McGeeno

I had a...very interesting round this past Sunday guys. Played with my regular golf buddy and his father in law who apparently is a solid golfer. Now I play to play to a 7.1 index and can break 80 if I play well. On Sunday we played a local course I had never broken 80 on. As the round goes on, I notice some peculiar things from the wily old veteran. Any putt inside 6 feet is scooped up, OB counts as one stroke and you can drop your ball in the fairway (LOL). The funniest one was on the par 3 17th. Plays about 200 yards give or take. The guy hit his tee shot way left in the woods and we all walk up to look for it. No ball found anywhere. He decides to just head to the 18th tee. I finish out and walk up to him and curiously ask what he got there. "A bogey". I said wow! Thats amazing! and just shook my head. I doubt I'll be playing with him any time soon. I ended up shooting my best round there ever at 77 and although I actually dusted the guy on damn near every hole, he came up with the best "81" I've ever seen.

I got complimented yesterday on my grinding ability. I loved that. I was playing a strokeplay style match yesterday against a good rival who is usually a little better than me and I was 5 down with 4 to go... I finished bird-par-par-bird to even up the match after he doubled 16 and bogeyed 18. Mind you, we went down the first hole again to finish the match and he took it, LOL. I love just hanging in there and staying in matches right till the bitter end. I've had many members tell me they hate playing matches against me.

I'm using a custom made PING Day putter, ordered online from a website where you can pick the grip/shaft length/lie etc. I paid about 130 bucks and its been worth every penny so far.

Im conservative by nature in matchplay. Middle of the greens, lay up if I dont have the shot, iron off the tees etc. Make your opponent have to hit the pinseeking shots. Do you know how disheartening it is to see the guy you are playing with always near the pin? That being said, see how the first few holes go. If he seems to be a guy who is capable of an 8 and then a 3, you have to play smart and pick your spots. Hopefully he'll you can hit it past him so you can see what he's doing with his approach. EDIT: Didnt read the results until after my post. GOOD job on the round. Matches are a blast.

Yup. It was simple for me. Start making those half dozen key puts from inside 10 feet that usually seperate an 82 from a 77 Getting on the putting green, putting for money on the practice green with buddies, setting up fun challenges etc. Whatever you need to do to get confidence on the green. Drive for show, putt for dough. :) I have so much confidence in my short putts now that I expect to make most of them.

Some good stuff here. Everybody is different, but some things help me when I struggle with the hook. I still battle with it when playing bad, but some things I try to remember (Some already said in here) 1) Dont take the club inside too far; 2) Dont try and compensate with your aim to 'play the hook'. Golf is a game of opposites, the more you close out your stance the more exaggerated the hook can :::and will::: become. 3) Just one for me personally, but I try to finish 'high' on the followthrough. I tend to level off and round my followthrough out if I'm hooking the ball.

I have one local course that is a par 73 and has 4 par threes, all between 155-165 yards. Drives me nuts having to hit the same club, same shot etc.

I like to consider course management as my 'strong suit'. I take it extremely seriously. I never had a naturally beautiful swing or any amazing area of my game, but I was a bitch to play a match against. I'll grind on everyone until they falter. You might make a birdy or three, but I'm not going to get a double and I'll get out of some nasty situations. Some tips I've picked up over the years: 1) When practicing, always go through your normal routine. Practice with a purpose. Imagine hitting that 7 iron on the 10th hole or whatever, but don't just go out there and smack drivers for 20 minutes. I'd rather see 50 balls hit ::In total:: with a real purpose in mind. 2) Unless you are completely comfortable with the approach shot, go for the middle of the green. Lets face it, most of us are amateurs and only a small % have the skill to hit a pinseeker in there on the regular. Take the two putt and eliminate the 6 or 7 you might get from trying to get 'too cute'. 3) I got this one from an early 90's golf digest. If you are in between clubs for a yardage, a simple rule is to see where the pin is. If its front, take more club and swing softer. A mishit will still end up on the green, a perfectly struck ball is going to be tight. If its back take more club and swing harder. You won't go over the green and short-side yourself and you'll have ton of green to work with from the front. 4) When in matchplay if you are confident, feel comfortable letting your opponent hit it past you on some holes. Whether you go 3W or 5I doesnt matter. You'll get to hit your approach in there tight and your opponent can stare at it while he nervously lines up his shot. (Tiger tip, maybe?) 5) Like someone said earlier, play to your strengths. If your best shot is the 105 yard SW or the 80 yard LW, try to play the hole backwards in your mind. What is the best strategy to get you that shot? If its a 600 yard par 5 with OB on both sides, do you really need to attempt to hit the 300 yard bomb? Finally: Take your medicine. If you hit it in the bush, chip out. No need to try the miracle 'hooded 3 iron hook shot' because I've seen everyone from a scratch golfer to a 30 handicap try those shots. They rarely work. In the end, a 5 or 6 beats an 8 or 9 most days, LOL.

Can't think of a formula really... Its all feel and experience. Uphill I take an extra club, downhill I take one less. If its 100+ feet off a cliff etc, I'll adjust from there.

I was trying to defend a local tournament I had won a couple years ago, and had the pressure really get to me. Shot a 72 the year before (36-36) and came out and fired a 49 on the front nine trying too hard to make shots. I relaxed on the back, threw a 36 on the board and went home with a pretty ugly 85. Definitely my biggest disparity, although I'm sure there has been numerous 7-10 shot differences.

My best shot? Easy one. I aced the 16th hole at my home course. In a match. Up 2 with 3 to go, so I sealed it with the Ace. It was the semi-finals for the mens club matchplay championship too, so considering the pressure and situation, I can't forget it. 9 iron from about 140 or so.

I'm a lefty, I use the Titleist 731 PM's A combination cavity back/blade set that I love. The 3-4-5 are cavity backs and the 6 and below are blade/muscleback combos. A nice set. I've used everything from Cleveland TA3 gunmetal irons to Callaway X-18's when I stopped playing regularily. I love the Titleists.

The best way? Practice difficult up and downs. When other people are hitting drivers at the range, go to the chipping green and work on the short game. Your game will thank you later.

This thread is very enlightening. Good stuff in here. I'm new here, but an avid golfer, consider myself a good player. I hit it long (Very long for an amateur) and I don't hit it 300 yards except for the odd blast every round or so. Even in tournament golf not many guys hit it past me. My home course has a 322 yard hole, straight and tree lined. I've seen 1-2 guys hit it on the green before in thousands of rounds, and I've poked it close a few times myself. Anyways, to the point: I GPS measured it for the first time this year, and it checked in at 306 from the tips, when it is 'listed' as 312 from the middle tees... Long story short: Don't ever trust yardage markers on the course.