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Bad condition course in relation to score


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Posted

i have only been playing for a short time, end of last year 5 or so times and then about 10-15 rounds this year starting in june, i have been dropping from around 120 down to my lowest 92, i have been steadily dropping this past month, 102,100,99,97,95,92 then i played yeasterday at a short course and thought for sure i would break into the 80's but the course was so bad and i shot a 99, dirt spots in fairways, unlevel tee boxes, half burn up greens with dirt spots, ruff that looked like a mans head with thinning hair, and so on....

so my question is how bad does your score raise when you play a terrible course? or is it just me? also my best round came on a course in the best condition i have ever seen yet


Posted

Depends on what the issues are with the course.  If the problem is with the greens, then it's probably going to cost extra strokes.  Dead spots, poorly repaired areas, bad mowing all cause inconsistent speed and break, making putting a chore.

Tee boxes don't usually bother me because you get to put the ball on a peg, even when hitting an iron.  Uneven tees isn't any different from uneven lies in the fairway except that with the ball on a peg you get a perfect lie every time.

Fairway can be an issue if they are really bad, but I've gotten enough practice hitting from all sorts of lies that a tight lie on mostly bare ground isn't usually a problem.  If it's soft, damp and bare then it's trouble because even a little bit fat makes the hit a dud.  Dry hardpan is a piece of cake.

Rough can be anything.  That's why it's called rough.  You are supposed to try and avoid it.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

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Posted
Most of the bad courses I play have bad tee boxes and bakes fairways. The fairways I don't mind so much, but the tee boxes really agitate me. Not only can it be hard to find a good spot to tee up, but (the even bigger issue is) I hate when I can't find a solid piece of land to stand on. One foot in a divot and one foot out is not appealing. I tend to stay away form those courses. Rough usually isn't that bad. In the spring it's typically patchy, which can lead to some crappy lies, but in the summer when the grass is all waterless, it's actually not bad at all. Sometimes it can be even easier than the fairway.

In my bag:

Driver: Titleist TSi3 | 15º 3-Wood: Ping G410 | 17º 2-Hybrid: Ping G410 | 19º 3-Iron: TaylorMade GAPR Lo |4-PW Irons: Nike VR Pro Combo | 54º SW, 60º LW: Titleist Vokey SM8 | Putter: Odyssey Toulon Las Vegas H7

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Posted

Bad greens could definitely cost you some strokes if your ball won't roll on a true line. Tee's, rough, and fairway might cost you some strokes but the biggest killer is what it does to you mentally. It's very frustrating to hit a good shot only for the end result to be on a dry patch or sitting down in patchy in rough. I think bad course conditions would cause you to shoot a higher score quite a bit because mentally you can only take so many bad brakes.

Driver: i15, 3 wood: G10, Hybrid: Nickent 4dx, Irons: Ping s57, Wedges: Mizuno MPT 52, 56, 60, Putter: XG #9 

Posted

I don't particularly care about tee boxes... I either find a clear spot for my irons or just use a tee. Also don't mind poor fairways. But poorly maintained greens and sand traps can ruin you. Get a ball on a green full of blemishes, or get your ball in a crater WITHIN the sand trap, and you'll get frustrated quick.

I coulda sworn I left the cart right here......


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