The Starkville Country Club One O’Clock Group is a group of men who routinely gather to play golf at the club every day at 1:00 PM.
Many of the men have been members of the club for 30 or more years dating back to when the course consisted of only nine holes.
The skill level of the group ranges from players with scratch handicaps to those with double digit handicaps. Men whose age is 65
and above play from the Gold tee boxes and all others generally play from the White tee boxes.
On any given day the group will split into anywhere from 1 to 8 groups of golfers (foursomes and/or fivesomes) who are divided evenly as possible based on the skill levels of the golfers who are present on that particular day. These groups participate in a team “skins” competition based on the lowest total scores of either 3 or 4 team members on each hole with all groups gathering after the round to tally the results.
On any given day the group will split into anywhere from 1 to 8 groups of golfers (foursomes and/or fivesomes) who are divided evenly as possible based on the skill levels of the golfers who are present on that particular day. These groups participate in a team “skins” competition based on the lowest total scores of either 3 or 4 team members on each hole with all groups gathering after the round to tally the results.
Through the years, the group has developed some of it's own unique jargon. Some of the phrases, sayings and quotes are fairly common with golfers everywhere,
but many are unique to this club and it's members. If you hear one of these, the following list may help clear up it's meaning.
| Double Bogey Max | To help speed up play, the maximum score allowed on a hole is a double bogey. |
| The Max | Phrase used to describe a double bogey made on a hole. (Give me the Max) |
| A Raymond | See the Max above. Named for a certain player who made a lot of double bogeys. |
| Maximum Cheat | Term used to describe the rules when allowing the player's lie to be improved anywhere thru the green. |
| Real Golf | Term used to describe the rules when playing the ball as it lies and holing out all putts. |
| Skin | Game where each hole is played separately, and is won by the team (or player) with the lowest score on the hole. |
| Scat | See skin above. |
| Buck Stein Rule | Named after a former member, term used to describe picking up a putt when you are the last player to putt on a hole and the putt does not matter to the team score. Buck's philosophy was that one of 2 things was going to happen if you went ahead and putted in that situation. You would either miss the putt and be mad or you would make it and it would not make any difference. So you just pick the putt up. (NOTE: The putt should at least be reasonably close to the hole in order for this rule to be invoked.) |
| The Salmon Slot | Named after a former member who often used the term, it is used to describe the fact that you are either playing bad or you made a really high score on the previous hole, so now you are going to hit LAST from the tee on the upcoming hole. |
| Wolf Game | Game where all players play independently and teams are picked on each individual hole. Players alternate hitting first on each hole and the player who hits first either chooses a partner or plays by himself against all other players as the "lone wolf". The objective of the game is to be the player with the most points at the end of the round. |
| Dream Team | Phrase to describe a certain member's team that others always seem to think is loaded with good players. (Normally a misnomer or fictitious). |
| Varnado | Pronounced "Vanardo". Term used to describe the leaning tree in front of the green on Hole #3 because of its ability to seemingly "swat"" approaching shots out of the air. (Named after former MSU basketball player Jarvis "SWAT" Varnado). |
| Sugar Round | Phrase used to describe an extra nine holes played after the normal round in which the stakes are normally higher. Sometimes referred to as an "emergency" nine. |
| LOI | Lack Of Interest (as in I have totally lost interest in this round). |
| ROG | Ran Out of Gas (as in I have physically given out). |
| CAT | Description for a PERFECT shot. (Little Johnny was asked by his teacher to spell cat. He replied C-A-T. She told him that was very good. His reply was "No, it was not good, it was perfect".) |
| A Thing of Beauty | Phrase used by a certain member to describe a nice shot (normally a tee shot). Sometimes if it is a really nice shot, it may additionally be considered to be a "joy forever". (As in "A thing of beauty is a joy forever." John Keats) |
| Peter Rabbit | A shot that flies way over the back of a green. (There is a story behind this.) |
| Number 9 Grip | The grip needed to hit the tee shot required on Hole #18 (formerly Hole #9 when the course only had 9 holes) |
| CARP | Term used to describe a sliced shot. |
| CPR | Short for Cart Path Roll (As in your ball hits the cart path and rolls a long way). |
| Sandy | The act of getting up and down from a bunker for a score of par or better. |
| Run Like You Stole Something | Phrase yelled at a tee shot that you want to roll a long distance. |
| CUE | Short for the Fescue grass located in areas of the course. (As in your ball went in the CUE.) |
| Obi-Wan Kenobi | Phrase used to describe a shot that went Out of Bounds (OB). |
| Battery | Term used to describe a putt on which you decelerated. (As in a D-CELL). |
| Snowman | Term used to describe a score of 8 made on a hole. |
| Double Snowman | A score of 88 (See Snowman above). |
| Trombones | A score of 76. (As in the song 76 trombones.) |
| Red Grange | A score of 77. (As in the the number worn by Red Grange) |
| Jerry Rice | A score of 80. (As in the the number worn by Jerry Rice) |
| Army Golf | Term used to describe a player who is hitting shots everywhere (As in the army marching cadence left, right, left, right). |
| Goat Ranch | A course that is in poor condition. |
| Hit A Member | Phrase often yelled by one member in particular at a putt that is traveling with way too much speed on the green. |
| Roger Rake | The act of using your putter to "rake" a short putt into the hole, sometimes while it is still moving. |
| Toe Job | Shot hit on the toe of the club face (normally the driver) and that usually produces a hooked shot. |
| Meow | Term used to describe a bunker or to tell a player that their ball landed in a bunker. (As in the cat litter box.) |
| Dancing | An approach shot that stops on the green (As in "you are dancing"). |
| In The Jaws | A putt that stopped just short of falling in the hole. |
| Afraid Of The Dark | A putt that just refuses to fall into the hole. |
| Remove The Indicator | Take the flagstick out of the hole. |
| Victory Lap | A putt that circles around the rim of the cup before actually falling in the hole. |
| Yogi Berra | A shot that is yanked offline (As in a "dead Yank"). |