Tell us about your game today...

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McLaren wrote:Ben

I am not doubting jas and believe him that the guy handed in a score for 51 points. I am just astonished by 51 points, as I said this is a score that I have never seen before. This is more about acknowledging the rarity of this event.

We are talking rarer than a hole in one, this guy has shot a nett score that only a handful people will ever have shot.

It just seems like others on here are not as blown away by a 20 handicapper shooting +5 as I am.

As a junior in the early 80s, I shot a nett 56 (a +4 or 5 round I think) and a 58 in the same Summer. I didn't cheat, but I did get cut a lot that year.

inco/super

A matchplay opponent once confronted me for "cheating". As a junior I qualified for the club champs knockout and came up against a past winner and one of the favorites. I leaked one into some fir trees and there was a bit of wispy grass in the undergrowth, nothing too severe, but I "moved" some as a set my club behind the ball.

This guy called me out and insisted it was a two shot penalty for improving my lie, had I been older and more confident I would have obviously told him to do one, but at that moment I just accepted the penalty.

What happens if such disagreements arise? Unless theres a referee present (highly unlikely), isnt it just your word against your opponents? I'm usually pretty easy going and wouldnt call an opponent out on cheating unless it was very egregious

inco

I haven't seen many full on rules bust ups, mostly they are resolved by getting the rule book out or referring it to competition sec/referee after the match.

McLaren wrote:inco

I haven't seen many full on rules bust ups, mostly they are resolved by getting the rule book out or referring it to competition sec/referee after the match.

If you see someone cheating, get them to mark your card first then refuse to sign theirs.

Another good round today. 3 under handicap (39 points). My mate who got 44 points on Monday, got cut 3 strokes. Today he came home in 41 points, so effectively he scored the same. Senior Championships at our club first week of September, so he's hoping to keep his form.

I had probably the best range session ever this morning. Playing my club's captain's prize tomorrow (was supposed to play this morning but chickened out due to rain). Hope I can bring today's ball striking to the course.

Good to hear inco. Is there something specific you are working on with your swing at the moment?

Thanks Mac. I'm just trying to reinforce what the pro told me last year during my series of 5 lessons, the main thing being to get the wrists hinged early in the backswing. I have several other things I'm trying to get right, but wrist hinge is the main one.

i personally wouldn't aim for an early wrist hinge but if it is part of getting everything moving in the right direction with a good tempo then go with it, the takeaway for me is where you determine what chance you have of hitting a good shot. A good takeaway leaves you feeling like you have loads of time and space to swing down into.

McLaren wrote:i personally wouldn't aim for an early wrist hinge but if it is part of getting everything moving in the right direction with a good tempo then go with it, the takeaway for me is where you determine what chance you have of hitting a good shot. A good takeaway leaves you feeling like you have loads of time and space to swing down into.

Yes, my own thinking was that,as long as they're hinged at the top, what does it matter. But it does make a huge difference for me. If you look at Dustin Johnson, it almost seems like he starts hinging his wrists before he moves his left arm back. That kind of a move/feeling produces good results for me.

Agree with you on the takeaway, always find that when its low, slow and controlled theres a much better chance of hitting a good shot.

I played a stableford comp today (Captains prize cancelled due to localised lockdown). Played pretty average, 32 stableford points with 2 scratched holes (one of which happened when my playing partner and I accidentally played each others balls).

Hard finishing 3 holes at Golf Club of Houston so can't complain about the final score. Chunked my only chip on 18 as pressure of breaking 80 kicked in.

Will try Memorial Park soon as the course should start to get Houston Open tournament ready soon

Open stableford today, played well. 38 stableford points. 2 birdies, 5 pars, 10 bogeys, 1 triple. 82 strokes (par 71). Happy with the birdies and the lack of big numbers (one of my goals is to have a round with no worse than a bogey on any hole). The par count is quite low however, and needs to increase. A simple swing thought of swinging more slowly and controllably paid off a lot, as I fear I have a tendency to swing hard from the top of the swing.

One of my better games today. 4 under handicap, 40 points, with no big numbers (for me). 1 Birdie, 5 pars, 9 bogeys and 3 doubles. One of the doubles was a result of being behind a tree with no shot, and the other was putting the ball in the water on a par 3. But pleased about scoring on every hole.
(Edit) Forgot to mention it was also of the back tees, so doubly good.

Wee bit late in updating but finally got back to Cat 1 at the weekend for the first time in 4 years, followed up the 74 from the week before with a 73 on Sat. Much scruffier it has to be said than the 74 but good up and downage and more putts dropping gave the better end result.

Not sure how long I'll keep Cat 1, played Senior Champs Monday and had an absolute car crash, 7 double bogeys included in an 86...funny old game.
Went out the following evening in our little 13 hole tournament and was 30 points through 13 holes (level par basically) and 12/13 greens in reg. Kind of makes it exciting turning up at the golf club at the moment..what JAS is turning up today??

Well done Jas.

Cheers Super, it's the big one this coming weekend 36 hole Club championship. Hoping the JAS that turns up is not the one that completely goosed the Senior Champs.

Carnoustie still on at the moment, hoping it stays that way. I don't think I'll bother with the Trumpton Open this year though.

Jas

Well done, 15 back down to 5 is a very good effort.

Well done Jas

Went for a bit of practice this evening. Started with about an hour of wedge shots, then when I played a few holes afterwards I had a slice with the driver that wasnt there yesterday. I can only imagine elements of my setup or grip from the wedge session carried over to my driver swing. I hope its gone by saturday.

inco

Maybe it's just me but is it ever possible to get all parts of your game working at the same time?

McLaren wrote:inco

Maybe it's just me but is it ever possible to get all parts of your game working at the same time?

I've always considered it impossible mac, certainly for us amateurs.

It is also noticeable that my best rounds don't come from my best ball striking but when my short game is on fire. I know this is a common trope and with all the shots gained data from the PGAT we sort of know it is not entirely true at the top level but at handicap club level the short game is key.

I have periods where missed green equals bogey. That makes life very hard.

Stableford comp this morning. Shot 32 points. It was a grind and the score couldve been a lot worse if not for some heroic up and downs. My ball striking was frustratingly poor.

Great one under round today. Finally down to scratch.

super_realist wrote:Great one under round today. Finally down to scratch.

Great stuff super, well done

super_realist wrote:Great one under round today. Finally down to scratch.

Great work super.

79 at Golf Club of Houston yesterday with a bogey, bogey, double finish. Bit gutted at the end but 17 & 18 are very challenging holes.
Happy with +7 mind you, just frustrating to have dropped 4 shots at the end.

I played last Friday afternoon into a gale. I've had 2 lessons in the last couple of months and I can get the hang of it at the range and generally with my irons. But with the driver I'm still not quite committing. I need to open my body up rather than slide my hips out. Very frustrating.

Ben, it can take a surprisingly long time to get stuff from a lesson to bed in. It is worth going back even months later just to get your coach to check you are still doing the new things.

Well Cat 1 didn't last for long, after a decent morning round in the Club Champs last weekend and a decent front 9 in the afternoon I had a complete meltdown in the afternoon. A bit of bad luck started the unravel and it quickly snowballed.
Had a decent chance to quickly get back to 5 at the weekend just gone but squandered it, 2-3 missed very makable putts meant I finished on handicap so no cut.

Had a putting lesson yesterday (booked it back at the end of July after the 3putt fest at the Saunton Open) Putting has been generally kind of ok since but if I've got designs on getting back to and staying Cat 1 and pushing 4 or even 3, my putting needs to be better than just "generally kind of ok".

Lesson went well, I need to be more aware of my head/eye position (I seem to have a much better and free flowing (and accurate) stroke with my eyes over the ball rather then behind it. Really like the guy's approach, very Phil Kenyon influenced, watching a few of his vids at the moment which my putting coach recommended. We'll see how it goes, an instant improvement would be great but experience tells me it might take a little time to start showing in results.
He also recommended what looks like a great app for Practice and Stat recording (spiderputt)

What putter are you currently using JAS? I'm similar in that I'm struggling to get back to Cat 1 and realistically need to improve my putting stats to achieve that goal.

My club held a Titleist Custom Fitting Day this week and I went along for a putter fitting. I've had my Scotty Cameron California Monterey for a few years now and fancied having a change. Really enjoyed it, I had an hour with the Titliest fitter and our pro and the whole process was quite fascinating. Gone for the Newport Squareback 2, 33 inch length which is one inch shorter than I've always used. There is 15 coming in from the States on 20th November, 13 were already allocated I've got the 14th. Bit pricey at £349.00 but if it saves me a couple of shots a round then money well spent I think!

BlueCoverman wrote:What putter are you currently using JAS? I'm similar in that I'm struggling to get back to Cat 1 and realistically need to improve my putting stats to achieve that goal.

My club held a Titleist Custom Fitting Day this week and I went along for a putter fitting. I've had my Scotty Cameron California Monterey for a few years now and fancied having a change. Really enjoyed it, I had an hour with the Titliest fitter and our pro and the whole process was quite fascinating. Gone for the Newport Squareback 2, 33 inch length which is one inch shorter than I've always used. There is 15 coming in from the States on 20th November, 13 were already allocated I've got the 14th. Bit pricey at £349.00 but if it saves me a couple of shots a round then money well spent I think!    

I'm using an old Nike method, must be about 8 years old, it's also got the fattest of fat grips...so fat it should be shielding :-p I am looking at a change at some point soon, I'm not sure I need the fat grip any more. I was almost tempted to ask how much you'd sell the Scotty Monterey for...then I worked out yours is 34"...thats almost a broom handle putter for me :-p

I'd agree a couple of shots a round is big

I've got a fat grip on my existing putter and always felt comfortable with it. Fitter and Pro convinced me to stick with a standard grip on the new putter as they said the larger grip distorts the weight balance of the putter head. Remains to be seen if I can successfully adapt to the change after all this time!

I suspect that a couple of shots a round is also too optimistic!

I've been taking a bit of break from playing, but I discovered some old left handed clubs in my shed yesterday, so today for a chuckle I went to the driving range and hit 80 left handed shots. The results were mostly terrible, but I think I'm going to stick with it and see if I can become in any way decent as a leftie (I'd be delighted if I could break 120 after today!). In a weird way I think it might give me a greater appreciation for my regular right handed swing. Have you folks ever done anything similar?

Good luck with that inco, this game is hard enough anyway played the right way round! Although as I was perched rather precariously on the edge of a deep pond yesterday after a wayward approach shot, I was thinking it would be so much easier if I could play this left handed!

incontinentia wrote:I've been taking a bit of break from playing, but I discovered some old left handed clubs in my shed yesterday, so today for a chuckle I went to the driving range and hit 80 left handed shots. The results were mostly terrible, but I think I'm going to stick with it and see if I can become in any way decent as a leftie (I'd be delighted if I could break 120 after today!). In a weird way I think it might give me a greater appreciation for my regular right handed swing. Have you folks ever done anything similar?

I was tempted at points when my back was less stable than it is now to get an old left handed 6 or 7 iron and have regular range sessions with it just to kind of keep a better balance/spinal alignment. A former Osteopath suggested it would be a good idea.

I certainly don’t think you’d be doing any harm persevering Inco, infact you could even benefit, e.g. next time you’re right up against bushes or something and your only option is either an unplayable drop or an ambidextrous recovery, imagine your playing partners jaws drop as you rifled a left handed recovery shot with the toe of an iron ;-)

Yoyo’d back to Cat 1 Sunday at the County divisional champs. A 4 over 74 for a net 68. Gutted to double the last, a par would have given me outright 2nd rather than a tie.
What did amaze me somewhat though was my putting, first 3 holes I canned a 10 footer for par, a 25 footer for birdie and a 25 footer for par. My tee to green was a bit ropey in places but long putt after long putt got canned, highlight being a double breaking downhill 27 footer for birdie on 17. Cannot remember a round that would even come close to the amount of holed putt yardage I had on Sunday. Obviously it helps if the greens are good and safe to say they were really really good, fast and true but the amount of slope made the very tricky.

Well done Jas.

Cheers Supes, I’m probably in the best streak of form for several years and...they go and cancel the Tassie :-( So no Carnoustie for me this year or next year (already cancelled as well). So will probably look at the Eden Tournament next year.

JAS wrote:Cheers Supes, I’m probably in the best streak of form for several years and...they go and cancel the Tassie :-( So no Carnoustie for me this year or next year (already cancelled as well). So will probably look at the Eden Tournament next year.

Have you considered the Montrose Golf Week Jas? One of the best links courses most people have never heard of.

Has anyone tried that Arccos shot tracking system?

Played my 2nd round club championship match yesterday. I played garbage and was beaten handily. Opponent was off 5. I probably should have played more golf in the lead up, hadnt really played for the last 2-3 weeks.

Hardlines Inco, I'm struggling to even qualify for one of my CC's after a holocaust* first round.

super_realist wrote:

JAS wrote:Cheers Supes, I’m probably in the best streak of form for several years and...they go and cancel the Tassie :-( So no Carnoustie for me this year or next year (already cancelled as well). So will probably look at the Eden Tournament next year.

Have you considered the Montrose Golf Week Jas? One of the best links courses most people have never heard of.

No but I do fancy having a crack at Montrose at some point. The other tournament similar to the Tassie that I fancied was the Cruden Bay one. Anyone else done that one or at least played Cruden?

No but I do fancy having a crack at Montrose at some point. The other tournament similar to the Tassie that I fancied was the Cruden Bay one. Anyone else done that one or at least played Cruden?[/quote]

Jas

I played Cruden Bay last year after a flight home was cancelled at the minute and we had to stay an extra night ....what a blessing that was!! Great fun course with spectacular views. A bit quirky like north Berwick if you’ve played there but thoroughly enjoyable as are the other Aberdeen courses we played

TM2K wrote:
No but I do fancy having a crack at Montrose at some point. The other tournament similar to the Tassie that I fancied was the Cruden Bay one. Anyone else done that one or at least played Cruden?

Jas

I played Cruden Bay last year after a flight home was cancelled at the minute and we had to stay an extra night ....what a blessing that was!! Great fun course with spectacular views. A bit quirky like north Berwick if you’ve played there but thoroughly enjoyable as are the other Aberdeen courses we played [/quote]

Oh that is good to hear as I played North Berwick as part of my 50th Birthday trip and loved everything about it. I’ve also played RA & Trumpton up there but never quite made it to Cruden.

Enjoyable game today. Didn't start to well with a double and a triple on the first two holes. Got it back together with a chip in birdie on the 4th and played steady from there onwards. Two more doubles, 5 pars and the rest bogeys. 38 stableford points. Driving the ball much straighter just as I am about to get new woods. Hopefully I can keep it up as Seniors Championship round 1 on Monday.

JAS wrote:

TM2K wrote:
No but I do fancy having a crack at Montrose at some point. The other tournament similar to the Tassie that I fancied was the Cruden Bay one. Anyone else done that one or at least played Cruden?

Jas

I played Cruden Bay last year after a flight home was cancelled at the minute and we had to stay an extra night ....what a blessing that was!! Great fun course with spectacular views. A bit quirky like north Berwick if you’ve played there but thoroughly enjoyable as are the other Aberdeen courses we played

Oh that is good to hear as I played North Berwick as part of my 50th Birthday trip and loved everything about it. I’ve also played RA & Trumpton up there but never quite made it to Cruden. [/quote]

Then you’ll definitely not be disappointed...like the bar on the top floor of north Berwick they’ve set the clubhouse up to give the best views of the golf course and the whole top bar/dining room looks over the bay and is quite spectacular.
Did think when playing that I wouldn’t be too confident posting a medal round somewhere so unique and unconventional, let alone hold your handicap there and the course manager confirmed these suspicions telling us about an event (can’t remember if it was pro or top end amateur) two summers ago in the middle of the heatwave where less than a third of the field returned a score!!

Splashed out on a new laser this week. Garmin Z82. A lot of cash, but looks to be the king of lasers with a GPS strokesaver for each hole built into the viewfinder and 40,000 courses available.
First chance to use it will be Last 16 in the Club Champs Knockout.