BugDude

I got a HOLE IN ONE today!!! My second hole (#11, they started me off the back with a threesome making the turn), 105 yard par 3 uphill, pitching wedge. I ended up shooting a +3 75. This is my 2nd one, my first being about 20 years ago. I need to find the little box with the ball and piece of paper with the details from the 1st one and put this one in it too. I've kept my first par, first birdie, first eagle, and now my 2 hole in one balls.

Played a course in NC I used to play 20+ years ago, back when I first started playing. Using my FILs clubs, I shot a +3 74. Only 6,000 yards. Fun little track.

played 36 holes today in NC with my nephew. par 72, 6,354 yards, rating 71. I shot 75 first round and 75 second round. Used my father-in-law's golf clubs, he died last year. He was my long-time golf buddy. I left his clubs at my parent's house and use them when I visit NC. Pretty consistent for clubs ive only used twice.

Played a course 6300 yards, rating 69, slope 117, par 72. I shot an even par 72. Chipped great today, missed 3 short easy birdie putts. My lag putting was great today. I had 3 sand save pars today, one was a 30 yard bunker shot and stuck it 18 inches from the hole. I had been playing great, then had several weeks of a slump, but I'm pulling out of it now. I need to dedicate a little more time to the range and practice green just a couple times a week for 30 minutes to really get back to where I was a month ago. The rain every afternoon the last month has really put a damper on my practice time.

1) A pair of Footjoy Contour Casual Spikeless shoes. These must be the most comfortable shoes I own!!!! I love them!!! 2) A pair of Footjoy rain gloves. With the heat and humidity in the FL summer, it's a necessity.And I have playing with ANY glove on, much less both hands. 3) Titleist Cubic Mesh Hat.

Played Seven Springs in Trinity, FL, today for the 3rd time. 6374 yards, par 72, rating 71.8, slope 127. I shot a +3, 75. My chipping and pitching was almost back to normal after having had several rounds in a row where it had gone on vacation. The greens were punched and top dressed, so putting was a guessing game. The course was drenched.

+6, 78. Short game struggles. had 5 easy straight forward up & downs from just off the greens that I ran the chips by 4 or 5 feet and missed the putt coming back. That's usually money in the bank for me. That's 2 rounds in a row...not sure what's going on. Need to hit the practice green.

77, on a par 72, 6400 yards rated 71. I had 4 bogies in a row on the back nine and then an eagle on 17. Other than my eagle chip in, my short game - both chipping and putting, took the day off. Gone. I hit my driver great. Straight as an arrow all day swinging smooth and getting 275 give or take 10 yards either way. Hit my full iron shots great too. My short game is usually the cornerstone of my game. Not today.

Downloaded a cool free app on my iphone, "Swing Reader." Recorded my swing with my phone, trimmed it down to just the swing portion and uploaded it into the app. Used features to draw a circle around my head and angle lines with degree markings on the plane, arms, etc. I learned some things about my swing that I'm now working on.

Played a course in the area for the 1st time today. After the 5th hole it poured down rain the rest of the day. Not a dry spot on my anywhere. 6566 yards, par 72, rating 71.6 slope 135. Shot a 79. I can't wait to go back and play it when the course isn't soupy and I'm not drenched like a drowned rat. PS. We didn't have to worry about slow play today...hardly anyone on the course.

Shot a +4, 76 on a 6400 yard par 72 rating 71. I chipped in my only birdie. I hit some good shots, and some bad ones, but could not putt today.

10-15 yards, I choke down on a SW, open stance, ball a little forward of center, weight forward with a little lean forward, I bring the club back to about parallel to the ground (about a quarter swing), and then snap down briskly on the ball. It produces a low spinning shot that takes one short hop and stops.

I would have captured the beetle, taught it to roll the ball into the hole from anywhere on the green, and taken it with me on every round of golf. That's a well trained specimen.

It sounds like your lower body is stopping and your upper body is rotating around causing a dead pull left. When my lower back gives me trouble, I "pill up" with ibuprofen before and mid way through the round. Practicing putting makes my lower back hurt more than anything. When I do a little too much of that it causes my back to flare up for a week or two.

It seems like there are references to 2 different "that guys." 1) The unsolicited golf tip/instruction guy during your round 2). Mr. Complain and make excuses of why you played bad the whole round making everyone else miserable in the process. The original thread post was guy #1. Realistically, it isn't fun getting paired with either one. When I play with folks, regardless of their game I like to encourage their positives. Like "nice roll" and "great shot" or "you hit that really well" or "good swing." Even if the result wasn't great, it puts a positive spin and vibe on the game. Point out the good things to be encouraging.

Strong grip and exaggerating my left shoulder high right shoulder low at set-up and keeping my head behind the ball.

I've used the mental image of trying to skip a flat rock across the top of water or trying to throw a sidewinder baseball pitch. I sometimes struggle with not clearing the hips (getting older and fatter has that effect) and these images help me with engaging the hips and leading the swing with firing them first.

I played today, 6400 yards, par 71, rating 71.2, slope 125. And again today I only got through 11 holes before the storm started. +3 through 11. I hit the ball better today, but the pace of play was horrendous!!! 3 hours to play 11 holes and 2 groups let me play through and I finally joined a 3-some. There was a 2-some holding up the entire course, and another 2-some behind them that was just as slow. At one point there were 3 groups of 4 waiting on the same tee (a par 5) while the 1st slow 2-some was on the green and the second slow 2-some was in the fairway. The entire course population was piled up on this single hole. I should have just left or skipped a couple holes ahead. This course has rangers, but they don't say anything or do anything about pace, so I've got to lay some of the blame on the course. I think I'm through trying to play this course. I enjoy it because it is the most challenging for me in the area, but the pace of play is killing me. In Florida in the summer, you have to play fast for 2 reasons: 1) It's miserably hot and humid. Try to get out of the heat asap. 2) Every afternoon it rains. Try to finish before it hits.

I played the same course I played yesterday, 6400 yards, par 71, rating 71.2, slope 125. And again today I only got through 11 holes before the storm started. +3 through 11. I hit the ball better today, but the pace of play was horrendous!!! 3 hours to play 11 holes and 2 groups let me play through and I finally joined a 3-some. There was a 2-some holding up the entire course, and another 2-some behind them that was just as slow. At one point there were 3 groups of 4 waiting on the same tee (a par 5) while the 1st slow 2-some was on the green and the second slow 2-some was in the fairway. The entire course population was piled up on this single hole. I should have just left of skipped a couple holes ahead. This course has rangers, but they don't say anything or do anything about pace, so I've got to lay some of the blame on the course. I think I'm through trying to play this course. I enjoy it because it is the most challenging for me in the area, but the pace of play is killing me. In Florida in the summer, you have to play fast for 2 reasons: 1) It's miserably hot and humid. Try to get out of the heat asap. 2) Every afternoon it rains. Try to finish before it hits.

Low class move by Haney to be talking about Tiger or Foley.

I played a course I've only played one other time. 6400 yards, par 71, rating 71.2, slope 125. I only got through 11 holes before the storm started. +2 through 11. 3-jacked the first green, but made some nice 20 footers for some pars. Stuffed a 7 iron from 160 to a foot from the hole for a bird.

My "go-to" shot in that situation is a low punch three quarter pitching wedge.

Shot a -1, 70, on a 6250 par 71 with a rating of 69 and slope of 122. Birdie, Bogey, 7 pars on front and 2 birdies, 1 bogey, 6 pars on back. Had some great par saving putts from 20 feet, and some up and downs out of some precarious places.

It may not be a perfect campaign, and people will disagree with who is at fault, but If nothing else, it has people thinking about pace of play. Perhaps individuals and courses will take some steps to improve where they can as a result of increased awareness. My personal approach to pace of play problems is I avoid courses that are notorious for slow play and I play late in the afternoon and evening when the crowds are gone. I have not enjoyed long rounds in many years and just found ways to avoid them.

Man, I totally agree with the previous posts!!! I enjoy variety, unique holes, variation in distances, using different clubs, risk / reward, long, short, hard, easy, and I like a signature hole. I like it to be well thought out and not have ridiculous obstacles and enough variation in the different sets of tees to actually make a difference. Having 4 sets of tees all of them 4 yards apart is worthless. One thing I'll add that I personally really enjoy in a golf course is a course that is put onto the natural contours of the land versus a lot of "manufactured" contours. Perhaps a lot of them ARE made, but appear to be natural as opposed to a lot of Pete Dye designs where you have obvious manufactured drop offs and mounds. To me, the natural lay of the land courses are interesting and well thought out to make a course flow on the land, versus making the land suit the design. I really enjoy courses that you can think your way around and employ different strategies and shots off the tee. I don't really enjoy a course that is Driver and Wedge on all of the par 4s. I like using a mix of 3 woods, irons, and Driver off of some tees. My old home course in Virginia I birdied the par 5 third hole more with 3i, 6i, wedge than I ever did Driver or 3 wood off the tee. That course, you literally used every club in your bag.