Official Golf Thread

Originally Posted by archetypal_yuppie

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But Piobaire, there are an awful lot of people that shoot in the 70's and 80's, so it's not quite like the bigtimer talk on here.


No, I agree. Like I said, I forgot our sample universe skews towards "awesome." I'm going to retire to a part time position so I can practice my golf more. I'm not sure I'll get by on my 250k part time salary, but you have to sacrifice to improve.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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Not in the least. Just amazed by how many people here drive like the pros and score like the guys on the Champion's Tour. I understand, our case mix here leans towards "awesome," and don't let skepticism soften advice you give, like eliminating double bogeys to lower your score.

You don't need to be able to drive like the pros to shoot a good score. It is really all about course management and not putting yourself in bad spots. Since I think your comment was directed at me, I have been playing golf for about 8 or 9 years and a few years ago when I was really serious about it I was a fairly low handicap. It may be hard for you to imagine but there are a good number of people out there who can go and shoot a single digit over par on a regular basis no problem that aren't pros.

Originally Posted by airblaster503

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You don't need to be able to drive like the pros to shoot a good score. It is really all about course management and not putting yourself in bad spots. Since I think your comment was directed at me, I have been playing golf for about 8 or 9 years and a few years ago when I was really serious about it I was a fairly low handicap. It may be hard for you to imagine but there are a good number of people out there who can go and shoot a single digit over par on a regular basis no problem that aren't pros.

My comment was not directed at you in particular. Again, I forgot how we skew towards "awesome" in our sample pool here. Most people here apparently break 80 on a regular basis. I am not surprised in the least. I completely understand that the strategy of "not putting yourself in bad spots" is all that stands in the way of anyone just being a few strokes over par.

cancelled my tee time this afternoon. heat index is approaching triple digits with the humidity sky high as well.

golfed only once over the weekend. shot OK but it was miserable out there with the heat, humidity, and the pack of people who golf once a year on the 4th of july weekend. it was so busy i couldn't get into a groove. almost got hit by an errant shot by some redneck who was wearing jean shorts, a tank top, and reebok basketball shoes from the 1990s (not sure how/why they let him on the course with a tank top on. although i don't blame him for wearing it since it hotter than **** out).

I think i ended up with an 87 or 88, can't remember. it wasn't great, but could've been a lot better. couldn't hit a mid/low iron close to save my life. i think i only hit 5 GIR and missed a lot putts inside of 10 feet that would've saved par.

sidenote - the golfshot app is pretty cool but, honestly, i don't think i am going to use it a lot. it takes a lot of time and effort utilizing the app to it's full potential. if i was golfing by myself I could see myself using every feature. i really don't care how many fairways i hit in a round or any of the other stats it can track. the mapping and gps system is pretty cool. the course i played this weekend was accurately mapped. that's really the only feature i'll use, but i guess that is what you pay $30 and not how many fairways you hit in a round.

I agree about the chippers. I don't know any good player, and certainly no pro, who carries one. It's not good to develop a habit on relying on one club for chipping. Depending on the lie and the situation, virtually any club can be used for chipping and by the same token - every one of those clubs can be absolutely wrong in a given situation. You may need SW, 7, 3W or God kows what depending on what you have to go over or through, etc. To fill your bag, there are many clubs that could be far more value to you than a "chipper".

Along the same lines, Pio, you should never use a cart or play any ball less than a Pro V-1 because I've never seen a pro use a cart in a tournament or duff around with a bunch of Noodles.

Also, no shorts. Shorts are not allowed on the PGA tour so you should not play in them.

And your 10.5-degree driver? GARBAGE. 8 degrees or you are just wasting space in your bag.

Oh, and, by the way - did I type 101 in my post earlier? LULZ what a nasty typo. I meant 61. I mean, some people would be satisfied to play a round at 10-under par but really all I did was manage the course and not put myself in any bad spots. I actually didn't even play that well. Most of my drives were under 400 yards, I was hitting so poorly.

Originally Posted by Douglas

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Along the same lines, Pio, you should never use a cart or play any ball less than a Pro V-1 because I've never seen a pro use a cart in a tournament or duff around with a bunch of Noodles.

Also, no shorts. Shorts are not allowed on the PGA tour so you should not play in them.

And your 10.5-degree driver? GARBAGE. 8 degrees or you are just wasting space in your bag.

Oh, and, by the way - did I type 101 in my post earlier? LULZ what a nasty typo. I meant 61. I mean, some people would be satisfied to play a round at 10-under par but really all I did was manage the course and not put myself in any bad spots. I actually didn't even play that well. Most of my drives were under 400 yards, I was hitting so poorly.

Douglas, I think with these hints I shall greatly improve my game. Part of the problem was, I didn't realize I need to remove double bogeys from my game and only to hit my ball into good spots. When you're awesome, these are the types of hints someone that has been playing golf for six weeks needs.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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Douglas, I think with these hints I shall greatly improve my game. Part of the problem was, I didn't realize I need to remove double bogeys from my scorecard and only to hit my ball into good spots. When you're awesome, these are the types of hints someone that has been playing golf for six weeks needs.

there, that's better.

Originally Posted by Dburr

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I agree about the chippers. I don't know any good player, and certainly no pro, who carries one. It's not good to develop a habit on relying on one club for chipping. Depending on the lie and the situation, virtually any club can be used for chipping and by the same token - every one of those clubs can be absolutely wrong in a given situation. You may need SW, 7, 3W or God kows what depending on what you have to go over or through, etc. To fill your bag, there are many clubs that could be far more value to you than a "chipper".

I agree with this. The chipper may provide some value in the short term for beginners, but over the long term one should invest in a 60 degree and a 52 degree wedge (assuming you have a PW and a SW). I use my 52 degree more than any club outside of my putter. I have any shot from 60-120 yards locked in thanks to that club. I find most of the casual golfers I play with are fixated on distance off the tee while they lose a ton of strokes in the chipping/putting arena.

Originally Posted by Thomas

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there, that's better.



Oh yeah, forgot I've decided I can squeeze by on 250k, so I'm going down to part time work to concentrate on my game.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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Oh yeah, forgot I've decided I can squeeze by on 250k, so I'm going down to part time work to concentrate on my game.

Joking aside, there is an aspect to course management that eludes a lot of players, and it's more than just hitting it to where there isn't trouble. Sometimes I think it's a classic case of overthinking the obvious (hit it, chase it, hit it again), but then again I think there's a reason Hogan has three Opens, and Snead has none.

But when you're just starting out...pretty well any shot that doesn't get submerged is playable and a learning opportunity. And, yes, you can hit out of a water trap, provided the ball is not submerged. I've had to do that a few times.

i still don't really understand why you guys think it's so far fetched that a dozen or so people around here can shoot consistently in the 70s or 80s. most of us play on regular courses at human distances off the tees. what you see on TV is not a good comparison of what you normally see on the course. tees are lengthened, fairways narrowed, greens are faster.

Originally Posted by bdeuce22

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i still don't really understand why you guys think it's so far fetched that a dozen or so people around here can shoot consistently in the 70s or 80s. most of us play on regular courses at human distances off the tees. what you see on TV is not a good comparison of what you normally see on the course. tees are lengthened, fairways narrowed, greens are faster.

I could see some folks here being good golfers, being in the 80 on a regular basis, and occasionally getting in some good drives. But you don't get that people might look askance at the claim of say, embarrassing one's self by not breaking 80? Or these obviously bullshit claims about driving distances? How do I know they're bullshit, being a golf noob?

http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/

Scroll down to driving stats.

Driving Distance
Rank Leader Rounds Total
1 Robert Garrigus 32 311.1
2 Bubba Watson 49 305.9
3 Dustin Johnson 55 305.0
4 Angel Cabrera 44 304.3
5 J.B. Holmes 62 303.7
TOUR Average 49 283.9

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#1 at 311 yards average. Entire PGA Tour at 284 yards. Apparently a good part of SF could usually top the #1 driver on the entire PGA Tour!

Originally Posted by Douglas

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Along the same lines, Pio, you should never use a cart or play any ball less than a Pro V-1 because I've never seen a pro use a cart in a tournament or duff around with a bunch of Noodles.

Also, no shorts. Shorts are not allowed on the PGA tour so you should not play in them.

And your 10.5-degree driver? GARBAGE. 8 degrees or you are just wasting space in your bag.

Oh, and, by the way - did I type 101 in my post earlier? LULZ what a nasty typo. I meant 61. I mean, some people would be satisfied to play a round at 10-under par but really all I did was manage the course and not put myself in any bad spots. I actually didn't even play that well. Most of my drives were under 400 yards, I was hitting so poorly.

On Sunday:

...I rode in a cart
...I wore shorts
...I used a 10.5 degree driver
...I played "game improvement" irons

...and I shot 81. Not everyone is devoid of athletic ability on styleforum.

Originally Posted by Piobaire

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I could see some folks here being good golfers, being in the 80 on a regular basis, and occasionally getting in some good drives. But you don't get that people might look askance at the claim of say, embarrassing one's self by not breaking 80? Or these obviously bullshit claims about driving distances? How do I know they're bullshit, being a golf noob?

http://www.pgatour.com/r/stats/

Scroll down to driving stats.



#1 at 311 yards average. Entire PGA Tour at 284 yards. Apparently a good part of SF could usually top the #1 driver on the entire PGA Tour!

I think you should get this one.



It has a sweet clip so that it doesn't fall off your pull cart when walking over the bumps on the goat track.