Day Two: Silver Baby Cup Finals

So, now that I've kind of explained it (though I might have forgotten to mention how far people travel for this event:  Maine, Tennessee, Massachusetts, West Virginia, Texas.  It's serious, people.), I'll inundate this space with photos...the competitors, the spectators, the impossible shots and the impossibly cute baby, the dogs, the sweat, the sweat, the sweat, the party and the love...

Root beer. The breakfast of Champions for the reigning SBC Champ.

breakfast.  missing from photo: 
7 french presses of coffee, filled several times over.

wake up already, Haskins!

The Original Mr. Golf (OMG).  He is serious about Silver Baby.

The finalists - including the first woman finalist! - and their caddies

The judges

A golfer and his loyal caddy

The third tee-off spot, u-u-u-u-p the stairs

I have to mention here that none of the structure of this course was here - there were no stairs, no benches, no clearings except under the power lines, no rope railing, no outhouse until days before the tournament.  The amount of work that went into making this a usable and safe place to be for 3 days of muddy fun was astounding.  Of course it looked as though a landscaping team on speed had come through by the time the golfers were done with their, ah, pruning. 

A pool shot from under a log

tree hugging allowed

Super protector of babies on the course

Future SBC champion

This year's Silver Baby Cup Champion!!!

Master of ceremonies

Passing on The Cup

Dan was awarded the Alan B. Shepard award for the most impossible shot (though as you can see, there were many impossible shots on this course).  Who is Alan B. Shepard you ask?  He was the first American in space, and the fifth person to land on the moon, and when he was finished with his task of collecting moon rocks, he fitted his folding rock-grabber with a club head and whacked a golf ball across the moon.

Ah, Silver Baby. A last summer fling - blackberries in bourbon, katydids calling from the screens of the tent, a morning thunderstorm and some deep sweaty heat.  Camp for grownups. With feral kids and dirty dogs. 

Sixth Annual Silver Baby Cup Championship at the Goondocks Putt & Play

I've written about golf before.   I know - people don't really understand when we say we spent the whole long weekend at a golf tournament, but it's the truth! The sixth annual Silver Baby Cup Golf tournament took place on the edge of town this year, on a new course built in a rambling ravine, across a creek, under power lines...and in the rain.

This is the third year Dan has played the Silver Baby; two years ago, here in Ohio, he made it to the finals, breaking a course record in the process.  Last year's winner took it to Maine, where Dan played in the finals again, just missing first place and the honor of hosting the 20 or so players (and their families and dogs) for this year's event.  Whew.  Without giving you the play-by-play, I'll spoil the ending by telling you we are not hosting this event next year!!

Day one, first team tee-off at 8 a.m.!!

 This is serious golf.  Serious as in the event begins with a reading of 20-some rules by the Venerable Judge.  Serious like each of the five teams played golf for seven hours on a rainy, muddy course, fighting berry brambles and poison ivy looking for their balls.  Serious as in you must have a sponsor if you are a new golfer, for in the event that you win, you must host the following year's cup. Serious.

first shot of the day - Dan wearing what Ani calls his "sweet pants".
mmmhmmm.

Dan says he has terrible form here. What do I know?

This  year's course started with a putt-putt hole to determine the number of "mulligans" or passes each golfer would get during the game.  Important when your ball might roll into a log or get stuck in a tree or disappear into snake-infested dense brush.

The Mulligan Master

the get-ups definitely improve the game

Even as I'm watching, I'm wondering how to explain this experience to people who aren't there.  No one is able to put "golf" and "Dan" together in a way that fits in their brain. Maybe I can help...imagine shots that sail past tree trunks only to get stuck in a bush behind the outhouse.  Imagine hitting a ball off the top of a hill and watching it ricochet through the woods to land hopefully somewhere near the hole.  Imagine your golf bag holding not only your clubs but a machete, a saw and some garden clippers. You're getting close.

muddy slopes

looking for a ball

moving a log to make a shot

yes, this is where you tee off for the third hole. halfway up the hill.

This year's rules included a request that no pawpaw trees be damaged in the process of recovering a lost ball.

The mud was particularly challenging on the first day. 

There were a few casualties and dirty bums.

Ani working the ball washer

Dan won an award for the shot he made in the photo above.  He had to chip his ball out of a muddy, stick-filled ditch, and when he did it went straight into the hole, his last shot of the first day.

It is inevitable that there be a number of bum shots here, right?! As a loyal spectator that's much of what I was lookin' at all day...

Ok, so now you've seen the golf - did you notice the beautiful people as well?  Afterall, that is what the event is about.  People using golf as an excuse to get together once a year.

  Does it make you like golf a little more than you did?