Instinctive
Footballguy
Final course today at We-Ko-Pa/ Greyhawk I think had better greens, and I was able to walk it, but everything else about Troon North was better.
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***Official 2024 Golf Thread, pick up the pace, HCP be a changing *** (1 Viewer)
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TLEF316
Footballguy
Playing basically the same schedule as you in a couple of weeks (Grey Hawk Raptor, We-Ko-Pa Saguaro, Troon North Monument, Boulders South and Lookout Mountain) Really looking forward to it.
How was the pace of play at Troon? Playing there on Friday morning and flying out in the afternoon. Hoping its not a 5 hour round or I'll have to rush to the airport a little bit.
Zow
Footballguy
I've used it for the last ten years or so (the Skillz yellow version). Love it. I treat it similar to a warmup heavy bat for baseball.
Zow
Footballguy
Jealous. Love the vibe at WeKoPa and I'm currently typing this inside my stupid office.
Instinctive
Footballguy
Troon North was he group favorite. I think our round was 4:15, much slower back 9 than front. We had a pair of doofuses in front of us IMO.
GreyHawk had the best facilities. Greyhawk and WeKopa had fantastic geens, Troons were merely good. Troon was absolutely beautiful and really fun to play. WeKoPa was pretty far out there and no housing on/near the course which was cool too.
Overall all 3 were great. All three also felt like pace was too slow but the rounds all came in around 4:15 which I guess is fine. I just don't understand how we could be waiting on pairs constantly with nobody in front of them.
ETA Greyhawk very walkable and I did. Troon was really glad I didn't walk it. WeKoPa I think you could but gap between holes is really long sometimes.
Zow
Footballguy
Glad you had a good time and I agree with all of your comments on the respective courses.
4:15 in the Phoenix area for a public course is actually good/standard. Lotta tourists who don't know the courses and who are there to enjoy themselves.
CGRdrJoe
Footballguy
Playing sporadically between storms up here in Nor Cal which means lots of muddy rounds, one positive as of late has been my ball striking but of course now I've lost my short game touch. Chipping off of muddy wet lies has not been fun, nor was blasting a 60 from 70 yards out and having a chunk of mud fly into my left eye yesterday. 
Zow
Footballguy
@TLEF316 and I had a great time playing Lookout Mountain in Phoenix today. He came out firing a net albatross or some such on hole 2 to set a the tone(I have had some whisky so my memory is a bit fuzzy currently as to whether he stroked).
We aren’t going to talk about the two shot lead we squandered going into 17 and focus on the good times. Weather and course conditions were ideal.
We aren’t going to talk about the two shot lead we squandered going into 17 and focus on the good times. Weather and course conditions were ideal.
Zow
Footballguy
“Swing hard, take chances”
BeTheMatch
Footballguy
Zow
Footballguy
I figure the faster I get it through the zone, the statistically less chance for error.
Plus it gets you a shout out on the internet so win-win.
belljr
Footballguy
I have been playing almost once a week in 40 degrees. Hitting the ball pretty well tbh. Tough to gauge distance and green speed as it's difficult in the cold and wet. My last round in chunked every wedge by a lot but shot 79 wtf. ....
Had one 86 since NJ posting stopped. 1-85
The other dozen if not more 78-82....
Back is feeling better but still losing distance and my misses are not ones I've ever had before. Like where I'm headed I think
Had one 86 since NJ posting stopped. 1-85
The other dozen if not more 78-82....
Back is feeling better but still losing distance and my misses are not ones I've ever had before. Like where I'm headed I think
Zow
Footballguy
Lost our first big match yesterday. We came out strong and won the first two holes then nearly the third. Got a false sense of security and before we knew it our opponents ripped off four consecutive gross birdies and a net birdie and we were down three and never came back.
Need a W today or we are out of it.
Need a W today or we are out of it.
Zow
Footballguy
Update on your courses this week? I think you said today was your last day. Curious to see how you rank them.
I was really pleased at the quality of Lookout Mountain for the price. Good find.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
Anyone use one of the more affordable simulators, like the Garmin Approach R10 for example?
TLEF316
Footballguy
Grayhawk and Troon north were as advertised. Incredible conditions and views. Great amenities, food, pro shops,etc. Awesome experiences.
Dropped a bomb for birdie on 1 at grayhawk (raptor) but it kinda went down hill after that. Just couldn't find the timing and struggled badly off the tee. Righted the ship a bit towards the middle of the round but closed with a double ( went for it in 2, left myself in a terrible spot on the left...chipped it over the green into the water)
Played better at Troon despite a tough start. Played the monument course and absolutely DRILLED the giant rock in the middle of the 3rd fairway. Hit it dead square from like 230 yards and had no idea where the ball went. But it got better after that. Actually made another eagle on the 8th hole. On in 2 and made a 35 footer. 2 big birds in 3 rounds was nice. (Considering I'd only made 4 total before this week)
Boulders was a total flop and an absolute ripoff. Knew it was a little quirky(I think I only hit driver like 7 times) so I might have some struggles but didn't realize the conditions have deteriorated so badly in recent years (my dad was there a while back and said it was great) Tee boxes and fairways were torn up and the greens (which we were told were "tour speed" by the starter) were absolutely rock hard, inconsistent and bumpy as hell (with tons of patches and invasive grasses). The kind of stuff you'd expect for a $30 round at a muni. Bunkers were actually really good, which was weird.
Considering I could have played the other courses at Troon or grayhawk for the same price, this was a real bummer. I did shoot a decent score though (made more pars than the rest of the week. No birdies)
Really fun trip overall. Would love to come back and play again at another time (not the dead of winter) when my game is sharp, but that kinda defeats the purpose of going to Arizona.
3 hour lunch
Footballguy
Played in February for the first time ever yesterday (Minnesota), was nice to get out.
Finalized teetimes for an early April trip to Vegas/St George- Wolf Creek, Black Desert, Sand Hollow, and Coyote Springs- psyched!
Finalized teetimes for an early April trip to Vegas/St George- Wolf Creek, Black Desert, Sand Hollow, and Coyote Springs- psyched!
belljr
Footballguy
Ok I'm going to say something that is not controversial but needs to be said in reference to you I'm just out to enjoy myself guys. My Saturday course wants you to be done in 4 hours. 4:15 on the packed summers.
I just played with my normal 3. Plus 75 year old from the senior tees. Who is a 25 HCP.
The other 3 hcps are 7, 12, 15.
We did have 3 carts, senior took his own.
I will say he did pick up 3 or 4 holes after he was already at double or triple.
All that being said. We did not rush, played ready golf, laser every shot. fix multiple ball marks, replace every divot or sand if possible.
Putt everything out unless conceded to normal 1-2 ft range.
Chatted about my daughter, my bil job, him complaining about the car dealership, Trying to bend over, basically variety of topics.
We line stuff up, take practice swing.
We even waited a bunch of shots for the group in front of us.
My point in this ramble is simply we got done in 3 hours and 29 minutes and we weren't even trying to play fast.
So sorry I don't have patience with slowness even got my 11,000 steps in
It also helps that we didn't have to look for a ball all day......
But you just do the little things and play ready golf instead of everybody driving one ball and watching everybody hit and you can get done in a reasonable time
Eta: playing for the last year and a half with herniated discs. Sure made a difference today when I didn't have any pain for the first 12 holes
I just played with my normal 3. Plus 75 year old from the senior tees. Who is a 25 HCP.
The other 3 hcps are 7, 12, 15.
We did have 3 carts, senior took his own.
I will say he did pick up 3 or 4 holes after he was already at double or triple.
All that being said. We did not rush, played ready golf, laser every shot. fix multiple ball marks, replace every divot or sand if possible.
Putt everything out unless conceded to normal 1-2 ft range.
Chatted about my daughter, my bil job, him complaining about the car dealership, Trying to bend over, basically variety of topics.
We line stuff up, take practice swing.
We even waited a bunch of shots for the group in front of us.
My point in this ramble is simply we got done in 3 hours and 29 minutes and we weren't even trying to play fast.
So sorry I don't have patience with slowness even got my 11,000 steps in
It also helps that we didn't have to look for a ball all day......
But you just do the little things and play ready golf instead of everybody driving one ball and watching everybody hit and you can get done in a reasonable time
Eta: playing for the last year and a half with herniated discs. Sure made a difference today when I didn't have any pain for the first 12 holes
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Instinctive
Footballguy
1. Happy to hear you are in health and it's working!!!
2. This is so important and so just blatantly rude not to do. The biggest example I've seen over the past year that makes me want a marshal to appear and teach people how to play is when at least one guy is next to the guy hitting, waiting on the shot, and then they go parallel across the fairway to the other shot. There's just no excuse and it's horrible. If you're walking, split up 30 yards apart. You can actually still talk to each other, get to your balls, take practice swings in pretty close sequence and not waste time. You're in a cart? Drop a guy off with the clubs, and he can walk up the course a bit after hitting until you pick him up. It's not hard.
There's nothing worse than the consistency with which my usual foursome is being held up by a pair or threesome. It's crazy.
Senor Schmutzig
Footballguy
Which area? Phoenix metro is pretty big.
Off the top of my head, assuming you need public courses and don't have connections, I'd say:
Phoenix proper:
Legacy
Papago
East Valley:
Gold Canyon - Dinosaur Mountain
Trilogy at Power Ranch
North Valley/Scottdale:
Quintero
We-Ko-Pa (2 courses, both good)
TPC Scottsdale (Stadium course is the Waste Management course and good, but crazy expensive as you're paying to play the well known course. It's sister course, the "Champions" course is way cheaper and just as nice).
Grayhawk (2 courses, Talon is better)
West Valley:
Wickenburg Ranch (if still available to public)
Raven at Verrado
Ak-Chin Southern Dunes
South Valley:
Wild Horse Pass/Whirlwind (2 courses - both good)
The link below is a pretty good list. Only course off the top of my head that is a glaring omission is Elephant Rocks in Williams, AZ.
Arizona's 30 best public golf courses for 2023, ranked
Many Scottsdale golf courses make list of best public golf courses in Arizona, but other Phoenix-area courses and Tucson courses are also ranked.www.azcentral.com
TLEF316
Footballguy
Course "opens" on Friday. Still the last remnants of snow on the ground for a week or 2 ago but it should be gone in a couple more days.
Might get into the mid 50's or even 60 next weekend. We're in the home stretch. My Scottsdale trip helped but I'm starting to get major cabin fever. Probably took about 100 dry hacks in the kitchen over the course of the day today. Ready to tee it up again.
Might get into the mid 50's or even 60 next weekend. We're in the home stretch. My Scottsdale trip helped but I'm starting to get major cabin fever. Probably took about 100 dry hacks in the kitchen over the course of the day today. Ready to tee it up again.
belljr
Footballguy
I've played all winter. First time in 15 years I have. Average a round per week. Been playing really well also until last weekend when I hit 6 s words
Judge Smails
Footballguy
ouch...
TLEF316
Footballguy
Usually I'm good for 1 or 2 winter rounds over at my dad's place (they do temporary greens and pretty much stay "open" the whole time if you want to come walk around). Just never came to that. I played the days before and after Christmas and then the 4 days in Arizona and that was it. My place is 100% closed all Jan/Feb and driving 30+ mins over to my dad's club to hack it around in the cold isn't super appealing.
belljr
Footballguy
My golf group is going this October, I forget which one (there is like 4 of them).
I'm not sure I am going
3 hour lunch
Footballguy
This has always been on my radar but have never done it. Looks like some great options.
jb1020
Footballguy
I got the R10 last year. Its okay for the affordable model. In fact, its probably a good option if you want the affordable route. I mainly got it so my kid and his friends can hit balls in the garage. There will be some Friday nights where they hit balls for hours. They absolutely love it. Nothing fancy, just a net and the R10 hooked up to a phone.
I could probably spend a little more and have a decent set up, but in Mississippi it gets so damn hot in the garage for the most part.
I do take it to the range with me every now and then just to try and figure out some distances. I think its mostly accurate. But from what I've seen, its not really all that serious a home simulator. For the price I think its great.
Judge Smails
Footballguy
Played several of the tracks when my former company was based in Birmingham. Great courses. Just have to plan the right time of year. Summer ain't it
Zow
Footballguy
Ugh, one of these days I'm going to break par. Played this past Saturday and after my usual bogey start due to some short game blunder, I went birdie, eagle, birdie than three pars. At that time I'm thinking, "here we go..." only to then go double-double and bogey most of the holes on the back. I did get frustrated and down some whisky at the turn which didn't help the cause.
TLEF316
Footballguy
Yeah, we're thinking sometime in the Fall for sure.
My dad wants to go on a trip with my brother and I. We were originally thinking about Big Cedar Lodge (which I would prefer) but seeing as that I'm probably not paying for all of it.....I can't really demand anything. Been watching some vids today. Courses look interesting....I'm sure the price is reasonable. Can't complain.
Zow
Footballguy
Wisconsin
Sand Valley
Sand Valley: A Top 100 Golf destination golf resort in central Wisconsin with the first course by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw opened in 2017 and the second course by David Kidd opened in 2018. Sand Valley will offer dramatic golf, set among prehistoric sand dunes, with lodging and other amenities th
sandvalley.com
TLEF316
Footballguy
Still waiting for Bandon to open up October 2025 bookings. They're only up to August 31st at this point
I've heard sand valley goes absurdly fast. Not quite at Bandon level (although adding the Lido and soon another course helps) but obviously much more convenient for most people to get to.
I've heard sand valley goes absurdly fast. Not quite at Bandon level (although adding the Lido and soon another course helps) but obviously much more convenient for most people to get to.
Zow
Footballguy
So, got a bit of a dilemma I want to run by the group. My closest golf group (5 of us, with 2 of us having moved away) has its annual member guest at the three guys' club in a couple of weeks. While we have fun, it's a serious business golf tournament and we're at the course most of each day and, at night, we're likely hanging out and hitting balls on one of the guy's simulators. It's basically three straight days of five guys doing nothing but golf and ingesting substances that impair our abilities to drive (three of us stay in same house, the other two local guys take their carts back to their respective homes, rinse and repeat).
It's going to be one of the guy's 40th birthday over the tournament as well. He's got a new gf and she has been texting privately with me (we know each other professionally as well, so it's not weird or inappropriate) to ensure that our group does something for his birthday during the tournament. I got that dialed in so we should be good there. Initially, she told me this weekend was perfect because she would be in trial over the tournament days meaning she's basically working every moment of those days.
Here's the dilemma: she reached out to me just a bit ago to happily explain she resolved her trial and she intends to come for the tournament. I believe this is to "surprise" him and she even went as to mention how she wants to ride in the cart with him to cheer him on. While I know her, I don't know her that well so best I could do was muster a "thumbs up" emoji. At the same time, I was talking with my playing partner and host and asked him if the birthday boy said anything about his gf coming. He says no and immediately follows it up with the comment, which I agree with, that our buddy won't want her there. I mean, two tournaments ago our buddy, after hitting the sauce and the grass a bit too hard, spent most of the night passed out in his own puke on the pool decking so... yeah, this is not a weekend for significant others or kids.
My partner/host wants me to say something. Am I out of line if I do? How would your respective groups handle this?
My current plan is to call the birthday guy and feign a discussion about which room he will want, when he's getting in, etc. then just ask if his girlfriend is coming and see how he responds.
It's going to be one of the guy's 40th birthday over the tournament as well. He's got a new gf and she has been texting privately with me (we know each other professionally as well, so it's not weird or inappropriate) to ensure that our group does something for his birthday during the tournament. I got that dialed in so we should be good there. Initially, she told me this weekend was perfect because she would be in trial over the tournament days meaning she's basically working every moment of those days.
Here's the dilemma: she reached out to me just a bit ago to happily explain she resolved her trial and she intends to come for the tournament. I believe this is to "surprise" him and she even went as to mention how she wants to ride in the cart with him to cheer him on. While I know her, I don't know her that well so best I could do was muster a "thumbs up" emoji. At the same time, I was talking with my playing partner and host and asked him if the birthday boy said anything about his gf coming. He says no and immediately follows it up with the comment, which I agree with, that our buddy won't want her there. I mean, two tournaments ago our buddy, after hitting the sauce and the grass a bit too hard, spent most of the night passed out in his own puke on the pool decking so... yeah, this is not a weekend for significant others or kids.
My partner/host wants me to say something. Am I out of line if I do? How would your respective groups handle this?
My current plan is to call the birthday guy and feign a discussion about which room he will want, when he's getting in, etc. then just ask if his girlfriend is coming and see how he responds.
Instinctive
Footballguy
Tough spot.
Generally speaking, I would do similar to you - I'd call my buddy and ask if, since it's his 40th, he wanted a GF or anyone else there for the trip, or if there's anything fun he'd like me to help set up. I'm pretty direct and my friends know that.
I'd also have a pretty strong hypothesis that he wouldn't want her there, and I'd problem solve that with him - I don't want to piss off a GF who will be in the picture for a long time, I don't want to make her pissed at him either, but I'm willing to have a delicate conversation if my buddy and I are on the same page.
Zow
Footballguy
Final day of my buddy’s member guest. They decided to do par point scoring which is a little odd for a member guest (I miss the gamesmanship and team strategy of better ball match play) but this format seems to better reward consistency. We are currently in second trailing by only 1.25.
I’m hungover but am about to do a cold plunge and a shot of whisky to right the ship. Time to win.
I’m hungover but am about to do a cold plunge and a shot of whisky to right the ship. Time to win.
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BeTheMatch
Footballguy
Played first round of the season last weekend as courses across Minnesota have opened early due to El Nino and not having a winter this year.
It was very windy the whole round. So we come up to a 475-yard par 5 playing dead down wind and with some downhill to it if you can get your drive out there far enough. So I decided to really try to get into one and just absolutely pured it.
Go looking for my ball and can't find it. The other three guys hit and I still can't find my ball. I'm thinking it must've somehow not cleared a line of trees or something. So I drop and hit a provisional and keep walking up toward the green.
And there's my ball in the dead center of the fairway 68 yards away from the center of the green. 407 yards away from the tee box. We couldn't believe it.
A few holes later, I rolled one up to the collar of the green on a 380-yard par 4.
As I said, windy.
It was very windy the whole round. So we come up to a 475-yard par 5 playing dead down wind and with some downhill to it if you can get your drive out there far enough. So I decided to really try to get into one and just absolutely pured it.
Go looking for my ball and can't find it. The other three guys hit and I still can't find my ball. I'm thinking it must've somehow not cleared a line of trees or something. So I drop and hit a provisional and keep walking up toward the green.
And there's my ball in the dead center of the fairway 68 yards away from the center of the green. 407 yards away from the tee box. We couldn't believe it.
A few holes later, I rolled one up to the collar of the green on a 380-yard par 4.
As I said, windy.
BeTheMatch
Footballguy
Left the eagle putt short and tapped in for birdie.
On the par 4 where my tee shot was on the collar? Bogey!!!!! Don't ask.
Andy Dufresne
Footballguy
My buddy built me a set of irons with Maltby KE4Max heads and Project X Cypher shafts to replace the Mizuno 921 JPX HotMetals I had before.
So far I love them. I get WAY better launch with the new set. Plus they look sexy!
So far I love them. I get WAY better launch with the new set. Plus they look sexy!
I'm looking at 3-4 weeks before I can even swing a club again after getting my gallbladder out on Thursday, the first quarter of 2024 can suck it
belljr
Footballguy
Been playing super well all winter for the most part. Last round shot 37 on the front....the. I proceeded to hit line drives for 5 holes. I scrambled to save bogie and lipped out 3 birdies from inside 10ft. Shot 41 for a 78, that felt like a 73 minute the thin irons for 5 holes. :(
Unfortunately won't play for a couple weeks now and the weather is so much nicer
Unfortunately won't play for a couple weeks now and the weather is so much nicer
belljr
Footballguy
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