Club Championships

Advice needed!

My Club Championship is this weekend and i'm playing in it for the first time. I'm off 17 and have been grouped with a 5 handicapper and a 9 handicapper

I'm not a nervous person but i've no doubt that i will have a few butterflies come the first tee (or the 10th in this instance!). I'm aware that the course will be set up at it's most difficult and that i probably shouldn't pick up any gimmies

Other than that, is there any good advice that anyone can give to ensure beyond any doubt that the trophy is in my grasp at the end of Sunday??

MustPuttBetter wrote:Other than that, is there any good advice that anyone can give to ensure beyond any doubt that the trophy is in my grasp at the end of Sunday??

You could provide sandwiches for all the other competitors prior to teeing off in a show of a generous spirit. Just use tainted cucumbers as part of the filling.

Remember your playing partners wil be just as nervous as you are, and being of 5 and 9, they're not all that.

Or beansprouts LJ?

"Morning, nice to meet you, i'll be playing a Black Diamond number 12 ball, would you like a tuna and beansprout sandwich?"

I think this could work, ta!

JPX, you don't consider 9 and 5 to be a decent standard?

I'd even say that the 5 and 9 handicappers are under more pressure than you. They are expected to perform to a decent level but on a tough layout will be aware that a Tenerife score is in their locker whereas you could shoot 100 without batting an eyelid.

Without touching technique, I'd focus on keeping your course management tight and by this I mean play within yourself - Your handicap permits you to hit every green but one in one over regulation so don't beat yourself up if you miss greens or have to play out sideways after poor drives as your handicap reflects this. Also, get down the chipping green - if you miss 17 greens in regulation and can get up and down on just 25% of those while taking 3 on the rest then you'll be right in the mix come sunday.

I played in my club championship last year for the first time - 18 holes on the Saturday and then for those who made the cut (scratch and handicap categories) 36 on the Sunday. I can honestly say it was the most enjoyable weekend I've had at the club since I joined and everyone from those competing in the scratch category to the higher handicappers hoping to make thier mark in the hadicap category had such a great feeling of club cameraderie. The Saturday draw was done in handicap order so I was out with people of similar standard to me (I was playing off 23 at the time though I've got that down a couple of shots now), and I made the cut very comfortably which meant the Sunday was with other golfers who were in some sort of clear contention for the handicap prize on the Sunday. I played the Sunday in just a two-ball I think with a guy off around 10 or 11 I think and if I had any nerves at all I don't remember.

Try to enjoy it and hopefully the good scores will go with being relaxed - and I hope it is as enjoyable for you as my first was for me

Whether I think that's a decent standard or not is irrelevent, but it's certainly not a standard that you should be intimidated by, as sharrison01 says, they're are expected to do a lot better than you, so the pressure is all on them!

Thanks sharrison

I'm not sure about shooting 100 without batting an eyelid. I'm not THAT bad!

But i appreciate the course management bit. I'm aware that i basically have 3 shots to reach each par 4. I was thinking about getting myself into that mindset and taking the pars as they come along. If i can do two rounds of 15 over (well in my locker) that will win the handicap trophy.
Is thinking like that defensive golf though? That's my only worry

have fun, take each shot as it comes and don't beat yourself up if you hit a duff or several duffs. that's gowf!

Thanks Davie

Ours is 18 holes on the Sat and 18 holes on the Sunday. No cut.
The groups are all similar handicaps aside from mine! I played a club match with the 9 handicapper before and went round in 11 over whilst he did 12. I hope he's not expecting that again! ha ha
I'm glad you enjoyed it. Gives me hope that it's not all just terrifying!

JPX - irrelevant to the club championship yes but i'm interested as you batted 5 and 9 off pretty nonchalantly. I'd be over the moon to make single figures.
I'm not intimidated by them. Just looking for any useful tournament style tips. It may be that aren't any. So be it if so

Cheers Graeme!
That's gowf - like it

I meant that no-one else would bat and eyelid if you hit 100 whereas a 5-9 handicapper is always afraid of a high 80's round (Tenerife) because that would raise eyebrows.

I think the course management bit is really important when playing with lower handicappers because it is easy to get caught up in trying to out drive your playing partners or taking risks that they may take when it is out of your ability range. I would not look at is as defensive golf but more making the best opportunities for your game - there could be many reasons why your handicap is 17 but if you appreciate that you will not shoot a gross level par so there is no value in taking the course's par on then it will help you to move on from those bad shots or holes.

Of the differences between higher and lower handicap golfers, a key one for me is being able to stop bad runs and go with good runs. When I was starting out, I would constantly have a run of bad holes that can be fatal for your round so by accepting that bad holes will happen it is easier to move on from them. Likewise, if you have a good run then keep doing what you're doing as if you are playing well then you should not try to protect what you have done by changing things.

A 17 handicap is easy to score well with if you take each hole as +1 to get on the green and two putts. On a good day, the odd putt will drop and the odd chip will get close so lets hope you have a couple of good days and are celebrating come sunday.

MustPuttBetter wrote:
JPX - irrelevant to the club championship yes but i'm interested as you batted 5 and 9 off pretty nonchalantly. I'd be over the moon to make single figures.
I'm not intimidated by them. Just looking for any useful tournament style tips. It may be that aren't any. So be it if so

Ha sorry didn't mean to, I just see far too many players get grouped with players they don't know then find out what they're off and get intimidated by it. It's a weakness.

just looked up our qualies results from last couple of years and -9 hcp over 36 was the lowest aggregate qualifier last season, with -8 the year before. will -4 really be enough?

i'm glad our club has a knockout, as with scores like those i've got nae chance of getting to the top of the qualies! hopefully i'll make it into the top 8, then anything can happen in a matchplay situation.

At one of my old clubs there was always a bit of fluff & bluster before the CC but I just looked at the honours board and saw that on only one occasion in the last 20 years the champion scored under par.

My target score was always four over par for 36 holes as I knew that I just might win with that.

In the five years I played I think the best I did was 3rd and I remember finishing with 5 bogeys that year.

OOps

Re thread a few days ago that score is gross [of course, as it will be the club championship and not some secondary event for the hackers]

doon, i reckon +6 or +7 over the 36 might be enough to make it through to our knockout rounds. obviously i'd expect to have to raise the standard to progress anywhere in the knockouts.

Carry your rule book; more rules aggravation in competitive events than any other time in my experience.
And Good Luck, enjoy yourself!

Of course a favourite ploy is to say to your partners at introduction time

"not gonna remember those names guys. After all I'm not going to see you in the first round of the knockout when I qualify"

Of course that might end with a black eye.

Seriously londonjonnyo do you really have to post such pointless drivel all the time?

Just keep going and count 'em up at the end. Enjoy and good luck

JPX wrote:Seriously londonjonnyo do you really have to post such pointless drivel all the time?

Surely I can post whatever I like... You can of course not to get wound up and either take it in the manner meant or continue to have that little chip on your shoulder.

I'm not getting wound up, as I've said before the odd comment here and there not a problem, but every comment you make seems to be a poor attempt at a joke of some kind, that adds very little to the thread. Comes across as attention seeking to me.

....and on that note I apologise to the MPB for going off topic.

Thanks guys

Kwini good idea about the rule book, that's the sort of advice i was looking for and something i'd not thought about, cheers

Ban Bam, i think -4 would be there or there abouts. I've had a look at the last couple of years and anywhere around net par is not a million miles away. I guess from the plates with difficult pins, fast greens etc many people struggle to play to their handicap

Thanks Puligny

LJ if there was a knockout bit i am the sort of bloke to throw something cheeky like that out! I'm sure some banter will be involved. One of the guys i'm playing with loves a bit of banter. And also moves at 100mph so i'll need to try and concentrate on playing at my own pace

one shot at a time

and walk along the links reading the rule book betweek shots...this will freak your playing partners out. At certain times you could run a kind of rules quiz whilst waiting on tee shots etc. Suggest not when they are lining up puts but thats your call.

MPB, firstly good luck for the weekend.

My advice would be not to panic if you start badly. Many's a time when I've used all my handicap up well before the end of 18, then relaxed and have played decent golf from there.

Just concentrate on each shot and focus on what you want to do, be that hitting a drive 250 yards or chipping out of the cabbage.

Look forward to hearing about it on Monday (that's if you're not too hungover from quaffing the winner's champagne!!)

MPB

that's a good bit of advice from Humpyd. It's important to remember that it's over 36 holes and everyone at some point will drop shots and have a bad run of holes (this is relative of course, a bad run of holes for a scratch player might be 'only' making pars on birdie holes) And anything can (and will) happen that can turn your round around. Holing a long putt, chipping in, a lucky bounce out of trees back onto the fairway etc. 36 holes is a long way so just keep digging away, keep your concentration and don't get despondent if things aren't going your way.

Relax, deep breaths, enjoy

hey mpb, on reflection our sss is a couple under the par, so those -8s and -9s would really translate into -4s and -5s. good luck to you in getting in and around -4.

my advice would be to avoid thinking about a target score during the rounds as it just puts a wee bit more pressure on you. its good to have a target before you set out, and something to measure your score against afterwards, but during the game you must mentally stay on the same hole as you're playing.

when i'm on a good score i've often been guilty of thinking a hole or two ahead. worst one recently was when i was +2 after 7, and standing with a wedge for my third shot into the par 5 8th and though: two pars to finish the front nine [9th is relatively straight forward par 4] and then regroup on the 10th. walked off with a triple and a quadruple, after visiting the sand twice, some pretty deep bundai and the water. it was painful.

Cheers fellas

I will let you know how it goes. Sorry to those not interested!
I'm not sure about the 250 yard drives but here's looking forward to my lucky bounces of trees

Good luck MPB and to all those playing in thier championships. I'm well past that stage now.

You know what they say 'if you can't be good be lucky'.

Come on then MPB, how did you get on???

It could have been worse but was not great!

Saturday i played ok and went round in 86. The course is par 69 and i'm off 17 so that put my level par net and in with a chance of the handicap trophy. Think i was tied 7th at that point so had a chance with a good day on Sunday.
All day Sunday it hammered down with rain. Literally the entire round! To cut a long story short, i did 93 so finished 7 over for the comp. Poor!
Tied 12th out of 50 for net scores.

To be honest i'm glad to have my first 'proper' tounrmanet out of the way and will feel a bit more comfortable from now on. Plus i got to meet a few of the club competition regular players who were decent enough blokes.
Played with a 17 year old who shot 2 under gross on Saturday. Good stuff.

Note to self, brush up on par 5s course management.
The par 5s are the holes i can usually bank on (or as close as i get to that) for my pars. But they were not my friend this weekend.
First day I was round in net par having taken 7s on both par 5s. Two 5s there would have given me 4 under net and put me in the lead for the handicap trophy.
Second day was net 7 over and i was 8 over on the par 5s alone (took a 10 on one!!). Two 5s would have put me 1 under net.

5 under net would have won the handicap trophy by 3 shots i believe.
So really even two pars and two bogies on the par 5s would have been good enough.

Oh well!

Thanks for all the advice

MPB, glad that you enjoyed it and sounds like it went really well for a first big comp. Your scores seem pretty reasonable and were far from embarrassing and most importantly it seems like you've learnt a lot from it which will give you good confidence and preparation for your next one.

Well done mate...

MPB look on the bright side especially if it was your first one, you finished 12th that means you were better than 38 other players take the positives for next time. Well done

Cheers guys

The really frustratign thing is, after all of that, i go up 0.1

Damn it!!

MustPuttBetter wrote:Cheers guys

The really frustratign thing is, after all of that, i go up 0.1

Damn it!!

The joys of the handicapping system, still a good effort though mate first of many no doubt

Cheers bud

beansprouts didn't do it then?

Not to worry.

MPB, Remember that everyone else in contention for that trophy will probably have had similar exploits on other holes.

Remember the maxim of "If's" and "but's" in golf.

"If your aunty had balls she'd be your uncle, but she doesn't so she isn't."

LJ no! i offered round the chow mein at the 10th but not a single taker!

SR, i wasn't offering excuses. Just notes to myself on where obvious improvements can be made. If i don't try i'll never be an uncle!

MPB, just saying it's a waste of energy to think "what if" you're only beating yourself up necessarily.

If you really want to look back on your round in a positive way think back to every shot and give yourself a score as to whether you were properly prepared for the shot, i/e did you set up properly, was your alignment right, were you distracted, were you sure of the shot you wanted to play.

Everyone hits bad shots, but if you set up as well as you could and still hit a bad one, simply accept it.

Fair enough SR

And that's not a bad idea, i'll have a ponder.
That was actually the reason i mentioned the par 5s as on all the shots except 1 over the par 5s i hit good shots. But they were wonky or overclubbed or underclubbed. I got myself into quite a bit of bother from poor decisions.
Must do better!

The other thing to do is have a look at the strokesaver (or walk the course) and find the safest places off the tee which avoid trouble and maximise your chances of a good lie on the fairway and the safest parts of the green and play to them. Forget where the pin is as they are often placed to catch you out.

Proper, considered course management is an often overlooked tactic of the game and something which can save you many shots without actually becoming a technically better golfer.

I'm not sure that I would agree that looking back at technique would be overly useful. I would focus more on what areas of your game were weaker - ie did you putt poorly, miss fairways, miss greens, chip poorly etc and then you can address that on the range. Most importantly I would look at your course management and identify any shots that you would have played differently.

If there was a weaker area of your game then some range time will help address this but as mentioned, you will always hit poor shots. For most average players, I think that a study of course management is the most beneficial part of analysis after a game as this is where you gain your experience, ie identify the poor decisions that you made and don't make them again.

Well done MPB. 12th out of 50 is a very creditable result.

As the others have said, don't beat yourself up too much about where you feel you made mistakes. At the end of the day you're off 17 and therefore you're not going to hit every shot as you want.

You had a nice weekend and met some new golfing buddies which is probably worth more than what you scored.

off to get some practice in before tomorrows 36 hole qualy. can't wait to get back to that lovely links !!

my biggest problem seems to be 'starting again' for the second round. i never seem to be able to put a good or bad morning round out of my mind when setting off for the second 18.

still i have a decent track record at this event having qualified for the handicap knockout 3 times from 5 or 6 attempts. unfortunately i had to withdraw from the knockouts on two of those occasions due to a prior engagement, and lost in the first knockout round on the other. this years target is to get in and around the cut for the scratch, but in order to do that i'll be trying to focus on enjoying myself rather than chasing a particular scoreline. with the course's exposed location, if the wind gets up it could get interesting!

Got Round two tomorrow and sitting pretty after one round in the scratch, forecast looks gash though so should require just an average round to make it to knockouts.

Good luck to both you guys for tomorrow, glad I'm not playing as the forecast down here is awful as well. Medal on Sunday for me and the forecast for that is quite good at the moment.

ban_bam, a tip for you that always works well for me. When playing 36 holers, try to fit in a quick shower and fresh socks between rounds, really perks you up for the afternoon

Best of luck chaps, with the golf and the weather!

Out of interest - a bad round fair enough, but why would you want to put a good round out of your mind?

I'm actually looking forward to the bad weather, helps you focus on keeping dry rather than the shot in hand.

Plus, due to my first good round, I can't see too many of those behind me posting a truly great score in tough conditions, so as long as I dont shoot a really dreadful round I shoot be in good shape to qualify.