Apr. 23, 2015
The Yellow Jackets' season ended bitterly this past Tuesday. Nonetheless, the Top 5 enjoyed a fun final tournament weekend filled with memories, fun and lots of wind. The team stayed with Coach Brown’s parents in Mason, Ohio during the G-MAC tournament.
The Browns were fabulous hosts and made our last golf trip of the season our best. The Jackets arrived at the Brown’s house on Saturday night and enjoyed pizza, snacks, and intense games of pool, foosball, and ping pong in the basement. Sunday morning the team went to church with the Browns before going to Four Bridges Country Club for the practice round. The course was in great shape and an excellent choice for hosting the tournament.
The Yellow Jackets battled wind and rain during the practice round; despite being soaked by the end of the round, it was beneficial for the team to see the entire course. On the par 3 15th hole, with the rain blowing sideways, Forsythe ripped a 5-iron cut from 181 yards. A few Jackets thought they heard it hit the pin, and nobody could see the ball on the green through the rain. Had it gone in?! Jordan "Big Kountry" Glick pranced up to the green to see if it was in the hole. A full minute later when he reached the green, BK gave a mighty fist pump when he saw the ball in the cup! The Jackets back on the tee went wild! The senior had dunked his second career hole-in-one as evidenced by the large chunk of sod missing from the front lip of the hole. Forsythe enjoyed sharing the moment with his teammates on his final collegiate golf trip - a trip he won’t soon forget.
After another fun night at the Brown’s on Sunday, the Jackets woke early Monday morning to play 36 holes that day. After nearly 12 hours at the golf course battling brutal winds and tough pin placements, the Jackets held a four stroke lead over Alderson Broaddus and led Trevecca by 15 shots with 18 holes to play on Tuesday. Scores were higher than the Empire State on Monday, with only a handful of rounds in the 70's. Though the greens were smoother than creamy peanut butter, a poorly set-up course, rough that could engulf a small dog, and monsoon-like winds kept golfers far from par. Taylor "Jenny" Holt played well, shooting 81-76 on the first day to enter the final round tied for second. A hearty burger and Mrs. Brown’s ice cream sundae bar made the day much better after a lot of tough golf.
Leading the G-MAC tournament, the Jackets rode to the course on Tuesday morning with high hopes of low scores. These hopes were slightly dampened when the weather forecast on the radio warned listeners of "damaging winds" expected that day. Winds were beyond brutal on Tuesday. Apparently conditions were too easy on Monday, because the greens were faster and pin positions more difficult on Tuesday. No one shot better than 77. Only five players broke 80. And a poorly marked area of the golf course cost the Yellow Jackets the G-MAC championship.
Here’s what went down: So there’s a lake in the middle of the golf course between holes 8 and 9. On any normal day, a lake in the middle of a course would be considered a lateral hazard or water hazard, depending on its orientation to the holes. This lake was unmarked. In accordance with advice from Coach Brown and Trevecca’s coach, Taylor Holt played the lake as a hazard. However, a rules official decided that this lake was not a hazard, and Holt was therefore disqualified. Had Holt’s score counted, the Jackets would have won the tournament by three strokes. Because of the DQ, the Jackets finished third, two shots behind Trevecca and a shot behind AB. A bitter end to a great season.
On the bright side, John "Thong" Sandlas’ 245 tournament total tied him for fifth place and earned him a spot on the all-conference team. Also, the Jackets have all but one golfer returning next season, so the future is bright.
Sadly, this is my final blog. It’s been an honor keeping you abreast of the latest and greatest with Cedarville’s golf team over the last few years. Thank you for reading and for your continuing support of our team.
Oh it’s such a shame for us to part…
Over and out,
Jacob "Pecs" Forsythe
Apr. 15, 2015
Dear Yellow Jacket Fans,
The Jackets visited Purgatory this past weekend to compete against 30 other schools in the NCAA Division II Midwest Region. The initial day of our time at Purgatory Golf Club was warm, calm, and pleasant. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the conditions during the practice round did not translate to the two days of tournament play. The Bible-believing Baptist ball-strikers worshiped at Genesis Church in Noblesville, IN before the first tournament round on Sunday. After hearing an excellent sermon about imitating Jesus’ selflessness, the Jackets teed off around 1:30 p.m. Conveniently, the round lasted long enough for the team to miss the entirety of the Masters final round coverage. Like the pros that Sunday afternoon, the Yellow Jackets were trying (and failing) to keep up with 21-year-old golfers. Overall, the first round was extremely mediocre for the Jackets. Despite sunny and relatively calm conditions, the Jackets laid an egg and shot 314, besting three of the 30 teams in the field. JR and BK led the way with 78's while Pecs and Thong fired 79's. The presence of Jenny’s girlfriend apparently hindered his play as he finished with 80. The team went to Panda Express for dinner to eat Chinese food and find their golf games.
On day two, Purgatory did not disappoint, nor did the Yellow Jackets. Despite high winds and scattered rain showers, the Jackets played their best round (relative to par) of the year, finishing with 298! Forsythe emerged from his spring slump and found red numbers, firing a 70 (-2) to finish T35th. Jenny’s play also improved for obvious reasons and he finished with 74 (+2). Glick, the spring king, continued his solid play and carded a 76, with an assist from Jenny and Coach Brown on the final hole to avoid a two-shot penalty. Royer added another solid 78 and Sandlas finished with 82. The Jackets jumped up several spots and finished at T21 of 31 teams.
Your Jackets will finish out the season with the G-MAC Championships at Four Bridges next week where they plan to lovingly crush Trevecca for a second time this spring. Until then,
Jacob
Apr. 8, 2015Â
Dear Golf Fans,
The Yellow Jackets competed at the Elks Run NCAA Regional this past Friday and Saturday. After a rainy and windy practice round on Thursday, the Jackets endured a four-hour rain delay on Friday before finally teeing off at 3:30 p.m. Due to rain, cold, and darkness, each golfer only completed about ten holes on Friday. When the tournament committee finally stopped play, the golf course was little more than a morass; relief from casual water was nowhere to be found at Elks Swim. Once play was suspended, the Jackets returned to the clubhouse for dinner. Despite the challenging conditions, each Yellow Jacket was within a few strokes of par.
Later Friday evening Coach Brown and the starting five - Pecs, Jenny, Thong, Big Kountry, and JR made a late-night Wendy’s run to fuel up for the remaining 26 holes the following day. Play started at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday morning and finally drew to a close around 6:30 p.m. It was a full day of golf. The Jackets posted a 306 early Saturday morning, followed by a season-best 295 in the afternoon! Jordan Glick, the spring king, led the way with 74-70 (T14th) while Mr. Sandlas added 77-73 for the Jackets. The team’s 601 total placed them in a tie for 15th out of 27 teams. The Jackets edged out two rival schools, Malone and Trevecca, by one and two shots respectively.
Next weekend the team will take a trip to Purgatory to endure the perils therein (and hopefully come away with a strong finish).
Until then,
Jacob  Â
Apr. 2, 2015
This week the Yellow Jacket golf team has been working hard and playing qualifying rounds for their upcoming tournament on April 3-4 at Elks Run. Taylor Holt and Jordan Glick sealed up spots in the Top 5 with their performances in last week's tournament while Forsythe, Sandlas, and Royer qualified for the Top 5 during team qualifying. The Jackets hope to equal or surpass their superb performance at the Elks Run NCAA Midwest Regional last year.
Until next time,
Jacob
Mar. 26, 2015
The Yellow Jackets teed it up for the first tournament of the season this past Monday and Tuesday. Unlike previous snowy conditions at Trevecca’s spring tournament, the weather in Nashville was warm and sunny for this year’s tournament. Jacob Forsythe, Taylor Holt, John Sandlas, Cory Peterson and Jordan Glick made the trip for the Jackets; the team travelled to Nashville on Sunday and played a practice round Sunday afternoon. After seeing the lay of the land, Coach Brown took the golfers to CiCi’s Pizza where they enjoyed watching March Madness and eating pizza.
The Jackets came to play on Monday, firing a 2014-15 season-best 300. Jenny led the Jackets with a 73 while Pecs carded a 74, followed by a 76 from CP3 and 77 from Big Kountry. Monday night the team ate delicious burgers and sushi at PM’s on Belmont’s campus before walking around downtown Nashville and enjoying ice cream at Mike’s. The team learned that Jenny is a sushi connoisseur and can predict types of sushi his teammates will and will not enjoy. The sluggish Jackets returned to their hive at the Marriot Monday night and went to bed early in preparation for an 8:00 a.m. start to the final round. BK led the charge in the final round with a 75, while Jenny and his kankle fired a 77. The other Jackets struggled; Pecs shot 81 and Thong finished with 83 for a grand total of 316.
Ironically, Thong killed the team mascot, a Yellow Jacket, in the van ride home. After driving for several hours on the trip home Tuesday afternoon, the Jackets stopped for lunch around 5:30 p.m. at Ponderosa. Large quantities of food and an extremely cheery waitress helped to lessen the disappointment of a poor final round. Nonetheless, the Jackets will be practicing hard in preparation for the next tournament.
The Jackets finished 7th of 11 teams in Nashville, a fair showing for their first tournament of the spring. Jenny led the Jackets with a total of 150 and tied for 27th despite battling lower leg pain, inflammation, and a kankle. BK tied for 34th with a 152.
The Jackets will enjoy this weekend off before competing at the NCAA Regional at Elks Run on Good Friday and the Saturday before Easter.
Until next time,
Jacob
Mar. 10, 2015
Greetings!
If you’re reading this, you have survived another frigid and snowy winter. Congratulations!
Spring Break last week marked the commencement of the Yellow Jacket’s spring golf season. Former coaches Poelzer and Bowen drove the team down to Orlando where the Jackets enjoyed the sunshine and many hours of invaluable practice to shake off the winter rust and prepare for the season.
After a long drive spanning Saturday evening and most of Sunday, the Jackets arrived at Orange Lake on Sunday evening and worked on their immensely important short games on the lighted practice green. After the practice session we ate at Applebee’s much to the chagrin of Joe-Poe. Overall, we enjoyed our micro-waved food and the opportunity to share a meal together.
Monday we were up early, working on our putting pace and grooving our swings at 8:00 a.m. That day we played the par-3 course at Orange Lake twice, the second time under the lights! The coaches baked lasagna and ziti for us in the condo for dinner. We had another practice session Tuesday morning, and Corey "Peter Pan" Peterson led the team with a round of even par on the 9-hole executive course that afternoon. Most afternoons the Jackets enjoyed a few hours of free time filled with fun activities such as hitting balls, shooting hoops, tennis, shuffleboard, swimming, hot tubbing, lifting, and Netflixing. On Tuesday night not even a leaky water pipe on the ceiling could stop us from enjoying deep-dish pizza from Giordano’s.
Wednesday was our first of three 18-hole rounds, and Glick, Peterson, and Forsythe all played well, shooting in the mid-70's. We also determined our individual pre-round warmup routines for the season on Wednesday. The team had another great dinner that night; Chuy’s Mexican restaurant was worth the long wait to be seated. On Thursday the Jackets played a match against D&E at the Magnolia course at Disney, the site of one of Tiger’s first professional victories. Led by 76's from Thong and Peter Pan, the A team fired 309 and smoked the Senators by about 15 shots. Forsythe carded a 77 to defeat Alli, his bitter rival from D&E.
On our final day we played the Quarry at Black Diamond Ranch, an impeccable course among the best in Florida. Each Yellow Jacket would agree that the Quarry was one of the best courses, if not the best, that we have ever played. From beautiful views to memorable holes to its fantastic condition, it was all that could be desired from a golf course. Colder, damp conditions made scoring difficult, but Pecs and Thong both managed to shoot in the 70's. We reminisced about the week over dinner at Olive Garden after the round. Story time with Brandon capped off a great week and the team drove back on Saturday to surprisingly balmy weather in Cedarville.
Weather permitting, the Jackets will host their home tournament next Monday and Tuesday at Beavercreek Golf Club, which is currently wetter than a medium-sized pond. The weather looks warm enough but moisture may make the course unplayable for next week. Until next week, keep it classy.
Jacob
Oct. 24, 2014
Beloved Fans,
With many tears and tissues, I write this, my last fall golf blog ever. The Yellow Jackets concluded their fall golf season on a high note. After we enjoyed a hard-earned two-day break from classes (i.e. Fall Break), all 10 golfers on the squad played a practice round at CCN on Sunday afternoon.
The Jackets’ home tournament began on a Monday afternoon that saw a wild wind blowing down the corner of my street. The Jackets were divided into two teams; the first team included Pecs, Jenny, D-Rock, Peter Pan, and Big Kountry while Thong, Royer Rabbit, Walmart, Pokey and Derulo represented the second team. The favorable wind direction made the course reasonable, and the Jackets A team put together a solid team score of 308, while others on the second squad posted good numbers. Forsythe led the Jackets on day one; with some magic from the flat stick, he made six birdies and managed to breakeven, carding a 71. Holt also played well, shooting a 77 while his hilarious father cheered him on. Sandlas led the second squad with a 77 as his father, the IV, watched. Jeremy Royer also finished with 77 on day one.
The A team led D&E by seven shots after the first round and needed a solid second day to ensure the script allowed the team to come home with the hardware. The winter winds blew in a tough direction on day two, making three par 4's play over 500 yards. After bombing a drive down the middle, there are better feelings than hitting a 3 wood into a par 4. Especially as a young man. Those feelings include going to the dentist, biking up a steep hill, and waxing your arms. Nonetheless, the Jackets persevered and finished with a 321, enough to secure their second tournament victory in a row! The golf team achieved two unprecedented events this week. First, they won two tournaments in a row. And second, they earned a shout out in chapel for the first time.
Individually, Forsythe recovered from a tumultuous front nine and shot 36 on the final nine of the tournament to shoot 77, finished four shots clear of the field. Moral support from his coach, teammates, parents, younger siblings and girlfriend enabled the senior southpaw to capture medalist honors for the second consecutive tournament. Royer Rabbit had his best collegiate tournament thus far, finishing in fourth with a pair of 77's. Sandlas finished T-eighth with 77-79, his best showing of the fall season.
During the winter months, the Jackets will dream on about low scores in the spring. After a few months off and trying to survive a long and dark December, the Jackets will begin swinging indoors, lifting, and preparing for a successful spring season.
Until March, stay warm.
Jacob
Oct. 13, 2014
Yellow Jacket Fans,
Last week your Yellow Jackets journeyed to West Virginia. Take me home country roads. We set off Monday morning, crammed cozily yet comfortably into a school minivan. For the record, five sets of golf bags piled onto heaps of luggage fits quite snugly in one minivan trunk. Thong assembled an exquisite Spotify playlist for the ride down, composed of team members’ favorite songs. The hits included Maps, Royals, Hall of Fame, Takin’ Care of Business (every day), and of course, Baby.
Inspired by the top-notch tunes, the Jackets played through the rain to complete their Monday practice round. Coach Brown picked up Domino’s pizza after the round, and the famished squad ate dinner around 9 p.m., nearly 11 hours after a quick lunch at Wendy’s. The five who made the trip, Thong, Pecs, Jenny, D-Rock and Royer Rabbit, arose to enjoy a delicious breakfast at the resort; it was a welcome alternative to cold pizza.
The tournament began and the Jackets used their course maps to navigate the tricky Arnold Palmer course. The fairways were soggier than a morass after a monsoon, so we played lift, clean and cheat in our own fairway. The precipitation held off for most of the agonizingly long first round, but it began to drizzle on the back nine.
The Jackets posted a 315 on the first day, led by a 75 from Forsythe and 79's from Holt and Truninger. The total gave the Yellow Jackets a 22-shot lead over the three other teams, who all shot 337. Tuesday night the team enjoyed some free time after a delectable dinner at the resort; let’s just say it was better than pizza. Confident in their chances on Wednesday, the team hit the hay with dreams of bringing home the hardware the following day.
The person setting pins on Wednesday evidently had a rough morning; he placed perilous pins on treacherous slopes, making five of the 18 pin placements legitimately unfair. However, we played the ball up everywhere, making bad lies a non-issue. Unfazed by the obscene pins, the Jackets turned in a 322 total to claim the victory! Coach Brown enjoyed his first tournament win and the team celebrated taking care of business and cruising to a 27-shot victory. Firing a 77 on day 2, Forsythe tied for medalist honors and canned a 4-foot par putt on the second playoff hole to claim the individual title outright. Truninger also earned a spot on the all-tournament team, finishing 5th with 79-81.
Next week the Jackets conclude their fall season, competing at Country Club of the North in Beavercreek on Monday and Tuesday. All 10 team members will compete; we will have two teams play in the tournament, with the teams TBD by this week’s qualifiers. Come out and support the team next week as they look to win another tournament to finish the season on a high note!
Oct. 2, 2014
Hello Yellow Jacket Fans!
Your golf team journeyed to the Windy City last Saturday to compete in the biggest tournament of the fall season; the team competed against 33 other golf squads at the NCAA Division II regional. On the way to Chicago we stopped at Golden Corral to enjoy the large selection of food, large quantities of food, and large bathrooms. Saturday night we arrived at Tinley Park and checked into our hotel. The team members slept soundly and enjoyed the hotel’s comfy beds, especially Jenny, who, according to video evidence, found the sleeping arrangements more than adequate.
Sunday morning, like good Southern Baptists, we attended church before our practice round. After playing one of the 18's at the course (the tournament was played on 36 holes), the team returned to the hotel and waited for Coach Brown to arrive with Chicago-style pizza. BK and D-Rock met coach when he returned and they sat in the hotel lobby enjoying pizza and Sunday night football. It never occurred to them that Pecs, Jenny, and Thong might want to join them; 10 minutes, 20 minutes, 30 minutes past. The three amigos waited for a text indicating that the pizza had arrived. Nothing. Finally, they texted one of their teammates to ask about the pizza. Learning of its arrival, the three used the last of their energy to travel downstairs and grab the cold remnants of a delicious pizza.
Monday morning brought sunshine and optimism to the Yellow Jackets; we were excited to play well. On day 1, Forsythe led the way with a 71, firing a sizzling 32 on the back nine after a ho-hum start. D-rock came in with a 74, stringing together two solid nines of 37. Taylor Holt also kept it in the 70's, finishing with a 79. Glick added a 81 to give the Jackets a 305 total, placing them in 20th place.
The team went downtown Monday night, enjoyed a burger at the Billy Goat, and met up with Forsythe’s brother. After walking the city streets and checking out the five-story Nike store, the team returned to the hotel to prepare for tougher conditions on Tuesday.
Tuesday was nasty; it was cold, it rained/misted for half of the round, and there were wild winds blowing. The Jackets struggled because Yellow Jackets are fair-weather creatures; we longed for the warmth and comfort of our hive. A dismal 324 total caused the Jackets to slide to 24th place out of 34 teams. On the bright side, the team beat all the G-MAC teams except for Trevecca. Also, Sandlas shot an 80 in the poor weather, a significant improvement from day 1. Forsythe carded a 78 on day 2 to finish T17th in the tournament.
The Jackets look to continue improving as they travel to West Virginia this week to Davis & Elkins’ tournament. Subsequently, the team will close out the year on October 20th and 21st with the Yellow Jacket Invitational at CCN.
Until next week,
Stay classy my friends
Sept. 23, 2014
Hey CU Golf Fans!
Your Yellow Jacket golf squad competed in another tournament last week, with the goal of qualifying for the NCCAA National Championship in Florida. On Sunday morning we drove to Noble Hawk Golf Course in Fort Wayne, IN, where we played a practice round that afternoon.
All nine eligible team members played at the Hawk, making for a cramped yet enjoyable van ride. Following our practice round, the team enjoyed a meal at Applebee’s, a tasty first for the golf team in many years. Tragically, due to a strained back muscle, Jenny had to withdraw from the tournament, and Peter Pan took his place for the week.
The Jackets endured bouts of rain throughout the first round, though there was less precipitation than initially forecast. The Top 5 managed a score of 307 on day one, led by Cory Peterson’s 74, to which Forsythe added a 75, Glick a 78, and Sandlas an 80. After struggling on day 1, Spears posted a 78 on the second day, while Big Kountry contributed another 78, Sandlas a 77, and Forsythe a 72. A 305 on day two moved the Jackets up one spot to third place, though not enough to earn a national championship bid.
On the bright side, hotel accommodations improved sevenfold from last trip; the Holiday Inn met and exceeded our expectations. We appreciated the comfortable beds, functional lights, and splendid continental breakfast (including cinnamon rolls!).
Individually, Forsythe finished fifth with a score of 147, just one spot from earning a trip to NCCAA’s as an individual. Jordan Glick finished T13th with 156, and Sandlas’ 157 put him in 16th. Pecs and BK have their tickets punched for Chicago next weekend, and the next few days of qualifying will determine the other three qualifiers. Jenny’s prognosis looks favorable, so we hope to have him back to shoot some more 68's in the Windy City!
Keep it classy,
Jacob
Sept. 11, 2014
Hey Golf Fans!
Another week has come and gone, and the Jackets finished the first tournament of the fall season (though we didn’t finish first!). Upon concluding 72 holes of brutal, dog-eat-dog team qualifying, the top five emerged from the fray and found themselves on the road to Marion, Indiana, where, on an unrelated note, Forsythe’s mom was born a few short years ago. Jenny, Pecs, Thong, D-Rock and Peter Pan rounded out the Top 5 for the week, and joined the real Zach Brown, our fiery new coach, for the trip to Indiana.
To briefly digress, Jenny’s father joined the team for a practice round at Meshingomesia Country Club on Saturday, adding plenty of fun, energy and jokes, causing us to wonder how Jenny missed those genes. However, as he proved later, Jenny didn’t miss out on the athletic ability genes.
The team set out far too early on Monday morning before the round, leaving school before 8 a.m. We arrived in Marion just in the nick of time, and only had about 3 1/2 hours to stretch out and loosen up before tee time. After hitting balls and putting, we finally shotgunned at 1 p.m.
Meshingomesia CC, whose name makes up for its lack of length, proved tricky but manageable during the tournament. Taylor Holt led the way with 75 on Monday, followed by Forsythe’s 76, along with 78 from Cory Peterson and 80 from Derek Truninger. Sandlas finished with 84 on day one. Our post-round meal at B-Dubbs left us hungry for more, so we made a McDonald’s run a few hours later. Our hotel accommodations also helped encourage the trip to McDonald’s. The dirty wash cloths hanging in the shower, flickering room lights, interesting clientele, and hotel fitness center complete with one dumbbell made our stay memorable, to say the least.
Teeing off at 9 on Tuesday morning, the Jackets were eager to move up a few spots from a dismal 8th place (of 9) after day one. Taylor "Jenny" Holt came to play, firing the best round of his life, a 68, to finish one under par for the tournament. Taylor tied for 3rd, finished just two shots behind the medalist. Forsythe improved slightly, shooting 74 the second day to finish just outside the Top Ten. Cory carded a 79, while Derek and Sandlas shot 82 and 84, respectively. With a score of 309-303, the Jackets moved up a few spots to finish 6th of 9.
Next week the Jackets will play Noble Hawk in Indiana, attempting to qualify for the NCCAA Championship in PCB, Florida, fondly known as para-para-paradise. Well, time to get back to the free golf…I mean the homework. Such is life for a student-athlete.
Until next week,
Jacob
Sept. 5, 2014
We're back!
Another golf season smiles upon us with a hint of familiarity and strong undertones of newness and uncertainty. Our new golf coach, Zach Brown (he doesn't have a band though), has worked hard to prepare the team to exhibit mental and physical toughness during our tournaments.
Our 7:00 am morning track workouts have built up our legs, our team chemistry, and a little sleep deprivation. On Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 8 and 9, the season begins when the Jackets' Top 5 tee it up at Indiana Wesleyan and show those Methodists how to play golf!
Pecs, Thong, CP3, Jenny, and the D-rock round out the Top 5 for the first tournament and look to bring home the hardware for the Jackets. Our game plan includes listening to the Cedarville fight song on repeat while we drive to the tournament Monday morning. What better way to play inspired?!
Next week's blog will recount our inspired performance. Until next time,
Jacob
Jacob Forsythe is a senior at Cedarville University from Bainbridge, Ohio and a Dean's List student majoring in exercise science.
