Return to 'Competitive' Golf

[Fairway_CY]

We played the next tournament on the schedule this Tuesday at a very nice private course just outside of Charlotte (The Peninsula Club).

I have a short list of courses that I'd label as 'favorites'... and this one is now at the top of my list.  I would do just about anything to get an opportunity to play here again.

1. The Peninsula Club (Cornelius, NC)
2. Cinnamon Hill Golf Club (Montego Bay, Jamaica)
3. Disney's Magnolia Golf Course (Orlando, FL)
4. Pine Barrens Golf Club (Jackson, NJ)

That said... you'd think I probably had a 'lifetime' round, but I didn't.  It was just a beautiful course that I got lucky on, a lot... yet still managed to shoot a mediocre score in the end.

The details are listed in the link below.

Tournament Review - 5/26/2015 - The Peninsula Club (Cornelius, NC)

CY

[Fairway_CY]

Things didn't go much better for me at our next tournament.  I hacked up an easy course.  This time, it wasn't my driver as much as it was my putting and everything else.  I did have a handful of loose shots with the driver, but not like the last few weeks.

I shot a 98... finishing 16 strokes off the winning score and 12 strokes from 'the money'.

Details are in the link below.

Tournament Review - Charlotte National Golf Club (6/6/2015)

CY

[Fairway_CY]

I haven't posted in this thread in awhile... mostly because I haven't wanted to remember the rounds between now and then, but... it's time for an update.

In the 2nd major of the season, I posted a 96 - 84 = 180 to finish 12th of 18 in C Flight.

A month later, in the 3rd major of the season, I struggled big time and posted a 98 - 96 = 194 to finish in a tie for 17th of 19 in C Flight.

I put the clubs away to spend some time with my family, and then, at the last minute... I realized I was going to be home in time to get in to the next tournament, so I entered and showed up without having touched a club in just under 3 weeks.

I played decently enough, posting a 90 and finishing in a tie for 10th of 21 in C Flight.

The review of that round is below.

Tournament Review - Cabarrus Country Club (8/15/2015)

CY

[Fairway_CY]

The most recent demonstration of poor tournament golf is linked below.

Enjoy!

Tournament Review - 8/22/2015 - River Hills Country Club (Lake Wylie, SC)

CY

[RandallT]

Hang in there, CY. Those 10s can be brutal. Here's my take on your scorecard:

Those two 10s obviously stick out.  Were the greens tough? I don't recall you three-putting so often as this round.

A couple solid drives (1st and 6th holes). Great approaches on 13 and 18, but mostly missed opportunities when you were in range of the green (lots of yellow in the Approach table, meaning you lost over half a stroke to a pro).

16th and 17th holes had some nice short game shots, but mostly you were hurting yourself (again lots of yellow in the short game).

Again, too many yellow cells in the putting table, not enough green. Typically, I'll see people hitting some 8 footers to gain, and missing 8 footers to lose. But not this high a ratio of yellow to green.

50% fairways- not bad. But your misses cost you.

4 of 18 GIR. 11 of 18 Near GIR (or better). But no up and downs from those 7 nGIR.

I think my definition of "Sand Save" is off. I count any time you get into the hole in the shot after a greenside bunker (you holed out). That's not technically the definition.

You lost 33 strokes to professionals. You were ROUGHLY equal across all facets. 14+ to full swing. 10 to short game. 8 or 9 to putting.

Your missing the fairway didn't cost you that much (relatively to hitting the fairway). You were +12 after hitting the fairway 7 times. +14 after missing the fairway 7 times.

You were +12 when you were around the green in regulation for 11 holes (just over bogey golf). For those remaining 7 holes, you were +18 (between double and triple bogey golf). You need to up the frequency of nGIR obviously.

Of your 22 opportunities inside of 60yds, you only converted 1 time to get up and down. I think that was the hole out from the bunker. From inside 20yds, you were averaging a proximity of 21ft. Typically I see bogey golfers at 10ft or better.

Of your 8.5 strokes lost to pros putting, 6.4 were from the 3-15ft range.  Three-putting from that range twice hurt, obviously. Were those mental lapses or tricky greens?

Good luck next round!!!!!

Do you have an instructor who you work with?

One time a "playing partner" told you that if you hit driver you would go through the fairway. Did you worry that a rules breach had occurred? I don't play competitively yet, but that would've crossed my mind.

Hope you enjoy the stats, even if it was a rough day.  Hope it helps. I think last time, it showed more conclusively which area you were weakest, but this time it was across the board with multiple areas of your game.

[Fairway_CY]

Thanks Randall! I love seeing this stuff, even if it shows all 102 strokes! I'm not working with an instructor, but it's something I plan to do in the future. Right now, I'm just trying to play more often than I have in the past. A big problem is that I don't play or practice enough to be consistent. The greens were tough and any time I got above the hole, it made for a tough time. I believe all of the three-putts we're from above the hole. The 9 footer went about 10 feet bye... and other than holing the putt, there was no way to keep it closer than I did from where I was. As for the playing partner saying that, it wasn't solicited. He just kind of mentioned it when he was pulling his club. If it's a rules violation, I would think it was on his part. Truthfully though, I don't know the rule on that. I know that it's common in this club to share distances when someone lasers a flag on a par 3, which I always thought was a violation too. I'm not good enough to worry about calling a rules violation on someone, but if it's something I've done wrong, I'd definitely want to know. But since so many people share distances and/or club selections (and general course knowledge) in our flight, I don't know whether it's technically allowed by our club or not. I still really like seeing this stuff. I'd love to track it all, but it's got to take several serious time to do it for each round. Thanks for following along! CY

[RandallT]

Thanks Randall! I love seeing this stuff, even if it shows all 102 strokes!

I'm not working with an instructor, but it's something I plan to do in the future. Right now, I'm just trying to play more often than I have in the past. A big problem is that I don't play or practice enough to be consistent.

The greens were tough and any time I got above the hole, it made for a tough time. I believe all of the three-putts we're from above the hole. The 9 footer went about 10 feet bye... and other than holing the putt, there was no way to keep it closer than I did from where I was.

As for the playing partner saying that, it wasn't solicited. He just kind of mentioned it when he was pulling his club. If it's a rules violation, I would think it was on his part. Truthfully though, I don't know the rule on that.

I know that it's common in this club to share distances when someone lasers a flag on a par 3, which I always thought was a violation too. I'm not good enough to worry about calling a rules violation on someone, but if it's something I've done wrong, I'd definitely want to know. But since so many people share distances and/or club selections (and general course knowledge) in our flight, I don't know whether it's technically allowed by our club or not.

I still really like seeing this stuff. I'd love to track it all, but it's got to take several serious time to do it for each round.

Thanks for following along!

CY

Actually, it doesn't take me long at all to get your round into the spreadsheet. I read your narrative and fill out that "scorecard" as I read. A few minutes maybe. The rest auto-calculates and I just send you screenshots. I have your other round saved somewhere, so I could post a summary of the two of them.

About the advice, you used the words "playing partners," but I was wondering if they were your "fellow competitors," as playing partners implies that they are on your same team in some sort of match.  I was wondering if the guy who discussed hitting driver through the fairway was in violation (not you). Here's a decent summary:  http://www.barryrhodes.com/2009/02/golf-rules-asking-for-and-giving-advice.html

I'm back to taking lessons myself, as I realized that even if I got "consistent," that consistency was not necessarily anywhere close to good enough. I've played maybe 5-10 times this year, and after watching my swing on video for the last couple weeks at the range, I know I need professional help sorting out the best way to move forward! Video doesn't lie, even though I thought I was progressing- I just wasn't.

Anyway, I'm rooting for you, and thought I'd nudge you along to consider finishing up the season with some lessons. Earlier this season, you were shooting much better as I recall, and I was thinking you were heading toward low 80s in tournaments, but the scores have drifted back up. My gut tells you that if you find someone good to work with, you can gain some confidence each time you go out because you had put in the effort to correct an issue. I know when I took lessons last year (and just started again), I gained confidence just because I knew my own swing in better detail from the lessons.

Those greens sounds tough. That's a big reason I haven't tried competitive golf yet. It seems they get the greens rolling so fast that I am not sure I could deal with that. Plus, I haven't learned the rules of golf as well as I'd need to.  I think in a couple of years, I'll aim to culminate my season with a couple of tournaments, just to see how it goes. Right now, it's just a lot of fun without the pressure of scoring. I enjoy watching others with a similar game to mine dabble with competition. I enjoy the narratives, and appreciate you putting it all out there.

[Aflighter]

Actually, it doesn't take me long at all to get your round into the spreadsheet. I read your narrative and fill out that "scorecard" as I read. A few minutes maybe. The rest auto-calculates and I just send you screenshots. I have your other round saved somewhere, so I could post a summary of the two of them.  About the advice, you used the words "playing partners," but I was wondering if they were your "fellow competitors," as playing partners implies that they are on your same team in some sort of match.  I was wondering if the guy who discussed hitting driver through the fairway was in violation (not you). Here's a decent summary:  [URL=http://www.barryrhodes.com/2009/02/golf-rules-asking-for-and-giving-advice.html]http://www.barryrhodes.com/2009/02/golf-rules-asking-for-and-giving-advice.html[/URL] I'm back to taking lessons myself, as I realized that even if I got "consistent," that consistency was not necessarily anywhere close to good enough. I've played maybe 5-10 times this year, and after watching my swing on video for the last couple weeks at the range, I know I need professional help sorting out the best way to move forward! Video doesn't lie, even though I thought I was progressing- I just wasn't. Anyway, I'm rooting for you, and thought I'd nudge you along to consider finishing up the season with some lessons. Earlier this season, you were shooting much better as I recall, and I was thinking you were heading toward low 80s in tournaments, but the scores have drifted back up. My gut tells you that if you find someone good to work with, you can gain some confidence each time you go out because you had put in the effort to correct an issue. I know when I took lessons last year (and just started again), I gained confidence just because I knew my own swing in better detail from the lessons. Those greens sounds tough. That's a big reason I haven't tried competitive golf yet. It seems they get the greens rolling so fast that I am not sure I could deal with that. Plus, I haven't learned the rules of golf as well as I'd need to.  I think in a couple of years, I'll aim to culminate my season with a couple of tournaments, just to see how it goes. Right now, it's just a lot of fun without the pressure of scoring. I enjoy watching others with a similar game to mine dabble with competition. I enjoy the narratives, and appreciate you putting it all out there.

I cant speak for CY but them greens felt like they were rolling atleast 13 or more.Champions bermuda that looked doubled rolled.

[Fairway_CY]

I cant speak for CY but them greens felt like they were rolling atleast 13 or more.Champions bermuda that looked doubled rolled.

They were definitely the quickest greens we've played this year, although Cabarrus was pretty close.  Too many holes where my approaches or chips would end up on the wrong side of the hole.

Sadly, that wasn't my worst putting round of the season.  I had 41 putts at Cowan's Ford on the first day of the Player's Championship.

But... I don't think we've played slicker greens.  I got out to Palisades on Wednesday just to practice and the greens had been punched and sanded Tuesday.  There's a lot of undulation there too.  When they heal up, they're gonna be quick.

PS - It didn't appear that they were too tough for you in winning your flight!

CY

[Aflighter]

They were definitely the quickest greens we've played this year, although Cabarrus was pretty close.  Too many holes where my approaches or chips would end up on the wrong side of the hole.   Sadly, that wasn't my worst putting round of the season.  I had 41 putts at Cowan's Ford on the first day of the Player's Championship. But... I don't think we've played slicker greens.  I got out to Palisades on Wednesday just to practice and the greens had been punched and sanded Tuesday.  There's a lot of undulation there too.  When they heal up, they're gonna be quick. PS - It didn't appear that they were too tough for you in winning your flight! CY

Well my driver and irons worked really well since I figured it all out.Only had one OB tee ball but thsts cause I swung too hard hooked it.Still managed double.I four putted last hole which was mumber 8.Not sure if u remember it.Par wouldve got me 82.Honestly thought I blew it.

[Fairway_CY]

Well my driver and irons worked really well since I figured it all out.Only had one OB tee ball but thsts cause I swung too hard hooked it.Still managed double.I four putted last hole which was mumber 8.Not sure if u remember it.Par wouldve got me 82.Honestly thought I blew it.

Yeah, the 8th hole wasn't easy.  Ouch... 4 putting isn't fun, but... I heard a lot of stories afterwards from guys who had a few in their rounds.  Still... you were 2 strokes clear of 2nd place!

I'm looking forward to Palisades in a few weeks.  I've got to make sure I play at least somewhat well to ensure I qualify for Hilton Head.

CY

[RandallT]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aflighter

Well my driver and irons worked really well since I figured it all out.Only had one OB tee ball but thsts cause I swung too hard hooked it.Still managed double.I four putted last hole which was mumber 8.Not sure if u remember it.Par wouldve got me 82.Honestly thought I blew it.

Yeah, the 8th hole wasn't easy.  Ouch... 4 putting isn't fun, but... I heard a lot of stories afterwards from guys who had a few in their rounds.  Still... you were 2 strokes clear of 2nd place!

I'm looking forward to Palisades in a few weeks.  I've got to make sure I play at least somewhat well to ensure I qualify for Hilton Head.

CY

Hey, CY- you 2-putted #8 from 30ft. Sounds like it might've been a rough pin placement, so well done there. Small victories. Good luck @ Palisades!

[Fairway_CY]

Below is the link to my most recent entry.

Not horrible... but not great.

Thanks to @RandallT for the great data he's allowed me access to by following along.

http://cyoung2ty.blogspot.com/2015/09/tournament-review-9102015-rock-barn.html

CY

[RandallT]

Below is the link to my most recent entry.

Not horrible... but not great.

Thanks to @RandallT for the great data he's allowed me access to by following along.

http://cyoung2ty.blogspot.com/2015/09/tournament-review-9102015-rock-barn.html

CY

You're welcome! Glad to see it put to use. I like how you put those graphics on your round summary at the link. To me, it's a great visual of your round, and you can see which holes were trouble right off the bat. The yellow recovery shot, the red penalties.  It visually "tells the tale," and then lets you hone in on which holes you want to read about in more depth (usually the ugly ones! Who wants to read about a routine par???)

Textbook Hole #15 though! Decent drive. Great long iron to 30+ft. Two putt for par. A statistically "0.0" hole is actually like 406yd hole, with drive to 164yds in fairway, iron shot to 32ft, then a lag putt.  0 strokes gained for drive. 0 strokes gained for iron shot. 0 strokes gained for putting.  You pretty much did that, kinda cool.

[tigerrag]

Hey OP, random, but I am in Charlotte all the time (family lives in Rock Hill and the girlfriend lives in Charlotte).  Let me know if you'd want to get together and play sometime.  Usually when I'm up that way I try to play either Rocky River, Tega Cay, or Waterford.

[Fairway_CY]

Hey OP, random, but I am in Charlotte all the time (family lives in Rock Hill and the girlfriend lives in Charlotte).  Let me know if you'd want to get together and play sometime.  Usually when I'm up that way I try to play either Rocky River, Tega Cay, or Waterford.

Definitely!  When you get up in this area, let me know and we can try to work something out.  I play Tega Cay quite often.  I haven't played Waterford yet because of the negative reviews... and Rocky River is on my list.

I work down in Greenville at least once a week too, so... maybe we can set something up down there one day.  I don't know any courses out that way, but it's only because I haven't researched any.

CY

[Fairway_CY]

This weekend (weather providing), I'll be playing in the Local Finals of the Charlotte area Golfweek Amateur Tour 2015 season.  I'm feeling more and more confident as time goes on.

Below is a link to my journal entry for the tournament played last weekend.  I posted a 93, but it should have been much better.  I finished double - triple - double and ended up 4 strokes behind the eventual winner of our flight.

Anyway... channeling my inner Bill Belichick... on to next weekend.

Link:

http://cyoung2ty.blogspot.com/2015/09/tournament-review-9192015-palisades.html

CY

[Fairway_CY]

It's been awhile since I've posted a recap of one of my rounds.  I'm bored today, so... I figure I may as well post one.  

I played last night in the weekly 'dogfight' at our club.  It's a nine-hole Stableford scoring event with a $10 buy-in.  It's a blind draw for partners, so... it's really a crap-shoot.  Either way, it's always fun.  I hadn't played in it since the middle of May and I hadn't touched a club in 10 days prior to yesterday.  The weather was nice and I really just looked at it as an excuse to get back out on the course.  

Anyway... details are below.

Hole #9 - Par 4 - 342 Yards

I began on the 9th hole.  Typically, I wouldn't take driver on this hole but because it was my first hole and the format allows for 2 balls off of your first tee, I figured I'd go for it.  My first swing resulted in a big pull-hook which saw the ball finish in the short game practice area (248 yards).  My second swing was much better contact, but it hit an overhanging tree limb and dropped straight down.  With the first ball in a much better spot, I elected to play that one.  I was left with 126 yards up the hill.  I had to go over some trees and there was a bunker directly between my ball and the flag.  My 9 iron never got more than 5 feet off the ground.  It ended up in the bunker.  I blasted out and then took 2 putts from 30 feet for a bogey.  

Hole #1 - Par 4 - 355 Yards

No trouble on this hole if you avoid the 5th tee which runs along the left side of the fairway.  My drive was solid (251 yards) and in the middle.  I had 116 to the flag.  I pulled my pitching wedge a touch and it finished in a little valley just left of the green.  I absolutely flubbed my first chip, then chipped up to about 3 feet and took another bogey.  Not the greatest start, but not the worst either.  

Hole #2 - Par 3 - 165 Yards

The flag was 160 yards from the tee which is a perfect 7 iron for me.  I hit what I thought was a perfect shot.  The ball landed about 6 feet left of the flag but then released with a big bounce.  I was 33 feet away and with the greens being recently punched and sanded, I needed to putt through what was essentially a bunker.  I left it about 12 feet short but managed to make the next putt for a par.  

Hole #3 - Par 5 - 504 Yards

My drive was a little pulled but finished in the fairway (252 yards).  I do not have enough in me to reach this green, so I was just trying to hit a solid 3 wood to get me in position to have a short wedge into the green.  I managed to do that nicely and left myself about 40 yards or so to the flag.  I nipped my lob wedge nicely and I thought it was going to hit the green, bounce once and then roll down the slope towards the hole.  Instead, it hit and checked... and then actually rolled back towards me a bit leaving me on the wrong side of the slope.  Another woefully short putt led to a three-putt and a bogey.  

Hole #4 - Par 4 - 331 Yards

This is another hole I typically elect to hit an iron from the tee, but I felt good with my driver so I hit that instead.  It was a little right of where I wanted it to go and ended up in the right rough (252 yards), but it left me an angle to the flag.  A full sand wedge from 91 yards left me about 18 feet for birdie.  The putt didn't break back enough for me but I was left with a tap in for par. 

Hole #5 - Par 4 - 389 Yards

This is the longest 389 yard hole ever.  I find it to be the most difficult on the front side at my home course.  Anyway... I hit a solid drive to the middle of the fairway (238 yards) which left me 160 yards to the flag.  I cold topped a 7 iron that ran into the fairway bunker about 70 yards short of the green.  I was against the lip, so I blasted out.  I hit a wedge onto the green, but it checked quickly and left me 28 feet from the hole.  The putt for bogey was on line but finished just short.  I tapped in for a disappointing double.

Hole #6 - Par 3 - 179 Yards

The way the hole was set up, it was playing 171 yards so I hit a smooth 6 iron that finished pin high but about 30 feet left of the hole.  My birdie attempt ran just past the hole and left me a simple 1 foot tap in for par.

Hole #7 - Par 5 - 486 Yards

I got a little lucky with my tee shot.  It carried further than I usually hit it there, but it stayed out of the cross bunkers and in the fairway (257 yards).  I was left with 193 yards to the flag.  I hit a solid 4 iron that ran all the way to the back of the green and into the fringe.  I putted from there to about 3 feet and made the ensuing putt for a birdie.

Hole #8 - Par 4 - 397 Yards

My final hole of the evening.  I tried to mash my drive and pulled it horribly into the 7th fairway.  It left me a shot similar to my approach on the 9th hole, having to go over some trees and with a bunker directly between my ball and the flag.  I hit a 9 iron from 136 yards that somehow managed to find a hole in the tree canopy to sneak through.  It didn't get high enough to clear the trees, but it went through an opening, landed softly on the green and checked immediately, leaving me 5 inches for a closing birdie.  

I had finished birdie - birdie.  With my current handicap, I needed to pick up 12 points on the evening.  I managed 15 points for a +3 total.  My blind draw partner had a rough evening and finished with a -5 total leaving us far out of the money.

In the end, I had fun and it was nice to post a solid score.  I've now had more 9 hole scores in the 30's than I have in the 40's over my last 5 times on a course.  My USGA index is trending at a 10.5 right now which puts me seriously close to a single digit index for the first time in my life.

I'd like to keep the momentum rolling!

CY

Edited July 13, 2017 by Fairway_CY
Accidental submission prior to completion of the post...