Expensive first hole yesterday.

[cougar978]

Yesterday, I thought it would be fun and challenging to play a links-style layout in cold and windy conditions, much like they do in the UK and Ireland. I normally bring two new Pro V1x's to each round, and rarely lose them - I usually end up chewing a dimple or two off the balls after a few rounds, or they get skun up from hitting cart paths. Anyway, first hole at the Hamptons Links course is about 350 yds with knee-high grass on either side of the fairway, about 50 yds wide into a cold 25-30 mph wind.

Since taking any sort of wood on this type of shot would be foolish because of the propensity of the ball to want to balloon off a wood, I decided a knockdown 2-iron would be the best play, off the grass with no tee. I hit this shot successfully several times on Saturday, and it was one of the reasons I brought home a nice chunk of change.

I must have neglected to actually line up my target, and fat-hooked the first one over a hill, into the high grass. After about a 5 minute search, I went back to the teebox (there was a group warming up, but as a single, I was going to blow past them once I re-teed. I take out my other new Pro V1x, and do the same damn thing. I probably let loose with some profanity that would make people want to cover their kid's ears after putting my second one in the junk and re-teeing a third ball. This one, I put in the left rough, then hit on, and drained a 40 footer for a 7.

After that, I shot 73 with a double on 6 (par 70 course) while going 2-under on the back nine with scuffed-up old Pro V1 that had been sitting in my bag for at least a few weeks/months.

Golf is a cruel, cruel game.

[MiniMoe]

I never pull out a new ball if there is a tree or a cart path near the landing area. I don't care what hole it's on. Unless I'm in a big tournament, a new ball gravitates toward water, trees, cart paths and heavy rough. Nothing worse than breaking out a new ball and getting a yellow mark from a tree off one swing.

[O.B. Right]

You're obviously a much better golfer than me but I keep a "lucky hazard ball" in my bag. Right now it's a 15 year old orange colored Top-Flite. Whenever I approach a tee shot over water I pull out this ball. I figure with all the nice new balls already in the lake it wouldn't have any interest in mine.

[FHopper]

I found a Pro V1 the other day and teed it up on a perimeter hole, housing on the left. I sensed a heel strike and looked up to see where it went, I could not find it in the sky, gone, disappeared. Teed up my usual DT carry and landed in the first cut right side. latter I teed up a Callaway something and the same thing, hit it, it felt near the heel, looked up and nothing;hmmm. Teed up another Callaway something and it felt the same but better. It I see, low boring fade left to right and in the fairway. I drive up and there is the first ball 30 yards short of the second... why didn't that happen to the Pro v1!!!! I want the Titleist back, not the Callaway!

[James_Black]

You did well in those conditions.

I'd be happy with breaking 100 on a hard, windy links course!

[glebert]

A few months ago my playing buddy pull/hook/tops his 1st tee shot, it bounces over a fountain and hits a Suburban sitting on the street. He thought that was going to be a really expensive 1st hole, but the truck owner (who was right there and got his info) never called him about it.

[wubskis]

Man, you guys have it soft. Approach the coast in this country and you're greeted with grey skies and wind, with a probable dash of rain.

I was playing a links course up in Scotland the other week (no, not that one) and on antiparallel holes I was hitting 260 with my 4 hybrid on one, then 140 on the other. I reached a 480y par 5 in two swings of the same 4h with my buddy the wind behind me!

If you've never played under such conditions, of course you're not going to be able to just turn up and say "oh I remember trying this shot out, let's do this". I think you scored perfectly well after that start!

[cougar978]

I never pull out a new ball if there is a tree or a cart path near the landing area. I don't care what hole it's on. Unless I'm in a big tournament, a new ball gravitates toward water, trees, cart paths and heavy rough. Nothing worse than breaking out a new ball and getting a yellow mark from a tree off one swing.

I can live with a tree mark on a v1x - the cart paths chew those suckers up though.

[groovezilla79]

If I'm reading this right... you guys are going to the course with only 2 or 3 balls in the bag? That seems a little silly to me. While I throw away more balls that I use, I always have at least 9-12 balls in the bag just in case the old S word creeps up on me.

[rjfan91]

If I'm reading this right... you guys are going to the course with only 2 or 3 balls in the bag? That seems a little silly to me. While I throw away more balls that I use, I always have at least 9-12 balls in the bag just in case the old S word creeps up on me.

He said he only came with 2 NEW balls. He also said he broke out an old ProV1 from his bag. I'm assuming that meant he had other golf balls in his bag....

[cougar978]

If I'm reading this right... you guys are going to the course with only 2 or 3 balls in the bag? That seems a little silly to me. While I throw away more balls that I use, I always have at least 9-12 balls in the bag just in case the old S word creeps up on me.

No, I usually pack 2 new balls before I go out - my bag has a ton of old pro v1x's and another compartment with random 2-piece and cheap balls I find on the course that go in my shag bag as practice balls.

[KillaK]

After about a 5 minute search, I went back to the teebox (there was a group warming up, but as a single, I was going to blow past them once I re-teed. I take out my other new Pro V1x, and do the same damn thing. I probably let loose with some profanity that would make people want to cover their kid's ears after putting my second one in the junk and re-teeing a third ball. This one, I put in the left rough, then hit on, and drained a 40 footer for a 7.

wait so you lost the ball - searched for it for 5 minutes - then went back to the tee to hit another one with people waiting - then proceeded to loose that one - then hit a third ball? With a group behind you waiting on the tee?

pace of play dude - I understand that you were a single but if youre just out there playing for fun isn't hitting provisional a better idea than looking for a ball for five minutes then going back to the tee to hit another one?

[cougar978]

wait so you lost the ball - searched for it for 5 minutes - then went back to the tee to hit another one with people waiting - then proceeded to loose that one - then hit a third ball? With a group behind you waiting on the tee?

They were just standing around stretching out and warming up - I was in and out of there in 2 minutes tops - getting my third ball, hitting it up on the green, and holing the putt took no more than 5 minutes. I played through a guy and his wife walking the hole in front and joined two other guys on 3, and we made it through the nine in about 1:45 (the other guys were only playing nine holes) - then on the back nine, I played through three groups and got around in a little over an hour. If that's slow play, then I don't know what to tell you.

[J-Rob]

Wow you keep a good pace man!

[cougar978]

Wow you keep a good pace man!

My record is 36 holes in a little over four hours by myself.