Post Turkey Day

Friday after Thanksgiving was a day off from work for quite a few Pot Gamers, so when 14 showed up to play it wasn't all that surprising.  There were a few Turkeys included who didn't make 9 at 9.  Chuckie created three teams.  Two with five players and one with four who would choose by coin flip the score of one the highest handicappers from the teams of five.

Bear's team playing with 4 (Tractorman, Billy D and Rama Yama) went out first at 10am after a 30 minute frost delay.  Team 2 Captained by Otis consisted of Skrocki, Birdie, Fireman and Johnnie Hilow went off next.  Team 3 lead by Luke had Jed, Dougie, Deacon and Mark (little Hilow).

The teams on the surface seemed fair, but the results would prove otherwise as Team 3, finishing 2.5 holes behind team 2, wiped out the field with +4 front and back (3BB) to win all three sides.

Low scores of the day were Bear 73, Luke 75, Otis 78 and Jed 79.  There were 5 skins worth $14 a piece.  (Bear 2, Jed 1, Luke 1 and Otis 1).

After the round a few trunks were opened and left over beverages from 9 at 9 were consumed in the parking lot.  In some ways it is better than sitting on the deck.

Beer, Booze and Baileys

T-Day Pot Gamers minus Brad-Brian & Deacon  Photo By Triple N (on one leg)

The Commish

Gathering In Parking Lot

This years 9 at 9 on Thanksgiving morning was the best yet.  16 Players showed,  first to enjoy a few beverages in the parking lot and then to do battle on a bright sunny day.  Trunks flew open and an assortment of nips, bailey/coffee, beers all came out for a little pregame warmup. Because of minimal frost we were able to tee off at 9:40.  When noses where counted there were originally 15 players, so three teams of 5 were chosen on the first tee of North.  But just after the first team teed off Brad-Brian showed up wanting to play, thinking we were playing at 10am.  So Pudge dispatched Brad-Brian, Rama and Skrocki to join the first team of Otis, Mini, Tractorman, Blue Tees and Luke.  So two teams it would be with 8 on a team, which is what Pudge had hoped for all along.  Team Two was loaded with Pudge, Eric The Red, Jed, Jason (married Commish's niece, Friend of Jed's, Golf Pro, knew Eric and went to school with Luke), Bear, Deacon, Billy D and Commish.  They played 10 holes on the North (1,2, 3 Original 14 (4th tee to 10th green), 11, 12, 13, 16, 17 and 18).  All the way around Pudge was feeling guilty for having created uneven teams, his being the stronger with 3 Pros and two very low handicappers.  But the mystery of the Pot Game was at work and naturally Team 1 won in a cake walk with a score of +12 for 6 best balls to +19 for Team 2.  A seven shot margin that so astounded Pudge that when Bear asked him if Commish had left his money before he ran off for Turkey, Pudge said "Don't bother collecting the money, we're good".  To which Bear replied "I'm collecting our team's money because we lost".  "What...How did that happen" was Pudge's reply.  The smiling Team 1 members just waited for their $10 a man to be placed into their hands.

To say the weather was perfect would be an understatement.  True to form, Deacon was late to the tee, Commish dressed like he was headed to the barn to feed his animals at 20 below zero including shit on his shoes,  Otis told his wife he would go to the grocery store for her (failed to mention about playing golf), Jed drove in from MA, Luke dumped his kids off with Mrs Mad Dog, Brad-Brian pledged to join Bretwood next year and be a Pot Gamer again, Blue Tees had a thermos of his secret concoction, Billy D's back was shaky but held up, Pudge had a big smile as he saw car after car pull in the parking lot, Skooger and Coach both showed to wish everyone Happy Thanksgiving even though they didn't play and everyone enjoyed the golf, the libations and the camaraderie.  It was a very Happy Thanksgiving.   It will be hard for Pudge to top this year's 9 at 9 but we will have to see what he comes up with.  

Pre Thanksgiving Morsels

In their year long battle of a dollar a hole, Mad Dog two weeks ago lost $5 to Bear to move the YTD total in Bear's favor by $2.  It swung back and forth with Bear taking a $14 lead in the spring and Mad Dog peaking at $41 dollars during Bear's three month slump.  But with Mad Dog losing his peripheral vision the putts stopped dropping and drives went off to the right and the dollars moved to the Bear.  Mad Dog announced that he is retiring from competition next year.  Since he un-retired at least 8 times this fall we shall see what happens on the links in 2013.

Little Bow Pete couldn't match The Great White Hunter Birdie's Moose or The Sherpa TJ's Obama Country Bullwinkle, so headed west all the way to Iowa.  But he did find they grow them big out there as his trophy pic shows.  230 lbs shot from twenty yards with custom bow that he bought online.







Deacon's Annual Chili Party will be held December 12th at 6pm at the Bowling Alley.  Don't eat much that day as there is a mountain of food.  Be sure to compliment Barbara for all her hard work cooking the chili and mouth watering rolls, because you know the Deacon won't.  You should thank Deacon for your invite and he does take notice of how bowls you consume.  Stay out of Tractorman's way when he is circling back for more, those elbows are sharp.  Bring a few bucks to buy a pitcher of beer or three.  No Villagers need RSVP as this notice is not intended for them as per order of The Deacon.

Cheez has been given a gift of a lifetime by his children for his 70th birthday.  He is headed out to Pebble Beach and Spyglass in early December.  He has wanted to do that for over 30 years.  Now that he can't hit a ball out of his shadow and with the boys assured they will win every match, they invited him to go.

Don't Be A Turkey

Pudge's Annual 9 at 9 is tomorrow.  We should be able to play by 10am at the latest but there will be plenty of libations to sample in the parking lot before we tee off.  This will be one of the first times the course will still be open on Thanksgiving.  So tell your wife, girlfriend or Mother-In-Law you will be home for the feast but you have some important business to do first.  You stink at cooking or setting the table anyway so grab some booze from the liquor cabinet and head out to the course for a good time with the rest of the Pot Gamers.  Blue Tees will be there with his famous coffee concoction.  Commish will be there dressed as an Eskimo.  It is always better to get a little buzzed before you have to engage in conversation over dinner with all those relatives you can't stand.  See you all tomorrow.

But for you Turkeys who aren't going to come.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Notes From The Editors Desk

Cheez becomes a Villager snob when he arrives in Florida and stops all contact with his Pot Gamer friends in NH.  You would think when his only tasks every day are to play golf, eat lunch, take a nap, take a shower and get dressed for a cocktail party, he could find time to send an email or text. 

Commish has no time for golf despite the cold temps, because Mrs Commish has him caring full time for all her orphaned or abused animals she is collecting.   The latest are a horse and pony.  At last count he has 2 horses, 6 alpacas, 2 donkeys, 13 rabbits and a goat in the main barn.  The other building has 2 sheep, 2 alpacas, 2 turkeys, 2 rabbits and 13 non laying chickens.  That makes 29 water or feeding stations that have to be filled twice a day every day.  So you would think it would mean plenty of protein in his diet but no, they eat but he doesn't get to eat them.  Yikes.

Deacon entertained all the kids in the neighborhood on Halloween when he dressed up as a vampire while he passed out candy.  He stood in the doorway and when the little goblins would reach for the bowl of candy, he would pull out the cotton balls out of his nose and streams of blood would come pouring out.  What a guy, anything for the kids.

Chuckie wasting no time has already begun interviewing barmaids for his new Men's Locker Room Lounge.   By the looks of things his recruiting seems to be going well.  Who knew they would be wearing bikinis to serve the thirsty members.



 


Birdie had to hire a carpenter to reenforce the wall over his fireplace in his living-room because Bullwinkle's stuff head is coming in a few weeks.  Not sure if having Bullwinkle staring down at you is the best wall decoration, but to each his own.  Wonder what Mrs Birdie thinks?

Only The Fool Hardy Showed

With the temperature in the low 40s and wind blowing strong out of the north only 6 Pot Gamers showed up on Saturday.  Chuckie made up two teams.  Team 1 Mad Dog back at Captain with Billy D and Deacon.  Team 2 was Bear, Tractorman and Rama Yama. 

Mad Dog coming out of retirement from golf for the 8th time in a month discovered a new method of putting on the practice green.  He watched his putter go back and through instead of watching the back of the ball.  As he was rolling 12 footer after 12 footer into the cup he thought he had discovered the "secret" to low scoring.  Of course his new theory goes against every putting convention ever taught.  The Golf Gods don't like people who mess around with convention.  You guessed it, he made nothing on the course until the last hole.  End of that theory..  Deacon being down a few quarts of blood from last week when his bloody nose refused to stop dripping, showed up with mortared nostrils and cotton balls as a backup precaution.  Of course the Doctor told him don't play golf, bend over or drink any alcohol.  And he proceeded to violate all three but did survive all 18 holes.  Billy D with cranky back warmed by a heat wrap lasted about 4 holes before his back locked up in the cold windy conditions. 

Bear's team played like it was a balmy 50 degrees with no wind as they cruised to a sweep of all sides with a +2 front +3 back +5 overall.  Mad Dog's wounded warriors went +7 front +15 back for a grand total of +22.  Rama played steady with drives long and straight with clutch putts rolling in to go with Tractorman's solid all around play in terrible windy conditions.

Low scores of the day were Bear 73, Tractorman 79 and Rama 83.  In other words, Rama beat all of Mad Dog's team score by himself.  There were 7 skins worth $4 a piece.  Tractorman 2, Deacon 2, Rama 1, Bear 1 and Mad Dog 1.

Bear plucked $7 from Mad Dog's pocket in their ongoing match so the YTD stands at Mad Dog up $3.

Down Goes Bambi

With a healthy number of Pot Gamers turning to hunting this time of year the Gazette is more like Outdoor Life Magazine than a golf blog.  The Great White Hunter's Sherpa TJ,  headed out to Obama Country to try his luck at getting a liberal white tail and to go deer hunting.  After walking the woods for days with no luck and being completely bored he decided to bring his driver along with a dozen balls to get a little practice in before 9 at 9 on Thanksgiving.  He set up a make shift range next to a big clearing not too far from his stand.  The first couple he hit were pure high fades just like Pudge taught him.  But the next few were the biggest snap hooks you ever saw.  Meanwhile his hunting companion was pushing a big buck toward the clearing, knowing TJ was suppose to be in his stand on alert.  As the buck approached the clearing it stuck its head around a big pine just as a Titleist Pro V going at laser speed from a duck hook off TJ's driver hit him right between the eyes.  The little Sherba bagged his trophy without ever firing a shot.  (notice in the picture there is no blood) 

Sherpa TJ & Bambi