SEASON 2 - WEEK 40 MYGOLFSPY FORUM MEMBER WEEKLY VIRTUAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOUR (VCT)

[Javs]

28 minutes ago, RoverRick said:

Maybe. Although 8 net birdies are a lot for me. Especially this time of year. It’s too cold and damp for me to have a good full swing all day long. 2 knee braces and an ankle brace and high top hiking boots just to complete 18 holes. 

I had kind of a putting lesson after my round today. More like a discussion than a lesson. There was a  former teaching pro on the putting green. He was practicing with an Odyssey Broomstick.  We began discussing the LAB, and they were interested in my unique putting stroke. On all putts I look at the hole, but on long putts I point the club at the hole in the follow through. On short putts, I use a split hand grip and make more of a mini broomstick like stroke. (Wisk broom? ) 

He seemed to think that the secret of my speed was the pointing at the hole. It was a very smooth stroke. And the split grip  and stable almost rigid lead side on short putts keeps me dead on line.

The interesting thing to me was the Odyssey Broomstick felt wobbly to me. I could really feel the face twisting. 

Another of our pros played in my group today. I had a 15’er for birdie and putted it 6’ by and said, “That’s a good start to a 3-putt.” He thought that was the funniest thing. I made the come-backer but IMHO 3 putts are caused by 5 feet too long or too short not left or right. 

You are definitely playing with the right people. Putting lessons might be cheating this late in the season, ha ha. Funny one of the guys I played with today was the club champion. That motivated me and I beat him by 7 shots! However, I understand the old bones in the cold. I was wounded in Iraq and have never fully healed. Had both knees replaced and ongoing back problems. At the end of the day, I love this game and I am just happy to still be competitive. 

[warrenator8]

@GolfSpy_BEN Do Par Three course rounds count for the virtual championship or is it just full courses?

[GolfSpy_BEN]

10 minutes ago, warrenator8 said:

@GolfSpy_BEN Do Par Three course rounds count for the virtual championship or is it just full courses?

That’s a good question and one that I don’t think has come up yet. Would it be an 18 hole Par 3 course or at least playing the same 9 twice? I would think we can count it under the following stipulations: Assuming it is par 54, it wouldn’t be eligible for the low gross badge. Also, not sure how a course handicap might apply given the inherently low slope and course rating of these types of courses, so it may need to be played like a SIM round in that there is no handicap applied. Otherwise, I would say have at it and have fun

[warrenator8]

1 minute ago, GolfSpy_BEN said:

That’s a good question and one that I don’t think has come up yet. Would it be an 18 hole Par 3 course or at least playing the same 9 twice? I would think we can count it under the following stipulations: Assuming it is par 54, it wouldn’t be eligible for the low gross badge. Also, not sure how a course handicap might apply given the inherently slope and course rating of these types of courses, so it may need to be played like a SIM round in that there is no handicap applied. Otherwise, I would say have at it and have fun

It would be played as an 18 hole course. I figured the low gross would be a little unfair for a Par Three course. I'm fine with no handicap, a little more of a challenge. Thanks for the help.

[LBC]

Date	01/03/2024
Course Name	Providence Golf Course
Gross Score	90
Course Handicap	16
Gross Strokes over/under par	19
Net Score to Par	3
Net Score	74
Net Birdies or better	0
Longest Drive	179
SIM Round?

1 1/2 hr frost delay but we were able to ride on the fairways( steps 8026).

temp in low 40’s but no wind so OK to play.  Bunker play was awful, in three bunkers, 3 to get out of one, 2 to get out of the other two.  

 

 

[tw1ns]

Date	01/03/2024
Course Name	Harbour Town - Hilton Head
Gross Score	75
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	4
Net Score to Par	4
Net Score	75
Net Birdies or better	1
Longest Drive	230
SIM Round?	SIM

Strong winds, short drives, terrible GIR, one bad bunker shot lead to an uneventful round.  

[snicerz]

@GolfSpy_APH @GolfSpy_BEN
What sim are you using? I have TGC 19. If that's what either of you are using, which course did you use for Old Mac?

[GolfSpy_APH]

Just now, snicerz said:

@GolfSpy_APH @GolfSpy_BEN
What sim are you using? I have TGC 19. If that's what either of you are using, which course did you use for Old Mac?

Rapsodo MLM2Pro

[snicerz]

ok the sim courses are kinda crazy
I'm pretty sure I found the course and based on a youtube vid I was watching to compare, it's very similar!!!

Now I have to go clean up the back porch so I can play 


For sim rounds, do you figure out your course handicap or just play it pure stroke play?

Edited January 4 by snicerz

[Javs]

Date	01/04/2024
Course Name	Sun City Golf Club Cowan Creek
Gross Score	69
Course Handicap	-2
Gross Strokes over/under par	-3
Net Score to Par	-1
Net Score	71
Net Birdies or better	5
Longest Drive	312
SIM Round?

Played better today! Hit 15 greens and had 30 putts. A lot of lip outs! Hit 10 of 14 fairways which seems to be my average on the course. Three under is a great round, but since I am now a plus handicap it is getting harder!

[GolfSpy_BEN]

59 minutes ago, snicerz said:

ok the sim courses are kinda crazy
I'm pretty sure I found the course and based on a youtube vid I was watching to compare, it's very similar!!!

Now I have to go clean up the back porch so I can play 


For sim rounds, do you figure out your course handicap or just play it pure stroke play?

For SIM rounds, we don’t use course handicaps, it is pure stroke play. Good luck and play well.

[warrenator8]

Date	01/05/2024
Course Name	Knights Play Golf Center (Par 3)
Gross Score	53
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	-1
Net Score to Par	-1
Net Score	53
Net Birdies or better	1
Longest Drive	200
SIM Round?

Par 3 course

[fozcycle]

Date	01/05/2024
Course Name	Heritage Isles
Gross Score	86
Course Handicap	10
Gross Strokes over/under par	14
Net Score to Par	4
Net Score	76
Net Birdies or better	7
Longest Drive	198
SIM Round?

Almost the same as Wednesday, BUT, as I put my tee in the ground on the Par 3 #5 tee, my 7 iron snapped at the hosel!  Yup, the same 7 iron that I waited patiently 4 weeks for the head to be replaced by Titleist. The same 7 iron that I just put 4 rounds on before it broke. This time Titleist said they would replace the 7 iron and ship it to me then I could ship the broken one back. Titleist has the best Customer Service.

[RoverRick]

On 1/3/2024 at 9:29 PM, Javs said:

I expect to see at least one round of eight birdies from you this week!

Well, you won’t see it because it does not meet my criteria for posting here, but I did this today. Sort of. It was cold and no one showed up today. (22 players last week, but 49° keep everyone home today.) They may have played yesterday because it was sunny and 60°. 

The reason I can’t post here is I was using a training aid part of the time on the course. Not during the actual swing, but I did wear it and made some practice swings, then took it off and made a real swing.  I really focused on some swing changes and felt like I was swinging at half speed but obviously since I didn’t lose distance it wasn’t half speed. I actually had several drives that were 20-ish yards further than normal. 

 I hit 13 GIR and all the fairways and putted well today, but there was no pressure, and I was in “practice mode” vs “competition mode”.  Bottom line is I would have had 8 birdies or net birdies IF I would have made the same shots that counted. 

Maybe tomorrow. 

[Javs]

8 minutes ago, RoverRick said:

Well, you won’t see it because it does not meet my criteria for posting here, but I did this today. Sort of. It was cold and no one showed up today. (22 players last week, but 49° keep everyone home today.) They may have played yesterday because it was sunny and 60°. 

The reason I can’t post here is I was using a training aid part of the time on the course. Not during the actual swing, but I did wear it and made some practice swings, then took it off and made a real swing.  I really focused on some swing changes and felt like I was swinging at half speed but obviously since I didn’t lose distance it wasn’t half speed. I actually had several drives that were 20-ish yards further than normal. 

 I hit 13 GIR and all the fairways and putted well today, but there was no pressure, and I was in “practice mode” vs “competition mode”.  Bottom line is I would have had 8 birdies or net birdies IF I would have made the same shots that counted. 

Maybe tomorrow. 

You make more birdies than I can muster. I’m expecting to see that handicap of yours fall like a lead balloon with all the good play. 

[RoverRick]

1 minute ago, Javs said:

You make more birdies than I can muster. I’m expecting to see that handicap of yours fall like a lead balloon with all the good play. 

Birdies or net birdies (in this case it was 3 birdies, 1 for a net eagle , and 4 birdies) are not my problem. It’s not even the bogies. It’s the doubles and penalties that keep my handicap higher than I feel it should be. I’ve always had a lot of hand rotation which is what I’m trying to elevate this year. 

[Javs]

27 minutes ago, RoverRick said:

Birdies or net birdies (in this case it was 3 birdies, 1 for a net eagle , and 4 birdies) are not my problem. It’s not even the bogies. It’s the doubles and penalties that keep my handicap higher than I feel it should be. I’ve always had a lot of hand rotation which is what I’m trying to elevate this year. 

Yes, getting rid of the big miss or number is huge!

[snicerz]

Date	01/05/2024
Course Name	Old Macdonald
Gross Score	82
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	11
Net Score to Par	11
Net Score	82
Net Birdies or better	0
Longest Drive	273
SIM Round?	SIM

Ok putting in sim is hard - that's all I'm going to say

I hit the ball great, 70% GIR but I lost count of the 3 putts - basically every bogey+ was due to a 3 putt.

The sim course was fun though and really cool visually. Played on TGC 2019 and the details were amazing. You could easily see the undulations in the greens and the scenery was spot on. Not sure that this is a feature but for some reason it even started raining in the game about the same time it started raining at my house!!

TL;DR Scored terribly but had a blast

 

[Randall Robbins]

Date	01/05/2024
Course Name	Bent Creek GC
Gross Score	72
Course Handicap	5
Gross Strokes over/under par	1
Net Score to Par	-4
Net Score	67
Net Birdies or better	6
Longest Drive	220
SIM Round?

[MrBandit]

Date	01/06/2024
Course Name	Firewheel Champions/Traditions Course
Gross Score	82
Course Handicap	8
Gross Strokes over/under par	11
Net Score to Par	3
Net Score	74
Net Birdies or better	2
Longest Drive	261
SIM Round?

[RoverRick]

Date	01/06/2024
Course Name	Sulphur Springs Country Club
Gross Score	78
Course Handicap	8
Gross Strokes over/under par	6
Net Score to Par	-2
Net Score	70
Net Birdies or better	9
Longest Drive	230
SIM Round?

I lipped out 7 putts today that I thought I should have made. In spite of this, I still had 4 real birdies, 3 net birdies and 2 net eagles. Total of 9. And tomorrow I will be back to a 7 handicap, depending on how it rounds off the number. 
 

[vandyland]

Date	01/06/2024
Course Name	Hillwood Country Club
Gross Score	77
Course Handicap	2
Gross Strokes over/under par	5
Net Score to Par	3
Net Score	75
Net Birdies or better	3
Longest Drive	275
SIM Round?

Cold and wet.

[Javs]

Date	01/07/2024
Course Name	Sun City Golf Club Cowan Creek
Gross Score	81
Course Handicap	2
Gross Strokes over/under par	9
Net Score to Par	7
Net Score	79
Net Birdies or better	2
Longest Drive	295
SIM Round?

So today we played from behind the tips. There was a huge lesson. Play your game not anyone else’s. For the first 12 holes I was out of sink and let myself get baited. The last 6 holes I finally relaxed and played. Big lesson learned!

[EMacK1961]

Date	01/06/2024
Course Name	Bajamar Oceanfront Golf Resort
Gross Score	97
Course Handicap	18
Gross Strokes over/under par	25
Net Score to Par	7
Net Score	79
Net Birdies or better	3
Longest Drive	237
SIM Round?

It was my first round back after having to take a month off for a wonky back and a broken rib, both pickleball related. The rust definitely showed. I was decent off the tee, medium on the fairways, and mediocre on the greens. On the bright side, it is good to be back. No ill effects from playing on either the back or rib. I look to being on the road to a more consistent 2024 on the course.

[GolfSpy_APH]

Date	01/07/2024
Course Name	El Cardonal at Diamante
Gross Score	77
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	5
Net Score to Par	5
Net Score	77
Net Birdies or better	5
Longest Drive	316
SIM Round?	SIM

So freaking happy with this round. Putting on the first home was brutal to get the speed and how the greens react, but after that things got better!

Fun course also!

[GolfSpy SAM]

Date	01/04/2024
Course Name	Celebrity Course - Indian Wells Golf Resort
Gross Score	84
Course Handicap	10
Gross Strokes over/under par	12
Net Score to Par	2
Net Score	74
Net Birdies or better	3
Longest Drive	291
SIM Round?

Oh man, what an absolute gem of a course this was. This was the third course in three days that we played, and by far the most complete and stunning. Every hole felt like an oasis of its own - I've truly never played a more beautiful course (which is saying something, because the day before we played Escena which was INSANELY beautiful). 

I managed an 84, but that includes two doubles and a triple - all three of which were because I tried to do something dumb, lol. 

Over the three days, managed to putt pretty well (especially Day 1), and chipped incredibly well - to the point where one of my buddies just outright complained that I'd gotten "too good" at chipping, lol.  I mean, I disagree, but it was just a great few days of golf. 

The biggest surprise of the whole trip was just how well I drove the ball, especially considering some of the tight fairways we played on.  I just kind of found a groove and managed to keep it going for most of the trip. 

I'll be putting together a little "highlight" reel of our trip, so be on the lookout for that.  In the meantime, I'm attaching some shots from all three courses just so you can see some of the beauty we were witnessing. 

I cannot recommend highly enough a trip to Palm Springs for any of you, but especially this time of year when everything is just absolutely pristine. 

Also, back to Celebrity for a second: I've never been treated better at any course. They're operated by Troon, and it genuinely felt like we walked into a private club where we were the founding members. Trackman at the range, unbelievable pro shop, and everywhere we went, every. single. person seemed to be only interested in making us feel like kings.  

(Eagle Falls, day 1 of trip)

(Escena, Day 2 of trip)

(Celebrity Course at IWGR, Day 3)

 

 

[Javs]

45 minutes ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

Date	01/04/2024
Course Name	Celebrity Course - Indian Wells Golf Resort
Gross Score	84
Course Handicap	10
Gross Strokes over/under par	12
Net Score to Par	2
Net Score	74
Net Birdies or better	3
Longest Drive	291
SIM Round?

Oh man, what an absolute gem of a course this was. This was the third course in three days that we played, and by far the most complete and stunning. Every hole felt like an oasis of its own - I've truly never played a more beautiful course (which is saying something, because the day before we played Escena which was INSANELY beautiful). 

I managed an 84, but that includes two doubles and a triple - all three of which were because I tried to do something dumb, lol. 

Over the three days, managed to putt pretty well (especially Day 1), and chipped incredibly well - to the point where one of my buddies just outright complained that I'd gotten "too good" at chipping, lol.  I mean, I disagree, but it was just a great few days of golf. 

The biggest surprise of the whole trip was just how well I drove the ball, especially considering some of the tight fairways we played on.  I just kind of found a groove and managed to keep it going for most of the trip. 

I'll be putting together a little "highlight" reel of our trip, so be on the lookout for that.  In the meantime, I'm attaching some shots from all three courses just so you can see some of the beauty we were witnessing. 

I cannot recommend highly enough a trip to Palm Springs for any of you, but especially this time of year when everything is just absolutely pristine. 

Also, back to Celebrity for a second: I've never been treated better at any course. They're operated by Troon, and it genuinely felt like we walked into a private club where we were the founding members. Trackman at the range, unbelievable pro shop, and everywhere we went, every. single. person seemed to be only interested in making us feel like kings.  

(Eagle Falls, day 1 of trip)

(Escena, Day 2 of trip)

(Celebrity Course at IWGR, Day 3)

 

 

Outstanding pictures!

[GolfSpy SAM]

5 minutes ago, Javs said:

Outstanding pictures!

Thanks, man! Hard to take a bad one out there

[Javs]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy SAM said:

Thanks, man! Hard to take a bad one out there

Played there years ago. Man is that place beautiful!

[Mr. Mushball]

Date	01/07/2024
Course Name	Glendoveer G&TC West Course
Gross Score	124
Course Handicap	39
Gross Strokes over/under par	53
Net Score to Par	14
Net Score	85
Net Birdies or better	5
Longest Drive	206
SIM Round?

I'm back!  Had some travel, then got sick and had to take some time off from the course.  And the holidays you know.  I actually played once on NYE, but got busy with the festivities and didn't get a score posted in time to make the leaderboard.  Pretty sure it would have been at the bottom of the list (as usual), but this was a particularly atrocious round where my net score was 100+.   It probably wouldn't have earned me any points anyhow.

Just started looking at the VCT threads and am happy to know that my lack of play has only dropped me 9 spots as of week 36.  Hopefully I haven't dropped too much more since then and this score helps me get back into the top of the middle of the pack.  We still have a few more months of score posts to get things back into shape, right @GolfSpy_BEN?

Today's play was fair.  I felt like I was playing way worse than usual, but when I've managed to get to my "bad" score during good playing conditions on a cold soggy day with plenty of mud and little roll out (not to mention standing water on the greens), I feel pretty ok about it.  Also, 38 putts isn't terrible.  I'd like to come under 36 like I did last week (34), but with two 3 putts and two 4 putts, not so bad. 

Tee shots were good for the most part.  Had a few stinkers, but pretty much used my driver all day, which is usually a big no-no for me.  Made some recent swing changes and it's helping straighten out my tee shots.  Still having trouble with LPC in the field which is keeping the score high, but I think that should come together soon.  In winter conditions I was able to get between 190-206 with driver, which is typical of summer conditions.  I'm sitting pretty good I think.