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Mini Tour Play


Ben
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Sounds like things are back on track. Hopefully you carry some momentum going forward. Good luck!!

|Callaway I-MIX FT-9  - Driver | Callaway Diablo Octane - 3 Wood | Callaway Diablo Edge Tour [3H & 4H] - Hybrids | Callaway X-forged 2009 - Irons | Callaway JAWS [52, 56, 60] - Wedges | SC Studio Style Newport 2 / Laguna 1.5 / Kombi-S - Putter |
 

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  • 2 weeks later...
Good and bad today, but, mostly good. Kinda.

Golden State Tour on one of my favorite places, good 'ol Temecula Creek Inn .The Creek and Oaks nines

The good: Kept it under par, 1under 71. The bad: Missed the money by 2...

Started off hot with a tap in birdie on 1 after hitting a cute PW from 115y off a hard-pan lie. Bogeyed 2, whatever. Was really nailing tee shots and giving myself good looks on the front 9. Snuck in another birdie on 6 and finished 1under on the front. Then things just kinda went stale. For a few holes I'd get off the tee alright, then jack up my approach and make a good putt for par. Then from 14 on, I didn't hit a single good tee shot, and I was struggling to make par, which thankfully I did. But it was a real pain in the butt coming down the stretch.

My putting, which I have been spending the majority of my time practicing lately, was spot on. Really great actually! I gotta put in a little more work on the range.

That all being said, my last four rounds at TCI have me at 8under. 4under, even, 3under and 1under today. This place is really fun. If you get a chance to play it, go for it.

Here's the Leaderboard: http://www.gstour.com/results.php?to...EEK+INN+081610 That Kevin Kim guy has been tearing it up lately. In his last three events, he's shot 62, 62 and 63 today. Crazy! Justin Itzen has gone 62, 64 in his last two. Some serious golf being played on the GST lately.

Thanks for reading!

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  • Moderator
Wow!! Those are some serious scores! Sounds like a really tough tour. Good to hear that it's turning around a little.

Bryan A
"Your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same"

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Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • 1 month later...
Its been a while, finally jumped back into action last week. Played in the 3-day Golden State Tour event at PGA West's Norman course . (7156y - 75.1/139)

I've been saving my money in order to make my trip to Korean Tour QSchool this year, so to plunk down $700 for this thing wasn't exactly high on my list of priorities. But, this girl that I'm seeing convinced me otherwise. She's a mystic type and did a reading for me which more-or-less read that I need to disregard my worries and follow my through with my plans (dreams). The cards were right. I finished at even par and in a tie for 10th.

A few other determining factors that led me to play was, I love PGA West and I love La Quinta, CA. The courses are nice, the scenery is great and the weather is always perfect. Also, two week back I caddied for my buddy at this very course for his PGA QSchool so I still had the course fresh in my head.

Day 1 - 1under, 71 Pretty lack-luster start, already picking up a bogey on the second hole, a par-5 none the less. Got that stroke back on the 5th but preceded to bogey 6 and 7. Six I was actually alright with, that's the hardest hole on the course (481y par-4 dead straight, bunkers in the landing area and playing slightly into the wind) and when I drove my ball too far left into the desert I was really looking at bogey 5 at the best. In anycase on 8 and 9 I have some really good looks at birdie but miss and finish at 2 over after 9. Then it starts. 10, birdie. 11, birdie. 12 a par-5, I'm pin high but off the green in two, but end up with a par... But, back to even. Little faulter on 13 when I bogey, its a tough par-3 with water guarding the right side. It was playing into the wind and I misclubbed. We get to hole 16 and I'm still at 1 over, here comes a reachable par-5, and what do I do with my drive, hit it into a bush, have to take an unplayable and wind up with a 15' par-putt, draino! I was pumped and actually thought to myself, there's two holes left, I should be able to birdie one of them. 17, is a par-3, I practically holed my tee shot, it rolled passed the hole and stopped at around 10' drained that one! Number 18 is the #2 hdcp hole. 461y par-4 with a sliver of a green. Thanfully I found myself with the exact club in my hand and practically the same distance as the shot on the par 3. This one I stuck to 3' and I couldn't have missed that putt. It was going in no matter what. Birdie birdie finish to get myself under par and into 6th place. I was really riding high after that!

Day 2 - 3over, 75... A little better start, kinda. Holes 1 and 2 I had birdie putts of 4 feet and missed both of those. But did drain a 12footer on 3 for birdie. Hole 5, 2' for par, missed. Couldn't believe that one, stupid! Hole 8, a par-5, drove it into another bush another unplayable, but this time no par, bogey... Number 9, fairway bunker to waste area to short to 2' to missed putt to double freakin' bogey! 3-over after 9 this time. A glimer of hope as I continue to rip 10 apart and hit another approach to inside 4' (like the day before). A chance to get another one back on the par-5 12th, front edge of the green in two, chip to 4 feet, but miss that putt! damn. 13 gets me again, when I hit my tee shot to a bunker, make a great out to about 3' and miss that one! What is going on?! After that its par par par par par par par... Bleh. The day of the missed putts! If you were counting that was six from 4 feet or closer, SIX!

Day 3 - Sitting in 10th place and the top 10 get paid Today, the front 9 was mine! Birdie, par, birdie, par, birdie, birdie start. 4-under after 6 holes! Just knocking shots in stiff, which I had been the first two days, but I was making the putts this time too. The birdie on 6 was out of control. The pin was back left and I was in a bunker front right. About a 30y shot, I holed it! So I finish the front with solid looks at birdie on 7 and 8, no go, but do finish at 4under. Oh man I had another great chance on 10, but miss and 11 too. Number 12, Par 5, this time I think I'm gonna birdie for sure. Mini pull off the tee, into, a bush! Unplayable penalty, hit my 4th shot to 3' and miss the par. Ohhh I was pissed about that. But it doesn't phase me. My laser irons are on, and I hit approaches on 13, 14 and 15 all to within 20', but miss eash putt, and just barely on each. 16, par-5. Pull, water, penatly stroke, bogey. Great. I really hurt myself on the par5s, I just checked my cards and I was 4over on the with no birdies. Totally unacceptable! So, instead of really going low after that front nine, I finish at 2-under, not bad. I was happy with that, but oh, what could have been!

The Stats

Day 1: Fairways: 11/14 - GIR: 12/18 - Putts: 28 - Birdies: 5 - Bogeys: 4 - Penatly: 1 shot
Day 2: Fairways: 10/14 - GIR: 12/18 - Putts: 31 - Birdies: 2 - Bogeys: 3 - Other: 1 - Penalty: 1 Shot
Day 3: Fairways: 11/14 - GIR: 13/18 - Putts: 29 - Birdies: 4 - Bogeys: 2 - Penalty: 2 shots


http://www.pgawest.com/club/scripts/...RP=13092&NS;=PG

http://gstour.com/results.php?tourna...+Norman+100610

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  • Moderator
Great job!! I was wondering when we would hear back from you.

Bryan A
"Your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same"

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Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

  • 3 weeks later...
Yesterday I had my qualifying round for the Cal State Open at Oak Valley GC in Beaumont . Site of First Stage of PGA Qschool . 84 guys playing for 16 spots. Oak Valley is one of my favorite courses around and has had my number so far, my best score being a 3over 75. I've been playing really good lately so I was confident going into my round, but the conditions could have proved too much of a match. Only one week after QSchool came through, the rough was still up and thick and the greens still lightning fast. On top of that, the wind was really blowing. a steady 1-club wind with gusts up to 3-clubs.

I had a short but really sweet warm up session on the range and was really feeling good for my 7:39 tee time on the back, the second group out. I kinda breezed through the back with one birdie and no bogeys. Fairways, greens, good touch with the putter. I only missed one green and that was on a par-3 that I nuked a 5iron straight over the pin and rolled just off the back of the green. The 14th playing 210y to the pin, it was a little downwind, but I still don't know how I flew that thing 215y??! Anyway. One minor slip up when I missed from 2' for birdie on the par-5 16th after playing an awesome flop from 55y.

To the front nine. And the wind was really starting to blow. The entire nine there was no more steady 1-club wind, but a steady 2-club wind with gusts. The first hole, I hit an alright 3wood that squirted into the rough leaving me with 88y and a slightly downhill, crosshill lie. I straight up shanked my 58* wedge, it was great! I left myself way right of the green with a pine tree to navigate under, some swails with a bunch of rough and about 30' of slick green to work with. Shot of the day as I punched an 8 iron through the rough, the ball trickled on the green and rolled rolled rolled out to about 5' and I made the putt for par! On the par-3 12th I chipped in from just off the back of the green far a nice little birdie. Then the next hole, the green is elevated well above the fairway and the wind was really howling. I had an even easier chip then the last hole, but I totally flubbed it. I got knocked by a gust, on top of that I had the wrong club in my hand. I totally should have used my PW instead of my 58*, took a bogey, knocked myself down to 1under. Oh well. The next two holes were straight into the teeth of of the wind. the first a par-5 where I smashed a driver, hit a solid 3 wood and had to get creative with a little punch chip 9iron from only 110y. Squeaked out of there with par, then the wheels started coming off. Two bogeys in a row, the first on a par three that was 174y but with the wind I played it 205y and totally skanked my tee shot. Didn't get up and down. The next on the hardest hole on the course, and that was a heck of a bogey.

With only two holes to play and sitting at 1over par, I was thinking to myself, just get myself through with two pars and I should be alright. I really made a go of it, leaving myself in some crazy positions with my approach shots and some real tests for par with some unconventional looks at birdie. Both holes that long birdie attempts rolled out to about 3', but center cut both the par putts and finished at 1over!

What a freakin' battle! Needless to say, today I'll be at the range working on my 3 wood and driver. The Open starts next week and is played over two courses. Oak Valley, and Soboba Springs, where the Nationwide Tour was a few weeks back. I'll be there on Monday for a practice round.




http://pgatq.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/p...1020/index.htm

http://www.oakvalleygolf.com/golf.jsp

http://scpga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/s...eaderboard.htm

http://scpga.bluegolf.com/bluegolf/s...0134/index.htm

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Congratulations on qualifying for the SC Open.

|Callaway I-MIX FT-9  - Driver | Callaway Diablo Octane - 3 Wood | Callaway Diablo Edge Tour [3H & 4H] - Hybrids | Callaway X-forged 2009 - Irons | Callaway JAWS [52, 56, 60] - Wedges | SC Studio Style Newport 2 / Laguna 1.5 / Kombi-S - Putter |
 

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Holy crap the winner shot 8 under 64. He must have been unconscious!

Carazy huh! He must have been hitting a lot of fairways. Miss them and its tough to get within 15'. The greens were receptive and rolled absolutely perfect, so long as you found the right line putts dropped. He must have been draining tons of putts! A look at the scorecard and its really what pros should be doing. Birdie the par 5s and throw in a few other birdies. There are some atackable par 4s on this course. His birdie on 4 is pretty impressive though. That's a tough hole. But yeah, to blow away the field like that is pretty dang impressive!

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That's awesome news, Ben! I hope to hear good news from you at the Cal State Open.

-- Michael | My swing! 

"You think you're Jim Furyk. That's why your phone is never charged." - message from my mother

Driver:  Titleist 915D2.  4-wood:  Titleist 917F2.  Titleist TS2 19 degree hybrid.  Another hybrid in here too.  Irons 5-U, Ping G400.  Wedges negotiable (currently 54 degree Cleveland, 58 degree Titleist) Edel putter. 

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Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Yesterday I had my qualifying round for the Cal State Open at

Nice job shooting your PB on that course!

"You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred." Woody Allen
My regular pasture.

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Congrats, knock 'em dead next week!

In the bag:
FT-iQ 10° driver, FT 21° neutral 3H
T-Zoid Forged 15° 3W, MX-23 4-PW
Harmonized 52° GW, Tom Watson 56° SW, X-Forged Vintage 60° LW
White Hot XG #1 Putter, 33"

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Cal State Open = Fail

Day 1, Oak Valley. Started off great. Almost holed out for eagle on 2, made the birdie putt. Bogeyed 4, but came right back on the par-5 5th for birdie. Got to hole 7, the hardest hole on the course, sitting at 1under and pumped a perfect cut fade to 8iron distance. Got a little aggressive with the approach and missed the green left. In between my shot and going to the green to get up and down, we had to search for a competitors ball in the rough. That's when disaster hit. I used to run and quit because I would always pull a muscle in my right calf, well, as I started to trot down a hill on the search, sure enough, there goes my calf. And this time was the worst i've ever felt it. Thankfully, I pull myself together enough to get up and down for a nice par, but, I just can't shake the pain from my head and I go on to bogey three of the next five holes. I get one back with a birdie on the par-5 13th, but then go on to bogey two more holes and finish at 3over.

Day 2, Soboba Springs. What a joke. I just had absolutely nothing. I have no idea how it went so bad so easily, but it did. My calf was fine, so I can't use that as an excuse. It was simply gone. Wasn't sharp anywhere, off the tee, approach shots, chips nor putts. It was all gone. That being said, I did manage to get around at 3over. So, under the circumstances, not that bad a result for a horendous day! The one and only highlight of the round was holing out for eagle from 92y on the par-5 5th.

Finished at 6over, five off the cutline. Thanks for coming.

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  • Moderator
Tough luck man! Timing of things can really be a killer in this sport.

Bryan A
"Your desire to change must be greater than your desire to stay the same"

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Awards, Achievements, and Accolades

Sorry it didn't go so well. You'll get 'em next time.

In the bag:
FT-iQ 10° driver, FT 21° neutral 3H
T-Zoid Forged 15° 3W, MX-23 4-PW
Harmonized 52° GW, Tom Watson 56° SW, X-Forged Vintage 60° LW
White Hot XG #1 Putter, 33"

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Note: This thread is 1567 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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  • Posts

    • I had to think about this topic for a while. I don't tend to remember specific details about my putts, but a few do stand out in my mind so I guess they're worth noting. I don't know that I'd call them my favorite but it's close enough. #18 at Spooky Brook Might be the hardest 4' putt I've ever had. Pin was back right and I hit my third shot just to the right of it. The green slopes fairly severely back to front. I read the green but I knew the putt anyway as I've seen it before. I told the guys I was playing with that the putt was it was going to break almost 3' and if it doesn't go in I'd have a longer coming back up for par than I was looking at. It went in. #12 at Quail Brook I'm not even sure how to describe this green properly. It's not quite a two-tiered green, but the back and front are separated by a ridge that goes across the middle of it, with the green sloping harder off the front than the back. You can generally putt from the front to a back hole location but good luck keeping the ball on the green if you putt from back to front. On this particular day, I was looking at the latter. I had to putt up into the apron due to how the ball was going to break and that helped slow the ball down enough to hit the hole at the perfect speed. One of the rare birdies I've seen on that hole. #2 at Hyatt Hills Short par 5. This makes the list because it's the first eagle putt I've ever made, which funny enough happened the day after the first eagle I've ever made. I've made two eagles in all my life and they came on back to back days. I wasn't even planning on playing golf - it was a Monday - but I was doing some work at the place I used to work at when I was younger and catching up with some of the guys I've known for years. They were going out to play in the afternoon and had a spot available. I used to see these guys every day for years but we've never played together, so I said I'm in. I hit a really good approach shot into slope that separated the two tiers on the green and spun the ball closer to the hole. Had roughly 8' left to the hole, a downhill right to left breaker. One of the guys said, "You've got to make this, I've never seen an eagle before," and I said, "I've never made an eagle putt before." And then I made it. #17 at Stoneleigh @GolfLug's post reminded me of my own heroics on #17 a couple of years ago. The hole was back left, in the bottom tier. I hit my approach short of the green and flubbed my chip so it stayed on the top tier. I read how the putt was going to break after the ramp (is that what you call it?), then read my putt up to that point. It needed to basically die at that point because if it hit the slope with any kind of speed, it would long past the hole and possibly off the green. I hit the putt perfectly and holed the 40-footer center cup. #6 at Meadow at Neshanic Valley, #15 in the Round This was during the stroke play qualifier of my tournament. It might be a little bit of recency bias and I hit some really good long putts in the four rounds I played, but this 7-footer was my favorite putt of the entire tournament. The hole was cut on the top of a ridge. I hit my tee shot short right but hit a pretty good chip just long and below the hole. Play had backed up at this point, with the ladies waiting on the tee while we were finishing up. I hit the putt just a hair on the high side and it curled around the hole, fell back a couple of inches and stopped on lip. We all looked at it incredulously, "How does that not fall in?" Before I took my first step towards the hole, the ball must have thought the same thing and decided to drop.
    • I don't remember a ton of putts, but I've thought about this a bit and came up with 2 good ones. #5 at Mid-South: 2017 Newport Cup I remember the putt pretty well, but the surrounding details are a little hazy. I believe this was in my singles match against @cipher, and it was a hole he was stroking on. I had hit a mediocre approach to the front of the green and had what must have been a 50 foot putt to a back pin. If I remember correctly, @cipher was pretty close for an easy par at worst. I had @mvmac help me out with a read, which ended up being a great read by him. Hit the putt and jarred it for birdie. It was perfect speed, too, would have been an easy 2 putt if it hadn't gone in. I think we ended up tying for the hole. But I rarely make putts that long, and doing it to steal half a hole was really nice. #3 Fox Hollow (Links): 2023 Match Play This was on the third extra hole of a scratch match against a legitimate 0 handicapper. We had tied after 18 holes and traded pars on the first two extra holes. On the third extra hole, he had about 30 feet for birdie; I had about 25. We were on pretty much the exact same line. He missed his putt just on the low side, and I conceded the par. I felt good over this putt - I knew the break well and just needed good speed. I hit a great (not perfect) putt, and BAM, back of the cup for the victory on the 21st hole. I will say that the speed wasn't great, as it would have been a few feet past if it didn't hit the cup. But I wanted to give the ball a chance and take a bit of break out of it. I went on to win the match play tournament, which is my only tournament victory in a scratch event.
    • there will be lots of changes.  i mean, look at newey past, each team fell off a cliff when he moved on i think max is the magic bullet   if red bull loses him then whee are they going for drivers?   lots of young talent but he is a proven winner and i’m sure top engineers love to work with him  
    • I too, like @GolfLug, remember great wedge, iron shots, or my missed putts, more than my made putts. My most memorable recently, would be: #17 Old Course St. Andrews (last year) I had been putting awful all day (I started 3 putt, 4 putt, 3 putt, 3 putt), but found a putting stroke on the back 9 and was 1 under on the back going into 16 and of course I 3-putted it for a bogey. Got to 17 and my playing partner just hit it into the hotel, so I went a little more left and decided to not try and hit it over the hotel.  And as soon as my ball was in the air, I heard one of the other caddies do the chicken noise.  LOL My shot was a little more left than I wanted, about 185 yards, I hit a 6-iron and it was drawing right at the flag.  The pin was just to the right of he bunker and towards the front of the green. My ball hit short (and just missed going into said bunker) and stopped about 15 feet left of the hole. Had a little left to right break and as soon as I hit it, I knew it was in.  Birdie on the road hole, looked at the caddie and said not bad for a Chicken.  Parred 18 (missed 10 foot birdie putt) for a 35 on the back 9 at the Old Course. #18 Springfield G&CC Last year while playing in our season long match play event, my partner and I get the 18th hole needing to win the match to move on into the knockout round.  We are tied going into 18.  A tie and we lose on overall points by .5.  Our teaching pro is on the other team (very good golfer), so we were pretty sure we needed a birdie to have a chance to win the match, I hit on of the best drives I hit all day and had about 135 yards to the pin, but it was in a place where you didn't really want to be long.  So I hit a PW and it landed just short of the flag but released about 12 feet past the hole, so have a devilish putt coming back down the hill.  Our competitors were away and the pro missed his birdie putt by inches, I thought it was in when he hit it.  So after reading the putt, which probably had a 2 cup left to right break, I made the putt to win the match.   #15 Springfield G&CC A few years back, was playing in the first round of the Club Championship (against the previous years runner-up) and my putter was balky all day.  Got to the 15 hole, 2nd Par 5 on back, and was 3-down with 4 to play.  We both hit good drives, both hit good second shots and we both hit decent 3rd shots.  I was about 15 feet and he was just a hair longer.  He missed his putt, I had another slider putt down the hill, with about a foot of right to left break and made the putt.  I birded the next hole, to go 1 down, but not a memorable putt as I only needed a bogey to beat him on that hole, he had all kinds of issues going on.  Lost on 17, as he birdied it, right after I missed mine to lose 2&1.
    • Wordle 1,049 3/6* ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟨 ⬜⬜🟨🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩  
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