Live blog is up and we’ll be providing match info as it comes in. Don’t forget, we’ll also be streaming matches at www.pegttour.com/blog/live and we’ll alert you when some of the marquee showdowns are up and running.

You can access the updated main bracket through PEGT’s website and stay tuned for results.

Cheers.

We will also be streaming some game play live at www.pegttour.com/blog/live, which is up and running right now. We’re working out the kinks for matches, but this is pretty wonderful if you’re a Golden Tee nerd like me. Thanks to the wonderful Jimmy Parker for setting this up.

Looooong day ahead. The calcutta will start at noon, which serves as a Golden Tee bid-a-thon for those unfamiliar with the process. After that everyone will play each 2012 course and the top 32 will be placed into the main bracket.

Should be fun, and here we go.

6:51 p.m.: Looks like we’ll have 64 (!!!) signups for the handicap tournament. That’s a monster field already, and we’re keeping registration open for another hour or so. Come on over and play!

Friday night at the Missouri Open is setting up to be a doozy. Although the actual tournament won’t kick off until tomorrow, the festivities are underway and booze is a flown’. NOTE: This is pretty much expected.

The handicap tournament will be played tonight and there are already more signups in this event than most normal tourneys see during prime time. We’ll provide some results as they come in and [orders another bucket of beers] really take tonight very serious.

And we’re off…

The cards are printed, our bags are packed, and we’re making the drive from Chicago to Missouri for the tournament. Tonight we’ll test our skills in the Closest-to-the-Pin tournament and probably enjoy a beer or seven before things get interesting.

This is the place to be, stay tuned throughout the weekend.

Cheers,

-ak

Chicago’s Graig Kinzler was top overall qualifier yesterday with a 5-course score of -123. He’s the #1 seed (in the spirit of March Madness) heading into the day, and we’re going to get going here. We’ve got the live blog fired up and we’ll pass along results as we get them.

Should be a fun day, tune in.

Before we do, we must first congratulate Houston’s Mark Stenmark on his tournament win. The dude’s a beast, simple as that, and he’s become a dominant force in Golden Tee this past year.

Now, however, it’s time for the top 32 players to play it out. Those that accumulated the most PEGT Points over the past 6 tournaments will now duke it out for Player of the Year honors.

It’s double-elimination, and should be a whole lot of fun. We’re cracking open another live blog (and another drink, or two, or three) to celebrate.

We hammered through some early matchplay games on Saturday knowing that there were two tournaments to be finished today. Once the Dallas Holiday Classic finishes (hopefully) sometime late this afternoon, the 32-man Player of the Year tournament will begin shortly after.

Another excellent day is in store and we’re firing up the live blog once again. Feel free to jump in or just stay tuned to find out the latest updates.

Cheers,
-ak

And we’re back at Volcanos.

The 2011 Dallas Holiday Classic begins today, and we plan to live blog the all the festivities from start to finish. We’ll begin with the 5-course qualifier starting early this afternoon and then get a few matches in this evening once we’ve got our 32-man field filled.

It’s going to be an outstanding (but very long) day, and we’ll be trying out our new live blog widget below. Feel free to comment and jump in if you please, and we’ll keep you tuned in to what’s going on. Comments have to be approved (on the first post) so if your comment doesn’t show up for a little while (or it’s just an insane, curse-loaded rant), it may not show up for a short while.

Grab a cold one and tune in…

Cheers,

-ak

We made it to Volcanos in Hurst, Texas for Power Events’ 2011 Dallas Holiday Classic.

The bar is massive, beer is a flowin’, and tonight should be outstanding. The handicap tournament gets underway at 7:00, and GT will be played late into the evening. The actual Classic gets underway tomorrow at noon and we will be live-blogging qualifying scores and matches after.

For details on how the weekend will shape up, check out the details here.

Stay tuned and be sure to join us for a brew if you’re in the area.

Cheers,

-ak

Our GT road trip has reached its final destination, and we’re celebrating another year by going out with a bang. If you’ve ever wanted to climb Mount Everest but don’t have the time, energy, money or physical stamina to do so, well, you’re in luck.

Welcome to Nepal – and more specifically Mount Everest – for the 5^th and final GT course on 2012. Nicknamed “Holy Mother,” you’ll certainly find yourself saying that on occasion with perhaps an added word tacked on the end.

Tundra Peak is a fitting name for a course that’s more or less a journey up the world’s largest natural obstacle. Instead of a slow, gradual climb, however, we’re taking this Jim Z. design head on.

This baby is a monster, so buckle up.

The Elements

Snow makes a Golden Tee cameo for the second straight year, and in 2012 its role has been expanded a great deal. Last year we saw a decent amount of the flaky white stuff on Alpine Run, but this year we’re surrounded by it. I mean, it is Mount Everest.

For those of you that avoided Alpine or have somehow never hit it in the snow before (cough, cough LIAR), here’s how it works. If your ball even grazes it, it’ll stop dead in its tracks. This hasn’t changed and in this instance there’s more snow than ever. And snow isn’t the only winter surface in this one.

The ground that surrounds the fairways is a sort of frozen mountain surface that will stop your ball from going much further. Its effects aren’t as pronounced as ice but it’s certainly something to be aware of.

Speaking of… there’s also ice, some of which is perfectly placed, that can help and hurt you if you happen to hit it. Just a little tip: your backspin will be nullified if your ball bounces off this surface, and it will. There are a couple of shots where this will most certainly come into play, and you’ll have to account for it while deciding between lofts and clubs.

At the Top of the World

You might as well file this under “Holy #$% that’s obvious,” but Tundra Peak is being played at the top of the world. No, really. Like the very top. Because of this, you’ll be dealing with these heights in a variety of different outlets. And unlike Grand Canyon, which starts at the top of the creation and works its way down, here we’re playing our way up to the peak of Mount Everest.

Because of this, players will be forced to deal with unique shots as they move along through the round. The drop offs become much more severe, the penalties become more frequent and the stakes get higher.

In more than a few circumstances you’ll be left with putts that could be the difference between a birdie and falling off the world’s largest mountain. These are crucial, obviously, and can send your round into a tailspin if you happen to miss your line.

The same can be said about tee shots and approaches into greens. If you’re not careful, your ball will be destined to do a snowy, deadly base jump and your score will rise rather quickly. Luckily, however, you won’t have to watch your shot fall thousands of feet, ala Black Hills.  No, there’s no waiting around in this one. As soon as you fall off, we’re saving you the pain and aggravation of watching your ball 29,029 feet.

We love you all that much…

Closing Time

Our final point of emphasis in our “Hands on in 2012” is a fitting way to go out. The 17^th and 18^th holes on Tundra Peak are absolute game-changers, and while they’re not as difficult as some of the other holes in the game, they provide a majestic challenge to finish things off.

The 17^th is a par-3 with very little room to miss. The green, which is more or less sitting on a convenient piece of ice near the top of the mountain, is not quite at the very top just yet. We’ll get there in a minute. This design can be deadly and missing short or long will result in OB and likely a bogey at the very best. You are going to absolutely want a 7 and 9-wood here, so make note of that right now. It’ll make the shot into the green easier, and you’ll also be able to comfortably spin it back before it rolls off.

Escape the 17^th unscathed and you’ll reach the top of Mount Everest – one of the most superb scenes in the history of GT and one of the game’s best drivable par-4s. There will never be another hole that reaches this kind of altitude (unless we eventually go to the moon) and you’ll have to hit to the very top of the world to get your eagle.

Anything off to the right or deep on this hole will result in a penalty and a re-tee, so take note on tougher conditions. Also, be sure to explore the possibilities of using a high tee here to reach the green (seen above) with some winds. You’ll

Well, ladies and gentlemen that’s about it for now. You’ve read our take and soon enough you’ll have your hands on the game. Stay tuned to Goldentee.com for all the latest news on the release date as Ship Day fast approaches.

Signing off,

-ak