|
United States24612 Posts
I haven't really made any golf update for this year yet. I'll briefly talk about where I've been and then talk about how my round went today... man golf is soooooo frustrating lol.
First of all if you are curious about where I am with golf as of November you can read through my previous blogs. I had purchased a King Kobra S9-1 9.5 degree driver, a 3 and 5 wood my pro recommended with s shafts also, the new tour edge 56 degree sand wedge, a putter I liked in the store, and a used 3 hybrid. I finally dumped my old-ass irons a couple of months ago and picked up a set of tayloremade r7's... they were the ones I was liking the most in the store's simulator. So I finally have a gap wedge for the first time... as well as pw through 4 iron.
I joined a local town golf course ($175 to join plus $50 to sign up for the tee time registration system) and have been playing weekly on Saturdays at around 11am or 12pm. With my member discount plus a reservation fee of five dollars it works out to be around 35-45 dollars per 18 holes (par 70). It's a pretty nice course but has really tight fairways, woods/treelines that are too easy to hit into, and impressively exhausting hills.
Hint: Hole 11 and 12 are the most exciting I think.... although there was something interesting/dangerous once every few holes
Hole by hole
Hole 1
Par: 4
Yards: 301
Handicap: 13
![[image loading]](http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/7457/hole1.jpg)
A rough approximation
My group was teeing off early apparently (I was a single paired up with a couple and another single) so I ran over from the driving range and just barely caught them at the first tee box. I rushed to get my balls/tees/etc out and was kinda out of it when I went to hit my tee shot. It's a straight and short hole with a medium width fairway and few obstructions save for a bunker or two around the green. I hit my 6 iron, didn't quite catch it right... and put it on the fairway like 150-160 out... but that was ok.
My second shot I was on a slight incline (which freaking kills me... why can't every shot be like the driving range matt!!?) and somehow went completely fat and send the ball like 40 yards. Did the same thing again (always screw up the first few holes for whatever reason haha). Was 85 yards out at this point and took a full swing with my sand wedge. Hit it right this time except pushed it into the rough to the right of the green. I think I chipped it onto the green and two putted for a God knows what. You can guess why I generally don't keep score... ._.
Hole 2
Par: 5
Yards: 531
Handicap: 5
![[image loading]](http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/8251/hole2.jpg)
I wasn't feeling too confident with my woods after my bucket at the driving range (irons were pretty good) so I took a five wood. Surprisingly I drew the ball a fair amount into the rough and little trees on the left of the fairway. I was in a terrible place and decided to just move it out to the fairway. My next shot I drilled a 7 iron (I think) but it went a little right of where I aimed and ended up in the rough on the right side of the fairway (the fairway is SOOO narrow in the second half of the hole it's ridiculous). My memory is a bit hazy on this hole but I messed up a shot or two in there somewhere and probably two putted for a bad score again XD
Hole 3
Par: 3
Yards: 133
Handicap: 17
Not going to bother with a picture since it's a pretty simple hole. The green is elevated a LOT. there are a few bunkers behind the green and then the hill continues upward beyond the green. You have to add a club or so to reach. It was playing about 140 plus the hill so I took an 8 iron. I didn't quite swing right (didn't extend my arms outwards enough) which sent the ball a bit high and a bit right. It ended up in the rough at the bottom right of the hill in front of the green with a weird lie. Two or three awkward fuck ups later I was on the green and two or three putted or someshit. The worse I'm doing by the time I'm on the green the worse I putt lol.
Hole 4
Par: 4
Yards: 380
Handicap: 1
![[image loading]](http://img130.imageshack.us/img130/8942/hole4.jpg)
This hole is one of the hardest ones in the region. It's a narrow tee shot straight out and then a dog leg right up a HUGE hill. It's called 'three club hill' because you essentially need to add three clubs to the distance to reach the green on the second shot... and that's IF your tee shot is perfect enough to get you close enough to go for it.
I was worried I was going to draw my 5 wood into the rough/trees on the left so I tried to swing better... I sliced the ball into the woords on the right lol. I found it somehow screwed up (hazy) in getting it to the area of the fairway where I could actually go for the green. Eventually I was in position to go for the green... I was maybe 140 yards out and took a 7 iron (I know I said it's called three club hill but last time I took three clubs over I ended up in the nursing home past the green... went with two clubs over instead XD). I ended up pushing the ball and or fading it a bit again and was in the rough right of the green (a little short also) past the crazy bunkers (they are much crazier looking than in the picture I made). My pitch was a little too much IIRC and left me with a long 2-3 putts.
Hole 5
Par: 4
Yards: 347
Handicap: 7
Not going to bother with a picture since it's pretty simple: it's a straight hole that's downhill most of the way to the green (the opposite of hole 4's hill basically.. it adjoins that hole). About 200 yards out is a cartpath and a bit of rough that runs across the fairway... and the fairway continues past the cart path at a much lower elevation. I smacked my five wood straight out and it bounced somewhere in the vicinity of the cartpath and rolled onto the lower fairway (ideal). My second shot left me with like 90 yards... I made a similar mistake with my iron again and pushed the ball to the right. Here's the exciting part... it hit the cartpath about green-high and took a HUGE bounce. It then continued to hole 6 and was sitting in the rough next to the tee box where the group ahead of us was teeing off. I turned around and saw that there was no way in hell I could go for the green in one shot from there... so I picked it up and dropped it in some rough nearer the hole. I pitched it and putted a couple of times for no score obviously.
Hole 6
Par: 3
Yards: 150
Handicap: 15
The tee box here is very elevated. You definitely can take a club off the distance with no problem. I don't remember how it was playing exactly but I made a similar mistake and didn't quite close up the face enough... the ball lost a bit of power and ended up in a small patch of fairway just short/right of the green. I think I butchered the chip and got bogey or double bogey.
Hole 7
Par: 4
Yards: 351
Handicap: 3
A narrow par four where you can't afford to slip off the fairway on the left side... otherwise you roll down a hill into trees/bushes. Towards the end it dog legs left a bit. A good drive can find you with a huge tree blocking your 175 yard approach shot unless you hit it all the way to the right side of the fairway.
I sliced my five wood again (somewhat) and was in the woods on the right. I forget if I did a recover shot or a drop but ended up in the fairway, about 170 yards from the green. I hit a 6 iron but repeated my mistake with irons (which I wasn't doing on the range that morning ._.) and ended up in the rough well right of the green. I mishit my pitch and sent it sailing over the green where it hit a cart path and kept sailing for a while. I was so far past the green at this point that it was another strong pitch... took a few more strokes for me to hole out lol
Hole 8
Par: 3
Yards: 212
Handicap: 9
This is where the snack bar is first accessible (we pass here after a few holes). It was open last Saturday and then closed today. It's freaking 80 degrees and sunny AND I'm starving and the snack bar is closed... I was soooo angry hahaha. I would have packed a sandwhich if I knew the snack bar was going to be closed for no understandable reason. Luckily one of my partners decided to let me have a few of their crackers which helped a little...
The tee is somewhat elevated but this is obviously a fairly long part three. If you go left, right, or long your ball is gone. I make a SOLID contact with my five wood and sent it out perfectly straight until it decided to make a right turn into the woods. I then teed up a new ball along with the female in my group at the forward tee where I did the exact same type of shot with a long iron and lost that ball also. I then took a drop on the fairway next to another guy about 100 yards out but I was starting to lose consciousness/sanity at that point and can't really remember what happened...
Hole 9
Par: 4
Yards: 284
Handicap: 11
A picture won't do this hole justice. There is a chasm in between the tee box and the beginning of the fairway... if you don't clear it you have a terrible shot up a huge hill (practically a cliff with grass). I destroyed the ball with my five wood and sent it perfectly straight... it had to be at least 225 yards. I decided I was going to make a conscious effort to close the face during my downswing and it worked somehow. It left me with a short shot from the end of the fairway to the slightly elevated green. I don't remember exactly where it landed but I had messed up only slightly and ended up with a chip and two putts for bogey.
Hole 10
Par: 4
Yards: 337
Handicap: 14
Another straight downhill hole with no real complications except woods on the right and trees plus a catering hall on the left if you go too far. I popped up my five wood and only went like 100-150 yards (was it teed up too high?) I took my 3 hybrid to hit it from the rough... but the lie wasn't too good and I wasn't comfortable when I took my swing and ended up pushing it right of the fairway. I was left with a wedge under a tree branch, over a bunker, to the green. I hit a BEAUTIFUL shot and put it on the green not to far from the hole where I two putted for bogey.
Hole 11
Part: 4
Yards: 250
Handicap: 16
![[image loading]](http://img691.imageshack.us/img691/9206/hole11.jpg)
There were about 50 people from the party at the catering hall watching this whole from the hill behind the green.
It's hard to cut the corner here and go for the green in one due to the trees, but a well hit draw could possibly do it. I just took a five iron and hit it straight... it was very well struck and actually slipped off the fairway into the rough. My second shot I goofed a little (hitting out of rough on uneven terrain... I can't blame myself too much) and ended up in the pot bunker in front of the green. There was at least a 6 foot wall in front of me defending the green... I hit the ball out of the bunker much better than I expected and ended up like 30 feet from the hole. I sunk the putt and got an applause from the spectators. I toyed with the idea of holding up my hand in recognition like a pro and possibly walking over to sign golf balls but just decided to go to the next hole. Still I was very happy with the sand save!
Hole 12
Part: 3
Yards: 117
Handicap: 16
Behind the elevated tee box were about 20-30 spectators watching how well golfers placed their ball on the green. It was playing about 120 downhill so I decided to take my pitching wedge and choke up a bit. After the other guys in my party screwed up their shots (one overhit it into the water behind the green and the other was short or something) I hit my shot PERFECTLY. It was directly in line with the cup and had a perfect trajectory. I love hitting these shots from an elevated tee box. As it sailed through the air the people watching yelled out things like "That's on the green!" and "Look at this!" I was the only one who knew that it was going to land a bit too far. It ended up in the rough just behind the green. I tried putting it but didn't get it right and it ended up not going far enough leaving me with a very long downhill putt. I got way too nervous about the hill and didn't give it enough and screwed myself out of the bogey 
Hole 13
Part: 4
Yards: 358
Handicap: 8
Basically a straight hole that would be easy except there is water just off the right side of the second half of the fairway. I hit my five wood a little funny sending it low and drawing but it ran fine and left me with about 150 to the green. I hit my eight iron... not sure exactly what I did wrong but lost about 5-10 yards despite hitting it perfectly towards the cup... and was in the rough just short of the hole. I mishit my chip and ended up passing the hole leaving me with a long putt. I forget if I two or three putted but I was pretty annoyed again.
Hole 14
Part: 5
Yards: 476
Handicap: 5
A narrow but mostly level hole. I didn't catch my five wood right and ended up in the rough to the right of the beginning of the fairway. I took my hybrid 3 which I pushed into the treeline on the right side about another 140 yards down. I did a good punch shot with my 4 iron which got the ball onto the fairway and advanced it another 100 yards or so. This left me with a 175 yard shot to the green. It is actually a blind shot due to the fact that the last 100 yards or so of the hole are at a slighty lower elevation, but I knew exactly where the pin was. I hit my six iron beautifully and exactly where I aimed. I figured the downhill would give me the extra couple of yards I needed to reach the green. I kinda forgot that I was hitting into a breeze and ended up in the rough short of the green (but a nice shot anyway). I somehow screwed up the remaining pitch, then chipped/putted to finish.
Hole 15
Part: 4
Yards: 344
Handicap: 5
This is a straightforward (literally) par four except for one problem: when the tees are back it's a very large carry over a water hazard to get to the fairway. The tees were actually not far back on this hole today so it wasn't a problem. I DRILLED my five wood so far I couldn't believe it. It almost left me pitching... it was just another of the shots that went well today. Obviously it had no problem clearing the water. I was left with a sand wedge. I somehow reverted back to my earlier mistake and pushed the ball right and short. I had to pitch it over a pot bunker from hell... I gave it a tiny bit too much and ended up on the back of the green but didn't mind since I still think it was the right decision... seriously the wall of this pot bunker is HELL. It's like trying to hit a golf ball over the empire state building. I made my bogey.
Hole 16
Part: 4
Yards: 412
Handicap: 4
![[image loading]](http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/4849/hole16.jpg)
The view I had for my second shot... notice the hill on the right
There was a long carry to the fairway again with water along the left side. I tried my three wood which didn't go so well... it went low, pushed, and then drew... but I guess that's ok since it avoided the water and put me at the beginning of the fairway on the left side. The hole then turns right a bit with an elevated green. It's actually pretty tough to reach in two and wasn't really reachable for me so I decided to lay up. Just as the hole turns to the right there is elevated rough as you can see in the picture. I somehow screwed up my middle iron which put me on top of that hill. I had about 160 yards to go to an elevated green with tree branches blocking any reasonable trajectory for my next shot... I decided to take my 4 iron, put the ball in the back of my stance, and blast it as though it was a 185 yard shot directly at the hill in front of the elevated green. It was an excellent plan, I swear. There was only one problem. Between the heat (80F and sunny), the hunger (no snack bar), and being tired from carrying my bag (lightweight with backpack straps at least) I wasn't thinking clearly I forgot to put the ball back in my stance. It hit my four iron PERFECTLY and directly into one of the tree branches. The ball reflected back at me and wooshed past me about 1-2 feet to my left at shoulder/head height.
I then walked back about 20 yards to the fairway where I hit a 9 iron well to the last bit of fairway before the elevated green. I was left with like 45 yards to pitch uphill. I took out my sand wedge and wasn't thinking clearly again and hit the ball for about 75 yards... it ended up clearing the large hill BEHIND the green and bouncing into the snackbar which was closed. GOOD. FUCK YOU. I picked up and walked to 17 lol.
Hole 17
Part: 4
Yards: 426
Handicap: 2
This is a long hole. It dog legs right a bit AND has an elevated green to boot. I goofed with my three wood which put it on the beginning of the fairway again (I think I partially topped it but it rolled a fair bit). There was some HUGE trees preventing me from easily cutting the corner as the hole turns right but I decided to thread the needle. I took a 7 iron and hit it perfectly.... except pushed it just a couple of degrees... but it was enough for the tall trees to be in the way. I heard a loud THUNK as my ball hit but couldn't see where it landed. A quick search showed that it was in the rough just shy of an adjoining fairway. After waiting for a group to tee off I assessed my shot. There was a small lake surrounded by willow trees or something comprising the tree line separating the holes. I hit a decent nine iron over the first will tree attempting to join up with my hole towards the tail end of the fairway. I thought it did the trick but I never found it... I'm guessing it didn't quite clear the water but oh well. I dropped a ball on the fairway but mishit the iron a bit short and right again, and pitched it too far and like forty five putted because I was tired lol.
Hole 18
Part: 4
Yards: 391
Handicap: 6
There is a very pretty/complicated bunker on the left of the fairway, and beyond it the hole dog legs left a bit. My three wood pushed a little and caught some branches... coming to rest in the rough short of the fairway. My second shot... a 9 iron... put me on the left side of the fairway. Some tall trees partially guarded my direct line to the green. I figured I'd hit a beautiful 160 yard 7 iron shot with a slight draw around the trees to the green. Basically instead of drawing it a little but I pulled it a little bit and the beautiful trajectory came to an abrupt end when it caught a branch and shot straight down into the rough. I guess I should have just aimed for the right side of the green lol... My pitch didn't go so hot... but I was on a hill in rough so I can understand given my exhaustion at this point. I had to chip and putt a couple more times in order to hole out.
Conclusion
There were several things against me today so I guess I'm not that unhappy with my results but... I feel like I'm working really hard to get better at golf and it's happening too slowly. I have a ton of trouble bringing my shots from the range to the golf course and I can't think of any way to work on that except to keep playing every weekend. I am also still tearing up certain parts of my hands a bit and I can't find any real solution to this. I am using some skin protector in a couple of places which seems to be sufficient to allow me to keep playing once a week and hit balls at the range once or twice a week in addition... but I'm still noticing my hands aren't holding up 100%. I purposefully taught myself to relax my wrists and fingers at address, but I guess when I make my downswing I clamp down on the grip too much... also mishits probably take their toll on your hands as well. I could consider wearing a glove on my right hand in addition to the one on my left hand but... I really don't want to do that. Not only will it look really stupid... but it will change the feel of the club... will take a lot of getting used to and I'd rather just learn how to not hurt myself when playing normally.
Hopefully some people enjoyed all or part of this blog... and I'll happily discuss any of these issues or any question you might have.
|
|
|
United States24612 Posts
On May 02 2010 08:48 Senx wrote:
whats your hcp?
I can never bring myself to keep score for an entire 18 holes lol... I'm even signed up with a handicap system right now but am waiting until I am reasonably happy with my performance before I start keeping score.
Whenever I do try to keep score I keep score for like 3 holes and then get angry and stop keeipng score and suddenly start playing better lol
|
Vatican City State1650 Posts
Hey, as long as you're not handicap 40 like me you're fine. Looks like you're really into it. Good luck.
If I do a double bogey on a par 3 I count myself lucky lol.
|
|
|
United States24612 Posts
On May 02 2010 08:59 LaLuSh wrote:
Oh micro where art thou?
Uh I'm not sure if I understand your question.
On May 02 2010 08:59 orgolove wrote:
Hey, as long as you're not handicap 40 like me you're fine. Looks like you're really into it. Good luck.
If I do a double bogey on a par 3 I count myself lucky lol.
Honestly I have no idea what my handicap should be since I don't keep score through 18 holes yet.
|
Haha, golf battle report. I love it! Your home course sounds like mine, short and narrow. Most of the holes at mine are like right around 380-420 yards but they are incredibly tight. A wide fairway is maybe 25 yards, with most like 20, and then there is a couple yards of rough and then usually woods or more typically, OB. So pretty much, if you miss the fairway by more than like 5, maybe 10 yards you're gonna be hitting three of the tee, which is never fun. Because its a mountain course in Colorado its pretty damn hilly, even in the fairway so its been a great place to practice because I get experience with all kinds of shots, but it can get old because i pretty much just hit 3 iron off every tee except for the odd hole thats open enough to feel comfortable with driver.
It was actually pretty funny. When I was a junior golfer we had a CJGA event (colorado junior golf) event, so it was pretty much the best players in the state, I remember struggling and shooting like 77 and getting second behind a kid who finished 3rd in the Callaway Junior World Championship this summer. He was one of the few that played smart.Most of these kids just hit drivers indescriminately and kept going OB. There were more scores in the 90's than in the 80's or 70's!
I have a ton of trouble bringing my shots from the range to the golf course and I can't think of any way to work on that except to keep playing every weekend.
Yeah, thats really all you can do, unless you have parts of the range that are uneven that you can hit from. As far as lies go, if you have an uphill lie make sure you get your body more tilted with the slope so that your swinging along it and not into it, and be sure to get your weight through thr shot, its easy to hang back and hit it fat or flip it left. Downhill lie is the same thing, tilt with the slope and then swing down along with the slope, making sure to move through the shot well. For a ball above your feet, grip up on the club and relax a little knee flex, until you get to a point where your clubs adress seems normal. Then make a flatter swing going back and through. For a ball be,low your feet, dont add much extra bend from the waist, just increase your knee flex until your address is like normal (except extra knee flex). Then just be sure to stay down and loaded through the shot. Playing on course and practicing these lies is really the only way to get used to them.
I am also still tearing up certain parts of my hands a bit and I can't find any real solution to this. I am using some skin protector in a couple of places which seems to be sufficient to allow me to keep playing once a week and hit balls at the range once or twice a week in addition... but I'm still noticing my hands aren't holding up 100%. I purposefully taught myself to relax my wrists and fingers at address, but I guess when I make my downswing I clamp down on the grip too much... also mishits probably take their toll on your hands as well. I could consider wearing a glove on my right hand in addition to the one on my left hand but... I really don't want to do that. Not only will it look really stupid... but it will change the feel of the club... will take a lot of getting used to and I'd rather just learn how to not hurt myself when playing normally.
Really this is just a time thing, after you hit enough balls your hands will begin to callus in the spots that take the most abrasion and you'll be fine. Usually the first few weeks of the season I blister like hell and have to take a day or three of now and again to give them time to heal up, but after a few weeks they get good and callused and I don't have any problem hitting several hundered balls a day. I wouldn't recommend wearing a glove on the right hand, it will only worsen your feel and can make the grip feel very "crowded".
I might have to do one of these in a while. In about three weeks I'm playing in a tournament at a course that is 8100 yards long! Its absurd, there is a 540 yards par 4, a 265 yards par 3, and two of the five pars are over 700 yards. Shortest par 4 on the course is like 430 yards. Worst thing is, while the fairways aren't narrow, they aren't exceptionally generous either.
|
On May 02 2010 09:00 micronesia wrote:Uh I'm not sure if I understand your question. Show nested quote +On May 02 2010 08:59 orgolove wrote:
Hey, as long as you're not handicap 40 like me you're fine. Looks like you're really into it. Good luck.
If I do a double bogey on a par 3 I count myself lucky lol. Honestly I have no idea what my handicap should be since I don't keep score through 18 holes yet.
What? You don't get to decide what your handicap is through going on some sort of placement round, you start out with 36 hcp as soon as you've gained your membership/license/ability to play on real golf courses.
Edit: I shouldn't assume so many things, but I always though the handicap system was global... you drop in hcp(less extra shots) by playing under your handicap and gain hcp(more extra shots) by playing over your handicap. You start out at 36 hcp for men and 40 for women.
|
United States24612 Posts
On May 02 2010 09:08 L_Master wrote:Haha, golf battle report. I love it! Your home course sounds like mine, short and narrow. Most of the holes at mine are like right around 380-420 yards but they are incredibly tight. A wide fairway is maybe 25 yards, with most like 20, and then there is a couple yards of rough and then usually woods or more typically, OB. So pretty much, if you miss the fairway by more than like 5, maybe 10 yards you're gonna be hitting three of the tee, which is never fun. Because its a mountain course in Colorado its pretty damn hilly, even in the fairway so its been a great place to practice because I get experience with all kinds of shots, but it can get old because i pretty much just hit 3 iron off every tee except for the odd hole thats open enough to feel comfortable with driver. It was actually pretty funny. When I was a junior golfer we had a CJGA event (colorado junior golf) event, so it was pretty much the best players in the state, I remember struggling and shooting like 77 and getting second behind a kid who finished 3rd in the Callaway Junior World Championship this summer. He was one of the few that played smart.Most of these kids just hit drivers indescriminately and kept going OB. There were more scores in the 90's than in the 80's or 70's! Show nested quote +I have a ton of trouble bringing my shots from the range to the golf course and I can't think of any way to work on that except to keep playing every weekend. Yeah, thats really all you can do, unless you have parts of the range that are uneven that you can hit from. As far as lies go, if you have an uphill lie make sure you get your body more tilted with the slope so that your swinging along it and not into it, and be sure to get your weight through thr shot, its easy to hang back and hit it fat or flip it left. Downhill lie is the same thing, tilt with the slope and then swing down along with the slope, making sure to move through the shot well. For a ball above your feet, grip up on the club and relax a little knee flex, until you get to a point where your clubs adress seems normal. Then make a flatter swing going back and through. For a ball be,low your feet, dont add much extra bend from the waist, just increase your knee flex until your address is like normal (except extra knee flex). Then just be sure to stay down and loaded through the shot. Playing on course and practicing these lies is really the only way to get used to them. Show nested quote +
I am also still tearing up certain parts of my hands a bit and I can't find any real solution to this. I am using some skin protector in a couple of places which seems to be sufficient to allow me to keep playing once a week and hit balls at the range once or twice a week in addition... but I'm still noticing my hands aren't holding up 100%. I purposefully taught myself to relax my wrists and fingers at address, but I guess when I make my downswing I clamp down on the grip too much... also mishits probably take their toll on your hands as well. I could consider wearing a glove on my right hand in addition to the one on my left hand but... I really don't want to do that. Not only will it look really stupid... but it will change the feel of the club... will take a lot of getting used to and I'd rather just learn how to not hurt myself when playing normally.
Really this is just a time thing, after you hit enough balls your hands will begin to callus in the spots that take the most abrasion and you'll be fine. Usually the first few weeks of the season I blister like hell and have to take a day or three of now and again to give them time to heal up, but after a few weeks they get good and callused and I don't have any problem hitting several hundered balls a day. I wouldn't recommend wearing a glove on the right hand, it will only worsen your feel and can make the grip feel very "crowded".
Thanks a lot for the advice. So when it's uphill/downhill make sure to keep your body perpendicular to the hill so that your swing is parallel to the ground I guess? Makes sense. I'm a bit confused about your explanation for the ball above or below your feet though... but in general you choke up a bit for the ball above your feet and bend your knees a bit more for the ball below your feet I guess. Why a flatter swing?
|
United States24612 Posts
On May 02 2010 09:09 Senx wrote:Show nested quote +On May 02 2010 09:00 micronesia wrote:On May 02 2010 08:59 LaLuSh wrote:
Oh micro where art thou? Uh I'm not sure if I understand your question. On May 02 2010 08:59 orgolove wrote:
Hey, as long as you're not handicap 40 like me you're fine. Looks like you're really into it. Good luck.
If I do a double bogey on a par 3 I count myself lucky lol. Honestly I have no idea what my handicap should be since I don't keep score through 18 holes yet. What? You don't get to decide what your handicap is through going on some sort of placement round, you start out with 36 hcp as soon as you've gained your membership/license/ability to play on real golf courses. Edit: I shouldn't assume so many things, but I always though the handicap system was global... you drop in hcp(less extra shots) by playing under your handicap and gain hcp(more extra shots) by playing over your handicap. You start out at 36 hcp for men and 40 for women.
I'm confused... what are you saying? I have no handicap yet... you can tell me 'by default you have xx' if you want but I haven't kept score yet.
|
On May 02 2010 09:15 micronesia wrote:Show nested quote +On May 02 2010 09:09 Senx wrote:On May 02 2010 09:00 micronesia wrote:On May 02 2010 08:59 LaLuSh wrote:
Oh micro where art thou? Uh I'm not sure if I understand your question. On May 02 2010 08:59 orgolove wrote:
Hey, as long as you're not handicap 40 like me you're fine. Looks like you're really into it. Good luck.
If I do a double bogey on a par 3 I count myself lucky lol. Honestly I have no idea what my handicap should be since I don't keep score through 18 holes yet. What? You don't get to decide what your handicap is through going on some sort of placement round, you start out with 36 hcp as soon as you've gained your membership/license/ability to play on real golf courses. Edit: I shouldn't assume so many things, but I always though the handicap system was global... you drop in hcp(less extra shots) by playing under your handicap and gain hcp(more extra shots) by playing over your handicap. You start out at 36 hcp for men and 40 for women. I'm confused... what are you saying? I have no handicap yet... you can tell me 'by default you have xx' if you want but I haven't kept score yet.
So you're allowed to play on real golf courses in the US without having a handicap?
|
United States24612 Posts
On May 02 2010 09:16 Senx wrote:Show nested quote +On May 02 2010 09:15 micronesia wrote:On May 02 2010 09:09 Senx wrote:On May 02 2010 09:00 micronesia wrote:On May 02 2010 08:59 LaLuSh wrote:
Oh micro where art thou? Uh I'm not sure if I understand your question. On May 02 2010 08:59 orgolove wrote:
Hey, as long as you're not handicap 40 like me you're fine. Looks like you're really into it. Good luck.
If I do a double bogey on a par 3 I count myself lucky lol. Honestly I have no idea what my handicap should be since I don't keep score through 18 holes yet. What? You don't get to decide what your handicap is through going on some sort of placement round, you start out with 36 hcp as soon as you've gained your membership/license/ability to play on real golf courses. Edit: I shouldn't assume so many things, but I always though the handicap system was global... you drop in hcp(less extra shots) by playing under your handicap and gain hcp(more extra shots) by playing over your handicap. You start out at 36 hcp for men and 40 for women. I'm confused... what are you saying? I have no handicap yet... you can tell me 'by default you have xx' if you want but I haven't kept score yet. So you're allowed to play on real golf courses in the US without having a handicap?
Yeah, at most golf courses...? I'm a bit confused so I guess things are different by you... but here there's no official system barring bad people from playing if that's what you mean.
|
Edit: I shouldn't assume so many things, but I always though the handicap system was global... you drop in hcp by playing under your handicap and gain hcp by playing over your handicap
Not exactly. Handicap is a measure of your ability, not your average score. As a result handicaps take the best 10 of your most recent scores to generate. Each score is then converted into a "differential" and averaged with the rest and then multiplied by a factor of .96.
Differntials are calculated as follows:
(Your Score - Course Rating) * (113/Slope)
So if I shoot a 70 at my home course (72.7 CR, 138 Slope) my differntial will be
(-2.7)*(113/138) =- 2.21 which is dropped to -2.2
So if I shot 70 in all of my 10 best rounds my handicap would be +2.1.
It is 2.1 because -2.2 * .96 factor gives 2.1, and is plus because - differntials yield + handicaps, where plus means better than 0. It should be noted that +2 is a better handicap than 2. A handicap without a + in front of it could be thought to have a minus but they aren't shown that way.
Know you probably know more about the handicap system than you ever wanted to.
|
no public course has any handicap restrictions. they don't care how good you are as long as you pay them  even a 40 handicap can go play at pebble beach. (wouldn't recommend it though!)
lots of ritzy private clubs have a scoring limitation like if your over certain handicap u can't tee off before noon or some random stuff.
|
United States24612 Posts
On May 02 2010 09:19 L_Master wrote:Show nested quote +Edit: I shouldn't assume so many things, but I always though the handicap system was global... you drop in hcp by playing under your handicap and gain hcp by playing over your handicap Not exactly. Handicap is a measure of your ability, not your average score. As a result handicaps take the best 10 of your most recent scores to generate. Each score is then converted into a "differential" and averaged with the rest and then multiplied by a factor of .96. Differntials are calculated as follows: (Your Score - Course Rating) * (113/Slope) So if I shoot a 70 at my home course (72.7 CR, 138 Slope) my differntial will be (-2.7)*(113/138) =- 2.21 which is dropped to -2.2 So if I shot 70 in all of my 10 best rounds my handicap would be +2.1. It is 2.1 because -2.2 * .96 factor gives 2.1, and is plus because - differntials yield + handicaps, where plus means better than 0. It should be noted that +2 is a better handicap than 2. A handicap without a + in front of it could be thought to have a minus but they aren't shown that way. Know you probably know more about the handicap system than you ever wanted to.
Does equitable stroke only apply to the score that goes into your calculation for your handicap or does it globally apply to your round? What about in a tournament?
|
Why a flatter swing?
You want to think about swinging flatter, because it helps you swing better with the slope the ball is on. It doesn't need to be dramatic, but thinking about being more rounded helps keep you from getting steep here, which is an absolute no no. As far as bending knees, this is because changing spine angle radically alters your normal swing plane, which is just a bad idea, and you can't choke up on the club much so the only way to get your club into a normal address is to bend a bit more from the knees.
Basically the idea is to be setting your body up so that you naturally swing on the same plane as the slope.
So you're allowed to play on real golf courses in the US without having a handicap?
But of course. You usually need handicaps to play in amateur events though, even if it is a torunament played at scratch (without handicaps).
|
^ Yes I know how the handicap system works as I've played golf for years. I was just confused and surprised when micronesia said he didn't have any handicap yet plays on courses that I assumed required you to have a hcp, IE be a registered player. This is how it works in Europe anyway..
We're probably just thinking about different things, dunno.
Edit: I don't mean hcp requirements, i'm reffering to the fact that once you're a registered player, you have a hcp.
I guess a better way to phrase it would be to say you have to a registered player to be allowed to play on given course. Since registered player = player with X hcp.
Since you havent kept track of scores, I assumed you were at 36 hcp which is where you start as a male golfer.
|
Does equitable stroke only apply to the score that goes into your calculation for your handicap or does it globally apply to your round? What about in a tournament?
ESC varies by handicap, a person with a handicap less than 9 can take double bogey at max, while someone less than 19 (i think) has triple 7 as their max score. The idea here is that since handicap is supposed to reflect potential, rather than average ability, it elimates odd scores that aren't reflective or your potential. Basically you would apply ESC to the round you shot. So, if I shoot 73, but I made an 8 and a par 4 I would post my score as a 71 (handicap less than 9, so double bogey max). I actually forget if it applies to tournament rounds or not.
|
United States24612 Posts
On May 02 2010 09:24 Senx wrote:
^ Yes I know how the handicap system works as I've played golf for years. I was just confused and surprised when micronesia said he didn't have any handicap yet plays on courses that I assumed required you to have a hcp, IE be a registered player. This is how it works in Europe anyway..
We're probably just thinking about different things, dunno.
Edit: I don't mean hcp requirements, i'm reffering to the fact that once you're a registered player, you have a hcp.
I guess a better way to phrase it would be to say you have to a registered player to be allowed to play on given course. But registered player = player with X hcp.
Hm okay.. as I said most courses around here don't require you to be registered to play golf... you just need to pay and sometimes be a resident of a certain area.
|
United States24612 Posts
On May 02 2010 09:27 L_Master wrote:Show nested quote +Does equitable stroke only apply to the score that goes into your calculation for your handicap or does it globally apply to your round? What about in a tournament? ESC varies by handicap, a person with a handicap less than 9 can take double bogey at max, while someone less than 19 (i think) has triple 7 as their max score. The idea here is that since handicap is supposed to reflect potential, rather than average ability, it elimates odd scores that aren't reflective or your potential. Basically you would apply ESC to the round you shot. So, if I shoot 73, but I made an 8 and a par 4 I would post my score as a 71 (handicap less than 9, so double bogey max). I actually forget if it applies to tournament rounds or not.
Yeah I already read about most of that but I'm just confused... in your example obviously you type 71 into your computer but... if the next day your friend asked you 'what'd you shoot yesterday' would you say 71 or 73? I'm curious about how it works for tourneys... I'm guessing there is no ESC but I'll ask around.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
