den748

We have "co-champions" a net and a gross, and both are played in a match play set up. The same guy won both at South Riding (right down the road from you). I played him in the gross finals and he beat me on the 37th hole.

This makes me feel better that this is not an isolated thing at my club. The guy who wins our club championship has a better win percentage than Tiger Woods and I don't let up on making fun of him and calling him a cheater. he's a great guy outside of that so I do have a good relationship with him but I also don't keep my opinion of him to myself.

I love this! Have not heard of it but it's fantastic. In my Monday league we do skins but you must be in both net and gross ($2 total). If we only did Net then no low handicappers would play and vice versa. I agree that handicap is fantastic in every area except for skins. A high handicapper can generally be bad/good on any hole regardless of the handicap number.

I have done this with 3 players as well. LCR. It's just like wolf but you don't determine the wolf until after balls are hit. The person in the center goes against those left & Right.

I was a gym class hero growing up. Good enough to crush it in gym class but not good enough to play beyond high school in anything. Golf is the adult version of that. So you could say I just never grew up..just adjusted to my age. But for real, it's this great combination of being able to be competitive while also being social. Love me the club championships and club events but also love just going out and having a few bucks on the line and then enjoying a brew or two at the end.

I got fit at Westfields and have nothing bad to say. I like that I have lifetime lie adjustments too (this reminded me that I need to go get that checked out) Having out onto the range was something I really enjoyed. I have had several friends get fit at 1757 and have nothing but glowing reviews for it. I guess there is a guy there that is considered one of the best in the business but that is more hear say from me since I havn't fact checked that. I'd say one of the most important things is to find somewhere that is brand agnostic as best as possible. When I got fit I was asked if I had a brand preference and my answer was "that's why I'm here. I don't care what brand, just get me right". And I feel that should be your mind set going in.

I use the range more as "exercise" than practice. I do try some things at times (try to draw it or change trajectory) but I find it hard to really make improvements there alone. I'd prefer to be on the course and just drop balls at random spots and try to play them. I did recently find a place where I can use a trackman and I think I will devote like 1-2 hours a week on it. It's much easier to play with my swing and get immediate feedback. So in season It is probably 5-1 course time to range time.

I think a post trip prize might be might be well received. Take a group picture and get a scorecard and frame that for everyone who came. This will be pricier than you might realize but I think it is something people might prize and not just get and toss. Great for hanging in an office or golf room.

So a quick google search gives some insight into the tradition. 1. To thank the golf gods This is what I always thought the reason was. It's more of a "thanks golf gods for this wonderful gift, I will now pay it forward to my fellow warriors (golfers)". 2. to keep people honest Thinking here is that if you have to buy people drinks you're less likely to lie about getting a hole in one. Logically, this one makes a ton of sense. Even with the above "reasons", I understand feeling jaded in having to buy drinks. I've frequently thought about this and what I would do is just give $50 to the clubhouse and say drinks on me until that is out. That pays for about 6 pitchers with my member discount which is plenty as far as I'm concerned. I have the advantage that at my home club we don't have a liquor license so it's beer only. And I'll echo everyone else in saying if someone ordered some top shelf drink they can go straight to hell, and if they tried to pull that on me (assuming they are some rando) I'd laugh at them and tell them to make sure to tip the bartender when they pay for their own drink.

It is really heavily dependent upon the course. A "poorly" designed course is designed to be played from the tips so that is where the variation in par 4 distances are, where the fairway bunkers really come into play etc. When I play the whites (my course goes red, white, combo, blue, gold) I find that I end up playing driver wedge every single hole. Additionally, if everyone played from the whites, you would really have to wait for the green to clear on every par 5 because a large portion of golfers CAN make it there in 2 (<225 to green). The blues offer a little bit more variation but it still can get repetitive and you remove a number of problems. Playing the tips is really the most fun way to play my home course but that doesn't mean it is what I play all the time. I probably play tips 5% of the time, Blues 50%, combo 15%, white 20%, and new this year will be playing forward tees the remaining 10% of the time. As has been said many many times, I don't care where people play as long as they're not slow. You can be a great golfer but if you're slow I will have a problem no matter the tees. You could be a terrible golfer and i won't care if you get to the ball and hit it in 20 seconds.

I'm one of the very lucky people with an awesome wife who encourages me to play so I know I'm an outlier but last year I played in 2 leagues and was a sub in a third (that I may join this year) Each league has a different format and also a different competitive atmosphere. First league I played in was a 2 man scramble Friday night league. This was more like doing something while drinking. While we all played by the rules, there was little in terms of prizes and at times we would end up drinking in the parking lot until 1am. Met some of my now great golf friends in that league. I still play in it as a nice happy hour style league but as I got better at golf I wanted to test myself a little more so in came the second league. Last year I was a co-founder of a Monday night league. This one we decided to make individual score and wanted something that was competitive but fun. We played by the rules, called people on rule infractions (in a respectful way), and were able to play individual side games in our groups. Had some optional side games for the entire league(CTP, net/gross skins, etc) that were inexpensive to enter too. Could not have asked for a better group of guys. Was not as heavy on the drinking as Friday but we would get a good crew hanging out after the round to shoot the poop after the round. This coming year it is actually the most requested league to join at our course. The league I was a sub in is the most prestigious at our course. It's a Wednesday 2 man better ball league that uses a modified stableford scoring with score targets and some weird math. This one causes the most drama at the course. Being a 2 man better ball, some of the "better" players would purposefully get a double bogey if their partner scored well and then submit it to GHIN making their handicaps seem higher than they are. But this is the only league that the course officially runs and has the biggest trophy that is displayed in the clubhouse so everyone wants to win. The people in the league mean everything. You have to set the tone early and bring in people that can change the tone if needed. Is it a competitive league? Beer league? Is it run the right way by the commish...is he ever guilty of crony-ism? Unfortunately it can get annoying fast.

I've played in a 3 club + Putter event and went 3W (240+), 7I (150-170), PW (110-135). If I were able to add one club, I'd remove 7I and go 6I and 8I and then swap 54 degree for my PW. I like to base my irons on the par 3's usually so the irons might depend on the course if I'm over-thinking.

These conditions are great for just reminding us how good they are. Sometimes we can get lost in how hard the courses they play on can be set up. I am glad it's not like this every week for them but I really enjoy it this time of year. Not that they care but this course would cause their handicaps to plummet! ha

Sounds like a good distraction. Also In.

I may not have thought this one through enough. haha. I do think this will be one of the hardest on the list (club championship is probably the hardest). The birdies is doable if only because of how often I play (2 golf leagues during the summer weeks and then a Saturday group). Playing with "randoms" is something I have slowly started to love, generally people are good. Only ever had one bad experience.

I also wrote down my goals this year and am tracking them online (to get a little more accountability) here: http://www.dmodjr.com/22-goals/ * 100 Birdies * 5 Eagles * Birdie all 18 holes at home course at least once * Break Par from the forward tees * Break 75 * Handicap below 5 (lowest ever was 6.2, currently at 6.8) * Caddie for 9 YO son in a youth tournament (hopefully more than 1) * Play round with my dad and son (first of many) * Win club championship * 20 different courses (in 6 states) *Play golf with 100 different people

I get that we have not started the fantasy league yet and also that a good portion of us are well below freezing but we have primetime golf this weekend! I threw together a quick weather based preview here: http://www.dmodjr.com/pga-event-preview-sentry-tournament-of-champions/ But if you don't feel like clicking, here is the summary...weather will not have an impact this year. I expect scores to be low..even by TOC standards.

This was exactly my feedback. If you can't solve a glove getting crusty then this is almost a moot point. Around the same time my glove wears out it gets the holes.

This is my situation as well. It's a course that is 8 min from my house and since I work from home I can get 9 in on many mornings or immediately after work. It also makes me feel better if I can only get out and play like 3 holes after 7pm or something. I don't feel like I wasted my money on a round. That's not to say that I don't go off and play other courses as well but that is my primary place to play.

Let's not forget about the re-tee rules. 1. Obvious breakfast ball. No matter the time/reason. You get 2 shots on the first tee if you want to use them. 2. If you don't use 2 on first tee, well that is banked for later in the round. 3. If any sound is out of the ordinary (bird chirping, cart passing, mouse fart) and causes you to shank you get free re-shot

It's funny you say this as you're the third person I've talked to that shot a personal best on Tobacco Road. All have said the same thing. Appreciate the tips. Planning on Caddie on #2 and also #4 as many have now told me that #4 is actually harder than #2. I'll reply on this thread my thoughts on the trip. I'm sure this is one of the most highly reviewed trips but another perspective can't hurt.

Depends how you define specialty club. A 60 degree might be "specialty" to one person where as it is a useful club for others. I see a lot saying 3W and for me, it is the most useful club in my bag, I use it ~5-10 times a round. Granted, its rare off the fairway but that has more to do with I'm rarely 240+ out and able to go for the green. If you gap properly, and are able to hit the clubs as they should be hit, there probably should not be a need for any specialty clubs in a bag. As for the second part, how often does a club need to be used to earn a spot in my bag. For me, the answer is 0. It's there for a distance reason. I'm not rich/good enough to have extra clubs to swap out based on course/weather.

I've fallen in love with these team events. The most recent presidents cup in Australia was a gateway drug and now I'll watch this over the tour championship. Can't wait to see if the US can bring this thing home. I also love how Michelle Wie has taken on this role of ambassador to the Women's game. I'm not sure her career has been all she had hoped (not that it is bad by any definition) but she is staying close to the game and is a fabulous role model for ALL golfers, not just ladies.

I played the whites and I think it was the right choice. I maybe could have played blues but I was on vacation and was looking for something a bit more relaxing but still challenging. I don't think you should be over concerned with the tee shots. Even if you see trees on google earth, they tend to have high canopies and it's pretty clear under them. As for pace of play, I was done right around 4 hours. The forecaddie really does keep it moving. Gave the reads on the greens so no one in our group had to take too long to read and finding balls obviously helps a lot too. The scores in my group were all over the place 84-108 so even with that it moved along. If it were not 100+ degrees when I played I would have loved to walk. There is a nice story about how Arnold Palmer walked the course soon after it opened and they asked him what he thought and said something along the lines with "loved it but my trouser bottoms kept getting wet on the walk to my ball" so they have the cut outs from tee box to fairway. If I was there in November I would 100% walk.

Played this gem 2 weeks ago and it was the best course experience I've ever had. The course: If you play the right tees you're gonna have a good time, it really is that simple. The fairways are fairly wide; there is no such thing as rough (though some waste areas that are bunkers that are packed down). The final 3 holes are classics and have some great views of the sound. I agree with everyone who has said the greens are tiny. I watch some of the Heritage every year and never got a good understanding of why the 18th green was so hard to hit....until now. That green is just tiny! Overall, I found the course to be very fair. Pro Shop/19th hole: Fantastic! Make sure to go into the locker room. They have lockers for all of the PGA pros in there so it's just fun to see where they all are. I doubt anyone keeps anything in there but still a very cool locker room. The pro shop is quite large and has a nice lookout over the 9th green and the range. The beers and food at the end were needed since I played with a heat index approaching 110. Staff: Super polite and very helpful. You are required to have a fore caddie. This was my first experience ever having a caddie of any kind and I gotta admit, I don't ever want to play without one again. I played ok and probably would not have lost a ball anyways but to have a guy who knew where you were, and to give tips on where to hit was so nice. Chatting about everything except golf at times made the round feel like I was playing with guys I had known for years (even though I played as a single). Overall: It is a pricey round of golf. I paid $300+ tip to play but I did not feel like I over paid. The drinks were reasonably priced. Not inexpensive but fair for a high end course like this. If you have the budget, I'd recommend playing this course.