RUMPLE 2011: SHANTY ANTE
|
|
RUMPLE 2011: SHANTY ANTE |
|
BELLAIRE, MI AUGUST 11-14, 2011  Shanty Creek Resorts  Cedar River, Legend, Schuss 
|
Rumple 2011 brought another year of glory. The condos proved useful and comfy places of refuge from the madness of the tournament around us. Unless, of course, you had to put up with Gun Range and Thunder pounding whiskey at 6:00 AM and recounting the misadventures of Pedro Guerrero and his companions. Our diverse competition repeated its history of broad appeal from the Plains, the Pacific Northwest, Old Dominion, The Big Apple and of course, America's High Five, putting 16 golfers/hackers/drinkers on the tee box and immediately on the clock. We scraped the crusty layer off the top of our pleather bags and stupid hats to take on Shanty Creek, which provided a great variety of courses and holes for our one-of-a-kind tournament. We narrowly skirted some major downpours and managed, once again, to complete all schedule holes. To date 717 holes played, 3 missed. The Bank and Jor-El broke away from the peloton early, and created a dramatic last day showdown for the raw title. And, in true Rumple fashion, the eventual champion had to be woken up for his shots during the scramble, exhausted from the grind and the ABV%. |
The Golf:
We jumped right in to 2011, playing a challenging Cedar River in our first round. Though Cedar River is their "premier" course, many found The Legend in round 2 to be the most difficult. Our third round, at Schuss Mountain, was a lot of fun, as long as you don't mind going left...left...left...left... And, though the courses may not have stood out among the backdrop of rumple legends like The Judge, Jekyll Island or Bay Harbor, they were a good mix and in good shape even if the greens were a touch slow. The Bank and Jor-El went low early and posted a combined 5 rounds in the 70s, setting up a near-miracle shot on the final hole. The Bank, down 2, had about 100 yards in for is 3rd shot on the par 5. His ball landed 2" behind the cup and finished 2" in front. Never before has the Raw Championship come down to one shot. Until now. The Grand Championship was a much tighter race. Larsen Sr. went out strong in the 90s, and held a narrow lead going into the final round. The conditions forcing a WD for Sr., several players were within a couple of strokes of winning the Grand Championship. In the end, "Steady Eddie" ACE proved that game management and effective damage control in all conditions are the ingredients for Grand Glory. 
|
The Story: In an era where heroes are increasingly rare, I offer you ACE. After a 15 year hiatus from Ann Arbor, ACE booked his Rumple trip to include some time in The Deuce. He wandered through downtown and sat peacefully in the East Quad courtyard, took a saunter to the Arb, had a quad at Blimpie Burger, grabbed a pint at Ashley's. It felt good, warm, to remember. I believe we have witnessed a formula for Grand Rumpler success. With some controversy, the Smoove again lapsed into the ether. And, although the beer cart girl knew all about ACE's flight on Sunday and his plan B, you single fellas are convincingly content. Also, the Knuckle. The thing about the Knuckle is that you know it when you see it. Arguably, Jor-El needing to be woken up during the scramble, many times is a front-runner. But, after careful evaluation, Jor-El was simply rumpling at a near perfect balance. Great golf + ridiculous approach. This is the expectation. The Knuckle lays unclaimed for another year. |
|