Remembering 1st hole at Torrey Pines - My best embarrassing moment

[PiustheDrGolf]

Reading one of postings here, I just remembered the 1st hole at Torrey Pines South.

When my family moved to San Diego and , as a golfaholic, I was so excited to play at Torrey Pines. After getting San Diego county resident card, I was able to pay little more than $40 to play there. Anyway, it's hard to get a tee time so I went there with my dad before 6 a.m. and put our names on waiting list. It took little more than 2 hours of waiting time (Year 2001) and finally we were able to tee off just before 9 a.m.

Being one of most famous and favorable courses, Torrey Pines gets packed by all golfers around world. The 1st hole is right in front of the club house where huge balcony on 2nd story is overlooking the 1st holes at right behind of the black tee. It was crowded and waiting people were watching every tee shots on 1st hole and waiting their turns.

I guess I was little longer and shooting lower scores than now back then. and I chose a black tee to enjoy/ruin my round. I had played high school tournaments (district/state) before but the 1st holes at Torrey was more crowded and watched than any other 1st holes that I ever played. Nervous.. and pressured that I need to show watchers how black tee players are capable of.

Well? As you all guessed, I choked. I topped the teeshot so bad it only went 40-50 yards just passed the ladies tee. I can't erase the awful memory even now. I've played many more rounds there and hit many perfect tee shot on the 1st hole but..the one that I did at first time never left my brain.

Do I need a therapy for this? haha just Good All Golfing Memory. :)
What is your best embarrassing moment?

[Chas]

Hilarious. But don't feel so bad, I made a hash out of my drive on the 1st tee at St. Andrews about 35 years ago. And things didn't get much better for the other 17. Of course I didn't take up golf serious for about 30 years after that

Confession: I'm one of those guys who stands on the balcony just behind the 1st tees at Torrey, you know just outside the shop, watching players tee off and getting a lot of entertainment there. This doesn't reflect very well, I know.

Don't ask me how I did the first time at Torrey South. Not very pretty either lol. But the second time IIRC I hit the thing rather pure .... aaaaaah.

[whetstone]

When I was about 20-21, I was playing with a friend and two older men that he knew. After about the third time the cart girl came by I started talking about her... various bodyparts, and I went way over the line with my commentary. As it turned out, one of the guys was her father, and the other was their minister. I learned a good lesson that day about keeping my thoughts to myself, you never know who your audience is!

[NormH3]

Back in the early 90's, the company I worked for had a weekend retreat. We gave them a half day for meetings, and they paid for us to bring our spouses for a nice weekend.
The place we stayed at in Northern West Virginia had a nice golf course. My wife had never seen me play before and decided to ride along with me in the cart.
My first 3 tee shots on the first hole duck hooked into water not far from the tee. As I reached for a fourth ball, the starter stopped me and pointed out a huge storm rolling in behind us. never got to play and my wife got a good laugh at my expense.

[2bGood]

When I was about 20-21, I was playing with a friend and two older men that he knew. After about the third time the cart girl came by I started talking about her... various bodyparts, and I went way over the line with my commentary. As it turned out, one of the guys was her father, and the other was their minister. I learned a good lesson that day about keeping my thoughts to myself, you never know who your audience is!

LOL serves you right!

So did her dad's head explode? I would love to hear the details of this story

[wedge player]

mine was also on the first tee playing the tips backed up everyone watching hit a major slice i felt like a jackass

[Jay-Bird]

When I was about 20-21, I was playing with a friend and two older men that he knew. After about the third time the cart girl came by I started talking about her... various bodyparts, and I went way over the line with my commentary. As it turned out, one of the guys was her father, and the other was their minister. I learned a good lesson that day about keeping my thoughts to myself, you never know who your audience is!

Too damn funny.

[jdub]

had one of these moments the other day... his the ball with a cobra s9 and it sounded solid

it went 200 yards... straight up and landed on the girls red tee off area... I was embarrassed

[Smiffy]

A good few years ago now (1991 to be exact) I booked my first trip up to Scotland for myself and 6 friends. We just had to play the Old Course.
Booked it well in advance and turned up to play. Stood on the first tee, right in front of the clubhouse, I was so nervous. I have never been so nervous on a first tee in my life. I was in the leading threeball and my two mates teed off and both hit good drives straight down the middle.
I stepped up, took a couple of practice swings and then went for it. I hit the ground about 3 inches behind the ball and hit an awful nobbled shot which ended up in the valley of sin by the 18th green. How I wished the ground would open and swallow me up.
Head down, to ashamed to look up, I picked my bag up and headed off to play my second shot. Couple of practice swings, felt good...I then proceeded to hit the fattest shot I have ever hit complete with a divot which came out like a two foot long snake. It made about 30 yards progress down the first fairway and I continued to knob my way down towards the green. I never did finish that first hole and I haven't been back to St Andrews since. My friends all thought it was hilarious, and even today some 18 years later one of them will mention it every now and then.

[flap]

Years ago my son was in the navy in Sandiego and the Mrs and i payed 90.00 each to play Torrey south and a asst pro walked the first 4 holes with you.Well everyone is watching on the first the balcony is packed and I stripe my drive 280 dead in the middle,one of those just bend down get your tee and leave shots.Well the Mrs hits it well also so off we go and the Asst pro starts to tell us about the flora and Fauna on the course.Well ask him what about my swing or my wifes and he says :I am not here for that,I only tell you about course history'.Well now I am pissed as I fell I spent 90.00 to listen to this guy tell me what kind of tree I might hit my ball into so I tell him to take a walk and we will not be needing him.My wife hits her second shot onto the green and Iam really heated from this guy and proceed to skull my 9 iron over the gree and into oblivion.Nice course bad day---Thats Golf

[PiustheDrGolf]

A good few years ago now (1991 to be exact) I booked my first trip up to Scotland for myself and 6 friends. We just

Thank you for offering a good therapy session. Knowing others had similar experiences, now I can overcome the memory.

[PaulMVR]

I was golfing at bunker hills in minnesota. I was alone and I ended up joining up with these two 55 year old guys. They seemed drunk. They seemed like nice people, and seemed pretty normal. But on almost every hole they had to stop and pee, and they didn't even go into the woods.. they'd just walk to the side of the fairway, turn around and start peeing in the rough, and when we got to like the 8th hole on the back nine, of course, one of them had to piss again.. and this time, the guy just stood on the cart path, whipped it out, and started pissing on some trees right there. Then as that was happening, the drink cart girl drove right past me and saw him pissing there. She stopped and turned her head at me and whispered: "Oh my god, why didn't you tell me not to drive over there". I'm pretty sure the guy saw her driving over towards them, and he just kept on going without a care in the world.

I felt pretty bad for her... she kept looking at me, she asked me to tell her when he was done so she could keep moving. And after it was safe for her to go, she drove right past them, and they actually asked her for a beer.

I was hoping they'd get kicked out or something, but, nothing happened. Man that was uncomfortable.

[Smiffy]

Another one happened a few years later...

Playing a local course with quite a few friends, we were waiting for the first green to clear. First hole is a downhill par 4 which is easily driveable, certainly during the Summer months.
I was standing at the back of the tee with my 3 wood, taking practice swings. I will feeling good. Lovely swing, lovely rythmn.
I then turned 90 degrees, without looking up, and took another swing.
What I hadn't realised was that I was standing very close to the chainlink fence that surrounded both sides and the back of the tee.
As it hit it, my 3 wood shaft went off like a rifle shot and the head of the club went tumbling through the air into a nearby bush. I looked at what was left of the shaft of my club and the end of it looked like a palm tree.
My mates could not stop laughing.....