US Mid Am Qualifier @ Yale

[Mike_Sweeney]

At 6736 yards, the USGA must be happy as Par was once again preserved in this weeks US Mid Am Qualifier at Yale.

http://tinyurl.com/qr464

However, I am told that it was firm and windy.

[John Kavanaugh]

You would be surprised how short of yardage is used for qualifiers..You just gotta get done.

Raymond Floyd Jr. a member of Deepdale...nice.  He must be out on his own being a mid-am and all..

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Were the weather conditions bruttle or the green slick as glass. Those are pretty high scores for a strong qualifyer

[Michael Moore]

I see that there were a fair number of NC's from some very high profile clubs.

Where does the USGA stand on failure to return a card? Is there a penalty?

[Jason Blasberg]

I've got to give a shout-out to our defending club champ Jonathan Jame who qualified for the Mid-Am at Elmwood as co-medalist with a 70.

 

[John_Cullum]

I see that there were a fair number of quitters from some very high profile clubs.

Where does the USGA stand on failure to return a card? Is there a penalty?

They've been known to write a don't come back letter.

[Dave Bourgeois]

Andrew Biggedike was on the first page.  I hope he chimes in regarding the conditions etc.

[Sean Leary]

It's nice to see some of the better courses stepping up to allow their courses to be used for these qualifiers (Yale, Kittansett, etc).

We need more clubs around here to do that...

[Frank Pasquale]

I teed off at 11:40, and the wind was about 20mph for the entire round.  It was swirling a bit too.  The greens were firm and fast.  I had a difficult time finding my ball marks on the greens.  As far as putting, there were some spots where a missed putt would result in an 8-10 footer coming back.

A tough day, but such a fun course to play (in spite of my score).

I agree about the WDs and NCs... very poor sportsmanship.  If you tee it up and things don't go as planned, take it like a man.

[Michael Moore]

Does WD mean only that you showed up and were injured or fell ill?

Or can it mean that you just did not show up?

Or can it mean that you qualified but were unable to make it and sent notice?

[Mike_Sweeney]

 The greens were firm and fast.  I had a difficult time finding my ball marks on the greens.  

I realize that Frank and some others may not have been in love with Scott the other day, but he really does deserve Super of the Year.

I remember taking Ed Getka to Yale the week of the Bethpage Open and Ed explained to me about the thatch in the greens at Yale.

Mr Moore,

When you qualify for the US Mid Am as opposed to the Maine Mid Am, I will find out the answers.

[Dan Moore]

Some of the w/d's would be those who entered and provided advance notice of their inability to play for any reason.  

[Frank Pasquale]

Frank, what time did you finish?

redanman, come to think of it, I have no idea how long the round took.  i never looked at my watch.  I was enjoying the course, and the wildlife, including the deer and snake(!) that i saw.

Some things to note about pace of play...

-On the 9th hole, groups were being waved up (by the officials) to hit their tee shots.  Obviously, you all know how that green is.  When I got to my ball, one of the players in the group ahead walked off the green and muttered to me, "I can't remember the last time I four-putted a hole."

-I was part of a twosome, right in the middle of the day, amongst all threesomes.  When I saw the pairings, I wrote the CSGA and told them that perhaps they had made an error and left a name off for my pairing.  No response, and they did nothing to fix it.  So, for us, being a twosome, we were waiting on just about every shot.

[Geoffrey Childs]

I played at Yale with Scott on Saturday.  We went over the pin locations for the qualifier.  There were some really tricky ones but nothing goofy.

Front right #1
Back left #2 !!!!!
Over the road bunker on #4 !!
Back left on #5
Front center on #7 !!
Back right on #8 !!!!
Back on the biarritz
front right on #15 (eden) !!!!
front left plateau on #17

I'm glad to see that the course held up well. Recall that Bill Haas won the NCAA regionals with -3 score under more benign conditions and was shooting much lower scores on the PGA tour a few weeks later.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I never doubted the course would hold up well. I am impressed that  it really stood tall in the face of a very good field.

[Jim_Kennedy]

Firm, fast, and 20 mph winds at Yale is a recipe for high scores. I've know one of the qualifiers and one of the players at T15 and the day must have been very demending.

Which is why I don't fault the NC's. The course has beaten you (or you helped it), you've experienced some humiliation within your group, the NC on the scoreboard is usually a 'red flag' that you didn't handle the situation, and you're an Amateur too boot. Frankly, that seems like enough punishment without the 'poor sportsman' label attached.

[JESII]

Re back flag on 9 green: the yale golf team used to practice pitching across the chasm when a tee ball stuck on the front!

Mark

Maybe they should stick to the books.

[John Kavanaugh]

I'm surprised that "held up" is now a good thing.

[Frank Pasquale]

The front left hole location on 17 was very tricky, but I hit the coolest shot... i was about 5 yards short of the green, directly in front of the pin.  Would have had a hard time controlling the distance with a chip, so I putted it up the slope... got up and down for a par.

There is no way 18 can be 621, can it?  I hit two solid shots, and had 60 yards to the green.  Knew i would have a hard time controlling a 60 yard shot downwind into that green, so I hit a bump and run with an 8 iron.

I am not one of those guys that normally talks about his shots, but those short shots on 17 and 18 were a blast.  i have never been to Scotland or Ireland, but having options yesterday at Yale was pretty cool.

[michael j fay]

It sounds like Scott Ramsey has gotten the conditions right at Yale. Seems like the removal of the trees has not hampered the ability of the course to defend par.

The group was the usual suspects (I used to play with this lot). Hermanson is an eight or nine time State Mid Am Champ and multiple State AM winner. Mark Farrell has been the State Player of the years numerous times.

Bill Lee is a three or four time State AM Champ and a member of Yale. I'll bet it was painful to post his number. Glad he had the fortitude to put it up.

Those that NC or WD are always suspect in my opinion. If you can't live with the result, don't play. All you do is screw up a good round for those intent on finishing the task. I've played in numerous of these events. One year two guys in the group in front of me did a four way plum-bob on 18 of 18 greens and then went North Carolina at the scorers tent. Don't need that kind of deadwood in any qualifier.

If you are going to NC you should leave the course when you decide. After looking at many scoreboards at these events in the past I can tell you it was the same guys with the NC over and over. I see now those names are no longer to be found only to be replaced by those of the same ilk.

I don't buy the NC route. I always posted (sometimes with really bad numbers) because the spirit of the competition is to live with the result.

[Mike_Sweeney]

Hypothetical for the Competition Nazis.  

You are 15 over par on 18 tee, you hit your second shot on 18 @ Yale right. It is the first time you have played the course, and your partner says, "they cleared out the trees on the right side, you should be okay".

The ball is not found. Do you walk back into play, hold up play, hit your second again, card an 8 and walk home with an 88 or do you NC?

[michael j fay]

Well said Bill.

Two of my buddies are on the list. Mark Lombardo who is a good stick and a good guy posted 88, Jim Gentile, two time State Mid-Am Champ, posted 82. I am certain they did not like the results, but like all other real golfers they put up a score.

I'm sure by Monday of next week Jim and Mark will have forgotton their travails at Yale Those that NCed should feel the pain (and the shame) much longer.

[michael j fay]

Mike,

You know the rules.

[Jim_Kennedy]

redanman,

As MJFay also said, when you know you're going NC, just leave the course. We don't know how many chose this route.

And, if I am understanding something else he said, if you are someone who 'should' be there you'll probably stay no matter how much ink you've used, take the inevitable ribbing, and forget about it.

I think you should see the thing through, for better or worse, but you don't deserve the label of poor sport if you don't,
maybe wuss, but not poor sport. If you decide to 'take my ball and go home' it has little to no effect on the remaining field.
 

[John Kavanaugh]

I was once in a bicycle race and was asked to quit for the safety of the other competitors...I have seen golfers who would do the field a service if they would quit themselves.

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