How'd you play?

[mikeanthony]

Hard not to get discouraged when you play some really good golf that results in a 92 ... two triples - two 3-putts - two birdies - 4 pars ... but had three different shots that were executed to perfection, a really good driving day overall that is reflecting the gains from speed training and the gym, and just a lot of positives overall. Especially when the two triples happened within the first three holes. 

I really need to work on getting my tempo back to where it's always been and being more disciplined with my pre-shot routines ... I'm rushing everything. 

[Shrek74]

First round of the season took place yesterday. A beautiful day, if it weren't for cart path only. Upside, almost 9000 steps. Downside, I was exhausted by rounds end. Plus the course was still pretty squishy in many places.

Overall, it could have been a far worse day. Only lost 1 ball, and that was on 17 after a fat shot off the toe into an empty lot covered in leaves. I did have 2 other penalties. 1 flubbed 50* that trickled into a pond. Luckily I was able to retrieve it. The other was a step past the white stakes. Ugh.

Obviously, as I'm working on my swing with a coach I wasn't expecting a ton of miracles in the first round out. I haven't really hit any balls on the range or in the garage outside of 2 lessons last month. So there is much to do.

Some stats from Sunday:

Compared to 2023:

I was super happy with my consistency off the tee, granted I use a 2w instead of a driver at this point.

I definitely noticed some really good iron shots during the round. I used my 5i once, and really flushed it, which isn't something I do often. My short game was a mess, but coming out of hibernation, anything that's more feel oriented is going to suffer. Plus, my putter is brand new and I've had no time with it. 3x 3-putts didn't help my putting stats. Everything was coming up short as I get the know the putter. Plus the greens were really slow with lots of little "natural debris" scattered on them. I just never adjusted for whatever reason.

I shot a 99 - 51/48. I was happy to see the back actually get better by a few strokes. Lots of positives to take away, and lots of room for improvement. I did get 3 pars, so I can check those off my Par/Birdie all 90 holes in my community spreadsheet. Now let's get to the grind!

[MrBandit]

Played yesterday for the first time in a month. Not a bad round, decent front nine but I could tell I haven't played in a while. Got tired and was forcing the swing a bit.  But I like what I was seen from my practices coming along. Maybe by the summer they will be inplace.

[taylorjonasher]

11 hours ago, mikeanthony said:

Hard not to get discouraged when you play some really good golf that results in a 92 ... two triples - two 3-putts - two birdies - 4 pars ... but had three different shots that were executed to perfection, a really good driving day overall that is reflecting the gains from speed training and the gym, and just a lot of positives overall. Especially when the two triples happened within the first three holes. 

I really need to work on getting my tempo back to where it's always been and being more disciplined with my pre-shot routines ... I'm rushing everything. 

Lol it happens! My first round out I shot an 84 in a hurricane, then followed it up with a 51 9-hole outing and cool even 100 the following week on a perfect day. Only had 3 penalty strokes and three three-putts across both poor outings, I just couldn't get anywhere close with my irons (normally one of the stronger parts of my game). As Joe Dirt once said, "You just gotta keep on keepin' on!"

 

[cksurfdude]

Played 9 yesterday (so far have 3 x 9 hole rounds plus 3 x 9 practice rounds) and am happy to report there's been some progress - overall scoring still high but trending down (well at least for now ) - 52, 51, 48.

Got off the tee ok (Par 4s and 5s) .. with the help of two lucky tree saves that dropped the ball in a playable position on 8 and 9...

.. and short game was ok - starting to get a little less tentative on chipping & pitching, and starting to get a little better distance control on the first putts.

But, except for one solid 6i where I hit the green from 150 (yay!), almost everything else in-between tee to green was messy (boo!) and needs a lot more work...

Chunked, thinned or topped a lot of second and third shots, including the Par 3s...

 

[fozcycle]

Today the weather was terrific, 55* - 80*. I faltered and shot a 43/43:86. I had 2 penalties, on the same hole. No birdies.

[Rob Person]

Bad news first.  My golf cart Phone caddy broke and my phone dissappeared somewhere on the course after the 2nd hole. I didn't notice until the 4th hole. Called the clubhouse on another person's phone and told them what happened and to BOLO for it please. This also means no video or photos from today's round.

The good news! This was the 4th round with the same ball. Mindset B RX. It had minimal wear signs other than a few very minute scuffs here and there.

I also decided to play the forward tees today, I've done well at maintaining scores from 86-89 since moving back a tee, to the white tees.

I wanted to see if my efforts on the range and home were working, and really wanted to see how low i could go. (Call it an mental/ego boost if you must)

I shot a 39 on the front,  and a 41 on the back. This not only a personal best, but the ball and the clubs were just on absolute fire for me today! I was pegging my 60⁰ at 80-85 yards!  I've never done that before! I nailed my sand wedge to 115 yards on a par 3, and the ball stuck and moved about a foot. Again, clubs were on today!

Favorite/Best shot of the day was from the 3rd hole. Drive was a low fade, about 240ish , but it caught the down slope just right and rolled out another 40 yards! Ended up 135 out, used a 3/4 9i, and stuck the pin at 6", rolled back to 2 feet. Putted for eagle.

I had no 3 putts all day!

More bad news. Hole 17. Caught the blind cart path. Ball bounced to the right, and dissappeared into the woods. I don't mind losing a ball or a stroke, but I really wanted to see the condition of the cover!!! (see Bridgestone Mindset test thread)

Oh, but great news too! my phone was waiting at the clubhouse!

[sschristie]

Yesterday's round started started +3 on a par 5 after getting stuck under some trees and had to chip out twice. But other than that I putted well and had a good tee shot. Then hit a small green on the following par 3 with an 8 iron and finished with a par. Good drive on hole three but struggled with my wedges and saved bogey with a good putt. Best hole of the day was a 205 par 3 that I put within 12 feet with a 3H (just missed the birdey putt though). 

Unfortunately, after finishing with another par on hole 5 I noticed my Arccos Link was missing and bailed on the round to walk the course backward. Found it two hours later when I finally found the "find my link" feature and saw it was on hole 5 where I'd taken my last shot  Thankful I found it but couldn't finish what was turning into a decent round.

[CSiders12]

Boy oh boy did I have a round that could have been... Playing one of the toughest courses around last night with my buddies and I had quite the round going. My previous best on the course was a 38, which on this course is a pretty good score. The thing about this course is the greens. The green speeds typically run around 10-12 on the stimp meter, which means they are slicker than slick. You can get in a lot of trouble if you keep yourself above the hole. 

I started out going par, birdie, par, par through my first 4 holes. Sitting at -1 through 4 is a good start to any round, but I was especially happy with it at Finkbine. And then there was hole 5... Hit a great tee shot into a fairway bunker. Chunked the bunker shot over by a greenside bunker where I still had 50 yards left to the flag. I tried to get cute with my shot and flopped it right into the bunker. I then splashed out and two-putt for a double bogey on 5. I bounced back with a solid par and then a birdie on 7 thanks to a 30-foot putt that dropped. I had a nice up and down on 8 to save a par which had me at even par going into 9... My tee shot ended up in a fairway bunker, my next shot hit the lip and went maybe 10 yards. Hit up to the green, chipped on, and two-putt for a double and a total round of 38. 

My iron striking has been really good to start the year and I haven't been making many bad mistakes. Looking back on the two holes that I doubled, they very easily could've been avoided. I need to remind myself not to take the hero shot and instead, be okay with a bogey. Lots of good reflection after the round last night and feeling good going into the rest of the season!

 

[Josh Parker]

Just got done playing and had a great round. Driver was fading a little more than I would have liked but was staying in play.  Irons were good and I'm seeing some real progress. 

I made a few simple mistakes and missed a few birdie putts but overall super happy with the round. 

[StrokerAce]

played the tips yesterday. a lot different when you have 5/6 iron in vs. 7/8/9... driver was misbehaving and the irons were spotty.

I was hitting a lot of shots heel-side and that's the worst miss - high spin and big fade.

stopped by the range and I realized that I was too close to the ball, by about a club length. placed the club beside the ball on the ground, then I reached out for it prior to backswing and middle every time.  I knew I was feeling jammed up but couldn't figure out why. 

hopefully next round I remember that. lol. it was a beautiful day out and it was my first round with the shotscope v5. I was really impressed. 

not quite the "chute" on the 18th at Augusta, but close! a long par 3.

I think even the clouds were happy to see the sun.

[NubianRugby]

Played Bulle Rock up in Maryland yesterday, course was immaculate in preparation for the Women's Big10 Championship so it was cart paths only to protect the course. Not to whine too much but I keep noticing at the nicer golf courses that they do not have ball washers on the course. That's fine if it's a course that provides or makes caddies available, but that's generally not the case. I was also a little shocked to notice there was no water available anywhere on the course; maybe that changes during the hot weather, but not having water available on the course seems like a bit of a safety issue IMHO.

I shot a 104 but was let down by my putting with 4 3-putts. I was pretty strong from tee to green (hit 4 GiR) and had a few more chances to get up & down for par that I did not convert. What I'm really struggling with right now is after a big drive and approach shot, is throttling down and adjusting my swing to hit a decent chip; I find myself either trying to baby it and fluffing it way short or trying to come through aggressively and blading it over the green.

Despite my poor score I really enjoyed myself yesterday, I hit more good shots than bad ones and I feel my game heading in the right direction. I played at a beautiful course, the weather was perfect, and I was playing with two of my oldest friends, guys I've known since my freshman year of college. Days don't get too much better than that and I'm playing in a tournament on Friday at Renditions.

 

[Northern Monkey]

Had a really good round today, despite the hailstorm that arrived on hole 2

Once it had passed I went on to shoot 6 over, which is one of my best rounds ever, with a really good approach and short game.

If only I could play like this more often

[William P]

3 hours ago, Josh Parker said:

Just got done playing and had a great round. Driver was fading a little more than I would have liked but was staying in play.  Irons were good and I'm seeing some real progress. 

I made a few simple mistakes and missed a few birdie putts but overall super happy with the round. 

Has there been any progress on the situation with the course maintenance issue?

[skraeling]

Ever play honestly not terribly, and still shoot awful?  Had a 51 on saturday and I really didnt play super poorly... except in one aspect of the game.

PUTTING

Ooof.  I three putted I think.... almost every hole.  So I lost I mean at least 5-6 strokes off just putts.

Just could not get a grasp on speed that day, short / long / no where close.  It was rough.

Like seriously.  I was hitting greens... ffs hit a hybrid 170+ carry over water on my second shot and then three putt on one hole.  Agony.

Edited April 16 by skraeling

[NubianRugby]

1 hour ago, skraeling said:

Ever play honestly not terribly, and still shoot awful?  Had a 51 on saturday and I really didnt play super poorly... except in one aspect of the game.

PUTTING

Ooof.  I three putted I think.... almost every hole.  So I lost I mean at least 5-6 strokes off just putts.

Just could not get a grasp on speed that day, short / long / no where close.  It was rough.

Like seriously.  I was hitting greens... ffs hit a hybrid 170+ carry over water on my second shot and then three putt on one hole.  Agony.

I feel your pain brother!!! That was me yesterday; I 3 putted on 3/4 greens I hit in regulation. So gross.

[Josh Parker]

2 hours ago, William P said:

Has there been any progress on the situation with the course maintenance issue?

They came out and worked on the spots a touch and then scalped it the rest of the way.  We will see what happens.  They did fertilize and it took care of the poa.  

[William P]

9 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

They came out and worked on the spots a touch and then scalped it the rest of the way.  We will see what happens.  They did fertilize and it took care of the poa.  

Hope it rebounds quickly and you and other members can enjoy a better situation soon.

[Josh Parker]

4 minutes ago, William P said:

Hope it rebounds quickly and you and other members can enjoy a better situation soon.

I just pretent to treat them as small greens and look at the positive. Haha. Aim small, miss small.  If I want a decent putt, I have to hit it close or pick my landing spots. 

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

42/44 today. I played a lot better then the score tee to just off the green. Struggled putting and chipping initially. Came together in the middle with a string of 6 pars then struggled to putt again. Few misreads and giving the greens to much credit.

beautiful day that was pretty windy. Was very happy with my ability to lower ball flight when I needed to. Had some really pure irons today. Can’t wait to get out again.

 

[sirchunksalot]

15 minutes ago, GolfSpy_SHARK said:

42/44 today. I played a lot better then the score tee to just off the green. Struggled putting and chipping initially. Came together in the middle with a string of 6 pars then struggled to putt again. Few misreads and giving the greens to much credit.

beautiful day that was pretty windy. Was very happy with my ability to lower ball flight when I needed to. Had some really pure irons today. Can’t wait to get out again.

 

It looks like you had a beautiful day to be out there, Mark. I'm glad you had a good time and it looks like you scored well.

[Dweed]

Another beautiful mid-Michigan day. Mid 60's and generally sunny light wind. My usual course has opened up and it was nice to see the grass greening up real nice. By the weekend we might be able to see a difference in the fairway vs the rough. Had an OK round of 9. I was real happy with my approach shots. Hit 7 out of 9 greens.  had two 3 putts and one double b due to headspace and timing issues. It's early so I don't have any misgivings about the season. Just glad it has made it to Michigan.

[Josh Parker]

39 minutes ago, GolfSpy_SHARK said:

42/44 today. I played a lot better then the score tee to just off the green. Struggled putting and chipping initially. Came together in the middle with a string of 6 pars then struggled to putt again. Few misreads and giving the greens to much credit.

beautiful day that was pretty windy. Was very happy with my ability to lower ball flight when I needed to. Had some really pure irons today. Can’t wait to get out again.

 

That course looks awesome!  

[GolfSpy_SHARK]

32 minutes ago, sirchunksalot said:

It looks like you had a beautiful day to be out there, Mark. I'm glad you had a good time and it looks like you scored well.

 

8 minutes ago, Josh Parker said:

That course looks awesome!  

It’s a great track. Has two of my favorite par 5’s on it. Can’t complain about the scoring overall but still gonna complain about the short stick

[Rob Person]

That course looks premium!  Beautiful!

[Rob Person]

27 holes over 7 hours, I'm wiped out! (We sat and ate lunch after 18)

Played first 18 on a course I haven't been on in awhile.  My coworkers decided it would be good since we are playing in a department benefit tournament next week there.

This is NOT the same course I remember it being! Almost zero maintenance! Bunkers are dirt and rocks! Greens are laced with clover and full of sand filled bare spots. Fairways didn't look watered at all.

Started out Bogey Bogey mainly because the greens were unpredictable,  both slow and fast spots,  and the ball literally was bouncing up and down on 90% of the putts. And they were hard!

I hit 7/14 Fairways,  but had some amazing recovery shots. Hit all my par 3s off the tee, and had 2 , 3 putts the entire round.

What was crazy is I stuck the flag on one approach from 85 yards out, but because the greens were so hard it bounced about 5 foot high and rolled away 12 feet!  We all were looking for the divot that it should have left,  and there wasn't one!!

Finished off 44/43 from the whites. 

After lunch we decided to go off for another 9. The manager/bartender must have heard us whining about the greens and bunkers because he comped us the half round. 

We played the best drive off the tee, then played our own balls onto the green. Shot a 42 in the back 9. 

We all agreed to take backwards relief if anyone ended up in the rockbed , aka bunkers, after the 2nd hole of the day. 

For the $35 per round midweek, you get what you pay for.

Oh, and didn't lose 1 ball!!! (Was playing the mindset)

[TJ Hall]

2 hours ago, GolfSpy_SHARK said:

42/44 today. I played a lot better then the score tee to just off the green. Struggled putting and chipping initially. Came together in the middle with a string of 6 pars then struggled to putt again. Few misreads and giving the greens to much credit.

beautiful day that was pretty windy. Was very happy with my ability to lower ball flight when I needed to. Had some really pure irons today. Can’t wait to get out again.

 

Looks like a gorgeous day!

[cnosil]

Last night was league night.   Gorgeous evening with temps in the 60s.    My handicap for this course is a 3.   Started off poorly and snapped hooked first tee shot OB and ended up with a triple to begin the round.   Approach shot on my second hole caught a branch and knocked the ball down; burned the edge on the par putt to bogey the hole.  Was able to turn it around after that and finished the remaining 7 holes at even par with a birdie and bogey.  
 

Tee shots were a weakness; I only hit 1 fairway and that was with an iron.  Short game was probably the best it has been in a long time and it was needed since I only hit 4 greens.   Putting was good with 15 putts and based on strokes gained was 0.10 strokes better than a PGA pro.   

[MaxEntropy]

First official league round last night. I had two pretty dumb holes, but was very happy with the rest. Started with a double from 4 feet off the green in two.  After that, 5 pars, 2 "acceptable" bogies, and a thoroughly unacceptable bogey.

Let's talk about hole #8 for a moment. Apparently, a natural gas company has easement rights on the golf course as a pipeline runs through the course. Last year, they removed a bunch of trees on a couple holes out of fear that the roots would disrupt the pipeline. All the trees in the shaded yellow are gone. As an aside, it would have been kind of fun to watch - they rented a helicopter to fly the cut trees out to avoid damaging the course. This hole used to be my nemesis due to my natural fade/slice with the thick forest on the right and the trees on the left creating problems. Since the trees were removed, the hole has gotten a lot easier for the longer guys in our league - aim left and if you hit it straight, you are in the clearing with a nice view of the green. Hit natural fade and you end up in the fairway. Only a really bad slice gets into the forest. Last night, I hit it dead straight and got a good bounce off the cart path (Arccos said it was a 316 yard drive), leaving me with a little 60-ish yard chip with tons of green to play with (red dot approx. location of tee ball). As I was walking to my ball, the "what ifs" started getting into my mind (i.e. "you know, if you par 8 and 9, it's a 38...") and I could not shut it down fast enough. Of course I chunked the first chip about 20 yards. Chip and two putts for my bogey. I ended up shooting a 40 for the night (+5 for that nine, 1 over my handicap). My opponent shot his handicap so I lost by 1. Most facets of my game were pretty good, but short game was either really good or brutal, with little in-between.

[TJ Hall]

5 minutes ago, MaxEntropy said:

First official league round last night. I had two pretty dumb holes, but was very happy with the rest. Started with a double from 4 feet off the green in two.  After that, 5 pars, 2 "acceptable" bogies, and a thoroughly unacceptable bogey.

Let's talk about hole #8 for a moment. Apparently, a natural gas company has easement rights on the golf course as a pipeline runs through the course. Last year, they removed a bunch of trees on a couple holes out of fear that the roots would disrupt the pipeline. All the trees in the shaded yellow are gone. As an aside, it would have been kind of fun to watch - they rented a helicopter to fly the cut trees out to avoid damaging the course. This hole used to be my nemesis due to my natural fade/slice with the thick forest on the right and the trees on the left creating problems. Since the trees were removed, the hole has gotten a lot easier for the longer guys in our league - aim left and if you hit it straight, you are in the clearing with a nice view of the green. Hit natural fade and you end up in the fairway. Only a really bad slice gets into the forest. Last night, I hit it dead straight and got a good bounce off the cart path (Arccos said it was a 316 yard drive), leaving me with a little 60-ish yard chip with tons of green to play with (red dot approx. location of tee ball). As I was walking to my ball, the "what ifs" started getting into my mind (i.e. "you know, if you par 8 and 9, it's a 38...") and I could not shut it down fast enough. Of course I chunked the first chip about 20 yards. Chip and two putts for my bogey. I ended up shooting a 40 for the night (+5 for that nine, 1 over my handicap). My opponent shot his handicap so I lost by 1. Most facets of my game were pretty good, but short game was either really good or brutal, with little in-between.

The course I play frequently did something similar…very tight driving hole (trees on the right right to the fairway and everything slopes down to the creek off the fairway left) that would require a left to right shot (which I don’t have for my driver/3w).  They removed all the trees down the right for utility line work which opened up the entire right side (it’s an easy shot from the right now)…changed the entire hole for me.