2020 Golf Thread of Disappoint Yourself

[heso 2,813]

Well, I had a damn near perfect range session today so it’s a guarantee that I won’t have a single thing I can hit on the course tomorrow. 

Edited June 26, 2020 by heso

[Beantown Express 2.0 6,559]

After completely falling apart the last few weeks with a 100, 101, and a “stop counting score after 3 holes I suck so bad” I dropped $80 on a lesson and read the Art of Putting.  Went out today and shot a 92 but really struggled with the short game other than putting.  I have not rolled the ball that well ever and I just read the book this week and haven’t really practiced what the book teaches yet.  I have never been taught how to putt after all these years so maybe just learning the grip he teaches in that book and the motion helped but it was quite enjoyable.  Now I just need to read Art of the Short Game and maybe that will help my chipping and get me back to mid 80s.  

[huge 3,793]

Had another special round at LCC last weekend

50/38

I feel like there are songs about this sort of shit

[DDD Dad 14,339]

Had another special round at LCC last weekend

50/38

I feel like there are songs about this sort of shit

LCC?

[ousuxndallas 65]

After completely falling apart the last few weeks with a 100, 101, and a “stop counting score after 3 holes I suck so bad” I dropped $80 on a lesson and read the Art of Putting.  Went out today and shot a 92 but really struggled with the short game other than putting.  I have not rolled the ball that well ever and I just read the book this week and haven’t really practiced what the book teaches yet.  I have never been taught how to putt after all these years so maybe just learning the grip he teaches in that book and the motion helped but it was quite enjoyable.  Now I just need to read Art of the Short Game and maybe that will help my chipping and get me back to mid 80s.  

It is truly transformational. Learning to swing the club around your body vs straight back /straight forward is a very big step. Your natural athleticism gets unleashed, and your natural instincts know how far to pitch/chip/putt the ball without too much mechanical thought. Really frees you up.

[htown85 159]

Are you guys referring to the Stan Utley book?

 

I have spent a lot of time on my game the last 12 months.  Consistently playing in the 90s for the first time in my life, but there are still some extremely frustrating mistakes.  If I just eliminated the deceleration duffs from 40-70 yards out I’d knock 3-5 strokes off my game. Drives me insane.

 

[Gen. Applewhite 226]

Just finished bogey-bogey to shoot 78, which is damned good with the wind blowing like it is in the hill country today. No 3 putts but could only get one birdie to fall. Lots of tap in pars, and three clutch knee knockers in the 6-8 foot range. After knocking on the door for the last year, 4 of my last 5 rounds have been in the 70s.

HCI down to a 4.5.

My biggest breakthrough has been switching to mid sized full cord grips and ditching the glove for everything but the driver. I seem to get a more fundamentally sound grip on the club without it (strong left hand, in the fingers, light pressure). Now I need to figure out what to do with the 4 FJ StaSofts I bought in May. 

[huge 3,793]

LCC?

Lakeside in Houston

[DDD Dad 14,339]

Lakeside in Houston

Have they finished the clubhouse?

[huge 3,793]

Now I need to figure out what to do with the 4 FJ StaSofts I bought in May. 

What size?

[capnamerca 571]

50 minutes ago, Gen. Applewhite said:

Just finished bogey-bogey to shoot 78, which is damned good with the wind blowing like it is in the hill country today. No 3 putts but could only get one birdie to fall. Lots of tap in pars, and three clutch knee knockers in the 6-8 foot range. After knocking on the door for the last year, 4 of my last 5 rounds have been in the 70s.

HCI down to a 4.5.

My biggest breakthrough has been switching to mid sized full cord grips and ditching the glove for everything but the driver. I seem to get a more fundamentally sound grip on the club without it (strong left hand, in the fingers, light pressure). Now I need to figure out what to do with the 4 FJ StaSofts I bought in May. 

Love the idea of playing w/o a glove. Calluses and blisters will show you right quick if you're gripping too tight. I've gone back and forth my whole life on gloves, and still prefer to chip and pitch without one. Glad to see your grinding paying off ... keep it up!

[Gen. Applewhite 226]

10 minutes ago, huge said:

 

What size?

 

Cadet XL for my little sausage fingers 

[huge 3,793]

Have they finished the clubhouse?

Yes.

Just left lunch there.

Course is closed this week for maintenance.

5100 rounds played in May

[DDD Dad 14,339]

8 over 79 today with three 3 putts and two doubles.  Ball striking is as good as I can remember.  Made one putt outside of 4 feet.  Lots of close misses.

Edited June 27, 2020 by DDD Dad

[capnamerca 571]

3 hours ago, DDD Dad said:

8 over 79 today with three 3 putts and two doubles.  Ball striking is as good as I can remember.  Made one putt outside of 4 feet.  Lots of close misses.

Go get one of the Napas ... go old school.

[DDD Dad 14,339]

Go get one of the Napas ... go old school.

Actually didn’t putt that badly. Lots of putts just didn’t fall. I had one really bad putt on 10. Had in my mind it was uphill when it was down. Hit it a good 14 feet past the hole.

[Bookman 4,639]

So I've spent much of the last two months getting back into the game. I'm 44 years old, played high school golf, and back in 2000-2002 (the last time I had a regular game) I was probably a 7-8 handicap. I'd play the Austin munis and pretty regularly shoot 77-81. Then I graduated from college, lost my swing, lost my short game, and eventually lost interest. I'd play maybe once a year, usually in a scramble.

Last summer, I played with my father for the first time since the early 90s, and I was smoking his driver off the tee. He ended up giving it to me, and I actually played three rounds last year plus a scramble. I was shooting in the high 90s but would have some good moments. I live in San Antonio now; played La Cantera in November and shot a 104 or something like that.

Anyway, I played in April, shot 94, and decided to actually work on my game. I said goodbye to my Ping Eye2s and bought the new Ping G710s. Two weeks ago I broke 40 on the front nine at Willow Springs. Played in a scramble last week and hit the ball really well. I've been having some rounds in the mid-80s and really felt like I was about to turn the corner.

Played Cedar Creek yesterday. 40 putts later I carded a smoooooth 97. Back to reality. About to hit the driving range.

[DDD Dad 14,339]

By the way, I played Cedar Crest up here in Dallas on Friday. It was in phenomenal (for muny) shape. Greens were healthy, pure, and firm. Best I have ever seen them. Fairways were lush.

I suspect it is a combination of the wet first half of the year and significantly reduced play in March and April. However it happened, if you are in the area I would encourage you check it out soon $38 including cart.

[StruggleBus 3,922]

I managed to shoot 82 with 3 birdies, an eagle, one triple, and three doubles yesterday. Wild stuff. 

I'm also looking for a new driver now. 

[ocugolf 1,214]

Just did Club Champion Driver Fitting. Holy shit I’m tired. Got fit into the Calaway Maverik with a Fujikura Ventus 6x black shaft. Ball speed got up to 168 and spin was around 2400. Picked up a good 20-5 yards. 

[Gen. Applewhite 226]

Speaking of picking up yardage, I just emptied a big bucket at San Pedro range and was working specifically on making contact higher on the face of my irons and really compressing the ball, rather than picking it off the ground. I figured I would start by focusing my eyes on the very front edge of the ball and otherwise swinging normally. Instant results. I was flushing it with a consistent trajectory into a stuff breeze, and straighter ball flight, all the way through the bag. I am assuming I will get some distance gains out of that as well, but it's impossible to tell based on these conditions Mats can be deceiving, but this session just felt different. And the primo new range balls they had were leaving marks right in the sweet spot. I need to find some grass to hit off of and really dial this in.

[StruggleBus 3,922]

Hitting off of mats at the driving range ruined my left wrist for around 8 months. Probably because I get steep sometimes but I’ll never hit off of them again.

[conVINCEd 21,469]

Mats are a crime against humanity.

[Gen. Applewhite 226]

They are not ideal, but at some places they are a necessity. San Pedro actually does a good job with its grass area, and opens it up as much as possible. With the volume they have, it gets chewed up quickly. The other range nearby Brack has mats around a semicircle, and if you want to hit off grass they let you to go off into the hinterlands to find some space. However, it's like hitting out of the first cut, at best. I think mats do less wear and tear on my hands than grass, and earlier this month I had some right elbow soreness that I attribute to more frequent sessions on a lush zoysia range. So from a health perspective, I am okay with mats (for now). My complaint stems from how a mat hides your misses.

[Jhawk 1,075]

14 hours ago, ocugolf said:

Just did Club Champion Driver Fitting. Holy shit I’m tired. Got fit into the Calaway Maverik with a Fujikura Ventus 6x black shaft. Ball speed got up to 168 and spin was around 2400. Picked up a good 20-5 yards. 

When I got my G410 i was only hitting it about 10 yards further than my 3 wood (275-285) I almost talked myself out of buying it.  Had my longest drive on Saturday of 322.  I touch 305+ about 3 times a round and am regularly at 290.  Getting more comfortable with the club will increase your distance as well.  I love the club now and never pull my 3w anymore after 10 years of only hitting a 3w.  That being said, my club in Tulsa rewards distance as a big miss is better than a small miss and the rough is cut low because the old codgers bitch about the course being too tough when the bermuda is longer than your freshly shaved pubes.

[Lurch 5,931]

I’ve done a complete 180* on mats. I would get angry when forced to use them and would roll my eyes at anyone that would use them when grass is available, like that range on 620 at Anderson.

Our muni upgraded to new mats right before shutting the course down for 9 months and made it mat-only during renovations. During that time I came to appreciate the consistency that a mat provides while I’m working on various parts of my swing. There are certainly days I want to work off of grass, but in general I’m totally content with hitting off of good mats now.

[AUinHsv 579]

5 hours ago, Jhawk said:

When I got my G410 i was only hitting it about 10 yards further than my 3 wood (275-285) I almost talked myself out of buying it.  Had my longest drive on Saturday of 322.  I touch 305+ about 3 times a round and am regularly at 290.  Getting more comfortable with the club will increase your distance as well.  I love the club now and never pull my 3w anymore after 10 years of only hitting a 3w.  That being said, my club in Tulsa rewards distance as a big miss is better than a small miss and the rough is cut low because the old codgers bitch about the course being too tough when the bermuda is longer than your freshly shaved pubes.

Read an interesting article on GLFWRX about the obsolescence of the 3 wood. Basically the new balls and spin rates and launch angles are 5 wood make the 5 wood go farther than traditional 3 woods for average golfer - not for pros with really fast swings

[AUinHsv 579]

6 hours ago, Gen. Applewhite said:

They are not ideal, but at some places they are a necessity. San Pedro actually does a good job with its grass area, and opens it up as much as possible. With the volume they have, it gets chewed up quickly. The other range nearby Brack has mats around a semicircle, and if you want to hit off grass they let you to go off into the hinterlands to find some space. However, it's like hitting out of the first cut, at best. I think mats do less wear and tear on my hands than grass, and earlier this month I had some right elbow soreness that I attribute to more frequent sessions on a lush zoysia range. So from a health perspective, I am okay with mats (for now). My complaint stems from how a mat hides your misses.

They do hidw the misses. A few years ago Avery had a few weeks of mats only. Man I was hitting really nice irons because you could hot behind the ball and still make almost perfect contact versus the real grass grabbing the sole

[Goodman 3,273]

Well shit, just booked two Michigan golf trips in the next 5 weeks. Hitting Forrest Dunes/Loop, Belvedere, Arcadia Bluffs/South and Kingsley on 1st trip. Orchard Lakes, Barton Hills and Monroe GC on the 2nd. Pretty pumped, i've never played any of the courses on the 1st trip. The least talked about course on this list looks like the closest i'll get to Chicago GC.

[deadshank 24,653]

I haven’t picked up a stick in 10 years.  Used to play 2-3 times a week; year round.  
 

Now my old golfing buddies are coagulating again and wanting to put the band back together. They have a weekend joint rented somewhere around McQueeney and multiple rounds booked at The Bandit.   
 

I’m being bombarded, denigrated, called out, pestered and badgered about joining the gangsome for the weekend in October.  
 

Fear and trepidation or return to glory?

I pulled my clubs out to check them out.  I don’t know if they even work anymore.  At a minimum they’ll need to be re-gripped. 

what’s in the bag:

Titleist 905R 9 degree driver

King Cobra Speed LD 3W

King Cobra 3 and 5 rescue

Mizuno T Zoid Pro 4 - PW irons

Cleveland 52 & 60 degree wedges

Rife putter

Gonna give it a go with ancient technology.  Light a candle for me.

 

[Goodman 3,273]

Player alert. Lots of helpful technology now, if you commit go hit the p790’s. Bandit greens were country club like 3 weeks ago. 

[texhorn 351]

Well shit, just booked two Michigan golf trips in the next 5 weeks. Hitting Forrest Dunes/Loop, Belvedere, Arcadia Bluffs/South and Kingsley on 1st trip. Orchard Lakes, Barton Hills and Monroe GC on the 2nd. Pretty pumped, i've never played any of the courses on the 1st trip. The least talked about course on this list looks like the closest i'll get to Chicago GC.

Arcadia is legit. One of my all-time favorites.

[Pam Cummings 9,645]

On 6/26/2020 at 9:36 PM, huge said:

Had another special round at LCC last weekend

50/38

I feel like there are songs about this sort of shit

Don't you just love this dumbass game?

 

Went to Delaware Springs 2 weeks ago and played very well. Shot a nice little 74, and that includes almost driving it onto the green on the 8th hole and still having to make a 4 footer for par(that chip really runs away from you).

 

Played Lighthouse the next week in the African dust cloud and it was WINDY.  Those also might be some of the fastest greens i've seen. Just perfect. Managed an 81 out there, doubling 3 of the last 4 which were right into the fan.

 

 Anyone else kinda miss Bluebonnet?

[Hate 20,112]

I always felt like I was going to die when I played Bluebonnet. I hated being out on some of those fairways knowing that there were a bunch of drunk hacks teeing off anywhere near me.

[Lurch 5,931]

I once played Bluebonnet with two farmers wearing overalls. One of them pulled driver on a ~120yd par 3 (#13 I think) and I didn’t say anything because he’d swung and missed so many times it actually appeared to be the best option. Of course he tagged it and flew not only the green but the next holes teebox as well.

 

Good times

 

[deadshank 24,653]

Bluebonnet as in Bluebonnet up by Navasota?

[Goodman 3,273]

2 hours ago, Pam Cummings said:

Don't you just love this dumbass game?

 

Went to Delaware Springs 2 weeks ago and played very well. Shot a nice little 74, and that includes almost driving it onto the green on the 8th hole and still having to make a 4 footer for par(that chip really runs away from you).

 

Played Lighthouse the next week in the African dust cloud and it was WINDY.  Those also might be some of the fastest greens i've seen. Just perfect. Managed an 81 out there, doubling 3 of the last 4 which were right into the fan.

 

 Anyone else kinda miss Bluebonnet?

Was Lighthouse in good shape? We've been discussing playing it but tough to take a chance when Delaware/Bandit/Plum have been consistently good. 

[conVINCEd 21,469]

2 hours ago, Lurch said:

I once played Bluebonnet with two farmers wearing overalls. One of them pulled driver on a ~120yd par 3 (#13 I think) and I didn’t say anything because he’d swung and missed so many times it actually appeared to be the best option. Of course he tagged it and flew not only the green but the next holes teebox as well.

 

Good times

 

I took a friend to play for his first time in college.  It was bad, worse than I was expecting it to be, and my expectations were pretty low.  We come up to a similar hole, 120ish yds, all carry over a small pond. He asked me what he should hit.  It doesn’t fucking matter seemed like a not very nice thing to say, so I told him to grab his 7 iron.  The ball never got more than 10 feet off the ground, but it skipped across the pond a few times, ran up onto the green, hit the flagstick and came to rest inside of a foot.  He tapped in for his first birdie. 

[Pam Cummings 9,645]

1 hour ago, Goodman said:

Was Lighthouse in good shape? We've been discussing playing it but tough to take a chance when Delaware/Bandit/Plum have been consistently good. 

Yes, it was in great shape. The greens were lightning.

[Lurch 5,931]

Bluebonnet as in Bluebonnet up by Navasota?

No, Austin. By Decker Lake

[capnamerca 571]

Please keep the bluebonnet stories coming. I have a serious soft spot for that place.

 

Sometime around 2000, buddy and I signed up for one of their BBQ tournaments, a 2-man best ball (not a scramble) on a Sunday. We spent Saturday night drinking our weight in whatever we could get our hands on. It was winter, maybe January during our college break. We dragged our raggedy asses out of bed at 8 to make the 9am first pitch. We had four hard ciders that we put in the trunk where they'd stay cold. Shotgunned one each at the turn, and had one in the cart. He shot 73 on his own ball, and I contributed on two holes all day; a random birdie somewhere on the front, and an eagle 3 on 12 hitting 5i from the left fairway bunker to two feet. The other 16 holes I might as well have been in my pocket. Great fucking times. They ran that course the way I want a local muni to run. Keep the greens nice, grow a little grass on the range, and keep the pace of play up. Do that, and you'll never want for play.

[Lurch 5,931]

We always fucked up and forgot to call in early Wed to get a Sat morning tee time, so we’d just go and wait on standby. Several times we were first on the list and waited several hours to play.

At fucking Bluebonnet.

Two things always made me laugh there: the dent covered pump house on #17 (it should have been impossible to hit, yet there were hundreds of golfball pock marks all over it) and the sounds of its two odd-couple neighbors across the street, a shooting range and an RC airplane park!

[StruggleBus 3,922]

Somehow I’ve never played Bluebonnet, but I did used to get drunk and play Hancock while barefoot and shirtless. Hancock is fucking magical too, because you can play like shit and shoot close to par.

I managed to shoot 75 at Cedar Creek in San Antonio this week. Easily the best I’ve played in a long ass time and had two three putts. I ended up going with a full bag of 718 AP1’s and I love  them. Just hit them better than the AP2s and 3s, all the way through the set.

[DDD Dad 14,339]

Please keep the bluebonnet stories coming. I have a serious soft spot for that place.
 
Sometime around 2000, buddy and I signed up for one of their BBQ tournaments, a 2-man best ball (not a scramble) on a Sunday. We spent Saturday night drinking our weight in whatever we could get our hands on. It was winter, maybe January during our college break. We dragged our raggedy asses out of bed at 8 to make the 9am first pitch. We had four hard ciders that we put in the trunk where they'd stay cold. Shotgunned one each at the turn, and had one in the cart. He shot 73 on his own ball, and I contributed on two holes all day; a random birdie somewhere on the front, and an eagle 3 on 12 hitting 5i from the left fairway bunker to two feet. The other 16 holes I might as well have been in my pocket. Great fucking times. They ran that course the way I want a local muni to run. Keep the greens nice, grow a little grass on the range, and keep the pace of play up. Do that, and you'll never want for play.

Can you give us all a primer on grip replacements?

[capnamerca 571]

4 minutes ago, DDD Dad said:

Can you give us all a primer on grip replacements?

Just ask nicely.

[DDD Dad 14,339]

Just ask nicely.

Please?

[Lurch 5,931]

Use twice as much solvent as you think you need. Profit.

[DDD Dad 14,339]

If only someone could do a video tutorial. That would be great.

[capnamerca 571]

1 hour ago, DDD Dad said:

If only someone could do a video tutorial. That would be great.

I know a guy ...

[cam4mav 771]

Didn't get out and play last year at all which sucked. Went to go play yesterday so knocking off almost 2 years of rust. Had 3 range days last 2 weeks that were badly needed. When I've been able to play frequently I can dip into the 80's but 90-100 is the expected range. The goal was to strike the ball well and have a couple of good holes, and limit the damage done on disaster holes.

2 birdies on a par 5 and a par 3, had zero pars, averaged slightly under 2 putts per green (that's lights out for me), and managed to score two 7's, an 8, and a 9. totaled 98

A very, very bi-polar round haha.

I was absolute hot garbage on everything under 125yds and in. Sand traps can fuck right off. Didn't have my distances down and went way over on multiple approach shots. Like 25 yards over the green from 100 out...., and not even those skulled laser shots, just wrong club wrong swing. woops

however I'll hit my 4 iron off the tee on pretty much anything under 400 yd and feel great about it. That club goes straight ish and 210+ off a tee at least and up to 250 on a piped shot.... Woods are big slice trouble and only useful on a big dog right (which that bird par 5 was, thank you driver for clearing the water on that one)

Made a total score bet with a friend i haven't played with before we started, just for shits, and after a few holes realized he was proper good and I was absolutely fucked (He ended at a disappointing 80....)

Evened it out with a closest to the pin bet on a 160 yd par 3. I led off and dropped it within 10 feet. He drilled a bunker. That was satisfying. Saved me paying out $50. 

Great day. Can't wait to go again.