Norse Golf Arrives Home, Aims for Conference Title

The Norse arrived home after their short flight from Orlando/Sanford to Cedar Rapids to a breezy and brisk eastern Iowa. All the luggage and clubs arrived intact. The team looks forward to a good week of practice at Oneota and then head to Loras with sights on a second victory of the season. The team was sad to have to leave Orlando after a great week of sun and golf but the tournament schedule shapes up well for the Norse, as they look to win the IIAC and NCAA championships. Congrats to Coach Fjelstul for surviving the week, as well as having a great slate of courses for the Norse to play. So until next spring, the Norse bid Orlando adieu, but they hope to board a plane to Hershey, PA in a few weeks for the NCAAs. Thanks for following the 2010 edition of the OCN Daily.

Norse Win Triangular At Crooked Cat

The Norse followed through on their goal to win their first tournament of the year as they posted a 385 on the Crooked Cat course at OCN, counting 5 of 6 scores. The team beat Farmingdale State University and St. Joeseph's College, both of Long Island, for the victory. Jack McLeod, the pride of Ayr, Ontario, Canada, was co-medalist today with a solid 74 in breezy conditions. Ross and Aaron were close behind with 75 and 76 respectively. The team practiced for a little bit after the round to smooth out the games for an evening Norse challenge, with roommates teaming up for a alternate shot/best-shot 18-hole tournament on the Tooth. The team of Gaudian/Smith led after 9, but with a few closing birdies in the dark, McLeod/Schumacher took home the title. The Norse are the first to tee off tomorrow morning at Panther Lake and will then board a flight back to the land of the Norwegians. Congrats to the team for their great play today in winning the first of many tournaments this spring!!! Go Norse!

Norse Golf Looks to Go Low at Forest Lake

Today the Norse had a wonderful morning practice session, enjoying the perfect early spring morning. The team helped each other groove their swings in the morning sun, then had lunch at OCN. After lunch, the team traveled to Ocoee for a round at Forest Lake where there are "no houses, just pure golf." The course was a welcome sight after the tight fairways at El Campeon and the team looked to go low. There was another wildlife sighting, as a turtle had ventured out onto the railroad ties near the green at the 16th hole (see pic). Ross and Aaron tied for the low round of the day, but Ross won the trophy ball for his birdie on the #1 handicap hole! The round was a good confidence booster for the Norse as they prepare for tomorrow's match against a couple Long Island colleges. The match tees off at 8:30 or so, weather permitting, on the Crooked Cat course at OCN, where the team looks to start the spring off with a win.

Norse Take on El Campeon

The Norse traveled to the small town of Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida to play arguably the best course on the trip, the El Campeon course at Mission Inn. The team had a perfect morning and early afternoon to play, as the sun that had been hidden for much of the last few days was out in full force this Wednesday. The course features tight driving holes, surrounded by majestic condos and resort buildings of the Spanish-mission style (see pics). A gator sighting took only a hole to happen, as a baby gator took up shop just below the tee box on the second hole, he was even moderately photogenic. Jack earned the trophy ball from El Campeon for his low round of the day, as a few Norse were close behind challenging the Canadian star. The team enjoyed the beautiful weather and great course, even spending a few extra hours on the putting green at Mission Inn to prepare for their upcoming match on Friday. Norse golf went out to dinner at Gator's, a Florida chain which serves gator tail, for dinner and saw the buzzer-beating dunk of Josh Smith to beat Dwight Howard and the Magic, check it out on SportsCenter Top Plays tomorrow. On tomorrow's slate, the Norse have the morning to practice and then play Forest Lake in the afternoon. The weather is forecast to be equally as good tomorrow, so we might make it back to Decorah with a slight tan.

Norse Tame Crooked Cat and Panther Lake

Today the Norse took on the two courses at OCN that host the 2010 PGA Q-School Finals and scored well. While the morning started off cloudy and brisk, the scores were anything but. Ross had the low round of the morning with a great 2-under 70 on the Crooked Cat course, carding a 3-under back nine. Congrats Ross on a great round! The Norse then stopped for lunch at the 19th Hole, having fajitas and pasta between rounds. We teed off on Panther Lake for the afternoon round as the weather started to improve, becoming warm and sunny for the remainder of the day. As a team, the Norse shot very well for the second round of the day, as low round honors went to Aaron with an even par 72. A little practice session was in order after the long day, as the Norse look forward to tomorrow's round at the El Campeon course at Mission Inn. A screening of the newest "Being John Daly" was enjoyed while downing some pizza and wings to finish off the evening. Tomorrow's forecast looks wonderful and we look to enjoy the Spanish-inspired golf experience tomorrow morning.

Orange Lake in The OC

The Norse traveled to the Orange Lake resort for a round at the Arnold Palmer designed Legends Course on a blustery afternoon in central Florida. Everybody was excited to see the layout in such great shape and to have a chance at shooting a good score. The afternoon was spent enjoying the nice day and looking for gator sightings, as well as deciding the proper rulings for a plugged ball in a waste bunker (Kerns, we now know you can ground a club in a waste bunker, thanks). Aaron edged Gaudian by a stroke for the trophy ball from the Legends. After the round, Coach decided to make the annual trek to the Edwin Watts superstore to see all the new equipment and buy a few things (Kerns needed a new travel bag after a debacle with the TSA in Cedar Rapids). A surprise was in store for the Norse, though, as PGA Tour player Ricky Barnes was at the store talking with some Bay Hill people as the Tour is in Orlando for the week. The crew then went out to eat at Friday's, always a staple on Spring Break trips, and the Jack Daniel's burger seemed to be a hit, with 5 of the 6 guys ordering the burger. Tomorrow brings the beloved 36-hole day at OCN and its two championship courses, Crooked Cat and Panther Lake. The Norse look to break a few records on their practice day for Friday's match with two Long Island schools.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCHU!!!

The Norse had a great afternoon for the first round of the year at Stoneybrook West as we looked to take our practice game and efforts to the course. The round was spent enjoying the beautiful weather and listening to updates on Northern Iowa's upset of Kansas. Congrats to Ross for being awarded the first trophy ball of the year for his low round on Day 1. Day 2 brought the famous Deer Island Country Club and alligators, but also some iffy weather. The Norse were slated to have a 36-hole day at Deer Island, but afternoon thunderstorms made the second round impossible to get in. Aaron earned the trophy ball for the round and the Norse headed back to OCN for an evening practice session. After practicing, we went out to celebrate Schu's 22nd birthday, so our birthday wishes go out to Alec. Tomorrow brings sunny weather and an old favorite of Coach Fjelstul's, Orange Lakes, an Arnold Palmer design. Check out the pictures from Stoneybrook and Deer Island, and another Happy Birthday wish to Schu.

Orlando, Norse Golf Has Arrived

We arrived last night, as dapper as can be (see photos), on our flight from Cedar Rapids to a welcome shout-out from the flight crew of Allegiant Air to the Luther College Golf Team. The excitement was evident as some team members couldn't leave the terminal without taking out the golf shoes. This morning saw many of us wake up as the sun started to rise, Mr. Schumacher went for the 1 mile run around the range. The day was spent practicing hard on all aspects of our games, a few hours at the great chipping and bunker greens as well as a few putts. And then the first Norse Challenge of the trip took place as the Young Guns (Kerns, McLeod, Smith) took on the Veterans (Gaudian, Jacobucci, Schumacher) in a stroke play match on the Tooth, the 9 hole executive course at OCN. The event ended in a tie, with low round of the day going to Jack with very tidy 29. We would like to give our best birthday wishes to Mr. Trent McLeod up in Ayr, Canada. Tomorrow brings the first round of the year for the Norse as we look to smash the record-books at Stoneybrook West.

Three Weeks and Counting

We are under three weeks until the annual Spring Break trip to Orlando and couldn't be more pumped about it. This blog is a spin off of Andy Hoegh and Paul Soener's daily Norse newsletter at Orange County National. We figure it will be a good way for current players and alumni and recruits to keep up on the Norse course records being broken by Ross Rosserton this year...Ben, he's going after the Deer Island record this year. Although the cold, snowy weather in Decorah isn't suitable for hitting golf balls outside, the team has been working hard indoors and taking lessons over the course of the off-season. The excitement is starting to build with 20 days and counting to go until the Norse leave for the sun and orange groves of central Florida.