Tell us about your game today...

First topic message reminder :

Fresh thread - you know the score: share some of your tales of woe, indifference and banditry with us all.

Mac, for all your "golfers are Meat trombone soloist and avoid the clubhouse like the plague" talk you seem to be behaving like one here by acting like a handicap snob. You certainly don't appear to be practicing what you preach.

1gg

My handicap snobbery is a persona on a forum. I hope it isn't doing any real harm.

Glad you are satisfied

Davie

It was a joke lighten up. Reread my post and look for the key words. If you can't see I was parodying a handicap snob then I worry for your comprehension abilities.

McLaren wrote:This is precious. A 20 odd handicapper saying "good for a 32 handicapper".  

Which exactly are the keywords to indicate this was a parody? Plenty to indicate it was a troll, but not a parody

Davie

Clearly that was scene setting and character development. I had to set the correct tone so that the scenario would work.

Clearly ...

Mac you've set the scene in my mind of you being one very strange chap indeed. Surely you can think of better things to do to amuse yourself than winding people up about handicaps and laying jokes that make you chuckle in front of your screen but no one else........

Mustputt

Yes probably a little sad, but I try to inject some satire and humour to the board. Golf needs people like me. Stealing from another common internet label (SJW), I feel the need to be a golf justice warrior. Forever tackling the unjust elements of the game. The earlier chat with davie a fine example of me plying my trade.

Exactly what element of our chat was an example of an unjust element? You were just being a berk

Davie

The mistreatment of those with a high handicap.

Ah Mac you truly are my Knight in Tarnished Armour - what would us hackers do without you fighting our corner

I can just picture it now Davie, you will be stood in the heavy rough thinking oh no, what will I do now. When the fog clears and Mac charges out hickory shafts in hand to the rescue.

Mac, the single figure handicapper, without a handicap

Played in the local football teams golf classic this morning. Game in pretty good shape... well, at least it was until a downpour started on the 5th and didn't stop. We grinded through it only to be told on the 18th green that the event had been cancelled!

There was a Ford Mondeo as hole in one prize on one of the par 3's which I thought was pretty cool.

Absolutely miserable round, totally saturated. Umbrellas became pointless after a few holes as it became impossible to get any wetter. I had no waterproof trousers and they were soaked and stuck to me for the majority of the round. It was also cold and windy. How I hate golf in the rain

incontinentia wrote:
There was a Ford Mondeo as hole in one prize on one of the par 3's which I thought was pretty lame

Think I'd rather have a sleeve of pro v1's

1 under par gross in the medal today, including a rather hilarious 60 yard "pitch in" for 2 after catching it way too heavy off the tee.
No wind at all, but an annoying gentle drizzle that never really stopped.

Good start on Saturday, solid driving, striking decent irons, nice short game when greens were missed, 1 under through 7.

Par 3 8th. Massive shank off the tee followed by another one trying to wedge in. Double. Drive into trees on 9 escaped with a bogey after a good recovery. Bird 10 to get back on track, solid par on 11. +1 and still hopeful.

Bang. Pull hook into trees then pull hook second shot with second ball into mangoes. Fluffed chip, bad chip 2 putts. Quadruple 8.

Threw another couple of bogeys in for good measure and +7 finish (+1 net). Funny old game. Glorious weather though, first comfortable shirtsleeves day of the year and some good signs in there, brain farts excepted...

I am sh1te at golf. Yesterday saw my 15th consecutive .1 back since I won a board comp at the end of 2013. I haven't once even come close to buffer in all that time. That win got me cut from 9.0 to 7.8, and I'm now 9.3. I don't feel like I'm hitting it that badly (although yesterday I couldn't hit an iron to save my life, despite missing just one fairway) but I am pretty much guaranteed to make 3 or 4 doubles (or worse) every round. Last year I reached the regional final of a singles matchplay event, and the club pairs matchplay final, so I must have played some decent stuff, but not with a card in my hand. Starting to p1ss me off now.

SmithersJones wrote:I am sh1te at golf. Yesterday saw my 15th consecutive .1 back since I won a board comp at the end of 2013. I haven't once even come close to buffer in all that time. That win got me cut from 9.0 to 7.8, and I'm now 9.3. I don't feel like I'm hitting it that badly (although yesterday I couldn't hit an iron to save my life, despite missing just one fairway) but I am pretty much guaranteed to make 3 or 4 doubles (or worse) every round. Last year I reached the regional final of a singles matchplay event, and the club pairs matchplay final, so I must have played some decent stuff, but not with a card in my hand. Starting to p1ss me off now.

I've had somewhat similar Smithers, 13 x 0.1s in 15 starts since I get down to 4.2 at Carnoustie last year. Finally lost Cat 1 status in the County champs at the weekend. 6 over after 3 holes of the morning round wasn't the start I was looking for. Having regrouped I felt I'd got into a much more reasonable groove only for disaster to strike on the 13th tee, 5iron snapped on impact. So had to play the last 23 holes with no 5 iron. Despite trying to avoid 180-190 yard in shots I managed to find myself at that yardage an uncanny amount of times. Thoroughly disheartening day as I felt my ball striking was decent but every time I strayed off piste I was severely punished.

Keep telling myself I'm more or less there and that good scores will come but I'm at a loss as to how to stop the slide, maybe the extra shot and the extra shot in the buffer will help.
If you find the secret of reversing the slide Smithers don't be shy in sharing!!

I'm going the other way JAS fortunately. No practice at all and I'm down 0.3 to my lowest in a couple of years.

Just completed one year at my new club, and marked it with my first round in the buffer. Finally an end to 12 months of +0.1's.

Initially I didn't expect this, I thought both courses were a similar level of difficulty, but I've come to realise how much more difficult my new course is aroud the greens.

JAS wrote:

SmithersJones wrote:I am sh1te at golf. Yesterday saw my 15th consecutive .1 back since I won a board comp at the end of 2013. I haven't once even come close to buffer in all that time. That win got me cut from 9.0 to 7.8, and I'm now 9.3. I don't feel like I'm hitting it that badly (although yesterday I couldn't hit an iron to save my life, despite missing just one fairway) but I am pretty much guaranteed to make 3 or 4 doubles (or worse) every round. Last year I reached the regional final of a singles matchplay event, and the club pairs matchplay final, so I must have played some decent stuff, but not with a card in my hand. Starting to p1ss me off now.

I've had somewhat similar Smithers, 13 x 0.1s in 15 starts since I get down to 4.2 at Carnoustie last year. Finally lost Cat 1 status in the County champs at the weekend. 6 over after 3 holes of the morning round wasn't the start I was looking for. Having regrouped I felt I'd got into a much more reasonable groove only for disaster to strike on the 13th tee, 5iron snapped on impact. So had to play the last 23 holes with no 5 iron. Despite trying to avoid 180-190 yard in shots I managed to find myself at that yardage an uncanny amount of times. Thoroughly disheartening day as I felt my ball striking was decent but every time I strayed off piste I was severely punished.

Keep telling myself I'm more or less there and that good scores will come but I'm at a loss as to how to stop the slide, maybe the extra shot and the extra shot in the buffer will help.
If you find the secret of reversing the slide Smithers don't be shy in sharing!!

Not having much luck with those irons Jas.
Only played two medals this year. Been suffering from concussion the past couple of weeks following a collision with the helter skelter frame at the play park with our 3y/o. Played a week later and barely made it round the course. Putting was the worst, crouching down to clean and line up the ball then feeling like passing out or boaking when standing up. Managed to get it round in 88 which was pretty good considering! I'd have walked in had in not been in a 2ball. Last week was a bit better 82, but still a little groggy. +0.2 to 5.4, so on track to be cat 2 by June.

No I'm not Barra, and these are the new ones (finally got a free replacement set of i25s in Jan to replace the i20s), As much as I like them I can't be having Pings again if they're going to have reliability issues. Whilst the 5 iron goes back for repair I'll have to play both a 4bbb match and a singles match before the replacement arrives...not good. Although a mate is lending me his i20 5 iron (same shaft spec but yellow dot rather than my own blue dot). I'll have a wee session with it Friday to see if it behaves any different before Sat's match.

How does a 5 iron snap at impact, unless you've wrapped it round a tree? I'm assuming it is just the shaft and the head is fine. You sure it's not one of those dodgy Chinese imports? Does it actually say Ping on the club or Pong?

Had a wedge shaft snap on me once Ray, and not by rage. Rusted from the inside and snapped around my neck on follow through.

Exciting time in club golf at the moment. Club Champs coming up and my game is in good shape.

I am confused how missing one club can have an impact on your score? Unless I lost the putter it is easy enough to compensate.

McLaren wrote:I am confused

Fixed that for you

Played a 2 day comp at Beau Desert (Staffordshire) this week. Had not heard of the place before but really impressed. Apparently held 17 Open Qualifiers (Regional), and has some of the best greens and surrounds I have seen. Could have done without the hailstones yesterday, but really enjoyed the course.
Would recommend it to anyone who happens to be in the area (Cannock).
Missed buffer by one shot day one, and in buffer day 2.

My 6 iron head came clean off last year. Was loaned a spare by the pro while it was being reshafted but didn't use it once, couldn't trust it and hit a knockdown 5 instead.

Played 18 this evening. Simply appalling. Nice evening though. Rolled in a 30 footer on the last to cheer me up golf wise. Winter league semi final this weekend weekend...Hope I play a bit better than today!

Managed to turn a possible very good round into a round where I probably never made buffer and going up .1 last night.
Got to be one of the worst feelings in golf! Raging with myself today.
+1 through 11 and missed so many birdie putts, actually holed a birdie putt on 10 and it popped back out. Rain comes on and I start the bogey bus after a lost ball double on 12. Managed to 3 putt the last for a double when all likely hood a 5 would have been buffer.

Played really solid for 11 holes so that's a positive but started playing with a hook from then, so need to sort that out.

barragan wrote:My 6 iron head came clean off last year.

Surely that's just glue, easy to fix, not really a massive failure like shaft snapping.

raycastleunited wrote:

barragan wrote:My 6 iron head came clean off last year.

Surely that's just glue, easy to fix, not really a massive failure like shaft snapping.

nup, shaft sheared off at the hozzle, head went flying up the fairway...

Was it another batch of those "Pong" irons?

Titleist dahling

Played medal today for second card and all in all a disaster.

55 shots for the front 9, picked up way back in with a 43.

Need to find a way to settle down earlier and stop caring what my playing partners think. I'm hoping this comes with experience of this situation.

Did have a couple of birds in there which was nice

Well, first full round back at 6 today (was supposed to be playing 4bbb match yesterday but opponents pulled out late but managed to beat my doubles partner over 13 holes). There were good signs yesterday (my doubles partner is the Club Champ). Shame today was just a bounce round with mates for £££. Started off bogey bogey bogey (the latter being a 3 putt from about 12 feet). By the end of the front 9 I'd pulled it back to 2 over so 19 points and enough to share the front 9 spoils. Silly bogey on the 10th after tugging a safe 4iron behind a hedge but that was pretty much the last mistake, chipped in on 16 to get back to 2 over and thats the way it finished and good enough to pocket the cash for the back 9 and overall. Had it been a medal I'd have been instantly back to 5. Singles match tomorrow but now looking forward to next weeks medal.

Is it just me or is there quite a psychological difference between 6 & 5?

No I agree JAS it seems huge, much more so than a 1 shot difference should really make.

Played in the Eastern Counties Cup today, a scratch 36 hole medal event played on the picturesque course at Woodbridge in Suffolk. Plenty of very decent players entered but also open to category 2 to make up the numbers and so I managed to get a slot. Felt strangely a bit nervous on the first tee, a very tight but short par 4 but hit a nice rescue wood straight down the middle which quickly settled the nerves.

Good points from the day was that I got round 36 holes with nothing worse than a bogey, albeit there were plenty of those! Drove it really straight which was pleasing as anything wide was destined for gorse and heather. Bad points were missing the green far too often from good drives and then not getting up and down. Really need to work on my yardages and distance control this summer.

A 77 in the morning was followed by a 79 in the afternoon. Par is 70 and standard scratch 71 so no additions to my 5.7 handicap which is always a bonus when competing away from home!

Thats decent scoring in a big event away from home Blue especially to limit any damage to single bogeys. Also in those big events, the CSS can creep up quite easily as most in the field are not playing their home course. Did you mean SSS or CSS?
Think with the 5-6 thing the extra shot in the buffer helps too.

To address Mac's confusion about why being a club short might have an impact on one's score....Och d'know what, I can't be @rsed to explain, it's kind of obvious really and if it needs explaining to allay confusion well...

Yes sorry I meant CSS although on this occasion it had not crept up from the usual SSS. Woodbridge is quite short at 6299 yards off the backs, but well worth a visit for anybody in the area.

Played sh1te again yesterday, but one of my playing partners told me a funny story about a match he played on Saturday. He was playing in a club match, off scratch and so conceding a couple of shots. 5 down after 11 he managed to get it back to all square on the last tee. The 18th at the course in question (The Essex) is a dog leg right par 5 with water guarding the green on the left, and numerous geese in turn guarding the pond. His opponent, having conceded such a commanding lead, was a little scrambled and pushed his tee shot. He played out sideways and then decided to go for the green. He pulled a hybrid but caught it thin. The ball barely got off the ground and headed at high speed straight into the temple of one of the pond's anserine residents. The chap was distraught at having killed the goose outright instantaneously, and told my friend that he didn't want to carry on with the match. Somewhat lost for words my friend could only think to say to the guy "Take as much time as you like to get yourself together. If it's any consolation, it stopped your ball from going in the water hazard."

The match did eventually carry on and my mate made a 4 and won the match!

Despite his opponent hitting birdie?

(ahem)

Good knock last week, everything mostly solid. +1 for -5, third place £55, and a cut back to 5.1.

Came to this Saturday and the first scalping of the greens, rapid, true and testing. 3 jack the first for bogey from 15 foot. 4 shots left on h/cap probably 2 left for usual css. OOB and treble down 2. Gone.

But, somehow converted the shambles into solidity and only exchanged a bird and a boge between 3 and 14 with the rest pars before another dropped one on 15 and lo and behold, my second par three treble of the day on 16. Ended up 36 points missing buffer by 1. Overall pleased except the silly mistakes.

Yes, 5 triggers something in the head versus 6, especially when CSS is regularly -2 for us. Still, think I have come into a bit of form and could have a run of holding it.

Other interesting development. I never, ever seem to chip in. Saw something on the Golf Channel and thought I'd try it. Since then 2 weeks ago 2 for birdie, another one last week then one last night in a 4somes scratch match (albeit for a bogey and ultimately a loss as partner had launched one OOB). 4 in 2 weeks probably eclipses the previous 4 years total (if not longer!). Would still rather GIR, but even the occasional chance of converting a miss is a very nice change.

Roller - I reckon CSS at 2 under the card is a tough gig. Bet you handicap travels well?

Roller_Coaster wrote:Good knock last week, everything mostly solid. +1 for -5, third place £55, and a cut back to 5.1.

Came to this Saturday and the first scalping of the greens, rapid, true and testing. 3 jack the first for bogey from 15 foot. 4 shots left on h/cap probably 2 left for usual css. OOB and treble down 2. Gone.

But, somehow converted the shambles into solidity and only exchanged a bird and a boge between 3 and 14 with the rest pars before another dropped one on 15 and lo and behold, my second par three treble of the day on 16. Ended up 36 points missing buffer by 1. Overall pleased except the silly mistakes.

Yes, 5 triggers something in the head versus 6, especially when CSS is regularly -2 for us. Still, think I have come into a bit of form and could have a run of holding it.

Other interesting development. I never, ever seem to chip in. Saw something on the Golf Channel and thought I'd try it. Since then 2 weeks ago 2 for birdie, another one last week then one last night in a 4somes scratch match (albeit for a bogey and ultimately a loss as partner had launched one OOB). 4 in 2 weeks probably eclipses the previous 4 years total (if not longer!). Would still rather GIR, but even the occasional chance of converting a miss is a very nice change.

Care to share? My chipping needs all the help possible.

Shame I don't live in Edinburgh anymore Barra. Chipping is my main strength in golf. Get up and down around 80% of the time.

puligny wrote:Roller - I reckon CSS at 2 under the card is a tough gig. Bet you handicap travels well?

Am I missing the sarcasm there? I'd have thought the opposite - certainly I know that my handicap travels a lot better now I'm a member of a club where CSS is often 2 over the card than it used to when CSS was under.

Pul - You'd think that, but I'm very hit and miss and my mistakes tend to be ruinous doubles or trebles that happen more frequently at generally more punishing away courses, meaning I'm much less likely to play to my handicap away whatever the CSS! In fact, harking back to a comment JAS made that someone suggested he was the worst 5 handicapper ever. I'd like to step up and suggest that I will appear to be that person more often than not!

Barr - it was a combination of a Paul McGinley chipping video on The Golf Channel and (I think) a clip from Sky Sports Euan Murray. You may be able to find the PMc thing on you tube, but I'll try and explain, some of it is obvious and I am only recanting what I saw, not proffering the opinion that this is the best way or how you must do it (before anyone shoots me down!) I'm making no excuses if my verbiage doesn't convey what I saw properly either!

Premise (for short greenside chips): Get the ball on the ground asap. Avoid wrist breaks for consistency. Use a club that gets it up, over whatever there is in the way then down and running.

Set up, 70-30 front foot to back foot weight. Pretty square to target. Grip normal, ball towards rear of stance. PMc was saying he likes to feel that the shaft is firmly linked to his right forearm throughout and the grip points to sternum (making the triangle between arms and chest). Then backswing has no wrist break (it's all done by the body rotating around the point on the sternum the grip points at) accelerate through impact to a finish (which I think) is also no wrist break. Pops it up, gets it down and allows it to roll to target.

In addition to that (and a clip totally separate to the PMc one), Euan said that when lining up short chips, on address lift the heel of the club up fractionally and look at the front of the ball (ie side nearest to target) and this assists the strike.

I had a concern that losing any wrist might make the swing feel 'clunky' (and the vanity in my brain said it'd make me look like an idiot), but a few practises (and it was only a few) and the strike was good (removing concerns about feeling clunky), the ball did go and it releases towards target nicely.

So my interpretation of what I saw seems to have helped me but it does feel like it looks horrible to observers. A bit like the view of me pulling the ball out of the hole looks horrible to opponents...

Smithers - no sarcasm at all! If Sss/CSS is more restrictive I would suggest you are working harder to make any progress, get in buffer etc. fewer shots to play with. I know when my home course SSS was increased by a shot many of the sages who know a bit about the game (not including myself in that category) reckoned our handicaps would travel less well.
I play most of my comps at away courses, and would not relish getting home and effectively losing a shot!

Have any of you tried Mickelson's hinge and hold method?