RSG Cincinnati 2009 Report
John van der Pflum
year's event: Did it actually happen? How can you prove it happened?
I seemed to have lost my digital camera and typical shutter bugs like
Rob Pyle and David Sneddon did not snap a single shot of which I am
aware. So, if people travel great distances to play golf and no one
takes any pictures did it really happen?
I moved the dates of the event this year from mid July to late
June in a (vain) attempt to avoid some of the heat and humidity that
is rampant during the mid summer and my tradition July dates here in
Cincinnati. My plans were thwarted by Mother Nature as it was
typically hot and brutally humid for much of the weekend, especially
on Friday. However, as I sit and type this the forest is for the high
70s and humidity in the 40% range so I think we just got unlucky with
the weather. Of course, no water fell from the sky during the event
so I don't think it was a bad trade.
I have to say from my perspective as the host this was the
most disorganized I have ever been. There were a number of minor
details that slipped through the cracks and a few things that were
completed only at the last minute. I was very lucky to be assisted by
my co-host, Nick "SMOG" Mock, who was invaluable in doing some things
that I just plain did not have time to do.
Now, on to the report���
Prelude
You will not find many descriptions of actual golf in this
report. Personally, I find descriptions of golf - "I hit a 4 iron
with a slight cut to the back right pin" or "The putt was a triple
breaker downhill", etc - incredibly boring. Golf is not a game to be
described like baseball but rather a game to be played and
experienced.
Friday - Warming Up
I rolled out of bed early on Friday morning and staggered to
the kitchen to start the coffee. No power. Crap! A big thunderstorm
had gone through the area the night before and knocked out the
electricity. Luckily, I had some iced coffee made in the fridge and a
gas hot water heater so coffee and a shower were still possible.
Luckily, the course we were playing is only about 10 minutes from my
house and a breakfast run was easy. The McDonalds' drive through lane
was packed as was the lobby. Clearly, I was not the only one without
power. I have to admit I really enjoy a bacon, egg, and cheese
biscuit every now and then. Plus, I need the calories.
One of my favorite moments of any RSG event is driving up to
the golf course on Friday morning and looking for my friends. I only
get to see most of these people once a year so it is a real treat.
Climbing out of the car I renewed acquaintances with Joe Darmogray,
Gary Hayenga, the King Brothers, Mark George, and a host of other
friends. Handshakes and hugs were shares all around.
We played The Vineyard on Friday morning- a Mike Hurdzan
design that opened back in the late 1980s. I just saw that this
course was rated the best municipal course is all of Ohio by Golf
Digest. I play at this course a lot since it is only a few minutes
from my house. It is very walkable with only two hills of any
significance, a good mix of holes, and is usually in excellent shape.
I played with Meryl Freeman, John King, and Joe Darmogray. Meryl is
quite a good player and was hitting some monster drives. We men were
joking with her that she was going to have to start giving the three
of us shots in a match since she was hitting the ball so far. After a
particularly good drive on the 8th hole we informed her that she would
be giving us 8 shots on the back nine just to make things fair. It
was a hard fought match but we ended up winning 4&3. Hehehe.
Traditionally, Friday afternoon golf is always held at my
father's club, O'Bannon Creek GC. Dave "Thor" Collard jokingly refers
to it as the Humidity Vortex of the Universe which has certainly been
true in years past and this year continued in that tradition. There
is just something about the place that seems to collect the heat and
directly it right at you. I know of at least one person who quit
early due to the heat. The official packet SPECIFICALLY mentions
dehydration I should point out. I was paired with Fred Stulka, who I
had not seen or golfed with in years, and Joe Conte, one of my
favorite playing partners of all time. It was a most enjoyable round
with lots of good natured ribbing, trash talking, and camaraderie. The
only thing missing was good golf except for a few holes here and
there.
Normally for dinner each night we find some local watering
hole and belly up to the tables for dinner and drinks. This year,
however, a new tradition was started. John "Mother of God" Mock
graciously hosted a cookout at his house for all of the golfers and
pretty much anyone else who wanted to attend. The food was
outstanding - home made bratwurst, raised corn on the cob, guacamole
and more. Rob Pyle and Mark Georg brought a variety of delicious home
brewed beer to share, as well. It was a great way to end a day of
golf.
Saturday - Tournament Day
As is typical on tournament day, I woke up quite early in
order to get to the course. Thankfully, the power was back on so I
had electricity (and coffee). I had also packed the car the night
before with everything I needed so there wasn't much rushing around
prior to leaving the house. The rushing around, of course, would
happen once I got to the course. Unloading the car, settling up all
the greens fees (which I should have done ahead of time), handing out
scorecards, putting on sunscreen and a variety of other little things
took all of my available time prior to my tee time. Then, the started
called us to the tee about five minutes early. It worked out fine,
however. I took a drink of Jura from my flask, thought about my trip
to Scotland [1], and striped one down the left center of the fairway.
[1] Yes, Tom Yost. I'm working on that write up as well. Geez.
The Winners
The 2009 RSG Cincinnati Women's Division Champion: Meryl
Freeman! Meryl accumulated 30 net modified Stableford points to win
the first ever Women's Division Championship. She took home the Pink
Brick Trophy to proudly display in her office, bathroom, or the back
seat of her car.
The 2009 RSG Cincinnati Supreme Golfer (Gross): John "Sparky"
King! John accumulated 20 modified Stableford points on a course he
had never played before. John received The Jug which he will keep
until next year's event and will be able to inscribe with his name. A
win this year made John a three time winner of the gross division. The
King Brothers finished 1-2 with older brother William finishing just 6
points behind. Keith Torrance was in third place just a couple
points behind William. Full final gross results:
John King
William King
Keith Torrance
Meryl Freeman
John Yoskizawa
Gary Hayenga
David Sneddon
Dave Collard
Rob Pyle
Joe Conte
Mark Georg
Fred Stulka
John Mock
Nick Mock
Chris Titschinger
John Pflum
Jack Pflum
Joe Darmogray
Finally, announcing the 2009 RSG Cincinnati Champion golfer,
winner of the Red Brick Trophy, is: John "Mother of God" Mock! John
accumulated a staggering 46 net modified Stableford points. He earned
30 of those points in a five hole stretch in the middle of the round
that where he was +2 including a kick-in birdie on one of the most
difficult holes on the course. In second place was Rob Pyle with 38
net points, followed by Keith Torrance, again just a couple of points
behind. Full net standings are:
John Mock
Rob Pyle
Keith Torrance
Joe Conte
Nick Mock
John Yoskizawa
Jack Pflum
Meryl Freeman
William King
John King
Chris Titschinger
Mark Georg
Dave Collard
Fred Stulka
Gary Hayenga
David Sneddon
John Pflum
Other Prizes
Closest to the Pin #5 winner: Keith "Super Scot" Torrance. I
was also on the card but beaten by Keith.
Long Drive #8 winner: John "Sparky Spanked It" King. John
was in the first group with me and just nuked his dive so no one else
got to put their name on the card.
Closest to the Pin #14 winner: William "Bill-O" King.
Long Drive #15 winner: William "Bill-O" King preceded by Mark
Georg, John "Mother of God" Mock, and David Sneddon.
The Aftermath
More golf was played on Saturday afternoon and again on
Sunday. As before, I won't bore you with details of what shots were
hit and who won what match. I will, however, mention that Team Bones
(Chris Titschinger and me) defeated Team Meat (Rob Pyle and Mark
Georg) in a Saturday afternoon match.
Epilogue
Thanks to everyone who came to the event this year especially
Fred Stulka and Meryl Freeman, both rookies this year. Thanks to Nick
"SMOG" Mock for helping out with the host duties. Thanks to EVERYONE
who attended. It sounds trite but you are the people who make this
event so much fun and are the reason that organize it every year.
Next Year
2010 will be the tenth year of RSG Cincinnati. Right now I
have it tentatively planned for June 25, 26, and 27th. That is the
week after the US Open at Pebble Beach. I have a couple things
planned but either way I plan properly celebrating the first decade.
--
jvdp
Annika Fears Little Red Trucks
http://www.pbase.com/bret/image/81628198
johnty
wrote:
> The 2009 RSG Cincinnati Supreme Golfer (Gross): John "Sparky"
> King! John accumulated 20 modified Stableford points on a course he
> had never played before. John received The Jug which he will keep
> until next year's event and will be able to inscribe with his name. A
> win this year made John a three time winner of the gross division. The
> King Brothers finished 1-2 with older brother William finishing just 6
> points behind. Keith Torrance was in third place just a couple
> points behind William.
Good stuff, John. And congrats to the King boys!
Annika1980
The 1-2 finish by the King Bros. is no surprise to me. They've been
playing the toughest of competition in their preparations for the big
event.
So tell me again the difference between normal Stableford and Modified
Stableford.
assim...@borg.org
On 5-Jul-2009, Annika1980 <annik...@aol.com> wrote:
> So tell me again the difference between normal Stableford and Modified
> Stableford.
the point values
--
bill-o
david s-a
...and you can lose points for worse than par(?)
david
Alan
meeting you guys, but I estimated it would take me 6 hours
driving at an average 100km/h - to which my wife said 'no'.)
"John van der Pflum" <nowhammy...@bite.org> wrote in message
news:mvhv45di1540o0epf...@4ax.com...
| I think there will always be a question surrounding this
| year's event: Did it actually happen? How can you prove it happened?
| I seemed to have lost my digital camera and typical shutter bugs like
| Rob Pyle and David Sneddon did not snap a single shot of which I am
| aware. So, if people travel great distances to play golf and no one
| takes any pictures did it really happen?
| I moved the dates of the event this year from mid July to late
| June in a (vain) attempt to avoid some of the heat and humidity that
| is rampant during the mid summer and my tradition July dates here in
| Cincinnati. My plans were thwarted by Mother Nature as it was
| typically hot and brutally humid for much of the weekend, especially
| on Friday. However, as I sit and type this the forest is for the high
| 70s and humidity in the 40% range so I think we just got unlucky with
| the weather. Of course, no water fell from the sky during the event
| so I don't think it was a bad trade.
| I have to say from my perspective as the host this was the
| most disorganized I have ever been. There were a number of minor
| details that slipped through the cracks and a few things that were
| completed only at the last minute. I was very lucky to be assisted by
| my co-host, Nick "SMOG" Mock, who was invaluable in doing some things
| that I just plain did not have time to do.
| Now, on to the report...
Annika1980
> On 5-Jul-2009, Annika1980 <annika1...@aol.com> wrote:
>
> > So tell me again the difference between normal Stableford and Modified
> > Stableford.
>
> the point values
>
> --
> bill-o
Which are?
Bobby Knight
Stableford is just applying a point value to your score on a hole.
The highest number of points wins.
There are a lot of different point value possibilities.
The USGA and R&A define Stableford points in this manner:
� More than 1 over fixed score (or no score returned) - 0 points
� One over fixed score - 1 point
� Fixed score - 2 points
� One under fixed score - 3 points
Generally the fixed score is par for the hole.
Modified Stableford generally gives minus points for double bogey or
more.
--
___,
\o
|
/ \
.
�Someone likes every shot�
bk
John van der Pflum
<annik...@aol.com> wrote:
Maybe you should read the packet? :-)
John van der Pflum
>Great report John! (I had early on entertained the idea of
>meeting you guys, but I estimated it would take me 6 hours
>driving at an average 100km/h - to which my wife said 'no'.)
Next year! Or come to Columbus this year.
John van der Pflum
Yep. It's all in the packet.
Annika1980
wrote:
>
> Maybe you should read the packet? :-)
I didn't get one.
Oh, here it is.
-2 Double or worse
0 Bogey
+2 Par
+4 Birdie
+8 Eagle
+12 Double-Eagle
DTP Ace
So 10 pars and 8 bogeys would have won it?
Damn, I shoulda played! That format rewards aggressive play and
nobody is more aggressive than I am. I love cuttin doglegs and stuff.
I'm surprised Bill-o, aka "Birdie King," didn't win on the force of
his birdies alone.
He must have stacked them up on a few holes.
gary hayenga
Well, he turned out to be carrying my 8-iron in his bag, which I
thought was very handy because I thought I'd left it at O'Bannon Creek
though apparently I'd put it in his bag instead of my own, but it cost
him a couple of points.
Annika1980
>
> Well, he turned out to be carrying my 8-iron in his bag, which I
> thought was very handy because I thought I'd left it at O'Bannon Creek
> though apparently I'd put it in his bag instead of my own, but it cost
> him a couple of points.
Cagey strategy!
I hope they gave you a couple of points for thinking up that scheme.
Paul Schmitz-Josten
Annika1980 in
<2d4290d2-e22f-44da...@k8g2000yqn.googlegroups.com>:
>So tell me again the difference between normal Stableford and Modified
>Stableford.
You missed the show?
Here it is, the "fixed score" being the (gross) par for gross calculations
(=> rsg Cincinnati's Supreme Golfer) and the net par (par + strokes given
at the respective hole => rsg's Champion) for net calculation.
In detail:
("normal" Stableford, acc. to RoG 32-1 b)
Hole Played In Points
More than one over fixed score or no score returned 0
One over fixed score 1
_Fixed score_ 2
One under fixed score 3
Two under fixed score 4
Three under fixed score 5
Four under fixed score 6
(Modified Stableford)
Hole Played In Points
More than one over fixed score or no score returned -2
One over fixed score 0
_Fixed score_ 2
One under fixed score (birdie or "net birdie") 4
Two under fixed score (eagle or "net eagle") 8
Three under fixed score 12
Four under fixed score (undefined)
hole in one DTP (1)
(1) whatever this may mean
IMHO these methods are compatible (linear equivalent, m = (n-1)*2 if n<4 )
unless someone plays a (net) eagle or better.
Ciao,
Paul
John van der Pflum
Yeah, I hear that Young Joseph is a pretty good player.
assim...@borg.org
On 5-Jul-2009, Annika1980 <annik...@aol.com> wrote:
> > the point values
> >
> > --
> > bill-o
>
> Which are?
It's in the packet! :-P
--
bill-o
assim...@borg.org
On 5-Jul-2009, Annika1980 <annik...@aol.com> wrote:
> So 10 pars and 8 bogeys would have won it?
> Damn, I shoulda played! That format rewards aggressive play and
> nobody is more aggressive than I am. I love cuttin doglegs and stuff.
> I'm surprised Bill-o, aka "Birdie King," didn't win on the force of
> his birdies alone.
> He must have stacked them up on a few holes.
birdies? what are those? what made my mountain hard to climb were the
doubles: -2 is hard to overcome.
--
bill-o
assim...@borg.org
On 5-Jul-2009, gary hayenga <va...@speakeasy.org> wrote:
> Well, he turned out to be carrying my 8-iron in his bag, which I
> thought was very handy because I thought I'd left it at O'Bannon Creek
> though apparently I'd put it in his bag instead of my own, but it cost
> him a couple of points.
3 pts net; 0 gross pts, but who's counting?
--
bill-o
assim...@borg.org
On 5-Jul-2009, "Alan" <n...@available.ca> wrote:
> Great report John! (I had early on entertained the idea of
> meeting you guys, but I estimated it would take me 6 hours
> driving at an average 100km/h - to which my wife said 'no'.)
Where are you @ Alan? It takes me 6hrs @ 75mph (kph is useless down here!).
We had one drive from Windsor; I imagine it was about the same for him.
--
bill-o
RockPyle
good event. What he thinks of as disorganized ran like a finely
tuned
Ford engine as far as this participant is concerned. He is training
his co-host in a fine fashion as well.
My trip was pretty complicatred this year as it was the starting
point
for a week in Tennessee immediately following. I was excited to
bring
homebrew and to both room and talk homebrew with Mark Georg. We got
an added roomie when Fred Stluka joined us, making for some eclectic
conversation and helping to bring the costs down.
Leaving from Michigan and Philly with a stop in Pittsburgh, we
managed
to arrive at the hotel within 10 minutes of each other with no prior
planning, so the karma was flowing. We dropped off some of the
homebrew at MOG's house for the Friday BBQ and then met with the
Kings
for dinner at the famous Montgomery Inn for ribs and other smoked
meat
products. It was a fine start to the weekend. Thor and Keith
Torrance joined us after dinner for a coupe of beers and it was off
to
sleep in preparation for Friday.
Friday's golf had flashes of competence surrounded by intense sub-
mediocrity, punctuated by a less than stellar showing against Plat
and
Thor in Friday afternoon's Chocolate match. I am not sure if it is
just the heat, but O'Bannon Creek hasbeaten the crap out of me two
years running, and I'm not sure what it is that kicks my ass.
I know the heat was getting to me on the ninth hole, when I hit what
I
was sure was my ball out of a lateral hazard about ten yards away and
when I got there to hit it again, the black identifying line had
completely disappeared! I asked Thor to pepper me with math
questions
for the remainder of the round to make sure I wasn;t getting any more
loopy, and then he stumped me by asking for the square root of 156.
Mark and I had to stop at Trader Joe's on the way to MOG's house to
acquire snooty chocolate. It was the first round I had played with
Meryl, and she is quite the golfer. I'm sure she had shots that were
not up to her standard, but I would say she hit very few shots
*badly*, which was enough to ham and Egg with Thor for a sound ass-
kicking of Mark and I.
The Barbecue at MOG's was a great way to wind up the evening. No
problems with wait staffs and large parties at a restaurant, just
relaxing concersation, excellent home made bratwursts, some beer and
good friends.
Saturday brought more heat and humidity, but it didn't seem to affect
my golf as much as Friday had. I started a little rocky with two
blow
ups on the front (on #3 and #9, exacrtly the same as last year in the
Tourney), followed by a surprising 41 on the back. What really
helped
me was playing with Bill-O, who was having a really good round (IIRC
he shot a 38 on the back). I was mostly playing even to a shot
behind
Bill on most holes, so it didn;t feel like I was playing better than
I
usually do, and I didn't add any pressure to myself. I find that I
often play better when plying in someone else's slipstream. Perhpas
I
can find a way to get that feeling without needing that low capper
nearby. I was mostly playing "Hippocratic golf" (first do no harm),
which is the right frame of mind for me. I was surprised to add up
the score at the end of the round and find that I had shot a 90,
which
I thought was going to put me in the running. Little did I know MOG
had beaten me by 8 stableford points!
The afternoon round was Meat vs. Bones, where John Pflum and Chris
Titsinger combined to beat Mark Georg and I (notice a pattern here)?
one-up. Chris was strugglign a bit with his game, but John was
firing
on all cylinders. Again, I fell into a good rhythm and shot 42 on
the
front, which following right after the back in the tournament round
kinda-sorta gave me an 83 for the course (which would have tied a
personal best). Alas, Mark and I combined to egg/egg on a couple of
holes on the back to let the wee bony ones eke out a win on #18,
where
John gave us hope by blasting his birdie chip to about 30 feet past
the hole, while Mark and I both had lengthy but makeable par putts.
John drops his 30 footer to end the match just before Mark drains his
par. Bastard!
The back to back 36 hole days had done a number on my feet, so I
begged out of the Sunday round, but I was mostly happy with the golf
I
played in Cincinnati. I had enough good holes strung together to
remind me that I am capable of playing this game if I can get out of
my own way, and the people at RSG gatherings are some of the best
folks on the planet. I really treasure my rounds at these events.
Saturday dinner allowed Mark and I to continue our bonding by
coloring
in a fantastic Spiderman picture at dinnner.
It was great to see all of the folks there and it made it a little
easier to leave to know that Ohio is only a couple of months away.
Again, many thanks to John for putting on the event as well as
helping
with my logistical issues of keeping my car while I was in Tennessee
and makign sure that all of the extra homebrew found a good home.
Rock
Tom Yost
the event and promise to try harder to make it "next year."
John, looking at the final standings, you really must work on becoming more
Tiger-like as it pertains to being a golf tournament host.
:-)
Tom
david s-a
Oz 110kph - 66mph on motorway/freeways unless otherwise posted less,
otherwise 100kph - 60mph...Northern Territory, Darwin etc. doesn't care,
kill yourself at any speed you like up there!). Last time I was in UK I
think it might have been 70mph but EVERYONE drove at 90mph!.
cheers
david
Alan
<assim...@borg.org> wrote in message
news:4a524721$0$8662$882e...@news.ThunderNews.com...
Add on another 4 hrs for me..
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_distance_between_windsor_Ontario_and_Toronto
Using the 407 toll road to Burlington/Hamilton would save some time
as I routinely drive at 120km/h - much less traffic - and police only
interested in dangerous drivers.
Alan
John van der Pflum
<rpyle...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>First of all a hearty thank you to John for again putting on a very
>good event. What he thinks of as disorganized ran like a finely
>tuned
>Ford engine as far as this participant is concerned. He is training
>his co-host in a fine fashion as well.
I will use restraint and stay away from commentary on the Ford motor
remark. :-)
>Again, many thanks to John for putting on the event as well as
>helping
>with my logistical issues of keeping my car while I was in Tennessee
>and makign sure that all of the extra homebrew found a good home.
Anytime, Rock! It is always great to hang out with you. BTW -- I
found a couple more of your beer bottles in my fridge. I'll drink the
beers tonight or tomorrow and mail the bottles to ya!
John van der Pflum
wrote:
There is always next year, Tom! That's what the Cubs fans keep
saying. :-)
Tell me about it -- I rarely play well in my own event. I'm usually
just happen not to whiff on the first tee after all the running around
I have to do.
John van der Pflum
<nowhammy...@bite.org> wrote:
>On Mon, 6 Jul 2009 22:13:41 +0000 (UTC), Tom Yost <t...@nospamme.com>
>wrote:
>
>>Thank you John and Rock for the detailed write-ups. Every year I read about
>>the event and promise to try harder to make it "next year."
>>
>>John, looking at the final standings, you really must work on becoming more
>>Tiger-like as it pertains to being a golf tournament host.
>
>There is always next year, Tom! That's what the Cubs fans keep
>saying. :-)
>
>Tell me about it -- I rarely play well in my own event. I'm usually
>just happen not to whiff on the first tee after all the running around
>I have to do.
Err, that should be "..happy not to whiff...."