Fore! Who's playing golf, yo-

[BackCountryNC]

Played a quick 9 holes at Blowing Rock CC in Blowing Rock, NC. Nice old Seth Raynor designed mountain course. -2 34, hit the ball pretty good for a change. Playing a tournament this weekend and I've had no time to practice other than today.

[4matic]

Played a quick 9 holes at Blowing Rock CC in Blowing Rock, NC. Nice old Seth Raynor designed mountain course. -2 34, hit the ball pretty good for a change. Playing a tournament this weekend and I've had no time to practice other than today.

Good luck man. Be the ball.

[spook]

i turned the guy i was playing with and his caddy onto caddyshack.. they'd never heard of it. unfortunately, the caddy had heard of happy gilmore. i didn't have the heart to tell him i loathe adam sandler.

[Fritz]

Definitely. I don't have your number. Send me a pm.

[sidewall]

Hit the range tonight. Good feeling when you hit an iron nice and high.

[spook]

went to hit balls at the driving range only to find out they close it every day by 3. that's crazy.

so it was late afternoon and i decided to play and nobody was on the course. it's always hit or miss if i don't get some range time in first, but i managed to bogey the first hole after a crappy tee shot that forced me to lay up. there are a lot of ravines on this course, so 10 is sort of like an island green. hit a 9 iron 135ish to 10 feet and made the putt for bogey.

after that it all went to hell. couldn't get my body to do what i've been practicing and it became increasingly ugly and frustrating. got 6 holes in before dark and was not feeling well physically or about golf. i've been swimming a mile every day after playing a lot of golf in the heat and elevation and woke up wiped out this morning and almost didn't go to the club.

in any case, i was pretty frustrated after those 6 holes and didn't want to waste the trip, so i went to my old standby -- practicing putting and chipping by ambient light in the dark. i usually play little games with myself, like i won't quit until i hole a 20' chip and a 20' putt. i really enjoy it.

i holed one of each after about a half an hour and figured something out about putting that i'd read about but couldn't understand physically. iwas excited about that but i also managed to find my zen space again after being really frustrated, so that was even better and i can't wait to get back there tomorrow morning for some more practice.

[sidewall]

Yeah it can be tough to translate nice shots on the range to nice shots on the course.

[jfost]

...not feeling well physically or about golf....

that's good work to push through that on a bad day. That's kind of why I like 9 holes - it sucks to feel like you have to finish the whole 18 when you're having a bad day... also why it would be nice to be a member somewhere (like having a season pass for skiing) you can walk away when you need to and not worry about it. Also a good idea to chip and putt after a round, I'm always rushing off to get home and probably lose out on some real valuable practice time. I think you can really effectively practice out problems when they are fresh in your mind, so I hope to do more of that...

[BackCountryNC]

Good luck man. Be the ball.

Thanks!

I shot 70-64. Lost by 3! A good friend and former college teammate won. We were tied with 4 to play and he birdied all 4. Oh well, it was fun. Picked up $500 in shop credit, not sure what I really need though.

[skiballs]

^^ pretty solid , need a 4-ball partner ?

[BackCountryNC]

Never know, where are you?

[skiballs]

Maryland
My wive's best friend lives in Cary , NC , shes always buggin me to go down there .
One of you Carolina boy comes up for the Middle Atlantic Am I think his name is Ernhart .
That tourney is going to be at Baltimore CC this year , fastest greens I've ever seen , last time it was there the rumor was 14 1/2 .

[BackCountryNC]

14.5? Damn, that would be a three putt-a-thon for me!

[Ski to Be]

I just tried the Ipad swing app and it kicks ass. You set up your Ipad at the range behind you and you can choose to have it trace your swing as a multiple frame overlap and you can also draw lines anywhere you want to see your angles . Then you can compare it to a Pro. The downside for me is that I see what I am doing wrong and feel powerless to correct it. I am both handed and shoot basketball better lefty and play tennis lefty as well as throw lefty, and eat lefty. I write right handed though and bowl righty and shoot jumpers righty. I am seriously considering switching to lefty in golf. I started playing beer golf in college with no lessons and when I started to take a little more seriously I practice and reenforced bad habits. These bad habits are so engrained that I feel that switching to left and taking lessons from scratch with good habits. I swing way too much with my arms and way too fast and cast the club. Should I start from scratch as a lefty? I go in circles with my instructor as he tells me what I know I am doing yet I still revert right back to the same habits.

[spook]

practiced for 3.5 hours today on the driving range and the putting green. i decided to focus on my 6 iron until i get the swing more internalized. i would say i hit 75% of them really nicely and each time i hit a bad one, i stepped off, tried to analyze what i did wrong basedon feel and what the ball flight was (and anything else obvious, like an enormous divot) and then lined up and hit again and most of the time i was able to follow with another solid swing. practiced pitching from 20 and 30 yards, practiced in the bunker, practiced putting lag and close up. all in all a good day.

[wooley12]

Played Wentworth By The Sea in Newburyport MA. The original 9 hole 1897 design was redone by Donald Ross in 1921. The shot of the day. My partner in our 4 ball match play felt it was his 20' putt on 18 to win our match but I kept us in it. After pushing my drive right into the trees on a par 5, my shot back to the fairway was completely blocked by trees and a 30' x 30' restroom building about 40 feet away. After consultation with my playing partner, I punched a "knock down" 5 iron at the building that hit where I was aiming just above the doors and caromed out into the fairway gaining about 30 yards. Laid up with a 3rd shot towards a blind green. A forth shot to the edge of the green. Sunk a 10 footer to halve the hole.





Sweet cart girl with all the usual plus sandwiches and mixed drinks too!

[DasBlunt]

I just tried the Ipad swing app and it kicks ass. You set up your Ipad at the range behind you and you can choose to have it trace your swing as a multiple frame overlap and you can also draw lines anywhere you want to see your angles . Then you can compare it to a Pro. The downside for me is that I see what I am doing wrong and feel powerless to correct it. I am both handed and shoot basketball better lefty and play tennis lefty as well as throw lefty, and eat lefty. I write right handed though and bowl righty and shoot jumpers righty. I am seriously considering switching to lefty in golf. I started playing beer golf in college with no lessons and when I started to take a little more seriously I practice and reenforced bad habits. These bad habits are so engrained that I feel that switching to left and taking lessons from scratch with good habits. I swing way too much with my arms and way too fast and cast the club. Should I start from scratch as a lefty? I go in circles with my instructor as he tells me what I know I am doing yet I still revert right back to the same habits.

It does not sound like you would be starting over if you switched to lefty from your high level of skill in other sports.

Golf is fun to practice and try to get good at. Why not try lefty? Nothing can hurt except your budget for equipment. Many pros pride themselves on being able to hit both ways. It helps their game.

[The Tortoise]

That reminds me of a best ball tournament I played in.

The 2nd hole is a 160 yard par 3 with an elevated tee. The local pro was there and if you were closer to the hole than he was your name went into a raffle.

One of our 4-some was a lefty. The pro grabs his 4 iron, flips it upside down and nails it to within 10 feet. Nobody in our group won a raffle ticket.

It was that moment when I realized I'm playing a much different game than the people at the elite level.

[spook]

Played Wentworth By The Sea in Newburyport MA. The original 9 hole 1897 design was redone by Donald Ross in 1921. The shot of the day. My partner in our 4 ball match play felt it was his 20' putt on 18 to win our match but I kept us in it. After pushing my drive right into the trees on a par 5, my shot back to the fairway was completely blocked by trees and a 30' x 30' restroom building about 40 feet away. After consultation with my playing partner, I punched a "knock down" 5 iron at the building that hit where I was aiming just above the doors and caromed out into the fairway gaining about 30 yards. Laid up with a 3rd shot towards a blind green. A forth shot to the edge of the green. Sunk a 10 footer to halve the hole.





Sweet cart girl with all the usual plus sandwiches and mixed drinks too!

i can sink a 20 foot putt. i doubt i could make the shot you made if i intended to.

[spook]

That reminds me of a best ball tournament I played in.

The 2nd hole is a 160 yard par 3 with an elevated tee. The local pro was there and if you were closer to the hole than he was your name went into a raffle.

One of our 4-some was a lefty. The pro grabs his 4 iron, flips it upside down and nails it to within 10 feet. Nobody in our group won a raffle ticket.

It was that moment when I realized I'm playing a much different game than the people at the elite level.

i've been practicing hitting lefty just so if i have to i can at least punch something back out to the fairway. considering how awkward and ugly it is, it's amazing that the pros can do it so well. though i seem to remember mickelson doing something stupid in the rough on the hole that tiger ultimately chipped in at nicklaus' tournament. i thought he tried to hit it twice right handed and botched them both. maybe i'm imagining things.

[JimmyCarter]

It was that moment when I realized I'm playing a much different game than the people at the elite level.

Reminds me of this:
http://www.golf.com/video/van-de-vel...its-carnoustie

He chips better wrong handed with a backwards putter than i do with a wedge.

[guroo270]

i've been practicing hitting lefty just so if i have to i can at least punch something back out to the fairway. considering how awkward and ugly it is, it's amazing that the pros can do it so well. though i seem to remember mickelson doing something stupid in the rough on the hole that tiger ultimately chipped in at nicklaus' tournament. i thought he tried to hit it twice right handed and botched them both. maybe i'm imagining things.

If by "rough" you mean bamboo trees. Dude just should have re-teed. That's the problem with Phil. Up by 2 on 18? LET'S PULL A DRIVER INTO THE STANDS!! He's probably one of the top 5 golfers of all time, he just has the mental fortitude of a 3rd grade rec league basketball player. Awe golly gee shucks. I tried.

[spook]

If by "rough" you mean bamboo trees. Dude just should have re-teed. That's the problem with Phil. Up by 2 on 18? LET'S PULL A DRIVER INTO THE STANDS!! He's probably one of the top 5 golfers of all time, he just has the mental fortitude of a 3rd grade rec league basketball player. Awe golly gee shucks. I tried.

yeah, that's what i meant.

[Ski to Be]

Ordered some Lefty irons on Ebay used for $100. Going to go to a new pro and tell him I am an absolute beginner so that I develop the right habits.Just swinging the club lefty feels more natural and my finish seems more natural and extended though this is not hitting the ball. I will follow up with the results.

[spook]

Reminds me of this:
http://www.golf.com/video/van-de-vel...its-carnoustie

He chips better wrong handed with a backwards putter than i do with a wedge.

i think that's pretty cool that he can go back to his and one of golf's biggest chokes/failures and make something positive out of it. seeing his kids hug him afterward was sweet. i just watched a replay of that hole when he imploded a week ago and i remember watching it live cringing and wondering if he'd ever recover. seems like he's doing alright.