Golf: No Bones, just Bonesaws

[nunnehi]

Long Report Incoming:

Well, I did it, I went out to play today. It was very spur of the moment and I even missed my tee time due to getting golf balls. It didn’t matter, because it was empty.

It was interesting, to say the least. I haven’t picked up a club in 3 years, and had very low expectations for the round. I massively exceeded those expectations overall, yet still managed to be disappointed. When I got there, there was another single about to go. He told me to go first, and I was like, uh, are you sure? He was. I warned him I hadn’t played for three years and was hoping I wouldn’t hold him up. I didn’t hit a good shot off the tee, but it was decent for not having picked up a club in three years. He said he’d be pretty happy with that shot after not having played for so long.

I started out with a double and a quad, and was expecting that to be what the day would be. Oddly, it wasn’t. I hit exactly two greens in regulation in the round, and one of them was my only three putt…lol. The bad thing was that the back nine was packed when I got there and I had to go back and play the front nine again (unimpeded).

Nine 1:

1 (Par 4)-6, missed fairway, missed green, 2 putts, +2
2 (Par 4)-8, missed fairway, missed green, 2 putts, +6
3 (Par 5)-5, hit fairway, missed green, 0 putts, +6
4 (Par 3)-4, fairway n/a, missed green, 1 putt, +7
5 (Par 4)-6, missed fairway, missed green, 2 putts, +9
6 (Par 3)-3, fairway n/a, missed green, 1 putt, +9
7 (Par 4)-5, hit fairway, missed green, 2 putts, +10
8 (Par 5)-6, missed fairway, missed green, 2 putts, +11
9 (Par 4)-4, hit fairway, missed green, 1 putt, +11

Out=47 (was thrilled to break 50), 3 of 7 fairways hit, 0 of 9 greens in regulation, 13 putts, +11

Nine 2 (front replay):

1 (Par 4)-5, hit fairway, missed green, 2 putts, +1
2 (Par 4)-5, missed fairway, missed green, 1 putt, +2
3 (Par 5)-5, hit fairway, missed green, 1 putt, +2
4 (Par 3)-3, fairway n/a, hit green, 2 putts, +2
5 (Par 4)-5, hit fairway, missed green, 2 putts, +3
6 (Par 3)-4, fairway n/a, hit green green, 3 putts, +4
7 (Par 4)-4, hit fairway, missed green, 1 putt, +4

At this point, I’m starting to think this is a good round, way better than I expected. I’m 16 holes in, and if I bogey the final two holes (one of which I had already parred), I’m going to break 90, with an 89 on the par 72 track.

On the 17th hole (for me), it’s a relatively simple par 5. I pushed my drive and it was no big deal with a clear shot to the center of the fairway. I hit it so well, and so straight it went into a lateral rock hazard much further than I thought I could hit. I hit 5 shots and had the 1 stroke penalty for a 6.

8 (Par 5)-6, missed fairway, missed green, 2 putts, +5

That’s still no big deal, I’m at +16, and just need to bogey to hit my 89. I parred this hole on the front and it is literally an open hole for the most part that all you have to do is avoid hitting it to the right. There’s a sand trap to the right of the green that’s the only obstacle on the hole and the flag was nowhere near it.

So, of course I push my drive right, out of the fairway. I end up in a slight ball above my feet situation, but had been hitting my irons really well all day, had no obstructions, and could even avoid the sand trap easily. I managed to hit it fat, and ended up a bit to the right of a tree about 60 yards out from the green. My shot is now right on line with the sand trap lying 3. [golf clap]

The tree trunk wasn’t in the way of the shot, but the leaves were in my SW trajectory (another club I had been doing great with). I elected to do a punch and tried to hit it to the left of the sand trap. It went right in the center of it (had multiple very failed easy punch shots during the day).

That wasn’t really bad news for me, because I had been in at least 5 sand traps throughout the day already. Almost all of those resulted in only 1 putt. I’m now about to hit my fourth shot, not looking great for bogey, but it was in the realm of possibility. I hit behind it and barely got it out of the trap. It left me with about a 15 footer. I barely missed the putt.

9 (Par 4)-6, missed fairway, missed green, 2 putts, +7

In: 43, 4 of 7 fairways, 2 of 9 greens, 16 putts, + 7

Overall: 90, 7 of 14 fairways, 2 of 18 greens, 29 putts, +18 overall (6 pars, 8 bogeys, 3 doubles, and 1 quad)

I’m already sore and not looking forward to tomorrow. My hands hurt, and so does my back. But it was pretty fun overall. Surprising and disappointing outcome. If you told me I would start out +6 on the first two holes and end with a double, I’d find it hard to believe I broke 100. It could have been about 7 shots worse, and also about 5 shots better.

My short game saved me all day as I was clueless on distance for approach shots. I was consistently hitting every club but driver 15 to 20 yards further than I used to. About 5 went significantly over the green when I was aiming for the center. I have no idea when I’ll play again, but at least I broke 100.

[dreamcrusher28]

FUCKING FINALLY!!!

[dreamcrusher28]

Played well all around, except for the 3w but I was at least advancing the ball 80-120yds, no 5ft superchunks. Barely missed 3 or 4 birdie putts, that always hurts a little. Used the carry bag, back was a bit stiff at the end but I think it may actually help, keeps me from swinging out of my shoes like I tend to do. Hope to carry again tomorrow after helping Dad put his boat in the water. Would like to play with him but he’s out of commission for a while, hip problems from too much golf on his last vacation to New Hampshire.

[nunnehi]

Never forget the easiest way to break 90 is to play a par 70.

[dreamcrusher28]

Not a bad follow up to my 1st sub 90 round of the year. Other than the rough 1st hole and some chunky woods and long irons, I’m pleased. Putted well, which almost never happens. Back is a bit stiff from walking back to back 18s with the new carry bag…but I’ll get used to it. Sooo much easier than dealing with the pushcart and my massive cart bag. Gonna attempt some of the tougher walking courses with it when the weather cools. Can’t wait for fall golf!!!

[dreamcrusher28]

Lol, I love how my golf watch vibrates and I look at it only for it to say ‘Move!’ like I didn’t just walk 7 miles during my round. Fuck you watch!! I’m at the bar sucking down pints and pondering what food to order. I’m done moving!

[nunnehi]

I went out and played again today. On the first hole I noticed two things weren’t right. When I swung my driver, I had a very painful twinge in one of my left chest muscles. I noticed this last week, but wrote it off as being a problem with the shirt I was wearing. Nope, it was a muscle thing. It made the round uncomfortable and often inconsistent, as I frequently couldn’t do a good follow through. I’m going to wait for this to heal up before trying again.

The other thing that was wrong is that I apparently lost my Sand Wedge on number 18 the last time I played. It’s just a rinky dink $20 club made of stainless steel (need a heavy SW to be happy when I play), but let me tell you how much I missed this club today: a lot

I hit in two sand traps, and the PW does not get it done from there for me. I also could not use the PW as productively as I wanted around the greens (stellar SW play was the big positive from my round last week). The PW led to not being close enough to get up and down on numerous occasions when close to the green. Hitting it too far with no control on shots I was closer to the green on, and hitting it way too hard out of the traps (good contact, too much juice). Lack of a Sand Wedge probably cost me close to 6 strokes today, and not having one directly resulted in one double and a triple (I sprayed the PW all over the place on the triple).

As for the overall round, I played the shorter tees today to see how it would play, and because I’m still out of practice. The tees I played last week were 6630 yards, and these ones were 6116. That’s still a reasonably distanced track, and playing many of the holes shorter actually made things more difficult for me (hello no Sand Wedge) and probably caused me to hit into a couple of places I wouldn’t have reached from the other tees. I think the result of my round would probably have been similar regardless of which tees I played from, no more than a 2 stroke separation.

On to the goodies:

On the front 9, I had a triple, one double, three bogeys, and four pars. I hit 2 of 7 fairways, 2 of 9 greens in regulation (both par 3s), and had 14 putts. That was good for a 44. The nine felt a lot better than that, but it was still fine, and 90 seemed in reach.

On the back 9, I had one double, three bogeys, four pars, and a birdie (!). I hit 4 of 7 fairways, 4 of 9 greens in regulation (1 par 5, 2 par 4s, and 1 par 3), and had 16 putts. That was good for a 40.

I had really bad luck on a par 5 (the double), and then crapped the bed on the putter. I hit my second shot really well, unfortunately too well. I had to take a one shot penalty, but hit my next ball on the green, close enough to have a chance to make the up and down for par. I butchered it (hit the first putt way short and couldn’t convert the second), and ended up three putting.

My birdie came on number 17. I hit an okay drive into short rough. Hit a really good second shot that gave me about a 15 footer for birdie. It went right in the center. That gave me a chance to break 40 on the back going into number 18, the second hardest hole. All I needed was a par.

I hit a good drive, but the flag was snug behind a sand trap. I have no Sand Wedge, obviously, so I played it super safe and ended up about pin high to the left of the green. I hit my PW to about 5 feet. I lined the putt up where I thought it should go. I hit a good stroke, but my line was wrong. I bogeyed for the 40.

Another round that was way above expectations still managed to end in two disappointments (not breaking 40 and not having a SW).

Final Stats: (Par 72) 6 of 14 fairways, 6 of 18 greens in regulation, 30 putts, Front=44, Back=40, Total=84

This was basically a ‘70s’ round, in my opinion, even though I wasn’t that consistent. If I’d had my SW today, I have pretty much no doubt I would have come close to breaking 80. Crazy stuff for the second round after a 3 year hiatus.

[jmakin]

If you just have a wedge and need more loft, just open up the club face and adjust your aim accordingly. The difference between PW and sand wedge is not much, 4-6 degrees typically.

[dreamcrusher28]

I’ve always had trouble doing that for some reason. Only time I open my clubface is with my Sw in a bunker. Vary it depending on height and distance I’m trying to hit it.

[jmakin]

Just shot a 99 on my first “real” sized course a 6600 yard 120 slope par 70. Kind of happy because i wasnt playing very well but was putting pretty good. Mid irons were struck solid all day but i just didnt have enough distance and i dont have a driver, I just played 5 iron off the tee and tried to really aggressively cut doglegs (which ended up actually working).

I really need to learn how to hit a driver and the game will get a lot easier i think.

[jmakin]

What happens? Its should be the same stroke, but since the club face is open you’ll want to aim a little left of your target, like in a flop shot.

Wedges just make sense to me for some reason. I don’t think I do it the “proper” way, I kind of have a putting type of a stroke with it but I come down on it and kind of sweep the club across the ground every so slightly.

This article sums up perfectly how I do it:

How To Chip Using the Bounce On Your Wedges — golfballin

Using the “bounce” instead of the leading edge when doing a chip or pitch gives you more consistency and I totally agree. It’s literally just a putting stroke so your shaft angle at contact is nearly vertical. It’s almost impossible to hit a bad or skulled chip this way. I also put a lot of weight on my front foot to encourage a more vertical strike, and I choke up about 4 inches on the grip.

It’s trippy finding that article because I’ve been trying to explain to a friend exactly what I do, and I kind of just figured it out on my own, and that article explains it perfectly.

[anon92450360]

I know for a fact that I heard a bunch of times during a munch of tourneys a few years back that the putter which looks like a broom was being outlawed, but every time I tune in someone is using one, when did they reverse that decision?

[jmakin]

Sort of - what they banned was anchoring, which is where you brace the putter against your chest/upper abdomen to provide stability in the stroke. “broom” style putters or long putters were used because they were tall enough to reach that high on your body.

I am pretty confident to say that anyone still using a broom putter probably sucks. I’ve never seen anyone use it since then with the new rule that was putting well. I hate gimmicky putter things, and that’s like really high up there for me, along with the claw grip.

[dreamcrusher28]

Bernhard Langer still uses one on the Senior tour and he’s a really good putter. I think Adam Scott on PGA tour uses it too.

[nunnehi]

The point of the long putter was to overcome the yips. It’s not about putting ability.

[tabbaker]

I hate this fucking game. I can’t get multiple parts of my game working in the same round. Today I was driving better than I normally do but my irons were all going right which never happens to me.

It’s gotta be so much fun to golf when you’re actually good.

[nunnehi]

It’s probably less fun when you’re good, because every mistake is magnified.

At my best I was probably around an 8 handicap (probably 3 or 4 on executive courses and close to scratch on par 3 courses), and each tiny mistake could make or break a round.

I decided to try to play again yesterday, had 7 pars, 1 birdie, 5 bogeys, 1 double, and 4 triples for a 91. Was bummed despite being way out of practice, in significant pain from a muscle injury, and shouldn’t be any good. Golf.

[Rivaldo]

Some guys till use those long putters, but as I understand it, they cannot any longer anchor it

[dreamcrusher28]

Rough day yesterday, mostly off the tee and on the greens, lot of 3 putts. No clue what’s going on with the Driver. Half the misses were slices, half straight left. Just zero consistency in my entire game. I guess I peaked last year and it’s just gonna get progressively worse with only hints of improvement. Just enough to keep me coming back, haha.

[nunnehi]

I’m curious about this as I don’t follow any of this rule stuff. Why was it necessary to change this? Why do they care about what anchoring a putter does to improve someone’s stroke. This is one of those dumb rules that often makes golf seem like a really stupid game.

Didn’t they change rules recently like allowing you to ground the club in at least some hazards, and also now let you putt with the flag in? I’m assuming the flag rule change was to speed up recreational golf, but can’t think of a reason to change the grounding rule. I think the anchoring rule sounds absurd, but I’m willing to listen about why it might not be (I use a super short putter, so this doesn’t apply to me).