From: Scott Woods [nittanylion96@hotmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 19, 2009 5:33 PM
To: Dan Hoelke; Eric A. Drossner; Paul S. Rovner; Scott Woods
Subject: MBBC XIII Trip Report
While the 2008 MBBC will be remembered for the most exciting finish ever, the 2009 MBBC will be remembered for the most dominating performance ever. Most would likely expect Dan Hoelke to be the player dominating the field, but it was another player who shocked the world. Several years after agreeing that the tournament would be moved to late May/early June, Scott Woods screwed things up by scheduling his wedding for May 30th, the players agreed to move the tournament back to the first weekend of August. Dan Hoelke and Paul Rovner appeared to be the most prepared for the tournament especially since both had been on trips to Myrtle Beach earlier in the year. Rovner had gone with his father, uncle and brother-in-law for a trip in March in which he played a few rounds, and Hoelke went for a trip with his in-laws only a few weeks before the MBBC and played 2 rounds including 2 at Barefoot Love. Paul Rovner took the MBBC up yet another notch, as he booked the room and the majority of the tee times through a booking company. Efforts were made to stay on a Grande Dunes property to allow the players to play the elusive Members Course, but at a difference of approximately $300 per player, all agreed that it was not worth the money. So, the players agreed to stay at the Barefoot Villas. Rovner also found a solid rate for the rental vehicle through U-Save. All players booked their flights on U.S. Air and would meet in Charlotte. For reasons not entirely clear (but believed to be significant savings), Woods booked his flight out of Washington, D.C. instead of the much closer BWI. As a result, Woods was up at 2:45 a.m. and out the door by 3:30 a.m. to drive to D.C. for his 5:45 a.m. flight. All other players were also up early for flights that seemed much earlier then usual. Woods was the first to arrive in Charlotte, and was frustrated to find that the Charlotte airport does not have any screens that provide arrival information, so he was unable to meet any of the other players at their gates. Woods was in Charlotte for approximately 2 hours before Hoelke arrived, and Drossner and Rovner arrived shortly thereafter. The players then boarded their flight to Myrtle and were there in less than an hour. Woods converted the rental car to his name, so that he could have exclusive driving privileges. Bags and clubs arrived fairly quickly and the players exited the airport expecting oppressive heat and humidity, only to be pleasantly surprised to find temperatures in the comfortable mid-80's. The players found their crappy rental vehicle, went through the usual ordeal of figuring out how to put down the seats and loaded the vehicle. Woods brought his Sirius satellite radio, which he was able to hook up. The players ate at Burger King just outside the airport and then headed for the opening round of the 2009 Myrtle Beach Birdie Championship.

Friday, August 7, 2009 - Wicked Stick

Two-time defending champion Eric Drossner selected Wicked Stick as the site of the beginning of his quest for a three-peat. Drossner had selected Wicked Stick once before, but maintenance issues had forced the tournament to go elsewhere. The players were leery of Wicked Stick, as it is located off of a highway, and is not a highly regarded course. However, the players were pleasantly surprised to find a very solid golf course with good conditioning, that could conceivably make its way back onto the MBBC schedule. In short, Wicked Stick may be the ideal first-day course. Not overly difficult, but not without some solid features. The players unloaded their bags in the parking lot. Woods decided to keep his shorts on (something he has done before, but something that also led to the usual question, "Is this the first time in MBBC history you've ever worn shorts?"... As usual Woods was annoyed at the comment, something the other players had pointed out during a speech before Woods's wedding.) Hoelke got his logo ball, and the players were loaded up for their 12:30 tee time. The players ran into another group of Penn Staters and spoke briefly about the upcoming season and a Buckeye clubhead cover on another group's clubs. It looked like it might be a long day, as there were several groups in the bag drop area, but the players were sent off of #1 fairly quickly, and there were no problems during the round. The opening hole almost featured the opening strike of the MBBC. Woods hit a wayward drive off the tee, but managed to find his ball on a practice green on the driving range. Woods hit a solid chip on the green but still 25 feet from the hole. He struck a solid putt, which curled around the hole and lipped out preventing Woods from tying Drossner's mark for the fastest birdie in MBBC history. The players would not have to wait much longer for the fireworks to begin, as defending champion Eric Drossner drained a decent length putt on the Par 3 5th hole for birdie. Drossner struck again on the Par 13th hole to increase his total to 2, but he was not done. Dan Hoelke, who was struggling with his game, had a couple of beers and responded to Drossner's early birdies, with a birdie of his own on the Par 4 15th hole. However, Drossner wrapped up his impressive, statement-making opening round, with a birdie on the Par 5 18th hole. No other players were able to birdie leaving Drossner with an impressive lead of 3-1-0-0 after Day 1.

The Players wrapped up their opening round fairly quickly and headed toward their condo and the Barefoot Villas with plenty of time to get ready for their annual trip to a Pelicans game. Woods elected to bypass the bypass to avoid any dinner traffic, and the players stopped at Bi-Lo for some necessities for the week (cereal, chips, pretzels, water, gatorade, and a case of beer that would go unfinished). Always the gambler, Woods bought $20 worth of scratch-off tickets, which yieleded the players $2. The players checked in and found their beautiful 2 bedroom condo on the 10th floor. Featuring all queen-size beds, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, living room and balcony with view of the ocean in the distance, it is fair to say that the MBBC has found a home. While the Mystic Sea and Holiday Inn Express will be sorely missed, the MBBC is at Barefoot to stay. The players showered and changed and caught a cab to the Pelicans Stadium. The can ride was, once again, in excess of $40.00. But the players got there in plenty of time for the first pitch. They grabbed beers and hotdogs and settled into their seats in the first row behind the visting team's dugout. The Pelicans were taking on the Lynchburg Hillcats, the Pirates Single A affiliate. The players also agreed to play the cup game, and got fairly rowdy as the evening prgressed, with Hoelke especially exuberant at players who will likely never make it to Pittsburgh, despite the fact that the Pirates are one of the worst franchises in the league. Every player won the cup game on multiple occassions, although some won more often then others. (The rules we played by were simple... each player contributes a dollar and the cup is passed for each at bat. Whoever has the cup when a player gets a hit, gets the contents of the cup and each player must re-ante $1. Should there be a 1-2-3 inning, each player must re-ante another dollar. As a side bet, each player picked one player and if that player hit a homerun, the players owed that player $5 each. No members selected player hit a homerun.) Fans around the players were also amused by Drossner's rather loud version of "pull my finger." The Pelicans lost to the Hillcats 7-1. Paul Rovner bought tennis balls for each of the players to throw after the game. If you manage to get your tennis ball into a certain target on the field, you win prizes. We did not win any prizes. The players made the short walk to their traditional first night hangout, Crocodile Rocks. Despite being warned by Hoelke that admission was now $10.00 and tables now had to be reserved for an additional $10.00, the players were still somewhat annoyed to find those prices. The place was still packed. The foursome settled for a spot at the bar near some white trash old people. Whether it was the early start to the day or the players getting older or the show being the same as always, the groupsomewhat soured on Crocodile Rocks. The routine was the same, with the usual rendition of Joy to the World. The players stayed for about an hour and agreed to catch a cab back to the condo.

Saturday, August 8, 2009 - True Blue (A.M.)/Caledonia (P.M.)

When booking the trip. Paul Rovner decided to save each of the players $25.00 by booking the True Blue/Caledonia combination on Saturday instead of the traditional Barefoot combination. What Rovner did not take into consideration was the 45 minute ride to True Blue after what was expected to be a very long evening of drinking. Rovner's decision was validated somewhat by the fact that Caledonia was actually closed on the day that it may have been played (Monday) and because the players were not out as late as expected. Therefore, the players awoke with relative ease at 6:15 on Saturday morning and were out the door by 6:40 to make the long drive to True Blue. The drive actually was not as long as anticipated, and the players arrived in plenty of time for their 7:45 tee time. Temperatures remained relatively cool for the morning round, but were beginning to climb throughout the opening 18. Scott Woods gave himself an early birdie opportunity on the Par 3 3rd hole, but could not drain the putt (a theme for him for the trip.) Instead it was Dan Hoelke who opened the foursome's account at True Blue with a dart at the Par 3 7th hole and solid birdie conversion, to cut Drossner's lead in half. Drossner was unfazed as he responded with his 4th birdie on the Par 4 12th hole, a short Par 4 on which Hoelke's drive ended up on an adjacent road and nearly struck a passing car. The players continued to struggle as temperatures rose, and there were a few missed bidie opportunities. Scott Woods missed yet another chance to get on the board, when he missed an 8 foot putt on the Par 4 18th hole. And so, Drossner maintained his lead 4-2 over Hoelke, with Woods and Rovner yet to mark.

The players asked for a replay at Caledonia and were told that the latest they could tee off was 2:30. The players took it and headed north in search of a restaurant for a long lunch. After some searching, they finally found Applebee's. At lunch, they learned that a plane had struck a sightseeing helicopter over the Hudson Rover in Manhatten. Drossner and Rovner actually knew of the owner of the plane, who were from the Upper Dublin area. Lunch at Applebee's was actually pretty good, and the players took their time. They finally ventured back south to Caledonia and arrived in plenty of time for their tee time. Strangely, there were several groups getting tee times behind them, but no explanation was given.

Temperatures were in the low 90's as the players teed off at beautiful Caledonia Golf and Fish Club. The foursome were forced to tee off on the back 9, disappointing due to the fact that Caledonia's ninth hole is a 100 yard Par 3, which is out of place with the rest of the course. Upon arriving at the 10th tee, the group watched an old lady and an old man with his socks pulled off tee off. They again asked the starter if they could tee off the front and he refused. The old man and old lady saw the group and allowed them to pay through. There was a quick debate over which tees to play, as it was believed that the MBBC had previously played the forward tees. A quick decision was made to play a back set of tees, although there was no noticeable difference between the two. In general, the players struggled on the front nine in the high heat. Dan Hoelke particularly struggled with his driver. There were no significant birdie opportunities on the front 9. However, history was made on the back 9. Paul Rovner's struggles over the last two seasons had been well documented. After not making birdie on the Par 4 1st hole (the players 10th), Rovner's streak of holes without a birdie had reached an unprecedented total of 300. Rovner would only go 1 more hole without making birdie. On the 175 yard Par 3 3rd hole, Rovner fired a good approach, but was still 15 feet away, with a fairly difficult putt. Rovner lined it up, struck it well and drained the putt ending his streak at a record 301 holes and causing a celebration in the green. Rovner's birdie left only Woods without a birdie for the trip and also put him "on the clock." There few other birdie opportunities until the much maligned 100 yard Par 3 ninth hole (the players' last). There were several legitimate birdie opportunities, but only Drossner was able to drain his putt, and extend his lead yet again. After Day 2 the scoreboard was 5-2-1-0 with someone needing a total of 6 birdies in order to defeat Drossner.

The players made the long drive north back to their condo. Saturday is usually a quiet night after a long Friday, and there were no changes to that plan this time around. The main problem was finding a place for pizza. Woods put on his "pizza radar" and happened upon I Love New York pizza in a shopping center not far from the Barefoot Villas. The players ordered 2 large pies, aand rushed home to eat most of the pizzas. By 11:00 p.m. the players were in bed, anxious for Day 3 of the MBBC.

Sunday, August 9, 2009 - Grande Dunes (A.M.)/Pine Lakes (P.M.)

The group again awoke at 6:15 a.m. for their short trek to Grande Dunes for their 7:30 a.m. tee time. They arrived in plenty of time for their tee time, and began begging the starter for an opportunity to play the Members Course. The starter made it clear that the chances of playing the Members Course were slim and none. It would appear that the group will have to stay at a Grande Dunes property if they want to play the Members Course, although there was some suggestion that the booking company advertised on the Grande Dunes scorecard could also help in that regard. The players were abe to hit some balls on the range, which Hoelke was pleased about, since he was struggling mightily with his driver. There were a few decent birdie opportunities over the opening holes, but it was the 6th hole that would be pivotal.  A short Par 4 featuring a large bunker in the middle, it's the one hole that Eric Drossner could remember. The day before, Drossner had commented that he had a plan for that hole, which included hitting an iron off the tee. Drossner abandoned his plan and hit a fantastic driver between the center bunker and the right bunker. Scott Woods also hit a perfect drive. But Dan Hoelke striped his driver to approximately 30 yards from the hole. Woods hit a delicate chip to 6 feet. Drossner got inside of him with an equally good chip, and Hoelke also hit a great chip to approximately 3 feet and there was the chance for the first ever 3 birdie hole. Woods was the first to putt and hit an awful putt that failed to find the cup. Drossner drained his putt to increase his total to 6. Hoelke's hit the cup but made a dramatic about-face, meaning only 1 birdie was made. Woods had another opportunity to birdie on the next hole, but, again, hit a very poor putt. The players made the turn to the back nine in under 2 hours but had to wait on the tee of the 10th hole, since Grande Dunes double tees and there was large outing of 10 groups playing a scramble. Once the groups teed off, there was very little waiting. There were few birdie opportunities, as the players struggled with some of the difficult holes on the back 9. But, it was Eric Drossner who struck once again, this time on the very difficult Par 15th hole. Once again, he fireed a solid approach but left himself with a putt of 10-12 feet, which he drained to bring his total to 7 birdies and to bring him to within 1 of Dan Hoelke's record of 8. In addition, Drossner was flirting wiht a sub-80 round, but he would make a few mistakes on the final few holes to finish with an 81. Scott Woods had another birdie opportunity on his favorite hole, the Par 5 17th, but again missed an 8 foot putt and remained birdieless after 4 rounds. The scoreboard read 7-2-1-0.

The players again begged for a chance to play the Members Course, but after again being denied, made a tee time at Pine Lakes. The players returned to the condo and went to the pool, an MBBC first. In addition, it is believed to be the first time in 4-5 years, that the players have even gone to a pool during the MBBC week. Hoelke and Woods returned to the condo early and Woods decided that Hoelke needed to start drinking to improve his game. Hoelke agreed, and the 2 downed a few beers before the group headed to Pine Lakes. Pine Lakes was a little difficult to find as the cartoon map was incorrect. They finally found the course, which was fairly wide open. Woods and Hoelke grabbed some beers at the bar. At the first tee, the cart girl, a mildly attractive girl advised that she was done for the day, which was disappointing to Woods and Hoelke. There was much discussion again about which tees to play, as the shorter tees measured approximately 5,700 yards. It was finally agreed to play the shorter tees, and off the group went. Despite being a fairly short course, the players generally struggled on the front nine and there were few birdies opportunities until the 9th hole. A 299 Par 4, Scott Woods fired another one to within 6 feet giving himself yet another nervy putt. Meanwhile, Eric Drossner fired a dart and gave himself another birdie. Woods was able to drain his putt, to finally get on the board. After grabbing more beer at the turn, Dan Hoelke responded on the 10th hole with a birdie. Woods and Hoelke then had golden opportunities on the Par 3 11th hole, but failed to convert. There were no other birdies and Woods and Hoelke got drunker and after 3 days and five rounds the scoreboard was Drossner-8, Hoelke-3, Rovner-1, Woods-1.

Eric Drossner drove the foursome back to the condo, where they showered and decided to head to California Dreamin' a sister restaurant to Carolina Roadhouse. The restaurant was empty, since it was close to 9:00 p.m. and the players enjoyed a very good meal. They headed back home and watched the ened of the Hall of Fame Game between Buffalo and Tennessee before heading to bed.

Monday, August 10, 2009 - Barefoot Fazio (A.M.)/Barefoot Love (P.M.)

The players awoke once again at 6:15 in anticipation for their favorite course combination... Barefoot Fazio and Love. The short length and familiarity with the courses usually leads to more birdie opportunities. The players got to the clubhouse early to finally take advantage of the free breakfast that comes with staying on the property. The players were disappointed to learn that the buffet is only available on the weekends, so they ordered from the menu. After a quick breakfast, the group was off of Fazio. Unfortunately, the play was less than impressive and there were few birdie opportunities. Hoelke continued to struggle with his driving. Rovner continued to struggle with his approach shots. Woods continued to struggle with putting and Drossner simply could not find the mark. Finally, there was a breakthrough on the Par 5 12th hole, when Woods was able to drain a 10 foot putt for his second birdie. There were no other marks in the round including none for Eric Drossner ending his run of consecutive courses birdied. Temperatures climbed into the mid-90's as the players finished the opening round. A tee time was made for the afternoon round on the Love course, but the group was told they could tee off whenever they wanted.

In keeping with Barefoot Day tradition, the players headed to T.G.I.Friday's for lunch. The scenery was good as the players ate their traditional lunch.  The tradition continued as the group headed to Martins to buy things they did not need. There were fewer pruchases this time around, since all of the players had bought a plethora of balls before the trip. Woods was encouraged to buy a new glove, since his was falling apart, but he declined. The foursome returned to the condo to relax and wait out the heat before returning for the afternoon round. Much to Drossner's surprise, Woods, Hoelke, and Rovner fell asleep while he was in another oom. After some quick power naps, the players finally awoke and headed back to Barefoot to play the group's favorite, Love Course. The Love Course was in its usual immaculate condition, and many expected a barrage of birdies, but it was not to be. There were several chances for each of the players but very few conversions. Hoelke missed a golden opportunity on the Par 5 second.  At the infamous Par 4 4th hole, the group took aim at the driveable green, although the hole was cut in the back. Woods hit a solid drive to 30 yards from the green. Drossner snap hooked a shot into the trees, although he was able to find and play it. Hoelke hit a solid drive, although over a pot bunker and against the brick wall behind the green. Rovner duffed his tee ball. However, Rovner was able to hit an amazing second shot to 6 feet. Woods and Hoelke hit poor 2 shots and none of the players were able to make birdie. Stormin' Dan Hoelke was able to birdie the Par 5 8th hole with an impressive wedge to within 3 feet, which he drained. Unfortunately, there would be no other birdies by the foursome on the Love Course. The players were amazed at some of the devastation to the forests surrounding the Barefoot facility from fires earlier in the year. The group finished in the cool temperatures of early evening with Drossner missing a final chance on 18 to make his first birdie EVER on the Love Course.

The players returned to the condo, showered and changed and made the much anticipated trip to Rioz, a Brazilian Steakhouse near the Holiday Inn Express. There was no wait and the group was seated right away. $40.00 got you all fo the steak, chicken and pork you could eat, as well as a bread and salad bar. There was a strangely dressed group at the salad bar, which appeared to be strippers and their pimps. Everybody seemed to enjoy the dinner, with each having their favorite cut. There was some discussion about rallying to go out, but as is usually the case with this group, it was all talk, and after 4 straight days of early wake-up calls, the group decided to head back home.

Monday, August 11, 2009 - The Dunes Club

The package provider utilized by Rovner allowed the group access to the semi-private Dunes Club for the final round of the MBBC. With the outcome decided, there was little to play for but pride. The players arrived very early as they overestimated the time it would take to get there. The players umloaded their own bags as some black guy watched, and they checked in. There was time to hit the range, which Hoelke, again, was happy about, as he had yet to figure out his driver. The foursome was the 2nd or 3rd group to tee off on the front nine, and were greeted by a very frriendly starter. The Dunes Club was also in spectacular condition, although the greens were not as fast as the starter had warned. There were fewer birdie opportunities as The Dunes Club was somewhat longer then the other courses. A rather bizarre incident occurred ont e Par 4 8th hole. Dan Hoelke was feeling the affects of the heat and his porr play and turned his hat around backwards.  Just a minute or two after he;d done so, a course employee happened to be riding by in a cart. Upon noticing Hoelke. the employee stopped and politely asked Hoelke to turn his hat back around. Upon returning from the trip and mentioning this incident on the forum, someone indicated that there may be a sign which reads that hats shalll be worn properly, but no such sign was ever seen. The next hole, the Par 3 9th hole with a view of the ocean, featured MBBC history, as Eric Drossner made his 9th birdie of the tournament, setting a record for most birdies in a tournament. The foursome limped home on the final 9 and the 13th edition of the MBBC with a final scoreboard of 9-4-2-1.

The players loaded their clubs into their travel bags in The Dunes parking lot, in what has to be considered the most depressing moment of every MBBC. They then headed back to the condo to clean-up and pack. Paul Rovner had convinced his contact to allow the group to extend check out to 1:00 p.m. despite some indication that late check-out was not allowed. The players showered quickly, packed and headed out the door. In completing the chain restaurant trifecta, the players hit Chili's for their final meal in Myrtle Beach. They relaxed there for a little over an hour with an annoying server, and then reluctantly headed to the airport.

Hoelke, Drossner and Rovner were scheduled to leave at 4:00 p.m. with Woods scheduled to leave at 6:00 p.m. However, upon check-in, Woods was advised that his flight was cancelled, but he was quickly moved up to the 4:00 flight. The flight to Charlotte was on time, and there were no problems with connections home despite the threat of thunder storms.

A few quick notes:

- I do not believe there is any dispute that the MBBC needs to return to late May/early June, and I expect it will do so in 2010.
- There were several lineup discussions during our final meal, the most notable being the proposal to play the Barefoot Love/Fazio combination twice... a proposal that I'm all for. As of the writing of this report, Droz has selected Myrtlewood as the site of the opening round. That would be played on Friday followed by Barefoot on Saturday (which is when we should try to play it because of late night on Friday), Grande Dunes on Sunday with replay in the afternoon and then back to Barefoot on Monday, which leaves Tuesday open, although a return to Grande Dunes was discussed.
- Unless there are significant price differences, there should be no hurry to get to Myrtle on the first day, so that is something that should be considered in the planning for MBBC XIV.

With Windows Live, you can organize, edit, and share your photos. Click here.