The Golf Thread - 2015
Discussion
Well I just wish I could put a score together. Shot 90 which off 10 is just not good enough. Yet hardly hit a bad shot (enough fingers on one hand to count the bad shots) no lost balls no shots from knee high rough, which on the Craighead at Crail is not bad going. 20-25mph gusty winds certainly made life difficult, but 42 putts!!!!! two 6's and 3 sevens. But this putting thing is getting on my tits. I have a decent stroke and I can read the lines OK, but just can't seem to get the ball in the hole. Very frustrating.
The 326 yard drive down 14 felt good though :-)
https://shotzoom.com/rounds/90727852727#
The 326 yard drive down 14 felt good though :-)
https://shotzoom.com/rounds/90727852727#
SpeckledJim said:
kentlad said:
DuncanM said:
Hey Rosscow,
Yeah I love my 1 iron, wouldn't know whay to do without it.
The fairways hit is a bit harsh tbh as the course is very tight but then has a wide expanse of first cut either side of the fairway.
My putting improved for sure, my friend has a 2 ball which is brilliant, but couldn't be more different to my 8802
Golfshot is excellent and free! Will definitely use it for future rounds.
Golf course is The Bedford (in Bedford). Quite a nice little course, with good greens.
I've been trying to find a 1, 2 or even just a 3 iron for so long. no where seems to stock them or to be able to order them in and i don't really trust fleabay.Yeah I love my 1 iron, wouldn't know whay to do without it.
The fairways hit is a bit harsh tbh as the course is very tight but then has a wide expanse of first cut either side of the fairway.
My putting improved for sure, my friend has a 2 ball which is brilliant, but couldn't be more different to my 8802
Golfshot is excellent and free! Will definitely use it for future rounds.
Golf course is The Bedford (in Bedford). Quite a nice little course, with good greens.
where did you get yours from Dunc? Or is it an old club you've had for years?
Given how unfashionable they now are, £20-40 should find you any number of Ping or Mizuno 1,2,3 irons on eBay.
If I were to replace it now, I'd go for the Titleist 712U 2 iron. Lovely looking thing and great reviews.
I've had a rather good start to the year!
Playing off 20, my first two rounds have been 95 (Ramside Cathedrale Course) and 89 (Tynemouth) which i've been hugely chuffed with and has resulted in a cut to 19.7.
First round my driving (and slicing) was horrific. Session at the range has resulted in driving being a lot more controllable.
Bizarrely enough, the 2nd round also resulted in a first for me. First time i've played the whole round with 1 ball.
My ambition this year was to get down to 18 or so so i'm thrilled to have the first step to that so soon.
Still need to sort out my short game though - probably cost me about 8 shots on the 2nd round...
Playing off 20, my first two rounds have been 95 (Ramside Cathedrale Course) and 89 (Tynemouth) which i've been hugely chuffed with and has resulted in a cut to 19.7.
First round my driving (and slicing) was horrific. Session at the range has resulted in driving being a lot more controllable.
Bizarrely enough, the 2nd round also resulted in a first for me. First time i've played the whole round with 1 ball.
My ambition this year was to get down to 18 or so so i'm thrilled to have the first step to that so soon.
Still need to sort out my short game though - probably cost me about 8 shots on the 2nd round...
lenny007 said:
My ambition this year was to get down to 18 or so so i'm thrilled to have the first step to that so soon.
Still need to sort out my short game though - probably cost me about 8 shots on the 2nd round...
I found it really works to take a very simple approach to my short game. Still need to sort out my short game though - probably cost me about 8 shots on the 2nd round...
If it's off the green, but can be putted, then putt. If I'm just in the rough, I still putt sometimes, as long as it's only just off the fringe. I don't mind putting across 4 or 5 feet of fringe grass in front if the green, unless the pin is right at the back.
If you can't putt it then play a chip and run. I always aim to chip the ball a yard on to the green and adjust my club selection according to how much roll I need. SW rolls 1:1, PW 2:1, 9i 3:1 etc etc.
Not an exact science, but a bit of practice should help you work it out. Adjust up or down for uphill/downhill chips.
If you have to get airborne over humps, bumps or bunkers then don't get cute. You're not Phil Mickelson. Get it up with the least loft you can get away with and get it on the green. Accept your bogey if you have to. I always just skulled the ball 50 yards with my LW which would always cost me a double at least. Get it on the green, 2 putts, job done. My scores tumbled when I snapped my LW over my knee and binned it.
I found trying to look good playing flashy shots usually came at a price.
HaplessBoyLard said:
I found it really works to take a very simple approach to my short game.
If it's off the green, but can be putted, then putt. If I'm just in the rough, I still putt sometimes, as long as it's only just off the fringe. I don't mind putting across 4 or 5 feet of fringe grass in front if the green, unless the pin is right at the back.
If you can't putt it then play a chip and run. I always aim to chip the ball a yard on to the green and adjust my club selection according to how much roll I need. SW rolls 1:1, PW 2:1, 9i 3:1 etc etc.
Not an exact science, but a bit of practice should help you work it out. Adjust up or down for uphill/downhill chips.
If you have to get airborne over humps, bumps or bunkers then don't get cute. You're not Phil Mickelson. Get it up with the least loft you can get away with and get it on the green. Accept your bogey if you have to. I always just skulled the ball 50 yards with my LW which would always cost me a double at least. Get it on the green, 2 putts, job done. My scores tumbled when I snapped my LW over my knee and binned it.
I found trying to look good playing flashy shots usually came at a price.
Agree whole-heartedly with that. Facing a difficult little pitch over a bunker means you have already made the mistake that earns you the bogey with your last shot. That's history. Accept the bogey. A par is now a real treat from this position.If it's off the green, but can be putted, then putt. If I'm just in the rough, I still putt sometimes, as long as it's only just off the fringe. I don't mind putting across 4 or 5 feet of fringe grass in front if the green, unless the pin is right at the back.
If you can't putt it then play a chip and run. I always aim to chip the ball a yard on to the green and adjust my club selection according to how much roll I need. SW rolls 1:1, PW 2:1, 9i 3:1 etc etc.
Not an exact science, but a bit of practice should help you work it out. Adjust up or down for uphill/downhill chips.
If you have to get airborne over humps, bumps or bunkers then don't get cute. You're not Phil Mickelson. Get it up with the least loft you can get away with and get it on the green. Accept your bogey if you have to. I always just skulled the ball 50 yards with my LW which would always cost me a double at least. Get it on the green, 2 putts, job done. My scores tumbled when I snapped my LW over my knee and binned it.
I found trying to look good playing flashy shots usually came at a price.
Don't whatever you do make a second mistake with the little pitch that then earns you the double.
A bogey is ok. That's golf. A bogey half the time is still good golf.
The unnecessary double (down in 4 from under 40 yards) is a disaster. That's bad golf.
Lob wedges account for nearly as many stupid disasters as drivers do.
HaplessBoyLard said:
I found it really works to take a very simple approach to my short game.
If it's off the green, but can be putted, then putt. If I'm just in the rough, I still putt sometimes, as long as it's only just off the fringe. I don't mind putting across 4 or 5 feet of fringe grass in front if the green, unless the pin is right at the back.
If you can't putt it then play a chip and run. I always aim to chip the ball a yard on to the green and adjust my club selection according to how much roll I need. SW rolls 1:1, PW 2:1, 9i 3:1 etc etc.
Not an exact science, but a bit of practice should help you work it out. Adjust up or down for uphill/downhill chips.
If you have to get airborne over humps, bumps or bunkers then don't get cute. You're not Phil Mickelson. Get it up with the least loft you can get away with and get it on the green. Accept your bogey if you have to. I always just skulled the ball 50 yards with my LW which would always cost me a double at least. Get it on the green, 2 putts, job done. My scores tumbled when I snapped my LW over my knee and binned it.
I found trying to look good playing flashy shots usually came at a price.
Many thanks for that - full of good advice. If it's off the green, but can be putted, then putt. If I'm just in the rough, I still putt sometimes, as long as it's only just off the fringe. I don't mind putting across 4 or 5 feet of fringe grass in front if the green, unless the pin is right at the back.
If you can't putt it then play a chip and run. I always aim to chip the ball a yard on to the green and adjust my club selection according to how much roll I need. SW rolls 1:1, PW 2:1, 9i 3:1 etc etc.
Not an exact science, but a bit of practice should help you work it out. Adjust up or down for uphill/downhill chips.
If you have to get airborne over humps, bumps or bunkers then don't get cute. You're not Phil Mickelson. Get it up with the least loft you can get away with and get it on the green. Accept your bogey if you have to. I always just skulled the ball 50 yards with my LW which would always cost me a double at least. Get it on the green, 2 putts, job done. My scores tumbled when I snapped my LW over my knee and binned it.
I found trying to look good playing flashy shots usually came at a price.
I do tend to take the non-aerial route where possible although i tend to stick to a 9 or 7 iron for "bump and runs". Your ratio suggestion i'll certainly try next time out.
My problem last time out was the playing partner. He lobs everything (nearly) in the air and stops them rather quickly. I guess the competitive "i can do that" gene got the better of me. Of course, my options will increase the more frequently i play and the more practice and confidence i get. He's played about 20 times this year compared to my twice.
Still, now i've got a plan, i can't wait to try it out.
lenny007 said:
HaplessBoyLard said:
I found it really works to take a very simple approach to my short game.
If it's off the green, but can be putted, then putt. If I'm just in the rough, I still putt sometimes, as long as it's only just off the fringe. I don't mind putting across 4 or 5 feet of fringe grass in front if the green, unless the pin is right at the back.
If you can't putt it then play a chip and run. I always aim to chip the ball a yard on to the green and adjust my club selection according to how much roll I need. SW rolls 1:1, PW 2:1, 9i 3:1 etc etc.
Not an exact science, but a bit of practice should help you work it out. Adjust up or down for uphill/downhill chips.
If you have to get airborne over humps, bumps or bunkers then don't get cute. You're not Phil Mickelson. Get it up with the least loft you can get away with and get it on the green. Accept your bogey if you have to. I always just skulled the ball 50 yards with my LW which would always cost me a double at least. Get it on the green, 2 putts, job done. My scores tumbled when I snapped my LW over my knee and binned it.
I found trying to look good playing flashy shots usually came at a price.
Many thanks for that - full of good advice. If it's off the green, but can be putted, then putt. If I'm just in the rough, I still putt sometimes, as long as it's only just off the fringe. I don't mind putting across 4 or 5 feet of fringe grass in front if the green, unless the pin is right at the back.
If you can't putt it then play a chip and run. I always aim to chip the ball a yard on to the green and adjust my club selection according to how much roll I need. SW rolls 1:1, PW 2:1, 9i 3:1 etc etc.
Not an exact science, but a bit of practice should help you work it out. Adjust up or down for uphill/downhill chips.
If you have to get airborne over humps, bumps or bunkers then don't get cute. You're not Phil Mickelson. Get it up with the least loft you can get away with and get it on the green. Accept your bogey if you have to. I always just skulled the ball 50 yards with my LW which would always cost me a double at least. Get it on the green, 2 putts, job done. My scores tumbled when I snapped my LW over my knee and binned it.
I found trying to look good playing flashy shots usually came at a price.
I do tend to take the non-aerial route where possible although i tend to stick to a 9 or 7 iron for "bump and runs". Your ratio suggestion i'll certainly try next time out.
My problem last time out was the playing partner. He lobs everything (nearly) in the air and stops them rather quickly. I guess the competitive "i can do that" gene got the better of me. Of course, my options will increase the more frequently i play and the more practice and confidence i get. He's played about 20 times this year compared to my twice.
Still, now i've got a plan, i can't wait to try it out.
To beat that with a lofted pitch, you have to get your distance basically spot on, and the pitch brings with it all the risks of a thin, a chunk, a shank, or just putting it 15 foot short or past.
In any of those cases you would be better chipping, and only in the 20% 'just right' zone will the expected 2-putt be reasonably actually a 1-putt which makes it worth it.
I'm hopeless from 8', so whether it is 8' or 14' it is probably a 2-putt, so why bother!
lenny007 said:
I do tend to take the non-aerial route where possible although i tend to stick to a 9 or 7 iron for "bump and runs". Your ratio suggestion i'll certainly try next time out.
My problem last time out was the playing partner. He lobs everything (nearly) in the air and stops them rather quickly. I guess the competitive "i can do that" gene got the better of me. Of course, my options will increase the more frequently i play and the more practice and confidence i get. He's played about 20 times this year compared to my twice.
The roll:flight method I'm sure won't work for everyone, but it works ok for me. I think it's important to have a method in your mind, rather than pure guesswork as to how far the ball is going to roll. There's nothing wrong with sticking to a couple of clubs for certain shots as long as you know how far they'll roll. It's then just a case of trying to land the ball on a certain spot and let it run up to the hole. My problem last time out was the playing partner. He lobs everything (nearly) in the air and stops them rather quickly. I guess the competitive "i can do that" gene got the better of me. Of course, my options will increase the more frequently i play and the more practice and confidence i get. He's played about 20 times this year compared to my twice.
Here's the video that made me try my method. https://m.youtube.com/watch?list=PLDLZuw1WTE_UTMLu...
Don't get suckered in to playing your friend's game. Play your game and forget about what he's doing. It doesn't have to look pretty, as long as it's effective. Lower scores over a whole round are more rewarding than a few seconds of feeling like a hero because you managed a lovely lob shot. I've fallen into that trap more times than I care to mention!
Check out Me and My Golf on You Tube for loads of informative videos chaps. Great tips on there, particularly the chip like the pros video. Explains the benefits really clearly as detailed above. I'm one of those guys that grabs his pitching wedge when around the green and tries to carry it almost all the way to the hole (explains why my short game lets me down) and i'm definitely going to be practicing what they've suggested so i can put it into a round!
SpeckledJim said:
Agree whole-heartedly with that. Facing a difficult little pitch over a bunker means you have already made the mistake that earns you the bogey with your last shot. That's history. Accept the bogey. A par is now a real treat from this position.
Don't whatever you do make a second mistake with the little pitch that then earns you the double.
A bogey is ok. That's golf. A bogey half the time is still good golf.
The unnecessary double (down in 4 from under 40 yards) is a disaster. That's bad golf.
Lob wedges account for nearly as many stupid disasters as drivers do.
Wise words. I am going to do my utmost this year to resist the urge of going at a flag just over a bunker on a short shot. It's not the flopping it into a bunker that worries me as I'm happy with bunker shots. It's the thinned one over the other side of the green that causes the big number. So, I'm going to force myself to do the sideways chip onto the green and take my two putts. Even then history has shown that it might still be a single (long) putt. Don't whatever you do make a second mistake with the little pitch that then earns you the double.
A bogey is ok. That's golf. A bogey half the time is still good golf.
The unnecessary double (down in 4 from under 40 yards) is a disaster. That's bad golf.
Lob wedges account for nearly as many stupid disasters as drivers do.
PPlayed really well this morning. Playing a friendly match play game with a 7 handicapper. Half the difference gave me 5 shots. I was 3 up at one point but a really tough back 9 saw me 2 up with 2 to play and we ended up all square!
Serious amount of strong wind for the last 6 holes but a very enjoyable morning none the less!
Serious amount of strong wind for the last 6 holes but a very enjoyable morning none the less!
Posted a few weeks ago about some new shoes - finally got out to try a few on at the weekend.
The Adizero stuff - both the tour and cheaper version...... ridiculously comfortable.
A little concerned that they may make my feet sweat a lot in the summer, due to a man made upper, but really really comfy. Similar feel to a well fitted football boot.
Also slightly concerned about the "these shoes are banned everywhere reviews" but none of my local courses seem to have any rules regarding them.
Think i'll pick a pair of these up for winter & wet days & a pair of the spikeless Adicross stuff for the summer.
The Adizero stuff - both the tour and cheaper version...... ridiculously comfortable.
A little concerned that they may make my feet sweat a lot in the summer, due to a man made upper, but really really comfy. Similar feel to a well fitted football boot.
Also slightly concerned about the "these shoes are banned everywhere reviews" but none of my local courses seem to have any rules regarding them.
Think i'll pick a pair of these up for winter & wet days & a pair of the spikeless Adicross stuff for the summer.
Played Friday and Saturday. Started off 3 over on the front 9 on Friday and fell apart with a few blobs and 4 3 putts...again. Nightmare. Ended up hitting handicap after hitting 22 points on the front. Saturday was a nightmare. 30mph winds but still managed 30 points so wasn't a complete disaster. Can't wait for the summer to roll in and for us to get some half decent weather! Playing on 'hollow tine' greens every week is getting frustrating!
kentlad said:
Played Friday and Saturday. Started off 3 over on the front 9 on Friday and fell apart with a few blobs and 4 3 putts...again. Nightmare. Ended up hitting handicap after hitting 22 points on the front. Saturday was a nightmare. 30mph winds but still managed 30 points so wasn't a complete disaster. Can't wait for the summer to roll in and for us to get some half decent weather! Playing on 'hollow tine' greens every week is getting frustrating!
The wind on Saturday was tough, imagine playing on the beach where we are!! 5 club wind at times!!Gassing Station | Sports | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff