How'd you play?

[Jim Shaw]

Good morning spy's,

Yesterday's round was, I would say, solid.

Hit 12 fairways, 13 greens, 31 putts

So had potential but didnt' have the same putting day I had on Wednesday.

The ground in some areas is getting sloppy and I "dug" in a couple of times with knockdown shots and bump and runs (frustrating for me) 

On November 16th our course starts using "multi mats". They are small plastic mats that are used around the world, just not much in North America and I am an early adopter. 

Our handicap system shuts down on coastal BC in the middle of November so using these matts is not against the rules and it takes away, in my opinion, a sweeping move that I develop through the winter as the ground is soaked. 

They use "multi matts" at the Open locations prior to the tournament to keep the divots in check and I am thinking that all the courses In the lower mainland of British Columbia that are open in the winter should take a serious look at using them, my prediction is in the next 10 years they will be commonplace. 

Good for the golfer and good for the course, a no brainer in my world.

Anyway back to the round, I slowed my backswing down on my shots and worked on rhythm and timing and had success with the ball striking, I am playing again monday so we will see. 

[Josh Parker]

I got out and played this morning before the heavy rain kicks off again today.  It was a cart path only day, which I don't mind because I get the steps but have realized I really need a range finder.  I was ending up just short of the green by about a club/ 1/2 club short.  I ended up shooting 77 and had some great shots.  I had 1 birdie and 1 double for the round and the double was a duffed driver and a muddy fairway second shot that reacted very odd.  

My driver has been my most dreaded club and I have been finding more fairways but can't wait until my 2 iron gets in and I can get back to practicing the driver.  I am holding on to it and not releasing the clubhead which leaves it open for a nice big fade/slice at times.

[skraeling]

Played on wednesday on my usual course.  Not my best round, with a 48, but whatever it was after work and its been an absolute beast of a week.  So I wasnt in prime physical shape and actually pretty damn tired.  Driver was an issue, was either pushing it right or hooking left.  Found most of them, but leaves cost me one ball as the course has a LOT of them and well... its november.  Launched two into the woods on pushes (shame as I hit the absolute piss out of it) and one thin iron shot into water lol.  Was having so much trouble concentrating and bladed more than a few wedges (seriously.... 121yd 56*.... yikes.)

Ill still take it over working.

[jbern]

Took off work yesterday and played 18 and a nice muni course in my area. 

We played dots, which was very interesting with the wide ranges of handicaps I was playing with. Each hole a dot was earned for the following:

• Longest Drive in the fairway (par 3 is closest to pin and G-I-R)
• First on the green
• Closest to the pin (doesn't matter what stroke you're on)
• Make a putt from more than length of the pin away (a playing partner said this is called a "pulley"?!?)

I didn't play very well stroke play wise (my 3rd worst scoring round of the year) with a 49/42 = 91, BUT I did win the dots bet!

[Josh Parker]

Shot 78 today which sits at my handicap but was closing the face on my iron shots which caused me to hit just right of the green all day. I am waiting on my driver shafts to arrive Tuesday and the alternate that is in the driver now, I am not a fan of.  Played alot of 3 wood or 4 iron off the tee box. 

I had one double on my least favorite hole, the par 5 15th.  Terrible driver shot behind trees and had to play out to safety.  The par 4 16th hit 4 iron to 146 and then pitching wedge to a foot for a birdie. 

10/14 FW and 10/18 GIR and as mentioned most of my misses were fringe or just outside of the fringe. 

[BallsLeon]

Had myself a day with a new personal best, and first time breaking 90! Played at Ironhorse GC from the whites (68.5/127) and shot an 89.
Was teeing off well today, and the Sub 70 009 putter continues to be solid with 33 putts. Pretty happy with how I played minus my wedge play, usually one of the stronger parts of my game was missing in action today.
Highlight would be getting close to the green on hole 11 with my 3-wood, about 240yds. This hole is pretty intimidating for me with a carry over water and three split fairways, but I decided to go for it and it worked out.

Edited November 12, 2023 by BallsLeon
oops wrong number

[GolfSpy_BEN]

7 minutes ago, BallsLeon said:

Had myself a day with a new personal best, and first time breaking 90! Played at Ironhorse GC from the whites (68.5/127) and shot an 89.
Was teeing off well today, and the Sub 70 006 putter continues to be solid with 33 putts. Pretty happy with how I played minus my wedge play, usually one of the stronger parts of my game was missing in action today.
Highlight would be getting close to the green on hole 11 with my 3-wood, about 240yds. This hole is pretty intimidating for me with a carry over water and three split fairways, but I decided to go for it and it worked out.

Congrats on the PB!

[sirchunksalot]

Hello? 

Am I in the right place? 

Is this the "Good Morning Thread"?

I don't think I know what to do in here, it's been so long.

In all seriousness, it's so freaking good to be posting back in this thread after being away from it for nearly 4 months. I could almost get emotional. Dang sand getting in my eyes right now.

I played 18 holes today with some friends from work today and let me tell you, I had a wonderful time. We played my home course Flagstone and we had cloudy, cool conditions for the day.

I didn't play the front too well as I was babying my foot and trying to be careful. I hit a lot of questionable shots and even had a 12 on the par 5 6th. I really don't care because I was playing golf. I ended up shooting 61 on the front.

I was originally planning on just playing 9, but my foot was holding up well and decided to go ahead and play the rest of the course. 

My buddy Shadoe had to leave after the front too pick up his kids, but Mitch and I marched on.

The back was a different story and I shot a 52. Everything just clicked, I was hitting driver well, my fairways were better than they had been in a very long time, and I was putting pretty good. Honestly, if it had a head cover...It was balling. 

I finished of the day with a par on the par 5 18th and I couldn't think of a better way to finish the round. It wasn't the best scoring round but today wasn't about that. It was about enjoying a beautiful day with great company. 

 

[Josh Parker]

9 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

Hello? 

Am I in the right place? 

Is this the "Good Morning Thread"?

I don't think I know what to do in here, it's been so long.

In all seriousness, it's so freaking good to be posting back in this thread after being away from it for nearly 4 months. I could almost get emotional. Dang sand getting in my eyes right now.

I played 18 holes today with some friends from work today and let me tell you, I had a wonderful time. We played my home course Flagstone and we had cloudy, cool conditions for the day.

I didn't play the front too well as I was babying my foot and trying to be careful. I hit a lot of questionable shots and even had a 12 on the par 5 6th. I really don't care because I was playing golf. I ended up shooting 61 on the front.

I was originally planning on just playing 9, but my foot was holding up well and decided to go ahead and play the rest of the course. 

My buddy Shadoe had to leave after the front too pick up his kids, but Mitch and I marched on.

The back was a different story and I shot a 52. Everything just clicked, I was hitting driver well, my fairways were better than they had been in a very long time, and I was putting pretty good. Honestly, if it had a head cover...It was balling. 

I finished of the day with a par on the par 5 18th and I couldn't think of a better way to finish the round. It wasn't the best scoring round but today wasn't about that. It was about enjoying a beautiful day with great company. 

 

Glad you enjoyed it! 

[sirchunksalot]

2 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

Glad you enjoyed it! 

Thank you! It was fun just stepping back on the 1st tee and hitting that first tee shot. 

[Josh Parker]

7 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

Thank you! It was fun just stepping back on the 1st tee and hitting that first tee shot. 

That's what it's all about. 

[rkj427]

1 hour ago, sirchunksalot said:

Thank you! It was fun just stepping back on the 1st tee and hitting that first tee shot. 

Awesome post Jason, and so happy to hear that you were able to complete all 18 but also had a great time doing so!

Glad that your foot held up without any issues too.

[fozcycle]

Yesterday I had two birdies and 3 Triples shooting a 45/42:87. My game is coming back around. Only 34 putts.

[sirchunksalot]

11 hours ago, rkj427 said:

Awesome post Jason, and so happy to hear that you were able to complete all 18 but also had a great time doing so!

Glad that your foot held up without any issues too.

Thank you, Robert!

You actually reminded me to post a couple of other highlights I forgot to mention. I got to witness my buddy Shadoe get his first chip in on the 6th. He was about 15 feet off the green and seeing his excitement as the ball went in was awesome. 

My other friend, Mitch was just putting on a stripe show with his driver. As someone who just got back into the game this year, he's put in a lot of time practicing and to see it pay off was satisfying. I was also in awe of how well he was rolling his putts. He marks his ball with a line and watching it roll end over end consistently was a pleasure. He burnt so many edges it was ridiculous. He only has one eye so aiming gives him issues, if he can ever figure that out he'll be deadly. 

[ParFore74x]

All things considered, had a good day on course today. Started out around 40° with a steady 15 mph wind which definitely became a factor on some holes. I was able to follow the groundskeeper with his leaf blower for quite a while so finding my ball did not become a factor until the last couple of holes. Ended up shooting 44/43, 87 on a course that is 35/37, 72 so back 9 was clearly playing better for me than the front. My short game seemed to be a struggle today with poor chipping and 34 putts including three 3-putts.

Still hard to complain about playing a round in November!

[Indy_Oz]

Cool start (38f/3C) to the morning and my local 9-hole had aerated the greens, fairways and tee boxes Thursday through Saturday. The positive of the aerated fairways was that the ball was bouncing along nicely! That, an elevated tee and strong tailwind all contributed to my longest drive on 9th and final hole. 315yds. Pitch and one put to finish with a birdie!

The greens played better than I'd expected and rolled fast. The punched green obviously affected how straight the ball rolled, but it wasn't too bad. For a municipal GC, they really do a great job. Nice to not lose any balls in the leaves too!

Shot 35, for a 1-under score with no dropped shots was a first! I was striking the 2-iron nicely, so that helped on par 4s into wind.

9/9 GIR. 4/7 FIR (but I wasn't far off the edge of the fairways for most of the misses- rough has been trimmed fairly short too).

Nice to be ending the season playing well. Hopefully the weather can hold for a couple more weeks before the courses start going into hibernation.

[Kenny B]

A non-double bogey or worse weekend!!  

Saturday was very windy 20-30mph with gusts to 45mph out of the southwest, so it was sorta warm 60º.  My wife and I were asked to play with friends on our sister course across the Columbia River, then they bailed out because it was "too windy".   We played anyway, and after starting behind a 5-some who took 18 minutes to play #1, but they let us play through on #2.  Never saw anyone after that.  We played in 3 hours and 10 minutes and I shot 42/40 for a respectable 82 in the wind.

Today we played with a friend on our course at 8:40am.  It was 41º and the wind was 5-15mph out of the north... bitter cold!  Slow groups in front of us, but still managed to play in 4 hours.  I shot 41/39 for 80 with a birdie on #17 and a sandy par on #18.  All my bogeys were the result of an "extra shot" from a decent lie... really pisses me off!!  

Probably last round for GHIN this year unless I sneak in a round on Monday or Tuesday.

[Jmikecpa]

As my time in VA closes I played what should be my last two rounds at Royal Nee Kent this weekend. Play d yesterday with a few buddies of mine from VA and shot a smooth 74. Two poor tee balls killed me and it was just not a great two holes. Played today with three really nice ladies and shot a nice 71 for -1. For the first time in a few years I actually have to put the clubs away for the winter and I am sold on driver and 3 wood. 7 wood is out and hybrid on waivers. I need to go back and play my Callaway irons and wedges are still up for grabs. Putter will not change and is a dead lock for the next 20 years or until it wears out  

 

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2023 by Jmikecpa

[Josh Parker]

4 minutes ago, Jmikecpa said:

As my time in VA closes I played what should be my last two rounds at Royal Nee Kent this weekend. Play d yesterday with a few buddies of mine from VA and shot a smooth 74. Two poor tee balls killed me and it was just not a great two holes. Played today with three really nice ladies and shot a nice 71 for -1. For the first time in a few years I actually have to put the clubs away for the winter and I am sold on driver and 3 wood. 7 wood is out and hybrid on waivers. I need to go back and play my Callaway irons and wedges are still Uo for grabs. Putter will not change and is a dead lock for the next 20 years or until it wears out  

 

 

 

 

Nice rounds!

[cksurfdude]

23 hours ago, BallsLeon said:

Had myself a day with a new personal best, and first time breaking 90! Played at Ironhorse GC from the whites (68.5/127) and shot an 89.

Yoo da man CONGRATS!!!

 

23 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

it's so freaking good to be posting back in this thread after being away from it for nearly 4 months.

And it's so freaking good to see you back!!

[rkj427]

Played my second round since Friday with the Titleist test balls, and the first round with my new Titleist T Series irons.

Posted my first round in the Virtual Tour thread, and added some pictures there from Friday's round, but this post just relates to the round played today.

Had to start on the back 9 first, due to frost this morning, and the sunlight and temperatures more prevalent to allow the greens to "defrost" quicker than on the front 9.

Ended up with 40/40 for an 80 total, with 10 of 14 fairways, 8 of 18 greens, and my longest drive of 238 yards. 33 total putts, 16 on the front, and 17 on the back 9.

Temperature was 45 on the first tee, winds out of the southwest, a steady 10+ mph with gusts approaching 25 mph.

The Titleist test ball for me is a lower flight, and shorter off all club, more distance loss the longer the club. I still have all 3 left, only 1 shows any evidence of scuffing, more than likely from wedges.

The new Titleist irons performed flawlessly, actually the 2 best irons shots that made them a joy to play were both a couple of 4 irons from 185 yards to a par 3 on both the front and back.

Both holes were into a quartering wind with the wind into me from the right.

Rangefinder had distance to flags at 185 and I was hole high on both greens, one just left of the hole, and the other just right of the hole.

Course also told us that next weekend will be the last weekend they are open, so the weather looks good, mid 40's and sun, so my next and last 2 rounds this year will be next weekend here.

 

 

[sirchunksalot]

7 hours ago, cksurfdude said:

And it's so freaking good to see you back!!

It's good to be back! Something I haven't talked about much, except to the wife, is the fact it's been frustrating to feel like I haven't been a valuable contributor to the forum. Sure, I can get on here to say hi and respond to others posts, but I have felt for a while I wasn't a value added member of the forum. In my heart, I know better than that but sometimes the depression of not being able to play gets got the better of me.

@rkj427 I'm ecstatic to hear the Titleist irons performed so well for you. Those 4 irons into the green just sounds impressive. I hope you can get back out this weekend and get more time with them before the season ends. Love the pictures, btw. 

[cksurfdude]

Played a fun 18 hole Par 3 yesterday afternoon - holes range from 60 to 100 yds with a lot in the 65-75-85 range - so great wedge practice.

Played two balls off the tee .. which is a fairly good quality mat sitting on top of a concrete pad .. and ignored putting as I've found the much slower greens there really throw off my distance control.

Two kinda "minuses" - lower back is a little sore so wasn't swinging or hitting as well as I would've liked; and took some old soft balls with me and learned for myself that yeah there is a big difference from your regular game balls in distance and spin (Wilson Duo Soft vs MaxFli Tour).

On the plus side while I didn't hit every green with both tee balls I did average out at 50% over all 18 .. had a few where I missed both, a few where I hit with both and of course most where I hit with one tee shot.

Also the misses weren't too bad .. most were just off the green and either a little short or a little long while still on-line vs missing wide right or left.

The only other people I saw out was a group of three in front of me that I caught up to in the middle of the back 9 .. they saw me, a single, and stopped on one of the park benches at every tee and just hung out with their music and their beers enjoying the day .. and after chatting for a while let me play through.

So fun possibly last golf round for a while, depending on lower back and weather.

[Josh Parker]

1 minute ago, cksurfdude said:

Played a fun 18 hole Par 3 yesterday afternoon - holes range from 60 to 100 yds with a lot in the 65-75-85 range - so great wedge practice.

Played two balls off the tee .. which is a fairly good quality mat sitting on top of a concrete pad .. and ignored putting as I've found the much slower greens there really throw off my distance control.

Two kinda "minuses" - lower back is a little sore so wasn't swinging or hitting as well as I would've liked; and took some old soft balls with me and learned for myself that yeah there is a big difference from your regular game balls in distance and spin (Wilson Duo Soft vs MaxFli Tour).

On the plus side while I didn't hit every green with both tee balls I did average out at 50% over all 18 .. had a few where I missed both, a few where I hit with both and of course most where I hit with one tee shot.

Also the misses weren't too bad .. most were just off the green and either a little short or a little long while still on-line vs missing wide right or left.

The only other people I saw out was a group of three in front of me that I caught up to in the middle of the back 9 .. they saw me, a single, and stopped on one of the park benches at every tee and just hung out with their music and their beers enjoying the day .. and after chatting for a while let me play through.

So fun possibly last golf round for a while, depending on lower back and weather.

Par 3 courses are a lot of fun.  We have one in DT Austin that has been around for a long time and this post reminded me that I need to get out there and play it soon.

[Byrnzee]

I had the privilege of being able to play 18 yesterday at Highlands of Elgin, about an hour outside Chicago. In my opinion, this course is one of the best values in the area. Lots of risk/reward holes and a beautiful links-inspired design.

The weather was mid-50s and sunny, with some strong winds for most of the day. The course was in great condition for later in the year and I was able to put together a decent score of 82 (43-39) with no doubles and a nice birdie on the back nine.

Unfortunately it's outside of the golf season window and the score didn't count toward my handicap, but I was just happy to get out and get some practice in. My alignment has been much better with my irons and my shots were mostly traveling on the line I wanted. Good progress as I work toward next season.

This will likely be the last round in Chicago this year, but you never know with this changing weather! Either way, looking forward to grinding in the off-season on some simulators and some trips to Florida.

Edited November 13, 2023 by Byrnzee

[chisag]

7 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

Something I haven't talked about much, except to the wife, is the fact it's been frustrating to feel like I haven't been a valuable contributor to the forum. Sure, I can get on here to say hi and respond to others posts, but I have felt for a while I wasn't a value added member of the forum. In my heart, I know better than that but sometimes the depression of not being able to play gets got the better of me.

 

... Speaking from a lifetime in sports, it takes a team Jason. Everyone can't be the QB and unheralded Offensive lineman are equally important. As are coaches, trainers, front office and the practice squad. Being a part of the team and contributing when and where you can is all that can ever be asked. Mixing metaphors when your number is called and being ready to step to the plate and hit the 3 pointer is the most fun, encouraging your team mates when not in the game is a huge part of every athletic endeavor. You are and have always been an inestimable part of the MGS team, so the next time a hint of the thought that you are not a "valuable contributor" just know you are absolutely the only one with that thought and it should pass quickly. 

[sirchunksalot]

2 hours ago, chisag said:

 

... Speaking from a lifetime in sports, it takes a team Jason. Everyone can't be the QB and unheralded Offensive lineman are equally important. As are coaches, trainers, front office and the practice squad. Being a part of the team and contributing when and where you can is all that can ever be asked. Mixing metaphors when your number is called and being ready to step to the plate and hit the 3 pointer is the most fun, encouraging your team mates when not in the game is a huge part of every athletic endeavor. You are and have always been an inestimable part of the MGS team, so the next time a hint of the thought that you are not a "valuable contributor" just know you are absolutely the only one with that thought and it should pass quickly. 

Thank you, Sam! I know better than to think that way but I think with the lack of being able to play, it brought me down on a few occasions. I'm happy just to get on here and read about how everyone is doing and the community calls have been wonderful for my morale. I

 

[GolfSpy_KFT]

10 hours ago, sirchunksalot said:

It's good to be back! Something I haven't talked about much, except to the wife, is the fact it's been frustrating to feel like I haven't been a valuable contributor to the forum. Sure, I can get on here to say hi and respond to others posts, but I have felt for a while I wasn't a value added member of the forum. In my heart, I know better than that but sometimes the depression of not being able to play gets got the better of me.

Sam already said it perfectly and it’s 100% true. This forum is a better place with you posting daily regardless of whether you’re able to play or not, and SUPER happy you were able to get back on the course! 

I think you represent what the best of the community is here, Jason. I have been in the headspace you’re talking about before and it’s hard to see it any other way in those times, but I absolutely mean it when I say you’re a driver in this forum being the place it is. 

[cksurfdude]

6 hours ago, Byrnzee said:

My alignment has been much better with my irons and my shots were mostly traveling on the line I wanted.

Heard a saying once: "aim better, miss better" so good job there and good luck with your continued progress!!

....

 

5 hours ago, chisag said:

... Speaking from a lifetime in sports, it takes a team Jason. Everyone can't be the QB and unheralded Offensive lineman are equally important. As are coaches, trainers, front office and the practice squad. Being a part of the team and contributing when and where you can is all that can ever be asked. Mixing metaphors when your number is called and being ready to step to the plate and hit the 3 pointer is the most fun, encouraging your team mates when not in the game is a huge part of every athletic endeavor. You are and have always been an inestimable part of the MGS team, so the next time a hint of the thought that you are not a "valuable contributor" just know you are absolutely the only one with that thought and it should pass quickly. 

 

2 hours ago, Jnoble89 said:

Sam already said it perfectly and it’s 100% true. This forum is a better place with you posting daily regardless of whether you’re able to play or not, and SUPER happy you were able to get back on the course! 

I think you represent what the best of the community is here, Jason. I have been in the headspace you’re talking about before and it’s hard to see it any other way in those times, but I absolutely mean it when I say you’re a driver in this forum being the place it is. 

 

Yep what those two eloquent gentlemen said!!

Always enjoy your stories Sir Chunks .. whether from the golf course or off of it!

[Jim Shaw]

solid day today...

3 birdies, 1 bogey, 1 double, even par 72

13 fairways (solid), 13 greens (not great), 30 putts (average)

Felt good over the ball, had a couple of putts lip out, but overall happy with the result. 

Weather was decent, about 8 degrees Celsius or 50 degrees Fahrenheit so adjusted to the ball carry pretty well, hit some nice knock down PW, and other irons.

i think the better scoring in directly related to better rythym and balance with the swing and much better putting... 

I will have another go on Wednesday...