The Draft night starts at 7 PM SHARP on Thursday, September 25th! All players are welcome, but A players need to come to pick their teams. The prizes and more will be covered there and then. If you need to make picking arrangements, speak directly with a committee member.
If an A player is late, we will still continue at 7 PM. Hence, please plan accordingly.
Arrive early.
Again, all are welcome and encouraged to attend the draft as it is a fun and exciting night!
As the FINALS for the 2025 Tour of the Brookfields season is Saturday, September 27th, I need to share information!! This blog post will have all of the pertinent data for all players. It will highlight the information for the A players. This information will give all players access to the exact same data to use for the Draft Night.
I will share the files here (which are downloadable) and screenshots of the files, with some explanations.
The “A” Players Ranking and Order of Pick Sheet
The screenshot below shows the pick/fill in sheet for the Draft Night, to include the 3 divisions/flights.
NOTE: ALL FILES AND SCREENSHOTS HAVE BEEN UPDATED WITH CHANGES AS OF 9/24/2025
In Round 1, the “A” players will pick in order starting with number 27. Ron Allen is number 27. Scott Fairbanks is number 1, and he picks last in the first round. Players can choose any remaining player (B, C, or D) from the player pool when their turn comes.
In Round 2, the “A” players will pick in order starting with number 1 (Scott Fairbanks). The second round ends with number 27 (Ron Allen). Again, players can choose any remaining player from the player pool when their turn comes.
Round 3 is the “WILDCARD” Round. Each flight will be randomly selected to go first, then second and then third. When a flight is chosen, all of the “A” players in that flight will then be also chosen in a random order. They will pick their final player from any of the remaining players from the player pool. At this point, they will also choose their starting holes at random as well.
The player field is shown below – in order alphabetically by first names.
Below, you can download an Excel file. It has both the the A Player rankings/fill in pick sheets and the 2025 field.
Consolidated Results for ALL 2025 Regular TOB Events
We only had a partial result for the Techo Bloc Open as we had to cobble something together with the monsoon that hit us. Notably, the Lamoureux Ford Open was rained out completely. The screenshots for each event is below, followed by a consolidated Excel file with the same information.
Lastly, here is the downloadable Excel called “2025 TOB Consolidated Event Results”:
I hope that you are looking forward to the Draft Night. I always suggest that everyone comes. You may help your A player with a pick. You may have knowledge that he or she does not. If you are not there – well you cannot help! Plus there are some extra activities that you won’t want to miss!!
The 2025 Hardwick Crossing Open was the August event for the Tour of the Brookfields. Our sponsor was Hardwick Crossing Golf Course.
It happened on August 16th at Quail Hollow Golf and Country Club in Oakham, MA. We had 92 players in three divisions. Apologies for this later post. I have switched from an HP PC to a Mac. There are some new things to learn!
Back to the event. Weather was once again great. Please note that we are getting to the end of the year already! There is JUST ONE more regular season event before the FINALS. All are at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club:
Sunday, September 7th: Lamoureaux Ford Open
Saturday, September 27th: THE FINALS
To play in THE FINALS, a player must have signed up for three TOB events. For example, those who signed up for the originally rained-out TOB in April, get credit for participating as one event. You can sign up to play at Still Harts Cafe, Quail Hollow, or on the TOB Facebook page.
Back to the results from this year’s 2025 Hardwick Crossing Open. See the results and details below. You can get these updates automatically. Become an email subscriber to this blog. You can do this at the end of the blog post. The cost – nothing! It’s free!
2025 Hardwick Crossing Open Results
This event saw some of the best scores we have seen in a long time. For the second time this year, there were no playoffs. This was fortunate as we could not have had any playoffs due to another tournament right behind ours.
In the Nicklaus Flight, the team of Ken Jurczyk, Rich Johnson, Jared Danitis, and Mark Bruso achieved a new feat. They set the 2025 low scoring record with a great score of 13-under par! Incredible score!
Just two shots back in second place were three teams at -11:
Reece McLeod, Ron McCann, Wes Cassavant, and Sherry Peterson
Cory Heyes, John Markey, Matt Morrow, and Brian Leveille
James LeBlanc, Tom Foley, Robin Balicki, and Laurie Foley
Well done all!
In the Player Flight, yet another team won by scoring in double-digits under par! At -11 was the team of Tom Orszulak, Ed McLeod, Jake Malin, and Linda McLeod. Congrats!
Four teams tied for second place in the Player Flight at -7:
Gary Ward, Beth McCann, John McQuaid, and Dick LaPierre
Adam Kettles, Dean Malin, April Pagnoni, and Ed Sanborn
Ryan Auger, John Desimone, Rob Peterson, and Bob Ford
Kevin Paradis, Paul Boulette, Jim McKeon, and Barbara Orszulak
In the Palmer Flight, the team of Pete Peloquin, Sr, Brian LaCroix, Paul Sanborn, and Bob Weighill took top honors. They finished at 8-under par! Close behind them tied for second was just one team at -7.
That was the team of Brandon McEvoy, Rick Gemme, Kathleen Soltys, and Greg Wypych.teams at -7.
Superb golf by all!
As for skins, this was amazingly competitive. We changed the skins to compete by fight. As a result we had 13 skins that you will see in the chart below.
Lastly, the closest to the pin prize on the 17th hole was awarded to James LeBlanc and his team. Their distance was 4 feet, 5 inches.
Here are all of the results – first the overall results:
And the Skins:
Big congrats again to the winners and thanks to all the players!
Also, as always, thank you to Carl Fitz and Jim LeBlanc. We also appreciate all the staff at Quail Hollow. They work so hard to make the Tour of the Brookfields possible.
IMPORTANT!!!
The next tournament is in September on the 7th.
It is a Sunday!!!
It will be the Lamoureux Ford Open sponsored by Lamoureux Ford.
Sign ups will be coming down VERY QUICKLY – closing on August 31st.
Again, you can sign upfor this event up until August 31st. Teams will be published by the committee on September 3rd.
Remember, to qualify as a player for the FINALS on September 27th, you must play three events. This is the normal needed threshold, with very few exceptions.
Registration on Sunday, September 3rd will start at 7 AM, so please arrive before 7:30 AM.
PLEASE:
First, thanks everyone for being timely in arriving. It helps us to get going much faster, please keep that up.
Second, if you want to sign up, PLEASE use one of the three sign up opportunities. You can do this at Still Harts or at Quail Hollow. You may also sign up on the event section of the Tour of the Brookfields Facebook page. Texts do get lost or buried…so please use the lists.
Third, if you write your name down on the closest to the pin list, make sure we can read it. Also, ensure the distance is legible! If we cannot read it, well…you might lose out…
And finally, If you drop out for ANY reason after signing up, you need to message a committee member directly. We make teams on September 3rd. If you think you cannot play, please, please, please let us know before that date.
Lastly, I did get a few photos in as well – so enjoy!
PHOTOS!
As a special message for my wargaming/miniature/hobby readers – tank destroyers are coming!!
Our fourth regular season TOB event at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club in Oakham, MA was held on the morning of Saturday, July 26th, 2025. This was the 2025 308 Lakeside Open sponsored by 308 Lakeside restaurant. We had 96 players on 24 teams in three divisions.
Weather was once again in our favor – which was nice. We had several new players – and welcome to all of you! There are two more regular season TOB’s before the FINALS. All are at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club:
Saturday, August 16th: Hardwick Crossing Open
Sunday, September 7th: Lamoureaux Ford Open
Saturday, September 27th: THE FINALS
In order to qualify to play in THE FINALS, a player must have signed up to participate in three TOB’s. For example, those who signed up for the originally rained-out TOB in April, get credit for participating as one event. You can sign up to play at Still Harts Cafe, Quail Hollow, or on the TOB Facebook page.
Back to the results from the 308 Lakeside Open. See the results and details below. Once again, you can get these updates automatically by becoming an email subscriber to this blog (you can do this at the end of the blog post). The cost – nothing! It’s free!
2025 308 Lakeside Open Results
There were some excellent scores this time – and several teams in each division had a shot at the top place. For the first time this year, there were no playoffs.
In the Nicklaus Flight, the team of Jack Dorman, Dennis Trela, Brian Lacroix, and Deb Durgin won with a great score of 11-under par! Just one shot back in second place was the team of Josh Russell, Tom Waugh, Jay Gregory, and Cathy Patchen. Congrats to both for hitting double-digits under par!
In the Player Flight, yet another team won by scoring in double-digits under par! At -11 was the team of Ron McCann, Brandon McEvoy, Jason McCarthy, and Mark Bruso. Outstanding!
In second place were two teams at -8:
Adam Kettles, John DeSimone, Jarred Dandurant, and Leo Forget
Matt DeSimone, Stan Nolin, Matt McLeod, and Marcy Kimball
In the Palmer Flight, at 9-under par, the team of Ed McLeod, Bill Gaudette, Tom McCarthy, and April Pagnoni came out on top! Close behind them tied for second were two teams at -7. These teams were:
Shane Higgins, Ron Jette, Joe Pagnoni, and Kathleen Soltys
Beth McCann, Nelson Malin, Rick Gemme, and Jim Parker
Superb golf by all there!
As for skins, this was amazingly competitive. We ONLY had one this time – and that skin was a birdie on the par-four tenth hole. The team walking away with all of the skin money was Amanda Pierce, Paul Boulette, Ted Balicki, and Eddie Kosla. Great job!
As for closest to the pin, that award went to Ron Jette and his team with a distance of 4 feet, 4 inches.
Here are all of the results:
Congrats again to the winners and thanks to all the players!
The Next Tournament and Some Notes
Special thanks again to 308 Lakeside restaurant for their longstanding sponsorship of this event!
Also, as always, thank you to Carl Fitz, Jim LeBlanc, and all the staff at Quail Hollow who work so hard to make the Tour of the Brookfields possible.
IMPORTANT!!!
The next tournament is in August on the 16th. It is a Saturday. It will be the Hardwick Crossing Open sponsored by Hardwick Crossing Country Club. It is held at Quail Hollow.
Sign ups will be coming down VERY QUICKLY – closing on August 10th.
Again, you can sign upfor this event up until August 1oth. Teams will be published by the committee on August 13th.
Remember, to qualify as a player for the FINALS on September 27th, playing three events is the normal needed threshold (with a very few exceptions).
Registration on August 16th will start at 7 AM, so please arrive before 7:30 AM.
A FEW REQUESTS:
First, thanks everyone for being timely in arriving. It helps us to get going much faster, please keep that up.
Second, if you want to sign up, PLEASE use one of the three sign up opportunities (Still Harts, at Quail Hollow, or on event section of the Tour of the Brookfields Facebook page). Texts do get lost or buried…so please use the lists.
Lastly, if you write your name down on the closest to the pin list, MAKE SURE WE CAN READ IT AND THE DISTANCE! If we cannot read it, well…you might lose out…
A Few Photos:
The registration desk is rocking!Mark and Lynn MorinThe ever-cheerful Clayton RiceRon Jette and Norm Laliberte.Dave Fiske ready for actionMatt, Tony, and Clayton with Tara at the bar pre-round
Any comments? Add them here in the comments section or on the Facebook page! Until next event!
A Special note to my Wargame/Miniature blog followers…
Wargame “Stuff” is coming to this blog soon- I can hear it on the road…or at least I can smell the smoke…
The third regular season TOB event at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club in Oakham, MA was held on the morning of Saturday, June 21st, 2025.
This was the 2025 Toomey-Lovett Classic! We had 80 players on 20 teams in three divisions.
For the FIRST TIME NO RAIN THIS YEAR!!! It was a gorgeous day.
I’ll share the results and details below. Just as a reminder, you can get these updates automatically by becoming an email subscriber to this blog (you can do this at the end of the blog post). The cost – nothing! It’s free!
2025 Toomey-Lovett Classic Results
Time and time again this event proves to be highly competitive. This day was certainly no exception.
In the Nicklaus Flight, we had an amazing win by the team of Dan Mitchell,Jared Danitis, Jarrod Dandurant, and Steve Saunders who came in at -12. That is the lowest score by any team all year, and hats off to them for an amazing performance. Only two strokes back in second place was the team of Ken Jurczyk, Gary Donlin, Jim Lovett, and Lynn Morin. Congrats to both for hitting double-digits under par!
In the Player Flight, the team of Jim Wilson, Amanda Pierce, Doug Judd, and Doug Brown won with 8 strokes under par. In second place were not one but 4 teams all at -6:
Mike Ellis, Dave Fiske, Brian Egan, and Jim Parker
Tom Foley, Bill Gaudette, Jim McKeon, and Chris Waugh
Mark A. Morin (yes me), Beth McCann, Clayton Rice, and Jeff McLeod
Chip Wetherell, Mike Kularski, Tony Woodman, and Matt McLeod
In addition to this tight grouping at -6, the entire flight his group was very close with only 4 strokes separating the bottom team from the top.
In the Palmer Flight, we had a two-team playoff. These both came in at a stellar -7. After three hard-fought and exciting playoff holes, neither bested the other, so they ended up tied for first. These teams were:
Mark Shores, Dennis Trela, Nelson Malin, and Marcy Kimball
Tom Savage, Ken Burnham, John Desimone, and Ed Sanborn
As a testament to the competition, two other teams were just two strokes behind the winners. Well done!
As for skins, we had three this time. These were shared by the teams of:
Tom Foley, Bill Gaudette, Jim McKeon, and Chris Waugh with an eagle on hole number 3.
Mark A. Morin (yes me), Beth McCann, Clayton Rice, and Jeff McLeod with an eagle on hole number 5.
Jack Dorman, Brian Leveille, Leo Forget, and Mark Bruso with a birdie on hole number 10.
As for closest to the pin, that award went to Gary Donlin with a distance of 11 feet, two inches.
Here are all of the results.
Congrats again to the winners and thanks to all the players!
The Next Tournament and some notes
Special thanks to Jim Lovett for his longstanding sponsorship of this event – as well as his participation.
Also, as always, thank you to Carl Fitz, Jim LeBlanc, and all the staff at Quail Hollow who work so hard to make the Tour of the Brookfields possible.
The next tournament is in July on the 26th. It is a Saturday. It will be the 308 Lakeside Open sponsored by 308 Lakeside restaurant.. This event will also be VERY well-attended, so sign up early at Still Harts, at Quail Hollow, or on the Tour of the Brookfields Facebook page!
You can sign upfor this event up until July 20th. Teams will be published by the committee on July 23rd.
Remember, to qualify as a player for the FINALS on September 27th, playing three events is the normal needed threshold (with a very few exceptions).
Registration on July 26th starts at 7 AM, please arrive before 7:30 AM.
REQUESTS AND FYI FOR THE NEXT EVENTS
We need you to arrive WELL-BEFORE the shotgun start time. If you are showing up at 7:55 AM for an 8 AM shotgun – YOU ARE LATE!!! This is very inconsiderate, and just not fair to the committee members at the sign-in desk. PLEASE you MUST arrive BY the registration time – we have a lot of players to sign in.
Registration opens at 7 AM!
Not showing up does carry with it a possible suspension for the TOB – just a reminder.
No one should be practice putting or chipping on a green before play on any hole is complete. Even afterwards, this is discouraged for pace of play reasons.
A reminder, once a ball is holed out, that score counts – so if you tap in a ball at the edge of the hole before another player gets his turn to putt, the hole is over.
No photos!
Sorry, but with some late arrivals and the memorial we held, I did not get much chance to take a lot photos this time. Next time…maybe…and yes the cover shot is another AI!
If you have any feedback or comments on this blog post – there is a comment section that you can use below. I will continue to put up these events on Facebook – but if you are not on Facebook and want to sign up, you can use the comment section here on this blog.
Once again, please feel free to subscribe as an email follower! (and it is free and you’ll get instant updates by email). The subscribe buttons are at the bottom of this post.
And 2025 Tour of the Brookfields golf posts will be consolidated here.
A Special note to my Wargame/Miniature blog followers…
And as I have some folks who follow this blog to see what I do with miniatures and wargaming, I have a special message. I have not forgotten you! See below.
When I am not golfing, I have been preparing for HISTORICON, where I will be running 4 games.
Two of which are What a Tanker games with my modifications. These will be in honor of the 250th Anniversary of the Founding of the US Army. The other two are Wars of Ozz games. For the US Army games, they will recreate an historical battle that happened in Morocco between the Vichy French and the US Army in Operation Torch. This occurred in November 1942 -where the US actually fought the French in the early days of the invasion of North Africa. I been assembling and painting up the needed tanks and armored cars, and have 53 vehicles done right now – 31 French and 22 American. For perspective, each vehicle base here is 1″ wide by 1.5″ long. They are 15 mm (1:100 scale).
I have not had much blogging time (but a lot of golfing time). I hope to share individual posts with you on this project very soon!
31 Vichy French vehicles for 194222 US vehicles for 1942
Thanks for taking a look – I’ll be back with more Life, Golf, Miniatures, & Other Distractions soon!
The second regular season TOB event at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club in Oakham, MA was held on the morning of Saturday, May 24th, 2025. This was the May 2025 Still Harts Open. We had 100 players on 25 teams in three divisions. Yet again rain came in – but nothing like we have seen earlier – so it was playable weather.
I’ll share the results below and I actually got a few photos is so I will share those too.
2025 Still Harts Open Results
Fortunately, we had a very competitive day across all three flights/divisions.
In the Nicklaus Flight, we had a playoff between two teams that finished at -9. These team were: the team of Cameron Fahey, Connor Fahey, Ben Doros, and Darryl Miner; and the team of Dan Mitchell, Jim Gregoire, Jason McCarthy, and Paul Wyman. Both battled it out in a playoff on the 18th hole in the rain, with Cameron Fahey’s team acing first place with a birdie. Congrats to both for a hard-fought round! This group was very tight with only 4 strokes separating the bottom team from the top.
In the Player Flight, the team of Donnie Casey, Mike Kularski, Tom Savage, and Mike McCarthy came in first place at -10. This was the lowest score in the tournament, so big kudos there! In second, two strokes back at -8, was the team of Tom Orszulak, Brian Lacroix, Brian Leveillee, and Lynn Morin.
In the Palmer Flight, there was yet another close win – this time a 1-stroke victory by the team of Jack Dorman, Rich Johnson, Bob DeMaio, and Susan Benoit. They came in at -8, narrowly edging out the team of Ron Allen, Rich Casault, John Desimone, and Chris Waugh, who shot -7. Well done!
As for skins, we only had two! With the carryover from the Techo Bloc Open, there was a nice skin pool. These were shared by the teams of:
Jack Dorman, Rich Johnson, Bob DeMaio, and Susan Benoit with an Eagle on hole number 3.
Dan Mitchell, Jim Gregoire, Jason McCarthy, and Paul Wyman with a birdie on hole number 18 in regulation play.
Lastly, on hole number 17, Rob Peterson threw a dart and ended up a on the green a mere 6′ 1″ from the hole! Wow!
Here are all of the results.
Congrats again to the winners and thanks to all the players!
The Next Tournament and some notes
Thanks to Still Harts for their longstanding sponsorship of this event. Also, as always, special appreciation to Carl Fitz, Jim LeBlanc, and all the staff at Quail Hollow who work so hard to make the Tour of the Brookfields possible.
The next tournament is just a few weeks away on Saturday, June 21st, 2025. It will be the Toomey-Lovett Classic. This event will also be VERY well-attended, so sign up early at Still Harts, at Quail Hollow, or on the Tour of the Brookfields Facebook page!
Sign ups will come down on Sunday, June 15th. Registration on June starts at 7 AM, please arrive before 7:30 AM.
REQUESTS AND FYI FOR THE NEXT EVENTS
We need you to arrive WELL-BEFORE the shotgun start time. If you are showing up at 7:55 AM for an 8 AM shotgun – YOU ARE LATE!!! This is very inconsiderate, and just not fair to the committee members at the sign-in desk. PLEASE you MUST arrive BY the registration time – we have a lot of players to sign in.
Not showing up does carry with it a likely suspension for the TOB – just a reminder.
No one should be practice putting or chipping on a green before a hole is complete. Even afterwards, this is discouraged for pace of play reasons.
A reminder, once a ball is holed out, that score counts – so if you tap in a ball at the edge of the hole before another player gets his turn to putt, the hole is over.
Now for some photos!
If I made any errors let me know…
Mike Caruso cooking it up!Our pro, Jim LeBlanc, working hard to support us!Leo Forget & Gary WardThe Committee works the registration desk.Bill Gaudette & Ed McLeodDylan Allen, Rich Casault, and Matt Desimone (with Lynn Morin on the right in the back).Let’s go golfing they say!Matt Desimone and Tom Orszulak chum it up between practice putts.Corey Heyes and Ryan Holway ready for action.Shane Higgins, Deb Durgin, Paul Sanborn, and Ken Dorman await the start.
If you have any feedback or comments on this blog post – there is a comment section that you can use below. I will continue to put up these events on Facebook – but if you are not on Facebook and want to sign up, you can use the comment section here on this blog.
Feel free to subscribe as an email follower! (and it is free and you’ll get instant updates). The subscribe buttons are at the bottom of this post.
Lastly, in my last report, I did say I had some little tanks to paint up. Here are a few I rebased (for my non-golf audience) for my upcoming project. These are French tanks that fought in early WWII. I The bases are 1′ wide by 1.5″ long for perspective. They are 15 mm (1:100 scale). Now I have even more tanks to paint up…
To my readers – this blog is titled “Life, Golf, Miniatures, & Other Distractions“. I will be covering multiple topics again this year and I hope that you will stay with me. My two main hobbies are miniatures (used for tabletop wargaming) and golf. The main golf topic will be the Tour of the Brookfields. This blog serves as the main on-line source of information about the events of the Tour of the Brookfields. Also its about my wargaming stuff, so…on to golf this time.
On the afternoon of Saturday, May 3, 2025 we had our first (rescheduled) regular season TOB event at Quail Hollow Golf & Country Club in Oakham, MA. This was the April 2024 Techo Bloc Open (held in May this time). We had 76 players on 19 teams. These teams were in three divisions.
We had already rescheduled this from April 26th due to rain. Once again Mother Nature had it in for us with a mid-round monsoon that felt like a microburst. On average we got in 11 to 14 of the 18 holes before all hell broke loose. Thankfully, most everyone got in safely as the thunder, lightning, and winds hit Quail Hollow.
As a result. the committee had to make some tough calls as to calculating “winners”. Those are denoted below in the photo. The system that we used was suggested by Jim LeBlanc and we do VERY much appreciate his help. While some did not agree with our decision, we had to make a call. This was the fairest option.
We did not award any skins or “closest to the pin” on the 17th hole. Skins will roll over to the next event on May 24th.
2025 Techo Bloc Open Results
All three flights were very competitive. Note that due to the abbreviated format I am leaving off scores as they do not really say much.
In the Nicklaus Flight, the team of Reece McLeod, John Desimone, Alex Morales, and Maddie Tighe came in first place all alone.
In the Player Flight, there were 5 of of 7 teams tied for first. Those were:
Carl Fitz, Dean Malin, George Fiske, Matt McLeod
Donnie Casey, Paul Boulette, Eddie Kosla, Joe Pagnoni
John Markey, Brian Lacroix, Jason McCarthy, Jeff McLeod
Chip Wetherell, Rick Gemme, Mike Mills, Lisa Persson
Mark Shores, Bob Demaio, Doug Judd, Dick Lapierre
In the Palmer Flight, there were three teams tied for first place. Those were:
Shane Higgins, Pete Peloquin, Sr., Darryl Furtado, Bernie Lapierre, Sr.
Ed McLeod, Mike Kularski, Nelson Malin, Scott Bombard
Brian Egan, Keith Drolet, Leo Egan, Travis Underwood
As we were short-handed on the Committee on that day, I do not have any photos to share. Next time!
Congrats again to the winners!
The Next Tournament and some notes
Thanks again to all the players, to Techo Blocfor sponsoring this event, and to Carl Fitz, Jim LeBlanc, and all the staff at Quail Hollow who work so hard to make the Tour of the Brookfields possible.
The next tournament is coming up quickly. It will be on May 24th (Saturday). It will be the Still Harts Cafe Open. Sign ups will come down on Sunday, May 18th.
REMEMBER IT WILL BE EARLIER IN THE MORNING – Registration starts at 7:30 AM. This event will be VERY well-attended, so sign up early at Still Harts, at Quail Hollow, or on the Tour of the Brookfields Facebook page!
REQUESTS AND FYI FOR THE NEXT EVENTS
We need you to arrive WELL-BEFORE the shotgun start time. If you are showing up at 7:55 AM for an 8 AM shotgun – YOU ARE LATE!!! This is very inconsiderate, and just not fair to the committee members at the sign-in desk. PLEASE you MUST arrive BY the registration time – we have a lot of players to sign in.
Not showing up does carry with it a likely suspension for the TOB – just a reminder.
No one should be practice putting or chipping on a green before a hole is complete. Even afterwards, this is discouraged for pace of play reasons.
A reminder, once a ball is holed out, that score counts – so if you tap in a ball at the edge of the hole before another player gets his turn to putt, the hole is over.
If you have any feedback or comments on this blog post – there is a comment section that you can use below. I will continue to put up these events on Facebook – but if you are not on Facebook and want to sign up, you can use the comment section here on this blog.
Feel free to subscribe as an email follower! (and it is free and you’ll get instant updates). The subscribe buttons are at the bottom of this post.
It’s that time again – when I review the past year and reflect a bit and look towards 2025. I do like to see what I did versus the goals that I set out to accomplish for myself back in January of 2024.
This post will also be where I set my 2025 goals for Life, Golf, Miniatures, & Other Distractions (after all that is the subject of this blog of mine since 2015). I use these goals to guide and motivate me, but I have seen that others can appreciate this type of post. 2023 was, like 2022, one very busy year on multiple hobby, golf, and life fronts. I did set some pretty aggressive goals for all aspects. Some were around gaming, some around hobby production, some were around golf, and more.
How did I do versus my 2024 goals?
Paint 365 figures or more
I thought that would be a stretch – but in the end I destroyed that particular benchmark, setting yet another personal high for the number of miniatures painted in one year ever. These were mostly figures for Wars of Ozz. I managed to paint 556 miniatures – 126 more than I did in 2023!
2024 Production
2023 Production
Complete 2 brigades of Quadlings for Wars of Ozz
My Quadlings at HAVOC in 2024
I’ll give myself a B+ here, as I painted up all the Quadlings that I currently have – 3 regiments of infantry, 2 batteries of artillery, one witch, and 3 individuals that can be brigade or army commanders. That is 79 figures in total, 1.24 25-point brigades’ worth. At some point I’ll get the Quadlings some cavalry.
Complete a brigade of Whim Whim & Noobi for Wars of Ozz
Whim Whim infantry and cavalry engage King Jack and his Great Pumpkinheads at EllisCon 2024
I think I get an A+ here as I painted up all my Whim Whim and Noobi in 2024. That army now is made up of of 7 regiments of infantry (5 Whim Whim, 2 Noobi), 4 cavalry regiments (all Whim Whim), 3 wizards (2 Noobi, 1 Whim Whim), and 7 individuals/leaders. I painted all of these except for 1 bannerman which was a gift from Buck Surdu. That is 216 figures in total, nearly three 25-point brigades’ worth, making them the largest painted contingent in my collection at present.
Complete a brigade of Temujicans for Wars of Ozz
5 regiments of Temujican Infantry4 regiments of Temujican infantry
I think I get another A+ here as I painted up all my Temujicans in 2024. That army now is made up of of 5 regiments of infantry, 4 cavalry regiments, and 3 individuals/leaders. That is 142 figures in total, exactly two 25-point brigades’ worth, making them worthy opponents for the Whim Whim.
Continue to run and play more games – and continue tracking them too
I ran a total of 30 games (all Wars of Ozz) in 2024 as a GM(I think I get an A+ as that is nuts). As for games played, I get a C- as I only played in 6 games.
Attend and run games at conventions. This would include TotalCon38, HAVOC, COLD BARRAGE, MAYHEM, HUZZAH!, HMGS Fall In, EllisCon, and others…
2024 Dave Award winner!2024 Best of Convention AwardRight after getting the HUZZAH! Award with happy players!
My 30 games that I GM’d came from these conventions. I was proud to have been awarded not one but TWO best of convention awards – one for HAVOC (the Award) and one for HUZZAH! So at least an A…ok A++😁
Complete one more scenario for my scenario booklet for Civilizations Collide
Total F here – never got to it.
Paint up a platoon from Wargames Supply Dump for Combat Patrol™
Total F here again – and sorry yet again Roger! With Ozz being a priority, I never got to it.
Try to get my Nomonhan WaT project off the ground. Note I said “try”. Again…
Same as last year…F. Maybe this year.
Get the Mass Pikemen more active
I have not been able to do this well at all. I do see many at conventions, which occupy a lot of my winter time. Once golf season starts, that takes precedence. I’ll try better this year.
Have another nice trip to Florida
I think A++ – our trip was amazing to Clearwater Beach and Orlando was a blast!
At the JW Marriott in Clearwater BeachGreat hotel – the previous photo was taken from the balcony in the middle.Took the previous photo from Captain Memo’s Pirate Ship ride – was a LOT of fun.Had a great time hanging out with Tod and Tara Jeffers in Clearwater Beach. This place had amazing seafood.Then on to the Grande Vista in Orlando for golf lessons, golf, and relaxation!Lynn’s “favorite”sign at Grande VistaAction shot on the range! Hit the ball first then the turf!Even got to visit with the Surdu’s. I joined Buck for a Napoleonic game.
Post on the blog 50 times or more – make them of good quality
I think I get a B- here, as I think my output dropped a bit. I made 32 posts in 2024. Quality – well I let the readers determine that!
Be a good blog follower – still a goal but one that I cannot measure!
Ditto on this grade-wise – trying my best.
Have multiple Zoom chats with fellow hobbyists
Probably a C. Could do more and hope to this year.
Go to a golf school and get my golf handicap down below 16
My 2024 Handicap Review from Massachusetts golf.
As shown earlier , I did go to a golf school in Orlando -AND benefited greatly from lessons there. But, I think I made more progress with our club pro, Jim LeBlanc at Quail Hollow Golf and Country Club. My handicap went down to 16.1, so I’ll give myself an A-.
Update the Tour of the Brookfields on my blog.
Tom Orszulak and Lynn Morin high-five at the Tour of the Brookfields!
This worked very well at sharing information with the players and documenting each of the six regular tournaments and the FINALS. I think A is appropriate.
Play golf (in season) at least twice a week – get in 80 rounds
A+ here – as you saw, I had 102 rounds posted (some were 9-hole rounds of course), plus around 10 other events of 18 holes (scrambles).
Win my flight in the Club Championship
Fell short here again, but I was more competitive than in 2023. Bad play on Day 2 sunk me.
Defend in the Club Derby
That definitely did not happen – my partner Tom Orszulak had an injury, and the virus finally got me and knocked me out of any possibility of playing.
No golf that weekend…and it SUCKED.
Be a competitive golfer
I’d say I was – I did tie Matt Stepanski for 1st place in the year-long quest for the Quail Hollow Sunday Sweeps “Fedex Cup” run by Dennis Rice. I think I was competitive overall – helped by a dropping handicap.
Be a good friend
I guess so. Always a work in progress!
Personal Highs in 2024
Recovery from knee surgery.
For the third year in a row – the Florida trip and golfing with my wife Lynn – and she continues to get better. Her teams actually did better in the Tour of the Brookfields than I did!
Clearwater Beach, Florida. Wow!
Getting together with the Jeffers and Surdus in Florida.
Getting together with family especially my Mom, my daughter Ellen and my granddaughter Tabitha.
Winning my first “Dave” award for my Wars of Ozz game “determined to be the best game at the HAVOC (Convention) that year. The criteria for the best game includes excellent concept and execution in game play, and player enjoyment.”
Winning my first “Best in Convention” award for my Wars of Ozz games at the HUZZAH! Convention in Maine.
Knocking out 556 figures for the Wars of Ozz!
Having EXCELLENT wingmen in Brad Gosselin and Leif Magnuson at MULTIPLE conventions.
Getting together with Dave Wood, Buck Surdu, Greg Priebe, Chris Palmer, and Duncan Adams, Eric Schlegel, and all of the other HAWKS in person.
Getting together with Fitchburg High School buddies Bob McNamara, Phil Schoenig, Peter Collette, and St. Bernard’s HS pals Mike Sullivan, and Eddie Tarka (and Tom Orszulak) to honor our late friend Leo Thibault, who passed away way too young back in 2007. Best part was getting his widow Sandy there to surprise us all at the end.
Being on the Committees for the Tour of the Brookfields tournaments and the New England Service Academy golf tournaments.
Amazing Halloween Party at Quail Hollow!
Great get together for an Army-Navy game watch party with amazing friends!
As a team, tying for first place for the Fedex Cup at Quail Hollow.
And again, being with my wife Lynn, every day (seriously, and she won’t likely read this).
Retirement is GREAT!
Ed Tarka, Bob McNamara, Phil Schoenig, me, Sandi Thibault, Mike Sullivan and Peter Collette at “The Leo”Halloween party!Army-Navy Game Watch PartyLynn and Tabitha – fun at Cracker Barrel!Me, Lynn, my Mom, Tabitha, Ellen, and Nick
Personal Lows for 2024
COVID.
Army losing to Navy…not personal, but always feels that way!
Life’s been pretty good otherwise!
My goals for 2025
Well, its time to set my Life, Golf, Miniatures, & Other Distractions goals for 2025.
Have a great Florida trip again.
Paint 500 figures or more.
Continue to run and play more games – and continue tracking them too.
Attend and run games at conventions. This would include TotalCon, HAVOC, COLD BARRAGE, HMGS COLD WARS, MAYHEM, HUZZAH!, HMGS HISTORICON,HMGS FALL IN, EllisCon, and others…
Get the Mass Pikemen more active.
.Complete the Musculite faction for Wars of Ozz.
Complete the Professor Nitpik faction for Wars of Ozz.
Complete the Ix faction for Wars of Ozz.
Complete the Noland faction for Wars of Ozz.
Paint up a cavalry regiment for the Harvest and the Quadling factions.
Complete one more scenario for my scenario booklet for Civilizations Collide.
Paint up a platoon from Wargames Supply Dump for Combat Patrol™ .
Try to get my Nomonhan WaT project off the ground. Note I said “try”. Again.
Paint SOME tanks.
Post on the blog 40 times or more – make them of good quality.
Be a good blog follower – still a goal but one that I cannot measure!
Have some Zoom chats with fellow hobbyists.
Get my golf handicap down below 14.
Update the Tour of the Brookfields on my blog.
Play golf (in season) at least twice a week – get in 90+ rounds.
Win my flight in the Club Championship.
Win the Club Derby
Be a competitive golfer.
Be a good friend.
Of course, again I must say THANK YOU to all who make the time to read this blog and comment on my stuff, craziness, and madness – Have a Happy 2025!
Happy New Year to all! I am deep into getting ready for a number of wargaming conventions this winter, BUT, like many of you, golf remains on my mind…
As does warmer weather…
While we are still in balmy January in Massachusetts, it’s not too early to mark those calendars for this year’s Tour of the Brookfields!
The schedule is below:
At this point I expect to put up sign up sheets in early April, both on Facebook, Quail Hollow, and at Harts. We do not expect any changes in format or cost, but that is always changeable if needed. At this time, there will still be a minimum number of events to play in to qualify for the FINALS. I expect three, but the committee will determine that in April.
If you know of a new player that wants to join – they do need to be vetted by the committee as to age, handicap, etc. The TOB has grown significantly in the last three-four years, so we need to make sure of avoiding any no-shows.
The first question that I am sure that you have is – “what the hell is a Temujican?“!
To answer that, let’s ponder the wild and wonderful world of the Wars of Ozz for a minute. Recently, my posts have shown the mighty Whim Whim and their leader, Sultan Whim. While the Whim Whim are indeed a force to be reckoned with in the Great Impassable Desert of the South- they do face a rival force in the Temujicans. These green-skinned desert nomads are cousins of the Gillikins (and are somewhat goblin-like).
Map of Ozz
As for the name “Temujicans”, it has an origin, and I had a hand in it. When the force was launched they were called “Eastern Desert” nomads. Rather mundane to be sure. The great Buck Surdu challenged several of us to come up with a better name that would evoke a historical reference for a cavalry-based force that could sweep across plains and deserts. My first thoughts went to considerations of the history of Genghis Khan:
Now you see. As he was born “Temujin”, and the Gillikins were their cousins, I came up with the name “Temujicans”. Thus this was adopted as the official name of the faction! I contributed!
In any case, I decided to start building my Temujican army with the four infantry regiments I had. While in the game they are more cavalry-oriented – I decided that starting with infantry was a reasonable way to get going on the faction. Like the Whim Whim, the Temujicans do not have artillery or musketry.
As cousins of the Gillikins, they do have access to units of “Mercenary Gillikin Longbows”, which are SKU OZZ-409. I had two of these regiments to paint. I also had two other infantry regiments of “Infantry with Command – Unknown Immortals”, which are SKU OZZ-533. All four regiments have 21 figures each for a total of 84 figures for this post. All are metal and 28mm – though both Gillikins and Temujicans are somewhat diminutive in stature. They are bigger than Munchkins though. The Unknown Immortals, have their faces hidden, and all have the same pose except for the leader, drummer and regimental commander. The MGL’s have multiple poses.
Mercenary Gillikin Longbowmen from the Wars of Ozz websiteUnknown Immortals from the Wars of Ozzwebsite
Both types are armed with bows, but the Mercenary Gillikins have longbows (regiments hereafter referred to as MGL). An advantage for the MGL’s is that longbows can fire over intervening troops. The Unknown Immortals have bows and spears.
The MGL’s cost 5 points apiece – and have values for Marksmanship, Melee, Resolve, and Elan of 6/10, 5/10, 6/10, and 5/10. Each brigade can have up to two of them. The Unknown Immortals cost 6 points and have similar values for Marksmanship, Melee, Resolve, and Elan of 6/10, 5/10, 5/10, and 6/10. There can be up to two regiments of Unknown Immortals in a Temujican brigade.
So why are Temujicans green skinned? In Wars of Ozz, all races, to include Gillikins and Temujicans, were affected by the viruses and mutagenics released in the Last Great War. One of those effects was mutation of humans (and others) into different races. Another was the effect of “color mania” – with different factions being affected differently. While the Army lists (found here) describe the Temujicans as being outfitted in different sandy and brown shades, I thought they must have some residual affinity for purples as the Gillikins do. Hence, I decided to use some magenta and purple colors on them. I also used some darker bronze for some of the metallics like buttons and badges. You will also notice some neon colors like yellow and yellow/orange as liners and shield colors. Additionally, like I did with the Whim Whim, I tried to have common colors among the units designated as 1st or 2nd. I did this so as to manage to make sense on the tabletop as I deploy brigades. This will be more clear after you see some photos, so let’s start with WIP shots and discussions
WIP Discussion and how the Project Progressed
I started back on October 14th, and finished all on November 2nd. In between all this I had several golf events plus a costume party! More on those in a bit. While there were 84 figures in total – the Immortals had each a shield, a bow holder, and a quiver.
First, I needed to do lots of filing!
The Unknown Immortals regiments in prep.Close up of the sprue that held the Immortal’s bow holder/sword handle combination, and a quiver with arrows.
Then it was on to washing and organizing it all:
All pieces for this Temujican infantry project filed, washed, and ready for assembly/painting on October 15th.
By October 24th I had made some progress on the accouterments and the figures.
As I mentioned, there was golf and Halloween too. I did end up shooting an 84 on my home course – which was a personal best – plus coming in tied for first in the year-long contest at my club – but I digress…
Plus for Halloween we had a nice visit from Elsa (aka Tabitha my granddaughter):
My daughter Ellen, Tabitha (as Elsa), and my wife Lynn
Then our Halloween party saw this couple (us) as Gru and a Minion:
Gru and his minion
Back to the Temujicans!
By October 29th, I was nearly finished with initial painting and assemblies:
Basing work on the figures followed:
Gluing the figures down AND SURGICALLY covering the bases with the sand paste and rocks took some time. I did not want a mess on the paint jobs, so typically I glued down 3 out of 4 of the figures first, then applied the paste, then added the final figure. Below you’ll see that after the paste dried, I added pigments to the bases. One regiment has no pigments as a comparator. I really like the effect of the three pigments I use on the sand paste – and recommend their use if you want a desert look.
Bases showing 3/4 with pigments.
Then I varnished the lot with an airbrush, and once that dried I added flocking tufts and rocks.
All the paints that I used are listed at the end of this post – but let’s share some…
Eye Candy
1st Mercenary Gillikin Regiment
1st Gillikin Mercenary Longbow Regiment in line formation. Their coats are reddish brown with a sallow yellow/orange liner.1st Gillikin Mercenary Longbow Regimental Commander. Note the magenta bicorne hat.Typical stand of the 1st Gillikin Mercenary Longbow Regiment.Command stand of the 1st Gillikin Mercenary Longbow Regiment.1st Gillikin Mercenary Longbow Regiment in column formation.
2nd Mercenary Gillikin Regiment
2nd Gillikin Mercenary Longbow Regiment in line formation. The coats are a sandy brown with neon yellow/greenish lining.1st Gillikin Mercenary Longbow Regimental Commander. Note the purple bicorne hat.Typical stand of the 2nd Gillikin Mercenary Longbow Regiment.Command stand of the 2nd Gillikin Mercenary Longbow Regiment.2nd Gillikin Mercenary Longbow Regiment in column formation.
1st Temujican Unknown Immortals Regiment
1st Temujican Unknown Immortals Regiment in line formation. Their coats are greenish brown. Their shields have alternating chevron colors of green (for Temujicans flesh color) and sallow yellow/orange.1st Temujican Unknown Immortals Regimental Commander. Note the magenta bicorne hat.Typical stand of the 1st Temujican Unknown Immortals Regiment.Command stand of the 1st Temujican Unknown Immortals Regiment.1st Temujican Unknown Immortals Regiment in column formation.
2nd Temujican Unknown Immortals Regiment
2nd Temujican Unknown Immortals Regiment in line formation.2nd Temujican Unknown Immortals Regimental Commander. Note the purple bicorne hat.Typical stand of the 2nd Temujican Unknown Immortals Regiment.2nd Temujican Unknown Immortals Regiment in column formation. I thought this showed the command stand pretty well.
Group Shots
Here are some group shots of all of the 4 regiments:
Video
Lastly, here is a very short video I took of all 4 regiments that is nice:
Alternatively, I did post the same video on Instagram with some music from Thin Lizzy:
I did think about how many “points” IRO or Wudugast would have given me for these 84 goblinoids for their “Orktober” painting extravaganza (if I was in it), but that’s more curiosity than anything else. Plus I really took until November 2nd to finish. Given that my 1984 West Point class was having our 40th reunion during that (last) weekend (which I did not attend) AND that Army beat Air Force in football too (which I did watch) – I did get to remember my 84 class with finishing these 84 figures.
So next I am on to the Temujican cavalry. I have two regiments of heavy and three of light, plus three brigade commanders to do. Onwards!
PAINTS, INKS, GLAZES, SHADES, WASHES, PIGMENTS, FLOCKING, GLUES AND MORE THAT I USED ON THE TWO REGIMENTS OF MERCENARY GILLIKIN LONGBOWMEN:
Square MDF Brigade Leader bases from Wars of Ozz Miniatures (used as regimental commander bases)
Wargames Accessories number 21 bases (2″ square steel bases)
Wargames Accessories number 17 (1.5″ X 1″ steel bases)
Temujican flag designs from Wars of Ozz Facebook page (printed on card stock)
Card stock
If you want to check out the excellent Wars of Ozz figures’ range – there are two places to get them and to get the rules (and I make no money from this btw). The game rules and the figures are available from the next two places:
We had our FINALS for the 2024 Tour of the Brookfields season on Saturday, September 28th. It is also called “The Grand Tour“. Each division/flight had 6 teams placing in the prize circle. There were also skins awarded (3) as well as 4 closest to the pins.
We had an amazing field of 128 players – broken out into 32 teams. We had not had so many in a long time. We had 10 teams in the Nicklaus Flight, and 11 teams each in the Palmer and Player Flights.
There was incredibly competitive golf in each flight as you will see below. In the Nicklaus Flight, 6/10 teams were within just three strokes. In each of the Player Divisions, 7/11 teams were within three strokes! You can’t get much more close and competitive than that.
There were two playoffs as well for the top honors – one lasting 3 extra holes in the Palmer and one in the Player Flight – that one lasting four extra holes! The gallery got to cheer on both as they played it out on the 18th hole.
OVERALL RESULTS FROM THE 2024 TOUR OF THE BROOKFIELDS GRAND TOUR
Nicklaus Division/Flight
In the top division (the Nicklaus Division), the team of Tom Staiti, Brad Earle, Ken Burnham, and Patty Kularski had the BEST score of any team in the tournament. They shot a STELLAR 12-under par to finish on top over 4 teams that came in at -10 (not shabby either). Those four teams, who shared in the 2nd to 5th awards, were:
Ryan Auger, Dan Foley, Ray Rawlston, Bob Weighill
Cory Heyes, William Foley, Peter Davis, Paul Wyman
Chris Depasse, Mike Kularski, Kristen Depasse, Dick LaPierre
Josh Russell, Dave Russell, Darryl Furtado, Greg Wypych
Rounding out in sixth place at -9:
Rick Lindsten, Kathleen Soltys, Dave Ashworth, Keith Tytula
Player Division/Flight
In the Player Division, there was a marathon playoff of 4 holes between two teams that finished at 11 under par. To decide the top team, these teams slugged it out 3 times on the 10th hole before moving on to the 18th for the 4th and decisive playoff hole. In the end, the team of Jack Dorman, Dave Fiske, Gary Donlin, and Jim McKeon outlasted their rivals to come in first with a birdie putt by Jim McKeon on the 18th.
Coming in second in the playoff, at -11, was:
Mike Ellis, Jim Gregoire, Bill Gaudette, Ed Kosla
Tied for third at -10, and sharing in the 3rd and 4th team awards, was:
Fran Lamothe ,Bob Demaio, Tom McCarthy, George Jette
Tanner Frankian, Paul Davis, John Desimone, John Wheeler
Coming in 5th, and sharing in the 5th and 6th awards at -9 were the teams of:
Tom Orszulak, Mark A. Morin (me), Norm Laliberte, Jeff McLeod
Todd Allen, Paul Sanborn, John McQuaid, Jamie McShera
Palmer Division/Flight
In the Palmer Division there was yet another playoff as two teams finished at impressive -10’s each. This time, the playoff was three iterations of the 18th hole. Coming out on top was the team of Jim Wilson, Ron Jette, Clayton Rice, and Alex Morales.
Coming in second in the playoff, at -10, was:
Joe Desimone, Shane Higgins, Jim Lovett, Lynn Morin
Alone in 3rd place at -9 was:
Gary Ward, Stan Nolin, Leo Forget, Hoss Ford
In 4th place at -8 was:
Ron Allen, Lex Varney, George Fiske, Tim Nason Sr.
Lastly, coming in 5th, and sharing in the 5th and 6th awards at -7 were the teams of:
Ken Dorman, Dylan Allen, Wyatt Alm, Rick Gendreau
Ron McCann, Lisa Kularski, Tony Woodman, Rob Peterson
Skins
There were three skins – all eagles!
Eagle on number 2: Fran Lamothe, Bob Demaio, Tom McCarthy, George Jette
Eagle on number 8: Mike Ellis, Jim Gregoire, Bill Gaudette, Ed Kosla
Eagle on number 13: Chris Depasse, Mike Kularski, Kristen Depasse, Dick LaPierre
We also had all four par-three holes eligible for closest to the pin prizes. Any teams that did not finish in the top 6 in any division could compete for these prizes. Winning those were:
Closest to the Pin on number 4:
Tom Foley, 10′ 3″
Closest to the Pin on number 6:
Kevin Paradis, 9′ 0″
Closest to the Pin on number 11:
Steve Whitman, 8″ !!!!!
Closest to the Pin on number 17:
Jim Kularski, 3′ 10″
That rounds out the awards – congrats to all the winners and the players. Special thanks to Quail Hollow, especially Debbie Donlin, Gary Donlin, Jim LeBlanc, and the rest of the staff for making this season and this event so special.
Below are some photos I shot during the event.
A Few Event Photos
Busy putting green and range before tee-off time!John Desimone, Stan Nolin, and Jim McKeonTara readies the beverage cartPatty Kularski, Mike McCarthy, and Jeff McLeod chat it up at the bar.George Fiske, Brad Earle, and Mike Kularski diligently doing the committee thing at the sign in desk.Matt Brown, Pete Peloquin, Sr., and Jim McKeon consider their picks to win.Teammates Lynn Morin and Jim Lovett ready to play.Brothers Reece and Matt McLeod.Todd Allen, Dylan Allen, and Ryan Toomey.We had to get extra carts there were so many teams!Ryan Auger surrounded by the Foley brothers Dan and William.Lynn Morin heads out to her golf cart.Rich Casault gives a casual thumbs up, while Matt Desimone rocks it out.Spencer Rice, Norm Laliberte, and Tom OrszulakMy team poses! Tom Orszulak, Mark A. Morin, Jeff McLeod, and Norm Laliberte.Palmer playoff action.
What Next?
Well, the TOB will return in 2025 in April. Stay tuned to this blog for information (you can be an email subscriber for free just select follow and subscribe at the bottom of this article).