Odd round today

[smaug81243]

I went to a new course today with a couple buddies (Crystal falls golf course in Leander, Texas. Rated 70.6/126 from the tees we played from) and was shocked at how different it was. Previous courses I have played have generally been long, flat and mostly wide-open with a fair number of bunkers. This course was gorgeous but had massive elevation changes, was incredibly tight and did not have a single bunker. I ended up shooting a 91 while hitting 9 GIR (:O) and only losing one ball the entire round. I'm happy with the GIR as I usually only hit 6 a round and only losing one ball on a course this tight. However, putting/chipping on a completely different course killed me. I had 43 putts. 43! I usually end up around low 30s for putts. It also probably didn't help much that we were running late getting to the course and weren't able to warm up in anyway.

A couple of shots that I was particularly proud of:

1. Short par 4 (320-330 yds or so). Tee shot has a tree hanging over the right half of the fairway at my normal trajectory. I was able to hit a stinger with a baby draw on it right up the fairway. A big deal for me as I've been practicing it on the range lately and hadn't used it on the course yet.

2. Another short par 4 with a similar yardage. I hooked a 3 wood into the woods and had around 160 to the green but had tree's lined up that I had to hit a low hook to have a chance at the green. I was able to pull it off and get on the green by hitting a 7 iron stinger!

Frustrations with the round:

1. Ball striking wasn't particularly crisp all day. I hit a lot of shots reasonably well but none pure. Many would be slightly thin and end up in a reasonably good spot.

2. Short-game was awful!!! I didn't blade any chips or mishit any putts, I just had no distance control until hole 12 or 13.

3. I had a really solid back 9 going (2 over on the back 9 going into hole 17 and 18, an easy par 4 and easy par 5) and blew up. I triple bogeyed both holes :O. On 17 I hit a solid 3 wood but caught a bad break as it hit a tree, ricocheted backwards and left me with a tough second shot. I was able to hit a 6 iron over a few trees just right of the green and then pitched it on. Then my putter failed me with a 4 putt :/ On 18 I could not hit the ball. I hit my tee shot extremely low and it went about 50 yards. Topped the next shot and then was able to put 2 mediocre shots together in a row to get next to the green, chipping for 5. Awful chip followed by 3 putts. Yikes.

Other thoughts/questions:

1. It really seem to need a few minutes to warm up on the putting green and on the driving range or it really hurts my game. Are most golfers this way or are any of you able to go out with no warm up and shoot similar scores to your game once you warm up?

2. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to hit a low slice? I have been just trying to finish low while holding off the release for my low shots and have been able to hit them dead straight all the way to major hooks. I have not been able to slice them.

3. What's the worst score differential you have had between your handicap and your score? I'm currently a 9.5 handicap and did not come anywhere close to that today!

[boogielicious]

Sounds like you had fun.

1.  At my age (54) I need to loosen up and warm up my body.  The range helps, but I limit it to maybe 30 balls.  Any more and it will hurt my round.

2.  Low slice as in push fade - ball back in stance, open up face to be open with respect to path at impact.

3.  I would have to look that up.

[chasm]

I'm struck by the fact that you are a nine handicap but say you usually hit only six greens in regulation. You must get up and down pretty well.

[David in FL]

I'm struck by the fact that you are a nine handicap but say you usually hit only six greens in regulation. You must get up and down pretty well.

I only average 7 or so.

Think about it.....if you hit 6 GIR, even if you seldom get up and down, you're still going to average right around 10-12 over par.  That's right in the wheelhouse of a 9 hcp.

[chasm]

I only average 7 or so. Think about it.....if you hit 6 GIR, even if you seldom get up and down, you're still going to average right around 10-12 over par.  That's right in the wheelhouse of a 9 hcp.

My handicap is currently 17.7. Over my last 25 rounds I have averaged 4 GIR. Dismal, I know. But hitting two more isn't going to cut my handicap by eight shots.

[David in FL]

My handicap is currently 17.7. Over my last 25 rounds I have averaged 4 GIR. Dismal, I know. But hitting two more isn't going to cut my handicap by eight shots.

The difference is that he's missing his GIR by one stroke.....you're missing a lot of them by several.

[chasm]

The difference is that he's missing his GIR by one stroke.....you're missing a lot of them by several.

Well, not exactly. But I take your point.

[smaug81243]

[INDENT][/INDENT]It's probably [quote name="David in FL" url="/t/76312/odd-round-today#post_1033653"] The difference is that he's missing his GIR by one stroke.[/quote] This is especially true. At the course I typically play I very rarely do not have at least a NGIR. With the exception of a couple greens, they are all fairly flat and do not have tricky terrain surrounding them (most aren't elevated/no heavy rough near them). However, the greens do seem to be smaller than other courses I have played. On top of that, I am smart about avoiding penalty strokes (ex: I typically don't go for a par 5 that is protected by water in the front in two because I am not consistent enough at getting a higher ball flight to carry the water. Too often I will hit a lower shot that rolls out to a similar distance. I have been working on it and seen a lot of improvement, but it's still not consistent enough yet.)

[WUTiger]

1. I have an arthritic right hip - doesn't hurt until end of round, but it's still stiff when I show up. I do a dynamic stretch routine, chip and putt, hit some partial shots and then about 25 full shots. If the hip is still tight, I need to adjust my stance so I don't pull the ball. (Tight hip = I rotate less on my backswing than my downswing). If going to my home course, I'll stop by gym and do 10 minutes on elliptical machine before I hit the range.

2. Low fade: I open my stance and play the ball a bit ahead of my normal position. If the shot goes well, I end up thinning the ball slightly and working it back to the right. This works best out of light rough, with a slight grass cushion under ball. (I don't do well with a classic stinger shot).

3. I've been playing for about 50 years... Which era?

[smaug81243]

Out of curiosity, what does your dynamic stretch routine consist of?

[vangator]

It's funny but for me GIR has never been a primary determinant of my handicap. I've had a single digit hcp since my second year playing. I am a scrambler. A couple of week ago, I hit 3 GIR and shot a 74. Four sand saves, a chip in, and the rest were stony chips. Learn to get the ball up and down and you can really pi$$ your friends off. :-) Since I've switched to single length clubs, I hit double digit GIR, but my scores have only slightly improved. I don't need to scramble for pars. Most are from missed birdie attempts. And it's frustrating.