ATAG’S MASTERS WEEK!

Editor’s Note: Apologies to last week’s featured writer Danny Morris whose last paragraph of his flowering description  of last week’s match was inadvertently truncated by a member of the editorial staff of the ATAG Reporter. The staff person was immediately dismissed by the Commissioner who has a zero tolerance level for ineptitude of any kind, especially considering that it was an affront to the esteemed Mr. Morris, a founding member of ATAG.

This week’s volunteer scribe is ATAGer Tom Houle, who is quick to let you know that he is a proud Notre Dame grad and, like most of us, admittedly a bad golfer.

April 5, 2016-by Tom Houle

As the great writer for the AJC, Furman Bisher, once wrote about the Masters, “I am thankful for the long shadows that stretch across pristine fairways”. “ I am thankful for the way the light hits the Azaleas in the early morning and fading evening”.

It was a glorious Masters week day at “Ansley Golf Club’s version of Augusta National”. As the photos in the Gallery can attest, the long shadows of hole 15 and the glorious azaleas of hole 10, were in their full glory.

We have Atlanta in the Spring and a great grounds crew to thank for our surroundings, and the big man upstairs to thank for the weather–unfortunately, we have ourselves to blame for our golf game.

Jim Nantz always says the Masters is a tradition unlike any other, and in ATAG, we feel the same– first class friends, great comradery, great food, conversation in a world class facility, and horrible golf. It is truly a tradition unlike any other.

It was a day of “high expectations and dashed hopes,” stated a member of the winning team Mike Schmal, who in addition to taking home the Golden Ale trophy, shared the low gross with playing partner Ron Majors. Mike and Ron also added to their Birdie Club totals as well. As if that was not enough, Mike also had the Shot of the Day on hole 15, with a snaky, over 35 foot birdie putt, that had its final roll right into the hole.

It was a good day for Mike, Ron and the other members of the winning team, Tom Houle and Frank Corrigan who posted the best score of 6 under.

It was also a great day for Craig Sellner who won the big money with his net 2 under, the only player in the field to break par. The prize was somewhat tainted by the fact that one of the dollar bills was reduced by 25 cents due to a felony defacing of the currency by Mr. Majors.

The donating team was the Commish and his stacked team of Steve Bates,  Jeff Kohn and Danny Morris which dropped four shots on the last hole to finish at 2 over.

The conversation on the upper deck revolved around the Masters and the Braves, and the delicious lemon pepper wings. Clay Houle and Jeff McClellan also made cameo appearances. It was a great night had by all.

COMMISSIONER’S COMMENTS:

Thanks to Mr. Houle for his nostalgic comparison of ATAG to the Masters and of the Ansley Golf Club to Augusta National and for also serving as the photographer in the absence of Tim Martin.

This is the second week in a row that the Commissioner’s Team has finished at the bottom of the heap, hopefully not indicating that the Commissioner’s Curse of prior seasons has returned to scourge those randomly paired with the Commish each week. As can be seen by the individual scores below, it was bad golf by pretty much everybody on this day and especially bad golf by Pink Lady winner John Wymer who fired a blistering (literally) 58 for a net 10 over par to set the bar for the “sucked more” moniker of the 2016 season.

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

4-5-2016       Final Results      Back Nine      Gross / Net

Schmal                              42/37

Majors                               42/38

Kohn                                 43/38

Healy                                45/37

Gaddis                              45/39

Bates                                 45/41

Sellner                               46/34

Cowles                                46/36

Player                                  47/37

Gooding                             47/40

McGlynn                            48/38

Williamson                        48/40

Corrigan                             50/39

Buist                                   50/39

Houle                                  50/40

Morris                                 50/43

Kisgen                                  51/39

Nichols                                 51/40

Jobson                                  52/41

Wymer                                  58/46