2021 Golf Thread

thestardawg

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Jul 30, 2005
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Section 38, Row 13
My game right now is crap. Handicap is trending higher and I'm missing both sides which is just tremendous.

If anyone wants to check out Sterling or the resurrected Pines feel free to PM me. I play quite a few weekday afternoons.
 

Deathofthebambino

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Apr 12, 2005
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I've played about 20 rounds already this year. Living about 1,500 feet from the club has it's benefits. I generally play terrible in cold weather, and this year was no different. Pretty consistently shot 87-91. Weather warmed up this week, and on Friday, I shot 79, and made about 300 feet of putts (the putter is by far the best club in my bag), so I wasn't thrilled with how I was hitting the ball. Just managed my way around.

Saturday morning, I was still drunk (not even hungover yet) when I teed off at 8:00 a.m. I made 2 pars the first 14 holes, and then made 4 straight coming in to save a ton of money.

Then on Sunday, I shot 81, and didn't make a putt over 7 feet, so I was striking the ball great and found the 15-20 yards I somehow lost on my driver over the winter. Index dropped from 11.4 to 9.9 in 3 days, which kind of sucks.

For those of you that gamble, we play a standard 20$ Nassau (back is worth 2 ways, overall worth 2 ways and dings are worth 1 way, with automatic presses). On Friday, when I shot 79, my partner who is a 10 handicap shot 81 and we absolutely steamrolled our opponents. We won 11 of the first 15 holes, and then they had to halve the last 3 to keep it at 10 ways. But up here in the Merrimack Valley, we have something called the "Haverhill" rule. Where if a team doesn't win a hole, they pay double, so 20 ways turned into $400 (we also won the Robin that day for another $160 each). We've had like 5 Haverhills at the club already this year, and nobody can ever remember that many in a season. I think there were probably more, but with texting and emails, the shit talking is now just way more public. LOL
 
I've still not played much this year, but when I have played I've not consistently gotten my swing in the right groove. Just finding it really difficult to rotate properly away from and then through the ball, getting my weight properly transferred through the shot with any power or accuracy behind it. I played yesterday - for the first time after my first vaccination shot on Thursday, which wiped me out for several days - and I did actually find more power and accuracy than I'd had in most of my rounds thus far this year, but my putter was pretty cold. (It is also still literally very cold here - I don't think I've played in temperatures above the mid-50s yet in 2021 - which doesn't help.) I may try to sneak out again tomorrow, but we'll see.
 

TFP

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For those of you that gamble, we play a standard 20$ Nassau (back is worth 2 ways, overall worth 2 ways and dings are worth 1 way, with automatic presses). On Friday, when I shot 79, my partner who is a 10 handicap shot 81 and we absolutely steamrolled our opponents. We won 11 of the first 15 holes, and then they had to halve the last 3 to keep it at 10 ways. But up here in the Merrimack Valley, we have something called the "Haverhill" rule. Where if a team doesn't win a hole, they pay double, so 20 ways turned into $400 (we also won the Robin that day for another $160 each). We've had like 5 Haverhills at the club already this year, and nobody can ever remember that many in a season. I think there were probably more, but with texting and emails, the shit talking is now just way more public. LOL
I was informed of the Haverhill rule by our mutual friend who got Haverhilled last week and I'm still laughing about it.
 

Over Guapo Grande

panty merchant
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Nov 29, 2005
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An interesting thought exercise- I went through my hole club hole by hole for the past two years and figured my "best ever" score there. So if I took my best ever score on hole one, my best ever on two, etc. I ended up -11. There are a few holes where I am thrilled to walk out with a par for whatever reason. Certain holes just get in your head, ya know? I just missed getting to -12 earlier this year. I hope to be able to get to -13 this year. There are 3 par 3's on my "best is par" list (including the just mentioned 'just miss' ) . So hopefully I can take care of those.
 

Deathofthebambino

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Apr 12, 2005
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I was informed of the Haverhill rule by our mutual friend who got Haverhilled last week and I'm still laughing about it.
Yeah, have you seen the cameo his opponent sent him from instagram star Manolo Vega? (Pretty sure that's where the "Waggle that shit" in Zomp's earlier post came from). I can't figure out how to post it here, but if you shoot me an email, I'll forward it to you. It's hilarious, and you'll be able to bust his balls relentlessly.
 

TFP

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Yeah, have you seen the cameo his opponent sent him from instagram star Manolo Vega? (Pretty sure that's where the "Waggle that shit" in Zomp's earlier post came from). I can't figure out how to post it here, but if you shoot me an email, I'll forward it to you. It's hilarious, and you'll be able to bust his balls relentlessly.
Yes, he shared it. Hardest I've laughed in a while. Greatest trash talk idea I've heard of.
 

Deathofthebambino

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Apr 12, 2005
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Certain holes just get in your head, ya know?
Ain't that the truth. The 7th hole at my club is one of the easiest par 5's in America, after the tee ball. If you hit a tee shot 250, it's basically a par 4.

I went over 25 straight rounds at one point without hitting a 2nd shot on that hole, because I constantly blew my tee ball into the shit either right or left (and it's a big fucking fairway). It's so in my head that I honestly feel like I should just stay in the cart, throw a ball in the woods, smoke a cigarette and write down a double bogey. It would be way less aggravating.
 

Over Guapo Grande

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Ain't that the truth. The 7th hole at my club is one of the easiest par 5's in America, after the tee ball. If you hit a tee shot 250, it's basically a par 4.

I went over 25 straight rounds at one point without hitting a 2nd shot on that hole, because I constantly blew my tee ball into the shit either right or left (and it's a big fucking fairway). It's so in my head that I honestly feel like I should just stay in the cart, throw a ball in the woods, smoke a cigarette and write down a double bogey. It would be way less aggravating.
I think next time I am just going to go 6i, 6i, SW.... try to make a par putt, but take the big number out of play. There is water along the right of the hole at the landing zone, and if I don't bail out and spray one there, I trap smother a hook into the trees on the left. And there aren't many trees, just ones that happen to be where I'd trap smother one into. Maybe next time up I'll bring a live chicken and slit its throat on the tee box. It can't hurt, right?
 

TimNJsoxfan

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Sep 14, 2004
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Recommend me some courses to look at down in Myrtle Beach area. Heading down for our family vacay the middle of July.
Looking to keep it under $100. Played a course called Prestwick when we were down there a couple years ago.
 
An interesting thought exercise- I went through my hole club hole by hole for the past two years and figured my "best ever" score there. So if I took my best ever score on hole one, my best ever on two, etc. I ended up -11. There are a few holes where I am thrilled to walk out with a par for whatever reason. Certain holes just get in your head, ya know? I just missed getting to -12 earlier this year. I hope to be able to get to -13 this year. There are 3 par 3's on my "best is par" list (including the just mentioned 'just miss' ) . So hopefully I can take care of those.
This has a name, FWIW - it's called your "eclectic score". I think my eclectic score at Dunbar is a 51 (-20), with eagles on two of the par 4s and birdies on the rest (I need to eagle the par 5s!); I also happen to know my eclectic score on The Old Course is 57 (-15), because I've birdied every hole except 1, 2 and (less surprisingly) 17. It's a fun exercise for courses you've played a lot and on which you've tracked your score.
 

Over Guapo Grande

panty merchant
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Nov 29, 2005
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This has a name, FWIW - it's called your "eclectic score". I think my eclectic score at Dunbar is a 51 (-20), with eagles on two of the par 4s and birdies on the rest (I need to eagle the par 5s!); I also happen to know my eclectic score on The Old Course is 57 (-15), because I've birdied every hole except 1, 2 and (less surprisingly) 17. It's a fun exercise for courses you've played a lot and on which you've tracked your score.
Awesome- I figured that this wasn't something that I thought that I created. Does it have impact on any sort of "non money wager" type of wagers? Because none of us would ever wager something monetarily on the links.
 

TFP

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Recommend me some courses to look at down in Myrtle Beach area. Heading down for our family vacay the middle of July.
Looking to keep it under $100. Played a course called Prestwick when we were down there a couple years ago.
TrueBlue/Caledonia/Heritage in Pawley’s Island are all fantastic. Not sure about the price component.

@Zomp is your guy here
 

Zomp

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Weird day for me today. I played Swansea Country Club with my brother. The Rhode Island Am had its qualifying there on Monday and the course was in phenomenal shape. Greens were super hard and fast and the superintendent said they were in the same positions that they were on Monday.

We played the tees played at the qualifying to see how I'd stack up. I actually hit the ball off the tee probably better than I ever have. I hit 11 of 14 fairways, some 270 or so. However my iron play was shaky and my putting was terrible. I had 5 3-putts!

82, which in the am qualifying would have missed the cut by 3. Oh well.
 

Oil Can Dan

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0-3 to 4-3
Had two birdies at Granite Links last Sunday and still shot a 99. When the wheels come off, they really come off.
 

Zomp

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Recommend me some courses to look at down in Myrtle Beach area. Heading down for our family vacay the middle of July.
Looking to keep it under $100. Played a course called Prestwick when we were down there a couple years ago.

I haven't been in years but I'd recommend the Barefoot resort if you're staying in central/north MB.
 

Lupe Whalewatch

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Played 36 at Hyannisport last Friday and shot a respectable 84-77. The best part was I played the entire day with the same ball. Not sure I've ever made it that long. God I love that course.
 

patinorange

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Aug 27, 2006
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6 miles from Angel Stadium

Pablo's TB Lover

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I started birdie par par par on Saturday. Shot an 88, with a triple and three doubles. My mind wanders too much these days. The amount of stupidity in some of my shot selection is astounding.
I hear you. Was playing a quality round Monday then was tight to an OB fence on the left with my drive on a par 5. Instead of eating the stroke and taking an unplayable, at least keeping a par or bogey well in play, I chunked it from an odd stance 50 yards and actually into the OB. Turned my score into a snowman.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
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Jul 31, 2006
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I just moved to Florida and have played a couple of times at Dye's Valley (the other course at TPC Sawgrass). Really great course, but I just want to say fuck Bermuda grass in all of it's forms. For the life of me I can't figure out what a putt will do. Should have shot low 70s but shot 81 in the only full 18 I've played. I need some sort of special glasses that show me the grain or something.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Andy Brickley's potty mouth
I just moved to Florida and have played a couple of times at Dye's Valley (the other course at TPC Sawgrass). Really great course, but I just want to say fuck Bermuda grass in all of it's forms. For the life of me I can't figure out what a putt will do. Should have shot low 70s but shot 81 in the only full 18 I've played. I need some sort of special glasses that show me the grain or something.
Good Bermuda is so pure, bad Bermuda is the devil's invention.
 

4 6 3 DP

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Played 36 at Hyannisport last Friday and shot a respectable 84-77. The best part was I played the entire day with the same ball. Not sure I've ever made it that long. God I love that course.
One of my best friends is a member there. When it's windy, its so hard...when it's calm...definitely gettable.
 

SoxJox

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Dec 22, 2003
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Rock > SoxJox < Hard Place
My playing days may be over. I am suffering from a hand-tendon issue informally called "trigger finger". When I clinch my hand into a fist, two fingers on each hand remain "stuck" when attempting to re-open the fist. On my right hand, it was then ring and middle finger. On my left hand, it is the ring and index finger.

It is a condition that is easily corrected through surgery. I had the surgery on my right hand back in Feb. I still cannot fully clinch my fist, but at least the trigger condition has been relieved. I am still contemplating the same procedure for my left hand.

I pulled a club out of the bag yesterday and stepped out onto my lawn for a few practice swings. Ouch. No way.
 
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I've taken one step forward and what feels like two steps back this week. On Tuesday I played in a 15-20 mph wind with a friend at Glen Golf Club in North Berwick - I may have written about it before, but it has probably the single most picturesque hole in all of East Lothian, the short and downhill (and yet partially blind) par-3 13th:

41512

I hit a 9-iron on that hole to 4 feet...and missed the putt, one of four birdie putts I missed inside of 10 feet. Finished the day with 7 bogeys and 11 pars for a 77, which really wasn't too bad in the conditions; my putting was pretty poor, but my ball-striking was generally much improved. Then I went out today at Dunbar in calmer conditions (a 5-10 mph north wind) and completely lost my swing for large chunks of the round. Plus, my putting was a complete catastrophe: I have no feel or really any sense of what my stroke should feel like. I've been doing a lot of virtual reality putting, so perhaps that's not unrelated? But I missed a two-footer and a three-footer today, and the longest putt I made was maybe 6 feet? I shot an 81 which felt a lot worse; I was very tired after a couple of poor nights' sleep, so I could chalk it up to that, but it's still a very disturbing trend.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
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I've taken one step forward and what feels like two steps back this week. On Tuesday I played in a 15-20 mph wind with a friend at Glen Golf Club in North Berwick - I may have written about it before, but it has probably the single most picturesque hole in all of East Lothian, the short and downhill (and yet partially blind) par-3 13th:

View attachment 41512

I hit a 9-iron on that hole to 4 feet...and missed the putt, one of four birdie putts I missed inside of 10 feet. Finished the day with 7 bogeys and 11 pars for a 77, which really wasn't too bad in the conditions; my putting was pretty poor, but my ball-striking was generally much improved. Then I went out today at Dunbar in calmer conditions (a 5-10 mph north wind) and completely lost my swing for large chunks of the round. Plus, my putting was a complete catastrophe: I have no feel or really any sense of what my stroke should feel like. I've been doing a lot of virtual reality putting, so perhaps that's not unrelated? But I missed a two-footer and a three-footer today, and the longest putt I made was maybe 6 feet? I shot an 81 which felt a lot worse; I was very tired after a couple of poor nights' sleep, so I could chalk it up to that, but it's still a very disturbing trend.
Wow, are you me? I'm going through literally the same thing. Bermuda greens are kicking my ass. I've lost my pace and then my lines and now I feel like I have no idea how to putt. It's really maddening. I guess it's good for the old index though? Maybe I'll get some net money this year.
 

TFP

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I’ve also missed more putts inside 4 feet in the last week than I can remember in months prior. I’m borderline developing the yips and it’s not great.

Together we can make it through this challenge.
 

FL4WL3SS

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Jul 31, 2006
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Andy Brickley's potty mouth
Had the stupidest round yesterday, it was hilarious:

Front
Three putt bogey, three putt bogey, quad (two OB balls), par, triple (shank from fairway, shanked a chip lol), par, bogey, eagle, par

Back
Bogey, triple, par, three putt bogey, par (tee ball in lateral), par, birdie, birdie, birdie

1 quad, 2 triples, 5 bogeys, 6 pars, 3 straight birdies, 1 eagle

Adventurous.
 

jercra

No longer respects DeChambeau
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Had the stupidest round yesterday, it was hilarious:

Front
Three putt bogey, three putt bogey, quad (two OB balls), par, triple (shank from fairway, shanked a chip lol), par, bogey, eagle, par

Back
Bogey, triple, par, three putt bogey, par (tee ball in lateral), par, birdie, birdie, birdie

1 quad, 2 triples, 5 bogeys, 6 pars, 3 straight birdies, 1 eagle

Adventurous.
86 with -5 on 4 holes is impressive. I once shot 77 with 9 birdies. Those quads are a killer.
 

inJacobyWeTrust

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Nov 12, 2007
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Watertown
Are there any good natural grass putting greens within 30 mins of Watertown? I’ve got the Cosgrove at Green Hill this weekend and my putting could use a tune up before facing those greens, which are usually double cut and rolled for Sunday.
 

Deathofthebambino

Drive Carefully
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Apr 12, 2005
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Was only +10 (82).

The best part is that I won all the money since we play 2-down auto presses. Got the presses going early both nines and then won all the presses.
Yep, we play the same (and the back and overall are worth 2 ways). We closed out our opponents on 16 the other day, and lost 2 ways outright (they won the back, 2 presses and the dings), we won the front and overall. One of the guys we were playing against used to be a pro (he was apparently a +5 handicap when he was 18, now he's "only" a 1). He shot 40 on the front with 5 3-putts, and then got it going on the back with 5 birdies (only finished with a 35 though, because he doubled the easiest hole, a short par 4 that he drove over the green and out of bounds, with a 4 iron, from 290).

Some people just aren't playing the same sport that I am.
 
We had a Ping representative out at Dunbar today for a club-fitting session, and as someone who has played the same two sets of Ping irons for literally 30 years now (first Ping Eye 2s, and now Ping i5s), I figured I'd sign up to see what their current line looks like. It was a very interesting session for me - partly in the context of potentially buying a new set of clubs, but also just to see the Trackman stats and figure out what is wrong with my swing. I realized while warming up that I've been gripping my clubs WAY too tightly, so just fixing that helped, but the club-fitter helped me realize that my upper body angle has been way too far forward both at address and impact, and I can immediately see how that has caused the types of misses I've been struggling with. Also, with my driver in particular, I've been de-lofting the club at impact to such a degree that I'm adding loads of backspin and costing myself a ton of distance. I think I may well buy a new set of irons, probably a driver, and maybe a 3-wood and hybrid as well...but I'm now itching to get back on the course and see if these fixes will make a difference with my current clus as well. (Unfortunately, I completely blanked on the fact that the first round of club championship qualifying is on Saturday - it's too late to enter it, and I'm committed to play cricket now on Saturday anyway.)
 
(Unfortunately, I completely blanked on the fact that the first round of club championship qualifying is on Saturday - it's too late to enter it, and I'm committed to play cricket now on Saturday anyway.)
Well, we had an extra player available for my cricket match, and a cancellation meant a tee time opened up at 10:52 this morning, so I wound up playing in the Dunbar club championship qualifier today after all. I made an 8 on the par-5 2nd, having lost my tee shot in knee-high grass 30 yards left of the fairway, but after being +5 through 7, I played the next seven holes in even par, including a great downhill, left-to-right 20-footer I holed for birdie at the 13th. With the toughest part of the course behind me, I pulled my tee shot at the 15th into the rough but had a pretty good lie and only about 100 yards to the hole, and I chose my sand wedge. Now, my current clubs are only 1/2 inch longer than standard, whereas the clubs I was fitted for on Thursday were a full inch longer than standard, and several times previously I'd topped or thinned shots when I'd forgotten to bend my knees to get down to the ball. I forgot to do that again here, and this time I knifed my ball through the green and into the penalty area 10 yards over the green, where it nestled between three big rocks in an unplayable position. I wound up making a 6, then bogeyed the last two holes to shoot an 80; I mean, I had low expectations coming into the round, so I'm not too surprised, but I really thought I had a chance to play the last four holes in even or maybe even -1 and post a 75 or 76 which might have been on the fringes of qualifying contention. Alas, an 80 definitely isn't that.
 

Comfortably Lomb

Koko the Monkey
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Feb 22, 2004
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The Paris of the 80s
We had a Ping representative out at Dunbar today for a club-fitting session, and as someone who has played the same two sets of Ping irons for literally 30 years now (first Ping Eye 2s, and now Ping i5s), I figured I'd sign up to see what their current line looks like.
Ping irons are always a good decision. I played the i3s until a few years ago and have a set of g400s that aren't going anywhere anytime soon. They have staying power in a lot of bags. Really good stuff. They also have a lot of iron models right now. Actually getting anything this season may be tough at this point though... supply shortages are really bad right now.
 

Kliq

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Mar 31, 2013
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I'm a casual golfer who has played more in recent years. My life-long goal has always been to shoot under 100, with my closest being 109. I figured it would be a year or two from now as I've been playing more often, but yesterday at Newton Commonwealth I played out of my mind and shot a 91. It was so good that I think other people who have golfed with me and were not there would not believe that I played that well. I know that isn't particularly good for serious golfers and it seems like most people on here that play often shoot lower than 91, but it was an awesome feeling for me yesterday. I kept expecting I would fall apart on the back 9 (I shot a 43 on the front 9, a personal best) but then I par'd and birdied #10 and #11 and so I started to believe. I didn't do any calculations until after #17, where I figured I probably had like, a 95/96 and I wanted to know before the last hole because it was going to be tight, and I realized I had an 84, which was truly incredible, so even my crappy triple-bogey on the final hole didn't hurt me.
 

Over Guapo Grande

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Nov 29, 2005
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Congrats!! Beating a personal best is one thing... and having that round where "everything" clicks is almost worth the rounds where it feels like you don't know which end of the club to hold (the golf gods know I've been there plenty of times). Seriously, being a stroke a hole better than your previous best is impressive, to say the least.
 

Deathofthebambino

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I'm a casual golfer who has played more in recent years. My life-long goal has always been to shoot under 100, with my closest being 109. I figured it would be a year or two from now as I've been playing more often, but yesterday at Newton Commonwealth I played out of my mind and shot a 91. It was so good that I think other people who have golfed with me and were not there would not believe that I played that well. I know that isn't particularly good for serious golfers and it seems like most people on here that play often shoot lower than 91, but it was an awesome feeling for me yesterday. I kept expecting I would fall apart on the back 9 (I shot a 43 on the front 9, a personal best) but then I par'd and birdied #10 and #11 and so I started to believe. I didn't do any calculations until after #17, where I figured I probably had like, a 95/96 and I wanted to know before the last hole because it was going to be tight, and I realized I had an 84, which was truly incredible, so even my crappy triple-bogey on the final hole didn't hurt me.
Welcome to being completely addicted and screwed for life. Nothing is ever more true than "That one good shot keeps you coming back." Now, you'll spend a year or two trying to beat that 91, then another year or two beating that score, and then on and on.

Then you die.

I played like complete shit this past weekend, I looked at my playing partners yesterday and said "I can't fucking believe we do this for fun on our days off." One of them turned and said "Yep, and that's why my employees avoid me every Monday morning, because on my way to work, it dawns on me that I spent my weekend getting a sun burn, playing like shit and losing money and I hate myself and everyone around me for like 4 hours on Monday morning." It's now 2:24 p.m. on Monday and after a weekend of miserable golf, I'm already staring at the clock waiting for the next round I'm playing on Friday so I can beat my head against the wall some more.

Edit: Oh and congrats.
 

Doug Beerabelli

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I've played in a couple scramble charity tournaments the last two weeks, and those are golf life affirming experiences. Approach shots from reasonable distances because one of your partners hits it 280 consistently. The occasional miracle shot or birdie putt from 50 feet because there's no downside to not going for it. Maybe you win that bouquet of lottery tickets and vodka nips in the raffle. All the while having a fun time raising money for good causes.
 

The Napkin

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right here
I like scrambles more than a normal round. My dad and I will often just play best ball when we play because it's so much more fun. It's great, he turns 80 today and plays "old man" golf so I'm pretty sure worst case scenario we'll have a long iron into the green and I can just kind of swing on the tee.
Of course I play like once a year for some reason so ...