Golf Thread

Got absolutely battered last night in our County Doubles knockout competition....

One of those nights I guess....

Fourball better ball, lowest man to 0 and everyone else gets 90% of course handicap. We were at home.

Opponents were 4 & 19 course handicap - we are 7 & 8.

So highest guy got 14 shots. I got 4 partner got 3.

They started birdie/net birdie/net birdie/net par/net par/par/par/par/net birdie. So 19 handicapper had 3 net birdies on front 9.

We did very well to be only 2 down at the turn... I holed a 20ft putt for a half on 3rd, and partner hold a 15 ft on 4 for another half. Otherwise it could have been worse.

We lost 10th to a net par, lost 11th to a net birdie, lost 12th to a par.... 5 down with 6 to play.

13th is SI 1 - so me/partner both getting shots, 19 handicapper getting a shot. He hits drive 250 yards, 7 iron into the rough about 100 yards short of green, I find his ball and somehow he hits an arcing wedge to 20ft and then cans the putt for a par/net birdie on SI1....

I holed a 25ft putt for a par/net birdie just to keep it going.

Lost at par 3 14th as we all parred it. Battered 5&4....

Played a lot of golf, loads of ties and Literally NEVER seen a 19 handicapper have a short game like he did last night - from 100 yards and in, hit every green to about 15/20ft and had putts on 10 of 14 greens for net birdies.... Insane stuff....

4 handicapp guy contributed on 3 holes, the other 11 were the 19 handicap guy....

One of those nights were he's clearly played the game of his life and there is nothing you can do against it. Could have been 8&7 if we hadn't holed those putts early in the round....

On to the next one i guess!!
 
Just been out for some lunchtime golf, it was pretty awful :( So much so I just stopped keeping track of score.

Work has been quite stressful, kinda culminating in this morning which was just ridiculous. So ran a bit late to leave for golf, got there and went for the usual 20 range balls to realise I had just under 15 mins till the tee time so rushed through those so might as well have not bothered and then straight onto the first tee. Then just meh. By the 4th hole I gave up scoring, ended the round on the watch and just tried to chill, even contemplating not bothering to play but just sauntering around the course for a walk in the sun :p

That helped tbh, and maybe should've been what I did from the start, if I want to just go and chill for 9 holes maybe I shouldn't bother scoring at all and just play. By the time I finished the 6th I was just chilling, good times :)

Amusingly I got to the tee and the guy in front of me (another solo 1-ball) was just about to take his shot so I wait for him and then he puts his club in the bag and starts jogging down the fairway, gets to his ball and very quickly grabs a club, hits and keeps on jogging. See him again on the 2nd and thought it was a little odd but whatever. Anyway I get to the 7th tee and just as I'm about to tee off I see the same guy coming down the 6th, or I gess 15th for him, so after I tee off I wait for him and let him play through. Turns out he was trying to get 18 in before picking his kid up from school. Fair play, he was a decent player which helped I guess and once I'd sauntered my way down the par 3 7th and got to the 8th tee I see him running down the 9th, I finished 9 in 1.5 hours, he did 18 in less!
 
I always think that whatever mindset you have that day is what you'll likely take onto the course with you and if you're a player who tends to perform better on the front 9 then it can be a killer.

It's easy enough to say 'just don't keep score', but then undoubtedly you'll shoot the lights out and regret not tracking it...

The one thing that's really helped me is something Lee Westwood said about having something to fall back on. Have a solid pre shot routine, find the shot you want to play and just play it. As amateurs we over read so much because that's how we see the pro's do it. In reality we're just overcomplicating a process we've barely mastered the basics of yet.

If I have a stinker of a hole these days I try not to let it bleed into the round. If I score 7-9 on a hole I'll strip everything back on the next. Forget about GIR and hit 6 Iron off the tee and play as many safe approach shots as I feel comfortable with until it's on the green, then try my best to 2 putt. It almost always ends up being a better score then the previous hole because I haven't gotten too ambitious and played with shots/clubs I know I can hit well. I probably won't have made par, but it's saved me from what once would have been the inevitable downfall of the entire round.

Saying all that, sometimes you duff everything regardless of what you do :cry::cry::cry:
 
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Went out for 9 last night and wish I hadn't bothered :cry:

Only had one hole where I came off it somewhat happy, everything else was a complete disaster. Didn't feel confident over any of my shots - even after backing out and trying again.

Really windy and I've got a trapped nerve in my back so that's my excuse and I'm sticking by it.
 
Are there any clubs I should be practicing with or is it just a case of buying what I can? Also are there any brands that I should stay away from as I'm looking to go in the lower price end?
 
I might be being a bit biased but take a look at Wilson Staff, particularly their D7 and D9 range, I have the forged D9 irons and are superb. But the Game Improvement WS irons are great value for money and very forgiving.
 
Minibiker said:
Are there any clubs I should be practicing with or is it just a case of buying what I can? Also are there any brands that I should stay away from as I'm looking to go in the lower price end?
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Anything. If it gets you playing, then it's a good starter. Nothing wrong with whatever cheap, second-hand clubs you can get your hands on. You'll likely want to swap them out when you figure out that you enjoy the sport and want to start improving, but you can get by on cheap gear for a good while before that.
 
I'd also say if you're just practicing on the range for now then maybe look/ask around shops, or even ebay, for individual 7 irons, this seems to be the common demo/fitting club so seem readily available...
 
As @Deanje said, just get cheap second hand things for the time being until you know for sure you want to stick with it. Had two mates who had the bug one minute and went all out and spent a fortune on gear, only to give it up a year later and loose a ton of money trying to sell it on.
You'll know if you've truly taken it up as a hobby if you're still playing well after the seasons ended. If you're finding it hard to swing properly because you're having to wear 6 layers but still hole out 18, go get yourself a decent set :p
 
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Well..its a good day for me so far..

Was out in the net with one of my "home made" job RPT balls! :cry: Hit around 70-80 balls, (mostly bad :( ) and the retention on the stickers are great, I totally dont think the "official" RPT balls are necessary.

And second off, Rapsodo have introduced some firmware and software for the MLM2! A few big issues (hopefully) resolved and some more into the simulator (but Awesome Golf) is still my go-to for the moment.
 
Frustrated with my round yesterday.
Going into the 10th Par 3 the group in front allowed me through. Only for me to rush, not use a tee and shank a ball into the trees. 3rd from the tee goes 50 yards. Come off with a 6 :mad: Up to that point I was 4 over for the front 9 and playing some lovely golf.

11th, Smashed a 280y drive down the fairway which leaves me 85 yards into pin. 56deg to within a ft only to lip the put but made par.
12th Par 5. Lifted my head on the drive and sliced it right onto 13th fairway. 3 wood 240y back down the middle. 145y into green. 9i, 2 put par. Lovely.

THEN I go to switch my electric trolly on and notice the battery has died :eek::eek::(:(
I'd forgotten to charge it the night before and no way was I pushing that round the rest of the course so had to end my round early. Gutted. Weather was lovely and my swing felt good. My own fault for not charging the trolly
 
magicroundabout said:
Frustrated with my round yesterday.
Going into the 10th Par 3 the group in front allowed me through. Only for me to rush, not use a tee and shank a ball into the trees. 3rd from the tee goes 50 yards. Come off with a 6 :mad: Up to that point I was 4 over for the front 9 and playing some lovely golf.

11th, Smashed a 280y drive down the fairway which leaves me 85 yards into pin. 56deg to within a ft only to lip the put but made par.
12th Par 5. Lifted my head on the drive and sliced it right onto 13th fairway. 3 wood 240y back down the middle. 145y into green. 9i, 2 put par. Lovely.

THEN I go to switch my electric trolly on and notice the battery has died :eek::eek::(:(
I'd forgotten to charge it the night before and no way was I pushing that round the rest of the course so had to end my round early. Gutted. Weather was lovely and my swing felt good. My own fault for not charging the trolly
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yeah mate, there is nothing I hate more than the "pressure shot" when being called through by a group in front! :(
 
Played in the Saturday roll up this morning to start the process of obtaining a handicap. Off the white tees!!

Unfortunately shot 115. Lost a shed load of balls . Plenty of positive shots but enough poor ones to really cost me. That and a lot of three puts again.

Disappointing as was hoping to shoot low 100s. Playing partners were playing in a stableford and did OK so at least my poor play didn't drag them down Interesting to note we were all pretty similar off the tee but they were leagues ahead in consistency and around the greens.
 
Should have left before I tee'd off this morning.

Out last night for dinner and drinks with the wife, felt very tired and not that bothered this morning. On putting green, turned round to find a crow sitting on my bag, and the cheeky git nabbed my flapjack bar out my bag and flew off with it! Then my tee shot off the 1st went probably..... 18 yards.... Skied it stright up in the air - not done that since I was a kid :laugh:

Mate was playing rubbish as well - we played 12 and called it a day....
 
Got back from Florida last night, only went for 8 days, did 4 days of disney, 1 day at NASA and 1 day at the beach.
My favourite day, was at a golf course called ChampionsGate Golf Club.

Booked myself in for 7.50am, took the wife as a caddy, while my parents looked after the kids at the pool in the villa, weather was 32/33C all days, with pure sunshine, amazing!

Played the 'International' course, which was 6205 yards off the whites (basically, our yellow tees). They have 4 sets of tees, blacks, blues, whites, gold. Blacks were a nice 7200 yards!

Didn't have any time to warm up before the round, being off so early, but shot a 94, with only 1 lost ball.
The game is so different in the US, with warm weather, firm fairways and firm greens! Holding the greens was difficult even with a 60' wedge.
I rented clubs, they gave me a full set of Callaway Rogues, driver, 3w, 3h, 5-PW and a SW. They felt heavy at the tip, compared to my TM clubs. Hit quite a few of them more right than I normally do, as I usually draw the ball, but some of the irons were still coming out right. Gives me confidence that my own clubs at home are still fitted well for me.

All my shots were going about 15-20yards further in Florida weather, with the extra bounce and rollout. PW was going 140~, a lot different than I'm used to!
Felt like I scored well considering the new course and me sh1tting it when standing close to some bushes, expecting some alligators to jump out and snap at my legs! :p The wife was having a wonderful time in the buggy, driving around looking for alligators in the small ponds/lakes around the course, lots of them spotted, with little baby ones around the place too. As well as turtles, birds and little fishies.

2nd hole in, par 3, guy standing with a table and paper - asking if you'd like to pay $20 to take on the challenge. Pin 160 yards away, $20 to attempt to land it on a pretty small green compared to the rest there, win $500. A hole in 1 is some crazy prize which I can't even remember now. Even if you miss, you get a $10 voucher to spend in the pro shop and I wanted to get some gear while I was there anyway, so why not!

Obviously I took part without too much thinking. Only after I paid, I realised I hadn't hit any of the new irons yet, as the last hole was driver, 3H, SW, Putter.
Pulled out the 7i, proceeded to keep my clubface completely open upon strike and hit it about 150y and about 40 yards right of the green :cry:
Shook my head, re-teed it for fun and wanted to check if 7i was still the right club, it wasn't!
Landed it about 2 yards right of the pin and bounced it straight over the green about 15 yards!

I'll post some pics as soon as I get the off the phone, either way absolutely wish I could emigrate over there! :D
 
Just getting back into golfing after not playing for 20 years mainly because I wanted to get the kids playing but I’ve found I’m really enjoying it again.

Been trying to pick up some used deals on clubs as the price has gone up quite a bit since I last bought them.

Got the kids sorted with a USKG junior set each and have TM M4 driver coming which should be a solid improvement over the old Mizuno T-Zoid driver from around 98 I was rocking but not sure whether to replace ping eye 2 irons which still seem pretty solid.
 
Out for Golf today, missed Friday with a stressful week but did make it to the range on Thursday.

Playing the 'hard' course at Woodlands which has a 1st tee shot out over a lake, and I've been slicing my driver recently... Yay. Caught the ground a bit before the ball but still went 198, and didn't go right, left if anything, so happy days :p

Overall my driver wasn't great so after the 9th hole I just gave up with it and left it in the bag, hitting my 5W really nicely generally so just used that, hit a few of the nicer ones around 195 yards which is, or was, basically driver distance for me.

Scored 114, which ties my best on that course so not too upset with that, back is fine for the second full round in a go so pretty sure those woes are behind me, and the difference on the course with a week or two of this weather seems huge, the ball is carrying further and rolling on waaay more, went out the back of the green a few times and I'm usually the one leaving it short :D
 
Decided to pop across to another local course today (Rustington) to play a quick nine holes and try and right the woes of yesterdays round and build some confidence. It's a short course with limited spots to get into trouble. Popped into the American Golf shop that is on site beforehand to take a look at some putters. Unfortunately they only had one on display that had a 35" shaft. Took a few putts with it but felt the head was too heavy for my liking and I certainly wasn't going to make any decision given it still had the shrink wrap on.

Got out to the first tee to find out it wasn't going to be a quick nine. A fourball had only just finished teeing off by my tee time and there were a two ball waiting ahead of me who had a tee time 12 minutes earlier. They offered to let me tee of first but I decided I may as well wait it out and relax. Then a couple and their daughter (who was caddying) rocked up. They were coming round for their second nine. I invited them to play with me to save them waiting which they accepted.

Opening tee shot aside I played, bar 3/4 other shots, very nicely. Shot 43 (+8) with nothing worse on the card than a double and four pars :D Easily the best I've played there. Driving was on point and on the last (driving) hole I piped one out 226 yards :) Hit a belter of a 7i, 150 yards carry, on the par three 9th just over the bunker which protects the front of the green and made a solid two putt for par. The other highlight of the round was on the 524 yard par 5 6th. Good drive but then topped a 3w. Hit another 3w which was a beauty and and then 56 onto the green. Left with a big breaking 20 footer which I holed for par!

The husband of the couple I joined up with, who coincidently was also called Steven, was in interesting player. He started back in the 80's and at one point had been as low as a 3 handicap but then decided golf had taken over too much of his life :P He took no practice swings or stokes anywhere on the course and yet had very good pace control on the greens - must have been instinctive. He said he couldn't hit it as far as he used to but I could well see how he used to be so good. Reminded me of Mistah Short Hitter on YouTube if you've ever happened across any of his videos.
 
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