Nestor ace of mini golf as Yanks bond over putts

TAMPA, Fla. -- So he’s “Nasty” at mini golf, too.

Nestor Cortes won the competition as the Yankees enjoyed an afternoon of off-campus fun on Friday afternoon, the eve of their Grapefruit League opener against the Phillies in Clearwater, Fla.

As part of a team-bonding activity, the club swapped its bats for putters, playing 18 Tiger Woods-designed holes at Popstroke in Lutz, Fla. His score helped by a pair of hole-in-ones, Cortes finished first; assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes was second, followed by pitcher Clarke Schmidt.

“It’s definitely good for us,” Cortes said. “There’s obviously some competition involved there. Everybody wants to do better than the other person, so there’s a little trash talk here and there. Coming together before and after, talking to each other and eating together, it’s good.” 

Playing in a group that also included first baseman Anthony Rizzo and shortstop Anthony Volpe, Cortes’ score helped by a pair of hole-in-ones, though he didn’t realize how well he’d played until the winners were announced. Assistant hitting coach Casey Dykes was second, followed by pitcher Clarke Schmidt.

“I think it’s good for some of the younger guys to be around some of our veteran players in a relaxed setting,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone said. “I feel like our veteran guys do a really good job of incorporating them and making them feel at home anyway, but this is one of those things in a non-work environment where you can let your hair down a little bit and have some fun.”

Cortes’ winning effort came one day after he tossed an inning of live batting practice at George M. Steinbrenner Field, saying that he felt “no issues, no pain” in the strained right hamstring that prompted the left-hander to drop out of the World Baseball Classic. Cortes estimated that he has been able to run at 90 percent and expects to soon pitch in exhibition games.

“I didn’t know how the leg was going to react with the intensity and facing those guys, so I thought it was a lot better than I expected,” Cortes said.

Last spring, the Yankees organized a competition in which Nick Swisher carried a bullhorn around Steinbrenner Field, serving as the master of ceremonies. Players hilariously judged a series of hitting, fielding and baserunning competitions among the team’s clubhouse attendants, front office personnel and media relations staff.

“[That camaraderie] is definitely needed, for sure,” Cortes said. “I feel like last year we did a good job of that, and it translated all the way into the offseason, where we kept in touch with each other. Every time we had a chance to have a team dinner or hang out at the hotel, I thought that kept us in check and helped us to get to know each other a little more.”