2020 Golf Thread

Doug Beerabelli

Killer Threads
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
One of the reasons I've always loved the British handicap system is that days like the one you've described are accounted for - the score you post is compared against all the other scores posted on the course that day before it gets applied to your handicap. (That's supposed to be a feature of the new worldwide handicapping system...I forget, has that come into effect yet in the US?) If you're going to keep score in conditions like that, I think you can have a lot of fun if you can fully accept that par is actually around 80-85 and evaluate your score accordingly, instead of just thinking how far over par you are.

By the by, the best tournament result I had in college golf was at the Greater Boston Championship, a one-day event which the year in question was played at Quashnet Valley on the Cape in similarly horrendous conditions. I shot an 83 and finished tied for second, two shots behind the winner; I'm pretty sure all of my teammates shot in the 90s except for the one guy who joined the Century Club, and none of them could believe that I'd shot an 83. "Quashnet" quickly became a swear word on our team, but I remember it very fondly; I didn't do anything well but played smartly, stayed out of trouble and avoided doubles and triples, and I think you can find real virtue and indeed enjoyment in accepting that on some days pars are birdies, bogeys are pars and doubles are bogeys.
"Quashnet" is an ancient Wampanoag word meaning "Mosquito."
 

Doug Beerabelli

Killer Threads
Lifetime Member
SoSH Member
As for the handicap system, any have any exceptions score adjustments show up? I don't have that issue, but my wife had it on a couple scores. Shot 88 when she's normally mid-90s. To her credit, she's getting better this year, playing a lot more golf than before, and just got new clubs after using a set of TM Burner Bubble irons and some woods that were older than our children.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
I think it’s based on scores relative to handicap on the day at that course. I think.
I've got 2 adjustments and they are both from the same course. That course is notorious for it's sudden and severe wind changes so it could be that, but I wonder if the course has any part in the adjustments. It's not well documented.
 

Dan Murfman

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 21, 2001
4,187
Pawcatuck
Finally had a round that I could be happy about. I’ve been struggling to break 100 and more often the naught failing . Typically I start off solid and then just fall apart. Today I drove it well and kept the ball in play. Actually played with just one ball. I parred the first 2 holes. Bogeyed the next 6 holes. Made a 20’ for par to shoot 42 the front. Back is harder at Fenner Hills so inknew breaking 90 was going to be tough. I made 8 straight bogies so stood on 18th tee needing a par for an 86 but would be thrilled with a bogey an 87. Hit good drive and was in fairway about 165.. But because I can't have good things I shanked my iron into the ravine. Made a triple but did wind up with an 89.
 

The Needler

New Member
Dec 7, 2016
1,803

Average Game James

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 28, 2016
4,346
It's automated. https://www.usga.org/content/dam/usga/images/handicapping/Breaking down the PCC.pdf

I've had one (+1) adjustment, but I've only posted 10 rounds this year.
I've had a couple adjustments. Played down in Miami in early March and both days the wind was gusting 30+. Scores on the 3 rounds were adjusted down by 1-3 strokes each. But away from those, haven't had any despite what I'd consider some very abnormal wind in a few rounds - wondering if that's related to a lot fewer people putting out with various distancing measures in place (e.g. raised cups, lift and place in bunkers) so recent scores have maybe been biased down a little.
 
I played another 18 holes today in very little wind, and with another haar meandering in from the sea which again made visibility uncomfortably low at times. And I nearly had the full Faldo (1987 Muirfield edition): I parred the first 14 holes. Every time I had a makeable birdie putt, I flubbed it, but every time I was off the green or had a lengthy birdie putt I got down in two. Then I butchered the short par-4 15th, missing the fairway after trying to lay back with a 3-wood and eventually making bogey, but I got it straight back at 16, holing a 25-footer for birdie that had three feet of left-to-right break. I tried to give it away at the 18th but made a 10-footer for par to shoot an even-par 71. Very satisfying.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,386
Bounced back yesterday after my disastrous 10 lost ball escapade. Shot 7-over on the front (not bad after double bogeying the first two...and I thought...oh great, here we go again), and then 1-over on the back for a tidy little 80. Last three drives of the day (not counting par-3s) were all 300+ yards, right down the pipe, with the furthest one hitting 320, so that felt good.

Nice round, @Conigliaro's Potential. 71 is no joke.
 
Bounced back yesterday after my disastrous 10 lost ball escapade. Shot 7-over on the front (not bad after double bogeying the first two...and I thought...oh great, here we go again), and then 1-over on the back for a tidy little 80. Last three drives of the day (not counting par-3s) were all 300+ yards, right down the pipe, with the furthest one hitting 320, so that felt good.

Nice round, @Conigliaro's Potential. 71 is no joke.
Nor is shooting an 80 after starting double-double!
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,386
Yeah thanks. 4 over over the last 16 holes isn't too bad.

Sadly....the first two holes count too. :-(
 
I was out again at Dunbar this afternoon, on a significantly windier day than Friday, but for a while the results were about the same. I started with eight pars and a bogey, but then I played our Amen Corner of 10-11-12 - easily the toughest stretch of three holes on the course - in one-under: a 2-iron from 210 to 12 feet at the 10th to make birdie; a 40-yard bump-and-run to 4 feet at the 11th to save par; and an 80-yard sand wedge from the rough to 3 feet at the 12th to save par again. But then at the 13th, at even par and after a perfect drive left me only 90 yards to the pin, I managed to miss the green and then miss a two-footer for par - the sort of putt that you could easily give yourself, but I'm trying to putt everything into the hole at the moment, and I just quit on it. And then I doubled two of the last four holes, while also having the slowest lip-out in human history on a 20-footer for birdie at 17. I would have definitely taken 76 standing on the first tee, especially after getting only four-and-a-half hours of sleep last night, but after playing the final six holes in +5, it's very disappointing.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
I was out again at Dunbar this afternoon, on a significantly windier day than Friday, but for a while the results were about the same. I started with eight pars and a bogey, but then I played our Amen Corner of 10-11-12 - easily the toughest stretch of three holes on the course - in one-under: a 2-iron from 210 to 12 feet at the 10th to make birdie; a 40-yard bump-and-run to 4 feet at the 11th to save par; and an 80-yard sand wedge from the rough to 3 feet at the 12th to save par again. But then at the 13th, at even par and after a perfect drive left me only 90 yards to the pin, I managed to miss the green and then miss a two-footer for par - the sort of putt that you could easily give yourself, but I'm trying to putt everything into the hole at the moment, and I just quit on it. And then I doubled two of the last four holes, while also having the slowest lip-out in human history on a 20-footer for birdie at 17. I would have definitely taken 76 standing on the first tee, especially after getting only four-and-a-half hours of sleep last night, but after playing the final six holes in +5, it's very disappointing.
I find if I start taking those 2 footers in mess-around rounds that when I get to competition rounds I start thinking about them WAY too much and then start missing them every once in a while. This sows doubt and messes with the rest of my putting. In general, I try to putt the ball into the hole unless I'm either truly doing a practice round where I'm working on something or my buddies are knocking them back to me.

When is the last time you played on American style courses with soft fairways, fluffy sand, thick rough and trees? Reading about your 40 yard bump and runs just reminds me how different true links golf is from American style courses and wonder how long/how hard that transition is for you.
 

ernieshore

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 24, 2006
2,284
The Camel City
Here’s my Bandon trip summary from this past weekend:

I teed off on Bandon Dunes Friday at 4pm – in 30mph winds (with three guys who had flown in from Boston for a few days). The front nine was a disaster. I played better from 9-18, but my short game kept letting me down. A disappointing start to the weekend. That was the second time I’ve played Bandon Dunes, both times badly and in a stiff wind so I have yet to warm to it.

Also – the wife, who just started to play, took a lesson with the head pro and played Shorty’s by herself – and she had a blast. So much that she booked a tee time for us on the Preserve on Saturday afternoon. We had a late dinner at McKee’s Pub. They did a good job having the tables spaced out, and the servers had masks – very few on the customers. But overall about as good as you can hope for indoors.

Saturday morning I teed off at Sheep Ranch at 7.20, with three other singles. As we were waiting on the tee, the starter tells us, “look over there, you have one of the course designers in the group behind you – Ben Crenshaw.” So that made my first tee shot a little nerve-wracking, but I kept it in the fairway. The wind was a little lighter – though still 2-3 clubs – and I played much better. Two ugly holes and one caddie mis-club prevented me from having a really good score, but I still finished with an 82, which I was pretty happy with, especially given the day before.

The funniest moment of the round came when Crenshaw and his group were teeing off #7 - a par 3. Another group was teeing off #10 next to #7, and a left-handed player totally shanked his drive right into Crenshaw and his group - they all had to duck. They guy that shanked the ball didn’t seem to care too much, but we were walking down #8 at the time, so we went up to him and said “you don’t know what you just did, you just shanked it into Ben Crenshaw.” That gave us a good laugh.

As for the course, the above sentiments are right on – it’s definitely the easiest there, but also the most enjoyable to walk. The views are stunning. No bunkers is a change from the other courses, and it has a few non-descript holes, but I had such a great time making that walk. I had a beer and watched Crenshaw come up 18. He took some photos, but I didn’t want to hassle him.

The wife and I then played Bandon Preserve – a few holes behind Crenshaw. She did pretty good, all things considered – even parring #13 with her putter. So that was a fun way to end the day.

Sunday I teed off Old MacDonald at 8.20 by myself – just with my caddie. Not many on the course at all – it was great. The weather turned out good and I played the best I’ve played in a while. I drove about as well as I ever had. It took me a few holes to get the speed on the greens, but I had an 80, while still missing 5-6 very makeable putts, including a 10-footer on 18 for birdie that I knew was for the 79 (downhill, hit it too hard, and took the break out - ugh). Of course it helped to play well, but I liked Old Mac much more than I was expecting.

Overall, it was a great trip. We stayed down in Bandon overlooking Face Rock, so that was a nice place to relax in the evening and watch the sunset. Not a lot of social distancing in the town, but we did find an outside spot at the Irish pub that was OK. Another day to play Trails would have been ideal, but we needed to get back.
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
I'm up in Seattle, any time you want to head down again, let me know. I have a good group of buddies that are always willing to travel for golf.

Sounds like an awesome trip. I met Crenshaw when I was down there a couple years ago. He was just starting the Sheep Ranch project and he and Bill were the nicest, warmest guys. I've always been a Crenshaw fan, but he's easily one of my favorite humans after meeting him.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
I'm up in Seattle, any time you want to head down again, let me know. I have a good group of buddies that are always willing to travel for golf.

Sounds like an awesome trip. I met Crenshaw when I was down there a couple years ago. He was just starting the Sheep Ranch project and he and Bill were the nicest, warmest guys. I've always been a Crenshaw fan, but he's easily one of my favorite humans after meeting him.
Yeah, if you are on SoSH and you go to Bandon, apparently unless you're me, Crenshaw will be there waiting for you. It's a nice perk of this place.
 

TFP

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Dec 10, 2007
20,380
Yeah, if you are on SoSH and you go to Bandon, apparently unless you're me, Crenshaw will be there waiting for you. It's a nice perk of this place.
I missed out on Crenshaw too, if it makes you feel any better.

Sounds like an awesome trip, @ernieshore. Very jealous. It's stunning how beautiful the Preserve is, especially at the end of the day.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
Your caddie is the best in the business though, so that helps. He's an awesome fkn dude.
This is the truth. He's coming out here to Denver in a few weeks. Going to hit the links and drink in my back yard. Should be fun.
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
Super jealous, would love to play golf with him and hang out.

To be fair, he wasn't my caddie, he looped for Nick all week. I thoroughly enjoyed his company though.

Just don't ask him about my putting and wedge game, just focus on my tee ball. My short game was horrifying that week and I'm just now recovering from the putting yips trauma. I should have been in the low/mid 70s every round, but had a million putts and skulled wedges. My tee game was professional-grade though.
 

TFP

Moderator
Moderator
SoSH Member
Dec 10, 2007
20,380
Your caddie is the best in the business though, so that helps. He's an awesome fkn dude.
This is true. If anyone is going to Bandon and needs a caddie rec, use @jercra's recommendation. Best caddie I've ever had by a long shot.

This is the truth. He's coming out here to Denver in a few weeks. Going to hit the links and drink in my back yard. Should be fun.
That's awesome. Have a couple for me and tell him not to beat you too badly on the course.

Just don't ask him about my putting and wedge game, just focus on my tee ball. My short game was horrifying that week and I'm just now recovering from the putting yips trauma. I should have been in the low/mid 70s every round, but had a million putts and skulled wedges. My tee game was professional-grade though.
This is all accurate. Even Jake was saying you were ending up in spots off the tee he's never seen.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
Super jealous, would love to play golf with him and hang out.

To be fair, he wasn't my caddie, he looped for Nick all week. I thoroughly enjoyed his company though.

Just don't ask him about my putting and wedge game, just focus on my tee ball. My short game was horrifying that week and I'm just now recovering from the putting yips trauma. I should have been in the low/mid 70s every round, but had a million putts and skulled wedges. My tee game was professional-grade though.
I can never putt well at Bandon. Ever. Something about having all of the extra clothes messes up my stroke. That or the constant tipping back and forth between really hungover and really drunk, but I'll go with the extra clothing so it's not really my fault. Chipping on the other hand I am very good at down there. I can hit bump and runs with the best of them. In Co. in the winter and late summer we get very hard packed groud and fast greens so bump and runs come into play a lot. It's also windy as fuck from March until July so learning how to hit knock-down shots is imperitive too. If I could ever bring myself to just hit the fucking putt at the middle of the cup when I'm out there I'd have a few 60s rounds.

Speaking of putting to the middle of the cup, I've noticed that in general the worse a putter someone is, the more break the play. I got randomly paired up with a kids in his early 20s for 9 holes last week (just a practice before men's club). On the first hole the guy outdrove me be nearly 100 yards. Now, I didn't crush one, but it wasn't horrible. That's never happened to me before. I rarely get outdriven by anyone, let alone by near 100 yards. He birdied the hole. Next hole he hits a 300+ yard 5 wood. Then flies it over a creek at 315 next to the green(378) and just misses chip in for eagle. To make a long story short, turns out he's on the Korn Ferry and practicing for the TPC Coloraldo this week. He shot a 30 on the front like it was stroll on the beach. The biggest thing I noticed playing with someone of that caliber is that, aside from the raw distance, every putt looked like it was going to go in. Every one either went in or was just short one lip or the other. Mostly he did that by under playing breaks and over playing pace. We talked a bit about it and he feels he'll make more long putts than he will miss 2-3 foot come backers by being firmer with the ball. It's obvious and I've seen it on TV a million times, but it's the first time I've seen it where I can read his putts on a course I've played hundreds of times to see the difference. I've only played once since then and it was a 4 man tourney where I couldn't just play my ball, but I'll be putting the practice to the test this weekend for sure.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
This is all accurate. Even Jake was saying you were ending up in spots off the tee he's never seen.
Hahahaha, he says that to all the girls :) I've heard the same thing from him lots of times and I've seen @FL4WL3SS hit the ball so I know I wasn't in the same places.
 

ernieshore

Member
SoSH Member
Aug 24, 2006
2,284
The Camel City
I'm up in Seattle, any time you want to head down again, let me know. I have a good group of buddies that are always willing to travel for golf.
That would be great - and vice versa. I've only made a couple golfing friends since moving out west but they wouldn't make that trip, so a group trip like that would be fun. (Yes - I need to join a men's club here). I want to get up to Chambers Bay too, if you ever do that.

Sounds like an awesome trip, @ernieshore. Very jealous. It's stunning how beautiful the Preserve is, especially at the end of the day.
Preserve was great. Perfect for the wife to take her time, and for me to relax looking at those amazing views.
 

FL4WL3SS

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
14,913
Andy Brickley's potty mouth
That would be great - and vice versa. I've only made a couple golfing friends since moving out west but they wouldn't make that trip, so a group trip like that would be fun. (Yes - I need to join a men's club here). I want to get up to Chambers Bay too, if you ever do that.


Preserve was great. Perfect for the wife to take her time, and for me to relax looking at those amazing views.
I'll definitely join you at Chambers.

The preserve is the best thing on the bandon property. The views are stunning and the architecture is underrated.
 
Great trip report, @ernieshore - I'm so jealous. (Even while trying to remain content with what I have here in Scotland!)

Just to circle back here briefly...
I find if I start taking those 2 footers in mess-around rounds that when I get to competition rounds I start thinking about them WAY too much and then start missing them every once in a while. This sows doubt and messes with the rest of my putting. In general, I try to putt the ball into the hole unless I'm either truly doing a practice round where I'm working on something or my buddies are knocking them back to me.
That's exactly right - it's very tempting for me to half-ass my short putts, especially when playing by myself, and disregard the few ones I don't make. But that's just conning yourself and not preparing yourself for when those putts really matter, whether in a money match or a tournament round.
When is the last time you played on American style courses with soft fairways, fluffy sand, thick rough and trees? Reading about your 40 yard bump and runs just reminds me how different true links golf is from American style courses and wonder how long/how hard that transition is for you.
It's quite difficult to transition, yes. Every so often I'll play a parkland course here in the UK, and it takes some getting used to, although even then the grasses aren't the same was what I grew up on by any means. I did play a round near Atlanta back in September (with borrowed clubs and no expectations), and you might be surprised by how many Scottish-style shots you can actually play on American-style courses, but it's largely a different game. Mind you, I'm sure the transition is pretty much just as difficult going from a typical American course to a place like Bandon!
 
I played again at Dunbar this evening with a friend and former fourball and Winter League teammate - we won a best-ball tournament together a few years ago at Goswick, a really good links course just over the English border. My first time of the year playing two days in a row...and it did not go well. I was pretty awful on the front nine and turned in 42 (+5), then after bogeying the 10th as well I settled down somewhat and made seven pars in a row. Needing a par for 77, I pulled my drive into the rough, topped two attempts to escape, wedged onto the green with my fourth shot...and three-putted from about 40 feet for a triple. So my streak of breaking 80 in every round since the lockdown ended is over - yuck. (Conditions were pretty decent, too - a touch of wind from an unfamiliar direction, but nothing I shouldn't have been able to handle.)
 

Over Guapo Grande

panty merchant
SoSH Member
Nov 29, 2005
4,461
Worcester
Heh. My favorite saying on the golf course: "Everything is relative."
And your 18th is relatively what I would do :)

I've been playing some of my best golf in .. 10+ years. I really think that, for me, the lack of practice time has helped. I've just had to keep it simple, and not try to make that "big change." Rather than tinkering with my swing, I have been trying to just keep to the basics (not getting "armsy", not letting my hips get outside my base).. I'm to the point where I feel like I can threaten 40 every 9... which, for those who have seen me play (#RMPS)-- is a huge leap.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,386
Ok time to pull out my all-time story. I was in college, and had never broken 80. Very windy day at a course in Syracuse, NY. The course wound its way up a long hill, hole after hole, climbing until you get to 18, and you're at the top of the course, needing to get down. The course designers must have just run out of room, because #18 is odd - a very short par 3 from a hugely elevated tee to a small green. There's woods in front that you look down on. To the left is a pond. To the left of the pond is the driving range (and obviously OB). Behind the green is the maintenance shed. The only safe miss is long and right. Wind is blowing hard right to left, pulling everything towards the pond. I believe they've changed the course layout now so this hole doesn't look quite like this anymore.

I'm playing really, really well despite the conditions, sitting at 75 with just the par-3 left to go. No more than 150 yards. As I said, strong wind. I account for it, but unfortunately, I yank my tee shot into the water. There's no place to drop there, so you have to tee up again. Now I'm hitting 3 and need to make "birdie" in order to break 80. I adjust even more for the wind but I pull this one into the driving range. Tee up another ball. Top it into the woods in front. Tee up another one, now I'm hitting my seventh shot. Another ball into the woods and by now I'm apoplectic. It's almost funny. Hitting my ninth shot, I manage to put one into the only safe miss area long and right. Now I'm lying ten. Duff a chip. My twelfth shot lands on the green, but I hit a bad lag putt and sit like 4 feet from the hole, needing to make it for a 14. Naturally, I miss. I tap in for a FIFTEEN.

Not only did I not break 80...I didn't even break 90. A freaking *15* on a par 3 to end the day when all I needed was bogey to break 80.

Now, I said earlier in the thread that I didn't think anyone had broken my record of 10 lost balls in a round and I was wrong. But I would bet a lot of money that nobody else here has ever done THIS.
 
Last edited:
Now, I said earlier in the thread that I didn't think anyone had broken my record of 10 lost balls in a round and I was wrong. But I would be a lot of money that nobody else here has ever done THIS.
I mean, I've played holes where the tee shot was into a massive headwind and the fairway was guarded by gorse or water or impossible rough on both sides and I didn't feel like I had a chance to not lose a golf ball. (The 7th hole at Gullane No. 1 is a great example - it dives downhill from the highest point on the course, usually into the wind, and in that round when I lost 11 balls, I lost at least 3 of them on that one hole.) But I've never made a 15 on a hole, let alone on the final hole when I was gunning for a score.

Do you remember which course near Syracuse that was, btw?
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,386
I mean, I've played holes where the tee shot was into a massive headwind and the fairway was guarded by gorse or water or impossible rough on both sides and I didn't feel like I had a chance to not lose a golf ball. (The 7th hole at Gullane No. 1 is a great example - it dives downhill from the highest point on the course, usually into the wind, and in that round when I lost 11 balls, I lost at least 3 of them on that one hole.) But I've never made a 15 on a hole, let alone on the final hole when I was gunning for a score.

Do you remember which course near Syracuse that was, btw?
Drumlins West Course. It really isn't normally that hard a hole, or that hard a course for that matter. (well again, they've changed it, but I'm talking about how the hole used to be)

http://drumlins.com/west-course-public.html
 

Over Guapo Grande

panty merchant
SoSH Member
Nov 29, 2005
4,461
Worcester
I saw this the other day, and got a chuckle:

"Due to the time difference you can hit the longest Hole-in-one in the world on the 6th hole – The ball flies approximately one hour and 5 seconds due to the time difference between Sweden and Finland since the borderline lies on the 6th green."

https://torniogolf.fi/course/?lang=en
 

Average Game James

Member
SoSH Member
Apr 28, 2016
4,346
Now, I said earlier in the thread that I didn't think anyone had broken my record of 10 lost balls in a round and I was wrong. But I would bet a lot of money that nobody else here has ever done THIS.
Pretty sure at least least half of double-digit handicaps that have played the Shattuck have lost 10+ balls. The first time I played there, I think I lost at least a dozen. Had to go into the pro shop and reload the bag at the turn. Playing 18 there with a single ball may be my proudest achievement playing golf.
 
Pretty sure at least least half of double-digit handicaps that have played the Shattuck have lost 10+ balls. The first time I played there, I think I lost at least a dozen. Had to go into the pro shop and reload the bag at the turn. Playing 18 there with a single ball may be my proudest achievement playing golf.
The Shattuck...oooh. [/SHIVERS DOWN MY SPINE]
 

cshea

Member
SoSH Member
Nov 15, 2006
36,047
306, row 14
I'm impressed that (1) you were able to keep an accurate score, and (2) you didn't throw your clubs in the pond -- I'm pretty sure I would have done that when I was in college.
Seriously. I was playing a week ago and had a tin cup moment. The 10th hole at Trull Brook is a big valley. Elevated tee, then an steep uphill 2nd shot to the green. I had maybe 65 yards in from the fairway at the base of the hill. I chunked 4 consecutive shots that rolled back down to my feet. I was frustrated and in with pace of play considerations, I picked the ball up, carded an 8 and moved on to the next hole. Not sure I’d let myself get to a 15 on a hole unless I was in a tournament.
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,386
Seriously. I was playing a week ago and had a tin cup moment. The 10th hole at Trull Brook is a big valley. Elevated tee, then an steep uphill 2nd shot to the green. I had maybe 65 yards in from the fairway at the base of the hill. I chunked 4 consecutive shots that rolled back down to my feet. I was frustrated and in with pace of play considerations, I picked the ball up, carded an 8 and moved on to the next hole. Not sure I’d let myself get to a 15 on a hole unless I was in a tournament.
Looking back, this is the part that I'm actually amazed at myself at. I'm surprised I didn't just pick up and drop down by the green. Which is against the rules, but after 3-4 lost balls, I'm surprised I didn't say what the hell and just do it. That I followed the rules all the way through 15 agonizing shots is a reasonably significant accomplishment, I think!

:)
 

BaseballJones

ivanvamp
SoSH Member
Oct 1, 2015
24,386
Shot 92 at Bethpage Red 46-46. Fun time but really hot day. Course is in terrific shape. I just marvel at the Black course and wonder how I would break even 110 on it.
Nice job!!

I know quite a few people that Have played Black and they’ve all said that by far it’s the hardest course they’ve ever played.
 
I played in two Ivy League Championship tournaments in April on Bethpage Black (back in the mid-90s, before it was remodeled), and I'm not sure if it was the hardest course I've ever played, but in cold and wet conditions, it certainly felt like the longest. We played 36 holes on the first day and another 18 to finish on the second day, and by the end of the first day, everyone felt like they'd completed the Bataan Death March.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
Crazy week of golf for me this week. Played horrible golf for 4 days in a row with an 81, 81, 79, 81 on Tuesday through Friday plus an actually great 40 for 9 in 30-40mph winds. Didn't play yesterday then went and had a just horrendous range session before today's round and expected more of the same horribleness. Then had 2 birdies and an eagle on the front (along with 2 just stupid bogies) along with 2 more birdies and 7 pars on the back for a pretty easy 68. My game could not be more up and down right now. Maybe today was a sign of something. Then again, maybe it was just a blip. Who knows.
 
Played horrible golf for 4 days in a row with an 81, 81, 79, 81
Like I said, everything is relative. :) What's your best-ever 18-hole score, btw?

Actually, that's a good question to open up to everyone else as well: your best 18-hole score? I'm sure that'll elicit some good stories; I had a 63 once in competition -- albeit on the 4800-yard par 66 Dunaverty Golf Club, a beautiful little gem on the southern tip of the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyll that is incredibly fun to play (and tougher than you would think given the yardage) - but on courses of 6000 yards or more I've had a 70 (-1) in competition, and I think a handful of casual -2 rounds along with a 71 (-1) on The Old Course that was way more memorable than any of them.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
SoSH Member
Jul 31, 2006
3,147
Arvada, Co
Like I said, everything is relative. :) What's your best-ever 18-hole score, btw?

Actually, that's a good question to open up to everyone else as well: your best 18-hole score? I'm sure that'll elicit some good stories; I had a 63 once in competition -- albeit on the 4800-yard par 66 Dunaverty Golf Club, a beautiful little gem on the southern tip of the Kintyre Peninsula in Argyll that is incredibly fun to play (and tougher than you would think given the yardage) - but on courses of 6000 yards or more I've had a 70 (-1) in competition, and I think a handful of casual -2 rounds along with a 71 (-1) on The Old Course that was way more memorable than any of them.
For me it's 65 in a competition round. I've done that a few times on the course I used to belong to in Portland, Or. It's pretty short and I could hit the ball far when I was in my 20s and 30s so it wasn't that hard of an accomplishment but it's a par 72 and about 6400. I've also shot 68 in competition rounds multiple times at multiple courses. That's about as good as I get these days.