Walking Off Yardages (Back in the Day)

[Missouri Swede]

On 5/30/2022 at 7:21 AM, Carl3 said:

I remember those days. I was playing a new course and was at least 250 yards a out on a par 5. I saw a sprinkler head near me and walked over to take a look. Instead of yardage it had the following engraved on it: “just hit the damn ball”.😆

 

[Double Mocha Man]

5 minutes ago, Missouri Swede said:

That's great!

[KMP]

15 hours ago, Missouri Swede said:

My favorite was a sprinkler head marked "All you got big boy". The distance was 270 or so and unfortunately I did not take a photo.

[phan52]

I love my rangefinder because the main number I am looking for in a shot to a green is not necessarily the pin, but the carry. How far do I have to hit it to safely reach the green? I WANT to know the pin number but I really NEED the carry number. 

[WillieT]

Playing today ahead of the Weds group, it was about ready golf.  Thought about this thread during the round and appreciated every distance the GPS was providing.  

[ChetlovesMer]

On 5/31/2022 at 1:08 PM, iacas said:

I just make a guess before I get my yardage with a laser, and see how close I am to it.

My league partner and I do that as kind of a contest between us on who's guess is better. 

[imsys0042]

On 5/30/2022 at 8:21 AM, Carl3 said:

I remember those days. I was playing a new course and was at least 250 yards a out on a par 5. I saw a sprinkler head near me and walked over to take a look. Instead of yardage it had the following engraved on it: “just hit the damn ball”.😆

 

I've seen one that had "Dreamer" on it.

[saevel25]

The marker should read, "Your drive didn't go this far". 

[Esox]

Sunday I was with my kid, 545 yd par 5. His drive ended up in a divot 261 out. Most club he could get on it was a 5 wood. I told him hit, he said no, he was waiting till they were off the green. I chided him. He hit. He was right.  I apologized, guys couldn't believe he got home from there under any circumstances.

[PeaceFrogg]

1 hour ago, Esox said:

Sunday I was with my kid, 545 yd par 5. His drive ended up in a divot 261 out. Most club he could get on it was a 5 wood. I told him hit, he said no, he was waiting till they were off the green. I chided him. He hit. He was right.  I apologized, guys couldn't believe he got home from there under any circumstances.

That's the difference in father-son relationships between now and then. Back in the late 1970s, if I had a good drive on a par 5, but there was a group behind us, my dad would say "Lay up to a sensible number, the group behind us doesn't care if you can reach the green.". And I did what he said because I needed a ride home.

[Brock]

Still remember how awesome I thought my Bushnell rangefinder was almost 20 years ago. Pretty sure it was over $400 at the time. At one point I know I got the cost down under $0.75 per round b4 it succumbed to wear n tear.

Did anyone else get super annoyed back in the day having half the group ask to shoot yardages on many a shots?!?!?!? Maybe it was just my friends haha.

 

[dennyjones]

1 hour ago, Brock said:

Did anyone else get super annoyed back in the day having half the group ask to shoot yardages on many a shots?!?!?!? Maybe it was just my friends haha.

My friends too!  

[phan52]

The ezLocator app is pretty useful when trying to figure out how close pins are to the edges and bunkers. Basically a pin sheet.

[Double Mocha Man]

On 6/11/2022 at 7:05 PM, Brock said:

Did anyone else get super annoyed back in the day having half the group ask to shoot yardages on many a shots?!?!?!?

Why did they have to ask?  Wasn't it always legal for casual golf?

[Piz]

I was annoyed when distance measuring devices became everyone's new toy; but the novelty wore off quickly and the pace of play returned to normal.  I use chicken bones...three thigh bones to be precise.  Just drop them on, or near, a known yardage and proceed from there.  Give yourself a few yards plus or minus...works every time.

[Double Mocha Man]

1 hour ago, Piz said:

I use chicken bones...three thigh bones to be precise.  Just drop them on, or near, a known yardage and proceed from there.

Can you divine water, too... with a forked stick?  Sorry, I should have said divine a "penalty area".

[Sandy Lie]

Even though I have a GPS I still occasionally walk and pace off from a sprinkler head if marked.

Whats funny is that now and then a sprinkler head is replaced with yardage on it and if you have a sense of distance it just feels wrong, in some cases I felt it was closer. So using the GPS I found in to be off by 15 yards.

Funny thing about using a GPS….the other day I was playing with some guys and one of the guys shoots the yardage and puts it away. The 2nd guy shoots his yardage and puts it away. So I asked them what did you shoot?  Both replied with their yardage and there was a 5 yard difference. Yes, they shot it from the same spot. So I took mine out and it was a 2 yard difference.  What was funny to me is that the 1st guy didn’t offer to say the yardage. Not that he has to but it would have been courteous.

[Double Mocha Man]

31 minutes ago, Sandy Lie said:

What was funny to me is that the 1st guy didn’t offer to say the yardage. Not that he has to but it would have been courteous.

Interesting observation.  In a casual round, if everyone has laser rangefinders we've always found it acceptable for one player to announce the yardage, if we're all in essentially the same spot.  Speeds up the game.  As long as you trust that guy's rangefinder is reading the flagstick, not the tree over the green.