Golf!!!2!

[woob]

I'm a maybe 10 rounds a year golfer, 15 if I'm lucky, so definitely a casual golfer. One thing I could always count on though, was 9/10 drives were straight as an arrow. This year, however, I'm at maybe 2-3/10 are straight, and the rest are slicing. Not hard slices, but enough to be off fairways a bit. I've been trying to make slight adjustments to bring it back, but unsucessful thus far. So I've been swapping out the driver for my 3 wood off the tee box, which is funny because I could never seem to figure out my woods. I'm even hitting them off the fairway now.

On the plus side, my short game has improved which is helpful!

[GioforPM]

Originally Posted by underGRADFlame

Anyone been down to Houston to play? Planning a trip in late February with some friends and looking for any recommendations.

Been doing google and YouTube searching and have a list of courses I'm interested in... but if any of the CP braintrust has any experience, id love to hear it. Sadly we can only play 4...

Memorial Park
High Meadow Ranch Golf
Gus Wortham Golf Course
Tour 18 Golf
Golf Club of Houston
Cypresswood Golf Club
The Wilderness
BlackHorse Golf Club
Hermann Park Golf Course

I played Tour 18 but it was raining hard so my impression is flawed. It was probably going to be fun on a nice day.

I've played Black Hawk (formerly the Houstonian) a few times - I liked it. It's got a neighbor (Silver Hawk) which is supposedly nicer but more expensive.

[mrkajz44]

Originally Posted by malcolmk14

Haha yeah I'm just surprised no other 15 handicaps were able to string two 90's together and beat that lol.

I suspect most people with self-reported 15 handicaps are not actually a 15. That range of golfer typically does not count or play penalties correctly; does not take stroke and distance for OB, does not drop at the point of entry on a lateral hazard, takes way too many gimmies, breakfast ball on number 1, etc. They probably gain a few strokes if they played it by the book, which they must in a tournament.

I say this as close to a 15 myself, as I know I'm probably not following the rule book perfectly.

[underGRADFlame]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

I suspect most people with self-reported 15 handicaps are not actually a 15. That range of golfer typically does not count or play penalties correctly; does not take stroke and distance for OB, does not drop at the point of entry on a lateral hazard, takes way too many gimmies, breakfast ball on number 1, etc. They probably gain a few strokes if they played it by the book, which they must in a tournament.

I say this as close to a 15 myself, as I know I'm probably not following the rule book perfectly.

Yeah one of the guys I played with on Sunday struggled with the gimmie thing... picked up 3 missed short putts... and took a stroke penalty each time. Had to start telling him to make sure he finished everything. Definitely a different feel in the tournament. I try and play my game pretty straight up... trying to get my game back to where I was 17 years ago with a 9 index, down 3 from the begining of the season.

[Weitz]

I play as honest as I can, just a few gimmes on short putts to keep things moving. But I feel I run into far more anti-sandbaggers then sandbaggers when I play matches. Which matches what mrkatj said.

[malcolmk14]

Originally Posted by underGRADFlame

Yeah one of the guys I played with on Sunday struggled with the gimmie thing... picked up 3 missed short putts... and took a stroke penalty each time. Had to start telling him to make sure he finished everything. Definitely a different feel in the tournament. I try and play my game pretty straight up... trying to get my game back to where I was 17 years ago with a 9 index, down 3 from the begining of the season.

I was a 7 in 2015 and currently playing to a 16, so it's frustrating but there are flashes of brilliance.

Kinda nice to have like a birdie-par-birdie stretch as a 16 handicap. Raises an eyebrow or two. Follow up with an 8.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

I suspect most people with self-reported 15 handicaps are not actually a 15. That range of golfer typically does not count or play penalties correctly; does not take stroke and distance for OB, does not drop at the point of entry on a lateral hazard, takes way too many gimmies, breakfast ball on number 1, etc. They probably gain a few strokes if they played it by the book, which they must in a tournament.

I say this as close to a 15 myself, as I know I'm probably not following the rule book perfectly.

That's the most frustrating part of playing in a club tournament. You see that and you shake your head when people do what you're talking about. Then you have the sandbaggers who play handicap maintenance weeks before a tournament just to get their handicaps higher.

It ended up being a major reason why I stopped playing in my club tournaments. Too many golfers cheating just to win a few bucks or prizes in a tournament. It takes all the fun out of it.

[Winsor_Pilates]

Originally Posted by mrkajz44

I suspect most people with self-reported 15 handicaps are not actually a 15. That range of golfer typically does not count or play penalties correctly; does not take stroke and distance for OB, does not drop at the point of entry on a lateral hazard, takes way too many gimmies, breakfast ball on number 1, etc. They probably gain a few strokes if they played it by the book, which they must in a tournament.

I say this as close to a 15 myself, as I know I'm probably not following the rule book perfectly.

100% true
I'm a 16 playing at a course with serious golfers who tend to be very by the book; and membership really demands it so tournaments etc are handicapped accurately.

When I play with my non member friends at public course they always underestimate how high their index is.
Improve lies all round, move it out a little to get a clean shot instead of blocked in by a tree, mulligan or 2, or 3, very generous gimmies, play OB as a 1 stroke drop where it went out.
No problem with any of this as it moves things along and they're competing against themselves anyway, but I think a lot of people underestimate how hard getting to true single digit or better really is.

[Weitz]

Hoping for the sun to come out here and start drying things up a bit. I have a tee time at the country club today. Don’t want to be under water!

[8sPOT]

I've managed to go from a 10.5 to a 13.0 this year, the struggle is real!

Though most of that just not getting out consistently enough, weather has been terrible and some poorly timed vacation/weekend plans.

The shots that require 'feel', I just dont have the feel right now. Meh thats golf.

[malcolmk14]

Round 1 of Club Champs today, shot a 90 (net +5).

Doubles on 4, 9, 14 and 18 otherwise stayed out of trouble for the most part and played bogey golf.

Made a nice 30 footer on 7 for birdie otherwise a fairly highlight-less round. Didn't lose a ball, just scrambled a lot for bogey. Someone in my flight is -3 so just gotta play steady tomorrow and put a decent score up to keep playing on Sunday.

[malcolmk14]

90-91 was good for second in my flight yesterday. I’m 1 back playing again this morning.

[FacePaint]

Nicely done Malc. Club Champs at Winston I shot a 105 yesterday... Included an 11 on 2 and a 2 on 11. Today again Birdie on 11 and a solid 90. Funny how your score improves without an 11 (or a 10). Flizz 2nd and Vernon29 1st in our flight.

[malcolmk14]

We were rained out and they closed the course for the day so I finished 2nd with a 90-91. The guy who won shot 82-98 haha.

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by FacePaint

Nicely done Malc. Club Champs at Winston I shot a 105 yesterday... Included an 11 on 2 and a 2 on 11. Today again Birdie on 11 and a solid 90. Funny how your score improves without an 11 (or a 10). Flizz 2nd and Vernon29 1st in our flight.

Wow, 11 on hole 2 is brutal. I gotta think you put two out of bounds on the left and maybe another lost ball over the green?

[FacePaint]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

Wow, 11 on hole 2 is brutal. I gotta think you put two out of bounds on the left and maybe another lost ball over the green?

Front right trap in 2... Really bad lie from a messed up rake job. Blasted it clean into OB. Took a drop and banged it into the far bunker... 4 more to get out of that one. Not my best and as a friend says, "You can't win Club Champs on day 1 but you sure can lose it." I successfully proved that!

[calgarygeologist]

Originally Posted by FacePaint

Front right trap in 2... Really bad lie from a messed up rake job. Blasted it clean into OB. Took a drop and banged it into the far bunker... 4 more to get out of that one. Not my best and as a friend says, "You can't win Club Champs on day 1 but you sure can lose it." I successfully proved that!

Dang, definitely not how I would have expected an 11 to play out. That sucks on such an easy hole.

I took the day off work today to play in a fun golf event but the weather looks like it might make things pretty miserable out there. I'm hoping it stops raining by lunch but it will be very soggy.
Edit: my golf was cancelled for today.