How'd you play?

[Sluggo42]

3 hours ago, Jim Shaw said:

played better than the score indicated, 73 today, 1 birdie, 2 bogeys,  14 GIR, 11 FIR, 30 putts... some makable putts not going in, will spend more time on the practice green tomorrow, get my alignment sticks, putting mirror, chalk line, assorted tees strategically placed, the whole deal.... 

haha- I’m probably in your boat with you-

I miss 3-4 makable birdie putts a round, and make poor attempts from 20 yards and in- these are the regular problems of a 5-8 capper, that leaves 3-4 strokes a game on the card- 

scores would be much better if I made 2-3 birdies, and got a few more up and downs to save par- 

I think that only educated practice can make these gains, and random bang bang bang, won’t be as effective as knowing what your trying to do-

for example, I would love to learn how to make those skip, skip, stop at the pin shots- I mean how do those guys do that all the time?

[Bang60]

Played 9 with a friend and went from birdie to triple with some very nice shots to some lousy shots, had a few uneven lies that I didn't handle good at all was a fat or skinny shot. But hit enough good shots to show my handicap is coming down finally, I hit one excellent shot 53 metres with my 9iron out of lush rough because I forgot my Sand iron lol to 5 feet and got the birdie WOW...

[Bang60]

Forgot to add I played with 4 clubs today,

Mizuno driver 6 - 9 iron and ping putter.

[MDGolfHacker]

On 4/13/2023 at 4:22 AM, sirchunksalot said:

 

Both of these have me laughing and I've never heard the screen door analogy, I'm going to have to use both of those on the course.

@MDGolfHacker, I'm happy to hear you got down to see your brother. Time with family is precious and I hope you enjoy each other's company. 

@sirchunksalot - Time is indeed precious.  We never understand that when we're younger, wild and carefree.  Now that I'm over 50, things just come into sharper perspective on how little time we do have.

 

MDGolfHacker

[ACalling]

Played yesterday after work at the local muni course, it's April in New England so still in the early part of the season. Walked with a buddy and was able to get 14 holes in before we had to call it due to darkness. Shot +9 over the 14 holes with 2 birdies, and I definitely left some shots out there. Over the weekend I played at a nice private course with some of the tougher and faster greens you can find in the area and so last night it took me maybe a little too long to adjust to the slower greens. Nothing like watching short putt after short putt. On the plus side of things the long ball was working! A couple holes have some elevated tee boxes and plenty of room to swing away and was able to get past the 300yd mark and still kept it in the fairway. Turned one of those drives into a tap in birdie and the other one....no comment. I feel like I am putting it all together and waiting for the day where every aspect of the game is clicking at the same time, that'll be the day!

[Jim Shaw]

9 hours ago, Sluggo42 said:

haha- I’m probably in your boat with you-

I miss 3-4 makable birdie putts a round, and make poor attempts from 20 yards and in- these are the regular problems of a 5-8 capper, that leaves 3-4 strokes a game on the card- 

scores would be much better if I made 2-3 birdies, and got a few more up and downs to save par- 

I think that only educated practice can make these gains, and random bang bang bang, won’t be as effective as knowing what your trying to do-

for example, I would love to learn how to make those skip, skip, stop at the pin shots- I mean how do those guys do that all the time?

i think the 2 skip and stop shot comes from how hard you grip the club and how you contact the ball, your PGA professional will be able to give you some good tips, thanks for bringing that up, I am going to start practicing that shot as well lol...

[Swood1994]

Was able to get 9 holes in this morning with my dad before work. We had a great time and threw a little friendly competition into the mix. He showed up with a brand new custom fit Rogue ST Max D that he failed to mention to me since he got it mid this winter . I ended up shooting 4 over thru 9 which I'll take because the greens still need to be cut/rolled and some fairways are at the same length of the rough. 4 bogeys, 5 pars. 3-4 really good birdie opportunities but I couldn't get a putt to drop. trying to get as much play in as I can as the temps will be dropping next week.

[ZackS]

10 hours ago, Sluggo42 said:

haha- I’m probably in your boat with you-

I miss 3-4 makable birdie putts a round, and make poor attempts from 20 yards and in- these are the regular problems of a 5-8 capper, that leaves 3-4 strokes a game on the card- 

scores would be much better if I made 2-3 birdies, and got a few more up and downs to save par- 

I think that only educated practice can make these gains, and random bang bang bang, won’t be as effective as knowing what your trying to do-

for example, I would love to learn how to make those skip, skip, stop at the pin shots- I mean how do those guys do that all the time?

This is so true. Over the last years of playing very speratically and now getting back into it the biggest difference I see that has me shoot around 80 compared to when I used to be scratch is my short game. I am a little less consistent in the swing but after so many years of swings I am able to go out and hit the ball pretty well other then I can't work the ball like I used to. But when I was scratch I would get up and down most the time and now I don't nearly as much. The distance to the hole is not all that much more but the make percentage of putts falls so much more then you would think from being 2 to 4 feet or 5 to 7 feet. 

[ejgaudette]

18 hours ago, EasyPutter said:

When I am walking alone and nobody is in front of me I have completed in 90 minutes so about 10 minutes a hole on average between the Par 3s and Par 5s.  A little slower in rain when I usually have the course to myself because of the umbrella on the push cart holder making sure it doesn't suffer from shock loading.

 

18 hours ago, Vegan_Golfer_PNW said:

I am a long strider. Lol. Walking helps and not having to look for balls helps

Course layout matters a ton my local course has minimal walks from green to tee especially on the front and I can get around that nine walking in 1:10

[IndyBonzo]

My round yesterday was abjectly horrible.  But there are good signs.  It's early season so not time to freak out.  Back to the range to sort out the new irons and groove in a consistent, easy swing with driver!

[ejgaudette]

Got out for the first round of the year and it was awesome. Front nine was great played in 2 over 37 with a chip in birdie on the par 3 sixth that looked close I started walking toward it and halfway there it fell in! Lost it a bit on the back going +5 for 41 with a double on one hole. Most of the day the driver was a nice slight fade right down the middle, and then I had my shot of the day here on this hole,

I drove the green! Its a shorter hole at 300 and plays a few feet down hill, but I don't care, knocked it to 33 feet and had a tap in birdie. 296 total, still 4 short of the long term goal but what a time for it. Also then hit it to 10 feet on another par 3. Greens were sandy and bumpy so tough on the putting but only one 3 putt coming from 72 feet or so away. Overall it was a wonderful day and starting with a 78 is never bad.

[chisag]

3 hours ago, Jim Shaw said:

i think the 2 skip and stop shot comes from how hard you grip the club and how you contact the ball, your PGA professional will be able to give you some good tips, thanks for bringing that up, I am going to start practicing that shot as well lol...

 

... This shot should be a staple in everyones repertoire. Grip pressure should be the same as your normal swing, ball back in stance, crisp descending contact * and 3/4 to 1/2 swing with speed through contact. By speed I don't mean increasing your speed, just not slowing down for a short shot because speed equals spin. Most know this of course but just in case you need a urethane covered ball to execute this shot. I have players I am paired up with ask me from time to time "how do you get the ball to skip and stop like that? Mine always rolls out." And they are using a Velocity, Distance + or Super Soft ball. 

* Lots still try and get the club head under the ball either consciously or unconsciously. If you struggle with this shot or tend to scoop, try and make contact with your focus on the front of the ball and not the back of the ball. 

[DiscipleofPenick]

13 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... This shot should be a staple in everyones repertoire. Grip pressure should be the same as your normal swing, ball back in stance, crisp descending contact * and 3/4 to 1/2 swing with speed through contact. By speed I don't mean increasing your speed, just not slowing down for a short shot because speed equals spin. Most know this of course but just in case you need a urethane covered ball to execute this shot. I have players I am paired up with ask me from time to time "how do you get the ball to skip and stop like that? Mine always rolls out." And they are using a Velocity, Distance + or Super Soft ball. 

* Lots still try and get the club head under the ball either consciously or unconsciously. If you struggle with this shot or tend to scoop, try and make contact with your focus on the front of the ball and not the back of the ball. 

Lol I am trying to get one of my buddies to switch over. Get rid of all the cheap crap in his bag and at least get some Kirkland's or Maxfli. He's a mid-90s player taking lessons now, so I'm just trying to get him to play a decent ball without breaking the bank.

[TR1PTIK]

14 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... This shot should be a staple in everyones repertoire. Grip pressure should be the same as your normal swing, ball back in stance, crisp descending contact * and 3/4 to 1/2 swing with speed through contact. By speed I don't mean increasing your speed, just not slowing down for a short shot because speed equals spin. Most know this of course but just in case you need a urethane covered ball to execute this shot. I have players I am paired up with ask me from time to time "how do you get the ball to skip and stop like that? Mine always rolls out." And they are using a Velocity, Distance + or Super Soft ball. 

* Lots still try and get the club head under the ball either consciously or unconsciously. If you struggle with this shot or tend to scoop, try and make contact with your focus on the front of the ball and not the back of the ball. 

Great post!

[Syks7]

16 hours ago, Jim Shaw said:

sometimes I have to consciously slow my swing down in tournaments, at least off the start, the adrenalin starts pumping too much I guess

Tempo is definitely an issue for me right now -- particularly in tournaments.  That said, I'm pretty sure its just one of the many symptoms of the mental and course management side of my game being in a poor spot.  In a regular round that doesn't matter, I'll hit a couple bad shots, brush it off, and find my way back eventually.  Tournament, I lose the same mentality and focus and just ramp the pressure up on myself until I fold.  I'm pretty sure the reason I always 'figure it out' on the 18th is that the pressure is gone.  I've already done the damage and I've hit a point of acceptance where I can think clearly again.  I'm my own worst enemy on the golf course.

[chisag]

25 minutes ago, DiscipleofPenick said:

Lol I am trying to get one of my buddies to switch over. Get rid of all the cheap crap in his bag and at least get some Kirkland's or Maxfli. He's a mid-90s player taking lessons now, so I'm just trying to get him to play a decent ball without breaking the bank.

 

... Good luck! I didn't even mention they guy that plays balls he finds. One hole it is a Chrome Soft X LS and the next it is a Softfli and they wonder why their short game is so inconsistent! 

[DiscipleofPenick]

1 hour ago, chisag said:

 

... Good luck! I didn't even mention they guy that plays balls he finds. One hole it is a Chrome Soft X LS and the next it is a Softfli and they wonder why their short game is so inconsistent! 

Right, and listen I get that you don't want to pay $50 and there's the fear of losing a bunch of balls on an off day or a tough course, but c'mon get the top rocks, supersoft, and even Nitros out of here. You don't need to play one ball exclusively, but narrow down the field to the better options for your level.

[JerryB]

Well, my reign of terror is over.  Owen wiped the floor with me today.  We played nine at Buena Vista today, another beautiful day.  We started out by piping our drives on the first tee and while Owen kept the momentum going, that was pretty much my highlight.  He got his first birdie of the season while I duffed my chip into the bunker and took two shots to get out on my way to a triple.  

While nearly all the bunkers at River Heights are off to the side of the greens, most of the bunkers at Buena Vista front the greens.  My recent bump and run play doesn't fly here.  My chips were mostly less than stellar.  

Owen, meanwhile, had a great striking day.  Putting for both of us was subpar; greens were very slow and we could never hit it hard enough.  I shot a (+13) 45 while Owen went (+6) 38.

[chisag]

15 minutes ago, DiscipleofPenick said:

Right, and listen I get that you don't want to pay $50 and there's the fear of losing a bunch of balls on an off day or a tough course, but c'mon get the top rocks, supersoft, and even Nitros out of here. You don't need to play one ball exclusively, but narrow down the field to the better options for your level.

 

... Amen. There are just too many good urethane options. Maxfli Tour and Tour S at 4 dozen for $119.99. Practice balls are always a great option and previous year model balls but still new and of course Kirklands. 

[Dweed]

Great time today. 80*, gentle breeze, very low humidity, almost too fire danger low.  Walked 9 holes between two different gold teams practicing, so it was a bit slow, but so nice out. I was actually striking the ball decent. Hit 7 greens in reg, 5 of 7 fairways, down side was I had 2, 3 putts. But you know, I saw some positive stuff today and saw some stuff I need to work on as well. That's what keeps me coming out round after round. The good, the bad and sometimes the ugly.

[Subdiver1]

Played March 26th up here in WA.  49 deg F and a steady 12 MPH wind.  My normal bag was not available so I geared up with a set of 1980 Titleist Tour Model irons, a 975D 9 deg Driver and a Callaway BJ-1 putter from storage; I did game new Maxfli-Tour golf balls.  It was a fun, but interesting day, to say the least.

I shot 82 with 2 penalty strokes, 2 birdies, 2 3-putts.  Trying to keep up with a couple of young guys playing newer equipment and trying to stay warm enough to keep a fluid swing added to the challenge.  Honestly, I don't know that I could have posted a better score with updated equipment.  The distance advantage of stronger lofts, a little more forgiveness, and a 3-wood and a hybrid would have changed some shots, but the player still has to execute.  I can't blame equipment for failure to execute.  I dropped three 8-irons inside of 10ft.  I hit a nice little 5-iron fade into the wind on #12 and left the 20 foot birdie putt on the lip of the cup.  I dropped one 7-iron inside 3 feet, that backed up to about 15 feet.  And I hit 3-iron out of a fairway bunker on #18 from 180 out, into the wind leaving the ball a foot short of the green, and lipped out the birdie putt.  Aside from the good stuff I easily had 6 strokes that can only be explained as "plain stupid."  Anybody who has been playing for 5 minutes knows to keep your head down, don't peek, and commit - well...

The big take-away for me was that it doesn't matter what equipment I play, I still have to execute to play well.  But then that is probably not exactly prophetic to anyone who plays the game.  Enjoy folks.

[richk9holes]

Played 9 holes, very up and down. I'll chalk it up to "practice round" and testing different iron sets together. I wasn't there to score well. Hit a lot of extra shots and didn't have focus throughout. Par on #1, triple #2..that sorta day. Managed a birdie and 2 other pars in there finished double bogey on both 8-9. 

Hit some very good approach shots with 9i and PW. Iron game felt strong all day. Putting and off the tee cost 7 strokes on 3 holes, played the other 6 at +5.

[cksurfdude]

Played 9 this afternoon with my honey .. on a really nice, sunny, warm day... Didn't score well but generally hit the ball pretty well, so happy with that!

Putting was a little off on still bumpy, healing from aeration greens .. couldn't quite get the speed right plus had trouble with the line a few times... Wedges were pretty good when I needed them.

Tee shots, as usual, were a bit of a mixed bag but did make solid contact a few times and at least moved the ball in the right direction every time (ie. no big ugly slice today ).

Highlight hole today... a pretty straight Par 5 where the tee shot must clear the crest of a hill and the second shot .. if you can .. should clear the crest of a second, higher hill so you can see the green on your approach.

Well... didn't hit a great tee shot .. low but straight .. hit the crest of the first hill and took a good bounce straight forward. Lying pretty in the middle leaving a looong second to get to the crest of the second hill .. and into a bit of a head on breeze .. loaded up the Cleveland Hy-Wood and drilled it! High, straight and ... right where I was looking! Got a little hung up on the breeze but landed and settled on the crest of the hill...

Ok... about 138 left to the pin at the back of the green .. feeling good so pull the 8i (not the 7i) .. line up, set up, breathe out .. nailed it!! Pin high, maybe 10 feet left (towards the middle of the green). Sorry to brag but I was really, really happy with that shot - like if I could hit just one approach shot that nicely every round I'd be a happy golfer!

And... struck the putt well .. on line, good speed .. but under-read the break a bit (as most putts so far did not seem to be breaking "as expected") so just missed on the low side for a tap in par...

...something that eluded me on that hole all last season!!

[mikeanthony]

How did I play? I played like complete and utter crap! 13 strokes worse than the last time out, to be exact.

Have been doing golf specific kettlebell workouts over the past 2-3 months and it’s extremely rewarding the distance gains I’m seeing with my driver off the tee … and it’s the lone positive takeaway from today’s round. 

But playing my childhood course in Miami on spring break with these two made it all worthwhile.

[EasyPutter]

Played 9 first time this year with regular partner Marc and we both played like we took the winter off.  No pars for me again this time thinking Marc is part of the problem hehe.  Actually had a walkup addon the Starter requested to have play with us who turned out to be my son's grades 4-8 track coach so not just a good person to play the round with but also had 2 hours to catch up on what has been going on for the past 8 years.  Took 3 more strokes to get from first tee to last cup and lost a ball crossing Cazenovia Creek on the 9th so put me down for losing one ball in the last 2 rounds posted to the MGS Forum weekly VTC.

Swing did not feel as smooth and natural as Wednesday and 79F at tee time was probably contributing as that condition has not been in these here parts since September 2022.  Might get a round in tomorrow or might rest until Monday for the next tee time at 3:40.

[Placasse61]

Played Maplegate CC on Thursday. I call it my home course because I play about half of my rounds there. The layout is great with many picturesque holes, and really in good shape. Rumor is its the last season before it becomes a "SOLAR FARM!!!!!" 

Played much more consistent round with the Irons. Worked on my 54 degree chipping around the greens (instead of bump and run with the 7) and showed improvement. 30 putts with (2 -3 putts both stayed on the edge) some really good up and downs. Probably should have kept my driver in the bag but worked out the slice over the last 3 drives.

92/ 46-46 Front 2 pars 1 triple and a double, Back 1 double 8 boggies. Net 70. 

Overall feeling good about my game getting better. Looking to get down to maybe an 18 this year!!!!

 

 

[Sluggo42]

20 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... Amen. There are just too many good urethane options. Maxfli Tour and Tour S at 4 dozen for $119.99. Practice balls are always a great option and previous year model balls but still new and of course Kirklands. 

A few of the videos State the ball is a necessity for the shot.

i watched a ton of videos last night and there are quite a few variances in how people explain the shot-

many similarities as well such as

1) pro ball

2) high loft wedge

3) super clean grooves, newer wedge

4)slightly open stance, and lay the wedge open 

5) keep swing speed going- 

then, it seemed to have some differences as well- such as wrist hinging or not, descent angles, turning hands over or holding, follow through, etc….

im definitely going to chipping practice area, with a few sleeves of new maxfli tour balls, clean wedges, and going to experiment and practice 

[chisag]

14 minutes ago, Sluggo42 said:

i watched a ton of videos last night and there are quite a few variances in how people explain the shot-

im definitely going to chipping practice area, with a few sleeves of new maxfli tour balls, clean wedges, and going to experiment and practice  ()

 

... So true with most things golf ain't it? The ball has no idea if you hinge your wrists (Michelson) with your chips/pitches or use very little hinge (Stricker) and both have outstanding wedge games. Many Ams find consistent results using a putter grip and putting stroke when chipping close to the green, especially those that don't get to play or practice much. There are techniques that can be more consistent with less margin for error but I think personal preference is the biggest factor. Which feels best and/or makes the most sense to you. Instruction can get very confusing, especially from those that think their way is the only way. So you can only find that out through practice, and trial and error. Not that you will need it but Good Luck Sluggo! 

[Sluggo42]

1 hour ago, chisag said:

 

you can only find that out through practice, and trial and error. Not that you will need it but Good Luck Sluggo! 

Well, thank you, but I will take all the luck I can get!

”trial and error”, and “practice”

I get a little practice, but obviously not enough-

trial and error though, I get a ton. Being a guy that plays 3-5 rounds a week, I often break out a “new” swing or putting stroke, or whatever it is, during play, that I normally don’t do- and often it leads to mixed results on the course- my playing buddies always wonder why I try new “stuff” whilst playing, and I tell then that I need to find out if it works! Practice is one thing, but eventually you have to bring it into play. That’s probably why I have so many wild swings with my scorecards. After all, it’s only rock and roll…

[edingc]

First nine of the year this morning. Didn't have super high expectations, but I did have a great range session yesterday so thought I might start the year strong.

Really solid par to start the round, going hybrid, 58 wedge to 12 feet for an easy two putt. Tee shots after that were an adventure, lots of low draws/hooks that got me in trouble on 11, 12, 13 and 18. Even threw in two stone cold tops trying to recover. Got caught between a couple of swing thoughts and just couldn't get it going.

All that being said, I hit my irons extremely well, my short game was fantastic and my putting was pretty good until it wasn't on 18. Despite walking a lot this offseason, I really was feeling it by 17, and I finished with a double and triple as I ran out of gas.

44/43 adjusted.

My "peak" season starts in about two weeks, feeling good about my irons and short game. Confident I'll get the long game figured out.