A FEW THOUGHTS AND OBSERVATIONS ......LIVE FROM ST SIMONS ISLAND

It seems like the RSM Classic will never get here each year....but boy does it fly by once the action starts. I can't believe that today was my last day to work until next year. The RSM is never really crowded with typical PGA Tour spectators, but without the bleachers and sky boxes surrounding the finishing holes it felt totally different from my past years working the event. With the exception of more lost balls from errant shots, the caddies and players enjoy the empty tournaments without fans, even though they will proclaim on interviews that they miss them. I had the chance today to watch the final group play 16, 17, and 18 on TV... a few observations...the greens are in beautiful shape, smooth as a babies butt, with plenty of extra rollout, much nicer than they came accross on my tv. Almost all of the player/caddie conservations, even putts involved the wind factor. The wind blew in from the north at 13 to 20 mph everyday I was there. The players ability to flight their shots, and hit them without a lot of spin is truly amazing to watch. I will say that tv doesn't do the course justice, the surrounding views of the water and marsh areas are simpley beautiful. The green surrounds are almost all closely mown bermuda, and create super tight lies for chipping. Short chips into the grain, posed a few problems for even these guys. The bunkers are deep, but perfect. i never saw a bad lie in four days, regardless of the type of shot that was hit from the tee or fairway. As you all know that I am interested in clubs and shafts; I spent a lot of time every chance I got looking into bags and eyeballing the caddies as they put clubs back in the bag. Especially interesting is the custom putter covers and headcovers these guys have. Too bad that I couldn't take pictures for you to see. Since he is not playing in this years event, Davis Love III has been seen quite a bit around the property. Yesterday morning, I spotted him sitting in a work cart wearing shorts and an old sweatshirt talking to a few people. I overheard a few player conversations about his new house he is building (his 260 acre marshside house was destroyed in a fire last spring). I hope that I didn't bore you with my ramblings. See you all in a few weeks, and have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.

Thursday Play as reported by Terry M

Thanks to Terry for providing the results to yesterdays Old Timer action. It was nice to see the name Kenny Triplett listed on the results sheet, and it looks like he might have taken a few dollars back to Springfield. Ryan C, Tom, and Terry win the front at +3. Bill, Kenny, Tim, and Charlie J capture the back and total...+1, +3. Front individual honors were tied by Tom, Terry, and Tim..all at a nice +3. Ken wins the back with +2, while Charlie V, Tim and Terry each had +1. Terry and Tim tie total at +4, with Tom and Kenny tying for 3rd at +2. As much as I love watching the Masters, it is a little different without the fans crowding every fairway. The drone shots are spectacular, allowing us to see angles that we never get to see. Phil has made the most of his 47 1/2" driver...Bryson...not so much. Also..the rough is as high as ever seen, not FCCC quality mind you, but shaggy none the less. Enjoy the final two days of coverage. Signing off from St. Simons Island, GA.

Thursday Sees A Large Group of Old Timers On the Links

The Acting Commish brings you yesterdays action...as I take on the Dye Course today...... 15 players on a beautiful day in the low 70s. Leaves were brutal. Greens were fast. 3-putts and no gimmes were the rule of the day. Rich, King and Dave D. win the the front at Even. Two teams tied the back at even ... Ryan C., Jim and Bill tied with Leroy, Dennis H. and Tim M. Leroy, Dennis and Tim won total at -3. Individually, Den H. wins the front at +4. Dave D. 2nd at +3 and Den K./Jim tie for third at +1. Terry wins the back at +4. Ryan C. and Leroy tie for 2nd and 3rd at +2. Total was tied by Terry and Den H. at +3. Dave D. came in 3rd at +2.

It's a Beautiful Day in Myrtle Beach..

Todays verbage will once again be provided by the Acting Commish....please read his public service announcement following yesterdays results. Again...if you haven't yet...please thank him for all of his efforts throughout the year to provide us with our accurate quota reporting. A quick recap of Tuesday's game. 11 players. Each of the three teams won a leg. The front was won at +2 by Charlie Voss, Harrison, Dunalvy and Moosmann. The back (-6) went to Loyd, Hall, Eichelberger and Dister. Total (-8) was taken by Aholt, Purschke and Johnson. The individual front was tied by 3 guys at +2 ... Hariison, Moosmann and Johnson. Dave Loyd won the back at +2. Harrison was second at Even. Voss and Aholt tied for third at -1. Harrison won total at +2. Charlie Voss second at Even and Johnson and Moosmann tied for third at -1. Now we gotta take a minute to talk about something that's becoming more critical as we move through Fall into Winter. Mother Nature. We lose two minutes of light a day. Leaves are everywhere. We have to target 3 AND A HALF HOURS as the pace we must play to get that last group in before dark. We're lenient by every stretch of the imagination. If you can't find a ball that should be found ... Leaf Rule! Drop one where it should be and play on ... no penalty. Spot your ball when hit. Help each other spot. If a guy skulls one across the green (for example) ... somebody else chip or putt while he's moving to his ball. Don't stand there with hands on your hips while he's rushing like crazy to take his next shot. And if somebody hits what you think is out of turn, don't be mad, be grateful he's doing everything he can to keep it moving. Ready Golf! When you get to your ball, hit it and then help your partners. Mother Nature says honors are out the window. We'd move the tee times up, but we have members who are coming from work and can't get here early. Thank you for your understanding and here's my address.

Reporting in from Myrtle Beach

We arrived in Myrtle Beach yesterday with just enough time to unload the Lesburu, make a cocktail and make the short drive to the beach. We were rewarded with a beautiful pink sunset. It never gets old seeing one of our oceans, or the Gulf. Myrtle Beach must be the Tee Shirt Shop and Miniature Golf capitals of the world. Youza!! Before inserting Saturdays results, I want thank our Acting Commish for his never ending efforts throughout the season maintaining our point system. This summer he had the closing of various holes, sometimes changing daily, which required manual manipulation of our daily scores. Dave D makes it seamless for us to show up every time we play. Next time you see him, give him a big thank you. Closing out the 2020 Old Timer Season..I give you the wordsmithing of the Acting Commish..... It was a day that gave fairweather golfers respite from the 10-day-cold-and-wet-snap. The temp inched up toward 60 and the wind wasn't unmanageable. Nine Oldtimers showed up to close out the official season. Dennis Kossmann re-appeared after a month-long trip to the East Coast in his RV and in so doing, set a new Oldtimers' record. Dennis lost his sand wedge four times during the course of the round. Three times it was picked up by the Olditimers in the group behind his ... once it was returned to the clubhouse by the group behind the Oldtimers. Congratulations, Dennis! It's a record that will be hard to beat. But Dennis wasn't the only one surprised by a return to the FCCC links. Having trained our finely tuned, but aging, muscles to putt on surfaces that had the same Stimp reading as a shag carpet, we were shocked to find surfaces that were "slicker'n pig snot" to quote one of the Oldtimers. That didn't phase the team of Moosmann, C. Voss and C. Johnson. They split the front with Purschke, Sharma and Dister at +2,and then went on to take the back and total at -3, -1. They were led, once again, by Terry who was individually consistent and superior with +1, +1, +2. He tied for second on the front with C. Voss, and he went on to win the individual back and total. That's two sessions in a row Moosmann has prevailed. And his quota remains at 26 for the next four months! A CPA has figured the game out! Dister took the front at +3, but then quickly faded into the black bowels of abysmal on the back. He did hang on to scratch out a second place tie with Charlie Voss for total at +1. C. Voss had a fine day, finishing solo second at Even on the back to complete his triple cash effort. Sharma and Purschke tied for third individual on the back at -1. Unfortunately, the team of Kavanaugh, Harrison and Kossmann were blanked. Kavanaugh did beg the acting commish to lower his quota for the winter. Sadly, he dropped the same score he added and will remain a 28. A little tip to those who are looking for lower quotas. When the Dalai Lama stiffed Bill Murray in Caddyshack, Murray said he was expecting "a little something for the effort," for lugging his bag around the course. I'll say no more! Four Oldtimers will have a happy winter season. Purschke drops 1 to 25. Sharma drops 1 to 31. Harrison drops 1 to 25. Kossmann drops 1 to 25. Below are listed the locked-in quotas until the new season begins in March of '21. Aholt 30 * Coleman 33 * Crow 35 * Curtis 33 * Dister 29 * Dunlavy 21 * Eggert 32 * Eichelberger 28 * Hall 28 * Harrison 25 * Johnson 29 * Kavanaugh 28 * Kossmann 25 * Loyd 25 * Moosmann 26 * Morris 23 * Purschke 25 * Sharma 31 * Voss, C. 30 *