Divot Master

I heard that Keegan played college golf at St. Johns, and played the Black course a lot. Might have knowledge of ways to set the course up to favor the home team.

Sorry I won't make it this time. Only missed my spring visit to Erie by 5 weeks. Maybe my absence will cause it to not rain. Have fun everyone.

Hoping to wrap ski season tomorrow at Cannon Mtn. (Franconia, NH), and then watch the eclipse from the parking lot. Golf season can start Tuesday.

The course has a range, but it is in the ravine left of the 10th fairway, rather small, and may be irons only.

There are several long distances through a subdivision between a green and the next tee. When I used to play there a couple times a year, cart fees were included in the greens fee and cart use was all but mandatory.

Hi all, the rumors are mostly correct. We did sell our house in Erie, and purchased a house in Alton, New Hampshire. That is in the central part of the state, near the southeast corner of Lake Winnipesaukee, not too far from some big mountain skiing and also only about 90 minutes from our daughter in Arlington, MA. For now at least, we are keeping our vacation condo at Peek'n Peak, so we will be back in NW PA for a week or two every few months. If it looks like a visit will coincide with a TST outing, I will definitely sign up. And if anyone finds themselves up in NH, come play a round with me at The Oaks G. C. near Rochester NH.

Finally got to play a round yesterday on a dry course, celebrated by going back to the blue tees for a change. So of course it poured all night. Did I tempt fate or something?

Gonna have to add a couple more team names for the late arrivals. How about Bone Saws GC for DeChambeau?

At least Tiger beat Phil and Bryson yesterday.

Just arrived. A bit of drizzle is all.

I would lean towards playing the Gray, unless the course is very wet, or the weather is cold or windy.

Count me in… @iacas @billchao @boogielicious @saevel25 @ChetlovesMer @RFKFREAK @Carl3 @Hardspoon @Slice of Life @ejm1994 @Divot Master

Actually, no. I think he was a jerk. But he understood that match play is a different animal than stroke play, and he knew how to expose any mental weakness and make his opponent pay a mental price. Bryson was fortunate to get away with what he did. Seve would likely have responded by not giving him a putt the entire day.

Re Bryson's childish petulance over a not-given putt, I bet he wouldn't have tried that if he was playing against Seve.

If you're not watching, you should be. Oostie gonna get lapped if he's not careful.

I hope all of you have a great time this week in Wisconsin. Wish I was there with you. Stay hydrated!

I experienced a back injury from a car accident about 20 years ago. Got several medical opinions, some recommended surgery, others didn't. I skipped the surgery, but got physical therapy monthly for about 4 years, then monthly therapeutic massage for about 10 years. During this time, my driver distance dropped from about 240 yards to about 200 yards. I also was having to walk off the course about 1 round in 3, because of back pain. I considered quitting the game completely. About 4 years ago, I began working 2 x per week with a personal trainer, using a golf specific program of approximately 1/3 strength training, 1/3 speed training, and 1/3 flexibility exercises. By the 3rd year I was back to driving 240 to 260 and enjoying the game again. And one other thing, I am 66 years old. In my opinion, it is a hell of a lot easier to hit a driver 240-260 than it is to hit a 7 iron 200. A regimen of focused exercise plus regular lessons from a pro would likely serve you well, as it has done for me. Good luck!

Ditto. The course certainly had some faults. It was squeezed onto a parcel of land half of which was barely suitable for golf. So I think the architect did a mostly good job with what was given to him. I was less happy with the course setup and maintenance. Greens were bumpy and speed was very inconsistent from one hole to the next. Too many cups were cut 3 yards from the front, and many others were cut on top of humps or on slopes 2% or more. It is no wonder pace of play was almost 5 hours. My other gripes are that many of the original sand traps have been removed, dummying down the design intent to save money, and cart paths were often too close to the playing areas. I probably would not play there again.

I said 5 iron, because that is the longest club in my bag that has a dispersion zone about the same size as the nGIR zone, so that I feel I have a reasonable chance of making a par after a good drive. So that means my maximum comfortable par 4 hole is about 420 yards, 240 drive + 180 5 iron. Playing courses in the 6,000 to 6,300 yard range means that there are rarely more than one to two par 4's outside my range, per round.

13 pages of comments pretty well establishes that it is hard to head-to-head compare two players from different eras. For me, ability to intimidate other golfers is one "it" factor that differentiates them. Payne Stewart (my all time favorite) once said in an interview, that he loved to compete in the wind and rain, because he felt that it took about 1/2 the field out of the competition before they even teed off, thereby improving his chances. Tiger definitely had the intimidation factor, in spades. Jack had it, too. Arnie less so, perhaps because he was perceived as such a nice guy. In my opinion, Phil in his prime had it almost as much as Jack did. I would put Phil somewhere between #3 and #5.

I am probably one of the shorter hitters in the group, 220-230 typical carry distance. I mostly play 6,000 to 6,200 yard courses, but they are generally less wide open than Deer Ridge. The score card looks like there are only 3 holes from the Black that I could have trouble reaching with 2 good shots (1, 13, and 14, in the 430 to 450 yard range). And 2 of those 3 are likely downhill. If everyone wants to play black, I am totally fine with that. And if some others want to play blue, I could join them. So no worries.

Yes, that is him. We were across the pond for a wedding, and this was my 49th birthday present from him. 35 mph wind and spitting rain, cleared up just in time for me to see my tee shot on 17 bounce off the wall of the hotel. Never to be forgotten. Thanks to everyone for their kind words. Mom and I are both holding up well. And now lets all get back to the pre-round trash talk.

My father passed away Friday, after a four year battle with Alzheimer's dementia. For a long time, it was an evenly matched struggle between an insidious disease and a strong, elegant man. Unfortunately, the final inning turned into a rout, as his body functions shut down one by one. We transitioned to Hospice care, and the end came peacefully in his sleep. My efforts turn now to my mother, also a dementia sufferer, as she tries to come to terms with the loss of her companion of 67 years. Golf has not been on my mind these past few weeks. I leave in a few minutes for my first practice round in over a month. I will be accompanied by my usual posse; Clank, Shank, Foozle, Flip, and Chili-dip. Most of them also plan to travel with me this Sunday to central Ohio. Yes, I will be there. You are all encouraged to smile and laugh at the antics of my pals, and my very rusty golf game. I come not to break par, but for the camaraderie that flows freely at every TST get together. See you soon.

@iacas - Definite @billchao - Definite @boogielicious - Definite @Slim_Pivot - Definite @Hardspoon - Definite @saevel25 - Definite @Carl3 - Definite @ChetlovesMer - Definitely Definite @Braivo - Likely, if in Ohio or Western PA @BradSomrak - Likely @RFKFREAK - Likely (don't make it too far a drive, please! 😂) @Divot Master - Definite Better late than never!

I lived about an hour south of there for a couple years in the 1980's. Strong thunderstorms would roll through every few days. Would always wonder, is this the one that will spawn a bunch of tornadoes? Subdivision I had lived in got hit hard a few years later. Wouldn't move back there for anything.