The Player of the Week for this week is Randall Webb. This is Randall’s first year on the tour and he has enjoyed the competition that the tour has brought. Randall stated the he “almost gave the game up last week but decided to play Eagles Pointe” because he liked the course. Well it was a good idea that he stuck with the game and played. Eagle’s Pointe was Randall’s first win on the tour; but it wasn’t an easy one. Randall had to go to a playoff and birdie the second hole of that playoff to win. When asked what was his most memorable shot of the tournament Randall simply replied “making a 15 foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole (hole 11) to win the tournament.” Great win Randall and we hope that this win shows you still have the game to win out here on tour.
The Charleston Golf Week Amateur Tour descended upon Coosaw Creek Golf and Country Club last Saturday and some came to conquer and others came to try to conquer!
The A flight provided a close competition with Mark Ducker shooting a 77 after a rough start to outpace Adam Daniel and Matt McInnis who both shot 78. Although Adam had more birdies it was Matt who prevailed in the score card playoff for second place.
The B flight saw James Ravenel not only capture the flight with an impressive 79, he also claimed the honors of Charleston Golf Week Amateur Tour Player of the Week! congratulations James on a great round! Following James in the B flight was Michael Graham who shot 84.
The C flight saw Robert Hagan take his first victory of the year by coasting in with a 90 to out distance the rest of the field.
The real battle this weekend went to the D flight as we had a four way knot for first place. Mike Miller, John Wilson, Mike Durden and Max Velasquez all posted rounds of 97. The first hole saw the elimination of Mike Miller and John Wilson. Then Max and Mike battled it for two more holes and as a crowd
watched it was Mighty Max who prevailed and defended his victory from last year at Coosaw. Mike Miller prevailed in the scorecard playoff for second place.
Our next event is at Penny Branch. It is a major as well as a combo with Hilton Head. Lets sign up early and go for a sweep of the flights!!
Also don't forget we will be giving away a new Odyssey putter prior to the tournament at Penny so get there early.
Our Charleston Tour Player of the Week is James Ravenel. James resides on Johns Island, SC with his wife Michele and their five year old twins. 2011 marks James's third year on tour and his victory at Coosaw Creek last Saturday was his second tour win. The round did not start out to smoothly on Saturday but finished strong. "I settled down on the par 3 sixth hole. I had just made back to back double bogeys and needed a strong momentum change. I hit a hybrid to twenty-five feet and made a nice two putt. This settled my nerves for the rest of the round" said James. Why do I play on the Charleston Amateur Tour? "It is a great bunch of regulars who share a love for the game of golf. The tournaments are always competitive and fun. I attribute playing on tour for teaching me how to not give up and grind out the whole eighteen holes"
What's In James's Bag?
Balls: Titleist Pro V1
Driver: Taylor Burner Super fast (10.5)
Fairway Woods: Taylor Burner Super Fast (3 & 5 Wood)
Eagle’s Pointe in Bluffton was the host course for the fourth tournament of the season for the Hilton Head-Savannah Tour. The weather for the day was absolutely amazing. The sun was shining, the gators were sunbathing, and the golfers were ready to play. With all the happiness going around today, you had to figure that low scores were going to shot. You figured correct.
The Championship flight saw four very competitive golfers competing for the first place points, money, trophy and bragging rights. When the four golfers walked off the green there were only 2 shots separating first from fourth; just two shots. Adam Dozier fired the low round in the champ flight with a 78 on the day. Danny Nash and David Politi tie for second with rounds of 79 while Vince Davis rounds out the group with an 80. Great playing from all the champ flight guys and congratulations on such a competitive round.
The A flight consisted of six golfers today. Again the scores were low and competitive amongst the group. Randall Webb and Mark Harrison came into the clubhouse with 3-over rounds of 75 on the day. So off to a playoff they went. After two playoff holes Randall came back in as the winner of the A flight. Rounding out the top three was Terry Lennox with a 77.
Continuing with the low scores and playoffs the B flight followed suit. With ten golfers competing today in the B flight the battle was on. After all the B flight players were in Taron McKowen and Devon Melone were tied, each with an 80 on the card. So off to number one they headed. When the playoff was finished Taron walked away as the winner. Pat Helm continues her solid play and claims third place.
The C flight didn’t want to be left out of the low scores and playoffs. KC Andrews was playing well all day until hole 12 where he had a rough stretch going. He was ready to throw in the towel when he was encouraged to keep it together and finish strong. With the new confidence he finished strong and was tied with Michael Kline with rounds of 87. So a third playoff was needed. By the time the two came off the playoff hole Michael was the winner. Jess Haynes finished third on the day.
The D flight saw Brain Gale make it two in a row with his win today. Battling six golfers in the D flight, Brain was able to put together a solid round of 93 to take a three shot win over George Story and Todd Champitto. Great playing by Brian had him all smiles after the round and taking home his second trophy of the season.
What a great great day for the Golfweek Amateur Tour. Every tournament we have had this season has had playoffs to decide the winners in some of the flights. As Pat Helm put it “It just goes to show you how competitive these guys are.” Everyone wants to win. Everyone wants to play well. With the weather getting warmer, I’m sure the golf will continue to get better and the scores will be amazing.
Our next event will be March 12th and Penny Branch. This is a combo event with the Charleston Tour and is also the second major of the season. Sign up early to secure your spot in the tournament.
Our player of the week for February 12 is Brian Gale. Brian comes to us from Springfield, MA but now resides in Pooler, GA. Brain is a “True Hero” serving our country in the US Army as a Kiowa Warrior Pilot. Brian has been playing golf for about three years and hopes to one day retire from the Army and pursue a career in golf. He would like to be an instructor or in golf management somewhere in Arizona. Brian joined the Hilton Head-Savannah Tour to meet other “Golf Addicts” that love to play this glorious game. His goal for the future is to break 80. We are sure he will accomplish this goal.
Brian played in his first Hilton Head-Savannah Tournament at Crescent Pointe and fired a 98. This put him in a tie with George Story so a playoff ensued. Brian won the playoff on the first hole. What a first tournament, a playoff and a win! “The sand wedge I hit from 20 yards out on 17 to within three feet was what won the tournament for me” said Brian. I am sure this will be the first win in many to come on tour.
What’s In Brian’s Bag?
Ball:Srixon ZStar Tour Yellow
Driver:Callaway FTIZ 10.5 Degree Stiff
Fairway Woods:Callaway Diablo Edge Tour 15 Degree Stiff and Callaway FTIZ 5 Wood Stiff
This is George's second year playing on the Charleston Tour and in that time he has amassed a good resume with (3) regular season tour wins and (2) pre-season wins. George originally hails from Houston, TX but has lived in Mt. Pleasant, SC for the last 35 years. He is an active member at Charleston National GC and is well known in the Charleston area for his steady solid play. George used (2) birdies on his way to a blistering 75 to capture the win at Edisto. "I guess the shot that kept my round going was the 20 footer I made for bogey on #3. I had failed to get out of the bunker not once but twice. By making that putt, my putting stats were kept intact. I had no three putts and six (1) putt greens. You can say, my putter was hot from the start." George has recommended the tour to many players and says "the tour is a great way to meet some great people and enjoy not only the freindship but also the competition. The tour is made up of some really super guys."
Whats In George's Bag?
Balls: Titleist ProV1
Driver: Cleveland Hi-Bore XL with 10.5 Degree
Faiway Woods: Cleveland Hi-Bore 15 Degree Metal and 19&25 Degree Hybrids
The Plantation Course at Edisto Island played host to the Charleston Tour’s third tournament of the young 2011 season. The course was in great shape and the weather was perfect as thirty-two golfers took to the course in search of that elusive win.
The Championship Flight had the lowest number of entrants with one player till Adam Daniel of the “A” Flight stepped up to play in Championship Flight and give Matt McInnis some competition. In the end, Adam shot a 79 to take the first place Championship Flight Trophy. Matt finished in second with an 87. Adam was awarded second place points in the “A” flight for his play.
The “A” Flight’s Dan Wanner overpowered the course and shot a blistering 74 to capture the “A” Flight title. This was Dan’s first tournament and win on the Charleston Tour. Second place went to Mark Ducker who carded a smooth 79.
The “B” Flight saw a familiar face hoisting the trophy at the end of the day. George King fired a 75 to pace the field. James Ravenel came in second place with a solid 83. Third place was captured by Michael Graham with an 84.
The “C” Flight also saw a familiar face hoisting the trophy. Richard Cairns shot a solid 81 to capture first place. Richard was followed closely by Marlon Jones who fired an 87 and David Mays who cruised in with a 93. This was Richard’s second win of the 2011 season.
A perennial Charleston Tour member came thru with an impressive 91 to capture the “D” Flight. Cowboy who has been a member on the Charleston Tour since its beginning used steady play to hoist the “D” Flight trophy. Tour newcomer Wayne Carter was right on Cowboy’s heels with a solid 95 to take second place.
The Charleston Tour’s next tournament is on February 26 at Coosaw Creek GC. We look forward to seeing everyone there. Be sure to keep up with the tour on its Facebook page. Prizes and specials will be ran throughout the year!
We are pleased to annouce that the Golfweek Amateur Tours operated by Upstate Golf Services has partnered with Boxgroove. Each member of our tours will receive a free premium membership to Boxgroove. This is a $49 value for our members. I will be receiving confirmation numbers in the mail sometime in the next (2) weeks. I will then email each member a code for them to enter into the Boxgroove website to activate their membership. In the meantime, read over the Boxgroove writeup below and visit their website at www.boxgroove.com for more information.
More than a tee-time aggregator, reciprocal-club network or fractionalized country-club membership, Boxgroove offers players seeking diverse golf experiences the opportunity to forge new golf relationships and play private courses in the United States, which they select from the Boxgroove options. Boxgroove provides members with meaningful opportunities to play private golf clubs around the U.S., a powerful arena for business and social networking, a simple Web-based method of accessing tee times at private golf clubs and a national community that shares passion for the game. For business or vacation travel, or even a weekend away, Boxgroove provides members with the chance to explore appealing golf venues while meeting new players or bringing their own guests.
Crescent Pointe in Bluffton was the host course for the third tournament of the GolfWeek Amateur Tour season. The weather for the tournament was great; for February. A slight breeze was present all day long but the sun was shining and that helped keep the temperature at a comfortable level. A total of 40 golfers decided to attack the course today; little did they know they course was ready to put up a fight of its own.
The Championship Flight saw a season high six golfers compete for the first place trophy, points and prizes. With only two strokes separating the top three guys, you knew it was a good round. At the end of the day Robert Wyrick was able to hold off Danny Nash and Adam Dozier to claim the top spot. Wyrick used “4 3-putts and no birdies” to secure a 6-over 77 round. Danny Nash comes in second with a 78 and Adam Dozier rounds out the top three with a 79.
The A flight saw seven golfers compete today. After all the A flight golfers were in, it turned out to be another close group. Jimmy Turner was able to go 38-43 on the day to fire an 81 and secure the top spot. Jimmy’s 81 was one shot better than Mark Harrison who went 42-40 to finish with an 82. Rounding out the top three was Steve Roberts and his round of 84.
The biggest flight on the day was the B flight. With 13 golfers in the flight the prize money was bigger than it has been all season. With only two players breaking the 90 barrier and no birdies posted in the B flight, you knew it was a tough day. Craig Ehde was the low man on the day with a round of 87. Following close behind was Taron McKowen and his round of 88. Rounding out the top three was Scott Ammons and his round of 90.
The C flight had a lot of fireworks today. With a total of 9 golfers playing today, the competition was bound to be good. And it was just that, good. Joe Lee was the first C flight player in and he set the bar high, or low depending on which way you look at it. Joe fired a round of 85 to take the lead in the clubhouse. About 2-hours later John Donat came in with an 85 as well. Off the the course they went for the playoff. Two holes later John Donat walked off the green victorious. Rounding out the top three were Bob Wagner (88) and Jess Haynes (personal tournament best 88).
The fireworks weren’t only for the C flight. The D flight had its share of fireworks today as well. With five golfers in the flight the players knew they would have to play well to stand on top of the point standings today. After 18 holes of golf two players were tied for the lead. So George Story and Brain Gale headed off the play some more. In the end Brain Gale was able to hold on for his first victory on the GolfWeek Amateur Tour.
Congratulations to all the winners today. We hope to see everyone in two weeks at Eagle’s Pointe; February 26th. Remember to keep a look out on FaceBook for specials and updates.
Tony has been a member of the Amateur Tour for over eight years. He hails from Chattanooga, TN originally and has lived in Charleston for the past five years. Prior to that he played on the Charlotte tour for four years. He has enjoyed his time playing on the tour and has had some spectacular round such as his Blistering 76 from the Tips and the Harbor Course at Wild Dunes. This win was Tony's 12th since being a member of the Amateur Golf Tour and he stated he always recommends it to other players because it is a great way to compete against other golfers with similar talent in addition to playing some great courses. When asked about his crucial hole at the Harbor course ge stated; It had to be number four. That hole has got to be the toughest hole in Charleston, I have never made less than a seven on it and I lipped out a par putt for a five which kept my round at 2 over for the front and kept the momentum going. As Judge Smails says in Caddy Shack: "Ty, How do you measure your game against other golfers?" Ty responds, "by height". Seriously, I would recommend the Golf Week Amateur Tour because it is a good way to measure your game against others with similar talents, and you get to play a lot of great golf courses.
Whats in Tony's Bag?
Ball: Bridgestone tour
Driver: 8 deg Callaway Bertha 2 Driver with a 60g stiff graphite shaft.
3 Wood: King Cobra 3wood w/stiff 63g graphite shaft
This is Danny's second season on tour and the win at Barony was his first win. Danny grew up on Hilton Head Island and attended Hilton Head Prep. Danny shot 75 to secure his first win at Barony but not before a little trouble sneaked in to make it interesting. "I had bogied the par 4 12th to move me to +2 for the day. My goal for the remaining holes was to get back to even for the day. I proceeded to birdie both the par 4 13th and par 3 14th. Unfortunately I had a couple of slip ups on 15th and 16th holes but my performance on the 13th and 14th allowed me to not sweat it too much".
Whats In Danny's Bag?
Ball: Bridgestone Tour B330
Driver:Callaway FT Tour (10.5 Degree) with X-Stiff
3 Wood:Taylormade R9 (15 Degree) with X-Stiff Shaft
The Charleston Tour kicked off their local season with a tough course but some nice weather. As usual the Harbor course played long and strong and we saw the Champ flighters struggle a bit as their deep drives seemed to be off the mark by a hair. Anyone that has played the harbor course can tell you that is a recipe for disaster. In the end Clint Knisely took the honors over newcomer Michael Harrington.
The A flight playing from the black tees as well saw some spectacular golf turned in by Tony Capehart with a very solid 76 followed by Adam Daniel with an outstanding 78. Following those two in was long hitting Brooks Varn who posted a respectable 85.
The B flight also saw some great play as Jerry mast fired an 80 to take the flight by two over James Ravenel and newcomer Burt Lawson who fired 82's with James winning on a scorecard playoff.
Rich "Rock-Pile" Cairns turned in a blistering 37 on the back nine to secure first place in the C flight with a very nice 87 and a two shot victory over National Champion Marlon Jones.
The D flight saw a very impressive 93 from Dennis Harris to outpace Cowboy who turned in a solid 97.
The Hilton Head-Savannah GolfWeek Amateur Tour held its second event of the young season this past weekend (Jan. 29th) at Barony on Port Royal. The course was in great shape, the weather was amazing and the competitors were ready to play and continue their quest for the season long points total. A total of 36 golfers came out to play in this event and all of them seemed to have some fun.
With only four players in the Championship flight, making it the smallest group today, all the players were grouped together. So, the battle was on. Face-to-Face, shot for shot, toe to toe. When the players walked off the 18th green everyone in the group already knew who won. That player was Danny Nash who fired a 3-over round of 75 to claim the 900 points and the first place trophy. Danny also rattled off 4 birdies on the day and won one skin. Coming in second was Adam Dozier followed by Cram Cooper who finished third. A personal illness forced Laird Robinson out of the competition.
The A flight saw nine golfers take to the course on the day. With scores ranging from 78 to 86, the competition was tight all day long. In the end Lenin Lezcano used three birdies to help secure his first victory of the 2011 season. Eddie Wright was close behind Lezcano all day. Wright put together a solid round of 80 to come in second place. Finishing T3 was Mark Harrison and Chris Pronaut (81).
The biggest flight of the day was the B flight with 11 golfers. The B flight saw the first playoff on the day. This playoff came between Pat Helm and Mark Morris who both fired rounds of 85. After the first playoff hole one player had par and one had a bogey. Congratulations Pat on the win! Larry Lee used a 30-yard chip in on hole 18 to shot an 86 on the day and secure his third place finish. That chip in also won Lee a flight skin, a super skin and some bragging rights.
The C flight had six players today and half of them came off 18 with the same score. So off to hole #1 for another playoff the players went. But one playoff hole wasn’t enough for these guys; it took a second one to declare a winner. After the second playoff hole Mike Kline was able to hold off John Donat to claim his first win of the season. Gerard Mahieu rounds out the top three.
The D flight also had six players competing today. Coming off his second place finish at the Ice Breaker Open, KC Andrews was able to carry that momentum into Barony and come away with a victory. KC also had two birdies that ended up winning him one flight skin and a super skin. Rounding out the top three was Todd Champitto and Ronald Railey.
Congratulations to all the winners. It was a great way to keep the season rolling. Our next event will be Feb. 12 at The Crescent. Sign up early to secure your spot in the tournament. Remember to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. Also, continue to spread the word about the tour. We have started off pretty well but let’s get our golfing friends involved in the tour. More people equals more prizes!
On January 15th over 100 golfers, representing 14 different tours, descended on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina to officially start the 2011 GolfWeek Amateur Tour at the Ice Breaker Open. Playing host to this two-day tournament was the Palmetto Dunes Golf Resort on Hilton Head Island. Day one of the event was held on the George Fazio course while day two took place at the Robert Trent Jones course. With the weather outlook calling for low to mid 50’s, mixed with wind, on the weekend, the anticipation and excitement started setting in for many of the golfers early in the week. One dedicated player, Zavier Neeley (Columbus Tour), drove all the way through the night on Friday night to Saturday morning from Columbus, Ohio just to play in the first tournament of the season. Many other golfers arrived earlier in the week to get a few practice rounds in before the tournament. Needless to say, this had the making to be a great weekend of golf and camaraderie amongst the many golfers on the GolfWeek Amateur Tour.
The Ice Breaker Open. What a perfect name for this particular event and especially for this weekend. The official start for the shotgun tournament was 10 o’clock each morning. However, each day was delayed for an hour to give the sun a chance to, break the ice. I guess we can’t complain too much about the waiting. After all, it is January and we are playing golf right? Golfers began showing up to the course two hours early to check-in, with hopes to get warmed up and ready to go. Once the delay was announced you could feel the anxiety build even more throughout the crowd. Now players would have to wait one more hour before they could get out on the course and begin their quest for that first win of the season.
With that interesting beginning to our day and the tournament, many funny stories were told after the round was over. In a scene right out of Happy Gilmore, one golfer actually landed a ball on a foot; his own foot. Standing in a greenside bunker, Thomas Lee (East Tennessee Tour) took a healthy swing to flop his ball onto the green. After his swing he stood completely still. Wondering what happened, his fellow golfers asked him what was wrong. All Lee could say in between laughs was, “What happens if the ball is on my foot?” Thoughts of Shooter McGavin from the movie Happy Gilmore raced into everyone’s head followed by some good laughs.
Another shot that drew the attention of some golfers came off the club of Ryan Thompson (Hilton Head-Savannah Tour). Positioned just 50 yards off the green, Thompson stepped behind his golf ball and surveyed his shot. Thompson had to fly his ball over a bunker and land it soft to a short-sided pin. What happened next was a something that was talked about and laughed about for the rest of the weekend. Taking a nice smooth swing, Thompson sent the ball flying with his sand wedge; only to have the ball come up just short into the bunker and disappear. Yes disappear. The golfers spent a few minutes trying to find the ball in the bunker just to discover that it had actually buried itself in the side of the bunker about three inches deep.
Along with the funny stories and great play on the weekend, one of the most exciting parts of the GolfWeek Amateur Tour is the camaraderie we all share. This weekend was not only about the golf tournament and the competition amongst everyone; it was about building friendships, meeting new people and having a good time with friends and family. Over the weekend, numerous players got together to play practice rounds with other. Every night big groups meet up at different restaurants and had dinner. Many of the players brought their spouse with them for the weekend getaway, making dinners even better. On Saturday night, players meet at the XO Lounge for the Pairings Party. Laughs, stories and ideas we all shared. Friendships were made and good times were had by all. This is one of the many things that makes the GolfWeek Amateur Tour so much fun; the camaraderie.
Even with all of the funny stories and mishaps on the course, the tournament was a huge success. As mentioned, the tournament hosted over 100 golfers from 14 different tours, a total of over $7500 was given out in prize money and everyone learned what the tour is all about. In addition to the flight skins pot and the closest to the pin pot, something new that was started up this year was the Super Skin pot. This was a pot that consisted of every golfer in the tournament playing for skins. A championship flight player could have a skin cut by a D flight player, which happened on numerous occasions. It is a great pot to get into. Why? Just ask Frank Whitaker (NE Georgia Tour). Frank put in his $20 for the Super Skin pot and walked away with $360 for winning two Super Skins. When asked what the best shot of the day for him was, he smiled and said “I guess that 3-iron out of the woods around a tree to four feet paid off.” Yes Frank it sure did.
As you can tell the tournament was a blast, but that wasn’t the end of the fireworks. The Championship flight (0-3.9 index) winners felt the need to play more than 36 holes of golf to decide a winner. Adam Dozier (Hilton Head-Savannah Tour), Richard Gaines (Jacksonville Tour) and Dennis Adkins(Myrtle Beach Tour) needed extra holes to decide who was taking home 900 points, the first place trophy and the $180 first place prize money. After a few birdies and a couple intense holes, Adam Dozier was able to hold on and claim the win. Gaines comes in second while Adkins takes home third place.
Even though the A flight (4.0-8.9 index) did not have a playoff to crown its champion, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t intense. Andre Emery (Upstate Tour) battled the solid play of Randall Webb (Hilton Head-Savannah Tour) and Mike Peters (Hilton Head-Savannah Tour) for two straight days to secure the victory. Emery fired a 76-75=151 to claim the three shot victory over Webb (76-78=154) and a seven shot win over Peters (82-76-158). Not only was this Emery’s first win, it was his first tournament with the GolfWeek Amateur Tour. Congratulations Andre on the great win, the 900 points and the $520 first place prize money!
The B flight (9.0-13.9 index) was the biggest flight over the weekend consisting of 28 players. Chris Franklin (Upstate Tour) played a solid two days of golf to claim the top spot in his flight. Franklin was the B flight season long champion last year for the Upstate tour. Obviously, he is picking up right where he left off from last year. Franklin fired rounds of 81-83 to secure the four shot win over Denny Miller (Charleston Tour) and the six shot win over Mark Morris (Hilton Head-Savannah Tour).
Andrew Dart (Hilton Head-Savannah Tour) improved his score by eight strokes to hoist the first place trophy in the C flight (14.0-18.9 index). Dart went 88-80=168 to claim the seven shot victory over fellow Hilton Head-Savannah tour member Todd Saylor (83-92=175). Coming in third in the C flight was Matthew Crates (Charlotte Tour) who went 88-89=177.
The final flight on the tour is the D flight (19.0 and above index). David Bruce (Columbia Tour) was the D flight season long champion for the Columbia Tour last year.Now he is the 2011 Ice Breaker Open Champion. Bruce put together rounds of 89-84=173 to secure the win. KC Andrews (Hilton Head-Savannah Tour), who is a new comer to the tour, comes in second with rounds of 86-97=183. Rounding out the top three was Andy Peterson (Jacksonville Tour) with rounds of 84-100=184.
Congratulations to everyone who played and won over the weekend. I cannot think of a better start to the 2011 GolfWeek Amateur Tour season. I would like to thank and welcome all the new tour members, the new tours and new tour directors that made the Ice Breaker Open their first event of the season. Let’s all continue to have a great 2011 season. As always, please remember that not only does the tour host golf tournaments and build friendships; we also raise money for cancer research. Many tours combined last year to raise over $16,000 to donate to Stand Up To Cancer. Let’s strive to better that number this year.
