GRUESOME 1999 – THE YEAR IN REVIEW

    The Gruesome welcomed three new members during 1999 – Mark Langendorf, Tom Soderstrom, and Rod Frank. Ross Lively and Tom Bray returned to regular Gruesome play after several years absence. We bade farewell to five guys – Ed Cline, Ish Falcon, Fred Munker, Ed Patch, and Bill White. Our current Gruesome membership stands at 40.

    We held Gruesome Classic II in April to honor Andy Karkos, Ed Lundgren, Ed Patch, John Patterson, and former Gruesome member Syl Wagasky. Gruesome Classic III occurred in October with Bob Ladny, Alex Lively, Chuck Madrid, and John Romero as honorees.

    Everyone became a year older except for Henry Bowden whose age in 1962 was certified as "ancient" by the USGA, and it hasn’t changed since.

    Ted Tlanda was crowned the Courses Fort Meade Club Champion in September following two sterling rounds – 70 and 71. Dave Ames was runner-up in the Spring Championship by the narrowest of margins. He tied Dag Alstad for the two-day event but lost to Dag’s birdie on the first playoff hole. Many other Gruesome members cashed in tournaments during the year.

    Red, White, & Blue: Ames, Ailor, S. Comings, Tlanda, Alder, Romero, Karkos, F. Comings, McLeay, and Wilhelm

    6-6-6: Ladny-Romero, F. Comings-Wilhelm, Alder-JR, and Ortiz-Falcon

    Spring Invitational: Ames, Waymon Smith, Ailor, Jones, McCorkle, Ortiz (1^st Flight Winner), Romero (2^nd Flight Winner), Buczek, and Ladny

    Four-Person Championship: Romero, Hill, Wineke, Ortiz

    Club Championship: Tlanda (Club Champion), Ames, Alder, Ailor, McCorkle, and Ladny (also Kyllonen)

    Four-Person Scramble: Ladny

    End-of-Season Scramble: Busey, McCorkle, Alder, JR, Buczek, Jones

    Gruesome members and guests played 2,358 rounds at the Courses Fort Meade. That was 245 fewer rounds than we played at Fort Meade in 1998. During 1999 we also played 80 rounds at Easton (12), Andrews AFB (12), Crofton (24), Leisure World (16), and Potomac Ridge (16). Money winnings and losses were recorded for Gruesome play at Challedon, Walden, Woodlands, Cacapon, Swan Point, Williamsburg (Kiskiack, Royal New Kent, and Stonehouse), and Eisenhower but no record of scores, birdies, etc. was kept. In addition, the Gruesome Scramble in August 1999 accounted for another 28 rounds for which winnings and losses only were recorded. Finally, there were three 9-hole matches played at Fort Meade.

    Wineke played 0.0848176% of the Gruesome rounds in 1999.

    The number of Gruesome playing days decreased by 14 from 1998 to 1999. The Gruesome played 18-hole matches at Fort Meade on 171 days during 1998; there were 157 18-hole match days in 1999.

    For the 2,358 rounds played during 1999 the Gruesome compiled an overall scoring average of 80.4 which was .6 better than the 1998 scoring average of 81.0. Play on Applewood course accounted for 968 rounds on 63 days plus two 9-hole matches. We played 1,390 rounds on 94 days on Parks course and one 9-hole match. The Gruesome scoring average on Applewood was 80.9. On Parks it was 80.0 or nearly a full stroke better. In 1998 the scoring average on Applewood was 81.6 and on Parks it was 80.6. Twenty-three Gruesome members averaged better than 80.4 for the year; 20 recorded annual averages above 80.4.

    Gruesome play at Fort Meade produced 3,244 birdies during 1999 which results in a birdie-per-round ratio of 1.37. For 1998 the ratio was 1.24 based on 2,603 rounds and 3,232 birdies. On Applewood course we recorded 1,345 birdies over 63 rounds and two 9-hole matches, a ratio of 1.39 birdies per round. On Parks course we logged 1,899 birdies over 1,390 rounds and one 9-hole match for a ratio of 1.37 birdies per round. On a per-round basis (157 18-hole matches plus three 9-hole match days) and not taking account of eagles, the Gruesome averaged 20.3 birdies per day.

    Where was "8 Birdies" Englar when I needed him?

    For the away rounds for which I have data, there were 11 birdies at Easton; 15 birdies and 2 eagles at Andrews AFB; 23 birdies, one swimming pool, and one deck at Crofton; 28 birdies at Leisure World; and 13 birdies at Potomac Ridge. As indicated above, I don’t have like data for the several other away rounds at Challedon, Walden, etc.

    There were 56 eagles scored during 1999 – 7 more than during 1998. Applewood course produced 31 eagles, and Parks course yielded 25 eagles. There were four holes-in-one during 1999, the same number as in 1998. Three of the aces came on Applewood – Brunell (#2), Ames (#16), and Busey (#10). Karkos had the lone ace on Parks at #10. Brunell’s ace on #2 Applewood – less than a month after the hole opened -- is the one and only to date.

    The Gruesome first played the new #2 and #18 holes on Applewood on May 9^th. Jones, McLeay, and McVey scored the first birdies on #2. Alder and Royals had the first birdies on #18, but Jones topped them both with the an eagle.

    #18 Applewood was voted the least favorite hole at Fort Meade.

    It’s interesting that Applewood course yields more birdies per round by an ever so slight margin and more eagles, but our scoring average is nearly a full stroke higher. Nevertheless, Ed Ailor would like to propose that we play all Gruesome rounds on Applewood.

*60 additional rounds were played on the "two backs" during 1998 for which the scoring average was 83.3.

    The lowest single day scoring average occurred on Applewood on July 15^th – 75.5 – with 12 guys. However, Applewood played to a par 70 this date. The lowest single day par 72 scoring average was 76.2 on Parks on September 28^th, a weekday, with 6 guys. The second lowest scoring day was also a weekday (June 17) on Parks with a 76.8 with 8 guys. The lowest daily scoring average on a weekend day occurred on October 9^th – 77.1 on Parks with 24 guys.

    The highest single day scoring average was a shameful 86.9 on March 23^rd on Applewood. Twelve guys contributed to that stellar effort. The highest single day average on Parks occurred on March 7^th with 9 guys – 86.5. The guys who participated shall remain anonymous. (I was party to one, but not both!)

    A new record for flying clubs was achieved on January 23, 1999, eclipsing the previous highest number by a notable margin and earliest date by nearly two months. One individual who shall remain nameless holds the singular distinction of both establishing and re-writing this record multiple times. By consensus of the Gruesome membership, this award and recognition is now retired with the deepest respect and reverence for the one who will forever be known as – he is also fond of saying – the FOCK (Flying Objects and Clubs King).

    In case anyone has forgotten, Hill was a captain during 1999.

    It’s also interesting to look at how guys performed individually from 1998 to 1999. The biggest improvement was by Bob Ladny. The biggest drop in average goes to Ed Lundgren, but we all know that Ed had some difficulty during the year and he recorded but 7 rounds.

    I pulled together another statistic: percentage of rounds played with at least one birdie or eagle. There were two "100-percenters" in the Gruesome during 1999: Ailor and Hoffmann. (Actually there were three if Wineke is included – two rounds and two birds.) Were it not for my incurable "liprosy" I would surely have been at 100%, too.

    There were 59 sub-par rounds shot during the year as compared to 11 during 1998. Greenberg twice shot 66, once with 7 birdies and the other with 6. McCorkle also had a 66 with 6 birdies, but he shot it on a par 70 Applewood day. Sub-par rounds:

    Jones and Busey also shot 71s but they, too, were on a par 70 Applewood day.

    The highest round during the year? Let’s just say it was a three-digit number, the first I’ve ever recorded in Gruesome play for as long as I’ve been keeping the book.

    The most birdies made by any one person in a single round during 1999 was 8 by Greenberg – 68 and 8. Greenberg also had a 7-birdie day (66 and 7) as did Frank (70 and 7). There were many 6- and 5-birdie days by a lot of guys. Hill had 8 eagles during the year; Ames had 7.

    Question: Can you make 5 birdies in a Gruesome round and not break 80?

    So far as consistency goes there are those who play within a range and there are those who play within the universe. Over 7 rounds Bray shot 75 to 82 – a spread of 7. Cline had a spread of 8 over 6 rounds. Frank kept it within a 9-stroke range (68 to 77). Dixon and Leith were 10 strokes between their low and high scores. The honor for worst spread goes to Greenberg. He shot everything from 66 to 88 – a 22-stroke spread. Ames (70-91), Ladny (75-96), and Romero (73-94) had 21-stroke differences. Busey (72-92), Hill (70-90), Madrid (73-93), SR Patterson (73-93), and Wilhelm (71-91) spread their low and high rounds by 20 strokes.

    Question: Did Greenberg "go in the tank" the day he shot 88?

    The most birdies made in one day was 48 and 1 eagle with 24 guys on October 9^th on Parks. Four guys did not contribute to the birdie production that day. The next best was 46 birds and 2 eagles with 24 guys on July 10^th on Applewood. Five guys didn’t contribute. The best birdie-per-man ratio day was September 4^th on Parks when 19 guys had 41 birdies and 2 eagles. Counting the eagles as two birdies each produces a ratio of 2.37 per man. The next best birdie-per-man ratio was on August 8^th on Applewood when 20 guys logged 41 birdies and 2 eagles (one of which was Ames’s ace on #16) for a 2.25 ratio. The worst ratio is – yup, you guessed it – a 0.00. It occurred on April 20^th with 8 guys all of whom have sworn an oath to never reveal who played that day.

    Speaking of no birdies, there were entire teams that had no birdies: a threesome of Alder, McLeay, and McVey, and a foursome of McCorkle, Wilhelm, Madrid, and Romero. On the other hand, some teams made bunches of birdies. JR (6), Hoffmann (4), Busey (2), and Karkos (3) made 15 one day. Greenberg (4), Brunell (6), Karkos (2), and Romero (2) had 14. The most by a threesome was 13 – Greenberg (7), Ames (4), and Wood (2).

    I don’t even want to go to the Bill Black Rule. Suffice to say a lot of fourth picks would have eaten a lot of free lunches.

    As far as pay outs go, the biggest payday during 1999 was shared by Hill, McLeay, and Madrid, each of whom collected $40.33. The biggest losing day occurred at the away round at Eisenhower where Frank, Tlanda, Brunell, and Ladny contributed $13.50 each to the winners. The biggest losing day at Fort Meade was $11.50 a man shared by McCorkle, McLeay, F. Comings, and Captain John.

    Speaking of Captain John, it should be noted that there is no golf course bunker anywhere in the world from which he can’t climb.