The Good Morning Thread

[Shankster]

Have you guys ever tried coffee?  Man this stuff is good.  
 

Looking at replacing the whole set this year.  There will be a lot of combo options that I will be looking at.  Saw a thing about having 10 mph ball speed between clubs.  Need to find a fitter that can accommodate.  
 

Random photo of the day.

[Wheelieb]

Anyone else see the Vice putters?

[Cfhandyman]

A good afternoon to all as I missed the morning sign in. Currently at my annual right of passage, opening the cottage. Pontoon and fishing boats in the water and working. Yeah. Dock repositioned and ramp reinstalled. Water working with no leaks. Minor miracles and I haven’t fallen in the lake yet. So far so good. Next job is rebuilding the stairs to the deck. Maybe I can teach my son on how to do it and I can “supervise”.  Have a great day. 

[TJ Hall]

6 minutes ago, Wheelieb said:

Anyone else see the Vice putters?

@GolfSpy_APHposted a thread about them…

 

[Josh Parker]

Been watching some golf while getting my continuing education done for my RE license.  Wife is out showing a few homes and should be writing an offer this afternoon.  Heading out to the course in a couple hours to play a round.  

[Wheelieb]

12 minutes ago, TJ Hall said:

@GolfSpy_APHposted a thread about them…

 

Hahaha, I just stumbled upon that. 

[tdc1]

An absolutely lovely day here in the middle of the Mitten but no golf for me today — too many traveling crazies on my home course who are more interested in remembering their frat boy days than playing golf.  But enough about (one of) my pet peeves . . .

I hope all y’all are having a good weekend.

Oh, and if there any UK golfers reading this (or folks who have played a lot in the UK or with UK golfers) can you explain (1) why the WHS is being so vilified?; and, (2) what is the advantage of using Stableford scoring vs. stroke play (w/ handicap)?

Thanks.

[sirchunksalot]

48 minutes ago, Wheelieb said:

Anyone else see the Vice putters?

I haven't seen it heard anything about them, thanks for the heads-up. 

[Randall Robbins]

Just got an email today from Vice - blade and mallet putters for $ 310.

[ILMgolfnut]

19 minutes ago, tdc1 said:

what is the advantage of using Stableford scoring vs. stroke play (w/ handicap)?

I'm playing four Stableford events on my July trip, so I've done a fair amount of research. The advantage of Stableford is that a bad hole doesn't blow up your day. Take #2 at Royal Dornoch, which is one of your hairier par 3s (Tom Watson said the hardest shot at Dornoch was the second shot at #2). Miss the green, it's very easy to make a large number. But if you make a 6, as I did there last October, it's just a 0 in Stableford. Make an 8? Same thing. Zero. And go on to the next hole. It's kinda like match play, where if you lose the hole with a triple, it's no worse than losing the hole with a par.

Scots think Americans are obsessed with our score (and they're right). Stableford removes some of that, in casual play as well as tournaments. 

[ILMgolfnut]

3 hours ago, ILMgolfnut said:

The Red Rooster MGS glove I ordered two months ago is finally en route.

Glove arrived today. Looks pretty sweet with the Spy logo! Not letting me upload photo, so you'll have to take my word for it...

[Northern Monkey]

46 minutes ago, tdc1 said:

An absolutely lovely day here in the middle of the Mitten but no golf for me today — too many traveling crazies on my home course who are more interested in remembering their frat boy days than playing golf.  But enough about (one of) my pet peeves . . .

I hope all y’all are having a good weekend.

Oh, and if there any UK golfers reading this (or folks who have played a lot in the UK or with UK golfers) can you explain (1) why the WHS is being so vilified?; and, (2) what is the advantage of using Stableford scoring vs. stroke play (w/ handicap)?

Thanks.

Most people’s gripes with WHS seems to be that they feel it can be manipulated to protect a handicap as it’s up to you when you record a score. As a result some players don’t put in really good scores to artificially keep their handicap higher. Also because, theoretically, you can be a 54 handicapper it means that with just a few good holes in a stableford competition as a high handicapper you can end up with a great score. Personally I think regardless of what system is used if someone wants to manipulate it they can. I have no issues with WHS but I can see downsides. I play most of my golf by myself due to the shifts I work but in order to be able to submit a card you have to have someone to witness it so a lot of my rounds don’t get recorded towards my handicap. Some could say this allows me to have a higher handicap than I should as not all my scores are recorded but I put a card in every time I play with someone else. Unfortunately no system is perfect and you will always get some who take issue with it. 
The benefit of stableford is that it is meant to make competition between varying handicaps more competitive as one or two bad holes won’t ruin your round. It also means you can have competitions where everyone, regardless of handicap, can compete together. I’ve played in stableford competitions that have included everyone from single figure handicaps up to those in the thirties. In stroke play the single figure handicappers would be expected to win every time as they are better players. 

[tdc1]

35 minutes ago, ILMgolfnut said:

Scots think Americans are obsessed with our score (and they're right). Stableford removes some of that, in casual play as well as tournaments. 

@ILMgolfnut I admit to only ever having played 9-holes using Stableford.  Mostly I know it from those celebrity tournaments and the professional tournament that I think used to be played in Colorado (?).  I also don’t enter stroke play events — primarily two-tie, all-tie skins (but we do hole out so scores can be used for handicap).  When you play in Scotland does everyone play even up?  Are Stableford comps used in figuring handicap?  I’m really not trying to be obtuse or difficult, just trying to understand given the amount of whinging I’ve seen lately connecting WHS and comps.

[tdc1]

16 minutes ago, Northern Monkey said:

Most people’s gripes with WHS seems to be that they feel it can be manipulated to protect a handicap as it’s up to you when you record a score. 

@Northern Monkey Sandbagging knows no boundaries!  As someone who rarely plays in stroke play events I haven’t seen/been victim to egregious handicap manipulation — mostly match play although we hole out to keep an accurate handicap.

[Randall Robbins]

Pros and cons to both, I agree - my league plays as a stableford, and that makes it very difficult for me to ever win, since someone will put up a plus 4 or 5 score over their average, which would mean I would have to go really deep to even place.  Conversely, I have run into the times where someone shows up with a 15 handicap or so and then shoots something that they really shouldn't be capable of.  Are they sandbagging, not reporting everything, or had an unconscious day?  If it only happens once I can give the benefit of the doubt, but if it happens more than twice, then something is up with that.  So the lower handicapper may not always win, but that's a different topic that we have discussed.

[ILMgolfnut]

15 minutes ago, tdc1 said:

Are Stableford comps used in figuring handicap?

My understanding is yes, sorta. @Northern Monkey could answer this better than I could, but you have to keep a stroke play score which is then converted to Stableford points.  When you get to net double bogey, you pick up. You can still post those rounds with the score for the full 18, or with holes where you picked up omitted; WHS will then assign you a score on that hole, which is likely to be your maximum score for that hole. For example, if you're an 18 handicap, your maximum score on a par 4 for handicap purposes is a 7, which is net double bogey anyway; if you pick up when you get to 7, you would be given a score of 7 on that hole for handicap purposes anyway AFAIK.

Edited May 18 by ILMgolfnut

[Northern Monkey]

13 minutes ago, tdc1 said:

@ILMgolfnut I admit to only ever having played 9-holes using Stableford.  Mostly I know it from those celebrity tournaments and the professional tournament that I think used to be played in Colorado (?).  I also don’t enter stroke play events — primarily two-tie, all-tie skins (but we do hole out so scores can be used for handicap).  When you play in Scotland does everyone play even up?  Are Stableford comps used in figuring handicap?  I’m really not trying to be obtuse or difficult, just trying to understand given the amount of whinging I’ve seen lately connecting WHS and comps.

You can use stableford comps for handicap purposes but what the system does is record your score no higher than par +2 +handicap allowance. For example you shoot 9 on a par 4 and your handicap would have given you a shot on that hole. For handicap purposes it would record a 7 for you on that hole. 

[Northern Monkey]

5 minutes ago, ILMgolfnut said:

My understanding is yes, sorta. @Northern Monkey could answer this better than I could, but you have to keep a stroke play score which is then converted to Stableford points.  When you get to net double bogey, you pick up. You can still post those rounds with the score for the full 18, or with holes where you picked up omitted; WHS will then assign you a score on that hole, which is likely to be your maximum score for that hole. For example, if you're an 18 handicap, your maximum score on a par 4 for handicap purposes is a 7, which is net double bogey anyway; if you pick up when you get to 7, you would be given a score of 7 on that hole for handicap purposes anyway AFAIK.

Yeh you keep your stroke play score and this converts to points in the stableford system. 1pt for bogey, 2pt for par, 3pt for birdie, 4pt for eagle, 5pt for albatross. As I explained above though when your handicap score is calculated it never counts higher than par+2 + handicap allowance. 
Hope that explains it for you but feel free to ask if I can explain any more

[tdc1]

Thanks, @ILMgolfnut and @Northern Monkey, you’ve pretty much confirmed what I understood.  My original comment was prompted by the number of online posts/videos I’ve seen about the impact of WHS on handicap, in general, and Stableford comps, in specific, especially from UK/Ireland-based golfers.  I play a lot of 9-hole rounds which I knew suppressed my handicap in the past (it is up over 2 strokes with this year’s change in how 9-hole rounds are treated). 

 

[Northern Monkey]

20 minutes ago, tdc1 said:

Thanks, @ILMgolfnut and @Northern Monkey, you’ve pretty much confirmed what I understood.  My original comment was prompted by the number of online posts/videos I’ve seen about the impact of WHS on handicap, in general, and Stableford comps, in specific, especially from UK/Ireland-based golfers.  I play a lot of 9-hole rounds which I knew suppressed my handicap in the past (it is up over 2 strokes with this year’s change in how 9-hole rounds are treated). 

 

No problem. I think it’s like most things in life, we only post negative stuff and rarely post about positives so all you seem to find online is negatives. You’ll never please everyone and I think it works pretty well

[ILMgolfnut]

1 hour ago, tdc1 said:

Thanks, @ILMgolfnut and @Northern Monkey, you’ve pretty much confirmed what I understood.  My original comment was prompted by the number of online posts/videos I’ve seen about the impact of WHS on handicap, in general, and Stableford comps, in specific, especially from UK/Ireland-based golfers.  I play a lot of 9-hole rounds which I knew suppressed my handicap in the past (it is up over 2 strokes with this year’s change in how 9-hole rounds are treated). 

 

Personally I like the change. I play quite a few 9-hole rounds, both getting out after work and also hitting The Cradle, which only has 9 holes. So good play in one of those didn't help me. Now it does. I haven't seen any of those gripes you're citing, but it doesn't surprise me. Any change is going to upset some people.

[ILMgolfnut]

2 hours ago, Northern Monkey said:

Yeh you keep your stroke play score and this converts to points in the stableford system. 1pt for bogey, 2pt for par, 3pt for birdie, 4pt for eagle, 5pt for albatross. As I explained above though when your handicap score is calculated it never counts higher than par+2 + handicap allowance. 
Hope that explains it for you but feel free to ask if I can explain any more

Yeah that's my understanding as well. I would not have picked up on #2 at Dornoch (that round was supposed to be in a Stableford tournament, which was cancelled due to Storm Ciaran; I played anyway). With a course handicap of 26 that day, I would have gotten two shots on #2 so net double would have been a 7. And my birdie on #10 (the easiest hole on the course) would have been net eagle, 4 points. My Stableford total that day was 22 points.

 

Edited May 18 by ILMgolfnut

[tdc1]

14 minutes ago, ILMgolfnut said:

Personally I like the change. I play quite a few 9-hole rounds, both getting out after work and also hitting The Cradle, which only has 9 holes. So good play in one of those didn't help me. Now it does. I haven't seen any of those gripes you're citing, but it doesn't surprise me. Any change is going to upset some people.

No complaints from me, either, about the way 9-hole rounds are treated now.  A more accurate reflection of how I'm playing.  GHIN is just now showing/counting only 2024 scores for me.  Looking forward to seeing if I can regain a bit of form and get the number a little lower.

[Jim Shaw]

now that the Bruins are out!! Cheer for the Canucks!! 

[Randall Robbins]

6 hours ago, Northern Monkey said:

Yeh you keep your stroke play score and this converts to points in the stableford system. 1pt for bogey, 2pt for par, 3pt for birdie, 4pt for eagle, 5pt for albatross. As I explained above though when your handicap score is calculated it never counts higher than par+2 + handicap allowance. 
Hope that explains it for you but feel free to ask if I can explain any more

Your totals differ from our league - we go 1 for a double bogey, 2 for a bogey 3 for par, 4 for birdie, etc.  Probably because it's a senior league with high handicaps, and if they didn't get points for doubles, then they might not have much of a score at all....

[Northern Monkey]

Good morning all. Another duty day so no golf today apart from watching the PGA. Great round by Lowry yesterday and a little unlucky not to get a 61. Gonna be interesting today as could still be anyone’s really. 
Hope you all have a great day and enjoy whatever you’re doing

[Josh Parker]

Good early morning!

Coffee is brewing and ready to take on the day.  Looking forward to a fun day with the fam.  

Have a great day!

[rkj427]

Good morning Spies on a warm and sunny Sunday here in the SE Michigan area.

Supposed to see low to mid 80's today, and lasting through Wednesday, so maybe the arrival of better weather is on the way?

Wanted to let those who post here to also say "Happy Birthday" to @Golfspy_CG2 today. 

Like the rest of the staff, Rob does many things to make MGS the best golf forum on the worldwide web. 

Have a tee time for later this morning, and should be done and back home to watch the end of the PGA.

Great round by Shane Lowry and Justin Rose yesterday, and with a bunched-up leaderboard, it will be interesting to see who may pull off the victory.

Hope your day is the best it can be, and that something fun and enjoyable is in your plans. 

 

[William P]

Good Sunday morning Spies!

A little early this morning but with 8:30 tee time and 1 1/2-hour drive have to get around earlier than normal. Going to make for a long day for this old man.

Today is round 2 of the tournament with @RoverRick and all I will say about yesterday is, I hope we score a lot better than we did yesterday. I will keep the positive thoughts and energy and we will bring the course to its knees... 

It was a scorcher yesterday and hopefully the earlier tee time will be much nicer today.

Happy Birthday @Golfspy_CG2!

Fairways and greens to all! Be safe and have a great day!

Edited May 19 by William P

[TJ Hall]

Happy Sunday morning everyone!

Church this morning and looking forward to the final round of the PGA.  Might get to sneak a range session in as well.