BLUSTERY WINDS WREAK HAVOC!

April 10, 2012-By Don Nichols

It had been gorgeous all day, but right at tee time, unexpectedly a front moved in, bringing with it darkening clouds and blustery winds–not the kind of elements you want to endure when facing the more arduous back nine. Once again a full field of 20 players was assembled even though there were three game day cancellations which opened the door for those on the wait list to fill out the field, including newcomers John Wymer and Jim Boatright.

7 UNDER WINS IT!

The weather conditions had an obvious effect on all the players judging by their scores and the fact that a score of 7 under by the first group off the tee (picking up three shots on the last hole) was good enough to edge past the last group at 6 under and grab the gusto (compared to the 12 under score on the last back nine match). Feeling the thrill of victory was the team of Danny Morris, William Thornton, Tom Player, and Tim Martin. (Thornton and Player were instrumental in the jettison to first place with their respective “net eagle” and “net birdie” on the last hole.)

Feeling the agony of defeat was the Commissioner’s Team of Jim Boatright, Jim Williamson, Richard Batelaan, and Don Nichols who dropped three shots on the last hole to finish at 1 under, much to the relief of the team in front of them who sat forlornly on the porch with a measly 2 under. The 1 under DAL score is now the leader in the clubhouse for the worst team.

Final Results: 4-10-012 Back Nine

Morris, Thornton, Player, Martin                                         -7

Arnold, Danzig, Wymer, Buist                                              -6

Jobson, Morgan, Gooding, Majors                                       -5

Gaddis, Meagher, Schmal, Wade                                          -2

Boatright, Williamson, Batelaan, Nichols                           -1

The following players received individual recognition:

BRAD REESE LOW GROSS AWARD.  Ron Majors and Bill Meagher:  41   The only two single digiters in the Reese-less field tied for a less than impressive 5 over par for the best score of the day,  which is the worst low gross score since August 2009 when it was matched by Bill Meagher and Danny Morris.

LOW NET WINNER: Tim Martin    -2.   Perennial  sandbagger Tim Martin picked up yet another Low Net victory, as the purported sixteen handicapper bested the wind tormented field with a 42 for a net score of 2 under.

PINK LADY WINNER: Jim Boatright:  59   The max 27 handicapper, who only started to play golf about 9 months ago, continues to pay his dues one stroke (or rather multiple strokes) at a time, recording several triples and “in his pocket” more than once to end up with the merciless high score of the day of 59 and take home the “Pinkster” for the third time in as many tries. There were no other contenders although fourteen handicapper PJ Wade put one in the record books with his all time worst ATAG score of 51.

SHOT OF THE DAY: Doug Gooding.  Gooding earns Shot of the Day after chipping in for birdie on #18 to the delight of the earlier finishers who were observing from the porch.

BIRDIE CLUB: There were 5 birdies on the back nine. Richard Batelaan continues as the Birdie Leader in the Clubhouse with back to back birdies on #13 and #14 and Bill Meagher, William Thornton, and Doug Gooding joined the elite club for the first time with one bird each.

COMMISSIONER’S CORNER (Observations Of The Commish)

–The Smoker’s Lounge was unoccupied so the players reclaimed the ATAG porch, eliminating the need for upper level service in the ATAG Sky Box. And, whereas last week’s assembly was more subdued, this week’s group of players was loud and boisterous, setting the tone for the evening.

–Bill Meagher returned to the ATAG Tour after an almost three year absence and got the joke telling started , opening with two ribald tales that got the place rocking and contributed even more to the noisy bar room atmosphere. Meagher, whose last ATAG match was on August 11, 2009, is one of the early ATAGers and is the one who coined the term “ATAG Tour” as well as the one who made the suggestion that everyone put in a dollar toward a a low net purse. (he is quick to point out that he has never won it). Hmmm, is it just a coincidence that Meagher, a 7 handicapper, makes his re-appearance right after it is announced that six handicapper Brad Reese will be leaving?  Now,if only Andy Tyber would return, the Low Gross would start to mean something again.

-The Club has now started Tuesday outdoor cookouts near the pool entrance, with hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken grilled to your satisfaction right on the spot. Several players opted to chow down on the meaty offerings while others were content to nibble on the complimentary chicken wings.

–Tom Player was overheard bragging that he was on the winning team two weeks in a row. It is not likely that he will make the cut for the next few weeks as the Commissioner will not tolerate braggadocio on the ATAG Tour.

-It was a chilly evening on the porch so several players, including this writer, left early so there are no other antics to report.

That’s it for this week. Check out the photos in the Gallery and scroll down to see the individual scores of today’s match.

Final Leaderboard: 4-10-012 Back Nine

Majors / Meagher                                  41

Batelaan / Martin                                   42

Schmal                                                     43

Wymer                                                     44

Morris / Thornton                                   45

Danzig / Gooding                                    46

Buist/Gaddis/Williamson/Player          47

Nichols / Arnold                                      48

Jobson                                                        49

Morgan                                                      50

Wade                                                          51

Boatright                                                    59