BROOKS BOWLS A STRIKE!

Editor’s Note: The following is a brief summary of this week’s match by Co-Commissioner Kevin McGlynn who notes that it was a “slow news day”

ATAG 5-14-24 Match Recap

Champion Golfer of the Week Brooks Cowles Jr. shot an impressive 45/34 to take all the money and this week’s crown while leading his team to victory!

The winning team of Kevin McGlynn, Brooks Cowles and Henry Sawyer shot a respectable 7 under par on the usually difficult back nine.  The threesome started out hot and remained so until the 15^th,  then coasted into the clubhouse with the winning score.

The second-place team came close but fell short due to the dicey 18^th when they gave back the one stroke they needed for a tie. Jeff Colbath, Doug Healy, William Thornton, and Tom Kisgen played well throughout the back nine but coughed it up on the last hole. Welcome to the No Buy Zone!

The providers of this week’s free beer are Don Nichols, Danny Morris, and Tom Houle. They started out fast at 2 under after the first hole but remained there until the last hole when they dropped one and ended in the Buy Zone at 1 under.

Speaking of Tom Houle, many congratulations for the newest grandfather in ATAG! I believe they were blessed with a granddaughter which makes sense since Tom won the Pink Lady?  Anyway, Congratulations Tom and thanks for the tater tots!

No Birdies this week nor Shots of the Day. So, on this slow news day we highlight two spectacular “Sandy Par’s”-Doug Healy on # 15 and Danny Morris on #10. Way to go guys!

A Note From The ATAG Statistician. Danny Morris had the best low gross score with a 42, the second time this year for a stellar performance. However, this match marked his 5th straight loss, a “jinx” as he calls it. Bad teammates I call it, but nonetheless he is the leader in the clubhouse for the Weakest Link Award. As a past winner, I know his frustration.

It was a fun night in the grill as the conversation was spirited and entertaining due the generosity of Doug Healy who bought a round of drinks (note: that’s what you do when you don’t want to drink alone) and the reminiscing of William Thornton 50th birthday party in 2016. See “Miss Mermaid” photo in the gallery along with this week’s winners.

Final Scores: 5-14-24 Back Nine Gross/Net

Brooks Cowles 45/34

Danny Morris 42/36

Kevin McGlynn 45/37

Doug Healy 43/37

Jeff Colbath 49/38

William Thornton 44/38

Don Nichols 48/39

Tom Kisgen 49/40

Henry Sawyer 50/40

Tom Houle 49/42

AI CHRONICLES AN OH HUM ATAG MATCH!

Editor’s Note: The following recap of this past Tuesday’s match is provided by Co-Commissioner Kevin McGlynn who appears to have collaborated with AI on some flowery chatbox language to imbellish what was just a normal ATAG match with only ten players. Reading this may bring a tear to your eye (or a reflux gag).

5-7-2024 ATAG Match Recap: By Kevin McGlynn

This week’s ATAG match the competition was fierce, with each team vying for victory amidst the lush greens and challenging fairways.

The triumphant team of the day comprised Jim Williamson, Doug Healy, and William Thornton. Their remarkable victory was secured with an impressive score of -9, largely attributed to Doug Healy’s exceptional birdie on hole #2 aided by a 150 -yard ground ball to the green and Williamson’s net 32. Williamson’s strategic play and Healy’s skillful shot proved to be a pivotal moment, propelling their team towards success, and clinching the win.

However, not every team could bask in the glory of victory. The unfortunate losing team consisted of Danny Morris, Brooks Cowles, Tom Kisgen, and Henry Sawyer. Despite their valiant efforts, they couldn’t quite match the outstanding performance of the winners, ending the game with a score that left them trailing behind at 4 under.

During the competition, there was a group that fondled themselves in the middle ground, neither tasting the sweetness of victory nor the bitterness of defeat. Kevin McGlynn, Don Nichols, and Jeff Colbath formed this trio, finishing with a respectable score of -6 that placed them in the friendly rivalry of the ATAG golf game.

Jim Williamson took home the money this week with the best Net AND Gross score. Good playing. And lastly, the weekly Pinkster was awarded to Jeff Colbath who sat next to perennial pinkster winner Frank Corrigan who made his second consecutive cameo appearance. Jeff provided complimentary tater tots for the table as a consolation prize.

William Thornton, front runner for the prize for the Tom Player Player Ball competition, ended his consecutive match streak at 54 holes, losing the ball on his opening tee shot which no one either saw or found.

As the sun set on another exhilarating round of golf, camaraderie and sportsmanship prevailed amongst the friends of ATAG. Despite the highs and lows of the game, what truly mattered was the shared experience of enjoying each other’s company, especially the joke review this week, amidst the backdrop of a golf game. Until next week, when the ATAG friends would once again gather to tee off and create new memories on the greens.

Final Scores: 5-7-24 Front Nine Gross / Net

	Gross	Net
Jim Williamson	39	32
Kevin McGlynn	42	34
William Thornton	41	35
Tom Kisgen	46	36
Don Nichols	47	37
Danny Morris	43	37
Henry Sawyer	48	38
Doug Healy	44	38
Brooks Cowles	49	39
Jeff Colbath	52	41

INJURIES AND AILMENTS, OH MY!

EDITOR’S NOTE: 3-30-24 ATAG Match Recap is provided by Acting Commissioner DANNY MORRIS

Spring in Atlanta.  The pollen count is dwindling, the Ansley Golf course conditions are spectacular, and the temperatures are so pleasant. Yet with all that goodness we had a field of only 10 players.  There are 24 names on the weekly Call for Players and we had only 10 positive responses.  Not a complaint, mind you, but I am going someplace with this.

Most weeks some from our quite mobile collection will be travelling.  Vacations, golf trips, trips to see grandkids, fun and necessary reasons to be away from Atlanta.  What’s concerning is our ever-expanding injured reserve list. Hips, feet, ankles, hernia repair, neck, shoulders, hands and wrists basically anything that moves and is joined to another body part has lately been fair game to experience injury.  All this battered golfer business brings to mind the myriad “medical” jokes that have been shared over the years. A quick recap of a few punchlines –

• I’m no doctor but I think she might have choked to death.
• Are my test results back?
• I would advise you not to ride a bicycle for two weeks.
• This will only take a minute and you won’t feel a thing.
• Thanks for the ears.

Strech every day, maybe we’ll be able to keep our raggedy group together longer.

Those who were healthy and who played on Tuesday were treated to a 17-stroke disparity from the winners to the losers.

Henry Sawyer, Don Nichols, Tom Kisgen and their Par partner who they only had to rely on once, were able to use three birdies and a bunch of pars to generate sixteen under on the nine-hole back side of Ansley.  Don birdied twice and Tom K made one birdie. These were the only birdies of the match. The crowd cheered and jeered asking that this talented team be broken up. (ATAG Statistician Note: There have been four other teams who have posted 16 under over the years, but the all-time best score remains the 17 under posted for the front nine on 7-8-2008, by David Danzig, Doug Healy, William Thornton, and Lee Pearson.)

At the other end of the scoring was John Wymer, Danny Morris and Kevin McGlynn.  One over par was all they could manage. Well below mediocre. This team bought beverages.

Low Net was a split decision – Tom Kisgen and Henry Sawyer both fired a net 32 to capture the award and split the pot.

A 42 from Tom Kisgen was good enough for Low Gross.

The Pink Lady became the property of Kevin McGlynn.

Shot  Of The Day went to Don Nichols who holed out from the bunker on #15 for his second birdie of the day.

Frank Corrigan, one of those among the aforementioned battered players, made a cameo appearance to join in with the socializing.

Some ATAGers are still playing their commemorative Tom Player Ball.  William Thornton has completed forty-five holes and seems like the hands-down favorite to win the contest.

A special note. I am very sad to report that we lost another ATAG friend.  Marty Arnold was one of the original ATAG enthusiasts. Along with Commissioner Don Nichols, Mike Gaddis and myself, Marty was one of the founders of the group. Marty died earlier this week. Myself and others counted Marty as a friend for over 42 years. As noted in his obituary, “Marty was energy, enthusiasm, and exuberance personified.” He will be greatly missed. Our condolences to his family.

Look for next week’s player call and sign up. Kevin McGlynn will be the ATAG Acting Commish for the next several weeks.

Final Results:  4-30-24     Back Nine     Gross / Net

Henry Sawyer		43	32
Tom Kisgen		42	32
Brooks Cowles		46	35
Don Nichols		45	36
William Thornton		43	37
Ron Majors		43	37
Jeff Colbath		49	38
John Wymer		49	38
Danny Morris		45	39
Kevin McGlynn		50	42

“IT AIN’T JUST ABOUT THE GOLF!”

Editor’s Note: Last week’s newsletter issue by Jim Williamson compared the ATAG Tour to the Masters. This week’s issue by Danny Morris goes a step further in defining the “ATAG Experience.”

4-23-24 ATAG Match-by DANNY MORRIS

Each week, as the ATAG bunch gathers, some important stuff happens.

This week was no exception.

Here are some important items:

The match was on the first nine at Ansley Golf Club’s famous Midtown course.

Russ Jobson and Doug Healy made birdies. The team that included Brooks Cowles, David Danzig, Tom Kisgen and Doug Healy won the Free Beer award. They were 9 under par. The team made up of Don Nichols, Tom Houle, Russ Jobson and Danny Morris was nothing under – level – and had to perform miracles to avoid being over par. That team lost and bought refreshments.

Doug Healy was Low Gross with 42. Healy split Low Net scoring with Russ Jobson (36). Healy decided to forego splitting the winners pool because he did not play hole number 1, instead he posted a score of bogey net par on that hole. A graceful move by Mr. Healy that allowed Russ J. to score $12.

On a sour note, Danny Morris (49-43) played poorly enough to attract attention from the Pinkest of Ladies.

So, yes, every week there are winners, losers, those who play well and those who don’t. However, when the Nickelodeon (aka the ATAG Reporter) is read 50 years from now I expect your grandchild’s children will be more interested in what the ATAG golfers discussed after the match. Here’s a sampling of the conversation topics shared over a few Budweiser’s and Tropicalia’s:

– the Trump/Porn Star trial

– the Trump voter interference trial

–cars

–Nellie Korda

–a joke about parakeets

-flying planes during the Viet Nam war

–Scottie Scheffler

-the Atlanta radio market

–real estate

-a discussion about what makes a good joke

–other miscellaneous topics.

We tolerate the golf but we’re here for the conversation with our pals. Next week we will tumble around the Ansley second nine in preparation for more stimulating conversation in the Mens Grill. Look for the Call For Players,

Individual Scores: 4-23-24 Gross / Net

Russ	Jobson	43	36
Doug	Healy	42	36
David	Danzig	46	37
Brooks	Cowles	47	37
Jeff	Colbath	49	38
Tom	Kisgen	49	39
Kevin	McGlynn	46	39
Tom	Lewis	47	39
Don	Nichols	50	40
Jim	Williamson	47	40
Tom	Houle	48	41
Danny	Morris	47	43

WHY ATAG IS BETTER THAN THE MASTERS!

Editor’s Note: In this week’s 4-16-24 ATAG match recap, last week’s newsletter’s recognition of it being Masters Week caused Co-Commissioner Jim Williamson to pause and offer his own perspective in comparing the Masters (4 days a year) to ATAG (26 weeks a year). He offers a compelling perspective.

Why is ATAG better than the Masters? Let’s count the ways:

 COST:  $1.00 for ATAG and you get to play that day vs. $2000 ticket price for The Masters and you just get to watch.

CROWDS:  ATAG not nearly as crowded. In fact, in today’s match, only one person briefly watched from the porch. Also, ATAGer Russ Jobson, currently recoving from medical leave, was able to walk and talk with players on the course, and ATAGer Doug Healy was allowed to give his visiting daughter and grand daughter a golf cart tour of the course during the match. (See photo in the Gallery)

PRO SHOP: No lines to buy merchandise

FOOD:  Free chicken wings

PARKING: Free

TRAVEL TIME: 5-30 minutes vs. 3 hours.

Well, that being said, the Masters may have slightly better golfers and the winner receives $3.6 million vs.  ATAG’s pot being as high as $16.00.

On to today’s match results:

It was a gorgeous day for the 10 ATAG players that gathered for the back nine battle.

Team #1: Kevin McGlynn, Tom Kisgen, Jim Williamson, and par partner

Team #2: Henry Sawyer, Brooks Cowles, Jeff Colbath, Anthony Morgan

Team #3: Don Nichols, William Thornton, Ron Majors, and par partner

Team # 1 started out strong and finished with a -8 score to win and capture the Golden Ales. One of the main reasons Team #1 did so well was the outstanding play by “Special K” or better known now as “Tom Terrific”. Tom Kisgen shot a low net score’ of 33. Also playing extremely well and driving the ball 250- 260 yards on one hole was Tom’s Member-Member partner Kevin McGlynn.

Team #2 came in a meaningless second place with a score of -6. Brooks Cowles greatly helped his team by shooting a low net score of 33.

Team#3 with a score of -4, after dropping two shots on the last hole, was the providers of the refreshing Golden delights to Team#1.

Summary:

Low Net: Tom Kisgen and Brooks Cowles with a Net 33.

Low Gross: Tom Kisgen and Ron Majors with a Gross score of 43.

Pink Lady: Awarded to William Thornton with a 48 net 42, denying Henry Sawyer and Don Nichols a place on the dance card.

Birdie Club: Kevin McGlynn on hole #18 with a 20-30 foot putt.

Tom Player Balls:  Majors lost his on hole #11 and Thornton finished the round with his TP ball. Note: Recommend an accounting of all Tom Player balls including number of rounds played. All players who still possess the Player Ball are reminded of the obligation to use such ball each time they play)

Final Scores 4/16/24 Back Nine Gross/ Net.

Kisgen          43/33

Cowles         44/33

McGlynn      43/35

Colbath        44/36

Williamson  44/36

Majors          43/37

Morgan         47/38

Nichols          50/41

Sawyer          54/41

Thornton      48/42

SOGGY CONDITIONS FOR MASTERS WEEK!

April 9, 2024 ATAG Match Summary-By DANNY MORRIS

This was Masters Week. One of the cool features of Ansley Golf Club during Masters Week is the addition of visiting faces heading to Augusta for the weekend.  Friends and buddies from out of town sprinkle the intown Ansley property, and a few stray carry-ons and suitcases litter the locker room as these visitors stop off for a round of golf on the journey to Augusta National for the Signature Event in all of Golfdom. These guests from all over the world experienced a double dose of golf heaven when they were able to be in the Ansley Men’s Grill as the ATAG teams finished their respective rounds and settled in for an evening of awards and cheer.

On to this week’s ATAG match:

Wet grounds made the first nine unusually long and the scores reflected as much.Low Net was shared by Jim Williamson and David Danzig.  Their score of net 35 was several shots higher than those in previous weeks.  Williamson shot 42 and was able to turn that into Low Gross as well. 

On the search for the Pink Lady, Jeff Colbath also scored higher than the Pinktress usually requires. His 55 net 44 was pretty darned high and certainly he could have had her for a few strokes less.

This week’s ATAG team tour event was won by Kevin McGlynn, Jim Williamson,  Don Nichols and their Par Partner. That squad scored an eight under in soggy conditions.   Danny Morris, Doug Healy and Tom Kisgen bought the winning team a beer. That wayward bunch could only assemble a score of -1.

The sole birdie of the week was a 2 on hole number 9 by Jim Williamson.

A brief but important digression here, an idea struck this writer while watching this week’s Master’s coverage.  One of the “new” and controversial features of the LIV Tour has been team golf.  The PGA needs to figure out how to embrace a new audience while protecting and honoring its older traditional base.  The uber traditional ATAG Tour under the guidance of Commissioner Emeritus Donald L. Nichols successfully implemented team golf 40 plus years ago. A sit-down between Jay Monahan, Greg Norman and Don Nichols might be just what the golf world needs to pull the diverse professional tours together.

Back nine coming up next week, watch for the Call for Players

Final Scores: 4-9-24 Front Nine Gross / Net

Williamson	42	35
Danzig	44	35
Nichols	45	36
Thorton	43	36
McGlynn	45	37
Kisgen	48	38
Morris	46	40
Healy	46	40
Cowles	50	41
Colbath	55	44

 

 

“SPECIAL K”

4-2-24 ATAG Match Recap-By DANNY MORRIS

Tom Kisgen. That should really be the beginning, middle, and end of this week’s ATAG News. 

Mr. Kisgen carried his teammates on his shoulders into record scoring territory on the Ansley homeward nine.  Don Nichols, Jim Williamson and Danny Morris joined Tom Kisgen in a complete team scoring onslaught, achieving 14 under par as the winning squad on the typically devilish back nine. (ATAG Statistician Note: The best back nine score last year was -12.)

Buying suds for the winning team was the lineup of John Wymer, Andy Meyer, William Thornton and Ron Majors.  On many ATAG afternoons, their -6 score might at least get them our of the buy zone, but offense was the name of the game in this match as Ansley’s Midtown Golf Course, the ordinarily tough ol’ broad, offered up her softer side and the three teams were a combined -28 on this fine afternoon.

The middle of the pack team was 8 under.  That bunch included Doug Gooding, Jeff Colbath and Henry Sawyer plus Henry’s brother-in-law, Chris Lincoln.

Back to Tom “Special K” Kisgen. Tom put together a side that contained five pars and four bogeys for a 40 which netted out to six under 30 for the Low Net. Easily the best net score of the year.  He pocketed $12 for his effort.  Save for a few putting snafus, TK was in line for a clean card of even par.

The Pink Lady went to William Thornton.  Normally steady William T was as surprised as Ms. Pink was that she would be spending the week in the Thornton household.

Both Ron Majors and Danny Morris birdied number 9 – the only tweeters. Mr. Morris was guiding his ball directly at the cup for a hole-in-one opportunity before the intense gravitational pull in front of the hole stopped the brilliant effort just inches short of goal.

The Tom Player Ball update finds Jeff Colbath the only player so far who has played 18 holes with the TP Ball.  Memorial balls were presented to Doug Gooding, Ron Majors and Don Nichols, each of whom returned to the clubhouse with the balls still in their possession. Several players have played nine holes and are also still holding the specially printed Callaways.

Look for the call for next week’s match.

Final Results:  4-2-2024    Back Nine     Gross/Net           

Kisgen                                40 /30

Morris                                39/33

Colbath                             45/34

Williamson                      42/35

Lincoln-guest                 38/35

Majors                              40/36

Gooding                           44/36

Nichols                            46/37

Wymer                              49/38

Meyer                               49/40

Sawyer                             50/40

Thornton                          45/41

“INAUGURAL BALLS”

Editor’s Note: The below chronicle of the inaugural match of the ATAG 2024 season is provided by ATAG Co-Commissioner and award winning sports journalist DANNY MORRIS

3-19-2024 ATAG Match-By Danny Morris

Opening ATAG 2024 afternoon came and went.  One could sense the excitement of the players for the inaugural match. After being cooped up in winter conditions with no Tuesday Golf for the better part of five months, the assembled throng was bubbly and enthusiastic.  

Seventeen was our number of players on this nearly perfect weather day.  The first day of Spring, the Vernal Equinox, ATAG Opening Day.  It’s all good.

There was another “inaugural ball” of sorts. We recently experienced the intense and weighty loss of fellow ATAG member Thomas A. Player.  As a tribute to Tom, the ATAG participants were greeted with an add-on item to their normal scoring requirements.  Each player was presented with a golf ball embossed with Tom Player’s name and the year of his birth and death. The playerswere instructed to mark the ball with their normal marking and then put that ball in play on tee box 1.  We were to play that ball for the entire match or until we lost the ball. Of the 17 golfers who began, eight of them were able to finish with and putt out their “Player Ball” on hole 9 and they will continue the process in the next match and those following. Nine of us lost the ball somewhere along the way in the inaugural match. There have been reports that Tom Player logo balls were found by other players on subsequent days.  The Ansley course will be covered with a reminder of our great friend.  Our thanks to Doug Healy for the planning and execution of this wonderful endeavor and to Henry Sawyer for contributing the prize for the winner of the last Player Logo ball in play.  Henry is offering a Masters Warm Up Jacket to the guy who plays the longest with the Player Logo Ball.

The team of Mike Gaddis, Tom Lewis, Russ Jobson, and Danny Morris got off to a hot start ramping up the scoring to nine under in the first five holes of the Ansley outward nine.  A birdie by Tom Lewis and two birdies by Russ Jobson were the cornerstones of the excellent scoring effort.  That team won the first match of the year finishing at -10 despite missteps on eight and nine.

Buying the first round of the year was the team of Doug Healy, Jim Williamson, and John Wymer.  That threesome plus their partner, Pardner Par, mustered a score of -4.

Low Net and early cash money was halved by Andy Meyer and Danny Morris with net 2 under for a score of 34. 

Low Gross as might be expected went to Ron Majors with a round of 40. The inaugural Pinkster went to Tom Kisgen with a +4 net.

Jeff Colbath and Andy Meyer made one birdie each to go with the aforementioned birdie by Lewis and two by Jobson, giving the 2024 Birdie Club a total opening day record setting deposit of five birds.

On a side note, there is a young man’s version of our ATAG that has 20 guys settling bets and talking about their round.  This bunch calls itself “Two Pops” since there are a lot of players with two shots on a hole. One of the ringleaders in the Two Pop group is Owen Gaddis, son of ATAGer Mike Gaddis. It’s good to know the Tuesday tradition will carry forward with a different name but a similar format. With the two groups finishing at about the same time, the Men’s Grill resembled one of those crazy videos in which 17 puppies are being served dinner in 16 bowls.

See the scores below and look for the player call for next week coming up.  Back nine next week.

Final scores 3-19-24   Front Nine   Gross / Net   PB indicates Player Logo Ball

Cowles               49     39      Lost PB Hole 7

Schmal              44     39      Lost PB Hole 9

Majors                40     36

Meyer                 42     34      Lost PB Hole 7

McGlynn            46     38      Lost PB Hole 7

Kisgen                 50     40

Colbath              46     35

Danzig                44     35       Lost PB Hole 8

Sawyer               50     39

Gaddis               43     36

Lewis                  46     37       Lost PB Hole 1

Jobson                43     36

Morris                 41     34       Lost PB Hole 8

Williamson       46     38       Lost PB Hole 8

Healy                  46     39

Wymer               49     38        Lost PB Hole 2

Thornton          late arrival no score

ATAG END OF YEAR AWARDS!

BY: Don Nichols

ATAG ended its 2023 season on November 16, 2023, with a well- attended dinner party at the Ansley Golf Club’s Men’s Grill where Commissioner Emeritus Don Nichols announced the winners of the various group and individual awards for the year.

After the event, all players on the ATAG roster received an email from the ATAG Statistician that showed each player’s performance for the year, including attendance, individual scores, won/loss record, and cameo appearances as well as low gross and low net winners and shot of the day winners.

 A long table had been reserved for the ATAGers next to a private table for unsuspecting serious poker players who couldn’t help but wonder who were the ragamuffins next to them that were infringing upon their private time. It was not rowdy, but definitely lively and loud, causing some to have to ratchet up their hearing aids. In other words, it was perfect!

Receiving special recognition to thunderous applause on this evening were the following ATAGers:

Strongest Link (most times on the winning team)              Tom Kisgen

Weakest Link-the Jinx (most times on losing team)            Don Nichols

Best Low Gross Score          38                                               Majors, Greene, Jobson

Best Low Net Score             -5                                                 Greene, Nichols

Birdie Club Champion                                                            Doug Healy

Pink Lady Champion (most times won)                                Jeff Colbath

Best Attendance Record                                                          Don Nichols

Top Money/Sandbagger Of The Year                                    John Wymer

The 2024 season is scheduled to commence shortly after the return to Daylight Savings Time. Check out the Gallery and the Final Leaderboard pages for more 2023 results.

A MAJOR EVENT!

RON MAJORS TOPS THE FIELD IN THE CLOSEOUT OF THE 2023 SEASON!

10-24-23 ATAG Match Recap: By Commissioner Emeritus Don Nichols

It was a gorgeous Fall afternoon that saw 10 players in three teams beat the approaching darkness and  try their best to close out the 2023 season in fine fashion, hoping to play their best in the quest for the coveted free Golden Ale Trophy. Well, that didn’t happen for two of the three teams who thrust and parried to the very end to earn the ignominious right to be the day’s sponsor. More on that later.

Rising to the top of the leaderboard with a score of 7 under was the team of Ron Majors, Tom Kisgen, Frank Corrigan, and Henry Sawyer who stuttered along at 2 under for the first five holes before picking up five shots on the next three holes thanks to the steady play of Ron Majors and some timely two out hitting from his other teammates during the late innings. Normally a 7 under score on the friendly front nine is usually a middle of the pack performance not worthy of the Golden Ale, but today it was good enough to finish on top thanks to the paltry performance of the other two downtrodden teams which finished at 3 under and 1 under respectively.

Russ Jobson, Danny Morris, and last week’s hero (now not so much) John Wymer, along with reliable Mr. Par, struggled to get into the red until # 7 and then held on for dear life to finish at 1 under to capture the sponsorship rights for the Golden Ale Trophy. 

Following right behind them in the clubhouse with what they assumed was an assured losing score of 3 under after dropping one shot on the last hole was the woebegone team of Doug Healy, Jim Williamson, Don Nichols, and Mr. Par. The crestfallen team dejectedly threw down their assured losing scorecard on the table only to learn the surprising news that they were the beneficiaries of the old adage, “no matter how bad you suck, there is always somebody who sucks more.”

Ron Majors’s score of 40 topped the field for best low gross and also earned him ten one dollar bills for the low net at -2, edging out Russ Jobson’s 41 net -1.  Doug Healy and Tom Kisgen finished at a respectable net even while all of the other doleful participants were over par.

The dance card for the Pink Lady was an exciting competition that ended up shared by Jim Williamson and Frank Corrigan who each finished at net 6 over par. Williamson had the dance all to himself until Corrigan made a strong charge at the end, finishing triple, double, triple. Alas, to his dismay, since the buying team was a threesome, his resultant high net score with his winning team made him ineligible for the free beer.

The Birdie Club closed down the season with no birdies on this day, and there were no Shots Of The Day nominated.

Tim Martin made his usual cameo appearance, making it a final stat that he did not play in one ATAG match this season despite staying current with his dues. Go figure. I guess the cost is worth it to assuage his guilt for not participating.

Due to his poor play this season, (hint: the “weakest link” winner) Don Nichols announced to the group that he has decided to quit golf once again but is in somewhat of a quandary since Bad Golfers Anonymous will no longer accept him for admission, telling him that they have done all that they can do for him and suggested that he seek psychiatric counseling or pursue another hobby.  (Tom Kisgen suggested he join him in forming a bowling league). This crushing blow from the BGA was followed by notice later that evening from his literary agent that he could not find a publisher willing to publish his new book, a lifelong endeavor entitled “Golf Is A Stupid Game, Takes All Day And You Never Get Any Better! (But Call Me If You Need A Fourth)”. 

ATAG CFO Doug Healy announced that he would be disbursing funds from ATAG dues next week to the deserving club employees who have supported ATAG but admitted he may have inadvertently comingled the funds with his own personal account and may have to wait until his social security check comes in to rectify the situation. (Seem to recall this happened last year as well but he made good on his promise.)

The ATAG Statistician announced that final stats will be released next week and noted that attendance, like last year, was poor with an average field of only eleven players answering the Call For Players each week. The ATAG co-commissioners are to be commended for keeping ATAG going despite the apparent waning interest. Not sure what the future holds if this lack of interest continues.

That’s it for the recap of the last ATAG match of the 2023 season. See you next year!

 Individual scores are shown below:

10-24-23   Individual Scores   Front Nine   Gross/Net

Majors                            40/34

Jobson                            41/35

Healy                               42/36

Kisgen                             46/36

Sawyer                            47/38

Nichols                             47/38

Morris                             45/39

Wymer                            49/40

Williamson                     47/41

Corrigan                          52/41