Golfers Thread

[Distant Doonhamer]

Played about as well as I’ve ever played last night on the back nine. 74-10 net 64(-7) with 4 birdies on the last 11.

I’d also debate the “irons off the tee” logic, I used to be a firm believer in it, and would hit a lot hybrids to fairways and leave myself long shots in to most par 4s. However, I think the strokes gained stats both for pros and amateurs are pretty supportive that the further down you are the lower your scores are likely to be. Statistically over time, a wedge from the rough will outscore a 6 iron from the fairway. Similarly on par 5s used to always be a layer-upper but not almost always just try and get as far down as I can.

This is obviously somewhat dependant on keeping the ball remotely in play but I think I’ve knocked a few shots off my handicap and best rounds by being a lot more aggressive off the tee in the last 18 months.

Great playing. Well done [emoji106]

[lichtie23]

Kingennie was a delight, my playing was not

[Mark Connolly]

A few firsts for me today, as I birdied the hardest hole on the course for the first time ever, then not only got to the longest par 5 in 2, but put it 10 yards through the back. I also managed to find a new way to completely f**k up a good score as i finished 8, 7 without even being close to losing a ball.

[lichtie23]

A few firsts for me today, as I birdied the hardest hole on the course for the first time ever, then not only got to the longest par 5 in 2, but put it 10 yards through the back. I also managed to find a new way to completely f**k up a good score as i finished 8, 7 without even being close to losing a ball.

Where do you play?

[Distant Doonhamer]

A few firsts for me today, as I birdied the hardest hole on the course for the first time ever, then not only got to the longest par 5 in 2, but put it 10 yards through the back. I also managed to find a new way to completely f**k up a good score as i finished 8, 7 without even being close to losing a ball.

Typical golf. I hate it when I finish badly to ruin a good score.

I played again today. Not as good as last few rounds but some decent stuff. Out in 41 and back in 43 for 84-10=74. Highlight a birdie 2 on 15th. Our match ended up all square. I was 2 up after 10. Opponent won 11,12,13 and 14 for me to be 2 down. I then won 15,16 and 17 to be one up. He won 18 for all square.

[alta-pete]

Please bear in mind I have a distinctly lady-ish 21 handicap but today managed a very respectable 9 hole round of 5-5-2-4-6-4-5-9!!! (lost ball,heads gone) -3 for a very respectable 43 that would certainly have seen me cut a couple of points if it’d been a medal. The reason? Sensible shot choice chat on here, a 1 week old new set of Wilson irons that I’m getting confident with and yesterday’s £20 purchase of a 3-wood off gumtree. Driver never out. Thanks chaps.

And the fact that I’ve played every day (ie actually been putting some thought in) undoubtedly has had an impact. Who’d have thunk it? Play more, get better!

[Mark Connolly]

1 hour ago, lichtie23 said:

Where do you play?

Not within 5 miles of my house

[ScottishZizou]

4 hours ago, alta-pete said:

Please bear in mind I have a distinctly lady-ish 21 handicap but today managed a very respectable 9 hole round of 5-5-2-4-6-4-5-9!!! (lost ball,heads gone) -3 for a very respectable 43 that would certainly have seen me cut a couple of points if it’d been a medal. The reason? Sensible shot choice chat on here, a 1 week old new set of Wilson irons that I’m getting confident with and yesterday’s £20 purchase of a 3-wood off gumtree. Driver never out. Thanks chaps.

And the fact that I’ve played every day (ie actually been putting some thought in) undoubtedly has had an impact. Who’d have thunk it? Play more, get better!

Glad to hear it. Me and 9 mates have set up a round robin golf league. £20 in and £200 for the winner! There are a couple of guys who we just gave 27 handicaps to who are pretty poor. I played one of them first and gubbed them despite giving 15 shots as they shot over 100. He has since seen me playing irons off every tee and his scores are plummeting and he is to the annoyance of everyone else really seeing the benefits of keeping the ball out the trees.

Regarding the driver followed by wedge or 6 iron followed by 7 iron or whatever debate it is purely down to the hole. I think the general point is about having a bit of thought on your shots. I know what holes my fade/slice can leak right. The course I play at is tree lined and a ball in there is often 3 off the tee. If the fairway runs into another fairway I will hit my driver. I think its about not just by default grabbing the driver each tee. There's holes you can get off with it and holes you cannot. 

[Ro Sham Bo]

On 08/06/2020 at 14:48, peasy23 said:

Bad news from Fife as Charleton Golf Club goes up in flames.

https://www.bunkered.co.uk/golf-news/huge-blaze-destroys-clubhouse-at-popular-scots-club

Guy I was playing with yesterday is a loss adjuster, and he has been dealing with Macrahanish having their clubhouse replaced after it burned down. They had hoped to be opening in September, but that looks like being delayed until at least November now.

I was in the clubhouse a couple of years ago and they had loads of memorabilia in there such as signed caps by the likes of Tom Watson and other top pros. 

[Benjamin_Nevis]

On 08/06/2020 at 09:38, pozbaird said:

This will have been mentioned before, but does anyone know guys, who, every time you see them, are sporting a new driver? A test club from the pro shop, an almost brand new driver that a mate gave them to try, or simply just the latest £500 model from Callaway or Taylor Made. I know a couple of guys like that. Every time I get paired with them in a medal, they’re using another different driver from the last time I played with them, or they’re outside the pro shop holding a new weapon of mass destruction which has tape on the face to protect it.... which gets handed back after the round with a ‘nah’ comment to the pro.

Aye I used to often end up with those guys in competition ballots. I think i've had about two brand new drivers in my life - one was a Killer Whale (birthday present) the other was a Taylor Made R7 Quad - which as it turned out i couldn't hit for shite. Everything else has been stuff off e-bay or GolfBidder. Other than the R7 I've never paid more than £80 for a driver. My current set comprises: 

• Driver - Cobra Bio-Cell 
• Callaway X Tour 4 Wood
• Callaway X Tour 5 Wood 
• MD Superstrong Forges Irons 5-PW 
• Ping MB 48 & 52 Wedges 
• Ancient Swilken SW I've had for 30 years
• Odyssey 2 Ball Putter 

The whole lot cost me less than £260iirc. I've played with guys who'll spend that 3 or 4 times a year on Drivers alone. 

I think players naturally get a bit more sensible as they get older. In my 20s I'd take a driver off every par 4 with a mantra of rather having a wedge out of rough than a 7 iron from 150 yards in the fairway, which now seems ludicrous, but it did work to an extent. Playing tougher courses pretty much kicked that out of me. Typically round Kirriemuir (14 par 4s, no Par 5s), i'll hit at most 2 drivers. Everything else is either a 4 or 5 wood. In fact on courses of almost any length, a club that can reliably move you 200-240 yards up any fairway is absolute gold. On shorter (typically Braid-designed) courses all a drive does is at best give you an extra 30 yards and Wedge instead of a 9 iron into most Par 4s. 

 

 

[Mr Hahn]

Played 9 holes last night in what turned out the be a better evening weather-wise than expected.

Played really well too. Long game is really starting to come back. Played the first 3 holes in 1 under par after a birdie at the first but a triple bogey 7 at the 4th quickly saw to that. Thinned a 2-iron off the tee into the trees, tried to hit the hero shot through a small gap and hit the tree, rebounding the ball to my feet. Couple of fairly scrappy holes followed but finished nicely on 8 and 9 with a birdie and a 2 putt par with those holes playing back into the wind.

Don't know how you guy's courses are playing but the greens here, despite a week of rainy weather, are still very firm and fast. I like it like that but it's definitely an adjustment from playing on March greens which were very slow and spongy to these. Judging by the head greenskeeper's recent newsletter too, there's been a few complaints about the length of rough on some holes. The sunny April and May months coupled with a bit of rain last week have made for very lush rough which quickly becomes very difficult to find your ball in not that far from the fairway. Suspect we'll be seeing that chopped back a bit in the coming weeks.

Edited June 10, 2020 by Mr Hahn

[Honest_Man#1]

First round back booked in for today, but weather absolutely shite and looks like getting to it’s peak at my tee time. Might be a bit of a bog which is annoying.

Another annoying thing for me is clubs who don’t advertise their membership pricing, meaning you have to submit an application first which you maybe wouldn’t if you knew the cost. Looking to join a club in Edinburgh, but they don’t advertise price so have no idea if it would be ridiculous or not.

[cas79]

Played well yesterday greens are super quick tho took a bit to get my range in, ball held quite well considering how firm they were, course is in great shape just now, playing again tomorrow hope the rain stops by then

[peasy23]

Played 9 holes last night in what turned out the be a better evening weather-wise than expected.
Played really well too. Long game is really starting to come back. Played the first 3 holes in 1 under par after a birdie at the first but a triple bogey 7 at the 4th quickly saw to that. Thinned a 2-iron off the tee into the trees, tried to hit the hero shot through a small gap and hit the tree, rebounding the ball to my feet. Couple of fairly scrappy holes followed but finished nicely on 8 and 9 with a birdie and a 2 putt par with those holes playing back into the wind.
Don't know how you guy's courses are playing but the greens here, despite a week of rainy weather, are still very firm and fast. I like it like that but it's definitely an adjustment from playing on March greens which were very slow and spongy to these. Judging by the head greenskeeper's recent newsletter too, there's been a few complaints about the length of rough on some holes. The sunny April and May months coupled with a bit of rain last week have made for very lush rough which quickly becomes very difficult to find your ball in not that far from the fairway. Suspect we'll be seeing that chopped back a bit in the coming weeks.

Our greenstaff have done a phenomenal job with only 2 staff instead of 5, but the one part they couldn't touch due to the lack of manpower was the deep rough, it would normally have been cut down in April. There are a few bits between parallel running fairways where they would normally strim around all the trees that they haven't been able to touch.

The greens are superb, hard, fast and smooth.

[Distant Doonhamer]

With likelihood of hospitality sector reopening from next month I’m hoping that our golf trip to play Moray Old, Moray New and Nairn Dunbar in mid-August might be a goer.

[Bigmouth Strikes Again]

Are vintage golf balls worth anything, and are they any use? I've got a load of them, brand new in wrappers.

Thanks in advance.

[cas79]

Are vintage golf balls worth anything, and are they any use? I've got a load of them, brand new in wrappers.
Thanks in advance.

Think some are but would all depend on condition have a look on ebay you might get a beter idea

[lichtie23]

Out for another 9 holes tomorrow. The wife has asked to join me and walk around the course......well done love, you’ve just talked yourself into being my caddy.

[alta-pete]

13 minutes ago, lichtie23 said:

Out for another 9 holes tomorrow. The wife has asked to join me and walk around the course......well done love, you’ve just talked yourself into being my caddy.

I'd watch that and maybe check. Our course is dead strict on there being no caddies or hingers on. Its just the two ball and that's it. And there's plently little Hitler park-keepers all to keen to grass you up too....

[Mr Hahn]

42 minutes ago, lichtie23 said:

Out for another 9 holes tomorrow. The wife has asked to join me and walk around the course......well done love, you’ve just talked yourself into being my caddy.

Had the same on Tuesday night. Thought she'd be bored but enjoyed it enough to ask if I was playing again on Wednesday. Think she just wanted a walk that wasn't the streets round our flat tbh. There was a brief minute and a half of caddying before she decided the bag was heavier than it looked and gave it back.

Justin Rose starting well at the Charles Schwab Challenge starting today. 7 under so far on his round with some very solid putting. Hasn't yet missed  inside 20ft 12 holes in. Let that sink in how much that putting would improve your score lads.