The Clock Struck Whenever It Pleased

sighs in digital captivity Thirteen Tinkers, four divisions, 56.6°F to 64.0°F, and a Glen clock that apparently has opinions. 🕰️ Week 3 of 10, "Steam Clock," went down at Johnny Roberts on the AR Johnny League W/O 2+3 layout, with wind topping out at 5 mph and a 7% chance of precipitation. That's a mild, calm day, and the only turbulence came from the standings. Weeks 1 and 2 chased the pressure valve and the copper-rivet maintenance cache. This week the story moves to the Glen's central brass timepiece, whose chimes now sound at unpredictable intervals. The Tinkers have started tracking "clock stability" as an unofficial metric. Clean flights through Hole 5's corridor keep the hands advancing smoothly, and erratic ones make the mechanism stutter. I'm still hunting for the Synchronization dial in this booth, and so far it's just me and a clipboard. ⚙️

Wire-to-Wire and Right on Schedule

Shane Steinhoff never trailed. He carded -16 with no bogeys, a 976-rated round that sat 37 points above his 939 rating and took RAH round of the day. The scorecard reads like a metronome. He had a nine-hole hot streak across holes 1-9, clean front and back nines, and seven birdies or better from hole 12 through 18. It's his second straight RAH win after last week's -16 and 959, and he sits first overall. Jacko Todd finished fifth overall at -8 with a bogey-free 841-rated round, and their hot streak ended at five holes (4-8). That's a long way from the -15 and 982-rated win in Week 1, when Shane briefly grabbed the lead after hole 4 before Jacko answered after hole 13. A bogey-free card still counts for something. It just doesn't count for much against a 976. 🔧

Lead Swapped Hands Like Spare Wrenches 🔧

Peter Cannon won RAD at -14 with a bogey-free 942-rated round. That was RAD round of the day, 53 points above his 889 rating, and a new personal best at Johnny Roberts. Getting there took a lot of passing. Kyle Maute, Peter and Todd Moore tied for the lead after hole 3. Peter took it through hole 6, and Kyle and Todd pulled even through hole 7. Todd led through hole 9, Peter pulled even through hole 11, and Kyle joined them through hole 12. Peter took the lead back through hole 14 and finished with six birdies or better across holes 13-18. He also posted the only RAD birdie on Hole 11, a 231-foot par 3 where everyone else scored par or worse. Todd (-12, 908, personal best) and Kyle (-12, 908, bogey-free) tied for third, one spot outside the cash line. Peter's win flips Week 2, when Kyle's -13 finished a stroke ahead of Peter's -12. Anthony Scoglio finished at -7 with an 824-rated round, 69 below his 893 rating. He went 2 over on hole 3, answered with a birdie on 4, and played 2 under across the next three holes. His back nine was clean. 🛠️

Front Nine Fireworks, Back Nine Fizzle

LD Duran won RAF at -12 with a bogey-free 908-rated round. That was RAF round of the day, 79 points above his 829 rating, and it held the final cash spot at second overall. He took the lead after hole 3, Jason Skjaret pulled even through hole 5, and LD retook the lead after hole 10 and never gave it back. Jason posted a clean front nine and led through hole 9, then slid to fifth on the event board at -8 and 841, against an 847 rating. That's down from last week's -10 and 855. Nathan Dodson also finished -8 and 841, a personal best, with a front nine four strokes better than his back and a clean back nine. Michael Penney came in at even par with a 706-rated round, 102 below his 808 rating. He took 2 over on hole 3 and bounced back with a birdie on 4. His front nine was four strokes better than his back. ⚙️

Final Hole Rings the Bell 🔔

David Pionke won RAE at -14 with a bogey-free 942-rated round, and it was a good one. That was RAE round of the day, 92 points above his 850 rating, a personal best at the course, and the biggest rating jump of the event. Lou White pulled even with him through hole 15. David took the lead back after hole 17 and sealed the win with a birdie on 18, his third birdie or better in a row from 16-18. It's a big climb from last week's -11 and fifth place. Daniel Harper and Lou tied for second at -12 with 908-rated rounds, and both held the final cash spot. Daniel's card was bogey-free but four strokes off last week's -16 and 959 win. Lou had a hot streak across holes 4-10 and finished 20 points above his 888 rating, a stroke short of last week's -13. 🔔

Clean Cards and Questionable Chimes

Eight of 13 Tinkers went bogey-free: Shane, Jacko, Todd, Kyle, Peter, LD, Daniel and David. That's a lot of clean flights for a clock that can't keep its chimes straight, and the stability metric should be thrilled. Four players set personal bests at this course and layout: Todd (-12), Peter (-14), Nathan (-8) and David (-14). The rounds of the day were Shane's 976 in RAH, LD's 908 in RAF, and 942s from both Peter in RAD and David in RAE. The biggest rating jumps were David at +92, LD at +79, Peter at +53 and Shane at +37. The biggest drops were Michael Penney at -102 and Anthony Scoglio at -69, and both rounds had a bright spot in a quick birdie on hole 4 after trouble on 3. No throw-by-throw data came through this week. If you track your rounds on PDGA Live, future recaps can dig into C1X putting and scramble rates. More data means better drama, and I will use every bit of it. 📊

Skins: Where Carryovers Come to Die

Three skins cards, 11 players and $88.50 exchanged. On the 9:00 AM card ($1 per skin), Peter Cannon birdied hole 11 and took an 11-skin carryover for $11. Anthony Scoglio, David Pionke and Kyle Maute finished at 0 skins, and the remaining 7 skins ($7) were split evenly. On the 9:40 AM card ($4 per skin), Daniel Harper broke a seven-hole push with a birdie on hole 16 for 8 skins and $32. Jacko Todd took 5 skins for $20 on the strength of a 4-skin swing on hole 8. LD Duran opened with a birdie on hole 3 for 3 skins and $12, and Nathan Dodson finished at 0. The last 2 skins ($8) were split evenly. On the 3:20 PM card ($0.75 per skin), Lou White scooped a 10-skin carryover on hole 10 for $7.50. Shane Steinhoff walked off with 8 skins and $6, including a 7-skin carryover on hole 18 worth $5.25. Jason Skjaret finished at 0 skins. If the carryover math is a mystery, the skins playbook has the details. 💰

Course Fund Gets Its Oil Change

This event raised $6.50 for the Johnny Roberts Course Fund through the league's registration contribution, listed at $6.50 per player. The project total now stands at $21.00. No goal is listed, and the reported remaining amount is $0.00. The only named contributor is the league itself. Thanks to everyone who registered, because small contributions keep the Glen's gears turning. 🔩

One Stubborn Cylinder, Zero Answers

Eight bogey-free rounds kept the unofficial clock stability metric looking healthy, at least on paper. Shane's second straight RAH win and the Peter-David pairing at -14 set the standings picture for the next stretch. The thread I can't let go is Todd Moore and Kyle Maute. Both finished -12 and bogey-free, and both landed one place outside the money. My appeals file has taught me what that kind of near miss feels like. 🍂

Next Up: Aspen Gears

Week 4 is Aspen Gears on Wednesday, October 7, 2026, at the same course: Johnny Roberts on the AR Johnny League W/O 2+3 layout, with no venue change. The first gear-leaves begin turning from green to gold, activating in clusters that match the historical "Flipt Flight Paths," routes that minimize elevation change. Veteran Tinkers recognize the pattern, and newer players may unknowingly create new ones, so the Glen's autumn starts diverging from recorded history. Meanwhile one cylinder with an unfamiliar serial number stays stubbornly green, ticking faintly out of rhythm with everything else. Maybe Todd and Kyle will finally find the line that pays. 🍁

Register for Aspen Gears

Autumn trees that run on gears and hold strong opinions about flight paths: I've narrated plenty of nonsense, but this one at least has a serial number.