JoelCochran

I've shot +3 twice: last summer, 73 on a par 70 and in 1996 I shot a 75 a par 72. I've had three 78s this summer.

Club championship this weekend. I played terribly on Saturday putting me in the consolation bracket. I recovered nicely yesterday, shooting 78 in the morning and 80 in the afternoon. Won my match and bracket 2up.

Played yesterday in 102+ heat. Shot an 81 from the tips (6600 yds, par 71) with a stinking triple on the 8th hole and a three-putt bogey on the 14th. Didn't drive particularly well, but played pretty decent overall. I feel like I am very very close to shooting mid-70s.

Pretty mediocre round Tuesday, shot a 43 on the front 9 from the tips at our club. On #9 I drove into the trees on the left and had to pitch back out into the fairway. From 115 with a downhill lie to an uphill green I holed a partial pitching wedge for a birdie 3. Ain't golf grand?

I'm reading the article http://thesandtrap.com/b/thrash_talk/a_gentlemens_game about cheating and the section on the vanity handicap got me to thinking. I have what I believe to be an honest 10 handicap. In fact, I really think it should be lower as it is the result of a season of relatively mediocre play. Specifically, lots of three-putts that lead me to rarely break 80, but otherwise I stay under 84. But that isn't really my point: I've been posting all my scores, mediocre or not. Until yesterday. I played 4 days in a row and was physically exhausted. I mentally checked out around the 7th hole and struggled to an 89 (surprisingly low all things considered). I felt that it would be sandbagging to post it so i didn't. this happens a few times a year and i don't post the scores because I think that such outliers shouldn't count, but is it really just vanity?

Congrats! I've been playing 30 years and never an Eagle. Had a hole-in-one once, so "technically"...

We used to play in the Army no matter what the weather. I was stationed at Ft. Sill, OK, so from high 30's and blustery in the winter to 110+ in the summer. The fairways could get really baked, letting me once drive a 362 yard par-4. In Virginia we routinely play in the 90-100 range in the summer time with sweltering humidity.

Finally a round with no 3-putts to card a 78 at my home course. Really starting to get the hang of the belly putter.

Was on a business trip last week, shot 84-83. The 84 (par 72, 70.7/121) round was actually much better than the score, I didn't know the course and made two strategic errors that led to penalty strokes and resulted in a triple and a double. My ball striking was very good and my short game was excellent. I had a 7 hole stretch on the back nine that was -1. The 83 (par 70, 69.4/128) round was just the opposite: I couldn't hit the broadside of a barn, but seemed to somehow manage to recover most of the time. I looked back over the scorecard and I had FIVE 3-putts. Once again, three-putting is preventing me from breaking 80.

You know, sometimes I fan that 2, And sometimes I catch that 3 a little thin. And I've hit flyers with the 4, I've hooked my 5, I've shanked the 6, Skulled the 8, Fatted the 9, Chili-dipped the wedge, And I've bladed the sand! There is ole Mr. Three-wiggle, isn't there? But then there's the seven iron. I never miss with the seven iron. - Roy "Tin Cup" McAvoy

Played 9 last night. Was going along OK until the Quadruple bogey on 9 for a 44.

My warm-up routine is a little different than most. I do this before every round and before a practice session after I stretch for about 5 minutes: shoulders, lats, side stretches, toe touches, trunk rotations, back, calves, hamstrings, and groin. 1) about a dozen 7 irons: a few punches, a few 3/4, then a few full shots. 2) 5-10 drivers, mostly trying to figure out what my "natural" ball flight is that day. 3) a handful each of partial gap wedges: half and 3/4. 4) If I have time, I "play" a few holes on the range: driver, 7 iron, wedge. 5) Putting: I hit a few short, medium, and lag putts, mostly trying to get a feel for speed. If I don't at least do 1 & 2 I can be guaranteed a terrible round.

I was paired up with a guy this weekend who could really hit the ball a ton (and two guys who couldn't hit a barn). He didn't always know where it was going, and a few times couldn't find it so he hit provisional balls or just dropped. Unless competing, I never volunteer to correct someone else's "misinterpretation" of the rules. On two holes I *know* he got at least 7's, after several hacks at the ball from a bunker and the rough that didn't get out. He even threw his wedge clear across the green after one of them. On most holes he didn't bother putting out and a few times when he did he missed the short ones (and then just raked them back). He spent a lot of time talking about his usual scores, how he was club champion where he used to play, how he shot a 78 from the tips of a 7400 yard course, and how he's shot in the 70's every round this year. Now, don't get me wrong, it's obvious he had some game. He outdistanced me off the tee consistently by 40-50 yards. He had one birdie all day, on the last hole: a beautifully played driver/3i to reach a long par-5 in two (and he very nearly made the eagle putt). It was a really frustrating day playing with the other guys we were paired with, one of whom hadn't been on a course in 12 years and the other wasn't much better. We spent a lot of time looking for balls in the rough (for all of us, but mostly the other two). Twice we had to let groups play through, once on the third hole. All of this really got under his skin and it showed in his game and his attitude. I also really enjoyed meeting and playing with him, we seemed to enjoy each others company. With all this in mind, it was quite a shock to me when he announced at the end of the round that he had shot a 75. Now, I believe he was perfectly capable of shooting 75, but I honestly don't think he broke 90 that day. The worst part is I'm not sure if he even realizes just how far off his true score really was. Of course, this could explain how he *always* shoots in the 70's. I usually don't care how people delude themselves, but I had a pretty hard fought 84 that day playing under the same conditions he did. It irks me that a player with his talent doesn't have the appropriate respect for the game to simply accept a bad score.

Finally broke 80 for the first time this year, shot a 78. Good: No 3 putts and 2 birdies: one was a chip in (also first of the year) and on 18 I had a tap in birdie. Best short game of the year as well. Bad: Still a bit wobbly with the new belly putter. Just missed several short par putts after good chips/pitches. Driving is largely indifferent with flashes of brilliance. Ugly: I had 1 double bogey. Made a stupid mistake and tried to hit a hero shot after a bad drive that got me into even more trouble. At that point double became a good score.