[Martin Del Vecchio]

The 97th Massachusetts Amateur is underway at Essex County Club.

Frequent GCA contributor Brad Tufts shot a 76 in yesterday's brutal heat, and came back with a 69 today.  He currently sits on the cut line, with the bulk of the field still on the course.

[Martin Del Vecchio]

Stroke play is over, and Mr. Tufts tied for 9th.  He shot one of only three under-par rounds today.  The low-32 cut for match play was at +9.  Scores available at http://www.duhamelgroup.com/EventWeb/Scoring/Leaderboard_2r.asp?ClientID=100&EventNum=29.

I believe that most Massachusetts-based GCA folks can get on Essex when they need to.  But for those who can't, this is a great chance to see one of the two truest Ross courses.

Match play begins tomorrow morning.

[Willie_Dow]

Did Jim Deveney or Mike Moonves play ?  They were hitting the ball great at Kittansett this past weekend.  We seniors stick together, vs implements and balls !

[rjsimper]

Ahh Bradford, my eternally beloved college teammate, who is currently mentally preparing for the first round of matches tomorrow against a lower seeded opponent - the luxury of being T-9

T-U-F-T-S Tufts - how bout a cut driver off the deck from behind a bush contest?

[Don Herdrich]

Lets go Mr Tufts!  Hope your teacher has helped you out lately!  At least you don't have much of a drive from your club!

As far as Essex, I do prefer Charles River and Winchester, but it is a nice course in a great location.

[Martin Del Vecchio]

I would rank them 1) Essex, 2) Charles River, 3) Winchester.  I have played Essex four times, and the other two once each.

Neither Deveny nor Moonves shows up in the scoring, so I guess they didn't qualify.

And for some reason, this event is scheduled opposite the US Publinx, so several top MA amateurs (Jim Renner, Michael Welch) are there instead.

And I don't know anything about Brad's first-round opponent, Jeff Mucciarone.

[Pat K]

     Neither Jim or Mike qualified. I'm not sure if either tried. An interesting little note. We had the 1993 amateur here at Essex. The cut was 145. This year It's 12 years later, equipment is better, the ball is better. The course has had it's fairways expanded, the short grass around the greens greatly expanded,hundreds of trees removed, the course is much more playable. The cut was 149 this year. As the keeper of the greens I'm dumbfounded by this. With all the emphesis on lenth what gives.
     
 

[Martin Del Vecchio]

Brad won his first match 1 up, after being 1 down through 15.  He now plays Jack Kearney in the round of 16.

Pat, what were the conditions in 1993?  I know it was extremely hot and humid Monday, and I assume that the greens were very firm.  If the greens were soggy in 1993, that might help explain it.

[ChipRoyce]

Thanks Martin for the update.

I used to live in Manchester, one of the great perks of being a resident was unlimited play of Essex each evening as part of a deal struck between the club and the townsfolks a.k.a. "Town Golf".

Wondering if you, or anyone, can comment on the condition as the course setup can vary from year to year depending on rain and other conditions?

Has the 14th hole (new par 3 to replace the old, litigous version) matured nicely?

Also, interested to learn how the course has evolved over the past 3 years as a result of Tom D's master plan.

Great to see that Pat K has chimed in - how've you been?

Best,
Chip

[Martin Del Vecchio]

I last played there two years ago.  That winter and spring was the worst on record, if I recall.  Several greens, like #3, sustained serious damage, and the course was soaked.  But the crew still managed to get it in shape for the MA Amateur qualifier.  My own club (Bass Rocks, one town away) suffered for the entire season, and didn't get right until July of last year.

When I first played the new hole, I wasn't aware that the course had been changed.  I was immediately struck by how the bunker(s) in front of the green gave the hole a different look than the rest of the course.

Essex is one of my favorite courses I have ever played.  I guess I should have moved to Manchester-By-The-Sea!

[Martin Del Vecchio]

Brad lost his 2nd-round match to Jack Kearney, consistently one of the best amateurs in MA.  Congratulations, Brad.

[rjsimper]

good showing tufts - now get your ass out to CA

[Pat K]

     The only difference in course set up has been the new pin placements from the green expansions, but the placements weren't used for the medal play. Some will be used now that we are in the match play portion of the tournament.
      In 93 the course was pretty burnt out and the ball was running well. As I said this year it was much softer. It has firmed up well though, the wind hasn't stopped since Monday morning.
     

[Scott_Burroughs]

Here's Essex County from above:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=2522

[Pat K]

Scott,
      Do you know when the photo was taken?  I haven't looked very closely but it's from at least 3 years ago. It has the old forteenth hole. Now several hundred trees are gone, the fairways are much larger, the greens larger with square fronts and the bunkering somewhat different.

[ChipRoyce]

Pat;
Next time I'm up there, will be sure to drive around to check out the tree clearing. All I had seen of this was the first bit of work, around the landing area of 18 and what a difference that made for the 2nd shot.

[Brad Tufts]

All-

Thank you for your kind words of encouragement, and to Martin especially for providing updates over the past two days.

Essex was outstanding this week, and it will continue to challenge the best players in the state until the final putt drops on Friday afternoon.  Kudos to Pat K. and his staff for providing excellent conditions, espcially green speeds that were fast but fair considering some of the severe (fun if you ask me) slopes found at Essex.

As for me, I just ran out of gas sometime on the front nine yesterday, as both Jack Kearney and I were well over par by the time our match ended on Hole 15.  However, I've learned what happens to my swing when I get tired, and I will be back.  I was amazed at the time I spent getting as far as I did, when I was still 4+ rounds from the finish, as these events definately have a marathon-like quality.

Thanks again,

Brad

Simper - I dont know about the driver around a bush contest, but I know you'd win one involving hitting drivers off of dried leaves and tree stumps....

[Scott_Burroughs]

Scott,
      Do you know when the photo was taken?  I haven't looked very closely but it's from at least 3 years ago. It has the old forteenth hole. Now several hundred trees are gone, the fairways are much larger, the greens larger with square fronts and the bunkering somewhat different.

Yes, it was taken at least 3 years ago (notice the thread was dated 2002), and likely at least a year before that.  There might be a newer aerial on Google and likely one on GlobeXplorer.

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