Your Cart is Empty
With Thursday Night Men’s League (#TNML) near the midway point of the season I thought it would be a good idea to size up the competition. I’ve been informally keeping track throughout the year, so it’s time to let you all on whose game is rounding into shape, and who’s just filling out the tee sheet.
Here is my up to the minute Power Rankings.
1. Vikram Kothery - I gotta be honest, Vik’s breakout performance this season has been a little jarring. The lesson package from GolfTec that his wife Parul bought him for Rakhi (The Indian Festival of Lights) has been a game changer for his iron play. He’s also worked to put on some beef during the Covid lockdown and he’s been overpowering the course all season. Not only that, his English has gotten exponentially better. Last year, you could call out ‘casual water’ or ‘ground under repair’ virtually anywhere on the course and he’d just smile and nod giving your free relief. Thanks to Duolingo®, he’s a much tougher out.
2. Club Pro Guy - If I’m being honest, I feel like my game has a lot in common with DJ right now. When we’re on, everyone’s thinking, “why doesn’t this guy win every week?” I’m flat out golfing my ball right now. I took a small step back yesterday due to my gastrointestinal issues but was able to hold it together and post a relatively low number (42), which allowed me to only slip one spot in the power rankings. Time to jump on the CPG bandwagon while there’s still room in the caboose.
3. Jerry Brownlow - Listen, Jerry has a serious drinking problem, so needless to say his strong play this year has been unexpected. Will it last? Who knows. But the guy is hitting piss missiles. A few years ago I gave him an old Golf Digest article on the Stack and Tilt swing. I knew it would mess him up good and he’d come crawling back to me to fix him. Well, here we are, six years later and he’s finally got something that resembles a golf swing. If his strong play continues I’m going to be forced to tell him about the benefits of “Natural Golf” and we’ll start the cycle all over.
4. Trudy Wellington - Trudy is like the Terminator with a leaky bladder. If her short game and incontinence hold up this season, she’ll be in this thing till the end.
5. Gil Dareberry –Gil is at a crossroads. He's still playing the single length irons he committed to just before league play but I can tell he’s starting to waver on that decision. Distance control has been the main issue. My theory is that the overtime hours he’s been putting in at the Water Department hasn’t allowed him to ‘put in the work’ on the range. I think G-Dare would be the first to admit that his short game is the only reason he’s this high in the Power Rankings. If he decides to put his ego aside and go back to his Nickent irons, he could make a late run.
6. Cathy Spunt – There might be a little palace intrigue in the Spunt camp. Her husband Frank was noticeably absent during Cathy’s match yesterday and she responded by posting her worst round of the year (61 net 44). Did Frank have a legitimate excuse or is there trouble in paradise? This is a story to keep our eyes on.
7. Stan Perry – As I write this, I still haven’t gone by Stan's house to pick up my soiled pants and left sandal that I left on the pump of his above ground pool. I know he’s hosting a party tomorrow for his wife’s Curves for Women class so I need to get it cleaned up. I'll probably send Miguel over there this afternoon. In regards to Stan’s golf game, not much new to report here. Stan continues to smoke the Callaway Epic driver he’s been demoing since 2018 but his overall play has been rather pedestrian. I think he’s experiencing somewhat of a hangover from his 2019 season and I look for him to fade sooner rather than later. I think Stan is beginning to learn what most of us already know, NOTHING in sports is tougher than going back to back.
8. Dan the UPS Man – Dan’s taken the attacks on his “brothers in arms” in the postal service very personally and it’s taken a toll on his game. I don’t expect him to be a factor this season. He’s still bombing it tho.
9. L’Jarius Cotton III - L’Jarius chances of winning the league took a big hit when he banged his S7K stand-up putter on the roof of his golf cart and it lost its ability to stand. He’d been on a major roll with it and seeing it tip over left him rattled. When you don’t trust your equipment, you’re just not gonna succeed at this level. Even though I still haven’t actually met LJC because he just joined the club prior to the start of league play, I can tell from a distance that he’s a natural athlete, which makes him a threat.
10. Dr. Morris Hannah – I honestly don’t know much about “Doctor” Hannah’s game, but anyone who uses a Scotty Cameron putter gets my full attention.
Not ranked but also receiving votes– Harmony, TJ Kirk, Shelby Clayman, Glenn Glennon, Roger Renfrow, Alice VanMeter, Kyle Cupcheck, Mitch Schnellengerger, Gwan Kung, Jerry Schaefer, Phyllis O’Dell, Miles Butt, Barry Clayman, Vic Tannenbaum, Chas Dustin, Edna Frank, Bill “Dickey” Dickerson, Kyle Sweat.
