TapOut64

Heron Ridge in Virginia Beach yesterday, hole #7 for those in the area. Would this box be considered an immovable obstruction with free relief? (It was in my back swing as the hole was to the left of my ball in the picture.) You can see that it sits just off the cart path. How about all the mud and tire tracks? When I addressed the ball my feet were sinking in wet mud so I took relief for standing water. Right or wrong? Thoughts?

I have had 3 short putts on this course go back of the cup, hit the liner and pop back out. That's quite frustrating. You will never see a PGA Tour event set the cups to 1/4" deep.

I play other courses in Virginia Beach that have the same exact soil including Virginia Beach National which is 5 miles away and they have no issue setting the cup to the proper depth. Heck, even the "less nice" local courses have no problem.

A local course in Virginia Beach (Heron Ridge) which is one of the nicest public courses in Virginia Beach where I am a member, cannot seem to set the cup to the proper depth. USGA says AT LEAST 1" below the surface of the green which obviously, in the pic it is not. It's maybe 1/4". I am a full member and complained last year to the greens keeper and nothing has come of it. Am I wrong to be upset? You definitely can't go back of the cup on short putts.

As the title says, I struggle on the green at times discerning between a slightly uphill putt vs a slightly downhill putt. I will look at it from one angle and it might look downhill but from the opposite view it might look uphill. Obviously my 60 year old eyes are the issue but was wondering if anyone has any tips for old guys like me. I take my time and walk all around the hole, it's just frustrating when for example, from behind the hole it looks downhill and then when I address the ball it looks uphill. Sitting at a 9.3 index and would like to get it lower by holing more putts, thanks for any tips.

Great info. Played my local course here in Virginia Beach, (Heron Ridge) had a very short putt, hit it dead center and was shocked to see the ball rebound out of the hole. I could hear it hit the plastic cup liner. This cup was sunk around 1/4" from the surface, maximum of 1/2". Tried the same putt on numerous other holes where the cup was sunk deeper with no problem. Guess the greens keeper got lazy on this hole.

Why? You would never be waiting on me. I am one of the fastest players you will ever run into on the golf course. I am extremely fit and almost always the first to the green and the first to the next tee box. When I play with my 16 year old step son who is a 3 handicap, he tells me to slow down. Also, what does it take me? 40 seconds round trip to walk off 30 yards? (which is the max I walk off) I like to have a look at the break around the hole which helps me to hole out chips which I did for birdie from 27 yards just the other day. I also do this while waiting on my playing partners to catch up to me so you need not worry about being irritated, I can pretty much guarantee you that you could not keep up with me on the golf course. 🙂

I am a huge numbers guy and if a number can be applied to something, I want to know what it is. Even in golf, I will pace off short chips as I have a 10 yard, 20 yard, and 30 yard shot whereas I take the club back a certain distance for each. I have heard the comparison to basketball players that they do not know their exact distance to the basket, they just use their eye sight and adjust which I know a lot of golfers do as well when within a certain distance to the pin. My question is, what is that distance for you? I was at the range today and was hitting wayward balls to a flag that I had no idea what it's exact distance was, I estimate that I was at times as close as 40 yards and as far away as 70 yards. I was amazed at how accurate I was having not known the distance to the flag. Temps me to not use my range finder within say 70 yards and go by look and feel. What say you?

I come from the worlds of power lifting and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu where I am a retired black belt. You don't find many golfers in these two worlds. My buddies would rather go to the gym or learn neat and interesting ways to choke you unconscious and tear every ligament in your body. Not to mention I work from my house and my closest co-worker is 2 hours away and doesn't golf. I have also managed to work full time and play 97 rounds so far this year with a two day club tournament this weekend, rounds 98 & 99. Not many people at 59 can keep up with me. I thinks it's pretty obvious that there are numerous reasons for this, probably none greater than their love of the game and the fact that it is a sport that you can play alone.

I am hoping for relief as if this was during a USGA event wouldn't they mark it GUR? Also, this course doesn't mark anything, even when it's obviously GUR. Just reaching here. Guess it's the price I pay for playing a cruddy course.

Honey Bee golf course in Virginia Beach is an ok course but not real great. On some greens they have this crab grass, Dallas grass? Not sure what it is but it is right on the edge of the putting green and grows in the first cut around the green sporadically. Probably 95% of the first cut is fine but then you have areas like this, where my ball landed after hitting the green and spinning back. What you can't see is that it was bare dirt below my ball literally 6" from the putting surface. I was plus 1 through 7 holes at this point, ( real happy as I am a 10.9 handicap) and I skulled the chip and ate a double. I also played a second ball taking relief and got a par. So, what does the rules committee here say? I either shot a 79 or a 77, either way I am pretty happy.

The first hole at Honey Bee golf course in Virginia Beach is a par 5 over a creek which also runs along the left side of the hole. You only need to carry your ball around 150 yards to carry the creek but even as a 11 handicap I still manage to screw up and hit a ball into the creek every so often. They have the drop zone on the opposite side of the creek from the tee box. I am sure they do this to speed up play however, as I like to play by the USGA rules of golf, my question is, is this acceptable as a local rule under USGA guide lines? I feel guilty playing my third shot from the other side of the water.

Yes, as my step son found his ball in play, there was not need for him to say anything to him.

Perhaps because this was a junior event with 13-18 year old golfers, he felt the need to educate the young golfers? Just a thought.

By "us" I meant me and one of the other players father. They allowed spectators to help find golf balls so we were on our way to search for his ball in the woods.