Fort Chode Open VII

BALTIMORE, MD - For the second time in the month of January, the Fort Chode Open gathered to determine who would wear The Brown Jacket. The venue chosen was a new one for the three competitors - Clifton Park in Baltimore City.

After nine holes, the competition was the closest it's been in recent Open events. James was the leader with Chris three strokes off the lead and Dru pulling up the rear, four strokes behind. A double par by Chris on hole 10 removed Chris from contention, with Dru pulling to within just two strokes on hole 16.

This would be James' day in more ways than one, as he was able to fend off any gains by Dru and reclaim The Brown Jacket by three strokes. There was speculation that after the round James yelled out, "I'm from Maryland, and nobody can beat me!"

New Fort Chode Open records were set with no mulligans on the day, and two golfers finishing with the same ball they started with.

While the course wasn't the best, it was in decent conditions due to January weather and frozen grounds to begin the day. As an added bonus, the cart paths were modeled from Baltimore roads, complete with spine breaking potholes. The clear highlight of the course was the GPS system built into the carts to show exact distances to pin, tee, and landmarks on the course.

Dru blamed his 3-stroke loss on forgetting his golf shoes. James' new golf pant provided the catalyst for the win.

Wedding Weekend

I spent most of the weekend up in Baltimore for Jim's James' wedding. It was a great time, the wedding and the surrounding festivities were all excellent. The event was held at the historic Harbor Court Hotel, and the only disappointing thing from the weekend was that I didn't hear anyone scream out "I am ready to fight" (other than Chris and myself). For pre-wedding entertainment we managed to get the seventh installment of the Fort Chode Open into the record books. Details to follow...

For some pictures, tune in to http://www.fortchode.com/gallery/v/GarrettWedding. Congratulations to James and Bri!

Fort Chode Open VI

ANNAPOLIS, MD - The historic Fort Chode Open held its sixth showdown on Saturday with a rare January date. Despite windy conditions, the weather was cooperative with temperatures in the low 50's and no rain at the Bay Hills Golf Club, a frequent site for the FCO. Dru showed up as the current owner of the Brown Jacket, but on this day the Jacket was up for grabs. This FCO was called in celebration of James' ending bachelorhood.


After a first-swing mulligan, James posted a par on the first hole and immediately declared his lead to be insurmountable. He also managed 100% fairway accuracy on the first two holes, which could only be combated with Dru's fairway and green on hole 2. Dru started chipping away at the lead until it was indeed surmounted. James ended the day with 9 fairways, a FCO record.


After a 2-stroke swing on hole 9, James took a one stroke lead into the back 9. He promptly posted a 10 on hole 10, and Dru was back in the lead. This time the lead would not be relinquished, and Dru would go on to keep the Brown Jacket, winning FCO VI by 2 strokes.

Chris battled a rough front 9, but came back on the back 9 to tie James for the back 9 score, ending up 15 off the lead. No houses were hit.