It is getting closer to the finish. Yup. Season almost over. Disappointing season for some, self-righteousness to others or gratification and fulfillment to a few. SGC’s drive is very simple and true – get members to revel in the company of others. Point taken folks?

Two games to account for. Contending players are jockeying for positions with a good game plan on their minds. Others display admiration just watching other members compete and how they handle pressure and revere the fact how they conduct themselves even in a losing cause. These people are the real winners if you ask me. We all learn something every day, do we not? The flagship of all these competitions is our POY. An honor to win it and we salute all past winners. It is also gratifying to note that members supporting our club for enjoyment of every one is much better.

Who did what last Sunday at Maples of Ballantrae?

ROUND: I got a story to tell about my own foursome of Bong M., Rey P. and Jojo D. First of all, my expression of regret to other groups who may want to relate a better story than I have but what I do not have I cannot post. I try to post funny and interesting stories happening after every round of golf. That is why I keep my ears open wide and listen to players around me. You are welcome to feed me legit funny stories to make it more interesting. Back to my foursome though. Bong M. & Rey P. got their mojo going in the early part of the game but unfortunately both players lost the wind in their sails in the last three holes. Regardless they both posted good scoring. I guess this is why we play eighteen holes, don’t we?  One player, Jojo D. showed us a little different beat. He excelled in almost anything he did – driving, chipping, & putting as all three of us marvelled watching him. Jojo as we finished the round jumped in joy like a little child who just got a new toy when he learned he just broke 80 by carding a gross of 79. But there was a catch. Remember the saying never count the chicks before the eggs hatch? Two foursomes later, Levi M. with an equal handicap to Jojo carded a better gross score of 78. Levi M. to his credit won more Nassau contests last year than anybody else. With the lowest gross (78) & lowest net (60) became perfectly clear Sunday that he is one of the good scoring players to reckon with. Other players who carded hard-earned net scores in the 60s were Jojo D. 62, Mar DV & Sennix B. 64, Sam K. & Bong M. 68, and PJ P. with 69.

NASSAU: A heartbreaker to Jojo D. who was left winning just the front nine with net 30. Levi M. outshone him by winning overall and the back nine with net score of 60 & 29 respectively.

RACE to MONTH 5: So far with three rounds accounted for, Jojo D. leads the pack owning huge six points margin to second place finishers (tied) Levi M. & PJ P. One round to go to finalize the top three which is next week.

CLOSEST to the PIN: Manny C. who rarely enters optional contests, took the front sixth hole. Oscar J. who seldom plays, got it the closest on the tenth hole. Can you imagine how many contests Oscar can win if he plays regularly?

POY: Levi M. with a good performance Sunday that catapulted him from fourth position to first place dislodged last week’s leader, Eddie I. to second place. Levi now leads Ed by a meager two points. Far back in third place is Manny C. behind by seven startling points. Promising PJ P. followed in fourth place relegating Jimmy M. to fifth place as he leads Jimmy by a point. Wow what a race this is going to be two weeks from now.

SENIOR POY: Jun Paculaba not surprisingly with a net of 70 Sunday took the lead and is projected to win this maiden title. He leads the “never giving up” Mar DV by four points and the third placer by a huge seven points. Bingoy P. is in fourth place eleven points behind Jun with Seho O. a point behind Bingoy. Top five get to the prize money with the coming finals this Sunday.

MIP: Not much change here. Manny C. still leads followed closely by Eddie I in second place and Julio R in third. The only change here is Paolo B. taking solo fourth with Levi M. down to fifth. They were both tied in fourth a week prior to last week. Top five will be rewarded in two-week time.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Players confirmed to play next week at Ballantrae are told to bring cash to pay for the SGC tickets. No cash, you are facing possibility of paying the golf course with your credit card with a much higher green fee. Don and Susan Dizon once again open their hearts & home again to host SGC after the round. They offer salad and soft drinks while an extra $5 for the members to shell out to take care of the food. Pizza is in the offing and any alcohol beverages is to be shouldered by the members as well.

A delightful round of drinks and fries mostly provided by our winner Levi M. & and a little help from Jojo D. after the round at MoB. Seho O. brought some nourishing cookies as well. Special mention by the players to thank Joey C. who treated players at a Vietnamese restaurant after winning two Nassau corners at Century Pines two weeks ago.

Unless you have a good reason not to compete with the Grand Finals contest, we would like to see every one for our last two games before we go on separate ways.

Congratulations to the winners.

Summer wind’s getting chiller and days are getting shorter. Fewer you see short pants worn by even daring players on the golf course. Today is the first day of fall season. Yes, this is a good reminder that Old Man winter is just around the corner. Don’t we all know it? With SGC’s summer scheduled games down to three games, the feeling of eerie anticipation about our golf season that is coming to an end is on every one’s mind. Once again SGC feels proud about the participating members who conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the game of golf. If you are one of those who disagree, please drop a letter to SGC’s suggestion box if you can find it.

On a more serious note, there is still so much at stake for the remaining games that could be had by ANYONE. We have Month 5, Super Series 5 and the Grand Finals. If you feel like a momentum is in you to win one of these, then we dare you to do it.

Now let’s talk about what happened last Sunday at Century Pines.

ROUND: Winning at this golf course every time this player plays here bodes well for him. Joey C., did it again this Sunday by signing his card with a net of 68. By all measures, Century Pines is a fair and predictable course and amazingly enough though many members consider this course as easy as it gets.  If this is so, then what was the reason for a lone net score of below 70 achieved by just one player? No offense to our guest player Tom B. who gutted a net of 63.

NASSAU: If a net score of 68 wasn’t enough to make the outcome looked inevitable, Joey C. convincingly grabbed the back and overall. Jojo D. tied with another player to garner the front nine.

CLOSEST to the PIN: The ever charging Paolo B. who netted best net 66 the week before last Sunday, claimed hole five. You would not believe what he told another player how he got so close to that par 3 hole difficult pin location. It was a mishit! Better lucky than good? Seho O. who also got it very close on the fifteenth hole was never challenged.

RACE to MONTH 5: With just two rounds already completed, PJ P. heads the early parade of leaders. Hopefully he can keep this up for the next two games. Jojo D. who had shown good course management of late is hugging closely in second place followed by the resurgence of the “no golf ball that I cannot find on the golf course” Saed J. All three players are only separated by a measly stroke in between them. I kind of like this contest because it is so close like me to my mother-in-law. Just kidding.

POY: What can we say about this contest? First and second place finishers as well as total of twelve best net scores for both remained exactly the same for a two-week run now. Odd. Everybody else was surprised about Eddie I. taking the lead to the most coveted title by a huge margin of seven points except himself. If you notice folks, Ed happens to be contending in every contest that SGC is presenting this year even in the littlest race of who can ostracized someone else the most. Ain’t it obvious what his goals are? Win… baby! Manny C. who was idle last Sunday stayed in second place. I got a feeling the burning sensation inside of Manny C. trying to unseat this guy in front of him. The only change happening was about Jimmy M. replacing Levi M. in third position. Good clean fun and lots of luck to all of those people contending.

SENIOR POY: Well not much to say about this race. It is likely that this writer is in precautious position to say anything as who leads this contest temporarily. Please check the scores and standings on another post.

MIP: Manny C. may want to adhere to the blog comments weeks before about his lead that he holds in this particular contest to avoid risking anything with three games to go. He could win it by just loafing in his couch at home watching TV. But… and this is a big BUT. Guess who is closing in? Yes you guess it, it is Eddie I. There he is again. You feel like winning everything with gusto, why not? I for one want to see it done.

ANNOUNCEMENT: Awards night/banquet will be on October 19, 2013. SGC decides that if you confirm to attend and you are a no show, the money paid for your reservation will be charged against you. Watch for the posting here for the banquet’s place and time a week prior.

MAPLES OF BALLANTRAE TEE OFF THIS SUNDAY IS CHANGE FROM 1:38 pm TO 1:12 PM

Perdóname mis amigos for the blog that went missing last week. Last week was not my very best effort as I just could not buy the time. For the very few who read the blog, I will try to do better effort not to miss it again. Gracias.

Congratulations to all winners.

YOU ARE A SIERRA GOLF CLUB MEMBER, THIS IS THE TIME TO BE PROUD.

Some of the twenty-six members plus three guests that never played this golf course before were astonished to see a gated community entering Ballantrae Golf & Country Club golf course last Sunday. This experience was a little different atmosphere compared to other golf courses that we played on considering that Ballantrae is a public course. Tranquil and serene surroundings greeted us and what could we say about the hospitality of our hosts – Susan and Don Dizon, who provided us with delightful dinner after our round of golf. That arroz caldo hit the right spot helped eased the pain a bit to a few after a disheartening humiliation by the golf course. On behalf of Prez Joey C. and the members, SGC would like to thank the Dizons for their generosity.

Haunting task of solace was not evident last Sunday as no one remembered to bring a camera to give the turnout at Don’s place something to ponder about. Anyway thanks to Julio R. using his phone, took sample pics to snoop on.

Don pics here

ROUND: We heard through the grapevine that Jojo D. played the course smartly and the proof to that was his impressive net score of 66. Jojo claimed that this was so sweet ‘cuz he finally snapped out of his funk. A disheartening close second losing to someone repeatedly by a stroke was Ed I. who posted net of 67. Julio R. was one of those shooting high 60s tailing with net 69.

NASSAU: Out of funk and showing promise of a comeback, Jojo D. took the daunting task of grabbing the overall and the front nine. Julio R. sizzled with a net 34 deservedly snatching the back nine.

Closest to the pin: When you’re hot, you’re hot. Once again another Jojo D’s keeper by taking the front par three with Bert C. taking the back. A few people were asking if Bert C. used a driver to get to the green. To get your answer in which a minimal fee is probable, please query Fred DR. & Exe N. who were part of the threesome.

SUPER SERIES: Jojo D. poured everything he’s got to reward himself of the biggest prize of them all by winning his fourth gem for that Sunday –the Super Series. Ed I. who lost again by another slimmest margin of one stroke came second. Julio R. grabbed third while one of our newcomers, Sam K. took his second Super Series win placing fourth.

POY: Well, Ed I. after feeling crabby about losing a stroke here and there surprisingly took the outright lead over Manny C. by…….you guessed it….a stroke. This was the only change on the leaderboard as everyone dropped down a position when Ed surged to the very top. Jimmy M. placed third followed by Levi M. in fourth and Paolo B, trailing in fifth place. Please check the complete scoreboard posted in ‘Year to date results’.

SENIOR POY: This is what it is. Seniors against seniors. It shows on the ever-changing and unpredictable leaderboard that it is not easy to be consistent as far as your game is concerned when father time is calling. We could hear bone crackling every time a senior hits a shot. Changing of the guards showing a new face taking the lead. Bingoy P. leads all ten players with good ten completed net scores of 739 four strokes better than the second placed Seho O. who is tied with another player. Two strokes behind Seho in fourth place is Jun P. followed by Mar DV in fifth separated by a stroke. This is one contest that is so close with four games to go. One precaution: The winner will be subjected to GPED (Geritol Performance Enhancing Drug) test.

MIP: Manny C. still sits atop the leaderboard but Jimmy M. popping into the picture with a good performance Sunday that brought his ending handicap index lower and relegated Ed I. from second place to third place. Jimmy trails Manny by mere 2.0 points now. Julio R. and Paolo B. came in fourth and fifth respectively. Good run for Jimmy but I got a feeling Manny won’t let him get any closer. Anybody else is so far behind that these two stalwarts are the only ones battling for the title with five games to account for. We are all keeping an eye on this exciting race, aren’t we boys?

ANNOUNCEMENT: For those who weren’t in attendance, it was voted by majority of members to have a banquet this year sometime in October. Please wait for further notice for exact time and date. Joey C. also announced that we will conduct banquet attendance next Sunday.

SGC awaits the time Sebastian Demelo will show up and play with us again.

Congratulations to the winners.

SGC got the best of the playing conditions at Royal Woodbine last Sunday with our two o’clock tee time. The weather was a little cooler than usual but darkened skies calm conditions and alas, showers threatened at the latter part of the afternoon but did not happen. Most of the thirty members who showed up with three guests took advantage of using rain check vouchers granted by the golf course nine weeks ago due to unfortunate storm winding up with a round cancellation. Some played for free, others paid minimal amounts.

ROUND: You know what, it is nice to see a wily veteran getting back to his “those were the days” form after suffering from different physical setbacks from previous years. Jun P. who is having a monster month, shot the best net of 64. In the best gross score category, Jimmy M. ranks with one of those players who practices and works hard, finished the day with best gross score of 74. Worth mentioning as well were good net score efforts from Don D. (65), Ed I. (66), Manny M. (68), Dave N. (68), & Mar DV (69).

NASSAU: Don D. with impressive performance so far, seized overall as well as tying the front nine with Manny M. Ed I. appeared to notch another prize by snatching the back.

CLOSEST TO THE PIN: Manny M. got it going early by really shooting it so close on the par 3 fourth hole. Bingoy P. who up to now could not still believe his luck, got the closest on the tenth hole. Both gents birdied the hole.

MONTH 4: Jun P. who entered the Sunday event trailing Dave N. by huge five points capped the honours with a blitzing net of 64 winning it by three strokes over Dave. I was in awe and happened to witness Jun’s run for the monthly title as I was in a couple of times in a foursome with him. Don D. with another good showing jumped from fourth to grab final prize of third place.

POY: Not so much happening here as top four leaders stayed all the same as they were a week ago. Only change was the final spot of fifth place that went to Paolo B. (878) dropping Seho O. (882) to sixth place tying PJ P. who still looks promising to contend for the final spot. Top four: Manny M. (854), Ed I. (858), Jimmy M. (861), & Levi M. (872).

SENIOR POY: After completed ten rounds, Seho O. (743) now leads followed closely by the unstoppable Jun P. (745). Mar DV. (746) tied with another player in third place and Exe N. (761) trailing in fifth place. Projection still stands that the surging Jun P. will end up atop the leaderboard challenge by Bingoy P. who still leads everyone in all eight rounds he played.

MIP: It is only a matter of time before this player gets to the trophy presentation and Manny C. holding the trophy up high. Statistics show in reality that there is only one person who can mount a likely challenge to Manny’s feat with six games to go. Jimmy M. who is still a tad to improve his ending handicap index will have to post low scores in the remaining games.

Inspiring to see most of SGC’s contests are tightly and well contested. Hats off to support of people who made our event off to a very good start. You very well know who you are. As far as the competitions go, everyone is still looking forward of competing for whatever is offered. I still see enormous fire in those player’s eyes trying to catch up with the leaders and no one seems giving up that easily.

We welcome back Rey P. to our Sunday past time after a very long hiatus.

Congrats to the winners!