Date: November 3, 2009

ATAG Issue # 133

Ansley Tuesday Afternoon Golf Tour

The
Nickelodeon
Chronicling The Play and Behavior of ATAG Tour Players With Praise,
Ridicule, and Scorn

The Nickelodeon
Published By:
2009 SEASON CLOSES WITH
AWARDS BANQUET!
Nickelodeon
Publications, Inc
Since 2004
November 3, 2009
Chief Editor: Don Nichols By: Don Nichols
Ansley Tuesday Afternoon Golf Tour
Senior Vice President-
Circulation/Advertising/Marketing/Finance
and Human Resources: Don Nichols Although the last scheduled match of the 2009 ATAG season was rained
out (the only rain out all year), 23 ATAGers showed up for the annual
season ending “party on the porch” Awards Banquet where they feasted
Graphic Design By: Amanda Nichols
on hot appetizers, downed one or more cocktails, and reminisced about
the season while awaiting the awards presentation.

ATAGers in attendance were Craig Sellner, Brad Reese, David Danzig,

Doug Gooding, Jeff McClellan, PJ Wade, Richard Batelaan, Tom Kisgen,
William Thornton, Bill Buist, Marty Arnold, Russ Jobson, Brooks Cowles,
Danny Morris, Mike Gaddis, Frank Corrigan, Jeff Kohn, Jim Williamson,
Kevin McGlynn, Rick Eaton, Scotty Greene, Tom Player, and Don Nichols.

Like the previous year, the Commissioner handed out a statistical

summary that revealed each player’s attendance record, average score
posted, won/loss record, and dollar winnings. The stat sheet also
compared the player’s average 2009 score to that of his average 2008
and 2007 scores and noted those players that failed to qualify for the
ATAG Tour Card by not participating in at least 1/3 of the total matches.

After about an hour of socializing, the program officially began with the
Commissioner once again calling out Herschel Parker, the official ATAG
Bartender, to center stage where the Commissioner, on behalf of ATAG,
personally thanked Herschel for his service beyond the call of duty in
dealing with the fickle demands and idiosyncratic personalities of the
players each week. Recognizing the Club’s policy against tipping, the
Commissioner could once again only offer a firm “maitre d handshake”
as a means of expressing the player’s appreciation.

ATAG Subbing for ATAG Awards Committee Chairman Doug Healy, who was
Ansley Tuesday Afternoon unfortunately unable to attend, the Commissioner presented the
Golf Tour following awards to this year’s recipients:
Ansley Golf Club
1912 Team Awards:
196 Montgomery Ferry Dr
Atlanta, Ga 30309 ■ Best Team Score-Front Nine: 15 under-Brad Reese, Jeff McClellan,
Henry Sawyer, and Jon Chasteen. Each player awarded one sleeve of
Callaway golf balls.

FINAL STANDINGS
Low Gross : Reese 34
Low Net : -6 Healy /Colbath/Buist/Majors
Birdie Leader: Reese: 26
High Gross: 59 Sellner
Top Money Winner: Martin: $60
Best Team Score-front: -15
Reese, Sawyer, McClellan, Chasteen
7-21-09
Best Team Score-back: -15
Sawyer, Colbath, Greene, McClellan
6-30-09;
Worst Team Score (DAL) +2
McClellan, Nichols, D. Morris, K. Morris
9-15-09
All Time Best Score -18 10-10-06
Danzig, Reese, Nichols, Pease--back nine
All Time Worst Score +6 5-15-07
Danzig, Gooding, Thornton, Player-back
nine
ATAG
Ansley Tuesday Afternoon
Golf Tour
Ansley Golf Club
1912
196 Montgomery Ferry Dr
Atlanta, Ga 30309
■ Best Team Score-Back Nine: 15 under-Henry Sawyer, Scotty
Greene, Jeff McClellan, and Jeff Colbath. Each player awarded one
sleeve of Titliest Pro V-1 golf balls (back nine is deemed to be more
difficult)
■ DAL Award (Dead Ass Last): 2 over- Don Nichols, Jeff McClellan,
Danny Morris, and visitor Keith Morris. Each player was awarded a sleeve
of used and beat up golf balls
Individual Awards—must be present to win.
■ Best Attendance Record: Danny Morris and William Thornton-Each
participated in 29 of the 31 matches played. The players shared the
award of one sleeve of Callaway golf balls.
■ Golden Ale Trophy Champion (most net beers won): Brad Reese:
an unprecedented total of 9 beers (11 wins against 2 losses). The award: a
plastic beer pitcher
■ Low Gross Champion (Best Low Gross of the year): Brad Reese: 34
■ Low Net Champion (best net score of the year): Bill Buist: 6 under.
Wins in tiebreaker against Doug Healy, Jeff Colbath, and Ron Majors,
neither of whom was in attendance.
■ Pink Lady Champion (highest gross score the most number of
times): Frank Corrigan: 8 times
■ Highest Score Of The Year: Craig Sellner: posted a 59 on 6-16-09
■ Birdie Champion: Brad Reese: a total of 26 birdies, with 3 birdies in
each of four different rounds. Repeats from last year when he posted 21
birdies. The award: a PGA divot repair tool (who else would need one?)
■ Sandbagger Of The Year (most Low Net wins): Brad Reese: 3 times
Wins in tiebreaker against Tim Martin, Jeff Colbath, and Danny Morris with
cumulative 11 under for his three wins against 10 under for Martin, 9 under
for Colbath, and 8 under for Morris. The award: a bag of sand with a dollar
bill entry fee, and a sleeve of Callaway golf balls.
■ Top Money Winner: Danny Morris: $54 (Tim Martin was top money
maker with $60 winnings but was not in attendance). Morris repeats from
last year. The award: a 6-in-1 multi purpose golf tool.
■ Shot Of The Year: William Thornton On 7-7-09 his 210 yard
approach shot on # 8 landed within 6 inches from the hole enabling a tap
in birdie-“net eagle”.
■ Most Improved: Scotty Greene- Lowered his average score by
two shots from his 2008 average. Wins in tiebreaker with Ron Majors who
was not in attendance. The award: an Olympic medal and a set of plastic
practice balls
■ Most Cameo Appearances: Russ Jobson—a total of 7
appearances on the porch on days he was unable to participate in the
match. (each cameo appearance receives one half credit toward ATAG
Tour Card qualification.) The award: a zippered pouch containing tees,
ball markers and sunscreen--- and a box of cameo animal house
crackers.
NOTE: ATAG Photographer Kevin McGlynn
took several photos of the “Party On The
Porch” including the presentation to Herschel
and to the Commissioner-- but later dropped
his camera phone on the pavement and all
photos were lost. McGlynn turned in his
resignation, which the Commissioner
accepted. Photos below were taken during
the 2009 season.
Commissioner Don Nichols and Asst Pro Mark
Mark Brourman on Opening Day
Frank Corrigan, David Danzig, Tom Player Bill
Buist
Mike Gaddis, Danny Morris, Brad Reese, Jim
Williamson
ATAG
Ansley Tuesday Afternoon
Golf Tour
The evening concluded with Jim Williamson, subbing for Doug Healy,
handing the Commish a gift certificate and expressing appreciation on
behalf of all of the ATAGers to the Commissioner for another great season
and, as the players applauded, thanking him for the amount of time and
effort he puts in each week toward making ATAG what it is today-- a
special fraternity of Ansley members who gather each Tuesday after work
to play a 9 hole round under a competitive format and then retire to the
outdoor air ambiance of the Men’s Grill porch to hear the outcome of the
match , have a few beers, and tell jokes and exchange stories before
heading home.
Someone asked when and how ATAG got started. Actually, the custom of
some Ansley members playing 9 holes after work for a beer began in the
late 1970’s when a few former Ansley members made it a point to get
together every Tuesday after work to play for a beer and then convene in
the Men’s Grill. There was no organized structure—just show up if you can.
Over the years, the original members left the Club but the custom was
continued by some other Ansley members including Danny Morris, Mike
Gaddis, Marty Arnold, and Don Nichols. Interest began to wane, however,
so much so that on the first scheduled match of 2001, only Mike Gaddis
and Don Nichols showed up on the first tee. This prompted Nichols to send
an e-mail to the other players describing-- hole by hole—a close match
between Gaddis and Nichols (Nichols won it on the last hole after sinking
a breath defying putt). For some reason, this simple chronicle of a two
man match served to ignite interest by the other players who asked
Nichols to continue his write up. Before long, the e-mail “write up”
evolved into a newsletter ( later dubbed the Nickelodeon by Mike
Gaddis), the field expanded to over 30 players as word of mouth resulted
in more and more Ansley members showing up on the first tee, “ATAG”
was later coined by Danny Morris to describe the group, “ATAG Tour” was
then coined by Bill Meagher to characterize the competitive nature of the
weekly matches, and then Don Nichols unwittingly found himself being
named Commissioner simply by virtue of his chronicling the matches and
adding a satirical slant to some of the players behavior.
So there you have the history of ATAG, which today concluded its 2009
chapter of “Tuesdays with ATAG.” It was a year of great fun as well as
disappointment in that we lost three popular players to the economy and
they were sorely missed.
But over the thirty one weeks, there were numerous shots of the day, a
career best round by one player, some very entertaining tie breaker “chip
offs” for Low Net and the Pink Lady, miraculous dodging of several
potential rain outs (until Mother Nature pulled the plug on the last match,)
Irish whiskey on St Patrick’s Day compliments of Doug Healy, one match
played in a Springtime Arctic blast and another played in a scorching hot
Code Orange Alert. We had female encroachment on the porch for the
first time, a whistle blower brouhaha amongst the players, and, most
importantly of all, a lot of laughter and good natured kidding.
That’s it for this week—and for this year. Look for the Call For Players for the
opening match of 2010 sometime in early March. See you then!