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Bill_McBride

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #250 on: June 29, 2014, 11:04:21 AM »

Whitaker and Zuckerman Capture the 2014 5th Major: http://youtu.be/FUowuQV1q9o

Inconceivable!   ;D

Bill_McBride

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #251 on: June 29, 2014, 11:08:38 AM »
Looks like the "Night Putting With The Dean's Daughter" contest!

Dan Herrmann

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #252 on: June 29, 2014, 06:58:00 PM »
Congratulations!  Whitaker may be one of the nicest, classiest gents around, and I'm really happy for him :)

Mac Plumart

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #253 on: June 29, 2014, 07:50:28 PM »
Congratulations!  Whitaker may be one of the nicest, classiest gents around, and I'm really happy for him :)

Agreed, Mike is great. But so is Joel. Both deserving champs!

Congrats!
Sportsman/Adventure loving golfer.

Craig Disher

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #254 on: June 30, 2014, 05:49:45 AM »
And both are fine representatives of the great golfing state of South Carolina. Congratulations, guys.

Mike Sweeney

Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #255 on: June 30, 2014, 06:35:50 AM »
And both are fine representatives of the great golfing state of South Carolina. Congratulations, guys.

I used to buy into that Whit from South Carolina routine, but then I started watching House of Cards :)


How many trophies has Francis Whitaker won ?







Michael Wharton-Palmer

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #256 on: June 30, 2014, 10:55:21 AM »
Congratulation to the winners...

Eric Smith

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #257 on: June 30, 2014, 12:08:11 PM »
Well it was a terrific tournament, just an amazing week spent out in the sandhills with so many of you. Thanks to all who made the trip. It was nice to see the many smiling faces throughout the course of the event and I think a lot of that can probably be attributed to reasons other than just alcohol. ;D

I want to thank Chris Johnston and his staff at Dismal River for making everyone feel at home, which is no small feat considering the size of our party. Truth be told I've seen those guys and gals when there have just been four of us on property and they are the same fun, happy and helpful selves. Bunch of really great people who love doing what they do.

Whitaker and Zuckerman Win!



I surely couldn't have asked for better champions than these two iconic globetrotters! A couple of A List brand ambassadors, for sure, whose images I reckon I'll brandish on everything from energy drinks to tee-gars throughout the next year in the run up to the 2015 5th Major.

A couple of quick shout outs:

First to Andy Gray, who I had the pleasure of meeting for the first time, traveling all the way from Australia. He wins this year's Long Distance Award. Nice playing too, Andy, winning your flight with Dick Daley!

I also want to congratulate Alex Miller, who I also met for the first time on this trip, for winning the Putting Contest on Thursday night. Well done, Alex!

I have a few pictures to post and I will soon. Thanks again!
« Last Edit: July 01, 2014, 12:09:20 PM by Eric Smith »

Mark Steffey

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #258 on: June 30, 2014, 02:39:11 PM »
What a great weekend.

Thanks again to Chris & Eric for putting it all together.  And I 2nd the shoutout to the staff, I heard more "Mr Steffey's" than I do at my home club ;D

Well done all.

Congratulations to Joel & Mike too

Eric Smith

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #259 on: June 30, 2014, 05:53:45 PM »
A few more thank yous:

First a shout out to my partner in crime, Ari Techner, who is a fantastic player. Never missed a fairway. Made a ton of clutch putts. I couldn't have asked for a better teammate. Thank you, Ari! That last match was something else. Viva Bruce Banner.

To Barry Doyle for picking Ari and I up in Denver and chauffeuring us across the plains and back again. The cold case of Budweiser awaiting in the back seat of the pickup set the tone for the entire week. Tip of the cap to you, Sir Arthur Conan.

To Stephen Davis Love III for having us out to Ballyneal and for letting me drive his car on a couple of occasions when I needed it. I mostly consider you the yang of Sir Arthur Conan after this trip. Probably a good thing for you!

To Chris Shaida and Bruce Wellmon for putting up with my old buddies again in our flight. I promise to free you guys up next year to hang with the normal people. Morgan Clawson - Hambone will be emailing you about next year. ;)

To Rich Goodale for coming all the way from Scotland to play in the event. An honor to have you with us last week, sir.

Other musings:

It was pretty interesting to see how the First Flight winners were the first to go out in the playoff - a playoff that is scratch for all participants. That the 5th Flight winners won the tournament shows (at least to me) that the format isn't as predictable as some might think!

Dick Daley looks younger than I remember when I met him 7 years ago at the Longshadow Dixie Cup. A baby face if I've ever seen one! What a gent. Thanks Dick for always keeping the spirit bright.

Sir Peter Pittock was exactly how I imagined him to be.

My goal for next year is to get the following people out for the tournament (in no particular order, except for # 1) :

1. Bill McBride

A few photos for now:


Ari Techner reacting to his birdie try at 17.


Scoreboard


Andy Gray hitting his first shot in the playoff on 10, with Dick Daley standing by


Brandon Urban putting on 10


Playoff action at 11


More playoff action


Morgan Clawson fist bumps Mike Denny plus Hambone and Graham


Ari at 4


Joel Z slashes one out of the native on 11 during the playoff


18th hole during the playoff


Defending champion John Kavanaugh congratulates Mike Whitaker after making the winning putt













« Last Edit: July 01, 2014, 12:20:05 PM by Eric Smith »

RJ_Daley

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #260 on: June 30, 2014, 07:05:43 PM »
Dick Daley looks younger than I remember when I met him 7 years ago at the Longshadow Dixie Cup. A baby face if I've ever seen one! 

I'll have what ever Eric is drinkin!!  ::)

Terry Lavin made the comment about The 5th Major being a top 10 lifetime golf experience.  The Judge knows his brief!

I already knew what a great gentleman Chris Johnson is.  On first sight of Dismal River, when they were growing in the Doak course and Chris stayed an extra day from his long summer of hard work ther just to show me around after the course was closed for the year, I had an inkling of what a monumental job it is to manage such an amazing facility.  But after seeing Dismal River in full operation, and being part of this outstanding event, seeing a staff function like a well oiled machine -there to offer you assistance, guide you, look after any need you might have, and with genuine cheerful service.... well it just boggles the mind.  To take a moment while you are out there to contemplate all the personal little touches, the quality of the facilities, and that it is 18 miles from the highway that is miles from any sort of readily available goods and products found in urban areas is a clear demonstration of just how brilliant of a general manager CEO, that Chris is.  And Chris's son Ian is truly a chip off the old block that he must be greatly proud of.

As for Eric Smith, he may be delerious, but in a lovable kind of way!  ;D  Thanks a million Eric for the amazing event and looking after all the details of so many things that makes this 5th Major a world beater great event. 

But poor Andy Gray, my Aussie mate, having to return to Oz with drooped and sunken shoulders from carrying me on his back, hole after hole! 

Congrats to Mike and Zuck!  CHUMPS... Err Champs 2014.

No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

RJ_Daley

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #261 on: June 30, 2014, 07:38:17 PM »
BTW, Ms Shiela owes us all a drink!!!   ;D
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Rob Curtiss

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #262 on: June 30, 2014, 07:48:00 PM »
Agreed- She stole a point from us- but any hole in one is worth losing a point.

Had a great time meeting everyone- All my playing competitors-- Dick , Andy, John, Tony, Dwight, Rick, Travis, Brian , Steve and Sheila.
You all made each round , a round to remember.

Shout out to Dick Daley and Andy Clay- What a way to represent the Pork Chops!!!

Thanks to Eric for putting together a great event and Chris for having us at Dismal. Its a very special place.


Brandon Urban

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #263 on: July 01, 2014, 08:26:34 PM »
Another fantastic event. Just when you think the 5th Major can't get any better, it does. Eric- you're the man! The staff was amazing. Both courses were playing great and were in fantastic shape considering the harsh and horrible winter.
It was so good to meet so many of the guys who post on here. From Pete Pittock giving me a ride to my cabin during a downpour to a great skins game with Lou Duran and Dan Moore (I won't tell you who won the money).
I was able to sneak out early Monday morning for a few holes on the Red Course and had some cool light for photos, so here's a few of them.

A beautiful sunrise on 10.


Some amazing clouds from 6 green.


The view from the 13th tee.


The awesome short par 4 15th from the tee.


And a little closer view of the cool natural rumples and humps short of the green.


And last but not least, the view back up the 18th fairway from the green.


Was a gorgeous morning in the sand hills.
181 holes at Ballyneal on June, 19th, 2017. What a day and why I love golf - http://www.hundredholehike.com/blogs/181-little-help-my-friends

Jim Nugent

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #264 on: July 02, 2014, 02:04:25 AM »
Here's hoping some of you guys will talk about the courses, especially the Doak. 

Lou_Duran

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #265 on: July 02, 2014, 11:49:02 AM »
Many thanks to Eric, Chris and his staff.  Dismal River is a special place.  Other than playing very poorly, my only regrets are not getting to meet many in the field and not congratulating Ms. Sheila on her ace (but that's ok, she can buy me a Coors Light when the Langs finally grace Dallas with their visit).  We had a particularly strong field this year with some remarkable play in three of our five matches (unfortunately at our expense).

Here's hoping some of you guys will talk about the courses, especially the Doak.  

The Nicklaus course appears to have green complexes that some would attribute to Doak.  The Doak course seems to be restrained on and around the greens.  If the relative play I witnessed Sunday reflects player preference, the Doak gets the nod.  It is much more playable than the Nicklaus and walkable with some effort.  The Nicklaus appears to favor the long hitters who can reach the spots where they can see their approaches (e.g. #1 I was 220+ yards out staring at the skyline while my opponent was in the valley looking at the green from 100 yards out).  I think that they are two very different courses, and though the ground game is encouraged at both, the Nicklaus approaches seemed very "sticky", perhaps due to the grass (bent and blue ?).  They are both great fun and I would split my rounds evenly.

Another fantastic event. Just when you think the 5th Major can't get any better, it does. Eric- you're the man! The staff was amazing. Both courses were playing great and were in fantastic shape considering the harsh and horrible winter.
It was so good to meet so many of the guys who post on here. From Pete Pittock giving me a ride to my cabin during a downpour to a great skins game with Lou Duran and Dan Moore (I won't tell you who won the money).

As my streak for the weekend continued, I believe it was the guy whose team won their flight and only darkness interfered with grabbing the top prize.  Even holding the short end of the stick, it was great fun.  I hope you and Barry had an enjoyable day on Monday for such a good cause.  How may holes did you guys play?
« Last Edit: July 02, 2014, 11:50:38 AM by Lou_Duran »

Dwight Phelps

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #266 on: July 02, 2014, 01:03:13 PM »
The Nicklaus course appears to have green complexes that some would attribute to Doak.  The Doak course seems to be restrained on and around the greens.  If the relative play I witnessed Sunday reflects player preference, the Doak gets the nod.  It is much more playable than the Nicklaus and walkable with some effort.  The Nicklaus appears to favor the long hitters who can reach the spots where they can see their approaches (e.g. #1 I was 220+ yards out staring at the skyline while my opponent was in the valley looking at the green from 100 yards out).  I think that they are two very different courses, and though the ground game is encouraged at both, the Nicklaus approaches seemed very "sticky", perhaps due to the grass (bent and blue ?).  They are both great fun and I would split my rounds evenly.

I would agree with Lou that I'd split rounds mostly evenly.  I found myself enjoying the Nicklaus more than I anticipated and had a lot of fun on both courses.  The green complexes produced opportunities for a large amount of varied and quite fun shots and were probably the highlights for me.  I'd say, when comparing the courses, that the greens on the Nicklaus tended to favor some aspect of a punchbowl (mabye a bit too much), while the Doak's greens incorporated more undulation as false edges pushing the ball away from the hole.  The fairways on the Doak course also had more varied internal undulation that you really had to take into your thinking off the tee or find yourself in a bad place.

I loved both courses.  Thanks to all for putting on and hosting this event!
"We forget that the playing of golf should be a delightful expression of freedom" - Max Behr

Josh Bills

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #267 on: July 02, 2014, 01:33:19 PM »
Thank you to Eric and Chris and all of those who made this trip wonderful, what an amazing place and even more amazing were the people.  I was in Lou and Brandon's flight and they are both great players.  Lou and Greg never missed a putt inside 10 feet it seemed like and Brandon and Barry were never out of a hole, even if it seemed like they were out of a hole. 

I split my time evenly on both courses (approximately 3- 18 hole rounds on both) and found both great in their own rights.  The Nicklaus (White) course I felt was very playable and found his green complexes very difficult and usually very well defended and despite fears about losing balls, I played the same ball for 35 straight holes without a problem.  I lost a ball on the first tee, because I did not know where to hit it and then played the same ball that whole day for the remainder of my practice round and then for the first 18 of match play.  So I felt it was fair off the tee and the more difficult ask was the approach shot.  I thought some of the vistas on the White side were spectacular and were frankly high on the wow factor for me.  The main problem with the Nicklaus course is that it lacked the ability to navigate it easily, it was very spread out, but that is not a knock on routing, just on playability, as I felt a cart was a must for that course, but certainly it could be walked, just would cover a fair amount of ground.  Here are a couple holes that show just how spectacular a setting/location the White course occupied.

The par 3s were pretty nicely done, although the 10th was quirky with a large bunker and serious elevation changes all on the green.  However, the 15th was a fantastic par 3 that sat in between the dunes beautifully. 


The 3rd was a great short hole which could play up to 190 and had a great green with the only safe bail out long, as short or left or right were dead. 


The 12th was a great par 5 with sweeping wide fairway but a great green surrounded by bunkers.  There was a mini punch bowl on the left half of the green which was fun to play to. 


The last picture shows the 4th, a par 5 with plenty of room until up near the green and also showing the well defended 8th hole, a strange par 4 that played like a par three due to tee placement that invited a challenge to the green versus using the fairway on the left.   


All in all I found the White course a blast to play and while completely different than the Red, an enjoyable play.

The Doak (Red) course greens felt like most were approachable from any and every angle, something I did on Sunday as I played the Red from different tees, backwards, sideways on the Lower 10 holes of the property.  I would present this side is much more rolling in the lay of the land than the White course, and seemed to lend itself to a more connected course.  It was a harsh winter and this side was impacted more significantly as to maintenance, but still very playable and quite fun. 

Unlike the White course the Red allowed for more misses that were not as cruelly treated as they would have been on the Nicklaus course.  On to a few holes.  The 1st Hole was a slightly uphill par 5 that played downwind the 2 days I played it.  A very generous hole off the tee, though I did lose a ball to the right near the bunker on my second play of the hole, not due to lack of width, rather lack of skill. 


The 5th was one I enjoyed, though I may be in the minority.  It played as a 234 yard par 3, into the wind, which permitted me to hit a cut driver and on the first play almost resulted in a hole in one (Though I managed to three putt from 12 feet). 


The 11th was a great shorter par 3 that had a great green complex.  I hit the ball long and ended up above the pin and facing an impossible put straight down the hill which would have resulted in the ball rolling off the green.  Instead I putted the ball to my left off of a large mound and the ball took a 90 degree turn and ended up a foot from the cup for an easy par. 


The 9th was a great par 4 that played fairly short and tested driving the ball in play.  There was a great swale in front of the green that seemed to catch every ball in our first time through and push it back off the green.  An intimidating tee shot that seemed to have a prevailing L to R wind which was not good for my slice.  A much easier approach from the L side of the fairway, but I could never seem to find that side of the hole. 


The 18th was a great par 4 that finally on my last play I hit a great drive and had about 90 yards in and played one with a wedge and one with a putter.  The putter stayed on the green about 30 feet away and the wedge hit the front and spun back off.  A great looking hole with a tough pin position the two days I played it. 


The Red course was great and permitted in my mind a greater opportunity to create your own holes and just waste an afternoon if no one else was around.  You could create thousands of holes from anywhere with the great greens and surrounds that were created.  To me that gives the Doak a slight nod in times played, but only because it seemed I could see a new angle to play a hole each time I played it.  Very different than the White, though both are world class courses in their own right. 

If you are ever in that part of the country it is absolutely worth a visit.  Chris could not have been any nicer and found him to be a genuinely great guy who I hope to get the chance to visit with again.  Eric's 5th Major is a great event and he is a great guy.  If you have the chance to attend at Dismal River, do not pass it up.  The courses are worth the effort and the time off the grid was wonderful. 

Steve Green

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #268 on: July 02, 2014, 03:25:09 PM »
Thanks to everyone in making our first venture to the Sand Hills such a fantastic experience.  Eric thanks for pulling this together and CJ, Patrick and all the folks at Dismal River thanks for your hospitality.  Special thanks to all the members of the Pappy Van Winkle flight, this was the flight of death with all the matches extremely close and populated with folks we very much hope to cross paths with again.

The courses and the golf were a great deal of fun.  The White is visually intimidating with dramatic views and sometimes not so clear choices to be made to avoid the trouble and make a score.  All along the way the need for precision and focus is constant as misses can lead to a very difficult up and down.

The Red is situated closer to the Dismal River and seems to the eye to be more open.  The choices required here are more about where to leave the ball on the green or what is the best approach into the green. 

The two courses are different from one another but have one thing in common, they are a blast to play and reward good shots.

Thanks to all those in attendance for making a relative rookie feel welcome. 
The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt.
Bertrand Russell

Dan Herrmann

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #269 on: July 02, 2014, 04:23:40 PM »
I think the #1 thing a person that hasn't been there can't fathom is the "sense of space" at DR.   From the huge sandhills (the Horseshoes) to the drive out to the first tees, the property is genius.  
« Last Edit: July 04, 2014, 07:27:01 AM by Dan Herrmann »

Chris Johnston

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #270 on: July 03, 2014, 10:02:47 AM »
All:

It was a pleasure for us to host the event and I personally enjoyed spending a bit of time with most everyone!  Great fun to meet the newbies and always fun to visit with the veterans and friends.  Thanks for the compliments and, yes, we are fortunate to have an enthusiastic and dedicated staff in such a special place.


Next year's even is already in planning stage.  We may add another night so the golf a slightly less frenetic and to allow more personal interaction.  While the golf certainly is terrific, it really is the people who make it fun.

Congrats to Mike and Joel - worthy Champions!  Good golf was played.

CJ

Lou_Duran

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #271 on: July 03, 2014, 11:10:08 AM »
I think the #1 think a person that hasn't been there can't fathom is the "sense of space" at DR.   From the huge sandhills (the Horseshoes) to the drive out to the first tees, the property is genius.   

The scale, particularly on the Nicklaus course is very impressive.  The ridge just north of the Dismal River next to the Doak is impactful, leaving the mind to wonder what lies on the other side (Chris says the best piece of golf land that will not be developed).

Josh,

Thanks for the undeserved flattery.  Funny how the recollections of the victors differ from those of the vanquished (Greg and I both whined about not making a putt!).  Distance being its own reward, I marveled at how far you and Brian hit the ball (his drive to 100 yards on #1 and to 180 on the par 5 #4 were particularly impressive), though it was your fine putt on that last hole which was the coup de grace.

Steve,

That was a very impressive 9 holes of golf you played against us.  Though I welcome your company, I hope it will be either at the bar or as partners if yours can't make it and mine dumps me (a high probability given my play).  I concur with your comments on the two courses.

Dan Herrmann

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Doug Siebert

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River
« Reply #273 on: July 04, 2014, 01:24:14 PM »
For those who aren't aware, you can use Google Maps to measure distances to the yard.  Click on the Maps Lab link on left side of the screen (below where you click for directions, just above the copyright notice)  Then click Enable for the distance measuring tool and click Save changes.  You'll see a little ruler appear just to the left of the distance scale on the bottom left of the satellite image.  Click that, go the Distance Measuring Tool area that appears over on the left side.  Select "I'm feeling geeky" and yards are at the bottom of the drop down list.

Once you've done all that, you can click (normal left click, not a right click as when you're setting routes) on the image, and click a second time and it'll show the distance between those points.  You can move both points around, and a button to delete them is on the left side when you want to measure somewhere else.

This helps you figure out how far it is to carry a bunker/corner, how far you can hit in a specific direction before you run out of fairway, how long that big drive you hit on the windmill hole really was.  On the Doak course this is made a bit more difficult because it isn't all that easy to figure out where exactly you started on some holes :)
My hovercraft is full of eels.

Steve Lang

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Re: 2014 5th Major at Dismal River New
« Reply #274 on: July 04, 2014, 07:18:16 PM »
 8) More KUDO'S to CJ and staff, especially Patrick and Shandra who herded the cats very well.. and of course Eric!  

As always, its the folks who make the event as memorable as the venue; from our Red exploratory round with Peter and Adam, putting with Peter & Greg, breakfast chat with The 2014 Champion Golfers Mike & Joel, Cliff, Brandon, let alone playing with all in the Pork Chop Flight and interacting with others like Sir Rich advising about getting holes in one at Lahinich and sneaky caddies..  :o

Dick & Lou, post-play Saturday, Ms Sheila was pretty much taken out by a double+ margarita, the ribs for dinner, and hangin out on the back porch watching the shadows grow on Red with Ian Baker Johnston...  she pleaded "I'm unemployed"... and just smiled when folks asked for or offerred more drinks, said thanks and informed them it was her 6th.  The ace was classic theatre when Rob figured out that he was long, John Dad was in the bunker, and I was a couple paces away from the pin and Sheila's ball was "missing".. she said, "I hit that 9 iron perfectly and it landed softly, bounced, then slowly disappeared over the ridge in the green, where'd it go??? "... I offered "you better look in the hole!"   YES! 

Dick, we may see ya in WI before Sept and Lou, yes we'll be taking in Dallas as we continue our 30th Ann Tour...  and maybe as we head back to The Woodlands.

Eric, perhaps at the next 5th there should be a skins pot!

p.s. early outgoing breakfast in Mullen at the Cafe that features a "naked sandwich" for the gluten free, then drive east for dinner in Sioux/Dakota City at Hungry's, then drive northeast for golf at Giant's Ridge/Wilderness in northern MN, then drive south and east for golf at Marquette/Greywalls, and final drive east across UP and south over the big bridge arriving at Blue Lake.. now with golf at Black Forest, the state of Pure Michigan has been reached.. Dismal River was a little out of the way, but a great trek, well worth it!

pics later
  
« Last Edit: July 04, 2014, 07:24:42 PM by Steve Lang »
Inverness (Toledo, OH) cathedral clock inscription: "God measures men by what they are. Not what they in wealth possess.  That vibrant message chimes afar.
The voice of Inverness"

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