Saturday Scramble

Reminder: 1st Manager's Scramble of the year scheduled for 10 am. Nine holes; teams selected just before ten; all golfers welcome to come out and give it a go.

Tony Wease Shot Decisive in Match Play Event

Six fairway diehards braved the cool weather and went to an overtime hole before a decisive shot by Tony Wease sent everybody heading for home. Playing best ball in this late season nine hole match play event, Tony Wease was joined by Mike Bird and Lee Wininger in downing the Dave Wininger, Curt Johnson and Mike Arvin team that found themselves all square through nine holes. Playing the extra hole from the one hundred yard line at #1, Tony, the second to hit in the bunch, lofted a ball that came down a few feet in front of the hole and then came to a stop fifteen inches behind it leaving a putt that was conceded by the opposition. After his teammates hit balls wide right and wide left, Dave Wininger made it interesting by sticking one a mere ten feet from the hole. Alas, each of the three putts slipped on by, though Dave's did look in, said 'No way, Jose', and continued on its way. The Wininger team jumped ahead on hole #2 with Dave chipping in one from 45 feet just off the green for an eagle. Lee Wininger had just enough on a twelve foot putt to stay just one back at hole #4. Mike Bird (me) got a ten footer to fall for birdie on #5 to tie the match only to see Dave stick one close on #6 and Curt roll in the three foot putt for a birdie and the lead once again. But that disappeared on the very next hole when Mike (me) stuck it within six inches, a putt that was conceded. Both teams parred #8 and #9 to set up Tony's heroics at the first and only overtime hole.

Here I am...

Ever have a day get away from you and all of a sudden find yourself at day's end with all sorts of things undone and unsaid? I have but this wasn't one of them. Blogger, the thingee that runs these blogs, wouldn't let me on this morning so those things that needing saying were held in check. The things that needing doing, like going to the golf course, like reading important books on teenagers growing up (The Crossing) and macho white men finding an outlet (Licensed to Kill - Hired Guns in the War on Terror), like taking a wee nap and doing a walk, like checking in with three seniors who showed up for a senior game this morning at ten o'clock and found only themselves and a cool wind blowing in and around them, like, well, a few and sundry other things as well. The day got along on itself and now Diane has already headed for the south end of the house and PBS is on as background (Supreme Court). So it goes.

Other notes to settle your day:

-Bernie Kerik, outstanding citizen and buddy to Rudy Giuliani, indicted. Almost became our first boss of Homeland Security. Rudy, what were you thinking?
-I see the Pacers are now 3-1; must have lost last night. Darn; was hoping for a perfect season, which would have really surprised a lot of people. Right?
-heard on the radio around noon that Kentucky lost a basketball game last night to, let me think now, it wasn't one of those schools you think of too often, Gardner-Webb. Never heard of them. Never. What is this world coming to?

Reminder: Saturday Scramble will start at 10 am. Should be a nice morning once the cold of Friday night leaves the area.

Friday Wrap: Saturday Scramble

Reminder: tomorrow's scramble will start at 9am.

Got a golfing story but it will have to wait. Got a Netflix movie to watch: Shooter. Later...

Souerdike Team Tastes Sweet Victory Again...

In an error filled and extremely low scoring affair, the Souerdike team managed to steal a win on the cards this morning out at Lakeview. The results:

1. Wayne Souerdike, Ryan Wininger, Tony Wease, Kevin Byron (-2)
2. Larry Hembree, Lee Wininger, Curt Johnson (-2)
3. Mike Bird, Joe Allen, Karry Stoll (-1)

Sharpshooters: Karry Stoll, Kevin Byron, Mike Bird, Tony Wease

Saturday Scramble

Reminder: Tomorrow's Manager's Scramble will start at 9 am. Skins match follows.

Saturday Manager's Scramble

Reminder: the scramble starts at 8am tomorrow and will be followed by the usual skins match.

More on Putting

My putting has given me fits this year as I have noted in a previous blog. For now, I find that putting down a string does give me a daily reminder of what the stroke should feel like, and thus maybe a little muscle memory. Still try and maintain the one step back, two step forward stroke distance (a 1:2 ratio), and on occasion I'll even close my eyes and putt blind to try and get the feel for the swing of the club and my body. Have noticed some improvement on the course though nothing to write home about yet.

Reminder: Manager's Scramble will start at 8am tomorrow. Bring your long stick as the ball is suddenly going about fifty yards less than it was just this last Monday before the rascally rains came and dampened the hard-as-brick fairways (nice to see a little more green though).

President's Cup update: Americans all square in two and down in the other four.

Importance of Never Giving Up

Saturday Manager's Scramble

Today's scramble was loaded with excellent players and the expectation that it would take seven or eight under to take the prize was shared by several of the players. But the golf goddesses had something else in mind, like the Mike Kidwell team with Mike Bird playing shotgun starting off with a bogie on #9; like the Doug Denson team starting off by missing a four foot putt for birdie on #8 and then getting a bogie on #1. Dig a hole, guys, and see how fast you can get out of it, the unseen goddesses seemed to be saying. As it turned out, not fast enough for these two teams though they really didn't have all that far to go to match the amazingly low scoring of the other two teams. The results with a winning score of four under about half of what it should have been:

1. Tyler Kidwell, Larry Hembree, Tony Wease (-4)
2. Doug Denson, Tom Holt, Kevin Byron, Ward Smith (-3)
3. Mark Sherer, Jim Fox, Kent Summer (-2)
3. Mike Kidwell, Mike Bird, Curt Johnson, Karry Stoll (-2)

Sharpshooters: Larry Hembree, Doug Denson, Kevin Byron, Larry Hembree

Saturday Scramble and Othing Things

Picture: Small things that are blue

Saturday Manger's Scramble at 8 am this morning; skins match follows for those interested.

Other items:

-Irish play Michigan State, try to stop plethora of jokes about their efforts to win. (Not funny to Irish lovers...)
-Bonds to leave Giants? Team loyalty a thing of the past but maybe not really as baseball first a business.
-Netflix movie yesterday: a Denzel Washington flick - has he ever made a bad one? In this one he plays the bad guy: Training Day. A goodie but not a love story.
-A lady named Jennifer wondered who the Burnside was listed on the top of the Boyz East-West match play event scoreboard of the other day. She came in with Ray Crawford. Turns out she is Tony's sister. Ray's wife. Good to meet some of the opposition's family... (smile)

Okay. Got to get ready to mosey on over to the golf course. Bring your A game, your short game for sure.

Kevin Byron Sinks Long Putt to Seal Win for Sherer Team

Saturday Scramble

Kevin Byron sank a longish putt on #9 this morning to get the Mark Sherer Team to six under and get them a one stroke win in the Manager's Scramble this morning. The results:

1. Mark Sherer, Tyler Walton, Tony Wease, Kevin Byron (-6)
2. Dave Wininger, Larry Hembree, Curt Johnson, Josh Huff (-5)
3. Greg Potts, John Foddrill, Lee Wininger, Mike Arvin, Ward Smith (-4)
4. Mike Bird, Joe Allen, Karry Stoll, Tom Holt (-3)

Skin Match

Players: Mark Sherer, Josh Huff, Larry Hembree, Dave Wininger, Mike Bird, Tony Wease, Tyler Walton, Karry Stoll, Ward Smith, Curt Johnson. Skins: Josh Huff with a net eagle on #2 and Tyler Walton with a net birdie on #6.

Saturday Scramble Scratched

SAIC expands from nine teams to fourteen teams. Course closed till 11 this morning.

Dave Strange's Ace and Other Stories

Dave Strange's Ace

Great moment for senior Dave Strange as he stood on #7 tee box and watched his yellow (green to some) ball bounce in front of the green and then onto the green and then roll rather slowly across the green and into the cup. Playing partner Diane Bird hollered out as the ball finally disappeared, "Hole in One!" and exchanged high fives with the broadly smiling new ace here at Lakeview. Plenty of witnesses as Wilma Bateman and Clyde Wake were also there at #7; and watching the goings-on at #8 tee box were Bob Norris, Sam Potts, Chuck White and Mike Bird. This all happened just after league play started here this morning and continues the hole-in-one madness here this year. That makes nine since Terry Padgett's opening ace on Tuesday, April 17th. And we're still counting.

Other League Notes

-Kenny Hudson and Carroll Rayhill blasted their opponents, Dick Barber and John Chapman, and in the process got enough points to tie Potts and Norris at the top of the team standings.
-Don Lannan and Virgil Harper smacked the Byron team and remained well within striking distance of the two teams at the top.
-22 of the 34 golfers today finished with net rounds of 35 or under. Impressive.
-Charlie Sheetz just about has a lock on the individual championship.
-Chuck White from south of Washington subbed for the first time today. Ran into a bunch of people who he knows from school, work and play.
-Missed Walt Bowens and Dave Trinkle as did their opponents, Dale DeLong and Vic Wallace who had to play the course in their stead.

Saturday Manager's Scramble

With SAIC having nine teams of four and starting at seven this Saturday morning, am going to limit the Manager's scramble to twelve players. If you want to play this Saturday, sign up early or take your chances that a spot will be open on Saturday morning. The scramble teams will mix in as best they can with the SAIC scramblers.

Souerdike Team Tastes Sweet Victory

Scramble Results

1. Wayne Souerdike, Spencer Souerdike, Lee Wininger, Joe Doyle (-4)
2. Doug Denson, Tom Holt, Greg Poole (-4)
2. Mike Bird, Kevin Byron, Gary Webb (-4)

Sharpshooters: Mike Bird, Tom Holt (2), Spencer Souerdike
Note: Ian Bird pulls the winning card for the Souerdike team.

Saturday's Play Time

Saturday Scramble and Skins coming up in a few hours... I'll be there.

The movie, A Soul Haunted by Painting, is excellent. Chinese with subtitles. It gets a five star rating from me. Gong Li is absolutely terrific portraying the Chinese painter Pan Yuliang.

Other News of Note

Bonds withing one of tying record; walked four times by Marlins. What a crock; pitch to the man.

Leading ladies just about ready to start their third round in France. Annika Sorestam in the hunt at -4, three back of the leaders. Guess Michelle Wie is in the hunt too; just seven back with two days of play. Not impossible. Go Michelle.

Go to golf course now. Play time.

Saturday Scramble?

Well, down there a scramble for sure. In Logansport we play our own ball today and scramble tomorrow. And yes I am up and up early. Down in the lobby waiting to verify tonight's room and get a cup of coffee and a bagel. Out of here directly - got a 30-35 minute drive up the road then a search for the golf club of Logansport. Will check in later with Diane and see how things are going and have gone down at lovely Lakeview.

Saturdays in the Park

or at the golf course as the case may be.

Diane is filling my cup, that would be my second cup of coffee of the morning. She just emerged from the bedroom saying that she was going to stay in bed another half hour but then realized that she had to play golf at 8am. Hmmm, Mikey thinks and ponders and then says: "You are going to play golf at 8am on a Saturday morning?!" You all know that would be a first though she has been invited to join us guys and there have been several Saturdays when we desperately needed just one more player. But no, not this Saturday (btw, where's Shirley?); Diane immediately made things crystal clear by saying: "It's not Monday?! I could have turned over and sleapt another half hour." Well, I had to agree with her, that it was not Monday, unless we had just had one of those wonderful lost weekends that we are always hearing about...

Ok, heading to the golf course. We're going to have to let the world take care of itself for a little while longer as we tend to local matters. (Did notice that Republican Senators Warner and Lugar are trying to get the ear of the president. Good luck, fellers. And one other thing: who took Michelle Wie's place at the John Deere Classic and how is that person doing? People crashing the gate to see that person swing a club? Se Ri Pak still leading at the Corning Classic.)

More Freedom

On Freedom:

FDR's four freedoms that he talked about in an address to Congress on January 6, 1941(I was an infant in Brooklyn, NY):

:... In the future days, which we seek to make secure, we look forward to a world founded upon four essential human freedoms.

The first is freedom of speech and expression -- everywhere in the world.

The second is freedom of every person to worship God in his own way -- everywhere in the world.

The third is freedom from want -- which, translated into world terms, means economic understandings which will secure to every nation a healthy peacetime life for its inhabitants -- everywhere in the world.

The fourth is freedom from fear -- which, translated into world terms, means a world-wide reduction of armaments to such a point and in such a thorough fashion that no nation will be in a position to commit an act of physical aggression against any neighbor-- anywhere in the world..."

(Larry H. is picking on FDR in his paper this week though I haven't seen the article yet. Maybe this will serve as a counterpoint.)

From Martin Luther King's I have a dream speech of August 28, 1963 (I was somewhere in the Far East):

"..."Let freedom ring. And when this happens, and when we allow freedom ring—when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children—black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics—will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual: "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"..."

(I am sure that the Rev. King would include Muslims, and maybe Hindus and others as well, if writing his speech in these times.)

My own very current and very topical desired freedoms:

Freedom from arrogance.
Freedom from incompetence.
Freedom from preemptive wars or any war for that matter.
Freedom from corruption.

(We have seen more than enough of the above during the last six years to last each of us a lifetime or two.)


I particularly enjoy these freedoms:

Freedom to speak up and out.
Freedom to move about.
Freedom from disease.
Freedom from want.

It's raining now so add freedom from rain for the rest of the daylight hours. We have had a nice little shower; now lets get back to the serious business of play. Oops... Here comes the sun.

On the Saturday Scramble of June 30:

I keep hearing more and more of the Wininger scramble win last Saturday, like that Dave could hardly move with a sore back, that Curt ran in three putts of 15+ feet, that Dave ran in a long one from off the green on #7, that Greg also ran a long one in on #9, that their score could have easily been -2 rather than the -7. Rascals. The golf goddess was not only walking around with them, she was dispensing with the regular rules of life and golf and giving them supernatural powers. But you know what they say: what goes around comes around. Look for change this Saturday. Is Dave even going to be in town? I know he's out of town right now.

On laptops:

I did open mine up and looked around, cleaned it out, put it all back together;. and yes it did work but in the same old way - overheating and not wanting to start back up without a spell in the refrigerator. Have ordered a new fan and heat sink and I'm hopeful. Should get it in a day or two.

So it goes - at least for the time being.

Holiday Weekend

Next Wednesday is the 4th, Independence Day, and people are going all over the place this weekend to participate in special events. In this area, the goings on over at the Catfish Festival in Shoals are attracting some of our golfers, the young, playing softball and volleyball. Is there a 3 on 3 basketball tournament as well? Good luck to them and of course bring home the trophy.

For some of us, golf remains the thing to do on a Saturday morning. The course has greened up nicely with all the rain these last several days and Eric and Lucas have been busy trimming the grass in every nook and cranny. And there is that hole-in-one streak to keep alive. Would love to be taking your picture sometime today to mark your first, or second or maybe even third if you have been particularly lucky over the years, ace. I wouldn't mind getting my second either.

I see that Barry Bonds has hit his 750 home run. Quite and achievement. And the ladies are having trouble with the rain at their Open.

Okay - time for scramble and skins. See you in a bit out at the place just north of town.

Monday Stuff

Last Saturday's Scramble and Skins

1. Dave Wininger, Norman Graber, Joe Allen, Ward Smith (-4)
2. Mark Jeffers, Josh Huff, Lee Wininger, Ward Smith (-4)
3. Derek Gilbertson, Larry Hembree, Curt Johnson, Tom Holt (-3)
4. MarkSherer, Kevin Byron, Bryant Trambaugh (-2)
5. Wayne Souerdike, Jordan Divine, Kent Summers, Jack Divine (-1)

Skins: Seven players with Kent Summers taking skins on #6 and #9 and Mark Sherer getting the other one on #4.

Big League Sports

Cubs sweep Chisox - surprise!

Mahan beats Williamson, wins first at Hartford with two birdies within twenty minutes on hole #18 - pretty exciting stuff for a couple of non winners on the Tour. Very dramatic ending as Williamson took the lead with pars on #16 and #17 then stood by as Mahan topped him twice on 18 with both players knocking it close with their approach shots. Good stuff.

Politics

Haven't checked; maybe later. Any good stuff?

Diane's up and getting started on her day. Guess I had better hie myself to the golf course. No telling what shenanigans are about to happen out there.