More excuses than official strokes, quits at even par after 7 holes, declares victory, blames injuries and rules for not finishing.
2018 Golf Thread
- Thread starter jercra
- Start date
I’m not a huge Portnoy fan, but I’m finding this amusing. He is -1 through 3.
Maybe my prediction of not beating 100 was way wrong, but I think time and fatigue will catch up to him at some point. First hole took 24 mulligans to make a par, but only 15 minutes. That’s a lot of swings even if half of the mulligans used were on the green.
Maybe my prediction of not beating 100 was way wrong, but I think time and fatigue will catch up to him at some point. First hole took 24 mulligans to make a par, but only 15 minutes. That’s a lot of swings even if half of the mulligans used were on the green.
Is time going to be the issue?
I guess I didn't adjust for how powerful unlimited mulligans are
I guess I didn't adjust for how powerful unlimited mulligans are
They changed the rules on him, and wouldn't let him keep putting with a group waiting behind him. He'll never do it now. Pretty weak.
He apparently attempted 70 putts on one green and the USGA made him move on because a group was on the tee.
I'd previously pondered the idea of writing a novel in which the main character is a decent but not great golfer who discovers an artifact with a button on it that allows him to go 30 seconds back in time, and he uses it to try and win the Masters. Sounds like El Pres sort of got there before me...
Meanwhile, back to my Scottish Golf Chronicles: today was my first-round encounter in the Ladies Cup, that matchplay event on Gullane #1 (host of the Scottish Open again this year and probably for me the second-best course in East Lothian, after Muirfield). I played a Gullane member who like me has a 5 handicap, which was perfect: no strokes for either of us. I was rather startled when on the 295-yard opening hole - which in today's fairly stiff and rather unusual northeasterly breeze was almost directly downwind - he hit his drive four feet from the hole and made the putt for an eagle to go one up. But I hit a 9-iron to six feet at the next and was conceded that birdie putt, and then I reached the par-5 3rd in two and two-putted for birdie to take the lead myself. We didn't halve a hole until the 8th, at which point I was still one up even though my opponent had birdied the 7th, but a few good pars meant I eased my way to a three-hole lead after 11.
On the 12th, another downwind par 5, I was just short of the green in two and lagged up to about three feet, but from there I hit a poor putt that bobbled away from the hole and wasted my chance to go four up with six to play. I was worried that might be a turning point: the next hole was a 170-yard par 3 playing into a quartering wind out of the left, with the pin tucked on the left side of the green. I really wanted to hit my 4-iron, even though I knew that was barely enough club, because I'd forgotten to replace the hybrid in my bag - a club I'd used three times on Saturday without even a hint of competence - with my 3-iron as I'd intended this morning. Sigh...so after some hesitation, I took out the hybrid anyway, and of course I nailed it with a touch of draw, held it against the wind, and hit it within two-and-a-half feet of the hole. This time I got the easy birdie, and after hitting driver-driver to about 30 feet at the long par-4 14th, two putts was enough for me to clinch the match 5&4.
The best part of all this? While standing on the 14th tee I looked at my watch, and it had been exactly two hours since we'd teed off. We wound up playing to a finish in 2:45, and I finished my round with a level-par 71 - not a legitimate 71, but even a matchplay 71 (with a few conceded putts) was almost certainly the best round I've ever played at Gullane #1, particularly given the strength of the breeze. And now I play one of my former Winter League teammates at Dunbar in the second round, another five-handicapper with whom I get along very well. Excellent.
[EDIT - typo]
On the 12th, another downwind par 5, I was just short of the green in two and lagged up to about three feet, but from there I hit a poor putt that bobbled away from the hole and wasted my chance to go four up with six to play. I was worried that might be a turning point: the next hole was a 170-yard par 3 playing into a quartering wind out of the left, with the pin tucked on the left side of the green. I really wanted to hit my 4-iron, even though I knew that was barely enough club, because I'd forgotten to replace the hybrid in my bag - a club I'd used three times on Saturday without even a hint of competence - with my 3-iron as I'd intended this morning. Sigh...so after some hesitation, I took out the hybrid anyway, and of course I nailed it with a touch of draw, held it against the wind, and hit it within two-and-a-half feet of the hole. This time I got the easy birdie, and after hitting driver-driver to about 30 feet at the long par-4 14th, two putts was enough for me to clinch the match 5&4.
The best part of all this? While standing on the 14th tee I looked at my watch, and it had been exactly two hours since we'd teed off. We wound up playing to a finish in 2:45, and I finished my round with a level-par 71 - not a legitimate 71, but even a matchplay 71 (with a few conceded putts) was almost certainly the best round I've ever played at Gullane #1, particularly given the strength of the breeze. And now I play one of my former Winter League teammates at Dunbar in the second round, another five-handicapper with whom I get along very well. Excellent.
[EDIT - typo]
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I have been doing this lately. I can almost guarantee a low running fade about 180 yards in the air and some good roll.
With my declining distance off the tee, it can come in handy. Its weird because I really don’t fade any other club.
I actually hit driver off the deck three times yesterday: twice hitting the green from over 200 yards on par 4s into the wind, and once as a layup shot on a par 5. I've been hitting drivers off of fairways and even out of light-ish rough for several decades now - I distinctly remember playing in a spring college tournament on a damp New England day and hitting a driver on a long par 3, driver-driver on a long par 4 and then driver-driver-driver on a long par 5 on successive holes - and I've never really understood why even scratch golfers treat the concept of driver-as-fairway-wood as some sort of ancient, unfathomable mystery. I suppose you probably have to be the sort of player who brushes the ground in making contact rather than taking big, chunky divots...but I'm at the point where I probably trust my driver off the deck even more than my 3-wood. And I can hit it with a low, boring draw, even off the sort of tight fairway lies that are so common to links golf, which is of course a big advantage in a typical Scottish wind.
I suppose I probably benefited in this regard from having a Big Bertha driver with the old Warbird sole plate as my driver at a formative stage of my golfing career - the shape of the head of that club probably more resembles a baffy these days than a modern deep-faced driver. But since then I've had no problems hitting any driver off the fairway, and I suspect the issue for anyone who hits fairway woods well but can't hit a driver off the deck is much more mental than physical.
Finally got my fitting at Joe & Leigh's scheduled for next week. Time to ditch the Titleist 695 MBs as my swing is not nearly consistent enough for blades like that, nice as they are... in the market for a new driver and new cavity-back irons.
Swapping my old Ping I3+ irons for the blades right as I stopped playing 2-3x per week was... a poor decision. As a new equipment philistine, does anyone have recommendations for similar cavity-backs to the old Ping I3s? I'm seeing I-series and G400s for Ping, not sure on others.
Swapping my old Ping I3+ irons for the blades right as I stopped playing 2-3x per week was... a poor decision. As a new equipment philistine, does anyone have recommendations for similar cavity-backs to the old Ping I3s? I'm seeing I-series and G400s for Ping, not sure on others.
The Ping i200s were awesome and I think would be great for you. Basically a mix between cavity back and blades. The G400s were too clunky for me. I ended up with M4s, which I really like, but a small part of me still wishes I looked harder at the i200s. They're gorgeous irons and feel amazing.
The m4s are probably too much distance/not enough feel for you. The forgiveness is great, but they're really hot when you flush one and you certainly can't move the ball on command with them. But worth trying.
My buddy who is an excellent golfer just got the i200's and can't say enough good things about them.
I've played twice since my last post and got progressively worse both times. After yesterday's round I went to the range with just my driver and hit about 40 balls with it. I do think I figured it out but man am I sore today.
My wife asked me what I want for Father's day, I asked for a few lessons from our new teaching pro, Mike Harbour. At our club this year they've actually done it a bit differently. Because we're a troon club we now have 3 pros. A club pro, an assistant, and a teaching pro. Mike's been teaching the game forever in Rhode Island and his reputation is pretty stellar so I'd be excited to set that up.
My wife asked me what I want for Father's day, I asked for a few lessons from our new teaching pro, Mike Harbour. At our club this year they've actually done it a bit differently. Because we're a troon club we now have 3 pros. A club pro, an assistant, and a teaching pro. Mike's been teaching the game forever in Rhode Island and his reputation is pretty stellar so I'd be excited to set that up.
I just booked a whole bag fitting at Joe and Leigh’s in 2 weeks. Definitely interested in hearing about your experience there.
Went for a Driver/FW wood fitting at Spargo in RI last month. Really liked the G400max driver, but wasn’t sold on the fitting as I was still hitting most shots in the heel. Looking for a second opinion there and to check out some new irons. Never been officially fit prior last month and I’m thinking it’s about time to upgrade. Driver is a Nike Sasquatch Tour from 2007 and I’m playing Titleist DCI 962b irons. I like the irons but imagine there may be some room for improvement.
Went for a Driver/FW wood fitting at Spargo in RI last month. Really liked the G400max driver, but wasn’t sold on the fitting as I was still hitting most shots in the heel. Looking for a second opinion there and to check out some new irons. Never been officially fit prior last month and I’m thinking it’s about time to upgrade. Driver is a Nike Sasquatch Tour from 2007 and I’m playing Titleist DCI 962b irons. I like the irons but imagine there may be some room for improvement.
Thanks guys - will definitely give the i200s a long look. The G400 driver looks interesting as well, but I'm more likely to go with a lightly used driver to keep the overall cost more reasonable.
Who's your fitting with? This will be my second one there, both will have been with Daren - had an awesome experience the first time. Side note - he actually dissuaded me from the blades when I last got fitted ~8 years ago, but in my 20 year old hardheadedness I thought I'd be the cool guy with blades.
That’s good to hear about Daren. I’m getting fit with him as well. Interested in checking out the Srixon irons (765 and maybe 965 as a combo set) as I’ve heard good things about them.
How did you like Spargo? He did my irons a few years back and my buddy with the i200's got a full bag fitting from him. The price was steep though.
Got fit by Jon, who is now the lead club fitter there. It was good overall but felt a bit rushed towards the end. Hit plenty of balls with the driver and was consistently hitting them in the heel. The G400max with 75G HZRDUS yellow did a good job of narrowing my misses. Was hoping that he would come up with a setup that would help me find the center of the club face a bit more (maybe a 44in shaft instead of a 45in). Spent a little time on the three wood (Titleist 917) and he was like that’s good and was ready to leave,but I didn’t like the ball flight so asked to hit it again and he ended up changing the shaft to one that produced a better more consistent flight. Maybe my expectations were too high with it being my first fitting (and from watching a bunch of TXG videos on YouTube before going). Also asked for my shot data to be sent and was told it would come via email, but still haven’t received it despite sending a follow up email asking for it.
Looking forward to Joe and Leigh’s for a second opinion on the driver and to flush out the rest of the bag.
The i200s look amazing in person. Clean lines with a thin top and a little bit of help with the cavity. They’re getting rave reviews online. I have yet to see anyone say something bad about them.
I’m getting fit for the g400s this weekend. I have a set of i3 O-size right now and I hit them just fine but I’ve been fiddling with a set of g400s at the range and they’re just a better mousetrap. I’m not interested in working my irons—just point and shoot and they seem to be monsters at that.
If the i200 lofts meshed better with the g400 I might go with them for my 8-GW but even the power specs i200s are weak next to the g400. The i200s do seem a bit more in line with the old i3s if that’s your thing.
Edit - unrelated random though: I played some Supersofts at a tourney on Monday instead of my usual Chrome Softs. They’re hilariously long compared to what I normally hit. Not exactly lovely around the greens but the distance gain was kind of shocking.
I’m getting fit for the g400s this weekend. I have a set of i3 O-size right now and I hit them just fine but I’ve been fiddling with a set of g400s at the range and they’re just a better mousetrap. I’m not interested in working my irons—just point and shoot and they seem to be monsters at that.
If the i200 lofts meshed better with the g400 I might go with them for my 8-GW but even the power specs i200s are weak next to the g400. The i200s do seem a bit more in line with the old i3s if that’s your thing.
Edit - unrelated random though: I played some Supersofts at a tourney on Monday instead of my usual Chrome Softs. They’re hilariously long compared to what I normally hit. Not exactly lovely around the greens but the distance gain was kind of shocking.
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Unfortunately my friend said the same thing. He enjoyed it but felt it could have been better. Personally I've felt ever since he was rated a top 100 fitter by Golf Digest he's been a bit...I don't know, arrogant? I think if I have to get fitted again I'll try Joe and Leigh's
Driver-driver? I don't play that many 700 yard par 5s
G400s look like shovels compared to I3s. Id say look at the i200s, JPX forged, and the Cobra forged tecs. I think there are new pings and mizunos coming out in the summer so there may be a price drop coming
I love the Ping Max but hate the hzrdus yellow. I like every other shaft more, even the alta.
Yeah I'm kinda down on the reviews of fittings people are paying for. Flawless sounded like his was great, but some quick one hour one with only a couple options is nothing you should have to pay for. Can you not do that for free? 463 told me to just hit everything til I find my fit, I did and it was great. I paid for none of it, got way better, and I even learned enough to help South Shore find clubs that fit way better than his Joe and Leighs ones. No brainer city.
So I will say this.. I've documented it on WRX and thp... But I actually went to Toronto and had Ian (txg) fit me. Mind blown.
Figure out how to come up with the cash and gota sox game and it will change your view of fitting. And I've been to Ace of clubs, spargo, club champion, etc.
Figure out how to come up with the cash and gota sox game and it will change your view of fitting. And I've been to Ace of clubs, spargo, club champion, etc.
Could you maybe say more? Or link to your WRX post/copy and paste it? Are you intentionally being vague? Spill it man.
Glad to share, then. There is an important thing (to me) worth sharing before I start. I am almost psychotically feel-conscious. I can usually tell from a practice swing how a club will play for me (feelwise). I know this is not everyone. Ian told me he likes working with people who can feel that subtlety, but he's such a nice guy I'm not sure if he was just being nice about how OCD I am about how things feel.
Irons: I play i200 with PXLZ 5.0. I took probably 5 swings with them (off the plane, first little bit), and Ian says "I think it's possible that might not be the best sole for your swing. Now mind you I love the i200. Love the look. Want to game them. And the guy has barely finished shaking my hand. He gives me a MP-18 with LZ 5.0. I swing it three times and tell him it feels terrible. He takes back the i200 to me, has me swing it 10 more, tells me he doesn't like the spin numbers on it (Too low). It seemed from what he recommended that the Titleist stuff was his go to for low spin players.
Comes back with AP2 with the Nippon v90 R shaft. I take a practice swing and tell him I really like how it feels. I start striping it. Great numbers. He tells me he wants to try something else. Comes back with z765 with v90 shaft. Stripe that. Like every ball dead nuts. I tell him maybe I'm just warm. Hands me back my i200. Start spraying it again. Hands me back the 765 and its dart after dart. Had me try the Modus 105 and while performance was better than my original not as good as V90. He left it to me to choose between the 765 and the AP2 as the numbers were almost identical. I went 765 with the Nippon v90 R shaft. Added a bunch of spin to my ball flight without really affecting distance in any way.
So this probably took maybe 30-40 mins but it was just amazing how quickly he dialed in on it. Everything else was minor fine tuning, but then also he wanted to verify by testing other things. It's that little detail that is a differentiator. Usually once they up your numbers they move on. He verified everything to make sure there was no additional amount he could squeeze out of my performance. Very very impressive.
So driver next. Sorry for delay. I can only say anyone who buys what Crossfield says 100% hasn't seen Ian. Leave it at that.
So my current gamer is a G400 LST 10* with a Tensei Orange V2 60S. So a current product $700-800 combo that fits me pretty good. Ian looked at 3 swings and said "we can squeeze a lot more out of that". I just kind of shook my head as I know how I hit the ball. So I hit about 20 shots with my gamer. For all statistics I quote here I will be taking my average of my best 5. My current gamer was 97MPH club, 141 ball (1.46 smash) 234 carry 251 total. 20 yards offline. Generally where I am at. Long drive was 258.
Next he put me in G400 MAX 10.5* with Accra 360M4. Club Speed was 99, Ball 141, Smash 1.43, 233 carry, 253 total16 offline. Long 259. So a little better. Would have been happy with that improvement assuming I could improve smash over time. Ian not happy.
Next was the G400 MAX 10.5* with TPT17. Of course I was interested in this given the TPT story. Wanted it to work. Practice swing it felt lousy. Results similar. 97 club, 138 ball, 1.43 smash, 223 carry 241 total 10 offline. Straighter but nowhere and felt awful. Sadly not for me. Ian stopped me for a minute (he was giving me so much education throughout, trying to remember it all) and said - "people either love that combo or hate it - I don't think that MAX head is the right one for you". I love ping and obviously it's a loved head on this site, so I was somewhat confused but just kept swinging.
So we switch.
We go to Taylor Made. So mind you, I was fit by a very high end fitter into the 2016 M1 and hated it. And swore never to play TM again. I almost told Ian I didn't want to hit it as I wouldn't buy it. But kept my mouth shut.
TM M3 9* with Accra 360M4. Immediately this combo feels good. Like real good. First two balls are dead nuts middle and go 260. I am somewhat befuddled.
Results are 97 Club, 141 Ball, 1.44 smash, 240 carry 266 total 11 offline. Long of 278. And it wasn't a knuckleball (though it was low spin). Ian tells me the M3 has been what he's fitting his higher spin driver players in, that it just kills spin. I'm ready to hug him at this point. 15 yard average increased...not even something I considered. Ian informs me there is more in my swing.
We go to TM M3 10.5* Accra 360M4. Obviously feels equally good as same as previous. This one - 95 club (probably getting tired, over the span of this 5 hours there were over 300 recorded swings), 140 ball (1.46 Smash) 241 carry, 265 total, FOUR offline, long of 282. Now mind you I've never hit a ball 282. And again, this was not a knuckleball. Now, I don't think I'm going to hit all my drives 4 yards offline, but it was much straighter than the others. Ian still wants to tinker.
He says he thinks the M3 is for me but figures we should try the M4. So we do the M4 10.5 Accra 360M4 - 96 club, 136 ball, 1.42 smash, 228 carry, 247 total, 25 offline. Didn't love the feel as much for whatever reasons, results showed it. Ian comments that head sometimes needs to be paired with other shafts.
We move to M4 10.5* with the GD TP 6s - 98 club, 142 ball, 241 carry, 1.46 smash, 263 total, 19 offline. So this isn't what I picked as it wasn't as straight as the M3 (And I do like the Accra feel a LOT), but he watches me suck with one combo and immediately finds 16 yards in another shaft with the same head and straighter. The guys you get fit at locally cannot do that. This is my only infomerical on this review for Ian, but he is on a different planet in terms of looking at a swing and understanding what might and might not work given the qualities of the head and shaft and the swing path/contact point etc. This may have been the most impressive transition of the whole fitting and it isnt the winning combo.
He asks for a few more swings with the M4 draw driver to make sure that doesn't change anything. We do the 10.5 M4 D driver with DG TP 6S. Club 98, ball 141, smash 1.44, 229 Carry, 250 total, 27 offline. Not the winner.
So ultimately the winner after 64 driver swings (ignoring the hundreds of other club swings) was the M3 10.5 with Accra 360M4.
We went from 251 total distance and 20 offline with a long of 258 in my gamer to 265 total, 4 offline, long of 282. While again, I'm unlikely to hit it that straight consistently (and they were my best swings), apples to apples we got 15 yards out of a driver fitting between high end current equipment and optimally fit high end current equipment.
Irons: I play i200 with PXLZ 5.0. I took probably 5 swings with them (off the plane, first little bit), and Ian says "I think it's possible that might not be the best sole for your swing. Now mind you I love the i200. Love the look. Want to game them. And the guy has barely finished shaking my hand. He gives me a MP-18 with LZ 5.0. I swing it three times and tell him it feels terrible. He takes back the i200 to me, has me swing it 10 more, tells me he doesn't like the spin numbers on it (Too low). It seemed from what he recommended that the Titleist stuff was his go to for low spin players.
Comes back with AP2 with the Nippon v90 R shaft. I take a practice swing and tell him I really like how it feels. I start striping it. Great numbers. He tells me he wants to try something else. Comes back with z765 with v90 shaft. Stripe that. Like every ball dead nuts. I tell him maybe I'm just warm. Hands me back my i200. Start spraying it again. Hands me back the 765 and its dart after dart. Had me try the Modus 105 and while performance was better than my original not as good as V90. He left it to me to choose between the 765 and the AP2 as the numbers were almost identical. I went 765 with the Nippon v90 R shaft. Added a bunch of spin to my ball flight without really affecting distance in any way.
So this probably took maybe 30-40 mins but it was just amazing how quickly he dialed in on it. Everything else was minor fine tuning, but then also he wanted to verify by testing other things. It's that little detail that is a differentiator. Usually once they up your numbers they move on. He verified everything to make sure there was no additional amount he could squeeze out of my performance. Very very impressive.
So driver next. Sorry for delay. I can only say anyone who buys what Crossfield says 100% hasn't seen Ian. Leave it at that.
So my current gamer is a G400 LST 10* with a Tensei Orange V2 60S. So a current product $700-800 combo that fits me pretty good. Ian looked at 3 swings and said "we can squeeze a lot more out of that". I just kind of shook my head as I know how I hit the ball. So I hit about 20 shots with my gamer. For all statistics I quote here I will be taking my average of my best 5. My current gamer was 97MPH club, 141 ball (1.46 smash) 234 carry 251 total. 20 yards offline. Generally where I am at. Long drive was 258.
Next he put me in G400 MAX 10.5* with Accra 360M4. Club Speed was 99, Ball 141, Smash 1.43, 233 carry, 253 total16 offline. Long 259. So a little better. Would have been happy with that improvement assuming I could improve smash over time. Ian not happy.
Next was the G400 MAX 10.5* with TPT17. Of course I was interested in this given the TPT story. Wanted it to work. Practice swing it felt lousy. Results similar. 97 club, 138 ball, 1.43 smash, 223 carry 241 total 10 offline. Straighter but nowhere and felt awful. Sadly not for me. Ian stopped me for a minute (he was giving me so much education throughout, trying to remember it all) and said - "people either love that combo or hate it - I don't think that MAX head is the right one for you". I love ping and obviously it's a loved head on this site, so I was somewhat confused but just kept swinging.
So we switch.
We go to Taylor Made. So mind you, I was fit by a very high end fitter into the 2016 M1 and hated it. And swore never to play TM again. I almost told Ian I didn't want to hit it as I wouldn't buy it. But kept my mouth shut.
TM M3 9* with Accra 360M4. Immediately this combo feels good. Like real good. First two balls are dead nuts middle and go 260. I am somewhat befuddled.
Results are 97 Club, 141 Ball, 1.44 smash, 240 carry 266 total 11 offline. Long of 278. And it wasn't a knuckleball (though it was low spin). Ian tells me the M3 has been what he's fitting his higher spin driver players in, that it just kills spin. I'm ready to hug him at this point. 15 yard average increased...not even something I considered. Ian informs me there is more in my swing.
We go to TM M3 10.5* Accra 360M4. Obviously feels equally good as same as previous. This one - 95 club (probably getting tired, over the span of this 5 hours there were over 300 recorded swings), 140 ball (1.46 Smash) 241 carry, 265 total, FOUR offline, long of 282. Now mind you I've never hit a ball 282. And again, this was not a knuckleball. Now, I don't think I'm going to hit all my drives 4 yards offline, but it was much straighter than the others. Ian still wants to tinker.
He says he thinks the M3 is for me but figures we should try the M4. So we do the M4 10.5 Accra 360M4 - 96 club, 136 ball, 1.42 smash, 228 carry, 247 total, 25 offline. Didn't love the feel as much for whatever reasons, results showed it. Ian comments that head sometimes needs to be paired with other shafts.
We move to M4 10.5* with the GD TP 6s - 98 club, 142 ball, 241 carry, 1.46 smash, 263 total, 19 offline. So this isn't what I picked as it wasn't as straight as the M3 (And I do like the Accra feel a LOT), but he watches me suck with one combo and immediately finds 16 yards in another shaft with the same head and straighter. The guys you get fit at locally cannot do that. This is my only infomerical on this review for Ian, but he is on a different planet in terms of looking at a swing and understanding what might and might not work given the qualities of the head and shaft and the swing path/contact point etc. This may have been the most impressive transition of the whole fitting and it isnt the winning combo.
He asks for a few more swings with the M4 draw driver to make sure that doesn't change anything. We do the 10.5 M4 D driver with DG TP 6S. Club 98, ball 141, smash 1.44, 229 Carry, 250 total, 27 offline. Not the winner.
So ultimately the winner after 64 driver swings (ignoring the hundreds of other club swings) was the M3 10.5 with Accra 360M4.
We went from 251 total distance and 20 offline with a long of 258 in my gamer to 265 total, 4 offline, long of 282. While again, I'm unlikely to hit it that straight consistently (and they were my best swings), apples to apples we got 15 yards out of a driver fitting between high end current equipment and optimally fit high end current equipment.
Today's Scottish golf chronicle is about links bunkers and the proper maintenance thereof. In the third and final round of my club championship qualifying tournament, I faced the following quandaries:
--1st hole: hit my drive (par 5) into a fairway bunker, right under the lip. Had to play out sideways.
--3rd hole: pulled my tee shot (par 3) into a bunker; hit the steep bank, kicked to the left and wound up quite close to the back of the bunker, on a slight downhill lie. Managed to hit a really good shot and make a 10-footer for par.
--10th hole: pushed my tee shot (par 3) into a bunker, close to the steep face. Tried to play at the hole but wasn't careful enough; hit the lip and bounced back behind me into the bunker. Failed to get up and down from there.
--12th hole: pulled my approach shot (par 4) into the front left bunker; ball finished about two inches from the (not-quite-as-steep) lip. I played this shot without any part of my body touching the sand: I sat on the lip, with my right leg outstretched and my left leg bent and tucked under my right, and did well to get the ball out of the bunker to within 30 feet of the hole.
--13th hole: pushed my approach shot (par 4) into the right hand bunker; ball finished about 6 inches from the lip, and this time I had to play with one foot in the sand and my left knee anchored to the top of the lip. Hit the lip but got the ball out.
--14th hole: pulled my approach shot (par 4) into the front-left bunker, again right under the steep bank. I tried to play out forward, hit the lip again, had the ball pop up in the air - I nearly reached out and grabbed it on its way down - and it stuck where it landed in a fried-egg lie. This time I had to play out backwards and wound up making a triple.
Now, I wasn't hitting the ball well - in particular, I couldn't hit an iron straight to save my life, although I did birdie two par 3s after getting kind bounces and draining 25-foot and 30-foot putts. So I'm not pissed or anything to have failed in my quest today. (I was +3 after four holes, rallied to +2 at the turn, but exploded on the back and shot an 80.) But these bunkers...I mean, proper linksland pot bunkers should be slightly bowed at the edges, so that balls should normally (but not always) run back away from the face far enough to give you some room for maneuver. I'm definitely of the belief that if you hit the ball in a bunker, you should be punished - it's a hazard, not an oasis to save you from long grass as is often the case on American-style courses. But I fear my course is failing its golfers to some extent with the way its bunkers are presented. And it's not just me: one of my playing partners shot 75 with a snowman on a par 4. He was in a greenside bunker on a par 4 in two, hit the lip with his first effort and had the ball come back into his body (one-shot penalty), and took two more efforts to get out. Tough stuff.
--1st hole: hit my drive (par 5) into a fairway bunker, right under the lip. Had to play out sideways.
--3rd hole: pulled my tee shot (par 3) into a bunker; hit the steep bank, kicked to the left and wound up quite close to the back of the bunker, on a slight downhill lie. Managed to hit a really good shot and make a 10-footer for par.
--10th hole: pushed my tee shot (par 3) into a bunker, close to the steep face. Tried to play at the hole but wasn't careful enough; hit the lip and bounced back behind me into the bunker. Failed to get up and down from there.
--12th hole: pulled my approach shot (par 4) into the front left bunker; ball finished about two inches from the (not-quite-as-steep) lip. I played this shot without any part of my body touching the sand: I sat on the lip, with my right leg outstretched and my left leg bent and tucked under my right, and did well to get the ball out of the bunker to within 30 feet of the hole.
--13th hole: pushed my approach shot (par 4) into the right hand bunker; ball finished about 6 inches from the lip, and this time I had to play with one foot in the sand and my left knee anchored to the top of the lip. Hit the lip but got the ball out.
--14th hole: pulled my approach shot (par 4) into the front-left bunker, again right under the steep bank. I tried to play out forward, hit the lip again, had the ball pop up in the air - I nearly reached out and grabbed it on its way down - and it stuck where it landed in a fried-egg lie. This time I had to play out backwards and wound up making a triple.
Now, I wasn't hitting the ball well - in particular, I couldn't hit an iron straight to save my life, although I did birdie two par 3s after getting kind bounces and draining 25-foot and 30-foot putts. So I'm not pissed or anything to have failed in my quest today. (I was +3 after four holes, rallied to +2 at the turn, but exploded on the back and shot an 80.) But these bunkers...I mean, proper linksland pot bunkers should be slightly bowed at the edges, so that balls should normally (but not always) run back away from the face far enough to give you some room for maneuver. I'm definitely of the belief that if you hit the ball in a bunker, you should be punished - it's a hazard, not an oasis to save you from long grass as is often the case on American-style courses. But I fear my course is failing its golfers to some extent with the way its bunkers are presented. And it's not just me: one of my playing partners shot 75 with a snowman on a par 4. He was in a greenside bunker on a par 4 in two, hit the lip with his first effort and had the ball come back into his body (one-shot penalty), and took two more efforts to get out. Tough stuff.
Got out for first round today and carded a 94. Not great but given almost my entire bag is brand new, I haven’t swung a club since October and it was about 54 and drizzling when we teed off, I’ll take it. I think I’m really going to see some dividends on getting my Driver chopped down in length - I hit some dead straight bombs and my misses were controlled instead of my usual miss of the high right balloon. Hit my new AP1s crisp, I just need to adjust for what seems like an added 5-7 yards over my old R1s; but was striking them well. I need some work with my new hybrids. I’m hoping I didn’t eff up by replacing my Rocketballz with Gs, I used to be money with those and the Gs cost me easily 5-7 strokes today. Im hoping some range work helps.
All in all, other than my general level of soreness right now, I couldn’t be happier. God, it was good to get back out there.
All in all, other than my general level of soreness right now, I couldn’t be happier. God, it was good to get back out there.
I played yesterday. 87. Can't get off the tee to save my life. I swear every hole was bad tee shot, nice punch out of the trees, approach from 75-140 yds and two put for bogey.
First two full rounds of the year this past weekend as well, both at Brookmeadow.
Couldn't keep the ball in play or make iron contact on the first 9 of the round on Sunday - perhaps a range session instead of a sandwich would've been wise. Nonetheless, after a 53 on the front , figured out a couple of swing issues and carded a 44 on the back to end at 97. Wasted a pretty good putting day surprisingly enough as well.
Yesterday's round was much better, was able to get back to form with the 3W off the tee, and made most of the shots I wanted to (absent a few open-faced irons and some atrocious putts). Carded a 43 / 42 for an 85. Now to just get a driver and new irons into the bag
Couldn't keep the ball in play or make iron contact on the first 9 of the round on Sunday - perhaps a range session instead of a sandwich would've been wise. Nonetheless, after a 53 on the front , figured out a couple of swing issues and carded a 44 on the back to end at 97. Wasted a pretty good putting day surprisingly enough as well.
Yesterday's round was much better, was able to get back to form with the 3W off the tee, and made most of the shots I wanted to (absent a few open-faced irons and some atrocious putts). Carded a 43 / 42 for an 85. Now to just get a driver and new irons into the bag
Played 4 rounds this weekend. 3 at my club and one at Wachusett. 86, 89, 86, 89. What’s both encouraging and discouraging is that I felt like I played like shit all weekend. My tee game was awful, my irons were all over the place, and I felt generally uncomfortable swinging. The encouraging part was that my short game was unreal and it helped keep the scores where they were. I was on fire chipping and putting and ground out bogeys instead of doubles or triples. It’s good that I scored ok without hitting the ball well, but I know that won’t hold up. I also got very lucky a few times, thinking I was OB/lost ball off the tee and finding it in play.
The real discouraging part is my swing issues from last year have returned. When my swing goes bad, I get real around then up in my takeaway and can’t get back on plane on the downswing. I either hit 1-2 inches behind the ball and hit it fat or I leave the club face wide open at impact and flare it left (I’m a lefty). I thought I had fixed it to start the year but now it’s back with a vengeance. Will take a lesson or two to work it out I think.
The real discouraging part is my swing issues from last year have returned. When my swing goes bad, I get real around then up in my takeaway and can’t get back on plane on the downswing. I either hit 1-2 inches behind the ball and hit it fat or I leave the club face wide open at impact and flare it left (I’m a lefty). I thought I had fixed it to start the year but now it’s back with a vengeance. Will take a lesson or two to work it out I think.
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I managed to shoot a 98 on Monday at my home course, with 6 pars (a couple flukey ones) That is hard to do. Some seriously bipolar golf.
My index is 17.7, although I haven't put in many scores over the last 3 years or so. I'm probably more like a 20 at this point.
My index is 17.7, although I haven't put in many scores over the last 3 years or so. I'm probably more like a 20 at this point.
At a 7.7 now. 79-81-80-82 weekend. Settling into low 80s as the norm. My putting has come a long ways. I didn’t hit more than 6 greens all weekend and still got those on the card. Went to the range this AM w my alignment sticks and my god was I way off. Hoping this translates to my league match Wed night and 3rd round of the match play tourney. Matched up w a 0.5 so I’m getting 7 shots.
Golf is just a weird fucking game.
I played from 7200+ on Tuesday and shot 77. I played from 6500 on Saturday and shot 87. Same course, same player.
I played from 7200+ on Tuesday and shot 77. I played from 6500 on Saturday and shot 87. Same course, same player.
Logged off early today and played 9. Shot a reasonable 46 with several three putts and pulling 9 on a par 3 when I thought I pulled 6. Then replayed a par 5 and went driver-5-putt for eagle. It's nice when you get your game back on track. Hopefully it lasts.
89 at Wachusett, 79 at Brookmeadow this weekend - the swing is rounding into form.
Yesterday’s 89 was down to poor mid-long iron play and some pretty bad putting... 15 bogeys, a double, and 2 pars.
After a 39 going out today, 80 was the goal coming back in. Bogeyed 16 and 17 with some tough luck on each, needed a par on 18 to get the 80. Got a hold of a drive to left-center fairway, into p-wedge range, and hit the best shot I’ve hit this year within 4 feet. Putt was uphill thankfully.
I hit up Joe & Leigh’s after, narrowed down my main issue as my 3-5 iron play and inconsistency of carry / direction there. I picked up 23 and 25 degree Titleist H1 818s replace those in the bag. For the driver, I swapped my old 983K for a 917 (all used), adding 15y of carry according to their machine. Very excited to give these a shot. I grabbed a 62 degree Vokey off eBay for $40 to fill out the bag, all in $400.
As a side note, I also tried out the i200s and a couple other sets of irons, but I didn’t feel / hit them markedly better when compared to the 6-8i of my current set. 180-210 iron shots have been my bugaboo so hoping that improves.
Yesterday’s 89 was down to poor mid-long iron play and some pretty bad putting... 15 bogeys, a double, and 2 pars.
After a 39 going out today, 80 was the goal coming back in. Bogeyed 16 and 17 with some tough luck on each, needed a par on 18 to get the 80. Got a hold of a drive to left-center fairway, into p-wedge range, and hit the best shot I’ve hit this year within 4 feet. Putt was uphill thankfully.
I hit up Joe & Leigh’s after, narrowed down my main issue as my 3-5 iron play and inconsistency of carry / direction there. I picked up 23 and 25 degree Titleist H1 818s replace those in the bag. For the driver, I swapped my old 983K for a 917 (all used), adding 15y of carry according to their machine. Very excited to give these a shot. I grabbed a 62 degree Vokey off eBay for $40 to fill out the bag, all in $400.
As a side note, I also tried out the i200s and a couple other sets of irons, but I didn’t feel / hit them markedly better when compared to the 6-8i of my current set. 180-210 iron shots have been my bugaboo so hoping that improves.
Last fall I mentioned that I was going through some pretty drastic swing changes in order to improve to scratch or better. I'm about 6-7 months into the journey and things are looking really good right now. My plan was to work with a coach all winter, but for various reasons and unforseen circumstances, it didn't work out. I put my clubs away during the winter and didn't start swinging again until February. Between February and now I've been hard at work trying to groove a new swing pattern and swing path. It's actually coming much easier than anticipated and progress has been steady. My handicap is gradually climbing from 1.7 to 2.9 while I make the changes, but I feel light years ahead of where I was when I got to a 1.7 (on the coattails of two good rounds frankly).
My goal this year is to try to qualify in the PNW Am, Washington State Am and the Washington State Mid-Am. Not sure if anyone is interested, but I'll provide updates if so.
My goal this year is to try to qualify in the PNW Am, Washington State Am and the Washington State Mid-Am. Not sure if anyone is interested, but I'll provide updates if so.
Yes please.
Frustrating rounds this weekend in a 2 man best ball tournament. drove 3 greens and made 1 birdie and 2 pars. Holes I putted well it was to scramble for a par or bogey and holes I didn’t putt well were the GIR holes. Shot 83-84 but should have been way better. Started spinning my shoulders out a little bit towards the end of my round yesterday, causing the dreaded over the top. When I just think back to the ball everything grooves so nicely. I’ll blame the Tito’s for that.
And I shall credit the Tito's! Played 36 at a great Nicklaus course, but it's a bitch. First 18 was an 84!! where every miss left me short sided, every chip was beautiful but trickled out an extra 3-4', every putt was a lipout, every bunker shot was from a downhill lie. It was infuriating because I hit some of the best sand shots I've ever hit. I hit incredible recoveries. It didn't matter, the course wasn't going to let me beat it. The cart girl finally showed up on the back 9. By the time we reached the second 18, I was working on my second. I promptly 3-jacked 1 from about 80' then went on to shoot 73. Was -2 on 14 and had run out of Tito's (cart girl long gone) and finished up +3 for the last 4 holes for no good reason. Lipped out a chip on 17 for birdie, missed a 12' up hill putt on 18 for bird. Could have easily been a round in the 60s at a hell of a tough course. Oh well. I'll take it. Only wish it wasn't my last round before heading out PNW for some sea level, post Sox game, golf.
You sure those are the right gaps? 2 degrees doesn't seem like a big difference. Back when I was testing the 22* version of my 19 hybrid, I hit it almost as far, and way farther than my 5 iron. It wasn't going to work for gapping. Thinkin a 21 might fit in better for you.
What did you change?
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So I chose these based on the carry gaps the machine was feeding back between my 5w, 23, 25 (tuned down to a 26 in the end), and a 6i - ended up averaging 220, 205, 190-195, and 180 respectively. I feel like I can cut the 5w pretty reliably and shave a few yards if I need to, but definitely will take a few rounds to make sure it's the right setup. Worst case, I swap one back in, and $40 isn't too bad a sunk cost in terms of adding the 62 to my 52 / 58 Vokeys.
Not sure if it'll help, but I had the shanks bad in the start of my round last weekend when I shot 97 - I was unable to do anything but violently hook my woods and push my my irons 20-30 yards wide. My mantra just became to stare at the back of the ball through the swing and finish hands high, got it turned around on the back 9.
On the flip side you could get bailed out by the rain and range it up then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I've found that the best medicine for the shanks is staying away from the course for a week or more and letting them filter out of your system gradually. If you remain afflicted after this evening, I prescribe abstinence.
My best shanks story: there's always an open competition in Fife at the wonderful Lundin Links course every May that unfortunately clashes with one of my club championship qualifying rounds. Normally I feel compelled to prioritize the latter over the former, but a few years ago I tried to play at Lundin Links in the morning and at Dunbar (more than 90 minutes away by car) in the afternoon. I was playing really well at Lundin Links - I think I was only +1 after 16 holes, but on the 17th I faced a short wedge approach from a really awkward lie with the ball way below my feet, and I cold shanked it. I hung on to finish OK, but after the long drive back to Dunbar, after a decent start I shanked my tee shot at the par-3 3rd and made a double bogey. Then on the par-4 4th, I over-corrected and pulled three iron shots in a row onto the beach and finished with an 11. Thankfully the clubhouse wasn't too far away...I DQed myself and walked back in, never to repeat that experiment again. And after a week or more away from the game, I was symptom-free and have been ever since.