SubPar

Yes, as you indicated, to the extent you learn to stay out of trouble. Two aspects of the game that separate a 15-20 from a 10 is picking the club and shot that minimizes the "disaster potential" and learning to get up and down at least half the time when you are close to the green. SubPar

What are the fees like? SubPar

Has anyone played any of these? And how much fun can you have playing a course with a slope around 150? MOST DIFFICULT 18-HOLE GOLF COURSES IN OREGON & SW WASHINGTON Rank Course Rating /Slope Yards 1 Bandon Dunes 76.7 /149 7,326 2 Crosswater Club 76.5 /145 7,683 3 The Nicklaus Course at Pronghorn 76.2 /151 7,379 4 The Fazio Course at Pronghorn 75.8 /148 7,447 5 Sandpines Golf Links 75.2 /131 7,173 6 Centennial Golf Club 75.0 /130 7,309 7 Chehalem Glenn 74.8 /154 7,054 8 Pumpkin Ridge - Witch Hollow 74.7 /139 7,017 9 The Reserve Vineyards - South 74.7 /132 7,170 10 The Nicklaus Course at Pronghorn 74.6 /148 7,039 11 Wildhorse Resort Golf Course 74.6 /131 7,060 12 Crosswater Club 74.6 /141 7,273 13 Diamond Woods Golf Club 74.5 /143 6,975 14 Sandpines Golf Links 74.4 /129 6,998 15 Aspen Lakes Golf Course 74.4 /139 7,302 16 Royal Oaks Country Club 74.3 /133 7,017 17 The Club at Brasada Canyon 74.3 /147 7,314 18 Eugene Country Club 74.2 /136 7,033 19 Redtail Golf Club 74.1 /136 7,107 SubPar

This was a surprise but one has to assume the possible value of having her there motivate and inspire the team out weighed picking one of the hotter younger players. SubPar

More to the point, she has often been in a position to close the deal (making a PGA cut, winning an LPGA event) and manages to throw it away over a few holes. She has star power and potential, but no proven ability to squeeze out a win of any kind at this level. I figure once she gets her first win she will surge forward with better performances and more wins. It's okay they put her on the team but it would be nice if she could just once show she has some nerve. SubPar

That was a 2-club wind. SubPar

He's losing too much weight too fast. You can't have energy for your body or you brain trying to compete while eating only 600 calories a day. If he does not wise up and start eating enough, he'll be dead soon. SubPar

It happens to a lot of people. Shows the importance of a positive visualization. SubPar

I thought about that after I left that post. We do generally give putts 'inside the leather" to move things along. I always argue we should never give any putts because you have to make them in tournaments, and 2 footers start to look like 6 feet when you have not had to make one in a month! SubPar

This sounds about right. A lot depends on how badly you miss them. If you don't miss by much or in bad places, you can get up and down almost as often as you would two putt. But hitting greens obviously gives you more birdie opportunities. I can only hit four greens and shoot 79 or 80. Once I hit 11 greens and shot a 73. The best on tour is usually 75-80%, so if we could hit 40-50% we'd be looking pretty good. I hope to hit 10-12 tomorrow, but I'm playing 36 holes SubPar

I generally play for money and we play "by the book". SubPar

I play in Waco a few times a year and it gets pretty unbearable fast come late spring and summer. In Texas you have cold and wind in the winter. Heat, humidity and wind the rest of the year! After living in SoCal for years it is hard to play back there, but I still keep a set of clubs there. SubPar

It's been bad here in SoCal. A couple of days ago it was 87 and clear. Today it is 78 and clear. I never know what to wear! SubPar

probably anything that will give you a measurement up to about 300 yards will do. SubPar

I might be doing Olivas in Ventura around 1300 on Saturday if anyone is interested. Subpar

Alright, so I am wrong about whether the handicap adjusts to par. So it adjusts relative to a scratch golfer. That still does not account for the fact that a really easy course I have an 8 and on a MUCH harder course I have a 9. Using the tees with the virtually the same total yardage the course rating at Woodley Lakes is 70.5 and Tierra Rejada is 70.6. It does not make sense that two courses so vastly different in terms of difficulty could have the same course rating. The relative difficulty of the courses does not seem to be estimated fairly, for myself or the scratch golfer. I may be mistaken, but I'm not making anything up... --------------------- "A handicap is calculated with a specific arithmetic formula that approximates how many strokes more than par a player should be able to play. ... A player's handicap is intended to show a player's potential, not his average score, as is the common belief. A player will play to his handicap less than 25% of the time. The USGA refers to this as the "average best" method." --------------------- "*The average golfer is expected to play to his handicap or below only about 25% of the time." --------------------- A player's handicap is intended to show a player's potential, not his average score, as is the common belief. A player will play to his handicap less than 25% of the time. The USGA refers to this as the "average best" method. So in a large, handicapped competition, the golfer who shoots the best with respect to his abilities and the normal variations of the score should win. SubPar

Actually, what I talking about is comparing my ability as expressed by my index, relative to two different courses with different levels of difficulty. The handicap system is supposed to account for that difference and provide me with roughly the same probability of shooting a net par score on either course. When we play in tournaments where I am an 8 handicap on the course, if I shoot an 80 that is a net 72. The formula is set up so you are expected to shoot at or below your handicap (net par) roughly 25% of the time. This is what happens at my home courses about 25% of the time. So if I have a really good round I might shoot a net 69, 70, 71, 72, something like that. If the slope/index system were accurate it would achieve what it was meant to achieve, which is to level the playing field for a variety of skill levels on a variety of courses. That means if I go to a tournament at another course which is more difficult, the slope adjustment against my index should give me roughly the same chance to shoot a net 72 (par). Some of us have noticed it does not work out that way. One look at Tierra Rejada and you can see that a one-stroke difference relative to my home course is not even close. It probably should be more like 3-4 strokes given the differences between the courses. I figure with more "local knowledge" I could probably shoot a net par there 25% of the time if I got 12 or 13 strokes, rather than 9. That is what the handicap system is supposed to achieve. If I played TR 20 times next month, my handicap index would probably go up to a 10 or 11, which would accurately reflect my abilities, relative to par, on that course, or similar courses. But I would then shoot some really low NET scores back in the valley. The index/slope system is supposed to account for that difference in difficulty, but it does not. It can't be perfect, but it seems it could be closer. I am inquiring of the Course Rating Chairman with the PLGA to see what they factor into these ratings. SubPar

A draw adds distance because you are shutting down the clubface (delofting) a little. A fade is promoted by an open clubface which adds a little loft, so you lose some carry. SubPar

When you reach the breaking point it usually signals a pending break-through. Just take a few days off and set some realistic goals. When you come back you'll probably play better. SubPar

Figure out how far you hit it with various length swings and use it when you need it. I hit mine 65-75 yards and some times chip with it around the green depending of the variables. Tip: in a green-side bunker, short sided and/or in really firm sand? Use the 60°. SubPar

But the slope rating is supposed to be the equalizer, so when you calculate your course handicap only the slope and your index are used. However it is that courses get their difficulty rated, it does not seem to be entirely equitable. Woodley Lakes, for example, is a 119 slope and Tierra Rejada a 129. I can shoot to my handicap of -8 at Woodley about 25% of the time, which is expected. Every aspect of Tierra Rejada is much more difficult and I am a -9 there. I doubt I could shoot 81 or better there one out of fifteen tries, but the slope is supposed to equalize them relative to net scores. The guy who won our Club Championship this year posts most of his scores at a course rated at 130, where he is a 10 handicap. When he played on our 117 slope courses he shot a net 205 (-11 for 3 rounds). He's not a sand bagger. People who know him know he posts his correct scores. I play most of my golf on our home courses, so the reverse is true for me when I go to a 129 to 135 slope course. SubPar

Here is a discussion of the issue which is called "portability error" . They tried addressing it with the Course Slope, but they still have not gotten it right. The rating and slope system is supposed to take these factors into account... 1. Topography - Difficulty of stance in the landing area and the vertical angle of shot from the landing area into the green. 2. Fairway - The effective width and depth of the landing area, which can be reduced by a dogleg, trees or fairway slope. 3. Recoverability and rough - The existence of rough and other penalizing factors in the proximity of the landing area and the green. 4. Out-of-bounds - The existence of out-of-bounds in the proximity of the landing area and around the green. 5. Water hazards - The existence of water in the proximity of the landing area and around the green. 6. Trees - The strategic location, size, height and number of trees. 7. Bunkers - The existence of bunkers in the proximity of the landing area and around the green. 8. Green Target - The size, firmness, shape and slope of a green in relation to the normal length of the approach shot. 9. Green Surface - The contour and normal speed of the putting surface. 10. Psychological - The mental effect on play created by the proximity of obstacles to a target area. If they were doing it right I would not be an 8 handicap at an easy, open course like Woodley Lakes (Van Nuys, CA) and then just a 9 handicap at a very hard course like Tierra Rejada (Simi Valley, CA) . SubPar

The handicap system is flawed because the course rating system does not do a very good job of reflecting relative course difficulty. I am a 7.9 index and I play relatively wide open flat courses without many serious hazards. When I play more difficult courses I can never shoot a decent "net" score. The only way to get a more "true" handicap is to play a variety of courses with different levels of difficulty. SubPar

I seldom feel like I've had a good night's rest and I know it affects my game. One Saturday morning I got up early as usual and played nine holes with a couple of guys. I had an 18 hole round scheduled later in the day so I went home a took a one-hour nap. I woke up refreshed and played a really great round. I could tell that hour of deep sleep sharpened my senses and I played better because of it. Sometimes I take an Ambien on Friday night if I have an important match the next day. That helps. SubPar

Yes. On average, the ProV is about a club shorter for me than a ball that spins less. The temperature can also have an impact on the ball's performance. I played a ball similar to a ProV in 102 degree heat last week and it was like hitting a hackey sack. A harder two piece ball would not be affected as much. SubPar