Karl Overcomes Shilohfallsophobia

Being afraid of something that can cause harm is a normal reaction. However, some people show strong persistent and irrational fears of particular objects, activities or situations. When this behavior interferes with normal everyday functioning, the condition is called a phobia. Encountering the phobic stimulus results in intense anxiety, causing increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, shaking and sweating. Although the phobic may acknowledge the anxiety is disproportionate to the threat, this does little to reduce the fear and they are highly motivated to avoid it. Karl suffers from Shilohfallsophobia(fear of golfing at Shiloh Falls).It's been over a year since TFF has traveled to Shiloh Falls, yet each Thursday night Karl is in a state of panic as he anticipates the much dreaded call of where TFF will play on Friday. When Mike made the call this week, he couldn't tell Karl where they were going, but Karl knew and immediately he began to react to his phobia. After a sleepless night, K was picked up by Ron and got in the back seat with LT who was attempting to overcome one of his phobias,Lygophobia (fear of darkness). The four drove to the church to pick up Sam whose primary phobia is cherophobia(fear of being happy) and this explains why he loves to golf. Sam was glad to see that Ron was driving because when Mike drives not only Sam but K, R, and LT all suffer from amaxophobia(fear of riding in a car). Alot of Mike's driving problems come from one of his phobias, erythrophobia(fear of red lights). Ron is perhaps the best of the five at hiding his phobias, but it has long been suspected that he has defecaloesiophobia(fear of painful bowel movements) as well as arachibutyrophobia(fear of peanut butter sticking to the roof of the mouth). Ron has also shown signs of phronemophobia(fear of thinking). Ron and his longtime partner,LT, both suffer from ecclesiophobia(fear of church)on Wednesday night but Ron has been attempting to overcome this fear as of late. Well, TFF arrived at the course just as the sun was coming up and Mike spotted a couple of other golfers in the parking lot and immediately insisted that everyone hurry up so that we could beat them to the tee box. Without a doubt, Mike's greatest phobia is macrophobia(fear of waiting). It had rained alot over the night which meant golf paths only and LT's phobia of ambulophobia(fear of walking). As Karl teed it up on #1 he attempted to remember what his sports psychologist had told him. It seems that Karl's shilohfallsophobia stems from two other phobias that he possesses, both dendrophobia(fear of trees) and leukophobia(fear of the color white and in Karl's case fear of white stakes). Shiloh Falls has alot of trees, but according to Karl, the white stakes out number the trees 2 to 1. For the past year, Karl has been undergoing hypnotherapy. In this particular treatment for phobias, the patient is deeply relaxed while the therapist talks to the unconscious mind. They are also given relaxation cues to call upon when they next encounter the stimulus. The method has been proven to reduce the level of anxiety experienced within a single session with some patients but took 52 for Karl. So each time LT reminded Karl of the white stakes, his mind was triggered to only see wide fairways and large greens.
Nonetheless, team LT/R was able to jump out to a 2 point lead after 5 holes. The front 9 was highlighted by birdies by M on #4, R on #5, M again on #7, and Sam on #8. K/M took a 5 point lead at the turn. M started the back with a birdie on #10. Clearly, the shot of the day was performed by Ron on #11. His drive was wide left, and he hit his 2nd shot into the green side trap. His third shot was an unbelievable sand shot that died into the hole for a par. Team LT/R closed it to 4 but could not hold onto the momentum and by hole #16, the match was over. LT was able to birdie # 17. In individual matches both K and M defeated R. K was also able to beat LT. In what has become a weekly battle for the yearly head to head winner, M and S tied with both posting a 76. This leaves M with a slim 1 victory lead. Hope that all will be able to play next week as the year is coming to an end quickly. TFF would appreciate your input has to how and when to vote for this year's Provisional Mulligan Cup. Of course for Mike who suffers from cyberphobia(fear of computers), his lovely wife Dianne whose phobia is ranidaphobia(fear of frogs), will have to respond for him.
Scores-birdies
M-38/38-76-3
S-38/38-76-1
K-43/41-84-0
R-42/45-87-1
LT-47/41-88-1

Notes Of Interest
K/M will give 16!
M will give R 9 and owes M 1
R will give K 3 and owes 1
LT and K will play even and LT owes 1

Well, it's been 3 weeks since TFF's last report. M,R,S, and Karl with a K traveled to Decaturville to play The Tennessee River Golf Club and listen to M reminisce the same old childhood stories. If you remember one of the reasons for this blog was that none of us could remember what happened the week before. Neither M or S could remember playing in Decaturville this year. However, M,S, LT, and K played there back in Jan. The trip was highlighted by S knocking the #17 tee marker 18.7 yards and a very generious leaf rule that was given to LT. Since it's been 3 weeks, this TFF reporter can't remember much about the match. S had the only birdie and it didn't occur until #15.
Scores-birdies
M37/44-81-0
S40/42-82-1
K43/43-86-0
R43/44-87-0

Notes of Interest
M broke the tie and leads S by 1 in head to head
R and K are even on lunches and K gets 4
M and R are even and R gets 8
Lt and K are even and K gets 1
Team LT/R get 15

All Square

Last Friday, M,S,K, and a first time guest to TFF, Clark(M's son) went to Jones Creek to experience what Mike had heard were "awesome" greens. However, it was later discovered that M was not wearing his hearing aid when he called to ask about the course. What he heard was "awesome" but what Jeff the club manager really said was "awful". To try to make the match interesting, K agreed to allow Clark to be on his team and S and M got to team up for the first time this year. From the start, it was clear that Clark was out of his league. His drives were typically 60-70 yards from the others and that alone put him at a real disadvantage. While K was often able to use his 5 wood on his approach shot, Clark was forced to use his pitching wedge. Despite K's stellar play, S and M went on to an easy victory and TFF only hopes that Clark will not be too discouraged by his performance. K, tried to take some of the blame for the loss, but it was obvious to all that Clark was unable to handle the pressure of playing with "The Legend".
As the month of September has come to a close, the intensity of playing for the Provisional Mulligan Cup, has increased. One interesting observation, is the head to head match up of S and M. The two have played head to head 19 times this year. Sam got off to an impressive start by winning the first 5 meetings between the two.Mike responded by winning the next 3, but this only motivated Sam to win the next 4 and take a 9-3 advantage. However, in the last 6 matches, Mike has won 5 and tied the other 1. So going into Friday's match, S held onto a very slender lead of 9-8-1(tie). M took an early 3 stroke lead after the first 4 holes and went on to post a 2 stroke lead at the turn. S gained 1 back on #10 and then hit perhaps the putt of the year, a 90 foot 3 inch putt for birdie, that squared the match up. Mike parred the challenging #14 par 3 over the water to go up 1. M and S both stepped it up a notch off the tee on # 18, easily out driving Clark. S, failed to come through on his approach shot and M went on to a 2 stroke victory. So, as we approach the last 3 months of play, Sam and mike are all square.
Scores-birdies
Clark-37/34-71-3
Mike-40/37-77-0
Sam-42/37-79-1
Karl-51/43-94-0

The Comeback Kids

Finally!! After 15 weeks all 5 of TFF were able to make the short drive to Jackson National to engage in a fierce battle of spades.Since nobody wanted to be partners with Mike, Karl sent Mike out in the rain to work on his short game.(that's the only game he has- a Short game, get it?) Anyway, team LT/R took on team K/S. Team LT/R got off to a fast start, bidding and making 10 for 200 on the very first hand and actually winning 11 tricks. However, superior play by team K/S who have faced much tougher competition in international play in Panama, went on to an easy win. After cards, the rain was looking worse, so TFF drove to Community Grocery for breakfast. After the meal, the rain began to slow down and with all 5 eager to play, they returned to the course to give it a try. Despite a steady drizzle with an occasional down pour on an already soaked course, playing conditions actually weren't too bad. The big question of the day was what Ron accomplished at Mirimichi for real or was "The Miracle at Mirimichi" just that; a miracle. Just like in spades, team R/LT came out strong. Ron rolled in a 5 footer for birdie on #1 and after the first 4 holes the red hot team went up 8 on team K/M. It was at this point that K took charge and by grinding out an impressive 10 over on the next 4 holes slowed down the LT/R express to only being up by 9 after 8. It was obvious to K that M was having difficulty handling the pressure of not winning in 17 straight weeks. K knew that if team K/M were to have a chance, he would have to carry the team and forget about the individual glory of personal victories. K parred #9 winning 2 points and cut the lead to only 7. After 9 holes: R and M had 42's, LT and S had 44's, K stood alone with a 53. It was at hole #11 that K really got things going, chipping in from above the green for a birdie which brought a deafening roar from K's fans(often refereed to as Karl's Karavan.) Not only did K's chip-in( now known as the shot heard around Jackson National) seem to wake up his basket case partner M, but it struck fear in team LT/R. Mike who was down 8 to R at the turn, would go on to beat R by 10 on the back. By hole # 15 the team match was all square and despite R's dramatic chip-in bogie on #18(which allowed him to beat K by 1 with the 4 strokes that R had to give K), team K/M went on to victory snapping their long losing streak. S, who had his worst 9 of the year on the front and despite being tutored in math 2 days a week, couldn't manage to add up his 44. Lacking in math skills, he attempted to keep his back 9 math simpler, he just missed having all 4s with a 5 on the par 4 #16. S did pick up 2 birdies on both par 5s and was able to tie M with an 81. The story of the day,however, had to be the team performance and leadership that K exhibited in this come from behind match. It was overheard by one TFF voter speaking about K's performance:"What K did today turned some heads as well as some voters onto his bandwagon and he vastly improved his rankings for this year's Provisional Mulligan Cup."

Scores/Birdies
M-42/39-81-0
S-44/37-81-2
LT-44/46-90-0
R-42/49-91-1
K-53!/43-96-1

Notes of Interest
K owes R 2 lunches and K gets 5
R owes M 1 lunch and R gets 9
LT and K are even and K gets 1
Team LT/R get 15

Only 15 Weeks Left In 2009 Season

5-1, that's it. After 37 weeks of the 2009 season, team K/M lead team LT/R by the score of 5-1. Team K/M started the year strong going undefeated the first 20 weeks of the year. It was at that point that LT( sometimes referred to as The Nostradamus of Golf), predicted that they would not lose again this year. True to his word, team LT/R have not lost in 17 weeks, picking up 1 win during the streak. Now, with only 15weeks left in the season, is there any chance that team K/M will ever win again?? Also, time is running out for players to make moves in the race for The Provisional Mulligan Cup. So, who is the current leader? Mainly due to lack of play as a result of injuries and work, LT's hopes of maintaining the coveted trophy look slim. Karl's hopes are all but gone(as if there ever was any hope.) Ron, on the other hand, has come on strong after a slow start and could become a leading candidate if his play continues to improve. Many, however, are predicting that it could come down to the winner of the Mike-Sam duel which is currently being won by Sam in scoring average by .97 strokes per round. Although Mike would have trouble overcoming such a deficit in only 15 weeks, he still could pull off the head to head matches against his Nemesis. So, best of luck to everyone as we enter the stretch run for TPM Trophy!
Last Friday, K,S,and M went to Jackson National for the first time since its' redesign. All were very pleased with the improvements and it could become a regular stop for TFF.
Scores-Birdies
M-37/40-77-1
S-40/38-78-1
K-41/43-84-0
SEASON TOTALS

Rounds Played:
K-23
S-22
M-20
R-17
LT-13

Birdies:
S-31
M-23
R-14
K-12
LT-11

Birdies per round:
S-1.41
M-1.15
LT-.85
R-.82
K-.52

Scoring Average-Change since last stats.
S-77.98-improved by .63
M-78.95-improved by .9
R-87.00-improved by 2.2!!!!!!!!!!
K-88.61-improved by.77
LT-89.00-went up by .56

Team Victories:
K/M-5; LT/R-1

Notes:
LT and K even on lunches and will play even
R-K K-owes R 1 lunch and K gets 4 strokes
M-R M-owes R 1 lunch and R gets 8
Team LT/R get 14 from K/M

Mirimichi

This past Friday Sam, LT, Ron, and Karl traveled into Millington to play at Justin Timberlake's new course Mirimichi. Mirimichi is getting national recognition with predictions that it will become the #1 ranked public course in America. Also, there is talk of it someday hosting a U.S. Open. Since all 5 of TFF have now played the course at least once, TFF will reflect on their impressions. First, Mike believes it's the greatest thing since the invention of the Bell's hamburger. According to Mike, the English translation of the Indian word Mirimichi would be :"Almost Heaven." Sam, who has played the course twice, said: "There's no doubt that it's a great course, however, it will never host a US Open. There is not enough room to handle the crowds." Sam's translation of Mirimichi is:"Great course that costs too much." Perhaps the most knowledgeable opinion of how this course ranks, would be that of the reining Provisional Mulligan Cup holder, LT. LT's travel experiences of playing elite courses is unsurpassed among TFF. Although LT recognises that Mirimichi is a very good course, he would rank Spring Creek ahead of it. He also feels that Ross Creek is also a better course. For LT Mirimichi translates:" You could have played Ross Creek twice for what you just payed to play here." Karl was impressed with the course, but a little disappointed after all the raves from Mike. He agrees with LT that Ross Creek is a better course, especially if they could spend the money that was spent on Mirimichi. He also agrees with Sam that it will never host a US Open. Not only would it not be able to handle the crowds on the course, but there are no hotels, restaurants, and traffic would be a big problem. For Karl, Mirimichi translates:"overrated" Finally, there's Ron who played his best round of the year and would naturally love the course. Ron's translation of the Indian word Mirimichi was:"Man plays from women's tees."(we'll explain shortly)
K and S parred #1 then S birdied #2. Karl then pulled off what might have been the shot of the year on #3 with a 38 yard chip-in birdie. After 4 holes Karl was 7 strokes up on both LT and Ron. (R gave him 3 and LT gave him 1). At this point Ron declared that he was moving up to the gold tees. Karl was forced to go with him due to the lunch wager. It would prove costly to K, while giving Ron the boost he needed. Ron played even par for the next 14 holes. Both LT and Sam birdied #6. On #7 Ron hit the shot of the year. He holed out a blind 31 foot chip-in that had to be seen to believe. He then followed that up with a birdie 2 on #8. After 9: S-36,R-41,LT-44,K-44. By the way, K got out of the deep bunker on #9 with 1 swing and left the ball 10 feet from the hole( His ball wasn't in the bunker, he just dropped a ball to see if he could get out. In fact, much to the dissatisfaction of LT, K was only in 1 bunker all day.)
Although Sam continued to play well on the back, (and unlike R and K he also continued to play from the men's tees) the rest of the day belonged to Ron. He got his 3rd birdie on #12. Karl got his second birdie on a par 3 on #13 but it was too little too late. Ron coasted to victory and topped it off with his 4th birdie on #18 and a 1 under 35 on the back nine!! After lunches were bought, Karl owes Ron 1 lunch and will get 4 strokes. LT and K are even and will play even.
SCORES-BIRDIES
S-36/39-75-2
R-41/35-76-4
K-44/40-84-2
L-44/46-90-1

The Final Four??

With a devastating loss to Ron at his home course, Karl(with a K) may be on the brink of elimination from this year's Provisional Mulligan Cup. Last week he suffered defeat in a close match with LT, and finds himself clearly behind both LT and Ron at this point . Ron, Sam, K, and K's son in law, Ryan went to Humboldt this past Friday. Ron had to give K 2 strokes. Karl was quickly up 3 with a par on #1, but when Ron birdied #7 it was all square. Ron's par on #8 put him up 1. Meanwhile, Sam despite bogies on #1and #2, went on to record a one over 36. When he birded #15 he was back to even. A disappointing bogie on #16 was costly, but Sam went on to record a 1 over 71. Karl started the back with 2 pars and was back up 1. However, Ron birdied #12 to even things up. As they approached the difficult #17 (a 310 yard monster par 4), Ron held a 1 stroke lead. Ron was happy to get a 6 while Karl managed to only take 4 shots from 55 yards out for a 5 and to square the match up. Karl hit his tee shot on #18 into #17's fairway, so he took his mulligan and hit it into the green side pond. He dropped by the ladies tee box on #17 and hit his 3rd shot 3 feet from the hole. Ron took an easy par, but despite the penalty stroke, all Karl needed was to hit the short putt for a tie. It wasn't even close. When asked about his experience of getting to play with the Friday Fivesome, Ryan had this to say:"Without a doubt, it was the highlight of my life. What amazing athletes! You can read the blog all you want, but until you actually experience the intensity of these matches, you really are clueless." Karl owes Ron 1 lunch and will get 3 strokes next time.

Scores-Birdies

S-36/35-71-2

R-40/4o-80-2

K-43/40-83-0