ArjunGFX

I shot 84 at Pinehurst no 2 in the spring of 1999... when I was 14 years old and it was 3 months before the US Open. Tiger needs to relax a little bit. A 12 handicap could break 100 at Torrey on a US Open Setup.

I think my best memories are with my dad. These days we're in different cities and don't see each other often... but I really value how when I was growing up, he'd take me to courses after work... basically in the dark, and practice with me, and teach me... he put tons of effort and love into it and gave me my favorite passion. Winning a big match play championsip was a surreal experience... won it when I was 17, and had been playing it since I was 11... the first tournament I ever played. Gosh I miss Junior Golf so much. High school... going out with the team after matches.. all the travelling and driving around was crazy.

It amazes me how much people exaggerate this stuff online. I post on a lot of car forums and a unifying this is people are always talking about their 125mph swing speeds and 300 yard carries.... not realizing that those are HUGE drives. Like the above poster said.... 250, 260 on average... thats a pretty big drive. 280 is looong. These exaggerators are insulting the skills of the real deal tour players if anything.

I've played most of the renowned courses in Florida, and in most of the "golf" cities there.... but all when I was a bit younger! I don't really remember everything and I'm not sure what's hot these days. What are your guys recommendations? I'm very flexible... down for Sawgrass... or something more obscure that also has character... and anything in between. Let me know. Pluses would also be airport proximity, good restaurants in the area, and that's really it...

I feel you bro. I had a real weird incident like that at my club last week... the course I play at is pretty exclusive - mainly older, wealthy members who are very serious all around. I was a single on the 18th, which goes back parallel to 17. Three guys were on the 17th tee and playing slooowly and I'm on the 18th tee.... 18 is a short but tough par 5 and I love it because you can make either eagle or double, so I hit 3 tee shots and came up with some bet against myself. I hit them all down the left rough, and one of the guys on 17 hit his ball way left, which is near my ball. I can already tell he and his cronies (who look like serious golfers and probably are pretty good judging from shots I'd seen them hit) are annoyed by my hitting 3 balls. Whenver I get called out on that I just say I couldn't see the first one (or two... lol) and that I hit a provisional. So these guys are like "where's ____'s ball? you see it come over here?" They find my balls and are talking to each other like "is this it? yea i dunno, the kid hit like 4 balls." They're looking at me mad skeptical when I claim my balls, one of which is a Callaway ladies ball that I found.... and the guy's like "that Callaway might have been mine." lol.... BUT the most ****ed up part was that as I'm helping the one guy find his ball, one of his friends checked my balls by picking them up and "tossing" them a few yeards in different directions, instead of placing them back down, or just having bent over to look at the ball. seemed very disrespectful to me. But I'm used to being disrespected on the golf course.... i'm young, wear my shirt untucked, always wear shades, and don't "look like a golfer." but i know i am a golfer and the course is my home, so it's all good.

i can see both sides of the issue honestly. both parties were out of line. i can understand the original poster's frustration and outburst though. if you love golf, the course is like a sanctuary, it's like your home. and to be treated as if you are "different" or "unwelcome" in that sanctuary, despite your love for the game and despite your skills (something that good golfers are very proud of), then it does suck to have some old guys yelling at you, or talking to you. when i was 12 or 13 playing with my dad, a lot of twosomes that we got paired with were literally vocal about their dissapointment that they were going to play with a kid. of course the kid would go on to shoot a 78 and the strangers would shoot 98s.. basically, no golfer should disrupt another golfer's "flow" and make him feel unwelcome to the course or game. the old man should have kept his mouth shut.

i used to not do it but now i do sometimes, more for a meditative experience, just to escape and enjoy something i'm really good at. and you can have a lot of fun competiting against yourself and making bets in your head. that will keep you playing the same holes over and over until you are more content. now i often go to courses alone with the intent of getting paired up for the purposes of networking with people who might be able to give me career advice..

now i'm like 5 foot 11, 170, with a slim and muscular build and avg driver distance of 270 (in mass, where there is not much roll). however, when i was 13-18 and playing a lot of jr. tournaments i was short, VERY FAT, and with my dark skin I just looked like the antithesis of what the old guys were used to seeing. i also used to only hit it like 22 with driver before I got taller and more athletic. i used to get comments like you did ALL THE TIME but the best thing to do is to just keep minding your business and ignore the haters. I know in the heat of the moment it can be different tho. the fagboy remark was out of line but asking about his handicap is fine, or saying something indicating you're a better player is fine for that kind of situation, because sometimes u gotta say something

nice job guys. i've had a few eagles.... first was a blind uphill 3rd shot into a par 5 when i was 11 or 12 and that was obviously a great feeling. the other two were putts after hitting par 5s in two.... but i have one that was really funny and special. a local course has a par 4 that's about 260-270.... dogleg right, with a road and some trees and bunkers on the right.... easy to get there distance wise, very hard direction tho, with all the hazards and OB right. when i was 16 or 17 all my friends and i would try to go for that green, often getting on or getting close. pretty big hit for that age too. one day i was playing with a buddy who roped it out there near the green. i get up there thinking "easy, i'll knock it on." pretty overconfident and i hit an embarassing skulled driver that rolled along maybe 150 yards. the hole is slightly downhill so it rolled but it was an uuuugly shot, real amateur looking. and then i hit a beaaautiful wedge that landed perfectly short and left of the hole, took the slope and rolled in. my fav eagle so far.

I was my HS's team's captain..... small public school just west of Boston... GREAT times. lots of team spirit, and it was 9 hole match play, which was a blast and helped get me into the mentality to win a lot of summer stroke play events. our HS league had a real tight community feel to it, was a blast especially because the emphasis was on fun. i thought D3 college golf was actually less fun.

you got room for another player? jk... but u are doing my fav golf trip and i am jealous! i love arizona in august. the heat is there but it is dry and i love the feeling..... 36 holes with a cart, followed by good mexican food, beer, and that AZ eyecandy.... mmm it doesn't get much better than that. Troon North's courses are great, as is the TPC. Boulders is also very nice, as was Talking Stick. The course I would recommend most strongly is the Talon course at Grayhawk. That was an awesome experience, but you really can't go wrong anywhere in Scottsdale. have a great time bud! take some pics out there to motivate me to get on my grind so i can enjoy a trip like that soon