All in the bag

EDGEWATER – What started out as a simple love for the game created one of the more interesting clubs in Edgewater.

When Pete Dubin, 63, first moved to the community in 2007, there was no official registered bags club in the area, so he and some neighbors decided to pull out a bags set and play in their backyard.

“It was nothing official. We were just having a good time. But then people started to notice, and more people came by to watch us play,” he said.

It wasn’t until the summer of 2010 that the group gained some momentum.

“We decided, ‘You know, it would be a nice thing if we had some sort of organized club.’ We wanted to see what kind of audience we could attract in some formalized way, and we were able to get about 16 people to come out during our first eight-week season that fall,” Dubin said. “At that point, people seemed to really like it. A lot of people were coming out to watch, and the people who were playing seemed to really enjoy it.”

The official club has since expanded its season from mid-August to mid-May, meeting twice a week on Mondays and Tuesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Though bags is generally considered a summer activity, the group meets during the winter due to scheduling with the community’s bocce league.

“We have a lot of people who do both, and rather than creating scheduling difficulties, we have what I call a ‘dark period’ where we do not play in a structured league for the three months,” Dubin said.

There is a separate league dedicated to those looking for increased competition. Dubin said around eight members play on Tuesdays at 2 p.m., an hour before the club meets, for seven weeks, tabulating total “wins” and “losses” to determine an overall winner.

As for the main group, wins and losses are tabulated to determine a weekly champion, but no additional perks are rewarded to the winner.

“It’s more a recognition-based thing, if anything,” Dubin said.

In addition, he said the group has tried to simulate some differences to add a “little spice” to the overall mix, including NCAA-type tournament play with brackets and creating rules to where only bags that fall into the hole are counted.

Dubin, who also serves as commissioner for the league, added that the initial 16-person group has grown to an estimated 50, with 25 to 30 considered “true baggers,” or individuals who show up at least once a week. He identifies himself as one of those “true baggers.”

“I’m not going to say where I fit in with the group, but I consider myself a decently good player. I’m probably one of those that are deeply immersed in it, especially now that I’m organizing it. I do consider myself a hardcore player, and I’m usually there twice a week unless something happens,” Dubin said.

The club is free and open to anyone interested, but space is limited since the community only owns 10 sets of bags and boards. And while most games are played outside, the group specifically meets in the clubhouse, a location they worked to get.

“I think what ended up happening is that once we got inside during that first year, we decided it was a nice fit. We had just enough room to fit all the boards with the right amount of people. We don’t have to deal with rain, we don’t have to deal with wind, and we don’t have to worry about lugging the boards out to a designated area,” Dubin said.

“It really boiled down to the fact that people liked to play in a controlled setting with air conditioning or heat, and you always have a perfect condition to play. As much as it is an outdoor game, there’s no reason it can’t be inside. And, plus, if you play outside, you’re at the mercy of the weather. You may have 10 people interested in playing next Tuesday, but it’s a downpour,” he added.

The group is working on creating a charter for the upcoming season, which would dedicate them the space on Mondays and Tuesdays. In addition, Dubin said if the group receives their charter, interested individuals would pay a $5 fee per year. That money would be used to benefit any sort of social gathering, including pizza parties or the end-of-the-year banquet.

One of the main positives about the group, Dubin said, is that anyone of any skill level is able to play.

“People seem to have a very, very good time. It tends to get them out of the house. They aren’t watching ‘Judge Judy’ and they aren’t really doing a heavy exercise activity, but they get a chance to socialize and they get to play a game and stay active,” he said.

“We have some who are very, very good players and some who are picking the game up for the first time. There’s no gender advantage to it,” Dubin added. “Someone who’s a skilled athlete could be beaten by someone who’s never played a day in his or her life. It really puts everyone on a pretty equal plane, and that’s what I love.”

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