Report on the 10th Annual Bar Stool Open~Grand Lake Ohio

The heat continues, and the humidity too.....

{double click photos to enlarge and double click again to enlarge even more...scary thought, I know}

Bill Clem arrived from Marion, Ohio, just after 8 yesterday morning, and we put the coolers and an extra case of Yuengling Lager in the trunk...Bill's daughter lives in upstate NY, and he had picked up a case of that beer and brought it along for yesterday's Bar Stool Open, I had packed my cooler with water, diet coke, and a half dozen Miller Lites, we were set to go...Sam, Bill and I, would hook up with Nick, and the other team, Tim, Carl, Robin, and April, and load up the pontoon and head out on Grand Lake St. Marys, despite the OEPA and ODNR and the "Dire Warnings" not to come in contact with the lake or the blue-green Algae Bloom.

We arrived at the dock at Bayview Bar and Grill(which would be our finishing hole), 7 of us, Tim's wife April would pass on the fun, seems she had a late night and wasn't quite ready for the 9am kick off....so we headed the pontoon for our first hole at Duck Foot's landing.  It was already hot and humid, with a few storms on the way across the Indiana line, heading for Celina and Grand Lake.

Sam, despite being a CDL Certified truck and RV driver, had never piloted a boat...be he would be our DBD(Designated Boat Driver) for the long day ahead.  We started off well at Duckfoot's...as a team our 4 members shot a 9(4 shots max for each golfer, each hole), that was followed by a 10 at Behm's Landing...Bill managed a hole-in-one on each hole, to bad only one was for our team, the other was playing as "April" for the Duck Hazmat team, our team as usual over the years was Duckguana, whatever the Hell and why Nick named it that is still a mystery.

As we arrived across the lake on the north side, at our 4th hole at The Wooden Eagle, the sky opened up and we were treated to a half hour downpour....then as quickly as it came, the rain ended and we headed towards Celina.  The rest of the day would continue, sunny, hot, and humid, with the only relief being when the boat was moving at a moderate pace across the lake.

We finished up around 6....not sure where we finished in the 98 team field, but we did cart a 133, while the other Duck team came up with a 129, and the only female, Robin finishing with the best score...I carted a 33 for the 13 holes, with no holes-in-one and zero max 4s as well...all twos and threes.

So how did this years event stack up to the past years?  

Well, needless to say, there were less boats, because of the warnings....maybe 20 in total, as compared to the usual 100-125.  With cancellations, there were 98 teams, as the past few years had approached the 175-185 mark.  Most of the 400 some participants had used buses provided and used them, or used a DD, and motored around the course on their own....we, being the fools we were, stuck with the boat, and all had a great time...at least that's the report.

So the revenues for the Lake Improvement Association's largest fundraiser were indeed down....all because of the criminal activities of some local farmers, and the inaction by the State of Ohio, it's politicians and bureaucrats, who for way too long have stuck their heads in the sand.

We were home by 8pm...and Bill, having stayed away from the beer for the last half of the day, headed back to Marion....I got home, watch the Reds hold off the Florida Marlins, to reclaim a share of first place in the NL Central, and hit the sack about 11.

No hangover, and feeling pretty good this morning, despite the sun, humidity, beer, and the rest of the 10th Annual Bar Stool Open activities....hopefully things return to normal for # 11 next August.

Enjoy the remainder of the weekend...back later>>>>

Photos- Top-The 7 that survived.  Standing( L to R), Bill, Carl, Tim, Sam, Robin, front, Me and Nick.   Oldest son Sam, taking his shot a working the bays and channels of Grand Lak on Nick's Pontoon.  Nick and Bill kicking back as we cross the lake.  Our drink of choice and a good cigar.   And on the final hole, Bill, Robin, and Carl, all dropped in hole-in-ones.