Yep. Got any contacts yet to play Radrick?
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We can try the Michigan Slack if you’d like to come up to play it.
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Would have to depend on which day we played for that, given the drive, to be honest.
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Totally understand that.
Definitely a great match! And stoked we got to witness that round out of @Browcoww77 what a treat to see someone play that course so well. 69! Sheesh
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Met @Gobrownies09 at the Metroparks’ newest addition/future cave attraction Ironwood this morning for a little Dads Day Match Play.
The pre-round was a mixed bag. On the bright side, our random pairing had just called to cancel their side of our 6:30a tee time. On the other hand, a member of the group in front of us said, “This is my first round in at least 8 years. Maybe 11.” He was dressed like Payne Stewart. We should’ve jumped ahead then, but alas, you live and you learn. We talked briefly about tie breaker options should it come to that, and decided there weren’t any great ones. If it came to that, we’d cross the bridge then.
Golf was played on this day, albeit slowly thanks to our friend rekindling his love for the game and his group who were mentally battling Pinehurst #2. Spoiler alert for those who haven’t been: Ironwood is not Pinehurst #2.
Colin overcame a pop on 1 to take an early lead. But by hole 5, I was 2 up. Pop City is relentless. I took advantage of the strokes I was given, going 5-1-1 when popping. Fast forward to 16, where I’m 3 up but having exhausted pops.
16 is a 330 yard par 4 that requires you hit a spot, lest you jettison off the hard pan just off the fairway and into the woods. Wedge in from there. I pulled a four iron left. Colin hit his hybrid well to the middle of the fairway, but it took a hard kick right off of some drainage mounding. From the box, we were unsure where he ended up with danger looming in the direction he was headed.
We make it to my ball, which is sitting on a hard, bare spot. I pull 7i and make better contact than I should have considering the lie. The ball lands short left of the green, down a severe slope. We head to Colin’s ball and find that it got caught in the rough, saving it from certain doom. Colin hit a classy wedge to 15 feet.
My ball lies in what under normal circumstances should be ground under repair. They must’ve run out of signs. Colin, being the guy that he is, offered me the option to take free relief. I declined, and hit a wedge straight up the hill. It rolls out to 20 feet after just landing on the green. Pretty good all things considered. I lag the putt to gimme range for 5. Colin follows suit, but for a 4. I’m 2 up with 2 to play. Pops, I miss you.
17 is a par 3 playing 140 as the crow flies, but straight up hill. Colin hits it a bit chunky, and it lands well short of the green but safe. Over the ball, I have the worst possible swing thought: Images of Scorpion from Mortal Kombat doing that chain thing and “FINISH HIM” goading me on. I overswing and thin the ever living heck out of the ball, barely make it across the ravine in front of the tee box. The ball is hanging precariously on a tuft of grass, millimeters from rolling backwards into unplayable territory. Pops, I miss you.
I have 100 in from this stellar lie, and I hit a wedge as best I can. Which apparently was pretty ok. Colin’s reaction, thinking the ball had the distance to hit the green, was an immediate and resigned chuckle. But I know it’s short left. The best of a bad situation, though.
We get up to Colin’s ball and he hits a pitch up the hill. He lands it about a yard short of his intended landing area, and it gets caught up in the grass, not quite making it to the green. I chip to about 12 feet. Colin hits a second chip to within inches, and is in for 4. I have a putt to tie the hole and win the match, the pressure is on. Pops, I miss you.
The putt drops, and I win the match 2&1. Pop City is relentless—sometimes even when the pops are gone.
I appreciate Colin making time for the match immediately after returning from vacation in Northern Michigan. A great playing partner and better hang. I’m looking forward to Tiki at the Kiki even more now than I had been. Hopefully the wings at the Wright Place are as good as they once were.
@joecline41, let’s do this thing.
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@golf4miami match 7 v. 8 winners is next round, correct? For some reason I thought it’d be 5 vs. 8 and 6 vs. 7 based on seeding. Let the record show, I ain’t dodging anyone. You gotta beat everyone and anyone if you wanna do the damn thing.
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I color coded the bracket so you could see who you play next. You play the person with the same back fill color as you.
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Got out to Pine Hills for my first time ever to play a late afternoon match against @quicktempo with @cussingmussel along for the ride. Weather couldn’t have been more perfect. Glad we didn’t have to deal with the heat because Pine Hills is not the easiest walk. Pop City was in full effect as I was getting 21 (yes, 21) strokes off Alex. Sometimes it pays to suck.
I started off slow with a double on 1 while Alex made a comfy par to take the first hole. On the second hole I pulled my drive left into some unforgiving long stuff. Took a couple shots to get out of it and I didn’t even come close to challenging for the hole despite it being one of my two pop holes. Alex goes 2 up.
I battled back and won 3 and 4 to get to all square. Alex played some solid golf to win 8 and 9 and take a 2 up lead into the turn.
I was able to pick up some momentum at the turn and won 10 and 11 to get it back to all square. Alex won 14 to go back up 1, but I turned around and won 15 to get it back to all square. Alex won 16 to go back up 1. I took advantage of an unlucky bounce off a tree for Alex on 17 that turned into a lost ball and got it back to all square going into 18, where I was getting 2 pops.
Our tee shots ended up within a couple feet of each other in the rough a little short of the shit. My memory stinks, but I think we had about 170/175 to the pin with a forced carry over some water. Alex hits first and ends up just short of the green. I end up a little more left and a little shorter. I started my chip left of the hole and it ran out to the right towards to water to maybe 10 feet? Who knows I’m bad at judging distances. Alex had been chipping well all day, but unfortunately kind of stubbed one and left if short of the green. He almost chipped in for a par, but left it a tiny bit short in gimme range for a 5. I was able to 2 putt for a 5 as well to close out the match.
Alex played some solid golf, but I was able to use my strokes to my advantage to just hang around and take the match to 18. I didn’t have a single lead in the match until I won 18. All in all, a great evening and some great company.
Looking forward to welcoming @CorneliousPoon to Pop City in the next round.
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Looks like all the matches (except that one Columbus section we got the heads up on) has completed their matches. Awesome to see and I’m loving all the write ups thus far!
Let’s aim to try and have these round of 16 matches done by 6/30 if we can.
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@wreckhockey and I are playing our round of 32 match on Thursday
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With summer schedules in full force, @smithburger and I played a last minute round at Losantiville CC last night in the heat dome.
Tight match all evening, Brian held the lead until I scrambled for par on 9 and brought us back to AS. I caught some momentum and won the next two holes, but then the heat caught up to us. Back to AS on 14 tee box and Brian blocks himself out with a pushed drive behind the trees, struggles to get to the green and I take the hole with a bogey.
Four lost balls, two conceded holes , one push and multiple sprinkler encouters later, Brian is 1up on 18. He rips his drive up the left side but it doesn’t fade back and he is back in tree trouble. I hit my best drive of the day starting just left of the fairway and comfortably curling back to the short grass. Follow it up with smooth 9i to the front of the green. Brian hits his approach left of the green and short-sided. The rough is thick and grabs his wedge as he tries to chip on. I comfortably two putt to bring the match back to AS.
Daylight is scarce and sprinklers are on, so we opt to have a quick chip-off to decide the match. I toss my ball to the far side of the green into a nice patch of rough for a touchy uphill chip. I pop it out with a wristy chip (s/o Short Game Chef) and it rolls a couple yards past the hole. Brian steps up and gives an aggressive swing, but the clubface gets caught in the rough again and the ball barely makes it onto the green. Despite trying to give it away all night, my wedges saved me and I walk away victorious. We shake hands and beeline to get home for much needed showers and dry clothes.
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It was a great round and great company.
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Looks like @auribe14 and I will be playing our match at Bella Vista Golf Course in Coldwater, Michigan on Tuesday the 25th at 11:30am
The two other tee time slots are still open if anyone wants to grab one.
I had a truly enjoyable evening, despite getting absolutely demolished.
I may suck at match play but at least I have this going for me. Excited for tiki at the kiki
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My match with @robot_mrvn is scheduled for Thursday @ 320 at SCC
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Had a match today. It was awesome. Please forgive the upcoming novella:
This afternoon, in the blistering heat and humidity of the Ohio valley, and just a few hundred yards from the iron giants at Kings Island amusement park, a true rollercoaster of a match was contested. Myself and @pjsutherland teed off just before 3pm at the Grizzly Golf and Social Club in Mason, competing for a spot in the final 8 of this year’s OATW statewide match-play tournament. What transpired over the next four hours was a nail-biting thrillride, marked by complete elation, tragic despondency, and everything in between.
I’d be remiss if I failed to mention our third Refugee compatriot, @Jakes123, who joined us for the first nine holes before departing. His anecdotal storytelling and insights into the golf course were like a balm for the golfing soul, on what was truly a scorching day. Actual temperatures rested in the high 90s, but it felt to be over 100 degrees for much of the round. Thankfully, the gracious staff at the Grizzly kept our water bottles full, and the blessing of a golf cart was thoroughly appreciated.
The round began with a seed down the middle of the first fairway from Patrick, while I flared a drive well to the right. With a lost ball and a bogey, I was quickly down 1. Fortunately, at the par-3 second, I was able to gain that back; though Patrick hit a marvelous bump-and-run up and over the hill from the adjacent first fairway, I sunk a mid-length par putt to square the match.
At the third, the first of Patrick’s four stroke holes, his tee shot drifted into a hazard. Mine found the fairway, and despite the tricky pin location, I was able to eke out a par. Patrick carded a double-bogey six, and I went 1 up.
The next two holes were halved with pars, but not without drama - Patrick hit two beautiful shots at the par-5 fourth, resting just over the back edge of the green. My tee shot was stymied by trees; I tried a miracle recovery, which crashed squarely into a hardwood, and shot backward to the right. My punch-out third luckily made it through more branches unscathed, and I was left with around 80 yards for my fourth. I found the green, but also beyond the hole, with a slippery downhill putt for par. Patrick putted first, from the fringe; his went racing well by. Miraculously, I was able to hole my lengthy par save, and Patrick’s comebacker narrowly evaded the cup, resulting in an unforeseen half.
Patrick squared the match again at the sixth, his second stroke hole on the front nine. Though his tee shot found a fairway bunker, and was partially blocked out by trees, he was able to advance the ball up near the green and complete the up-and-down for a skillful par save.
Then, all of a sudden, the tides seemed to turn in my favor again. I won the seventh and eighth holes in succession, both with pars, and we halved the par-5 ninth with birdies. At the halfway mark, I was up two.
And yet, as quickly as I seemed to have gained momentum, it was lost doubly fast. With two pars to halve the tenth hole, at the par-5 11th, I hooked my tee shot out-of-bounds. Patrick hit two splendid shots to the middle of the green, and won the hole with a birdie. At the twelfth, he hit another graceful drive, while I nearly shanked a 2-iron, which fell out-of-bounds to the right. Patrick curled in another putt for birdie, and the match was square.
At the 13th, Patrick’s first stroke hole on the back nine, I hit yet another abysmal tee shot, and lost a third hole in a row to fall back to 1 down. Five holes were yet to be played, and Patrick would receive one more stroke at the eighteenth. I knew that I needed to right the ship, and try to regain the lost ground quickly.
The door seemed to crack open at the par-3 14th; Patrick’s tee shot flared to the right, skipped off the cart path, and came to rest well beyond the green. Still unsure of my golf swing, I pulled an 8-iron left of the green, above the hole. Considering Patrick’s position, though, I thought for sure I’d be able to scratch out a win and bring the match back to all-square. Yet in the most demoralizing fashion, Patrick hit an outrageously good chip that skipped through one of the back bunkers and came to rest on the green, about 12 feet from the hole. I tried to play a chip that landed short of the green and skipped forward, but it took a much softer bounce than I had anticipated, and still rested outside of Patrick’s ball. Two putts later, and the hole was halved. I remained one down.
At the 15th, a short par-4, Patrick and I both hit quality tee shots, and were left with roughly 15-20 feet for birdie. After Patrick’s putt missed, I concentrated hard on my read, again seeing a vital opportunity to square the match. The putt stayed on the high side of the hole, though, and we entered the final three holes with Patrick up one.
Then, utter euphoria.
The 16th, a par-3, was playing to exactly 200 yards. Patrick hit first, pulling his tee shot into the left greenside bunker. I saw another opportunity. A good shot and a putt, and I’d still have a chance to win the match.
I selected a 6-iron, and choked down just slightly on the grip, intending to hit a flighted draw that would pitch just short of the green and roll up close to the hole. As I stood over the ball, with the sun continuing to beat down on the back of my neck, I distinctly remember the feeling of a slight breath of helping wind that had churned up, off my right.
The ball was solidly struck. It turned left against the sky, almost casually - not a hurried hook, but a very slow, very small right-to-left flight. It landed on the front edge of the green, bounding once more into the air, then falling back to earth and… disappeared.
My arms lifted to the sky, but I was quiet. At least, I think I was. I don’t really remember, to be honest.
Patrick looked at me in shock and asked, “Did that go in?” He repeated the same question to our playing partners, two other gentlemen who had joined us mid-way through the back 9.
That question was answered when we reached the green. Peering into the hole, there it lay: a pearly white Titleist, number 99 (for my wedding anniversary, September 9th, if you’re wondering), with a red cross on the side.
Yes, dear reader - it was a hole in one.
At this point, I encountered an unusual internal conflict. I wanted to celebrate, but I couldn’t take my mind off the task still at hand - the match, which was now all-square with two holes to play. Next we had to face the 17th, a tight, challenging par-four, and after that the 18th, a risk-reward par-five where Patrick would receive a stroke. Attempting to bottle my joy, I tried to focus - so much that, on the tee at the 17th, with out-of-bounds to the left and water to the right, I nearly teed off with the same ball I had just used to make my hole-in-one.
Despite another poor tee shot on my part, Patrick and I halved the hole with bogeys. Thus, we reached the final hole of the day just as we had started - square.
Patrick’s tee shot found the fairway, but left him 240 yards to the green, all carry over water. He chose to lay out to the side; with the match on the line, I went for it all with a 5-iron from 215, drawing around trees and clearing the water, and finishing in the rough just short of the green. Patrick’s approach hopped to the back of the green, and my chip ran about eight feet past the hole, leaving a downhill, right-to-left putt for birdie.
Patrick’s first putt, from a considerable distance, came up well short of the hole. His ensuing par putt then lipped out, leaving the door open for me to win the match.
My hands were sweating and shaking. I remember saying to myself, “you wanted this.” I’ve got the ball, and the shot to win. With perfect pace and a perfect read, my ball found the bottom of the cup, and the match was over.
Again, I felt conflicted - I was thrilled to have won, but I also felt undeserving, especially considering how I completely evacuated myself for a three- or four-hole stretch on the inward nine. Nevertheless, it was truly a privilege to take part in such an exciting competition, and I’m incredibly thankful to have experienced my second hole-in-one in such an arena as this.
PJ - thanks again. I genuinely feel sorry to have won, but it was amazing and fun to get to match up against you. I hope we’re able to do it again soon!
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There’s nothing to feel sorry or conflicted about with your win!
You had a rough stretch 11-13, but outside of your tee shot on 17 (which was more than justified as your first swing after an ACE) you righted the ship and played strong golf the rest of the round to get it done.
In hindsight, my putter was decent most of the day but really let me down on 17 (3 putt from 20ish feet, perfectly positioned below the hole after two good shots) and 18 (technically a 2 putt, but really a long 3 putt from the fringe). I also probably would’ve gone for it on 18 if I realized you had an angle in, as I thought you were going to be blocked out by the big tree at the corner and forced to lay up or blow it way right.
All in all, I had a blast and am glad you got the win after maybe the coolest thing I’ve ever seen on the course!
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Amazing! Pissed I had to leave early!
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Congrats on the HIO! Pretty sure that’s our first official one in a Match in the three years of this championship.
Everyone else still left in the bracket is officially on notice that your play may be pre-ordained.
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