Jump to content
Check out the Spin Axis Podcast! ×
  • entries
    5
  • comments
    41
  • views
    6,829

Taking the game on the road...


I had to travel to pick up someone at the airport Saturday and since my club was packed I decided to play a round of golf at a course I had never played before. I set a tee time and asked if I was playing with anyone and they said no.I get to the course and it is fairly busy but no playing partner however I easily caught up with the twosome in front of me (one of which informed me later he had picked up ball on the first hole, as the round progressed :mad:). I played 5-9 with two guys, a dad and his recent college grad son. Dad was an average player and son was very athletic but erratic although my game was nothing short of twice my handicap that day. The "kids" dad stops after 9 and we keep playing. The guy is nice and easy to play with but the conversation we had was interesting. He tells me first that he just started playing golf a year ago and he spends every day at the golf course after work (summer job before grad school) at 3 since the summer started. He has all the typical "newbie" delusions. Thinks he hits it farther than he does, inconsistent irons and no short game. He also takes multiple second ball shots, granted this course is under construction and some of the back nine are temporary tees and some holes. Along the 11th hole he talks handicaps with me and says he is a 7 handicap, his best round is a 76 and that he doesn't post his scores very often because he does want give strokes to people... Indeed, I was perplexed. I just smiled and played along as he also told me that he has no short game and hates practicing it but will hit hours of driver shots... This guy totally reminded me of me sans the the thought of being a 7, let alone a 27 handicap my first year playing. I am sure my out driving him was annoying but if he keeps playing and getting better technique, I am sure he would hang or out drive me regularly. He used to play college baseball and probably no used to not being better at sports than others around him so golf might be a hard pill to swallow. All in all I enjoyed the company, conversation and of course, the unintended humor.

5 Comments


Recommended Comments

David in FL

Posted

Sounds like a good day all around.

Drives me nuts though.  They put a single out, by himself, behind a two-some.  And people wonder why we have pace of play issues...  

bkuehn1952

Posted

I find that many courses have started avoiding "pairing up" singles and groups less than 4. They apparently have gotten enough complaints about "pairing up" that they try to accede to the wishes of their customers to play as a 2-some, etc...

Personally, I think this is wrong-headed.  It is annoying for 4-somes to be pressed by a long string of 2-somes and singles. Letting a group through every other hole can be a bother. Everyone's expectations when arriving at the course with less than 4 should be they will met a new friend or two.

  • Upvote 2
David in FL

Posted

1 minute ago, bkuehn1952 said:

I find that many courses have started avoiding "pairing up" singles and groups less than 4. They apparently have gotten enough complaints about "pairing up" that they try to accede to the wishes of their customers to play as a 2-some, etc...

Personally, I think this is wrong-headed.  It is annoying for 4-somes to be pressed by a long string of 2-somes and singles. Letting a group through every other hole can be a bother. Everyone's expectations when arriving at the course with less than 4 should be they will met a new friend or two.

Yep.  Pace of play starts with the course.  If they don't/won't do their part, it all falls apart.

WUTiger

Posted

In the 1990s, I came across some golf courses and country clubs that took a dim view of pushy twosomes and singles. The local rules would often state something to the effect that:

      Singles and twosomes have no standing on this course.

That means ones and twos should not expect to go through larger groups.

Apparently courses and clubs have gotten away from doing this. I mentioned this old policy a couple of years ago, and got pinged by TSTers about being an elitist.

David in FL

Posted (edited)

6 hours ago, WUTiger said:

In the 1990s, I came across some golf courses and country clubs that took a dim view of pushy twosomes and singles. The local rules would often state something to the effect that:

      Singles and twosomes have no standing on this course.

That means ones and twos should not expect to go through larger groups.

Apparently courses and clubs have gotten away from doing this. I mentioned this old policy a couple of years ago, and got pinged by TSTers about being an elitist.

From the etiquette portion in The Rules of Golf:

Play at Good Pace and Keep Up

Players should play at a good pace. The Committee may establish pace of play guidelines that all players should follow.

It is a group’s responsibility to keep up with the group in front. If it loses a clear hole and it is delaying the group behind, it should invite the group behind to play through, irrespective of the number of players in that group. Where a group has not lost a clear hole, but it is apparent that the group behind can play faster, it should invite the faster moving group to play through.

 

The real problem lies in the course(s) that don't pair up singles and two-somes and allow the course to become choked with small groups during peak hours.  

Edited by David in FL

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
  • Blog Entries

  • Posts

    • Best Seasons of All Time | Data Golf Best round and event-level strokes gained performances since 1983.   Going back to 1983 adjusting for field strength, Woods has the top 6 seasons by strokes gained. from Data Golf Scheffler has the 7th  8th, 12th and 15th. Woods has three other seasons in the top 20.    Also notable is Rory's highest rated season in the 28th best season. 44 year old Jack Nicklaus has the 36th highest strokes gained season.
    • Hi Everyone,  i ordered a new Qi 35 Driver, 10.5*, Regular Flex Diamoana shaft. Received by Fed X on Thursday, June 4th.  Took to Precision Valley and had a "Jumbo Grip" installed.  Friday morning, headed to Claflin, Ks. and played 18 holes. Front 9 wasn't to bad but I had hit my budddy's Qi with better success. Finally got a little more accustomed to the new club. I shot a 50.  Back 9, I started hitting the driver really well with the Driver delievering longer and straight drives down the fairway.  On my last drive, it was about 230 off the tee. I shot a 53.  (We play for .10/hole; $1.; Birdie; $5 or an Eagle. I won $0.60)  I was tired and headed home. (46 miles one way to play this course but the yearly rate is very cheap. They also have grass greens instead of sand.) I pull my Golf cart with a trailer.My nearest course witrh grass greens  is 25 miles away. Saturday,  I had the iPhone in do not disturb. Finally took it off of DND and I had a text from my golfing buddy that he wanted to play Hays late afternoon. So, he came by, picked my up and we headed to Hays. I was tired from playing 18 holes Friday and was hoping I could play 9 holes and call it a day. At Hays, KS.. I started off pretty rough and just could't seem to relax enough to hit well. (I was planning of finishing the front nine and the go home. However, on hole number 8, it's a 322 yard par 4, and I was able to get on in 2 and 2 putt for a par. #9 hole is a 114 yard par 3 and I hit an 8 iron and landed on the west edge of the fringe for pin high. Chipped up and 1 putted for another par. Front nine = 53 Headed to the back 9. Eerything started to click and #10 = 6; #11=5, #12 = 5, #13 = 4, #14 (Par 5) on in 3 and 2 ptted for par [Driver, 3 wood, and 9 iron and 2 putts] , #15 Par 4; I had a 6, #16 Par 4, I had a, #16 I had a 5, #17 Par 5,  I had a 5. (Driver, 3 wood, 3 wood, 8 iron, 1 putt; #18 Par 3, I had a 4.     BACK 9:  I SHOT A 45!   Yes sir, I like this Driver. I would like to go out again tomorrow but will see how I feel. My goal is to shoot my age before I turn 80 year old.  So, backto Right handed clubs. Qi35 TaylorMade Driver, 3 Wood, Callaway Rogue; 5 Wood Callaway Rogue, Majek Hybrids 4-PW, A Wedge, Loft wedge (60*); White Hot Blade Putter.    When I decided to change to the new driver, I went back to playing right handed. My hybrids are failrly new and are easier to hit. I do carry a conventional 7 iron in case I ge into a bad rough.  I will keep you up to date as the summer moves on.   Blessings,  RetiredOldMan  
    • Went up to Erie to clean up some stuff with the distance wedges, short game, and driver.   Distance Wedges Ball forward in stance. Less handle high at set up. Weight more in balls of feet (feels like more in the toes).  Clubhead travels more up than around. Less arm and more pivot turn. Weight/pressure stays on lead foot.  Pivot around left leg. Center of chest goes forward and up. Not back and down. Hands move down not out, so clubhead can move from the inside out (gets neural path). Don’t pull hands down which causes out to in path and hosel out at ball. A bit of wrist flexion. Though better path and pivot will help this.  Short Game Similar to this wedges, ball is forward, except hands are higher at setup. Pivot with torso, keeping weight forward. Gravity brings the club back down to the ball. Body just pivot so the center goes forward and up, not back and down. Be patient on the transition and downswing. Let gravity take over.  Driver Feel like hands are slowing down at A2. Fast early and put on the brakes. Stay wide with right elbow.  Arms travel down chest, wrist flexion. Send the 10-deg text on the driver at the ground at 45 degree angle to target line.  Wrist flexion should feel like it continues through impact with hands and club exiting out right. Don’t drag hands across body and exit left.     
    • I definitely prefer medal play, but then again, as @StuM points out, it's what I grew up with (or, in my case, began playing golf with -- I took up the sport in my early 20s). Interestingly, the unforgiveness level of it is something I really like.  A friend of mine (a much better player than I am) won her club championship a few years ago.  At her club, this is contested as match play, and something she didn't like was that her opponent could get a triple bogey on a hole she birdied and only drop a hole in the match.  On the other hand, that's something I'm sure some people appreciate (especially the opponent who triple bogeyed that hole, I am sure). My club has a handful of tournaments it calls majors, and one is our Match Play tournament, which was my first big win (wow, over a decade ago).  Of course, I won whatever flight I was in, not the top flight.  Organizing and playing a large match play tournament, outside of the professional or top amateur ranks, is difficult.  I think our medal play play-in was one day, 18 holes, but then we had to self-schedule with some reasonable deadlines, measured in weeks for each round.  I think a flight with 16 people advancing to match play took a few months to resolve.  Nice to watch as the summer unfolded I suppose.  By contrast, our club championship is medal play, three rounds on three consecutive days (with a cut after two).  I won this (well, my flight within it) twice, and the second time, I managed to keep to a great gameplan:  out of 53 par attempts, I had putter in hand for 52 of them.  I think I began that tournament with a handicap of ~13 and having two full rounds (and most of a third) where I at least had a putt for par on every hole (excluding the single birdie across the three days).   Some of those par attempts were 40+ feet away, but having a putter in hand could limit the damage. A format that works well with both stableford and medal play is skins, either as the main event or as a side event;  even if you have a terrible first hole, you could potentially pick up skins at the remaining holes.  I was playing a tournament a month or so ago and a friend of mine, after a few holes, was clearly out of contention for the medal play portion, but he was in the skins game.  He very plainly was playing for the skins in a match-play style manner, attempting shots he'd never consider if he were trying to post a low total score for the day (I think he shot 108 or something).  
    • Wordle 1,814 4/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜🟨🟨 ⬜🟨🟨⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
×
×
  • 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.