Tag: pga

Buttercuts- #4

27 at The Club with May and A-Hole

Election Day 

March 4, 2024

Cloudy and mostly calm 

Election Day, 2024, provided us the rare opportunity for a midweek morning round. May and I arrived a little early and hit the range. May has some ailing virus running through his body and at my age, I just need to get loose before embarking on 6+ hours of golf.  

A-Hole showed up 10 minutes before our 9:10 tee time and just like a Bamer- he spends 2 minutes on the range and then he strips one down Broadway on the 1st tee. 

May is coming off a basketball season that will get sweeter with time but he’s still stinging from the last loss. He took a 7-10 team at mid-season and had them on the cusp of a state tourney berth. I watched them play throughout the year and they continued to get better, continued to work hard, and continued to gain confidence, much like May’s golf game over the last few years. He has almost graduated from the Nerds Tour and entered the world of real golf and keeping score and following all the rules but I think he likes the company on the B team. He’s like the junior that averages 20 ppg on the JV team. 

May is the picture of consistency, he never gets too high, never gets too low but he is a competitor and the way this season ended will eat at him for a while. He’s got a great temperament for coaching. He’s detail oriented and organized, remains calm under pressure, and enjoys analyzing and game planning. 

One story that embodies what he is about is from his 2nd or 3rd year as the head coach at Farragut High School, he had a player whose father died unexpectedly one morning and it was a morning that the family was up early to go visit a college. To say the least, it was tragic and a really tough situation. I remember telling him, “I’m sorry, I know you didn’t get into coaching to deal with something like this” and without skipping a beat he responded, “this is exactly why I got into coaching.” He’s had plenty of success,  the all-time winningest coach in school history, state runner-up a couple of years ago, and countless girls playing at the next level, but it’s the opportunity to positively and eternally impact kids that calls him to coach. Love him like a brother and glad I kicked his ass today… 

I did have the honor and pleasure of hiring Jason Mayfield to coach girls basketball at Farragut High School. Honestly, it’s one of the best decisions and moves I’ve ever made in my job. His interview is legendary- we drank Miller Lites on his back porch while he shared his vision and plan for building a program, chalked full of details on one of his patented spreadsheets. Sometimes it ain’t hard, he was and is the man for that job. 

But today was the perfect time to kick a man while he was down and try to steal a W in the coveted “King of the Nerds” standings. When he hit his 3rd straight drive of the day dead right, I knew I had a chance. Mission accomplished- I went 86-41. May went 88-47. A-Hole 91-47, I think. 

It was a fabulous day. The grouping is very comfortable and we all love playing but don’t take ourselves too seriously (when you shoot in the upper 880s and low 90s, no sense in taking anything you do on the course seriously) and we really enjoy each other’s company.

As we walked off the 18th green after 27 holes, we probably could have squeezed in a couple more holes but there was no need. We were thankful and ready for the next time we could get out and play together. We left the day thinking that a Tuesday morning tee time and all day golf was a pretty damn good idea. We had a blast. 

My game continues to show slight improvements and I’m gaining confidence. I hit every FW but 2 but only managed to hit 3 GIR, that’s a problem but I kept the ball in play and in front of me. 2nd shot issues continue to plague me and put a premium on my 60 yards and in shot making.  Thankfully, my short game was pretty good and I enjoyed numerous up and downs and eliminated big numbers, for the most part (maybe 3 doubles on the day). I managed to roll in a 20+ footer on the 26th hole for a birdie and walked away with $30. I’m hopeful that some much needed distance off the tee will be gained as the weather warms up and the course firms up but my biggest issue is with my approach shots- just not getting much pop on the ball.

Buttercuts- #1

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Sweetens Cove Golf Club

36-45 degrees, chilly in the morning and turned AB by lunch

Ryan Atwell, Quinn Cannington, and Wes Huntsville 

Sweetens Cove Golf Club. South Pittsburg, Tennessee

We pulled into the gravel parking lot at SCGC at 7:45 am CST with the excitement of two kids heading downstairs to see what Santa had left under the Christmas tree. The air was brisk and cool and the parking lot was mostly empty. As the sun peeked over the mountains, more cars (actually trucks, every vehicle was a truck…) ascended on the little course that could and guys layered up to bare the elements for a day of golf.

Joining me on the inaugural stop on this journey was “Q” and A-Hole/Alabama Frontal/Ryan. Ryan and I enjoyed the 2:15 drive down from Knoxville. We discussed family, work, and HS hoops- maybe not in that order but the conversation made the trek seem like a quick trip to a gas station and not a 120+ mile journey. Q came up from Atlanta and had already texted me the obligatory, “LFG”, a few times so I knew he would hop out of the car eager to take the course by storm. We made our way to the practice putting green and from what I observed, we were in for a fun but daunting day. The green resembled a ride at Six Flags and any putt would be a mind bender. It was like putting on my driveway and over Mount Everest all rolled into one. 

The starter summoned all the brave soldiers to the Shed at 8:00 and gave us our marching orders. He was trying to be funny but you could tell his speech was on repeat and he had very little time for any small talk or BS. He was direct and firm. With only 25ish golfers man enough for golf in late December, the course would yield many holes and a good pace. We were told to report to hole 3 and start our round there. 

We spent the next 9 hours in pure golf bliss. In a group of no single digit handicaps, we each had to be sharp to avoid absolute disaster on every hole. It was exhilarating and a hell ride from start to finish. Only one birdie on the day and it wasn’t from Q or Ryan… My lone birdie came on the 5th hole of the day after I hit a crisp 9 iron from 102 yards (chess, not checkers) that landed softly and took the slope of the green and nestled a cozy 2 feet from the cup. We traded jabs and engaged in an intense pillow fight for the rest of the day. 

Q and Ryan, poetry in motion

Sweetens Cove is a golf playground. It twists and turns and slopes and rolls all around and over itself for 9 glorious holes and 70+ acres of land. You nervously putt from 15+ yards off the green (that’s what Sgt Starter told us to do so we obliged, except for hole 7 where I laid my sand wedge open and clipped my 2nd approach shot to 3 feet and made par- more chess moves…). We arrived at each tee box with  excitement and laughter. We were more interested in enjoying the day and the company than the score on the card- sound advice for life. Enjoy the people you are with and don’t worry about the results. You’ll actually end up having more fun and won’t get so uptight about the swings, the highs, or the lows. 

We were joined by Wes Huntsville on our last few holes. He was your average looking 30 something year old man. Not overly athletic in appearance. More postman than pro golfer. He proceeded to drive the 293 yard 5th hole and had a tasty 2-putt from 100+ feet for birdie. I thought maybe Wes was on his way to prep for the “Florida swing” on the PGA Tour when he bombed his drive on #6 about 320 yards and proceeded to dump his 80 yard approach shot in the cup for an eagle. We all ran and high fived Wes like we had been best buddys since the 3rd grade not acquaintances for 15 minutes. He could not have been a nicer guy and there’s another lesson on the day- invite strangers into your group, celebrate their successes with them, and don’t judge a book by its cover. 

Q, Me, Wes, and Ryan on #9. Last hole of the day

As the daylight faded and the chill in the air returned, we didn’t want the day to end but we each were thankful for the experience. We “had stolen one” and played about as much golf as we could muster on this surprisingly gorgeous late December day. 

As we backed our golf carts into the appropriate position- leaving the place as we found it and maybe even better and headed into the Shed to buy some merchandise, we all had a sense of accomplishment and joy that can only be experienced when you focus on others and not yourself. 

I hugged Q in the parking lot and told him I loved him. I’ve known him for nearly 20 years. Watched him grow up, work around the world, get married, and settle down. He’s gone from student to friend. He’s an absolute stud. He is witty and talented. His golf game is improving- he has a John Rahmish backswing without the results but it’s a thing of beauty. Hits a consistent low stinger and plays the game with a smile on his face. He’s great to be around on the golf course. He never takes himself too seriously and naturally puts others at ease. His whole life is ahead of him and we will have more SC days in our future. 

I’m ready to go back and definitely will in one year. Until then, I’ll keep my swing loose and long and make putts when it matters most. Play on Playa!