B.A.G.S. Newsbag

Allendale CC was in fabulous condition for the Wednesday, August 5 event. The greens were smooth and fast and the fairways were immaculate. The course is fun to play with a good variety of holes and plenty of room for errant tee shots. The sloping greens required some local knowledge and a good deal of skill. Jeff Mucciarone was the only participant to break 80 with a 6 over par 78. The greens got Jeff at the end  with tough 3 putts on the last two holes. Steve Swanson was in at 81 for second low gross. Andrew Leonard had a good scoring day. Andrew played the opening nine in just 5 over par gross good for 21 stableford points. Andrew's eighteen hole total of 38 or 2 under par net was good for a 1 point victory over Steve Ross in the Net Division A competition.

Crosswinds GC was in nice condition for the Sunday, August, 2 event. B.A.G.S.' finally got an August event here without any incidences of thunderstorm activity, and there were many fine scores on this challenging course. Mark Karski returned to prominence in the low gross competition after a year's absence from B.A.G.S.' competition. Mark was just 1 over par through 14 holes before making a bogey on the 422 yard par 4 fifteenth hole. After a par on 16, Mark made a nice deuce on the downhill 180 yard par 3 seventeenth. After a poor tee shot on 18, Mark was satisfied to make a bogey 5 on the 386 yard finishing hole for a fine 3 over par score of 74. Steve Caputo was tied for lead in the event after 14 holes. Steve shot 2 over 38 on the first nine, and then became red hot with birdies on 4 of the next 5 holes to get to 1 under par. However, Steve could only make bogeys on the 4 finishing holes and came in at 3 over par 75. Brian Boyle also made a diligent attempt for the victory. Brian played the opening nine in even par 36. After a birdie on the 492 yard par 5 fourteenth, Brian was at 1 under par and tied with Steve C. for the lead. Brian, in the same manor as Steve Caputo, bogeyed the last 4 holes, and was in at 75 and a tie for second. In the Net Division competition, there were three superb performances. Steve Ross shot a fine gross score of 77, and was in a tie for first with the above mentioned Mark Karski and John Sawyer with 4 under par net scores. John made a serious bid to break 90, something he hasn't done in several years in a B.A.G.S.' event, with a nice 42 on the opening nine that included 2 birdies in a row on 2 & 3.  John played both par three's in even par on the second nine, but had no other pars and shot 49 for a total of 91 gross.

After an hour and a half rain delay, Blackstone National dried out quite well for the Thursday, July 30 event. Jim Doyle won his first low gross title in his first year as a B.A.G.S.' member with a fine 7 over par 79. Just 1 stroke behind in a tie for second were Steve Jackson and Lew Weitzman. In the Net Division A competition, Ed Clough made it two consecutive wins and both in convincing mode. Ed shot 4 over gross 40 on the opening nine good for 21 stableford points or 3 under par net. After playing the first 6 holes of the second nine in 6 over par gross for 11 points, Ed closed with a rush. Ed made a birdie on the 570 yard par 5 sixteenth, and made pars on 17 & 18 for a total of 10 stableford points on the final 3 holes for an 18 holes total of 42. Well done, Ed!  Buzz Speers had the lead after nine holes. Buzz shot a 3 over gross score of 39 good for a whopping 22 stableford points. Buzz cooled off on the next 6 holes with just 1 par and only 7 points. However, Buzz made par on the last 3 holes for 9 points and second place at 2 under par net. Lew Weitzman continued his fine play, and took third place with a 1 under par net. In the Net Division B competition, Peter Elliott was definitely the man. Peter was on fire on the opening nine with 3 net birdies, a net eagle, and all the rest net pars for an astounding total of 23 stableford points. Peter's second was nearly as incredible. Peter had 2 more net eagles, and 3 more net birdies for 22 more points Pete's total of 45 points earned him a place in B.A.G.S.' history and a spot in the B.A.G.S.' Record Book for recording 45 or more points in an event.

Norfolk GC was in excellent condition for the Monday, July 27 event. The greens were smooth and fast and the fairways and tee boxes were also in great shape at this fine private club located 1/4 mile off Rt. 128 in Westwood. Jeff Mucciarone, was in excellent form for this one and was by far the best. Jeff played the first nine in even par with 1 bogey and 1 birdie. Two bogeys on the second nine were offset by 2 birdies for an even par score of 70 and another entry into the B.A.G.S.' Record Book. Well back in second place with a 79 was Charlie Lent for his best finish this year.. There was a three way tie for first in the Net Division competition. Peter Elliott, Buzz Speers, and Frank Shaw all played surpassingly well, coming with 38 points or 2 under par net. We'll be returning here for another event here later in September. This event site should be on your event calendar. 

The members participating in the Saturday, July 25 event at Passaconaway CC enjoyed a fabulous day for golf. The temperature was in the mid-80's with a nice breeze and no threat of thunderstorms. Will Peishoff made the trip to Southern New Hampshire for his first event of the year, and he showed no signs of rust. Will got through the long - from the Blue (back) tees - at  3570 yards first nine, with a 1 over par score of 36. On the shorter second nine at 3285 yards, Will shot a 2 over par 38 for a superb eighteen hole total of 3 over par 74. Brian Boyle also played quite well and  was just 3 strokes back for second place. In the Net Division A competition, Will's 1 under par net score of 70 was just good enough to beat the duo of: Steve Ross, and Dave Truesdell. In the Net Division B competition, Russ D'Auria was definitely the man. Russ played just all right on the longer opening nine at 3300 yards from the White tees with 16 points with the help of pars on 8 & 9. This, however, was the prelude to a fabulous score of just 2 over par gross on the second nine good for the weighty total of 24 stableford points or 6 under par net. Russ' total of 40 points was good for a 2 point victory over Bud McGrath and the consistent Tony Carmona.

B.A.G.S. traveled to Shaker Hills GC for the Wednesday, July 22 event. Shaker Hills replaced Butter Brook on the event schedule after our exceedingly poor treatment at that course in May. Shaker Hills proved to be miles ahead of Butter Brook for both course layout, conditions, and staff. The weather cooperated in a week dominated by rain and the early morning clouds departed quickly. Jeff Mucciarone continued his good play, and had a 3 birdie round for a fine 1 over par 72. Brad Hartz, a recent winner at Olde Scotland Links in his first B.A.G.S.' event, took second place with a fine 5 over par 76. In the Net Division A competition, Ed Clough was never in any kind of trouble during the round and finally put together two good nine's, and was in with a gross score of 81 good for 38 stableford points for a 1 point win over Peter Southwick. Peter had a terrific second nine holes. Peter started off with pars on 10-12 and then made 3 consecutive birdies. After a par on the 220 yard par 3 sixteenth hole, Peter was at 3 under for the nine. The magic ended quickly as Peter made a double on 16 and a triple on 18. Still, he finished with 21 points on the nine, and took second place. In the Net Division B competition, Jim Homans was the best. Jim, the senior member of B.A.G.S. at 80 years young, is also one of the most durable players in the history of  B.A.G.S., having missed only a handful of events in the last 10 years. Jim's net score of 72 was 1 better than Bob Steward. 

Green Meadow GC (The Jungle) provided a good challenge for members participating in the Sunday, July 19 event. It played long with the Blue tee markers set all the way back on nearly every hole at about 6920 yards for the Net Division  A and low gross competition. The course was in great condition and was fun to play with generous landing areas and a good variety of holes.  Jeff Mucciarone never got the putter going and had one his few rounds this year without making a birdie. However, his 5 over par score of 77 was good for a 2 shot win over Brian Boyle. In the Net Division A competition, Dennis Callahan won his second consecutive event. Dennis won his last time out at Sandy Burr on 7-5, and came out of the gate strongly at Green Meadow with 3 straight pars. Dennis shot a very fine 4 over par gross score of 40 on the opening nine good for 20 stableford points. Dennis stayed hot, making net birdies on 5 of the next 6 holes and had 37 points after only 15 holes. Dennis only made 3 points on the 3 closing holes, but his total of 40 points was 4 better than Glenn McIntyre who took second place. In the Net Division B competition from the much shorter White tees, Jim Kelly also won his second consecutive event finishing in a tie for first with Ray Fearnley. Both players came in with 39 stableford points or 3 under par net. Ray was particularly strong on the tough closing holes to catch Jim by making gross pars on the 3 last holes for 12 points. Paul McCurley played well again, and took third spot with 38 points. Expect to see this course as a regular on the list of event for the upcoming years.  

Olde Scotland Links was in excellent condition for the Thursday, July 16 event. The greens and fairways were the best we've seen there in a couple of years and that bodes well for the 2 day 36 hole Society Championship in only a few short weeks. Brad Hartz, who competed in the Mass Open at Belmont and recently qualified for the Mass Publinks Championship, did well in his first event as a B.A.G.S.' member. Brad shot a 6 over par 78 and finished in a tie for first with 15 year B.A.G.S.' veteran Doug Bray. In the Net Division competition, Doug's even par net score was 1 point better than Nate Liskov. In the Net Division B competition, Jim Kelly was definitely the man. Jim shot a superb gross score of 82, his best in nearly two and a half years of B.A.G.S.' competition by 4 strokes. Jim had an incredible streak of 8 consecutive holes with net birdie on the first nine for an almost unmatched total of 26 stableford points in B.A.G.S.' tournament history. After only making net bogeys on 10 and 11, Jim got back on track and came in with 2 more net birdies and a net eagle for a massive total of 46 stableford points and a place in the B.A.G.S. Record Book. Well done, Jim! Well back in second place but still under par net was Mike Robinson with 37 points. 

Wentworth Hills was a new event on the schedule as a bargain price tournament. The day turned out to be a perfect day for golf with a cool morning, for July, warming up into the low 80's by afternoon. The course was in magnificent condition with very nice bent grass fairways, and a type of velvet grass on the greens. Though not long, it provided plenty of challenge. The challenge was best met by Lew Weitzman, who was just recently in a playoff at the Franklin Park GC for the final spot in the Mass Publinks Championship. Lew started with some misfortune on the opening hole, a downhill hole of over 400 yards, with a double bogey 6. This, however, did not sink his hopes. Lew played the rest of the way in at only 2 over par for a superb score of 75 for a 5 stroke victory. Well done, Lew!

Meadow Creek was in nice condition for the Saturday, July 11 event. Although not long, the course is a very challenging layout with several tough holes through tree lined fairways with little or no bail out areas. Jeff Mucciarone played some superb golf on the second nine holes after making the turn at 3 over par 39. Jeff then tuned it on playing the second nine holes in all pars and 1 birdie and a closing bogey for a 35. Jeff's fine 3 over 74 was good for a 3 shot win over Mark Karski, who played well and is starting to return to form after a 2 year absence from B.A.G.S.' tournament play. In the Net Division A competition, John Danchik was also back in form and shot a very fine gross score of 82 good for 38 stableford points or 2 under par net to take the division title by 1 stroke over Wayne Morrison  had his best showing in his first year as a B.A.G.S.' member and was just 1 point behind in second place. In the Net Division B competition, there was a three way tie for first place. Rosi Stoltze, Russ D'Auria, and Mike O'Malley were all tied with 32 stableford points.

Fine weather returned for the Saturday, July 5 event at Sandy Burr. It was much more like summer than the previous several days with the temperature into the 80's with a warm breeze. Jeff Mucciarone and Jay Leonard were again locked in another classic duel for the low gross title. Jeff was in the lead after 12 holes with a score of even par after making a nice birdie on the 381 yard par 4 twelfth hole. Jay, after trailing by 3 at the turn, turned red hot on the second nine, and was just 2 strokes behind after 12. Glenn Watson was right there after playing the first 11 holes in even par before finding trouble on 11 and 12. Jeff M. played holes 13-18 in 2 over par for a fine score of 73. Jay, who was 3 strokes behind after 12, played 13-18 in 1 under par and caught Jeff with a par on the 391 yard par finishing hole when Jeff made bogey. Johnathan Law took third position with a 77. In the Net Division A competition, Dennis Callahan had what seems to be his annual victory at this course. Dennis' 1 under par net score was just good enough to beat the aforementioned Jeff and Jay by 1 stroke. In the Net Division B competition, Buzz Speers put it all together for a nice 2 point victory. Buzz shot a superb 3 over par gross score of 39 on the second nine good for a staggering total of 22 stableford points or 4 under par net. Buzz's gross total of 83 was easily one of the 10 ten scores of the day in all divisions. John Sawyer and Paul McCurley also had fine rounds, and finished in a tie for second with 1 under par net scores or 37 points.

The cloudy and unseasonably cool weather returned for the Sunday, June 28 event at River Bend. The wind stayed light and no precipitation fell and there were several outstanding performances. Jeff Mucciarone and Jay Leonard battled it out again for at least the10th time so far this year for the low gross title. Jay was in the lead by 1 stroke at 3 over par after both players made bogeys on the 393 yard par 4 fifteenth hole. Jeff got into a tie for the lead as he made a par on the long 573 yard par 5 sixteenth hole and Jay made bogey. Both men made pars on the 197 yard par 3 seventeenth and headed to the 576 yard par 5 finishing hole at 4 over par. Jeff made a fine birdie on the hole to finish at 3 over par 74, while Jay, who missed the fairway well left ended up making a bogey for a 76. Joe Iannuzzo had his best effort so far this season, and took third position with a fine 77. In the Net Division A competition, Joe Iannuzzo's 2 under par net score of 69 was good for a 3 stroke victory over Ron Jacques. In the Net Division B competition, Steve Rollins and Dick Sargeant had their own battle for the win. Both men were playing off the same course handicap of 16, and both ended up shooting gross scores of 80, which were both their best scores ever in a B.A.G.S.' event. Dick Sargeant had 8 net birdies on the day, and had no zero point holes. Steve Rollins was perhaps more spectacular with 3 gross birdies for net eagles along with 1 zero point hole. Their net scores of 65 were 3 shots better than the Dick Millen who played well once again. The 70 year old is not particularly long off the tee, but hits a very straight ball and had been a strong contender all year.

The weather improved by Thursday for the June 25 event at Scottish Highlands. The clouds stayed around for the early play, but it tuned quite nice in the afternoon. Jeff Mucciarone, who only missed the cut in the Mass State Open by a few shots on Monday and Tuesday at Belmont CC, shot a fine even par round of 71 to win the low gross title. Glenn Watson was back in form, and finished 4 strokes behind Jeff with a nice four over par 75. In the Net Division A competition, John Cochran was definitely the man. John shot a gross score of 79, his lowest in nearly 3 years. John had two birdies on the day, and his massive total of 42 stableford points was 4 better than Glenn McIntyre who finished with a rush to take second place with three consecutive net birdies. In the Net Division B competition, Don Cybulski in just his first B.A.G.S.' event, showed that the first time out can be a charm. Don shot a very good gross score of 86, and burned up the second nine with a gross score of 41 which was good for 22 points. Don's total of 41 points was well ahead of second place finisher, Mark Jezowski.

It was a tough day for golf for the Monday, June 22 event at Waverly Oaks. A persistent off shore storm was responsible for some generous doses of  rain and wind that never seemed to let up. Half the field decided not to participate and surprisingly there were several outstanding performances. Lew Weitman has now earned the official title as the best "mudder" in B.A.G.S. In our second event this year at Atlantic CC, in much worse conditions, Lew was the easy winner. At Waverly Oaks on Monday, Lew was outstanding. Seemly oblivious to the conditions, Lew shot a superb gross score of 81 from the Gold tee markers set at 6682 yards. Doug Bray was the only one close with a fine score of 84. The Net Division title also went to Lew with a 3 under net score of 69. Nate Liskov also turned in a fine performance with a gross score of 84 from Green tees, and took second net with a 2 under par score of 70. Dick Malo and Bud McGrath both played quite well and came in with even par net scores to share third position. Bob Steward also played well and took 4th spot with a 1 over par net score. These were really great scores on a day when the less than committed player would have stayed inside and watched the U.S. Open on the television

The 21st annual Member/member-guest was held at Olde Scotland Links on Saturday, June 20. It turned out to be a perfect day for golf with the clouds and showers stalled well off to the west. The low gross competition ended in a tie with the team of Erik Okvist-Joe Pimental shooting 3 under par score of 69 along with the team of Jeff Mucciarone-Doug Bray. Erik was especially strong with 5 birdies on his card and a score of 73. Erik had a second nine score of 1 under par 35. Joe was able to help out with pars on the 3 holes that Erik made bogey. Jeff was great all day with 3 birdies of his own and a 70 on his own card. Doug made a nice birdie on 344 yard par 4 fourth hole to assist Jeff. In the Net Division competition, the team of Peter Elliott and son David proved to be a strong team again this year. They finished in a tie for third last year, and this year they took first place with a fine score of 12 under par 60. The team of Rick Lewis-Mark DelVecchio was also played some superb golf together. They had a third best team gross score of 74 with the help of 3 gross birdies, and might have won it all had either player made a par on 18. Their net score of 62 was one better than the above mentioned team of Mucciarone-Bray.

Acushnet River Valley was in fine shape for the Saturday, June 13 event. Those participating enjoyed a fine day for golf with the temperature well into the 70's, and no humidity under a cloudless sky. The wind kicked up somewhat in the afternoon, and could be felt on the open part of the course on holes 12-16. Jay Leonard continued his excellent  form from recent events, and won his sixth low gross title this year and second in succession with a fine 2 birdie round of 1 over par 73. Johnathan Law played some flawless golf for the first 12 holes, and was at 1 under par before hitting his second shot into the left hazard on the 605 yard par 5 fourteenth, and made just his second bogey of the day to go back to even par. John came to 18 at 2 over par, and nearly holed out his second shot from about 125 yards out in the left rough and made the par for a fine score of 2 over par 74. In the Net Division A competition, Chris Kreilkamp and Jeff Driscoll both played some superb golf. Jeff's gross score of 80 was his best in nearly two years of B.A.G.S.' competition by 2 strokes. Chris K. had the third best gross score on the day from the Gold (back) tees. Chris was especially strong down the stretch as he made 5 net birdies on the last 6 holes. Both he and Jeff both finished with 39 stableford points or 3 under par net. In the Net Division B competition, Greg Poitrast was definitely the man. Greg got his first win on the year and was incredible on the opening nine where he shot 4 over 40 gross for 22 stableford points. Greg was not as hot on the second nine, but still finished with a gross par on the 387 yard par 4 eighteenth hole for a net birdie and 17 more points. Greg's 39 points was good for a 2 point victory over Russ D'Auria who played well once again. Tony Carmona also played quite well, and took third position with an even par net score.

It was a cloudy and cool start for the Wednesday, June 10 event at New England CC. The course was in great condition, it stayed dry, and the wind was not a factor. Jeff Mucciarone played some great golf on the second nine, and came in with a 7 over par 78. Lew Weitzman was only 2 over par gross after 10 holes before making a costly triple bogey 8 on the tight 534 par 5 eleventh. Lew got 1 back with a nice birdie on the 171 yard par 3 twelfth, and finished with pars on 17 and 18 for a 79, and second place. Lew's net score of 69 was good enough for the victory in the Net Division A competition by 2 points over Steve Preble, who played extremely well. In the Net Division B competition, Ron Axelrod, in his first B.A.G.S.' event of the season, blew the rest of the field away. Ron shot a gross score of 44 on the first nine good for an astounding total of 23 stableford points or 5 under net. Ron was nearly as good on the second nine with another gross 44 for 21 more points. On the day, Ron had 3 net eagles and 4 net birdies. Well done,. Ron!. A winner on most other days at this tight, shot makers course, Buzz Speers shot a fine 1 under par net score. Andrew Leonard also played quite well, and took third position with 35 points or 1 over par net.

Cyprian Keyes was in nice condition for the Saturday, June 7 event. As usual, the course rewarded accuracy over length, and there were several fine performances. Jay Leonard had never played this challenging course before, but this straight hitter played the somewhat easier second nine in even par for a fine 4 over par 76. Johnathan Law was 2 under par after his first 3 holes, and shot a 38-39-77 to take second place. In the Net Division A competition, John Danchik and Tom Simard both played steady golf, and avoided any big numbers which can happen at this tight course, and finished in a tie for first at 1 over par net with the above mentioned J. Law. In the Net Division B competition, David Lee had a couple of net Albatrosses, with birdies on stroke holes for 4 points each, plus 4 net birdies, and was the easy winner 38 points or 2 under par net. 3 points behind in second place was Jon Baron who also played well. Russ D'Auria took third position with 34 points.

It turned out to be a fine day for golf for the Wednesday, June 3 event at Wayland CC. The greens were as good as any public course we've played this year, and as usual at this course, there were many fine scores. Kazuo Noda captured his first low gross victory with a fine 7 over par 77. Ed Clough and Richard Tenby were just behind with 78's. In the Net Division competition, Kazuo N. and Ed C. finished in a tie for first with net 66's. Dan Chicoine came to the 18th tee at just 7 over par gross, but a poor tee shot on 18 cost him as he finished with a double bogie 7 for a 79, and third spot in the net. Allan McCue looked like an easy winner after nine holes with a 1 over par gross score of 36 and 23 stableford points. Allan cooled off dramatically after a birdie on 12, and faded to a 5th place tie.

Haverhill CC was in superb condition for the Monday, June 1 event. It was a cool morning to start the event, but after the sun came through the thin band of clouds, it rapidly warmed up to the upper 60's and the players in this event enjoyed the smooth, fast, and flawless putting greens that Haverhill CC always provides for us. Jim DiBiase, who nearly missed winning at Renaissance in May, got a tie for first with Jeff Mucciarone with a fine score of 74. In the Net Division A competition, Mike McLaughlin got his first victory of the year. Mike loved the true putting surfaces and seemingly got up and down from everywhere and had 9 net birdies on his card. Mike shot a gross score of 80 and was an easy winner by 4 stokes with a net score of 67. In the Net Division B competition, Steve Clifford, in his first B.A.G.S.' start, got the win with a 1 over par net score. Steve was a perfect example of the built in beauty and forgiveness of stableford scoring system as he had 3 holes where he had to pick up and take 0 points, but was still able to get 35 points on the other 15 with the help of a net albatross by getting a birdie on a double stroke hole. Ralph Daniels and Ted Scholnick finished in a tie for second with 33 points each.

It was an extremely nice day for the Saturday, May 30 event at Butter Brook GC. The temperature was in the low 70's with some light puffy clouds appearing by the afternoon. Chris Rollins proved that he's a top contender whenever he tees it up in a B.A.G.S.' event. Chris was at even par after 10 holes with 2 birdies. After a bogey on the long 249 yard par 3 eleventh hole, Chris made pars on 12 & 13. A bogey on the 199 yard par 3 fourteenth pushed him to 2 over par on the day. After pars on 15 & 16, Chris made the only birdie of the day on the tough 416 yard par 4 seventeenth. Chris finished with a nice par on 18 to shoot a 1 over par 73. Mike Bushnell, in his first event as a B.A.G.S.' member showed that he can also be a strong contender. Mike shot a fine 3 over 75 that included a 3 footer on 18 the that went all the way around the hole and failed to drop in. In the Net Division A competition, Chris Rollins was the easy winner with a net score of 4 under par. Mike Bushnell and John Law finished in a tie for second with 1 over par net scores. In the Net Division B competition, Jim Siwila had his best showing in a B.A.G.S.' event in just over 2 years of being in the competition. Jim shot an excellent gross score of 83, his best by 5 strokes. Jim's net score of 4 under par 68 was 5 better than second place finisher, Dan Chicoine, now in his 19th year of B.A.G.S.' competition. B.A.G.S. will not be returning to Butter Brook for any future events, as we were treated very unfairly by the course ownership and staff; B.A.G.S. suggests that members avoid playing at this course which treated us so poorly and with such a complete lack of consideration to put it mildly.

A slightly overcast morning turned into a perfect day for golf for the Sunday, May 24 event at Passaconaway CC. The course was in its usual good condition and with the wind non-existent, the course afforded some good scoring by the members. Jay Leonard was back in form after a less than brilliant performance the previous weekend at River Bend, and played the first 11 holes in even par before making a bogie on the 400 yard twelfth hole after hitting his tee shot into the hazard on the right side. Another bogie followed that on the 203 yard par 3 thirteenth. After a birdie on the 520 yard par 5 fourteenth Jay got it back to just 1 over par. A double bogey on the short 360 yard par 4 fifteenth pushed Jay to 3 over par, but a nice birdie on the 390 yard par 4 seventeenth and pars on 16 and 18 got Jay in at 2 over par 73. Johnathan Law nearly tied Jay when his birdie putt on the 18th just missed going in the hole. Johnathan charged back after shooting 6 over on the much longer first nine, with a 3 under par 33 on the closing nine. Jeff Mucciarone also had some problems on the 3570 yard first nine, and shot 41-34 -75 to take third position. In the Net Division A competition, Jay and Johnathan finished tied for first spot with Doug Bray and Joe Liva at even par net. Joe Liva shot a fine 76 in his second B.A.G.S.' event while 15 year member, Doug Bray, shot a fine 8 over par 79. In the Net Division B competition, there were several outstanding performances. Larry Mintzer who had never shot better than 92 gross in almost 3 years of B.A.G.S.' competition put it all together on this day. Larry shot a superlative gross score of 83, and scorched the closing nine with a 4 over par gross score of 40 for a massive total of 24 stableford points which included 8 straight net birdies and an astounding total of  44 for the round. Well done, Larry!  A probable winner on any other day, Ray Fearnley played some very impressive golf shooting a very fine gross score of 81 good for 41 stableford points. Jim Kelly also had a very good scoring day. Jim has his first sub-90 score in almost a year, and took third position with 39 stableford points. 

River Bend was in excellent condition for the Saturday, May 16 event. The weather cooperated as it was brilliantly sunny for most of the day with the temperature close to 70 degrees before the afternoon clouds moved in. Jeff Mucciarone got off to great start with birdies on the first two holes, and never had to look back after making the turn at 1 under par 34. Jeff played superb golf on the tighter and tougher second nine, and was at even par on this nine before making a bogie on the long 200 yard par 3 seventeenth. A par on the 570 yard par 5 closing hole got Jeff in at even par 71, and another entry into the B.A.G.S.' Record Book for an even par or better score. Brian Boyle was right there with Jeff after nine holes with a fine even par score of 35. Two bogies in succession to start the second pushed Brian to 2 over par. Brian then steadied the ship and made 5 straight pars before making a bogie on the 200 yard par 3 seventeenth. Brian just missed a 12 foot birdie putt on the par 5 eighteenth, and took second behind Jeff M. with a fine 3 over par 74. Johnathan Law also played quite well, and took third position with a 5 over par 76. In the Net Division A competition, the above mentioned Jeff M. and Brian B. both finished in a tie for first with net 68's. John Danchik was in good form and took third spot with a 1 over par net score. In the Net Division B competition, Rob Cotter continued his outstanding play so far this spring. Rob had more points on the second nine, which is not normally the case at River Bend. Rob shot 43-41-84 gross and was the only Net B player under par net with a 69. Look for Rob to be in the Net Division A very soon. Ted Scholnick also found the tight second easier as he scored 22 of his 36 stableford points on this nine, and took second place. Ron Violette played well, and took third position with a 1 over par net score or 35 points.

It was a fine spring day for the Monday, May 11 event at Renaissance GC. The course was in pristine condition with perfect fairways and mint putting greens. New member this year, Jim DiBiase, playing in his first B.A.G.S.' event, was in control of this event with 3 holes left to play. Jim was at just 2 over par after making a nice par on the 220 yard par 3 fifteenth. Jim made an unfortunate double bogie on the slight dogleg right 372 yard par 4 sixteenth to go 4 over. After a par on the 165 yard par 3 seventeenth, Jim got into trouble over the green on the 550 yard par 5 finishing hole and made a double bogie 7 for a round of 77. This was costly as the steady Jeff Mucciarone, who had no doubles on his card, was already in with a 76. Roger McGovern, also a new member this year, took third position with a fine score of 79 on a course rated 74.1 from the Black tees. Jim DiBiase won the Net Division A competition with a 1 over par net score. In the Net Division B competition, Bill Sarsfield also in his first B.A.G.S.' event was an easy winner. Bill shot a fine gross score of 86 from the white tees, and was in at 3 under par net. Veteran B.A.G.S.' member, Dan Chicoine, just back from his winter home in Florida, played well and took second position with a 1 over par net score. Jim Bethune and Dave Holland also played well and tied for third.

B.A.G.S. traveled to Olde Scotland Links for the Saturday May 9 event. Morning showers gave way to a decent afternoon for golf with brief flashes of sunshine coming through the overcast sky. Jay Leonard continued his superb play this year, and won his 4th consecutive low gross title. Jay played the first 12 holes in even par before making 3 straight bogies. Jay played the final 3 holes in 1 under par with a birdie on the 532 yard par 5 finishing hole to end up with a fine 2 over par 74. Lynn Briggs closed strongly with a 1 over par 37 on the second nine to take second place with a 4 birdie round of 76. Jeff Mucciarone got off to a slow start, but also finished strongly with a 37, and took third with a 78. In the Net Division B competition, there was a three way tie for first. Brian Boyle had this one in his sights with a fantastic 5 birdie round and 36 points after 17 holes. However, Brian made an unfortunate double bogey 7 on the par 5 for no points, and finished in a tie for first with Doug Bray, and the above mentioned Jay Leonard. Mark DelVecchio looked an almost sure winner of this event after making a bogey net par on the par 5 twelfth for 29 stableford points. Mark seemed to lose all momentum after making a double bogey 5 on the long par 3 thirteenth, but still had a chance to win or tie for first if he could at least make a point on 18. However, Mark found trouble on his second shot, and ended up making a triple bogey on the hole and finished in a 4 way tie for 4th. In the Net Division B competition, Neil Denenberg, who had struggled with his game for most of the early part of the season, came up in a big way in this event. Neil shot just 2 over gross on the first nine for a massive total of 23 stableford points or 5 under net. Neil was still 5 under par net after making a par for net birdie on the 14th hole. Neil's only zero point hole came on the tough fifteenth hole, and Neil finished strongly with a par for net birdie on 18 for 38 points. Well done, Neil! Ben Hampton continued his fine play this year, and took second place with a 1 under par net score. B.A.G.S.' senior member, the ageless Jim Homans finished in a tie for third with Mike McLaughlin at 1 over par net.

The Cape Cod Spring Championship, the first of the three 36 hole major events on the local schedule, took place on Saturday and Sunday, May 2 & 3. The afternoon shotgun began under an overcast sky that yielded a few raindrops before clearing out to sunshine for the final 9 holes. The course conditions were superb at Dennis Pines with nice fairways and tees, and smooth, fast, greens. This tree lined course does have a fairly high degree of difficulty, and that proved out, as no one in the field could break the 80 mark even though there were generally very light breezes. Rick Lewis had the best chance to break 80 as he was only 4 over par after 15 holes. However, after making a bogie 5 on the short 344 yard sixteenth to go to 5 over, Rick missed the 175 yard par 3 seventeenth green to right, chipped all the way to the back of green from a tough lie, and 3 putted for a double. A bogie on the closing hole added to the frustration. Rick's 80 was 1 better than Jay Leonard, who also had a decent round going, but made a triple bogie 8 on the 513 yard par 5 twelfth hole after losing his ball, and finished with an 81. Sunday's round at Bayberry began in calm conditions with a overcast morning. The greens on the Red and Blue (links) courses were slower than the previous day, the players had trouble, leaving many putts short. Jeff Mucciarone, who started the day 5 strokes behind Rick, made up 3 strokes after nine holes. The leader after the change to the Blue course was Jay Leonard who shot even par 36. Bill Hutchins, who started 3 behind the leader, shot a 38 and was 4 behind Jay. Jeff caught fire on the open links style (Blue course) and with the help of 3 birdies was able to shoot a 1 under 35, and was in with a 74 for a 159 total. The 416 par 4 15th proved costly for Jay as he made a double bogie 6 and couldn't make par on the 560 yard par 5 seventeenth, and shot a 42 on the Blue course for a 78 for a total of 159. Bill Hutchins shot 38 on both nines and his 76 put him in a three way tie for first with: Jeff and Jay all at 159. In the Net Division A competition, RI member, Jim Beauregard, was by far the best. Jim shot gross scores of 83-82, and finished at two under par net. In second, five strokes behind, was Boston member, Lew Weitzman. Lew shot a fine gross score of 80 on Sunday at Bayberry Hills. In the Net Division A competition, RI member Ed Guertin played extremely well. Ed shot 3 under par net to win by 1 stroke over fellow RI members, Pawel Kot, and Scott Reese.

Newport National was in superb condition for the Tuesday, April 28 event. While the rest of New England felt some blazing heat, the south coast was a good 10 degrees cooler, in the low 80's, for the start of the afternoon event. As is always the case at this course, which has no protection from wind, the strong breezes affected many shots. Jeff Mucciarone got off to a great start with only a 9 iron into the 486 yard par 5 first hole after cutting off the dogleg and made birdie. Another fine drive and wedge lead to another birdie on the 400 yard par 4 second. Jeff also made a birdie on the short 300 yard par 4 fifth, before making back to back bogies on 5 & 6. Jeff finished the opening nine in 1 under par 35. The wind picked up on the second nine, and Jeff played in at 3 over par 39 for a fine 2 over par score of 74. His closest competitors, Johnathan Law and John McNeill were 3 shots behind with 77's. In the Net Division A competition, Glenn Harnish, who shot a fine 2 over par gross score of 38 on the opening nine, and Rhode Island member, John Kneeland, both played extremely well, and finished in a tie for first with 2 under par net scores of 70. In the Net Division B competition, Rhode Island member, Chris LeFort, was all by himself with a 42 stableford points. Veteran Boston member, Ralph Daniels, also played quite well, and was second best with 38 points or 2 under par net. Another long time member, Peter Elliott, continued his good play and was the third place holder with an even par net score.

Some summer like weather came on for the Saturday, April 25 event at Sandy Burr. The temperature got into the upper 80's, and there was some hot scoring to match as some of the members got on some nice rolls. Jay Leonard and Paul Mitchell both played the first nine holes in even par 36. Brian Boyle was just 1 stroke behind with a 37. Jay continued on strongly on the second nine with 2 birdies offsetting his two bogies for a fine even par score of 72, and his second entry into the B.A.G.S.' Record Book for an even par or better score. Brian Boyle made two clutch putts to save par on both 17 & 18 to secure second place in an event that had 12 low gross players. Paul Mitchell took third with 76. Chris Rollins shot a two over par 38 on the second nine to finish fourth with a 77 in this strong field. In the Net Division A competition, Jay Leonard and Brian Boyle were tied for first with 2 under par 70's. Paul Mitchell got in for third with a 1 under par total. Rey LeMaine played well, shot his handicap, and finished tied for fourth with Chris Rollins at 72 net. In the Net Division B competition. Mike Robinson played a fabulous round at his favorite golf course. Mike shot a gross score of 86. This is the lowest Mike has ever shot in now his 12th year of B.A.G.S.' s competition. Well done, Mike! Mike's total of 40 stableford points or 4 under par net, was good for a 2 point victory over John Cochran, who played well for the second event in succession. Rob Cotter continued his fine play this season with a third place finish with 34 points.

It was another cool and windy day for the start of the Thursday, April 23 event at Milton-Hoosic Club. It felt better to be out in the sun carrying the clubs as the day went on. Jeff Mucciarone was the low gross winner with a 6 over 76 on a tough scoring day. No one else in the field broke 80, as Gary Grogan was second low gross with an 81. Peter Elliott had by far his best effort after his usual slow start at the beginning of the season. Peter was great on his first nine holes with a very fine gross score of 45 for a total of 21 stableford points or 3 under par net. After making triple bogey on both 10 and 11, Peter went par, par, birdie, par, par  for 17 points total on five holes. After making a zero point on the tough 428 yard par 4 seventeenth, Peter finished with a bogey on 18 for 2 more points and a total on the day of 39. This was well ahead of second place finisher, John Cochran who played well and came in with 35 points or 1 over par net. In a tie for third were: Gary Grogan and Luis Ramos at 2 over par net.

It was a cool and breezy day with the temperature struggling to get to the 50 degree mark, but it was dry for the Monday, April 20 event at Willowbend GC. Jay Leonard played rock solid golf shooting even par for the first 12 holes with 2 birdies. His only poor shot on the day was the tee shot on the 160 yard par 3 thirteenth hole back into the wind which came up short and rolled back into the pond in front of the green. Jay made a double bogey 5 after playing from the drop area. Jay finished with a bogey 6 on the 495 par 5 eighteenth after hitting his tee shot left of the fairway bunkers, and finished with a score of 5 over par 76.  Jeff Mucciarone, who was playing in the same group with Jay, made up enough ground on the final holes to have a chance to tie Jay with a birdie putt on 18. Jeff's 20 footer just missed, and Jeff finished in a tie for second with Josh Forman, who was playing in his first B.A.G.S.' event. However, Josh took first place in the Net Division A competition with a 3 over par net score. In the Net Division B competition, Ben Hampton, another new member of B.A.G.S. this year, was the winner with a 3 over par net score. This was a fine performance by Ben on this breezy day considering the next closest competitor was 3 strokes higher than Ben.

Some nice early spring weather arrived for the Saturday, April 18 event at Pinehills (Nicklaus course) with plenty of sunshine and light breezes with the afternoon temperature into the middle 50's. There was some exceptional play on this day as several members had already seemed to attain close to mid-season like form. Jeff Mucciarone appeared to have an ordinary round going after making his third consecutive bogey on the 390 yard par 4 tenth hole. But after making his second birdie of the day, on the 515 yard par 5 eleventh, he played the rest of  the way home in 2 under par for a fine score of 34 on the second nine and was in at 1 over par 73. Johnathan Law also played well, and was in at just 3 over par 75 with a 2 birdie round and took second place. In a tie for third at 77 were: Steve Caputo, Jay Leonard, and Doug Bray. In the Net Division A competition, Doug Bray looked like a runaway winner after amassing a massive total of 36 stableford points after the first 15 holes in which he played in 1 over par gross. Doug played the last 3 holes 4 over par with a 0 point hole on 18, but managed to hold on to a 1 point victory over the improved Mike McLaughlin, who shot a fine gross score of 82 good for 38 stableford points. Mark DelVecchio had a fine first event of the year. Mark was just 3 over par gross after his first 11 holes before losing some momentum, and finished with a gross 84 for 37 points and third position. In the Net Division B competition, veteran B.A.G.S.' member Holger Stoltze had a fine day on the course, and finished in a tie for first with new member, Rob Cotter, in his first event, with 40 stableford points or 4 under par net. Holger took home the trophy with the better second nine point total.

Indian Pond CC was in superb condition for the B.A.G.S.' event on Wednesday, April 15. The members were not quite ready for greens that were smoother and faster than most other courses at their peak condition later in the season. This lead to many 3 and 4 putt greens. It was a brilliantly sunny day, but the buffeting winds affected scoring mostly for the worst. Jeff Mucciarone was the low gross winner with a 7 over score of 79. Jim Doyle, in his first event as a B.A.G.S.' member, took second low gross with an 82. In the Net Division B competition, there was a two way tie for first with Lew Weitzman sharing the title with the above mentioned Jim Doyle with 4 over par net scores. In the Net Division B competition, Dick Malo picked up his second victory in three starts with a very fine even par net score of 72. Well done, Dick! Bryan McClellen, in his first B.A.G.S.' event proved he can be a contender with a second place finish at 1 over par net.

B.A.G.S.'  21st season of tournament golf got underway at Pinehills GC (Jones) on Tuesday, April 7 on changeable day with plenty of  sun at times, but with a steady cool breeze that definitely affected the scoring. Richard Tenby played a very steady round with 41's on both nine's, and was an easy winner in the low gross competition with a 10 over par 82.  In the Net Division competition, Dick Malo showed some excellent early season form with a 2 under par net score of 70. Dick finished with 2 consecutive pars to break 90. Richard Tenby took second place in the net. Glenn Harnish, who decided to join the B.A.G.S. and play the day preceding the event, hung in there with no zero point holes and took third spot with a 2 over par net score. 

The 72 - Hole B.A.G.S. Florida Championship was played on four superb Orlando area layouts from Friday, December 5 - Monday, December 8. Those participating enjoyed playing in the 75 plus degree weather on Friday, Saturday, and Monday, with Sunday being brilliantly sunny, but with a cool breezy morning, and only into the upper- 60's by the early afternoon. Jeff Mucciarone was trying to capture his fourth straight low gross title, and he got off to a great start on Friday at the Orange Lake - Legends course with a fine 1 over par 73. B.A.G.S.' club champion from the '99 season, Tim Jackson, played exceptionally well, and was just 2 strokes behind Jeff with a 75. Last year's Florida Net Division second place finisher, Lew Weitzman, shot a superb 4 over par 76. Jeff put the low gross title out of reach on Saturday at Providence G & CC with a 2 under par round of 70. Jeff was on top of his game and had 4 birdies and could easily have shot in the 60's if had hadn't missed several short putts coming in. No one else broke 80, with Doug Bray's 80 being second low gross. Jeff cruised to victory with a 3 over 75 on Sunday at Harmony Golf Preserve on a another day which no one else broke 80. Now the battle was for second on Monday between Tim Jackson at 23 over par and Doug Bray at 27 over. Tim shot a fine 6 over par 78 on Monday at Celebration GC, just 5 higher than Jeff M.'s 73, and took the second place money by 10 strokes over Doug B., who shot an 84. Jeff M.'s 72 hole total of 3 over par 291 was the best ever low gross score in the Florida event by 10 strokes breaking Jeff's own best score. Jeff also ended up dominating the Net Division competition even though he was getting just 1 stroke per day and had to come from well behind. Lew Weitzman's net 66 on Saturday off his fine gross score of 76 gave him a huge lead of 5 strokes over the above mentioned Tim Jackson, and long ball hitter, Andrew Klein. Jeff, John Rannikko, and John Sawyer were 6 strokes behind with even par net scores of 72. John Sawyer played some great golf on Saturday at Providence G & CC with a 3 under par net score of 69. This round propelled him into a tie for the lead with Jeff M., who as mentioned above, shot a 2 under par gross score on this day. Dick Burt, the veteran RI Division member, jumped into contention with 1 under par net score, and was all alone in second place after 36 holes. Glenn McIntyre, who shot a 1 over par net score, was tied for fourth overall after 36 holes with John Rannikko. Lew Weitzman had a poor second nine, and fell back into a tie for third overall. On Sunday at the very nice Harmony Golf Preserve, the cool early morning breezes made the golf much more difficult after the previous two days of mild mornings. Lew Weitzman had the third best net score on the day with an even par score of 72, and moved back into second place behind Jeff M. who was in with a 2 over par net score off his gross score of 75. Dick Malo saved his best for Sunday with a superb net score of 4 under par 68. Tom Simard also loved the course, and was second best on the day with a net score of 69. The other two top contenders: John Sawyer and Dick Burt fell out of the race for the title. In the final Championship round on Monday at Celebration the temperature quickly warmed up into the 70's and the battle was on. Jeff M. was completely on his game and was not about to let the Net title get away. Jeff hit nearly every fairway and was putting for birdie on just about every hole. His 1 over par gross score of 73 was the best by 5 strokes and his net score of 72 was matched only by John Rannikko. Jeff was 3 strokes better than Lew Weitzman and was the net division winner by 8 strokes over Lew. Jeff M. became only the second player to win both the gross and net titles since Dean Smith accomplished this feat 10 years ago. Well done, Jeff! Glenn McIntyre was steady all 4 days never shooting more than 4 over par on any day and took third position. John Rannikko moved up nicely on Monday with a net 72 to finish in a tie for fourth with Doug Bray the '08 Net Division OOM winner.

The nice fall weather lasted into Monday's event at CC Halifax. By noon, it was close to the 60 degree mark, and there were several fine performances. Joe Kalil got his first low gross victory of the year with an 8 over par 80. Joe, a nine year B.A.G.S.' member, also took the Net Division A title for the event with an even par net score. Rick Kelly and Chris Kreilkamp also played well, and tied for second with net scores of 2 over par. In the Net Division B competition, Mike Doran showed some of his old form and came in with 40 stableford points or 4 under par net to win by 1 stroke over Ed Guertin. Allan McCue took third position with a fine 1 under par net score. B.A.G.S. has scheduled two events for next year at this fine layout.

The mild weather returned for the weekend event at Poquoy Brook on Saturday, October 25. By the afternoon the temperature was in the mid-60's, and the course was in great shape. Johnathan Law didn't play particularly well on the first nine with a 6 over par 42. However, 4 straight pars on the second nine got him back into the tournament, and after a two putt birdie on the 474 yard par 5 fourteenth hole, Johnathan was back to just 5 over on the round. After pars on 15 and 16, Johnathan missed the green on the 453 yard par 4 seventeenth, botched a chip shot and ended up making a double bogey. Johnathan chipped up more successfully on the 481 yard par 5 finishing hole, and made the birdie putt for a 78 and a 1 stroke victory over Scott Brassard and Glenn Watson. In the Net Division A competition, Mark McQuaid, got his first ever B.A.G.S.' victory in his initial year as a B.A.G.S.' member with a fine even par net score. Kazuo Noda also played some fine golf, and finished in a tie for second a just 1 stroke behind Mark M. with Glenn Watson. In the Net Division B competition, John Sawyer had a huge turn around after making a triple on the 485 yard par 5 eighth for zero points and 17 total for the nine. On the second nine, John had a massive total of 22 stableford points including 3 net birdies and a net eagle, and was a two point winner over Russ D'Auria who also played well, and shot 1 under par net for 37 points. Buzz Speers and  B.A.G.S.' senior member, Jim Homans, finished in a tie for third position with 35 points.

After a very chilly start, it warmed up to around 50 degrees by early afternoon  for the Thursday, October 23 event at Walpole CC. The members all agreed that this is one of the best layouts we play all year, and the course was in superb condition. Rick Lewis played the final 8 holes in even par with 2 birdies to win the low gross with a 8 over par 79. In the Net Division competition, Jim Kelly got his second win on the season with a fine 1 under par net score. Just 1 stroke behind in a tie for second were John Danchik and Mike Ryan from Maine. Mike finished strongly with the only birdie on the day on 18. Larry Brewster also played well at this challenging course, and took fourth position with a 1 over par net score.

The fine spate of good October weather continued for the October 18 event at Sandy Burr. The course itself was in excellent condition considering the large amount of play this course gets, and the greens were also as good as those at any other public course. Late entry Paul Tracey made bogey to start on the 466 yard par 5, a hole this long hitter would normally reach with a mid-iron. However, Paul got that stroke back with a birdie on the 495 par 5 second hole, and finished the opening nine with another birdie on the short 262 yard par ninth for 1 over par 37. Paul didn't really take advantage of his length on the second nine par five's with only a par on the 450 eleventh and a bogey on the 511 yard seventeenth, but played the other holes in even par with birdies on 14 and 18. Paul's 2 over par 74 was good for a 1 stroke victory over Jeff Mucciarone who left his birdie putt on 18 on the lip of the hole. Johnathan Law was back in form for this event, and took third position with a 76. In the Net Division A competition, Paul Tracey's three under par net score was good for a 3 stroke win over Nate Liskov who only had 1 bad hole the whole round with a triple bogey on the 397 yard par 4 sixteenth. Nate finished strongly, however, with pars on 17 & 18 to secure second by 1 stroke over Rick Lewis and Chris Kelly. In the Net Division B competition, Allan McCue was the best. Allan shot even par net and was 2 points better than Rosi Stoltze and Carlos Duarte. 

Ferncroft CC was in absolutely fabulous condition for the Tuesday, October 14 event, and the weather cooperated with a fine sunny day with the temperature getting into the upper 60's. Smooth, fast, putting greens put all the players to a test, and being above the hole was almost a certain 3 or even 4 putt. Jeff Mucciarone was ever so close to having a great score, but a couple of poor tee shots cost him severely, and lead to double bogey. Jeff's 79 was the only score under 80. Tom Dromgoole played quite well, and took second low gross with an 80, and was the Net Division A winner by a point over Gary Grogan, Doug Bray, and Jim Scanlon. In the Net Division B competition, Robert Goldstein got his first win of the year with a fine even par net score. Allan Sutfin was back in form for this event and his 2 over par net score was 2 points better than Steve Rollins who played well on his last nine holes to take third.

It turned out to be a fine fall day for the October 11 event at George Wright GC. A mild breeze pushed the afternoon temperature into the 70's, and the members participating enjoyed a fine day for golf. Scott Brassard, who in the club championship finished second in the event with a superb 1 under par closing round score, was playing George Wright for the first time ever. It didn't seem to matter to Scott that this course requires a lot of local knowledge, he just kept hitting the ball to the right places. Scott shot 3 over par on the opening nine, and then after back to back pars on the tough 453 ninth and 462 yard par 4 eleventh, Scott really got on a roll. 5 straight pars followed until a birdie 3 on the 340 yard par 4 sixteenth and a bogey on the 165 yard par 3 seventeenth broke the string. Scott finished off the second nine with a par on 18 for an even par score of 35 on the second nine holes for a score of 3 over par 73. Well done, Scott! Paul Mitchell, a long time member at this course, shot a fine 6 over par 76 to secure second spot after returning to B.A.G.S.' competition after several weeks off recovering from surgery for an appendectomy. David Gibson played well once again, and took third spot with a fine 77. Rey LeMaine took the net division title with a 1 under par net score off a fine gross score of 78. Rey was on form from the very beginning and was just 2 over par after nine holes good for 21 stableford points or 3 under par net. David Gibson was in second place with an even par net score Scott Brassard shared third place with Paul Mitchell at 2 over par net.

After a 45 minute frost delay it warmed up quickly into the low 70's by afternoon for the October 8 event at the Milton-Hoosic Club. Glenn Watson won this event on the 18th after sticking his wedge approach shot on this straight away 365 yard par 4 to within inches of the hole for a tap in birdie and a score of 76. Jeff Mucciarone also birdied 18, but hole number 6 as the 411 yard par 4, and number 15 as the 420 par 4 got him both times for double bogey and cost him the victory as he came in with a 77. Lew Weitzman shot just 2 over on the second nine, and took third with a fine 78. In the Net Division competition, Lew, who only had 1 stableford point after 3 holes managed to gain a tie for first with 37 points with the much improved, Dick Malo, Peter Elliott the Medford B.A.G.S.' veteran of 18 years, and Chris Gibson, who also played extremely well.

Ballymeade CC was in superb condition for the annual Cape Cod Fall Classic. The greens were smooth, fast and true, and the fairways have never been better. The layout was as good or better than any private club we've played at this year. Ballymeade is beautiful, but it can play tough, as it's a tight course and with the thick, juicy, rough that grabbed wayward shots well up this year, good scores were hard to earn. Saturday was a fine day with 100% of the possible sunshine and the breezes that could only be felt on the higher tee boxes and greens. Defending champion Jeff Mucciarone played the first 9 holes in just 1 over par 37, and seemed well on his way to great score. However, on second nine Jeff was a little more inconsistent with some missed putts and a double bogey and was in with a 40 for a total of 77. Brian Boyle and Will Peishoff both played very steady golf, and were just 3 behind Jeff with 8 over par 80's. Sunday was a much different sort of day. A cool morning soon gave way to a steady light rain. The rain was light, but it brought a nuisance factor to the round, but didn't effect the later starting groups as much as it ended before most of the later starters made the turn. Jeff again played the opening nine well with a 1 over par 37 that included birdies on 3 and 9. After a par on 12 and a bogey on the 165 yard par 3 eleventh, Jeff's club slipped on his tee shot on 12 and was push - sliced well to the right. Jeff couldn't save bogey, and ended up with a double. Jeff made a nice par on the difficult 415 dogleg right thirteenth, but made back to back bogeys on the side by side 14th and 15th holes. After a nice par on the 150 yard par 3 sixteenth, Jeff rolled in a nice birdie putt on the 410 yard par 4 seventeenth. Jeff finished with a nice par on the 500 yard par five finishing hole for another score of 40, and an identical score of 77. Brian Boyle was forced to finish strong after shooting 6 over on the first nine, and he did so with a 39 including a deuce on the 150 yard par 3 sixteenth, to grab second place over Will Peishoff and the fast closing Tom Dromgoole who tied Jeff for low gross on Sunday with a 77. In the Net Division A competition, long time Rhode Island member, Al Ferretti, played well on Saturday with an even par net score to trail Boston member, Chris Kreilkamp, by just 1 stroke. Lew Weitzman was also 1 stroke behind. Chris started out all right on Sunday at even par net through the first 3 holes, but lost the touch on holes 4 through 6 with all double bogeys. After a nice par on 367 yard par 4 seventh, Chris then made doubles on the 8 & 9 and finished the nine with only 12 stableford points. Chris played better on the second nine with 16 points, but he knew he had left the door open for anyone that wanted to walk through. Al Ferretti played decently enough on Sunday with a 4 over par net score to take the Championship trophy by 2 strokes over Lew Weitzman. The above mentioned Tom Dromgoole, who played so well on Sunday caught Chris for third position. In the Net Division B competition, a new member this year, Nick Comer, won easily. Nick was just 1 off the lead on Saturday with a 1 over net score of 73. The leader after the first round was Alex Beelaerts who played quite with an even par net score. Sunday did not go as well for Alex, while Nick again played very fine golf, and was in for an even par net score. Nick's total margin of victory for the Net Division B trophy was an astounding 10 points over Alex, who just hung on for a tie for second with John Murphy who closed with alacrity with a 1 under net score, the best on the day.

Fine early fall weather returned for the Thursday, September 25 event at Trull Brook GC. After the morning clouds dissipated, it became a very pleasant day for golf and there were several superb performances. Jeff Mucciarone, who went low here last year with a 3 under par score, made birdie on both par 5's on the opening nine and finished the nine with a 1 over par score of 37. Jeff also made birdies on both the second nine par 5's, and with 1 bogey and the rest pars was in with a 1 under par 35 for a fine even par score of 72. Andrew Klein caught fire after a bogey on the 485 yard par 5 seventh, a hole this long ball hitter would normally reach in two. Andrew finished off the opening nine with pars on 8 and 9 for a 5 over score of 41. Following a bogey 4 on the downhill 195 yard par 3 eleventh, Andrew played the rest of the way in at 1 under par with birdies on both the second nine par 5's. Andrew had all 4's on the card on the last nine holes for a 36 and a total of 77, his best ever in 8 years of B.A.G.S.' competition, to beat Tom Randele by 1 stroke for second low gross. Andrew's net score of 65 was good for a 2 stroke win over another Andrew, Andrew Leonard. Andrew Leonard shot a very fine gross score of 81, his best ever in a B.A.G.S.' event. A probable winner in most other events with 40 stableford points, Dan Chicoine, who also shot a fine gross score of 81, had to settle for third spot. Also playing well with 3 under par net scores in a tie for 4th were: Rosi Stoltze and Tampa Pete Thompson.

It was overcast start for the early morning shotgun start at Pawtucket CC on Monday, September 25. The greens, as usual, ran fast and true and being above the hole lead to many three putt greens. In the low gross competition, Jeff Mucciarone won for the second consecutive time with a 6 over par 75. Gary Grogan was right there with Jeff for most of the way with a 77. Gary's net score of 68 was the best in the Net Division A competition. Dan Fitzgerald had by far his best result in his first year as a B.A.G.S.' member with a net 69 good for second place. Also playing well and in a tie for third were: Neil Denenberg, Glenn McIntyre, and Paul Ratti, all in with 1 over par net scores. In the Net Division B competition, Rhode Island member, Bob Autieri, who loves this layout, was the winner with a 1 under par net score.

The fine string of early fall days continued for the Saturday, September 20 event at Sandy Burr. Jeff Mucciarone was in fine form for this event, and was 1 under par after the opening nine with all pars and a chip - in birdie on the 220 yard par 3 fifth hole. Brian Boyle and Johnathan Law, who also chipped - in for birdie on 5, were just 1 stroke behind after nine with even par scores. Jeff put this event away with an amazing second nine with 4 birdies and two bogeys for a superb 2 under par score of 34 for a 69. This ties the lowest gross score at this event site which has been on the B.A.G.S.' tournament schedule for 20 years. Brian Boyle continued his fine play through the second nine, and was in at even par 72 and got his first entry into the B.A.G.S.' Record Book for an even par or better gross score. Johnathan Law was just 1 behind that with a 1 over par score of 73. In the Net Division A competition, Joe Kalil, back in action again after a layoff, was in good form and shot a gross score of 78 good for 39 stableford points, and got a tie for first spot with the above mentioned Jeff M. and Brian B. In the Net Division B competition, Rosi Stoltze got her first win in a B.A.G.S.' event with a 1 under par net score. Jim Kelly and Pete Thompson were tied for second with 1 over par net scores.

It was a fine early Fall day for the Thursday, September 18 event at Hickory Hill GC. After a cool start, it warmed up into the mid-60's, and there were several fine performances. Doug Bray took the low gross title with a fine 6 over par gross score of 77. Jeff Mucciarone, back in after finishing tied for 17th in the Mass Mid-Amateur at Berkshire Hills GC on Monday-Wednesday, took second place with a 78. In the Net Division competition, Mike Harney played some fabulous golf. A gross score of 42 on the first nine was good for 20 stableford points. Mike shot a 41 on the shorter but tighter second nine for 20 more stableford points and a total of 40. Mike's gross score of 83 was his best ever in a B.A.G.S.' s event. Well done, Mike! Well back in a tie for second were: John Danchik and Doug Bray with even par net scores.

Franklin Park GC was in fine condition for the Saturday, September 13 event, and there were many fine scores. In the low gross competition, Jeff Mucciarone had just 1 bogey on the card and with a birdie on the 473 par 5 finishing hole got yet another entry into the B.A.G.S. ' Record Book with an even par score of 70. 5 shots back in second place was Johnathan Law who played quite well after returning to B.A.G.S.' competition after several weeks away. In the Net Division A competition, Jeff's net 69 was good enough for a 2 shot victory over Rob Mucci. Rob played consistently well the whole round with just 1 double bogey and 8 pars for an 81 gross. In the Net Division B competition, Ted Scholnick was the best with an even par net score of 70. In a tie for second were Zecca Fernandes and Pete Thompson with 1 over par net scores.

Norton CC was in great condition for the Wednesday, September 10 event, and the weather co-operated with a fine day with the temperature right around the 72 degree mark by afternoon. Jeff Mucciarone made a bogey 5 on the 363 yard opening hole, and then played the rest of holes in 1 under par including 3 birdies in succession on holes 12, 13, and 14 for a fine even par score of 71. This is a B.A.G.S.' record low score at this event site in over 15 years of B.A.G.S.' competition at Norton CC. Well done, Jeff! Just 3 strokes back in second place was John McNeill, who played exceptionally well on his first trip over this tight layout. In the Net Division A competition, Chris Kreilkamp struggled on the opening nine with just 14 stableford points. After a nice birdie starting out on the second nine on the 348 yard par 4 tenth, Chris seemed to catch fire and the momentum grew. Pars followed on 11, 12 and 13. Chris made another birdie on the 524 yard par 5 fourteenth for 14 quick stableford points in 5 holes. After 3 consecutive bogeys, Chris made par on the 426 par 4 finishing hole for a 1 over par gross score of 36 and 22 stableford points, and a tie for first place with the above mentioned Jeff M. In the Net Division B competition, Rhode Island member, Al Latour, was the best with a 1 under net score of 70.

The overnight rainstorm was long gone by the first tee off time for the Sunday, September 7 event at Bretwood - North course. Jeff Mucciarone got off to a slow start with a bogey on the 421 yard par 4 opening hole, and a double bogey on the 612 yard par 5 second hole after hitting his second shot into the hidden pond on the right. However, Jeff played the next 16 holes in just 1 over par with 2 birdies for a fine 4 over par score of 76 on this 6976 yard course for a 4 shot victory over Brian Boyle. Ray Fearnley had his best result in his first year as a B.A.G.S.' member with a tie for first place in the Net Division with Holger Stoltze. Both men played extremely well and shot even par net scores.

Crumpin-Fox Club  was in superb condition for the Saturday, September 6 event. The greens were in absolutely mint condition, and although it remained cloudy after some early morning rain, the day remained dry and calm. Jeff Mucciarone found the calm conditions to his liking, and with the greens holding all approach shots well, was able to shoot an even par score of 72. This was the best score at this course in 17 years of B.A.G.S.' competition here in Western Mass. Well done, Jeff! David Gibson was in fine form and played the opening nine in just 2 over par. After three straight bogeys, David hit a pulled tee shot on the 370 yard par 4 thirteenth that struck a tree and dropped down and left him with about 195 yards to the green. David pulled out a fairway metal and hit it to the back fringe and drained the 12 foot birdie putt. After pars on 14 & 15, David played the last 3 holes in 2 over par for a fine score of 78, and a tie for second place with Doug Bray who shot just 1 over par on the opening nine. David G.'s massive total of 42 stableford points gave him the Net division title by 3 strokes over the consistent Paul McCurley, and 18 year B.A.G.S.' member, Pete Thompson, who broke of his recent slump with 9 gross pars on the card.

The second trip to Atlantic CC was about 40 degrees warmer than the early April event with the temperature into the low 80's on Saturday, August 31, and there were several superb performances. Glenn Watson had the putter working on greens that were somewhat slow, and had 3 birdies on the opening nine and shot a 1 over par 37 despite making a double bogey 5 on the 185 yard par 3 seventh hole. After a par on the 406 yard par 4 eleventh hole, things seemed to slip away. Bogeys on 11 and 12 was followed by a double bogey 6 on the short 339 yard par 4 thirteenth after a pushed to shot to go to 5 over par for the day. However, pars on 14 & 15 got Glenn back on track. Glenn made a nice approach shot to the 525 yard par 5 16th, and sank the 10 foot putt for birdie, and on the 165 yard par 3 17th, made about a 12 footer for his 5th birdie on the day. A nice par on the 409 yard finishing hole got Glenn in at 3 over par 75, and a 2 stroke victory over rival Jeff Mucciarone who had won the last 5 events that he had participated in. In the Net Division A competition, Rob Mucci was definitely the man. Rob was off to a great start with a par on the opening hole and a birdie on the 176 yard par 3 second hole. Rob played the first 13 holes in just 4 over par gross, and finished with a fine score 78 which was tied for third best on the day. Rob's total of 41 stableford points or 5 under par net was good for a 3 point victory over the above mentioned Glenn Watson. In the Net Division B competition from the Blue (middle) tee markers, Mike Robinson came away with a fine victory. Mike shot a net 70, and had his best result of the season. Just 1 stroke behind with another fine effort was Russ D'Auria, who was at 1 under par net for second place. Ted Scholnick recovered well enough from a slow start, and took third position with an even par net score.

Triggs Memorial was in excellent condition for Wednesday, August 31 event. Fast, smooth, putting surfaces and nice fairways considering how much play this Donald Ross gem gets, along the fine weather, made playing here in Providence a fine experience. Doug Bray played some very steady golf, and easily captured the low gross title with a fine 6 over par 78.

It was a very pleasant day for golf for the Saturday, August 23 event at Blackstone National. The temperature reached the low 80's, and there was very low humidity under a cloudless sky. Recently aerated greens made short putts an adventure, but there were still many fine scores. Jeff Mucciarone continued his command of the low gross division competition with another fine performance. Jeff made the turn at just 2 over par 38, and did even better on the second nine at just 1 over par for total of 75. Along with the streak, Jeff has gotten his handicap index to its lowest level ever at just 0.1. Well back in second with 79's were Rick Lewis and Johnathan Law. In the Net Division A competition, late entry Nate Liskov made the most of his opportunity. Nate was tied for the low gross lead after nine holes with a fine 38 good for 20 stableford points. Nate got only 3 more pars on the second nine, but had no zero points holes and came in with a 43 good for 18 more points for a total of 38 or two under par net. Dennis Callahan was seemingly out of the tournament after nine holes with only 13 points. However, to his credit, he didn't give up after making a double on the 160 yard par 3 eleventh. Because, Dennis then went on a hot streak that included pars on 4 of the next 5 holes for 14 points, and then the superb finish of birdie, birdie for 7 more stableford points for a second nine total of 23. Dennis finished with 36 points and second place by himself. Well done, Dennis! In the Net Division B competition, Jon Baron played extremely well. Jon shot a superb gross score of 82, his best in a B.A.G.S.' event in over 3 years. Jon also finished strongly with pars on the 3 closing holes for 9 points and a total of 40. Jon needed the strong finish because Paul McCurley also played exceptionally well was already in with 39 points. Another couple of strokes back in a tie for third were John Murphy and Tony Carmona, who hung there to the finish despite a painful toe injury from a cart accident.

There was a touch of fall in the air for the Wednesday, August 20 event at Poquoy Brook, but it warmed up nicely under a strong sun into the low 70's by mid-day. The course was in its usual excellent condition and the members participating all enjoyed this fine event site which has been on the B.A.G.S.' tournament rotation since the first year of B.A.G.S.' competition in 1989. We will be returning to this fine layout for the final weekend event of  the B.A.G.S.' local season on Saturday, October 25. Jeff Mucciarone took control of this event with a fine even par gross score of 36 on the opening nine. Jeff was only 2 over par before making a double bogey 6 on the long, 461 yard par 4 sixteenth. Jeff was just short of the 481 yard par 5 eighteenth in two shots and chipped up and made a birdie for a fine 3 over par score of 75. Charlie Rozanitis took second low gross with an 80. In the Net Division Competition, Marc Basch played well on the first nine with 19 stableford points or 1 under par net. Marc then got serious and played the next 8 holes in just 3 over par gross before making a double bogey on eighteen for a gross 41 good for 21 points, and an easy 3 point win. Back in a tie for second with 1 under par net scores were: Jordan Rose who continued his fine play this month, along with the above mentioned Charlie R. and Jeff M.

The 20th annual Society Championship was played at Olde Scotland Links on the weekend of August 16 and 17,  and there were many superb performances. Saturday's opening round for the Low Gross Championship was a tight battle. Brian Boyle and two-time past champion Jeff Mucciarone both shot 2 over par 74's with 3 birdies each on the card, including shots to within 2 feet on the 235 yard par 3 thirteenth hole. Jay Leonard, Paul Tracey, and 18 year B.A.G.S.' member Jim Eldredge were just 2 strokes behind with 76's. Scott Brassard, in in first B.A.G.S.' championship was at even par through 14 holes before getting a bad break by hitting the sprinkler head just in front of the 15th green, and bounding over the green. Scott made a double and a after a poor tee shot on 17 into the hazard on the left made a triple, and finished at 77 with just 2 bad shots on the day. Sunday was a tougher day for scoring with swirling winds. The four leaders: Jeff M., Brian B., Jay L., and Paul T. went off together in the final group. Jeff started with a bogey on the tough 433 yard first hole, that remained the only hole in the 36 hole event that was not birdied. Jeff got that stroke back with a birdie on the 378 yard seventh hole, and shot 36 for the nine. Brian Boyle was at 2 over par after 9, and got to within 1 stroke of Jeff after making a par on the 455 yard into the wind par 4 tenth after Jeff made a bogey. Jay Leonard got within a stroke of the lead after playing the first 11 holes in even par. Jeff got the lead back with a nice birdie on the 397 yard par 4 eleventh hole. After Jeff made a bogey and Jay a birdie for a 2 shot swing on the 383 yard par 4 fourteenth, there was a tie for the lead. The 389 yard par 4 fifteenth across the pond ruined Jay's chances of winning as he made a double bogey and Jeff a par. Jeff finished the tournament in true winner's style with a closing birdie on the 523 yard par 5 for an even par score of 72, and a two day total of 2 over par 146. Fast closing Scott Brassard shot a 1 under par 71 on Sunday for a 148 total to just beat Jay Leonard, who ended up shooting a fine 1 over par 73 for a 149 two day total. Brian Boyle hung in there quite well against the scratch handicappers, and took fourth position with 152. In the Net Division A competition, also contested from the Black (back) tee markers, there was another close battle for the Championship trophy. Mike McAllister had by far his best performance in a B.A.G.S.' event  Mike, who had never shot better than an 85 in an event, went seriously low with a 6 over par 78 good for a massive total of 42 stableford points. Craig Putnam was also into the zone and with the help of a hot putter, shot a 77 gross for 40 points. James Kendall was close by and ready to make a move with 36 points. Sunday belonged to James Kendall while Mike M. and Craig P. were not quite as on top of their games as they were on Saturday. James was simply amazing shooting a 4 over par 76 despite making two double bogeys. His 42 stableford points or net 66 was just enough to get him the Net Division A trophy by 1 stroke over Mike M. who played well with 35 points, but it was just not enough on this weekend. Craig P. held onto third spot by 1 point over Jordan Rose who played well both days. In the Net Division B competition from the Blue tees, there were also some astounding performances. Holger Stoltze took the lead on Saturday with 42 points or 6 under par net. Mike Harney was just 2 behind, and Rich Sevieri was lurking at 3 behind. On Sunday, Rich Sevieri put it all together. After a fine gross 42 on the first nine for 20 stableford points, Rich really caught fire on the closing 4 holes with 3 pars and a birdie on the 321 yard par 4 seventeenth for 24 more points and a total of 44. Rich's total of 83 points was well ahead of John Murphy who passed all the other competitors on Sunday with an amazing total of 45 points off a gross score of 80 and a two day total of 77 points. Mike Robinson and Gene Wright both had under par net scores on Sunday, and finished in a tie for third with 75 points or 3 under par net. Steve Rollins also shot under par net on Sunday and took 4th position.

River Bend dried out quite well after heavy recent rainfall for the Wednesday, August 13 event. In the low gross competition, Jeff Mucciarone was in command of the tournament right  from the start. Jeff played the first 10 holes in 2 under par with the assistance of birdies on 6 and 9. Bogeys on 11 & 12 brought him back to even par for the day. After a par on 13 and a bogey on the 207 yard par 3 fourteenth 14 to go to 1 over, Jeff made his third and final birdie on the 393 yard par 4 fifteenth to get back to even par. Jeff made pars on the three finishing holes for a fine even par sore of 71. This is the second time that Jeff has shot even par at River Bend, and it remains as the best score at this course in a B.A.G.S.' event from the back (Gold Tees) in B.A.G.S.' eight years of competition at this site. In the Net Division A competition, also from the Gold markers, there was a 4 way tie for first at 1 under par net 70. Boston Division players: Craig Larzelere, Bob Steward, and Jeff M. were in the tie along with Rhode Island Division members: Jim Colbert and John Buffery. In the Net Division B competition from the Blue tee markers, Ford Lafleur now in his 10th year of B.A.G.S.' competition, came through with one of his best rounds. Ford shot just 2 over par gross on the opening nine for a massive 23 stableford points. Ford cooled off somewhat on the tighter more difficult second nine with a gross 43 for 18 more points. Ford's gross score of 80 was his best ever performance in a B.A.G.S' event, and his total of 41 stableford points was easily good enough for the winner's trophy. Well back in second was RI member Jim Marsh with 39 points. Paul McCurley survived a couple of bad holes, moved on and played well, and took third position with 37 points or 1 under par net.

B.A.G.S. made its final trip of this season to Acushnet River Valley for the Saturday, August 9 event. The course was in excellent condition, and there were no threatening thunderstorms. Jeff Mucciarone, who holds the B.A.G.S.' low round at this course with a 68 from 2 years ago, again showed his proficiency at this layout with fine even par score of 72, which included birdies on 3 of his first 5 holes. Jim Mullins, who also seems to play consistently well at this course, took second low gross with a fine 78 with a fine 2 over par 38 on the second nine. In the Net Division A competition, Jim's 6 under par net score was easily the best by 5 strokes over Jeff M. Charlie Rozanitis also played extremely well with a gross score of 79, and got third spot in Net A with a 73. In the Net Division B competition, there was another wide margin of victory. Bob Steward, who has overcome some back problems from earlier in the year, showed he's now back on form and ready for Net Division A competition. Bob played the opening 10 holes in even par gross for an astounding total of 27 stableford points or 7 under par net. Bob cooled off somewhat after that, but still made pars on 3 of his last 5 holes for a total of 44 points. Well done, Bob! Well back in second place, and perhaps a winner on any other day was Rich Liberace with 38 points of his own. Russ D'Auria played well again and ended up in a tie for third with Jim McKenna who had his best result in his first season as a B.A.G.S.' member.

Allendale was moved to Thursday, August 7 because of the inclement weather the previous day, and this proved to be the correct move, as Thursday turned out to be a fine day for golf. The course was in wonderful condition, and the members participating all enjoyed this nice layout with its tricky undulating greens. Jordan Rose, in his B.A.G.S.' debut, took the low gross title with a fine score of 81 on a day when no one could totally master the tough hole positions. In the Net Division competition, John Murphy who has struggled in his last several events, put it all together. John shot a superb gross score of 84, tying his best ever gross score in over 2 years of competition. John's 40 stableford points or 4 under par net was good for an easy 4 point win. Well done, John!

B.A.G.S. traveled to Crosswinds for the Saturday, August 2nd event. A bright morning quickly turned overcast by early afternoon, and despite a good pace of play by the early groups off, who got their rounds done in under 4.5 hours, the thunderstorms did catch up to the last several groups out, and they had to complete their rounds after a 45 minute storm delay. Johnathan Law didn't get off to a particularly scintillating start with two bogeys and a double on his first 3 holes, but was able to stop the bleeding with a par on the 350 yard par 4 fourth. After another bogey on the par 5 fifth, Johnathan played the final four first nine holes in 1 under par for a 4 over par 40.  A par on the 400 yard 10th was followed by a superbly struck 6 iron on the 174 yard par 3 eleventh which pitched 3 feet from the pin, bounced once then checked and spun back into the hole for an ace, and a free 12 month membership in B.A.G.S.! Johnathan also had a nice birdie on the short 340 yard par 4 sixteenth, and shot 1 over par 37 on the second nine for 77. Scott Brassard, in just his second B.A.G.S.' event, showed he can be a solid low gross division contender, as he took second place with a 78. In the Net Division A competition, John Gibson came away with a strong 3 point victory. John, who'll be competing in the Mass State Public Links Championship next week at Blissful Meadows, shot a gross score of 79. John's brother David Gibson also played well, and finished in a three way tie for second with the above mentioned Scott B. and J. Law. In the Net Division B competition, Tony Carmona was the only participant to shot under par net with 37 stableford points or 1 under par net.. Tony played the opening nine extremely well with 21 stableford points, and got it to 4 under par net with a gross par on 13 before the thunderstorms approached the area. Well back in second was Paul McCurley with 34 points or 2 over par net.

The members participating in the Wednesday, July 30 event at Blackstone National enjoyed an excellent day for golf on a very nice golf course. Rick Kelly got out of the starting gate quickly with birdies on the first two holes, and lead from wire to wire. Rick played the first 14 holes in even par before making a double bogey 6 on the downhill, 480 yard par 4 fifteenth. Rick got one of those strokes back with his 4th birdie on the day at the uphill, 568 yard, par 5 sixteenth to get back to 1 over par. Rick made bogeys on the 17th & 18th to finish with a fine 3 over par score of 75. Tom Dromgoole was only 2 over par after making a par on the downhill 358 yard par 4 thirteenth, but bogeys on 13, and 15 hurt his chances, and Tom finished 1 stroke behind Rick with a 4 over par 76. Defending two - time champion from last year, Brian Boyle, took third spot with a 77. In the Net Division A competition, Rick Kelly's net 66 was just good enough to win by a single point over Chris Kreilkamp, who shot a very fine gross score of 79 and had the win in sight, before making a triple bogey on the finishing hole. Andrew Leonard also played well and shot a gross score of 83, his best in a B.A.G.S.' event this year, and took third position with a net 68. Bob Jarchow had his best result this year, with a net score of 69. In the Net Division B competition, Howard Fox was definitely the man. Howard shot a gross score of 83, his best by 4 strokes this year, and his stableford point total of 43 or 7 under par net, was good for a 2 point win over Rhode Island member, Jim Marsh. Karl Eigsti had his best finish this year with a total of 39 stableford points or 3 under par net, and took third.

Norfolk GC was in superb condition for the Monday, July 28 event. For those that missed this fine event site. located just off Rt. 128 in Westwood, there will be another tournament here on Monday, September 29. This course is "old style" golf at its best. Jeff Mucciarone turned it around after opening with bogeys on the first two holes, and played the rest of the holes in even par for a fine 2 over par score of 72. Doug Bray had the lead in the tournament after the opening nine with a 1 over par score of 36. Joe LeRoy, playing in his first B.A.G.S.' event, was just 1 stroke back. Doug lost the lead after making a double on the 405 yard par 4 thirteenth after hitting his tee shot left into trouble. After reaching the greenside bunker in 2 on the uphill 427 yard par 5 fourteenth, Doug left his third in the sand, but with amazing focus, holed out from the same bunker for a birdie 4 and got it back to 3 over par. However, bogeys on 2 of the remaining 4 holes cost him a chance for the low gross win. Joe LeRoy also met with disaster on the thirteenth, and made a quadruple bogey, but  finished well, and was in at 76. Joe Pimental played the first 5 holes in 7 over par and then caught fire and played the final 13 holes in 1 under par for a fine 76. In the Net Division A competition, Steve Ross and Rick Sprague both played exceptionally well. Steve shot a superb 76 gross and Rick shot an 80. Both finished with 38 stableford points or 2 under par net. Rick Kelly shot a 77 good for 37 stableford points, and a tie for third with the above mentioned Doug Bray. In the Net Division B competition, Ron and Charles Siewert were in their own battle for the title with the other competition well off the pace. Ron, who previously hadn't broken 90 in a B.A.G.S.' event, shot an impressive 81 gross score with a 2 over par 38 on the second time around this nine hole course which included a closing birdie on the 180 yard  par three18th for a net 61. Charles, who hadn't scored better than 100 in his other event, shot an 85 for a net 64. Well back in a tie for third were: Walter Watson and Howard Fox.

It was a typical mid-summer afternoon for the Saturday, July 26 event at Passaconaway. The afternoon became quite warm, but the humidity was down, and there were no threatening thunderstorm around. Johnathan Law didn't start out in great fashion with bogeys on two of his first 4 holes, and got a bit lucky when a pushed tee shot stayed in bounds on the 591 yard par 5 fifth hole after hitting one of the trees along the out of bounds line, and ended up on the cart path. Johnathan was able to make birdie after playing up short of the green, and pitching on. A pushed approach shot from the right rough on the long 478 yard par 4 seventh also hit a tree and also stayed in bounds, but Johnathan was way out of position and make a double bogey. Johnathan made another bogey on the 185 yard par three eighth, and finished the first nine with a par, for a 4 over par 39. Johnathan's putter, which has caused him problems this year started to cooperate, and he made a nice birdie putt on the 10th. He got up and down from well short of the 223 yard par 3 thirteenth green. On the next hole, Johnathan was next to the green in two on the 521 yard par 5 fourteenth after playing out of the middle of the 15th fairway, and made his third birdie of the day to get it back to 3 over par. He made a nice 12 foot birdie putt on the 340 yard par 4 sixteenth for his 4th birdied, and finished with consecutive pars for a fine 2 over par 73. Jeff Mucciarone never quite recovered from a double bogey on the 561 yard par 5 opening hole, and finished second with a 77. Brian Boyle and Doug Bray both played well, and had their usual tight battle, and finished in a tie for third with 79's. In the Net Division A competition, John Faucher was red hot coming home on the slightly easier and shorter second nine with a fine 1 over par gross score of 37, and a massive total of 23 stableford points or 5 under par net. John's stableford total of 40 was good for a three point victory over Dave Wheeler, who returned to B.A.G.S.' competition after a long lay off. Dave also ate up the second nine with a gross 40 good for 21 stableford points. Tom Simard also played well, and took third position with a 1 under par net score. In the Net Division B competition, Rich Liberace, a new member this year, and Dan Chicoine, a 14 year B.A.G.S.' veteran, were in close battle for the title. Both had 20 stableford points after nine holes. Dan made a nice par on the 165 yard par 3 thirteenth hole to take the lead after Rich made a double .Rich got the lead back on 15 with a par after Dan made a double. Dan tied up the lead with a gross par on 16 after Rich made a bogey, and they both made pars on 17 & 18 and both finished with 40 points or 4 under par net. Holger Stoltze had his best result this season with a net score of 3 under par, and finished in a tie for third with the consistent Tony Carmona.

It was an overcast day with a few light sprinkles during the morning for the B.A.G.S.' event at Stonebridge CC for the Sunday, July 27 event. The course was in nice condition, and there were several exceptional scores. Rick Lewis got off to a great start with birdies on two of the first three holes, and finished off the first nine with 4 straight pars for a fine 1 under par 34 gross. Another birdie on the 349 par 4 eleventh hole after a par on the tight 533 yard par 5 tenth got Rick to 2 under par. After a par on the 355 yard par 4 twelfth, Rick missed the green on the 208 yard par 3 thirteenth, and ended up with a double bogey 5. Rick matched the card for par on the remaining 5 holes, and ended up with a superb even par round of 72 from the way back (Black tees) at 6808 yards and both a B.A.G.S.' tournament record score for this course and a spot in the B.A.G.S.' Record Book. Well done, Rick! Brian Boyle, who plays the tough courses as well as anyone else in B.A.G.S., was right on Rick's tail all day, and pulled to within 1 stroke after making a par on the tough 208 yard par 3 thirteenth. Brian's only loose shot on the day was his tee shot on the very next hole the tight downhill 560 yard par 5 fourteenth. The drive was only pulled slightly to the left, but the ball could not be found as the fairway drops off sharply on that side, and Brian had to play his provisional ball and made a triple bogey 8 to fall 4 off the lead. Brian played the remaining 4 holes in 1 over par for a fine score of 78 and second place. Ron Jacques hung in there with Rick and Brian for nine holes with a nice 1 over par score of 36. However, Ron couldn't get past the tough 533 yard tenth hole without disaster, and finished the hole with a triple bogey 8 which seemed to let the wind out of his sails, and Ron finished with an 81 for third position. Rick L. was 4 strokes better than Brian B. for the Net Division A title. In the Net Division B competition from the shorter Blue Tees, Jim Kelly was definitely the man. Jim has had his moments this year, but Sunday was truly amazing. After an opening double bogey, Jim played the rest of the opening nine in just 6 over par gross for 20 stableford points. Jim kept it going on the second nine, and finished strongly with gross pars on the two tough closing holes, the uphill 520 yard par 5 seventeenth and 400 yard par 4 eighteenth for 7 more stableford points, and a massive total of 43 or 7 under par net. Well back in second place with 35 points were: Mike Harney and Mark Jezowski.

B.A.G.S. traveled to Olde Scotland Links for the Wednesday, July 16 event. It was another warm and breezy day but with no thunderstorms on the way for once on this date. Jeff Mucciarone got by the first two holes with no disasters at 2 over par on the tough opening holes, and then cruised through the rest of the holes in just 1 over par for a fine 3 over par score of 75. Bob Beach, back in action after a few weeks lay off from B.A.G.S.' competition, was somewhat rusty to start off the round. Bob played the opening 3 holes in 4 over par, but finished with a nice birdie 4 on the 476 yard par 5 ninth that seemed to kick start his round. Bob then made a birdie on the long 455 yard par 4 tenth, and played the remaining 8 holes in even par, for a fine 1 under 35 and a total of 77 good for second place. Johnathan Law was in third position with a 78. Steve Ross played well and was in fourth with a 79.

It was a fine day for golf for the Saturday, July 12 event at Kettle Brook. The course was in its usual superior condition with nice fairways and smooth quick putting greens, and weather was perfect with the temperature in the mid-80's. Jeff Mucciarone and Jay Leonard went off in the same foursome, and both played exceptional golf. Both played the first 10 holes in even par. Jay took a 1 stroke lead with a birdie 4 on the 536 yard par 5 eleventh hole, and upped it to two shots with another birdie on the 506 yard par 5 fourteenth. Jeff then got the lead back with consecutive birdies on 15 and 16, after Jay made bogey on the 414 yard par 4 sixteenth. Both made par on the tough uphill 220 yard par 3 seventeenth. Jay made a nice par on the long 455 yard par 4 finishing hole, and got a tie for the low gross title with an even par 72 when Jeff made a bogey 5. Glenn Watson and Brian Boyle, also both playing in the same group, had their own intense battle for third with Glenn making a superb birdie 3 from out of the right rough on the18th hole to catch Brian at 3 over par 75. In the Net Division A competition, Brian Boyle's 4 under par net 68 was good for a 2 stroke victory over: Jay Leonard, Jeff M., and Glenn Watson. In the Net Division B competition, Randy Namath showed that he's more than ready for Net Division A competition and perhaps the low gross competition. Randy was phenomenal on this day after getting off to great start with 2 birdies in his first 6 holes, and was just 2 over par gross before making a double bogey 5 on the 200 yard par 3 twelfth across the hazard. Randy got another birdie on the 363 yard par 4 fifteenth to get it back to 4 over par gross, and finished well with pars on 17 and 18 after a bogey on 414 yard sixteenth to finish with a fine 5 over par 77. Randy's massive total of 45 stableford points got him a spot in the B.A.G.S.' Record Book. Well back in second, but perhaps a winner on any other day with an impressive total of 39 stableford points, was Wayne Daley. Bob Steward played well again, and took third position with 38 points. Paul McCurley was back in form and finished in fourth with a 1 under par net score.

Highfields was in very nice condition for the Wednesday, July 9 event. It was a windy and warm day, and there were several fine performances on this enjoyable golf course. Jeff Mucciarone was 4 over on the first nine, and after a bogey on the 411 yard par 4 10th hole, which played directly into the wind, Jeff played the final 8 holes in even par for a 5 over par 77. Gary Grogan was in second place with a score of 80. In the Net Division competition, Buzz Speers was definitely the man. Buzz shot a superb gross score of 81, third best on the day, and had 6 net birdies and a net eagle on the 385 yard sharp dogleg right thirteenth hole good for whopping total of 41 stableford points. Only two strokes behind were John Murphy and Rich Liberace who both played exceptionally well with 39 points or 3 under par net. 

It was warm and breezy for the Sunday, July 6 event at Sandy Burr, and there were many exceptional scores.  Johnathan Law played the first 9 holes in 1 under par 35 was a 1 shot leader over Jeff Mucciarone and Chris Rollins who both shot even par 36's. Jeff shot a 1 over par 37 on the second nine, and finished in a tie for first with Johnathan who made a bogey 5 on the 391 yard par 4 finishing hole for a 73. Chris Rollins was right in there, tied for the lead after 15 holes, before making back to back bogeys 16 and 17, and finished just 1 behind with a 74. Mark Dwyer also had a chance to win this event. Mark was on  the18th green in two with a birdie putt from about 18 feet to shoot even par 72 for the win. Mark came up short, and then missed the par putt and finished with a 74. In the Net Division A competition, Dennis Callahan, on a course where he's had many superlative scores, came up with one of the best scores in B.A.G.S.' history for Net Division Stableford competition. A fine 2 over par gross score of 38 good for 23 stableford points with net birdies on 5 of the holes was just the beginning of things to come. The next nine was just pure magic with three gross birdies on: 11, 15, and 16, and 24 more stableford points for a total of 47 and spot in the B.A.G.S.' Record Book. Dennis' gross score of 75 was the 3rd best on the day. Well done!, Dennis. Chris Rollins and Ron Jacques tied for second place with 38 points each. Ron shot a very fine gross score of 78.  In the Net Division B competition, the scoring was not nearly so good, but the outcome was much closer. Paul Kudarauskas and Rosi Stoltze finished in a tie for first with 1 over par net scores. Steve Rollins got third spot with a 2 over par net score and Jon Baron and Mike McLaughlin ended in a tie for fourth.

It was a very warm and windy day, with the looming threat of a late day thunderstorm on the horizon, for the Thursday, July 3 event at Marlborough CC. The course didn't play particularly long with the back (Blue Tees) moved up somewhat, but the fast, sloping greens made any putt from above the hole precarious. New member, Bill Hutchins, in just his second B.A.G.S.' event, shot a very fine 5 over par 76 to win by a couple of shots over Johnathan Law, who played well once again. Bill was superb on holes 9-18 playing these 10 holes  in 1 under par. In the Net Division A competition, Ron Jacques, a member at Marlborough CC, was in complete control of this event with an unbelievable short game. Ron got up and down from off the green on 1 for a par. He then made a seemingly impossible 25 footer with 7 feet of break on 2, perhaps the toughest green, to save another par. Ron made another nice up and down this time for bogey on the long par 3 fifth hole after taking an unplayable lie from a hole left where a rock had been removed. Ron seemed to have saved another par with a nice chip shot to within a couple of feet on nine, but missed the putt and shot 39 gross for 19 points. A double bogey on the 12th, the island green hole, and a bogey 6 on the short 467 yard par 5 thirteenth, was quickly made up for with a brilliant birdie putt attempt from the back of the super fast 14th green that somehow stopped near the hole, and Ron made a par for a net birdie and 3 stableford points. Two nice pars followed on 16 and 17 for net birdies with dark angry clouds moving in rapidly from the west. Just before the clouds burst and with lightning all around, Ron made a two putt par on the 175 yard par three closing hole for a gross score of 79 and 37 stableford points good for a 2 point victory over Bill Hutchins. In the Net Division B competition, Paul Kudarauskas played his best golf in a B.A.G.S.' event so far this season. Paul was just tremendous with 3 gross birdies, and superb score of 82.  Paul's 40 stableford points was easily the best by 2 points over Rhode Island member, Don Denuccio.

B.A.G.S. returned to River Bend CC for the Sunday, June 29 event.  Mark Dwyer was back in the competition after a month and half away, and proved once again that he's the man to beat whenever he tees it up in a B.A.G.S.' event. Mark's opening tee shot was hooked into the pond on the left, and Mark ended up making a double bogey 6 on the 369 yard first hole, but it was clear sailing after that. Mark had 3 birdies to offset 3 bogeys, and played the next 17 holes in even par for a 73. Jay Leonard was superb form once again, and for the second consecutive weekend finished in a tie for first. Jay didn't have any birdies on the day, but avoided double, and  had 16 pars for his 2 over 73. Johnathan Law also played well again with 3 birdies, and took third position with a 76. In the Net Division A competition, Bob Steward  came through with his best performance of the season. Bob shot a fine gross score of 84, and his only zero point hole on the day was on the short 330 yard par 4 third hole. Bob had 8 net birdies, and finished with 37 stableford points good for the narrowest of victories over the quartet of: John Danchik, Mark Dwyer, Jay Leonard, and Ron Jacques who all shot even par gross scores or 36 points. In the Net Division B competition, Russ D'Auria, also a winner the previous weekend, got a slim 1 point win with 38 points over John Sawyer who had his best result this season.

The clouds quickly moved in for the Thursday, June 26 event at Scottish Highlands, and some rain drops fell during the round, but it never amounted to much and as usual, at this friendly course, there were many fine scores. Tom Randele hadn't been out for an event up to this point in the season, but it hardly seemed to matter. Tom, the owner of a smooth, low maintenance swing, played his opening nine starting on the 10th hole in even par 35, with birdies on 13 and 17. Tom got it to 2 under par after a birdie 3 on the long 461 yard par 4 fourth hole, his 13th hole of the day. Tom showed a little bit of rust with bogeys on 7 and 9, and finished with an even par score of 71 and a place in the B.A.G.S.' Record Book. Also back in action after an extended absence was Ned Emerson, and Ned didn't seem to be off by much, with a fine 3 over par score of 74 and second place. In the Net Division A competition, Lew Weitzman played some superior golf. Lew shot a fine gross score of 78, the third best on the day, and a net score of 68 earned him a tie for first with the above mentioned Tom Randele. In the Net Division B competition, Steve Rollins played quite well, and was able to get a tight 1 point victory with a three under par net score of 68. Allan McCue and John Murphy both played well, and were in with net 69's.

Segregansett CC, as usual, was in fine condition for the Monday, June 23 event, and there were many fine scores. Doug Bray played a fabulous round of golf at 1 over par 73 with 3 birdies and a several of other near makes. Jeff Mucciarone got the first ace by a B.A.G.S.' member in an event this year with a 7 iron across the road to the 185 yard twelve hole. Because of the rise and drop off on the front part of this green, Jeff only knew the ball had fallen into the hole when the group on the next tee let out a shout of acknowledgment to the expertly struck shot. Jeff had three birdies on the par 5's, and tied Doug for low gross honors at 1 over par. Tom Dromgoole also played well, and was in third position with a 78. In the Net Division A  competition,  Doug racked up a massive 43 stableford points or 7 under par net, and was a 4 point winner over Gary Grogan who shot a very fine gross score of 79. Charlie Lent was also in with a 79, and a tie for third in the net with Jeff M. at 2 under par. In the Net Division B competition, there was a four way tie for first with even par net scores. Ralph Daniels got the winner's trophy with the better point total on the second nine over: Neil Rodin, Rick Cloran, and Ed Guertin.

It was a perfect day for golf at Acushnet River Valley for the Saturday, June 21 event. The temperature was just into the 80's with nice breezes and very low humidity. The course was in its usual capital condition with smooth putting greens and well maintained fairways and tees. Jay Leonard played well once again after overcoming a slow start and being 3 over par after the turn. Jay finished well with a 1 over par 37 on the second nine for a 76. Lynn Briggs got off to great start, and was only 2 over after 12 holes before making a double on the long 473 yard par 4 thirteenth hole. Lynn finished well with consecutive pars on the remaining 5 holes for a 76 and a tie with Jay. John Gibson was in the lead after 10 holes at just 1 over par before his double on the 160 yard par 3 eleventh. This seemed to take away all his momentum. In the Net Division A competition, Mark DelVecchio and Bill Mullins, in just his first event of the year after some health problems, both played exceptionally well and finished in a tie for first with 3 under par net scores. Mark D. shot a nifty 4 over par 40 gross on the second nine good for 21 stableford points. Jim was even better with a 39 on the closing nine also good for 21 points. In the Net Division B competition, Russ D'Auria, who has struggled this year, finally put it all together. Russ shot a superb gross score of 41 on the second nine good for 21 stableford points and was a 2 stroke winner over Tony Carmona who continued his fine play this season. In third, was Larry Sanford, who had his best finish in a B.A.G.S.' event this season.

There were some fabulous scores for the 19th annual Member-Member/Guest event at Olde Scotland Links on Saturday, June 14. In the Low gross competition, Johnathan Law played some fabulous golf, and only needed help from his partner, Chris Jones, on 2 of the holes. Johnathan had 5 birdies and an eagle on the 545 yard par 5 sixth hole after putting in from just off green, along with 2 bogeys and the rest pars, for a 69 on his own card, with Chris making a par on 1 of Johnathan's bogey holes, for a team total of 68. Jay Leonard and his guest, Tom Monahan, also proved themselves to be fantastic team, and they got a tie for first place shooting bookend 34's for 68. The Swanson's, Steve and Mike were also in strong contention for most of the round. and took third with a 1 under score of 71. Steve was a pillar for the team shooting a gross 1 over part 73 on his own card. In the Net Division competition, Frank Collins and Robert Goldstein were about as good as a team can get after getting off to a great start. Frank made a nice par on the 400 yard opening hole for a net birdie. Robert then followed with a gross birdie on 372 yard par 3 second hole, and with 2 strokes on the number 2 stroke hole, made 5 points. Frank then came through with a par on 3 for a net birdie and next it was Robert with gross birdie on the 303 yard fourth hole for another 4 points. The team made the turn with 28 stableford points or 10 under par. They finished strongly as Robert made his third gross birdie on the day on 18 for 4 more points, and massive total of 52.  They needed to play well because J. Law and Chris Jones, who was able to help out a little more in the net scoring, came in with 50 stableford points. Also playing extremely well, and getting a tie for third were the teams of Peter Elliott - Dave Elliott and Dan Chicoine - Tom Simard with a total of 48 points. Peter was a strong help for his team shooting a fine gross score of 42 on the first nine when his partner struggled, and the team had 8 net birdies and a net par for 25 points after nine. Dan Chicoine and Tom Simard were a perfect team with Tom just 3 over par gross after 11 holes, and Dan Chic making 2 birdies. The team missed its chance for third place by themselves when neither could make a net birdie on 18, a hole that was definitely playing under par net for nearly all the groups. 

New England CC was in great condition for the Wednesday, June 11 event. The weather cooperated with a bright sunny day with the temperature into the 80's with low humidity.  Tom Dromgoole played some steady golf through the first 11 holes at just 3 over par. After missing the 170 yard par 3 twelfth green, Tom made his first double bogey on the day after a poor chip shot from in front of the green and 3 three putt. Tom made a great save for par on the 400 yard par 4 thirteenth after his approach shot from about 170 yards just got over the hazard about 15 yards in front of green. Tom had to play his third shot from within the tall grass of the hazard, and somehow hit it to within 4 feet and made the putt.  Tom made a nice par on the downhill 429 yard par 4 fourteenth, and got a nice break on the uphill  325 yard par 4 fifteenth after he pushed his tee shot right, which just missed being in the hazard on the right, and wound up with an open shot to the green and made a long putt for par. A nice birdie putt of at least 20 feet on the 160 yard par 3 16th got Tom back to 4 over on the round. A sliced tee shot led to a bogey on 17, and another sliced tee shot on 18 led to a double bogey 6 after Tom had to take a 1 stroke penalty for an unplayable lie, and finished with a score of 7 over par 78. No one else in the field broke 80. In the Net Division A competition, Nick Spada won with a fine 1 under par net score of 70. Nick played the opening nine in just 3 over par gross for a massive total of 22 stableford points. A triple bogey 7 on the tough 415 yard 10th hole got him his only 0 point hole. Nick played the final 8 holes in  1 over net for 15 points and this was good enough for a 2 point win over Tom D. Bob Steward also played well, and had his best result in a B.A.G.S.' event this year with a third place finish at 2 over par net. In the Net Division B competition, RI member Joe Capone shot a 2 under par net score, and was a 2 stroke winner over Boston member, Jim Kelly and RI member Dick Turnbull.

It turned quite warm for the Sunday, June 8 event at Kettle Brook. A steady breeze made the 90 degree temperature seem tolerable and the course, particularly the putting greens, were in great condition. Johnathan Law started off hot, and with the help of an eagle three, after sticking his second shot on the 511 yard par 5 seventh hole to a couple of feet, played the first 11 holes in 1 under par. A double bogey on the 200 yard par 3 across the hazard pushed him to 1 over par, and Johnathan played the rest of the holes in 2 over par for a 75. Jeff Mucciarone also  played well this day, and finished in a tie for first with a 75. Brian Boyle was the only one among the leaders to make a par on the long 223 yard uphill par 3 seventeenth, just missing a 15 foot birdie putt, and was only 2 over par and in the lead heading to the 18th tee. Brian hit a decent drive into the right rough on the strong 455 yard par 4 closing hole. Trying to power his approach shot out of the rough from just over 195 yards from the green, Brian pulled his shot into the tall grass well left of the greenside bunkers. The shot out of the tall grass cleared the bunker and stayed in the rough below the green. A stubbed pitch shot didn't make it onto the green, and Brian ended up with a triple bogey 7 for a 77 and third place. In the Net Division A competition, Ron Jacques had his best showing in a B.A.G.S.' event this year. Ron shot a fine gross score of 80, and his 39 stableford points gave him a 2 stroke victory over Doug Bray who also played well, and shot a nice gross score of 80 also. In the Net Division B competition, Paul McCurley certainly didn't play his best golf of the year, but he managed to stay out of trouble except for the tough 400 yard par 4 sixteenth hole, where he made his only zero point hole, and his 32 stableford points or 4 over net was good enough for a 1 stroke victory over 4 others tied with 31 points.

Light rain showers persisted for most of the morning for the Wednesday, June 4 event at Wayland CC, but it was never more than a nuisance factor and play was never greatly effected. The course was in great shape with putting surfaces as good or better than any public course that we have visited this year. Johnathan Law continued his fine play this season, and was an easy winner with a 7 over par 77. Rey LeMaine also played well again, and finished second in the low gross with and 81. Bill Behrens, who loves this golf course, took home the Net Division trophy with a fine 1 under par net score of 69. Rey LeMaine was 3 strokes behind with a 2 over par net score. Jim Kelly had another fine result, and took third position with a net 73.

Haverhill CC was superb condition for the Monday morning, June 2 event. With the 8:00 A.M. shotgun, the participants in this event were able to be the first ones out on the smooth, rather quick, and absolutely unblemished putting surfaces. Conrad Watson really liked the playing conditions, and played the first nine in just 1 over par 36. Conrad made pars on 10 and 11 before making a double bogey 7 on the short but tight 481 yard par 5 twelfth hole. Conrad also made a double on the long 211 yard par 3 fifteenth and made bogeys on to 17 and 18 to finish with a fine 8 over par score of 78. Gary Grogan also had a fine day with two birdies on the day, and finished in a tie for first in the low gross competition with Conrad at 78. In the Net Division A competition, Conrad and Gary also finished in a tie for first with 1 under par net scores. Gary G. got the winner's trophy with the better second nine point total. Jim Scanlon played well once again, and his gross score of 79 tied for third in the low gross, and his net score of 71 got him third in the net division. In the Net Division B competition, Jack Farrell played extremely well and came away with a 1 point victory with 37 points or 1 under par net. Jack had 8 gross pars on the day, and shot a very fine gross score of 87. 1 point behind Jack in second was Ted Scholnick. Ted got off to a rough start with triple bogeys on his first two holes, but didn't give up, and finished the first nine with 14 stableford points. Ted caught fire on the second nine with a superb  4 over par gross of 39 good for 22 stableford points. Ed Tracy had his best result in his first season as a B.A.G.S.' member with a third place finish with 34 stableford points.

After a strong morning thunderstorm that moved through just before the group teed off, the day remained free of any further storms for the Saturday, May 31 event at Butter Brook. Erik Okvist, one of several members playing the course for the first time, had a decent round going at just 4 over par after 12 holes before making a double bogey 6 after hitting his drive into the tall grass well to the left of the 13th fairway. Bogeys on 14 and 15 pushed his score to 8 over par. However, a nice drive to within 135 yards on the 416 yard par 4 17th and wedge shot to within 6 feet  lead to a birdie, and a nice birdie putt on 18 got him back to 6 over par and a 1 stroke victory over Rick Lewis who finished with a 79. In the Net Division A competition, John Danchik was solid all day with no double bogeys on his card, and his net score of 71 was easily the best by 4 strokes. Well done, John! In the Net Division B competition, David Lee found the trip north well worth his while. David shot a superb gross score of  5 over par 41 on the opening nine good for a massive total of 23 stableford points. David did cool off on the newer second nine, but still had no zero holes, and finished with a nice par on 18 for a net birdie for a total of 17 stableford points. David's final net birdie was quite necessary because Stephen Theriault was also playing extremely well. Stephen had 20 points on the first nine and his 3 net birdies on the second nine helped him score a total of 19 points coming in and just missed a tie for first by 1 point. Jon Baron had another fine event, and took third spot with an excellent net score of 2 under par or 38 points.

Cyprian Keyes was in excellent condition for the Wednesday, May 28 event. Smooth fast greens and nice bent grass fairways made the course an enjoyable but demanding test of golf ability. Hal Marshall, in his first time out as a member of B.A.G.S., showed that he can be a contender any time he tees it up in B.A.G.S.' competition. Hal played the first 12 holes in one under par gross with the help of 3 birdies. Hal then had a rough patch in the round on this tight course with a bogeys on 342 yard par 4 thirteenth that winds around the hazard, a double bogey 6 on the long 430 yard fourteenth and a bogey 5 on the narrow 368 yard par 4 fifteenth to go to 3 over. Hal finished with 3 consecutive pars for a fine score of 75. It turned out that Hal needed to finish well, because Doug Bray caught fire on the second nine. Doug played fairly well on the opening nine, but missed a couple of putts within 5 feet to save pars, and shot a 42. A nice par on the tight 521 yard par 5 10th hole after a fortunate bounce off the cart path that put his ball in the middle of the fairway seemed to indicate this might be his day. Doug just barely reached the front of the uphill 185 yard par 3 11th that has the plateau green, and then putted in from about 25 feet for a 2. He made pars on 12 and 13, and saved a bogey on 14 from down near the snack shack. Doug made a nice birdie on 15, making about a 8 foot putt after a nice drive and approach shot. On the 167 yard par 3 sixteenth, Doug hit a push sky ball off the tee that somehow kicked out into the fairway off the hill about 20 yards short of green. Just trying to get the ball close, he chipped in for his third birdie of the nine. Doug nearly made a birdie on 17 after a decent drive and approach to about 13 feet. Doug made a nice par on 18 after playing a great third shot after hitting his tee ball into the bunker short of the fairway on the right for superb score of 2 under par 34 and a total of 76. Doug's massive total of 25 stableford points on the second nine combined with 17 on the first nine, easily gave him the Net Division A title. Glenn McIntyre held his round together quite well and had no zero point holes and his net score of 72 got him a tie for second with the above mentioned Hal Marshall. In the Net Division B competition,  Jon Baron was also an easy winner with a fine even par net score. Wayne Daley played well on the course he admires, and took second place with a 4 over par net score of 76. 

It was an absolutely spectacular day for golf for the Sunday, May 25 event at Passaconaway CC. The temperature was in the mid-70's with no humidity and 100% sunshine with no threatening thunderstorms as in the past several years for this date. Jeff Mucciarone, who shot a 67 here in '05, was at 1 under through eleven holes before making a double bogey 6 on the tight 412 yard par 4 twelfth hole. Jeff lost the lead in this event to Johnathan Law after making a bogey in the long 210 yard par 3 thirteenth. However, Jeff played the rest of the holes in 2 under par with birdies on 17 and 18 for a fine score of 1 over par 72. Johnathan, in the same group with Jeff M. had a 1 shot lead over Jeff after 16 holes, but made a double bogey 6 on the 394 yard par 4 seventeenth after hitting his drive into the trees on the right, and lost 3 stroke to Jeff on the hole. Johnathan finished with a par on 18 for a very nice  3 over par score of 74. Rick Lewis started out on fire with 3 straight birdies to open the round before doubling 4 & 5 and then making at least a 35 foot chip-putt for birdie from just off the green on the 478 yard par 4 sixth. Rick made the turn at 2 over par, but didn't make another par until the 15th, but did get his 5th birdie of the day on the 394 yard par 4 seventeenth,, and finished at 6 over par 77 for third spot in the low gross competition. In the Net Division A competition, Jeff M.'s 2 under par score of 69 was just good enough to win by 1 stroke over B.A.G.S.' newest member, Jim Mills, who joined B.A.G.S. that very day. Veteran B.A.G.S.' members John Korzun and Mark DelVecchio both played extremely well, and finished in a tie for third with even par net scores. In Net Division B competition, Rosie Stoltze had her best ever result in a B.A.G.S.' event. Rosie played exceptionally well on the final 4 holes making net birdies on all of them, and finished with 39 stableford points or 3 under par net. Rosie's husband, Holger, also had his best result, and finished in a tie for second with Jon Baron, who played well once again with 38 points. 

It was an overcast and slightly cool day, in the upper 50's, for the Thursday, May 22 event at Acushnet River Valley. The course was in very good condition as always, and the clouds produced very little moisture. Joe Pimental got off to a fine start, and played the first 9 holes in just 1 over par 37. Joe played nearly as well on the second with 3 bogeys and all the rest pars for a 3 over 39 and a 4 over par total of 76. Jeff Mucciarone had mirror like nine hole scores of 38, and finished in a tie for first with Joe P. In the Net Division A competition, RI members Paul Dumont and John Buffery finished in a tie for first with 2 under par net scores. In the Net Division B competition, Steve Rollins found the form he had been looking for all spring, and shot a superb gross score of 4 over par 40 on the second nine with the help of 2 gross birdies, good for 21 stableford points. Steve finished in a tie for first with RI veterans, Ed Neff and Fred Morra at 2 under par net, or 38 points.

River Bend CC was in nice condition for the Sunday, May 18 event. The greens were about as good as they ever are here, and there were many fine scores. Brian Boyle reclaimed his form from last year in this event, and played extremely well and was just 1 over par after 11 holes. After failing to get up and down for par on the 412 yard par 4 twelfth hole from the greenside rough, Brian then made pars on 13 and 14. Brian hit an good tee shot on the tight 393 yard par 4 fifteenth hole, and knocked his approach shot to 6 feet behind the hole and drained the birdie putt. Brian made pars on both the par 5's (16 & 18) and a bogey on the 197 yard par 3 seventeenth for a fine 3 over par 74. Last year's club champion, Johnathan Law, had nearly an identical score as Brian shooting a fine 36-38-74 in his first event of the year to finish in a tie for first with Brian. Jay Leonard, in yet another fine performance, was just 2 strokes in back with a 76. In the Net Division A competition, John Danchik was the best, and got the winner's trophy with a fine 3 under par net score of 68. John's gross score of 80 was easily his best score in a B.A.G.S.' event, and he only had 1 bad hole with a triple on the dogleg left 368 yard thirteenth. Brian Boyle and the David Gibson finished in a tie for third with 2 under par net scores. In the Net Division B competition, there were some astounding performances. Buzz Speers, who began in B.A.G.S. 2 years ago as a 20+ handicapper, shot a gross score of 77 on Sunday with the help of a hot putter. Buzz shot a fabulous 1 over par 36 on the first nine, good for a massive 24 stableford points. Buzz cooled off somewhat on the second nine with a 41 which was still good for 19 points and a total of 43. Buzz needed to play well because Jim Kelly also had 24 points after 9 holes. Jim was still going well until a triple bogey 7 on fifteen for a goose egg  slowed him down. Jim finished with 41 points, good enough for a 3 stoke advantage over John Faucher and Paul Kudarauskas for the second place spot.

It was a perfect spring day for the Wednesday, May 14 event at Wachusett CC. The temperature was right around the 70 degree mark by late morning early afternoon, and the sky was cloudless. Jeff Mucciarone, on a course that he has played well on in the past, with a 6th place finish here in the '06 Worcester County Championship, played the first 11 holes in just 2 over par. Jeff made a double bogey on the tough 426 yard par 4 twelfth hole, made pars on 13 & 14 before hitting a tee shot on the 508 yard par 5 fifteenth that caught a tree and dropped straight down on the left. Jeff finally got on in four shots out of the front bunker, and three-putted for a double bogey 7. Jeff made pars on the last three holes and was in for a 6 over par 78 for a 5 stroke victory. Nate Liskov, who played poorly at the Saturday event at Olde Scotland Links in cool windy conditions liked the milder calmer weather on Wednesday. Nate had 11 pars versus none the previous Saturday, and shot a fine 4 over par score of 40 on the second nine. Nate's stableford point total of 35 or 1 over par net, was good for a two point victory over the above mentioned Jeff M. Steve Planeta and Bobby Beach both played some steady golf and tied for third position with 3 over par net scores. Steve made a nice eagle 3 on the 494 yard par 5 tenth hole. In the Net Division B competition, Mike Harney and Andrew Leonard both were on fire for most of the round, and each came in with 40 stableford points or 4 under par net. Mike's 86 gross score and Andrew's 82 were both their best scores in a B.A.G.S.' event. Mike Harney took the winner's trophy with the better second nine point total of 21. John Matte also played extremely well, and took third spot with an even par net score of 72.

Gusty winds moved in overnight and it was a cool breezy start for the Saturday, May 14 event at Olde Scotland Links. The sun peaked through the cloud cover later in the day, and the winds dropped off somewhat and there were many fine scores. Jeff Mucciarone got past, for him, the troublesome first hole with a par and played the first nine in 1 over par. After a bogey on the 455 yard par 4 tenth hole, Jeff played the rest of the way home in even par with a closing birdie on the 523 yard par 5 finishing hole for a 2 over par score of 74. Just 2 shots behind and playing in the same group with Jeff was Jay Leonard, who made a strong charge on the second nine with a 1 under score of 35. Paul Mitchell played well once again and took third spot with a 77. In the Net Division A competition, late entry Steve Planeta made a good decision to jump in, and was a 1 stroke winner with a net score of 2 under par 70. Jeff M. took second position with a 1 under par net score, and new member Joe Iannuzzo, in his initial B.A.G.S.' event, played extremely well and took third with a even par net score of 72. In the Net Division B competition, Ted Van Sickle had another fine performance. Ted shot 43 gross on both nines and finished with a total of 37 stableford points or 1 under par net. Ted made gross pars on 3 of the last 4 holes to offset a double bogey 5 on the short par 3 sixteenth. Dick Sargeant also played well and was just 1 stroke behind Ted in second place with an even par net score or 36 stableford points.

Fine weather returned for the Triggs Memorial event on Wednesday, May 7. With the temperature up near 70 degrees by mid-day and a nearly cloudless sky, it was a great day for golf. This day belonged to Chris Kreilkamp who got past the toughest part of the course, the first 4 holes, in even par good for 11 stableford points. Chris shot a fine 41-38-79 despite the recently aerated greens, and was the low gross champion by 1 stroke over Bob Beach and Jeff Mucciarone. 

The streak of fine weather that lasted through most of April ended abruptly for the Cape Cod Spring Championship at Dennis Pines and Bayberry Hills on the weekend of May 3 & 4. Dennis Pines was in superb condition for Saturday's opening round with greens as good as any private club, however just as the afternoon shotgun got under way, a steady light rain also commenced and lasted for about the first 6 or 7 holes of play. The temperature was cool in the upper 40's, but the wind stayed fairly calm, and some good scores were made. Glenn Watson played the wet opening nine holes in just 3 over par, and had a good round going until he got a poor lie in the bunker in front of the 186 yard par 3 seventeenth hole, and hit out over the back of the green and ended up with his only double bogey on the day. A nice par on 400 yard par eighteenth got him in at 7 over par 79. No one else on the day really came close to breaking 80. On Sunday at Bayberry Hills, an even more steady heavier rainy period came in for about an 1 hour and half during the round and effected play adversely, although it was more mild. The rain gear came out in earnest, and rain gloves and towels were necessary for a good part of the round, although the rain did stop just in time to keep the greens from becoming too soaked to allow putting. Glenn played quite steady for the first 6 holes, at just 2 over par, but made a double on the 528 yard par 5 seventh hole when the rain was at it's worse and finished the nine with a 42. A fabulous chip-in birdie on the 391 yard par 4 tenth got him going again. Glenn played the rest of the way in at 4 over par for a 39, and a total of 81. Tom Dromgoole, who makes a habit of winning the B.A.G.S. two day events, was well back after an 85 on Saturday. However, on Sunday, Tom found his game and was able to keep his grips dry and made a tremendous charge. Tom played the first 10 holes in even par with the only birdie on the day on the 370 yard par 4 ninth. After a nice par on the 377 yard par 4 sixteenth hole, Tom was actually in the lead of the tournament. Tom slipped coming home with bogeys on both 17 and 18, but still finished with a superb score of 76 for a total of 161.Glenn Watson had a 1 stroke victory in the low gross competition with his two day total of 160. Mike Ryan came back strongly on Sunday with a fine 5 over par score of 77. In the Net Division A competition, Tom D., with a slightly higher handicap, got the winner's trophy with a 1 stroke victory over Glenn. In the Net Division B competition, Mark Jezowski played very steady golf both days with 34 stableford points on Saturday and 35 on Sunday. New to the competition this year, Rhode Island member, Jerry O'Dell shot the same score each day as Mark. Mark got the winner's trophy by shooting the best score over the final nine holes. Saturday's leader, John Murphy, who shot a very fine 1 over par net score of 73, just couldn't make it happen in the tough conditions on Sunday.

Yet another, in the fine string of April days continued for the Saturday, April 26 event at Sandy Burr. Paul Mitchell took charge of this event on the first nine with 2 birdies and a 1 under score of 35. Paul stayed 1 under par through the 15th hole with a birdie on this 350 yard par 4. A tough double bogey on the 397 yard sixteenth was followed by a bogey on the 511 yard par 5 seventeenth. Paul finished with a nice par on the 391 yard uphill eighteenth for a fine 2 over total of 74. Well back in second place was Jeff Mucciarone with a 77. Tom Dromgoole and Bob Beach also played well and tied for third with 78's. In the Net Division A competition, Paul M.'s net score of 70 nipped Tom D. by 1 stroke for the winner's trophy. New member, Jim Levin, in his first B.A.G.S.' event, tied for second with veteran members, David Gibson, Richard Tenby, and new member also this year, Bob Beach, with even par net scores. In the Net Division B competition, Wayne Daley was the best with a fine net score of 1 over par. Paul McCurley, who always seems to do well at this event site, took third spot with a 2 over par net score. In a tie for third were: Jon Baron and Dave Shepard with net 76's.

 It was quite like an early summer day for the Wednesday, April 24 event at Milton-Hoosic Club. With the temperature reaching well into the 70's by early afternoon, the string of fine April weather continued. Jeff Mucciarone has good feelings about this course where he qualified for last year's Massachusetts Amateur tournament with a 74. On this day, shot a fine 2 over par 72 with 2 birdies for a 5 stroke victory over Ned Emerson and Steve Planeta. In the Net Division A competition, Nick Spada had a tremendous scoring day. Nick shot 5 over on both nine's for an 80, easily his best ever score in a B.A.G.S.' event. Nick's 3 under par net score of 67 was just good enough for a 1 stroke victory over Nate Liskov. Nate, who will be 69 years young in just a few months, shot very fine gross score of 78. Steve Planeta took third position with a net 69. In the Net Division B competition, Allan McCue and Mike Graham both played extremely well, and finished in a tie for first with 37 stableford points or 1 under par net. Bob Taylor played well again, and finished just 1 behind with 36 stableford points.

It was yet another superb spring day for golf at Willowbend GC on Monday, April 21. This beautiful course looks inviting, but can play tough with all its subtleties, and most of the participants struggled. Many of the hole locations were toward the edges of the greens and punch holes from recent aerification made making putts quite difficult. Joe Pimental had a great front nine with a 1 over par score of 36, but his back nine score of 9 over 45 was rather tough with only 2 pars, and he finished in a tie for first in the low gross competition with Mike Ryan, Gary Swiman, and Ed Schene. Gary's net 70 was the best by 5 strokes in the Net Division A competition. In the Net Division B competition, Ted Van Sickle was the best with an even par net score of 71. Peter Elliott played quite well on the opening nine with a fine gross score of 42 and 6 net birdies for 23 stableford points, but Peter also succumbed on the second nine with only 12 points but good enough for second place. Larry Brewster and new member, Meg Ellenbecker both played well, and tied for third 1 stroke behind Peter.

It was another superb spring day for golf for the Saturday, April 19 event at Pinehills - Nicklaus - GC with the temperature into the 60's and a cloudless sky. Jeff Mucciarone got his second consecutive low gross victory with a fine 2 over par score of 74. Jeff had 4 birdies on the day and the only problem hole was the 160 yard par 3 fifteenth where Jeff missed the green to the right in the no searching hazard area, and made a double bogey 5. Paul Mitchell was close to Jeff for most of the way, but finished with 3 consecutive bogeys for a 79 and a tie for second with Charlie Rozanitis. In the Net Division A competition, Dave Wheeler, now beginning his 12th year of B.A.G.S.' competition, played some excellent golf, and despite making doubles on two of the par three's, was a 2 stroke winner. Dave had 7 pars on the card and 1 birdie for 38 stableford points. In a 4 way tie for second place with even par net scores were; Chris Kreilkamp, Jeff Mucciarone, Mike DesRoche, and Dave Bergeson. Dave Bergeson, a member of Pinehills for several years, had the net division seemingly wrapped up with 36 points after a birdie on the 528 yard par 5 sixteenth hole. However, as is often the case in golf, disaster can only be one poor swing away. On the 17th tee, Dave hit poor tee shot to the left, which lead to a triple bogey 7 for 0 points, and after a ball in the water on 18 on his second shot, Dave made another triple.  In the Net Division B competition, Charlie Cooney, now in his mid-70's, took a sip from the fountain of youth before the round, and shot a very fine gross score of 86 for a 5 under net score of 67 to finish in a tie for first with Russ D'Auria, who controlled his fate better in his golf game rather than at the casino table the previous evening. Mike Nelson found the course to his liking and had one his better scores with 4 under par net score to take third position. Allan Sutfin and Tony Carmona both played well, and finished in a tie for fourth with 3 under par net scores.

The members participating in the Wednesday, April 16 event at Indian Pond CC enjoyed an excellent day for golf on a super golf course. The temperature got close to 60 degrees with 100% of the possible sunshine, and the golf course was in great condition with greens that were smooth and very fast. Four - time defending Low Gross Order of Merit title holder Jeff Mucciarone got his first victory of the young season with a fine 5 over par score of 77. No one has putted greens this quick in a while, and three putts, after being positioned above the hole was a common story. New member, Ed Schene took second with an 82. In the Net Division A competition, another new member playing in his first event, Larry Gagne, was an easy winner. Larry shot a fine score of 3 over par 39 on the closing nine holes for a gross score of 83 good for 38 stableford points or 2 under par net. Lew Weitzman played well again and finished in a tie for second with Andrew Klein, who also played well. In the Net Division B competition, there was some really fine scoring. Rick Cloran and Ted Scholnick, both playing in the same foursome, had a close duel to the finish. Ted's fine par on eighteen nearly got him a tie with Rick, who had an incredible 35 points in his first 13 holes. Rick's gross score of 86 was his best ever in B.A.G.S.' competition by an amazing 6 strokes. Rick finished in first with 43 stableford points total. Ted finished with a massive 23 points on the second nine, and took second place with 42 points. Bob Taylor, who also played extremely well, might have been the winner on any other day with 39 points or 3 under par net.

Atlantic CC was in fine condition for the Saturday, April 12 event despite considerable rain that lasted into the morning. The day was mostly dry except for a half hour stretch when a light but steady rain fell. The wind picked up later in the round, and the scores reflected a tough day for scoring. With the Gold tees placed all the way back on nearly every hole, and the with the ball not rolling at all, the course played its full 6728 yards. Charlie Rozanitis and new member, Craig Putnam, both playing in the same group, battled all the way to the end with Craig making a clutch birdie on the 409 yard closing hole, which played into tricky wind, to catch Charlie. They both shot 8 over par 80's Chris Rollins, who had 5 birdies on what was an up and down day also had 2 double bogeys and a triple bogey. Chris was coming off a nice birdie on the 160 yard par 3 seventeenth, but lost his chance to win with a double bogey 6 on the tough eighteenth. In the Net Division A competition, Charlie and Craig also tied for first with 36 points. Charlie received the trophy because of the better stableford point total over the last 6 holes. Paul Rodgers and Dick Sargeant also played well on this windy cool day, and finished tied for third with 35 points or 1 over par net. In the Net Division B competition from the Blue tees, Paul Kudarauskas won for the second straight time. Paul's 34 points or 2 over par net was just good enough to win over B.A.G.S.' veterans Dick Malo and Peter Elliott. 

The 20th season of B.A.G.S.' tournament competition opened at The Pinehills GC ( Rees Jones course) on a fine early spring day. The wind was very light and the temperature was into the mid-50's by afternoon. The chilly sea breezes, which are normally a factor at this time of year were not apparent. Jay Leonard got off to an ideal start in this event with birdies on the first two holes, and finished the first nine with an impressive score of even par 36. Two more pars followed on 10 and 11 before a bogey on the tough 420 yard twelfth hole. Jay made a par on the short 370 yard thirteenth before making a bogey on the 220 yard par 3 fourteenth that played into the wind and was more like 240 yards all carry on this day. Jay then matched the card with pars on the remaining 4 holes for a 38. Jay's total of 2 over par 74 on this 6762 yard course was very impressive considering that no one else in the field shot better than 80. Well done, Jay! In the Net Division A competition also from the Blue Tees markers, '07 Florida Champion, Lew Weitzman, continued with his winning form. Lew had an up and down day with 5 double bogeys on the card, but with 3 birdies each worth 4 stableford points, Lew was able to off set the 2 zero point holes and the 2 one point holes to come in with 37 points or 1 under part net. Steve Planeta, in his first B.A.G.S.' event played extremely well, and finished in a tie for second with the above mentioned Jay Leonard. Steve' gross score of 80 was second best on the day. In the Net Division B competition, former Net Division B club champion and former Order of Merit title holder, Paul Kudaruaskas, got off to an excellent start. Paul shot 2 under par net, and was a 2 stroke winner over the ageless Charlie Cooney and Allan Sutfin who is now beginning his 17th year of B.A.G.S.' competition.

 through 12. Rick Modini also played quite well, and shot a 5 over par 76 for third low gross. In the Net Division A competition, Jay's net score of 68 was 2 better that Rick M. Glenn McIntyre looked like a possible winner before making a triple bogey on 18 after hitting a poor tee shot and then having to hit his third shot out of the fairway bunker.. Glenn's even par net score of 71 took third position. Rick Sprague also played well, and took fourth spot with a net score of 1 over par. In the Net Division B competition, Ed Cone continued his fine play. Ed, who won at Blackstone National on July 18, and has had several good finishes since then, shot a gross score of 86. This was Ed's lowest gross score in an event in nearly a year and his total of 41 stableford points or 5 under par was good for a 2 point victory. Well done, Ed! Ted Scholnick regained some of his form after several poor outings, and his 39 points was good enough for second position. Peter Elliott continued his mid-summer charge, and took third spot with a score of 2 under par net. Mike Harney, the runaway winner at Braintree Muni on July 22, played well again and took fourth spot with a 1 under par net score of 70. 

A band of heavy thunderstorms came through and delayed play for nearly an hour at Passaconaway CC for the Saturday, July 28 event. Play resumed and the course, which received nearly an inch of rain in a short time and had rivers flowing on the greens, dried out quickly. Chris Kelly despite a few wayward drives that he had to play from adjacent holes was able to get a 1 stroke victory with an 80. In second place were Brian Boyle and Rey LeMaine. There were, as usual, some superb scores from the net division players off the White tee markers. Buzz Speers and Ron Quartarone had their best ever scores in a B.A.G.S.' event. Ron, who never shot better than 99 gross in an event shot a 96, and Buzz, who continues to improve, shot his best with an 81. Both players finished with 42 stableford points or 6 under par net. John Murphy continued his improved play with a fine gross score of 84, his best, and took third spot with 41 points. Paul McCurley had a feast or famine day and proved the beauty of the stableford scoring system as he able to get 40 points despite 5 triple bogeys. Marc Basch shot a fine score of 82, and took fifth position.

The heat was turned on for the Wednesday, July 25 event at Blissful Meadows. The Blue (back) tee markers were all the way back, and the course was playing as tough as it could possibly play, but this didn't seem bother John McNeill. John, off his recent fabulous play in the Mass Amateur Championship were he lost in the quarterfinals 1 down to 8 time MGA player of the year, Frank Vana, had a 4 birdies and finished at 2 under par 70. John not only hit nearly every green, but also had a hot putter, and made several 20+ footers for birdie. This was the best score ever, by 2 strokes, at this demanding course and earned John another spot in the B.A.G.S. Record Book. Well done, John! John's net score of 70 was good for a 1 stroke victory over Rhode Island Division's Dick Rotelli. Jim Mullins continued his fine play and finished in a tie for third with John Faucher who also played well, and whose play on this day was greatly improved over his last couple of events. In the Net Division B competition, from the shorter White tees, Dave Holland and Dennis George both played extremely well, and finished in a tie for first with 3 under par net scores. Dave's gross score of 87 was his best in nearly a year in a B.A.G.S.' event, and Dennis' 92 was his best ever. In third, 2 strokes back was Dick Malo. Jim Homans, now 78 years young, shrugged off the 90 degree heat and finished in 4th position with an even par net score of 72. Great playing, Jim!

The members participating in the Sunday, July 22 event at Braintree Municipal enjoyed a spectacular day for golf, with the temperature in the mid-80's with low humidity. For the third time in less than a month, Rick Lewis missed making into the B.A.G.S.' record book by only 1 stoke. Rick nearly matched the card at Braintree with only 2 bogeys and 1 birdie and all the rest pars for a superb round of 1 over par 73. Rick played the last 14 holes in even par. New member this year, Phil Hilldale, in just his second B.A.G.S.' event, shot a fine closing nine hole score of 37 to finish second to Rick with a 77. In the Net Division A competition, Rick Lewis' net score of 69 was the best by 1 stroke. Both John Gibson and Joe Kalil, who played in the same foursome together, had identical cards of 38-40-78 gross. Both men played off the same course handicap and thus finished tied for second with nets scores of 70. Joe, however, had three birdies on the card, and they all held up on the skins sheet. John went the more consistent route with more pars and fewer bogeys. In the Net Division B competition, Mike Harney completely turned his game around. Mike went from struggling to shoot better than 95 in his last 9 events, to shooting a gross 87 at Braintree. A good first nine of gross 45 good for 20 stableford points setup a fabulous second nine for Mike, which included 2 net eagles and 1 net ace with a birdie on a par 4 with 2 stokes for 5 stableford points. Mike shot a gross 42 good for an astounding 24 points. Well back in a tie for second were Bill Feeney and Buzz Speers, who both played exceptionally well, and came in with 38 points each or 2 under par net. Bill Feeney's gross score of 95 was his best in a B.A.G.S.' event in nearly a year.

The morning clouds and overcast turned into a steady light rain by the time the last groups made the turn at Blackstone National for the Wednesday, July 22 event. While this lead to some higher scores in the later groups by the players trying to keep their grips dry, the damp weather was good news for Brian Boyle. Everyone that's been in B.A.G.S. the last 8 or 9 years knows that the more foul the weather the more chance Brian has of winning. Brian didn't play particularly well in Sunday's event at Stonebridge in perfect weather, but on Wednesday, he played nearly flawless golf. Brian shot a fine 2 over par 38 on the first nine with the help of a nice up and down from out the bunker in front of the green on the par 5, 494 yard eighth hole for birdie. The rain became steady for the start of second nine, and Brian's concentration level increased. A nice up and down on the 160 yard par 3 eleventh saved a par. On the 400 yard par 4 fourteenth hole, Brian got up and down from the bunker that's at least 20 feet below the green on the right. Brian 3 putted on the long 480 yard par 4 fifteenth for bogey to go to 4 over par. A nice birdie on the 372 yard par 4 seventeenth got 1 stroke back, and Brian just missed another birdie on eighteen to finish with a fine 3 over par score of 75. The quality of Brian's round is easily shown by the fact that no one else in the field shot better that 82. In the Net Division A competition, Brian's net score of 67 was good enough for a 2 stroke victory over Dave Wheeler. Dave played extremely well, and putted nearly flawlessly. Dave really only hit two bad shots all day. On 12, Dave's bunker shot from near the green, was too much ball and sailed over the green and ended up near the next tee way below the green. Dave ended up with double for 0 points. On 15, Dave's tee shot in the rain was pulled left into the trees, and he made a double bogey for 1 point. Dave finished with a fine gross score of 82. Ron Jacques, out in an early group, also played some excellent golf and shot an 82, and took third spot with a net 70. Neil Denenberg also played well and finished in fourth with a net score of even par. In the Net Division B competition, Ed Cone, who tied for second on Sunday at Stonebridge, continued his fine play by taking the winner's trophy with a 2 under par net score. Ed's gross score of 89 was his best in a B.A.G.S.' event in nearly a year. Well done, Ed! Peter Elliott, whose game has been slow to come around this year, also played well for the second straight event, and took second place with a 1 under par net score.

It was a perfect summer day for golf at Stonebridge CC with the temperature right around 85 degrees with very low humidity for the Saturday, July 14 event. The course was in excellent condition, and there were several fine performances. Jeff Mucciarone played well with 4 birdies on the card, and was only 1 over par before making a triple bogey on the tight downhill 560 yard par 5 fourteenth hole. Jeff's five over par 77 was good enough to win by 3 strokes over Doug Bray. In the Net Division A competition, Ron Jacques got his first victory of the season. Ron started out on fire with birdies on his first two holes for 8 stableford points. Ron finished the first nine with a bogey on the uphill 427 yard ninth for an even par score of 35, and a massive total of 24 stableford points. Despite triple bogeys on both the tight, above mentioned par 5 fourteenth hole, and the equally tough uphill 551 yard par 5 seventeenth hole, Ron was still able to make a respectable 16 points on the second nine with the help of a fine birdie on the 427 yard par 4 closing hole. Ron's total of 40 points was good for a 3 point victory over Tom Simard who also played extremely well. Doug Bray took the third spot with 35 points. In the Net Division B competition, John Murphy in his first year as a B.A.G.S.' member, got his first victory. John has improved steadily all year from playing in the events, and his gross score of 90 is his best so far. John was only 9 over gross after 14 holes. John's 40 stableford points or 4 under par net was good for a 5 point victory over Ed Cone and Michael Perryman who both played great on the first nine before slipping back on the more difficult and tighter second nine.

It was a breezy, warm, and humid day for the B.A.G.S.' event at Olde Scotland Links on Wednesday, July 11. Jeff Mucciarone, after two days competition at  the Mass Amateur Championship at Concord CC, where the greens were lightning fast, had to adjust to the much slower putting surfaces as Olde Scotland Links, and as a result, 3 putted the first three holes and was 3 over par after 3. Jeff played extremely well the rest of the way home in 2 under par with 4 birdies for a fine 1 over par score of 73. Leigh MacKay continued his excellent play. Leigh played the first 13 holes in even par. A double bogey 6 on the dangerous 389 yard par 4 fifteenth hurt his chances of winning, and Leigh finished in second with a 4 over par 76. In the Net Division A competition, Jim Mullins came out of hibernation and in his first event of the season shot a very fine gross score of 82 good for 40 stableford points or 4 under par net.. Jim's only 0 point hole came on the 433 yard par 4 first hole. John Cochran was back in form as the warm weather made its return, and he finished in a tie for second with 37 points with long time Rhode Island veteran, Dick Burt. In the Net Division B competition, Buzz Speers was a winner for the second event in succession. Buzz shot a fine gross score of 85 good for 39 stableford points or 3 under par net. Peter Elliott is starting to play more like himself in the last few events, and his net score of 2 under par was good for a tie for second place with Mike Hayes of the Rhode Island division. Alan Adams had his best finish in his first year as a B.A.G.S.' member. Alan's net score of 1 under par got him fourth position.

Sandy Burr was in excellent condition for the Sunday, July 8 event, and there was some superb scoring in all divisions. Erik Okvist played the first the first 14 holes in even par, and had a 1 stoke lead over Jeff Mucciarone and Mike Powers. Erik fell out of the lead after making a bogey on 15 and a double bogey on the 397 yard par 4 sixteenth after getting behind the trees on the right. However, Erik still had something left in the tank, and finished strongly with birdies on 17 and 18 for a 1 over score of 73. Jeff also finished in good style also with pars on 15 -18 for a fine score of 35 on the  second nine for a 73, and a tie for first with Erik. Mike Powers finished at 3 over par 75, and a tie for third with Mark Dwyer. In the Net Division A competition, High School student Chris Rollins had his best event ever in B.A.G.S.' competition. Chris, now in his third year of B.A.G.S.' competition, began as a 20+ handicapper and had trouble breaking 100. On Sunday, Chris broke 80 for the first time a B.A.G.S.' event with a fine 5 over par score of 77 and 42 stableford points. Chris needed to play well because Mark DelVecchio and the afore mentioned, Mike Powers were both playing extremely well. Mark D. shot a very fine gross score of 82 after playing the first 11 holes in just 3 over par gross for a total of 40 points and a tie for second Mike Powers. In the Net Division B competition, Buzz Speers played some great golf after three poor prior performers at Kettle Brook, New England, and Marlborough. Buzz shot a gross 82 his best ever score in a B.A.G.S.' event for a huge stableford point total of 41 or 5 under par net. Well back in second place was Jon Baron with an even par net score. Ron Quartarone also played well, and took third position with a net score of 1 over par.

It was a warm and breezy afternoon for the Thursday, July 5th event at Marlborough CC. The predicted afternoon thunderstorms stayed away, and the course was in fine condition. Rick Lewis showed once again that he's the man to beat whenever he tees it up in a B.A.G.S.' event. Rick began the shotgun start on the short 326 yard 10th hole, with a bogey, but finished his opening nine with a nice birdie on the 170 yard par 3 eighteenth, the scene of many three and four putts, for a 1 over par 37. Rick was at 3 over par after a bogey on the 160 yard par 3 seventh hole. Rick finished strongly with birdies on the 527 yard par 5 eighth hole and the tough par 4 ninth for a 1 over par score of 72. Well back in second place was Jeff Mucciarone who played his first 10 holes in even par, and then started leaking some oil on the way in, and finished at 5 over 76. Rick's net 68 gave him the Net Division A trophy by 1 stroke over Bill Cocroft. In the Net Division B competition, Mike Higgins played extremely well, and won his second event in succession. Mike recently won at Norton CC, and proved that was no fluke by shooting a fabulous gross score of 82 at Marlborough, which played extremely difficult for most of the Net Division B participants, for a massive total of 41 stableford points or 5 under par net. Long drive contest winner, Fred Morra, was a distant second with 36 points. Bill Robinson and Paul Grealy also played well, and shared third position with 35 points each.

The mid-week heat dissipated and it was a refreshingly cool day for the Sunday, July 1 event at New England CC. There was some excellent scoring in all divisions. Mark Dwyer had a fabulous round going and was at even par though 13 holes before making a double on the 429 yard par 4 fourteenth. After a par on the short 325 yard par 4 fifteenth, Mark got caught in the middle of his backswing with a call from the public address system from the shopping center next to the 16th tee, and hit his tee shot on the par 3 into the hazard in front of the green and made a double. Mark went birdie then bogey on 17 and 18 for a fine 3 over par score of 74. Joe Pimental stayed right with Mark, and was just 1 over par before making a triple on 15. Joe finished in second with a 7 over par score of 78, which included an eagle 3 on the 521 yard par 5 fifth hole with a hole-out from the bunker next to the green. In the Net Division A competition, Steve Preble had a very strong second nine holes to win by 1 stroke over Joe P. Since his daughter's birth a couple of years ago, Steve doesn't get out to play in the events as much as he used to, and after a warm- up first nine score of 43, Steve caught fire and played 10 - 16 in even par gross. Steve finished with bogeys on 17 and 18 for a fine gross score of 37 on the second nine for 21 stableford points and a total of 38. In the Net Division B competition, Dave Shepard got his first victory of the year. Dave shot a very fine gross score of 85 good for 40 stableford points. Dave needed to play well because Rich Petrosh was having his best event in his first year as a B.A.G.S.' member. Rich shot a superb gross score of 86, the first time that he had shot better than 91 in an event, and had 8 net birdies and no zero point holes. Mike DesRoche and John Murphy also played well, and shot 1 under par net and finished in a tie for third.

The mid-week heat wave was at its zenith for the Wednesday, June 27 event at Norton CC. With the temperature at right around 95 degrees by the afternoon, the heat was oppressive, but there were still many fine performances. Leigh MacKay, in the Boston area for part of the summer from his home in Georgia, played some very impressive golf. Leigh finished the first nine with consecutive birdies on 8 & 9 for a fine score of even par 36.Leigh was at four over par after making bogeys on 10, 12,13, and 15. However, Leigh finished well with three consecutive pars for an excellent score of 4 over par 75. Jeff Mucciarone also finished well after going to 9 over par after making a quadruple bogey on 10 with a ball out of bounds. Jeff played the rest of the way at 1 under par for a 79 and second place with the help of a chip-in birdie on 18. In the Net Division A competition, Doug Bray continued has fine recent play with a 1 point victory over Leigh MacKay with a net score of 1 over par.. Joe Pimental and Andy Falk shared third position 1 point behind Leigh. In the Net Division B competition, Mike Higgins got his first victory of the season on a day where it would have been easy to give up when faced with adversity. Mike struggled on holes 5 - 8 with only 1 point, and just 12 after nine holes. Mike didn't let this poor stretch of holes ruin his day even if it was extremely hot and the fact that the  parking lot was nearby after 9. Mike refused to quit and completely turned it around on the second nine with a gross score of 40 for three net eagles and the rest net birdies for 21 stableford points. Well done, Mike! This was just good enough for 1 point victory over Les Landers who also played well. 

Rick Lewis played some superlative golf in the Sunday, June 24 event at River Bend CC. The swirling winds caused problems for many of the players, and Rick was 3 over par after making bogeys on 3 - 5. Rick's fabulous play really started on the 381 yard par 4 sixth hole when he made his first of 2 birdies. From here to the home hole, Rick merely played 2 under par for a 1 over par score of 72. To give an idea of how good Rick's round of 1 over par was, consider that Jeff Mucciarone, who had shot a total of 3 under par in his last two events was 7 strokes behind, and that Matt Dexter, who plays off a scratch handicap, was 6 strokes behind Rick. Well done, Rick! In the Net Division A competition, also off the Gold tees, Rick's net score of 68 was 2 better that Tom Simard. Tom hung in there and made a very important par on the 18th for 3 precious stableford points after goose eggs on 16 and 17 with  triple and double bogeys. Doug Bray was one of the two comeback kids of the day with just 16 points on the easier first nine, and then a superb gross score of even par 36 on the second nine with the help of a holed out sand shot on 17 for a deuce and 21 points total to grab third position overall. In the Net Division B competition, Paul McCurley made use of a hot putter to shoot a very fine gross score of 86. This was Paul's lowest gross score in a B.A.G.S.' event in nearly a year, and his net score of 3 under par 68 was just enough to get the win over Ron Quartarone the other comeback kid. Ron played much better on the more difficult second nine with a gross score of 46, including a fine gross birdie on the 350 yard par 4 eleventh, good for 23 stableford points after just 15 on the first nine.

Scottish Highlands was in fine condition for the Thursday, June 21 event, with smooth fast putting greens. It was very pleasant early summer day with temperature right around 80 degrees with cooling breezes. Jeff Mucciarone continued his fine play in recent B.A.G.S.' events with a brilliant 4 birdie round of 3 under 68. This was the lowest B.A.G.S.' score at this course in 13 years of competition. Well done, Jeff! Greg Johnson also played extremely well, and had a 4 birdie round of his own, and shot a fine 3 over 74. Leigh MacKay, in the Boston area for part of the summer from Georgia, played well, and finished tied for second low gross with Doug Bray with 77. Jeff M. and Greg J. also finished 1, 2 respectively in the Net Division A competition. In the Net Division B competition, Bill Garten was an easy winner. Bill shot a very fine gross score of 83, his best ever low gross score in 5 plus years of B.A.G.S.' competition, which was good for 39 stableford points or 3 under par net. Peter Elliott had his best finish of the season. Peter took second place with a fine even par net score of 71. Loi Nguyen Van played well and got third position with a 1 over par net score. 

It was another spectacular day for golf at the superbly conditioned Segregansett CC for the Monday, June 18 event. The temperature got into the low 80's in the afternoon with low humidity. Jeff Mucciarone always keeps his busy golf  schedule open for this fine event site, and on Monday he was in firm control of his game and shot a superb even par round of 72 to get his first entry of the year in the B.A.G.S.' record book. Jeff had 3 birdies on the day, and just missed two more with putts that hung on the lip of the hole but wouldn't drop. Bob Sheridan also played extremely well, and his 3 birdie round of 77 was good for second place and was the only other score under 80. In the Net Division A competition, Chris Kreilkamp had a very strong performance. Chris, now 63 years old, shot a gross score of 80 which tied him with Steve Caputo for third best on the day, and Chris's net score of 69 tied him for first place with Jeff M. in Net A  Well done, Chris! In the Net Division B competition, RI member, Alan Kouris, was the winner by 1 stroke over RI member, John Farrell. Boston members, Larry Mintzer and Larry Brewster both played extremely well, and finished in a three way tie for third with RI member, Ed Guertin.

It was a perfect day for golf for '07 Member/Member-Guest team better ball event at Olde Scotland Links on Saturday afternoon, June 16. The team of John Dauksewich and Jeff Mucciarone formed a superb partnership with 7 gross birdies and just 1 bogey for a record low team gross score in this event of 6 under par 66. Well back in second place, but with very respectable gross score of 1 under par 71 were the teams of: last year's winners Paul Tracey and Cobb Carlson, and the team of Joe Pimental and Erik Okvist. The Net Division results were much closer with many fine performances. Member, Larry Witham, got a truly incredible performance from his father, Larry Sr.. Larry Sr. started out with 2 straight pars, and stayed hot for the first 9 with a gross score of 38 good for 25 stableford points. Larry Jr. was there to help out on 10 and 18 with pars of his own when his father made a double bogeys, and the team finished with a fabulous total of 49 points. The par Larry Jr. made on 18 was precious because the teams of Leigh MacKay - Vicky MacKay and Dave Wheeler - Ron Quartarone both played exceptionally well and were right there just 1 point behind. Last year's Champions, Chris Rollins - Steve Rollins played great again, and were just 2 points behind the Withams with 47 points.

A persistent off-shore storm kept the Wednesday, June 13 event at George Wright cool, in the mid-50's, with swirling breezes for the entire day. This, along with the well grown in rough, kept scoring from being good for the members participating at this fine Donald Ross layout. Jeff Mucciarone, who always seems to do well at this old style course. played the first 10 holes in just 2 over par. However, bogeys on 11 and 12, which both played very difficult on this day, pushed him to 4 over. Jeff's only other bogey on the 6 finishing holes was on the 510 yard par 5 fifteenth after his second shot to the par 5 green hit a tree branch and ending up behind the large Oak that is situated just to the left of the green. Jeff's 5 over 75 was the only score under 80. Luis Ramos was definitely surprised when he found out his net score of 2 over par 72 was the best in the Net Division A competition. In the Net Division B competition, most of the field struggled, and Don Curley's score of 3 over par net was easily good enough for a 3 stroke win over Sean Boylan.

The heavy morning rain made its departure just before the start of play for the Saturday afternoon, June 9 event at Kettle Brook, and the remainder of the day was dry with some heavy fog later. After making a bogey on his opening hole, Jeff Mucciarone got on one those great stretches of holes he's capable of when he's playing well, and ran off 15 straight pars to get to the seventeenth tee at only 1 over par. Seventeen, a 223 yard uphill par three with a green that slopes from back to front, played very difficult for anyone who missed the green. Jeff was just off the back of the green in the rough, and made a double. Jeff's drive into the gloom on eighteen was just another fairway in regulation on a day that Jeff hit every fairway, and his par gave him a fine 3 over par 75. Bob Sheridan played well with just one bad hole with a lost tee shot on the 511 yard par 5 7th hole for a double bogey and a gross score of 78 for second. In the Net Division A competition also from the Gold tees at 6912 yards, Bob S. and Jeff M. finished tied for first with net score of 1 over par. Just 1 stroke back in a tie for second place were: Greg Smith, Sam Serino, and Doug Bray. In the Net Division B competition, the scoring from the Silver tees at 6649 yards was quite high. Paul Natale and Alex Beelaerts were co-winners with 4 over par net scores. Paul received the winner's trophy with the better second nine point total for the tie breaker. Chris Hulswit, after a great opening nine of 20 points, had to settle for a tie for third with Tony Carmona, when he could only scrape out 11 points on the homeward nine.

Wayland CC played much more difficult than it has in the past for the Wednesday, June 6 event. Plenty of spring rain meant that the rough was higher than normal, and combined with the small greens, pars were not as easy as usual at this short course. Many members have had their record low rounds here, but this was not the case on Wednesday. Jeff Mucciarone got off to a slow start with a 5 on the short 445 yard par 5 first hole, a bogey on the more difficult 412 yard second hole, and a double with a ball in the pond on the third. Jeff matched the card after that on the first nine for 3 over par 37. After a bogey on the short 330 yard par 4 tenth hole, Jeff played the rest of the way home in 1 under par with a spectacular finish making an eagle 3 on the 457 yard par 5 eighteenth after nearly putting his second shot in from about 185 yards for an albatross. Rick Lewis was well back in second place with a 77. In the Net Division A competition, it looked like a runaway victory for Craig Larzelere after nine holes. Craig shot a 2 over par gross score of 36 for a massive total of 23 stableford points. After making the turn, Craig quickly got on the bogey train, but managed to make par on both 17 and 18 for a total of 15 points and 38 overall. Chris Kreilkamp didn't have a particularly great ball striking day, but he managed his game well, kept the ball in play, and always had at least a putt for par on every green. Chris shot a gross 78, third best on the day, and with 19 points on both nines, matched Craig L. with 38 points. In the Net Division B competition, the only real standout play was from Michael Perryman. Michael shot a fine even par net score of 70 and was a three point winner over Don Curley.

B.A.G.S made its second trip in nine days to the quality layout at Acushnet River Valley for the Saturday, June 2nd date. The weather was quite warm with temperature at right around 85 degrees, and there was some hot play to match the temperature. Jay Leonard, in just his third event as a new B.A.G.S.' member this spring, showed that he will be a top contender in the low gross competition any time he tees it up. Jay had 3 birdies in his first 12 holes, and reached the 17th tee at 1 under par for the day. Bogeys on 17 and 18 prevented him from getting his name in the B.A.G.S. Record Book, but still his fine score of 1 over par 73 was a superb performance. Chris Kelly had it going for a while and was only 1 over par through 12 holes with 3 birdies, but finished with 4 bogeys on his last 6 holes for a 77 and a tie for second with Jeff Mucciarone. Jay Leonard's net score of 69 was just good enough for a 1 stroke victory over Chris Rollins, who shot a fine gross score of 82 in the Net Division A competition. In the Net Division B competition, the ageless one, Jim Homans, now 78 years young, was a runaway winner. Jim shot a very fine gross score of 92, and piled up 40 stableford points with 5 net birdies, 1 net eagle and no zero point holes. Well back in a tie for second place with even par net scores of 72 were the quartet of; Steve Rollins, Buzz Speers, Alexander Beelaerts, and Ed Guertin. Chris Rollins won the nearest to hole prizes on 6 and 17.

The members participating in the Wednesday, May 30 event at Cyprian Keyes enjoyed the absolutely ideal weather conditions on this well conditioned layout. It was right around 80 degrees with no humidity and a cloudless sky. There were several fine performances. Ray Karkman, just past his 66th birthday, played some fabulous golf. Ray had back to back birdies on 9 and 10, and finished with another birdie on the 500 yard par 5 for an 8 over 80. Greg Johnson, on his first trip around this tight layout, had some trouble on the tough uphill 400 yard 5th hole after a poor tee shot, and made a triple bogey 7. Greg played the next hole, the downhill 200 yard par 3 sixth hole, in 2 over par after hitting into the trees on the right . However, starting with a nice par at the eight hole, Greg was right back on track. Greg played the rest of the way in at even par with the help of a couple of birdies to tie Ray's low gross score. In the Net Division A competition, Ray was 2 strokes ahead of Greg with a net 69. John Faucher held his round together, and took third position with a net score of even par 72. In the Net Division B competition, Jack Farrell was definitely the man. Jack played the opening nine in just 40 strokes for a massive total of 23 stableford points with 4 net birdies and 1 net eagle. Jack didn't give much back on  the second nine with an even par net score for 18 points. Jack's net score of 67 was 4 strokes ahead of Mike Higgins who had his best result in a B.A.G.S.' event this season. Paul McCurley was again Mr. Consistent, and his net score of 72 was 2 strokes ahead of Bill Garten, who took fourth spot in his belated debut event.

It was a perfect day for golf for the Sunday, May 27 event at Passaconaway. The morning clouds cleared off and it was sunny and pleasant with temperature right around 80 degrees. Rick Lewis, despite a wayward driver and a sometimes uncertain putting stroke was still able to get a tie for first place in the low gross competition with a 7 over par 78 with Leon Remis. Leon  finished strongly with fine 2 over par 37 on the shorter closing nine. In the Net Division A competition, also from the Blue tee makers at around 6800 yards, Doug Bray played well once again. Doug's gross score of 79 was tied for second best on the day, and his 37 stableford points or 1 under par net was good for a 1 stroke victory and the winner's trophy over Chris Rollins who continues to improve at each event. Steve Preble, in his first event of the season, played quite well and tied for third position with Greg Johnson, who always seems to play well here. In the Net Division B competition from the White tees, Steve Rollins, fresh off a victory at Acushnet River Valley on Thursday, was an easy winner. Steve, in a trophy race with son Chris, shot a very fine gross score of 83, his best result in two years, and his point total of 41 was 3 better than Jon Baron, who also played exceptionally well. John Sawyer also played well, and shot an even par net score to secure third spot.

Acushnet River Valley was in superb condition for the Thursday, May 24 event. If you want to play a great golf course that's really well maintained, don't hesitate to sign up for the upcoming June 2 event. It was quite a warm day with the afternoon temperature in the upper 80's, and there was some fine scoring. Glenn Watson played a good first nine, despite having to take a double bogey 6 on the 451 yard par seventh hole after his downhill approach shot flew the green and hit the cart path and jumped into the bushes near the 8th tee, with a 3 over par 39. However, there were no such mistakes on the second nine as Glenn shot a fine even par 36 for a fine 3 over par 75. Greg Johnson played well again, and was second low gross with a 79. These two both finished in the same order for the Net Division A prizes. In the Net Division B competition, Boston Division's Steve Rollins and Rhode Island member, Hank Rustigian, tied for first. Steve played consistently well with gross 43's on each nine for an 86 which was his best score in a B.A.G.S.' event in a year. 

On and off rain showers during the event combined with steady rain from the previous several days, caused the fairways for the Sunday, May 20 event at River Bend CC to be extremely soggy. The greens, however, were in very good condition and play was never halted. Jeff Mucciarone had no birdies on the day, but with 13 four's on his scorecard, he was able to come in at only 4 over par for the day with a excellent total of 75. Kevin Foster, who played in the same group with Jeff, shot a fine closing nine hole total of 39 and finished in second place with a 79. In the Net Division A competition, Greg Johnson was able to shrug off an opening quadruple bogey 8 on the opening hole, and a single bogey on the second hole, and still shoot a very respectable round of 80. Greg simply became a birdie machine starting on the third hole. With birdies on 3 out of the four next holes, and with a par on a par 3 in there, Greg had 4 consecutive holes with gross 3's on the card. Then the "other Greg" showed up, and this lead to 7 over par gross on the next 6 holes until the "good Greg' showed up again with birdies on 2 of the next 3 holes starting on 13 - 15. Greg's roller coaster ride continued with bogeys on both par 5's (16 and 18), but a nice par on the 200 yard par 3 seventeenth. On the day, Greg had an amazing total of 8 three's on the card. Greg's net score of 1 under par 70 was good for a 1 stroke victory over High School student Chris Rollins, who shot a very nice gross score of 84. In the Net Division B competition, Buzz Speers and David Couture were surprised to find that they had tied for first position with 4 over par net scores, as the rest of the field struggled. David won the tie breaker for the winner's trophy with a better second nine hole stableford point total.

It turned out to be a cool raw day for the Thursday, May 17 event at Wedgewood Pines. The course was still drying out after the overnight rain, and the fairways were soft, but the greens were in great condition. This is a fabulous layout with a tremendous variety of holes and shot requirements, and should be great with the foliage when we return in mid - October. Jeff Mucciarone played reasonably well on a course he had never seen before and which requires quite a bit of local knowledge. His only double bogey on the day came on the 400 yard par 4 first hole after failing to clear the hazard area near the front of the green after driving into the hillside tall grass on the right. Jeff's 7 over par 78 was good enough for a 2 stroke victory over Glenn Watson. Glenn, who had two birdies on the day, badly hurt his chances for winning by making a double bogey 7 on the 512 yard par 5 sixteenth hole after reaching the greenside bunker in two shots. In the Net Division A competition, John Cochran was back in control of his game. John shot a fine gross score of 83, and easily won by 3 strokes over Jerry Baden, who played well. In the Net Division B competition, Chris Hulswit was definitely the man. Chris played all the right shots, and stayed out of trouble on this tight course. Chris had an unbelievable total of 5 net birdies and 3 net eagles, which far outweighed the 5 one points holes for a net 65. The nearest competitors were, first year member, Bruce Carpenter, and in his19th year, lifetime member, Bernie LaVita, were 5 strokes behind. Well done, Chris!

The weather was absolutely spectacular for the Monday, May 14 event at Quail Ridge CC with the temperature right around 75 degrees by mid-day under a cloudless sky. None of the members participating had ever played this new private course, and with a course rating of 73.6 and slope rating of 138, and it proved to be very difficult. This Mark Mungeam layout is somewhat similar to his Cyprian Keyes, and finding the fairways and greens was very important. Jeff Mucciarone's fine two birdie round of 75 was good enough to win the low gross competition by 1 stroke over Joe Pimental, who played with great acuity in his best performance in a B.A.G.S.' event so far this season. Glenn Watson's 79 was good enough for third. Joe Pimental's 38 points was just enough for a 1 point victory over Andrew Leonard who shot a very fine gross score of 84 in his initial B.A.G.S.' event. In the Net Division B competition, Gary Hajduk, also in his first B.A.G.S.' event, showed that he can really play. Gary shot a fine gross score of 85 for a net 67, and a strong 5 point victory over B.A.G.S.' veteran, Jon Baron.  Don Curley and Bob Gosselin also played well, and finished tied for third.

It was a bright and sunny but cool day for the event at Olde Scotland Links on Saturday, May 12. Several new members played well in their first B.A.G.S.' event. Jay Leonard, in his first start, played the 3 - time defending low gross Order of Merit title winner and defending club champion, Jeff Mucciarone even through 16 holes before making a bogey on the short 135 yard par 3 sixteenth hole to fall 1 stroke behind. After hitting into the long fairway bunker down the left side on the 340 yard par 4 seventeenth and failing to get out safely, Jay made double to fall to 3 behind Jeff. A birdie on the 520 yard par 5 eighteenth got Jay back to just 3 over par for the day and 2 strokes behind Jeff's fine score of 1 over par 73. In the Net Division A competition, Mike McAllister in his first event, shot a very steady gross score of 85 for a net 71, and finished in a three way tie for first with Jay Leonard and Jeff M. Jeff won the tie breaker for the winner's trophy with the best net score over the final 9 holes. In the Net Division B competition, Joseph LeClair, also in his first event, shot a very fine gross score of 83, and was a 1 point winner over Frits van der Have who played well once again this season. The trio of Tom Pietropola, Paul Sainato, and David Couture finished in a tie for third. 

The 18th annual Cape Cod Spring Championship was a tale of two courses and two different climates. Saturday's opening round at Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds  was a perfect spring day for golf on the Cape with the temperature right around 68 degrees, and no afternoon sea breezes. Sunday, at Bayberry Hills, was a different story with a cool on shore breeze keeping the temperature at around only 50 degrees and just peeks of sunshine. The scores seemed to reflect the weather. Although Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds has a higher slope rating, it played much more easy for most of the members, and especially from the White tees for Net Division B. In the low gross competition, Chris Kelly took control of the 36 hole Championship with a superb 2 over par score of 73. Chris had 3 birdies on the day and no double bogeys. Ned Emerson, with a 4 birdie round, was 4 strokes back with a 77, and tied with long hitting Dave Truesdell in second. Mike Powers and Rick Lewis were still in contention with 78's. As mentioned afore, Sunday was a whole different story for most of the field. Added to the fact that it seemed to go from summer to winter overnight, the greens at Bayberry Hills were the fastest anyone in the event could ever remember, and they had at least 6-8 feet more roll than OBFG. Only two players broke the 80 mark on Sunday. After an opening nine of 4 over par 40, Rick Lewis most likely was considering whether he could possible finish in second place. Rick was still at 4 over after a bogey on the long 411 yard par 4 11th. From there in, Rick caught fire and with the help of back to back birdies on 14 and 15, finished his second nine at 1 under par for a superb score of 75. The only other player to break 80 on the day with a fine 77, was Jeff Mucciarone, who struggled most of the weekend with his game.. Chris Kelly fought as best that he could, but fell back into second place with an 81, after an unfortunate bogey 6 on the 490 par 5 finishing hole cost him a tie for the championship. In the Net Division A competition, the trio of  Mike McLaughlin, Doug Bray, and Mark DelVecchio played extremely well, and finished in a tie for first place. Mike M., in his first B.A.G.S.' action of the year, had the best stableford score on Sunday to win the tie breaker for the winner's trophy. Doug Bray had a fabulous round going on Saturday OBFG, Doug was only 1 over par gross after 10 holes before fading somewhat to a 7 over par 78. Mark shot a fine gross score of 82 on Saturday, his best in nearly 2 years of B.A.G.S.' competition. Mike M. shot a fine 83 on Saturday. In the Net Division B competition, new Rhode Island B.A.G.S.' member, Pawel Kot, just edged out Boston member, David Couture, for the winner's trophy by 1 stroke. David played his best round ever in a B.A.G.S.' event on Saturday at OBFG with a gross score of 87. Well done, David!

It turned out to be quite a nice day for golf  for the Saturday, April 28 event at Sandy Burr with the temperature right around 65 degrees with plenty of sunshine until later in the afternoon. John Dauksewich got off to a very good start with 4 straight pars, and reached the ninth tee at just 1 over. John hit his tee shot well, but it was slightly pushed and ended up in one of the small pine trees the line the right side of the rough. John took an unplayable lie for a 1 stroke penalty, and was forced to make a side-hill breaking putt from about 12 feet to save a bogey. John was back to just 3 over par on the day after sinking a 10 foot birdie putt on the 511 yard par 5 17th. After a nice tee shot and approach to the back of the green on the uphill 391 yard closing hole, John had his only three putt of the day, and finished with a 76 for the low gross victory over Jeff Mucciarone who was one stroke behind. For the Net Division A competition, it was the case of the old versus the young. Senior member, Nate Liskov and junior member, High School student, Chris Rollins both played well and finished in a tie for first place with net scores of 1 under par 71. Nate got the winner's trophy with the best net score on the 6 final holes for the tie breaker. In the Net Division B competition, Michael Bower, in just his second B.A.G.S.' event came through with a strong effort. Michael had two net eagles and 4 net birdies on his card, and shot a gross 87 that included a triple bogey 6 on the 185 yard par 3 tenth. Michael's net score of 69 was 2 better than Tony Carmona who continued his fine early season play. 

B.A.G.S. traveled to Milton-Hoosic Club for its Wednesday, April 25 event. It was a reasonably good day for golf with the temperature well into the 50's, and little wind. Jeff Mucciarone was an easy winner in the low gross competition with a 4 over par 74 on this short course which is only 6000 yards. However; with small, quick greens the course seems resist low scoring. In the Net Division A competition, there was a three way tie for first spot. Ed Fitzhenry and Ford Lafleur both played quite well, and finished with even par net scores to tie with Jeff M. In the Net Division B competition, Dick Malo continued his fine early season play with a 1 stroke victory, with a 5 under par net score, over Jim Kelly. Jim, in only his second B.A.G.S.; event shot a very fine gross score of 87. Well back in third was Steve Rollins at even par net. Kevin Beliveau played well and took the fourth spot.

It was a perfect day for golf at the fabulous Willowbend GC for the Monday, April 25 event. The temperature was right around the 70 degree mark with a cloudless sky. Those participating immensely enjoyed this superb layout which is both challenging and fun to play. Jeff Mucciarone continued his fine recent play, and was an easy 4 stroke winner in the low gross competition with a fine 4 over par score of 75. Chris Kreilkamp found the course much to his liking. Although not particularity long off the tee, Chris keeps the ball in play and has a fine short game. Chris had second low gross on the day with a 79, and was also the winner of the Net Division A trophy with 39 points or 3 under par net. Glenn McIntyre and Doug Bray both played exceptionally well, and finished in a tie for second position with net 70's. Doug's gross score of 80 was third best in the event. In the Net Division B competition from the White tee markers, new member, Bill McHugh, in his first event, was a runaway winner with a net 68. Larry Brewster played quite well but was well back in second with a 1 over par net score, and lifetime member, Bernie LaVita, now in his 19th season of B.A.G.S.' competition, took third spot with a net 74. Bill Robinson, now in his 11th year in B.A.G.S., took the 4th spot. 

The weather turned absolutely perfect for the Saturday, April 21 event at Pinehills GC - Nicklaus II. After a cool and rainy week, the salubrious 70 degree temperature and sunshine made the day exceptional enjoyable for the members participating in the event. Jeff Mucciarone the 3 time defending Order of Merit Champion got his first victory of the season with a fine score of 2 over par 74. Jeff was even par through 14 holes before 3 putting from long range on the 166 par 3 15th. Mark Dwyer, was in for second place with a 4 over par 76. Mark had all 4's on the card on the second nine except for a 5 on the par 5 fifteenth for a 1 over par 37. In the Net Division A competition, Bob Steward was in fine form, and was a 2 stroke winner with a net 70.  Bob played consistently well on both nines with a gross score of  41 on each nine. Kevin Foster, a member of the B.A.G.S. all weather winter golf squad, showed he likes warm weather golf also, and shot a fine gross score of 77, third best on the day, and finished in a tie for second net with Jeff Mucciarone, and Mike Powers, who played well for the second straight event  In the Net Division B competition, Buzz Speers was the man. Buzz shot his best round ever in B.A.G.S.' competition with a very fine gross score of 85. Buzz started the round with a gross birdie for a net eagle, and then two more net birdies for 10 points in the first 4 holes, and finished with a massive 42 stableford points or 6 under par.. In second place was B.A.G.S. veteran, Doug Brothers. Doug, now in his 11th season with B.A.G.S, also shot a fine gross score of 85, and a total of 40 points. In a tie for third were Dick Malo and defending net division Order of Merit Champion, Paul Kudarauskas with net 70's. John O'Keefe in his first B.A.G.S.'  event took 5th spot with an even par net score of 72. 

der, Buzz Speers was able to hang on and win the Championship trophy. Both Buzz and Ed Cone opened with fine 5 under net scores of 67. Zecca Fernandes also played extremely well, and was in third position with a net 68. It seemed that one of those three would certainly win. Buzz played under par net on Sunday with 37 points or 1 under par, while both Ed C. and Zecca F. couldn't hold it together. Ed C. shot a  net 75 on Sunday for a 36 hole total of 142 was just good enough for him to hold onto second place by himself. Ari Illeperuma, who shot even par net on Saturday, shot 1 under on Sunday, and was in a tie for third with Ed Batchelder overall, who along with Kevin Coughlin played the best on Sunday with net 69's. Craig Larzelere, Mike Nelson, and Zecca F. finished in a tie for 5th.

Jeff Mucciarone put it all together at Acushnet River Valley on Saturday, August 12. Jeff's short game was nearly flawless, and from tee to green he made it look easy. After opening with 3 straight pars, Jeff made an easy eagle on the 478 yard par five 4th hole after knocking his second to no more than 4 feet away. Jeff made his only bogey on the day on the tough 451 yard par 4 seventh hole. Jeff finished the first nine with a par on the 575 yard par 5 ninth that was typical of his short game strength on the day when he got up and down from off the green for par. A nice birdie putt from below the hole from about 16 feet got Jeff started in the right direction for the second nine. Jeff made birdie on the short, par 4 fifteenth hole when he drove past the green down the 14th fairway and chipped on and made the putt to go 3 under par for the day. Jeff's final birdie came on the closing hole. Jeff's ball was caught by the rough that surrounds the last bunker on right on this 407 par 4. Jeff's wedge shot out found the green, and he made the breaking putt for a superb 4 under par round of 68. Well done, Jeff! Bob Sheridan played extremely well, and his fine 4 over par 76 got him second low gross on the day. Rick Lewis and Jason Harkins both continued their fine play, and tied for third with 77's.  Jeff's 41 stableford points or 5 under par net was good enough to win the Net Division A trophy by 3 strokes. Rick Lewis and Paul Rodgers finished in a tie for second with net 70's. In the Net Division B competition, Buzz Speers played well and  won his first B.A.G.S.' event. Buzz broke the 90 mark for the first time in a B.A.G.S.' event, and his net score of 68 was good for a 3 stroke victory over Mike McLaughlin and Ralph Daniels.

The members participating in the early morning shotgun start at Atkinson CC on Monday, August 7 found the course to be a stern test. Ned Emerson was the only participant to break  80 with a fine 5 over par 77. Ned had 3 birdies including a fine approach shot to about 6 feet on the 360 yard par 4 15th, and a 245 yard fairway metal shot to about 10 feet on the 500 yard par 5 sixth hole that Ned two putted. In the Net Division A competition, John Korzun  played some really fine golf, and his net score of 73 was 1 better than Ned E. Late entry, Alan Fincke, also played well and took third position with a net 75. In the Net Division B competition, Dave Holland played extremely well, and was easily the best. Dave's net score of 73 was 4 shots better than  Mike "knickers" McLaughlin and lifetime B.A.G.S. member, Ted Gibson.

The mid- week heat wave broke on Friday night and the members participating in the Saturday, August 7 event at Blackstone National enjoyed an exceptionally fine day for golf. Jeff Mucciarone played well on the first nine with a 2 over par 38. It was his second nine that he was really superb. Jeff started the second nine with a birdie on the uphill 410 yard 10th hole, and another birdie followed on the 140 yard par 3 11th. Jeff matched the card for pars before making a bogey on the 480 yard par 4 15th. Jeff had pars on 16 and 17, and after reaching the green in two on the 480 yard par 5  finishing hole, he two putted for birdie and second nine score of two under par 34. Jeff's even par round of 72 was good for 4 stoke victory over Jason Harkins and Mark Karski who both played extremely well. In the Net Division A competition, Jason Harkins, who played the opening nine in even par 36, finished with a very fine net score of 68, which was good for a 3 stroke victory over the quartet of: Jerry Fleishman, Joe Pimental, Ron Jacques, and Jeff Mucciarone. In the Net Division B competition, there were several outstanding performances. The best performance, however, was that by Ed Cone. Ed, who had not broken 90 in an event so far this year, smashed through that barrier with a gross 84. Ed played quite well on the first nine with a nice 45 gross score good for 20 points. It was on the second nine where he piled up the stableford points. Ed had two gross birdies along with three gross pars for an outstanding second nine score of 39, and an unheard of  total of 26 points. Ed's total of 46 stableford points earned him a place in the B.A.G.S.' Record Book. Tony Carmona would have won on any other day with his superb total of 42 points, and his best ever gross score in a B.A.G.S.' event by 2 strokes with an 81. Paul McCurley also played extremely well with 40 points off his best gross score in nearly 6 years of B.A.G.S.' competition with an 85.

Iaron also played well and took third place with a 1 under par net score.

Mark Dwyer set a new B.A.G.S. scoring record with a 4 under par 66 at Wayland CC on Monday July 3. Mark played the first nine in even par 34 with 2 birdies and two bogeys. After pars on 11 and 12, Mark went on a birdie spree. Mark made birdies on the 500 yard par 5 12th hole, and another on the 165 yard par 3 13th. After pars on 15 ands 16, Mark made a very nice birdie on the difficult 195 yard par 17th, and finished with a birdie on the short 457 yard par 5 18th for a 32 on the second nine. Although Wayland is a short flat course, a score of 68, which had been done twice before by Duncan Stewart and more recently by Jeff Mucciarone, had stood up for 17 years of B.A.G.S.' competition at this course, so this is a very fine accomplishment by Mark. Ned Emerson shot an even par round of 70, and got his name in the B.A.G.S.' record book once again. 

There was some really excellent scoring at New England CC for the Saturday, July 1 event. Ed Clough found the right groove with his swing, and it all seemed easy for him on a course that has considerable difficulty. Though not long, New England requires good shot making, and to play well a player can't miss in certain areas of the course or double bogey or worse is easily possible. Ed started off strongly, and his early momentum only added to his confidence as played the first nine in even par 36. A double bogey 7 on the tight 534 par 5 11th was followed by three consecutive pars before a bogey on the easiest hole on the second nine the uphill 325 yard par 4 15th. After another bogey on the downhill 150 yard par 3 16th, Ed finished with two consecutive pars for a 4 over par 39, and 75 total for 18. This was good enough for 2 stroke victory over the red hot Ned Emerson who was trying to win his second consecutive event. Rick Lewis played extremely well, and shot a fine 78. Ed Clough's net 66 was good for a 2 stroke victory over Rick in Net Division A. Richard Tenby continued his fine play, and took third in the net. Richard shot a gross score of 79. In the Net Division B competition there was also some extremely good scoring. Mike McLaughlin was in great form for this event. Mike played the first 8 holes in just 1 over par gross before making a double on the 350 yard par 4 ninth for a massive total of 23 points. There was not much let up on the second nine for Mike, and a nice par on the finishing hole got Mike in with 79 gross score, and a total of 43 stableford points. That par turned out to be clutch for Mike because B.A.G.S.' senior member, Jim Homans, was at it again. Jim, who earlier this year shot an 87 gross score at Acushnet River Valley, did it again on Saturday. Jim had 20 points after nine holes, and although Jim is now well into his 78th year, he actually got stronger on the second nine and recorded 22 more points to finish just behind Mike. Great playing, Jim! Ari Illeperuma, who showed that he has to considered a contender, just beat out Mike Nelson for third place by 1 stroke with 39 points.

The members participating in the Wednesday, June 28 event at Norton CC, had their umbrellas out for the much of the first nine holes as a tropical weather system moved on through. The greens remained in very decent shape with just a few puddles, and once the system passed to the north, the rain shut off. Ned Emerson has been playing extremely well lately, and although Norton CC is a challenging course in dry windless conditions, Ned was able to handle both the course and the weather conditions quite well. Ned shot a superb 4 over par 75 in a head to head duel with the two time defending low gross Order of Merit Champion, Jeff Mucciarone. Jeff was 3 strokes behind after nine, but a superb second nine score of 35 brought Jeff to within 1 stroke at the finish with a 76. Ned's1 under par net score was good enough for a 1 stroke victory over Ken Leon, who played well in his first B.A.G.S.' event after a couple of years absence.

Even though Segregansett CC received over 4 inches of rain on the previous day, this wonderful old course was still in very decent shape for the B.A.G.S.' event on Monday, June 26. Jeff Mucciarone was a late entry after he learned that the Mass State Four-ball Championship final round, in which he and John McNeill were partners, had to be canceled because Dennis Pines and Highlands courses would not be open for play.  As a footnote, Jeff and John finished in a tie for 33rd in a  field of over 100 teams. Jeff shot a very fine 2 over par 74 on this 6715 yard layout which, because there was very little roll in the fairways,  played to its full length on Monday. Also playing in this event because of the Four-ball cancellation was Mark Dwyer. Mark also played some really fine golf, and finished second with a 4 over par 76. Ed Clough also played exceptionally well, and made use of some short game magic with a chip-in and a putt- in from off the green for a very fine score of 78. In the Net Division A competition, Steve Ross shot a superb gross score of 80, and took the Net Division A trophy away from Ed Clough with a net 68 to Ed's 69. Chris Kreilkamp also played extremely well, and took third position with a net 70. In the Net Division B competition, Rhode Island member, Carlton Smith won the first place trophy with an even par net score. The trio of: Joe Leonardo, Bill Smith, and Frank Shaw finished in a tie for second.

Despite the dire weather forecast for several inches of rain for Saturday, June 24, the B.A.G.S. at Kettle Brook was still contested. After a period of less than 30 minutes of rain, the rest of the event was dry and good for golf with very little wind and overcast. This was Jeff Mucciarone's first experience with this golf course, but when Jeff is on his game, it doesn't matter much where he plays. Jeff's long and straight off the tee and has a decent short game. Jeff's scorecard at Kettle Brook was a succession of 3's, 4's and 5's for a fine 2 over par score of 74. In the Net Division A competition, John Cochran was as consistent as he can be. John shot a fine gross score of 82, and the only double bogey came on the 439 yard par 4 finishing hole, which reduced his winning margin to 3 shots. Well done, John! In the Net Division B competition, Allan McCue was the best of the rest with 31 stableford points on a day when most of his competition struggled to make net pars.

It was another warm summer day for the B.A.G.S.' event at Scottish Highlands on Thursday, June 22 as the humidity began to creep back in during the afternoon. Ned Emerson played what could only be described as a "Phil Mickelson" type round of tournament golf. Ned had what must be a B.A.G.S. record 7 birdies on the day to go along with a double bogey, a triple bogey, and 4 bogeys for a very unusual 3 over par 74. Jeff Mucciarone and Rick McCready both played well, and finished in a tie for second place with 75's. Rick's net 67 won him the Net Division A by 2 strokes. In the Net Division B competition, Craig Larzelere found Scottish Highlands very much to his liking, and won his first event of the season with a fine gross score of 82, good for 39 stableford points. Craig's 82 is his best gross score in a B.A.G.S.' event in over three years of competition. Well done, Craig! Bill Robinson and Paul Kudarauskas both played extremely well, and tied for second with 38 points. John Mackintosh won the nearest to the holes contest with a shot to within 4 feet of the hole on the 132 yard 15th.

It was a fine summer day for golf at Olde Scotland Links on Saturday, June 17 for the annual team event, and there were many fine performances. Paul Tracey and his partner, guest Cob Carlson, played superb golf for 17 holes. With just 1 team bogey, 5 team birdies and the rest pars, they reached the 18th  at 4 under par. Both players received a touch of reality as they both double bogeyed the 523 yard par 5 finishing hole. In their defense, this hole played very tough, and a team skin was won on this hole with a birdie, which is unusual on par 5's. Still, a 2 under 70 was good enough to win the low gross title by 2 strokes over the winners the last two years in succession, Jeff Mucciarone and John Dauksewich. The Net Division scoring was just as superb. Steve Rollins and his son Chris were a great team. Steve helped out on the few holes that Chris didn't make net birdie or net eagle. Chris shot an 81 on his own card gross, and had three net eagles, and 6 net birdies. The team finished with 48 stableford points or net 60 on a par 72 course. However, despite their incredible scoring, they were not alone at the top. That's because Jim Smith and his partner, Mike Lafrance also played some unbelievable team golf. Both birdied different holes on the opening nine, and had only 1 hole that they both had a gross bogey for 26 stableford points. Jim shot a gross 39 on his own card. They cooled off slightly on the second nine with 22 points, but still got a tie for first place with Steve and Chris. Steve and Chris had the better second nine point total for the tie breaker for the first place trophies. Mike Robinson and Carlos Duarte were also a superb team and were only 2 stokes behind with a net 62. There was a big tie for fourth spot as the teams of Zeca Fernandes-Alex Beelearts, Ed Fitzhenry-Phil Logue, Ed Clough-Richard Tenby, and Tom Simard-Bob Cormier all played well. Bill Behrens won the nearest to the hole contest with a shot to within 2 feet on 17.

B.A.G.S. traveled to George Wright GC for the Wednesday, June 14 event. For most players, this course requires some hard earned local knowledge to play well because of the many blind shots off the tee and to a couple of the greens. This was not the case, however, for Wayne Stone, who was playing the course for the first time. The former B.A.G.S. Net Division Order of Merit winner from a couple of years ago returned his old form. Wayne shot a fine 3 over par 38 on the first nine, and was able to make back to back pars on 9 and 10. These are two of the toughest back to back par 4's on any course in the state at over 455 yards each. On the second nine, Wayne was even stronger and came in with a fine 1 over par 36 for a superb 74. John McNeill, who has played many competitive events here, as the course was once the home of the State Publinks Championship, played the first 11 holes at even par. John found some trouble on 12 and 13, and came in with 5 over par 75 to take second low gross. In the Net Division A competition, Wayne's net 68 was the best by 1 stroke. Paul Mitchell shot his best score so far in his first season as a B.A.G.S.' member. Paul shot a fine gross score of 77 good for 37 stableford points or 1 under par net, and took second place. Ron Jacques and Tom Dromgoole both played well and tied for third with even par net scores. In the Net Division B competition also from the Blue tees, Sean Boylan had his best result in a B.A.G.S.' event. Sean shot a fine gross score of 90 good for 35 stableford points and a 2 stroke victory over Jim Bethune. Larry Brewster was the best of the rest in third position.

After nearly four straight days of rain, the members participating in the Sunday, June 11 event at River Bend CC were able to enjoy a day of competitive golf  in dry but windy conditions. The course was wet in spots, but the greens were fine albeit somewhat slow. The wind had an effect on the scoring as well as the fact that a lot of rust had crept into many of the players swings as the clubs had remained untouched for most of this rainy week. Jeff Mucciarone played well as usual, and shot a fine 5 over par 76. Were it not for one bad swing on the 8th tee on the 230 yard par 3, in which Jeff hit a low hook into the hazard, and made a triple, Jeff's score would have been a couple of shots better. Johnathan Law played exceptionally well on the first nine at two over par 37, but got on the bogey train on the second nine and shot a 40 for a 77. In the Net Division A competition, also from the Gold (back) tees, Fred Mather had his best result in his first year of B.A.G.S.' competition. In a feast or famine round in which Fred had two zero point holes and 2 one point holes, Fred found the beauty of the stableford point system with 4 net birdies and 1 net eagle to off set the poor holes for 37 points. Jeff M.'s 34 points got him a piece of the net pie also. Sam Serino played well again, and took third spot. In the Net Division B competition from the Blue tee markers, there was a three way tie for first position. Fred Weber, who always seems to play well on this course found himself tied with Paul Kudarauskas, and David Lee with 34 points.

 After a brief 10 minute downpour at the start of the round for the Saturday, June 3 event at Acushnet River Valley, the weather cooperated and all the members participating finished their rounds without any further precipitation falling. With an overcast sky and no wind the playing conditions were excellent. Former low gross Order of Merit Title winner from '03, Joe Pimental, got his first low gross victory of the year with a fine 2 birdie round of 5 over par 77. Long hitting Dave Truesdell played well on the first 9 at two over par. However, a double bogey on the 361 par 4 10th hole and another double on the 158 yard par 3 tenth hole derailed his chances for victory. Dave finished 2 strokes behind Joe P. with a 79. In the Net Division A competition, also off the Gold (back) tees, late entry Butch Fonseca liked the conditions, and played his best golf of the season. Butch's gross score of 83 was his best in a B.A.G.S. event in over a year, and his 39 stableford points or 3 under par net, was good for a 1 shot victory and the winner's trophy over Joe P. In the Net Division B competition, Jim Homans, at 78 years young, was ready to play golf rain or not; while many of the other members were scared away by a dire forecast. Jim had a very fine first nine with a gross score of 45 good for 21 points. On the second nine, Jim really piled up the points. Jim had birdies on both par 3's, and shot a superb gross score of 87. This is surely the closest any B.A.G.S.' member has come to shooting near his age. Jim's huge total of 44 stableford points was good for a 6 shot win over Buzz Speers who had his best result in his initial year in B.A.G.S.' competition. 

Cyprian Keyes was in fine shape with smooth fast putting surfaces for the Wednesday, May 31 event. Jeff Mucciarone found that the key to playing well here on this narrow tee lined course is to keep the driver in the bag. Using only fairway metals and irons off all the tees, Jeff was never in any trouble, and had his short game been the equivalent of his long game, Jeff would have been several strokes better than his 5 over par 77. The other what might have been involved Sam Serino. Sam, who had birdies on the 400 yard par 8th and the 165 yard par 3 16th reached the 18th tee at only 3 over par. Sam then made a costly triple bogey on the sharp dogleg right 500 yard par 5 finishing hole, which is easily reachable in two with a decent tee shot, to go to 6 over 78 for the day. While Sam lost out on the low gross for the day, his 1 under par net score was good enough to win the Net Division A competition by 3 strokes. John Gibson played well again, and finished in a tie for second place with Larry Sanford at 2 over par net. In the Net Division B competition, it was a very tight finish with Ed Cone, Paul Kudarauskas, and Steve Rollins all finishing in a tie for first place. The winner's trophy went to Ed Cone who had the better second nine stableford point total. Paul McCurley won the nearest to the hole prize with a superb shot to within 2 inches of the hole. Yes, you doubters, he made the putt.

The members participating in the Sunday, May 28 event at Passaconaway got their first taste of summer weather with a mid-afternoon temperature of around 85 degrees. The golf course was in great condition, and some of the scores were fabulous. Paul Tracey is back in B.A.G.S. after a year's absence, and he proved on Sunday that he's definitely one of the favorites to win anytime he tees it up. As usual, on the weekends at Passaconaway the Blue tee markers were all the way back, and the course played its full 6855 yards. Paul had trouble with the two par 5's on the first nine making a single bogey on 1, and a double bogey on the 591 yard 5th. However, Paul recovered nicely with consecutive birdies on the 473 yard par 4 7th and the 394 par 4 8th, and finished the first nine at 2 over par 38. Paul played consistently well on the second nine with a birdie on the short 344 par 4 11th, and just 1 bogey on the finishing hole, and all the rest pars for a 35 and a 2 over par total of 73. This was easily good enough for the victory as the second place finishers, Jeff Mucciarone and Kevin Foster were well in back of Paul with 79's. Paul's net score total of  41 stableford points or net 66 was good for a 5 stroke victory and the winner's trophy in the Net Division A competition over Kevin Foster. Chris Kreilkamp also played well and took third spot with a 2 over par net score. The Net Division B competition from the White tees also produced a run away victory. Mark Jezowski had by far his best tournament result in B.A.G.S.' competition. In his previous 2.5 years of B.A.G.S.' tournament play, Mark had never shot better than 94 gross. On Sunday, Mark shot a superb gross score of 87 with a strong closing charge of just 1 over par gross on the last 6 holes. Well done, Mark! Mark's 42 stableford points or 6 under par net was good for 3 stroke victory over the trio of Tony Carmona, Andrew Leeming, and Dick Sargeant who all played extremely well. Chris Kelly won the nearest to hole prize on 17.

It was a perfect spring day for the event at Acushnet River Valley on Thursday, May 25. The morning started off with very little wind and the temperature was in the 70's. The weather conditions were salubrious. However, in the afternoon the wind picked up as the players enter the links portion of the course, and this effected the scoring negatively. Jeff Mucciarone got back to his winning ways with a fine 4 over par 76, with 38 on each nine.  This victory was all the more impressive when it was taken into consideration that none of the other participants threatened to break 80. Jeff's net score of 74 also got him a tie for first place in the Net Division A competition which also was contested from the Gold (back) tee markers with Ron Jacques and Rhode Island member, Victor Soukamneuth. In the Net Division B competition off the Blue tee markers, John Matte simply demolished the field. John, who is now in his 16th year as a B.A.G.S.' member, and had never broken 90 in an event, shot himself into the B.A.G.S.' Record Book with an unbelievable gross score of 81, and a massive total of 45 stableford points. Typical of John's day was his 50 feet hole-out of a par putt on the 424 yard par 4 into the wind 13th hole following a double bogey on 12. After a double bogey on the tough 170 yard par 3 16th, John got onto the green from out of the rough on the 384 yard par 4 finishing hole with a utility wood, and got his 2 putt par for a gross score of 39 on the second nine good for 24 stableford points. John had 10 net birdies on the day to go with 2 net eagles. Ralph Daniels, who might have been a winner on any other day with 38 points, took second place. Paul Kudarauskas played well for the second consecutive event and tied for third with Jerry Bradley with even par net scores.

The rough had grown in during the recent rainy period, and with the swirling winds, River Bend CC played very difficult for the Sunday, May 21 event. Johnathan Law played the best on the finishing holes, playing 13 through18 in even par, and won the low gross competition by 2 shots with a 6 over par 77. Ned Emerson, who struggled to get any putts to drop in, finished 2 strokes behind Johnathan along with Andy Falk. Andy's net 73 was good enough to capture the Net Division A title. Joe Pimental played quite well and  took second spot with a net 74. In the Net Division B competition, Paul Kudarauskas and Ralph Daniels, who played in the same foursome, had a tough duel to the end and finished in a tie for first with 1 over par net 73's. Dick Sargeant and Mark Jezowski both played well and tied for third position with net 74's. John Gibson won the nearest to the hole competition on the 195 yard 17th with a finely struck shot to within 5 feet of the hole.

Indian Pond CC was in excellent condition for the re-scheduled B.A.G.S. event on Wednesday, May 17. Only a few wet spots could be found on this finely conditioned layout despite the nearly 9 inches of rain that came down during the previous 5 days. After nearly a week without any sunshine, the members were ready for a fine day for golf. Mark Dwyer got off to a slow start with 4 consecutive bogeys to start his round. Mark made a  nice birdie from about 9 feet on the sharply downhill 170 yard par 3 fifth hole, and this seemed to get some momentum going for him. Mark played the next 13 holes in even par, and finished with a fine 76. Mark Karski also played the second nine quite well with a 1 over par 37, and finished second in the low gross with a 6 over par 78. In the Net Division A competition, Richard Tenby continued his fine recent play. Richard shot a very fine low gross score of 80, good for 38 stableford points or 2 under par net. Sam Serino had his best finish in his first year as a B.A.G.S.' member with an even par net score or 36 points good enough for second place one stroke ahead of John Mackintosh. In the Net Division B competition, Terry McNally was definitely the man. Terry played all right on the first nine with a gross 43 good for 18 points. However, Terry caught on fire on the second nine. Terry had 4 net eagles along with 2 net birdies for an incredible 24 stableford points off a1over par gross score 37. Larry Brewster played exceptionally with 38 points, and was 5 strokes ahead of  Andy Rosen who took third place in his initial B.A.G.S.' event.

 The weather finally cooperated for the entire weekend and the members participating in the Cape Cod Spring Championship enjoyed playing in fine weather conditions. Leon Remis, who was a late entry for the event, played exceptionally well on Saturday at Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds. Leon had two birdies and two bogeys and all the rest pars for a superb score of even par 71, and spot in the B.A.G.S.' record book. One stroke behind was Johnathan Law with a very fine 72 off a 4 birdie round. Another stroke behind at 73 with a 3 birdie round was the 2 time defending Order of Merit winner, Jeff Mucciarone. Last year's Cape Champion and Club Champ, Mark Dwyer was also close after shooting a 4 over par 75. At 76 was Ned Emerson, who hung in there well and didn't give up, despite a 5 over par start after his first 4 holes. It was much cooler on Sunday at Bayberry Hills and the wind was swirling. Leon was not as sharp as he was on Saturday, and some early bogeys didn't help him get off to the start he had hoped for. Jeff Mucciarone, who has never won this particular event, had a fine short game working despite the less than smooth greens. Jeff  played the first 13 holes in even par, before making a bogey on the 392 yard 14th hole after hitting his tee shot left. Jeff made pars on 15 and 16, and made another bogey on the 185 yard par 3 17th from the bunker to go to 3 over. Jeff made a nice up and down par putt from 9 feet above the hole on the 490 yard par 5 finishing hole after pitching out from the left trees to in front of the green in three. Jeff's 3 over par 75 got him the winner's trophy by 2 strokes over Johnathan Law. Mark Dwyer took third position with a total of 153 for the 36 hole Championship. In the Net Division A Competition, Saturday was also a day for some unbelievable scoring. In particular, John Cochran was definitely the man. John, who began in B.A.G.S. as a 20+ handicapper 5 years ago, shot a 79 on Saturday, and grabbed a 3 stroke lead over the 05' Florida Champion, Marc Basch, with 42 stableford points. In third spot with 38 points was Chris Kelly who shot a very fine gross score of 77. Sunday was much more difficult for the leaders, but no one really came charging from behind. John Cochran could only manage to get 32 stableford points at Bayberry, but was still able to hang on to win the trophy by 2 strokes over Rhode Island Division member Mike Provost. Marc Basch also had 32 points on Sunday and only was passed by Mike. Steve Ross took the first sweep money on Sunday with a 1 under par net score, and finished in a tie for third in the overall prize fund with Rick Lewis. In the Net Division B competition, John Sawyer, the run away winner of last year's club championship, looked as though he might do it again after coming in with 41 points on Saturday which is equivalent to 5 under par net. However, close by in second was Dick Malo with 40 points, and the recently hot Bruce Jansen who came in with 39 points. As in all the other divisions, Sunday's scores were not as good as Saturday's. Bruce's even par net score was second best for the day in his division, and gave him a 4 stroke victory over Dick Malo and Paul McClure. Dave Donaldson was consistent both days and took forth spot. John Sawyer fell back to fifth. 

Windy conditions in the last two events at both Newport National on Monday, May 1 and at New England CC on Saturday, April 29 had a very negative effect on the scoring for most of the participants. Newport National was designed to be effected by wind as a defense along with ultra fast greens. With 20-30 m.p.h. winds, the course had a strong defense, and the majority of the participants struggled. In the Net Division A competition, Mike Ryan was clearly the best. Despite having a ball blown by a gust of wind at least 20 yards, and ending up out of bounds on the par 5 eighth hole,  causing Mike to take one of his two zeros on the day, Mike held it together well enough to shoot 1 under par net. Incredibly, Mike had net birdies on 9 holes. In the Net Division B competition, Ralph Daniels held it together the best, and his fine score of 1 under par net was good for a 1 stroke victory over Joe Hogan.

 New England CC was in superb condition for the April 29 event with some of the smoothest greens we see all year. While many of the members struggled in the gusty conditions, there were several fine performances. Richard Tenby continued his fine play this year with a gross score of 80, which tied him for low gross on the day with Hermen Dacones and Jeff Mucciarone. Richard's net score of 68 was good for a 5 stroke victory over John Dauksewich who recovered from a disastrous 6 over par start after 4 holes to shoot an 81 gross score in the Net Division A competition.  Brian Boyle and Rick Lewis also played well and shared 3rd place with 3 over par net scores. In the Net Division B competition, Fred Weber came away with his second victory of the young season. The winner at River Bend CC 2 weeks ago, Fred ran away with a 3 stroke victory over David Lee and John Matte, who both played well. 

Sandy Burr was in fine condition for the Sunday April 23rd event. Despite the threat of rain and the coldish conditions, there was some fine scoring. Johnathan Law played some superior golf in his first tournament of the year. Johnathan, who shot even par 144 in the 36 -hole Society Championship at this course last year, came to the 18th tee at level par for the day. Johnathan was short and left of the green after his second shot, and put his third to the back fringe. Johnathan, who had made a 40 foot putt for eagle on the short par 5 11th, needed to make an 8 footer for an even par score. Johnathan's putt had the proper pace to go in, but just missed the hole for a 1 over par 73. Dave Truesdell took second spot with a fine 79. Johnathan's net 71 was also good enough to win the  Net Division trophy.  Matt Little, in his first B.A.G.S.' event, showed that he can be a strong contender this year with a fine gross score of 83 in the cool, raw conditions. Matt's even par net score was good for second place by 1 stroke over B.A.G.S.' youngest member, teenager Chris Rollins, who played well once again.

B.A.G.S. traveled to Pinehills GC to play the Nicklaus II course on Thursday, April 20. It was a breezy cool day in Plymouth, but the abundant sunshine made it feel quite comfortable. Ned Emerson again played well despite a slow start on the round with bogeys on 2 of the first 3 holes. After going to 3 over par after a bogey on the par 3 seventh, Ned made consecutive birdies on 8 and 9. Ned had another birdie on the sharp dogleg left 12th hole to get to even par. However, Ned immediately made a bogey on 12 and then a double on the 180 yard par 3 13th. Ned finished with a fine 4 over par 76. Mark Karski played some very steady golf on the day. Mark made no birdies, but avoided double bogey on his way to a 4 over par 76 and a tie for first in the low gross competition. Glenn Watson and Gary Grogan, playing in his initial B.A.G.S.' event, tied for third with 77's. Gary Grogan's net score of 4 under par 68 was also good for a two stoke victory in the Net Division A competition. Well done, Gary. Steve Ross also played well, and finished 2 shots behind Gary with 38 stableford points or 2 under par net. The trio of Craig Larzelere, Terry McNally and Glenn Watson shared third position. In the Net Division B competition, Ed McDavitt had his finest performance in a B.A.G.S.' event. Ed's gross score of 92 was his best so far by an incredible 10 strokes. Ed's 43 stableford points, which included an eagle after Ed drove to within 4 feet of the 280 yard par 4 fourteenth, was good for a 5 stroke victory over B.A.G.S' senior member, 77 years young, Jim Homans. In a tie for third place were: Chris Rollins, who is B.A.G.S.' youngest member, along with Mike Nelson and Ted Scholnick.

 After the morning clouds and gloom dissipated and the sun made its appearance, the afternoon temperature shot up into the mid- 70's and made for a fine day for golf at River Bend CC for the April 15 event. Last  season's B.A.G.S.' Society Championship winner, Mark Dwyer, played close to his fine form from last year, when he lead the Mass. State Amateur Golf Championship after the first day of stroke play, and shot a fine 2 over par 73 to win the low gross competition by 3 shots. Mark was at even par all the way through 15 holes with the help of 2 birdies. In second place, was last year's second place finisher in the season-long Order of Merit Competition, Ned Emerson, with a fine 76. The Net Division A competition, also played from the back (Gold Tees), was very tightly contested. Rich Lewis, in his first B.A.G.S.' event, shot a very fine gross score of 78 for 2 under par net score of 69. Brendan Landers also shot a 78, and finished in a tie for second with Richard Tenby, who played his best B.A.G.S.' event so far in now his second season of B.A.G.S.' competition for the native of Scotland, with net 70 or 37 stableford points. Dave Wheeler also played well and took fourth spot at even par net. In the Net Division B competition, played from the Blue tees, there were two exceptional performances. Fred Weber had what would have to be his finest performance in his sixth season of B.A.G.S.' competition. After making a bogie on the first hole for 1 stableford point and a goose egg on the second hole, Fred got it into gear and finished the first nine with 20 points. A superb second nine in which Fred shot a gross 41, was good for 22 more points for a massive total of 42. This would have been good enough to win on any other day, but Bruce Jansen, in for the event from Connecticut, also had his best day in B.A.G.S., and tied Fred with 42 points of his own. Three strokes back in third place, despite playing their best B.A.G.S.' rounds so far, were the duo of Steve Reichenbacher and Jim Smith, with 39 points. Ralph Daniels and Rick Russell both won $25 bonus certificates from Dick's Sporting Goods for their fine shots in the nearest to the hole contests on # 4 and #17.

The 72 - Hole B.A.G.S. Florida Championship was played on four superb Orlando area layouts from Friday, December 1 - Monday, December 5. All four courses were in excellent condition with smooth, fast greens, and those participating enjoyed playing in the 70 degree plus weather each day. The '05 Order of Merit title holder, Jeff Mucciarone, who won nearly half the low gross events this year, took the lead after Friday's opening round at the nicely conditioned Forest Lake GC with a fine 3 over par score of 75. Just behind Jeff with 78's, were last year's winner Chris Bae, who now plays out of the TPC of Snoqualmie Ridge, near Seattle, and two time Florida Champion, Paul Cantrell. Saturday's event was played at the unique and troublesome layout at Mystic Dunes. This course, with its many waste areas, deep pot bunkers, and sloping greens sometimes angled away from the from the approach areas, and longish par 4's, presented  problems for nearly all the players. Chris Bae had low gross on the day with a 76, and moved into a tie for the 36 hole lead with Jeff Mucciarone at 154 after Jeff shot an 8 over 79. Paul Cantrell played all the tough holes well, and came to his final two holes of the shotgun start, 3 and 4, both short par four's, at just 1 over par. Paul made a double bogey 6 on the 350 yard par 4 3rd hole after hitting an iron off the tee to the right into a waste area, and made another double on the 315 yard par 4 4th hole after hitting into a pot bunker off the tee, and finished at a disappointing 5 over par 77. Surprisingly, none of the leaders did well at the superbly conditioned layout at Harmony Preserve in Sunday's round, and Jeff Mucciarone took the 54 hole lead with a score of 80, which included a 10 on the par 5 16th hole, his opening hole in the shotgun start, after hitting a drive into a waste bunker. Jeff Mucciarone played some inspired golf in the final round on Monday at the beautiful Eagle Creek GC. He entered the final round with a 1 shot lead over Paul, and a 2 shot lead over Chris. Jeff had one of those rounds that was typical of his game the last two years, and used 4 birdies to offset his 1 double bogey and two single bogey holes to finish with an even par score of 73 on a course with 3 par fives. Long hitting Paul Cantrell, who cut the dogleg right, and nearly drove the 406 yard par 4 7th hole, and easily reached the par 5 536 yard 16th hole with an iron, came undone when he hit a ball out of bounds on the par 5 13th, and made a 9 with his provisional ball after hitting into pot bunker. Chris Bae had some putting woes, and missed several short putts on his way to a 78. The Net Division Championship was very close after 54 holes. Marc Basch had a 2 stroke lead after shooting superb 2 under par net scores on both Friday at Forest Lake and on Sunday at Harmony Preserve. 2 strokes behind Marc were: Dan Chicoine and the 3rd place finisher in this year's Net Division Order of Merit Title competition, Chris Kreilkamp. Paul Cantrell was another stoke behind them along with Bill Feeney, who shot an excellent score of net 70 to move himself into contention for the final round on Monday. Eagle Creek GC had generous fairways and smooth fast greens, and good scores were abundant on Monday. However, Marc Basch was clearly the best, and he put an emphasis mark on his final round with an excellent score of 3 under par net 70, and closed out all the other contenders. 

Jeff Mucciarone became a repeat winner of the B.A.G.S. low gross division Order of Merit, and also set a new record for the second year in a row for the most OOM points in a season with 715.57. Jeff also had a remarkable record of either finishing first by himself or in a tie for first in the low gross competition at an event 30 times. Included in these wins was his B.A.G.S.' scoring record of 4 under par at Passaconaway CC on July 30.  Mark Dwyer won two of the top prizes on the local schedule with a 4 stroke win in the Cape Cod Spring Championship, and a win on the second playoff hole over Johnathan Law, who shot even par both days, in the Society Championship. Darren Falvey played consistently well enough to win the Net Division Order of Merit title in tight race. Darren began in B.A.G.S. as a Net Division B player, and by the end of this season was a strong Net A contender. Other highlights this season were: John Sawyers' 48 points on the first round of the Net Division B Society Championship, which he won., and Jim Homans 43 points at Highfields, and his 4th place finish in the Net Division OOM at age 77.

It was a very poor day for golf for the Saturday, October 29 event at Poquoy Brook GC with a raw northeast wind and the temperature around the 40 degree mark. Nearly all the members that had registered for the event showed up, and they all decided to play. The first groups out had the best playing conditions, because they nearly finished the round before some heavy snow showers moved in around 3 P.M. The snow was more a nuisance than anything else because it didn't begin to stick to the ground until the last group was nearly done. Glenn Watson was off in the first group, and he had the round of the day. Glenn shot superb 3 over par 39's on both sides for a 6 over par 78 and a 4 stroke victory over Brian Boyle, who is one the best foul weather players in B.A.G.S. Well done, Glenn! Glenn also took first place in the Net Division A competition with an even par net score. Rene Thompson also played well, and his net score of 74 was good for second place by 1 stroke over new B.A.G.S.' member, Jason Stockwell, who was competing in his second event. In the Net Division B competition, Richard Ford was the winner by 1 stroke over Mike Robinson. Mike also won the nearest to the hole contest. Sean Boylan had his best finish of the year, and took third position.

Foxborough CC was in excellent condition for the Monday, October 24 event despite the heavy weekend rain. The greens were as fast as usual, and this, combined with some tough hole positions, made three putt greens common. Ned Emerson played well again after coming off a nice victory the previous Monday at Ferncroft CC,  and tied for first place with Jim Krasco each with 6 over par 78's. Jim, who always seems to play well at this course, was also the best in the Net Division A competition. Jim's fine net score of 69 was good for a 2 stroke victory over Mr. Consistent, Rey LeMaine. Rey, the easy winner at Ballymeade and 4th place finisher at Ferncroft CC, shot 1 under par net score of 71. Rey also won the nearest to the hole contest on the 170 yard 17th hole. Bob Steward also played well, and finished at even par net good for third spot. In the Net Division B competition, Dave Donaldson, who just recently rejoined B.A.G.S., shot a fine even par net score to win by 3 strokes over Bill Downs and Leo Lebeuf. Well done, Dave! 

It was cool, brisk day for the October 20 event at Ferncroft CC, but unlike the last two years, there was some filtered sunshine to provide some warmth. The course was in excellent shape with smooth, ultra fast greens and closely cut fairways. Ned Emerson hit nearly every fairway, and when he did find trouble, he used a hot putter bail himself out. After hitting his tee shot into the pond on the 160 yard par 3 8th, which played directly into a the breeze, Ned got up and down for bogey from 100 yards. Ned made the turn at 4 over par 40. After making bogeys on the 10 and 11, Ned was 6 over par. Ned hit a nice tee shot on the downhill 178 yard 12th to 5 feet, and just missed the putt for birdie. This was the start of a nice stretch of holes. Ned got up and down for nice pars 13 and 14.After having his birdie putt on the 480 yard par 5 15th go down the sloping green to 7 feet below the hole, Ned coolly made the comeback putt. Ned's best recovery shot was on 170 par 3 16th. Ned just got out of the front bunker, and then putted in for par from the rough just beyond the fringe from about 12 feet above the hole. Ned finished with a par on 18 for a 78, and a 2 stroke victory in the low gross competition. In the Net Division A competition, Jay Breen came away with the trophy. Jay shot a very respectable gross score of 84, which was tied for the third best score on the day. Jay's net score of 73 was good for a 1 stroke victory over the afore mentioned Ned E. Late entry, Glenn Watson, played very well with a gross score of 84, and took third spot with a net 75. Runaway champion at Ballymeade CC, Rey LeMaine, continued his fine play, and took 4th position. In the Net Division B competition, Anthony Trodella was definitely the man. Anthony played exceptionally well, and had  9 net birdies on his card, which included two gross deuces. Anthony's gross score of 81 was his lowest score in 3 years of B.A.G.S.' competition, and his net score of 67 was good for a 5 stroke victory over Stephen Gould and Chris Hulswit who also played extremely well considering the fact that no one else in Net B finished within 4 strokes of them. Steve Rollins won the nearest to the hole contest with a bold shot to within 5 feet of the hole on downhill 12th.

The summer like weather lasted through the Thursday, October 6th event at Spring Valley CC. The temperature was above 80 degrees for this event, and with the humidity, it felt like a day in August. The tees were all the way back on this 6800 yard par 72 course for the low gross and Net Division A competition, and the rough was up. Jeff Mucciarone, who started on the 10th hole, had a tough stretch of holes, from 12 - 16, in which he played these 5 holes in 5 over par, after opening with pars on 10 and 11. After a nice birdie on the 532 yard par 5 17th, Jeff got on a nice streak. Jeff played the next 10 holes in even par to finish at 5 over par 77. This was good enough for a 1 stroke victory over Mark Karski, who played consistently well for the whole round. In the Net Division A competition, Tom Simard put together a fine round with 5 net birdies, which helped offset his 4 double bogeys, and tied for first place with Mark Karski at 2 over par net. John Cochran recovered quite well from his poor round at Segregansett CC, and took third spot with a net 75. In the Net Division B competition, played from the slightly shorter White Tees, anything near net par was good on this challenging course. Paul Kudarauskas was the only Net B competitor to even remotely come close to net par. Paul's 2 over net 74 was good for a 4 stroke victory. Well back in second place, were the trio of: Ed Cone, Steve Rollins, and Don Curley. Ray Vigeant won the nearest to the hole contest on the 175 yard 13th.

The weather was perfect for the Sunday, October 2 event at Souhegan Woods. The temperature was around 80 degrees, and it definitely felt like a late summer day. In the low gross competition, Will Peishoff played extremely well, and came away with his first win. Will started off his round with a nice birdie on the 400 yard opening par 4, and added another birdie on the 188 yard par 4 3rd. Will made a double bogey on the tough 441 par 4 6th hole, and finished the first nine at 3 over par. Will started his second with a birdie on the 336 yard 10th hole, and ended up with a fine 1 over par 37 for 76 on the day, and a 3 shot victory over run away OOM leader Jeff Mucciarone. Will's net score of 67 was good for a 4 stroke victory over 14 year B.A.G.S.' member Dan Chicoine, who also played some excellent golf. Lifetime member, Peter Thompson played well, and just missed a tie for second when his eagle putt on the 479 yard par 5 finishing hole just hung on the lip. Greg Johnson won the nearest to the hole contest on # 17.

It was a windy, but warm day for the Monday, September 26 event at Segregansett CC. The wind, as well as the very fast greens, effected the scoring. Most of the members are not accustomed to playing greens of this speed, and the scores in all divisions reflected that. Ray Vigeant had a fine 3 birdie round which helped offset his two double bogeys, and Ray came in with the winning score in the low gross competition with a 5 over par 77. Johnathan Law was just 1 stroke behind in second with a two birdie round of 78. In the Net Division A competition, B.A.G.S.' veteran, Marc Basch tied for first place with new B.A.G.S.' member, Rick Royston, who was competing in his initial event, with 2 over par net scores of 74. In the Net Division B competition, Mike Robinson played some really fine golf, and his even par net score was good for a 2 stroke victory over Bill Robinson and Ken Hallberg. Rick Royston also won the nearest to the hole contest on the 150 yard 17th hole.

Franklin Park GC was in fine condition for the Saturday, September 24 event. The greens were smooth and quite fast, and except for a few bad spots,  the fairways and rough were also in good shape. Dave Truesdell showed that he just might be the player to beat in the low gross competition any time he tees it up in a B.A.G.S.' event. After shooting a not so great 5 over par 39 on the easier first nine at Franklin Park GC, Dave had a much better 2 birdie, 2 bogey second nine with the rest pars for an even par score of 36. Dave's 75 was good for a 3 stroke victory over Johnathan Law. In the Net Division A competition, Doug Bray came away with his first victory since mid-July at Stonebridge CC. Doug's fine net score of 1 under par 70 was good for 1 stroke edge over the afore mentioned Dave Truesdell, Chris Kreilkamp, and Rene Thompson who was participating in his first B.A.G.S.' event after recently joining the Society. In the Net Division B competition, Ralph Daniels played a wonderful first nine with a gross score of 44 which was good for 20 stableford points. After a nice par on the 345 yard par 10th hole, and a net birdie on the 514 yard par 5 11th hole, Ralph struggled, as did most of the players, on the well known "Bobby Jones" 12th hole. With the hole cut near right edge of this sloping green, many of the participants had trouble keeping the ball on the green with any kind of downhill putt on this uphill 407 yard hole. After a nice gross par on the short but tricky 288 yard par 17th hole to get to 1 under par net, Ralph couldn't make a point on the 486 yard par 5 finishing hole. However, Ralph's 1 over par net score of 71 was good enough for a 2 stroke advantage over Doug Brothers and Paul Kudarauskas.

Ned Emerson played some superior golf in the Wednesday, September, 21 event at Highfields G & CC. Net Division A played this event from the way back tees at 7021 yards on fine early fall day with the temperature above 80 degrees. Ned was as steady as could be for the first 14 holes with two birdies and just 1 bogey. A bogey on the 527 yard par 15th hole brought Ned back to even par. Ned made a double bogey on the tough 481 yard par 4 16th hole, and after a par on the short 17th, Ned made bogey on 18 to finish at 3 over par 75. Ned's net 70 was good for an easy 3 stoke victory in the Net Division A competition over Andy Zamagni ,and Nate Liskov who both played well. In the Net Division B competition played from the shorted Gold tee markers, Glenn McIntyre and Paul Kudarauskas both played extremely well, and finished in a tie for first with 39 stableford points or 3 under par net. Paul McCurley also played well and finished with 37 points for solo third.

There was some excellent scoring in the Sandy Burr event on Saturday, September 17. The remnants of tropical storm Ophelia stayed well away from the area, and the conditions were good for golf. Jeff Mucciarone led the way in the low gross division with a 3 birdie round, and a  fine 1 over par score of 73. Ned Emerson also had 3 birdies on the day, and finished in a tie with Ray Vigeant for second place with  a  75. Right behind, in 4th position, was Johnathan Law with a 76, despite a quadruple bogey on the 380 yard 12th hole. In the Net Division A competition, both Tom Dromgoole and John McGilley both played exceptionally well. Tom shot a fine gross score of 77 which was his lowest score in a local B.A.G.S.' event in nearly 7 years of B.A.G.S.' competition. Tom did shoot a 77 in the Florida Championship last year at Panther Lake. John McGilley's gross score of 82 missed by 1 stroke of matching his best score in a B.A.G.S.' event in nearly 9 years of competition. Both players finished with 40 stableford points or 4 under par net to beat Russ D'Auria by 1 point. Peter Thompson shot a fine gross score of 79 and took 4th spot. In the Net Division B competition, Bill Feeney was definitely the man. Bill, now in his 9th year of B.A.G.S.' competition, had never broken the 90 barrier. Bill smashed through that barrier on Saturday. Bill had 5 pars on the day, and more importantly, no double bogeys. Bill was also consistent, and shot 44 on both nines. Bill's exceptionally fine gross score of 88 was good for a massive 43 stableford points. Well back in second place were Tony Carmona, who was trying for his third consecutive Net Division B victory and Thomas Davis with 39 points. John Sawyer, the Net Division B club champion took fourth with 38 points.

The B.A.G.S.' members participating in the Crumpin-Fox - Bretwood GC weekend enjoyed a superb two days for golf. It was sunny, crisp, and cool for the Saturday, September 10th event at Crumpin-Fox. As usual, the members found the course very challenging and the scores reflected that. Ray Vigeant got on a nice steak of holes, after playing the opening 5 holes in 4 over par. Ray then made pars on holes 7 - 12 before making a bogey on the 370 yard par 4 13th hole after 3 putting. Ray reached the par 5 506 yard 14th hole in two shots, and just missed his eagle putt. After making pars on 15 and 16, Ray hit a poor tee shot on the 508 yard par 5 17th hole, and was forced to take an unplayable lie. Ray then punched out safely, and got near the green on his fourth shot, and got up down for a very good bogey 6. Ray made a par on the tough 390 yard par 4 18th hole for a nice second nine score of 37. Ray's 5 over par 77 was good for a 2 stroke victory over Erik Okvist. In the Net Division B competition, Tony Carmona came away with what would be the first of his two Net Division B victories on the weekend. Tony shot a fine even par net score to win by 3 strokes over Dave Holland and Ted Scholnick. The Net Division A played Bretwood North Course from all the way back at 6976 yards for the Sunday, September 11th event. Jeff Mucciarone got back on the familiar winning track at a course that seems to suit his game. Jeff shot a 4 over par 76 to win by 4 strokes over Ed Clough. A few swing changes have had a positive effect on Ed's game and it showed on Sunday. Ed started a bit slowly with a first nine score of 5 over par 42 for 18 stableford points. A very nice birdie on the 434 yard par 4 10th hole gave him 4 stableford points, and a total of 22 after 10. Ed hit a pull hook tee shot on the short 346 yard par 4 12th hole, and found himself in trouble and had to settle for a double bogey 6. Ed then settled down, and played the rest of the way in at just 2 over par for a 3 over par 38 and 19 more stableford points, and easy Net Division A victory. Tony Carmona added another Net Division B victory on Sunday with 35 stableford points. Well done, Tony! Allan Sutfin made a huge turn around when he finished in a tie for second with John Sawyer, after finishing near the bottom at Crumpin-Fox.

Mark Dwyer came away with a tight 1 stroke victory over Wayne Stone in the Wednesday September 7 event at Brookmeadow CC. Mark played even par golf for the first 15 holes. A bogey on the 538 yard par 5 16th and a closing bogey on the 418 yard finishing hole pushed Mark to a 2 over par 74. Wayne Stone, who has started to show some of the fine form that contributed to his winning last year's Net Division Order of Merit Title, shot a very fine gross score of 75 to finish 1 better that Johnathan Law for second place. Wayne's net score of 69 tied him for first place with Darren Falvey who shot an impressive gross score of 81. Darren has now brought his handicap down from 18+ at the beginning of the year to a current index of 12.4. However, the most impressive performance of the tournament was by Ted Scholnick in the Net Division B competition. Ted played the opening 9 holes in even par gross. Something almost unheard of in Net Division B competition. Ted amassed an incredible 26 stableford points after 9. Ted did cool off on the second nine, which is tighter than the first nine, and has some tough closing holes. Ted's gross score on the day of 81was his lowest score in a B.A.G.S.' event by 6 strokes in nearly 6 years of competition! Rhode Island member, Ed Neff, came in with 42 stableford points, and took second place by 1 stroke over Larry Brewster, who had his best B.A.G.S.' tournament score with a gross score of 83. 

The weather was perfect for the Sunday September, 4 event at Atlantic CC. The temperature was close to 80 degrees with low humidity and very little wind. Atlantic CC is a difficult course from the Gold tees at 6720 yards, and the tees were all the way back for this event. Johnathan Law, who had never played the course before, played some superb golf. Johnathan, who began his round on the 10th hole, matched the card for pars for an even par 36 after nine. After a birdie on the 353 yard first hole, Johnathan's 10th, he went to 1 under par. Johnathan made bogeys on 2, 6, 7, and 8  to go to 3 over par, but a nice birdie on the 428 yard 9th hole, brought Johnathan back to 2 over for the day at 74. This was good for a strong 3 stroke victory in the low gross division over rivals: Ned Emerson, Jeff Mucciarone, and Ray Vigeant. In the Net Division A competition, Mr. Consistent, Dennis Callahan, who finished second the previous weekend, shot 2 under par net, for a 1 stroke victory over J. Law. Ned Emerson and Tom Simard tied for third place. In the Net Division B competition, Russ D'Auria played extremely well, and got his second victory of the year with nice 2 under par net score. Allan McCue played well, and took second position with a  fine1 under par net score. Jim Homans continued his fine play from recent weeks, and took third with an even par net score. Karl Eigsti won the nearest to the hole contest on the 140- yard 17th hole.

B.A.G.S. traveled to Highfields G & CC for the Sunday, August 28th event, and played the longest golf course on its schedule this year. Highfields measures close 7025 yards from the Black tees, which the low gross and Net Division A competed from. Erik Okvist is one of the longest and straightest players in B.A.G.S., when he is on his game, and he was coming off a nice win at Newport National, with a fine 74, in the Monday, August 22nd event. Erik played the first nine holes in just 2 over par 38. This included a nice birdie on the 622 yard par 5 9th hole where most of the players made 6 or worse. Erik got on a nice streak, and played holes 10-13 with all pars. A double bogey on the uphill 347 yard par 4 14th hole only derailed Erik momentarily. Erik came back with a birdie on the 527 yard par 5 15th to get back to 3 over par. Erik made bogey on the extremely difficult 484 yard par 4 16th hole, and another on the short 136 yard 17th to go to 5 over par. After hitting his second shot to the back fringe of the 539 yard par 5 18th, Erik took three more to get the ball in the hole, and finished at 5 over par 77. Ned Emerson played a superb closing nine holes with a 1 over par 37, after a tough opening nine 41, and nearly caught Erik. Dave Truesdell played well, and took third position with a 79. In the Net Division A competition, Tom Simard played extremely well, and used his fine short game to shoot a very good gross score of 81, for a 2 under par net score, considering that the course was rated at 74.5 with a slope of 140 from the back tees. Dennis Callahan continued his fine play from the Championship, and took second place with a 1 under par net score of 71. In the Net Division B competition, played from the Gold Tee markers, the elder statesman of B.A.G.S., now in his 15th year of B.A.G.S.' competition, Jim Homans at 77 years young, had perhaps his best event. Jim, who competes in nearly every event on the schedule, shot a very fine gross score of 93 good for a massive 43 stableford points, and a 4 point victory over Jerry Bradley, who also played quite well. Paul McCurley finished in the money for the third consecutive event with 37 stableford points, good for third position.  

With the pressure and excitement of the B.A.G.S.' Championship only a few days behind him, Jeff Mucciarone got back to his winning ways with a fine performance at the delightful Poquoy Brook GC layout. A couple of missed played shots on the first nine pushed Jeff to a 2 over par score of 38. Three pars followed on holes 10-12. After making a nice birdie putt on the 363 yard 13th hole, Jeff hit a long iron onto the front of the 474 yard par 5 14th hole. A two putt birdie got Jeff back to even par, and a chance to equal the best B.A.G.S.' round (72) at this course. However, after making par at the 181 yard par 3 15th hole, Jeff made bogeys on both the long par 4's, despite perfect drives on both holes. Jeff had to settle for par on the closing hole, the 481 yard par 5 18th, and a round of 2 over par 74. Bob Sheridan played well once again, and took second low gross with a fine 5 over par 77. In the Net Division A competition, John Cochran was definitely the man. John played the first 15 holes in just 5 over par gross. 16 and 17 are tough par 4's from the way back tees, which Net Division A played, at 461 and 453 yards each. John double bogeyed both, and finished with a bogey, but this only prevented him from posting a sub-80 score. John's 40 stableford points was good enough for an impressive 4 point victory over the afore mentioned Bob Sheridan. Greg Johnson and Peter Thompson tied for third position with 1 over par net scores. Greg possibly could have had second place to himself, but a zero point hole on 18, cost him. In the Net Division B competition, Peter Elliott played some superb golf. After a fine gross score of 43 on the first nine holes, for 22 stableford points, Peter moved even further in front of his competition after a nice birdie on the 366 yard par 4 13th hole. Three more net birdies followed on 14, 16, and 17. Peter "flamed out" on 18 with a zero point hole, but he still posted his first sub-90 round in quite some time, and posted a 2 stroke victory over Alan Fincke, who had his best tournament of the year, and shot a fine gross score of 84. Paul McCurley played well again, and took third position with 39 points. Lifetime member, Peter Thompson, won the nearest to the hole contest on the 15th, after nearly rolling the ball into the hole.

There were some outstanding performances in the 17th annual B.A.G.S.' Society Championship on the weekend of August 20&21 at Sandy Burr. It was a very warm weekend, and the play was red hot in all divisions. At the end of Saturday's opening round, there were three players tied for the lead at even par. Johnathan Law, Jeff Mucciarone, and Erik Okvist all shot 72's, and only 1 stoke behind were Mark Dwyer, the '05 Cape Cod Spring Champion, and Andy Zamagni. On Sunday, the leaders all went off in the final group off the 10th tee. Sunday was a very humid day, and while some of Saturday's leaders slipped back, there were two fine performances. Johnathan Law used the par 5's to his advantage with birdies on two of them plus another birdie on #8 his 17th hole to get to even par for the second day in a row. Mark Dwyer shot a 1 under par 35 on his first nine, with all 4's and a 3 on his card. Mark finished  the day with an even par second 9 holes, with a par 5 on the first hole, his 10th, the only score above 4 on his card all day for a 1 under par 71. Mark and Johnathan began a sudden victory/death playoff, which Mark won on the second hole. Last year's champion, Jeff Mucciarone took third position with a 148 total.  Brian Boyle, who played extremely well in his first low gross championship participation, finished 4th along with Erik Okvist, who also played well. In the Net Division A competition, there was some incredible scoring. Peter Thompson, 5 time B.A.G.S. Order of Merit Champion, took the first day lead with a superb gross score of 75, good for 42 stableford points. Mark Delvecchio and Steve Preble were only 3 points behind, and Tony Kolodziej, who always plays well at this course, was only 4 points behind. On Sunday, there was even more incredible scoring. Ray Karkman, who had signed on Saturday for a 5 on a hole in which he had made a par 4, and thus lost a stableford point, played some unbelievable golf on Sunday. On his way to shooting a 3 over par 75, his best score in 4 years of B.A.G.S.' competition by 3 strokes, Ray had 2 birdies and an eagle on the short 450 yard par 5 11th hole. Ray's total of 43 stableford points tied him with Steve Preble, who shot a nice  gross score of 76 on Sunday to follow up his 77 on Saturday. The championship trophy went to Ray, who had the better second day score. John Korzun also raced past other participants with the help of a superb gross score of 78, which was the first time in nearly 10 years of B.A.G.S.' competition that John had shot better that 80. John finished third overall, 2 points ahead of the duo of Mark Delvecchio and Dennis Callahan. In the Net Division B competition, John Sawyer was in a league by himself. On Saturday, John had 22 points after 9 holes, but instead of letting a good round get away from him, as so many higher handicappers do, John played even better on the second nine. John pared the tough 175 yard par 10th hole, and after pars on 12 and 13, John chipped in for a birdie on 14  for a net eagle. 18 is tough finishing at 390 yards to a green on top of a hill. Most 20 plus handicappers are happy to make a 5 here, and get their 2 points. Not John on this day. John chipped in again for a gross birdie and with 2 strokes on the hole, it was a net Albatross for 5 points. John shot a gross 85 on the day, which was incredibly John's lowest gross score in 3 years of B.A.G.S.' competition by 10 strokes! Obviously, the battle was for second place. Mike Robinson played well enough to win most events, but his 8 under par net score total for the weekend was still 6 strokes behind John, who came in with 2 under par net on Sunday. Ari Illeperuma continued to improve, and took third spot at 4 under par net, 1 stroke ahead of Fred Weber, who both tied for Sunday's first place sweep. Steve Rollins who also played exceptionally well on Sunday with 40 points, and took 5th place. 

 Jeff Mucciarone played a really superlative round of golf in the Wednesday, August 17 event at River Bend CC. The greens had recently been punched with aeration holes, and making any kind of putt from more than several feet away proved to be difficult for most of the field. This didn't seem to bother Jeff. Jeff made birdie putts on holes number 3 and 9 from good size distances to help him finish the first nine at 1 under par. Jeff then rolled in another birdie putt on the 412 yard 10th hole to go to 2 under par. Back to back bogeys on the tight 15th and 16th holes brought him back to even par. Jeff pared 17 and 18 to shoot an even par 71, and an 8 stroke victory in the low gross competition. Jeff's 71 was best score in 5 years of B.A.G.S.; competition at this golf course and another entry in the B.A.G.S.' record book. In the Net Division A competition, Jeff earned a tie with David Spurr, who had his best finish in a B.A.G.S.' event this year, with 1 under par net scores. Bill Robinson played well, and finished in a tie for third with Rhode Island members, Dick Burt and Charlie Lewis. In the Net Division B competition, another Rhode Island Division member, Chris Holihen, shot 4 under par net and won a tight, 1 stroke victory over Wayne Daley, who played exceptionally well, and had no zero point holes and shot a gross score 93. This was Wayne's lowest gross score in nearly 5 years of B.A.G.S.' competition. Well done, Wayne! 

 B.A.G.S. traveled to Sandy Burr for the Wednesday, August 10 event. It was a scorching hot day with the temperature above 90 degrees once again. Johnathan Law was also extremely hot for the first 13 holes. Johnathan used the par 5's to his advantage, as you must at Sandy Burr in order to have a good score. Johnathan had birdies on 1 and 2, which are both par 5's, and also on the short par 5 11th, to help him to get to 3 under par through 13 holes. After a bogey on 14, and a par at 15, Johnathan got to the 16th tee at 2 under par. Johnathan found trouble on 16 and had to take a double bogey, and finished 17 and 18 with bogeys also. Despite the poor finish to his round, Johnathan was able to tie Jeff Mucciarone for low gross on the day with a 2 over par 74. In the Net Division A competition, Joe Pimental and Tony Kolodziej both played well, and tied for first place with net 69's. Rick McCready, who also played in the same foursome with Joe P. and Tony K., shot a very fine gross score of 77, and took third place in the net with a 2 under par net score. In the Net Division B competition, John Corbett won his first event of the year. John's gross score of 89 marked the first time in 3 years of B.A.G.S.' competition that John was able to break the 90 barrier. John finished with a 2 under par net score. Well done, John! Peter Elliott also played well, and took second place with a net 71. Jon Baron played well again at a course he knows so well, and took third position with an even par net score.

The high humidity from the previous week dissipated for the Saturday, August 6 event at George Wright GC. The scoring at this 1930's Donald Ross design, has been for the most part higher than at other layouts despite the fact that yardage from all the way back is only 6440 yards. It seems only those players who know the layout well, with its many blind shots to greens and fairways, do well here. Jeff Mucciarone returned to his winning ways with a 6 over par 76 to get a 2 stroke victory over Brian Boyle and David Gibson. In the Net Division A competition, Mike McLaughlin had a fine effort. Mike shot a fine gross score of 81, and played the last 6 holes in just 1 over par. Mike's 2 under par net 68 was good for a 1 stroke victory over David Gibson who continued his fine play. Peter Thompson took third spot with a 1 over par net score after making bogeys on the last 2 holes. In the Net Division B competition, Bill Sullivan was definitely the man. Bill shot 6 over par 41 gross on both nines for an excellent score of 82. Bill's 40 stableford points or 4 under par net was good for an easy 6 point victory over Bill Feeney who played well. Richard Ford made it two for two in the money as he took third spot for the second time in just his second B.A.G.S.' event.

The hole positions were in some tough spots on the sloping greens for the Wednesday, August 3rd event at South Shore CC, but this didn't seem to effect Chris Kreilkamp. Chris played some outstanding golf on his way to a fine 3 over par gross 75. Chris got the momentum going early with a nice birdie on the opening hole, and finished the first nine at 2 over par. Chris pared the first 3 holes on the second nine, before making consecutive bogeys on 13 and 14. Chris made a birdie on the 534 yard par 5 15th hole to get it back to 3 over par, and made all pars on the three closing holes. This gave Chris a 4 stroke victory over Rick McCready and Johnathan Law, who struggled on the second nine after shooting 1 over par on the first nine. Chris easily won the Net Division A competition by 5 strokes over Rick McCready. In the Net Division B competition, Paul Kudarauskas showed some of his excellent form from earlier in the year, and shot a fine 2 under par net score. This was good for a 1 stroke victory over Mike Robinson, who played well after struggling with his game following an exceptional tournament victory at River Bend CC back in May. Richard Ford played well in his initial B.A.G.S.' event, and took third spot with an even par net score.

The Blue (back) tee markers were all the way back on every hole except for the par 3 17th, and the course played at just about its full 6850 yards, but this didn't seem to effect the scores in the Low Gross or Net Division A competition. Jeff Mucciarone led the charge with an all-time B.A.G.S.' scoring record with a superlative 4 under par 67. Jeff got off to a great start with a chip-in eagle on the 561 yard par 5 opening hole. After making his only bogey on the day at the 473 yard par 4 7th hole, Jeff came right back with a birdie on the 394 yard 8th hole. A string of pars on the next 5 holes got Jeff past the tough 223 yard par 3 13th. Jeff then birdied the next 2 holes to get to 4 under par. Jeff  finished his round with 3 straight pars. Before this, no one in the 17 year history of B.A.G.S.' competition had ever shot more than 3 under par. Johnathan Law might have won on any other day. Johnathan matched the previous best score in a B.A.G.S.' event at Passaconaway, from the Blue tees, in our 13 years of play here with a superb 1 over par 72. Greg Johnson had his best ever result in a B.A.G.S.' event. Greg had an astounding 6 birdies on the day, and shot a 2 over gross score of 73. Greg's net 63 was good for a 2 shot victory in the Net Division A competition over Jeff M.. Dave Markuson also played exceptionally well with a gross score of 75, and his net total of 67 took third position. In the Net Division B competition from the much shorter White Tee markers, John Farina came in with a massive total of 45 stableford points. This was good for 4 stroke victory over his brother Vin Farina. Aisling Doyle played well again, and her net score of 67 put her in a tie with Chris Hulswit for third spot. Another highlight of the day was Mike McAvoy's hole in one on the tough 172 yard par 3 13th hole across the hazard. Mike struck his shot straight and true, and will receive a free membership for next year.

It was an exceptionally hot and steamy day for the Wednesday, July 27 event at Blissful Meadows. Despite the high heat and humidity, there were many fine performances. None was better than that by Jeff Mucciarone. Jeff was simply steady and relentless all day. Jeff hit 17 of 18 greens in regulation with 1 birdie and 2 bogies and all the rest pars for a 1 over par score of 73. Jeff missed several birdie putts, and was only in trouble once all day off the tee, when he pushed his tee shot into the trees on the right on the 405 yard par 4 17th and made bogey. Wayne Stone showed some of fine form from last year, when he won the Net Division Order of Merit Title, and came in with a fine score of 78 for second low gross. In the Net Division A competition, RI member, Bob Ryan, had a fine round and shot 82 gross for a 4 under par net score of 68. Jeff M. took second low gross, and Richard Tenby had his best performance of the year, and took third spot with a 1 under par net score. In the Net Division B competition, Ted Scholnick wasn't effected by the high heat, and shot a very fine gross of 87 that included back to back birdies for net eagles on the par 4 14th hole and par 3 15th hole. Ted's net 68 was good for a 1 stroke victory over Dick Malo and Ralph Boone who both played extremely well. Ed Cone, Peter Elliott and Jack Elicone shared 4th position with 2 under par net score. Jack also won the nearest to the hole contest.

B.A.G.S. traveled to Blackstone National for its Wednesday, July 20th event. B.A.G.S. had not had this layout on its schedule for several years, and the course had grown in quite well since our first visit here 5 years ago. Jeff Mucciarone continued his steak of shooting 74's in tournament play at Blackstone. Jeff hit plenty of greens in regulation, and when he did miss a green, as on the 480 yard par 4 15th hole, he relied on a very capable short game to get up and down. John Rannikko, who was playing in the same group with Jeff, matched Jeff for 13 holes, until John made a double bogey 6 on the 387 yard par 4 14th hole. John finished with a fine 5 over par 77 for second low gross score on the day. John's net 69 was good for a 3 stoke victory in the Net Division A competition. In the Net Division B competition, Neil Denenberg played some superior golf. Neil shot a gross score of 83, and this included a fine 3 over par gross score of 39 on the second nine despite a triple bogey on the tough 480 yard par 4 15th. Neil's net 65 was good for a 2 stroke victory over young, Chris Rollins, who played some consistent golf and beat his dad, Steve Rollins, by 1 stroke net. Rich Ringler won the nearest to the hole contest on the tough 190 yard 13th hole.

The members participating in the Stonebridge CC event on Saturday, July 16 enjoyed playing this nicely conditioned course, although the haze obscured some of the distant scenic beauty of the surrounding hills. Jeff Mucciarone, who earlier in the week competed in the match play portion of the Mass. Amateur Championship, after shooting a pair of 74's in the stroke play, shot his most common score again on Saturday, with a 2 over par score of 74 to win the low gross competition. Doug Bray found his swing for this event, along with his putting stroke, and played some superb golf. Doug played the first 12 holes in just 2 over par gross. 3 bogies in his final 6 holes pushed him to a 5 over par 77, which was good enough for second place. Doug's net 64 was good for a healthy 4 stroke victory over Laurence Barden, who played his best event this year with a fine gross score of 79 and 40 stableford points. John Daukeswich and Brad Peterson both played well and finished in a tie for third spot along with Jeff M. at even par net. In the Net Division B competition, Bill Sullivan got the winner's trophy with a fine 2 under par net score. Bill played the par 37 second nine holes in just 6 over par gross for 21 stableford points. George Tatosky and Tony Carmona both had their best tournament performances of the year so far, and tied for second place with even par net scores. Jim Homans, now at 77 years young, and who trounced the Net Division B field at this past Wednesday's event at Olde Scotland Links with a net 65, had another fine performance and took fourth position with a 1 over par net score. John Cochran won the nearest to the hole contest with an expertly struck short iron to within 4 feet of the hole on the 153 yard 16th hole.

There was some excellent scoring by the B.A.G.S.' members participating in the Sunday, July 10th event at Sandy Burr. Mark Karski took advantage of the par 5's at Sandy Burr, which you have to do in order to go low. Mark played them in 2 under par which helped him shoot a fine 1 over par 73 to win for the second time in his last three events. Jeff Mucciarone shot even par 36 on the first nine, but a bogey on the very reachable 450 yard par 5 11th hole, after his tee ball was lost, cost him a chance at an even par or better round. Jeff took second place with a 74. Johnathan Law played the first 14 holes in even par, but a bogey on 15, when his second shot went over the green and a double bogey on 16, when he had to take an unplayable, after his second shot skipped off the edge of the green and went into the bushes, pushed him into a tie for third at 75 with Andy Zamagni. In the Net Division A competition, Rhode Island invader, Gary Swiman, had an outstanding beginning and finish to his round. Gary started with an eagle on the 471 yard par 5 first hole, and finished with a holed-out fairway shot on the uphill 406 yard 18th hole for a total of 9 stableford points on just 2 holes. Gary's 18 hole total of 41 points was good enough for a 1 point victory over David Gibson, who played well once again. David, who won the previous weekend event, had his first sub-80 round in B.A.G.S.' competition in 2 years. In the Net Division B competition, Jon Baron played extremely well on this rather hot day, and his 3 under par net score earned him a 2 stroke victory over Paul McCurley, who nearly always plays well at this course. George White played well once again, and took third spot with an even par net score.

Marlborough CC was in superb condition for the Tuesday, July 5th event on a warm and breezy day. The course is not overly penal with generous driving areas and just a couple of water hazards. However, the fast and quite slippery putting surfaces demand that the players keep their approach shots below the hole to avoid the inevitable 3, and yes, 4 putt greens from above the hole. Jeff Mucciarone had just one three putt green, when his 2 footer did a 360 degree spin around the hole on the 544 yard par 5 11th hole for 1 of his just four bogies on the day. Jeff played some really fine golf all day, and his 3 over 74, which included a 7 foot birdie putt on the 377 yard par 4 third hole was good for a 6 shot victory over Dave Markuson and Andy Zamagni. In the Net Division A competition, Rich Ringler had his best result in an event this year. Rich shot a fine gross score of 81, despite making a double bogey 7 on the relatively easy 527 yard par 5 8th hole where most of the field had good chances for birdie. Rich did, however, make a nice birdie on number 17. Rich's net score of 69 was good for a 3 stroke victory over Dave Markuson and Jeff M. In the Net Division B competition, there was a tie for first place. Both Ralph Daniels and Mike McLaughlin played extremely well, and shot 3 under par net scores. Bud McGrath showed some of his old form, and played some excellent golf with a gross score of 86, and finished in a tie with the consistent Jim Bethune  for third position. 

B.A.G.S. traveled to New England CC for its Saturday, July 5th event. This nicely conditioned course is not long (6483) from the Blue Tees, but it does require some accurate shots to the tight fairways, and the driver is best kept in the bag on most holes. Jeff Mucciarone shot a decent 3 over par 39 on the first nine holes, and played the second in steady, with no birdies,  fashion with a 2 over par 38 for a 77. Ned Emerson finished the first nine with a 41 that included a triple bogey on the tough 397 yard par second hole. Ned played some really fine golf on the second nine, which included an eagle 2 on the short, uphill, par 4 325 yard 15th, when he pitched in from the fairway. Ned's second nine 1 over par 36 tied him for the low gross title with Jeff. In the Net Division A competition, David Gibson had a fine 2 stroke victory. David shot a very fine low gross score of 80, which was the third best of the day, and his best score in a B.A.G.S.' event in over 2 years. Well done, David. In the Net Division B competition, Bill Garten was definitely the man. Bill shot an excellent low gross score of 85 from the middle (Black Tees) for 41 stableford points or 6 under par net. Bill had a total of 8 net birdies, and didn't have a single zero point hole. Jim Homans, at 77 years young, had his best finish so far this season with a second place finish at 1 over par net. This hasn't been Jim's best season so far this year, but he still loves the competition, and plays far more often than many of the members half his age. Finishing in a tie for third spot with 2 over par net scores were a pair of Mike's: McAvoy and O'Malley.

The members participating in the Thursday, June 23 event at Scottish Highlands enjoyed a fantastic early summer day for golf.  Scottish Highlands was in excellent condition, and there were many fine scores, as usual, at this friendly course. Jeff Mucciarone played the first nine holes in 1 over par with a birdie on the 461 yard par 4 4th hole, and 2 bogies. Another bogey on the short 307 yard par 4 10th hole, after failing to get up and down from the back fringe, pushed Jeff to 2 over par. Jeff pared the next 4 holes, and then stuck his short iron to within 4 feet on the 132 yard par 3 15th for a birdie. Jeff made another birdie on the 17th hole despite a pulled drive that was very nearly unplayable near the tall grass. Jeff was just short of the front on the 539 par 5 18th in two. The hole was cut in the back part of the green at the bottom of a slope. Jeff's pitch shot stayed on the top part of the slope, and he then 3 putted from there and missed a chance for an even par round and another spot in the B.A.G.S.' record book. Bob Sheridan played extremely well, and shot 1 over par on the second nine and took second place with a 74. Last year's winner. Ned Emerson, took third spot with a 77. In the Net Division A competition, Bryon Collins was definitely the man. Bryon shot a very fine gross score of 77, which is his best low gross score in his nearly 5 years of B.A.G.S.' competition. Bryon's net 65 was good for 3 stoke victory over Ed Clifford whose gross 82 matched his best ever low gross score. In the Net Division B competition, Daryl Johnson had his best ever result in a B.A.G.S.' event. Daryl, who had never broken 100 in his previous 9 events, shot a gross 96. Daryl was absolutely on fire through the first 10 holes in which he was only 10 over par gross for 27 stableford points. Dave LeBlanc also played some fine golf, and finished in second place with 38 stableford points in his first event this year. Also in his first event this year after returning from Florida was Joe Toner, who took third spot with 37 points.

There was some superb team play in the 16th B.A.G.S.' Member-member/guest event at Olde Scotland Links on Saturday, June 18. For the second consecutive year, the team of Jeff Mucciarone and John Dauksewich won the low gross title. They did 1 stroke better than last year's even par score with a fine 1 under par 71 from the Black (back) tees set a 6780 yards. J.P. Dowds and his dad, Jeff Dowds tied for second low gross with the team of Johnathan Law and Mark Williams both at 1 over par 73's. Incredibly, the record team net score for this event, at 52 points or 16 under par was set by two teams. The teams of Mike Robinson and Ed Roche tied for first place with Ed Cone and Paul McCurley. Mike and Ed were a perfect pair. Each had a birdie, but never on the same hole as his partner, and each birdie was for a net 1 on the hole with Ed making gross birdie with a stroke on the par 3 8th hole for 4 points and Mike making a gross birdie on the par 4 15th with 2 strokes for 5 points. The team of Ed Cone and Paul McCurley was mainly aided by the great performance by Ed Cone. Ed shot a gross 83, his best ever score in a B.A.G.S.' event, and had 47 points on his own card. Paul assisted the team with three net birdies that were vitally needed on this day. The team of Johnathan Law and Mark Williams might have won on any other day with their fine 13 under par net score. In 4th position, with another fine performance in this event, was the team of Fred Weber and Jim Silva at 12 under par net 62.

It was definitely a sizzling hot day for the Sunday, June 12 event at River Bend CC, and some of the competitors in the low gross division were just as hot as the weather. Mark Dwyer, who has either tied for first place or won by himself in every event he has participated in so far this year, played the easier first nine at River Bend in 1 over par 36. Both Erik Okvist and Jeff Mucciarone double bogeyed the 369 yard par 4 first hole, but still were able to finish the first nine at just 2 over par 37. Mark had two bogies and all the rest pars on the second nine for 38, and total of 3 over par 74. Erik and Jeff played equally again on the second nine, with superb 1 over par 37's, and thus a three way tie for first place. In the Net Division A competition, also from the Gold (back) tees, Erik's net score of 69 was good for a 3 shot victory over a quintet of other players: Kevin Foster, Mark Dwyer, Doug Bray, Darren Falvey and Jeff Mucciarone. In the Net Division B competition from the Blue Tee markers, Bill Garten and Bill Feeney both played some really excellent golf, and finished in a tie for first place with 39 stableford points or 3 under par net. There was a three way tie for third position with Fred Weber, Andrew Leeming, and Joe Orlandi all playing well, and shooting 1 under par net 70's.

B.A.G.S. traveled to Wayland CC for the Wednesday, June 8 event, and as usual at this short but well conditioned course, there was some excellent scoring. Jeff Mucciarone, who tied the record low score at this course last year with a 68, was right on track to challenge that after shooting a 2 under par 32 on the first nine holes. Jared Tendler, who was playing in Jeff's foursome, was right behind with a 35. Some less than perfect approach shots on 10,13, and 16  lead to bogies, and after another bogey on the 192 yard par 3 17th, Jeff was 2 over par for the round. The short 455 yard par 5 18th would normally be a cinch birdie for Jeff. However, Jeff hit a pulled drive that might have gone out of bounds left onto the first first hole had it not hit a tree. After hitting his approach shot just 20 yards short of the green, Jeff had to settle for par and a 72. Jared drew even with Jeff after his par on 17, but a double on the 18th pushed him to a 4 over par 74, and a tie for second place with Ned Emerson. Ned finished well with birdies on 17 and 18. Ned's net 69 tied him for first place in the Net Division A competition with Rob Argetes, who shot a fine gross score of 78.In the Net Division B competition, Darren Falvey showed that he's probably ready to graduate from Net B competition. Darren shot a very fine gross score of 81 for 40 stableford points or 4 under par net. This was good enough for a 2 stroke victory over George White who continued his recent excellent play. George shot a gross 86, which is his best gross score in a B.A.G.S.' event since last year's event at this same tournament site. Larry Brewster had his best result this year, and took third spot with an even par net score.  

 local season, was the surprise leader after the first two rounds with superb scores of 78 on the first day at The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes and a 3 over par 75 at Celebration GC, and entered Monday's final round just 3 strokes off the lead. Chris Bae, however, was not going to let this title get away. Chris hit nearly every fairway, and while he struggled somewhat over short putts, he made a nice 10 foot birdie putt on the 6th hole, and on the 540 yard par 5 14th hole he lagged to within a foot of the hole from close to 35 feet to get a two putt birdie. Paul Cantrell also reached the 14th hole with an iron after hitting a drive of around 330 yards, but could only make par after his approach shot went over the green into bunker. Paul just couldn't make any putts, and he got no help from Chris, who played nearly flawless golf. John Rannikko, who was in the same group with Paul and Chris on Monday at Panther Lake, simply had a magical round of golf. John had a nice eagle on the short 484 yard par 5 18th hole, and had three other birdies including a slam dunk pitch-in birdie out of the sand on the par 3 4th hole. John finished his round on the 16th hole with a tough birdie putt of 12 feet for a 4 over par 76 and 42 stableford points. This, however, was not enough to gain John the Net Division title, or even second place by himself. Although it seemed that some hole positions were on the absurd side at each course, with many of the holes cut near to or right on ridges, the scoring by the top net players was the best ever in the history of the event. Light winds and relatively soft greens meant the players could attack the greens. No one did this any better than Joe Kalil the first two rounds. Joe took a 4 stroke lead after 36 holes with stableford scores of 40 and 42 points. Doug Bray was right behind with 78 points, and John Kaminski, who was playing off a handicap of 28, used his strokes wisely and had 75 points. Andrew Klein and John's dad, Rich Kaminski were tied for 4th with 72 points. Joe Kalil faltered somewhat on Sunday's round at the tough Legends course at Orange Lake, and Andrew Klein made up 7 stokes on Joe with a fine net score of 70.  John Rannikko made up 4 strokes, and Tom Dromgoole moved into contention with a nice even par net score, while John Kaminski fell back. As afore mentioned, John Rannikko made 42 points on Sunday at Panther Lake, and it was necessary for Joe Kalil to make at least 35 points to win the championship. Well, Joe did what he had to do, and came in with the needed 36 points to win the Net Division title. Andrew Klein was the steadiest participant all four rounds, never shooting more than 1 over par net, and finished in a tie for second with John. Doug Bray played well on the final day, and his 38 stableford points or net 70 secured him the 4th spot. Tom Dromgoole, who opened the tournament with a net 81 never lost hope, and his fine closing net 67 off gross score of 77 gave him the fifth spot in the Net Division. Well done, Tom!

had his best performance this year, and finished in fourth place with a net 69.

B.A.G.S. visited the newly completed 18 holes at Granite Links on Saturday, August 28. From the Black tees at 6820 for the Net Division A, this was easily one of the strongest tests of golf ever on the B.A.G.S.' tournament schedule. Rhode Island member, Ray Vigeant got off to a fabulous start with birdies on the first two holes, and after another birdie on the 210 yard 7th hole, which has a forced carry across one of the quarries, he was 2 under par. Ray doubled the par 5 8th, and after a par on 9 finished the difficult first nine at even par. The par four 10th hole at 480 yards requires a drive of about 190 yards carry to reach the fairway, and Ray made a bogey here. The 12th hole, a par 4 at 457 actually plays much tougher. You must drive uphill, and then have a shot of at least 190 across a pond. Ray, along with most of the field made double on this hole.  Ray came back with a birdie on the straight away par 5 13th. After a disastrous triple on the extremely difficult 219 yard par 3 15th, Ray finished with 3 straight birdies for a fine 5 over 77 and an unbelievable total of 6 birdies on the day.. Johnathan Law found most of his problems came on the first nine. Johnathan was only 1 over par when he reached the afore mentioned 7th hole across the quarry at 210 yards. Johnathan made a double here. He made a bogey on the par 5 8th. Johnathan then made a double on the short 9th hole, which required a precision approach shot to a green that had trouble on all sides if you missed it. After starting the second nine with two straight bogies, Johnathan found his scoring touch. Johnathan was one of the few players in the field that pared the tough 12th hole. Johnathan played the rest of the way into the clubhouse at 3 under par with three birdies for a 1 under par 35 and a total of 77. Ray shared first place in Net Division A with Doug Buttrick, who played a superb first nine with a gross 40 for 20 stableford points. Greg Johnson and Bill Laffin also played some excellent golf on an unforgiving golf course, and tied for third place with net 74's. In the Net Division B competition from the shorter, but no less forgiving Blue Tees, Ed Batchelder had what must be considered a superlative round. Ed hadn't played well in his recent events, but he worked out his problems on the practice tee and then put together a great score. Ed shot a gross score of 5 over par 41 on the first nine which included 3 pars and a birdie for 23 stableford points. After making a triple on the tough 10th hole, Ed became the only player in the field to birdie the diabolical 12th hole. Ed cooled off somewhat after that, but he pared the 364 yard par 4 14th, and any par on this brutally hot and breezy day was precious. Ed finished with 18 points on the second nine for 41 total. Well back in second place was Jeff Rutman with 35 points. This had to considered a strong score for Jeff on a day when most of Net Division B averaged around 27 points. Ed Cone also played well, and took third spot with 33 points.

The 16th annual B.A.G.S.' Society Championship had to be reduced to a 27 hole tournament because of strong thunderstorms and heavy rain which stopped play at around 3:45 on Saturday. Sunday was a perfect day for golf, and there were many fine performances. Erik Okvist started off with a birdie on the first hole and followed that with a another birdie on the 406 yard 6th hole and had he not bogeyed the 9th, he would have shot a 33 for the first nine. After another birdie on the short par 5 11th hole, Erik was at three under par. A bogey at the par three 13th was off set by a another birdie at 15. Erik finished his round well with three consecutive pars for a new B.A.G.S.' scoring record at Sandy Burr of three under par 69, which covers 16 years of competition  and over 60 B.A.G.S.' events at this course. Well done, Erik. Jeff Mucciarone, who has been the best player in B.A.G.S. this year, shot an impressive even par 108 for the 27 holes, to win his first B.A.G.S.' Championship by 2 strokes over Erik. Kevin Foster had his best tournament round in his seven years of B.A.G.S.' competition. Kevin played the first nine holes in just 1 over par. His second nine was even better. Kevin birdied both par 5's, and had only 1 bogey for a 1 under par second nine to shoot even par 72 and take third position in the Championship in the Low Gross. In the Net Division A competition, lifetime member, David Burke, who won the first B.A.G.S.' tournament ever held in June of 1989, won his second Society Championship. David played extremely well on both days, and shot 8 under par net for the 27 holes. Michael Lee and Dave Markuson both shot impressive scores on Sunday to get a share of second place. Michael shot a fine gross score of 80 good for a net 68, while Dave shot a 79 for net 70. In the Net Division B competition, Jim Giebutowski was definitely the man. Jim shot a gross score of 90 on Sunday, his best score in B.A.G.S. by 8 strokes in his two years as a member. Jim's net total for the 27 holes of 103 was good for a 3 stroke victory over David Lee. David played extremely well, and shot a gross score of 90 on Sunday good for a net 71. David Ferreira also played well, and took third spot in the Championship. Ari Illeperuma had his best event and tied for 4th spot with Mike Robinson.

Johnathan Law has played in 5 events since joining B.A.G.S. in late July, but he has already set two B.A.G.S.' course records for lowest score at an event site.  Johnathan shot a superb 1 over par 72 at River Bend CC on Wednesday, August 18  to win by 3 strokes over Rhode Island member, Al Braz. Two weeks ago Johnathan's 73 at South Shore broke the old scoring record there by 1 stroke. Rick Kelly had his best event this year, and finished in third with a nice 76. Al and Rick finished in a tie for first in the Net Division A competition. In the Net Division B competition, Ted Scholnick and Dick Malo both played some really excellent golf, and finished in a tie for first with 42 huge stableford points. Ted finished with gross pars on the last two holes, and shot a 39 gross score on the second nine for 24 points and won the tie breaker for the trophy because of better second nine point total. Jerry Ford won the nearest to the hole contest on the 180 yard 17th hole with a fine shot to within a foot and a half of the hole. Yes. He made the birdie putt. 

B.A.G.S. traveled to the superb layout at Acushnet River Valley GC for its Saturday, August 14 tournament. Jeff Mucciarone and Johnathan Law continued their close competition for the low gross honors. Johnathan took the lead over Jeff after nine holes with an even par 36 after Jeff failed to get up and down for par on the 575 par 5 ninth hole after being just 30 yards short of the green in two. Ed Clough, who was trying for his second low gross title this year, had a share of the lead after nine with a superb even par score of 36. Jeff took the lead after Ed double bogeyed the 10th hole, and Johnathan made a quad on the short par 3 11th hole after missing the green to the right with a short iron. Johnathan did make two birdies on the par 5's after that to put pressure on Jeff, but his two over par 38 for 74 just missed as Jeff shot even par 36 on the second nine despite a bogey on 18 after driving into a fairway bunker, for 73. Ed took third spot with a 4 over par 76. Johnathan did, however, win the Net Division A trophy with 39 stableford points. Jeff and Ed shared the second spot with Chris Kreilkamp and Steve Ross who both played exceptionally well. In the Net Division B competition from the Blue Tee markers, John Cochran returned to his form of last year, and crushed the field by 4 shots. John shot a fine gross score of 82, and should find himself back in Net Division A for next weekend's Championship. Joe Toner and Dick Malo both played well again and shared second place.

 There was some excellent scoring by the members participating in the Wednesday, August 11th event at Sandy Burr. Johnathan Law got off to the start you need at Sandy Burr to post a fine score by birdying the opening two holes which are both par 5's. Johnathan also birdied the short 450 yard par 5 11th to get to two under par. Johnathan had 4 bogies coming in, but did birdie the remaining par 5, the 17th, to finish with a 1 over par 73. Jeff Mucciarone, who always scores well here, only had 1 birdie on the first nine, and shot 2 over 38. Jeff used the short par 5 11th hole to get going. Jeff only had about 130 yards in for his second, and just missed an eagle putt. Another birdie on 12 got him to even par for the round. Jeff  bogeyed 16 after a three putt, and scrambled for pars on 17 & 18 to shoot 1 over par 73. Ned Emerson played well again, and shot a fine 2 over par 74 to finish in third. In the Net Division competition, Jeff Clark had his best performance this year. Jeff shot a fine gross score of 80 good for 41 stableford points or 5 under par net to win the trophy by 1 stroke over Bryon Collins and Robert Argetes who both played exceptionally well. Robert looked as though he would win this event after he made a nice par on the par 5 17th for three more stableford points for a total of 40. However, as it has happened to many players before him, the uphill 391 yard par 4 18th got the better of him, and Robert finished with a triple bogie and had to settle for a tie for second place.

 There was some tight competition at this weekend's B.A.G.S.' event at Franklin Park GC. In the battle for the low gross title, most of the members found the first nine holes were where all the good scoring opportunities were. Jeff Mucciarone had nine straight pars,  and Peter Thompson was at 1 over par along with Johnathan Law. All three found the second nine more difficult and Jeff's 41 on the second was just good enough  to get him a tie for first place with Andy Zamagni who shot a fine 36-39-75. Johnathan ended up in a tie for second place with Erik Okvist and John Gibson all with 76. Peter fell back to third place even though he got through the 15th hole at only two over par. Unfortunately, Pete double bogeyed holes 16 and 17,  which was ironic in the sense that he had birdied both these holes in a practice round on Friday. Pete's net 68 was good for a tie for first in the Net Division A competition with John Gibson. Michael Lee, in his first event back after missing the first half of the season played well, and he tied for third with the consistent Rey LeMaine. In the Net Division B competition, Mark DelVecchio had an outstanding performance. Mark played the first 6 holes in only 2 over par gross, and shot 39 for the first nine for 22 stableford points. Mark didn't cool off much on the tougher second nine, and shot a gross 43 for a superb score of 82 and 41 stableford points. Andrew Leeming showed he can play some fine golf  with his second consecutive good event. Andrew shot a gross score of 85, and his net 68 got him second place. Ed Cone also played well again, and took third spot with a 1 under par net score.

B.A.G.S.' newest member, Johnathan Law, playing in his first event, showed that he's the man to beat whenever he tees it up in a B.A.G.S.' event. Jonathan had never seen the South Shore CC layout before, and most agree that course knowledge is extremely important at this "old style" layout with several blind shots. Johnathan had two birdies on the first nine, and shot 3 over 39. Three more birdies were to follow on the second nine with only 1 bogie for a sensational two under par 34. Johnathan's 1 over par 73 was the lowest score at this tournament site in the eight years that B.A.G.S. has played here. Well done, Jonathan! Jeff Mucciarone played well, and took second low gross with a fine 4 over par 76. Dave Bergeson, who shot a superb 78 gross, tied with Johnathan for the Net Division title with 3 under par net 69. Rey LeMaine played another good tournament, and took third place with two under par net. Jon Tirrell, who recently qualified for the Mass Publinks Championship at age 62, shot a nice 78 gross and took fourth spot in the net. 

The Blue tees were all the way back at Passaconaway CC at 6855 for the Saturday, July 31 event. Added to that was a gusty wind, and one might guess that the scores would be high. However, several of the members brought their "A" games and had superb scores. Ed Clough definitely has the length off the tee to not let 6900 yards and several long par fours bother him. The first nine is where the tough par fours are, with one at 460 and two others over 470. Ed played this stretch of holes in 2 over par, but with birdies on the par 3 second hole, and another on the 394 yard eighth, finished the first nine at even par. Ed got to 1 under for the day after another birdie on the par 5 14th. Ed faltered somewhat on  what must be considered the easiest stretch of holes on the course, 15 through 18, and finished the second nine with a 38 for a superb score of 3 over par 74. Ed couldn't be sure of victory until Jeff Mucciarone, the hottest player in recent B.A.G.S.' events, finished his round. Jeff struggled somewhat on the tougher first nine with a 4 over par 40, but played the second nine in 1 under par for a 75 and second place. Ed's net 67 won him the Net Division A trophy also. Dave Markuson, who shot a fine 79 gross, took second place with 3 under par net.. Greg Johnson also played extremely well, and took third net with an even par net score. The Net Division B competition, which played from the much shorter White tees, also had some exceptional scoring performances. Mike O'Malley has played in over 40 events in his four years of B.A.G.S.' competition, but has never had a better round than he had on Saturday. Previously, Mike had never broken 90 in a B.A.G.S.' event. On Saturday, Mike shot a gross 81 good for a staggering total of 45 stableford points, and a place in the B.A.G.S.' record book. Well done, Mike! Just two strokes behind Mike's outstanding score was Joe Toner. Joe also shot a fine gross score of 81, and would have won on any other day. George White also had an outstanding round, and finished in third with 42 stableford points. Andrew Leeming had his best performance in a B.A.G.S.' event, and finished fourth with 41 points. Ed Romeo won the nearest to the hole contest on the 17th.

The members participating in the Sunday, July 25th event at the Overlook enjoyed a very pleasant summer day for golf. Overlook is not an especially long course at 6539, and there were many good scores. Jeff Mucciarone had another fine event, and won for the third consecutive time in which he has played. Jeff's had three birdies on the day, and finished at 1 over par 72. New member this year, Bill Morahan, had his best showing in a B.A.G.S.' event, and tied with Bill Laffin and Mitch Rodil for second low gross with 77. Bill Morahan easily won the Net Division A trophy with a superb net score of 65. Bill's iron play was excellent, and he played the four par 3's in 1 under par gross. Bill Laffin was getting 3 fewer strokes than Bill M., and his net 68 was 1 better than Mitch for second place. In the Net Division B competition, B.A.G.S.' veteran, Ed Romeo, and new member this year, Aisling Doyle, both played extremely well, and tied for first place with 41 stableford points. Both Ed and Aisling shot gross scores of 80. Another new member this year, Paul Cresto, had his best tournament result so far this year.. Paul shot a fine gross score of 87 good for 40 stableford points and third place.

After some heavy early morning showers ended, B.A.G.S. played its Monday, July19 event at Foxborough CC without any further precipitation falling.  Mark Dwyer once again won the low gross title on the this superbly conditioned golf course. Mark shot a 5 over par 77 to get a 1 stroke victory over Ed Clough. Ed should have won this event, but because of two penalty strokes had to take second place. Ed moved his ball by mistake by stepping on his ball in the heavy rough after finding it, and the other penalty stroke was also an accident. Ed moved some loose impediments near his ball only to discover that his ball was in a lateral hazard. Ed's net score of 70 got him a tie for first in the Net Division A competition with Rhode Island member, Gary Swiman. Ed won the tie breaker for the trophy with a better second nine stableford point total. Rey LeMaine had his best event since joining B.A.G.S. in early June, and finished in third place. The newest member of B.A.G.S.', Frank Shaw, in his first event, easily won the Net Division B competition. Frank played quite well for his first nine holes, and shot a gross 43 for 19 stableford points or 1 over par net. It was on the second nine that Frank caught fire. Frank came in with 6 pars and just two bogies for a gross 38 and 24 huge stableford points. Franks' gross score of 81 will quickly graduate him from further Net Division B competition. Ed Roche and Ed Clifford both played well enough to win on any other day at this well manicured but difficult course. They both shot 4 under par net scores and shared second place. Ted Scholnick played well also, and took fourth spot with a fine 2 under par net score of 70.

B.A.G.S. traveled to the scenic and well conditioned layout at Stonebridge CC on Saturday, July 17 for its first of three consecutive New Hampshire weekend events. Alan Bell, a new member this year, won his second low gross title this year with a nice 3 over par score of 75. Alan played some very steady golf with just 3 bogies on his card, and all the rest pars. Alan's net score of 70 was good for a tie for first place in the Net Division A competition with Steve Ross. Steve shot a nice gross score of 84. Alan's 20 stableford points on his second nine holes was good for the tie breaker for the possession of the Net Division A trophy. No tie breakers were necessary to decide the Net Division B trophy winner. Dave Shepard simply was on fire. Dave shot a gross score of 81 which tied him for the second best low gross score on the day, and this from a player who had 17 strokes. Dave had six net birdies, one net eagle, and a net albatross when he made a gross eagle on the downhill 500 yard par 5 14th for 5 stableford points. Dave finished with a massive 44 stableford points. Well done, Dave! Ed Clifford played extremely well, and his 38 points got him the second spot. Thomas Davis played well, and took third position with even par net. Doug Buttrick won the nearest to the hole prize with a nice short iron to within 4 feet on the 6th hole.

B.A.G.S. returned to Olde Scotland Links for the final time this year for the Thursday, July 15 event at this nicely conditioned course. The members enjoyed a fine summer day, and there was some excellent scoring. Jeff Mucciarone shot a 2 over par 74, and this gave him his third consecutive victory at this site this year if you count the Member-Guest victory. In all three events here, 74 was his highest score. Jeff bogeyed both par 5's on the second nine, and usually any par 5 is birdie hole for Jeff. Wayne Stone played some fine golf, and his 5 over par 77 was good for second place by 1 shot over Mitch Rodil and Ben Wyzansky. Wayne's net 69 was also good enough to win the Net Division A trophy, by 1 stroke over Mitch and Dave Markuson, who both played exceptionally well from the Black tee markers at 6780 yards. In the Net Division B competition from the Blue tees, Rhode Island member, Harvey Halsband, a late entry for the event, cruised to an easily 4 shot victory over Mike McAvoy and John Corbett, who both played quite well, and shot 2 under par net.

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Sandy Burr is usually the site of some excellent scoring by the members, and the Sunday, July 11th event was no exception. With four par fives that are all reachable in two, this is really a par 68 or 69 for the longer hitters. Jeff Mucciarone, as he has proven all season,  is one of the longest and straightest ball strikers in B.A.G.S. Jeff began his round with a birdie on the 466 par 5 first hole. He made another birdie on the 420 yard par 4 4th hole, and another on the short 9th. Jeff made the turn at 2 under par. After reaching the 450 yard par 5 11th hole in two with a pitching wedge, Jeff rolled in his eagle putt to go to 4 under par. Jeff bogeyed the 190 yard par 3 13th hole, and also the par 17th after his drive came to rest under one of the pine trees in the right side rough. Jeff finished with a par to tie the all time Sandy Burr scoring record held by several members at 2 under par 70. Mark Karski began with a bogey on the 185 yard par 3 10th hole, and his par on the par 5 11th hole was like making a bogey against the rest of the field. Mark finished his first nine holes with a 3 over par 39. Mark played exceptionally well on his second nine with two birdies and a bogey for a 1 under par 35. Mark's 74 got him second place by two strokes over Erik Okvist. The Net Division A trophy went to Doug Bray, who finished in a tie for first with Jeff and Bob Steward with 5 under par net scores. Doug won the tie breaker for the trophy by virtue of his having the most second nine points. Doug shot an impressive even par 36 on his second 9 for a massive total of 23 stableford points. In the Net Division B competition, first year member, Mark DelVecchio, got his first victory in B.A.G.S.' competition. Mark, who had never shot better than 96 gross in his first 5 tournament events, shot a superb 87 gross for 42 stableford points to win the event by 2 strokes. Mark had nine net birdies on the day, and finished the round in style with a nice par on the 391 yard uphill par 4 18th hole. Joe Toner and Kevin Coughlin both played some excellent golf, and finished tied for second with net 68's. John Sawyer continued his fine play this year, and took fourth spot with a three under par net score.

The B.A.G.S.' tournament at Marlborough CC on Tuesday, July 6 was a very tightly contested event. Brendan Landers, who knows the course quite well, used the par 5's to his advantage with birdies on both the par 5 8th hole and the par 5 11th to help him shoot a fine 4 over par score of 75 for his first ever Low Gross title in a B.A.G.S. event. Well done, Brendan! This was 1 stroke better than Florida B.A.G.S. member, Paul Cantrell, who had never played the course before. Paul, one of the longest hitters in the history of  B.A.G.S., reached two of the three par fives in two shots, but birdied only the 490 yard eighth hole. Paul saved his round by chipping in for bogey on the par 5 11th hole after nearly hitting a ball out of bounds over the green from one of the cross bunkers short of the green. Brendan's net 65 gave him a two stroke victory in the Net Division A competition over former Club Champion, Duncan Stewart. Duncan doesn't play as much golf as in former times, but he still remembers how to score, and shot a fine gross score of 80. Nate Liskov and Kevin Curran also played extremely well and tied for third position with 2 under par net scores. In the Net Division B competition, Peter Elliott finally played well for the entire round. Peter's gross score of 88 was his best gross score in a B.A.G.S.' event in several years. He had 8 net birdies and made at least a point on every hole for smashing total of 42 stableford points and a 5 shot victory over Dick Malo and Ralph Daniels who both played well. Tournament Director, Steve Ritter, won the long drive contest on the eighth hole with a poke of around 285 yards.     

The members participating in the Wednesday, June 30th event at Norton CC enjoyed a superbly conditioned course on an exceptionally fine summer day. While Norton CC is not an especially long course, its tight tree lined holes make hitting the ball straight essential. Jeff Mucciarone is not only one of the longest players off the tee in B.A.G.S., but is also one of the straightest, but he found a tough challenger in Wayne Stone for this event. Wayne played a good first nine with a 4 over par score of 40, and after a bogey on the short 348 yard 10th hole, it seemed as if it might  not be any kind of special round. However, a par on the 11th hole and a birdie on the 180 yard 12th hole got him started on a very good second nine score. Another birdie followed on the 13th, and after getting through the possible disaster holes of 14 and 15 in 1 over par, Wayne cruised in with a nice gross score of 76 from the Gold Tees. Jeff played some steady golf the whole way, and also got through 14 and 15 with only 1 lost stroke to par. Jeff birdied the short 16th hole, and finished par, par for a 4 over par 75 good for a 1 stoke victory over Wayne. Wayne easily won the Net Division A, with a net score of 66. Peter Thompson got up and down on 18 from 60 yards to tie Jeff for second place in the Net A with 35 stableford points. In the Net Division B competition, from the Blue tees, Mike Robinson used an excellent first nine score of gross 43 good for 23 stableford points to hold onto the victory. After 12 holes, Mike had 30 points or 6 under par net, but needed his bogey on 18 to get enough points, 38, to beat Rick Ahearne, who had a monster second nine holes for 20 points, by 1 stroke. Rick shot a gross score 86 his best ever in B.A.G.S.' competition. George White played well once again, and took third position with an even par net score.   

B.A.G.S. traveled to New Hampshire for its second consecutive event north of the border to play the nicely conditioned Souhegan Woods GC for its Saturday, June 26 event. The morning rain showers for the most part ended before the start of play, and on this windless day with soft greens there figured to be some good scoring. Greg Johnson played the first four holes in 1 under par, and used that momentum along with a birdie on the 160 yard par 3 7th hole to shoot 1 over par on the first nine. Greg was really in the zone, and played the next 8 holes in even par. Greg reached the par 5 18th hole at one over par, and a par here would have tied the B.A.G.S.' low tournament round here. Greg reached the green in regulation, but a 4 putt for a double bogie 7 pushed Greg's score up to 75. This was still good enough for a 1 stroke victory over Jeff Mucciarone, who simply couldn't get any putts outside of 2 feet to drop. Greg's 42 stableford points was good for a 5 stroke victory, in Net Division A competition, over Mike Eld who had his best event of the year. Chris Kreilkamp and Brian Boyle also played well and tied for third. In the Net Division B competition, also played from the Blue Tees, the winner's trophy went to Lifetime member, Ted Gibson, now in his 16th year of B.A.G.S.' competition. Ted shot a fine gross score 83, good for 40 stableford points or 4 under par net. Joe Toner played well and took second place with an even par net score. Greg Johnson also won the nearest to the hole contest on #17.     

Ned Emerson didn't let a triple bogey 7 on his first hole, the actual 10th hole and then a bogey on the par 3 11th at Scottish Highlands, ruin his round in the Thursday, June 24th event. Ned come back strongly with two birdies on his first nine after a double bogey on the 441 yard par 4 14th hole, his fifth hole for a 39 gross. Ned played the second nine in 1 over par 37 for a gross score of 76, and his first low gross victory in his first year as a B.A.G.S.' member after several second place finishes. Five time B.A.G.S.' Order of Merit Champion, Peter Thompson, claimed second place with a fine score of 77 after playing his first 11 holes in even par. Defending champion, Steve Preble, tied with Jeff Mucciarone for third place with 78. Peter Thompson's net 65 was good for 4 shot victory in the Net Division A competition over Doug Bray and Steve Preble. In the Net Division B competition, Ed Cone continued his impressive play. Ed shot a gross 90, his lowest score in his 13 events so far this year by 5 shots. Ed's net 67 gave him a 1 shot victory over Andrew Sluz, who had his best tournament result by far this year. Andrew, who had never shot better than 113 gross in any event, came in with a gross score of 94. Steve Rollins had his best tournament result this year, and tied with Peter Elliott, who made a nice scrambling bogey for 2 stableford points on the 382 yard 6th hole despite hitting the windmill well to the left of the fairway with his tee shot, for third place.    

The members and their guests participating in the annual team event enjoyed a fine day on the nicely conditioned layout at Olde Scotland Links on Saturday, June 19. The team of Jeff Mucciarone and John Dauksewich easily won the low gross title with an even par score of 72. The Net Division title seemed to be a much closer competition with 3 teams tied for the lead with 7 under par net 65  scores for nearly the entire afternoon. It wasn't until the last group in, which included the late entry of member, Joe Regan, and his guest, Michael McCormick, that the team net winner could be determined. Joe and Mike had an incredible first nine holes. They combined for 2 net eagles and 5 net birdies for a monstrous 26 stableford points or 8 under par net. Mike shot a gross 38, while Joe made a birdie on the par 3 8th hole. They cooled off somewhat on the second nine, but still had 1 net eagle and 3 net birdies for 23 more points, for a 6 shot victory over the teams: Kevin Foster/Brian Sheedy, Blake Sabra/Bill Sullivan, and Ed Clifford/Mike Ostrowski.    

The two B.A.G.S. members who have shot under par gross scores in B.A.G.S.' events this year, John McNeill, with a 3 under par 69 at Triggs, and Jeff Mucciarone, who had a 2 under par 68 at Wayland, had their own "duel in the sun" at George Wright GC on Wednesday, June 16. John took the lead after 9 holes with a two birdie even par 35, and Jeff was only 1 stroke behind. Jeff took the lead on the 510 yard par 5 15th. Both players reached the hole in two strokes, and while Jeff got a two putt birdie, John could only make par. John got the lead back on 16 with a nice par from just off the front of the green to Jeff's bogie. John and Jeff both bogeyed the par 3 17th, and Jeff's par on 18 was good enough to get him a tie, when John couldn't get up and down after missing the green long. Both players finished with 3 over par 73's. In the Net Division A competition, Bill Robinson, at 70 years young, found the fountain of youth, and his 3 under par net score of 69 tied him with another veteran, Dan Chicoine, who is just a few days shy of his 60th birthday. In the Net Division B Competition, also played from the Blue Tees, Ed Cone continued his improved play and won with an event par net score. Tom Jannsen, also in his 70's liked the warm weather, and took second place with 2 over par net. Wayne Daley played his best golf of the season so far, and took third place.          

One of the oldest scoring records in B.A.G.S.' tournament play was matched by Jeff Mucciarone at Wayland CC on Wednesday, June 9. Jeff matched Duncan Stewart's 10 year old record for the lowest gross score in an event with a 2 under par 68, and put his name in the B.A.G.S.' Record Book. Jeff's 7 birdie round, in which he birdied holes 10 through 13, was all the more amazing considering that he had never played the course before. Jeff made some nice putts, including a 22 foot birdie putt on hole number 11 from the fringe, but it was his long accurate tee shots that were the key element. Jeff's drive on number 18 was a perfect example of this.  Jeff nearly made eagle on the 457 yard par 5 18th after reaching the green on his second shot with a pitching wedge from about 160 yards. Ned Emerson played extremely well despite a balky putter, and finished second with a 4 over par 74. John Dauksewich had his low round this year in a B.A.G.S.' event with a 75. Jeff's 4 under par net score won the Net Division A title. Joe Kalil also had his low round this year in B.A.G.S. with a fine 78, and tied with John Dauksewich for second in the Net A with 3 under par net. In the Net Division B competition, George White had his best result in nearly two years of B.A.G.S.' competition. George's gross score of 86 was his best ever in a B.A.G.S.' event. George's net score 65 was good for an easy 5 shot victory over Charlie Cooney, who played well once again.

The calendar said it was early June, but the cool, damp and breezy weather was more like March for the June, 6 event at Acushnet River Valley.  Preparation and determination were the keys on this day, and that's what Brian Boyle showed with his 5 over par 77, which was 4 shots better than his nearest competitor. Brian had two birdies on the day and only 1 double bogie on a day when wet grips become a factor in the steady light rain and drizzle. Brian's net 69 was also good for a three shot victory in Net Divsion A over Ron Jacques, who also showed some strong determination with his even par net score. Ed Clough played some fine golf, and took third place with a score of 1 over par net. In the Net Division B competition, Dave Rivard continued his superb play, and won his second consecutive event. Dave broke 90 for the first time in a B.A.G.S.' event, and has shown improvement in each event. Dave's net 66 was good for a 4 shot victory over Zeca Fernandes, who played his best tournament of the year so far. Vin Farina played well again, and finished third with a fine net score of 1 under par 71.      

The members competing in the B.A.G.S.' event at South Shore CC on Wednesday, June 2 managed, somehow, to dodge the strong thunderstorms that passed both to the north and south of the Hingham golf course, and play was never halted. Troy Chatterton, who lives just a few miles from the course in Cohasset, used his local knowledge to get a one stroke victory, despite making a double bogie 7 on his provisional ball on 18. Troy's 5 over par 77 was just enough to beat Rick Fogarty who shot a nice 78 in his best effort of the year since re-joining B.A.G.S. after an absence of several years. Rick's net score of 3 under par 69 was good for the Net Division A trophy by 1 shot over Tom Shaughnessy, who continued his fine play this year. Tom's gross 80 tied for the third best low gross score on this "old style" golf course. In the Net Division B competition, new member this year, Dave Rivard, had his best outing in his fourth event so far this year, and used a strong finishing 9 holes which included 5 net birdies to finish with 38 stableford points. Jim Bethune and Dave Lieberman both played well, and tied for second place with 34 points each..     

Jeff Mucciarone continued his fine play this year with a superb 3 over par 74 at Passaconaway on Sunday, May 30. The gusty breezes effected most of the members scores on this bright, sunny day, but Jeff played a nearly perfect round on this 6800 yard links style layout. Jeff played the first ten holes in 1 under par before making his only real bad shot on the day when he pull hooked a tee shot on 11 into the out of bounds to the left, and made double bogie. His only other miscue was because of the wind. Jeff's tee shot on the 440 yard 18th left him only 135 yards in, but Jeff misread the wind and his approach shot sailed over the green into heavy rough. Jeff couldn't get up and down and finished with a bogie. Jeff's net 70 tied him in the Net Division A competition with Marc Basch. Marc learned the true beauty of the stableford scoring system for the net division on this day. Marc had two holes where he made triple bogie, and thus zero points, but also had two holes where he made net eagle for 4 points. John Dauksewich played some very steady golf, and finished in third place. In the Net Division A competition, played from the White tee markers, Joe Toner, in his first event since his return north from his winter home in Florida, played extremely well, and won the trophy by three strokes over Larry Gooch played some his best golf of the year so far. Bernie LaVita also played well, and finished in third place.    

B.A.G.S. traveled to the challenging Cyprian Keyes GC on Wednesday, May 26 on a day that was cloudy and cool and threatened rain, but not a drop fell. Joe Pimental showed some of his fine form from last year, and played the first 9 holes on this treacherous layout in only 2 over par. After 4 consecutive bogies on holes 11 - 14, Joe made a nice birdie on the tight 392 yard 15th. Joe ended his round with another birdie on the dogleg right, 500 yard par 5 18th. Joe's 5 over par 77 was good for a two shot victory over Steve Birnbaum and Ned Emerson. Joe's net par score of 36 stableford points won him the Net Division A trophy. Ned Emerson was 1 stroke behind. In the Net Division B competition, played from the White tee markers at 6134 yards, there was some excellent scoring. Chris Hulswit, who was a co-winner of this event last year, played a superb first nine holes. Chris shot a gross 41 good for an amazing 23 stableford points. Chris came back to reality somewhat on the second nine and finished with 41 points total. Don Curley came to the 18th tee with 41 points of his own, and had just pared the 17th for a net birdie. However, it took Don 5 shots to get onto the par 5, and he missed a 5 foot putt that would have secured him 1 stableford point, and thus he finished in a tie with Chris. Don won the trophy in a tie breaker with the better second nine stableford total. Mike Robinson had a very decent event with a two under par net score of 70 for third place.    

There were some fine performances by the members participating in the Sunday, May 23rd event at Olde Scotland Links. Jeff Mucciarone had never seen the 6790 yard layout before, but that didn't seem to matter. Jeff hit tee shot after tee shot long and straight, and used a superb short game to save par on those holes where he missed the green, to post a 1 over par 73. Troy Chatterton and Andy Zamagni also both played well, and tied for second low gross with 5 over par 77's. In the Net Division A competition, also from the back - Black tee markers-, Laurence Barden, in his first B.A.G.S.' event, literally blew away the rest of the field. In an astounding performance, Laurence had 4 gross birdies all on stroke holes for net eagles. He also had 3 net birdies for staggering total of  43 points, considering that he had 2 zero point holes. Laurence had to play this well to beat Jacob Feestra, who was playing in his first B.A.G.S.' event in a couple of years. Jacob shot a fine gross score of 81 good for 41 stableford points, which would have been good enough to win on any other day. In the Net Division B competition, from the Blue tees, John Farina, Bill Sullivan, and Dick Sargeant all played well, and finished in a tie for first with 39 stableford points or 3 under par net. Bill's 21 points on the second nine got him the winner's trophy in the tie breaker.    

There was some strong competition on a perfect spring day, in the Thursday, May 20 event at the well conditioned  Acushnet River Valley layout. Jeff Mucciarone and Mark Karski battled for the low gross title once again, and shot identical scores in completely opposite fashion. Mark had a superb first 12 holes and didn't make a bogey until the long 473 par 4 13th hole. Jeff, on the other side of the coin, played the first 9 holes in 5 over par. Jeff played the second nine in even par for a 77. Mark bogeyed the last three holes to also come in at 5 over. New member this year, Dave Bergeson, showed he's also ready to contend in the low gross field. Dave shot a 4 over par 40 on the first nine, and then caught fire with a two birdie, 1 over par 37 on the second nine to tie Jeff and Mark for the low gross. Dave's 3 under par net score won him the Net Division A title by 1 stroke over Marc Basch, who continued his improved play this year. In the Net Division B competition, Judy Gray found the ladies' tee set up much to her satisfaction. Judy, who had never broken 100 in two years of B.A.G.S.' competition shot a 93 gross. Judy's 41 stableford points or 67 net was good for a 2 stroke victory over the quartet of Rudy Horne, Jim Bethune, Dennis Vadenais, and Ben Buono.

There was some excellent scoring by the members participating in the Saturday, May 15th event at River Bend CC. Mark Karski proved once again that he's the man to beat whenever he tees it up in a B.A.G.S.' event. The former member of the Purdue University golf team, in his younger days, shot a nice 4 over par 75 to defeat the consistent, Jeff Mucciarone, by two strokes. Jeff shot a superb 1 over par 36 on the first nine, and he was still just 1 over par when he reached the 12th tee. Jeff pushed his tee ball into the pond the runs down the right side of the fairway, and after his drop, Jeff found more trouble when his third shot caught the tree branches on the right. Jeff eventually found his ball, but made a triple to go to 4 over par. Jeff played in from there in 1 over par for a 41 and 77 total. The Net Division A competition, which also played the Gold tees, finished in a three way tie for first place. Chris Kreilkamp, Bob Steward and Mark Karski all finished with 36 stableford points or even par net. In the Net Division B competition, Charlie Cooney at 73 years young, was definitely the man. While most players do well on the more wide open first nine at River Bend, Charlie actually shot a lower gross score on the tighter second nine. Charlie shot a gross 43 on the first nine, off the Blue Tees at 6312 yards, for 21 stableford points. Charlie then started to get almost as hot as the afternoon temperature which was close to 90 degrees. Charlie made three net birdies and a net eagle for 23 more stableford points on the second nine. Well done, Charlie! Well back in second place with 36 points was Dave Shepard, who continued his fine play this year. John Farina, who finished in third place with 35 points, was a perfect example of how most of the members played their rounds. John shot a very tidy 4 over par 39 gross score on the first nine holes, and then shot a very untidy gross 50 on the second nine holes for a total of 35 stableford points.

Monday, May 10 at Spring Valley turned out to be an excellent day for golf with bright sunshine for most of the afternoon, and the temperature in the mid-60's. Boston member, Jeff Mucciarone and RI member, Hermen Dacones both played quite well and tied for the low gross title with 4 over par 76's. Troy Chatterton also played well, and finished in third with a 78. In the Net Division A competition, RI member, Alan Baldwin, played extremely well, and his 41 stableford points or 5 under par net was just good enough to win by 1 stroke over Boston members, Mark Blanchette and Anthony Trodella. Mark, in just his third B.A.G.S.' event, shot a superb gross score of 80 on this difficult course. Anthony shot a fine gross score of 82, and had his best finish in a B.A.G.S,' event this year. New member this year, Wayne Stone, continued his consistently fine play, and took fourth with a net 69. In the Net Division B competition, another new member, Ed Henderson, played some superb golf, and tied for first place with veteran member, Doug Brothers, with 37 stableford points or 1 under par net. Ed received the winner's trophy in a tie breaker with the better second nine stableford score.   

A new B.A.G.S.' scoring record was set at Triggs Memorial on Wednesday, May 5. John McNeill became the first member to shoot 3 under par in an event. John, who finished tied for second in last year's Mass. Mid-Amateur, had one birdie and the rest pars on the first nine on this Donald Ross layout. John birdied all three par 5's on the second nine against a lone bogey for a superb 69 on a day that turned quite windy in the afternoon. John's superb score also won him the Net Division A with a net 68 off his 1 handicap. Mark Karski played well, but was a distant second in the low gross with fine 79. Marc Basch played a superb second nine in which he shot a 3 over par gross 39 for 22 stableford points, and took second place behind John with 39 stableford points on what was a difficult day for scoring for the rest of Net Division A, which played the Blue (back tees).. The Net Division B title went to Rhode Island member, Joe Stafford, who just beat Boston member, John Kelly, by one stroke. John Kelly shot a fine gross score off 88 in just his second event, and showed he may be ready for  Net Division A competition soon. Bernie LaVita played well, and finished in third place with net 70.    

The members participating in the B.A.G.S.' Cape Cod Spring Championship enjoyed two fine days for the event on the weekend of May 1 & 2. A former champion of this event, Dean Smith, moved into a three stroke lead on Saturday at Quashnet Valley with a 77 on a perfect Cape Cod spring day. '03 champion, Mark Dwyer, was in second place along with Rhode Island member, Hermen Dacones, and Kevin Foster with 80's. After the morning fog disappeared at Bayberry Hills GC on Sunday, the sun came through and the temperature quickly moved into the mid-60's. The hole positions on Sunday were in some very difficult spots, either near the front of the greens or just below ridges in the very firm but smooth putting surfaces. These tough hole positions seemed to effect the scoring. Dean Smith played reasonably well and his 8 over par score of 80 gave him a 157 total for 36 holes, but no assurance of victory. However, none of his closest pursuers broke 80, and Dean had an easy 6 shot victory over Hermen. Joe Pimental and Dave McCrohan shared the low gross sweeps payout on Sunday with 79's. In the Net Division A competition, Rhode Island member, John Buffery played consistently well both days and his 71 stableford points or 1 over par net for the 36 holes was just good enough to beat Glenn McIntyre by one stroke. Rhode Island member, Dick Burt, had the lead after Saturday's round, but struggled some what on Sunday and finished third. Another Rhode Island member, Dan Francisco, managed to win the Net Division B title after leading on Saturday as he finished one stroke ahead of Dave Wheeler, who played well both days. Ed Roche also played quite well and took third place. Bill Garten had on of his best events, and shot 3 over par net to finish in 4th position. David Ferreira also played well and took the fifth spot.       

There were some excellent scores at Sandy Burr on Saturday, April 24, despite a constant gusty wind and a course that still needed much drying out after record April rain totals. Jeff Mucciarone was not playing particularly well at 3 over par when he reached the ninth tee, but after he nearly drove the 281 yard uphill par 4 and made birdie, his confidence and his scoring took off. After a nice par on the 185 yard par 3 10th hole, Jeff birdied 11 and 12 to get back 1 over par. After a bogie on 15, when his tee shot hit a tree on the left side of the fairway, Jeff played the final 3 holes in 1 under par for a gross 72. Jeff needed to play well because Kevin Foster, was also playing some superb golf. Kevin shot a 37 on the first nine, and with the help of two birdies on the second nine came in with 3 over par for the day 74. Jared Tendler also played well and shot a nice 77. Kevin's total of 42 stableford points gave him the Net Division A trophy. Jeff Mucciarone took second place with 40 points. There was a three way tie for third with Tom Dromgoole, who shot a superb 78 despite a double bogie on 18, sharing the prize fund with Glenn McIntyre and Paul Rodgers. In the Net Division B competition, Vin Farina was the clear winner. Vin shot his best ever gross score in B.A.G.S.' competition with an 84, good for 40 stableford points or 4 under par net. Jim Morton got off the to the hottest start of all the participants on the first nine. After a double bogie 7 on the 471 yard par 5 first hole, Jim played the rest of the first nine in even par. Jim's first nine gross of 37,  tied for the best gross score of the day, and was good for a massive 25 stableford points. Unfortunately, the snack Jim had at the turn upset his game, and he returned to reality for an 18 handicapper and shot a 50 on the second nine. Jim finished with 38 points, which as good enough for second place, and Jim mentioned he might take a golf cart on the second nine next time. John Farina and Bill Sullivan both played well, and finished tied for third with even par net scores.       

The B.A.G.S.' members participating at River Bend CC on Saturday, April 17 enjoyed a perfect spring day for golf with the temperature around 68 degrees for most of the day. There was also some excellent scoring. Mark Karski reached the 17th tee at only 2 over par, and was on course for 73 before bogeying both the par 3 17th and the par 5 18th for a three shot victory over Erik Okvist who shot a 78. The Net Division A trophy went to new member, Tom Shaughnessy, who won in his first attempt. Tom shot a fine gross score of 81 and his 39 stableford points or 3 under par net was good for a three shot victory. Brian Boyle played well again and shot a gross score of 79 and he tied with John Dauksewich, and Mark Karski for second place in Net A. In the Net Division B competition, Doug Brothers was definitely the man. Doug spent some time before the event working on his game, and the extra effort really paid off. Doug shot a superb gross score of 41 on the first nine for 22 stableford points. Doug played nearly as well on the more difficult second nine with a gross 44 for 20 more stableford points. Doug needed to play well because Dick Malo was only 1 point behind Doug after nine holes. Dick also played well on the second nine, but only had two net birdies, where as Doug had four net birdies. Dick finished two strokes behind Doug with 40 stableford points. Kevin Conway had a fine event, and took third place with 38 points. Dave Shepard played well for the second consecutive week, and took the fourth spot with  37 points.                                                                                                                                           

B.A.G.S. opened its 16th season of tournament golf on Saturday, April 10 at Atlantic CC on a cool but sunny day with intermittent gusty winds. Atlantic CC was in excellent condition for play, considering the recent early April rainstorms, and the greens were smooth. In the Low Gross Division, '03 Club Champion, Tim Walsh, overcame a slow start on the first nine, where he shot 5 over par after a double bogie on the 390 yard 9th hole. Tim played much better on the second nine with a nice birdie on the downhill, 185 yard 11th hole, and shot 1 over par 37 for a 78 on the day. Mark Dwyer, who won this event last April, also shot 5 over on the first nine. Mark shot a nice 39 on the second nine to tie with Brian Benoit for second place with 80. In the Net Division A competition, B.A.G.S.' 9 year veteran, Jack McGeorge, and Marc Basch, now in his third season of B.A.G.S.'  competition both tied for first place with net scores of even par 72. Marc had one of the best gross scores of the day with a 40 on the first nine for 21 stableford points. However, Marc's putter let him down on the second nine, and Jack's better stableford total on the second nine gave him the trophy tie breaker. Brian Boyle shot a nice gross score of 81, and took third spot in Net A with 35 stableford points. In the Net Division B competition, Dave Shepard had his best B.A.G.S.' tournament score since last May. Dave shot a fine gross score of 87 good for 37 stableford points or one under par net, and beat new member, Joe Orlandi by one stroke. Joe had a nice score going until he made a triple bogie on the par 5 7th hole, and then tried to play a left handed shot out of the bushes behind the par 3 7th hole, and made another triple bogie when he couldn't advance the ball to the green. Joe had another 0 point hole on nine when he made another triple, but still had 16 points after nine holes. Joe came back strongly on the second nine with a gross 43 good for 20 stableford points and 36 total for second place. David Ferreira played well and took third position with 35 points. Brendan Landers won the nearest to the hole competition with a fine short iron shot on 17.      

The 72 - Hole B.A.G.S. Florida Championship was played on four superb Orlando area layouts from Friday, December 5 - Monday, December 8. All four courses were in excellent condition with smooth, fast greens. Long hitting Paul Cantrell, who was going after his third consecutive low gross title, took the lead on Friday at Southern Dunes with a fine 5 over par score of 77 on a course where he has shot under par. Eddie Deocareza and Chris Bae were both 5 behind and Steve Birnbaum was 6 behind after an 83. After a warm Friday, Saturday's cold breezes and cloudy skies were a shock to most of the players, and it wasn't until around the 13th hole that the effects of the warm Florida sun could be felt. Orange Lake - Legends is a difficult course with many longish par 4's guarded by water. This was a day of survival golf. Despite two double bogies, former B.A.G.S.'s Club Champion and Mass. mid-amateur participant this year, Steve Birnbaum, held his game together the best of anyone. Steve's 6 over par 78 cut 4 strokes off Paul's lead from round 1. Rhode Island member, John Perry, had the low net score of the day with a 73, and he and Paul shared the 36 hole net lead with 68 stableford points. Steve Birnbaum's net 74 tied him with Glenn McIntyre and Bill Robinson for third place after 36 holes. Round 3 on Sunday at Celebration started off cool and windless and quickly warmed up to the upper 60's by 11 A.M. Paul Cantrell built a strong 5 stroke lead over Steve Birnbaum with a 6 over 78 on this gorgeous golf course. Steve played well tee to green, but took an unbelievable 37 putts on the fast undulating greens at Celebration. Sean Carroll and Tom MacMurray shared the top two net sweep payoffs with even par net scores for the day. Richard Kaminski loved the course, and his 80 took second low gross for the day. Paul's lead in the Net Division was 4 strokes over John Perry after 54 holes. Monday's final championship round was played at the nicely conditioned Remington GC on a beautifully warm and sunny day with the temperature around 75 degrees. Steve Birnbaum also warmed up as he played the first nine holes in 1 under par. Paul Cantrell, on the other hand, started off in just the opposite fashion when he missed the first green with a 9 iron after only a decent drive of about 270 yards for him, considering that he averages about 290 yards off the tee, and made a double bogie 6. This missed green was an indication of the poor iron shots Paul would hit all day, and this inconsistency lead to an 8 over 80 score. Steve did make a double bogie on his second nine, but his 2 over par 74 gave him a 1 stroke victory in the Low Gross Division, and the best comeback ever in this 72 hole event. Paul did however capture his first Florida Net Division Title with a 3 stroke victory over Steve Birnbaum. Doug Bray, who took second low gross sweep on Monday with a fine 77 moved all the way up into third place overall with his net 69 score. Glenn McIntyre played consistently well all four days, and tied for fourth position overall with John Perry, who slipped back on Monday. Bill Feeney found his game on Monday, and won first place in the Net Division Sweep with a superb net score of 68. Guest, Joe Lombardozzi, had an ace on the second hole at Remington on Monday, and won a membership in the Rhode Island Division of B.A.G.S. for the '04 season. Congratulation to Joe!