HCC Autumn Winds Tournament

October 11, 2008

The 2008 HCC Autumn Winds Tournament was our first New England Flying disc Association Points event. It was a great success, with thirty-five entrants from all over New England and New York. Local heroes Michael Morin and Bernie Kuszewski arrived at 7:00 am to help clean up the course and get things ready. Karen handled all the food prep and room setup, plus some photography. Players arrived early as well, most checking out the course for the first time.
HCC in the fall
It was a picture-perfect New England fall day, with temperatures in the 70s and not a cloud in the sky. Rick Williams, one of the founding fathers of NEFA, helped the Tournament Director with technical questions and provided good visiblity for the association. In this photo, Kelly Conroy throws a mighty drive from the first tee.
The giant NEFA banner welcomed the players.
Karl Molitoris, the reigning HCC champion, returned to defend his title in the Advanced Master division. He was competing against five others.
Karl sinks a putt.
There were nine players in the Pro section, many of whom were taken by surprise by the unique challenges of the back nine.
Hole 16 may be short, but it's not a gimme.
Hole 18 proved especially challenging, with its severe slope and heavily forested fairway.
Off to the second shot
Players that were able to par on that hole counted themselves among the blessed that day. Brian Kozicki was one of them.
Eyes on the prize
After Round 1, Gary Cyr had set a course record with a 2-under 54. After pizza, fruit salad, cookies and drinks, the players headed back out for a second round.
The tournament attracted players of all ages. The youngest entrant (in the Junior division) was Chad Grabowski who demonstrated focus and determination with a 32-stroke improvement in his score from Round 1 to Round 2.
Chad Grabowski displays fine form on Tee 2.
Every player had their own unique style and approach. As Davis Johnson had said after playing in the summer tournament, the course forced players to "empty their tool box."
Superman takes flight after his drive.
Michael Morin's redesign of Hole 15 proved to be a big hit, with most players opting to fly their discs out over the road in an attempt for an ace. It presented some with birdies, but those who wrongly estimated their distance scrambled to save par. Here, Bernie Kuszewski watches as Steve Guiliotis tries to recover from deep rough near the swamp.
A tricky putt out of the rough on Hole 15
The notorious Hole 1 had players carefully considering their drives. The scoreboard next to the soccer field saved a lot of players from going out-of-bounds.
Shall we dance?
The winds remained at bay for most of the day. Nevertheless, many players returned exhausted after the second round (probably because of the climb from Hole 11 to Tee 12). When it was all over, Gary Cyr had held onto his lead in the Pro Open division, finishing one under par at 111. In the Pro Master division, Brent Sanderson won a heated playoff with Davis Johnson and Tim Jiardini, all tied at 115. Greg Kurtz took the Pro Grandmaster division by ten strokes, at 114.
In the Advanced division, Matt Heenan and Kelly Conroy tied at 113 in AM1. Karl Molitoris retained his crown as an Advanced Master. He had a 3-under 53 on his second round, besting Gary's fresh record. Karl finshed at 113 overall. In the crowded Intermediate division, Marc Winer finished in the lead with a 118. Tim Griskus won the Recreational division with a 131. Bob Lussier and Chad Grabowski were the only entrants in the Novice and Junior divisions, respectively, and scored 159 and 212. [For more detailed scores, refer to the NEFA website.]
No one won the Ace Pot during regular play, so an Ace Throw-off was held with 22 participants. Each had two attempts to sink their disc into the ninth basket. No one succeeded. So then each player was given one chance to get closest to the pin. Marc Winer set his disc down nearly touching the post and won.
Marc Winer winding up for his CTP shot
Thanks to everyone for making the event so much fun, and for coming out to support a fledgling course. I was glad to hear Brian's comment that this is a "thinking man's course." Although many found Holes 11 and 12 supremely frustrating, it was all worth the agonizing workout when the dehydrated winners finished the tourney and returned to the Bartley Center to have their picture taken with the Tournament Director.
An exhausted winner accepts a handshake and a putter.
Thanks also to our prize sponsors: Erica Broman and the HCC Development Office and Harry Craven at Highland Hardware and Bike Shop in Holyoke. May this be the first of many bigger tournaments to come!