Great Shot CodeWithout a Prayer: The Frozen Open Experience
IT's Own Sean O Chronicles What It's Like Being a
Golden Tee Tournament Rookie
Let me start off by saying that nothing that follows has been elaborated or embellished in anyway - not that it would need to be. It is simply my first-hand account of the experience that is a Golden Tee tournament.
For those of you who don't know me, my name is Sean Ostruszka, aka. Sean O - resident marketing associate at IT, fishing fanatic and mediocre Golden Tee player… at best. Anyways, a few days ago, I made my official Golden Tee tournament debut as a player at the Frozen Open. And obviously, by the fact that you still don't know my name, I didn't win. Some guy from Jacksonville did… But that didn't stop me from having a memorable time. This is my story.
7:30 - 10:15 |
Wake up. Realize immediately it's cold! And I do mean COLD! Force myself out of my warm, comfy bed, shower, eat breakfast, and wait for Duffer Dan to pick me up. |
10:15 - 11:00 |
Ride with Duffer Dan and Brad Litz to Flounder's. At this point I'm relatively calm, though my optimism for a solid showing is minimal despite Duffer's best efforts. Takes five minutes to find a parking spot. One step out of the truck and I immediately wish we spent more time trying to find a closer spot. Did I mention it's cold?! |
11:05 |
 Carry a box of Golden Tee t-shirts down the street to Flounder's. I believe it only took 45 seconds before my hands went numb… could have been 44 seconds. Either way, I realize gloves would have been smart. |
11:07 |
Finally make it into Flounder's. Leave coat on to keep myself warm. Meet and greet players. |
11:28 |
Decide I'm warm enough to take my coat off. Begin playing first warm-up round with Duffer and Brad. Thanks to the cold holding my focus, I'm still quite relaxed. |
12:08 |
I shoot my first -20! I know, not a big deal for most players, but I'm ecstatic! Could this be a good omen for things to come? I calmly tell Brad that I probably just wasted my only good round of the day. He agrees. Not good. |
12:45 |
 Tournament director, Steve "0verfiend" Moskalin announces the Calcutta is starting. |
12:51 |
Finish up second practice round with a -13. Not bad, but a few strokes below my average. All and all, I'm feeling good for the tournament. |
1:15ish |
My name is called in the Calcutta. After a few "Who?'s" circulate around the room, Gary Colabuono buys me for $10. To be honest, I think Gary just wasted $10... but I'm still glad someone bought me. |
2:00ish |
I'm up! My partner is Will Lee and we are playing Bayou Bay. I can't wait. Will makes small talk and nicely asks what my goal is for the round. I tell him -15. He nods and we're under way. It takes one hole before the nerves set in. I nearly miss my first putt on #1 and I immediately realize I might be in trouble. |
2:16 |
I suck! -15! HA! What a joke! While Will is firing an impressive round considering the hard setup, I'm crashing and burning. You'd have thought I never played before! I'm flying greens, missing putts and making bogies like THAT was my goal. I can barely look at Will, who despite his best efforts to encourage me to stay positive, has a look of sheer sympathy on his face. Gary yells over and asks how his investment is doing. I felt bad telling him that he wasted his money. |
2:34 |
A -6… I finished with a -6! And had I not eagled #18 it would have been a -4. My -20 in practice seems like a distant memory at this point. Luckily my poor play had little effect on Will, who finished with a solid -21. |
2:36 |
Picture: The bar that kept me well stocked with Diet Cokes. |
2:53 |
I haven't eaten since 9 that morning and I'm starving. Brad talks me into ordering a chicken sandwich, despite my protesting. I KNOW that the moment I order I'll be called to play my second qualifier round. He says I'm wrong and I order. |
2:56 |
I was right… |
2:57 |
My new partner is a young guy named Andy Hamilton whom I had never met before. Like me, this was his first Golden Tee tournament. And like me, he hadn't played nearly as well as he wanted on the first course. This is perfect! No pressure of playing with a Team USA member here. Immediately I believe I can make a comeback. Andy is even nice enough to pay for my round after I make the rookie mistake of not bringing enough singles. The lone problem is that we are on the machine right next to the window. So not only is it cold, the glare is ridiculous. But after my first round, I figured glare was the least of my worries. |
3:13 |
Andy is about to hit a shot when I look left and witness a sight you can Marc "The Mouth" Muklewicz (left) is standing outside the window… with no shirt on…. in the freezing cold... with his chest pressed up against the glass… gesturing to Jimmy Mac who was playing on the machine next to us. I'm instantly blinded by his pasty white body. But luckily I recover, laugh and continue unfazed. Though I do belive part of me is scarred for life. At this point I'm playing solid. I've missed a few shots, but I'm on pace to shoot my average. After my first round disaster, average would be nice. |
3:32 |
A nice birdie on #18 allows me to finish round 2 with a -13. Not great. But I'm feeling MUCH better than I did an hour ago. Andy, on the other hand, is less than thrilled. He triple-bogeyed the final hole to tie me at -13. But he handles it well. |
3:34 - 7:30 |
Now it's the waiting game. I'm obviously in the purple bracket and that's not getting kicked off until after two rounds of the main bracket. Time for me to take in the scenery and make a few interesting notes. Note 1: Chicken sandwiches that are left on bar counters for 30 minutes don't taste very good. Luckily, ketchup solves everything. Note 2: Having been to the Regionals and now the Frozen Open, there is a set selection of songs that you are guaranteed to hear at least three times at every tournament. Here are a few in no particular order: Luckily, Gary was kept away from the juke box so "Final Countdown" was never played at the Frozen. Note 3: My next tournament I'm doing everything I can to not be in the purple bracket. I don't want to wait anymore. Note 4: High Definition television is amazing! I never really realized the difference until I had two televisions side by side at Flounder's - one High-def, the other not. High-def makes normal cable look like I'm watching the game underwater. I'm forever changed!
|
7:38 |
I'm up again. My first round opponent is a guy named Jim Moser, who I had actually met a few weeks earlier at the kick-off event for the Golden Tee Lottery Ticket. Again, a good guy who was about even with me skill wise. I actually might have a chance. Plus we're playing Summit and the lakes are frozen over! No penalty strokes! |
7:44 |
Through five holes we're even, though you never would have guessed it by watching. While Jim is hitting every fairway and green, I'm skulling shots all over the place. BUT I keep managing to stay on GT par. Don't ask how because I have no clue. |
8:04 |
Well this is it. Down 1 going into #18. I need a miracle. |
8:05 |
And I got one! I stuck the green. He didn't. I can send this into sudden death. I just have to make a… Figures. My putt is a long, up 2, right 10. I'm doomed. I give it my best effort but my ball misses. Jim saves for birdie off the ice and my tournament is over. |
8:33 |
Time to play spectator. Duffer is in round three of the purple bracket and is facing off against the opponent I wish I had. Let's just say, the guy was slightly intoxicated. Here's just a sample of a conversation Duffer had with his opponent: Duffer: How you doing man? Priceless. Simply priceless. Needless to say, Duffer advanced. |
8:40-9:30ish |
My new addiction for high-definition television is being fed by watching highlights of North Carolina's loss to Maryland. Meanwhile I sit and chat with various players. Not a bad way to pass the time. Jeff Harlow announces the winners of the raffle - which is highlighted by Chuck "Chuckwagon" Speiser, misplacing his "winning" tickets. According to Chuckwagon, he won every prize that was announced. But he couldn't find his tickets. Then he DID win the Ben Hogan irons. Problem was, he still couldn't find his ticket!. After five minutes of stumbling around and complaining he finally found his tickets… in his pocket. It's always the last place you look… |
9:30 -10:00ish |
The machine closest to the door is open and Brad and I decide to play a little Golden Tee. Three minutes into playing we realize why the machine is open - every time the door opens we get blasted with cold air. Playing with this handicap, we are actually neck-and-neck on Misty. And then the unthinkable happens - I beat Brad. I'll admit, Brad caught every bad bounce possible. Meanwhile, I caught EVERY break possible - including a tee shot on #18 that skipped off the waterfall rocks ONTO the fringe - but I beat him. After raising my hands in glory and debating about retiring from the game forever it was finally time to leave. |
10:15-11:00 |
 On the drive home with Dan and Brad we monitor the temperature gauge in his car. When we left Flounder's it read 0. By the time they drop me off, it's -3. Exhausted, I pop in Bourne Identity and crash on the couch. Golden Tee tournaments can really take it out of you. |
Not only am I playing with a great guy, but also an amazing player. Having played with Sobe a lot I figure I'm a lock to do well. Whenever I play with a better player I always seem to play better.
Sit down at the bar next to Brad and Duffer to tell my tale of woe. Neither can believe I put a single-digit number on the board. I'm just happy it's over. I drown my sorrow in a Diet Coke.
only see at a Golden Tee tournament.
Note 5: Flounder's garlic fries are deadly. While I didn't try them, plenty of people did and trust me, one whiff of a garlic fry belch will clear you from the bar. I honestly think they might be hazardous to your health - and the health of others around you.. 
EPILOGUE It's true, there is no experience like a Golden Tee tournament. The players, the music and the competition combine to make an event that's as off-the-wall as it is fun. Will I ever play in another Golden Tee tournament? Absolutely. Am I by any means ready for another? Probably not. But that's just part of the experience!
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