cougar978

This place is a private club near Richmond - about 30min from I-95. Anyway, 16 of us from my local league went up there Sunday because they're allowing the public to play on certain days in an attempt to increase membership. The only thing I have to say is, it is without a doubt the most challenging course in the state of Virginia. It's a Rees Jones design that can stretch to almost 7800 yards from the tips (we estimated it played to about 7200 from our tees), and you have severely elevated greens and bunkers with faces that can be up to 15ft in some cases. If you can't carry the ball 250 off the tee, you won't break 100 out there. If you're in the woods or high grass, you may as well re-tee because chances are your ball is going to be lost. Also, the greens were probably running at least a 12-13. We had 5 guys (including myself) in the group that were scratch or better, and the low man in the group shot 78 (I birdied the first hole and then proceeded to shoot 80 with three doubles). If you want to see how your game stacks up on a couse that could host a PGA Tour event and you're in the Richmond area, find a way to play this course.

I'll put it to you this way - I carry a 'spare' lob wedge in the back of my Jeep in case the one I have decides to fly into the turf at a high rate of speed and buckle the shaft. True story - I was playing in our league last year, tee off the first hole, I have a LW into the green, club hits a root underneath the ground and bends shaft at the hosel, making it unplayable. After we finish the first hole, I take the cart to the parking lot, grab the spare, and shoot 67. However, the spare usually comes out as a result of the LW being intentionally broken after a bad shot (TT lite steel shafts aren't that expensive).

If I were you, I would have written an anonymous note to the school board on that one. That's pretty low. Players doing it is one thing, but a coach condoning (and encouraging it) is pretty low.

I will admit I was guilty of cheating on several occasions when I played on our JV team (14-15 years old), as were some other guys on our team (and other schools). The main reason I did it was because I was lazy - I wanted to put up good scores without putting in the effort in practice. When I was a junior in high school, we were playing our final varsity qualifying round, and our coach was watching us from another hole. Another guy in our group hit a ball OB, kicked his ball back on the course, and hit a shot. When coach saw this, he walked up to the player, and told him to get off the course and never come back. After what happened, he called a team meeting in the men's locker room after we all got done playing. He explained what happened, what he did to correct it, and that when you cheat, you show complete disrespect for the sport, and he wasn't going to have that on his team. Furthermore, he said anyone caught cheating in the future would have the same consequence, no questions asked. I felt bad for the kid that got booted, because he was my friend (and it could have easily been me that got caught). However, it made me realize that honesty and integrity go a long way in life, not just golf. Looking back on it 17 years later, I am glad it happened. My high school coach and I never really got along, but he did teach me an invaluable lesson about integrity that day.

I shot 63 my first qualifying round in high school when I was 14. The only problem was it was for 9 holes.

The other possibility that I failed to mention is that the after the ball crossed over the hazard, it ricocheted off a tree and came to rest on the patch of rough that separates the two hazard lines (therefore the ball would still be in play). My argument was, the guy didn't know whether or not the ball was a) still in play, b) lost outside the hazard, or c) lost/unplayable in the hazard, so playing a provisional in that case was the best plan of action. We didn't know there was a spotter watching the hole - had he let us know what happened with the guy's first ball, he would have been able to take a drop with penalty where the ball last crossed the hazard with no need for a provisional ball.

This came up yesterday, and I think I was correct in what I said to my fellow-competitor during a tournament yesterday - anyway, here it goes: We're playing a hole that is a mid-length par-4 that has a red-staked hazard all along the right side of the hole, most of the right side of the hole is obscured by trees, so if you blow one over the first line of trees, even if you're way right, there's a chance the ball will deflect off a branch, cross over the rough, and re-cross into the hazard, which would allow the player to drop at the point of entry. If it doesn't cross back over, you can drop at the margin of the hazard where the ball last crossed (which is 2-3" thick rough), or you can re-tee. This player tees off, and hits a dead-right fade that doesn't look like it's going to make it past the first line of trees. However, I told him there's a chance the ball made it over, and he should play a provisional from the teebox with the idea that the ball may be lost (in or outside the hazard). That way, if he finds his first ball, he can play it without penalty and pick up the provisional. If he doesn't find the ball, then his provisional is in play. The player's caddy tells him he should go up and drop at a point that's in line with the pin behind the point of entry, which is on the white tee box. The player drops and hits a shot up the fairway. When we go up the hole, a spotter says he saw the original ball ricochet off a tree, cross over the rough, and re-enter the hazard at a point approximately 150 yds from the hole, and the ball is located in the hazard. Since the player already dropped and put a ball in play on the line of the hole, he can't go back and take a drop from where the first ball re-entered the hazard, so he's laying three in the fairway from where the dropped ball was hit. However, my understanding is, if he were to say 'hey, I think my ball may be lost (be it in or outside of the hazard), I'm going to play a provisional', play a provisional, and then when he gets up to the fairway and the spotter finds his original ball in the hazard, he is allowed to abandon his provisional, take relief with penalty from the hazard and be laying two at that point. In essence, his caddy cost him a stroke by insisting he drop the ball at the entry point near the teebox instead of going back and playing a provisional. Am I right or wrong on this?

The range I use has a lot of grass available, and the only time I hit off the mats is when it's really wet out. Anyway, two months ago, I was out after a huge rain storm that left the range looking like a swamp. I have a problem with getting too steep on my mid to long irons, and when you're on grass, it's not a problem as you just end up taking a larger divot (I always hit the ball first so there aren't any contact issues). When you get too steep on an astroturf mat, the mat tends to grab the club enough to bend and/or break the shaft. While hitting a 4-iron, I got too steep, the shaft buckled as I was making contact with the ball, and on my follow-through, I felt the club snap in half. I hung on to the grip end of the shaft, and the clubhead and the other half of the shaft flew about 30ft behind me and almost went through the range pro shop window.

I played the Links at Maui Lani (a public track) as part of a cruise package three years ago - the 11th tee box pretty much overlooks the city of Kahului which was cool, the rest of the course was decent. If you really want to play a nice course, go to Puakea Golf Course in Lihue - that place was awesome.

By the way, I took 13th in a field of over 100 guys and one of my best friends won the thing, so all in all it was a pretty good tournament.

I'm not trying to do that Erik, I just think the guy went a little over the top in being critical of me. I was incorrect in my interpretation of the Rules.

I carry a portable Sirius/XM satellite radio receiver with me - I usually just use it to listen to baseball or football games when it's a slow day on the course.

I built my HC on courses that I know like the back of my hand. If I go to a course that I am completely unfamiliar with, I will have a hard time breaking 80 the first go-around, especially if they set it up difficult. Also, during a round, my mind runs like a gerbil in a spinning wheel and I sometimes have trouble controlling my emotions (swearing, throwing a ball in a lake after a bad hole, things like that) - I don't want to risk my being an idiot out there jeopardize the chances of someone who plays golf for a living and has to feed their family being distracted over something stupid I do.

To the OP: Want a game? Come to Woodlands Golf Course in Hampton, VA on Saturdays. I'm usually there. I'll take your ass for $100 a hole.

A friend of mine was dinged for two strokes for doing the exact same thing last year. This is why I brought it up. I know, I'm a horrible person for doing what I did.

I played a 36-hole event this weekend. We're on the 10th hole, and the guy I'm playing with hits his ball in a red-staked ditch. He has a stance in the hazard, but moves a red stake directly in front of his ball (while it's in the hazard). I saw him doing it, and wanted to yell out for him not to do it, but one of the other guys was hitting his shot, so I couldn't say anything. He pulls the stake out, and I tell him that since his ball's in a hazard, you can't move the stake, since it's considered part of the hazard and it's a 2 stoke penalty. Anyway, we finish our round and the tournament director decides there's no penalty for moving a hazard stake while your ball's in a hazard and his penalty is, in essence, reversed. I was under the impression that when your ball is in a staked hazard, you aren't allowed to touch or move anything , under penalty of two strokes.

Pop that sucker and don't practice for a day or two while it heals. If there's a tournament or a situation where you're forced to play, ask your doctor if you can get a rx for Lidocaine 5% gel (or if you travel to Mexico/Central America, be sure to pick up a tube in the pharmacies there - it's non-narcotic and customs doesn't give a shit about it when you bring it back). Anyway, that stuff will numb the area for a few hours at a clip.

Drunks piss me off more than anything - two weeks ago, I went out for a Sunday afternoon round at a pretty busy muni. Breezed through the first six holes, played through a group of Japanese guys on 7 tee. There was a loud, obnoxious twosome on 7 green that put the flag in the green and walked toward their cart. I figured I had the all-clear, so I hit my second shot to about 15-20 ft. As I am driving up on the green, one of the guys gets out of his cart, goes on the green, and putts my ball. I said 'I think you just hit my ball', he apologized and was cool about it, but him and his dumbass friend were barely coherent on the 8th tee - I ended up playing through them and joined up with three guys on 10 that had said they were being rowdy all day. After some more hooliganism, they were escorted off the course as we were playing 13. I would have had a police cruiser waiting at the gate as they drove off to lock them up for DUI. Quote: Originally Posted by Harry Longshanks Uggh, no joke. Drunks especially (not limited to rednecks). Driving carts all over the place, yelling, hitting multiple balls. Not to mention (and yet I will anyway) failure to fix divots, ball marks, etc. Falls under etiquette.

I hit a 'shorts-dropper' on the first tee at Deer Run last Sunday - cold-topped a 3-wood that went about 20 yards (20 yards short of the ladies tees). I did, however, stroke a 2-iron to about 155 from there, and then hit an 8-iron to 6 feet and made par.

I'd say great par if it were a par 3. To me, a 'mulligan' is a lost ball or ball out of bounds where a stroke and distance penalty is required, or an unplayable lie where the player elects to re-tee with a stroke and distance penalty. You're hitting 3 and holed out. Nice par.

Well, just got back and the guy said that I need to have an ulnar resection (they saw off the ulnar styoid (the head of the bone) and replace it with a metal rod). Good thing is he said it can wait until the fall because there's no risk of further damage if I put it off (only have to deal with the pain and bone being out of joint from time to time). I've been looking forward to golf all winter long, playing in crap conditions, and I want to play in the summer. I don't care if I play like shit or if I'm in pain. Best I've put up this year is a 70, and I've been closer to and above 80 more times than I'd care to remember (or admit in public). If ANYONE here has had this procedure done, please PM me or respond on the forum and let me know what I can expect after surgery. Thank you.

I have an appointment with an ortho doctor this afternoon and chances are he's going to tell me I need DRUJ reconstruction at some point. He did an x-ray two months ago and said I had DRUJ instability and a clear separation between the end of the ulna and the wrist joint (in 1999, I had a comminuted radial fracture that required 4 pins and some other various hardware). Since 2006, I started taking golf seriously again, and got my handicap down to near scratch last summer. This year, I have had a lot of pain issues in my wrist, and although it has always looked kind of deformed since I messed it up, it looks like the ulna is sticking out further than usual. Has anyone here had DRUJ reconstruction where they remove the head of the ulna and replace it with a steel rod? If so, does the pain go away after they put it back together correctly?

I've played this game 21 years, never had an ace before. I had a double eagle two years ago on a 540yd par 5, so I think that's better.

Getting ready to tee off (I actually used to play this song on my Inno before a tournament - same song Virginia Tech uses before they run out of the tunnel): Metallica - Enter Sandman \ After a good hole/stretch of holes: Blur - Song 2 I had these two songs stuck in my head last year when I put up a 65: Pogues - Body of An American Pogues - Paddy on the Railway

I think it has more to do with the air being heavy than anything else.