2019 Golf Thread

Zomp

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Aug 28, 2006
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The Slums of Shaolin
I’m playing today. Likely my last round of the year. Wife is scheduled to give birth tomorrow. She said that she’s okay with me playing today but it has to be at a course close to the house.

I told her fine, and obviously I’ll keep my phone on and leave as soon as she calls if she goes into labor.
 
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Comfortably Lomb

Koko the Monkey
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Feb 22, 2004
12,958
The Paris of the 80s
Speaking of distances I wish there was some sort of calculator that could give you the expected yardages for all your clubs based on info from some of them. I'm really only confident in 7 and 8, and I estimate from there. IMO launch monitors exagerrate distance and range balls understate them.
I like to use SkyCaddy. There’s a button to track individual shot yardage that’s handy for checking carry on flat lie, low wind type shots.

Agree on the launch monitors. They always seem at least a little bit optimistic.
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
SoSH Member
Apr 12, 2005
41,946
I'm the one that took the 5 year layoff. Did Zomp take one too?

Anyway, I'm officially back. Played 6 rounds in the last 8 days. Nothing to write home about, but the swing is coming back, and the putter has been great. Almost made my 3rd ace on Saturday. Par 3, uphill, into the wind, 190, playing about 215-220, and I hit 3-wood, flush. Pin was in front, one bounce on the green, rolled up, hit the flag, and stopped 3 inches away. I'm convinced if the flag isn't leaning towards the tee box, it goes down (the green slopes hard from back to front).

I'm heading to Austin, TX on 11/1 for 4 days on a golf trip. We're already set up to play Austin CC, and may make the trip to TPC San Antonio. Anyone else played that area, recommend any courses or know anyone our pros can call?
 

Plantiers Wart

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Oct 16, 2002
4,092
west hartford
4 iron. 190

PW is 48

3 wedges sit at 53, 56 and 60 -

Got the 60 as a gift at New Haven CC tournament. Switching it on and off with my old 58 until I truly get s feel for it.
 

The Needler

New Member
Dec 7, 2016
1,803
Also anyone hit for Ryder Cup tickets last week? Got the email that I won the lottery and will be able to purchase next week.

Plan is to go out on Thursday -
Thursday - Play the U (UW home course - I love it)
Friday - Ryder Cup/Sand Valley
Saturday - hoping for a badgers home game
Sunday - Ryder Cup/Sand Valley

Will do one of either Friday/Sunday at Sand Valley or at the Ryder Cup

I will be stationed in Madison with my cousin so 2 hour drive but should be a great long weekend.
Also going out. Attending Ryder Cup on Saturday, and playing four rounds (2x Mammoth Dunes, Sand Valley, Sandbox) on Thursday/Friday. Can’t wait.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
I've got a ton of "small world" type stories, but this one happened today and involves golf so I thought I'd share. I went out as a single and got paired up with another single and a twosome. Introductions on the first tee go as normal except one of the twosome recognizes me and it turns out we had played together at the same course last year. Not that odd really. But, about 4 holes later, the other single recognizes the other guy in the group as some he'd played with at a different course last year. That's pretty strange I think. Now, as the round progresses and we're talking about where we play around the area I ask the other single if he's ever played a private course in his parents home town and he says he has. His college roommate's parents are members so he's played there a few times. On the 16th hole I tell a story about messing with my former boss (and good friend still) by throwing a golf ball at his while he was mid tee shot and him hitting them both in a single swing. On the 18th he hands me his card and I see he's in a similar business to me so I start asking more details about his business. As it turns out, he now works for one of my former coworkers so we know a bunch of the same people. One of the people he knows well is my former boss, the one from the 16th hole story, who also happens to be the father of his former roommate (whom I've also played golf with) from the private golf course. As a bonus, he also got to witness me shooting an easy 70 so he can make sure to talk up how good I am to my former boss and his son.
 
Why is it so freaking difficult to put the same launch angle on a ball out of a fairway bunker as you get from the fairway? I played in the November Medal at Dunbar yesterday and had my round ruined by the par-5 9th, where I hit two very solid drivers to start but pulled the second ever-so-slightly and had it run into a bunker. I had a 9-iron into the green, and I thought that a good contact should clear the rather steep lip - or graze the lip but still get out of the bunker, as though I'd taken the risk-free option of wedging out - but of course I hit the lip and stayed in the bunker and then had to pitch out, en route to a double bogey. (On the back nine I drove the ball as well as I have in a long time, too, but it didn't count for anything...didn't help that I putted as poorly as I have in a while.)
 

88 MVP

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Dec 25, 2007
534
WNY
Heading to San Juan, PR with the family for 4 days in a couple weeks and might be able to squeeze in a round of golf one day. Anyone have any course recommendations? (Non-golf recommendations welcome, too)
 

doldmoose34

impregnated Melissa Theuriau
SoSH Member
well, as the season here wins down, and at the Walk we play until the Bitter Cold end, my game as come back to life in the past couple weeks. Shot another 40 on the front the other day, and I realized that it was about as solid a round as I've ever played Bog-par-par-par-bog-bog-par-par-par +3, (par 37) couple birdie putts that lipped out, same with a couple of par putts. Index is down to 13.5 by far my lowest ever, who said semi-retirement sucked, plus I've posted almost 50 rounds for the year
 

Light-Tower-Power

ask me about My Pillow
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Jun 14, 2013
15,947
Nashua, NH
I love the distance talk. I used to be obsessed with my distance. At my peak I could hit my 9 iron about 160. I lost my swing and with it I lost my distance. I’m still pretty strong and have the swing speed potential for a bunch of distance but I can’t generate much speed without my swing absolutely falling apart. For now I’ve settled for a fairly wristless swing where I set my left wrist at the start of my backswing so I don’t get any whip-like action in my swing. I can’t hit it long with that swing but I’m hitting it a lot more under control. Sucks pretty much having to play 400 yard par 4s for bogey but it beats racking up snowmen. Ive learned to focus more on my short game and course management than worrying about my distance. Hopefully I’ll get to a more powerful swing at some point but for now it’s a fairly successful bandaid.
 

TFP

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Dec 10, 2007
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I love the distance talk. I used to be obsessed with my distance. At my peak I could hit my 9 iron about 160. I lost my swing and with it I lost my distance. I’m still pretty strong and have the swing speed potential for a bunch of distance but I can’t generate much speed without my swing absolutely falling apart. For now I’ve settled for a fairly wristless swing where I set my left wrist at the start of my backswing so I don’t get any whip-like action in my swing. I can’t hit it long with that swing but I’m hitting it a lot more under control. Sucks pretty much having to play 400 yard par 4s for bogey but it beats racking up snowmen. Ive learned to focus more on my short game and course management than worrying about my distance. Hopefully I’ll get to a more powerful swing at some point but for now it’s a fairly successful bandaid.
I feel like you and I are kindred golf spirits. I’ve given up keeping up with my friends on distance and just trying to keep the ball in the right spots.

2020 is the year of the distance gains.
 

Comfortably Lomb

Koko the Monkey
SoSH Member
Feb 22, 2004
12,958
The Paris of the 80s
I feel like you and I are kindred golf spirits. I’ve given up keeping up with my friends on distance and just trying to keep the ball in the right spots.

2020 is the year of the distance gains.
I’ve taken to answering when asked by playing partners what club I hit on certain shots “my X yardage iron.” Some people get kind of pissy about it which makes me happy.

Anyway, sadly, the clubs came home with me after my Sunday round. If I get out there again it will be a bonus. In typical end-of-year fashion, I feel like I was just starting to dial in my game in time to take 5 months off. Some work on my swing with my driver was finally paying dividends—I’ve been mostly pounding fairways with it the past month. That’s always been the Achilles of my game so if I can carry that into next season it may be time to jump up a small scoring plateau. We’ll see.
 

Doug Beerabelli

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I shot my best round of the year for handicap purposes on home course (an 89 from two consecutive nines added together) over last two weeks, and last nine on 11/5 was about week and a half after the previous one. I generally arrive at course 10 minutes before tee time, and will putt a bit if time allows, so I don't do myself any favors with that prep. Many times I'm scooting out of work for the 2-2.5 hour round trip office door to office door. I put a 103 up mid October, but the greens were stimping 12-13 for a two week stretch over early-mid October. Which was great -- they used to alwasy be like that.

I finally played enough "trackable" golf this year to get an accurate handicap, as I still had scores from 2013 or so on the last 20, largely in part due to not playing full nines or playing alone a lot. The club's new online tee time sign up system basically now requires you to put a score in if play with others, even for 9 or less than 18 but more than 9. You'll get a nastygram if you don't put in a score. Index went from mid 17s to 21 at its worst, but settling in a bit back to 20. I had a meniscus clean up procedure on left knee in April (partial tear of it on golf swing about a year ago), and happy to say I'm back to being able to swing without overcompensating for pain/further injury concerns. That may be contributed to the amount of horrible shots hit over last 12 months - lol. But it was a good year - played more golf due to "retirement" from baseball coaching, got to play a lot with the family, and watch my son advance on his golf journey, which is my favorite part of this sport right now.

I'm going to miss playing outside, but I'll keep an eye on weather and try to get out there as much as possible over the next month or so.
 

RSN Diaspora

molests goats for comedy
SoSH Member
Jul 29, 2005
11,345
Washington, DC
We're still a month or so away from not being to play outside in the DC area, but I just came back from a west coast golf trip after not having played in months (life, work, etc.) and it showed. What do you do in the off-season to try to stay fresh? Indoor simulators?
 

TFP

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Dec 10, 2007
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We're still a month or so away from not being to play outside in the DC area, but I just came back from a west coast golf trip after not having played in months (life, work, etc.) and it showed. What do you do in the off-season to try to stay fresh? Indoor simulators?
My buddies and I go to the simulator about once a week and I also have a mat and net in my garage that I hit into to stay sharp.
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
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Apr 12, 2005
41,946
We're still a month or so away from not being to play outside in the DC area, but I just came back from a west coast golf trip after not having played in months (life, work, etc.) and it showed. What do you do in the off-season to try to stay fresh? Indoor simulators?
I just drink and gamble indoors instead of golf, drink and gamble outdoors.

I figure if i stay fresh with 2 out of 3 things, I'l be fine come April.

Or something like that anyway.
 

Over Guapo Grande

panty merchant
SoSH Member
Nov 29, 2005
4,459
Worcester
On the one hand, I think that time off is good for getting rid of the bad habits that creep in. I am guessing I am not alone in that some of the best rounds we play are early season?

On the other hand- contradicting the above, I really got into a groove in October. I would have loved to have kept building on those positive thoughts.

On the third hand- Hitting a ball at a simulator, working back to that October feel is better than shaking fists at falling snowflakes.
 

TFP

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Dec 10, 2007
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The "feels like" temp of 11 degrees right now in Boston doesn't exactly scream golf weather.
 

The Needler

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Dec 7, 2016
1,803
The US is moving to that new system too, right? Is there a good breakdown of how the new math works?
Just got an email from my local association that noted a couple of changes I wasn’t previously aware of, including implementing a max net double bogey score on any hole for handicap calculation purposes. This one seems like it could have pretty significant implications for some higher handicappers like me. I was always the kind of player who can make a bunch of pars and a few birdies, but would throw up big numbers that prevented my handicap from dropping. Many of those 8s I recorded when I was around a 20 would now be 7s or even 6s.

http://www.scga.org/pdfs/Net Double Bogey.pdf
 

TFP

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Dec 10, 2007
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Heading to Pinehurst on Thursday to visit the gf's mom for Thanksgiving. Here's our schedule:

Friday - #4
Saturday - #2
Sunday - #1
Monday - Tobacco Road

Figures that the weather looks awesome for every day except Saturday. I will definitely be mixing in the Cradle multiple times as well.

Happy Thanksgiving to me.
 

gmogmo

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Jul 15, 2005
767
Hingham, Ma
Heading to Pinehurst on Thursday to visit the gf's mom for Thanksgiving. Here's our schedule:

Friday - #4
Saturday - #2
Sunday - #1
Monday - Tobacco Road

Figures that the weather looks awesome for every day except Saturday. I will definitely be mixing in the Cradle multiple times as well.

Happy Thanksgiving to me.
If you could somehow switch out 1 for 8 that's a perfect Pinehurst trip. 1 really isn't worth playing, especially after playing 4 and 2.
 

TFP

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Dec 10, 2007
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If you could somehow switch out 1 for 8 that's a perfect Pinehurst trip. 1 really isn't worth playing, especially after playing 4 and 2.
Yeah we couldn't get on 8. She lives down there (on #5) and we're not staying at the Carolina so it wasn't possible (or at least that's what I was told). It's basically a throwaway/fun round. I've played #1 before and really enjoyed it - it's a lot of fun. Gonna need it after getting my teeth kicked in by #2.

4 straight days of golf in November, possibly in shorts. Can't beat it.
 

Byrdbrain

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Jul 18, 2005
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My friend said Tobacco Road literally gave him nightmares for a couple days.
I played it ages ago and while I don't remember many details I just remember it being super gimmicky. I know Strantz is a love him or hate him guy and I love Caledonia and True Blue but Tobacco Road didn't do it for me.
 

kenneycb

Hates Goose Island Beer; Loves Backdoor Play
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Dec 2, 2006
16,089
Tuukka's refugee camp
Yeah that's what he said too. Like you're in a bunker with a 20 foot lip hitting onto a saddle green. Unique for sure.

And I don't appreciate @FL4WL3SS making fun of my imaginary friends.
 

Phragle

wild card bitches
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Jan 1, 2009
13,154
Carmine's closet
Heading to Pinehurst on Thursday to visit the gf's mom for Thanksgiving. Here's our schedule:

Friday - #4
Saturday - #2
Sunday - #1
Monday - Tobacco Road

Figures that the weather looks awesome for every day except Saturday. I will definitely be mixing in the Cradle multiple times as well.

Happy Thanksgiving to me.
That sounds great
 

Byrdbrain

Member
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Jul 18, 2005
8,588
Yeah that's what he said too. Like you're in a bunker with a 20 foot lip hitting onto a saddle green. Unique for sure.

And I don't appreciate @FL4WL3SS making fun of my imaginary friends.
The hole I remember best is one that is a dogleg left with huge mounds on either side of the fairway a just short of the green. If you hit your drive in the right spot you can see the green between them, if not then you have to clear the hills on a blind shot in to the green.
 

Light-Tower-Power

ask me about My Pillow
SoSH Member
Jun 14, 2013
15,947
Nashua, NH
After a rough front nine this morning trying to get loose in the cold, I managed three pars and a bird on the back. Might not be much for some of you but pretty exciting for someone who has been struggling to pull some decent play out of my ass. Hoping it wasn't the last round of the season but with the ground like 50% frozen it's getting close. Might revisit lessons in the offseason but not sure I trust myself to not get too wrapped up in them. I can struggle with focus and taking my time and the lessons this past offseason ended up making things worse by adding a million new swing thoughts.
 

TFP

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Dec 10, 2007
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Played #4 yesterday. What an absolutely gorgeous course that is so much fun and still a challenge. Didn’t play great but I was wearing shorts and it was beautiful and still had a blast. Can’t recommend this course enough.

#2 got rained out today but we called first thing this morning when they opened up the resort tee times for tomorrow and got a tee time in the morning when it’s gonna be pure sun. Did that and canceled #1. Then played 18 holes at the cradle today in the rain which was still as much fun as you can have playing golf.

I love Pinehurst so much. It’s literally golf heaven.
 

doldmoose34

impregnated Melissa Theuriau
SoSH Member
forecast last Friday was rain starting at 1, then they kept moving it back to starting at 4 so we had 3 forsomes go off at 1;30, i was in 3rd group and on the 2nd tee it started raining, nice fucking job weathermen
i'd birdied 1 and pared 2, we kept going but on 5th tee one of the guys (the one who'd called me a pussy for playing safe on 6th tee when I was -1 a couple months ago) said he and one other were going in and that I would as soon as I make a double (i was even at the time). I called him a fucking pussy, he is 80 years old, and me and my partner kept playing and I double 5th..par 6,7,8 and have 20' for bird on 9.. run it 8' past and lip out the comebacker for another fucking 40
4th time this year I've had a putt for 39 lip out
one of these days....

oh yeah, even in rain gear we were soaked
 

RSN Diaspora

molests goats for comedy
SoSH Member
Jul 29, 2005
11,345
Washington, DC
Played #4 yesterday. What an absolutely gorgeous course that is so much fun and still a challenge. Didn’t play great but I was wearing shorts and it was beautiful and still had a blast. Can’t recommend this course enough.

#2 got rained out today but we called first thing this morning when they opened up the resort tee times for tomorrow and got a tee time in the morning when it’s gonna be pure sun. Did that and canceled #1. Then played 18 holes at the cradle today in the rain which was still as much fun as you can have playing golf.

I love Pinehurst so much. It’s literally golf heaven.
I opted out of a Pinehurst trip that I'm kicking myself over. I haven't been yet.

That said, my idea of golf heaven (without first-hand knowledge of Pinehurst) is Bandon Dunes. I was there earlier this month for the second time, and am already planning next year's trip with the Sheep Ranch set to open. It's a pain in the ass to get there, but man is it worth it.
 
I opted out of a Pinehurst trip that I'm kicking myself over. I haven't been yet.
Yeah, well...I sort of opted out of a Pine Valley trip in 2004 that I haven't gotten over yet. I was supposed to fly to New York on a trip with the Scottish company I was working for - and I'd been invited to play at Pine Valley during the trip - but I'd been approached by my old company to come work for them, and even though I hadn't yet been offered the job, I decided to be forthcoming with my employer, who understandably chose not to send me on that trip. Can anyone "beat" that?

(I've spent much of my last 10-15 years trying, and mostly succeeding, to be content with my pretty awesome golfing life and not yearn for the even better golfing life I might have had and conceivably still could have. But that one definitely hurts. At least I did get the job in question...)
 

TFP

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Dec 10, 2007
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I opted out of a Pinehurst trip that I'm kicking myself over. I haven't been yet.

That said, my idea of golf heaven (without first-hand knowledge of Pinehurst) is Bandon Dunes. I was there earlier this month for the second time, and am already planning next year's trip with the Sheep Ranch set to open. It's a pain in the ass to get there, but man is it worth it.
I’m doing Bandon in March. I’ll report back then.

#2 absolutely kicked my ass but I played like complete horseshit and stupidly played from the (non US Open) tips, about 7k. I had all 185-215 into every green and my long irons and woods deserted me. It was the highest score I shot in years but I played every ball into the hole.

I really enjoyed Tobacco Road minus the 16th hole. That green is literally impossible. We had 7 combined wedge shots into that green and couldn’t get it to hold. Would just roll all the way back down 70 yards short of the green and 50 feet uphill. The other holes were all great though.

#4 > #2 overall in my opinion.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
I've done both and prefer Pinehurst. Bandon has the scenery and better overall courses, but Pinehurst has the weather and history.

I also enjoyed staying in a house with my closest friends at Pinehurst over staying on a resort. Admittedly, my Pinehurst love has a lot of nostalgia behind it.