Golf Thread

booyaka · 18 Jul 2022 at 17:46

Back from holiday - watched first 3 days of the Open over in the USA - they were foaming at the mouth about St Andrews/150th etc - Great watch.

Caught most of yesterdays final round at home (trying to stave off sleep/jet lag) - Gutted for Rory but Cam Smith was unreal. Just relentlessly aggressive - went for everything and it paid off.

Cam Youngs eagle at the last was worth £525k! Solo 2nd....

Great tournament - really enjoyed it - couldn't care less about how "easy" the course played or not with no wind - scoring is irrelevant so long as it's great golf, which it was.

booyaka · 18 Jul 2022 at 17:54

Played Country Club of the Pocono's whilst in USA - Home - Country Club of The Poconos

Around $50 a round including your buggy hire, $20 for a set of hire clubs (M2's etc - fairly old but fine)

Never played a course like it. Zero chance you could walk it, some holes were a 2/3 minute drive in the buggy between holes - set in trees so literally every hole felt like it's own and you had no idea what the next one was....

Amazing views, decent condition, very warm.... Playing with my Brother in law & nephew.... Great fun course, but literally nothing like anything I've ever seen or played before. Some very high tee shots to low greens etc..... Wild....

magicroundabout · 18 Jul 2022 at 19:48

So it's exactly 4 weeks tomorrow since I ordered my Cobra driver and hybrids. Still no sign of them.

Playing without a driver is little tricky at times though. I'm hoping the new driver arrives this week so I can get some use before Celtic Manor in Aug.

@booyaka some fantastic photos there pal

booyaka · 19 Jul 2022 at 11:46

magicroundabout said:
So it's exactly 4 weeks tomorrow since I ordered my Cobra driver and hybrids. Still no sign of them.

Playing without a driver is little tricky at times though. I'm hoping the new driver arrives this week so I can get some use before Celtic Manor in Aug.

@booyaka some fantastic photos there pal

Any orders lead times - I would always take with a pinch of salt.... Been very sketchy for 2 years now - I'd be looking for a back up plan if I was you!

magicroundabout · 19 Jul 2022 at 11:54

booyaka said:
Any orders lead times - I would always take with a pinch of salt.... Been very sketchy for 2 years now - I'd be looking for a back up plan if I was you!

I've got an estimated delivery date of 1st Aug. It's really only the driver which is being custom built as the hybrids were stock from the shelf as that fitted better.
TBH I tried everything else and nothing came close to the Cobra for myself

MarkA · 19 Jul 2022 at 15:21

The hardest shot I find in golf, which I find myself in so very often, I need advice on how to approach this shot most efficiently.

Example:
You've landed just off the edges of the green.
You've got about 3 feet of rough and 2 feet of fringe in front of you, with only 10 feet between you and the hole.

It's quite a short shot and its difficult for me.
I used to use a sand wedge here and swing my club through the rough, to see how much the rough grabs my club, to work out how far the ball will go.
I've started to use a 9i/PW a bit like a putter which can sometimes work too but this tends to make my ball fly past the hole too often, but both of these approaches are hit/miss and tend to lose me strokes.

Do you have any thoughts on what I should be doing, which gets you out of this situation a high percentage of the time? I'm not sure where to focus my practice time on.

Thanks folks.

booyaka · 19 Jul 2022 at 21:17

MarkA said:
The hardest shot I find in golf, which I find myself in so very often, I need advice on how to approach this shot most efficiently.

Example:
You've landed just off the edges of the green.
You've got about 3 feet of rough and 2 feet of fringe in front of you, with only 10 feet between you and the hole.

It's quite a short shot and its difficult for me.
I used to use a sand wedge here and swing my club through the rough, to see how much the rough grabs my club, to work out how far the ball will go.
I've started to use a 9i/PW a bit like a putter which can sometimes work too but this tends to make my ball fly past the hole too often, but both of these approaches are hit/miss and tend to lose me strokes.

Do you have any thoughts on what I should be doing, which gets you out of this situation a high percentage of the time? I'm not sure where to focus my practice time on.

Thanks folks.

All depends on what you are comfortable with....and what sort of lie in the rough you have.

Sitting nice in "semi" rough - and fairly flat to the hole....You could try an 7i/8i and land it just on the green using the distances you mention above....

Alternatively, get a lofted club, get you hands forward of the ball and try and contact with ball/ground at the same time and use the bounce on your wedges to help....

I've vastly improved my shots like this going to a more lofted club, simply because my confidence in those shots has improved after a couple of lessons on short game. I was always a 7i/8i type shot before hand as that was more the percentage shot for me....

A lot depends on the lie in the "rough" however - I would then select the shot required from the lie, rather than the distance to the hole.

Just my 2p's worth.

Good video here -

MikeTimbers · 19 Jul 2022 at 22:22

Try using a 7 or 8 iron, held like a putter and therefore the club will not be flat to the ground. Aim to hit the ball with the toe of the club.

magicroundabout · 20 Jul 2022 at 07:40

also if the 7/8 iron as a putter approach doesn't work you could try the hybrid putter stroke. Works like a chipper and is also good for these types of shots.

Personally if I was in that position an 8/9 iron putter stroke would be how I would play it

MarkA · 20 Jul 2022 at 11:37

Thanks both, both of these I've tried and don't seem to have much luck with.
I play a 8/9 on fairly short rough and that's excellent.
I do think Rick has nailed it on the head for me, my club needs to be more upright as to prevent digging into the thick grass, as well as a little back in the stance, so i come down on it a little steeper.

Don't think I mentioned the lie, it's usually a little under. Top of the ball is around the same height as the top of the grass, so it's surrounded, so a low-lofted club for me is a little out of the question, as it's got a lot of grass to get through.
Lots of food for thought here, playing for my club in the semi finals tonight, might have to put this move into practice later

wish me luck!

booyaka · 20 Jul 2022 at 19:08

Good luck - don't practice just now - save that for another time - play with what you have

MarkA · 21 Jul 2022 at 10:53

Had a solid game yesterday. We won all of our games at home, kept the ball on the fairway and didn't lose a ball. My twosome won 5/3, happy with how I played and hit some cracking shots.
Booked in an hour lesson with a recommended golf coach for 8th August, gonna be all about gaining distance.

VaderDSL · 21 Jul 2022 at 11:07

Who here has insurance? Mine elapsed recently but no longer a member of a club, just pop out every now and again on a cheap green fee. Not sure if I should renew my insurance tbh.

booyaka · 21 Jul 2022 at 14:26

VaderDSL said:
Who here has insurance? Mine elapsed recently but no longer a member of a club, just pop out every now and again on a cheap green fee. Not sure if I should renew my insurance tbh.

mine comes with my season ticket for the courses I play.... covers me hitting someone/car etc.

Stutt Cup match tonight - 4.30.

Hardly played in 3 weeks and back is killing me at the moment - will see how we get on

magicroundabout · 21 Jul 2022 at 15:31

I've never considered insurance. How much do you normally pay?
I need to check my course to see if it's included.

Good luck @booyaka
I'm playing Sunday. Still no driver. Hurry up Cobra

VaderDSL · 21 Jul 2022 at 15:38

magicroundabout said:
I've never considered insurance. How much do you normally pay?
I need to check my course to see if it's included.

Good luck @booyaka
I'm playing Sunday. Still no driver. Hurry up Cobra

My renewal which I didn’t take was £35 for the year with Carrick Neill

booyaka · 21 Jul 2022 at 21:17

magicroundabout said:
I've never considered insurance. How much do you normally pay?
I need to check my course to see if it's included.

Good luck @booyaka
I'm playing Sunday. Still no driver. Hurry up Cobra

Played Stutt Cup tonight - club knock out singles but off front tees.... Won 3&2, into semis now. Hit zero drivers! 3 wood was going well so kept driver in the bag. Fairly firm fairways so running out a lot at the moment.

Hit 3 wood, 5 iron to 10ft on the 2nd hole. 480 yards....

ChroniC · 21 Jul 2022 at 22:52

Cam Smith to LIV for $125m rumours

booyaka · 21 Jul 2022 at 23:35

ChroniC said:
Cam Smith to LIV for $125m rumours

Don't see it personally - obviously could be very wrong, but makes zero sense at 29 to jump ship for the money.... He's going to make millions off the back of sponsorship for winning the Open, plus already winning the Players this year - could go on to win another $10-15 million later this year in FEDEX Cup..... Could net him around $30 million this season alone.... (he's already made $10 million in winnings alone this season)

For the "younger" guys - it just makes no sense at this time - Money is ridiculous and the payday for the hasbeens I understand - Still don't understand Bryson/Brooks etc - Could have made that cash on PGA and sponsorships over 5-10 years easy.

ChroniC · 22 Jul 2022 at 09:55

All depends on a lot of things that might be true..
Cam now has exemption to entry requirements for most of the big events. He gets US and British Open entry and Masters for coming 2nd.
He doesn't need pga points anymore, so he gets $125m (which is nearly the same as Tiger Woods total PGA earnings) in one foul swoop.
With regard to sponsors, LIV are taking on commentators which means they nearing a TV deal, and sponsors will be flocking. There's rumours of Adidas dropping money on players, so it won't be long before people have forgotten who runs this league.