The Golf Thread - 2015

[bridgdav]

Fancy Spieth winning it with a Birdie on the hole he bhed about all week..
Wonder if he will be gracious in victory..?

[bridgdav]

Suspicions confirmed, classless in his interview..
Didn't thank other players, the USGA, staff or course. Just his caddy and the fantastic NFL like crowd following in Seattle.

Thinks he will win the Open championship at St Andrews if he gets the right preparation in.
quote: "you can't win the grand slam if you don't win the first 2"

Feel for Dustin and Jason Day.

Edited by bridgdav on Monday 22 June 03:55

[Boydie88]

bridgdav said:

Suspicions confirmed, classless in his interview..

Feel for Dustin and Jason Day.

Edited by bridgdav on Monday 22 June 03:55

Same, although Day's pace of play does irritate me, I do like him.

Some what relieved they didn't win as this was the first major in 3 years I haven't had at least a tenner on them each to win!

[Ruffy94]

Given that the majority of the players seemed to hate the course I think it would be hard to thank greenstaff and the USGA without it coming off as sarcastic. Just very difficult course to play based on the firmness and speed of the greens as most of the holes don't play like a classic links (you can't land it short of the green and run it in). Coming in with shorter clubs gives you a huge advantage there.

If you look at the players at even par of better (top 10) 4 of them average over 300yrds on tour and all of them apart from snedeker average over 290yrds

[Rosscow]

We had a cracking match against the Royal St Georges Artisan's yesterday. Managed to win my match 3&1. Having lost the away fixture 6-4, we managed to win the overall match 10.5 to 9.5 so a very close match!

Played some lovely golf, birdied the 1st and missed at least 4 other birdie putts that I can think of. Went round in 86 which I was very pleased with considering the wind for the back 9 - it really did pick up. Driver was pretty hot and I putted well.

Nice jacket and tie sit down meal afterwards in the clubhouse, good bit of banter and a few beers! Happy days.

Playing away at Royal Blackheath in a few weeks, so that should be good. http://www.royalblackheath.com/

[boxsey]

Best part of the US Open for me was the Rory charge. The roar from the crowd when he holed that snake at 13 to go to -2 was tremendous! I decided at that point that I might make it to the small hours if he could keep it going until the end. Luckily for my tired eyes the last few holes got him so I didn't stay up until stupid o'clock after all.

Pleased for Speith on getting the win and for Tommy Fleetwood for being the highest placed English player. And hats off to Monty for making all four rounds and still making it into the commentary box each time!

[bodhi]

boxsey said:

Best part of the US Open for me was the Rory charge. The roar from the crowd when he holed that snake at 13 to go to -2 was tremendous! I decided at that point that I might make it to the small hours if he could keep it going until the end. Luckily for my tired eyes the last few holes got him so I didn't stay up until stupid o'clock after all.

Pleased for Speith on getting the win and for Tommy Fleetwood for being the highest placed English player. And hats off to Monty for making all four rounds and still making it into the commentary box each time!

I was gutted he made the commentary box to be fair - but then I can't stand the bloke's "insight". He's like Golf's equivalent to Andy Townsend with added grumpiness.

[Gandahar]

bridgdav said:

Suspicions confirmed, classless in his interview..
Didn't thank other players, the USGA, staff or course. Just his caddy and the fantastic NFL like crowd following in Seattle.

Thinks he will win the Open championship at St Andrews if he gets the right preparation in.
quote: "you can't win the grand slam if you don't win the first 2"

Feel for Dustin and Jason Day.

Edited by bridgdav on Monday 22 June 03:55

He sidestepped questions on the course, which was clever not classless. I guess you just don't like him. Shame, he seems very down to earth considering. Rory is that way too.

Are you saying he is more Mike Tyson than Ali ?

[kiethton]

Rosscow said:

We had a cracking match against the Royal St Georges Artisan's yesterday. Managed to win my match 3&1. Having lost the away fixture 6-4, we managed to win the overall match 10.5 to 9.5 so a very close match!

Played some lovely golf, birdied the 1st and missed at least 4 other birdie putts that I can think of. Went round in 86 which I was very pleased with considering the wind for the back 9 - it really did pick up. Driver was pretty hot and I putted well.

Nice jacket and tie sit down meal afterwards in the clubhouse, good bit of banter and a few beers! Happy days.

Playing away at Royal Blackheath in a few weeks, so that should be good. http://www.royalblackheath.com/

Local to me and fairly decent course...

Not followed all of the thread but what's your home club as you seem localish?

[Gandahar]

Challo said:

Reading a few quotes that everyone is moaning, but how much about players having pampered lifestyles of playing perfectly manicured courses, and greens. Does this course not test everyone and level the playing field slightly?

Of course it does. I bet if you asked some of these players to play on courses Lee Trevino did when he was young they would faint.....

Turned out to be a fantastic climax to the weekend and was memorable. I'm guessing some folk got caught with their pants down, surely they played it a few times over the last year to see what it was like? Poulter's comments seem to suggest he had never been on the course before this weekend, surely he must have though. Puzzling.

[Rosscow]

kiethton said:

Rosscow said:

We had a cracking match against the Royal St Georges Artisan's yesterday. Managed to win my match 3&1. Having lost the away fixture 6-4, we managed to win the overall match 10.5 to 9.5 so a very close match!

Played some lovely golf, birdied the 1st and missed at least 4 other birdie putts that I can think of. Went round in 86 which I was very pleased with considering the wind for the back 9 - it really did pick up. Driver was pretty hot and I putted well.

Nice jacket and tie sit down meal afterwards in the clubhouse, good bit of banter and a few beers! Happy days.

Playing away at Royal Blackheath in a few weeks, so that should be good. http://www.royalblackheath.com/

Local to me and fairly decent course...

Not followed all of the thread but what's your home club as you seem localish?

My home club is Rye, in East Sussex.

http://www.ryegolfclub.co.uk/

[Dan_1981]

Playing here next week.... looking forward to it - looks a nice course.


http://www3.hilton.com/en/hotels/united-kingdom/hi...

[kentlad]

Rosscow said:

My home club is Rye, in East Sussex.

http://www.ryegolfclub.co.uk/

Lovely looking course. Have you ventured over to Kent much? We've got a few cracking links courses and a decent few inland links! I haven't managed to play Blackheath but I've heard good things and it's on my list to play.

[snowy]

A more unbiased point of view of the US open from a 8 handicappers point of view

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/golf/33235220

[carparkno1]

Just back from the Algarve, had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Congrats to Speith, he's got all the personality of a robot (like most pro golfers now) but the boy can play. I was backing Adam Scott, shame he came up slightly short.

Couple years ago I went with a mate and we played Vale De Lobo (Great course, but slow play and Nazi course marshalls ruined it), Pinheiros Altos (loved it) & San Lorenzo (hated it, terrible condition for a top 3 course). The problem was, I was always fairly rubbish at golf - my short game has always been very good from 100 yds in but literally anything longer and I was doomed.

I've always had a terrible slice, and never had much of a full swing. I would sort of swing back half way and rock my entire body from left to right with no turn at all. Inevitably this led to mists with long irons and a terrible slice with the driver. I say slice, I mean slice - we're talking so far right I would be across the adjacent fairway and in the trees on their left. I've struggled with that for 15 years since I took the game up, and a few lessons here and there would embed things for five minutes before I would forget them and revert back to my usual 100+ mess of a score.

So this year we decided to go back for a break and headed to Alvor, a lovely little marina town about 45mins west of Faro - we played the Pestana Group courses - Alto, Gramacho, Vale Da Pinta & Silves. Super courses, great value for money and a decent test with some long holes.

What made this trip more enjoyable is I had something of an epiphany - I started turning my body at the start of my swing. Literally nothing more than that and it has completely changed things. I'm now coming back across the ball on a true arc rather than slicing across it and sending it spinning out right. I started hitting five iron high and straight, and my driving, traditionally my biggest problem, has now straightened out and in some cases hits straight left (which I have never done!).

So anyways, I am rambling, but I am just here to say it's amazing how the smallest thing can affect a swing. I normally lose with holes to spare everytime to my mate - this time after several range sessions with this new hip rotation I pegged him back to win 2 out of 4 games and on day 5 I lost on the last hole. My drives are no longer costing me two shots and a lost ball or a hack back over the trees which is a huge deal, and its reinvigorated my love for the game. I'm mainly wiring this 'cos the wife is bored of hearing it but to all you weekend hackers out there, start turning your hips - changed my life

[roboxm3]

carparkno1 said:

So this year we decided to go back for a break and headed to Alvor, a lovely little marina town about 45mins west of Faro - we played the Pestana Group courses - Alto, Gramacho, Vale Da Pinta & Silves. Super courses, great value for money and a decent test with some long holes.

I stayed in Alvor a few years ago and played the Gramacho and Vale Da Pinta and loved both.

I also had my pick of the tee times for both as they said I was the only idiot that wanted to play golf in Portugal in August

[carparkno1]

roboxm3 said:

I stayed in Alvor a few years ago and played the Gramacho and Vale Da Pinta and loved both.

I also had my pick of the tee times for both as they said I was the only idiot that wanted to play golf in Portugal in August

We got lucky, as a twoball we were only paired up the once and the other two were a lovely old couple - aside from that we went round alone in low 80s sun... perfect. I can imagine August was BAKING.

[Rosscow]

kentlad said:

Rosscow said:

My home club is Rye, in East Sussex.

http://www.ryegolfclub.co.uk/

Lovely looking course. Have you ventured over to Kent much? We've got a few cracking links courses and a decent few inland links! I haven't managed to play Blackheath but I've heard good things and it's on my list to play.

Well, I've played Royal St. George's, Prince's and Littlestone. All lovely courses, but none can match the quality and condition of Rye IMO. The boys from St. George's were saying on Sunday how they wished their greens were as good as ours! I've also played places like Nizels, Woodlands Manor, Weald of Kent, Chart Hills, Poult Wood, Tenterden, etc.

I've not played any along the North coast.

[Skii]

carparkno1 said:

Just back from the Algarve, had a thoroughly enjoyable time. Congrats to Speith, he's got all the personality of a robot (like most pro golfers now) but the boy can play. I was backing Adam Scott, shame he came up slightly short.

Couple years ago I went with a mate and we played Vale De Lobo (Great course, but slow play and Nazi course marshalls ruined it), Pinheiros Altos (loved it) & San Lorenzo (hated it, terrible condition for a top 3 course). The problem was, I was always fairly rubbish at golf - my short game has always been very good from 100 yds in but literally anything longer and I was doomed.

I've always had a terrible slice, and never had much of a full swing. I would sort of swing back half way and rock my entire body from left to right with no turn at all. Inevitably this led to mists with long irons and a terrible slice with the driver. I say slice, I mean slice - we're talking so far right I would be across the adjacent fairway and in the trees on their left. I've struggled with that for 15 years since I took the game up, and a few lessons here and there would embed things for five minutes before I would forget them and revert back to my usual 100+ mess of a score.

So this year we decided to go back for a break and headed to Alvor, a lovely little marina town about 45mins west of Faro - we played the Pestana Group courses - Alto, Gramacho, Vale Da Pinta & Silves. Super courses, great value for money and a decent test with some long holes.

What made this trip more enjoyable is I had something of an epiphany - I started turning my body at the start of my swing. Literally nothing more than that and it has completely changed things. I'm now coming back across the ball on a true arc rather than slicing across it and sending it spinning out right. I started hitting five iron high and straight, and my driving, traditionally my biggest problem, has now straightened out and in some cases hits straight left (which I have never done!).

So anyways, I am rambling, but I am just here to say it's amazing how the smallest thing can affect a swing. I normally lose with holes to spare everytime to my mate - this time after several range sessions with this new hip rotation I pegged him back to win 2 out of 4 games and on day 5 I lost on the last hole. My drives are no longer costing me two shots and a lost ball or a hack back over the trees which is a huge deal, and its reinvigorated my love for the game. I'm mainly wiring this 'cos the wife is bored of hearing it but to all you weekend hackers out there, start turning your hips - changed my life

I can relate to the hips thing completely, I've gone whole rounds completely forgetting to use my body to start the swing resulting in push slices and blocks , only dawning on me afterwards why.

Old Ben said it best

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QL_6M_xZvq0

[boxsey]

roboxm3 said:

carparkno1 said:

So this year we decided to go back for a break and headed to Alvor, a lovely little marina town about 45mins west of Faro - we played the Pestana Group courses - Alto, Gramacho, Vale Da Pinta & Silves. Super courses, great value for money and a decent test with some long holes.

I stayed in Alvor a few years ago and played the Gramacho and Vale Da Pinta and loved both.

I also had my pick of the tee times for both as they said I was the only idiot that wanted to play golf in Portugal in August

I love playing these courses too. Vila Sol is also part of the Pestana group and is the best course of the lot IMO. We always save that one until the last day.