Golf!!!2!

[Hockeyguy15]

Tale of 2 rounds today. Atrocious +19 on the front, then turned it around with +7 on the back. Golf is a weird sport some days.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

I had a really ####ty night last night with some personal stuff and didn't get a great sleep and it carried over into today. I was basically not very productive with work so I took part of the afternoon off and got a tee time shortly before 3pm at Muirfield. Decided to play the tips - I never do that, but Muirfield is a short course so it's 6313 from the back tees, although even that is a bit misleading because it creates a couple of fairly tough holes especially with the wind today. Was a bit distracted and not feeling it for a large part of the round with said personal stuff... and wound up shooting my best score of the year, by a lot. Didn't even feel like I could fully enjoy it. Could have been even lower; I missed 5 putts within 10 feet. My one blow up hole today was a triple bogey on #12 where I was pin high about 10 yards right of the green in 2. Took me 5 shots to get in from there.

But just to hearken back to an earlier discussion about which tees to play... my worst score of the year was when I played the whites at Valley Ridge. It's really a lesson - for double-digit handicap golf, that 20-30 yards off the tee is really nowhere near as important as hitting a decent second shot. The drive really just has to be in play, and since I've figured that out my scoring has been far more consistent.

[Dion]

I put a small hammer in my golf bag this morning. The tee boxes were so dry and hard I had to use it a few times to get my tee in the ground.

[malcolmk14]

Originally Posted by Dion

I put a small hammer in my golf bag this morning. The tee boxes were so dry and hard I had to use it a few times to get my tee in the ground.

Shouldn't have that same problem today!

[nfotiu]

I never realized how full of crap so many adult male golfers are with their vanity handicaps until yesterday. My son played in a competitive adult event for the first time, which was a qualifier for our state open/state amateur. He shot 79 with some bad breaks that cost him any chance of qualifying, but good experience, and finished in the top third or so. The 3 adults he played with, all claimed to be scratch or near scratch golfers and all finished 85-90 and I don't think they were even correctly counting some of their bad holes.

For amusement, I started looking at the bottom of the leaderboard, and the guys at the bottom were +2.5 and +1.8 handicaps and shot 95 and 94. I looked at both of them, and both entered all low 70s and high 60s from their home course, but the competitive rounds that get auto entered were all high 80s/low 90s. I don't think I'll ever be impressed by an adult claiming a plus handicap again unless they can back it up with some verified competive rounds. You can't go around bragging about a plus handicap if you can't even sniff breaking 80 playing by the rules and finishing all you putts!

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

See I have heard / seen it the other way, where guys post some #### rounds in the month leading up to a tourney they care about to tank their HCP a bit and give themselves an advantage once it's factored in. Not that I play in tournaments.

[nfotiu]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

See I have heard / seen it the other way, where guys post some #### rounds in the month leading up to a tourney they care about to tank their HCP a bit and give themselves an advantage once it's factored in. Not that I play in tournaments.

Yeah, for sure. There definitely people on both sides of the spectrum. Building a vanity handicap is a lot more victimless than sandbagging to win events (especially with money on the line).

[spetch]

That's why I like tournaments that use lowest index in the last year. Tries to weed out some of the more obvious sandbaggers. Doesn't stop them all but it sure helps. The Myrtle Beach World Am does a great job of dealing with sandbagging. It can be pretty harsh but when the tournament has over 3000 players it has to be.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Lowest index in the last year makes sense but it kind of depends if you've had a handicap for a full year. When you're getting to 20 tracked rounds it can take some wild swings.

[8sPOT]

See this a little in mens league too. Ours takes your latest handicap index, and some guys will have a 3 or 5 and I just can't see how they got it that low after watching them play. Then they have to give me strokes and sometimes they'll complain about it lol.

I count every single shot whether I'm playing a random fun round alone or in mens league. It's just how I was taught and I figure why not? I want to know what my legit score was.

Some of the gimmes these guys give and take are crazy to me. No way should a 3-5 foot putt ever be a gimme, why not just sink the putt and get your reps in? Just my opinion of course.

[DoubleK]

Originally Posted by CorsiHockeyLeague

See I have heard / seen it the other way, where guys post some #### rounds in the month leading up to a tourney they care about to tank their HCP a bit and give themselves an advantage once it's factored in. Not that I play in tournaments.

Cap Patrol takes care of this. Not sure why more courses don't use it.

[chedder]

Our men's league has a men's league only handicap that only uses league scores.

If you shoot net par, you stay the same. Can drop up to 3 strokes if you shoot increments below your handicap and can only go up 2 strokes for bad rounds.

Also, you can only take two putts if you're inside the red paint on the flag (4 feet or so).

This has all but eliminated sandbaggers. It's wild because your handicap can change by a few strokes every week.

It works because on 9 holes there are lots of 5-4 and 4.5-4.5 match scores.

[Slava]

And some also use a percentage of your handicap. That helps because it puts everyone lower, and puts the pressure on everyone to play well.

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

Originally Posted by 8sPOT

Some of the gimmes these guys give and take are crazy to me. No way should a 3-5 foot putt ever be a gimme, why not just sink the putt and get your reps in? Just my opinion of course.

See, I do only two things that are BS from a rules perspective: breakfast ball off the first tee if I haven't hit a ball that day, and gimmes within 3 feet.

I'd like to say the latter is for pace of play but it's really for my own sanity. Reps are nice but I'm there to enjoy myself, I don't need to invite a bad mood.

[Weitz]

Originally Posted by nfotiu

I never realized how full of crap so many adult male golfers are with their vanity handicaps until yesterday. My son played in a competitive adult event for the first time, which was a qualifier for our state open/state amateur. He shot 79 with some bad breaks that cost him any chance of qualifying, but good experience, and finished in the top third or so. The 3 adults he played with, all claimed to be scratch or near scratch golfers and all finished 85-90 and I don't think they were even correctly counting some of their bad holes.

For amusement, I started looking at the bottom of the leaderboard, and the guys at the bottom were +2.5 and +1.8 handicaps and shot 95 and 94. I looked at both of them, and both entered all low 70s and high 60s from their home course, but the competitive rounds that get auto entered were all high 80s/low 90s. I don't think I'll ever be impressed by an adult claiming a plus handicap again unless they can back it up with some verified competive rounds. You can't go around bragging about a plus handicap if you can't even sniff breaking 80 playing by the rules and finishing all you putts!

Pretty standard for members who don’t play anywhere else. Easy money to take.

[indes]

Originally Posted by dirk diggler

off to "beautiful" Edmonton in early July to golf. These are the courses we are looking to play, never been to that area to golf before. If there is a hidden gem up there not on this list, let me know. Thanks

Fort-In-View Golf Club
Fort Saskatchewan Golf & Curling Club
Coal Creek Golf Resort
Stony Plain Golf Course
Cougar Creek Golf Resort

The Quarry, Northern Bear and Coal Creek are the best in the area imo. I find Northern Bear to be the most difficult but Coal Creek is unforgiving in the rough.

[Rutuu]

@Lanny

Was down in Melbourne and got onto Kingston Heath today (a sandbelt neighbour of Royal Melbourne). It was magnificent. Everything you can love in a golf course. Challenging, in great shape, great atmosphere and played in 3:45hrs.

Green fees with a member were $60AUD for the 18holes. Practice facilities were fantastic and balls included.

To be member at the club, it's a $15k one time payment then $5k per year for the 12months of play time. There's a reason the wait list is 8yrs to get in.

[kcin]

Which three courses should I play in the Kimberley/Cranbrook area? Headed there in a few weeks and will be my first time playing any of these tracks. Thanks in advance.

[Slava]

Originally Posted by kcin

Which three courses should I play in the Kimberley/Cranbrook area? Headed there in a few weeks and will be my first time playing any of these tracks. Thanks in advance.

I liked Bootleg Gap the most of the courses I've played out there, but Trickle Creek is also nice.

[dirk diggler]

played Muirfield yesterday. crazy windy but the course was not in good shape. the old holes on the green were filled with rocks? weird. Like the layout though and the price was right