houston on Thursday afternoon got delayed at least 3 times prior to driving to the airport, making us wonder if our trip would ultimately be cut short.  During our wait, we walked to Galleria Umberto pizza in the North End (greasy, but excellent) and Kyle/Chris lectured me on how to check-in to a Southwest Airlines flight.  I had no clue.

4-hours later than expected, our flight boards at 6pm.  I sit indian style with a 10-K and finance magazine next to friend and my former Rola Language Spanish teacher Ed (so random he was on the same flight), Bates locks into Bose headphones, laptop, and wifi, and Kyle chills to a mystery playlist (what is he listening to?).  The three of us along with surprise guest Ed start an unforgettable, fully packed in trip.  Did we even sleep!?

Kyle, Chris, Kurt - River Oaks CC

Our trip included meeting a 2-time major champion Mark O'Meara (really nice guy, told us he was headed to Chipotle, and making final preparations for Augusta!), Bates seeing PGA tour winner Johnson Wagner, and hanging out with Annie, former Lexington GC member turned professional. Thank you Annie for introducing us to Mark and getting us out at River Oaks!  Additionally, we went to the Toyota Center to watch playoff contenders Rockets vs. OKC Thunder. Toyota Center is a massive, modern arena with an exciting atmosphere and lots of Shiner Bock beer!  James Harden-led Rockets defeated Thunder with a strong fourth quarter performance.

We de-iced from cold Boston and teed it up at four different courses, including River Oaks (private), Wildcat - Highlands, Cypresswood - Tradition, and Tour 18.  Weather was great; low 70s; mix of sun and clouds.  36 holes on Friday and 36 holes on Saturday with many bets going on between the three of us.  Every meal, mostly BBQ and Tex Mex, was excellent with maybe the exception of the Houston Rockets BBQ food served by a very intimidating woman...albeit it was still decent, especially the cornbread!  BBQ food included lots of brisket, pull pork, jalapeno sausage, beans, and mac/cheese.  Bates chewed none of this food, finishing each meal in warp speed.  Also, he methodically eats each food independently on his plate.  We

Tin Roof BBQ

recommend Tin Roof BBQ (true local restaurant), Beck's Prime (quick service; chili cheeseburger), and El Tiempo Restaurant (sit-down service; fajita nachos).

Golf courses:

• Round 1 - River Oaks CC - Exclusive private club in the heart of Houston.  Members include owners of Houston Astros and Houston Texans.  The clubhouse speaks Donald Trump, surrounding homes look like castles, and the locker room has a bar, food service, and a barber shop!  We got an excellent caddie named Andrew. The course itself was a nice layout with good greens.  All three of us broke 80.  Flio - 74, Kyle - 75, Bates - 79.  Amazing experience!  This is where we met O'Meara.
• Round 2 - Wildcat Highlands Course - This is like the Granite Links of Houston, built on an old landfill with views of the city and Houston Texans stadium.  The wind blows hard, blind shots, elevation changes, and silly holes.  I hit 5-iron, 3-wood to reach a par-5.  400 yard+ par-4s where a 200 yard drive was all you could hit.  We battled.  I shot 78.  None of us think we would play there again.
• Round 3 - Cypresswood Tradition Course - Host of the 2014 Shell Houston Open Monday Qualifier.  The leaderboard included the likes of journeymen Tag Ridings, Omar Uresti, Bubba Dickerson, and many more.  I thought the course was a mix of Augusta Pine and Cape Cod, tricky greens, waste like bunkers, and generous fairways.  Kyle did not like the bunkers.  Chris was an almost flawless machine out of the bunkers all weekend.  Solid course; great greens, high quality condition.  Would definitely recommend.  
• Round 4 - Tour 18 - A replica collection of famous holes throughout the U.S. including Amen Corner, Doral 18th, Sawgrass 17th, and Bay Hill 6.  We played double money skins as well as continuation of a birdie pool, weekend long 72 hole stroke play, longest hole out, junk, and match play.  There was a lot of money on the line.  I felt some tournament pressure!  The most notable section of the course was Amen Corner.  I played it two under with a chip-in at 11 from 100 feet right of the pin and a birdie at 13.  Both Bates and I birdied 13.  I had my best round of the trip with a 73.
• Golf Games - I played well throughout the weekend with the exception of my driver.  I hit it maybe 6 times over 72 holes.  The 3-wood was money and my swing felt good.  Most memorable was chipping-in twice (one time to make a big money steal on Bates and Kyle at Disney par-3) and birdieing the last hole (Doral 18) at Tour 18.  Bates was a master bunker player and very sharp with his irons.  Not the usually deft putter, but if you take out his Dustin Johnson like numbers (see DJs round 1 card at Shell Houston), he may have the most impressive scorecards.  For example, after making a quad on the first hole at Tour 18, he still broke 80.  Kyle was hitting great hybrids and rolling in putts from everywhere, probably the most 'polies' on the trip.  With the exception of one round, Kyle played well and will not be getting strokes from me in the summer :)

Special thanks to Chris for doing all the driving and dealing with difficult Houston highways and hooking us up at the Marriott.  And Kyle for finding Tin Roof BBQ and telling Bates I would make the birdie putt at Inverness #18.  

Can't wait to do this all over again next year!  In Houston??

Lets go 2014 golf season!!

Flio

December in the Desert: Part 2

Dec 10-15: Marana, Arizona (Tucson) - Golf Channel Amateur Tour Arizona Open (12/14-12/15)

Part 2:

Day 1 Practice: Dove Mountain - Wild Burro and Saguaro nines with my Dad.  The Tortolita nine, where the tournament would be played, was closed due to recovery from frost conditions!  Dove Mountain's grounds crew was very sensitive to course conditions given the WGC was coming in February: corporate tents were already under construction. We had frost delays during the tournament.  My ball striking was very good during this round, hitting 11/14 fairways; had 3 birdies and shot 76.  I told my Dad during warmups that I typically swing well early in my 'defrost' from New England; then as I swing more I get too big and reach for "extra".

Day 2 Practice: Gallery - North Course with my Dad, friend and competitor Gavin from Massachusetts, and new friend and competitor Bob from Denver.  On the practice tee, my swing started to feel forced and hard working, getting stuck at impact.  I hit 8 fairways and made 3 birdies on my last 6 holes to shoot 80.  It was a struggle until the final 6 holes.  The group dynamic was so much fun.  My Dad and Bob ('the old guys') teamed up against me and Gavin ('the young guys') on the last five holes.  It was non-stop heckling and seriously focused team strategies.  On 14th hole, Bob birdies.  On the 15th hole, my Dad birdies.  What the heck, two down. On the 16th hole, I made birdie.  We are 1 down with 2 holes to go.  On the par-4 17th, Gavin and Bob are out of the hole, leaving me with a 12 foot par putt and my Dad with a 10 foot par putt.  I missed my putt slightly outside the left edge.  My Dad runs his putt down a slippery slope into the cup for birdie.  We lose 2&1.  Ahhh the old guys win!  My Dad goes 1 under on final 5.  I birdied 18.  Best ball of the four was 5 under on last 6.  Great golf and strong competitive juices were flowing.  We enjoyed a beer together and laughed about all the in-round memories.  Bob and Gavin are great guys.

Day 3 and 4: Tournament Rounds at Dove Mountain (Gallery North and Dove Mountain (Saguaro/Tortolita).  Good weather, mid-60s, sunny, light to medium winds.  My swing slipped to an over-the-top, weak shots to the right, most notably in the tee shots with the driver and long irons.  I was able to work okay with wedges and mid-irons.  No ability to pull trigger freely after hitting multiple shots in the desert on the same hole!  I had some very big numbers, including a 12 on a par-4.  When you are teeing up your 4th tee shot on the same hole and the group behind you pulls up watching, its more nerve racking then most golf situations.  The desert won.  I hit 3 fairways each round.  I hit 12 greens and 9 greens and did not break 90.   Pic to the Right: #3 Par 3 210 yards at Dove Mountain (Saguaro). Pretty nice, right? Look for the Top 64 players in the world here in February 2014!

The take away from my tournament experience was that I must work on an in-course adjustment plan if my driver goes bad and I must be reflective on my feelings experienced during a round so I understand myself better the next time.  If I pull back to a hybrid or 3 wood early, would I have hit more fairways and kept myself away from large numbers?  Taking a risk to make an adjustment is a difficult step when you think the next swing you make will be the good one.  Next time, I will try picking out a target a few feet in front of my ball and I will set the expectations of hitting the shot at 50% of the max distance.  I expect this would improve my alignment and shorten my backswing.

Once you finish a round, make sure you reflect on what you did well and poorly during it (for both swing mechanics and mental mechanics).  I am going to make a point of doing this in 2014 to improve my game.

Happy 2014!

Kurt

December in the Desert: Part 1

Dec 10-15: Marana, Arizona (Tucson) - Golf Channel Amateur Tour Arizona Open (12/14-12/15)

Part 1:
My Dad and I traveled to sunny, dry Tucson AZ for a mix of leisure and competitive golf and relaxation.  It was a father-son bonding time.  It was a chance to get away from the New England cold.  It was a chance to play golf in the desert.  Tucson is a golfing destination, retirement spot with temperatures in mid-60s during December, mountains, cacti and other spikey vegetation, wild animals, and good hospitality.  We were lucky to get sunshine everyday.  The mornings were cold enough to layer up (low 40s) and the afternoons warm enough to sit by the pool (high of 70).  We played Dove Mountain, home of World Golf Championship Accenture Match Play tournament, and The Gallery, a highly-respected private course nearby Dove.  Personally, I thought The Gallery was the better of two courses; beating Dove in condition, layout, and overall experience.

During the trip, we made it a point to experience activities beyond the golf course.  Our trip included a visit to Biosphere 2, which is the world's largest facility to study Earth systems.  In other words, the team at Biosphere works to recreate Earth life under a fully enclosed roof, with different climates and plants; studying water; air quality, plant science; etc.  We listened to a native Hohokam brave play a flute that echoed throughout the mountain.  I was accidentally stabbed by a jumping cactus bush after looking for my golf ball!  A bird flew into my hotel room; that was not easy getting it out, when it was stuck, flapping around in the blinds (yikes).  I spent time watching a 9 year old tortoise from Africa named Wambi eat grass and apples.  She was 30 lbs.  She started out the size of a silver dollar and will likely live to 100 and grow to 100-120 lbs!  Fat and slow!  We saw a Javelina (not friendly).  We ate at a local steakhouse called Li'l Abner's that served Mesquite wood smoked steaks.  Saloon atmosphere; we stuck out like sore thumbs.

The hotel we stayed at inside Dove Mountain was as good as it gets from a service standpoint.  The staff was friendly, attentive, professional, accommodating (after being stuck with only a king bed on our first night!), and knowledgeable.  One exception was a recommendation to try a local Italian restaurant.  The staff member said it was the best in town, even Sicily certified.  If it was the best in town, it would be the worst in town in Boston.  Bad bad bad.  CORE Kitchen Restaurant was very solid; its very pricey, but if you have one nice meal in your budget, this is a good choice.  Excellent salmon and mac/cheese.  My Dad had a nice steak too.  They don't shy away on portions out here and they like to offer a burger/shake combination.

Golf courses we played were beautiful.  Dove has 27 holes and Gallery offers 36 holes.  The two pictures are from Gallery GC - North Course.  The greens were in almost perfect condition and running at 10-11 on the stimpmeter.  The bunkers are not filled with much sand which gives you easy escapes from the fairway, however, the challenges lie in the pure quantity of bunkers (everywhere) and the deep faces.  The desert is in your face and mind all day; on your tee shots and for your general observation.  Keep your tee shots in the green grass!  The Golf Shop picture is at Dove Mountain Golf Club.

Good practice facilities included grass tees, chipping greens, putting greens, and fairway bunker practice spots.  The Gallery driving range was special.  The hitting area was carpet-like and the green targets were ample at varying distances and looked like real manicured greens.

Part 2 will cover our practice and tournament rounds.

Brrrr its cold in Boston,
K

1-0

November 10, 2013 - Fab Four at Lexington GC: Flionis, Lynch, Keegan, and Brennan put the peg in the ground at 8am for our first fall matchup.  There was much anticipation for this battle.  We have played at least ten prior matches, but we decided to set the state clean, calling this the first match.  It was balmy November morning, possibly peaking at 50 degrees.  I was layered with rain pants, under armour, golf shirt, and sweater.  The humorous jabs began on the putting green and never let up until 18 when Danny had a 18 foot downhill slider to potentially tie the match.  His confidence was high even though the guy making putts all day was his partner.  Danny aka Norstradamus was most notable for calling Keegan's birdie putts on 7, 16, and 17 (each one was over 15 feet and I disagreed it would happen each time!).

Lynch was impressive making 5 birdies, carrying us to a 1up victory (oh how sweet victory is against these guys, boom).  Oh, yeah, Danny missed that putt on 18 for birdie; if he only hit it an inch further to the left as his partner guided him toward.  I followed his miss by draining a 10 foot uphill right to left slider for birdie, my first and only birdie of the round.  I struggled with my swing at times, but putted very well and had my share of well struck shots to shoot 75 (12 pars, 5 bogeys, 1 birdie).

There is a comfortable but fiery competitiveness about these matches and we all let each other have it. As Danny and Keegan cut into our 3 up lead with a par chip in on 12 and a birdie on 13, both by Danny; Lynch threw a dagger by making a 30+ foot birdie putt on 14 to give us a 2 up lead with 4 to go.  Danny came back with a 15 foot par saver to halve 15.  Then Keegan drained a match saving birdie on 16 for a halve after Rob's two putt birdie.  On 17, Keegan made another match saving birdie from 15 feet to cut the lead back to 1up.

Its 1-0 boys.  Bring it on for the next match.

Course conditions were very good.  Greens rolling nice and the fairways did not require any preferred lies.  This is the bonus season for us.  Its the rounds you really appreciate and I tend to take the pressure off myself.  Relaxing and lower expectations leads to good results.

And this marks a one month countdown to Arizona

You gotta give up control, to get control.
Kurt