2024 SoSH Golf
- Thread starter Over Guapo Grande
- Start date
If only my skills could catch up.
Had my club championship this weekend, a 3-day event for the championship flight. I played 27 holes Thursday, playing 2 balls on the first 9, then had a lesson on Friday morning due to how bad Thursday went, and hit about 200 range balls before my actual round Friday afternoon. Shot myself out of the event pretty quickly. Then played 36 on Saturday. Then played 31 more on Sunday. Wish I was playing today instead of working
It turned out that I handled all that swinging very nicely. It helps that I'm very active playing lots of sports at my age - usually with younger (i.e., college age) people. I think that proved beneficial. When we played that round of golf on Saturday afternoon, after a whole week of taking 400 swings a day, I was totally energized and didn't feel tired at all. That surprised me. I guess, though, it was just really nice to be on the golf course and not just banging balls on the range for hours on end.
I played very little during the first half of the season, but picked it up considerably since August. Looking to squeeze in a few more rounds before the season goes caput.
I've achieved real progress this season--I'm not a good golfer but I went from dreaming of breaking 100 to breaking 100 in four of the last six rounds I have played, going as low as 92, which is only one short of my career low (a day of comical good fortune that will not be repeated).
The big developments for me this year have been changing my swing slightly on approach distances--I'm way more consistent (although still far from actually consistent) on being able to drop a ball on the green from inside 125 yards or so. It hardly happens all the time, but it's happening way more since I tinkered with my swing to get more appropriate loft. I also have been very good this season at approach putting--very rarely having to three putt as I've been able to get my approach putt into gimme distance quite frequently. I think that has really just come with more experience with my putter and getting a more instinctual feel for the power and read required on each green.
Next year I think breaking 90 is a tangible goal.
I've achieved real progress this season--I'm not a good golfer but I went from dreaming of breaking 100 to breaking 100 in four of the last six rounds I have played, going as low as 92, which is only one short of my career low (a day of comical good fortune that will not be repeated).
The big developments for me this year have been changing my swing slightly on approach distances--I'm way more consistent (although still far from actually consistent) on being able to drop a ball on the green from inside 125 yards or so. It hardly happens all the time, but it's happening way more since I tinkered with my swing to get more appropriate loft. I also have been very good this season at approach putting--very rarely having to three putt as I've been able to get my approach putt into gimme distance quite frequently. I think that has really just come with more experience with my putter and getting a more instinctual feel for the power and read required on each green.
Next year I think breaking 90 is a tangible goal.
It really was super fun, challenging, and very educational! Hope I get to do it again!
I went to Top Golf this past weekend, which was great fun and I highly recommend, especially with kids. But that is not why I am posting - I used their stock clubs and hit the ball extremely well, like the straightest and most accurate I have ever hit, for the entire 2 hours, with every club I hit, both off the tee and the mat. It was incredible. Is there something magic with their clubs? The balls? I know they want to make it easy for anyone to just pick up a club and go, but this was crazy. Can I get that out in the real world?
The Top Golf driver at least is ~20 degrees of loft, very short shaft, huge head and face:
Seems good for hitting pretty moonshots that hang in the air but aren't really that long. Rick Shiels did a video about it.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDu1IjE9ijE
Irons seem to be big heads, lots of offset, light and bendy shafts. Probably great for smacking range balls around.
Callaway might make that stuff. They own Top Golf.
Ha, makes sense. As our time was winding down I took the last swing with the kid-sized driver and even with that smoked it. I am pretty sure I hit it the same 220ish yards I hit with my normal clubs. Maybe I need some baby clubs ha.
Lots of anecdotes from non-elite golfers out there who put shorter drivers in play and were a lot better for it.
This year I've made a discouraging, but important, realization. Up til this year, here's what my yardages have been:
Driver: 240-280 (big spread because I'm inconsistent), occasionally, under the right conditions, reaching 300, but it's all gotta be just right
3W: 230-250
5W: 220-235
3I: 215-225
4I: 205-215
5I: 185-200
6I: 175-185
7I: 165-175
8I: 155-165
9I: 145-155
PW (46): 100-140
SW (54): 75-100
LW (60): 40-60
So this year (54 years old) it hit me that those yardages just don't work for me anymore. Early in the year I thought it was just the cooler weather. Then summer came and I rationalized it by thinking, oh it's early in the morning (which is when I usually play). But nope, it's just my new reality. So I've forced myself to take one extra club for all my distances now. Now I'm hitting my 8-iron 145-155, my 7-iron 155-165, my 6-iron 165-175, etc.
It was totally depressing to come to terms with it. But I have to be honest, once I did, and once I made the adjustment, golf has been fun. Playing well, just taking one more club for the same shot than I used to. Instead of hitting that 9-iron into the green, I'm hitting the 8-iron, producing good results. I hit a high ball with my irons so hitting 8 or 7 or even 6 iron into greens isn't too big of a deal.
It was more me just coming to terms with age and decreased physical strength.
Also: I need to go to the gym to lift, not just play basketball. That too.
Driver: 240-280 (big spread because I'm inconsistent), occasionally, under the right conditions, reaching 300, but it's all gotta be just right
3W: 230-250
5W: 220-235
3I: 215-225
4I: 205-215
5I: 185-200
6I: 175-185
7I: 165-175
8I: 155-165
9I: 145-155
PW (46): 100-140
SW (54): 75-100
LW (60): 40-60
So this year (54 years old) it hit me that those yardages just don't work for me anymore. Early in the year I thought it was just the cooler weather. Then summer came and I rationalized it by thinking, oh it's early in the morning (which is when I usually play). But nope, it's just my new reality. So I've forced myself to take one extra club for all my distances now. Now I'm hitting my 8-iron 145-155, my 7-iron 155-165, my 6-iron 165-175, etc.
It was totally depressing to come to terms with it. But I have to be honest, once I did, and once I made the adjustment, golf has been fun. Playing well, just taking one more club for the same shot than I used to. Instead of hitting that 9-iron into the green, I'm hitting the 8-iron, producing good results. I hit a high ball with my irons so hitting 8 or 7 or even 6 iron into greens isn't too big of a deal.
It was more me just coming to terms with age and decreased physical strength.
Also: I need to go to the gym to lift, not just play basketball. That too.
Hello boys… long time member who doesn’t come a round or post much anymore, but wanted to break my arm patting myself on the back
I finally broke 40 on the front at Widows Walk.. I’ve been a pass holder/member at the ‘walk since it opened. Got my index down to 13.7 end of last year but a couple months of real shitty golf had me finishing the year at 16.5, but back to the big day. It was last Monday, being semi retired I play 3’or 4 times a week with a crew of real old timers, usually riding with 84 year old Chuck who mercilessly breaks my balls and I give it right back. We’re like golf’s version of grumpy old men. I’ve probably shot 40 a hundred times, but when I get that number in my head I’ll finish double double. This time I was even thru 4 then went bogey bogey so I didn’t give the number a thought, good par on 7, hockey in a 20’er on 8 for birdie and after a couple shaky shots I had about 20’ uphill again for par on 9…. Right in the jar! So I’m thinking about the $20 or so I’m gonna pocket for crushing my quota when I post 5 on golf logix app and it shows 39 2 over
Finally
I finally broke 40 on the front at Widows Walk.. I’ve been a pass holder/member at the ‘walk since it opened. Got my index down to 13.7 end of last year but a couple months of real shitty golf had me finishing the year at 16.5, but back to the big day. It was last Monday, being semi retired I play 3’or 4 times a week with a crew of real old timers, usually riding with 84 year old Chuck who mercilessly breaks my balls and I give it right back. We’re like golf’s version of grumpy old men. I’ve probably shot 40 a hundred times, but when I get that number in my head I’ll finish double double. This time I was even thru 4 then went bogey bogey so I didn’t give the number a thought, good par on 7, hockey in a 20’er on 8 for birdie and after a couple shaky shots I had about 20’ uphill again for par on 9…. Right in the jar! So I’m thinking about the $20 or so I’m gonna pocket for crushing my quota when I post 5 on golf logix app and it shows 39 2 over
Finally
Congrats! Feels great the first time passing under 40 for 9 holes. (On a real course, there are a few easy ones near me that you can get a cheapie 39.)
A little late, but I went down to a wedding in Florida at a golf resort a few weeks ago. The parents of the bride arranged a great little scramble tournament a few days before the wedding, only 4 teams of 4 but it was a lot of fun. Or I should say, our team was 3 good golfers and the mother of the bride on the front nine. Then one of the good golfers had to leave for work, and the mother of the bride had to leave to prepare for the clubhouse event later on. So the very beginner girlfriend of the other golfer jumped in for a three-person scramble on the back nine...and of course just as I'd predict we shot -2 on the front then -5 on the back to win it. Lol