Golf Thread

[iGiDK]

So close to a slam-dunk hole in one today, par 3 roughly 155 yards. As soon as I hit it I said that's right on it.

The ball scudded the bottom of the flag and went off the green and down a hill. Bogey

 

[SKILL]

Decent round of golf today, rain held off till just as we were driving away so that's always nice

89 gross (best on that course is an 86, it's the easiest course I play), 8 pars, 4 bogies. There was a pickup annoyingly along with 2 other triples. But overall it was solid, kept it in play (except the pickup ) and hitting it way better than I was on Friday

One hole though... 15th hole, par 3, going over the right side of some water and to the right is a fairly steep slope, flag on the right front of the green. Tee shot was ok, not great, a bit right went a bit long and up onto the slope. The problem here though is the green is really slopy/contoured (sp?), without a full on spinny flop shot type chip in my arsenal my plan is to land it in the fringe and get it to just trickle onto the green above the hole.

I execute that chip perfectly, one of my best for sure, it almost stopped before that final roll onto the green, down the hill, past the flag, almost stopped again at the next ridge/tier but rolled down that and then almost stopped again at the front of the green but no, off the front of the green about 3 foot. So annoying.

Chipped on with a lovely contact/distance but didn't account for a slight kick right, then a 4 footer with about a 1 foot curve for the bogey. I'm usually not unhappy with bogies but that annoyed me a lot.

I guess go for less club and leave it in front of the green with an easier/makeable chip is the way to go...

 

[Zeebedy]

Decent round of golf today, rain held off till just as we were driving away so that's always nice

89 gross (best on that course is an 86, it's the easiest course I play), 8 pars, 4 bogies. There was a pickup annoyingly along with 2 other triples. But overall it was solid, kept it in play (except the pickup ) and hitting it way better than I was on Friday

One hole though... 15th hole, par 3, going over the right side of some water and to the right is a fairly steep slope, flag on the right front of the green. Tee shot was ok, not great, a bit right went a bit long and up onto the slope. The problem here though is the green is really slopy/contoured (sp?), without a full on spinny flop shot type chip in my arsenal my plan is to land it in the fringe and get it to just trickle onto the green above the hole.

I execute that chip perfectly, one of my best for sure, it almost stopped before that final roll onto the green, down the hill, past the flag, almost stopped again at the next ridge/tier but rolled down that and then almost stopped again at the front of the green but no, off the front of the green about 3 foot. So annoying.

Chipped on with a lovely contact/distance but didn't account for a slight kick right, then a 4 footer with about a 1 foot curve for the bogey. I'm usually not unhappy with bogies but that annoyed me a lot.

I guess go for less club and leave it in front of the green with an easier/makeable chip is the way to go...

your game coming on nicely man. keep it up!

 

[stephenb]

Out this afternoon for a solo round, played beautifully in spite of not getting a warm up on the range (more on that later). Forgot my phone and my smart watch wasn't cooperating again so just kept track of my score to par and eyeballed anything inside 150y. Fifteen over par for a 86 which I think equals my best ever round on the Tower course

One of those rare occasions when everything was solid, driving near excellent. Maybe being freed of yardages helped me relax but today I just focused on trying to hit easy, I think the past couple of rounds I've tried to hit my irons way to hard. Hell I even hit a good 5i of the tee on the 14th, a 186y par 3, and ran my ball through the green and just over the mound at the back. Made a lovely up and down for par. Speaking of which the tally for the day was 6 pars, 9 bogeys and 3 doubles. Had a couple of three puts, one at the 1st (although to be fair I couldn't have placed my ball much further from the pin) and a weak one at the 3rd after a lovely 8i off the tee downwind to inside 10ft. Best par of the round was probably the tricky par 5 17th. Not the longest at 438y but lined with water all the way down the left and part of the right of a winding fairway. Hit a cracker of of a drive over 200y into the widest part of the fairway beyond where the water cuts in on the left, couldn't have placed it better. Left with with 200y or so in and took an 8i and wedge to leave myself left fringe. A drama free two putt for par. But for a little back luck with my drives on the 13th and 16th which just crept into the rough and left me impeded from going for the green it could have been even better. Just need to translate this to the harder Cathedral course.

To loop back to the start and my opening gripe about the driving range. Not only have the club just put up the prices by 11% (maybe to cover the new bay dividers they've just installed - not that there was anything wrong with the old ones) you can no longer buy a warm up bucket of 25 balls post midday. Your cheapest option is a half hour/unlimited balls for £9.30, compared to £5 for the warm up bucket, that's 86% more! I suspect this is purely a cash grab as afternoons at the driving range are probably busier Suffice to say I've expressed my displeasure on the clubs Facebook page. The driving range is the reason they don't provide any warm up nets by the first tees and now they are doing this.

 

[ChroniC]

Got my first Medal event this weekend. Played plenty of pairs, matchplay and Stableford this year and last but never medal..

Any advice on how to course manage.. I've shot 5 under my handicap on random occasions but also have like anyone, been know to blob plenty of holes in a good point rounds which could easily be 8s.

Not sure whether I should try to shoot low and take the risk that comes with it, or whether to be really risk free but accept the bogeys that might appear on the card.

 

[stephenb]

@ChroniC My advice would be mark on the scorecard which holes you're getting shots and play accordingly. You can't afford a blow up hole ruining the card. Play within your limits etc. Boring golf is the way to score well in my experience.

 

[stephenb]

Played a new course today: Hill Barn over in Worthing.

It's a beautiful downs course with spectacular views pretty much all round. When you get to the high point of the course on the 15th/16th fairways you get a wonderful view out to sea across Worthing town centre. Course was in great nick and the weather played ball

I played very solid for the most part. Course handicap was 25, which would reduce to 24 in competition going by the 95% rule. Par 70 and I shot 93 gross/69 net. Driving was on point bar one I lost out to the right on the 6th hole. Three ball ahead had called me through as they were searching for one in the rough, off course I followed them right in it (FORE!). Thought it might have stopped short of a copse to the right of the fairway, dog leg right, but couldn't find it when I got up there so dropped in the rough. Other than that had a couple that found the right hand rough but everything else on the short stuff. 73% FIR and my average drive must have been around 200y, longest I measured at 220y.

As with every round a few that got away etc. but also some nice saves. Had one silly three putt from inside 10ft on the 4th hole, a shanked chip on nine which cost me a 7, a poor chip on fourteen which cost a shot and then my drive on the last which found the rough from where I played a poor second back into the rough. On the plus side I had a great sand save on 12, just as well I'd left the flag in as my putt was travelling! On which note my putting overall was very solid, especially those four/five footers (35 total inc. 3x 3 putts). Highlight of the round was on the 8th hole when the three ball ahead, the same one as earlier, called me through while they were on the fairway and I was back on the tee. This hole drops steeply downhill, listed at 251y on the scorecard but must be playing at least 20 yards shorter. Hit a solid drive to right half of fairway and was left 15/20 yards to the pin on a slightly elevated green. Hit a lovely little 56 degree wedge to 5/6ft leaving myself an uphill putt. Stroked it in for birdie

Having gone out for a run yesterday evening my quads were already a little sore this morning and boy is this a keep fit course. Nearly every hole is either uphill or downhill and the walk up to a couple of the tee boxes was quite something. Lots of elevated greens which makes knowing exactly where the pin is impossible. A few blind tee shots where you're aiming at marker posts in the fairway. The one thing I found a little weird, only a singular par 5 - the last hole, yet the course is 6045y from the yellows so not super short or anything like that. Will definitely be back the next time I have some time off mid week.

 

[iGiDK]

Equalled my best score today in the medal with a +5 76. Bit of a sluggish start, 2 over after 3 and then up to +5 after 9 with a costly double.

It started chucking down and I went back-to-back birdies at 10 and 11 and from there it was all about boring golf and course management . Really solid back 9, the wheels well and truly came off going up 18 but managed to get up and down for a bogey.

2nd in my division with a nett 68 (-3) and hopefully enough to qualify for a knockout event

Guy in division 3 had a nett 62 (-9) wow!!

 

[stephenb]

Wow, even the best can get it wrong now and again. Not been watching so don't know quite what happened but looks like may have put tee shot in the bunker and then thinned one out back into the water?

https://www.uswomensopen.com/2024/scoring.html

Edit:

 

[booyaka]

Well as Mr Trump was getting his guilty verdicts, I was enjoying one of his golf courses!

Thursday night, 5pm tee off - we had the place to ourselves.... Pretty surreal feeling to have an entire golf course to ourselves. We had a 3 ball tee off behind us, but as we were a 4ball, we just let them go on the 2nd. After that we saw no one else for the next 4 hours!!

Lovely evening, breezy and stiff wind at times - holes 4-11 pretty much into the wind all the way. Playing long off the white tees (around 6500 yards).....

Superb condition, tough big greens, proper links golf. But at the same time, still playable for all golfers. Mate plays off 28 (got 35 shots off the whites!!) - but he enjoyed himself greatly. He lost around 8 balls but wasn't bothered at all.

Had a great game between us, won 2up on the last. Sun setting as we walked off the 18th. Fabulous evenings golf.....one of the times you remind yourself why you play golf, great views, great banter, great match with your mates.... Special evening for sure.

 

[Superpatsy]

@booyaka What one were you playing?

 

[booyaka]

@booyaka What one were you playing?

Sorry - that was the Alisa course if you mean which of the course. King Robert the Bruce is the other course (previously known as the Kintyre). Also a very good course in it's own right, but dwarfed by the "Open venue" Alisa course.

Lucky to have played it 7/8 times over the years...Always nice to remind yourself of the great players that have walked / played the course in front of you.

I'm the tall one on the left in the picture of the 4 of us - with the "silly" shoes according to one of my mates.

 

[magicroundabout]

Got my first tournament tomorrow. 18 hole Strokeplay.
Never played my new course off the white tees so for me it'll all be about course management and not going for the spectacular.
Over 80 people have entered so should be good fun.
Have no belief in winning but the taking part is what I'm most looking forward too

 

[SKILL]

Fridays are turning into a long old day now the roll-ups have started

Out for the first round in Bristol, entered the comp but played pretty badly so that was a waste of money Still good to be out, bit windy and not played since last Sunday, thought I might be well rested but instead it seems I picked up some rust over the week-ish...

Then back to my local on the way home for the roll up, not amazing but a fair bit better than last time, 14 points today vs 9 last week.

Hit some lovely shots though with my irons, really able to get that face closed and think I've said it before but my distances are way further. The 8th hole is a short par 4 but it's basically a 90-degree dogleg right, on the corner are some massive trees so cutting the corner isn't the best of ideas, although just about doable. Previously I'd take something like an 8 iron off the tee and then a hybrid of 5 wood needed to reach the green, today I hit 9 iron off the tee and then my 8 iron landed pin-high and bounced out the back of the green! Should've gone two 9 irons

Also on the 2nd I was a bit blocked out by a tree, the sensible option was a soft PW back into the fairway but instead I really tried to draw/hook an 8 iron, managed a lovely shot that turned way more than I've ever managed to before, didn't end up perfect but just being able to make that kind of shot 'on demand' felt good

Club championships start tomorrow, after the round tomorrow the top 50% go through to Sunday, winner gets free membership. Doubt I'll win it but it'd be nice to get through to Sundays game

 

[Zeebedy]

One too many net shots!!

 

[SKILL]

So first day of the club championship done, didn't play great tbh, especially with my chipping and putting, but also didn't have many really bad holes either.

Worst hole was the 11th (/2nd the second time round), sky-ed my driver off the tee for a whopping 91 yards, then my 3rd shot into the green I pulled way left, saw it bounce into some trees/rough but hit a provisional and sure enough couldn't find my first so that was 5 to just in front of the green then some terrible chipping and 2 putts for a 9 wasn't ideal.

Overall a 101, 51 front, 50 back for a net 79. 41 putts in that...

Didn't expect that to be in the top-50% that go through to tomorrow but when I left the best score was 'only' 73 net and looks like I scraped through. Basically no chance of winning but happy to make it to the second day

 

[stephenb]

Breezy out out there today which must have impacted scores. Monthly medal and by some miracle it looks like I may have come top of Div 2. This is despite losing four balls, going OB on the 1st hole, racking up a nine on both halves and shooting a net 74 (+2) playing off 23. Second and third also both off 23 recorded net 75's. Funny old game as I was in the first group out and thought there was no way I'd be anywhere near the top with +2 net. Guess everyone else had an even worse day!

Round got off to a great start when I put my second on the 1st OB - never visited that before. Tee shot had leaked right so was just in the rough down the right by the tree's. Had a branch in front as wasn't sure about playing one under and being able to advance it far enough to be in reach of the green so played out on the angle with a 7i and hit it too far. Replayed what it turns out I should have done the first time, a low 6i which ran far enough to leave me an 8i into the green. Hit that nicely and it just ran through the green and into the rough. A lovely dab with the 56 left me a short put for a seven. Played solid bogey golf for the next three holes up to the 600y par 5 5th. My drive and follow up 6i were good. Left my trying to lay up to around 140y with an 8i. Unfortunately I left it way out to the right and into the drink. Racked up a nine when all was said and done. Lost my third ball of the day on the 7th where tee shot was into the wind. Just leaked my drive a little right of where I was intending and it didn't clear the stream the separates the back of the 5th green from the fairway of the 7th. Took a drop and ended up with a six, so did well to limit the damage as this is not a hole I can reach in two anyway. Bogeyed the 8th and 9th to be out in 51.

My nine on the back half came on the 12th when I just pulled my drive into the undergrowth down the left. Saw it bounce in but couldn't find it so had to take my provisional. Layed up as always behind the water with my 4th shot, cleared it with my 5th but then duffed my pitch. 7th onto the green and a two put for nine. Solid either side of this with three pars and four bogeys. One double at the short par 3 15th when I put my tee shot into the bunker left. Tried to be too cute getting out and didn't. In contrast to the par 3 13th where I nearly holed out from the bunker for birdie. Back home in 46. 79% FIR, 6% (one) GIR, 31 putts total.

Playing in another comp tomorrow. Hopefully I can play as well but without losing any balls and finally get close to breaking 90.

 

[ChroniC]

Well I played absolutely dogturd today.. Worst round for ages, had a few mistakes but the greens had be cut and ironed for the comp. They were like a glass. I dont have the ability to back spin, so it was hard to keep chips from running on through, and putting on a down slope was mental.. Few 3 putts and even a 4..
The wind was crazy, it was swirling, so sometimes it was with you and others against you on the same hole...
You'd setup with wind in your face and then it would die as your half way through you back swing, ending up with the ball flying way over..

Only upside is got a 2, which there's a pool for from entry fees, so that gets split with however many people got one..

 

[stephenb]

Overall a 101, 51 front, 50 back for a net 79. 41 putts in that...

Playing off 22. Your handicap must have come down a fair bit, good stuff

 

[magicroundabout]

Monthly Medal Played today. First ever real comp.

Nerves got the better of me for the first 3 holes and quickly found myself + 5
Soon got into my stride and finished the front 9 Par 35/42

Onto the back 9 and started strong. following holes went 4/5, 5/5, 3/3, 4/5, 4/4 and was + 2 after 5 holes. Then disaster struck
Monster Par 5 at 545y. Didn't catch my driver and shot it off right into a bush 200y down the fairway. Unplayable taken. To then chuck my 3rd shot straight back into the same bush.
Basically I finished 5/10 . Just astonishing.
Then onto a simple Par 4 at 340y. took 5i to leave a nice 140y. Left the face open and pushed right to be blocked out by a tree. Chipped out and into a pitch mark. Managed to get it out but into a bunker.
Basically walked off with a big fat 8. 9 shots dropped in two holes. Confidence properly gone.

I then managed Par/Par/Bogy on last 3 holes to finish the back 9 37/50. Overall 72/92 for a Net 79.
Absolutely gutted with this two holes but that's golf. onto the next round and the next comp