2024 TST Birdie Challenge

[iacas]

I feel like I was going to meet the challenge this year, until the thumb thing on the 29th. My next rounds might be mid-November.

[billchao]

On 10/16/2024 at 12:12 PM, billchao said:

I thought I had already knocked #1 off the composite list so I didn’t bother posting about it, but apparently I didn’t. I birdied #1 at Spooky Brook on 10/6.

It’s a short par 5; I flared my drive a little right but far enough to get under the trees that would normally block an approach from that angle. I hit PW to 20’ but missed the eagle putt.

Front 9 is done on the composite list. Only #12 and #15 left to go.

I thought I had this today. I hit a good drive right down the middle on #12 and a 3/4 SW to 20’ and made the birdie.

On #15 I hit a good drive and cut the dogleg, pitched it to 6’ but I lipped that one out.

[Maroon88]

I came so close to making birdie on 2 of the 4 holes I'm lacking.  One lipped out on hole 6.  On 15 I had a long right to left breaking putt, and the ball dropped off a few feet before getting to the hole.

I did make both par putts, though.

[DeadMan]

Question for the group. The course I normally play at has 27 holes - 3 9s that they use to for 18 in the various combinations. Is it okay to declare* if I’m playing front or back when I play 9 on this course? I’m figuring I need to declare before I play a shot.

*meaning just say to myself that this is the back 9.

Curious what people think. Of course, my only holes left are 13 and 17, so I’m going to declare the back 9 for the rest of the year. Probably only one or two more rounds though. 

[dennyjones]

23 minutes ago, DeadMan said:

Question for the group. The course I normally play at has 27 holes - 3 9s that they use to for 18 in the various combinations. Is it okay to declare* if I’m playing front or back when I play 9 on this course? I’m figuring I need to declare before I play a shot.

*meaning just say to myself that this is the back 9.

Curious what people think. Of course, my only holes left are 13 and 17, so I’m going to declare the back 9 for the rest of the year. Probably only one or two more rounds though. 

I don't think anyone will really care.   It's your call.  Just be consistent.

[bkuehn1952]

@DeadMan, I think your approach makes sense. As @dennyjones said, consistency is the key.

[iacas]

I would say your back nine is the second nine you play that day. It's part of what makes getting some of those holes tougher.

Or, if 18 holes are played pretty often, out of A, B, and C, and you often play A and C, A is the front and C is the back, regardless of the order you play them in. That way not birdieing C #7 isn't overcome by birdieing the easier A #7 on a day you played it C-A instead of A-C.

But, at the end of the day, nobody really cares except yourself.

[bkuehn1952]

Well, my “home” course closed for the season in early November. My -8 effort was lame. Time to get ready for 2025. Hit the gym so I can blast my drives 205 yards instead of 200.

[Maroon88]

I finished -14

I couldn't birdie 4 of the holes.  I hope to do better this year!

I finished -14

I couldn't birdie 4 of the holes.  I hope to do better this year!

I finished -14

I couldn't birdie 4 of the holes.  I hope to do better this year!

[Sammydreep]

Are we having a 2025 version?
Only asking as I have three up my sleeve so far 😀

[iacas]

Yeah, I'll create something here soon.

[iacas]

[WillieT]

Went back to check to make sure I had captured all the “birds”…best finish to date - with 13 birds and 1 eagle…..4 holes escaped - but I did at least par them.  Looking forward to 2025 and making it a full card of birdies or better…

[DeadMan]

I came up 2 short on my challenge. Missed 13 and 17. Ended up -17 with one eagle thrown in there. Looking forward to trying for this again in 2025. Given that I played 36 rounds in total (with a decent amount being 9 hole rounds), I think getting 16 birdies is prety solid.

On my last round of the year (on December 27th), hole 13 was a par 5 that I hit in 2 ... and then I 3 putted. Dang. Wouldn't have made the challenge though, as I didn't have a legitimate birdie chance on 17 during that round.

[iacas]

I too came up two short, on 10 and 17. I didn't play either hole "well" all year, though I had chances on 17. I had a few on 10, too, but it's a tough hole.

[Sammydreep]

I missed one too,

it used to be a fairly short par five, you then walked 80 or 90 yards to the right and slightly back to play a shortish par three ,which was guarded by two huge trees left and right.

That green is now the par five, so if you hit two  really nice shots up the middle of the fairway, the tree on the left  blocks out approximately 3/4 of the Green

ideally, you want your second shot to be on the right hand side of the fairway, but there is a huge tree about 400 yards out which hangs over the right hand side so you have to hit it up the middle with a fade  

Anyway, managed to knock off another hole  today.