April 25, 2014Hey Fans!
Goodbyes are always hard. But saying goodbye today is especially hard. You’ve faithfully followed as the Jackets rode the rollercoaster of NCAA Division II golf this season; for this we thank you. We cannot thank you enough for your continued support of us not only as golfers, but more importantly, as maturing young men. Please enjoy this, the final blog of the season.
The team concluded the season with the G-MAC Tournament at Glenview Golf Course in Cincinnati. The top five golfers, Pecs, Ziggy, Reese Cup, Big Kountry, and Jenny, accompanied by Coach and Thong, headed south on Monday morning to play the course and prepare for the tournament. After stopping for an early lunch at Chipotle and taking a few wrong turns, the team arrived at Glenview just in time for the noon tee time. Following the practice round, the team enjoyed dinner at the course with the five other teams in the G-MAC. Going into the tournament, we knew scores would be up with the birds; the greens were harder than triple integrals and the rough was thicker than a toupee. As we later discovered, the course was set-up worse than this punch line.
The Jackets awoke early to commence their rounds on Tuesday, since each golfer played 36 holes on the first day. Nine hours after beginning, the team finished their two rounds around 6 p.m. Tuesday night. The exhausting day saw many pars, a few too many bogeys, and a smattering of birdies. The Jackets sat (gingerly) in third place after Tuesday’s two rounds, led by a strong round of 75 from Baby Swag, the freshman phenom. The team enjoyed some fantastic ribs at the Montgomery Inn after a long day of golf, hitting the hay early in preparation for another early tee time on Wednesday.
Wednesday morning brought some disheartening news; Jordan Reese, who led the Jackets on day 1, woke up with bad allergies and had to withdraw. Short one man, and one of its best, the Jackets determined to play well despite Reese’s absence. However, the team struggled. Apart from a 73 from Forsythe, the Jackets did not fare well, dropping a few spots to 5th/6 in the G-MAC. Despite the poor finish, the future looks bright. The team will lose Jacob Nafziger and John Stonkus, both solid golfers who contributed to the team, and we wish them the very best in the coming years. Next year, five of the top six plan to return and improve, along with the rest of the team and hopefully a few newbies.
Again, thank you for your support this year! May God’s grace and peace rest upon you this summer.
Lights will guide you home…
April 17, 2014Purgatory: there and back again, a golfer’s tale.
Your CU golf team spent last weekend at Purgatory. (Quick disclaimer: all comments about Purgatory in no way represent the views of Cedarville University or its doctrinal statement. They’re intended for humor and should not be interpreted as a commentary on the afterlife.) The course where we played the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament this past weekend is named Purgatory Golf Club. No joke. The Top 5 went to Purgatory early Saturday morning to practice and checked in to a swanky hotel after spending some time at Purgatory. For those who are curious, the wind always howls in Purgatory, making golf quite difficult. It’s a beautiful place, but flatter than a deflated tire and more open than Chipotle at lunchtime.
After attending College Park Church and hearing a sermon reminding us of how God’s promise of righteousness rests on his grace, and not our merit, goodness, or suffering in Purgatory, the Jackets headed to the course for the first round. The wind blew harder than a child attempting to extinguish the candles on her birthday cake, making scoring conditions difficult. Jordan "Reese Cup" Reese led the Jackets, birdieing his final hole to shoot 72, one of the best scores of the day. The Jackets posted a 307 on day one, putting them in 16th place out of 30 teams.
After a fantastic BBQ dinner with Chris "City Swag" Reese, Coach Poelzer and the Jackets returned to the hotel to rest up for the final round. Due to the threat of unpleasant weather at Purgatory on Monday (imagine that!), the tournament director decided to send all 150 golfers out at 10:00 a.m. Monday morning. They say that some people stay in Purgatory for a long time… been there, done that! The round lasted a whopping 6 3/4 hours, nearly twice the time it takes to play a normal round of golf. A cold front blew through about halfway through the round, lowering the temperatures to about 45 degrees. The light mist and strong breeze numbed our fingers, faces and feet. But the only way to get out of Purgatory is to persevere. And persevere we did!
The Jackets posted four 77's en route to a 308 total, jumping a few teams to finish the tournament tied for 12th. Jordan Reese’s Pieces finished tied for 8th, his best finish this spring. "The Scientist" fired two rounds of 77 at Purgatory while Pecs and Jenny matched each other shot for shot, shooting 79-77 at the tournament. After his best college finish of the year last week, Big Kountry struggled a bit at Purgatory, carding 83 and 82. The Jackets look to wrap up the season well with the 54-hole G-MAC Championship next week in Cincinnati.
I hope you have enjoyed the stories of our travels. More to come next week…
The End
April 7, 2014Dear Yellow Jacket Fans,
After near-Noahic rainfall kept the team from finishing the Yellow Jacket Invitational on Thursday, Reese Cup, Big Kountry, Pecs, Jenny and The Scientist headed to Cincy for the first NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Tournament of the spring.
Due to all the rain, the golf course, Elks Run, was soggier than an old bowl of cereal and milk. But the show goes on. The Jackets enjoyed sleeping in on Saturday, teeing off around 2:45 p.m. and finishing as the sun quietly disappeared beyond the horizon. The team placed 3rd after day one, led by a 72 from Forsythe and 74's from Nafziger and Glick. The 296 stroke total was the lowest of the year and of the past few years for the blossoming Yellow Jacket team.
Saturday night we watched the Final Four and stayed up late, anticipating another mid-afternoon tee time on Sunday with the other top teams in the region. Unfortunately, because of a frost delay, the tournament committee decided to start all the players at 11:30 a.m., so the Jackets woke up earlier than expected and played a very long round of golf. Cramming 145 golfers on a golf course simultaneously is akin to playing 25 a side in soccer; it’s slow, messy, and you make contact with the ball about every ten minutes. After 6 1/2 hours on the course, we finally finished. Paced by the lefties, the Jackets kept up with the big boys and finished tied for fourth out of 29 teams, the team’s best finish ever at a Division II tournament!
The Jackets fired a solid 303 on day two, led by a 73 from Jordan Glick. Forsythe shot 75, while Holt came in at 76 and Nafziger carded a 79. Glick and Forsythe finished Top 10 individually in the field of 145, tying for 9th with two-day totals of 147.
Next Sunday and Monday the Yellow Jackets travel to Purgatory for another Midwest Regional; if the team finishes well in its last two tournaments, they could sneak into the NCAA Super Regional Tournament, the step before the National Championship!
Until next week, keep it classy!
April 2, 2014Dear Yellow Jacket Fans,
After a chilly tournament in Nashville, we came back to Ohio to warm up and catch up on school. The fickle spring weather has been our most formidable opponent in preparing for our next tournament.
On Thursday all 12 Yellow Jacket golfers will compete in our home tournament at Beavercreek Golf Club. Friday morning the top five will travel to Batavia, Ohio, just outside of Cincy to compete in the first NCAA Regional Tournament of the spring season.
Come support the Jackets on Thursday at Beavercreek or Saturday and Sunday in Batavia as the team hits the sweet spot of the spring season.
March 26, 2014Hey Fans!
It’s hard to believe another week has passed! The Yellow Jackets competed in their first spring tournament on Monday and Tuesday in Nashville, Tennessee. The top six golfers traveled, departing Cedarville on Saturday morning. After pulling JReeseJReese out of bed, the team headed south, jamming to country music on the way to Music City, one of the few good reasons to listen to this genre.
After Coach Poelzer drove us safely to Nashville, we practiced and played eighteen holes on Saturday afternoon, discovering that the brand new greens at Old Hickory were harder than a Ph.D. in quantum mechanics and faster than the speed of sound. Following the practice round for the practice round, we enjoyed some Papa John’s pizza and happily watched some upsets in the NCAA tournament. March Madness is such a fantastic excuse to avoid homework! #studentathletes
Sunday morning we attended church like good Baptists, listened to folk-style worship songs, and learned how Biblical ministry often takes the form of developing close relationships and living in community with others. Subsequently, we played another practice round at Old Hickory, a bit of a Charlie Brown course, and tried to adjust to the tough greens and the lack of foliage surrounding them. In the evening the Jackets enjoyed some BBQ at a downtown Nashville Honky-Tonk with Mr. and Mrs. Glick, the proud parents of Big Kountry. With our appetites satiated by BBQ and Mike’s ice cream, we returned to our hotel to rest up for the first round on Monday.
In a series of unfortunate events, Nashville was cold for the tournament. As Monday’s round wore on, it warmed up to a high of about 55 degrees. Scoring conditions were finer than Mark Wahlberg’s biceps, but the Jackets only managed two 77's and three 78's for a team score of 310, putting them in 8th place of ten teams. In hopes of finding red numbers on Tuesday, the Jackets ate at Red Robin for dinner on Monday. It didn’t work.
Tuesday morning brought daylight and snow flurries on the golf course. Again? (Last year it snowed both days at this tournament. Apparently Nashville gets a lot of snow in March.) It snowed off and on during the round, occasionally picking up to a point where visibility was significantly reduced. Some of us have enough trouble finding our tee shots on sunny days!
Nobody said it was easy, and the wild wind blowing snow and golf balls around the course made it far more challenging.
Taylor "Jenny" Holt brought his snow pants and A game on Tuesday; Jenny fought through a rush of blood to the head after a triple bogey, finishing with an even-par 71, the best round of his life! The long-hitting freshman tied for 5th, a mere two shots behind the medalist; take note ladies. Jenny put the team on his back and led the Jackets to another 310, putting us in 6th place of ten. Pecs shot plodding rounds of 77-78 while BK fired consistent rounds of 78 and 79. The Scientist hoped in vain for some magic from his yellow srixon on day two, carding rounds of 77 and 82. Jordan "Swag Jr." Reese also struggled in the snow, shooting 78-83. Finally, Sandlas improved most from Monday night, shooting 89 Monday and snapping it once in the snow en route to an 81 on Tuesday.
Our next tournament is at Beavercreek on Thursday, April 3rd, so come out and support the Yellow Jackets and stay tuned for updates on the tournament!
Until next time,
Viva la vida
March 20, 2014Hey Fans,
Winter has been longer than a sleepless night and colder than Vanilla Ice. But after its four-month hibernation, the sun has appeared over Cedarville, and the golf courses have opened. Enough Ghost Stories about winter; we’re awaiting the magic of spring golf, eagerly anticipating our first tournament next week in Music City, Tennessee.
Two-thirds of the team traveled to Florida over spring break to sharpen their games and soak up some yellow sunshine. Although the match against Lewis and Findlay got cancelled due to thunder and threats of lightning strikes (apparently they even happen in Florida!), the week provided much-needed practice time for some team members.
The top five traveling to Nashville this weekend include Reese Cup, Jenny, Pecs, Ziggy, and either Big Kountry or Thong. Next week’s blog will recount our tournament performance, as well as the memories and laughs we enjoyed along the way. Pray for us as we compete and seek to show Christ’s love to our opponents.
Oh it’s such a shame for us to part…I’m going back to the start
October 25, 2013Hello Golf Fanatics,
Last Saturday, our clocks woke us up at 4:15 a.m. and Chris "City Swag" Reese drove Baby Swag, Tay-Tay, Pecs, Thong, Big Kountry, The Scientist, and JoPo to the Columbus airport. We flew up with the birds around part of the atlas, nearing the speed of sound on the way to Hotlanta. The Jackets switched flights in ATL, got some delicious, petite crepes for our petite appetites and went on to Panama City Beach. John Sandlas had the privilege of serving as a pillow for a middle-aged Indian man on our first flight. Awkward!
When the team arrived in PCB, also known as para-para-paradise, around 10 a.m., Forsythe and Sandlas pulled out their guitars and started strumming as we waited for Coach Poelzer to rent some vehicles. An airport worker asked about the band, but we informed her that we had come to Florida to golf. Coach took an Equinox, whose doors almost got taken off several times by Silvey, driven by Captain Ziggy.
Saturday afternoon, the Jackets journeyed to the Hombre and played a practice round. They noted the importance of staying out of Trouble, especially on some Charlie Brown holes. If your tee shots are straight, don’t panic; the Hombre is pretty easy. But if you spray it off the tee like sea foam sprays the Cliffs of Dover, you’ll be Lost!
In the evening, Reese Cup had a rush of blood to the head when he scuffled with some stingray in the Gulf. But he escaped unscathed, and alternate John Sandals didn’t get the chance to play in my place or in place of another injured Jacket. On Sunday morning, Sandlas and Forsythe had the privilege of leading worship at the church service hosted by the NCCAA golf tournament.
After another practice round on Sunday afternoon, all the golfers had a banquet in the hotel conference room. As a ministry effort, the NCCAA partnered with the Panama City Rescue Mission. People from the Mission, which educates and shares the Gospel with recovering drug addicts and alcoholics, ate at the banquet with each team. The Jackets ate with Ryan and learned about him and life at the Mission. At the end of the evening, each team gave their Mission resident a gift bag and prayed for them. This simple service project gave us a snapshot of heaven, where people of all ages, backgrounds, ethnicities, and socioeconomic classes are united under the Name of Jesus Christ. What a great experience!
The next morning, the tournament began. Reese Cup went Low and managed to breakeven, shooting 70 (-2) and leading the Jackets to a stellar 298 in the first round. That evening, the team enjoyed a very ordinary, run-of-the-mill dinner at Carrabba’s, continuing a tradition of years past.
On Tuesday, the Jackets played average. Led by Big Kountry’s 75, they made the cut by several shots, finishing T9 of 18 teams after day two. Jordan Reese was -6 for the tournament and tied for the lead about half-way through the tournament, but had a few bad holes and finished the second day with a 76. In the evening, Forsythe enjoyed some Surf n’ Turf with his grandparents while the rest of the team got catfish and burgers before going to a wicked go-cart track, where Big Kountry ate an enormous pickle in two bites. Later, after enjoying a hot-tub at the hotel, Thong and Reese’s Pieces went to look for stingrays in the gulf, BK went inside, and Tay-Tay (recently dubbed "Jenny") and Pecs took everyone else’s clothes. But they kindly returned them by tossing them off the ninth story balcony to their teammates in the hot tub below.
The Jackets awoke early with bright eyes on Wednesday, ready to bring the Hombre to its knees. It was a wicked and wild wind blowing at the Hombre, making a tough course tougher than the callouses on Tarzan’s feet. Our scores went up in flames, and we barely managed to break 320. Big Kountry’s pickle caught up to him on his 11th hole, where several of his golf balls were swallowed in the sea. The Hombre is nastier than a ticked cat and more fickle than a goldfish. We finished 11th overall, not bad for a national tournament! The freshmen led the charge; Reese Cup finished 20th at +5 for the tournament and Jenny shot 73-78-79 to finish 35
th.
After the round, since we’ll see neither for another five months, we enjoyed the sun and the sand, cuz it was all yellow. At the pool, Sandals and Forsythe played some gospel music with an older gentleman who plucked his banjo skillfully. Wednesday evening was the hardest part of the trip. Beginning to shiver, the Jackets boarded a plane back to snowy Ohio. Nobody said it was easy…no one ever said it would be so hard.
Well, this is it for a few months; in the spring we're going back to the start to begin again at square one. But don’t let it break your heart, the blogs will return in March.
Once upon a time, somebody ran, somebody ran away sayin’, "fast as I can, I’ve got to go." I’ve got to go!
Lights will guide you home…
October 16, 2013Hi folks,
Another week has passed us by,
Our government still uncompromised,
All the while the golf rolls on,
Oh, the tournaments we could have won.
The Yellow Jackets could feel the tide of support from their loyal fans, you included, as they hit the road en route to St. Louis, the Home of the Blues. Reese Cup’s grandparents and father came out to cheer us on, as well as Sandals’ Pops, who flew (by plane) from New York. We trekked down on Saturday, and made it safe and sound, despite Coach’s typical driving.
Sunday morning we arose with rosy cheeks and bushy tails, eager to play a practice round and design a game plan to conquer the course. Tipped out, the course is longer than a cross-country road trip with a screaming infant and tighter than the cap on a jar of strawberry preservatives. Fortunately, the tees weren’t all the way back, but the course still played as narrow as the gate that leads to life. After the practice round, the Jackets feasted on some local BBQ, another staple of St. Louis culture. In the evening, we enjoyed the Fundome where Thong and Pecs spent a few minutes in the hot tub. Later, Forsythe, Sandlas and Stonkus walked across the street to McDonald’s for some refreshing drinks. On the way back, Forsythe lost a battle with a feisty sprinkler. In his defense, the sprinkler used the element of surprise perfectly.
Monday morning, a great morning to golf in lieu of attending class, brought the Yella Jackets to the course, eager to rectify a poor performance in the previous tourney. Though the winter winds of previous rounds were absent, the Jackets still found thistle and weeds around the course. The damages came to 322 strokes, tied for last place. What a great reminder to keep the earth below our feet. But we could only go up. Or up in flames.
Round two, a white blank page after the previous day’s carnage, gave us a shot at redemption. After the storm which lasted through the morning (pictured at right), we came out of our cave walking on our hands after a 75 minute rain delay. The Scientist worked his magic, firing 74 and Sandlas snapped the T on 16, holing out for eagle with a 7 iron. Reese Cup fired a ho-hum 80 and Forsythe and Stonkus were hopeless wanderers out there, finding ghosts that we knew en route to rounds in the mid-80s. 319 strokes total. Coach displayed his expert driving skills out there, spinning his wheels through a wet patch and caking his golf cart with mud.
A wise man once said, "If you’re not first, you’re last." The Jackets certainly didn’t finish first. But we managed to tie for last, T22nd of 23 teams.
On the ride home, we were living on a prayer as Coach zipped through traffic and merged onto exit ramps just in the nick of time. Three times. Chris Reese took the wheel after a custard stop at Culver’s, and drove not with haste back toward St. Louis. But we turned the car around and came home, like a stone, and fell heavy into our beds, arriving at campus just before 2 a.m. You may be wondering, "where are you now?" Well, this Saturday, Tay-Tay, the Scientist, Thong, Pecs, Big Kountry and Reese’s Pieces take off for para-para-paradise where we’ll play our final tournament of the season, NCCAA Championships.
Sigh no more; I gave you all the details about St. Louis. Until next week,
Hold on to what you believe.
October 7, 2013Ho…hey there ladies and laddies,
Another week has past, and we’ve been counting stars, and birdies, on the golf course. The team’s Ryder Cup concluded in dramatic fashion last Wednesday. John Stonkey-Kong and Jason Leigh Westwood easily dispatched Tay-Bay-Bay and Endless Summerlin, 3 and 2, giving the Euros an early lead. Despite incurring a penalty, Big Kountry played his A-team game and, along with the Scientist, edged Pecs and Reese’s Pieces on the second playoff hole. In dramatic fashion, team Thong/Hunting Spears parred the first playoff hole in the pitch black to defeat DT Solo and the Water Cooler and keep the Cup in Europe. Sandals for the win!!!
Otherwise, we have been working like employed people to improve our golf games and keep our heads above water in school. Especially in swimming class. On Tuesday we have a qualifier to determine who gets to travel to and come home from St. Louis next week. We’re optimistic that we’ll perform better in the upcoming NCAA Regional Tournament, since our last performance was sub-par, and not in a good way. We are also optimistic that the national government will feel again that partisanship should not dictate policy; our politicians are so agreeable, I’m sure they’ll reach a compromise and sing Kumbaya while holding hands around the Capitol building.
Undoubtedly, it’s too late to apologize for the brevity of this blog, but please accept the attempt. I need another story, something to get off my chest. My life is kind of boring; need something that I can confess…
Tales of BBQ in STL should satiate your blog appetite. Until then,
Don’t sweat the petty things and don’t pet the sweaty things
Peace
October 1, 2013Hey folks,
The past week has been a monsoon of action for the "it was all Yellow" Jackets. A quick team Ryder Cup update: Forsythe’s European side used their upper body strength to overpower Ziggy’s American squad who, in typical American Ryder Cup style, crumbled under the pressure on the final day of singles matches. The Europeans won four of six matches to even the overall score at nine points per team. A final round of matches will decide the victorious side on Wednesday. Hail to the victors.
In other news, the Yellow Jackets qualified for the NCCAA tournament in Panama City Beach, Florida, aka para-para-paradise! We will certainly remember to pack our John Sandals as we try to enjoy the Summerlin-like weather. The projected top five for fighting the Hombre, the manly course the Jackets will conquer in Florida, are The Scientist, BK, Pecs, Reese Cup, and Tay-Tay with Thong serving as the alternate.
Up in flames, up in flames, we have slowly gone…can you pour some water on? This week’s tournament in Chicago went great! Except for the golf. Otherwise, we had a super-duper trip!!! Big Kountry downed four pieces of delicious deep dish pizza at Giordano’s on Saturday night and Forsythe matched the BK’s mark at Lou Malnati’s the following evening. Our taste buds rejoiced like Cleveland Browns fans on a winning Sunday. But let’s go back to the start.
We left Cedarville’s bright lights at 6 a.m. Saturday morning. It was dark as night, black as coal when we left, so we enjoyed the sunrise on the ride to Chi-city. Here comes the sun. We played our practice round Saturday afternoon before pizza. Before our mid-morning tee time on Sunday morning, Cedarville and Trevecca Nazarene held a mini church service in the hotel lobby, including some worship songs and a discussion about on-course conduct as Christ’s followers.
Our scores the first day inflated like a bouncy-house because of winter winds and poor course management. A 310 total for round one hurts like heaven. However, we had a lovely evening at Lou Malnati’s, enjoying Chicago’s best pizza with the Jordan Reese’s pieces’ family and Steve and Sorrell Poelzer. We also walked the streets of Chicago in the footsteps of Al Capone, Barak Obama, Steve Bartman and Michael Jordan.
After sleeping shorter than Bobby Knight’s temper, we awoke early enough to get the worm AND the early bird. We arose early for an 8:30 shotgun start, with large aspirations, medium expectations and small respirations for the second round. We tried (and failed) to extricate ourselves from the morass of mediocrity on day two and shot another score up with the birds, 311. We finished tied for 26th of 33 teams, a mere 36 shots behind the winning team.
Here’s how it shook out individually: Forsythe put together two decent tournament rounds for the first time this year, finishing T39 of 165 with two rounds of 75. Nafziger also broke 80 both days, firing 77-78 for a total of 155. Jordan and Jordan both shot rounds of 77 and 81. Glick played a scintillating second round of 77 with the exception of five putts. Unfortunately, they came on the same hole. Otherwise, well-played big dog! Tay-Tay Holt rounded out the scoring with 82-84, numbers typical of freshmen golfers in the fall.
We have this weekend off but look forward to getting back to action in St. Louie in two weeks.
I know you want a joke to close out the blog, but you can’t always get what you want. So here’s an anti-joke. Enjoy!
What’s green and fuzzy and would kill you if it fell out of a tree?
A pool table.
Peace
September 25, 2013Hey folks,
It’s been another exhilarating week of practice for the Yellow Jackets. The Ryder Cup matches continued, with Forsythe’s team taking an early 2-1 lead after the four-ball matches but losing all three alternate shot matches on Friday to the Americans, led by Jacob "The Scientist" Nafziger. Heading into the weekend, the Americans led 4-2, but the Euros anticipated winning most of the 12 singles matches on Monday and Wednesday to claim bragging rights. Just because I’m losing, doesn’t mean I’m lost.
Monday brought an oasis of gorgeous weather, though a chill in the breeze served as a reminder of the winter winds coming around the bend. The captains randomly chose the singles pairings, which led to some unexpected matchups. However, most of the 9-hole matches turned out as anticipated. Jordan "the candy-man" Reese unplugged Alex "the freezer" Cooley, triumphing by two holes. Taylor "Tay-Tay" Holt took down Stonkey-Kong, while D-Stunna Truninger and Brandon "shields and" Spears halved their match. Forsythe did not fall to "spring and" Summerlin, closing the deal on the seventh hole. John "socks and" Sandlas put up a good fight against American captain
Nafziger, but the savvy veteran got up and down like an elevator, and answered the questions of science, science and progress. In the final match of the day, underdog Jason "not-the-new-Bible-professor" Leigh came from behind, winning holes 7 and 9 to halve his match with the ever-steady Jordan "Big Kountry" Glick. Despite the gravity of the drama, neither team gained or lost ground; the Americans currently lead the Europeans 7-5, with six points still up for grabs. It all comes down to Wednesday. Can you feel it in the air tonight?
We finally have a tournament on the horizon; Reese, Nafziger, and Forsythe have punched their tickets to this weekend’s Midwest Regional in Chicago, and the rest of the team is waiting on the world to change… and Coach Poelzer’s picks for the 4th and 5th spots.
Finally, after discussing ways in which we can share and live the Gospel of Jesus Christ on (and off) the golf course, the Yellow Jackets are especially excited for the upcoming tournament and the opportunities that we will encounter. Please pray for us as we compete and build friendships with our competitors.
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes." Romans 1:16 #teamverse
"Raise my hands, paint my spirit gold. Bow my head, feel my heart slow…‘cause I will wait, I will wait for you"
Peace
September 17, 2013Good evening ladies and gentlemen,
The Yellow Jacket golf team had a thriller of a week. Actually, that’s sarcasm, a literary device used often in this blog. The CU golfers had a week off from tournament play, but used the down time to search for the Nirvana of perfect ball-striking which exists somewhere over the rainbow. But we still haven’t found what we’re looking for…We also sharpened our short games like Brandon Spears at Jordan Reese’s Pieces’ backyard practice facility. It was sweet.
A few team members, including The Scientist, Big Kountry, Pecs, and The Freezer attended the Web.com Tour Championship at The OSU Scarlet Course on Sunday, following Sean O’Hair and Hudson Swafford. After some quality golf and satisfying their appetites at Raising Cane’s, they could come home and arrived at school safe and sound.
Although the team doesn’t compete again until September 29, a team Ryder Cup competition commences this week. Led by team captain Pecs, Reese Cup, Stonky-Kong, Jamaica, Pickle Spears and Jay-Lee face off against The Scientist, BK, The Freezer, Endless Summerlin, D-Trunna, and Tay-Bay-Bay. Matches include fourball and alternate shot competitions as the Europeans (and a Jamaican) seek to rise against the Americans in typical Ryder Cup fashion. Alternate shot is much like marriage; choose the right partner who can fix you when you find trouble, and the team will thrive. But get stuck with the wrong person… it’s best to avoid that in the first place.
In other news, this week’s play may determine qualifiers for our next tournament, though all of us are lost as far as the qualifying process. In an effort to determine the best five for fighting the elements in Chicago, thus improving our chances of winning the Regional, coach devised a complex point system by which we can qualify. I think it included completing the Colonial Pizza Challenge and swimming across Cedar Lake (consecutively) but I could be wrong. Moral of the story: golf well, get deep-dish pizza in Chicago.
I gave you all the details about the golf in the corn fields. Your golf team thanks you for your loyal support and blog-reading. Until next week,
Keep the earth below my feet. For all my sweat, my blood runs weak. Let me learn from where I have been. Keep my eyes to serve, my hands to learn.
Peace
September 11, 2013Hello Friends,
This is not Jim Nantz. But by all means, read in your Jim Nantz voice. Your Yellow Jackets hosted the Cedarville Invitational at Greene Country Club this past Monday and Tuesday. Eight other teams traveled over hill and dale to join the Jackets at Greene. Coach Poelzer takes Pride (in the name of love) in hosting excellent golf tournaments, and this week was not The Only Exception, or an exception at all. He did good. And the Jackets almost claimed the victory. But let’s not put Descartes before da horse… Oh let’s get going back to the start.
Tournament play started Monday afternoon at 1 p.m. as the Yellow sun began to shine down on the competitors and there was a wild wind blowing down the corner of the course. After round one, the Jackets sat in third place at 308, six strokes behind the leaders. Some team members celebrated good rounds while others drowned their sorrows in pizza sauce at Colonial on Monday night. After voraciously devouring pizza like vultures, the team returned to campus to sleep and prepare for the final countdown to Tuesday’s round.
Following a more-than-inadequate night’s sleep, the second round commenced at 8:30 a.m. The Jackets Mayer may not have been fully awake, but a breeze gentler than Morgan Freeman’s voice softened the courses defenses during the first nine holes. Halfway into the round, the breeze picked up and made the final nine a battle to survive. Most Jackets handled the test but others were Free Fallin’ into the land of bogeys and double bogeys. When the putts were holed and the opponents’ hands were shaken, the Jackets posted their lowest score in A Thousand Years. The Jackets turned it around on day two like a Michael Jackson spin move, finishing in 296 strokes, enabling them to Sail into a tie for second place.
Here’s how it shook out individually: Jordan "Up-and-Down" Reese, who was able to break even on day two, shot 75-70 to finish first overall, claiming medalist honors for the first time in his future-hall-of-fame college career. Huzzah! Jacob "The Scientist" Nafziger played a cheeky tournament, firing 74-73 to finish tied for third. Taylor "Tay-Bay-Bay" Holt, Derek "Run-and-Gun" Truninger, and Brandon "Hunting" Spears all shot 155 to tie for 16th. Jacob Forsythe shot a 75 on day two, after hopelessly wandering to an 82 on day one, while Jordan "Big Kountry" Glick and John "Flip-Flop" Sandlas shot 160 and 161, respectively. Spencer "Spring and" Summerlin played well, finishing tied for 28th with 159.
As a fun reward for our stellar final round play, Coach took us to ice cream at forever Young’s Dairy Farm. Our next tournament, a few weeks away, will take us to Chi-town for the NCAA Midwest Regional. Until then, you can read the blogs about all our practices. How exhilarating! Until next week,
When you try your best but you don’t succeed, when you get what you want but not what you need, I will try to fix you…
Peace
September 4, 2013Loyal fans,
Golf season is back in "full swing" again and sadly, so are the puns. Bear with me. A few things to note if you’re a first-timer on the CU golf blog (Seasoned vets, you can skip this part). First, I reference music often, so if you don’t understand my phraseology, it’s probably song lyrics. My grammar are usually pretty good. Also, I’m human and therefore biased, so my perspective may not necessarily reflect the views of Cedarville, my coach, or my teammates. Finally, from here on out my self-referential comments will be third person. It’s an honor to be back with (or without) you on the blog after a long summer apart.
It’s time to begin… After a long summer of working hard or hardly working on our golf games, the 2013-14 CU Yellow Jackets played 45 holes of qualifying to determine the participants in the first tournament. Freshies Jordan Reese and Taylor "Tay-Tay" Holt snagged two of the top four spots, while junior Jacob Forsythe and sophomore Jordan "Big Kountry" Glick qualified for the other two. Enigmatically, Coach broke the script and went with John Sandlas, another fresh face and fresh man to round out the top five for fighting out the first tournament. As it turns out, third-year Coach Joseph Poelzer made the right call. Sandlas came through.
Instead of starting the year off with an easy two-day, 36 hole tournament, we managed to schedule a one-day, 36 hole tournament. If you've never golfed in your life, just know that walking 36 holes in a day is like running a marathon. Twice. Backwards. In a space suit. To those haters who say golf isn't a physically demanding sport, play 36 consecutive holes and tell me about it. Your legs will hate you. OK, rant over. Where were we?
Well, we were in our beds very early Tuesday morning, but we were waking up to ash and dust to load up in the van before 6 a.m. After a stop for a nutritious breakfast at the Golden Arches, we arrived at the course around 7:30 a.m. Unfortunately, none of us had golfed at Jefferson Country Club before so it was, in a sense, a blind date with the golf course. Always a bad idea, especially in a tournament situation. Though sleep deprivation, a long, cramped van ride, McDonald’s, and no course knowledge aren't necessarily a recipe for success, the Yellow Jackets did not back down.
Golf began at 8:30 a.m. and did not cease until we finished all 36 holes, nearly 10 hours later. After a lackluster first 18 hole score of 314, the Jackets decided to Stop This Train of bogeys and shot 302, a mere 3 shots from earning a coveted trip to Dairy Queen. A 302 is the lowest the Yellow Jackets have shot in years; this is especially encouraging at a course with more water hazards than Sea World and more tall grass than a gazelle’s natural habitat. Overall, the Jackets finished 3rd of eight teams in the tournament.
Individually, Jacob Forsythe led the squad with 76-73 (+5) to finish T4th overall. Freshman Jordan Reese shone in his college debut, firing 76-76 (+8) to finish second on the team and solidify a starting spot for next tournament. A great way to begin a superb college career! Despite smoking a bunker shot into a house en route to a first-round 81, Jordan "BK" Glick rebounded with a solid 75 in the second round. Senior Jacob "The Scientist" Nafziger also recovered well with a smooth, criminal 74 after a first-round 81 landed his driver in "timeout." Holt struggled a bit off the tee, shooting 81-80 while John Sandlas earned his keep at the #5 spot with a 78 in the second round, following an 81 earlier in the day.
After a delicious dinner at the country club, the Jackets could Come Home with heads held high, licking their chops at the chance to dominate in next week’s home tournament at Greene Country Club. If you’re interested in cheering us on, contact Coach Poelzer or a Yellow Jacket golfer for more info about tee times next Monday and Tuesday. We would love your support!
Finally, a shout-out to the new team chaplain, Ryan Bowen, and his willingness to serve the golf team….our spiritual lives and golf swings will benefit greatly from your guidance!
Lights will guide you home…
Jacob Forsythe is a junior at Cedarville University from Bainbridge, Ohio and a Dean's List student majoring in exercise science.
