Results from 2014:
Finally get to play the Rock! - Oct 24, 2014
a day in the Hood! - Oct 9, 2014
not a Top 10 Weather Day! - Oct 2, 2014
Top 10 Weather Day! - Sept 18, 2014
Gray skies, no rain! - Sept 11, 2014
A
really beautiful day in Woodbridge - Sept 4, 2014
A
day in the country - Aug 28, 2014
8
play in Norwich - Aug 20, 2014
Annual trip to Shenny - Aug 6, 2014
A trip to the Berkshires - July 30, 2014
Big turnout in Wallworld at Tradition Golf Club at Wallingford - July 23, 2014
Weather issues? No! A great weather day at Gillette Ridge Golf Club -
July 16, 2014
Another hot one in Avon - July 9, 2014
A hot day in the Quarry in Portland - July 2,
2014
A text book summer day in West Simsbury -
June 25, 2014
A warm and humid day in Woodbridge at Oak Lane - June 18,
2014
A bit of rain at Tallwood Country Club - June 11,
2014
Our return to Tower Ridge Country Club - June 4, 2014
A cool, damp, overcast day in Southington at Hawk's Landing - May
28, 2014
Perfect weather for our day
at Gillette Ridge Golf Club - May
21, 2014
A beautiful May
day, Blackledge Country Club - May
14, 2014
Season Opener!!,
Timberlin Golf Club - May 7, 2014
Spring Training Results - 2014
October 24, 2014 - Rockledge Golf Club, West Hartford, CT
So the group was finally able to get a tee time and good enough weather to play the Rock! On this day our crew consisted of Dan "Mr. Baseball" Gray, Stan "theMan" Magda, Gregg "theHat" Wright, "Duffer" Dave DeFlumeri, Jim "daHacker" Polony, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, Mike "McBogey" McQuade, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Rockledge is always one of this golfer's favorite places to play and even at this late time of the season following a rainy few days the course was in decent shape with few complaints other than the fall leaves hiding a few balls. The course sports four sets of tees Blue/Gold/White/Red with the yards/slope/ratings: Red at 5212/122/71.7, White at 5722/123/69.2, Gold at 6049/125/70.2, and the Blues at 6440/127/71.1.
Leading the way on this day was theHat with an 89 (44/45, 1 birdie, 5 pars), next in was Mr. Baseball with a 90 (47/43, 3 pars), BleedBlue chipped in with a 93 (49/44, 2 pars), theMan (51/53, 1 par) & Duffer (50/54, 1 birdies, 3 pars) both finished at 104, just behind was theGooseHunter at 105 (51/54, 2 pars), McBogey played to a 107 (51/56, 1 par), & daHacker played to a 119 (59/60).
After gold the crew headed down to the Berlin Turnpike (no, Noel, we didn't go to Centerfolds) for brews and chews to Joey Garlics in Newington where if you go home hungry you didn't order any food. Good eats, Good beer, reasonable prices, huge portions, a good formula for a restaurant which I would recommend to anyone in the area looking for a place to eat. Only be warned they are very popular and there will be a wait time around peak hours. A great day which it was good to see a good portion of our golfing crew on the course and for brews and chew!
October 9, 2014 - Alling Memorial Golf Club, New Haven, CT
A deccent day for golf, not great, but good enough to play was our weather on this day. Our group on this day was Noel "theLPGAstalker" Gabrielle, Phil "theThrill" Tortora, Stan "theMan" Magda, Jim "daHacker" and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
The course is located on the edge of New Haven and North Haven in an area I wouldn't recommend going for walk anywhere other than on the course which is a nice gem of New Haven landscape. The course layout isn't overly challenging and is forgiving with its wide fairways but does demand carry off of many of its tees. The course has a good number of water hazards to avoid and if you want to score you must at all costs avoid the rough on this course as it's tough to play out of to put it nicely. The course is fun, fairly well maintained and very economical golf experience that I would definitely plan to play again next season. The greens were fast, the fairways were in good shape , and the tee boxes were in fair shape as well. The course has three set of holes with the following specs: Blue 6248/71.2/132, White 5877/69.3/129, Gold 5191/65.5/121.
Leading the way on this day was BleedBlue with an 89 (44/45, 2 birdies, 2 pars), next in was theLPGAstalker with a 96 (48/48, 2 pars), theMan chipped in with a 102 (51/51, 3 pars), theThrill played to a 107 (52/55, 1 par), and daHacker finished with a 121 (60/61).
After golf theLPGAstalker found an Italian restaurant in North Haven on Middletown Ave, Giulio's Pizza Restaurant, that surprised with good food at fair prices and it would definately be considered for next year when we play Alling.
Oct 2, 2014 - Laurel View Country Club, Hamden,
CT
It was not a top 10 weather day but it also was not a cart
path only day (where was daHacker and DufferDave???) with overcast
skies, rain the night before, temps in the 60's, but a completely
acceptable October day for golf in New England. The crew on
this day was Dave "theSnyper" Hughes, Phil "theThrill"
Tortora, Mike "McBogey" McQuade, Bob "PrimeTime" Primavera, Gregg
"theHat" Wright, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Laurel View is where this reporter learned how to play golf taking lessons from the head pro Ed Grant and it will always hold good memories for this golfer. The course has a nice layout and can be a good challenge for the best golfers when played from the tips at 6900 yards. The course was damp but not too wet on this day, the greens were in good shape other than some ball marks made on this day, the bunkers were crap, the fairways and tee boxes were decent. This is Hamden's 18 hole municipal course and is operated by MDM golf who thankfully hasn't let this course go to the state of disrepair it has done on other courses across the state but unfortunately just like the course MDM owns outright, Gillette Ridge, it is far from where the course was years ago.
Leading the way on this day was theHat an
outstanding 79!!! He did this shooting 39/40 with 2 birdies and 10
pars!! Kudos to theHat with the first sub 80 score in one of our
outings this season. Gregg will be conducting clinics in the Spring
of 2015 for anyone interested in breaking the 80 mark so sign up
early! Next in was theSnyper with a 92 (49/43, 4 pars), just behind
him was BleedBlue with a 94 (48/46, 3 pars), McBogey chipped in with
a 98 (48/50, 3 pars), theThrill played to a 109 (58/51, 1 par), and
PrimeTime finished with a 114 (57/57).
Sept 18, 2014 - Southington Country Club, Plantsville, CT
A top 10 weather golf day without a doubt on this Thursday with temps in low 70's, not a drop of humidity, blue skies with puffy cumulous clouds, and light winds made for an excellent day to be outside on the links in CT. Our crew on this day was Stan "theMan" Magda, Dave "theSnyper" Hughes, "Duffer" Dave DeFlumeri, Jim "daHacker" Polony, Phil "theThrill" Tortora, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
First time playing Southington for this golfer and my thoughts on the course after only playing once is it is truly a course were local knowledge is truly valuable and for the first time player don't try to cut corners and note the distance to the creeks from the tee as they come into play on 10 of the 18 holes. The greens are very sloped from back to front and on this day extremely inconsistent with respect to speed with many extremely fast and others that were much slower making it guessing game when putting. Overall the course was in excellent condition with the back nine being much tighter than the front with tree lines making it important to stay on your own fairway to score well, several holes border public streets, and several border private homes with their backyards and pools literally feet from tee boxes and greens. The course dates back to 1922 when it was originally built as nine hole course and was expanded to 18 years later with several improvements in recent years such as the BackNine Tavern. The course sports 4 sets of tees as follows: Blue 5932/67.8/122, White 5685/66.8/121, Gold 5037/64.5/111, Red 4898/69.3/123. The course's length is not an issue and you are rewarded much more for accuracy off the tee, approach shots under the holes, and your short game.
Leading the way was the Synper with an 85 (43/42, 1 birdie, 4 pars), next in was BleedBlue with a 91 (44/47, 4 pars), Duffer (47/53, 2 pars) & theMan (52/48, 1 birdie, 3 pars) chipped in with 100's respectively, next in was daHacker who played to a 107 (54/53, 1 par), and theThrill finished with a 110 (57/53).
After our round the entire crew stayed on that their 19th the Back Nine Tavern where the chew and brew was tasty and cold! Pretty cool tavern that definitely has both golfer and non golfer customers. I look forward to playing again next season if they return to the cert and hopefully remember some lessons learned from this outing.
Sept 11, 2014 - Orange Hills Country Club, Orange, CT
Think we saw the sun briefly for a few minutes but the overcast skies were all bark and no bite with not a drop of rain thus making for a more than acceptable weather day for golf here in CT. Playing on this day were Noel "theLPGAstalker" Gabrielle, Stan "theMan" Magda, "Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, Bob "PrimeTime" Primavera, Gregg "theHat" Wright, "Duffer" Dave DeFlumeri, Jim "daHacker" Polony, Phil "theThrill" Tortora, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
This reporter's view of Orange Hills is that it's not a favorite for a number of reasons but because it's local I will play....
Leading the way was theHat with a nice 84 (42/42, 2 birdies, 3 pars), next in was BleedBlue with an 89 (44/45, 7 pars), Bomber chipped in with a 95 (1 birdie, 6 pars), PrimeTime played to a 97 (47/50, 1 birdies, 3 pars), theLPGAstalker finished with a 98 (48/50, 2 pars), Duffer shot an even 100 (49/51, 1 par), daHacker finished with a 101 (50/51, 1 par), and theThrill only had time for nine playing the front to a 51.
After golf the crew headed to 744 West in West Haven where if you catch the early bird specials or other specials you get a good meal at a great price...
Sept 4, 2011 - Tradition of Oaklane, Woodbridge, CT
Another beautiful day for golf with temps in the low 80's, sunny skies, and slight breezes gave us no golf excuses due to weather conditions. On this Thursday the crew consisted of Mark "theRook" Casparino , Mike "McBogey" McQuade, Bob "PrimeTime" Primavera, Gregg "theHat" Wright, "Duffer" Dave DeFlumeri, Jim "daHacker" Polony, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Oak Lane is situated in the town of Woodbridge, just 20 minutes from New Haven. Formerly known as Oak Lane County Club, the course was both renamed and renovated when it was acquired by the management team at The Tradition Golf Club at Wallingford. The course is player friendly enough to appeal to players of all skill levels but there are still several challenges in store as you navigate from hole to hole starting with the course's toughest hole #1 that requires a good drive in the fairway and an all important second shot. Numerous strategically placed bunkers lurk along the greens and towering trees also frame most of the holes. The holes are mostly straightforward with a few tricky doglegs that force accurate shots with proper club selection. You'll also be confronted with the occasional water hazards, fairway bunkers, fast undulating greens and thick rough that test your accuracy and short-game skills. A fun course that this golfer would recommend to anyone looking for a place to play in New Haven County area of CT. On this day the course was in great shape with true, quick greens.
Leading the way was theHat with an 87 (43/44, 1birdie, 4 pars), next in was BleedBlue with a 92 (48/44, 5 pars), theRook (50/46, 2 pars) & PrimeTime (53/43, 1 birdie, 4 pars) both chipped in with 96's, McBogey played to a 99 (50/49, 2 pars), next in was Duffer with a 103 (53/50) and daHacker finished with a 120 (60/60).
After golf we went down to the Post Road in Orange to the Wood N Tap where the beer was cold, the nachos were great, and the sandwiches left no one unhappy. Another fun day on and off the links......
August 28, 2014 - Twin Hill Country Club - Coventry, CT
A postcard perfect day with temps in the high 70's, no humidity, and sunny blue skies was our weather backdrop on this first Thursday outing of our season. Making the trip to Coventry were Noel "theLPGAstalker" Gabrielle, Bob "admitsToKnowingNoel" Primavera, Stan "theMan" Magda, "Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, Gregg "theHat" Wright, "Duffer" Dave DeFlumeri, Jim "daHacker" Polony, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Twin Hills is a well maintained course with a nice mix of holes of various lengths and directions with the country charm of stone walls, a covered bridge and its signature stone bridge located on hole #3. Course knowledge definitely comes into play on several holes with doglegs right or left in which some of those corners can be cut with the driver from the tee box and others in which you are best off playing straight with a fairway wood or iron. The tee boxes were in good shape, the fairways were well kept and cut, the rough was very playable, the bunkers were well maintained with adequate sand, and the greens were what I would describe as slow to medium speed that were very true. The course has a very elementary club house with no pro-shop but they do have a decent snack bar and do sell beer at reasonable prices. I would say the course definitely has the "country" part found in their name with the smell of nearby farms prevalent on most of the holes making for a relaxing setting for a round of golf. Overall another fun course, not the best of the best but a good place to enjoy a round with very reasonable everyday rates for the locals.
Leading the way was theHat with an 81 (41/40, 1 birdie, 7 pars), next in was Bomber (47/38, 10 pars) and BleedBlue (44/41, 7 pars) coming in with 85's, just behind them was admitsToKnowingNoel with an 86 (44/42, 6 pars), theLPGAstalker chipped in with a 91 (48/43, 1 birdie, 4 pars), next in was theMan with a 92 (47/45, 2 pars), sources say that Duffer played his best round ever at a 95 (50/45, 5 pars, congrats D!), theGooseHunter played to a 99 (49/50, 2 pars), and daHacker finished with a 108 (58/50, 1 birdies, 1 par).
After golf we went to one of theLPGAstalker college day haunts, historic Bidwell Tavern on Main Street in Coventry where we had good brews and good chews...
August 20, 2014 - Norwich Golf Course - Norwich, CT
After our first rain out in years the crew got back to the course in Norwich, CT on this Wednesday with a great weather day with sunny blue skies and temps in the mid 80's. Our crew on this day consisted of "Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, Gregg "theHat" Wright, John "YergerMiester" Yerger, Jim "daHacker" Polony, Fred "noEscalators" Mayernik, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, Mike "McBogey" McQuade, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Norwich Golf Course is municipal course located minutes away from the Mohegan Sun. It is a par 71 course that in the 2 years we have made the trip has had good conditions, a friendly staff, and an overall fun course where you can go low if your game is ready. On this day the course was in excellent condition with good tee boxes, plush fairways, medium rough, bunkers with adequate sand, and medium-fast small greens that were extremely true. The course is a par 71 with wide fairways with some short par 4's allowing for a nice chance to shoot low scores. The course has 3 sets of tees measuring out at: Blue 6228/70/131, White 5802/68/125, Red 5040/70/122. Overall a fun, well maintained, course less than 5 minutes from the Mohegan Sun casino that I would recommend to anyone in the area looking for a fair priced round of golf.
Leading the way was theHat with an excellent 80 (40/40, 2 birdies, 8 pars), next in was YergerMeister with an 81 (43/38, 8 pars), just behind them was noEscalators with an 82 (43/39, 8 pars), congrats to theGooseHunter breaking 90 (heard it was the first time?) with an 89 (43/46, 5 pars), Bomber also played to an 89 (47/42, 5 pars), BleedBlue hacked the front 9 playing to a 91 (50/41, 1 birdies, 2 pars), McBogey played to a 99 (50/49, 2 pars) with one unsuccessful kill chance on FM (who hasn't almost hit one of their playing partners?) , and daHacker finished with a 109 (54/55, 1 par).
Another fun day on the links and after 5 of us went to the buffet at Mohegan where if you go home hungry there is something wrong with you as the food is very good and plentiful. Our remaining schedule moves to Thursdays which allows some guys to join us more often and others unfortunately we may not see till next season. Hope to see everyone at least once or twice before the golf season ends....
August 6, 2014 - Shenecossett Country Club - Groton, CT
A picture perfect day for golf in Groton, CT with temps in the high 70's, sunny skies, with frequent cooling breezes and wind was the weather backdrop on this August Wednesday. Making the trip to Shenny was Noel "theLPGAstalker" Gabrielle, Jim "daHacker" Polony, Fred "noEscalators" Mayernik, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, Mike "McBogey" McQuade, "Thunder" Dan Fairchild, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Shenecossett Country Club is as close to links golf as you can find in CT with areas of long fescue rough, numerous bunkers strategically placed through out the course, hard, true, quick greens, areas around the greens where you can putt from many yards away from the hole, and frequent wind or breezes off of LI Sound and the Thames River. There are fantastic views of the Thames River and the Long Island Sound looking from the 16th and 17th holes, and at any time, one might see a tall ship, a coast guard cutter or a nuclear submarine navigating the waterways. The course was founded in 1898 as a four-hole layout and in the subsequent 18 years, the course was enlarged to a six, nine, eleven, and eventually eighteen-hole track. In 1916, famed golf course architect Donald Ross began his redesign of the course layout and in 1919 completing his work rerouting three of the holes The course remained unchanged until 1997, in which a land swap with Pfizer gave the course the property to build the three holes overlooking the water. Famous golfers who have walked the fairways at Shennecossett include Arnold Palmer, Walter Hagen, Bobby Jones, Tommy Armour, Francis Ouimet, Babe Didrikson, and many more notables. Conditions on this day were improved over last year with most of the course in excellent shape except for a few tee boxes that were in need of resodding. The greens were quick and true, the fairways were tightly mowed, the bunkers had ample sand, and the rough was as expected playable when just off the fairway along with the links style long fescue when you strayed too far off the track. The course has three sets of tees measuring out at 6562/71.7/124 from the blues, 6062/69.3/123 from the whites, and 5351/70.9/123 from the reds.
Leading the way on this day was BleedBlue shooting an 81 (43/38, 11 pars), right behind him was noEscalators with an 82 (42/40, 9 pars), next in was Thunder with a 92 (51/41, 1 birdie, 7 pars), theGooseHunter chipped in with a 94 (49/45, 3 pars), theLPGAstalker (48/53, 1 par) and McBogey (51/51, 2 pars) both finished with a 101, and daHacker had a great round at 102 (51/51, 1 par).
After golf the crew stayed at the 19th where we enjoyed brew and chew. The food was good, the beer was cold, and the company excellent. My only complaint about our annual trip to Shenny is that it is just once a year with the course located in Groton and not closer to our base of operations so we could get to enjoy the course more than once a year. Another great trip to Groton with no issues regarding tee times (see last years report) leaves this reporter once again looking forward to playing Shenny in the future....
July 30, 2014 - Cranwell Golf Club - Lenox, MA
A road trip to the Berkshires was made by some of our group to Lenox, MA where we played Cranwell Golf Club. Our group on this day was made up of "Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, Gregg "theHat" Wright, Jim "daHacker" Polony, "Duffer" Dave DeFlumeri, John "YergerMiester" Yerger, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Cranwell is a 18 hole regulation course located at the Cranwell Resort, Spa & Golf Club facility in Lenox, MA. The course offer 4 sets of tees measuring out at Blue 5991/70.0/123, White 5714/69.4/120, Gold 5000/65.8/118, and Red 4881/70.2/121 for a par of 70. The course was designed by Wayne E. Stiles, ASGCA/John Van Kleek and opened in 1926. The course is a typical resort course found in the Northeast with some holes routed through the main resort with housing overlooking many holes and others weaved through wooded parcels of the resort. On this day the course was very soggy after being closed for the previous 2 days due to big storms that went through the prior couple of days. The course offers several holes with good scoring opportunities as well as several that are challenging with narrow fairways. Many of the greens are undulating making it imperative to stay below the hole to have putting success on those holes. Overall the course was a fun play, in relatively good shape despite the soggy conditions, many holes the tee boxes were a bit beat up, the greens were medium to medium fast, and the traps were very wet or water filled. I would recommend the course dependent upon the price you pay to play as the regular posted prices are way too steep in this reporter's opinion but if you play at the $25 cert price it is a bargain.
Leading the way on this day was YergerMiester with an 85 (43/42, 4 pars), next in was BleedBlue with an 86 (44/42, 5 pars), theHat chipped with a 90 (46/44, 1 birdie, 1 par), next in was Bomber with a 93 (50/43, 5 pars), Duffer played to a 100 (48/52, 2 pars), and daHacker finished with a 108 (50/58).
After golf the crew stepped up our after golf meal and went to a nice rustic restaurant, the Cork N’ Hearth, where we were seated with a beautiful lake view. The food was tasty, the beer was cold, and the company was great. Overall a fun day, that was worth the drive, and if the course is on the certificate again next season I would make the trip once again.
July 23, 2014 - Tradition Golf Club at Wallingford, Wallingford, CT
AA large contingent played Tradition of Wallyworld on this hot and humid day with temps in the high 80's to low 90's with mostly summy skies and strong breezes. On this day our crew consisted of "Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, Mike "McBogey" McQuade, Gregg "theHat" Wright, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, Jim "daHacker" Polony, Phil "theThrill" Tortora, "Duffer" Dave DeFlumeri, Fred "noEscalators" Mayernik, Noel "theLPGAStalker", "Bullet" Bob Blauch, John "YergerMiester" Yerger, John "MoparMan" Onofrio, Mike "FatchaGaloop" Ricci, and yours truly Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
The course on this day was in good shape with medium fast true greens, great fairways, good tee boxes, and excellent service in the pro shop and on the course. Tradition of Wallingford is a 18 course with a variety of long and short holes, bordering I-91 and within the Pilgrim Harbor condo complex. The course features an island green short par 3 (#12) which is fun hole for a course here in CT. The rest of the course has a mix of holes that vary from quirky to straight forward all requiring good shots off the tee with the driver or a lesser club on many holes. The course is not forgiving if you stray too far off the fairways with ample places to lose a ball or baker's dozen by daHacker . The course has 4 sets of tees: Gold 70.1/124/6120, Blue 68.8/121/5781, White 66.9/119/5400,and Red 66.8/117/4455. Overall the course was in good shape, fast and true greens, adequate tee boxes and fairway conditions. p class="two"> Leading the way was Bomber with an excellent 81 (40/41, 1 birdie, 7 pars), far behind were BleedBlue (41/45, 6 pars) & noEscalators (41/45, 5 pars) both shooting 86, next in was YergerMiester with an 89 (41/48, 5 pars), right behind him was theHat with a 90 (45/45, 6 pars), theLPGAStalker chipped in with a 96 (47/49, 3 pars), Duffer, (53/48, 2 pars) MoparMan (47/54, 1 par), & theGooseHunter (50/51, 4 pars) all played to a 101, FatchaGaloop chipped in with a 102 (50/52, 2 pars), McBogey finished with a 106 (52/54, 2 pars), theThrill chipped in with a 107 (54/53), Bullet played 16 holes at a 107, and daHacker finished with a 116 (53/63, 2 pars).
After our respective rounds a good part of the crew stayed on for
brew and chew at the 19th where the food was good and the beer was
cold. Another great day on the links and it was great to see such a
large turnout! Our crew at the 19th, thanks to Gregg for getting the pic:
July 16, 2014 - Gillette Ridge Golf Club, Bloomfield, CT
The early week and prior day's forecast for this Wednesday in July was sketchy but other than overnight and early morning showers this golf day turned out to be almost perfect for this time of year in CT with temps in the mid to high 70's and emerging sunny skies. Our group shrunk to 8 players on the morning of our round when "No Show" Noel Gabrielle and Phil "El Copo" Tortora bowed out for reasons given that best can be described as excuses that a golfer wearing a skirt may give for passing on a day's round. When I began playing golf less than 10 years ago a cancellation on the day of a booked tee time was frowned upon and in most cases a loss of your prepaid greens fee thus only when weather really was a factor could you cancel on the day of your tee time without losing money. While losing greens fees for cancelling on the day of a booked tee time only holds true for very few courses today due to the lack of golf play in recent years it still is in the opinion of this golf reporter a lack of consideration to the person, daHacker, that takes the time to book our tee times, coordinate our weekly excursions, and explain to courses why we don't have the # of players he requested tee times for in the first place. The ask for all in our group is that if you aren't positive you will play on any given Wednesday please don't ask for a tee time and if you do commit to play please at least give 24 hours notice if you require bowing out for that week. Unexpected circumstances do occur and are understandable that require a player to cancel their time on a day of play but in recent weeks reasons given for cancelling on the morning of our play have been questionable at best and are disrespectful to the efforts put in by our golf coordinator each week.
Our group on this day was Gregg "theHat" Wright, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, Jim "daHacker" Polony, "Thunder" Dan Fairchild, Stan "theMan" Magda, Fred "noEscalators" Mayernik, "Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony. Leading the way was noEscaltors with an 83 (43/40, 3 birdies, 6 pars), next in was yours truly with an 84 (2 birdies, 5 pars), Bomber chipped in with an 88 (47/41, 1 birdie, 7 pars), next in was Thunder with an 89 (44/45, 5 pars), theHat played to a 90 (46/44, 8 pars), theMan finished with a 99 (51/48, 3 pars), theGooseHunter left all the geese unharmed playing to a 101 (52/49, 3 pars), and daHacker finished with a 116 (55/61, 1 par).
Course conditions were comparable to our first trip to Gillette this year and once again they did not sign our certificates leaving the possibility of another return trip in future weeks. The group stayed on at the 19th for brew and chew where the beers were cold and the food was tasty. Another fun, nice day on the links......
July 9, 2014 - Blue Fox Run, Avon, CT
It's July in CT and the weather was nothing unusual with sunny skies, high humidity, and temps in the high 80's. Our group on this day was Gregg "theHat" Wright, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, Jim "daHacker" Polony, "Thunder" Dan Fairchild, Stan "theMan" Magda, Fred "noEscalators" Mayernik, "Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, "Duffer" Dave DeFlum, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Blue Fox is found along the Farmington River, in the shadows of Talcott Mountains, featuring 27 holes that allow for three distinct 18-hole layouts. Some holes have the classic New England style tree-lined fairways while others are open and reminiscent of links golf. Some holes at Blue Fox Run gave you ample room off the tee, while others require more shot making skill, with smaller greens and extensive bunkering. On this day we played the short combination of Red-White courses which are pars 34/36 respectively with totals for yards/slope/rating from the black tees at 6205, 123, 70.1, from the blue tees at 6010, 122, 69.1, from the white at 5397, 113, 65.9, and from the red at 4703, 121, 68.08. The Red course is definitely short and quirky with the White course playing longer with a couple of tricky greens especially hole number 1. On this day the greens were extremely slow, the fairways were lush, sand traps had ample sand, and the tee boxes were also very good. Hopefully next year we will get to play the Blue/White but as always Blue Fox Run is a fun course where if you are playing well you can shoot some low numbers.
Leading the way on this day was NoEscalators shooting an excellent 80 (39/41, 7 pars), next in was TheHat with an 85 (41/44, 3 birdies, 3 pars), Bomber chipped in with an 86 (40/48, 1 birdie, 4 pars), BleedBlue shot an 87 (42/45, 2 birdies, 3 pars), Thunder played to a 90 (44/49, 1 birdie, 5 pars), theGooseHunter chipped in with a 93 (49/44, 6 pars), theMan played to a 94 (43/51, 4 pars), Duffer finished with a 102 (47/55, 2 pars), and daHacker finished with a 107 (48/59, 1 par).
Another fun hot day on the links in Avon, CT. After golf the crew stayed at the 19th where we gladly bought our share of $3 happy hour drafts and enjoyed the standard 19th hole fare. A common complaint I had for Fox and for many of the courses we play is the lack of water to drink on the course. I can't really help you too much with your golf game but I do have 1 tip for everyone in the group please pack water and/or sports drinks for our rounds especially on the hot days of summer. Hydration is key in hot weather to perform at your best and not to get wiped out by the heat so don't forget to take in fluids throughout your round during the dog days of summer.
July 2, 2014 - Quarry Ridge Golf Club, Portland, CT
Sunny, hot, and humid with temps in low 90's with a refreshing breeze from time to time made for a typical summer July day in CT for our weekly golf excursion in Portland, CT. Making up the crew on this day were Mike "McBogey" McQuade, "Duffer" Dave DeFlumerGregg "theHat" Wright, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, Jim "daHacker" Polony, Phil "theThrill" Tortora, "Thunder" Dan Fairchild, and yours truly Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
The scenic eighteen holes at Quarry Ridge are set among rolling hills and granite rock outcroppings built in 1993 on the site of a former rock quarry. The course overlooks the Meshomasic State Forest and the Connecticut River in Portland, CT. The course is well maintained with a more than friendly staff including an on course beer cart on this day driven by the most attractive young lady this season. The fairways were lush, narrow and were a must to hit in order to have a good day, the traps and tee boxes were in excellent condition, and the greens were quick and true. The layout of the course demands accuracy over length and will eat up balls if you leave the fairways with daHacker donating a baker's dozen on this day with each of us on in my group donating a few balls as well. The course has 4 sets of tees with the Blacks at 6389/70.9/124, Blues at 6049/69.5/119, Whites 5213/65.1/108, and Reds at 4852/68.7/117.
Leading the way on this day was TheHat with a 96 (47/49, 1 birdie, 3 pars) , next in was BleedBlue with a 97 (47/50, 2 pars), chipping in at a 100 were TheGooseHunter (50/50, 1 par) and McBogey (53/47, 2 pars), Thunder played to a 103 (53/50, 1 par), theThrill shot a 105 (50/55), and daHacker finished with a 115 (56/59).
After golf four of stayed at the 19th where we enjoyed our sandwiches and beverages. Each year Quarry provides a well maintained, challenging course where if you bring your A-game you can score well and if you don't as was the case for many in our group your scores will reflect your erratic play.
June 25, 2014 - Simsbury Farms Golf Course, West Simsbury, CT
Summer officially arrived a few days prior to our trip to Simsbury Farms and it was in full force on this Wednesday with hazy, hot, and humid conditions as our weather back drop. Making the trip this week were Mike "McBogey" McQuade, Gregg "theHat" Wright, Noel "theLPGAstalker" Gabrielle, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, "Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, "Duffer" Dave DeFlumeri, Jim "daHacker" Polony, Stan "theMan" Magda, Fred "noEscalators" Mayernik, and the golfer reporter Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
The 18-hole Simsbury Farms Golf Club in Simsbury, CT is a par 72 public golf course that opened in 1972. The course features 4 sets of tees and measures out at Blue: 6509/71.2/129, White 6119/69.2/126, Gold 5800/67.8/124, and Red 5400/70.8/122. The course is classic New England with rolling hills, tree lined fairways, a few instances of water, and a friendly staff. The course on this day was in great shape with lush fairways, well maintained tee boxes and sand traps, areas under repair clearly marked, and fast, true greens. A fun, straight forward, nicely maintained course that easily earns a spot in our prime months of summer for our semi organized traveling golf tour.
Leading the way this week was TheHat with a great 82 (42/40, 1 birdie, 6 pars), just one back was Bomber with an 83 (41/42, 2 birdies, 5 pars), next in was McBogey with an 87 (42/45, 2 birdies, 5 pars), noEscalators chipped in with a 91 (48/43, 1 birdie, 2 pars), BleedBlue played to a 95 (50/45, 3 pars), theGooseHunter finished with a 100 (53/47, 1 par), theMan played to a 109 (55/54, 1 par), Duffer chipped in with a 110 (57/53) and daHacker finished with a 111 (58/53, 1 par).
After golf the crew stayed at the 19th on the course where the brew was cold and tasty and the chew was adequate. Far from a fine dining on course restaurant but you can a decent sandwich or burger with a decent beer list. Another fun trip to Simsbury and once again we hope to be back next season....
June 18, 2014 - The Tradition Golf Club at Oak Lane - Woodbridge, CT
A warm, humid, sunny day with temps in the high 80's made for a good weather day for our round in Woodbridge on this Wednesday. A small crew on this day consisted of Jim "daHacker" Polony, "Thunder" Dan Fairchild, "Duffer" Dave DeFlumeri, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Oak Lane is situated in the town of Woodbridge, just 20 minutes from New Haven. Formerly known as Oak Lane County Club, the course was both renamed and renovated when it was acquired by the management team at The Tradition Golf Club at Wallingford. The course is player friendly enough to appeal to players of all skill levels but there are still several challenges in store as you navigate from hole to hole starting with the course's toughest hole #1 that requires a good drive in the fairway and an all important second shot. Numerous strategically placed bunkers lurk along the greens and towering trees also frame most of the holes. The holes are mostly straightforward with a few tricky doglegs that force accurate shots with proper club selection. You'll also be confronted with the occasional water hazards, fairway bunkers, fast undulating greens and thick rough that test your accuracy and short-game skills. A fun course that this golfer would recommend to anyone looking for a place to play in New Haven County area of CT.
The course was great but our scores were far from it with Thunder leading the way with a 93 (47/46, 4 pars), BleedBlue finished with a 98 (49/49, 2 pars), Duffer was next in with a 114 (59/55, 1 par), and daHacker played to a 122 (65/57). While I played like crap the company was great and as the saying goes a bad day of golf is better than a good day at work. I would like to get to this course again in 2014 to see if I can use some lessons learned playing it on this day in a future round.
June 11, 2014 - Tallwood Country Club - Hebron, CT
The two year plus stretch of rain free golf outing days resulting from daHacker's promises to the weather God's was broken on this Wednesday but the streak of playable weather has not been broken. The day was comfortable with temps in the low 70's with overcast skies to start with light showers and drizzle for 4 or 5 holes on the back nine ending with overcast and peeks of sun at the end of our rounds. Making the trip to Hebron were Stan "theMan" Magda, "Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, Jim "daHacker" Polony, "Thunder" Dan Fairchild, "Duffer" Dave DeFlumeri, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Tallwood's website states "Tallwood is known for it’s classic New England landscape. Situated on over 200 acres of rolling country farmland Tallwood is the perfect place for a quiet golf escape. Whether it’s a round with friends, some practice time or your after work league Tallwood is where you can enjoy golf in a peaceful natural surrounding." This golfer couldn't have said it any better when describing the course other than adding it is a fun course with reasonable rates even when playing at regular course rates. The course has great practice areas and can boast about its very friendly staff. The course has 4 sets of tees measuring out at as follows: Black 6523/126/71.2, Blue 6374/122/70.1, White 6126/121/69.3, and Red 5424/126/71.9. The course has water in play on about half of the holes being especially prevalent on the back nine. On this day the tee boxes were in average condition needing attention to avoid deterioration to poor condition, the fairways were lush, the rough was deep but not US Open deep, the bunkers were in good shape, and the greens were very slow and very true. Overall I would recommend Tallwood to anyone who asks about courses to play in this part of CT.
Leading the way on this day was Thunder with an 84 (38/46, 1 birdie, 8 pars) despite an 8 on the 15th hole where he did a good Tin Cup impersonation, next in was Bomber with an 86 (43/43, 1 birdie, 6 pars), BleedBlue played to an 88 (42/46, 6 pars), theMan survived his first round with daHacker chipping in with a 96 (49/47, 2 pars), Duffer played to a 113 (52/61, 1 par), and daHacker finished with a 120 (55/65).
After golf "theMan" , "daHacker", "Duffer", and "BleedBlue" headed down the road to Glastonbury to Diamond Pub and Grill for brew and chew. Personally I wouldn't recommend this place for next year as the food was average at best and the prices were not all that great even getting some at happy hour prices. Next year we try some place else for our after round activities when we visit Tallwood.
June 4, 2014 - Tower Ridge Country Club - Simsbury, CT
An overcast, warm, and humid day in the low 80's made for a good summer day of golf for our crew at Tower Ridge in Simsbury, CT. The crew on this day was Mike "McBogey" McQuade, John "YergerMiester" Yerger, Gregg "theHat" Wright, Noel "theLPGAstalker" Gabrielle, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, "Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, Jim "daHacker" Polony, Phil "theThrill" Tortora, and the golfer reporter Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Nestled next to Talcott Mountain and the Heublein Tower the 18-hole/par 70 course at Tower Ridge Country Club in Simsbury is one of the most picturesque golf courses in CT. The course has 4 sets of tees measuring out as follows: Black 6450/71.5/130, Blue 6074/70.3/127, White 5624/68.2/125, and Green 4519/70.4/118. Most of the group played from the whites which along with the blue and green were moved forward this year in an effort by the management to provide an opportunity for better scoring and a faster place of play. The course is one that only those who are super fit should consider walking as only a handful of holes along Nod Hill Rd and the Farmington river are not carved out of the hills making for a day of many elevation changes. Several of the holes on the course rank in this reporter's least favorite ever played due to inclined fairways which can be hit dead center off the tee leaving your ball lost in unplayable areas of vegetation, along with those times you are in the fairways the ball is often above or below your feet, and many holes with blind tee shots to the proper landing areas . Definitely a course where local knowledge for those who play there regularly can be a great advantage in club selection both off the tee and for your approach shots into the greens. On this day the course was in good shape with the tee boxes, fairways, sand traps all good to excellent condition. The greens were consistent, medium fast, true, and challenging requiring good reads, proper speed, and a must to score was keeping approach shots below the hole. My take a ways from this day at Tower Ridge are: (1) I think the course should consider cutting the rough shorter in areas that allow making it easier to find balls that are in play but not on the fairway or on the green which would speed pace of play; (2) Find ways to better allow cart access to certain areas of the course along with fixing the existing cart paths; (3) Provide information sheets with directions on navigating from hole to hole in addition to information about holes such as distances to landing areas, hazards, etc. The staff I encountered on this day were very friendly unlike in years past and the course will allow multiple plays using the cert which is very nice for those who would like to return again this season. I don't think Tower will ever be a favorite of this golfer for many reasons but on this day the course was in good shape and it does have distinct challenges that are fun and frustrating for a very good price when using the certificate thus I will gladly return in the future to again try to master this challenging mountain goat course.
Leading the way on this overcast and humid day was theHat (41/46, 1 birdie & 6 pars) & Bomber both shooting 87 (42/45, 1 birdie & 6 pars), next in was BleedBlue with an 88 (42/46, 5 pars), YergerMiester chipped in with a 90 (45/45, 4 pars), theLPGAstalker (51/52, 1 par) and theGooseHunter (53/50, 2 pars )both played to a 103, right behind them was McBogey with a 104 (48/56, 1 birdie & 1 par), theThrill came in with a 107 (50/57, 2 pars) where he illustrated that additional info on directions would be helpful as hit the green for #3 twice in regulation, once from the 2nd fairway and once from the third tee, and last but not least daHacker finished with a 114 (58/56, 1 par).
Upon completion of our respective rounds the group stayed at the on course 19th where we enjoyed brew and chew on the patio overlooking the 18th green. The restaurant has a nice menu of food and beers at comparable prices to most 19th hole establishments and I would say no one was disappointed with their meals. Another fun day on the course and at the 19th. In the future take not that we must be sure to audit daHackers calculations when totaling the bill especially when the waitress is a young and cute as a good 20% tip somehow may double in size if Jimbo is left unchecked....
May 28, 2014 - Hawk's Landing Country Club -
Southington, CT
A weather day better suited for late
November than late May was the backdrop for our weekly outing on
this Wednesday. An overcast day with temps in the mid to upper
50's and winds gusting to 20 mph resulted in wind chills
that made the day feel cooler and more like late fall or early
spring. The members of our group at this first certificate
outing to Hawk's Landing in Southington on this day were
"Thunder" Dan Fairchild, Dave "theSnyper" Hughes, "Duffer" Dave
DeFlumeri, Gregg "theHat" Wright, Stan "theMan" Magda,
"Bullet" Bob Blauch, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, "Bomber"
Bob Fraedrich, Jim "daHacker" Polony , and the golfer reporter Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Hawk’s Landing Country Club is a 18 hole par 70 public golf course located minutes off of I-84 in Southington, CT intertwined among residential neighborhoods with several holes bordering the interstate. The course is short in length overall having 4 sets of tees measuring out at (yards/rating/slope): Blue 5900/68.6/124, White 5355/66.4/119, Gold 4510/63.3/115, and Red 4015/63.9/106. The course was in good shape and even with rain on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning the course seemed relatively dry allowing for unlimited cart use on the course. The tee boxes and fairways had nice green spring grass, the bunkers had adequate but wet sand, the greens were quick and true, and all areas of the course seemed well maintained. The course while short overall with 6 Par 3's that are long with the 7th and 9th playing at 230 and 235 yard from the Blues. The 4 Par 5's offers challenges with narrow fairways on the shorter par 5's and plenty of water hazards to avoid. The 3rd tee box is very close to I-84 as are several other fairways on other holes in addition to the many holes bordered residential homes thus the course can never be described as a quiet or serene track. Overall the course is quirky or different than most courses in CT it's a fun well maintained course that I would play again and if on next season's certificate program a definite to remain on our schedule in 2015.
Leading the way on this overcast and cool day was theHat with an 85 (37/48, 1 birdie, 6 pars), next in was BleedBlue with an 87 (40/47, 1 birdie, 3 pars), Bomber shot a 90 (46/44, 1 birdie, 3 pars), theSnyper chipped in with a 92 (47/45, 1 birdie, 2 pars), theMan played to a 93 (47/46, 2 birdies, 1 par), Thunder played to a 94 (48/46, 4 pars), theGooseHunter (55/52, 1 par) & daHacker (54/53, 1 birdie, 1 par) both came in at 107, Bullet played to a 111 and Duffer (1 par) finished with a 117. And keeping true his moniker theGooseHunter from the 17th fairway was able to clip one Goose in its right wing not causing any injury to the bird who along with his buddies continued to taunt theGooseHunter strolling directly in front of him on his subsequent shot daring him to take another shot and thinking that the first hit could not be replicated. Also in line with his moniker theSnyper hit a few "practice" shots at one of the resident's fences along one of the holes on the back nine where after he put his hand on the fence he discovered it was purposely coating in a tar agent obviously targeting golfers who may be in and around their property line. His playing partners stated theSnyper was anything but cool and collected after said incident blasting one of the course's rangers at the end of the day about the obvious booby trapped fence that ruined his newly bought golf glove. Maybe a new nickname for Mr. Hughes is order: MadDog?
After golf the group stayed for brew and chew at the 19th on the course where the restaurant and banquet facility is an excellent complex. The restuarant sports a multi level outdoor patio and deck that appeared very inviting for outdoor dining when the weather is good. Since the weather was cool and damp for late May we had our meals and beers indoors where we enjoyed the food and company. It was good to meet Stan and Bob for the first time and look forward to seeing them again at future outings.
May 21, 2014 - Gillette Ridge Golf Club -
Bloomfield, CT
A near perfect day here in CT on this
Wednesday with temps in the 70's and partly sunny skies was our
weather setting for this week's outing. Our crew this week consisted
of "Thunder" Dan Fairchild, Mike "McBogey" McQuade, Walt
"theGooseHunter" Baker, "Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, John "YergerMiester"
Yerger, Phil "theThrill" Tortora , Fred "noEscalators" Mayernik, and
the golfer reporter Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Gillette Ridge once was one of the best courses in CT an honor it can no longer claim. The course is a scenic, yet challenging championship Arnold Palmer design originally built by the Cigna corporation in 2004. The course was named for Francis Gillette, a local 19th century reformer, politician and business leader, whose house still stands on the site. Gillette Ridge, in general, has very generous fairways, but small, protected green sites that challenge even highly skilled players. The course has a number of forced carries over extensive wetlands or man-made hazards along with tree lined fairways, and deep rough on most holes making it imperative to hit the fairways to score well. The days of glory are long past for this course since being bought by MDM golf which clearly does not have the resources and/or managerial skills to run a high caliber golf course. The fairways and greens are at best adequate, areas around some of the greens are bare, and there was not a grain of sand in any of the bunkers making them nothing other than mud, rocks, and weeds. And the 18th green covered in goose shit is how you end your round at Gillette Ridge which has a bold and daring design but is unfortunately owned by a barely solvent golf management company who has ran several other Hartford courses into the ground (Goodwin, Keney, and Long Hill) over the past few years and one can only hope they don't do the same to Gillette. My critique of the course is based on how pristine this course once was and how it could be again if the appropriate amount of money was put back into the course. Gillette is still a fun play despite its current flaws I would rate it a 6 out of 10. Leading the way was noEscalators shooting an 85 (44/41, 9 pars), next in was YergerMiester with an 86 (42/44, 5 pars), right behind were BleedBlue (45/42, 1 birdie, 5 pars) and Bomber (45/42, 6 pars) both chipping in with an 87, Thunder blasted his way to a 91 (49/42, 7 pars), McBogey played to a 99 (48/51, 4 pars), theGooseHunter shot a 108 (52/56, 1 par) and didn't take out those bastards on the 18th green unfortunately, and theThrill finished with a 112 (54/58).
After golf we stayed at the 19th where the nice selection of draft beers were very reasonably priced at $3 for happy hour. We enjoyed our brew and chew on the nice outside patio overlooking the 18th green which was nice on this mild May evening. Overall Gillette is still a fun outing and we may end up playing again later in the season as they made it point not to sign our golf certificates allowing us to come back again if we so choose.
May 14, 2014 - Blackledge Country Club - Hebron, CT
Our second outing of the season and despite early forecasts for
showers or drizzle we lucked out with an ideal day for golf with
temps around 70 and partly sunny skies. Making the trip to Hebron on
this Wednesday were "Thunder" Dan Fairchild, Dave "theSnyper"
Hughes, Mark "theRook" Casparino , Mike "McBogey" McQuade, Gregg
"theHat" Wright, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker, "Bomber" Bob
Fraedrich, Jim "daHacker" Polony, Fred "noEscalators" Mayernik, and
this golf scribe Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
Blackledge Country
Club consists of two separate 18 hole golf courses of which we
played the Anderson's Glenn Course on this day. Anderson's Glenn was
in great shape, the tee boxes were well kept, the
fairways were lush and well cut, the rough was fairly deep, the
greens were true, fast, and very unreceptive to approach shots and
the sand traps this reporter encountered had good playable sand.
Others reported the sand traps were less favorable in the later
holes on the back nine. The course had several areas where
maintenance project were in progress or recently completed which has
appeared to be the case on every occasion the group has visited
Blackledge showing an ongoing commitment to the golf courses.
Anderson's Glen has a nice variety of holes with good length and 4
sets of tees with the following stats for length, rating, and slope:
Gold 6787, 72.0, 128; Blue 6394, 70.0, 123; White 6137, 68.9, 122;
Red 5458, 71.9, 123. The course includes some water hazards that
require carry from the tees, well-guarded greens by numerous
bunkers, well placed fairway bunkers, deep rough and well-kept areas
you would prefer not to play from but are able play when shots go
far off target. Blackledge is always a group favorite and for those
that played offer up your reviews on our message board.
Leading the way on this day was theSnyper with an 87 (45/42, 1
birdie, 6 pars), Bomber placed second with a 92 (50/42, 5 pars),
next in were noEscalators (46/47, 4 pars) and BleedBlue (50/43, 4
pars) both shooting 93, right behind were McBogey (48/46, 3 pars)
and theRook (48/46, 4 pars) both shooting 94, Thunder finished with
a 97 (50/47, 2 pars, and no sand taken home) theHat chipped in with
a 98 (47/51, 4 pars), theGooseHunter played to a 102 (50/52, 1 par
and several lucky Geese who were unaware of the danger that was
around them), and daHacker finished with a 117 (59/58).
After
our 18 holes the crew stayed at the 19th on the course for chew and
brew both of which were enjoyable as was the company!
May 7, 2014 - Timberlin Golf Club - Berlin, CT
Our season opened on May 7th at Timberlin Golf Club in Berlin,
CT. The weather was great for early May in CT with temps in the high
60's and partly sunny skies. Our opening day crew this year consisted of
"Thunder" Dan Fairchild, Phil "theThrill" Tortora, Mike "McBogey"
McQuade, Gregg "theHat" Wright, Walt "theGooseHunter" Baker,
"Bomber" Bob Fraedrich, Jim "daHacker" Polony, and this reporter Dave
"BleedBlue" Polony.
Timberlin is classic New England course with
tree lined fairways, water in play on several holes, and strategically
placed bunkering. The course has four sets of tees playing as a par 72
with the following specs (yards/slope/rating) with the blues at
6797/127/72, the whites at 6342/126/70.2, the yellows at 5831/124/67.6,
and the reds at 5472/121/71.7. I reiterate what I have said in years
past that Timberlin doesn't disappoint with great conditions for early
May and again I look forward to playing the course again in future
years. For those that played offer up your reviews on our message board.
Leading the way on this day was Bomber with a 95 (44/51, 6 pars), next in was theHat (46/50, 4 pars) and BleedBlue (47/49, 2 pars) both shooting 96, next in was Thunder who is still cleaning out the sand from is shoes and contacts chipping in with a 103 (45/58, 3 pars and something about no beach vacation this year?), theGooseHunter played to a 112 (57/55), McBogey came in with a 113 (56/57, 1 par), theThrill finished with a 114 (56/58) and daHacker had his moments playing to a 122 (61/61).
After golf 6 of our crew stayed on for chew and brew at the 19th on the course where the food was pretty good and the beer was cold. A great season opener for our traveling golf show! It was great to see everyone after a long cold winter! Hope to see everyone from this week and those that were unable to play on this day in the week's to come......
Spring Training 2014 -
Sleeping Giant
Golf Course, Hamden, CT
4/1:
A small contingent played nine holes on April 1st at Sleeping Giant
in Hamden, CT where the weather was nice and it was great to get out for
the first time this year for our entire group. A day above 55 degrees
was greatly welcomed by Dave "theDuffer" DeFlumeri, Fred "noEscalators"
Mayernik, Jim "daHacker" Polony, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
The course still had some remnants of snow here and there but overall
was very playable for April 1. All of us were extremely rusty from our
winter golf hibernation yet we muddled through and improved as the round
progressed. Leading the way was yours truly and noEscalators both shooting
44, with theDuffer shooting at 53, and daHacker finishing with a 62.
After golf we went to Aunt Chiladas for brew and chew which I highly
recommend if you are able to get to their happy hour at the bar when
prices are very favorable, otherwise their normal prices are average to above
average and the food lately has been IMHO only average. It was a good season opener for
this foursome and look forward to seeing more of the crew in upcoming
weeks.
4/8: The crew on this day was Fred
"noEscalators"
Mayernik, Jim "daHacker" Polony, and Dave "BleedBlue" Polony.
The course in just one week showed some signs of early spring growth and
the weather was great with temps in the mid 60's at our tee time of
4:20.
Leading the way was BleedBlue with a 39 with an Eagle on the Par 5 fifth
hole, next in was noEscalators with a 48, and daHacker played to a very
respectable 52. After golf we headed down the road to Sergios for brew
and chew where this stringer almost weekly visits for pizza and Italian
fare. The food is excellent, the prices are reasonable, the staff is
friendly, and overall I would recommend Sergios to anyone looking for
pizza or Italian food in the area around Sleeping Giant.
4/22: Overcast and showers for our ending
holes was the weather backdrop for the finale of spring training for
this group. Leading the way was theDuffer with a 46, daHacker played to
a 54, and BleedBlue finished with a 48.
Tradition at Oaklane, Woodbrige, CT
4/23: On a blustery April day the contingent of Walt "theGooseHunter", Mike "McBogey" McQuade, and Fred "NoEscalators" Mayernik got out for some Spring Training golf and reports were they had a good time despite the weather but scores were not recorded for posterity. This group also has been out at Stanley where they reported good conditions and Woodbridge where they played really early in the Spring where they were able to open early in the season but had temporary greens on a couple holes.
Laurel View Country Club, Hamden, CT
5/2: Michael, "theTexan", Ricci was up
from big D for a long weekend in CT visiting his family made time for 18 holes with
his pop Mike, "FatchaGaloop", Ricci, Jim "daHacker", and yours truly
"BleedBlue" Polony and thankfully we had nice weather with temps in
the mid 60's and partly sunny skies. With the deluge of rain
received over the previous 3 days the course was very soggy with
causal water somewhere on almost every hole but not so much to ruin
a good golf day with family and friends. Too early and too wet to
judge course conditions at Laurel View so this reporter will abstain
on commenting on the course until I have played later in the season.
Leading the way was this reporter with an 87 (46/41, 1 birdie, 5
pars), next in was theTexan with a 93 (48/45 5 pars), FatchaGaloop
chipped in with a 112 (58/54, 1 par) and daHacker finished with a
121 (61/60). While less than ideal course conditions due to all of
the rain it was great to get out with family and friends who are
just like family....