As an experiment, have you tried playing the "summer" course with clubs where EVERY shot will stay in play? Just for a casual round, go out and tee off with a club you know will stay in play. Maybe that's a hybrid. Maybe it's a 7 iron. Heck, maybe it's a wedge. Hit every shot with a club that you KNOW will stay in play. See what you score. It's unconventional, but you might find it's competitive ...
I hit 55-60% of GIR. 22.5% of those are short and 4.5% are long. Probably a higher percentage than most in my HC range. However it is by design. There are only 2 holes at my club that you can be long and have a reasonable chance at up & down.
You know all those lists with the top X most annoying flight partners? How many of those have you actually experienced live?
Let me tell you a story about my tournament round last weekend. I swear, the guy was like the ultimate unpleasant combo, an incarnation of all those pesky players put into one single person.
We played in threesomes, 1 guy I already knew (14 year old kid, pretty chill) and Satan himself.
First red sign: while exchanging pleasantries on the first tee, he started complaining about how the club didn't accommodate his special request to have his gf put in a closer flight. I mean, depending on how many people play the tournament, they do try to fulfill everyone's wishes, but it's no obligation and they also have to take flight partner handicaps into consideration. So he threw a tantrum in the office until they moved his gf to the flight behind us.
So here comes the list... I don't know, maybe I'm being oversensitive, but you be the judge:
1. On a short par 4, with about 230 yards to the dogleg, the kid pulls driver and I pull 3W. Satan starts telling the kid how he never uses driver on this hole because he has 280 yard carry and would go over the dogleg, etc. Wow... long hitter, huh? He proceeds to grab a 3W and is still about 40 yards short of the dogleg... hmmm OK, maybe was just a mishit... maybe he just had a bad day, cause none of his drives for the day went over 230...
2. We all talk a little equipment... so on one hole, he grabs my 4i, tries to bend the shaft and gives it back and says... too light and too stiff... so I look at his bag and he is playing TT R300. Hey man, whatever works for you, I was fitted for my Nippon and I'm happy with them. Now he starts bashing me with how you are supposed to have constantly over 100mph SS with your irons to be able to handle a stiff shaft. So I should consider playing regular. OK???
3. Then come a short par 4 (under 300 yards) but very narrow, trees left and right. So I tee off with a 4i and the kid uses his driver. Satan starts bashing the kid on club selection and course management. Dude, the kid hasn't missed a single fairway all day long, let him play his f****** driver!!!
4. Satan plays Callaway CF16 and complains about flyers. He complains about the lack of spin and says he wants to upgrade his set... what does he choose? Another set of player's distance irons Ping i500. I try to tell him, that iron category is made for higher launch, lower spin to be able to hold greens. If you are looking for more spin, those are not the type of irons. He claims I have no idea what I'm talking about, so I just ended the conversation there. I mean, I tested the i500 myself on LM and all... but whatever.
5. Satan sees my Evnroll putter, grabs it, takes a look and doesn't even put the cover back properly. FFS man! Then starts saying how his cheap Wilson putter can do everything he wants, so no need to buy an expensive putter. It's cool man, putt with whatever makes you happy. I just don't see why you would grab another person's property, not put it back the way you found it and then talk s*** about it?
6. The guy just joined my club about 2 years ago. I saw he had a different colored tag so I inquired what was that about. He said he only has a 9 hole membership, so that's why. If he decides to play 18 holes, he has to pay the difference in green fee. But he found a loophole and apparently the office hasn't found out yet, so he only plays tournament rounds for the minimal fee, which gives him an upgrade to 18 holes for cheap. I guess it's true, play a round of golf with someone, you'll soon know see their true character.
7. At the turn, we were already on the clock (you can guess why). So the marshal came up to us and asked us to speed up play or let people play through, which is perfectly understandable. Now, Satan doesn't see it that way and goes full Karen on the marshal as to why he is being slower today and we should be more understanding as he wasn't playing to his full potential. Satan is supposed to play off 15.
8. But as consolation, I enjoyed seeing him hit a few balls into the right rough and another 10 balls into the water for a total of 24 strokes on our C9 hole. Oh, and he made fun of the kid for laying up before the water LOL. I think he finished the tournament with a 140 or something.
In my 11 years playing golf, I've never let any player or myself get under my skin. This was truly the first time I seriously considered dropping everything and just go home.
/rant off
