Cedarville University Yellow Jackets

May 8, 2013

Yellow Jacket Fans,

I hope you’re having a fantastic summer! Though I indicated the previous blog would be my last, I couldn’t stop writing. But I promise this is it for the season.

Sophomore Jacob Forsythe recently qualified for the NCAA Super Regional Tournament in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Strawberry Creek, a challenging, immaculate course with greens the speed of sound, hosted the tournament on May 6-8th. Due to Resident Director obligations, Coach Poelzer remained on campus while Forsythe traveled up to Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon with Associate AD, Chris Reese and Chris’ daughter Nicole. After a lengthy stop in Chicago to meet up with Jacob’s brother Jon and grab some deep-dish pizza, player, (fill-in) coach, and daughter arrived safely in Kenosha.

Sunday brought sunshine for the practice round and sunburn for some golfers, Forsythe included. Besides working on an attractive golf tan, Jacob scouted out the course and practiced navigating the speedy greens. After the round and Chris’ coaches meeting, the trio headed to Olive Garden to carb-load and enjoy some tasty food. They were not disappointed.

After sleeping like large, round pieces of wood, they awoke and enjoyed some continental breakfast at the hotel. Forsythe drew the last tee time of the day, and commenced the first round at 1:30 p.m. Throughout the day, he hit some quality shots, including a 340 yard drive, a 300 yard drive onto the green of a par four, and a 240 yard hybrid to the fringe from a fairway bunker. However, he struggled on and around the greens and finished with 75, three over par.

Coach Poelzer awoke early Monday morning to drive up for the first round. He followed Forsythe around during the round and made sure the range didn’t close after the round until it was supposed to, much to the frustration of the rude golf course head professional who tried to kick coach and player off the range prematurely. Not happening. Coach: 1, Head Pro: 0.

That evening Joe and Jacob blindly followed the GPS on coach’s phone to Birchwood Grille. Actually, it led us to a dead end and told us to get out of the car and start walking into a field. Maybe it planned to shoot us. But we eventually found the place and enjoyed some classic Wisconsin food.

Round two began at 9 a.m. for the CU golfer and finally ended about 5 1/2 hours later. Forsythe birdied three of the last four holes to salvage a respectable round, posting a 76 on a day where scores were higher because virtually every pin was placed atop a grassy knoll or on the side of a ridge. The greens were still running faster than an escaped inmate from the cops, which also made putting pretty easy.

Tuesday evening we went to Milwaukee to meet the rest of the Poelzer crew for Chili’s and Kopp’s frozen custard, which by the way, tastes like heaven. Joe’s brothers, Mike and Steve, their wives and parents, Tom and Sally Poelzer and Mike’s kids rounded out the party. We shared some laughs and enjoyed some delicious food.

Wednesday brought more sunshine and made Forsythe’s skin darker than Pink Floyd’s side of the moon. Forsythe teed off at 8:40 a.m. and endured another long round. After a slow start, he followed a 38 on the first nine with a 33 on the final nine, including birdies on two of the last four holes. A 71 put him at +6 for the tournament in a tie for 31st of 108, nine strokes shy of qualifying for nationals.

Coach drove himself, Forsythe, and the Nissan back to Cedarville University, now practically a ghost town, while enjoying tunes from the Lion King and Tony Bennett. And with that, the spring golf season came to a close.

I know you’re distraught that we’ve come to an end,
and I admit that my lacrimal glands are secreting some tears as well,
It’s been a blast, let’s not pretend,
What next year will bring only time will tell.

Seriously, thank you for your support.

Much love,

Jacob


April 24, 2013

Greetings,

Your Yellow Jackets competed in the first annual G-MAC Championship this week in the beautiful city of Nashville. We had the privilege of playing the Vanderbilt Legends course with CU golf alum Dan Atkeson on Saturday. The prestigious course boasted greens faster than Eminem raps and smoother than his rhymes, as well as famous members like fellow Caucasian rapper TobyMac, who we spotted on the course.

After grabbing some Chipotle with Dan and Erin Atkeson Saturday night, we headed to our smaller-than-last-time hotel rooms - despite the hotel "upgrading" us to king suites. Fortunately, the beds were large enough for two people to sleep without having to share body heat. After a good night’s rest in our luxurious half-beds, we drove to Hermitage Hills Baptist Church where we heard a sermon exhorting us to show love to others by spending time with them.

We ate a quick lunch at Panera before driving to The Hermitage, the site of this week’s tournament. We played a practice round Sunday afternoon and enjoyed some burgers and an awards ceremony that evening. Sophomore Yellow Jacket Jacob Forsythe received the G-MAC Golfer of the Year award as chosen by the coaches. After getting our daily dose of Dairy Queen Blizzards, the team returned to the hotel to complete some homework and rest up for a brutal first day of tournament golf.

Beginning at 8 a.m., the Yellow Jackets, Urbana, and Trevecca teed it up for 10 straight hours, completing 36 holes and finishing the day strutting down the fairway like cowboys after a long horseback ride. The weather was perfect for golf. Temperatures reached the mid-70's on day one with breezes throughout the day. Unfortunately, our team decided to wear pants, which effectively suffocated our pasty white legs and significantly contributed to lower body perspiration and discomfort. Overall, we played mediocre golf the first day, firing two rounds of 315 to finish 30 strokes behind Trevecca after two rounds.

Sadly, Big Kountry’s rock-solid 74 in the second go-round did not count because of some tee-marker confusion at the 14th. He got his DQ on the golf course. Nonetheless, great round big man! Coach Poelzer also got in on the fun, confronting a "70 to 90 year old" man who was heckling our opponents for their slow play. Though the old guy talked a big game, Coach talked him down and evaded an altercation. We bathed our sorrows and soreness in barbeque sauce at Famous Dave’s on Sunday night and prepared for another 18 holes on Tuesday. Making up 30 strokes is not easy in 18 holes.

Tuesday we played slightly better as a team, firing 316 in windy conditions. However, it wasn’t quite enough to overtake Trevecca, who finished a mere 26 strokes in front of us. Per usual, we finished in the middle of the pack, taking 2nd of 3 teams. Individually, Jacob Nafziger carded a smooth 76 on Tuesday to finish in a tie for third with Forsythe, who limped in with an 80 on day two. Freshman Jordan Glick joined the Jacobs on the All-Conference Team, an honor bestowed upon the 10 best golfers in the G-MAC.

Well it looks as if we are through,
That’s all I have to write to you.
It’s hard to believe the season’s done,
But along the way we’ve had our fun.
It’s such a shame for us to part,
Come August we’re back to the start.

Have a great summer and remember, don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things.

Jacob


April 16, 2013

CU Golf Fanatics,

The Yellow Jackets came to Purgatory, saw Purgatory, and conquered Purgatory. Here is our tale (please note, the following is for informational purposes only; it is not a theological treatise addressing postmortem issues - no need to cross-reference the white papers):

After two nine-hole qualifiers and a controversial nine-hole "super-qualifier," the five Yellow Jackets destined for Purgatory began the journey on Saturday morning. Coach Poelzer drove the golf van that morning and before long, we arrived at Purgatory. Despite its intimidating name, Purgatory Golf Course in Indiana seemed reasonable to navigate with ample birdie opportunities.

The Jackets played a practice round on Saturday in rough weather conditions; the wind was howling like an alpha-male wolf under a full moon, bringing the wind-chill lower than you feel after your favorite pet dies. However, it wasn’t cold enough to completely numb our fingers; just cold enough to keep us in the maximum pain zone. If there were golf courses in Purgatory, weather conditions would match those we experienced on Saturday. But testing produces perseverance.

After a brutal practice round, the Yellow Jackets crashed at (former CU golfer) Matt Yeiter’s place to watch the Masters and chow down on BBQ chicken and fries. He also entertained us with stories of superhero antics and thievery as a St. Clair resident. It was a heavenly feast following a difficult day at Purgatory.

Our Sunday tee times were in the early afternoon so we attended College Park church that morning, home to many CU alumni, including the pastor. He spoke on God’s faithfulness to His people and His majestic power as shown by parting the Sea of Reeds, saving the Israelites and destroying the Egyptian army. After hearing the sermon encouraging us to have faith in God, we headed to Purgatory for lunch and the first round.

Sunshine and stiff breezes greeted us at Purgatory on Sunday; prime kite-flying conditions. The 10-15 mph winds made afternoon scores higher than the relatively low scores already posted by the morning wave. The Jacobs and John shot 39-37 for three rounds of 76, while Alex "plays so" Cooley added a 78. We finished 20th of 30 teams on Day One. Sunday evening we headed to TJ Pancake’s house for pizza, cookie cake, and a DVR recording of the Masters. Sadly, TJ couldn’t join us, but we enjoyed the evening with the rest of his wonderful family. And, inspired by Adam Scott’s clutch performance, we went to bed with dreams of second round success at Purgatory.

Early morning tee times on Monday allowed us to play in relatively calm conditions, and the sun shone upon us as we made the turn, warming our souls as we journeyed through Purgatory. Brigham Michaud’s appearance at Purgatory on Day Two also brightened the day; he took a break from sales calls so we could enjoy his contagious laugh and heart-warming good cheer.

Three Jackets fared better on the third day, while two others struggled. Jacob Forsythe led the team with a final round 69, finishing with three consecutive birdies. Jacob Nafziger also improved upon his Day One score, starting strong but fading on the back nine to finish with 75. Big Kountry moseyed his way around "Purgatory" in 78 strokes, a marked improvement from the first round. John Stonkus followed his first round 76 with an 80; though not his best round, Mr. Longball’s contributions to the team this spring have been invaluable. The Cool Man struggled a bit after a good start in Purgatory; he escaped Monday’s round with an 83.

As a team, the Yellow Jackets placed 20th out of 31 teams, despite shooting a second round 302, four shots better than round one. Forsythe battled through a back spasm with the help of ibuprofen, a foam roller, and a magical heat strip to finish tied for 14th at +1 for the tournament. Ain’t nothin’ some pain meds can’t fix. (Not really. If you feel pain during exercise, stop immediately. Consult your physician before starting an exercise program or beginning medication). Nafziger’s 151 (+7) was second on the team and Stonkus’ 156 put him at third place for the Yellow Jackets, earning a trip to Nashville in our upcoming tourney.

Next week we travel to Music City for G-MAC championships at The Hermitage, a two-day, 54-hole competition. We’re hoping for temperatures in the 70's and scores in the 60's and 70's to win the prestigious G-MAC golf title. On Saturday, we’ll play Vanderbilt’s course and hopefully run into Brandt Snedeker at the putting green; we’ll keep you posted.

I apologize for the length of this week’s blog. But we must tell our tales of Purgatory. If you’ve reached this point, you should go peel the contact lenses off your eyeballs and insert eye-drops.

Thanks for your prayers as we journeyed through Purgatory!

Jacob


April 9, 2013

Yellow Jacket Golf Fans,

Your Cedarville golf team competed in the 32nd annual Cedarville Invitational at Beavercreek Golf Club last Thursday and Friday. After a sub-par showing (that is, many strokes above par) at our first spring tournament in Nashville, the Jackets looked for redemption and birdies at our home tournament. Fortunately, the weather cooperated both days; seeing the yellow sun again reminded us of golfing in para-para-paradise over spring break, our most recent sighting of the sun.

The Yellow Jackets played fairly well the first day, firing 314 to take a one-shot lead as narrow as the gate which leads to life. Forsythe led the charge with an even-par 72 while Stonkus added a smooth 77 and Truninger navigated Beavercreek in 79 strokes. Jordan "BK" Glick competed as an individual and carded a 78 earlier in the day. After a tough day of grinding out pars on the course, we went to Colonial Pizza to talk and refuel with pizza and cheesy bread. Though a freshman felt the ferocity of a female cop and got a parking ticket, (since when is it illegal to park on the yellow lines?) we otherwise enjoyed our time dining out as a team and with Coach Poelzer, his wife Alicia, and Coach’s parents.

There were some wild winds blowing on the second day, which spelled T-R-O-U-B-L-E for our hopes of winning; Yellow Jackets’ scores were up with the birds on Friday. We got swallowed in the sea of bogeys, relinquishing our miniscule lead by shooting 327 on day two. We tried our best and did not succeed; our lead went up in flames and we finished in fourth place. But don’t let it break your heart; the Yellow Jackets have two more tournaments this spring! This Sunday and Monday we’ll be golfing at Purgatory (seriously!), so pray for us.

Individually, sophomore Jacob Forsythe played well the first 33 holes of the tournament and following his first round 72 with an 80 on day two, finishing in third place. When I asked him about day two, he said, "That round was like a superb dinner without dessert; it was exhilarating to be in contention on the back nine but disappointing not to close the deal." Freshman Jordan Glick fired solid rounds of 78-81 as an individual to finish 15th and qualify for the journey to Purgatory. Long-ball hitter John Stonkus and straight-ball hitter Derek Truninger tied for third on the team with tournament totals of 161; they will plan in a nine-hole playoff to earn a trip to Purgatory.

On a more encouraging note, some of us had the privilege of talking about our faith and the riches of God’s grace with our competitors during the tournament. Ultimately, our testimony about Jesus Christ to the world and our opponents as we golf is paramount; if we win every tournament but fail to represent our King well, we’ve failed. Spending five hours outdoors with two other guys on a long walk that’s occasionally interrupted by a small white ball provides many opportunities to make friends and testify to the gospel of God’s grace. For this I am grateful.

Till kingdom come or next week (whichever comes first)…

Jacob


April 2, 2013

Greetings ladies and gentlemen,

Last week the Yellow Jacket golf team rode the struggle bus to our first spring tournament in Nashville, Tennessee. Our first competitive rounds of the year brought wind, snow, low temperatures and high scores. We collected bogeys, double bogeys, and "others" like they were baseball cards. Unfortunately, we couldn’t trade our cards with our opponents.

On day one of the tournament, we teed off in the late morning as 20 mph winds blew the softly falling snowflakes (and our golf balls) all around the course. To put it in perspective, 20 mph is about the terminal velocity of a wet snow avalanche. It’s also a 2-club wind or the speed of your car when the speedometer needle points to 20. Needless to say, the cold and the wind made shooting good scores a challenge on day one, as reflected in our team score of 345 (ouch!).

After enjoying some baked ziti and heavenly rolls for dinner at the golf course, we headed back to our sizable hotel rooms to study, warm up, and prepare for the second round. When we woke up the next day, it felt like Christmas morning. No, there weren’t gifts under a coniferous tree, nor had Santa stuffed our oversized socks full of goodies. As we looked out of our fourth-story window, on "the rooftops I remember, there was snow, white snow." Nonetheless, we ventured out into the cold and prepared for another fun day of golf.

Day two actually turned out better, weather-wise; though a few flakes fell earlier in the day, only a slight breeze persisted and temperatures reached 40 degrees. Unlike day one, our hands actually had some nervous sensation after the second round. Despite some sadistic day two pin placements, the Yellow Jackets golfed better, shooting a mediocre 327 on the second day. A two-day total of 672 put us in ninth place (of 10 teams), a mere 57 strokes behind the winning team. Of notable mention, freshman Jason Leigh made an incredible comeback after a rough front nine on day two; after firing 58 (+24) on the front, he tore up the back nine with an even par 37. Pin the blue ribbon upon his chest!

Individually, sophomore Jacob Forsythe led the Jackets, shooting 76-77 to finish tied for seventh - three strokes behind the medalist. Freshman Brandon "Asparagus" Spears finished second on the Cedarville squad, posting rounds of 88-82. Battling through an ongoing leg injury, freshman Derek Truninger finished third on the team, firing 88-84. These three will represent the Yellow Jackets in this week’s Yellow Jacket Invitational, along with two other qualifying teammates.

We look forward to getting back on the course this week in preparation for our upcoming tournament. As we practice, we plan to incorporate some competition within our team. That way, when the tournament rolls around, competition doesn't feel as foreign as an agreement between political parties, or as awkward as a bodybuilder in a quilting class.

Spending Easter weekend away from the course celebrating our King’s resurrection with friends and family gave the team a much-needed break; we anticipate returning refreshed and posting some low scores this week at Beavercreek Golf Club. If you’re in the area, stop by and support us on Thursday or Friday as we seek our first tournament win of the year, because "winning takes care of everything."

Do your best and forget the rest.


March 24, 2013

Hello there.

I’m dropping this blog on ya’ll from Nashville as your Yellow Jackets prep for our first spring tournament this Monday-Tuesday. You might think that Music City would welcome us with sunny weather, fair skies, and soft breezes during this, the first week of spring. You would probably think that the golf course would be dry, green, and well-manicured. You would most certainly be wrong.

Our Sunday afternoon practice round, which we played after dutifully donning our Sunday best to the local Baptist church, nearly got rained out; after enduring torrential rains, thunder, lightning, soaked pants and runaway umbrellas for seven holes, the precipitation subsided and we finished the round in fair conditions. Let me tell you, few things are as humiliating as sprinting after your umbrella as it blows 100 yards down the fairway in the pouring rain...twice. After the round, we met up with Dan and Erin Atkinson, Cedarville alumni who hospitalized us (showed us hospitality) last year. We enjoyed catching up with them as we devoured some chow at Famous Dave’s, Nashville’s best BBQ joint.

Fortunately, the lovely weather should continue the rest of the week…The high on Monday is 39 degrees ( that's Fahrenheit) with snow flurries changing to rain. Also, it’ll be windy; so windy that there’s a possibility of tornadoes this week. Tuesday should be fantastic as well, with morning snow showers and a high of 43 degrees. However, we Ohioans are well prepared for these conditions since we played our qualifiers in similar weather.

Speaking of qualifiers, the fab five teeing it up for the Jackets this week are juniors John Stonkus and Jacob Nafziger, sophomore Jacob Forsythe, and the men who are fresh, Brandon Spears and Jordan Glick. The other three team members, Jason Leigh, Alex Cooley, and Derek Truninger, also came to Nashville and will compete as individuals this week for a starting spot next tournament. Despite the mediocre weather forecast, the Yellow Jacket team is pumped to start off the season and post some good scores this week.

Thanks for reading, you’re why I write,
Now I best be signing off tonight.
Enjoy your Easter with friends and fam,
And praise our King, the risen Lamb.

Peace,

Jacob


March 19, 2013

Hello Comrades,

"It was a long and dark December, from the rooftops I remember there was snow, white snow."

Unfortunately, long, dark, and snowy accurately describes March so far in Cedarville. Due to snowy, blustery, and frigid weather conditions last week, your Yellow Jacket golf team only practiced outside on Thursday and Friday and worked out at the gym Monday through Wednesday. After a chilly range session on Thursday we headed out to (not yet) Greene Country Club on Friday to play nine holes. While actually playing on a course again was a refreshing change of pace, the pace of the putting surfaces left much to be desired. The Greene greens putted like a shag carpet and were slower than a handicapped tortoise. They were rather different than the greens in Naples, which were running faster than Usain Bolt. Needless to say, we are looking forward to warmer weather and better course conditions.

This coming week we are preparing for our first spring tournament, which is next Monday and Tuesday at Old Hickory in Nashville. Few things beat traveling south to play golf and miss class...don't worry parents, we'll take our textbooks with us. Weather permitting, we will play two nine-hole qualifiers at Beavercreek this week to determine the top five golfers for the tournament, though the whole team will journey to Music City. Our biggest opponents during the qualifiers will not be ourselves or the golf course, but rather dehydration and heat exhaustion; highs are in the 30's every day this week. Perhaps Nashville will be more temperate.

In other news, the golf team was recognized this week in chapel with the other spring sport teams as Dr. Brown prayed a blessing over the athletes. Our hope is that God will grant us boldness through His Spirit and opportunities to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to others as we compete this season.


That’s about it for this week. Lord willing, the next blog will be coming to ya’ll hot like biscuits and gravy from sunny Nashville as we prep to face Andrew Jackson on Monday and Tuesday.

Peace,

Jacob


March 11, 2013

Since the tournament was scheduled for Sunday and Monday, we played our practice round on Saturday. Mr. T.J. Pancake and Brandon Spears both had carrying straps on their golf bags break during the practice round, forcing them to use push-carts for the tournament. Since almost everyone carries their own golf bag, using a push-cart in college competition is usually a shameful sign of weakness; see the photo of Brandon proudly displaying his push cart. If anyone is keeping track, we went to a Saturday night church service in lieu of going on Sunday morning. So we’ll be able to fill out our spiritual disciplines reports this week without feeling guilty about missing corporate worship.

After getting some BBQ and authentic Wisconsin custard on Saturday night, we were stoked to tee it up at the regional in the morning. The Jackets struggled on the tight, lengthy White course on day one. The 18th hole was a critical point in several golfers’ rounds; Freshmen Brandon Spears and Jordan “BK” Glick both double-bogeyed 18 to finish with rounds of 80. Forsythe dropped a twenty-foot birdie putt on 18 before dropping the hammer and finishing a shot under par (71). Jacob Nafziger shot 82 and T..J Pancake came in with 87 on day one.

We then drove around the Blue course - the 18 holes scheduled for the next day. After driving back to the Poelzer’s, we savored some sausages, succulent chicken and sweet pumpkin bars lovingly prepared by Tom and Sally. The Jackets studiously considered doing homework before hitting the sack early; we earned an early tee time for the next morning by playing so poorly on day one (18th place of 24 teams). We left the next morning at 6:30 so most of us woke up around 6, except for BK who woke up at 5, apparently to milk the cows.

We made the one-hour drive to the course and arrived ready to tackle the easier Blue course. We got warmed up, TJ and Brandon strapped their bags to push carts, and the round began. All the Jackets struggled on the front nine; Jacob and Jacob tied for the team low with 39 (+3). However, the Jackets turned it around at the turn. Jacob Forsythe shot 34 and Nafziger added at 35 on the backside, with Spears contributing a 39. The only time when it’s not awkward for a fellow golfer to compliment your backside is after you’ve shot one or two under par on the back nine.

The 18th hole provided more theatrics on day two: Jacob Nafziger holed out his approach shot from 96 yards on the final hole for eagle, finishing with a concrete 74. Forsythe finished with 73 (+1) to conclude the tournament where he started, even par. Brandon Spears finished third for the Jackets with another 80. T.J. improved upon day one and finished with 83, while Glick shot 85. Although the Jackets improved by two shots, shooting 311 after 313 day one, they dropped a spot and finished 19th of 24. Jacob Forsythe had his best tournament of the season, finishing only two shots behind the leader in a tie for third.

Away from the golf course, the freshmen and the sophomore make some classic rookie mistakes. One of us, not realizing that we were in central time, asked why the clocks on his computer and phone were an hour different. This was after we’d been in the central time zone for over 24 hours. In another incident, one of the guys managed to pull down the shower curtain not once, not twice, but three times while taking showers late at night when everyone else was trying to sleep. Additionally, Tom Poelzer convinced one of the naïve young-uns that there were special “chicken buns” for the chicken breasts on Sunday night, even though all the buns for the chicken and sausage looked exactly the same. Finally, one of the Jackets accidently got red ink on the Poelzer’s white sheets while doing homework. Thanks to the Poelzer’s for putting us up and putting up with us!

Thanks for reading all this,

Jacob


September 25, 2012

Our Loyal Fans,

Your Yellow Jacket golf team began the Yellow Jacket Invitational this week with dreams of para, para, paradise - a good showing at our tournament would bolster our chances to qualify for the NCCAA Tournament in Panama Beach, (aka paradise) Florida. The sun & the sand, it was all yellow.  After qualifying last year, we eagerly anticipated another shot at The Hombre, the site of NCCAA’s as well as the PGA’s notorious Q school.

After a practice round on Sunday, all nine Yellow Jackets teed off Monday morning with expectations up with the birds. With a wild wind blowing, scores were high the first day. The Greene greens were as slippery as a greased pig; the 15th green felt like a bowling alley because it returned the ball to your feet after putting it at the hole inconveniently located on a severe slope. On Monday the Jackets were led by freshman phenom Jordan Glick who fired a superb, silky seventy-seven. Jacob Forsythe shot 78 after finding death and all his friends on the back nine. Jacob Nafziger (aka The Scientist) also broke 80 with a smooth 37 on the back nine for a 79. The Jackets posted a 318 before heading over to Colonial to talk and devour copious amount of pizza.

After finishing third on day one, we felt like it was us against the world on day two. However, after a good night’s sleep in our own beds, our alarm clocks woke us for an early tee time. The wind was blowing close to the speed of sound, making scoring conditions difficult. It also rained for about an hour; every raindrop felt like a waterfall and the chilly rain caused many a shiver and errant shot. Most of us struggled on day two, with Forsythe the lone man to break 80. The team shot a disappointing 321 to finish in third place. Although our hopes of paradise didn’t completely go up in flames, our chances were nearly lost. We didn’t have any Dairy Queen this tournament, which explains the relatively poor performance on the golf course. There is no other legitimate explanation.

As for the individual results, Jacob Forsythe shot 78-74 to finish tied for fourth, the oh-so-fresh man Jordan Glick shot 77-83 to tie for eighth, and Jacob Nafziger carded 79-84 to finish 16th. Brandon Spears fired 84-81 while T.J. Pancake contributed 84-83 for the Jackets. The Jackets will be competing in the NCAA Regional tournament this weekend on Sunday (yes, Sunday) and Monday in Wisconsin, the childhood stomping grounds of our dear coach Joseph Poelzer. I can attest that all five guys who are going cannot wait for the eight-hour van ride to the tournament on Friday. But we are genuinely pumped like Vin Diesel to rep the ‘Ville in our first NCAA DII Regional Tournament!

As always, thank you for your perpetual support.

Lights will guide you home…

Jacob 


September 18, 2012

Our Dear Friends and Followers,

The Yellow Jacket golf team competed in the Atlantic Powerade Regional Invitational this past Monday and Tuesday. River Greens hosted this prestigious tournament, and we were scheduled for 27 holes each day. Powerade sponsored the tournament, and generously provided two coolers of Powerade bottles on the entire golf course.

We played a practice round on Sunday afternoon, playing 18 holes and walking the other 9 holes on the 27-hole course. On our final hole, a short par 4 with an approach over water, Mr. T.J. Pancake bladed his approach shot from 85 yards. The ball came off like Tiger’s “stinger,” smashed a metal bridge between T.J. and the green, and rocketed to the left. The ball nearly decapitated several golfers from another team who were putting on an adjacent green. Who says you can’t intimidate your opponents in golf? T.J. graciously signed the ball above the mark from the bridge, as you can see in the photo. After the round we ate pizza at a mediocre local joint but enjoyed Blizzards at DQ, which is always a good choice.

After Jacob F. and Brandon Spears got free continental breakfast brought to their room Monday morning, the Jackets shot well in the first round, firing 302 with Jacob Forsythe shooting 2-under 70 and Jacob Nafziger firing a scintillating 73 (+1). However, after shooting well on the Rivers and Greens courses, the Pines gave us difficulty. This may sound crazy, but there are a lot of pine trees on the Pines course. This made the course difficult; pine trees swallow golf balls like Joey Chestnut swallows hot dogs. Nafziger led the way with a crafty 38 on the Pines, while Jordan Glick carded a solid 40, followed by Forsythe and Pancake with 42 and Brandon Spears with 45. After day one, the Jackets’ 302 was tied for eighth of 20 teams, and only 10 shots behind the leader (counting only the first 18 holes). Forsythe’s 70 tied for the lead, although he struggled in the pines on the Pines.

Monday night we went to DQ for the second time in two days, getting Blizzards once again with extra whiplash from brake checks on the way. When we returned to the hotel, T.J. and Jacob N. gave freshman Jordan Glick ironing lessons and showed him how to de-crease his wrinkles (pun intended). Later that night, several golfers (who shall remain unnamed) got a call from the hotel front desk for causing a “jumping disturbance” while dancing “Gangnam Style.”

After a restful night of sleep and a 30 minute rain delay before teeing off, the Jackets teed it up in wet conditions on Tuesday morning. Everyone played well on the front nine, but torrential rains delayed the tournament when we had finished most of the first nine. After waiting for an hour for play to resume so we could go out and win the tournament, the rain continued and the rest of the round was cancelled. Unfortunately, by the time the greens dried up it would have been too late for everyone to complete 27 holes before nightfall. Although your Yellow Jackets came to play on Tuesday, it was all for naught; scores from the second day were a wash and only the 27 hole scores from Monday counted. Jacob Nafziger (T20, +3) edged Forsythe (T27, +4) for the team 27-hole low score and Glick (+12) beat Pancake (+13) by a shot to finish third on the team. Cedarville finished 11th of 20 teams.

A quick stop at City BBQ alleviated a little frustration as the golf team headed back to campus on Tuesday afternoon. Next week the Yellow Jacket Invitational will be held at nearby Greene CC so you all should come out and “Back the Jackets!”

Till next time, stay classy my friends.


September 11, 2012

Cedarville Golf Fanatics,

The Bluegrass Classic Golf Tournament in Georgetown, Kentucky concluded today. The good news - the Yellow Jackets finished in the top five. The bad news - there were only seven teams. A fifth-place finish after struggling through two brutally long 18-hole rounds left us with lots to work on and plenty of room for improvement. Individually, the Jacobs led the charge with Jacob Forsythe tying for 10th with 74-76 and Jacob Nafziger finishing 13th with 77-75. Freshman Brandon Spears had a breakthrough tournament, finishing third on the team and 19th overall with silky smooth rounds of 77 and 78. Other notables include Mr. T.J. Pancake with 79-79 and Derek Truninger with 80-80. The par 72 course only stretched 6800 yards with fairways wider than cornfields in Cedarville. Although birdies were out there, none of the Yellow Jackets found many.

Apart from struggling through the 6+ hour rounds, all 9 guys who traveled had a blast during the van rides and during the down time. Highlights include two Dairy Queen Blizzard runs (golf team tradition), quarantining the three sick freshmen to their own hotel room, John Stonkus killing spiders that haunted the hotel (an advanced form of sleepwalking), and classic freshman mistakes that are inevitable when traveling with five freshies. The CU golf budget made the trip easier by paying for meals, while Coach assisted by doing our laundry, and helping us out with yardages and beverages on the course. He also showed off his van-and-trailer driving skills by successfully backing into tight parking spots several times and slinging the van within millimeters of another vehicle as we left for home.

The tourney revealed our weaknesses under the crucible of a college golf tournament and will motivate us to practice harder and improve. It will be a stepping stone to better concentration in workouts and practices as well as better scores in the future. And yes, we do work out. How else would we offset all those DQ Blizzards? Anyway, we anxiously await our tournament next Monday and Tuesday at River Greens in Coshocton, Ohio. Qualifying is this Thursday and will determine one or two participants in next week’s tournament (the top three from this week are guaranteed a spot in the next tournament).

Thank you for loyally reading about and supporting your Yellow Jacket golf team.

Peace,

Jacob 


September 3, 2012

Our Faithful Followers,

Another season of golf is upon us once again! Faced with the difficult task of carrying Brigham Michaud's blogging torch of excellence from last year, I, Jacob Forsythe, will do my utmost to keep all of you golf blog followers abreast of the latest and greatest from the world of Yellow Jacket golf.

After a summer of practicing hard (or hardly practicing), the nifty nine Cedarville golfers played nine holes of qualifying last Friday. After navigating the brown fairways of the Greene Country Club, scores were tallied and two 39's were the low rounds. The final 18 holes of the 27-hole qualifying concluded, with freshmen Jordan Glick and Alex Cooley each shooting 78 and grabbing the 2nd and 3rd spots for this weekend’s tournament in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Upperclassmen Jacob Nafziger and Jacob Forsythe also earned spots for next week's tournament. The 5th spot will be filled by the perpetually enigmatic coach's pick, made by our vivacious and spry second year coach, Joe Poelzer. Will he choose an experienced veteran or an enthusiastic freshman? Only time shall tell.

Speaking of men who are fresh, this year's golf team has five freshmen, a sophomore (that's me) and three juniors. Although some people might call us a young team, I would call us a team with virtually infinite potential and much to learn. I will veritably update ya'll after our tournament this Monday and Tuesday in Georgetown, Kan-tucky. We'll probably finish in the top three if we play well because there are only two other teams. Maybe we'll even get an early W as a confidence-booster for our challenging NCAA Division II schedule this fall!

Cheers till next time. May your spirits be lifted and your handicaps lowered! 


Jacob Forsythe is a sophomore at Cedarville University from Bainbridge, Ohio and majoring in exercise science.