How'd you play?

[Byrnzee]

Played 18 today at Naperbrook Golf Course just south of Naperville, IL (about 45 minutes outside Chicago). It was a beautiful day and the course was in great condition. This was my first time playing this course and I was very impressed for the value you're getting for the price. I believe it was $65 for 18 with a cart, which is pretty rare near Chicago for any decent track.

I was striking the ball well today, but I started off the round playing very conservative. I knew that this course was pretty scoreable - fairways are pretty open, not a ton of trouble. So I went in with the expectation to shoot low, which meant trying to manage the course and play smart. First hole I smoked a drive down the fairway, but then hit a wedge to about 50 feet on the front of the green for a back pin. Green speeds on the course were completely different from the putting green near the clubhouse so I ended up with a 3-putt bogey.

I wish I could say I learned my lesson then and there, but I ended up having FIVE 3-putts in the first seven holes. I was hitting every green in regulation and three putting for bogey. It was driving me insane. I  know I shouldn't complain about bogey golf, but I definitely left a ton of shots out there on the front nine. I wish I could blame the large greens with a lot of elevation changes, but it was really just poor putting speed and way-too-safe approach shots.

Luckily I finally woke up and stopped 3-putting after the 7th hole. Ended the front 9 with a 43, which was decent given the mistakes I had made. The back nine definitely went better and I finished with a birdie on the short Par-5 18th to shoot 82 (43-39). 39 was my lowest score on any 9 this year, which I was happy with. This was also one of the only rounds I've had with no double bogeys, which has been a big goal of mine.

All in all, I'm happy with how I played. I definitely could've gotten into the 70s today, but I think I got in my own head from the beginning and set those expectations too high. All good, we live and learn.

Until next round!

 

 

[Willie T]

Played Harbour Pointe with my niece’s husband (they were visiting from Va for Labor Day).  Was an okay day, best part of the round was wedge play (I’m part of the Indi wedge test group).  As I tend to be nGIR (near Green in Regulation) more times than not, wedges are integral to my play.  So it was day of work of working the wedges.  Wound up with a 92 (several penalty strokes in the water) and too many lipped out putts.  Still a great day to play. 

[fixyurdivot]

39/41 today at Granite Falls South.  Pretty much a ho-hum round with two DB's. Putted well but had several "flyer" approaches out of the Bremuda that covered 10+ yards further than my stock yardage.  I had a few of these last Wednesday in the member-member event.  Now has me thinking about grabbing a weaker loft on these lies, but it's hard to convince myself that's the right choice.  I did manage to take 1st place in the individual qouta but we lost the team event by one stroke. 

[Shlax]

Painful round yesterday mainly due to penalties (5 only on the back-nine, including 2 on the 18th hole, and 6 in total)…

Score: 41 (+6) & 45 (+10) for 86 (+16)

FIR: 4/6 & 2/6 for 6/12

GIR: 4/9 & 2/9 for 6/18

Putts: 16 (1x 3-putt) & 18 (no 3-putt) for 34 (1x 3-putt)

Penalty: 1 & 5 for 6

[Shlax]

Played another difficult round saturday where execution was simply not there. I often found myself in difficult situations and rarely succeeded in getting out of there unscathed…

My driver clearly stayed in bed… If it wasn’t for my 2-iron, I would still be trying to reach the fairway right by now.

Score: 45 (+9) & 45 (+9) for 90 (+18)

FIR: 2/7 & 0/7 for 2/14

GIR: 3/9 & 2/9 for 5/18

Putts: 19 (1x 3-putt) & 15 (no 3-putt) for 34 (1x 3-putt)

Penalty: 1 & 1 for 2

Edited September 5, 2023 by Shlax

[Shlax]

Played a round at a wonderful course today! Views were amazing, greens were fast and firm and my driver was in a good mood which was good news when playing a 6600 yds course continuously battered by the wind!

Made a few mistakes that turned out quite costly, but I’m very happy with my performance on a difficult course.

Score: 43 (+7) & 43 (+7) for 86 (+14)

FIR: 2/7 & 5/7 for 7/14

GIR: 4/9 & 4/9 for 8/18

Putts: 16 (2x 3-putts) & 18 (1x 3-putt) for 34 (3x 3-putts)

Penalty: 2 & 2 for 4

Edited September 5, 2023 by Shlax
Photos

[skraeling]

Tagged a 44 today pretty good considering I had issues off the box early.  I apparently hit driver better when I tee it low.  Whatever… I can work with that.

Started being smart on my regular courses 10th hole.  Being too long here really punishes you. So I have started taking 3w which at my best ever hit tops out at 245 (miracle shot for me, but it can). Usually 220 is a safe bet.  So first swing of the day?  Easy I won’t overcook this one.  It’s 265 to the creek and it’s been very dry.

 

grass was VERY wet so didnt quite catch my AW the best and pulled a tad left into a depression in front.

Tee trouble started with the big stick.  Snap hooked the first shot into the water.  Retee I SKIED and barely cleared.

finally pull my head out of my ass and saw where I skied that ball on the face (BOOM headshot)  domed that s*** almost off just the crown.  Oops.

Things however got better.

we won’t talk about the bladed wedge….

You know that feeling when you roast two clubs in a row?  Yeah… 

Again we won’t speak of my doofing my wedge into the bunker.

 

played this entire round with a VERY different ball than my go to the Tour B RXS.  Gave the callaway chrome soft x LS a go.  Why not eh?

its 30pts harder compression roughly and supposedly for “better players”.  Bullshit.  This thing is .

Old and busted v new hotness?  Saw the ball test and had some cash to burn.  Why not.

Iron spin was comparable to the RXS.  Had ZERO trouble holding a green.

8i shot.  Plenty of spin and distance. Here folks.

fwiw I’m a 16-17hcp depending on the week.

off the driver face the ball feels very firm.  Iron to wedge shots don’t feel as firm as the long sticks.  Distance control on putts was hit or miss for me, but that’s just me having putting as the weakest part of my game.  Ball screams off the face.

@GolfSpy_APH Almost think I should clean up some stuff and xpost this to reviews.

Edited September 5, 2023 by skraeling

[cksurfdude]

13 hours ago, skraeling said:

Old and busted v new hotness?

MIB - fun movie!

..and fun story of your round!! Now get to work on those wedges.....

[skraeling]

3 minutes ago, cksurfdude said:

MIB - fun movie!

..and fun story of your round!! Now get to work on those wedges.....

yeah, they were really really good at one point.  lost the touch with it on really close in shots at the moment.

[David George]

Interesting last few rounds. 76 (+3) a week ago Sunday to get a reduction to 2.9 with three shots going on 16 and 17, 34 points on Saturday to go up to 3.0 with four shots going 15 to 17 and 75 today with three shots going on 16 and 18. One big laugh however. Hit a great drive at 15 leaving 132 downhill to a back flag into a breeze. Wanted to hit wedge but could only see it ballooning into the wind so tried to hit a knock down 9 iron. Hit a 120 yard putt! Ball never got off the ground and, having missed virtually everything I had looked at up to then, knocked the putt in for birdie .

I'm in a groove at the moment , really flushing driver and giving myself lots of looks. Unfortunately, the short game is what's the word I'm looking for, oh yes, CRAP!

Got to feel there's a really good score trying to get out. Will I let it?

[JerryB]

Played some golf this weekend but was otherwise too busy to be able to post.  Hopefully this won't go too long.

On Sunday Owen and I were joined by our friend Evan and Mark to play The Ledges Golf Club up in Roscoe, right near the Wisconsin border.  One of three courses maintained by the Winnebago County Forest Preserve, and Mark's home course when he was a young lad.  Really nice course and a fantastic value.  We're definitely going to try to get back up to play the other two courses as soon as we can, and I want to return to this one as I need to do better.  Lots of little rolling hills and some really great views. 

Long round; we were all bunched up on the front nine and waited on every shot.  It was hot on Saturday and most of the groups peeled off at the turn, but we somehow continued playing at the same super slow pace although nobody was in front of us anymore.  By the end we were all beat and ready for it to end.  Because of all the waiting, I did some ball searching and wound up going home with more than a dozen more balls than when I started! 

Tee game was dicey again; balls are tailing or flat out going right.  Finally put the new bigger grip on my putter so that took some getting used to.  I shot 49/47 for a +24 96, actually beating Mark by a few strokes who was uncharacteristically way off his game.  Owen played roughly to his usual standard and Evan struggled but also said he would go back in an instant.

 

On Monday Owen and I went out to Silver Ridge Golf Club out in Oregon, IL.  Another instance where we were waiting on every shot.  If we hadn't travelled almost an hour to get there, we might have bailed after nine.  Just another hot day and sitting in the sun waiting for your turn is just energy-sapping.  Another instance where everything was iffy but nothing really clicked for any extended time.  Six doubles and three triples.  Had two good looks at birdie but settled for tap in pars.  Went 50/51 for a +29 101.

 

Earlier today Owen and I finally got our chance to play the front nine at River Heights from the tips.  As I'd mentioned when we played the back nine last week, the added distance generally isn't a huge factor at this course, but it does make things interesting on a few holes.  Today was windy and seemed to be in our faces for most of the holes, no matter which way we were facing. 

It was an issue on hole five where a little river cuts across the fairway.  From the tips it requires about 235 or so to clear it but with the wind in our face we elected to lay up.  On my second shot I topped my 3 wood and hit a stinger that had some crazy front spin.  I couldn't tell if it cleared the river or not but we couldn't find the ball.  I dropped on the other side and moved on.  After finishing the hole with a double bogey, we came across my original ball, some 240 yards from the original spot and way ahead of where I thought it might have been.  

I shot a +11 47 and Owen went +9 45.  I scored about what I usually do here while Owen was within a couple of his normal scores.  It was an interesting experience.  Its good to know that distance isn't necessarily a concern.  My issues stem mostly from shot dispersion with all clubs and putting.  

On a sadder note, Owen took a new position at the company we work at which will change his hours from afternoons to days; meaning today was the last of our usual morning nine hole rounds before work.  We're moving things around to play a couple more rounds this week, but starting next Monday I'll be on solo rounds going forward.  Which means Monday I'll get an ace that nobody will believe, lol.

[Big moose]

Played this morning, haven't played since last Friday and it showed. Shot 47 my putting was inconsistent to say the least. I only hit 2 really bad shots and I can usually make up for it with my putting but not today. Oh well try again tomorrow. 

[GaryF]

Played 9 late this afternoon and shot 42 (par 37).  Got off to a bad start by pushing my drive, had to hit out of thick Bermuda rough with 6i.  Made really good contact but left me short by 10 yards.  Second hole, I sliced my drive, hit something and came back into the fairway but not a great lie.  Second shot just missed the green to the right, hit on a down slope into water.    Took my penalty and hit again and recorded a double bogey.

My driver is typically my strength and realized I’m not coming inside enough on my initial takeaway.  The rest of my drives were perfect center cut. Parred 4, 5, 7 and birdied 9.  Along the way, had 6 really good to great wedge shots from a variety of lies and distances.  ESpecially the birdie on 9 I felt like I overcame adversity.  My goal is 5 pars per 9 holes, and a birdie counts as 2.  On the 7th hole, my birdie putt  sat on the edge of the hole.  

Been dealing with a lower back flare up the past week and while there was some discomfort today, it was better than it has been.  Just a chronic condition I have to manage.  Took some strong anti inflammatory (meloxicam) the last 2 days which helps and will take one more tomorrow.  

In spite of it all, since getting my new wedges and woods, my last 5 rounds/combined rounds have been 81, 79, 82, 82, 81 and my hdcp will be a lifetime low of 10.6 tomorrow. 
 

Edited September 6, 2023 by GaryF

[Parshooter36]

I shot my best back 9 round of the year with a 1 over 36 at league tonight. 

[No3PuttLaLa]

Shot my best round in the home course yesterday. Had my swing absolutely working great. Ended up shooting an 85. For perspective I was shooting 109, 106, and 103 in June on this course. My last two rounds were 93 and 85. 

It has really helped keeping the driver in the bag. My 5W is going straight and long.

[MattF]

Played with @DiscipleofPenick at Sugar Bush in Garretsville, OH yesterday morning.

46/41 87 which felt a lot better than on Sunday. Got my head out of my arse on the back 9 and started actually trying to use a few of the things from my lessons and it lead to much better ball striking. Hope it continues.

[MaxEntropy]

I drove the ball pretty well in league last night but could not hit a solid iron to save my life - everything was a weak push/fade about 10 yards shorter than typical. Chipping was not great and putting was brutal - pushes and pulls all night leading to 19 putts. I guess it's time to do the yardstick drill for an hour, or so. I ended up with 7 bogies, a par, and a double.

[JStapp]

Played 18 previously and absolutely hacked it around. Have had no time to practice, and my ball striking goes drops quickly when I'm not working on it. 

[Syks7]

Took the shot scope H4 out for a test run today at the 18 hole par 3 and had a bit of a day.  +3 over 18 holes.   I was pretty good off the tee/approach (Holes between 145 & 98 yards) 40%GIR, and lights out with my short approach and putting.  27 total Putts (85 feet made) with zero three putts.  73% of up and down opportunities converted.  

Shot scope tells me that I gained 1.64 strokes on a scratch golfer putting & 1.21 via short game.  Which almost covers up the -3.11 I lost on approach.    I think I might be playing my next (Full size) round with the strategy of hit the ball to 100-130 yards and play it like a short par 3.

[KC Golf]

Just putted lights out today.  Starting from the fringe on the first hole for a nice 15 foot slider going in dead center, it was just a dream putting day to shoot 38 and 43.  Made 5 up and downs for 4 pars and 1 birdie today.  My chipping left me a lot of makeable short uphill putts which really helped me.  Haven’t putted this well since early July.  Just saw the line today and rolled it with some nice pace.

[cksurfdude]

19 hours ago, No3PuttLaLa said:

Ended up shooting an 85. For perspective I was shooting 109, 106, and 103 in June on this course. My last two rounds were 93 and 85. 

Wow! Dropping 20 (TWENTY!!!) strokes that quickly is quite an accomplishment!! Nice

[No3PuttLaLa]

1 hour ago, cksurfdude said:

Wow! Dropping 20 (TWENTY!!!) strokes that quickly is quite an accomplishment!! Nice

Had a lesson that helped me keep my arms connected to my body in my swing, shorten up back swing and a lot of lunchtime practice to get them engrained. It has been paying off, still at a 22 Handicap though. Shooting to get back to an 18.

[JerryB]

Owen and I played a little hooky and went out to Marengo Ridge up in Marengo.  Beautiful day.  We saw two groups and a single on the front nine, and no golfers on the back nine.  We both played pretty consistently; I think Owen shot 89 and bogeyed nearly every hole.  I had a run of six double bogeys to start the back nine on my way to a 102.  It was a little bit of everything:  eight 3 putts and six lost balls were the big culprits.  Also had distance control issues where early on I was long on a few approaches and then as I tired I started coming up short again and again.  I did have a couple of really good punchouts/stingers that aren't usually a part of my game.

We're supposed to play 18 at our home course tomorrow but might cut it to nine.  Then we've got an outing this Saturday and an outing next Sunday and possibly one or two more on the docket before the season ends.  I may not be playing all that great, but I'm a pretty good scramble partner!!

[ACalling]

Got out for 18 yesterday and had a fantastic round. Shot a 77, which is tied for my lowest ever, and a +5 to par which is also a tie for my best ever. It was actually at the same course, the very last time I played 18 there. My games been in a good spot lately and I kind of have been avoiding this track again since last time because I didnt want to lose that memory of my last great round there. Mentally I was prepared to have an average day, but of course still wanting to go as low as possible. I'd say best part of the day was fighting through a bogey-bogey-double stretch on 6,7 & 8, my least favorite holes on the course, to get to #9 a par 3 and having a great up and down par after a not so great tee shot. Really turned the mental game around for me. Not so long ago good round only lasted until my first bad hole and I struggled to bounce back from that. Handicap now down to a flat 8.0, lowest its ever been. Unlike the last time I was in the single digits I feel like this time its sustainable!

 

Gotta get out there again soon and launch em!

[gingerbeast87]

Taken a couple of days of annual leave to play some golf, did a round on the signature course at Woodlands. Managed to get round in 91, 4 pars the rest bogeys and doubles with two triples in for the mix. Mostly the putting that let me down, and the losing of four balls added a couple of strokes. But stableford score was 38 so very happy!!

[JerryB]

Owen and I played the front nine at River Heights today.  Since its our last weekday morning round together for the foreseeable future, we decided to do a best ball scramble to see how we do.  We were both a little off today compared to our usual standards but we managed to get around the front nine and post +2.  At least one of us always had a good usable drive but neither of us were hitting approach shots very well.  Once again I'm suddenly not rotating but rather almost throwing the club at the ball, resulting in pulls and hooks.  Our putting was decent enough; while we never really hit a long one, it never killed us, either.  A little bummed we ran out of time to also get the back nine in, but it was a good morning.

[gingerbeast87]

Day two of the golfing days off. Shot 16 over for the round (personal best). Got two birdies (one on a par 5 and the other was a chip in birdie on a par 3), three pars, and the rest ones or twos over. Stableford score was 43 for the round. This scorecard brings by handicap down to 26.4!! 

 

Damn but this is going well.

[Blaine Dye]

Played decent last night my putting is really starting to come together and im finally starting to what feels like see the green and know where its breaking alot better 

[Sluggo42]

After a week off due to the heartbreaking loss of our beloved pooch Jacob, I was able to finally play a full game. Surprisingly shot very well too, with 4 birdies, including a one hop- hit the pin and drop straight down to a foot on 18.

[cksurfdude]

Guess I'm turning into real golfer  ...

Played 18 yesterday and am slightly disappointed with a score that I would've been thrilled with at the start of this season = 94 (+23). On my prior 18 hole round I finished with a 93 .. after going +10 on just the last 4 holes (D'OH!!). 

So this round was a lot of silly little mistakes all over the course that added up, like -
.. although only 2 tee shots got me in real trouble and cost me a full stroke, after one of those I proceeded to totally screw up the punch-out escape shot and got to do it all over again  and the other tee shot penalty was a lost ball that I should've found but couldn't so had to take a drop;
.. had a few duffed second shots that went nowhere and few approaches hit way short;
.. with the worst part being my very inconsistent wedge game .. had *SIX* count 'em 6 x 2-chips ....

But on the plus side - 
.. driver: 9/14 were good to very good and another 3/14 were playable from a clear spot in the rough;
.. Par 3s: missed all 4 greens but made one up & down and just missed getting up and down on the other 3;
.. putting: distance control has really improved .. most 2nd putts were within 3 ft and a few others that were longer I was able to sink .. so *zero* 3-putts!! Had 31 total with 5 x 1-putts.

Overall .. while clearly some things still need a lotta more work .. I am encouraged with the direction my game is heading!