Jump to content
  • entries
    61
  • comments
    483
  • views
    41,138

Golfer Memory


bkuehn1952

2,055 views

There is a thread in the “Forums” where the total number of courses played has been discussed.  I have undoubtedly played more courses than the average golfer but certainly not as many as some of the more prolific players have stated.  One point that interested me was a comment someone made about not remembering every course without the aid of an actual written list.  I suspect that many of us could list every course we have played from memory and give some story or incident that occurred.  We may not remember a birthday or appointment but that day at Black Forest when sun alternated with sleet and rain is etched in our memory.

On courses I play frequently I seem to have one or two permanent memories for each hole.  The 17th at U of M is thought of as “The Skunk” hole.  One evening we were finishing up our round when the driver of our cart, Marty, saw a skunk moseying along the left side of the rough.  He thought it would be interesting to get a closer look; I jumped out of the cart before he got too close.  The rest is history.

The 15th at Hudson Mills is the site of the 8-putt.  My wife and I were playing a mixed couple two-person scramble event.  On the 15th green the hole had been placed on a diabolical slope.  My wife and I negotiated it in 2 putts.  The other couple was not so lucky.  Their first efforts up the hill left his putt 3 feet above the hole and hers 12 feet short.  Eventually they decided to take the shorter putt and when they both missed their closest ball was now 15 feet away.  When they both missed again, one short and one long, they had now accumulated 6 putts and still had a choice of an uphill 5-footer or a downhill 3-footer.  This time they took the uphill option; she missed and he made for a team total of 8 putts.

Playing a new course is always exciting.  Still, it is nice to tour a familiar course and recall all the triumphs, tragedies and comedies.  We don’t need a list, we have a golfer’s memory.

7 Comments


Recommended Comments

  • Moderator

My wife laughs at me, says that I remember every hole on every course I've ever played.  That's a little bit of an exaggeration, but I remember an awful lot of them, and sometimes I remember shots I hit a decade back. Sadly, most of the ones I remember are shots I'd really prefer to forget.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
5 minutes ago, DaveP043 said:

My wife laughs at me, says that I remember every hole on every course I've ever played.  That's a little bit of an exaggeration, but I remember an awful lot of them, and sometimes I remember shots I hit a decade back. Sadly, most of the ones I remember are shots I'd really prefer to forget.

It depends on the golf course. A lot of courses I can remember vividly, while others I don't remember much. I don't remember much of TPC Sawgrass though it's an iconic golf course. 

Link to comment

It used to be that outside of my normal rota of courses locally I could remember most of the holes at away courses only if I play it out in my mind in sequence from the first hole. I feel it has grown considerably in the last year or so where I remember more holes and shots, and also thoughts and feeling associated with those shots.     

Link to comment
On 6/29/2016 at 1:31 PM, DaveP043 said:

My wife laughs at me, says that I remember every hole on every course I've ever played.  That's a little bit of an exaggeration, but I remember an awful lot of them, and sometimes I remember shots I hit a decade back. Sadly, most of the ones I remember are shots I'd really prefer to forget.

My wife laughs at me for exactly the same thing.  I also remember an awful lot of the holes, as well as the shots on those holes.

It really comes into focus when I go back to the course and start replaying the course in my head, even though I haven't been there in years.  And then I freak her out when I start remembering her shots on the hole.  :-D

Link to comment
On 6/29/2016 at 1:31 PM, DaveP043 said:

My wife laughs at me, says that I remember every hole on every course I've ever played.  That's a little bit of an exaggeration, but I remember an awful lot of them, and sometimes I remember shots I hit a decade back. Sadly, most of the ones I remember are shots I'd really prefer to forget.

Yep... my wife does the same thing!  I'm lucky in that my wife actually allows me to ramble.  She half-listens, but... at least she doesn't tell me that she doesn't care.  

As for remembering every course I've played... if it's named, yes... I can remember it.  If you ask me to start listing them, there's just no way.  I probably play less golf than the average 'dedicated golfer'... but, I would venture to guess that I've played far above the average number of courses of that same golfer.  I like to play at new places, and some of the clubs I've joined have allowed me to play different courses throughout New Jersey, Pennsylvania, North Carolina and South Carolina.  

I love the stories from the individual holes!  I have a few that, every time I think of those holes, they make me smile or laugh... and sometimes wince.  

Good post!

CY

Link to comment
On June 29, 2016 at 1:31 PM, DaveP043 said:

My wife laughs at me, says that I remember every hole on every course I've ever played.  That's a little bit of an exaggeration, but I remember an awful lot of them, and sometimes I remember shots I hit a decade back. Sadly, most of the ones I remember are shots I'd really prefer to forget.

Sure you already know this but there is a reason why, we are wired to remember unpleasant events more so than positive ones. Apparently just part of our natural survival and eviction. Poker players will say the same, they can tell you lots of their bad beats but rarely the good ones. 

Link to comment

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up
  • Popular Now

  • Blog Entries

  • Posts

    • Thank you!  Here in the video I'm going slower than normal. Maybe like 80mph only at best. On the course it's probably like 90ish mph. The last time I measured my 8-iron going full it was going 88mph and that was in late August. 
    • Swing looks good. What's your 7I speed up to these days?
    • I'm getting in only two range sessions per week at most these days. I prioritize four gym days per week, mirror work, plus an option day for rest or the gym. It's more important for me to be fit than it is for me to be good at golf right now. That being said, each rep I make on the range is about as efficient as ever. My swing is working the best it ever has in my entire life. This is a slower 7-iron swing for me, but the sequencing is looking really good here. That is reflected in my scores too, which are low 80s these days, despite not playing as much as I know I need to to really progress.  Working on: early extension stuff, Penick's magic move, widening the right arm, pushing up with the lead leg, and finally, right side bending an appropriate amount post impact. The last six, seven month or so of core and leg training with my DPT, with a lot of dry needling, has really helped me swing this way. He's TPI certified too and I do the same routine he gives his tour players. Training with him is also training my golf swing IMO. It's insane the amount of work we've done on my left hip and lower back and I'm reaping the rewards now.  I re-upped for another year at PGA National too, so hopefully I can have some fun rounds this winter. Fingers crossed!   The Foreplay Good Good stuff was still up a day later. Pretty funny. I didn't go because I was watching football all day, but it would've been kinda cool to catch the opening tee shots.  I still do rehab twice a week and currently we're doing some work on minor neck and left wrist pain I've been having. Neither I consider serious, but these are just a couple of examples of the weekly grind I face in keeping myself in good shape and why I don't play a ton of golf, which for me, always makes my body weaker in various ways. Golf is exercise too, for twisting related stuff, but it also takes a toll on me in a negative way. Therefore, I always make a point to treat golf like the gym, with highly efficient reps at the appropriate "weight" with appropriate rest and reflection in between. My distances are solid tho. My median driver is probably 260 without trying. My slow 7-iron swing goes like 170. I'm much more concerned with sequencing, and anything that compromises that is a failure in my book, in terms of my long term development.  Anyway, clearly the swing isn't perfect. Bit too shallow going back, with a steepening move in transition, but I'm hitting the middle of the face at by far the highest rate I ever have. I get better every month it seems. It would not shock me at all if I hit like a 3.0 handicap or better at some point in the next year or two or three. Fingers crossed, guys. I know I need to get out there more in order to achieve that. Some future pieces I know I need to focus on more are arms/wrist related. My hackmotion sensor tells me to bow the wrist slightly from P5 onward. I know that's a big reason why I have a bleeder fade miss. Otherwise I keep the face square until that point. The only reason I don't really focus on this one is because it's simply too many thoughts to juggle and I want to get to P5 better with my body and arms first. I have to spend too much bandwidth on not early extending and throwing my arms out in the transition, especially with the longer clubs like 3-wood and driver.  Pretty darn excited though about my game these days. This is the lowest amount of dread I've ever felt over the ball, ever.
    • Wordle 1,238 5/6 ⬛🟨⬛⬛⬛ ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟨 ⬛⬛⬛🟨🟨 ⬛🟩🟨⬛🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
    • Wordle 1,238 3/6 ⬜⬜🟩⬜🟨 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...