Casual Water

Bedminster, NJ 
August 22, 2013

Well, we avoided rain for a few weeks. Nothing in Canada, Detroit, or Indiana. Our streak came to a crashing halt this morning at Fiddler's Elbow Country Club. We arrived to the course and proceeded as normal. I was starting, so I got to the first tee and started the first few groups.

It was raining for most of the morning but nothing crazy. All of the sudden it starts down pouring and storms were in our area. We had to pull the juniors off the course, most of our staff thought it would be a quick delay before we got the final round going for good.

We were all very very wrong. The storms and downpour continued for a long time. The downpour was vicious and storms were in and out. Fiddler's Elbow is surrounded by rivers. The combination of rivers and downpour was not a strong one. By 10 am the course was flooded. It was crazy, I had never seen a course so underwater as this was. There was a current running across the Nos. 1 and 18 fairways. The river had completely flooded and run on to a large portion of the course.

The view from No. 18 green post-storm

More evidence

Needless to say we were unable to continue the final round. Unfortunately this tournament was only 36 holes. With all the rain this summer it is kind of surprising that this was the first time we had to shorten a tournament.

No. 1 at FECC underwater after the rain

The week was great in New Jersey. Kellen and Scott, the directors were awesome and us interns had a good time. To bad for the juniors that they could finish up, but still a solid week at Fiddler's Elbow Country Club.

Tomorrow morning we head to to Philadelphia for our next tournament, and my last with team five.

Fiddler's Elbow Country Club

Bedminster, NJ
August 21, 2013

The second round of the Lessing's AJGA Classic has just ended and and this is one of the more unique courses we have been at. First off the club has 54 holes of golf. This is rare, FECC has three full golf courses. They are all nice, and with all the land FECC has its an interesting place to walk around at.

When I was walking around the clubhouse on Sunday I walked right by Rory Mcllroy. Needless to say it was a bit of a surprise. Just not someone I was expecting to see that day. It was quite interesting and cool to see one of the best in the world in the office right next to ours. Apparently he was there for a Nike photo shoot on one of the three FECC courses.  

FECC has rivers running through their grounds. Its quite interesting landscape and makes for great courses. As interesting as their land is, the name of the course may be even more interesting. Here is a post I wrote about the name for the AJGA Blog.

Naming rights-

 

Country clubs can be unique in a number of different ways. The course conditions, greens, bunkers, food, tennis, or even the pools. The most unique part of Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club might be in the name. Fiddler’s Elbow rolls off the tongue and makes people think when they hear it. However the story of the name is nothing complex. In 1965 Ray Donovan and Ron Schiavone were up in a plane scouting land for a golf course that they wanted to start. While in the air the looked at a bend in the river on the land and said “that bend looks like a fiddler’s elbow.” When they touched down they decided two things. One the land was perfect for the golf course they were trying to build, and two fiddlers elbow would be a perfect name for a country club. In 1965 Donovan, who was the 17^th United States Secretary of Labor under Ronald Reagan, and partner Schiavone put up 27 holes on what they would call Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club. In 1995 they added 18 more, and in 2013 the club has 54 holes and is under construction to put in a pool and tennis courts.

AJGA Blog: https://www.ajga.org/Blog/index.asp  

Fiddler's Elbow Country Club is our host this week.

Naming rights-
Country clubs can be unique in a number of different ways. The course conditions, greens, bunkers, food, tennis, or even the pools. The most unique part of Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club might be in the name. Fiddler’s Elbow rolls off the tongue and makes people think when they hear it. However the story of the name is nothing complex. In 1965 Ray Donovan and Ron Schiavone were up in a plane scouting land for a golf course that they wanted to start. While in the air the looked at a bend in the river on the land and said “that bend looks like a fiddler’s elbow.” When they touched down they decided two things. One the land was perfect for the golf course they were trying to build, and two fiddlers elbow would be a perfect name for a country club. In 1965 Donovan, who was the 17^th United States Secretary of Labor under Ronald Reagan, and partner Schiavone put up 27 holes on what they would call Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club. In 1995 they added 18 more, and in 2013 the club has 54 holes and is under construction to put in a pool and tennis courts.
- See more at: http://ajga.typepad.com/#sthash.Pyem5Cjd.dpuf

Naming rights-
Country clubs can be unique in a number of different ways. The course conditions, greens, bunkers, food, tennis, or even the pools. The most unique part of Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club might be in the name. Fiddler’s Elbow rolls off the tongue and makes people think when they hear it. However the story of the name is nothing complex. In 1965 Ray Donovan and Ron Schiavone were up in a plane scouting land for a golf course that they wanted to start. While in the air the looked at a bend in the river on the land and said “that bend looks like a fiddler’s elbow.” When they touched down they decided two things. One the land was perfect for the golf course they were trying to build, and two fiddlers elbow would be a perfect name for a country club. In 1965 Donovan, who was the 17^th United States Secretary of Labor under Ronald Reagan, and partner Schiavone put up 27 holes on what they would call Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club. In 1995 they added 18 more, and in 2013 the club has 54 holes and is under construction to put in a pool and tennis courts.

For the first time Fiddler's Elbow Country Club is hosting the AJGA Lessing's Classic

- See more at: http://ajga.typepad.com/#sthash.Pyem5Cjd.dpuf

Naming rights-
Country clubs can be unique in a number of different ways. The course conditions, greens, bunkers, food, tennis, or even the pools. The most unique part of Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club might be in the name. Fiddler’s Elbow rolls off the tongue and makes people think when they hear it. However the story of the name is nothing complex. In 1965 Ray Donovan and Ron Schiavone were up in a plane scouting land for a golf course that they wanted to start. While in the air the looked at a bend in the river on the land and said “that bend looks like a fiddler’s elbow.” When they touched down they decided two things. One the land was perfect for the golf course they were trying to build, and two fiddlers elbow would be a perfect name for a country club. In 1965 Donovan, who was the 17^th United States Secretary of Labor under Ronald Reagan, and partner Schiavone put up 27 holes on what they would call Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club. In 1995 they added 18 more, and in 2013 the club has 54 holes and is under construction to put in a pool and tennis courts.
- See more at: http://ajga.typepad.com/#sthash.Pyem5Cjd.dpuf

Naming rights-
Country clubs can be unique in a number of different ways. The course conditions, greens, bunkers, food, tennis, or even the pools. The most unique part of Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club might be in the name. Fiddler’s Elbow rolls off the tongue and makes people think when they hear it. However the story of the name is nothing complex. In 1965 Ray Donovan and Ron Schiavone were up in a plane scouting land for a golf course that they wanted to start. While in the air the looked at a bend in the river on the land and said “that bend looks like a fiddler’s elbow.” When they touched down they decided two things. One the land was perfect for the golf course they were trying to build, and two fiddlers elbow would be a perfect name for a country club. In 1965 Donovan, who was the 17^th United States Secretary of Labor under Ronald Reagan, and partner Schiavone put up 27 holes on what they would call Fiddler’s Elbow Country Club. In 1995 they added 18 more, and in 2013 the club has 54 holes and is under construction to put in a pool and tennis courts.
- See more at: http://ajga.typepad.com/#sthash.Pyem5Cjd.dpuf

Back to the Homeland

London, Ontario
August 16, 2013

Our international experience is now over and it's time to head back to the states. The tournament finished up yesterday and we are en route to Bedminster, N.J., for our next tournament at Fiddlers Elbow Country Club.

The AJGA / CJGA Junior Championship was unique for reasons other than its location. First of all there was only 78 players in the field. We have had primarily 144 and 96 player fields this summer. 78 created a change a pace for our crew. We still had to get to the course at a very early hour, but we were done much earlier than normal. The Operations crew had the golf course broken down by 2 pm every day. This was quite the difference, but a welcomed change.

The second unique part about this tournament was the weather. It was extremely cold. I understand we were in Canada, but it’s still mid-August! Every morning we had our sweaters and rain gear on, and we were still cold. The first two rounds also had high winds. Since I wasn't taking pictures this week I was rules officiating groups. The weather plus the wind made rules officiating a cool experience, literally.

To run our tournaments successfully we rely heavily on help from volunteers. Volunteers help get scores, times, spot balls, and deliver water. At some tournaments we have 50-60 volunteers. At this particular tournament we only had 5-6. The tournament still ran as smooth as ever thanks to these volunteers. There weren't many of them but they did a great job, and their positive attitudes made the tournament that much better. Big thanks to Joyce, Khyle, Cal, Taylor, and Alex for great work! 

Here I am with some of our great volunteers in Canada

We left Friday morning and had little trouble crossing the border. I was surprised at the fact that both ways we had no trouble crossing the border. I thought with all the stuff we had crossing would be a lengthy process. Luckily this was not the case. 

We were at the Niagara border this morning when we were coming back to America. Niagara Falls was right next to the border. Naturally we got out of the cars and looked around for a few minutes. This was a great experience. I hadn’t been to the falls before, I was really glad to check it out. In person it is quite a thing to see. The force of the water coming down is remarkable. Great job by Canada and the US with the placement of this border station. 

Our view before crossing back into American soil 

Paul, Michael, and I at Niagara Falls

Corssing the Border

London, Ontario

August 11, 2013

Within the first driving hour from Detroit team five made its way to the Canadian border. We had heard that crossing the border may be a tough task with all the luggage we had. Luckily the process went smooth and we were in Canada in no time. 

We got acquainted with the local law enforcement right away. Five minutes into crossing the border we got pulled over by a cop in a pick-up truck. He couldn’t have been nicer and talked with us for a few minutes. Apparently in Canada if you’re in the left lane you need to be driving fast. He told us that you basically can’t be going the speed limit if you’re in the far lane. It was quite funny, and we learned that in Canada we are right lane people. 

Team 5 at the Canadian Border

This week’s event is unique because we are working with the Canadian Junior Golf Association. The event is going to be co-run by both organizations. We picked up two interns this week from the CJGA that will be helping us out. 

Even though we were traveling internationally this was one of our shorter rides. It only took us about two hours to get to London. This week should be a unique experience for our team, and one that I’m looking forward to.

Detroit

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

August 8, 2013

Our week in the motor city is now over and we are on our way to the Canadian border for next week’s event. Our week in Michigan was great, and the tournament went really well. The Forest Lake Country Club staff was great to us, and made the week run really smooth. The club was really excited to have an AJGA tournament at their course, and they helped us with everything from meals, to breaking down boxes.

The FLCC course was an interesting one. It was fairly short, but not easy at all. The greens were as slick as they come. Three and Four putts were not uncommon. According to the juniors our staff set some pretty tough hole locations throughout the tournament. The greens made for an interesting week of golf. 

The food situation was a little different this week. Instead of the normal boxed lunches we had buffets everyday in the dining room. This was different but great. The food was really good and the chocolate chip cookies were dynamite to close out every meal. 

The Girls Division went into a playoff and had a thrilling finish with Ally Geer draining a 17 foot putt for the win. Geer has been at a few of our tournaments and is always very nice to the interns, and helps us out with Care for the Course, and other social activities. She finished birdie, par on Nos. 17 and 18 to force the playoff.  I was glad she was able to win her first one. 

Shot out to junior Devin Deogun and his family for letting us stay at their awesome house this week. We had fun hitting balls on the simulator, chipping in the backyard, and hanging out by the lake. Last night his mom cooked us a meal that was one of the best of the summer. Fantastic salmon, chicken, potatoes, and pineapple cake.

It was a solid week in Michigan, off to Canada. 

OB:

The highlight of the week came off the golf course. Coincidently we happened to be in Detroit the same week as Jay-Z. So naturally we had to check it out. We went to Ford Field for the Legends of the Summer tour. This is a tour featuring Jay-Z and Justin Timberlake. The duo put on a fantastic show. It was a lot of fun, and I was glad I was able to see Jay-Z in person. It was also fun to see Ford Field. I had seen it a lot on TV, but it was nice to actually be there. Ford Field is neighbors with Comerica Park

Legends of the Summer Tour 8/6/13

There was no opening act, but they played for a solid 3+ hours. At first they played some songs together, then split up, then closed together. The highlight of the concert for me was when they played Empire State of Mind. Timberlake played the intro and outro. I was sending a fair amount of snap chats during the concert, and some of my friends informed me they are going to the same tour this Sunday, when the duo comes to Fenway Park. We had a great night in Detroit; it was definitely one of the highlights of the summer thus far.   

Jay Z and Justin Timberlake had Ford Field Rocking

Hitting Balls

Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

August 4, 2013 

After an exciting final round in Indiana that saw the winner post a 63 to take the title, we headed a little further west to the Detroit area. The ride was not bad, only about four hours to get to the motor city. Once we got to the area we headed straight to the course.

The course is Forest Lake Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, which is an extremely nice suburb of Detroit. The course looks fantastic and the building is enormous. This is probably the biggest country club building I have ever seen.

I also got a pretty nice tour of the city when I had to pick up Brian from the Airport. My first thought was that it did not look like an American city. My second thought was that Ford Field is huge.

Detroit may have a shortage of economic stability, but Michigan does not have a shortage of lakes. It seems everywhere we have been there has been a lake. There are a couple lakes right by the course, and a few more on the road to our host house. Then our house is even on a lake. I love lakes so it’s nice to see a lot of them again.

Speaking of host houses. This week our house is once again amazing.  With the Orchard Lake as our backyard the outdoor portion of this house is outstanding, but indoors may be even better. Paul, Brian and I all have our own rooms with bathrooms. The basement is one of the best of all-time. Downstairs they have a huge TV, full-size bar, pool table, and a golf simulator with a 12 by 9 screen.

The golf simulator is ridiculous, I’ve never used one before but I was glad to give it a try. After a summer filled with watching plenty of golf, it was nice to hit some balls of my own! The first night we were there we played a few holes on the legendary Oakmont course. The simulator has 14 loaded courses, some of which are the best in the world. Staying at a house like this makes me wish we had more free time.

Paul and I took some whacks on the golf simulator with host Devon who is playing in the tournament 

Last night we were done fairly early and we were able to go to a cookout at a member’s house. Go figure this house was also on a lake. This time we were at Square Lake. All of team five had a great time at this cookout. We went swimming, tubing, and ate exceptional food off the grill.  It was real nice to get in a lake for the first time this summer. This cookout was awesome and definitely made me miss the lakes in New Hampshire.

The sunset over Square Lake after our cookout. 

We had a good weekend. Tomorrow will be busy, and the tournament starts Tuesday.