How'd you play?

[cksurfdude]

One of those up and down rounds, tho a little more on the downside today...

Was hitting the ball well .. most of the time .. but still some things to work on off the tee and in the short game... 

Five tee shots were really good but the other four cost me a stroke each. Plus had a sloppy 2xchip (yuck) on the first hole; two 3xputts (ouch) and then a water hazard penalty on the last with a stoopit chunk on a short approach (nailed the second attempt).

But hey was able to get out after this morning it looked like I'd be rained out.

Another lesson tomorrow!!

 

[fixyurdivot]

We ended -2 gross, -6.6 net in our member-member event for today.  Front 9 was 2 Man Scramble and the back Pinehurst. My partner and I had never met and both just threw our names in as singles.  We "ham & egged it" well, holding up each others poor shots.  Our only miscue (DB) was on #18 par 5.  He hit our 3rd shot into the water and I left the 40 yard pitch short and him having to putt across an uphill side slope.  I made the 4 foot comeback to minimize the damage (we did get a stroke on that hole).  All in all a very well played round and he's a cool guy... perhaps a new team partner .  But the highlight was this gem on #17. 

[Sluggo42]

The good play continues, and something odd about it all, is that it seems the better I score, the easier it seems to be- and putts are dropping in as well, the cup just seems bigger- 

cruising along today, at +2 going into 18, and I’m thinking good birdy hole. So I take my driver swing and sure as heck I top it right into the drink, and end up with a double… gahhhhh of course the second driver swing is crushed down broadway..

[fixyurdivot]

45 minutes ago, Sluggo42 said:

The good play continues, and something odd about it all, is that it seems the better I score, the easier it seems to be- and putts are dropping in as well, the cup just seems bigger- 

cruising along today, at +2 going into 18, and I’m thinking good birdy hole. So I take my driver swing and sure as heck I top it right into the drink, and end up with a double… gahhhhh of course the second driver swing is crushed down broadway..

We share a similar curse.  I think the golf God's call it "takehimdownapeg syndrome". 

[cksurfdude]

1 hour ago, Sluggo42 said:

gahhhhh of course the second driver swing is crushed down broadway..

..hey c'mon fugeddabouddit!!

Guy told me once, shortly after I'd started playing... "Golf is easy .. just hit your second shot the first time!!”

[Sluggo42]

44 minutes ago, fixyurdivot said:

We share a similar curse.  I think the golf God's call it "takehimdownapeg syndrome". 

I swear, this is a real thing! I hadn’t missed a drive all day, I wasn’t even talking smack or trying to mega crush it or anything- just trying to lob another decent drive, but..

nooooooooooooooo… you’re gunna top this ball dead into the marsh no matter what- double bogie for you! 

[Jim Shaw]

Good evening spy's,

I would say I had a pretty good day on the course today, really working hard on hitting the ball straight on my line, if you know what I mean,

I think there isnt a lot of “bail out” areas at big sky, where the nationals are,  so want to start my ball on the intended line and hold it.

I did it 60% of the time on the course then went to the range, worked on my PW, 9-8-7 irons, to make sure they are going straight, then my driver, so a good work out, didnt work much on my putting as the greens were sanded, but they will be better tomorrow, as I think we are getting a bit of rain tonight and the sand will wash in. 

anyway have a great evening, looking forward to tomorrow..

 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

Had a fun round today.I met up with @BallsLeon in the Kansas City area. My local manufacturers rep played with us as well. We played Iron Horse which had a challenging layout. A lot of holes had forced layup areas with streams and native areas crossing the fairways. Fairways were plush but it looked like the greens were airated about a week or so ago as they were not fully healed. But they still putted pretty well. 
The weather was perfect, the golf was fun, but the cart girl was nowhere to be found. I did spend a little to much time at the beach today. I must have been in 5 greenside traps. Any day on the golf course is a good day!

[BallsLeon]

9 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Had a fun round today.I met up with @BallsLeon in the Kansas City area. My local manufacturers rep played with us as well. We played Iron Horse which had a challenging layout. A lot of holes had forced layup areas with steams and native areas crossing the fairways. Fairways were plush but it looked like the greens were airated about a week or so ago as they were not fully healed. But they still putted pretty well. 
The weather was perfect, the golf was fun, but the cart girl was nowhere to be found. I did spend a little to much time at the beach today. I must have been in 5 greenside traps. Any day on the golf course is a good day!

Was a lot of fun thanks again for reaching out! 
The weather was perfect, and the course wasn’t too busy. It was also my first time playing this course as well, and agreed with Tom it was pretty tough! Was pretty happy with how I was hitting the ball off the tee today, wasn’t hitting my usual slice. And managed to get a few pars today. 

[KC Golf]

After going 1 over after 5, thought I was in for a decent round, but my driving eluded me on most of the rest of the holes and ended up +10 including 3 doubles due to lost or unplayable drives.  Just not enough hip and shoulder turn so just not  swinging the driver with enough proper rotation. Sigh…

A wasted round since I was putting well, so could have had a nice round.

Will be playing today, but it will be wet, so the course will play really long.  Hope the driving is better today.

[Blaine Dye]

Went out and shot 18 and my slice decided to stop by and say HI so I got frustrated and shot +10 on the front calmed down and realized in my frustration I wasn't doing my routine and i think that is what made my slice come back I battled back to end my round +6 so what I'm going to be working on just letting the last shot go and focusing on the shot that's coming up  

[twyatt700]

Played 9 yesterday after work. Hit it really well, just had one water hazard and a few misses long that cost me a few strokes. Shot a 40 with two doubles. Should have been a closer to a 36-37 with the way I was hitting it, but was pleased with the ball striking.

[jj1010]

Golf is such a funny a game. I was playing probably the worst round of the year and was ready to quit after 9 but low and behold the golf gods had other ideas after hitting a very short but straight drive down the middle for the first FIR of the day that left me with 250 in to the green. I hit my 3 wood really well but ended up just off the green. I thought ok I have a change to possible birdie at worst par, since my chipping has been awful the last couple of rounds. Yet somehow someway I hit the perfect chip took two bounces and rolled right into the cup for my first eagle of the year! It just goes to show you that even though I was playing so terrible just one shot can keep you coming back for more! 

[Big moose]

Shot 43, 10th hole I hooked my tee shot ob and got a 7. I was 4 over for the next 8 holes with a birdie on 18. Always one hole that screws me up. Play well everyone. I will try again in the morning. 

[JerryB]

Owen and I played the back nine at River Heights the other day and were planning on playing the front but things just kept coming up all week so it looks like we won't get that chance.  But I'd wanted to play the whole 18 before posting here because we decided to play from the tips for the first time.  It was an interesting experience.  River Heights isn't a particularly challenging course and moving to the back tees on the back nine wasn't really a big deal.  I want to hold off on any grand statements until I get the chance to try the front nine, which has a few holes that may require a change in strategy.  

But as for this round...I didn't play bad but my putting was atrocious.  Missed seven putts inside five feet and had two more slightly longer putts that I left very short.  Throw in a water ball on a bladed chip and I turned a pretty good showing into a (+16) 52.  Owen played better than I did, and also adjusted to the longer tees well.  Not sure if I want to continue the tips experiment elsewhere, but I think I'll keep doing it at River for the rest of the season at least.

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

86 45/41 5 doubles (ouch) 4 bogeys and 9 pars. Did not have any real birdie looks, would have been some real long putts. 

Have not played in a few weeks and was swaying in my back swing which is never good.  Or texted the ship on the back 9 and played much better. Did not have a really pure strike until hole 13 but finished the rest of the holes with good ones. 

Wedge play was ok just didn’t have great distance control and putting was woof with (4) 3 putts.

BUT in golf this what felt like a poor round today would have felt like a great round just a few short years ago which is really cool.

Unfortunately this course is closing in a few years from what I have heard around town….damn shame because it’s in great shape and very close to home. Going to be a solar farm from the gossip I hear. Will be playing as much as I can here as long as they keep it in shape

 

[Alf. S]

Walked my 1st 18 since being discharged from hospital 4 weeks ago, suffering from BPPV (vertigo) but managed to complete. 15 over of h/c 9, hitting the ball well but not necessarily in the right direction and short game really rusty. Just happy I completed, was completely knackered last night.

[NubianRugby]

Played the back 9 at Langston after work yesterday. Blasted my drive off the 10th tee and quickly fell apart but I still had a par putt that I missed and then missed the comeback for a double. Argle Bargle!!! Next 4 holes I played like hammered $hit with a combo of mishits that included a laser 4 iron from 220 that went left, hit the left side of the fringe, and bounced straight into the woods. Somehow on the last 4 holes, even though I was hitting a combo of weak drives and offline 2nd shots, I was putting for par on every hole. Of course I made ZERO of those putts (I was 0-5 on par putts for the day), but I was still pleased because I was recovering from bad shots and at least giving myself a chance to score well.

[Parshooter36]

We shot a 2 under 33 on our 9 hole couples league last night to win our match by a stroke.  I've been missing a lot of greens lately, but I was much more on target last night. We 5 points behind 1st place with 3 weeks to go, so it will be very close this year.

[Javs]

Found this article interesting:

https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/12-handicap-vs-scratch-how-do-the-stats-compare?utm_term=CFEB69DA-8695-406A-822D-71925C4B6E39&utm_campaign=075440B8-601C-4440-A9B1-8A7444061AA8&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1A62E5B0-41A8-4298-B0E6-3B95D6D3B3BF&utm_source=SmartBrief

[Jacob10]

Got 9 in after work yesterday, coming off my best ball striking round ever, and I couldn't hit a green to save my life. Two bad tee shots resulting in double bogeys resulted in a 40 with the rest being pars. On the bright side, I only had 13 putts.

[chisag]

37 minutes ago, Javs said:

Found this article interesting:

https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/12-handicap-vs-scratch-how-do-the-stats-compare?utm_term=CFEB69DA-8695-406A-822D-71925C4B6E39&utm_campaign=075440B8-601C-4440-A9B1-8A7444061AA8&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1A62E5B0-41A8-4298-B0E6-3B95D6D3B3BF&utm_source=SmartBrief

 

... Great article. The only thing I would expand is breaking down the "short game" into separate green side stats. Yes, 25-50yds is certainly the short game but where I see a more obvious difference is around the green. Chipping and pitching from no more than 10 feet off the green a scratch player will get up and down much more often than a 12. I expect to get up and down every time. Of course I don't but that is my expectation. Knowing when to play a specific shot like a bump and run with a pw or instead carrying a difficult slope and stopping the ball quickly with a Lw and having the skill to execute those shots separates a scratch player from a 12. Certain situations like being short sided with a green that slopes away can make that impossible but I also think a scratch player doesn't miss short side as much because they play away from that flag. That said, everyone hits poor shots so it happens, just not as much as a 12.  
 

[cnosil]

16 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

Chipping and pitching from no more than 10 feet off the green a scratch player will get up and down much more often than a 12.

I know this is a part of the game that kills me.  I don’t get up and down enough and where most of my bogeys come from.   It isn’t necessarily due to a short sided shot; it’s just poor execution. 

[chisag]

4 minutes ago, cnosil said:

I know this is a part of the game that kills me.  I don’t get up and down enough and where most of my bogeys come from.   It isn’t necessarily due to a short sided shot; it’s just poor execution. 

 

... Yea, it's a part of the game I think is similar to putting where you have to love it and have complete confidence in your execution. It has always been a strong part of my game ever since first starting out and blading/chunking a few easy shots I attacked the short game with a vengeance. I have told this many times but my old pard and I would have a short game challenge at the end of every round. Finish our 18 and then play #10 and #11 again as #11 was right next to the parking lot and had a green surrounded by everything you could want with 2 bunkers, deep grass, bushes and trees. We would take turns dropping balls in very difficult spots and have a mini match play til it was too dark. Sometimes just a straight ahead chip to keep it interesting and hole one. It forced us to use our imagination, sometimes playing away from the hole and the competition forced us to give proper weight to every single shot. Just great practice disguised as competition that really improved both our short games. 

... I would add I was reminded what a lack of confidence can do to your short game when I moved to Phoenix and the green side conditions were about as opposite of midwest conditions as you can get. I played a high bounce wedge in the soft, lush conditions and found bent grass very predictable. Hitting the ball a little fat on purpose or missing a little and catching it a hair fat was a good way to play a Lw in those lush conditions.

...The hard ground in the desert and very tight lies along with grain both into the ball on a chip or on the greens, releasing down grain and really grabbing into the grain meant I had to learn a completely new short game. I pretty much used my Lw for every shot around the green and almost never employed a bump and run shot. Now my short game is the opposite and I only fly the ball to the hole when I need to. Moving to a low bounce Lw made a pretty big difference as well.

... But standing over a simple chip/pitch those first 6 months and catching it a hair fat would sometime literally stop the club into the grain as it grabbed the leading edge and it didn't even get out of the ground was beyond frustrating. So I had to train myself to be thin if I missed a little and that caused an occasional semi bladed shot from time to time, a miss I never had in the Midwest. But having a chip and not sure I could pull it off every time was a new experience for me and I gotta say it was no fun at all. Lots and lots and lots of practice for well over a year til I regained my confidence with a revamped short game took more time and practice than I imagined. I think most just don't put in the time they need to make a short game weakness into a short game strength. I see great practice facilities at ranges with hardly anyone using it while 25+ golfers are happily/unhappily banging away with their drivers. 

[Javs]

1 hour ago, chisag said:

 

... Great article. The only thing I would expand is breaking down the "short game" into separate green side stats. Yes, 25-50yds is certainly the short game but where I see a more obvious difference is around the green. Chipping and pitching from no more than 10 feet off the green a scratch player will get up and down much more often than a 12. I expect to get up and down every time. Of course I don't but that is my expectation. Knowing when to play a specific shot like a bump and run with a pw or instead carrying a difficult slope and stopping the ball quickly with a Lw and having the skill to execute those shots separates a scratch player from a 12. Certain situations like being short sided with a green that slopes away can make that impossible but I also think a scratch player doesn't miss short side as much because they play away from that flag. That said, everyone hits poor shots so it happens, just not as much as a 12.  
 

Fully agree

[JerryB]

Owen and I played Buena Vista today.  Busy today, and a little backed up.  Been like that all week here in town, not entirely sure why, but I digress.  Another ugly-ish day.  Its a par 32 course, with one par five and three more par fours.  Driver was not good, going water, top, top, hit tree.  7 wood was uncharacteristically poor, too.  Had one tee shot die well short of the green and another that I yanked OB.  Putting was...you guessed it!  Bad!  Five 3 putts and four 2 putts.  Finally got around to having Owen swap out putting grips for me, so here's my last chance to blame something other than myself, lol.

Hit a couple of good 3 wood and hybrid recovery shots, and my irons have come around again.  Even had a really good bunker shot.  Owen played a pretty solid +9 while I went +15.  

[Kenny B]

On 8/30/2023 at 4:06 PM, cksurfdude said:

..hey c'mon fugeddabouddit!!

Guy told me once, shortly after I'd started playing... "Golf is easy .. just hit your second shot the first time!!”

We called it the "Dumbass Club"... we had a trophy and everything!!  Hit a bad shot... drop another one... perfect!  "Hey! Why didn't you do that the first time dumbass?"   Everyone re-upped into the club seemingly every round.  Those were the good ol' days!!  Laughed more than kept score.

[ParFore74x]

Felt like I played fairly well this afternoon with a 44/43, 87 with 31 putts. Three doubles really hurt but a bird and four pars helped offset them a little bit. Can’t really say that any one aspect of my game was “off” today, just inconsistent with a few bad holes in there. 

[Vegan_Golfer_PNW]

Took the rogue out again. Better but clearly shorter than Ventus. 

 Same setup as TrackMan run. Compared to where I was on course with the Ventus I was ~10-15 yards shorter. Was hitting some nice draws but were short. Then on 18 really went after a couple (hit a few balls). Slice, hook. Swapped in Ventus lofted up +2 Straight, hook, baby draw. Then hit one more with Rogue lofted up 1. Straight but short of Ventus. Then on the range I checked face strike. Ventus was so much better. 
Rogue White

 

ventus black

[fixyurdivot]

-6/-1 for our 4 man team scramble today at Desert Springs.  We had 4 foursomes out competing against each other in a 9/9 format.  The wildcard was the "roll of the dice".  Each player was assigned a number at the start and that was the tee shot used if rolled.  A 5 or 6 allowed the team to pick.  Overall the dice was good to us, avoiding one of our players 2 OB's and 1 dunk.  But, on both par 3's on the back I was 7 ft and 2 ft, but couldn't use either .  We won the front and lost the back, ending up getting our $10 back.

We had a couple of storms roll through the region, dropping some moisture, and cooling temps down.  I used to think 85F was HOT... my regulator has been re-tuned .