B.A.G.S. Newsbag

The '01 B.A.G.S.' Florida Championship, which contested at Grenelefe Resort and Diamondback GC, on November 30 - December 3, was played in perfect Florida weather conditions with the temperatures in the low 80's each day and very little wind. Florida member, Paul Cantrell, captured his first Florida Championship low gross title, in his fourth attempt. Long hitting Paul, played steady golf all four days, and his 319 total for the four days, gave him an easy 15 shot victory over '01 Order of Merit winner, Phil Chassey. Paul had either first, second, or third low gross each of the four days, along with several drives in the 300 yard plus range. Phil got off to a poor start the first two days, but came on strong in the final 36 holes, and finished the tournament with a nice 78 on the West Course. The Net Division race was much tighter, but in the end, the winner for the third consecutive year was New York member, Tom MacMurray, who came from way back when all the leaders faltered on the last 36 holes. Both Duncan Stewart and Bill Robinson got off to tremendous starts on Friday, at the South course, when they shot 77 and 78 gross respectively for net 64's. Kevin Foster's net 70 was the next closest score. Duncan fell off Bill's pace after Saturday on the tight East course, when he finished with a net 77 to Bill's net 73. Dan Chicoine captured first sweep with an even par net 72. Sunday was moving day for Tom MacMurray, as he made up 8 shots on Duncan, and 14 on Bill Robinson, with a net 70 on the beautiful but treacherous, Diamondback GC, which was located just off the Grenelefe resort property. David Nadworny, B.A.G.S.' first member, won Sunday's sweep with a rock solid, net 69. Gary Miller took third sweep with a nice net 71 .Monday's final round at the long West course, began with Duncan Stewart holding a two shot lead over Bill Robinson and Kevin Foster. Tom MacMurray was 5 shots behind.. Duncan got off to a shaky start, and had to rally on his second nine just to make a net 79. Tom MacMurray's net 73 was the third lowest net total of the day, and all the other contenders came up 1 stroke short of Tom's 297 four day total. Tony Velardo and Gary Miller shared the final day's first place sweeps, with net 72's. Tony's fine Monday score moved him up from 9th in the net division after 54 holes, to a second place tie in the net championship, along with Duncan Stewart, Paul Cantrell and Peter Thompson.                         

  Joe Cimino got off to a very nice start at Sandy Burr on Saturday, October 27, in the B.A.G.S.' local season finale, with an even par first nine. Joe played the first 4 holes of the second nine in 1 over par, before finding trouble on the par 4 15th hole, and ended up with a triple bogey 7. Another bogey on the18th, pushed Joe's score on the second nine to a 6 over 42, and a 78 overall.  On this cool, breezy day, a 78 was good enough for a one stroke victory over Mark Dwyer. In the Net Division A competition, Paul Ayres had one of his best performances of the year, with a two under par net score of 70. Paul played well all day, and shot a gross score of 82. Paul only had one bad hole, when he tripled the 409 yard par 4 16th. Paul Rodgers had another fine event, and tied B.A.G.S.' veteran Bill Robinson for second, with 36 stableford points, or even par net.  Charlie Cooney once again pulled away from the rest of the competition, in Net Division B, for an easy 3 stroke victory.  Charlie, who's 71 years old, shot a gross score of 84, which was better than several of the scores in low gross competition, for a net 67 or 41 stableford points.  Allan McCue had one of his better rounds in B.A.G.S.' competition, after a tough season, and tied for second place with 38 stableford points with Steve Mannarino, who had his best outing this year by far. Larry Watts edged out Joe Pimental for third place in the Low Gross Division Order of Merit Competition.                             

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 Scott Donohgue posted another victory in the Low Gross Division with a 3 over par 72, on Saturday, October 20 at Brookline GC on a warm, summer like day. Scott, who began his round on the second nine, opened with 2 consecutive birdies. Scott's round could have been truly spectacular had he not lost two balls on the tough 14th hole, and finished with a 9. He came back with a birdie on the par 5 15th, and had two more birdies on his second nine holes. Tim Jackson shot a 6 over 75 and took second place. Scott's 39 stableford points gave him the Net Division A trophy. Brian Boyle played extremely well again, and shot a low gross score of 77. Brian finished in a tie for second in Net A with Don Patch with 37 stableford points.. In the Net Division B competition, Tom Mazzarini put together one of his best rounds of the season. Tom had 7 pars and no double bogies, and finished with a gross score of 80. Tom's 41 stableford points gave him an easy 3 stroke victory over Jon Fischbach, who played extremely well, and had his lowest gross score in a B.A.G.S.' event with an 84. Tom's victory in the Net Division gave him 15 Order of Merit points, and gave him the victory in this season long competition, as he moved 29 points ahead of Dave Levasseur with only one event remaining. Phil Chassey captured the Low Gross Division OOM title as he moved 50 points ahead of Doug Bray in their two man race for the title. Congratulations to both Tom and Phil for their fine play throughout this season.                                                                                                                                                                  o                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                Joe Pimental played a superb second nine, of even par 36, at Larry Gannon on Wednesday, October 17. Combined with a first nine score of 39, on this windy cool day, Joe's total of 75 gave him a two shot victory over Mark Dwyer. Joe Cimino and Mike Wiesner tied for third low gross with 79's.   Joe 's 75 gave him a net 69, off his course adjusted handicap, for a two stroke victory over Bob Pendrake and Bill Sheridan in the Net Division.                                                                                The '01 Cape Cod Fall Classic, which was played for the 6th consecutive year at Ballymeade CC, was very closely contested in all divisions. Defending low gross champion, Phil Chassey, shot a 79 on Saturday, and finished only 1 shot behind the first day leader, Larry Watts. Phil had difficulty with the par 5's on Sunday, he doubled three of the four, and finished with a two  day total of 163. All the other challengers to Phil fell back on Sunday, and the only other player with a chance to catch Phil, was Rhode Island member, Dave Gamache, who was in the second to last group out on Sunday. Dave has played well on this course in past events, and his Sunday score of 82 tied him with Phil for the low gross title.Ed Boufford had one of his best tournament rounds this year, in a B.A.G.S' event, and took the low gross sweep on Sunday, with an 81. Joe Pimental contended well on Sunday, despite a double bogie on the 9th, and shot 82, to tie Dave Gamache for second low gross on Sunday.  Dave Gamache also took the Net Division A trophy, with a two stroke victory over Brian Mills and Ed Boufford. Ed's fine Sunday round, pushed him from a tie for 13th place on Saturday, to a tie for second place overall, in the championship. Gary Miller played well again and took 4th place. Steve Preble recovered from a poor opening round, and tied Ed for first sweep on Sunday with a nice low gross score of 83 for 38 stableford points.  In the Net Division B competition, Karl Eigsti had the biggest margin of victory in this 36 hole championship. Karl was the only competitor to shoot under par net each day, and his net 140 total gave him a 3 stroke victory over Ed Roche, who always seems to do well in the Cape events. OOM leader, Tom Mazzarini, continued his fine play this season, and tied for 3rd with Rhody member, Rennie Gibson, with even par net scores both days. Vern Elarth, who was playing Ballymeade for the first time, was able to overcome this disadvantage, and took 5th place. Defending Net Division B champion, Allan Sutfin, played poorly on Saturday, but turned it around on Sunday, with a net 71 to finish in a tie for 6th place overall.                                                                                                                                                            

   Larry Watts won a close victory in the low gross division at Souhegan Woods on Sunday October 7, on a bright, but breezy day. Larry's 7 over par 79, gave him a one stroke victory over Jim Hardy and and Tom Simard, on a day when   missed opportunities and three putt greens were common in the low gross division. The Net Division A competition was the scene of one of the most an incredible turnarounds, after nine holes, in the history of B.A.G.S., by Wendall Knox.   Wendall started his round on the 10th hole, and completed his first nine holes with what could be generously described as a mediocre nine hole score of 47 for 14 stableford points. This included a double bogie on the short par 5 18th, which was easily reachable in two shots by someone with Wendall's length off the tee. After a bogie on the first hole, Wendall's 10th, a par on the short second hole seemed to change everything for Wendall. He then pared the next two holes, birdied the par 5 6th, pared 7 and 8, and finished his astounding comeback, with a birdie on 9, for a 1 under par 35 gross score for an incredible total of 26 stableford points for 9 holes. Wendall's total of 40 stableford points gave him a two stroke victory over John Gibson, who played extremely well, and had a gross score of 80. Paul Rodgers and Butch Fonseca both played well and tied for third with net 71's. Judi Jackson finished in first place in Net Division B for the second weekend in a row.

Mark Karski, who tied for first in the low gross at Segregansett in June, made it a sweep when he shot a 78 on Monday, October 1. Although Segregansett CC is not overly long at 6632 yards, and the layout is not especially tight, the ultra quick greens with their subtle breaks, usually are the biggest factor in the scoring, on this old style course. Dave Chemel showed that his game is starting to get well again, as shared the Net Division A victory with Rhode Island member Dave Lemek, with 37 stableford points. Dave, who won the previous tournament at Sandy Burr, on Saturday, shot a very nice low gross of 82 at Segregansett. Greg Nick had his best tournament showing of the year, and took third in Net A with 36 stableford points. In the Net Division B, Art LePage, who loves this beautifully manicured course, played his best golf this year, in a B.A.G.S.' event, and won by 2 strokes, with 38 stableford points. Bob Pendrake, who is getting closer to moving up to Net Division A, took second place, with a net even par score of 36 stableford points. Carl Hanson took the third spot with 34 stableford points, in his best outing this year in a B.A.G.S.' event.                                                                                                     

Scott Donoghue got off to fast start at Sandy Burr on Saturday, September 29, with two birdies in his first four holes, for a front nine score of 1 over 37. Scott then birdied both 10 and 11 to go 1 under par after 11 holes. Scott cooled off on this windy, cool day, and shot 3 over the rest of the way in, for a 2 over par 74. This was good for 4 stroke victory over Joe Pimental, who shot 78. Erik Okvist took third place with a 79. The rest of the low gross field struggled with the gusty winds, which demonstrated just how well Scott played, to shoot 2 over par. Dave Chemel, who has been recovering from an illness that kept him out of action in B.A.G.S. until June, showed on Saturday that he is nearly back to his old form. Dave shot an 81 low gross for a net 70, and a two shot victory over Gary Miller and Paul Rodgers.Well done, Dave. The Net Division B competition ended in a two way tie for first. Lifetime member, Bernie LaVita, who played some of his best golf this year, in a B.A.G.S' event, tied with Judi Jackson, who also played well, with a net 70's. Ted Gibson played well again and took third place with 36 stableford points or even par net.                                                                                                                     

Steve Robbins was the only competitor in Net Division A that was able to able to handle the difficult Atkinson CC layout from the back (Blue tees) on Saturday, September 22. After an ordinary front 9 of 6 over 42, Steve did quite well on the back 9. Steve played the first 4 holes on the second 9 in even par. A double bogey on the shortish but difficult 15th, and a bogey on 17 put Steve at 3 over on the back for an 81 and the low gross victory. Steve's net 74 was two strokes better than both Kevin Foster and Andy Zamagni, who tied for second in Net Division A. The Net Division B competition, played from the white tees, was a runaway victory for Michael Carlozzi. Michael, who played poorly at Norton, the previous Thursday, played consistently well all day, and was especially helped by gross birdie on the 185 yard par 3, 7th hole, and finished the front 9 with 20 stableford points. Michael played the first 5 holes on the back 9 in 3 over par gross for 13 stableford points, and finished with 20 points on the back 9 for 40 overall. Bob Pendrake played well, and took second place with 35 stableford points.                                  

Tom Simard got off to a nice start at Norton CC on Thursday, September 19, with a birdie on the first hole. Tom continued his fine play throughout the round, and finished with a 6 over par 77 on this challenging course, from the Gold, championship tees. How well Tom played, can be judged by the fact that no other player in Net Division A came close to breaking 80. Tom won the Net Division A with a net 69. Andy Hunt had his best tournament of the year, and took second place with a net 72.

Brian Boyle completely dominated the Net A division at Bretwood - South course on Sunday, September 16. Brian shot a superb gross score of 81 from the gold tees, on this 6952 yard layout. Brian shot a two over par gross 38 on the slightly easier front nine, for 21 stableford points. Brian's 37 stableford points gave him a four point victory over Mark Ekleberry and Steve Preble. Karl Eigsti had his best performance of the year, and captured the Net Division B title, with a net 68, from the shorter (6345 yard), Blue tee markers. In second place, 1 stroke in back of Karl, was Michael Carlozzi.                                                               

Larry Watts turned what appeared to be an ordinary tournament round into an easy victory, on the back nine at Brookmeadow on Sunday, September 9. After shooting a 5 over 41 on the first nine, Larry pared the first 4 holes on the second nine, before making a bogey on the 14th. Larry then birdied both the 215 yard par 3 15th, and 543 yard 16th, for his third birdie of the day. Larry then pared both 17 and 18 for a one under 35 on the back, for 76, and a 4 shot victory over Doug Bray, Tom Simard and John Dauksewich. Brian Boyle and Ron Homer both played extremely well and shot gross 80's, and tied for first in the Net Division A with 38 stableford points. The Net Division B competition was strictly a battle between two red hot golfers. Jim Homans and Paul Sainato both played some of their best golf of the season on Sunday. Jim Homans, a low ball hitter who doesn't like elevated greens, found Brookmeadow's flat terrain much to his liking. Jim, who hadn't broken 90 in a B.A.G.S.'s event this season, shot a very impressive 87 gross, on Sunday, good for a net 65 and a two shot victory over Paul, who had a fantastic front nine of 43 gross, good for 23 stableford points.Dave Hallet and Larry Gooch also played well and shared third place. Judi Jackson also played well, and would have taken second place in Net B, but she had to take a two stroke penalty for failing move her mark back to the correct spot on the green, before putting out.

Scott Donohgue showed once again, at Juniper Hill - Riverside on Labor Day Monday, that he is the player to beat in the low gross division, whenever he tees it up. After an three shot victory in his last event at George Wright, where he shot a 75, Scott was after his second straight win. After playing the front nine at Juniper in 1 over par, Scott was tied with Ed Boufford and had a one stroke lead over Phil Chassey and Hermen Dacones. Scott played the back nine in 1 over, while Phil had trouble on the 16th, with a double and Hermen struggled on the 215 yard par 3 17th over water. Ed fell back after doubling both 12 and 13. Scott's two over par 73 gave him a three shot victory over Ed and Hermen. Steve Robbins played well and finished third with a 77. Rhode Island member, Fred Marxson, definitely found the course to his liking, and dominated the Net Division A competition. Fred shot a gross 75, which was the second best low gross score of the day, and piled up 43 stableford points. Ed Batchelder, the Society Champion in Net B, moved up to Net A for this event, and played well again. Ed tied for second place with David Gibson, who had his best event of the year, with 40 points. Richard Stukus, also a Rhode Island member, took the Net Division B title with net 64. Debra Skelley, who shot a 5 over par 40 gross on the front 9, from the Blue tees, finished with a superb gross score of 89 for a net 67, tied for second with Bill Smith of the R.I. Division, for second.

The 13th annual Society Championship was played on a spectacular weekend, with the temperatures in the mid-70's, at Juniper Hill - Lakeside Course and Sandy Burr on August 25th and 26th. Dean Smith captured his first ever Low Gross Society Championship, after seven previous attempts. Dean, a former club champion at Juniper Hill, used the cushion that he established at Juniper Hill, when he shot a 1 over par 72, to take a three stroke victory over the trio of Tim Walsh, Phil Chassey and Mark Dwyer.After the first round, Dean had a 2 shot lead over Phil, by three over Mark, and 6 over Tim. Sandy Burr, which in the past has been the site of some good scoring, was not so easy for the leaders on Sunday. Dean and Mark both shot 7 over par 79's, and Phil shot 80. Only Tim Walsh made a move with 76, but he started 6 behind Dean, and was only able to catch Phil and Mark. Blake Sabra had the low gross on Sunday with a 75, after being at even par after 15 holes. Net Division A was very competitive, and there were some superb scoring rounds, under the championship pressure, by several members. Ray Christopher, who returned to B.A.G.S. this season after a couple of seasons on the sidelines, played some of the best golf of his career, and tied the B.A.G.S. Net Division championship scoring record, with a net 134. On Saturday, Ray shot gross 77 for a net 65, but did not have the lead. Bryon Collins was on fire all day, and had his record low round in B.A.G.S., with a gross 78 for net 64. Dennis Callahan, Dan Chicoine and Mike Eld also played extremely well, and were only 2 strokes behind Bryon. On Sunday, at Sandy Burr, Ray was two strokes better than Bryon, with a net 69 or 3 under par net. Bryon, who played well on Sunday, with a net 71, just barely held on to second place in the Net A Championship. That's because Jim Doucet put it all together on Sunday, and nearly charged from 6 strokes back to win it all. Jim broke through with a superb gross score of 78 and three birdies for a net 65 or 43 stableford points.Dennis Callahan played well on both days and took fourth place behind Jim. Mike McAvoy had second low net on Sunday, with a 67 and finished in 5th place overall. In Net Division B, Ed Batchelder played well both days and that proved to be the difference, as he won his division by 3 strokes. Several members played extremely well one day and then gave it back the next or the other way around. Tom Pietropola shot an outstanding round on Saturday, with a net 63, good for an astounding 44 stableford points, and 1 shot lead over Ed. Yet on Sunday, all Tom could manage were 29 stableford points and 5th place finish overall in the championship. Going in the other direction was defending champ, Mike Knuts. Mike shot even par net on Saturday, and trailed Tom by 8 strokes and was 7 behind Ed. Feeling no pressure, Mike played the first 13 holes on Sunday in only 6 over par gross for 34 points. Mike cooled off somewhat, but still finished with a gross 86 and 42 stableford points, to take second place overall by two strokes over Bob Pendrake, who shot a net 68 on Sunday. Mike Robinson took second net sweep, behind Bob, on Sunday with 41 stableford points. Debra Skelley shared third sweep on Sunday with Bob. Dave Shepard had an ace on the 8th hole on Juniper Hill on Saturday. This was the second B.A.G.S' event in succession with a hole in one.                                                                    

Scott Donoghue shot a 5 over 75 at George Wright on Wednesday, August 22 for a three shot victory on his home course. Scott struck the ball well and putted the recently aerated greens quite well. An unlucky bounce on a slightly pulled tee shot on the uphill,185 yard, par 3 eighth, lead to a double bogie from a bad lie in the trees left of the green. John Burke, in his first B.A.G.S.' event, tied for second with Larry Watts, with 78's. John won the Net Division A with a net 68. Gary Miller finished second in Net A with a net 69. Bill Robinson scored an ace on the third hole. Bill will receive a free membership for his hole in one.

Ed Clough played the first 13 holes in even par, at Brookline GC on Saturday, August 18, before getting off track on the 12th hole, with a three putt double bogie, on this short par 3. Ed made one more double and 3 single bogies on the way in, for a 78 and a 1 shot victory over Mark Karski, who also played well on the front nine, and struggled on the back nine.Tony Kolodziej shot a nice gross 80 on his first visit to the course, and took the Net Division A trophy with a net 68. Michael Carlozzi continued his vastly improved play for a second consecutive week. This time he made it into the B.A.G.S.'    B.A.G.S. Record Book with 45 stableford points and a 6 shot victory over Jim Connelly, who had his best tournament in B.A.G.S. this season. Barry Doherty also played extremely well, and took the third position in Net Division B, with a 2 under par net score.                  

Brian Boyle continued his sensational play this season at Brookmeadow CC on Wednesday, August 15. Brian began the season as 15 handicapper, but after three superb performances in his last four events, including a gross 79 to tie for the low gross title at Brookmeadow, Brian's handicap index has now dropped to 10.8. Brian's 3 birdie round tied him with Tim Jackson for low gross, and gave him the Net A Division title with a net 67. Tom Dromgoole also played extremely well, and would have tied Brian if he could have made a bogie 5 on the 18th hole rather than double bogie.Vinny Ciaramella played well again, and tied Mike Wiesner for third in Net A with a net 69. Michael Carlozzi had never broken the century mark in a B.A.G.S.' event, but Wednesday was the day it all went right, in the Net Division B competition. Michael's 97 gross score was good for a net 67 and tied him for first place with the consistent Mike "knickers" McLaughlin. Allan Sutfin had another fine performance, and took third place with a net 69, one better than Andy Eppler, who finished fourth.            

The Net Division A competition, at Far Corner GC, on Saturday, August 11, ended in a three way tie for first place. With the Blue tee markers all the back on nearly every hole, an even par net score was very good on this day, when the week- long heat and humidity, finally dissipated..Chris Kreilkamp, John Dauksewich and Bill Lightbown all shot even par net, for 36 stableford points, and shared first place. John also shared the low gross prize with Mark Dwyer. Mark had a five birdie round, but two double's and quadruple bogey killed his chances for an easy victory. There were some tremendous scores in the Net Division B competition, played from the more forward White tee markers. Zeca Fernandes had shown some improvement in his last two B.A.G.S.' events, shooting below 100 in each of them, but there was no indication that he would shoot below 90. Zeca's gross score of 89 at Far Corner was good for a net 64, and was his lowest gross score in 14  B.A.G.S' events this year, by 7 shots.Paul Sainato took second place with a net 68, as he was able to put together two solid 9 hole scores for the first time this year.Allan McCue had his best tournament so far this season, and shot a gross 88 for a net 69, good for third place.

Mark Karski won the low gross title at Passaconaway CC on Saturday, August 4 with a superb 3 over par 74. This was Mark's first look at this 6855 yard layout, which played every inch of its yardage, after 4 inches of rain fell during the night. Mark pared the first 12 holes before encountering any trouble. On the 220 yard par 3 13th hole, Mark  went left into the lateral hazard and ended up with a double bogie. A bogie on the relatively easy 15th hole, was the only other blemish on Mark's card. Doug Bray played his best golf in several weeks and shot a fine 76 for second place. Peter Thompson and Erik Okvist both tied for third place with 6 over par 77's. Ron Homer had a career type round in the Net Division A competition, played off the more forward white tees. Ron's opening hole typified his day. Although he was never in the fairway, he was able to make a long chip in for birdie. This ability to get up and down for birdie and par, was almost standard procedure for Ron, on this day. Ron shot a gross 76 for net 63, and a whopping total of 44 stableford points. Brian Boyle continued his exception play, and tied with Ed Romeo, who also loves this course, for second place with 40 points. In the Net Division B competition, Mike Glorioso won his first ever B.A.G.S.' event. In his first 5 events in B.A.G.S., Mike had never shot better than a 98 gross. Mike got off to good start on the front 9 with two pars and the rest single bogies for a gross 44 and 21 stableford points. Although he triple bogied the easy 10th hole, Mike did have three consecutive pars on 14 -16, and shot a 47 on the back 9 for 92, good for a net 67. This gave Mike a 1 shot victory over Jon Fischbach, who also played extremely well.                        

Phil Chassey used a 5 birdie round, including a clutch birdie on the par 4 18th, to shoot a 2 over par 74 at Blissful Meadows on August 1. Phil's closing birdie enabled him to pass 2 handicapper, John McNeill, who shot a  superb 75 on this tight, demanding layout, with firm, fast greens.Vinny Ciaramella showed the type of determination that is required to get a spot in the top three, after a frustrating start to the round, when he had only 7 stableford points after 6 holes. Vinny turned his round completely around when he found a swing key for his iron shots, and proceeded to shoot gross pars on the next 6 consecutive holes for 18 stableford points. After a bogey on the par 3 13th, Vinny shot 2 over par gross on the remaining 5 holes and finished with 37 stableford points. This was good enough for second place in Net Division A.                                         

Kevin Foster, who graduated from the Net Division A this season, won the low gross at Overlook on Sunday, July 29 with a 5 over par 76. After bogeying the opening par 5, Kevin played the rest of the front 9 in even par for a 36. Kevin also had difficulty on the par 5 10th hole, which resembles the 1st hole, but is slightly shorter, as he double bogeyed. After a bogey on the short 11th hole, Kevin got back on track, and played the rest of the way in one 1 over par, for a 40. Kevin also was the winner of the Net Division A with 40 stableford points or 4 under par net. Tony Bruce has his best performance of the year so far, and took second place in Net A with 39 stableford points. There were some outstanding performances in Net Division B, off the shorter white tees. Mike Eld seemed to be a certain winner, when he came in with 43 stableford points, in his best tournament showing by far, in his first season in B.A.G.S. Mike shot a gross score of 80. This score gave Mike a one stroke lead over Ted Gibson and Roy Madden, who had both finished earlier. It wasn't until 50 minutes later, when the last group finished, that Mike found out that his net 64 wasn't good enough. That was when B.A.G.S.' veteran Allan Sutfin's group came in. Allan played a superb front 9 and had a 41 gross and 22 stableford points or 4 under par net. Allan had a nearly identical back 9, which included 4 net birdies and a net eagle, when he birdied the par 4 15th hole. Allan shot a gross score of 83, his lowest ever, in 10 years of B.A.G.S.' competition. Well done, Allan.                                                                                                                      

The B.A.G.S.' event at Foxborough CC on Monday, July 23 was played on a typically hot summer day, for this time of the year, on this superbly conditioned course. While the layout is not particularly difficult, the slick putting greens and the length from the Gold tee markers, (6845 yards), generally keeps the scoring high for the Net Division A  This meant that even par net or 36 stableford points would very good. Both Ed Clough and Chris Kreilkamp were able to shoot net par and were co-winners of Net Division A. Ed's 82 gross score was the second best of the day to Mark Karski's 80. In Net Division B, played from the shorter Blue tees, the scoring was much better, particularly for Dave Wheeler, who had his best tournament performance of the year. Dave shot a superb gross score of 83 for net 67. This gave Dave a two stroke victory over long time B.A.G.S' s members Allan Sutfin and RI member John Pellegrino.

Sandy Burr was once again the site of some tremendous scoring by the members, in a B.A.G.S.' event. Sunday, July 15 was a perfect day for golf, under billowing clouds, a light wind, and temperatures in the salubrious 70's. Steve Robbins and Phil Chassey, who both played in the same foursome, had a duel to the finish, as both shot shot superb 1 over par 73's. Steve came to the 18th hole at even par, 2 strokes ahead of Phil. Steve hit a 290 yard drive, and had only a sand wedge in, to this 405 yard par 4, with a steeply  elevated green. Phil was first to hit his second shot on 18, and put it to 8 feet. Steve came up short, and left his chip shot short also. Phil made his birdie putt, and when Steve missed his par putt, they were both tied with 73's. Joe Pimental, a strong contender nearly every time he plays, came in third place in the low gross competition with a 75. The Net Division A also had some close competition. Robert John, who has played some of his best golf as this course, had another fine day at Sandy Burr.Robert shot a 4 over par gross, for 76 and and net 66 . This fine effort just beat Jim Rosteck by one stroke. Jim's game also seems to get healthy at Sandy Burr. Jim, helped by a hot putter, shot a 79 for a net 67 or 41 stableford points. New Hampshire member, Dan Chicoine, and Paul Rodgers, both played extremely well, and shared third place with net 68's. Net Division B was also the scene of some tememdous scoring. Charlie Cooney, in his 71st year, played the front nine better than most 20 or 30 year olds. After a bogie on the first hole, (Charlie hadn't warmed up sufficiently), Charlie played the rest of the front nine in 1 over par gross, for a 38 and 25 huge stableford points. He then played the first 4 holes on the back 9 in even par. Charlie faltered a bit after that, but still compiled 19 stableford points on the back nine and 44 overall. Well done, Charlie. Jon Fischbach probably would have won the winners trophy on any other day, as Jon played superb golf, and had 42 stableford points or 6 under par net 66.

Former B.A.G.S. club champion, Tim Jackson, returned to B.A.G.S.' competition at Olde Scotland Links on July 11, after a month and half layoff after his surgery for Prostate cancer, in spectacular fashion. After a bogey on the first hole, following the delay for the thunderstorms, Tim played the rest of the front nine in one under par for a 36.After a bogey on the long 455 yard 10th hole, and a double on the 11th, Tim birdied the par 5 12th and played the rest of the back nine in even par for 38, and the B.A.G.S.' record low round from the back (Black Tees) of 74. Well done, Tim. Mark Karski continued his superb play in his initial season in B.A.G.S., and shot a fine 4 over par 76.

Chris Silva and Doug Bray tied for the low gross title at New England CC on Sunday July 8. Chris recovered quite well after double bogies on both holes #1 and 2. He answered strongly with consecutive birdies on 3 and 4, and finished the front nine with 5 straight pars for a 38. Chris played the back 9 in 6 over 41, for 79, on this challenging course from the Blue tees. This gave Chris his best B.A.G.S.' result so far this year. Doug played the front 9 in 5 over, for a 41. Doug started off the back 9 with 4 consecutive pars, and finished with a nice 3 over 38 on the tight back 9. Chris was also the Net Division A champion with 39 stableford points or 3 under par net. B.A.G.S.' veteran, Dan Chicoine, played some his best golf of the season so far, and took second place in Net Division A with 38 stableford points. Ed Batchelder drove to the course in his new car, and drove home with the Net Division B trophy, after playing some incredible golf on the back 9. After a steady, but unspectacular front 9 of 45, which included a triple bogey on the tough 9th hole and 18 stableford points, Ed caught fire on the back 9, starting on the 11th hole. After a double bogey on 10, Ed just couldn't do anything wrong. He played the rest of the back 9 in one over par, including a nice par on the tough 18th, and shot a gross 38 for 24 stableford points on the back 9. Tom Mazzarini, who went off after Ed, thought he must surely be the winner, when he shot a fine gross score of 87, good for 40 stableford points or 4 under par net. It turned out, however, that his triple bogey on 18, proved to be costly. A bogey net par would have given Tom 2 stableford points and a tie for first. Richard Niles had his best effort in a B.A.G.S.' event this year, and took third place.         

The B.A.G.S.' event at Souhegan Woods on July 1, had to be shortened to a 9 hole event, because of dangerous thunderstorms in the vicinity. While some of the earlier starting groups had completed 13 holes, some of the later groups had only finished nine holes, when the play was suspended. 9 hole credits were distributed to those participants that waited around for a final decision on whether play would be continued if the storms cleared the area. These credits may be used at the B.A.G.S.' event on October 7 at Souhegan Woods or at any other time. Please contact B.A.G.S., if you didn't receive your credit. The prize fund and sweeps were distributed for the best 9 hole scores. Steve Robbins was the low gross winner with a 36. Jim Hardy and Mark Dwyer tied for second low gross, with 38's. Brian Boyle was the Net Division A winner with 22 stableford points. Steve Robbins and Gary Miller tied for second place with 21 stableford points each. Paul Sainato and Bernie LaVita shared first place in Net Division B with 19 points each. Steve Landy and Paul Kudarauskas shared second place with 18 points each. No Order of Merit points were distributed for this event.

The B.A.G.S.' tournament played at River Bend CC on June 24 was contested under dark, ominous, storm clouds that threatened heavy rain at any moment. Fortunately for Bill Sheridan and Tom Mazzarini, the heavy rain never developed. Bill, who had struggled in earlier events, got off to good start on the first hole with perfect drive and a nice par. He didn't let a double on the par 5 second hole derail him, and he played the rest of the way, in only 6 over par. His 79 tied him for the low gross with Scott Donoghue and his two under par net score gave him a two stroke victory over the much improved Butch Fonseca, in Net Division A.. The Net Division B was totally dominated by Tom Mazzarini. Tom got off to decent start, shooting net par for the first four holes. He caught fire starting on the fifth hole with a par, and with two strokes this gave Tom a net eagle. Tom finished the front nine with another net eagle on the 7th hole and two net birdies, for gross score of 40 and an almost unheard of 6 under par net score of 29.Tom played more toward his handicap on the tougher back nine, but did have one more net eagle on the long par 5 16th hole, and finished with 43 stableford points. Tom needed to do well because Ted Gibson also had a fine scoring day. Ted scored 19 points on the easier front nine, and after tripling the 11th hole for 0 stableford points, it seemed as if Ted's promising day might turn ordinary, especially when he came to the dogleg left, par 5 16th. Ted, a left to right fader of the ball, has had problems with the out of bounds on the right on this hole in the past. He was able to par this hole this time for a net eagle and then proceeded to par 17 for net birdie, and boosted by the previous two holes, made a gross birdie on the par 5 finishing hole, for another net eagle and second place with 40 stableford points.

The 2001 B.A.G.S.' Member-Guest tournament at Olde Scotland Links was played on a warm, breezy day, and was again the site of some extraordinary scoring. With the event set up from the shorter Blue Tee markers, and the putting surfaces in perfect condition, many of the participants were able to post low scores. The low gross title was shared by the team of John Dauksewich-Paul Cantrell and Joe Pimental-Scott Donoghue, both with 4 under par 68's.The Dauksewich-Cantrell teamed went 3 under on the front 9 as Paul shot a 33 on his own card with 3 birdies and an eagle. John helped his team on the back 9 with an even par 36 on his card. Joe and Scott were steady on both 9's with 34 on on each side. The Net title was shared by the veteran teams of Bernie LaVita-Ted Gibson and Mike Robinson-Mike Doran. Both teams played extremely well and shot net 58's. However, on each of these teams, one partner played spectacularly well. Bernie LaVita shot an 81 for 44 points on his own card. Ted did help out, with several net birdie holes, and pared the tough 15th hole with two strokes, for net eagle to boost his team. Long hitter, Mike Doran, also took advantage of the short Blue Tees. Mike shot his lowest round in B.A.G.S.' competition with a gross 75, and even par on the back nine. Mike Robinson helped out on some key holes, with several net birdies and two net eagles. The Dauksewich-Cantrell team took third place in the net, with a 59. Paul shot a 74 gross, and John, with his even par back 9, shot 78. The teams of Charlie Cooney-Don Eisnor and Ron Homer-Jim Miller both played well, and shared 4th place in the net, with 60's.

Joe Pimental won his first low gross division title at Acushnet River Valley on Sunday, June 10. Joe played steady golf on this beautiful, but breezy, late spring day, and shot a 5 over par 77. The exposed links style back nine played especially difficult,  most notably, the par 4 473 yard 13th hole, which played into the wind. The net divisions, both Net A and B, were where all the exceptional scoring was taking place. In Net Division A, former B.A.G.S.' Net Division A champion from 1996, Ed Romeo, played one his better rounds in B.A.G.S.' competition. Ed shoot a gross 81, and with 14 strokes, this gave Ed a net 67 or 5 under par net. Brian Bratica and Chris Kreilkamp also played extremely well. Both shot gross scores of 80 from the back tees. They both had 39 stableford points or three under par net. For the second time this year, there was a truly great score turned in by a Net Division B player. Earlier this year, Steve Landy had 46 stableford points in a tournament. At Acushnet River Valley, on this day, Tom Pietropola, got his name in the B.A.G.S.' record book. Simply put, Tom played an outstanding round of golf. Tom had never shot better than 95 in his 3 years of B.A.G.S. competition. On this day, Tom shot 7 strokes better than that, with an gross score of 88. Playing off a course handicap of 26, this gave Tom a net 62. In second place was Dave Shepard, who played in the same foursome with Tom. Dave played one of his best rounds in B.A.G.S.' competition, with a gross score of 84 good for 41 stableford points, but he couldn't stay with Tom on this day.

Larry Watts had a four birdie round at Wayland CC on June 6 and won the low gross title with a two over par 72. Larry had to play well, to hold off Rusty Szurek, who was in Larry's foursome, and shot a 2 under par 34 on the back, for a superb 74. Larry was able to get up and down 6 times from off the green, and shot this fine score even though he bogeyed both 1 and 18, which are both short par 5's and usually the key to shooting a low score at Wayland. This made Larry's score seem all that more impressive. Ray Christopher, who is back in B.A.G.S. after a couple of years away, showed why he wanted to return to B.A.G.S.' competition. Ray shot a very impressive gross 77 and with 12 strokes, he had a net 65, which was good enough to tie Larry for low Net Division A honors. Vinny Ciaramella shot a gross 79 for 3 under par net or 67. This was good enough for third place. In Net Divsion B action, Mike "knickers" McLaughlin completely dominated his divsion. Mike found the short front nine at Wayland to his liking. After a bogie on the 440 yard par 5 first, Mike got serious. He played the next 8 holes in 1 over par, including a sensational birdie putt on the par 3, 8th hole, for a two over par gross score of 36 and staggering total of 25 stableford points on the front 9. After bogey on 10 and a double on 12, Mike played more to his handicap on the way in for 45 on the back nine. The 17 stableford points on the back give him 42 overall and a 6 shot victory over Peter Elliott, who always gets better when the weather gets warmer. Dick Malo was another stroke back in third.

For the second Sunday in succession, the B.A.G.S.' event was played under a dense, overcast sky, with the late spring sun not making its presence felt in the least. The tight Windham layout was somewhat damp and this meant good scoring chances were available to any player that could hit the tight fairways and soft greens. The 2001 Cape Cod Spring Championship winner, Mark Dwyer, didn't get off to the best of starts from the seldom used Gold Tee markers at Windham, when he bogeyed 4 of the first 5 holes. A nice birdie on the short par 3 6th hole, got Mark back on track. Mark finished the front 4 over par and played the tight back nine at one over par, for 5 over par 77. Wayne Janian, who finished second to Mark, with a 79, was the only other player to break 80. Wayne got off to a nice start with 6 consecutive pars and finished the front at 2 over 37. A double bogie on the 10th and a bogie on the next hole, lead to 5 over 42 on the back nine. In Net Division A, Tom Dromgoole had his best tournament score in quite some time. After a tough double bogie on the opening hole, Tom came right back with a birdie net eagle on the second. Tom chipped in, from just behind the green, on the tight par 5, 5th hole for another birdie net eagle, and had net birdies on 7 and 8, to finish the front 9 with a gross 39 for 21 stableford points. Tom kept his round going on the back nine with 4 net birdies which helped offset a triple bogie net double for 0 points on 17. Bill Runcie and Steve Preble both played well again and tied for second place, with one under par net 71's, just one stroke behind Tom. In Net Division B, John Cochran played well and captured his first trophy, this year, in his first year of B.A.G.S.' competition. John, who started on the back nine, finished his round with par net birdie on 17 and a deuce on the ninth, his 18th, for net eagle and 36 stableford points, total. John was able to win despite three holes where he had to pick up and take 0 points. This shows that a player can have two or even three bad holes, and still have a chance to win under the stableford scoring system. Neil Pacy, who has seen his handicap drop 2 strokes so far this year, took second place in Net B with 35 points.

Steve Birnbaum played extremely well in the B.A.G.S.' event at Cyprian Keyes on Wednesday, May 30. On a changeable day of wind, sunshine, rain and hail, in which most of the other members struggled, on this beautiful but demanding course, Steve was superb. After an even par front 9, with two birdies and two bogies, Steve bogeyed 4 of the first 6 holes on the back 9, to go to 4 over par. Steve hit a nice drive on the 500 yard par 5 dogleg right 18th. He then hit the green in two and had only 12 feet for eagle. He left this putt short, as he had on several other putts during the round, and took a birdie 4 for a 3 over 75. This was an excellent score considering the fact that no one else in the field shot better than 83. Steve also took the low Net Division A victory with even par net off his course handicap of 3. Joe Beaulac had his best finish in a B.A.G.S.' event and tied with Ed Boufford for second place, with 1 over par net. In Net Division B action, Mike Robinson played well, and shot event par net, for 36 stableford points, and had a 1 stroke victory over Bob Pendrake.

Jim Hardy showed that he's a player to be contended with in the low gross division, when he finished in a tie for first place with the consistent Scott Donoghue, with a 6 over par 77, at the Overlook on Sunday, May 27. Jim hadn't been in contention in his first three B.A.G.S.' events this season, but after some time on the practice range he was able to find some consistency. After a 4 over 39 on the front 9, Jim pared 7 holes on the back nine and he was able to avoid double bogey all day. Scott was one back after nine, and played 1 over par on the somewhat easier back nine, with all just one bogey, on the 422 yard 13th. Erik Okvist looked as though he might have a chance to tie for first, also, when he came to 18 at 6 over. Erik, however, found trouble on the 530 yard finishing par 5, and took a painful double, and dropped all the way to 4 way tie for 6th place. In Net Division A action, Jim Crisanti, a new member this year, played his best golf in a B.A.G.S.' event, with 39 stableford points, and cruised to a two shot victory over Paul Saraceno, who had his best showing in a B.A.G.S.' event. The Net Division B, which usually beats this course up from the shorter white tee markers, did so again on Sunday. Lifetime member, Ted Gibson, in his13th year as a member of B.A.G.S., played one of his better rounds in B.A.G.S.' competition, when he shot a gross 86 for a net 65. Ted played the front especially well, with gross 41, good for 23 stableford points. However, this was not good enough. Mike Knuts played the front 9 nearly as well as Ted, with 22 points of his own. But after a par net eagle on10 and par net birdie on 11, Mike was on his way to better back 9 than Ted. Mike did find trouble on the short, but narrow 15th, and had his only 0 hole of the day. He got it together again on the dogleg right 16th, with a par net birdie and with 2 strokes on 18, he made sure he made at least bogey for another 3 points and 43 points overall.  Ed Batchelder thought he might be a sure winner when he came in with 42 stableford points off a gross score of 82, his best round in B.A.G.S.' competition. Michael McCarthy played well for the second weekend in a row, with a net 67, good only for fourth place on this day.

Scott Donohue won his first low gross title, in his third B.A.G.S.' event, at Juniper Hill - Lakeside, on May 20. After a nice birdie on the first hole, Scott was on his way to a fine 3 over par 74. Scott's other birdie came on the short par 12th. John Rannikko, who was trying to defend his Juniper Hill - Lakeside title from last year, came to the 18th, also at 3 over par. A pulled tee shot on the 180 yard closing par three, lead to a double bogie five and a disappointing second place finish, with 76. In Net Division A action, there was some incredibly strong play by both Glenn McIntyre and Brian Boyle. Both Glenn and Brian had both been in slumps recently, and had not threatened to win an event, so far this season. This all changed on this picture perfect day for golf. They both took advantage of the easier front nine at Lakeside. Glenn went out in 39 for 21 points and had a realistic chance to break 80 for the first time. Brian was even better on the front nine with a gross 37, 2 over par, and 24 huge stableford points.The 10th hole, a narrow 377 yard, slight dogleg right, brought both Glenn and Brian back to reality. Glenn made a double bogey for 1 point, while Brian tripled for a 0. Glenn recovered, except for a double on the par 5 17th, and shot a gross 42 on the back for an 81 and net 66. Brian managed to birdie the par 5 15th for net eagle and finished with gross 45 for 82 and net 66 off his 16 handicap. In the Net Division B competition, first year member, Michael McCarthy, won his first event. Michael played well and had 38 stableford points, or two under par net, for a one stroke victory over Mike O'Malley, Dave Levasseur and Neil Pacy, who all finished one stroke behind Michael.

Ed Roche had his career best round in B.A.G.S.' competition in his four years as a member, on May 16, at the superbly conditioned Norton CC. On a day when most of the members struggled, on this cool, overcast, breezy day, Ed shined. Starting on the tenth hole, Ed made a par four for a net birdie. He finished his fifth hole, the 14th, three under par net. He made his only double bogie of the day on the tough 430 yard 15th, which played even longer into the wind. Ed finished his front 9 with a 5 over 40, and with a stroke on every hole, it was good for 22 stableford points.Ed pared his 10th hole, got by the difficult 11th, the actual second hole, with a bogie, net par, and cruised in the rest of the way with all net pars. Ed shot a gross 83 for net 65 or 42 stableford points on this par 71 course. Well done, Ed. Tim Donovan from Windham, NH, captured his first B.A.G.S. net A title with an 81 gross for 37 stableford points  from back tees on this extremely challenging course. The consistent Tony Kolodziej took second place with 36 stableford points. Tim Jackson had low gross with an 80.

The members playing at River Bend CC on Saturday, May 12, got their first taste of summer golf, with mild breezes and the temperature in the upper 80's. Doug Bray and Phil Chassey, both playing in the same foursome, had a hot duel from start to finish. Phil, who holds the B.A.G.S.' tournament low score at River Bend, with a 76 last year from the Gold Tees, played the front 9 in one over par. Doug was just one stroke back, after nine. Doug jumped into the lead on 10, with a par, while Phil doubled this straight away par 4 of 412 yards. Doug played the rest of the way in at 4 over for a 40, on the tougher back nine,  for a 37-40 77 total. Phil took a tough, double bogie on the 190 yard 17th hole for a back nine of 42 and 78 total and second place. Steve Preble continued his strong play this year, with a gross 85, also off the Gold Tees and net even par off his 14 handicap. This gave Steve second place in Net Division A, behind Doug. In Net Division B, Mike McLaughlin played extremely well and captured his first winner's trophy, after two years of B.A.G.S.' competition. "Knickers" McLaughlin shot a gross 90 and recorded 39 stableford points or three under par net 68. Mike just edged David Ferreira, who came in with 38 stableford points, in his best effort by far, this year.                                                                                                              

Mark Dwyer returned to form, after a slow start this season, and won the 2001 Cape Cod Spring Championship. Mark finished Saturday's round, 3 shots behind the first day leader, Larry Watts, who shot a fine 78, at Bayberry Hills. Steve Birnbaum and defending champion, Tim Jackson, were the only other players to shoot below 80, with 79's, on Saturday. Sunday was another windy day for the tournament's final round at Bass River, with its generous, but exposed fairways, and small greens. The members found that it was necessary to hit their approach shots close to the hole, because the recently punched greens were slow and bumpy, and putts of any length were mostly guess work. Mark Dwyer, one of the better ball striker's in B.A.G.S., solved all these problems, when he shot 2 over on the front 9, and even par on the back, with two birdies, for a 74 and a one shot margin of victory over Tim Jackson, who had second low gross on Sunday, with a nice 77. David Burke, who loves two day B.A.G.S.' events, proved that again this year. On a day when most of Net Division A struggled from the Blue Tee markers, David offset three 0 stableford holes with three net eagle holes and finished with 39 stableford points for 4 stroke lead over Glenn McIntyre. David didn't play as well at Bass River, but managed to hang on for a one shot margin over the hard charging Mike Doran, who shot a gross 80 and 38 stableford points. Butch Fonseca, who struggled on Saturday at Bayberry Hills, tried to charge from the rear of the pack, as he posted 40 stableford points on Sunday, or 4 under net, and finished in a tie for third with Geoff Higgins, who played well both days. The Net Division B trophy was won by Rhode Island member, Bill Downs. Bill took a one shot lead over Dick Fitzpatrick and Ralph Schlenker, on Saturday, and held on Sunday, for a one shot margin over Rhode Island member, Jim Marsh.

Steve Birnbaum captured the low gross division victory at the New Seabury - Ocean Course on April 30. Steve battled the strong winds from the nearby Atlantic Ocean on the front nine, and survived, just barely, the treacherous hole position on # 16 to shoot a 9 over par 79, for a one stroke edge over Steve Robbins. The hole position on # 16, on the edge of the slope on this slick, two tiered green, made 3 and 4 putts, the rule of the day. Rhode Island member Tim Fynn, tied Boston member, Rich Kelly, for first in Net Division A with 33 stableford points. In Net Division B, Steve Landy added yet another victory to his total, this season, with a one stroke victory over Jim Homans, who loves the wind, and Tom Mazzarini, who played his best golf of this young season.                                   

Larry Watts scored the first hole in one of the season, in B.A.G.S.' competition, with a smooth four iron to the difficult, back right hole position, on the 165 yard 16th hole, at New England CC. Larry will receive a free membership for his ace.      

John Rannikko, who lives in Auburn, only 10 minutes away from the superb layout at Kettle Brook, had never played the course before, until the B.A.G.S.' tournament, on April 25. Arriving at the first tee just in time to make his scheduled tee time, John stumbled badly on the first two holes, with a triple bogey 7 on the par 4 first hole and another triple on the par 5 second. He steadied himself with a bogey on the third hole, and after a nice drive down the middle on the third, he found his swing and  and his confidence. He played the next 16 holes in one over par. John's back nine of 1 under 35, included 4 birdies and just 11 putts. A chip in birdie on 18 finished off the round in superb style. Ed Clifford found the layout to his liking as he won his first B.A.G.S. Net A Division title with a one under par net total of 37 stableford points. Steve Landy kept up his fine play so far this season, with another Net Division B title, as he also scored 37 stableford points.    

  New B.A.G.S. member from New Hampshire, Tom Marshall, won his first low gross event of the season at Sandy Burr on Saturday, April 25. Tom, who had never played the course before, beat many B.A.G.S.' veterans, who have had numerous rounds over this Donald Ross designed course, which was the second course on the B.A.G.S. schedule, in the initial year of B.A.G.S in 1989. Tom shot a fine 75 for a two stoke victory over Joe Cimino. New member, Scott Donoghue, was three strokes back at 78. Bryon Collins played extremely well and came away with the Net Division A trophy  with a two stroke victory over Tony Kolodziej and Steve Preble, who have both played consistently well so far this year. For the second straight weekend, the Net Division B was highlighted by some tremendous scoring. Dave Levasseur appeared to have won the Net Division B trophy, when he finished with 41 stableford points for a three stroke lead over Joe Toner and Mike O'Malley. Two groups behind Dave, Jon Fischbach and the much improved Bill Feeney, were both piling up the stableford points. Jon, who was having by far his best round in B.A.G.S.' competition, was in superb form. Jon finished with a huge total of 42 stableford points or 6 under par net, for a one shot victory. Bill Feeney was close behind with 40 stableford points, good for third place behind Dave Levasseur.

The members playing at River Bend CC on Saturday, April 14 had to contend with gusty winds of 20-30 M.P.H., on this drying out golf course. The persistent winds most greatly affected the low gross division, who were playing from the back tees, on fairways that provided very little roll out on tee shots. New member, Rusty Szurek, in his second B.A.G.S.' event, had a strong finish on the back nine. He came in with one over par 37 on the tough back nine, for a 79, and a one shot victory over Wayne Janian and former B.A.G.S.' Club Champion, Steve Birnbaum. The Net Division A trophy was won by B.A.G.S.' veteran, Dave MacTavish. Dave played consistently well all day and had a two shot margin over new member, Paul Rodgers. The story of the day, however, was the incredible play of Steve Landy. Steve, a 30 handicapper, had not done well in B.A.G.S. the last three years, and was not exactly the portrait of self confidence before his round, when he counted the number of golf balls in his bag, and pronounced that he hoped a dozen balls would be enough to get him through the 18 holes. This all changed when Steve pared the first four holes, two of which he was getting two strokes on, for 14 stableford points in four holes. Steve didn't par another hole on the front nine, but with two strokes on each of the remaining holes, he picked up another 12 points, for 26 points on the front and a gross score of 43. Steve cooled off somewhat on the back nine, but he still pared three of the holes and finished with 20 points on the back, and a total of 46 points overall.  Way back in second place, but still having superb rounds were 71 year old Charlie Cooney and Dave Levasseur.                                                                                                          

The 13th season opener for B.A.G.S. was played at the superbly conditioned Atlantic CC on a cool breezy day. Dean Smith, despite playing on a badly sprained left ankle, was able to add yet another low gross title to his long list of B.A.G.S. titles. Dean's 7 over par 79, reflected just how tough the conditions were, on this day when the cool winds off the nearby Atlantic Ocean, never ceased. New member, Matt Fisher, nearly caught Dean, when he finished with 6 consecutive pars and shot 81. Veteran member, Wayne Janian, also had a strong back nine of 37 and shot 81 to tie Matt for second place. The best 9 hole score of the day belonged to Net Division A competitor, John Gibson. John had two birdies on the back nine, including the tough 18th, and shot even par 36 for 23 stableford points, and won the Net Division A trophy by one point over Steve Preble, who had 19 points on the back nine and 36 points overall or net par. Neil Pacy, in Net Division B, felt he left some strokes out on the course, but he still had the largest victory margin of the day, with 39 stableford points and a four stroke victory over new member Mike Ballard, and 10 year B.A.G.S. member, Jim Homans, who at 73 years young, proved the seniors can compete in any weather conditions, and from the Blue Tees. Well done Jim.                                                                                                                                            

Chris Bae captured the 2000 Florida Championship played on the two courses at Orange County National and Southern Dunes on December 1-4. Chris opened with a nice 76 on Friday's first round at Panther Lake and was tied for the lead with Florida member, Paul Cantrell, and was two shots better than Dean Smith, who was attempting to win his third consecutive Florida championship. Dean took the lead in the tournament on Saturday, after a superb, two over par, 74 at the tough Southern Dunes layout. No other player broke 80 on this 6650 yard course that had over 170 bunkers and lots of elevation changes. Chris was even par after 6 holes, but struggled to make pars the rest of the way and came in with an 80. Phil Chassey had a nice 81 to move into a third place tie, overall, with Paul Cantrell. On Sunday, at Crooked Cat, Chris moved back into the lead for good with a 1 over par 73 that included 4 birdies. Steve Robbins played well on this overcast day and shot 79 to move into a tie for third place overall. Monday's final championship round was also played at Crooked Cat, on a day that started off windy and cool. Chris had no problem on this day, however, and shot a 4 over 76, that was five shots better than the second place score of Peter Thompson. Good play, in the tough conditions in Monday's final round, proved to be a much bigger factor in determining the order of finish in the Net Division. Chris and Dean were tied for the low net lead after three rounds, Steve Robbins was two strokes back. Defending champion, Tom MacMurray of the Big Apple Golf Society, was four strokes back. Chris's low gross 76, on Monday, was good for 35 stableford points or net 73 on this par 72 course and he seemed to have wrapped up the net division title also. Tom MacMurray, however, always seems to have one unbelievable round in the Florida Championship, and he indeed had one on Monday. Playing off a course handicap of 14, Tom shot a gross score of 82, which was the third best score of the day in the entire field, this gave him 40 stableford points or net 68. This extremely strong finish gave him a one stroke victory in the four day Championship over Chris. Steve Robbins and Dean Smith shared third place with Peter Thompson, whose strong finishing round gave him a share of the third place prize fund and third cash sweep for the day. Sean Carroll   played extremely well on Monday and took second sweep with 38 stableford points. Other notable scores during the four day championship were by Rhode Island member, Jeff Conticello, who tied Dean Smith for low net on Saturday, with a 70,  at the tough Southern Dunes course, and by Andy Eppler, who tied Chris Bae on Sunday at Crooked Cat for the first place cash sweep, with a superb net 70.              

Phil Chassey won his third low gross tournament in succession at Larry Gannon Municipal on October 18, with a 2 over par 72. On a windless, overcast day, that threatened rain, Phil rode a red hot putter through the first 17 holes, and came to 18 at even par. A pushed drive into the trees on the right, on this 580 yard par 5, resulted in a double bogey 7. Also playing exceptional golf was Dave Chemel, who came in with a 74, despite bogeying both par 5's on the back nine. Dave and Phil shared the low net prize fund with net 66's. Ross Bielak continued his fine late season play, with a fine 75 on this short but demanding course. Lefty, Larry Watts, had a nice 77 and tied for third in the net division with Doug Bray, who shot 78, along with Peter Elliott and Chris Kreilkamp.

The 2000 Cape Cod Fall Classic at Ballymeade was played on beautiful, warm, summer like weekend on October 14 and 15. The low gross division trophy was won by Phil Chassey, whose 78 on Saturday, in the gusty conditions, gave him a 6 shot lead. Although defending champion Tim Jackson made somewhat of a charge on Sunday, with a 79 in calm conditions, Phil was easily able to hang on and win, with a two day total of 161. The Net Division A was much more competitive. Jim Krasco shot second low gross on Saturday, in the wind, with a 79 and a net 70. Closest to him was Rhode Island member, Bob Dufrense with a net 73. Five shots back were Kevin Foster and Gary Miller. Kevin Foster made his move on Sunday. Kevin shot a gross 40 on the front nine, finishing with all pars on 6 through 9. He had another gross 40 on the back nine, including a birdie on 16. His net 69 gave him a two day net total of 144 or even par net. Jim Krasco wasn't as sharp on Sunday and fell back to third place overall, as Bob Dufrense had another fine score of net 72 and 145, for second place. Steve Preble played well on Sunday and tied Kevin with a net 69, and a share of Sunday's first place sweep. The net division B trophy went to Allan Sutfin. Allan had an easy victory of 5 shots over Ed Roche and David Connerty. Lloyd King played exceptionally well on Sunday, and shot a net 69, to tie David Connerty for first place sweep.

Wayne Janian won his first B.A.G.S.' low gross title this season with a three over par round of 75 at Sandy Burr on September 30. Wayne, always a strong contender in B.A.G.S. events, had knee surgery earlier this season, and has recovered quite well. Wayne recently qualified for the Mass. mid-amateur championship. In second place, four strokes back, was John Dauksewich. Steve Preble played some of his best golf in this event, and captured the Net Division A trophy with a fine 4 under par net score of 68. Mike Robinson straightened out his game and played extremely well to win the Net Division B trophy, with a 4 under par net score of 68. In a second place tie were: Paul McCurley and David Ferreira, who also played well, with net 69's, from the (back) blue tees.

There were some excellent scores at Wayland CC on September 27 for the rescheduled event. Ross Bielak won his first low gross title in B.A.G.S., with a 3 over par 73. Bob Keefe and Doug Bray were 1 stroke back with 74's. Gary Miller had his low round in a B.A.G.S' event with a 5 over 75. Butch Fonseca captured the Net Division victory with a superb 6 under par 64 net and a gross score of 80, despite a triple bogey on the final hole.                                                                                                                                    

Steve Serino played well again on Saturday, September 16, at Bretwood (South), and won for the second consecutive time in the low gross division. After a fine tournament at Triggs Memorial, in which Steve shot a 2 over par 74 to win by 3 over A. Lore, Steve was looking to go low.After a one over par front nine on Bretwood - South, Steve shot 2 under on the back nine, with birdies on the par 5 10th and the par 4 17th, and finished with a one under 71.. This is the second time this year, Steve has shot even par or better. Mike McIntyre took second low gross with a nice78. Paul Kudarauskas continued his dominance the Net Division B on both Saturday at Bretwood, where he tied for first place, and most especially on Sunday at Crumpin-Fox, where he won by 4 shots. Paul was also Net Division B winner Triggs Memorial, and tied for first at Juniper Hill on Labor Day. It all came together for Paul at Crumpin-Fox. Playing in the same foursome with Malcolm Haith, both players were tied at 4 under par net after 15 holes. Paul pared the tough 16th hole and Malcolm bogied, to give Paul a one stroke lead. Paul had net pars on 17 and 18, while Malcolm faltered on 17, when he got caught behind the trees at the 100 yard marker on 17, and hit one of the trees on his third shot to this par 5 hole, and eventually finished with a net 7 for 0 points. In second place in Net B, was Jim Homans, with a net 70. Jim Doucet played very fine golf and won the Net Division A title with a net 70. Jim also had closest to the hole on the downhill 9th hole. Ed Boufford played well both days. Ed had second low net in Division A on Sunday at Crumpin-Fox, after tying for 5th place on Saturday at Bretwood. Chris Scafidi played well at Bretwood and tied Mike McIntyre for first place in Net Div. A. with a net score of 68.                                              

Steve Birnbaum completely dominated the low gross competition at Juniper Hill (Riverside) on Labor Day, September 4. After three birdies on the front 9, with one bogey, he made the turn with a 2 under par 33. After a birdie on the short par 5 10th, he bogeyed the next three holes to go back to even. After another bogey at 16, he was 1 over par. Steve finished with birdies on the par 3 17th, and the par 5 18th, for a one under score of 70. In second place with another fine scoring day, was Phillip Chassey with a 75. The Net Division A competition also had some very fine scores. Charlie Lewis, a Rhode Island Div. member, shot a 75 for a net 66. Debra Skelley had her best showing in a B.A.G.S.' event with an 83 for net 66. Robert John went low again with a 75 for net 66 and Brendan Landers played his best round in B.A.G.S.' competition with a 76 for a net 66. John Gibson played extremely well with a 76 for net 67, and Neil Denenberg broke 80 for the first time in a B.A.G.S' event, with a 79 for net 67. In the Net Division B action, Bill Feeney had his best day in B.A.G.S., with a net score of 67. Mike Hillman also had his best scoring round in B.A.G.S, with a fine gross score of 85 and net 67. Paul Kudarauskas continued his fine play, tying for first place a net 67. The Net Division B trophy went to Bill, who had the best back nine score of the three players who were tied for first place.

The 12th annual Club Championship was contested on the weekend of August 26 and 27 at Juniper Hill - Riverside and Sandy Burr. In the low gross division championship, Blake Sabra took a one shot lead on Saturday at Juniper Hill - Lakeside course, with an even par round of 71. The favorite, 1 handicapper Steve Serino, bogeyed the 17th, after a nice birdie on 16 from the 15th fairway, and finished with 72. Bill Okerman and former club champion, Steve Birnbaum, both had 76's. On Sunday at Sandy Burr, Steve Serino took a three shot lead over Blake Sabra, with a 1 over 37 on his front 9. After a birdie on 1, his 10th hole, Steve had a 4 shot lead on Blake, and the only other player making a charge was Doug Bray, who was even par through 13 holes.  Steve Serino finished with two consecutive bogies, and Blake's pars on 8 and 9, his 17th and 18th holes, put him one stroke behind for the championship trophy. Jay Hart had the low gross for the day at 75. Doug Bray finished with a 76, after a poor second shot on # 8, his 17th hole, cost him three strokes.. In Net Division A, Gary Miller and Chris Kreilkamp both played extremely well on Saturday at Juniper Hill. Chris, playing off a course handicap of 14, shot a gross score of 80, good for a net 66. Gary, who kept his wayward driver in the bag and only used three metal off the tee, had a net 67 and a gross score of 81. John Gibson also played well and had a net 68 and gross score of 78. On Sunday, Gary beat Chris by one stroke, and a tie for the net Division A title plus the championship trophy for the better final round score. In Net Division B, David Ferreira and Karl Eigsti took the first day lead with net 70's. The scores were much better on Sunday at Sandy Burr. Jim Doucet came in with a net 66, with a gross score of 81, to take a one shot overall lead over Wendall Knox, who had a net 69 the second day. In one of the later groups, Malcom Haith, who had been one shot off the lead after day one, was playing extremely well. Playing off a course handicap of 23, Malcolm broke 90 for the first time in a B.A.G.S.' event with an 89 for a net 66. This gave Malcolm a three shot victory over Jim Doucet and the championship trophy.                                    

Passaconaway CC was once again the site of some fine scoring in a B.A.G.S.' event. Mark Dwyer, who has been a strong factor in every event he has played in this year, shot a very impressive 2 over par 73 from the blue tees on this 6855 yard layout. Mark, who has also played well in the MGA and USGA events that he has entered, has reduced his handicap-index to 2.8 strokes so far the season. In second place, with another good showing, was Steve Robbins, with a 78. In the Net Division A competition, Bernie LaVita, now in his 12th season as a B.A.G.S.' member, tied with Robert John for first place, with a net 66 or 41 stableford points. Bernie shot a gross score of 81 from the white tees, which was certainly one of his best scores in recent years. Robert John had his best gross tournament score in B.A.G.S.' competition, with a 76, and showed that he is ready for the 12th annual Society Championship, later this month. Neil Denenberg and Kevin Foster both tied for 3rd with net 67's. Ted Gibson, also in his 12th season as a member of B.A.G.S., took the Net Division B title, with a net 66. Ted, who has struggled with his game this year, put it all together when it counted. New members for this year, Pat Gallagher and Michael Humphreys played extremely well and tied for second place in Net Division B, with net 67's.

Steve Serino and Jim McAlpin were both winners in their previous two tournaments, when they teed it up at Blissful Meadows on August 2. Both played as if they were determined to keep their winning streaks going. Steve shot a 2 under par 34 on the front nine and Jim was only one stroke back, with a 1 under front. Jim was the first to make a key error, with a double bogie on the short, dogleg left, 14th hole. Steve had 3 bogies on the back for a 39 and a one over 73.. Jim came back with a birdie on the par 5, 16th and 39 on the back for 74. Jim, who played off a course handicap of 6, took the Net Division A first place prize fund and cash sweeps with 40 stableford points. Paul Kudarauskas took the Net Division B winnings.  

Former B.A.G.S. Club champion Steve Birnbaum, showed at Foxborough CC, on July 24, why he is still the player to beat whenever he tees it up in a B.A.G.S.' event. Steve played the back nine at Foxborough, his front nine, in even par. He finished with a fine, five over 77, on this 6725 yard course. Vinny Ciaramella took the Net Division A trophy, with  40 stableford points. Vinny had a superb gross score of 82, also from the back tees, and won by 3 strokes. Ted Scholnick won his first B.A.G.S.' event, in Net Division B, with 38 stableford points. In the event at Acushnet River Valley on Sunday, July 23, Dennis Callahan found the swing he had been looking for, and kept it going all 18 holes with a net 67, and a strong 6 shot victory over the rest of the Net Division A field. In Net Division B action, Malcolm Haith played extremely well and also shot a net 67 for his first victory in a B.A.G.S.' event. The tournament at South Shore CC on July 19, was the site of some superb play. Jim McAlpin, who recorded his first low gross division victory at New England CC on July 9, got his second successive victory, with a 4 over par 76. Dave Chemel also liked the course. Dave had several birdies and had second low gross with a 77 and a one stroke victory in Net Division A over the Larry Watts, who also had an impressive day. The Net Division B scores were also excellent, with Mike McAvoy and the much improved Shaun Beauchemin, both tying for first place with 42 stableford points. New members for this year, Phillip Chassey and Steve Robbins had their first victories in the low gross competition recently. Phillip Chassey shot 76 at Olde Scotland Links on July 12. This is the record low score from the Black tees in a B.A.G.S' event at this course. Well done Phillip. Steve Robbins took his first low gross victory at Sandy Burr on July 15 with a nice 78 and finished third at Acushnet River Valley on July 23 with an 80, behind Tim Jackson and Doug Bray, who tied for first with 79's. Doug continued his good play at Foxborough with a second place tie with Jim Krasco with an 80.

Dave Watson and his guest, Paul Caruso teamed up in the 2000 Member-Guest, to win in spectacular fashion. Dave Watson changed partners to Paul Caruso a week before the event, and he certainly made a wise choice. Their team shot a B.A.G.S.' Member - Guest best low gross of 67, and Paul shot 69 on his own ball. This gave them a 5 shot victory over last year's low gross winning team of Blake Sabra and Tom Simard, who finished at a very respectable even par 72. The Watson - Caruso team also took the Net A division title with a net 61. This gave them a 1 stroke victory over the team of B.A.G.S.' veterans, Doug Bray and Brian Sheedy. Bray and Sheedy proved to be a strong partnership until they faltered on the 18th hole.       

Mike McAvoy, who had been in an early season slump, broke out in a huge way on Sunday at Windham CC. Playing in Net Division B, from the short, but still demanding white tees, on this narrow, tree lined course, Mike shot a gross 83. With a 90% of course adjusted handicap of 23, Mike shot a net 60 or 12 under par net, equal to 48 stableford points. This was truly outstanding, because while the course did not play long from the white tees, it required good accuracy on all shots, to avoid trouble, which lurks on nearly every hole. Glenn McIntyre and Robert Argetes continued their good play, finishing in a two way tie for second in Net division B, with net 67's. Steve Serino kept up his winning ways with another low gross division victory, with a 77, off the rarely used gold tees at Windham CC. On Sunday, June 4 at Crystal Springs, Steve shot 75 to win. Earlier this month, at Cyprian Keyes, Steve joined the list of B.A.G.S. members to shoot even par or better in a B.A.G.S.' tournament, with an even par round of 72. He finished second to Mark Ekleberry at Wayland CC on June 4, by one stroke.                                                                                                                       

New member, John Rannikko, showed on Sunday, May 21 at Juniper Hill - lakeside course, that he is ready to be a strong contender in low gross division competition this year. John's fine, 2 over par score of 73, defeated some of the better low gross division players in B.A.G.S. Recent Cape Cod Spring Championship winner Tim Jackson, finished second with a 74 and a nice birdie putt on the par 3 18th. Wayne Janian, who seems to qualify every year for the publinks championship, finished third with a 76, after cooling off from a strong 1 over par front nine of 36. Jim Krasco, who tied for first in Net Division A play, had a fine gross score of 77 and 38 stableford points off his 8 handicap to tie 1999 Florida Championship second place finisher Chris Kreikamp, for first place. Robert Argetes showed his victory at Triggs Memorial was no fluke, as he again crushed the net division B field with 40 stableford points. Robert's handicap will see a quick downward move on the next revision, after two exceptional tournament scores have been posted.                                                                                                                                  

Bob Saleski shot an 8 over par 79 to win at Norton CC on May 17. On a perfect spring day, Bob held off Tom Simard, who was in Bob's foursome, for a two stroke victory. Both Bob and Tom, played the difficult back nine in just one over par. In Net Division B action, new member Luis Ramos, in only his second year playing golf, shot a gross 88 for a net score of 67. This was certainly a fine effort for Luis, considering that Norton can be a difficult course for players that have been playing golf for many years.                                                                                                                                                                   

This season's Cape Cod Spring Championship, on May 6&7,  was played in perfect spring time weather conditions, with the temperature in the mid-70's both days. B.A.G.S.' club champion Tim Jackson, added the first major of event of 2000, to his list of victories. Tim's opening round of 75 gave him a 4 shot lead over Tom Simard, the only other player to break 80 at Bayberry Hills. Tim shot 81 at Bass River on Sunday, to hold off charging Mark Ekleberry, who closed with a 77, to take second place and last year's champion, Dean Smith, who closed with a 76, and a tie for third. Both Mike Doran and lifetime member, David Burke, finished in a tie for first in the Net Division A. David Burke, who went out early and finished with a two day net total of 138, seemed to have it wrapped up, but Mike, who went out later and started one stroke behind, had another fine round, with a gross 79, and a tie for first. Rhode Island member Bob Dufrense played consistently well on both days and won the Net Division B title by 3 strokes.                                           

Ed Roche Sr. had a hole in one, on Sunday April 30, at New England CC on the 140 yard uphill fourth hole. Ed's smooth 7 iron shot, was the first ace in B.A.G.S.' competition in nearly three years. Ed will receive a free membership for the 2001 B.A.G.S. season. Bob Keefe was the only player, who played well in the gusty weather, on this difficult course from the blue tee markers.  Bob finished with a 79, for a  two stroke victory over Steve Birnbaum, who triple bogied the the 160 yard downhill par 3 16th hole. Steve would gladly have traded tee shots with John Harris, who put his shot to within a foot, to win the closest to hole prize on the 16th.                                                                                                                                                  

Steve Serino, in his first B.A.G.S.' tournament, birdied the 18th hole for a 1 over par 72, to win by one shot at Scottish Highlands on April 16. Steve, a 1 handicapper, was playing in the same foursome with second place finisher, Mark Dwyer, who finished one stroke back at 73 and B.A.G.S. veteran, Dean Smith, who shot 74. These three battled all day and Steve's birdie on 18 and Mark's bogey on the same hole was the difference. Jack McGeorge had a two stroke victory in the net division A competition, with a three under net score of 68. New member Shawn Murphy, showed he can play, with a two stroke victory in net division B. Shawn had a 1 under par net score of 70. Boston division member, Blake Sabra, traveled to Swansea for a Rhode Island division event, and took the top prize with an even par net score of 72.                                    

Dean Smith won his second straight Florida Championship at the fabulous Grenelefe Resort and C.C. in Haines City. The tournament, contested on three scenic courses, was played in near perfect weather conditions. Dean finished the first day on the tight East Course, three strokes behind eventual second place finisher, Steve Birnbaum, who had the low round of the day, with an 80. The second day, on the long West Course, which the entire B.A.G.S. field played at 6898 yards, Dean shot a 79 and tied for the overall lead. Dean took the lead for good on Sunday, on the easier South Course, with a 76, and a nice birdie on the 17th, which was also important in the skins game he was involved in. He held on to win on Monday, with an 83, on the West Course, which played a little tougher than Saturday, because of a gusty wind. The Net Division was won by Big Apple Golf Society member, Tom MacMurray. Tom actually won the tournament on Saturday, when he trounced the field on the long West Course, played at 6898 yards, when he came in with a gross 85. Playing off a course handicap of 18, Tom had 41 stableford points or 5 under par net. The next closest player had 33 points. Second place finisher Chris Kreilkamp played consistently fine for all four days. Mike Ryan, who finished third last year in the Tampa area event, split third place this year with Dean Smith. Dan Chicoine, one the original New Hampshire B.A.G.S.' members, continued his fine playing, with a fifth place finish. Other members, who had exceptional rounds were: Jack McGeorge with 40 stableford points on the East Course on Friday and John Daukswich and Dawson Rutter, who had nice 77's gross, on the South Course on Sunday. Grenelefe, was by far, the best away trip that B.A.G.S. has ever been involved in. From the roomy villa's, which were situated along some of the fairways, to the unbelievably efficient shuttle service, to the food and the close proximity of the courses, and the excellent playing conditions, the availability of range balls, and the ease of getting in nearly 18 in the afternoon, Grenelefe was definitely first class. B.A.G.S. intends to do many future return trips to this superb golf resort.                                                                                                                                                                                           

Peter Thompson captured his third consecutive Gross/scratch division Order of Merit Title and his fifth title overall. Pete had several victories, including a 74 and 78 at New England CC and a 74 at Wayland CC. He had a nice 75 at George Wright, which was good for second place that day.  In second place was Mark Ekleberry. This was Mark's first year in B.A.G.S. and he did quite well, with victories at Windham, Foxborough and South Shore. Dean Smith took third place and his 145 total in the Cape Cod Spring Championship, is a B.A.G.S.' record low total.  Phil Erlanger won the Net Division OOM title. Phil played consistently well all year, and continued to compete, even after severely spraining his ankle at Hickory Hill, in pursuit of the title. David Connerty chased Phil the last two months of the season, after capturing the Net Division B Society Championship in late August. David had his chances, but could never put together two strong 9 hole scores. Another consistent performer, Ed Roche, took the third spot.                                                                                    

Mark Dwyer went low at Sandy Burr on Sunday, October 24, with a 74, and 1 under par 35 on the back 9, and came away with a one shot victory over Wayne Janian.   Robert John proved he also likes Sandy Burr, with his second 40 point or more showing at this course, this season. Earlier this year, in July, Robert scored 44 stableford points there.                                                                               

The annual Cape Cod Fall Classic at Ballymeade was played on an exceptionally beautiful weekend on October 16 & 17. With temperatures in the low 70's both days, the members had their last taste of summer golf. The scoring, with a few exceptions, did not equal the superb weather, on this difficult and demanding course. Tim Jackson came through with his second consecutive, 36 hole B.A.G.S. tournament victory. Tim played his steady style of golf and won by 4 strokes over Rhode Island division's Anthony Leone. Tim's 79 on Sunday, was the low round of the weekend. Tim has now won the last two major tournaments on the B.A.G.S. schedule. Tim did not compete in the Cape Cod Spring Championship. The final major on the schedule, is the 72 hole Florida Championship, at Grenelefe Resort. Dean Smith, the winner of the Spring Championship, will defend his Florida title at Grenelefe. In Net division A, Anthony Leone's two consecutive rounds of 82 and 2 under par net, allowed him to win by 5 strokes over Ray Vanbatenburg. Don Seaton and Paul Sylvestre ended up in a tie for third place. Net division B, was dominated by the excellent play of Brian Boyle, over the weekend. Brian shot a nice 81 on Saturday, good for 41 stableford points or 5 under par net. On Sunday, Brian came back to the field slightly, but his 1 over par net score, was good enough. He finished 4 shots ahead of the improved Ralph Schlenker and Alex Lyon. Alex came out of hibernation on Saturday, with a superb 83, which included a painful 8 on 18 and a 7 on the 9th. Alex was not the only player who was bitten by the par 5 18th, as Peter Thompson will attest. On Saturday, Peter came to 18 only 7 over par, and proceeded to make a very hurtful 9 on the hole. Jim Homans played well on Sunday and came in with 38 stableford points, to take first sweep in the net B field. B.A.G.S. director, Steve Ritter, had the low net round on Sunday, with 39 stableford points and a gross score of 83 from the blue tees.                                                                                    

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Don Seaton won for the third consecutive time, in a B.A.G.S.' event, on Saturday, October 2 on a superb, early fall day at Souhegen Woods. The course was in perfect condition and so was Don's game. Don shot a gross 78, the second best score of the day, 1 behind 3 handicapper Dean Smith's 77 and came in with 41 stableford points, for a 4 shot victory over Nelson Pina and Chris Kreilkamp. Don, who began the year with a 14.5 handicap, has seen it drop all the way to a current 10.8.                                                        

B.A.G.S. net division A champion, Don Seaton, continued his fine play in recent events, with a runaway victory at Sandy Burr CC on Sunday, September 26. Don started off the first hole, as you must at Sandy Burr, if you hope to win, with a birdie and finished the front nine with 21 stableford points. With two more birdies on the back nine, Don shot a superb one over par gross 37 and 23 more stableford points and the low gross of the day with a 77. This was a very fine score, on this day, when the course played unusually long, and many other players seemed to struggle. Don was the net A division winner the previous Sunday at Crumpin - Fox Club. In the net division B competition at Sandy Burr, Joe Toner was the only player under par, with 37 stableford points and a one shot victory over B.A.G.S. regulars, Paul Kudarauskas and Bill Feeney.

The 1999 B.A.G.S. Society Championships were played on the weekend of August 28 & 29 at Saddle Hill CC and Juniper Hill - Lakeside course. Under perfect late summer weather conditions, Tim Jackson captured the gross/scratch division title in his first attempt. Tim's opening round 74, in which he played the second nine in even par, gave him 5 stroke lead over the rest of the field. The other contenders, lead by John Cannatelli at 79 and Dean Smith with an 80, struggled on the slow greens and less than ideal course conditions. On Sunday, at Juniper Hill - Lakeside, Tim Jackson played steady golf and protected his lead and won the 11th annual B.A.G.S. Championship, with a final round score of 77 and a three stroke victory over John Cannatelli, who shot a closing round of 75.  Third place went to Tom Simard with a total of 81-76-157. Tom, who moved up from the net division A competition, has improved all year and made a nice final day charge. The best final day score was by B.A.G.S. veteran Jay Hart. Jay shot a nice closing round of 73 and collected first place sweep money for his fine             performance. Net Division A also had some tight competition as Don Seaton held off lifetime member Mike Murray and new member Larry Watts for a two stroke victory. Don shot net 70 the first day and came back even better on Sunday, with a net 67, to secure the victory and the winner's trophy. Defending champion Nelson Pina, started poorly on Saturday, but closed on Sunday with a tremendous rush, with a gross score of 79 and 6 under par net score of 65, to only miss by 3 strokes. Ray Vanbatenburg found Juniper Hill much to his liking and fired a closing round of 77 and 63 net, to take the Sunday cash sweep. Bob Saleski shot a superb 75 on Sunday and signaled that he is ready to move into the gross/scatch divsion. The net division B found former champion, Jim Homans, leading after Saturday by one stroke. Jim shot a nice gross 88 and a net 67 at Saddle Hill. On Sunday, Jim Homans, the oldest player in the field, slipped back slightly, and the younger players took over. David Connerty, who has been improving all year, shot a nice net 67, along with the tireless New Hampshire member, Dan Chicoine, who birdied three holes on the front nine, ended the 36 hole tournament in tie at 7 under par 136.. The trophy went to David Connerty, after he won the tie breaker for the trophy, with a better final 9 holes. Jim Homans held on to a third place tie with Allan McCue. Allan played steady golf both days, for his best finish in the B.A.G.S. championship. Karl Eigsti played well on Sunday at Juniper Hill and shot 89 gross for a net 68 and third cash sweep for Sunday.                                                                                                                                                                                                           

The tournament at George Wright GC on Sunday, August 8, saw a continuation of fine scoring by the members. Tim Jackson won his first B.A.G.S.' event with a fine 4 over par 74, on this vintage Donald Ross course. Tim hit the ball close to the hole all day and with the help of a few made birdie putts, could have been close to even par. Lifetime member Peter Thompson, was a close second on his home course, with a 75. Pete's round, as usual, was saved by several up and downs for par. In the net division, David Diamond continued his fine play with a gross 77 from the back tees and 41 stableford points for a runaway victory in the net division.                                                                                                                                                    

The B.A.G.S.' event at Passaconaway CC on Sunday, August 1, was played on yet another hot and humid day. The scoring by some of the members was just as hot as this 90 degree day. Playing from the blue markers, on a course measuring over 6840 yards, Dave Watson won his first B.A.G.S. gross/scratch division title, with a 2 over par 73. Dave's round included 5 birdies and even par total on the back nine. Mark Dwyer seemed a sure winner when he came in, with one of the first groups, with a fine 76.He held second place by 3 shots over Mark Krasnow. In the net division, Pat Connerty also played extremely well and came in with 41 stableford points, for his first victory of the year. Pat shot a gross score of 79. In second, was Jim Rosteck, who had 39 points and has continued his good play following the B.A.G.S. Rhode Island event at Swansea, where he took a share of second place and helped his partner with a nice par, birdie finish.                                                              

Sandy Burr was once again the site of some spectacular scoring in a B.A.G.S.' event. On this hot, muggy, breezy day on July 18, Gregg Marcellus came in with a one over par score of 73. In the same foursome with Gregg, was second place finisher, Jay Hart. Jay came in with a 2 over 74, after taking double bogey on 15, with a ball lost in one of the tall willow trees near the 150 markers. Bill French bogeyed 18 for a 75 and Peter Thompson, who was only 2 over coming to 18, was the B.A.G.S. version of Jean Van de Velde, with a triple on 18 to finish with 77.  In the net A division, Robert John broke through into the winner's circle, with a superb 78, which included a couple of missed short putts. He posted 44 stableford points, for 4 shot victory. In net division B, Jim Morton also liked the warm conditions, as he shot  his best B.A.G.S. round of 80 and 44 stableford points in a close battle with Neil Pacy, who posted 43 points, in his best B.A.G.S. performance to date.                                                  

Chris Bae ended his career in local B.A.G.S.' events with a strong finish. On Wednesday, June 23 at Juniper Hill - Riverside Course, he shot an even par round of 70 to win low gross. He then traveled to Providence for a Rhode Island B.A.G.S.' event at Triggs Memorial, on June 24, where he shot another even par round of 72, to win low gross. Finally, in his last local event, at Atlantic, on June 27, where he holds the B.A.G.S. record low round of 73 from the Gold Tees, he won the low gross division, with a 3 over 75. Chris is returning to his home town of Seattle, to begin his career in dental surgery. Look for his name in U.S. Amateur events. He plans to play in the B.A.G.S. Florida Championship at Grenelefe December 3-6                                                                                      

Several B.A.G.S. members qualified for Mass.State Publinks on June 17. John McNeill, former runner-up in this event, qualified with a one over par 71at Merrimack GC. Wayne Janian qualified at Far Corner with a three over 75. Dean Smith made it in at Blissful Meadows. Steve Phillips is the first alternate from Merrimack.                                                            

John McNeill qualified for the Mass. State Open on Monday, June 1 at Marlboro CC. This is the third time, in the last 4 years, that John has made it into this prestigious event, which includes professionals. John found himself 3 over par after the first 3 holes and then played one under par the rest of the way, including a hole- out from the fairway, eagle, on the par 5 11th. John will be playing in the Mass. Open at Wellesley CC June 21-23. John nearly made the cut, 3 years ago, at Winchester CC.

   The 1999  Member - Guest at Olde Scotland Links featured some superb competition. The team of Blake Sabra and Tom Simard finished with a 3 under low gross score of 69. Tom Simard, an 8 handicapper, shot a 76 on his own ball. The only hole where he faltered, the long par three, 230 yard 13th, he was helped by his partner. Second low gross, was the team of Mark Ekleberry and his guest, Mike Daniels. They finished at even par 72. The net section ended in a two way tie for first. The team of Steve Preble and his guest Miles Billings took the trophy for first, with a better back nine score over Franco Grutti and Paul Oliveira.  Steve Preble played particularly well and had a gross 79 on his own card.                                    

It was a sizzling hot day at Overlook on Sunday, May 30 and there were some sizzling scores also. Jon Baron was absolutely on fire. Jon scorched the Net Division B field with a staggering total of 47 stableford points. Jon was on all day, but finished with an almost unheard of closing rush with 6 consecutive net birdies. Joe Toner, who finished an hour earlier looked an easy winner, with 43 stableford points, easily his best showing in a B.A.G.S.' event. But then, Andy Eppler came in with his best tournament result, with 44 stableford points, and his best ever round. John Whynot's career best round in B.A.G.S. with 42 stableford points only gained him forth place money on this day. Jon Baron, who played off a course handicap of 17, shot a gross score of 77. There were two superb efforts in the Net Division A section also. B.A.G.S.' veteran Rob Sarason and new member this year, Vinny Ciaramella, both scored 41 stableford points to share first place. Vinny took the trophy, having had a better back nine, to break the tie. Lifetime member David Burke, played well again, and gained third place money, with 39 stableford points. David shot a nice gross score of 80 off the back tees and would have finished in the top five in the gross/scratch on this day.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Dean Smith nearly lapped the field in the B.A.G.S. Cape Cod Spring Championship, shooting a one over par, two day total of 145.  In Saturday's opening round, Dean shot a one over par 73. Dean began this round with four consecutive birdies. He finished the front nine at 4 under with a 32. After another birdie on ten, to go 5 under, he cooled off slightly, to finish with a 73. On Sunday at Bass River GC,  Dean got off to another quick start, going to three under at one point on the back nine, before three consecutive bogies and an even par finish of 72. His 145 is lowest 36 hole score ever, in a B.A.G.S.' event. Dean has now won the the Cape Fall Championship, the Florida Championship and the Cape Cod Spring Championship in succession. He is also the club champion at Juniper Hill GC.                                                                                                                 

In the Net A Division, Geoff Higgins, also a member at Bayberry and Bass River, played some excellant golf, especially on Sunday at Bass River with a gross score of 80, to capture the trophy and prize money.  In second, with steady golf both days was Ray Karkman. Ray shot even par net total, for the the two days.

In the Net B Division, Tom Murphy was a runaway winner, shooting 5 under par net on both Saturday and Sunday, to easily win the Championship Trophy and large prize fund. A distant second, but still playing superb golf, was Ed Roche. Ed had his best finish in a B.A.G.S.' 36 hole event. He finished with a 4 under net total for the two days.                                                                                                                                             

	B.A.G.S.  Cape Cod Spring Championship at Bayberry Hills and Bass River
				        (Par 144) 
				     Gross Division
Dean Smith, Northborough		73-72-145*  Lowest B.A.G.S.' 36 hole tournament score
Blake Sabra, Mansfield			80-77-157
Bob Keefe, Waltham			77-81-158
Dave Currier, Wilmington		82-76-158
Jason Rapose, Warwick, RI		79-81-160
				     Net Division A
Geoff Higgins, Yarmouth			72-67-139
Ray Karkman, Marlboro			73-71-144
Vinny Ciaramella, Arlington		72-73-145
Kevin Foster, No. Andover		75-73-148
Brian Murphy, East Boston		76-72-148
Mike Ryan, Jamaica Plain		75-74-149
Dan Chicoine, Pelham, NH		71-80-151
Dave Wheeler, Charlestown		87-67-154
Jim Souza, Pembroke			78-76-154
				      Net Division B
Tom Murphy, Lowell			67-67-134
Ed Roche, Easton			70-70-140
Dave Connerty, Billerica		69-72-141
Mike Robinson, Weymouth			70-72-142
Allan Sutfin, Brookline			70-72-142
Larry Wilner, Narragansett		77-65-142
Ralph Schlenker, Dover			69-74-143
Gary Milliken, Billerica		66-77-143
Phil Erlanger, Acton			70-74-144

Official Final Results of the 1998 72 hole Florida Championship at Walden Lakes GC, TPC of Tampa Bay, Lost Oaks of Innisbrook and The Eagles GC

Low Gross:

Dean Smith, Northboro		75-74-80-86- 315
Doug Famigletti, Long Island	77-77-81-83- 318
Steve Birnbaum, Acton		81-78-86-76- 321

	Net Results     Top 20 (in order of finish)

Dean Smith			71-71-74-78- 294  
Peter Thompson, Newton		74-76-72-74- 296
Mike Ryan, Jamaica Plain	77-71-81 68- 297
Doug Famigletti			72-73-76-77- 298
Steve Birnbaum			76-74-80-71- 301
Joel Tompkins, New York		72-80-73-80- 305
Tom Loughlin, Stow		73-78-72-84- 307
Doug Bray, Brookline		75-81-77-75- 308
Tom MacMurray, New York		78-80-70-80- 308
Sean Carroll, New York		87-71-73-77- 308
Linda Oakley, Manville, RI	81-75-80-73- 309
Jim Gattuso, New York		79-76-82-74- 311
Jim Rooks, Marblehead		74-78-81-78- 311
Phil Erlanger, Acton		75-77-80-80- 312
Caryn Whitney, Newton		78-80-87-67- 312
Chris Gray, Long Island		70-83-82-78- 313
David Burke, Stow		85-67-80-82- 314
Kevin Foster, N. Andover	77-78-82-78- 315
Harvey Kimsey, Newton		78-78-79-80- 315

Chris Bae represented B.A.G.S. in the annual Globe Tournament of Club Champions at Wollaston CC.  He did quite well, shooting a 78, on a very windy day at this difficult course. Chris finished in the top ten and defeated many players from some of the most prestigious clubs in the state.

Chris's high finish in this event, was the best showing ever by a B.A.G.S member in  this event, and the best ever by a member of a Traveling Tournament Club.