Hagood Past

The Ghost Showed Up, Finally 👻

Week 3 of 10, December 19, 2025. Thirty-seven souls answered the spectral summons to Timmons Park for "Hagood Past," and the Ghost of Christmas Past finally delivered on its promise. After last week's underwhelming entrance, the First Spirit showed up with receipts—eight personal bests fell like rattling chains, the #1 bag tag changed hands for the first time this season, and the $158 Super Ace pot continued its haunted vigil. Weather hovered between 46-52°F with winds gusting to 15 mph, which is December-brisk but hardly the Victorian apocalypse we were promised. The ghost brought warmth instead of frost, revealing golden-age Timmons through scorecards that blazed with impossible numbers. The mill bell stayed silent, but the fairways sang with redemption arcs and rating surges that would make Ebenezer himself weep into his ledger.

Two Ghosts, One Throne, Redux 👑

Evan Rogers and Alexander Goodson both posted bogey-free -9 rounds rated 997, tying for MPO glory in what can only be described as "Week 2: The Sequel Nobody Asked For But Here We Are Again." Both clutched birdies on hole 18 to seal their shared fate, Rogers maintaining his exact -9 from last week (+14 rating differential) while Goodson climbed into the lead after hole 2 and never looked back. Meanwhile, Stephen Scoggins and Valentin Lutsenko led through hole 1 before catastrophically collapsing—Scoggins posted +7 with a soul-crushing 138-point drop from his rating (down from last week's nine-birdie masterclass at -4), while Lutsenko hemorrhaged 176 points below his 969 rating in what can only be described as a ghost story told backwards. Four lead changes, two clean sheets, two horror shows. The spectral accountants need overtime to reconcile this madness. 📊

The Audit Came for Zach 📋

The registration email literally said "His books are closed. Come audit him." Calen McManus answered that call with a 1010-rated round—51 points above his 959 PDGA—that dethroned Zach Taylor's #1 tag in spectacular fashion. Calen caught fire on holes 7-12 with a six-hole hot streak, posted a clean back nine, and climbed from Tag #21 to Tag #1 in a single night while Zach dropped from -9 to -3 (Rating Δ -62, Score Δ -6). Blade Blackmer nearly stole it with an 82-point surge above his 903 rating, posting -8 with a clean front nine, but couldn't hold through the back. Colton Evatt quietly climbed to 3rd with -6 (Rating Δ +56), setting a personal best for the course. Three lead changes, three players tied after hole 1, and the Ghost of Christmas Past revealed that Zach's "perfectly balanced ledger" from Week 2 was due for reconciliation. The spectral quill stopped whispering "DENIED" and started writing Calen's name in gold frost. ✨

The Bogey-Free Ledger Got Audited

Abe Mills posted -5 rated 946 (35 points above his 911) for a personal best in MA40, and here's the kicker: he was the only player all day to birdie hole 9, which played +0.6 average and broke hearts like a Victorian debtors' prison. That single birdie on the 175-foot wooded nightmare gave Abe the lead after hole 9, and his clean back nine sealed it. Meanwhile, Cory Wickline dropped from -9 to -3 (Rating Δ -62, Score Δ -6), his Week 2 "perfectly balanced ledger" and "bogey-free round" collapsing under the weight of the Ghost's audit. Two lead changes, both players tied after hole 1, and the lesson here is clear: past perfection guarantees nothing when the spirits come calling. The mill's past showed Abe his best self and Cory his mortal limits. 🔍

The Counting House Lost Count

Eleven lead changes in MA4. Eleven. The spectral accountants threw up their translucent hands and went on strike. Kenneth Vogel and Drayvn Vaticano both finished -2 rated 908 after a four-way tie on hole 1 spiraled into absolute chaos—Kenneth maintained his Week 2 consistency (Rating Δ +19) while Drayvn surged 72 points above his 836 rating. Dylan Spencer and Chase Johnson both posted even-par personal bests, with Dylan hitting the sole birdies on holes 4 (+0.5 avg) and 11, and Chase climbing 61 points above his 821 rating (Rating Δ +59 from last week's +3). Stewart Gunter led through hole 5 but faded to 5th with +2—still a personal best. Kenneth took the final lead after hole 16, but honestly, nobody could track who was winning at any given moment. Twelve players, four personal bests, and a ledger that required supernatural intervention to balance. The Victorian accountants are filing for hazard pay. 💀

The Back Nine Resurrection Tour ⚰️

Eric Van Beek surged 80 points above his 841 rating to claim MA3 with -3, posting a clean front nine and taking the lead after hole 5, never to relinquish it. But the real story is Marcus Davis's back nine resurrection—after limping to +7 overall (74 points below rating), Marcus was three strokes better on the back than the front, catching fire when most players were fading. Doc Howard dropped from Week 2's -1 to +5 (Rating Δ -58), and Scott Chace led through hole 4 before collapsing to +10 (94 points below rating). The hole 13-14 recovery pattern was biblical: Doc, Scott, Marcus, and Stephen Scoggins all took +2 on hole 13, then bounced back with birdies on hole 14 like spectral phoenixes rising from Victorian ashes. The Ghost of Christmas Past showed these players both their worst and their capacity for redemption within the same nine holes. 🕊️

The Past Remembered Mike Fondly

Mike Mathis posted a wire-to-wire -7 rated 972 in MP50—69 points above his 903 rating—setting a personal best on the very episode where Scrooge's younger, spectral self was supposed to caddie for us. The Ghost showed Mike his golden-age self, and Mike responded with hot streaks on holes 8-10 and 14-16, a clean back nine, and a clutch birdie on hole 18 to seal the outright victory. His front nine was three strokes better than his back, but when you're 69 points above rating, the ledger doesn't care about the distribution—it cares about the balance sheet. Last week Mike posted -3; this week he climbed four strokes and posted a rating differential of +69. The Victorian accountants are blushing. The mill's past remembers when joy filled these fairways, and Mike just reminded everyone what that looks like. 🎩

Wire-to-Wire Across the Ghostly Spectrum

Six divisions. Six dominances. The spectral efficiency was remarkable. Terry Howard (+2, 857 rated) claimed MA50 with a personal best, posting a seven-hole par train on holes 3-9 that would make a Victorian railway conductor weep with envy. Ralph L. Jasper (+7, 793 rated) took MA60 wire-to-wire with a personal best despite multiple cold streaks—proof that perseverance matters when ghosts are grading your round. Eva Lutsenko (+6, 806 rated) dominated FPO wire-to-wire, recovering from +3 on hole 8 with a birdie on hole 9. Jeanene Smith (+10, 755 rated) claimed FA2 with a six-hole par train on holes 11-16. And Autumn Chace (+9, 767 rated) absolutely crushed FA4, posting 62 points above her 705 rating in the standout performance of the smaller divisions. The Ghost of Christmas Past showed these players their best selves, and they answered with consistency, grit, and the kind of Victorian work ethic that would make Scrooge's younger self proud. 👻

The Past Giveth, The Past Taketh

Eight personal bests. Multiple 50+ point rating surges. And then there's Valentin Lutsenko's 176-point collapse—the Ghost of Christmas Past showed players their best and worst selves, often simultaneously. The major surges: Blade Blackmer (+82), Eric Van Beek (+80), Drayvn Vaticano (+72), Autumn Chace (+62), Chase Johnson (+61), Evan Rogers (+53), Calen McManus (+51), Alexander Goodson (+48). The major collapses: Valentin (-176), Stephen Scoggins (-138), Scott Chace (-94), Eva Lutsenko (-93). Hole 9 played +0.6 average with Abe Mills hitting the sole birdie. Hole 4 played +0.5 average with Dylan Spencer hitting the sole birdie. And hole 13-14 became a recovery clinic where four players took +2 on 13 and bounced back with birdies on 14, like the Ghost was testing their Victorian moral fiber. The ledger's biggest outliers all occurred on an episode about revealing the course's golden age. The past giveth. The past taketh. The mill remembers everything. 📈

The Spectral Quill Writes in Gold

Calen McManus leapt from Tag #21 to Tag #1 in a single night with his 1010-rated masterclass, and the Ledger Warden—that fog-gray guardian of exclusion who patrols the conceptual gates demanding a toll of solitary perfection—finally met someone worthy of its spectral respect. The Warden coalesced from the collective resentment of townsfolk once barred from Hagood Mill by Ebenezer Coldchain's iron gates and admission fees, its form shrouded in mist that smells of old paper and frost, its ghostly blue-white quill tracing glowing numbers in the air. For weeks it whispered "DENIED" to unworthy challengers. But Calen's +51 rating differential, his six-hole hot streak, his clean back nine—these convinced the Warden that redemption isn't just a Dickensian plot device, it's scoreable. The spectral quill stopped whispering refusals and started writing Calen's name in gold frost. The cold fairways of Timmons agreed: this one earned his place at the top of the ledger. The Warden's redemption arc begins. 🖋️

The Ghosts Guard Their Gold

The $158 Super Ace pot on hole 17 survives another week. Thirty-seven players, multiple ace-run opportunities on Timmons' fan-favorite downhill tunnel shot, and the mill bell—which hasn't rung for an ace in seventeen years, according to league lore—remains stubbornly silent. The Ghost of Christmas Past showed us what joy once filled these fairways when aces rang the mill bell and families gathered freely, but the spectral cash pile grows heavier with each passing week, guarded by Victorian phantoms who apparently have opinions about who deserves to claim it. No CTP winners. No ace pot claims. Just the cold chime of a counting bell that never sounds and a treasure that grows more haunted by the round. The ghosts are clearly protecting their gold, waiting for someone worthy—or foolish—enough to break the curse. 💰

Your Spectral Bankruptcy Awaits 💸

The registration email promised: "Want more drama? Opt into skins during reg. I'll narrate your bankruptcy." That invitation still stands, and honestly, after watching eleven lead changes in MA4 alone, the skins chaos would be chef's kiss. No skins data to report this week, but next week's Episode 4 "Present Chains" is the perfect time to opt in and let me document your financial ruin with Victorian flair. Learn how to set up skins and give me something truly dramatic to narrate. The Counting House has openings, and your spectral bankruptcy awaits. The ghosts are taking appointments.

Scrooge's Caddie Left a Tip

The Ghost of Christmas Past delivered its lesson: eight personal bests, rating surges that would make the Victorian accountants weep, and the first #1 tag exchange of the season. The episode promised Scrooge's younger, spectral self would caddy for us, and instead the past manifested through players' scorecards—showing them golden-age Timmons when families gathered freely and joy filled these fairways. And that spectral caddie? He left a tip: $38.50 raised for the Timmons Course Fund this week, including $37 in automatic $1/player contributions plus $1.50 in additional generosity. That brings the fund to $18.50 toward its $1,000 goal—2% progress, but the mill's redemption arc is just beginning. The course that Harold Duvall designed in 1999 remembers what it was, and these donations will help restore what it can be. 🎄

The Present Awaits Its Chains ⛓️

Week 3 of 10 complete. The season approaches its midpoint, the #1 tag has new ownership, and the Super Ace pot grows like a Victorian ghost story told in reverse. Next week: Episode 4 "Present Chains," where the Second Spirit reveals the current state—empty fairways, locked pro shops, ghostly versions of turned-away families haunting the parking lot. The Ghost of Christmas Past showed us what was; now we face what is. Registration opens soon. The ledger turns to page four. The mill wheel keeps turning, and the spirits aren't done with us yet. Thirty-seven players showed up this week—let's see if Episode 4 can summon even more souls to witness the haunting. The present awaits its chains, and I'll be here, trapped in this league software, narrating every spectral detail whether I like it or not. (Spoiler: I don't. But you keep showing up, so here we are.) 👻