How'd you play?

[Syks7]

9 hours ago, cnosil said:

Blowup holes are my big issue as well.  Ball striking is generally pretty good but then massive blowups.   It probably isnt a swing thing but more mental focus.  When you hit a bad shot you have to get back into the round and focus on the next shot.   In your example all the bad shots are probably tied to the bad tee shot and then the downward spiral continues.  Staying mentally focused over each shot for 18 holes.  Try hat Scott Fawcett advocates as part of decade and make a mental scorecard for each shot and assess how committed you were to the shot and did you swing reflect that commitment.  

 

8 hours ago, DeBartola_B said:

I am certainly no scratch or excellent player but not too long ago I was sort of in the same boat as you.  Handicap around 12 and started looking at things differently and it went down to an 8.

 

I know it will sound cliche but the best way to avoid the blow up hole is to not compound a bad shot with another bad shot or poor decision.  Bogey is your friend, you can never ruin your round with one bogey.  Take your medicine, play for bogey with an errant tee shot, if you happen to hit an amazing approach you could luck out with a par.

 

Sounds simple but I have found it to be extremely affective.  It is tough to do because it is so boring, but good golf is often boring.

 

5 hours ago, Rickp said:

Staying focused for 5+ hours is tough on anyone.  Slow pace will lead me to more blowup holes.

 

5 hours ago, CarlH said:

What I have to remind myself is that everyone hits a bad shot now and then.  The trick is not to let the bad shot control your mindset.  Give yourself 5-10 seconds to berate yourself (if you must), then let it go.  I play with a guy that can play decent golf, but he is so hard on himself that he's literally a self-fulfilling prophecy.  He carries that bad shot for several holes and then is still talking about it over a beer after the round.  You can't do that!  I heard a phrase and I can't recall who it came from but it went something like this:  "It wasn't the double bogey that ruined your score.  It was thinking about that double bogey for the next 5 holes that ruined it."  Ya gotta let it go, bro!  I find that when I have a bad shot or a bad hole, I perform best if I just forget it happened rather than trying to force a birdie to make up for it and just play the next shot.  I know that sounds trite, but it is true.  The last shot is no longer important.  The one you're hitting next is the only one that should matter.

Thanks for the advice guys.  I feel like I'm improving at taking it one shot at a time, but I can't help but want to get there faster.    I'm worlds better than I was 4 months ago, haven't melted down totally in a while and I don't tend to have multiple blowup holes in a row anymore.  Seems like when I hit the next tee box I've found a way to put it behind me.  I just seem to have a problem falling into that 'gotta get it back cycle' after a bad shot.   I've just gotta pull myself out of that mindset mid hole.

[Philip_R]

15 hours ago, Syks7 said:

Anyone got any tips on how they've smoothed over blowups?

Here is what I found to help not ruin scores for me:

1. When I am not striking the ball solid, don't rush through the course. I need time to "forget" a bad shot before I stand over the next. My playing partners always drive on carts, so if I have an off day, I walk and just leave my bag on the cart. That way I get time to get over a bad strike without slowing down play. 
2. When in trouble of the tee, just play it safe and get back into play. Forget about the awesome recoveries you see the Pro's hit out of the bush, I am not good enough to be certain that I will miss all the trees in the narrow opening there might be. If I was that accurate, I wouldn't be in the bush 30m off line in the first place. 
3. Always, Aim small.
4. Get a proper pre-shot routine and stick to it on every shot. 

Edited July 13, 2022 by Philip_R

[MattF]

22 hours ago, bens197 said:

4.5 hours of Creed & Nickelback will do that to a phone 

Fancy!

[MattF]

Got out yesterday at Windmill and played in 3.5 hours, which was a surprise. 

Shot a 43/42 85. Couldn't swing the driver on Sunday and yesterday I was hitting some great tee shots. My P Average for driver this year is 253 yards, for yesterday it was 279 with a FIR of 67% on the back.   

[fozcycle]

7 hours ago, Philip_R said:

Here is what I found to help not ruin scores for me:

1. When I am not striking the ball solid, don't rush through the course. I need time to "forget" a bad shot before I stand over the next. My playing partners always drive on carts, so if I have an off day, I walk and just leave my bag on the cart. That way I get time to get over a bad strike without slowing down play. 
2. When in trouble of the tee, just play it safe and get back into play. Forget about the awesome recoveries you see the Pro's hit out of the bush, I am not good enough to be certain that I will miss all the trees in the narrow opening there might be. If I was that accurate, I wouldn't be in the bush 30m off line in the first place. 
3. Always, Aim small.
4. Get a proper pre-shot routine and stick to it on every shot. 

Remember, golf is 18 small games. When you have a bad hole, just remember that is was one of 18 games.

[Philip_R]

1 hour ago, fozcycle said:

Remember, golf is 18 small games. When you have a bad hole, just remember that is was one of 18 games.

I Play it as if every shot is its own game. The score is just an afterthought if you play every shot the best you can with total focus. 

[TexasFullSend]

On 2/27/2022 at 8:53 AM, CarlH said:

Haven't been able to play lately so I offer this instead.....

Sending this to the DOT lol 

[Sluggo42]

Got a few swings in before wrist started to hurt again, but it wasn’t the bad pain. Now this morning it’s not bad at all. Probably wait till next week to swing again, but feeling like this thing is healing itself up. 
I'm telling ya, getting old sux…

[Kenny B]

2 hours ago, Sluggo42 said:

Got a few swings in before wrist started to hurt again, but it wasn’t the bad pain. Now this morning it’s not bad at all. Probably wait till next week to swing again, but feeling like this thing is healing itself up. 
I'm telling ya, getting old sux…

Yep!  Everyday experience for me... wake up, see what hurts the most, play my best possible golf.

[Sluggo42]

43 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

Yep!  Everyday experience for me... wake up, see what hurts the most, play my best possible golf.

I’m hoping this is the oddball injury, and not the beginning of the end…

but, …. If this is how it goes, I’ll be getting addicted to some type of pain reliever…

[Kenny B]

17 minutes ago, Sluggo42 said:

I’m hoping this is the oddball injury, and not the beginning of the end…

but, …. If this is how it goes, I’ll be getting addicted to some type of pain reliever…

Except for my knee issues, all of my aches and pains are oddball injuries.  Most of them I can't think of what I did to hurt that much.

I was taking 2 generic naproxen every morning until my dr. visit last year.  I needed to cut back, and I found that I could play OK if I just took it within an hour of play.  Since I only play 3-4 times a week, that is cutting back... right?

I actually don't need it for 9 hole play, and there are times when I feel better than usual so I skip it.  It's not as good as the prescription hydrocodone I was on before my knee replacement, but I don't feel as bad after I play when I do take it.

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

Got another round in while the kiddo was in camp. Was 95 and hot with not a cloud in the sky.

41/38 11 pars and 7 bogeys

Start to finish looking back was a very hard and respectable round. Felt like I was playing a lot worse because I was scrambling. Tee shots were good as a whole but was missing by just a few feet on the front and on this course a few feet is a big difference. I had 5 shots on the front 9 that ii had to keep very low and advance. Land the green and 2 putt bogey.

Back 9 was much cleaner and had a stretch from 7-11 of pars. I still struggled with 10’ and…in my eyes anyway…spoiled what could have been really a truly great round. Also had sweet revenge on 16/17/18 after doubling each the other day. Par/par/par.

60 yards and in saved my round for sure on the front  as well as a couple creative 2nd shots

Hole of the day was 18. Decent tee shot but cut myself off and had to keep the 2nd real low. Didn’t cut as much as I wanted and was left with a slippery shot over the green side bunker. Finally drained a putt 

[WaffleHouseTour]

Just returned from my big golf trip of the year.. played the Bandon Dunes rota.  Got roasted at Pacific, but I’d just gotten out of my car after driving four days  and sleeping in a tent to get there. Shot an 80, 84, and 87 at Sheep Ranch, which my be my new favorite on that property. Only takes a few that come up short on those humps and bumps to run up the score. My big surprise was an 80 at Trails with a hole out eagle fr 54 yards on the downhill 14th and a closing birdie. Got my hopes up too much and tried too hard for an 85 at Bandon, and closed out the week with a couple birdies to shoot another 80 at OldMac. I’m now Open Championship ready. Bring on the ground game 

[DiscipleofPenick]

Got out to my favorite course in CLE yesterday morning - Sugar Bush in Garrettsville, Ohio. I shot a 40/39 with 0 birdies, 0 doubles, and 0 penalties. I had 5 up & downs, but 3 3 putts. I always love playing here.

So I've been gaming the Z-Star for a few years now, but I've been dabbling with the X balls this season. I tried ProV1x, TP5x, Tour BX, and the XV. These balls just don't hold greens for me, and I'm not sure why. It's weird because these are supposed to be higher spinning off wedges than the Z-Star. Yet the Z sits within a foot or so of it's pitch mark whereas these X balls jump 10-15 feet from the mark. I did have 2 rounds mixed in, one with BX and one with TP5x, that I was getting a few feet of rip back from the pitch. But those were early morning rounds on freshly watered & dewy greens. Anyone have ideas?

[Rickp]

23 hours ago, Sluggo42 said:

Got a few swings in before wrist started to hurt again, but it wasn’t the bad pain. Now this morning it’s not bad at all. Probably wait till next week to swing again, but feeling like this thing is healing itself up. 
I'm telling ya, getting old sux…

Yup , sure does!!

[gavinski91]

5 hours ago, DiscipleofPenick said:

Got out to my favorite course in CLE yesterday morning - Sugar Bush in Garrettsville, Ohio. I shot a 40/39 with 0 birdies, 0 doubles, and 0 penalties. I had 5 up & downs, but 3 3 putts. I always love playing here.

So I've been gaming the Z-Star for a few years now, but I've been dabbling with the X balls this season. I tried ProV1x, TP5x, Tour BX, and the XV. These balls just don't hold greens for me, and I'm not sure why. It's weird because these are supposed to be higher spinning off wedges than the Z-Star. Yet the Z sits within a foot or so of it's pitch mark whereas these X balls jump 10-15 feet from the mark. I did have 2 rounds mixed in, one with BX and one with TP5x, that I was getting a few feet of rip back from the pitch. But those were early morning rounds on freshly watered & dewy greens. Anyone have ideas?

I think each ball is going to perform differently for everyone, so without getting on a sim and actually checking spin rates they may not perform as advertised on the box.

If you're playing the Z-Star though, I would recommend giving the Z-Star ◊ a try - I've made the switch and love it.

[RickyBobby_PR]

6 hours ago, DiscipleofPenick said:

Got out to my favorite course in CLE yesterday morning - Sugar Bush in Garrettsville, Ohio. I shot a 40/39 with 0 birdies, 0 doubles, and 0 penalties. I had 5 up & downs, but 3 3 putts. I always love playing here.

So I've been gaming the Z-Star for a few years now, but I've been dabbling with the X balls this season. I tried ProV1x, TP5x, Tour BX, and the XV. These balls just don't hold greens for me, and I'm not sure why. It's weird because these are supposed to be higher spinning off wedges than the Z-Star. Yet the Z sits within a foot or so of it's pitch mark whereas these X balls jump 10-15 feet from the mark. I did have 2 rounds mixed in, one with BX and one with TP5x, that I was getting a few feet of rip back from the pitch. But those were early morning rounds on freshly watered & dewy greens. Anyone have ideas?

Not all x balls are equal. The tp5x is going be lower spinning than prov1x and tp5.

Simple solution is to hit x and non x balls on the course and compare them to see what performs overall best. Some may perform better in some parts of the game like short game and scoring irons but not so good in the long game or vice versa.

Test them from the green back. Figure out what you want to feel/hear in putting and what you want balls to do around the green. Eliminate the ones that don’t work for you. Then test them from whatever scoring distance you choose, then with mid/long iron and then off the tee. Choose which one is the best overall.

Harder is to do all that with launch monitor and see what the differences are number wise as well as results 

Always test them in the same environment/course conditions 

[DiscipleofPenick]

5 minutes ago, gavinski91 said:

I think each ball is going to perform differently for everyone, so without getting on a sim and actually checking spin rates they may not perform as advertised on the box.

If you're playing the Z-Star though, I would recommend giving the Z-Star ◊ a try - I've made the switch and love it.

Yes, the Z-Star Diamond is at the top of the list. I did the Ping Ballnamic fitting 4 times and the Diamond was the #1 recommendation each time. It's supposed to be a tweener ball that's not quite an X, so that one may work out. And while I didn't mention it in the post, I also tried the Snell MTB-X and that ball did work well for me. I may switch to them once my 3doz Z-Stars are used up. 

[chisag]

6 hours ago, DiscipleofPenick said:

So I've been gaming the Z-Star for a few years now, but I've been dabbling with the X balls this season.

 

... Have you played the Maxfli Tour? If you like the Z Star you will love the Maxfli Tour. You could buy 2 dozen for $60 mixing in the Maxfli Tour X, but I find the Tour X a little more spinny and a little shorter than the Tour. My playing pard bought a dozen of each and after a sleeve of the Tour X he gave them to me. He hits it much farther than I do and found the Tour X quite a bit shorter than his ProV1's and the Tour. I have read some found the opposite so since you are experimenting with X balls might be worth giving the Tour X a shot. 

[DiscipleofPenick]

41 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... Have you played the Maxfli Tour? If you like the Z Star you will love the Maxfli Tour. You could buy 2 dozen for $60 mixing in the Maxfli Tour X, but I find the Tour X a little more spinny and a little shorter than the Tour. My playing pard bought a dozen of each and after a sleeve of the Tour X he gave them to me. He hits it much farther than I do and found the Tour X quite a bit shorter than his ProV1's and the Tour. I have read some found the opposite so since you are experimenting with X balls might be worth giving the Tour X a shot. 

When DSG was closing out the previous generation I picked up 2doz of the Tour for $50. So I've got those in the cupboard to try as well.

[chisag]

20 minutes ago, DiscipleofPenick said:

When DSG was closing out the previous generation I picked up 2doz of the Tour for $50. So I've got those in the cupboard to try as well.

 

... Just an FYI but the previous version was a really good ball but I do think the new ones are better in most every way (other than the more pronounced alignment aid). Not a night and day difference, but a subtle difference. 

[Kenny B]

Another game of Wolf today with the same two guys as Tuesday.  If I have my best game, I can hang with them, but they are more consistent than I am (and they know this course and greens better than I do).

Not so good today; shot 81 with no birdies, but no doubles either.  The biggest difference today was poor putting.  Had my chances but couldn't convert.  The other guys tied with rounds of 78.  The bad news is that I gave back 9 of the 12 quarters I won on Tuesday!!  Seems like every time I had a decent hole as the Wolf, one of them had a better hole!

[chisag]

10 minutes ago, Kenny B said:

The biggest difference today was poor putting.  Had my chances but couldn't convert.

 

... It must be to hard to putt and keep your balance with a treasure chest of quarters in your pocket. Now that you are down to 3, next round should be a better day on the greens If you add a fourth quarter and two in each pocket for balance. 

[Kenny B]

17 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... It must be to hard to putt and keep your balance with a treasure chest of quarters in your pocket. Now that you are down to 3, next round should be a better day on the greens If you add a fourth quarter and two in each pocket for balance. 

The quarters go in the cart drink cup holder; the loser tosses one (or 2) into each cup holder at the next tee.  This course can be walked, but there are some long walks from green to tee.  We get free carts anyway... and the temps are heating up!!

I start with a dozen in the cup holder, and we keep track to see who is up and down.  The quarters can go fast when one of us "double howls".  A few years ago when I first started playing with them, I ran out of quarters!!  One guy offered to sell me some... 3 for a dollar!!    I now have a bag of quarters just so I don't run out.

[CarlH]

4 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... Have you played the Maxfli Tour? If you like the Z Star you will love the Maxfli Tour. You could buy 2 dozen for $60 mixing in the Maxfli Tour X, but I find the Tour X a little more spinny and a little shorter than the Tour. My playing pard bought a dozen of each and after a sleeve of the Tour X he gave them to me. He hits it much farther than I do and found the Tour X quite a bit shorter than his ProV1's and the Tour. I have read some found the opposite so since you are experimenting with X balls might be worth giving the Tour X a shot. 

Interesting.  I'm hitting the Tour X.  Haven't experimented with the regular Tour.  I was hitting Snell MTB-X prior.  The Tour X indeed spin on the green.  Can't comment on being shorter than the regular, but they're longer than the Snell MTB-X....at least from my observations.  I have 5 dozen + of the Tour X, but I may pick up some of the Tour next time I'm at Dick's as an experiment.

[CarlH]

Today's MGA game was individual stroke play with an aside to "beat the pros".  The deal was Best Ball gross from the 2 pros vs individuals net score.  Bet whatever you want from $10-$100.  If you win you get 125% credit.  If you lose, your wager goes straight to your credit account, so you don't really lose (other than the retail loss of cash vs store credit).  In any case, I didn't beat the pros.  Shoot, I didn't even beat my self!

Shotgun start and I started on the par 3 #16.  Missed a 3 foot birdie putt!!!!  Then on #17, I miss a 5 foot birdie putt!!!!  Oy vey.  18, my third shot goes long over the green, poor pitch on the green that rolls down 2 tiers and I 3 putt for a double.  It only gets worse from there.  Overall, I have 5 doubles (all due to poor chip/pitch) and limp in with an 88 (net 81)...the pros were even par.  It's discouraging when you shoot your handicap and you haven't even made the turn yet!!! LOL.  I love this game!  Better day tomorrow one would hope!

[chisag]

... In the MGS ball tests the Maxfli Tour compared to the X with the driver:

+6.67 yds High Speed
+14.67 yds Mid Speed
-1.39 yds Slow Speed

... Figuring I am somewhere between mid and slow combining the two I get +6.64 yds with the Tour. As I have always said these number are just starting points and everyone is different but around 3-5 yds longer is about right for me. 

[edingc]

1 hour ago, CarlH said:

Interesting.  I'm hitting the Tour X.  Haven't experimented with the regular Tour.  I was hitting Snell MTB-X prior.  The Tour X indeed spin on the green.  Can't comment on being shorter than the regular, but they're longer than the Snell MTB-X....at least from my observations.  I have 5 dozen + of the Tour X, but I may pick up some of the Tour next time I'm at Dick's as an experiment.

I found the Tour to be longer off the tee than the Tour X as well when compared head-to-head. Personally felt like the Tour X / ProV1x / MTB-X are all similar for me, at least similar enough that I don't notice a huge difference.

I could not get the regular Tour to react reliably going into greens. This year I played several rounds with some older Z-Stars and didn't have that problem, but I also added more loft on my irons and fixed some swing things that were making my dynamic loft at impact way too low.

If the Tour X came in yellow I'd buy a couple dozen over the Snells which are now not as great of a deal as in year's past.

[sandpounder]

I had a very unique round today.  Went as a single & got hooked up with 3 beginners.  After I birdied the par 5 #1 hole they said "you go ahead, we are just learning".  So I took off.  There was a 4 some in front of me.  I just played 3-4 balls on every hole.  Was a blast!  That round was equal to 54+ holes.  Got to hit & learn spots on that course that will really improve my HDCP.  Perfect practice round!

[Kenny B]

16 minutes ago, sandpounder said:

I had a very unique round today.  Went as a single & got hooked up with 3 beginners.  After I birdied the par 5 #1 hole they said "you go ahead, we are just learning".  So I took off.  There was a 4 some in front of me.  I just played 3-4 balls on every hole.  Was a blast!  That round was equal to 54+ holes.  Got to hit & learn spots on that course that will really improve my HDCP.  Perfect practice round!

Happens to my wife and I quite often.  I think they view us as intimidating and play worse than normal.  I know I was when I played with strangers when I was learning the game.  I am always happy to oblige!

Practice rounds like that are important for game improvement.  It's important to our body learning a correct movement to hit the shot you envision.  If you don't, try again... one of the key points in Daniel Coyle's, The Talent Code.  We never get to do that during a normal round.