Another season ends...

post Tick: big G w/ the BCC Cup @ a Bomber hockey gamewow! that was quite a year. golf golf golf golf, drink it up! now with the exception of the BCC Ping Pong Championship & Cocktail Party the Bernardsville Country Club had a full schedule this season. and between the BCC and the SVCC, the Steeple View Country Club, backyard golf is alive and well. first was the April Fools Open, absent since 2005, that was defended by the talented SVCC greenskeeper and captain, billy jo auld, next i won the SVCC Steeplechase with a steady play on a very hot day, then there was the 2nd annual Inter-club championship, a wonderful event hosted by and played at beautiful SVCC, were the hosts narrowly retained the "Quantis Certanimus" trophy. the golf season's second half began with my first tournament "hoop in one", highlighting a record breaking outing at the SVCC Invitational. and finally, after almost a year, i regained the sliver BCC Cup by winning the Tick Open. yes there was drama, there were great shots, highlights and surprises, sportsmanship and camaraderie. viva la backyard golf! long live backyard golf! wow! that was quite a year. and then we topped it off with a Halloween Bash. nice. the BCC wants to wish everyone happy holidays, merry christmas and a happy new year! BCCNEWS

BCC Halloween Bash

the “speakable” highlights:well they did it again! on nov. 1st the groundskeeper and company (G-artist, rev.simpsinatra, P.T.PuppetShow, FMB, w/louie z.& J2J) set up their three ring circus on the grounds of the Bernardsville Country Club, filled it with scary spectacle, fine entertainment, added a bunch of good friends, deliciously tasty toxins, and then lit the fuse. BOOM! in what could be the last sequel in the cookie monster series for the BCC membership, this party really took off.after food, drinks and “dessert”, the P.T.PuppetShow started off things with a bang, literally. when rev. simpsinatra sang the haunting “summer wind” and then was shot by someone backstage, red blood splattering across his white shirt just before the curtain closed. oh the look on his face, but the show must go on! and it did, but so did the shooting. P.T. was shot twice, mortally after completing his high wire act! the Magic Shoe? shot. Rocky, the new and improved, smoking squirrel? shot. Project Genesis? possible sabotage. Socks? shot. leaving Dino, P.T.’s loyal sidekick, to sing the closing theme song “am i blue?” all alone, so sad. then he was shot. upsetting yes, but you must remember, they are only actors and this is just a show.luckily, and by popular demand, the BCC Scavenger Hunt this year was shorter and easier. the three groups ending up at the haunted barn after they combed the BCC grounds looking for clues and gathering creepy items. once there, a winner was announced, that being the Tiger Woods group with Cleopatra and some vampires, fabulous prizes were given out, all the while being serenaded by rev. simpsinatra, aka, bobby jones. warm weather made for wonderful outdoor fun. the stars, the stars, the bright beautiful stars.

as for the BCC Halloween Bash Costume Contest, well hopefully it’s not a sign of the times, voter fraud was rampant, some were found not to be of voting age, winners were declared and then rejected. no decision was made! frankenstein, marilyn monroe, sarah and her moose, sgt. lori, honest abe, the rodeo clown and the cowgirls, a couple of pirates, toxic man, death, the werewolf and an IBM, princess laya, lucifer and the devil dog, and all others mentioned, with no winner! and in the morning the trophy was gone! stolen by some joker no doubt. the BCC management would like to say that it does not condone this type of behavior. it will not happen again!(above) the groundskeeper as jeff drietlein as frankenstein!!it's 10 o'clock, do you know where your children are??? well, do you???is this the first time you've had a chocolate chip cookie?of the mechanical bull he said,"i'd ride it if i had a buck!"the party then migrated back to the BCC clubhouse fire and listened to a short set by the Frozen Monkey Band. abe lincoln on bass, ha ha. at about this time things started getting a little fuzzy (well maybe it was the whole time), anyway, some members left, some left a little later, and some didn’t. some party. some season. BCC NEWS

here we go again!

the Bernardsville Country Club proudly presents!!!come one, come all, just you, or bring a crew, it's true, the Bernardsville Country Club welcomes you, members and guests!
come early cause we've got plenty to do!!! at dusk then...
photo above taken just two days after the Tick Open

"The BCC Cup Comes Home!"

the Bernardsville Country Club held this year’s Tick Open a little late in the season but the golfing gods were on the club’s side this october 26th, 2008. it was cold and raining the day before and changed to snow days afterward. but what the members were greeted to was a soft (but not too wet) BCC golf course and a sunny day with temperatures up to 60 degrees, absolutely beautiful conditions. i, the BCC groundkeeper, was lucky to have set the course up for play days earlier before the rains. the course opened at 11 am and the first member to arrive was two time defending champion, SVCC greenskeeper billy jo, trying to get a little jump on the competition.
soon other members joined the warm-up, derek “hit man” schults and robert’, randy and “rodeo clown” matt, pete “the eagle” johnson and x-champ jeff wood, along with some new blood for the club membership, the BCC is proud to introduce, “tsuki” ginn and dr. joe, along with “all u need is” rob and dr. mark, who was TCB.
then the players gathered, the rules and format were discussed for the newer members and a tee was tossed to decided the three groups that would compete in the eight clockwise hoops of the first qualifying round. that round was highlighted by the last group that included derek, jeff wood, myself and the newcomer, dr. mark. in the eight hoops we made six birdies, keeping me scoreless for the first five holes! everybody was scoring points, two for winning the hoop, one for a tie. billy jo had 8 points, dr.mark 7 points, rob and pete 6 points, i had 5, derek and randy both had 4 points. wow!
in the second round counterclockwise seeded qualifier, the cream of today's crop rose to the top, the defending champ billy jo (14) and yours truly (15), the two new rookies rob (13) and dr. mark (15), and finally, derek (9) who won the “cinderella story sudden death” against randy to decide who would be the fifth man in the final round. earlier a 5'7" shot at #5 won me the Octopine trophy.
by now we all knew the ground was indeed soft, balls not stopping far from where they landed, knowing that one could fire at the flags without concern of balls rolling O.B. or into a hazard, it's pin hunting season. on #1 O.K. Corral (95yds), i took the first shot, a sand wedge to 18’ and a delicate chip into the hoop, birdie. that momentum went O.B. when i hooked my tee shot on #2 one bad apple (127yds), O.B. stakes that had been protested but looked so good. derek, who had just missed his birdie at #1, jumped on the opportunity with a par and two points after dr. mark and rob began finding out how small the hoop got in the final round. points were given to me at #3 Sight Unseen (113yds) when i made par and two points. at the no.1 handicapped hoop, #4 Octopine (103yds), derek knocked in a birdie and got two more points while watching me recover from the tree’s ever growing tentacles. two competitors had jumped out of the pack, four points all. time was running out for the others and that hoop wasn’t getting any bigger. golf golf golf golf, drink it up, drink it up!
at the short #5 Octopine’s Revenge (83yds), any momentum derek gained when he made his birdie chip was lost when my birdie chip of about the same length was made to halve the hoop. still all tied up, but the score didn’t tell the story, shots were being made by all. i made my move at #6 Pine’s Gauntlet (109yds), a solid wedge pin high and a nice 20’ chip but only one point when the defending champ knocked in his birdie to halve the hoop. derek had hit short and dr. mark hit O.B.. at #7 Big Roundup (129yds) derek and i made pars and at #8 Barn’s Window (111yds) we all missed shots at birdie, mine being the last, long by inches. but the tap-in par was enough to halve the hoop with derek and dr. mark (who finally found it). i thank all the members for making this the great event that it was. and YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, the silver BCC Cup is coming home to the Bernardsville Country Club!!!

the BCC Tick Open

the Bernardsville Country Club proudly presents!!!course opens @ 11am tournament begins promptly @ noon

"Groundskeeper Tames SVCC Invitational"

it's pin hunting season, enjoy...the SVCC course was beautiful. i had arrived early, on that gorgeous day, with my GPS skycaddie in hand and three ping golf clubs in my bag (a nine iron, wedge & sand wedge). after greeting a surprised and busy greenskeeper, i began confirming yardage's and getting the swing ready for the SVCC’s last major of the year, the “Invitational”. “i really love this format”, i says to myself. ten golfers, first round is stroke play (a backyard golf exclusive), and then in the second round, match play to qualify for the final (another backyard golf exclusive). brilliant! again the Steeple View Country Club staff was wonderful, from the food, to the new scorecards, from the SVCC course itself to the post championship hot air balloon landing, amazing! thank you karen, barbara and billy jo. as BCC inter-club captain i'd like to congratulate the BCC team on their fine performances, highlighted by jeff's backhand under the tree birdie @ #7 and mike's heroic match play battle with derek. as for myself, well, sometimes your lucky stars line up. it began with preparation and execution, and ended in those magical sandy hoops. it was a very special day. BCC NEWS
the groundkeeper's tournament statistics:
1st rd. stroke play - 5 under par, course record
2nd rd. match play - 4 & 2 over JZ w/ 3 birdies
final rd. SMSS - 10 pts. @ #7 w/ 3 birdies & an ace @ #2

2008 S.V.C.C. Invitational

The Steeple View C.C. announces that the 2008 Invitational Golf Tournament will be held on Sunday September 21st.
"that's good for me, ha ha." groundskeeper, BCC

Backyard Golf @ Block Island R.I.

VIVA LA BACKYARD GOLF!!!not long ago on a visit to block island i was introduced to a man named jeff, and his dog jake. i had heard that jeff had also created a golf course in his backyard and indeed he did. it wasn’t long before i was invited over for a match, and i eagerly accepted the challenge. when i arrived at the “Mike Memorial Golf Course” i must say i was in awe. a sight to be seen. holes! that’s right, holes! along with tight greens and fringes! and 4’ x4’ driving range mats atop leveled tee boxes! OMG! a sand trap! wake up! no, “wake up!”, he said, “we have to prepare the course”. so with a riding mower and specially adapted push mowers (for the green and fringe) we polished up a links course that already looked amazing. i could tell he was a perfectionist, and with this beautiful backyard gem he has succeeded. it's so cool. eighteen holes, three greens, two holes per green and six tee boxes. yardage's ranging from roughly 80 yards to a monster 175 yard finishing hole. but this course is not for the faint of heart, a lot of walking, up and down, back and forth, "billy goat golf" i called it affectionately. “your the only one whose ever played the whole course”, he said. i’ve since made the journey on more than a couple of occasions, having throughly enjoyed this very special golf course some five or six times. competing under the rules of match play, i was unable to defeat him and/or his golf course. bcc news what does the future hold in store?

"Groundskeeper Wins SVCC Steeplechase!!!"

"i'm on top of the world!", said the Bernardsville Country Club founder as he celebrated his SVCC Steeplechase victory into the wee hours.B-ville: the poster said the Fawkirk trophy was up for grabs again. it was. it asked, who would answer the call on july 20th? well guess who? with a slow start, scoreless in the first four qualifying holes, he turned it around making four birdies in the next five, he was on his way. yes, the BCC groundskeeper won the Steeple View Country Club's 2008 "Steeplechase" golf tournament with an impressive showing of short game skill and consistency. "it was a really f___ing hot, hell, thank god there was a pool!", the champ began the interview with a rum and coke in his hand, a champagne bottle on the table and a girl in each arm, "i thought about ken venturi when he won the US Open in 1964, f___ing hot!", we're in a dark smoky place, underground, at a club called the Elvis Room, he continued,"keep your eye on that guy derek!", the two had warmed up in the oppressive heat and battled all day,"SVCC hit man that's what he is!", he barked. "and the kid!, billy jo! (SVCC founder & greenskeeper) he's getting it together! getting closer! their good men!, all of them!", he then yells,"but i'm the wanted man!", he's had one too many, but how many can that be? he says, "golf is a head game. you know. the space between your ears." then,"bartender! how about another bottle of Veuve Clicquot!", to, "ya got to find the secrets in the dirt!", i asked him why? "because this bottle's f___ing empty!", seeing where this interview was going, i congratulated the champ who answered,"and i'll do it again!" and bid him goodnight, or was it good morning. anyway, there you have it. Gary Simpson, his name engraved on the Fawkirk once again, for a record 5th time.
oh my. "its an honor!", shouted the Bernardsville Country Club protagonist, "many thanks to billy jo, karen and barbara, the whole SVCC staff, for hosting another wonderful event".a bcc news production.
the full story of the tournament can be seen @ http://www.steepleviewcc.blogspot.com

"SVCC STEEPLECHASE"

Damn!!!

oh, so close.
everything went just as i, the BCC groundskeeper, had planned. in my 1st round best ball groupings, jeff and i took out the talented team of derek and robert’, 2 in 1, with fine shots and excellent putting by jeff. in the 2nd round alternate shot i teamed up with past BCC champ mike r. to defeat tony and robert’ 2 in 1. after the two rounds were completed, it was all even, 4 points each, exactly as planned.
the june 12th 2008 2nd Inter-club Championship was a great day hosted by the Steeple View Country Club, the weather, the beautiful nine hoop SVCC course, the new matching uniforms of the SVCC team and the wonderful job by the SVCC club house. just great. thanks to capt. bill auld, karen and birthday barbara. chili... mmmmmm.
my plan was to get into a tie and sudden death with captain’s picks. as contender, i had the advantage in determining who was playing who. in the singles matches i threw pete “the eagle” johnson into battle against derek “the eagle” schultz and jeff against the explosive tony d., always hoping for an upset. i gave mike r. the task of dispatching his fellow Bomber hockey line mate, robert’, which he did with an impressive four birdies in six hoops. exactly as planned. that left the two captains. i thought that was the way it should be. beat the captain and tie the competition, exactly as planned. i was 1 up at #1 (113yds) with a par but i missed a birdie chip by inches at #2 (95yds) and billy didn’t. then he made another at #3 (67yds) and a third at #6 (84yds)!!! not exactly as planned. “i was hitting everything long and scared of it”, i says to myself. after missing a heroic par save chip, again by inches, at #7 (104yds) the match was dormie. ever the gentleman, SVCC captain billy auld conceded the two final hoops, halving our match, winning the Inter-club championship with a 9 to 7 point victory and retaining the coveted gold “Quantus Certaminis”. a wonderful day, exactly as planned.for the full story go to: http://www.steepleviewcc.blogspot.com/

The INTER-CLUB

the BCC boys head down to the beautiful Steeple View Country Club for some spirited competition and fun, attempting to bring home the gold "Quantus Certaminis" trophy. both the BCC and the SVCC will retain the some roster as last year and they will also be playing the same format, that is, best ball, alternate shot and singles matches.

"i'm expecting it to be a wonderful day" said the groundskeeper.
Team BCC, left to right: mike, pete "the eagle", G and jef!

SVCC Captain Defends BCC Cup!

what a memorable afternoon it was, april 26th, we were told it was going to be a day of thunderstorms and rain, but the golf gods offered a break in that bad weather for the Bernardsville Country Club's 12th annual April Fool's Open. saturday was a little cooler than it had been and the gusting winds were swirling around the eight hoops of the BCC course, making for challenging conditions. we do apologize to all the members who could not make this "short notice grapevine invitational", we must say that although we had a good turnout, it's not something we will be doing again soon. but for those who were there, what a peach! a great golf tournament!
(above: tony on the 1st tee. below: the BCC half-way house.)
the members gathered round in a circle and a tee was spun and tossed to decide the groupings for the eight clockwise hoops of the 1st round qualifier. 2 points for the win, 1 for the tie, first one in the hoop decides. the 1st group saw randy's 12 points dropping some jaws, not to mention jef d. and hunter's. in the 2nd group, tony d., 9 points and derek, 7, pushed an ailing past champ mike r. to only 1 point and an eventual retirement from the tournament. he then did a wonderful job taking over the BCC Bar-B-Q, and we all thank him for that. the 3rd group pitted the reigning champ, winner of last year's Tick Open and holder of the silver BCC Cup, capt. billy jo auld of the Steeple View Country Club against the BCC groundskeeper, johnny Z and pete "the eagle" johnson. "the man came to defend his title" was heard as they watched billy jo lead the group with 9 points while making the groundskeeper struggle for 5.
(below: derek wins the Octopine Trophy, 6'7" from the pin at #5)
the BCC tried a new 2nd round qualifier seeding, suggested by mike r. for more cinderella story chances, high seeds play high and low play low. all in favor? aye! so the first group, the leaders, watched randy, who amassed 12 points in the 1st round, only buy a bagel in the 2nd, while billy jo and tony d. gained 9 and 7 points respectively. the 2nd group saw a battle that has been repeated more than once before, this time with the BCC groundskeeper scrambling for 9 points and derek from the SVCC also securing his spot in the final with 7 more points, they were joined by jef, along for the ride and 3 points. in the last group, "Z" and the "eagle" made a valiant effort but came up just a few points short of a cinderella shootout.
(above: jef checks the scores. below: the final five & wolfie.)
the final: billy jo SVCC, 18 points - tony d. SVCC, 16 - groundskeeper BCC, 14 - derek SVCC, 14 - randy BCC, 12. the champ, billy jo was playing solidly, as was tony d., but could he overcome his usual final round difficulties? was the groundskeeper too high? or was it derek's day? would randy wake-up? at the #1 O.K.Corral (95yds), the groundskeeper was the only one on the green, but only made a par and shared points with derek. at #2 One Bad Apple (127yds), billy jo made a beautiful pitch of some 30 yards onto the green and into the hoop for a birdie! amazing! and then at #3 Sight Unseen (113yds), everybody missed their par chips except the champ, that's 2 more points, wow! that's a lead. at #4 Octopine (103yds), the no.1 handicapped hoop, "got the best of must of us." and made the groundskeeper pull a rabbit out of his hat, making a par save from the branches of the Octopine after hitting directly into it!!!
at the the turn, billy jo 4, G and derek 2 and tony d. 1. after some good tee shots were taken at #5 Octopine's Revenge (83yds), a few birdie attempts were made but missed, the closest being the groundskeeper's 8 footer, that went through the hoop stopping only inches past, 1 point for all except tony d.. at #6 Pine's Gauntlet (109yds), tony d. hit the only nice shot, but could not take advantage, missing the birdie, and sharing points with derek when the groundskeeper missed his par chip through the hoop, by inches.
at the difficult #7 Big Roundup (129yds), pars were hard earned and points easily lost. but as they headed to #8 Barn's Window (111yds), billy jo and derek with 5 along with tony d. and G with 3, all had a chance! the groundskeeper had his opportunities on this day and on the final tee box, in this final round, he gave himself another one, a sweet eight iron, just five feet above the pin, and although his birdie chance rolled right through the hoop, again stopping inches outside, he said, "oh well", he knew this was a great golf tournament, a great day and a great repeat champion, telling him so even before it was over, but billy jo made the correction, and better still, made the 5 footer he needed to make for par, and for the title, only the second person in BCC history to defend the silver BCC Cup,
your April Fool's Open champion of 2008, billy jo auld. congratulations to all...