***Official 2025 Golf Thread,, belljr quits Again!?!*** (7 Viewers)

[Andy Dufresne]

Playing Superior National, north of Duluth on the shore of Lake Superior, for the first time on Friday. Really looking forward to that!

You're going to love the scenery and views, they're spectacular. If you finish 18 and they're not busy, roll around and play the other 9. My MIL, BIL, and I did that last time we were there without issue. The bunker sand used to be like a softball field but it's been updated to new sand. And hit up the golf shop at some point, they had some sweet 1/4 zips on sale.

Is this a day trip or are you sticking around? We stayed at Bluefin Bay the last time and it was fine, though there's nothing around it. Grand Marais was worth the drive, though.

Day trip. My buddy and I had yesterday and today off so we got a wild hair to go up and back again in a day. We won't have time for the 9 hole but that just gives us a reason to go back!

Verdict: A very good course to play if you're staying at a North Shore resort but not good enough to make a special trip to play the course alone.

We played the 9 hole course to and it's totally skippable.

18 holes is enough to play in one day.

 

[BeTheMatch]

Playing Superior National, north of Duluth on the shore of Lake Superior, for the first time on Friday. Really looking forward to that!

You're going to love the scenery and views, they're spectacular. If you finish 18 and they're not busy, roll around and play the other 9. My MIL, BIL, and I did that last time we were there without issue. The bunker sand used to be like a softball field but it's been updated to new sand. And hit up the golf shop at some point, they had some sweet 1/4 zips on sale.

Is this a day trip or are you sticking around? We stayed at Bluefin Bay the last time and it was fine, though there's nothing around it. Grand Marais was worth the drive, though.

Day trip. My buddy and I had yesterday and today off so we got a wild hair to go up and back again in a day. We won't have time for the 9 hole but that just gives us a reason to go back!

Verdict: A very good course to play if you're staying at a North Shore resort but not good enough to make a special trip to play the course alone.

We played the 9 hole course to and it's totally skippable.

18 holes is enough to play in one day.

Interesting

 

[jps]

Over in Ireland right now. I have two rounds in at Adare Manor. Incredible hotel and very nice course. But Ryder Cup players will tear it up. Played Lahinch a couple of days ago. Very fun course but it can be extremely tough with the wind blowing. I think it played fair if you hit your shots. Then played the Trump Doonbeg course. By far the best views and topography. A nice mix between the difficulty of Lahinch and the playability of Adare Manor. So far no rain while playing. Heading further south today and will be playing Ballybunion, Waterville, Tralee and Old head. I have 5 unscheduled days that might try and add tee times . But should be good regardless. Most of my play has been good with a few blow up holes. Mainly low 80's to mid 80's but happy since it is always hard playing anywhere the first time. Though the caddies have been helpful. Be back around July 1st and then all the member/guests and member/member tourneys for July and August. It's been a good year. Cheers

 

[MAC_32]

Over in Ireland right now. I have two rounds in at Adare Manor. Incredible hotel and very nice course. But Ryder Cup players will tear it up. Played Lahinch a couple of days ago. Very fun course but it can be extremely tough with the wind blowing. I think it played fair if you hit your shots. Then played the Trump Doonbeg course. By far the best views and topography. A nice mix between the difficulty of Lahinch and the playability of Adare Manor. So far no rain while playing. Heading further south today and will be playing Ballybunion, Waterville, Tralee and Old head. I have 5 unscheduled days that might try and add tee times . But should be good regardless. Most of my play has been good with a few blow up holes. Mainly low 80's to mid 80's but happy since it is always hard playing anywhere the first time. Though the caddies have been helpful. Be back around July 1st and then all the member/guests and member/member tourneys for July and August. It's been a good year. Cheers

Any additional comments beyond this briefing on Lahinch? We're going late July / early Aug and have this lined up while we're there.

 

[jps]

Traveling right now but will try and give a better write up later

 

[Instinctive]

Played a tougher course (slope 134) and did quite well. Differentials of 12 and 14.5. Couples doubles today killed it, but I've started playing "against" a 10 handicap. So I just add one to the 10 hardest holes, and try to play to par overall with those extra 10.

Overall good. Great even for me. One three putt, three double chips - all 3 out of these horrendous lies that I have no idea what to do with.

I had one that was 6 feet off the green, at the top lip of the end of a green side bunker, flag down across the green, and the slope had the ball about 1.5 feet below my feet. In THICK grass. I had zero way to even stand square to it to put it towards the pin. Anything soft hands felt like it would end up in the bunker. So I kind of chopped hard down at it like you do for a fried egg bunker shot to pop it out...over the green. GREAT chip on to go up and down for bogey but it was just like...I am so incredibly unequipped to take that shot that it's a lost stroke no matter what.

With driver working generally better, every single green was reachable in regulation with normal club selection.

Par 5s:
Driver-8i-PW (GIR par)
Driver-7i-8i (fringe, putted to one foot and tapped in par)
3h-3h-6i (GIR par)

Par 3s though...all but one is a 5i for me. Hit 2 GIRs, 2 close, and one horribly bad but had like a 79 yard chip and put it on nicely.

Overall feeling really good about the game. Chipping practice every Friday for an hour or two is giving me the good feel back, although I need to work on the thicker and slopier lies.

I still have a few drives and irons just yank left each round...but all of June I think I have hit zero horrific fat chunks or just like bad shots that don't advance me. It feels amazing not dealing with those anymore.

Getting used to new putting stroke. Pushing quite a few.

 

[Judge Smails]

Over in Ireland right now. I have two rounds in at Adare Manor. Incredible hotel and very nice course. But Ryder Cup players will tear it up. Played Lahinch a couple of days ago. Very fun course but it can be extremely tough with the wind blowing. I think it played fair if you hit your shots. Then played the Trump Doonbeg course. By far the best views and topography. A nice mix between the difficulty of Lahinch and the playability of Adare Manor. So far no rain while playing. Heading further south today and will be playing Ballybunion, Waterville, Tralee and Old head. I have 5 unscheduled days that might try and add tee times . But should be good regardless. Most of my play has been good with a few blow up holes. Mainly low 80's to mid 80's but happy since it is always hard playing anywhere the first time. Though the caddies have been helpful. Be back around July 1st and then all the member/guests and member/member tourneys for July and August. It's been a good year. Cheers

The County Sligo course was awesome if you can get there. Sounds like an amazing trip

 

[jps]

Lahinch clubhouse is under construction right now, but everything is accessible. The practice range leaves a bit to desired as everything is across the street. You can only hit wedges on mats at the range. Then you can hit drivers and irons into 3 bay nets. They have a chipping green and a putting green. Take some time in the sand traps as it is a very fine powdery type sand. It was hard to find consistency hitting out of it and I consider myself a decent sand player. The greens were the slowest I've been in Ireland this trip, maybe an 8 or so. The caddies were decent but mine couldn't read putts all that well. I finally told him I would deal with any green reading. The greens did not hold or grab like Adare Manor or Doonbeg. So think more run outs or bump and run. Strange considering how slow the greens were. But biggest item is the winds. Sometimes it would make a 150 shot play like 190. The side winds could be brutal and put you in the tall grass. Lost 2 balls that day and felt good about it. Almost impossible to find balls in the heavy grass. Mainly relax and enjoy the walk. I'm an older guy and was tired at the end, but it wasn't too bad. It is a bit hilly and the side hills where bad shots end up is brutal to climb.Played from the white tees at 6500 yds and that seemed plenty long with the wind. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. Off to Ballybunion in the morning. Cheers

 

[jps]

Over in Ireland right now. I have two rounds in at Adare Manor. Incredible hotel and very nice course. But Ryder Cup players will tear it up. Played Lahinch a couple of days ago. Very fun course but it can be extremely tough with the wind blowing. I think it played fair if you hit your shots. Then played the Trump Doonbeg course. By far the best views and topography. A nice mix between the difficulty of Lahinch and the playability of Adare Manor. So far no rain while playing. Heading further south today and will be playing Ballybunion, Waterville, Tralee and Old head. I have 5 unscheduled days that might try and add tee times . But should be good regardless. Most of my play has been good with a few blow up holes. Mainly low 80's to mid 80's but happy since it is always hard playing anywhere the first time. Though the caddies have been helpful. Be back around July 1st and then all the member/guests and member/member tourneys for July and August. It's been a good year. Cheers

The County Sligo course was awesome if you can get there. Sounds like an amazing trip

We will hit Sligo on about the 28th or 29th. The wives are scheduled for some seaweed wrap and massages. So might get an emergency 9 or 18 if we forego the whiskey bars. I appreciate the potential golf option

 

[Zow]

Had my member guest the last four days.

The good: Played over 105 holes, lost like one golf ball, won a bunch of cash bets, and won four of our five matches.
The bad: the one match we lost, we lost 8-1 taking us of out the chance to win the flight and get to the championship horse race. The scratch opponent made three birdies and his ten handicap teammate shot 37. Pretty tough to compete with that.
The ugly: my liver processed about two bottles of bourbon and isn’t happy with me right now.

 

[belljr]

Another bladed wedge on a flop shot and decided to hit 3 blocks the last 3 holes ..

A 76......

Still quitting

 

[TLEF316]

Played my best round of the year today. 84 despite an ugly triple and 3 doubles. Caught a couple of really bad breaks on well hit tee shots but also got VERY lucky on 18 (should have been in the water but it skipped out and I ended up making par)

Maybe finding a little something on the road back to respectability. Made 2 birdies and had 4 or 5 other good looks inside 10 feet.

 

[jps]

If you have any specific type questions I'm happy to try and answer them. This trip is just over 3 weeks and we are covering some ground. I also have several trips for golf in Northern Ireland so could help some there as well. Bally bunion was a beast today with steady 30 mph winds and some occasional big gust. Played from the whites again about 6450 yds. But felt like 7400 yds. A similar 84 final score but my putting wasn't good and conditions were very tough. So I felt pretty good about the number. Lowest number of our group was a 78. But he is a young, Late 30ish and strong like bull. Not that I'm jealous or anything. I had my days back when. Any send pm or drop another message and I will help if possible. Cheers

 

[The Gator]

Still quitting

See you on the course this weekend!

 

[belljr]

Still quitting

See you on the course this weekend!

Updated

 

[Mookie]

Over in Ireland right now. I have two rounds in at Adare Manor. Incredible hotel and very nice course. But Ryder Cup players will tear it up. Played Lahinch a couple of days ago. Very fun course but it can be extremely tough with the wind blowing. I think it played fair if you hit your shots. Then played the Trump Doonbeg course. By far the best views and topography. A nice mix between the difficulty of Lahinch and the playability of Adare Manor. So far no rain while playing. Heading further south today and will be playing Ballybunion, Waterville, Tralee and Old head. I have 5 unscheduled days that might try and add tee times . But should be good regardless. Most of my play has been good with a few blow up holes. Mainly low 80's to mid 80's but happy since it is always hard playing anywhere the first time. Though the caddies have been helpful. Be back around July 1st and then all the member/guests and member/member tourneys for July and August. It's been a good year. Cheers

Played 5 rounds in the Killarney area about 7 years ago with my two sons. We had so much fun, but they're lousy golfers and I didn't feel like spending the big $ for the three of us to play the famous tracks. So we booked through Swing golf and played Dromoland Castle, both Killarney courses, Dooks, and Dingle. Dooks was far and away my favorite. I also chose to rent a car and drive, which in hindsight was a mistake as I found the driving over there to be terrifying. It also meant foregoing the 19th hole. I now want to go back with my golfing buddies. Have a great time!

 

[The Gator]

90 today

Driver came back around a little and made 100 feet of putts. Two 20 feet plus and three 10 footers in there.

 

[Instinctive]

On course lesson in the morning. Hope I bring the A/B game I've had the last week or two and keep it up.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

started shaky yesterday for my twilight round, 6 over after 5 and then rattled off 6 straight pars from a mixture of gir's and scrambling. Came back down to earth a bit with 5 straight bogeys before finishing par/par for a respectable 83 in very windy conditions through the hills of Novato.

 

[Instinctive]

Awesome on course lesson today. Was a really good view of exactly where my problems are, which was a good thing.

Started with a good bogey - good drive, approach long and a little pulled, good chip, good two putt.
Then a lucky par, little long but pin high, thinned the chip, but drained a long putt for par. That thin chip is an issue.
Then a birdie from playing a hole perfectly, draining a 7 footer.
Then a quad from all my most common errors - drive yanked left into water, then long second shot a little too aggressive lost OB right. Tons of penalty strokes = bad
Double from a missed green but then double chipping because I had a lie I don't know how to hit from, left it on a steep slope (another thing I struggle with)...so bad chip and still 2-putt
Double from a penalty
ok bogey - missed green almost pin high, but hit the chip too hard, didn't leave it close enough to get up and down
ok bogey - drive in rough, tough lie approach left in rough, solid chip from 60 yards, two putt
Good par - drive in normal range where I have a 3-shot par 5, layup good on second, just off the green on approach, two putt from fringe for par.


Some good insights. Mainly:

1. I now hit the ball well with a stock shot. That's awesome. Time to trust it. Pushing my club choices to, yes, take into account the miss, but not so much be afraid of them. For example, the par 5 I took a quad on there's water all up the right, and for years my miss has been a slice. Well, this year, with a great swing and consistency, I maybe slice 1/50 drives. It's mostly a slight draw and the miss is yanking it by slamming the face shut. Which is exactly what I did, which put me in different water than what I feared. LOL. His point is "you know the shape now, the only reason you slammed it shut is because you didn't trust the swing and swing free. It was tentative."

2. MUCH more aggressive shots to still conservative targets. For example, the last hole my second shot if I'm not sub 200 out, I basically always lay up to right around 100 for a full gap wedge. Which I did today. After, when we debriefed, he used it as an example of a spot where I could probably hit a 3h like 200 instead of just pulling out a 9 and putting it to 90-100 because the green is protected by a bunker. Due to this bunker, I try not to leave a partial wedge where there's a chance I leave it short and in the bunker, so I layup short enough to keep a full club. His suggested strategy is blast it past the bunker and give myself an entirely different angle into the green, and even if it runs out of the fairway into the rough, who cares - a 40 yard pitch with nothing in between me and the pin is totally fine.

3. I now need to learn chips that are different from "hit a 54 degree and fly it to the right spot and let it roll." I need to "see a lot more chip and run chances, even with the same club, or using WP or 9i." Basically the thought is if the landing area is closer to me, I'm more likely to hit it. Just like it's easier to make an 8 foot jumper than it is to make a 20 foot jumper.

4. He mentioned he'll follow up with some green reading changes, but agreed putting is not the place I'm going to be shaving strokes for now.

EXCITED! Goal is still to get under 10 this year. I think I have the swing, now it's more about the strategy and about chipping. More up and downs.

 

[CGRdrJoe]

FYI but double hitting a ball is no longer a penalty unless you did it on purpose.

Double from a missed green but then double chipping because I had a lie I don't know how to hit from, left it on a steep slope (another thing I struggle with)...so bad chip and still 2-putt
Double from a penalty

 

[Instinctive]

FYI but double hitting a ball is no longer a penalty unless you did it on purpose.

Double from a missed green but then double chipping because I had a lie I don't know how to hit from, left it on a steep slope (another thing I struggle with)...so bad chip and still 2-putt
Double from a penalty

Sorry - that's the golf sidekick term for chipped it and then had to chip it again because I didn't make it on/close to the green the first time and still couldn't putt.

In this case:

1 8i to raised green, hit the fringe right and bounced all the way down hill

2 Had a crappy thick bird's nest like, tried to hit it into the hillside and bounce onto green, didn't hit it hard enough so I basically chipped it onto the hillside.

3 Then chipped from hillside just over the green because I thinned it

4 and 5 Then two putting from the fringe.

 

[Zow]

FYI but double hitting a ball is no longer a penalty unless you did it on purpose.

Double from a missed green but then double chipping because I had a lie I don't know how to hit from, left it on a steep slope (another thing I struggle with)...so bad chip and still 2-putt
Double from a penalty

Sorry - that's the golf sidekick term for chipped it and then had to chip it again because I didn't make it on/close to the green the first time and still couldn't putt.

In this case:

1 8i to raised green, hit the fringe right and bounced all the way down hill

2 Had a crappy thick bird's nest like, tried to hit it into the hillside and bounce onto green, didn't hit it hard enough so I basically chipped it onto the hillside.

3 Then chipped from hillside just over the green because I thinned it

4 and 5 Then two putting from the fringe.

So a one putt

 

[Judge Smails]

Awesome on course lesson today. Was a really good view of exactly where my problems are, which was a good thing.

Started with a good bogey - good drive, approach long and a little pulled, good chip, good two putt.
Then a lucky par, little long but pin high, thinned the chip, but drained a long putt for par. That thin chip is an issue.
Then a birdie from playing a hole perfectly, draining a 7 footer.
Then a quad from all my most common errors - drive yanked left into water, then long second shot a little too aggressive lost OB right. Tons of penalty strokes = bad
Double from a missed green but then double chipping because I had a lie I don't know how to hit from, left it on a steep slope (another thing I struggle with)...so bad chip and still 2-putt
Double from a penalty
ok bogey - missed green almost pin high, but hit the chip too hard, didn't leave it close enough to get up and down
ok bogey - drive in rough, tough lie approach left in rough, solid chip from 60 yards, two putt
Good par - drive in normal range where I have a 3-shot par 5, layup good on second, just off the green on approach, two putt from fringe for par.


Some good insights. Mainly:

1. I now hit the ball well with a stock shot. That's awesome. Time to trust it. Pushing my club choices to, yes, take into account the miss, but not so much be afraid of them. For example, the par 5 I took a quad on there's water all up the right, and for years my miss has been a slice. Well, this year, with a great swing and consistency, I maybe slice 1/50 drives. It's mostly a slight draw and the miss is yanking it by slamming the face shut. Which is exactly what I did, which put me in different water than what I feared. LOL. His point is "you know the shape now, the only reason you slammed it shut is because you didn't trust the swing and swing free. It was tentative."

2. MUCH more aggressive shots to still conservative targets. For example, the last hole my second shot if I'm not sub 200 out, I basically always lay up to right around 100 for a full gap wedge. Which I did today. After, when we debriefed, he used it as an example of a spot where I could probably hit a 3h like 200 instead of just pulling out a 9 and putting it to 90-100 because the green is protected by a bunker. Due to this bunker, I try not to leave a partial wedge where there's a chance I leave it short and in the bunker, so I layup short enough to keep a full club. His suggested strategy is blast it past the bunker and give myself an entirely different angle into the green, and even if it runs out of the fairway into the rough, who cares - a 40 yard pitch with nothing in between me and the pin is totally fine.

3. I now need to learn chips that are different from "hit a 54 degree and fly it to the right spot and let it roll." I need to "see a lot more chip and run chances, even with the same club, or using WP or 9i." Basically the thought is if the landing area is closer to me, I'm more likely to hit it. Just like it's easier to make an 8 foot jumper than it is to make a 20 foot jumper.

4. He mentioned he'll follow up with some green reading changes, but agreed putting is not the place I'm going to be shaving strokes for now.

EXCITED! Goal is still to get under 10 this year. I think I have the swing, now it's more about the strategy and about chipping. More up and downs.

Sounds like short game mastering all sorts of pitches/chips is your fastest way to drop strokes. If you’re thinning chips more than once in a blue moon it’s a problem. I love the aggressive shots to conservative targets mentality.

 

[Instinctive]

Awesome on course lesson today. Was a really good view of exactly where my problems are, which was a good thing.

Started with a good bogey - good drive, approach long and a little pulled, good chip, good two putt.
Then a lucky par, little long but pin high, thinned the chip, but drained a long putt for par. That thin chip is an issue.
Then a birdie from playing a hole perfectly, draining a 7 footer.
Then a quad from all my most common errors - drive yanked left into water, then long second shot a little too aggressive lost OB right. Tons of penalty strokes = bad
Double from a missed green but then double chipping because I had a lie I don't know how to hit from, left it on a steep slope (another thing I struggle with)...so bad chip and still 2-putt
Double from a penalty
ok bogey - missed green almost pin high, but hit the chip too hard, didn't leave it close enough to get up and down
ok bogey - drive in rough, tough lie approach left in rough, solid chip from 60 yards, two putt
Good par - drive in normal range where I have a 3-shot par 5, layup good on second, just off the green on approach, two putt from fringe for par.


Some good insights. Mainly:

1. I now hit the ball well with a stock shot. That's awesome. Time to trust it. Pushing my club choices to, yes, take into account the miss, but not so much be afraid of them. For example, the par 5 I took a quad on there's water all up the right, and for years my miss has been a slice. Well, this year, with a great swing and consistency, I maybe slice 1/50 drives. It's mostly a slight draw and the miss is yanking it by slamming the face shut. Which is exactly what I did, which put me in different water than what I feared. LOL. His point is "you know the shape now, the only reason you slammed it shut is because you didn't trust the swing and swing free. It was tentative."

2. MUCH more aggressive shots to still conservative targets. For example, the last hole my second shot if I'm not sub 200 out, I basically always lay up to right around 100 for a full gap wedge. Which I did today. After, when we debriefed, he used it as an example of a spot where I could probably hit a 3h like 200 instead of just pulling out a 9 and putting it to 90-100 because the green is protected by a bunker. Due to this bunker, I try not to leave a partial wedge where there's a chance I leave it short and in the bunker, so I layup short enough to keep a full club. His suggested strategy is blast it past the bunker and give myself an entirely different angle into the green, and even if it runs out of the fairway into the rough, who cares - a 40 yard pitch with nothing in between me and the pin is totally fine.

3. I now need to learn chips that are different from "hit a 54 degree and fly it to the right spot and let it roll." I need to "see a lot more chip and run chances, even with the same club, or using WP or 9i." Basically the thought is if the landing area is closer to me, I'm more likely to hit it. Just like it's easier to make an 8 foot jumper than it is to make a 20 foot jumper.

4. He mentioned he'll follow up with some green reading changes, but agreed putting is not the place I'm going to be shaving strokes for now.

EXCITED! Goal is still to get under 10 this year. I think I have the swing, now it's more about the strategy and about chipping. More up and downs.

Sounds like short game mastering all sorts of pitches/chips is your fastest way to drop strokes. If you’re thinning chips more than once in a blue moon it’s a problem. I love the aggressive shots to conservative targets mentality.

For sure. I think if we are talking my 14 vs scratch:

4-5 short game
1-3 putting
2-4 penalty avoidance from confidence/course mgmt
2-4 more accuracy to hit greens
1-2 more distance

But then...at the root of the short game, the penalties, and hitting greens is learning how to hit from not a flat lie, ESPECIALLY ball below my feet and on the side of an upslope. I'm mostly fine on a downslope and ball above my feet I can usually still get the whole club on it. I know the tendency to draw/fade based on lie, the loft adjustments...but ball below my feet and stance on an upslope are two lies where I just physically have a really hard time putting the club on the ball properly. And they tend to occur around greens more often than around fairways.

 

[Zow]

74 today and I didn’t even feel that great. Bad bogeys on 16 (easy hole - short par 4) and 17.

Guess this is a good thing.

 

[Judge Smails]

77 yesterday. One of my best ball striking rounds in a long time. Missed 5 “easy” putts and a few routine up and downs. Coulda been par. Was proud of myself on 2 holes. Had one buried lie in the rough to a super fast sloped green on 7. Then a tough lie in a bunker on 8. Both times got too cute, decelerated and left em. Broke my cardinal rule of only chipping once. Hit the next shots on, more conservative this time and they went 6 feet by. Drained both putts to save bogey so no doubles. So key for me.

 

[Andy Dufresne]

My golf game is like Sesame Street's Don Music.

Of the tee is pretty good (the Titleist TSR2 is awesome).

Lots of fairways hit and the second shot game is pretty strong.

Chipping is improving - I even sank one from about 30 yards out yesterday.

And then comes the putting... I'LL NEVER GET IT! NEVER, NEVER!!!

 

[Cowboysfan8]

then comes the putting... I'LL NEVER GET IT! NEVER, NEVER!!!

I feel your pain. Golf would be alot more fun if we could get to the green add 2 strokes and move on

 

[Mookie]

I've improved my putting a lot this year by focusing on a few things:

(1) maintain a positive, confident attitude - it's so easy to convince yourself that you're a bad putter - especially on short ones;
(2) prioritize solid contact. If I make solid contact with the ball every time, it is far easier to adjust for speed;
(3) I'm reading the break from both/all sides of the hole (I do this quickly while others are putting/chipping), looking more at the big picture (drainage, humps off bunkers, general topography of area around the green, presence of water and hills). I start here and then get more specific with the line. When in doubt over a subtle break, I don't give away the hole;
(4) After loosening up my arms with a few practice strokes that mimic the expected speed, I line up the face first and then adjust my body around that line instead of standing over it and manipulating the putter face;
(5) Once I'm lined up, I get my eyes over the ball. This is the last thing I do before initiating my stroke. It keeps me from pushing the putt and missing right;
(6) all my thoughts are now on feeling the speed of the putt and making a positive stroke that gets the ball past the hole.
(7) If I make solid contact, start the ball on my intended line, and gave it proper speed, that is a good putt, no matter if it went in or not.

Oh, and practice.

 

[Instinctive]

Tough back 9 today. Good front 9 - doubled both par 3s which was bad (lost tee shots, then both got up and down hitting 3 off the tee). So 8 over, but those two holes were 4 of them. Putter was great all round.

I cannot figure out how to stay in rhythm when you get stuck behind jackasses. This 4-some, open in front, should probably have let us through on 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, and 17. There was one spot where they looked for a ****ing ball so long in the trees to the right of 14 where I was like we could play the entire hole and you'd still have been looking it wouldn't have even cost you any time. All four guys were 65+. Just ridiculous.

Played the back nine 14 over. Zero rhythm. Went from awesome with driver to shaky. Approaches where you just wait forever to hit and even with a breath and standard preshot routine it's like I just never got comfortable over the ball again.

Had a lot of nice shots. Only 1 chunk the entire round. Chipping needs work still, approaches have too wide a left right dispersion still, but overall felt like I hit the ball really well. Penalties obliterated the scorecard, plus just sitting there in the ****ing heat an extra hour.

Seriously - a 4some, me, some other guy in his 30s, and two guys in their 70s (the pair together, me and the other guy both random singles) played the front 9 in 1:40. Totally reasonable.

Back 9 took 3 hours. JFC.

ETA: oh and I hit a 530 yard par 5 in two which was sick. Well, pin high on fringe. missed the eagle chance by about 4 feet, sank the birdie.

 

[Cowboysfan8]

Back 9 took 3 hours. JFC.

 

[Zow]

Back 9 took 3 hours. JFC.

Yeah that just ruins the round.

Not really any great solutions to dealing with it. To maintain a rhythm so I’m not just standing around angry, I try to do things more methodically and, if I’m in a cart, I force myself to have longer walks to my ball and I’ll gun every shot (even if I have a feel for the distance). Basically, I force myself to play like a slow pga player would.

Not a great solution. But I do know that standing at my ball angry and/or standing there taking a million practice swings isn’t the answer.

 

[The Gator]

then comes the putting... I'LL NEVER GET IT! NEVER, NEVER!!!

I feel your pain. Golf would be alot more fun if we could get to the green add 2 strokes and move on

I feel like im the opposite lol. If I can get on in regulation, I'm money.

It's the chunky/missed approaches that are my weakness

 

[Instinctive]

Played phenomenally well today. 12 over 82 (course is par 70, but rated quite difficult - 11.7 differential posted!)

Approach still where I'm losing strokes the most. But actually gained against a typical 10 handicap on short game and putting, IN SPITE OF A ****ING FOUR PUTT.

FIVE pars.
TWO birdies.
Only three doubles. No triples.

Driver mostly worked great. Swing smooth, no lost balls - no penalty strokes, period. A couple GREAT up and downs, and a couple of excellent bogeys, including one par 3 where I missed the green by maybe a couple feet but hit a sprinkler head and shot 25 yards right into the trees across the cart path. Got over there, had no good look, said "I'll punch this pitching wedge into the hill and let it pop on and roll out a bit," - then did exactly that, two putted from around 12 feet.

I hit a 309 yard drive.
6 GIRs
4 up and downs
32 total putts - INCLUDING A THREE PUTT AND A FOUR PUTT WTF

Started off double double before four straight bogeys, but everything felt pretty good, just getting unlucky breaks like that sprinkler head, or a really sloped lie, or a weird bounce opposite expected direction. So 8 over through 6 holes, but feeling like I'm playing ok.

Par. Birdie. Par. Now it's feeling really good. 3 straight greens in reg too. Come out on 10 after an interminable wait (idk wtf some group did) and hit a monster drive, 9i in on the stroke index 1 hole...and I misjudged the wind, left it about 3 feet short. Should have taken 8, woulda been middle of green, one club of wind. Chipped on ok, two putt, bogey. Darn.

Then another par. Then a bogey that really pissed me off. Good tee shot (short par 4 but hard dog leg and very uphill, so you have to hit an iron to have a full wedge or short iron in, it's too tight up there with bunkers in driver landing distances), have a between distance shot - the pin is up, and zaps to a 9i for me, so i take an 8. Whole green, go for the middle, it's uphill, should be perfect. Hit it pure as the day is long. Found the pitch mark dead center of the green. it sloped to the back though, and rolled ALL THE WAY OFF about two feet off green. Bad putt from the fringe left me like 10 feet, so I end up with a bogey. But man I feel like I deserved par.

No worries though...straightforward par. Approach was just shy of green, but chipped it to 2 feet. Par 5 ended up pin high but 30 yards right of green in 2, chip went a little long but on for a GIR, two putt.

Then my putting got crappy suddenly. GIR on a par 3, great lag from like 80 feet to 4 feet, somehow missed it. Just pulled the putt. Bad bogey. Then ended up pin high in 2 again on a par 5, but this time put the chip right next to the pin, 2 foot birdie, BOOM. Two holes to go, I'm only 9 over. Feeling great. Another par 3. Hit the green but WAY at the back. another lke 65 foot putt. I missed gettign it over a ridge that flows to the hole by maaaaaaybe 9 inches. Left me a 20 foot putt. Just bad. Didn't get it close enough from there, two putt it from like 6 feet. Just brutal. 3 bad putts go from an easy par to a freaking double.

Last hole, deflated, pop the drive up 100 yards under trees. Punch out, hit green, two putt. bogey.


All in all, an excellent round full of good strategy and decision-making. Trying hard to focus on that vs the "what could have been" of it all. I think if I hit all the same places, I could just as easily have been 14 over or 7 over instead of 12.

 

[belljr]

Played awful again. Fat city, snap hooks block. Legit may quit after this season. Just not fun

 

[Instinctive]

Played awful again. Fat city, snap hooks block. Legit may quit after this season. Just not fun

I don't know you well enough to know what's facetious or not (e.g., with thread title) but maybe you need to reset the expectations.

 

[Zow]

Played awful again. Fat city, snap hooks block. Legit may quit after this season. Just not fun

See you tomorrow.

 

[belljr]

Played awful again. Fat city, snap hooks block. Legit may quit after this season. Just not fun

I don't know you well enough to know what's facetious or not (e.g., with thread title) but maybe you need to reset the expectations.

I posted 73 rounds last year. Played 103.

The average score for 73 rounds was 80.9

I'm avg 85.1 this year and hurt half the time. My last 5 years I avg about 81.

 

[Instinctive]

Played awful again. Fat city, snap hooks block. Legit may quit after this season. Just not fun

I don't know you well enough to know what's facetious or not (e.g., with thread title) but maybe you need to reset the expectations.

I posted 73 rounds last year. Played 103.

The average score for 73 rounds was 80.9

I'm avg 85.1 this year and hurt half the time. My last 5 years I avg about 81.

Right. So unless you can get healthy, it sounds like you need to reset expectations if you want to have fun again. If it were me, I'd be focusing on health (I just did a month of fairly intensive PT to deal with a hip/lower back thing thats plagued me for a couple years, and hopefully I can maintain the way those muscles work now) so It didn't ruin something I clearly love doing.

 

[Zow]

Starting four days of golf today. Playing Monday because I qualified for my club's team as the low gross player. Will probably get my *** kicked but will enjoy the heck out of playing in that spot for my club.

 

[Judge Smails]

On a heater. First hole drive hit a sprinkler took a wicked sideways bounce into a bunker. Got aggressive, hit the lip and it bounced back to me. Double bogey. Then back to back birdies next two holes to get even. 2 more birdies to shoot 76. All facets of the game working. Hope it lasts awhile

 

[Zow]

Starting four days of golf today. Playing Monday because I qualified for my club's team as the low gross player. Will probably get my *** kicked but will enjoy the heck out of playing in that spot for my club.

Update: Don't have to play as a scratch! I'm our first handicapped player so I'll likely be giving some strokes but a better player qualified as our scratch guy thankfully so I don't have to be the sacrificial lamb.

 

[Instinctive]

Starting four days of golf today. Playing Monday because I qualified for my club's team as the low gross player. Will probably get my *** kicked but will enjoy the heck out of playing in that spot for my club.

Update: Don't have to play as a scratch! I'm our first handicapped player so I'll likely be giving some strokes but a better player qualified as our scratch guy thankfully so I don't have to be the sacrificial lamb.

I really want to do this kind of thing at some point. I was looking at the TGA amateur competitions and a bunch need you to have a handicap below 6.4. I guess so as not to waste time with people who don't even stand a chance.

But being able to do competitions and having faster rounds on good greens are my top motivations to one day want to join a club.

Really cool to hear about this stuff, keep it coming

 

[Andy Dufresne]

The shortest driving player on tour won the John Deere tourney this past weekend. The difference (this week anyway)? He hit 75% of fairways.

Campbell also hit 81% GIRs. Golf strategy is pretty simple, at the end of the day. Execution... That's another thing entirely! Lol

 

[Yankee23Fan]

20 rounds with the new clubs and I finally broke 90 with an 89. Still getting used to these things but I see the progress. No duff shots at all anymore, most everything is solid. Just need to work on putting and drop the 5 wasted putts I seem to have every round, start getting 84/85 consistently and then focus on control.

Though at this stage in my life, frankly, I'd be happy with 85-89 every time and not be the least bit upset.

 

[Instinctive]

Great round today, but oh so close to personal best.

Started out par par par. Bogey. Then another three pars. Finished bogey double to be 4 over. Probably my best 9 ever?

The double on 9 was bad. It really should have been a bogey at worst with a chance for up and down but I hit a bad rescue shot. Basically driver leaked a little right (unusual, I'm basically always playing drives to go no farther right than my line and often miss left). It left me with a big silo between me and the green. Worst spot to be. So I need to just punch something 70-90 yards, less won't reach fairway and more will be in a bunker. Easy little chip but there's overhanging trees so I have to use a long iron instead of my usual reliable PW. Probably hit it 65. Silo still blocked me. Next one goes to the fringe. So I've totally wasted one shot. Executed the chip really well, but should have been more low and runny, it stopped too far from hole. Two putt six.

Doubled 11 and 12. 11 I leaked my approach right into trees, think it may have come off the hosel. Then I chipped over the green. So bad. 4th on, two putt from like 15 feet.

12 is a par 3. Again a weird miss as I faded it (for months now every miss has been left not right), but then had a little easy chip from rough over fringe with PW to bump and run and I just hammered it. 3 putt from like 70 feet. Ugh.

Then a bunch more lars mixed in a birdie and a couple bogeys.

And tripled 18. Only drive of the day that didn't give me a shot at the green. So I punch out, and have a partial wedge. Really tough sloped green, need to get over the false front but not into the bunker behind. Missed my spot by a foot. Landed on green but rolled down front. Then chip was bad. I was frustrated so I took a player B chip...put it to one foot.

Had a 30 foot putt on easily the toughest green. I probably left 10 putts 4-6 feet short instead of within 3 (but made a ton of them)...so of course this one I blasted like 11 feet past. Three putt. Just deflating. So I had a rescue shot, a double chop, and a 3-putt all on the same hole.

12 over. Feel amazing. Weather is amazing. Playing every day this week. Can't wait til tomorrow morning.

Also...first out played the entire round in 2:15 and felt like I took my time and thought through every choice. It was an amazing morning.

 

[MAC_32]

I played 15 dry holes today +12 then 3 rain holes -1. Neat game.

 

[MAC_32]

20 rounds with the new clubs and I finally broke 90 with an 89. Still getting used to these things but I see the progress.

Similar experience today and about the same number of rounds in. Something clicked on the back 9 and I finally started controlling my yardage. Frustrating front 9 as I missed deep (crisp contact) three times and played too much fade four times, but I found the right balance with an 8i from 145 out on 12 then didn't miss a green on an approach again, finishing with a 7 footer for bird on 18.

 

[The Gator]

I played 15 dry holes today

That's a terrible bachelor party