How'd you play?

[dru_]

Dru, I see that you are located in GA, I am in the southern end of the state. With the weather we have been having the golf course is the perfect place to be and it sounds like you really needed to get out and forget about everything else! Hope you get to play more, life is too short to stay stressed out!

 

 

Yeah, 70 degrees on Sunday Dec. 9 there was no place else I wanted to be. Unfortunately, I also work for myself, and as they say.. Working for yourself is great, you only have to work half a day, it just doesn't matter which 12 hours it is. I am still working on paring it down to only 12 hours!

[revkev]

Thanks for the props Wanna be - if you're in Southern GA we'll have to play sometime - my kid is stationed at the sub base in Kingsbay and I get there when he's in port - we play on base - nice little Arthur Hills track.

[Wannabegolfer67]

Thanks for the props Wanna be - if you're in Southern GA we'll have to play sometime - my kid is stationed at the sub base in Kingsbay and I get there when he's in port - we play on base - nice little Arthur Hills track.

Rev, it would be an absolute honor! You just let me know when you are headed that way and I will meet you there!

[dru_]

We should plan a south eastern spies outing to play a round sometime . Lots of good courses in the area.

[RoverRick]

I finally got to hit the new irons and hybrid (new-to-me). I only had an hour and played 6 holes shot even par. The MP32s are incredible. I was a fan of the MP62 but compared to the MP32 they are much more harsh. The 32s'were very straight. And the Hybrid, Adams Idea Pro Black is better than the Hogan CFT;s that I gamed for 6 years.

[Wannabegolfer67]

We should plan a south eastern spies outing to play a round sometime . Lots of good courses in the area.

Sounds good to me Dru, count me in!

[Wannabegolfer67]

For any of you that ask, why blades?, THIS!! Bear in mind that the 62s would be the "sweetest" irons that most have ever hit if they've never hit a Mizzy "true" blade, and I can't tell ya how many people have said or ecchoed Rick's feelings after hitting a "true" Mizzy blade.

 

If ya only hit a few balls with one, ya owe it to yourself to do just that.

 

It's sorta like takin the Porsche 930 Twin Turbo standard out for a spin(ya gotta take it over 130 mph, at least, seriously), to see what a "true" sports car feels & drives like.

 

Check out his bag thread. Great pics & he did a Beautiful job on 'em.

 

And with that Gentleman, I'm headin back to bed.

 

Long day

 

Nite

 

 

Fairways & Greens 4ever

 

 

I was looking at Rick's bag thread last night with quite a bit of envy and jealousy!!

 

Nice looking setup Rick, I hope to get there one day but I have a long way to go!

[JBones]

After a trip to the LM last week, to figure out my driving woes, I found that I needed a low spin head and a low spin XS shaft. I rebuilt my Cobra S9-1 Pro with a USPG Black Ops XS............wow, what a difference. I originally had a Black Ops S+ on the Cobra and had success, but after going through a bad swing faze, I pulled the Cobra from the bag...you know, because I blame a bad swing on my equipment. Anyway, I went out and played yesterday afternoon on a 6,600yd par 72 links course; it was 54* and sunny, with a slight breeze. I killed the driver all day to the tune of 12/14 fairways hit at an average of 271 (according to GPS (and pretty damn long for winter golf)). I also hit 14/18 greens, but as everyone knows, winter greens don't exactly roll very true, so I had 38 putts, which included two 3 putt bogies and a 3 putt double. Ended up with a 79, which I was very happy with. It was a gorgeous day and I got to enjoy a cigar with my cousin..yeah, that cousin..and watch him shoot -3 without his best stuff and on shaggy greens to boot; he really is ridiculous.

[RoverRick]

because I blame a bad swing on my equipment.

 

Are you saying that it could be something other than equipment issues? This is the first I have heard of that.

[JBones]

Are you saying that it could be something other than equipment issues? This is the first I have heard of that.

It's ALWAYS the equipment. The only reason I'm not on the Tour is because I have inferior equipment. LOL

[dru_]

It's ALWAYS the equipment. The only reason I'm not on the Tour is because I have inferior equipment. LOL

 

 

And here I thought that was my excuse for not having a career in the adult entertainment industry. Inferior Equipment.

[RoverRick]

And here I thought that was my excuse for not having a career in the adult entertainment industry. Inferior Equipment.

 

I do not mean to brag but I have the equipment to take my rightful place in the adult entertainment industry. But sadly, that place is a consumer. I will stick to golf. I am more likely to become a pro at golf.

[dru_]

I do not mean to brag but I have the equipment to take my rightful place in the adult entertainment industry. But sadly, that place is a consumer. I will stick to golf. I am more likely to become a pro at golf.

 

You and me both brother!

[Lambo]

Got to play today! When I got home the TM test balls were in the mailbox, should have checked before I hit the course.

 

Hard to judge the round. Had several pars and a couple of blow up holes. But ended up shooting a 85, which is right at the handicap.

 

Kept missing my putts to the left of the hole and never could get this corrected, but that's how it goes.

 

Down by two going into the last hole, and ended up winning with a par and my buddy having a four putt! Can't wit to play him again to get get in his head about the four putt.

 

Started out with a frost delay, but ended up being about 52* towards the end of the round.

[revkev]

We should plan a south eastern spies outing to play a round sometime . Lots of good courses in the area.

 

 

My son is scheduled back in towards the end of March. I would guess that we will be heading up to Georgia in early April. Let's start to think about that now. I'll have to schedule it around his leave - he gets a couple of weeks off when he gets back from an underway (deployment). We'd have a great foursome - he hits it a mile but struggles to break 90. I think you guys would appreciate playing on base but there are some very nice courses around where he lives that aren't on base.

 

I'm pumped for this - wish he were getting home tomorrow - particularly with the events of today back in my home state. :(

[revkev]

I did want to make mention that I played with my other son, Matt, yesterday at my clergy membership course. Love that course.

 

At any rate the conditions where great, cool, a bit breezy, very wet because of a couple of days of rain, so you got to see true distances (carry distances) with all the clubs. Throw in that we had a slow group ahead of us and a slower group behind us and Matt is playing with my old irons and we had the ideal test conditions for my yardages with my new irons.

 

On the back 9 I dropped 2 balls time and time again from the appropriate yardage points into the green so that I could test wedge through 8 iron and also 6 iron. (I already know I hit both 7 irons the same distance).

 

At the advice of council (Matt and Rookie) I left the lofts standard Mizuno with the acception of having the 8 iron strengthened 1 degree. So will start there - I hit 4 8 irons (2 with each) pretty well spot on. I found that I was 5 years (about 1 degree) apart. I'll get that one tweaked one more degree. I was 7 or 8 yards apart with the 9 iron and the Wedge so they will be tweaked 2 degrees (that's what I would have done originally but wanted some testing time).

 

The 6 iron is another matter - my old 6 iron was very strong because it was my longest iron and there was a gap between it and my 5 hybrid. I hit it fine in regards to where it lies in my current set but I'm about half a club shorter with the new 6 than the old one. I'm not going to touch it because I'm pretty sure I'll leave the 5 iron in the set - I made need to strengthen it a bit but that's a topic for another day.

 

The best news is that I was hitting the ball well enough with both sets of irons to be able to make definitive decisions after only a few shots - I'd hit them into the wind and down wind. I was also able to hit my old driver once vs. my new one - I was about 7 yards longer with the new one (into the wind). Didn't try it down wind but would imagine that the gap would widen. Matt is hitting my old driver great - he's a good 20 yards longer with it than my old G2 that he was using - I was driving the ball between 220 (into the wind) and 240 (down wind). He was 240 to 255 - that was almost all carry so it was very good for both of us.

 

Club yardage gaps are very important - I look long and hard at them this time of year to be sure that I'm covered.

 

How about you?

[Super Tuna]

Wasn't today, but I rolled out a nice 85 yesterday in 40F weather with 5 penalty strokes. Nasty wind and rain on the back 9. Driving game sucked but irons and wedges were on and saved the day. Wqually interesting that I scored 6 strokes better on the back 9 when I played solo and jogged between shots instead of walking.

[RoverRick]

I said this on the other thread but this is more appropriate to say here. 14 of 14 Fairways hit, 15 or 18 greens in regulation, 28 putts and tied my second best ever score 68. I shot a 67 a couple of years ago. I was 2 under on 18 yesterday and went in the water for double bogey. The goal today was I was going to lay up on 18 no matter where I was after my drive. That was my only thought of the day, but even with a double bogey on 8 I made the turn at even par.

 

I had one other bogey but the putter was very hot. I was standing in the fairway 127 yards from the green on 18. I could not lay up. 18 is an island and while you can not tell it from the fairway, it is 10 feet above the 18th fairway. Also, it slopes towards the back of the green. Taking into account it also is 400 yards and requires a 200 yard carry from the island tee box, this hole is darned hard. Today, I bombed my drive and it caught the fairway just perfect and had 127 yards over water to the center of the green. I figured if I could not stop a PW on the green I did not deserve to make a par or better. So I went for it. I hit one of the big boulders fronting the green. I expected to see it come back and splash but it kicked forward and I lost sight of it. I took another ball out so I could drop because I was positve it bounced off the back but when I drove around, my ball was sitting on the green about 30 feet from the hole. It just goes to show that sometimes the ball is bouncing your way.

 

On 16 I hit a great 3 wood off the deck and it went about 30 yards farther than normal. but it was a perfect flight. I went to replace the headcover and the shaft had split down the middle and it looked like a banana peel. So not all went my way. The ladies that were in front of us decide to let us play through because they were off to the side looking for a ball, so they marked their two balls that were on the green and waved us through. I was about 60 yards from the flag and 55 of it was water. It was a sucker pin location. I told myself not to go for it. With them on the green I just knew that the unwritten rule of golf, When someone lets you play through you hit your worst shots of the day. was in effect. But I grabbed the 64* and went for it. I landed 2 feet past and one foot right of the flag and it bounced back to 2 feet short of the flag for a tap in birdie to get to 4 under. Of course this is what I was remembering when I did not lay up on 18.

[revkev]

Great round RR!

[RoverRick]

Great round RR!

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

How did I play today? In a word, horribly!

 

First off, the format. I am not particularly good at the team play. I like being able to hit the recovery shots that take the wind out of my competitors sails and with this format, all my playing partners are my teammates. So instead of them hoping I do not make the putt, they are counting on me to make the putt, The makes the pressure much different. Second, my back was hurting and if I had been able to arrange a game later in the day I would have done it, so I hobbled over to the course at 9 am.

 

I ended up shooting an 81 which is respectable, but my teammates all played worse than me so we lost the first 18 holes. We did round up a third 9 holes (shot 38), and on this we actually made twice what we lost on the 18 so it was a net win but

I knew I was not going to play well before I left the house. I stuck a shaft in the 3 wood and it and the driver are now out of the bag and the Titleist 905R and the 980F 17" are replacing them until the end of the world or Friday UPS truck which ever comes first.

[RoverRick]

I just remembered, I had the greatest up and down since the 2010 Fed Ex Championship. We were playing best three balls, with four man teams. I killed my drive but pulled it left and hit a tree dead center. I had to punch out. 180 from the green. I hit a hybrid punch that should have traveled 150 yards. However, with the wind behind it, it kept bouncing and bouncing and ran all the way to the green and then rolled in the lake. I could not see it but there was a group of guys that we know that were letting us play through and they said it went into the lake. One of the other guys also went in the lake, and two were on the green.

 

When I got there my ball was 2 feet into the lake but sitting on a bunch of leaves floating in the water. Oh well, what do I have to lose. This is the 25th of 27 holes so if I get wet who cares. So I can reach the ball, it is actually not in the water, but honestly, how hard do you hit a ball that is floating on leaves? Apparently, the amount that I hit it because I caught it perfect, it flew past the hole a couple of feet and backed up, hit the lip and went 3/4 of the was around the hole before stopping 1/2" from the hole for a par.

 

My teammates were pumped up and one lipped out and the other made his birdie so what could have easily been a 4. 4. 5 or worse became a 3, 4, 4. And the guys that were watching told out competitors all about it a few minutes later.

 

Edit: I did not get a drop of water on me.

[Blade]

I just remembered, I had the greatest up and down since the 2010 Fed Ex Championship. We were playing best three balls, with four man teams. I killed my drive but pulled it left and hit a tree dead center. I had to punch out. 180 from the green. I hit a hybrid punch that should have traveled 150 yards. However, with the wind behind it, it kept bouncing and bouncing and ran all the way to the green and then rolled in the lake. I could not see it but there was a group of guys that we know that were letting us play through and they said it went into the lake. One of the other guys also went in the lake, and two were on the green.

 

When I got there my ball was 2 feet into the lake but sitting on a bunch of leaves floating in the water. Oh well, what do I have to lose. This is the 25th of 27 holes so if I get wet who cares. So I can reach the ball, it is actually not in the water, but honestly, how hard do you hit a ball that is floating on leaves? Apparently, the amount that I hit it because I caught it perfect, it flew past the hole a couple of feet and backed up, hit the lip and went 3/4 of the was around the hole before stopping 1/2" from the hole for a par.

 

My teammates were pumped up and one lipped out and the other made his birdie so what could have easily been a 4. 4. 5 or worse became a 3, 4, 4. And the guys that were watching told out competitors all about it a few minutes later.

Well crap! Where was the video camera? Someone should've had their phone out when you decided to try it. That's too cool!

[Wannabegolfer67]

I have been lucky enough to play golf 4 out of the last 5 days, no great scores but some great shots mixed in. Boy it is fantastic being off work for 3 weeks!!!!

[RoverRick]

I played this afternoon and the funny thing is I did not really strike the ball all that well, but considering there was a 25+ mph wind and I did not hit the ball that well, I made a bunch of pars and shot a 78. It is amazing to me that there are days where you can hit four great shots and walk off with a par, and there are days where you hit three passable shots nothing too bad, and nothing that great, and make a putt and walk off with a par.

 

I did link up with some young guys, one of whom is on my annual scramble team. These guys hit the ball a mile further than me. Case in point, on one shot 128 into the wind, where I found the green but not close to the hole, one of the guys asked, "What did you hit, a baby pitching wedge?" I said, "Hell, no, I hit an 8 iron just as hard as I could." I beat all of them, three guys by a lot and one by a stroke, but club selection for them and me were two different things.

 

But that just goes to show you it is not how far you hit the ball.

[Super Tuna]

Diabolical 86. It was UGLY out there today. Wind, rain, slow playing (which isn't the norm on sucky days. It was quite odd)

 

Pro Combo's don't like soft conditions. Driver and wedges were all stars though.

[Wannabegolfer67]

So it was about 40 degrees when we started playing Saturday morning, the 1st hole goes about like normal and I end up scoring a double bogie. The 2nd hole is a 145 yard, par 3 over water, I make my swing and watch the ball fly like a thing of beauty with a slight draw and headed towards the pin. The ball stopped just inches from the hole, closest yet to the elusive hole in one for me and certainly the highlight of my round. Maybe I will get one eventually.

[RoverRick]

On Monday, I tied my life's second best score of 68. I think it was my 3rd time and I have one 67 but in all of those I had some lucky shots holing out from off the green, one time something like 176 yards, and just a lot of luck. Well, Monday was the most solid round of golf I played. I played 17 near flawless holes and on the 8th hole where I blew up with a double bogey, I came right back and played like it never happened.

 

I had finally figured this game out.

 

Tuesday, well, not so great but not bad. Wednesday, it was bad. Thursday it was worse. Friday it was so bad I am surprised I was able to find my way to the next hole and Saturday on those rare occasions where I did hit the ball well, I could not putt. So this morning I go early, equipped with two drivers, and additional hybrid and 4 putters.

 

So I hit my back up off the first tee, and then hit my regular and went about 150 yards with both and did not get to the fairway. I lost both balls. I dropped and hit the hybrid and then they other and was near the green but still not in the fairway. Both balls were with in 5 feet of each other. Apparently, I had brought a hybrid that was as bad as the one in my bag.

 

I chipped both balls at the green, one short and one long, and took three putters up to the green. I did not make a putt with any of them. There were some other people getting on the first tee box so I picked up my balls and moved on. A side note is I had hit the ball great on the range and the practice green but not on the course.

 

I get to the second tee and grab both drivers and realize how stupid I am. All week long I had been thinking about how I needed to swing to get the ball where I wanted it. I pulled the back up everything out of the bag and laid it in the cart. Then grabbed my regular driver and thought about where I wanted the ball to go and hauled off and hit the damned ball. Boom. Best drive since Monday. I drove up and hit the approach shot right at the flag. It fell a bit short but I misjudged the wind. Got up and down. Played a couple of more holes. Played just fine.

 

Soon it was time to start the round, so I put all the extra club away and went to join my friends. I played pretty good, and was 1 under for the first 8 holes, and finished with a 76. In an 18 mph wind that is good.

 

The moral of the story it to not over think things on the course.

[Blade]

Yep, I couldn't agree more, Rick, and nice playin!

 

Golf is one of the few endeavors where the less neurological activity that you have going on when you're on the course, the better you perform, however it tis what it tis my Bros

 

Anyway, though I haven't played recently, I did hit balls yesterday for the first time in 5-6 weeks.

 

And I would like to thank Rick for letting me vicariously play through him this past month, however I hadda get out and take a few swings of my own

 

I hit 200 and change. I took my 8i, PW & 60* LW.

 

On the 1-10 scale, my first 100-120 were a 5. They were ugly

 

 

Swingin all arms, shoulder turn & upper body synchronization was non-existant.

 

Then I started to get in a groove. Notta "in-season" groove, though one that I could work with.

 

My last 40-50 balls were movin in the right direction, I'd say a solid 7.

 

So, all in all, it was good to get back out and hit the ball.

 

 

Merry Christmas Ladies & Gents

That's good to hear Richard. Feels good don't it? My iron striking has gone downhill this year from last year, even what I played before surgery. I think it's the over-thinking thing going on when I get to play compared to hitting balls at home. I know better, but it still creeps in.

[RoverRick]

I just went in the other room to the new putting green, and since my gaming putter was not there, I picked up the Scotty Newport 2.5 that I may have sold last week. I sank 15 in a row with that one. So I grabbed the belly. Nope. I grabbed the Scotty Big Sur, Nope they did not fall in the hole either. I grabbed the Newport, back of the hole every time. So I went and got the Kombi, I putted OK but still missed a few. Back to the Newport and could not, did not miss the hole one time.

 

How can that be? Last time I played that one I was lucky to keep it on the golf course. I guess before I head out I must stop and see which one is sighted in for the day before I leave.

[revkev]

Spent two hours on the range today after church and opening presents - it was delightful - I can start playing golf again now until mid-February - if the weather holds I'm playing tomorrow and if not on Friday.