Alex IS The King of Clubs

After last week’s blog came out on Wednesday, Joe V and Eric reminded everyone that they couldn’t make the Challenge on Sunday.

Then came a text from Rey on Thursday: baseball had been moved to Sunday due to the rain expected on Saturday.

I also texted Iron Mike early Sunday morning, only to find out that he hadn’t set his alarm, meaning he would miss the Challenge and lose the chance to defend his position atop the Leaderboard.

As EJ would say, "More Free Points."  This time, it meant that last place would get at least 10 points instead of the usual 2.

Meanwhile, a scheduling "concern" sparked a 41-text group chat. Just a reminder: the 2025 BJG Schedule of Events has been set since February. The only possible changes might involve the golf courses. If you have any problems, questions, concerns, or ideas, please contact me directly.

Back to the Challenge

As if picking three clubs weren’t tough enough, Sunday morning greeted us with cold and windy conditions. At 8:00 a.m., the winds were steady at 20 mph, with gusts up to 28 mph.  The temperature was 47°, but with the wind chill, it felt more like 40°. It felt like winter out there, and I instantly regretted not bringing more layers.

While talking to a Golfer about the yardage on the 10th hole, they said, "But I didn’t bring a club for that."  I had a feeling we’d be hearing that a lot throughout the day.

Adam, Rachelle, and JT were walking, so I shuffled the groups a bit, and off we went.

Front Nine:

1st Place:  Alex – 33 (49)

2nd Place:  Adam – 37 (41)

3rd Place: Joe – 38 (51)

4th Place:  Matt – 39 (46)

5th Place:  Stephen – 40 (51)

5th Place:  EJ – 40 (56)

5th Place:  James – 40 (47)

8th Place:  Joe T – 41 (53)

8th Place:  Rob – 41 (50)

10th Place:  JT – 43 (50)

10th Place:  Rachelle – 43 (54)

12th Place:  Mike J – 48 (53)

Alex was on fire with his hybrids, and his putting was locked in.  The rest of us just tried to hold on and grind through the conditions.

Once again, I’m amazed at how close the scores stayed, even with everyone carrying different clubs. The course also held up well, surprisingly dry, despite Saturday’s rain.

Back Nine:

1st Place:  Joe T – 36 (49)

1st Place:  Stephen – 36 (47)

3rd Place:  Adam – 40 (47)

4th Place:  Joe – 41 (54)

4th Place:  EJ – 41 (58)

6th Place:  Alex – 42 (59)

6th Place:  Mike J – 42 (53)

6th Place:  Rachelle -42 (53)

9th Place:  Matt – 43 (50)

9th Place:  James – 43 (51)

11th Place:  Rob – 45 (55)

12th Place:  JT – 48 (55)

The back nine was just as brutal.  The temperature crawled up to 50°, but gusts now topped 31 mph. The sun made a brief appearance before disappearing behind clouds again.

Joe T and Stephen took charge on the back nine, with Joe T rolling his 4-iron putter like a pro, and Stephen’s putting was on point.

Joe T was right when he said, "Easy Mountain would be a good place for the 3-Club Challenge."

FINAL SCORES:

1st Place:  Alex – 75 (108)

2nd Place:  Stephen – 76 (98)

3rd Place:  Adam – 77 (85)

3rd Place:  Joe T – 77 (102)

5th Place:  Joe:  79 (105)

6th Place:  EJ – 81 (114)

7th Place:  Matt – 82 (96)

8th Place:  James - 83 (98)

9th Place:  Rachelle – 85 (107)

10th Place:  Rob – 86 (105)

11th Place:  Mike J – 90 (101)

12th Place:  JT – 91 (105)

Note: Yes, I know you thought Joe T had clinched the win after the Putt-Off against Alex.  However, after double-checking the scores while booking tee times for the Woods Shootout, we realized some scores were incorrect.  (Reminder: Scores aren’t official until they’re entered into the computer!)  It turned out to be a true "Triangle of Sadness" moment for Joe T, who had to return the King of Clubs headcover.

3 CLUB CHALLENGE POINTS:

1st Place:  Alex – 34

2nd Place:  Stephen – 32

3rd Place:  Adam – 29

3rd Place:  Joe T – 29

5th Place:  Joe:  26

6th Place:  EJ – 24

7th Place:  Matt – 22

8th Place:  James - 20

9th Place:  Rachelle – 17

10th Place:  Rob – 15

11th Place:  Mike J – 13

12th Place:  JT – 11

Closest To The Pin:

• Front 9: No one hit the green — so next time, the pot will roll over to $40.

• Back 9: JT nailed it and won $20.

THE RACE TO BIG Y (DUBAI) LEADERBOARD

1st Place:  Alex – 93 Points

2nd Place:  Joe T – 91 Points

3rd Place:  Iron Mike – 76 Points

3rd Place:  JT -76 Points

5th Place:  Rachelle – 75 Points

6th Place:  Adam – 70 Points

7th Place:  Matt – 68 Points

8th Place:  EJ – 65 Points

9th Place:  Joe V – 63 Points

10th Place:  Joe – 51 Points

11th Place:  Mike J – 47 Points

12th Place:  Stephen – 43 Points

13th Place:  James – 41 Points

14th Place:  Eric – 38 Points

15th Place:  Rey – 35 Points

16th Place:  Rob – 26 Points

Coming Up:

We have a quick turnaround — back-to-back Sundays!  The Woods Shootout was originally scheduled for Westover, but we’re moving it to Cold Springs Country Club in Belchertown due to late tee times (3 pm).  We will also try to move The Pretenders event on June 1st to Westover — stay tuned!

Thanks again for making the 3-Club Challenge such a fun (and freezing) battle!  Like everything we do at BJG, it’s different, competitive, and memorable.

Respectfully,

Broken Joe

Commissioner