Secession GC - April 25-27, 2005
It is a busy golf week this week as I participate in a couple of competitions, first at Secession in Beaufort, then at Bulls Bay near Charleston.
These have been on the books for a while, and I'm jamming work stuff around them, early in the mornings and later in the afternoons and evenings.
First up, Secession's "Scratch" event, a gross competition for two members or a member and his guest. Eighteen holes of better ball times three - one Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. And after the better ball on the first two days, we competed with an additional nine holes of alternate shot.
My partner was Jeff Foster, my friend from The Golf Channel.
The event gave us a chance to play with (as well as against) each other and spend some quality time together.
The golf course was perfect. Bermuda just starting to come out in the roughs; the fairways not too tight; and the greens - after double-cutting and rolling each morning - putting at about 10. I won't bore you with a hole-by-hole or round-by-round summary. Suffice it to say, two friends, Kevin King and Gary Duren, won the event by 16 shots. But we finished second, with BB rounds of 70, 70 and 74 and alternate shot 9's of 45 and 38 (no details, but we were lucky to get the 45).
What was really remarkable about this event was not only the competition, but also the extracurricular golf. After the first day we played 4 extra holes - 10 of us did, anyway.
Money and alcohol involved. This is what I now think back on as "smash-mouth golf"; taunting and jeering were clearly evident.
Then after the extra holes - and each day after the competition - we took our smash-mouth selves to the porch at Secession and hit wedges "off the mat" and onto the 18th green...for $5 a man per shot. Closest to the hole wins each time, and the farthest from the hole goes out and retrieves the balls. Suffice it to say, I picked up balls more than once.
Here's Gary Duren from the mat:
Great trip, great (old and new) friends, a lively competition, and loads of fun.
My golf season is off to a great start.
These have been on the books for a while, and I'm jamming work stuff around them, early in the mornings and later in the afternoons and evenings.
First up, Secession's "Scratch" event, a gross competition for two members or a member and his guest. Eighteen holes of better ball times three - one Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. And after the better ball on the first two days, we competed with an additional nine holes of alternate shot.
My partner was Jeff Foster, my friend from The Golf Channel.
The event gave us a chance to play with (as well as against) each other and spend some quality time together.
The golf course was perfect. Bermuda just starting to come out in the roughs; the fairways not too tight; and the greens - after double-cutting and rolling each morning - putting at about 10. I won't bore you with a hole-by-hole or round-by-round summary. Suffice it to say, two friends, Kevin King and Gary Duren, won the event by 16 shots. But we finished second, with BB rounds of 70, 70 and 74 and alternate shot 9's of 45 and 38 (no details, but we were lucky to get the 45).
What was really remarkable about this event was not only the competition, but also the extracurricular golf. After the first day we played 4 extra holes - 10 of us did, anyway.
Money and alcohol involved. This is what I now think back on as "smash-mouth golf"; taunting and jeering were clearly evident.
Then after the extra holes - and each day after the competition - we took our smash-mouth selves to the porch at Secession and hit wedges "off the mat" and onto the 18th green...for $5 a man per shot. Closest to the hole wins each time, and the farthest from the hole goes out and retrieves the balls. Suffice it to say, I picked up balls more than once.
Here's Gary Duren from the mat:
Great trip, great (old and new) friends, a lively competition, and loads of fun.
My golf season is off to a great start.
posted by Mark Burris - BURRIS at 8:38 AM
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