Men's Net Championship

 Three Crowned Champions

Grand Cypress Golf Club, in Orlando, was in phenomenal condition for competitors for the Men's Net Championship on the first and second of October.  Play was conducted on the challenging North and South nines while the New Course served as the final round.  The field was separated into three divisions: the Under 50 Age Division, the 50-64 Age Division and the 65 and Over Age Division. 

To go along with the pristine golf courses, the competitors faced mid 80 temperatures and light breezes throughout the weekend creating ideal scoring conditions.  That being said, the North/South lived up to its billing as the more challenging of the two golf courses as we only saw seven under par scores across all divisions.  Leading the way after one were Andrew Gordon with a 1-under 71, Tommy Briggs, also with a 71 and Art Mann with a 5-under 67 respectively in the Under 50, 50-64 and 65 and Over age divisions.  The highlight of the day, however, came when Steve Westerlund holed out for an ace on number 4 of the North nine.  Steve would go on to finish with an 81 for the day.  

Play on Sunday, conducted on the New Course, saw similar conditions to Saturday's round, but the golf courses couldn't be much different.  Modeled by Jack Nicklaus after the Old Course at St. Andrews, the New Course features wide open fairways, but challenging pot bunkers and shared green complexes.  The more open of the two golf courses certainly ceded more birdies than the North/South as there were 22 under par rounds compared to the 7 on Saturday.  

In the Under 50 Age Division, round one leader, Andrew Gordon, was unable to maintain that level of scoring as he closed with a 78 to finish in fourth place.  Just one stroke behind Gordon on Saturday was the eventual champion, Freddy Tapanes.  Playing in the final group, Freddy played the final nine holes at two under par to finish with a 74 and 146 total.  Impressive rounds came from the second, third and fourth place finishers as Jackson Sampselle, 70, Trent Peake, 68, and Kris Vassallo, 71 all posted under par rounds.  

The 50-64 Age Division, which only had one under par round on Saturday, saw a few players catch fire on the New Course.  Eventual Champion, Todd Gilbert led the way with his sterling 62!  That score would be the lowest of the tournament by 5 shots! Nipping at his heels all day Gregory Takacs as he could quite muster the same scoring as Gilbert, but still closed with a strong 69.  Special mention needs to be made for Marvin Hyer Sr. as he improved on Saturday's round by 23 strokes from 91 to 68!

Finally, red numbers lit up the scoreboard on Sunday as a whopping thirteen players scored in the red.  Leading the way was Ron Bauman, the only player in the field to post consecutive under par rounds with a 71 and 65 to total 136.  Bauman beat second place finishers Giao Hoang and Donald Hennessy by five strokes.  

Thank you again to Grand Cypress Golf Club for hosting the Men's Net Championship for the fourth consecutive year.  We hope to see you all at the Men's Net Four-Ball Championship at Disney's Palm and Magnolia courses on December 3-4.  

~ North/South & New Course ~

The North-South combination, marked by sharply ledged fairways, tall shaggy mounds and plateau greens perched above water or sand, is a demanding, target-style test. The New Course is Jack Nicklaus’ tribute and homage to the famed Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland. This Scottish links masterpiece is complete with double greens, stone bridges and walls, gorse mounds, burns and pot bunkers as deep as 12 feet. Click here to learn more about Grand Cypress Resort. For a look at the 2015 Championship results click here.

Entries are processed after your 3rd One-Day is complete and a score is posted, first come first serve.

Championship Format

• 36 Holes of Net Individual Stroke Play
• Maximum 96 player field size
• All players will play to 100% of their lowest index (LI) for the previous 12 months
• Players must play in their respective age division

Eligibility

• Male amateur golfers 
• A valid Florida GHIN Handicap
• Entrant is not required to be a member of the FSGA
• Must have played in at least 3 One-Day events in the current 2016 calendar year as of the close of entries, September 14th.
• Entries will be processed after your 3rd event is complete and a score is registered, first come first serve.

Entry Fee

$140 - Entry fee includes both competitive rounds, cart fees, tee gift, and gift certificate prizes

Late entries will be accepted subject to a $10 late entry fee should the entrant gain acceptance into the field.

Entry Priority

Entries will be accepted based upon the order of receipt. Entries received after the competitive field is full or after the close of entries, will be placed on an alternates list. Alternates will be contacted in the order of receipt of entry, if and when, a spot becomes available.

Handicaps

• All players will play to 100% of their lowest index (LI) for the previous 12 months
• For the purpose of the low index (LI) for the previous 12 months, the September 15, 2016 handicap revision will be included
• All players must have a valid Florida GHIN Handicap Index no higher than 24.0

Schedule of Events

Saturday, October 1st

• North-South Course - 8:30 AM - Round One shotgun start

Sunday, October 2nd

• New Course - 8:30 AM - Final Round shotgun start
• Awards ceremony immediately following the completion of play

Course Set-up

• Under 50 Age Division - 6,500 yards approximately 
• 50-64 Age Division - 6,200 yards approximately 
• 65 & Over Age Division - 5,800 yards approximately

Tee Times

Round One & Round Two: 8:30 AM shotgun start. **No pairings request will be honored for this Championship**

Practice Round and Practice Facility Information

Practice rounds are available three weeks prior to the championship.  Practice rounds may be played after 12:00 PM on the weekends. The price for a practice round is $30.00 plus tax and if you choose to play 36-holes in one day the rate will be $50.00 plus tax. Please call (407) 239-1909 to arrange your practice round. The proper place to practice your golf swing is on the driving range. Hitting multiple shots on any hole on the course is unacceptable.

Carts

Carts are included for all competitive rounds.  Players are responsible for practice round fees.

Defending Champions

Andy Weber claimed the honors in the 50 and under age division, shooting a net 70-71-141. In the 50-64 age division, Charlie Waters posted 72-69 for a 141 total and the win. Bruce Muskovciak shot a tournament low net 63 in his first round, which helped him claim the 65 & older title with 63-75-138.

Other Policies

• Spectators and Spectator Cart Policy - Click here.
• Caddies - Caddies are allowed in all FSGA Championships except Junior events. However, a player must not use a parent, step-parent or guardian as a caddie. The caddie MUST walk and the player's clubs must remain on the golf cart. 
• Championship Pace of Play Policy - Click here.
• Local Rules and Conditions of Competition - Click here.
• Championship Policies - Click here to read the withdrawal, dress code, and other policies.
• Procedures for Alternates - Click here for information on how alternates may gain entry into this Championship.
• Conditions/ Schedule - The FSGA Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee reserves the right to alter any of the conditions, provisions and/or schedules. The decision of the Championships Committee/on-site Rules Committee in any matter will be final.

Host Hotel and Accommodations

Currently, there is no host hotel for this event.

Method of Payments

Grand Cypress Resort accepts Cash, Visa/MasterCard, and American Express for payment.

Directions

Grand Cypress Golf Club
One North Jacaranda Blvd
Orlando, Florida 32836
(407) 239-1909

Click here for directions.