Whiskey84

And the streak ended due to a phantom lost ball on #18. I laid up on the 2nd shot of the par 5 18th after my bother had some issues with the trees on the right. I figured no reason to get crazy. Both of us looked in the area my ball went and it was gone. We saw it bounce so it didn't plug, and it was in the center of the fairway so it's not like it was in tall grass. Pisses me off that THAT's how my brother finally beats me. Didn't help my mood that the round took 5+ hours and the marshals ignored the group ahead of us falling 2 holes behind. Just a crappy day at the course... (still beats work)

A solid drive will go 280-ish. A mashed drive can get out to 305-310. Been leaking the ball left a lot lately though...

I try to avoid heavy breakfasts such as breakfast burritos so I don't have to duece mid-round. pretty much nothing can kill your momentum better than that...

Originally Posted by OCdude12 Ben, just took a look at the qualifier page, they've got you playing Boundary Oaks for the qualifier?!! You ever play that course, need a caddie? I've got a couple other buddies playing in the qualifier also that day, will be paying close attention. Seems odd to have the qualifier out there when they had it at Wente Vineyards last year. Wente is waaaayyyyy nicer than Boundary, and a lot tougher too. Regardless, use to play Boundary during college every so often, pretty straightforward course. When do you get up here for it? Ben, If you need a caddy at Wente Vineyards sometime give me a shout. I worked there in '03-04 and know the course inside-out. I love this thread. I've been reading it from start to finish over the last few days. -James

Played my home course for the first time in a while today. 6,700 yds, 71.8 rtg, 129 slope. I've been playing pretty wel lately so I figured sub-80 would be a good day. Ended up going 39-39 for 78 with bogeys on 3 of the last 4 holes (I ran out of gas walking the course for the first time in months). I'm happy I was able to deliver on my pre-round expectations. Stats: 3 FIR 7 GIR 27 putts 2 Birds 8 Pars 8 Bogeys

Anyone else have one? My kid brother is 17 and he wants to beat me so bad he can taste it. I scrambled like crazy to hold him off today to beat him by 2. Damn kid went +2 over the last 13 holes. I thought today was going to be the day he finally got me...

Great thread. It's amazing to hear about someone taking the time and putting in the effort to improve, rather than looking for the newest club or ball to shave strokes from their game. Keep up the good work...

Zip ties. They come in handy all the time. I've even used them as a makeshift belt n the past (run 2 of them between 2 belt loops and cinch down).

One thing that you can do is change HOW you play your home course. Try laying up on the short par 5 instead of going for it. Try hitting driver past those traps you always lay up from. I got into a very set pattern on my "home course" for a couple years and decided to change it up. I'm now looking at every hole and thinking of all the different plays instead of just trying the same shot I always do.

^^^ I do like watching her do those birdie dances...

I have two large metal lockers in my garage that I keep my golf clubs and spare equipment in. Keeps prying eyes from seeing my stuff when the door is rolled up.

I was just surprised that a ball could get over to us where we were (150 yards right). I'm glad the guy yelled and I wasn't upset or anything, I just couldn't seem to get back into that focused zone for a bit after ducking in place after being about to hit my shot. Just had a bit of the unexpecated in the middle of a pretty ordinary round and thought I'd share. BTW, I parred the hole.

The relevance was that I was real focused on my shot and completely taken by surprise when that ball came down near me. We were a good 130 yards right of this guy's fairway and I would've never thought we were in danger of being hit. At least the guy yelled. What messed with my head was suddenly having to snap out of that focused pre-shot routine and duck. I couldn't concentrate with those guys still teeing off over there...

I'm standing over my ball about to go for a par 5 in two when I hear "FORE!" I immediately duck in place and this guy's ball lands about 20 feet from me. No joke, this guy missed his hole by about 150 yards to the right. 150 yards! It threw me off my game and it took me 4-5 holes to get back in the right state of mind. On a positive note, my 17 year old brother shot his first 79 today.

I caught a case of the shanks on those shots a few months ago. Here's what I did to fix it. 1) Concentrate on staying on your correct plane and using the right amount of wrist in those shots. 2) Make sure you feel comfortable with your practice swings before addressing the ball. 3) Relax. You'll work through it.

Weakness: Sometimes my mental game lacks focus and I try to do too much with a shot, rather than make a very simple play. Strength: Ballstriking, short game, & course management.

It's amazing what confidence in a driver can do for our games. Sounds like a nice setup.

Around here, we refer to those as "beaver pelts". lol

I had a 2 iron in my old Cleveland TA-5 set years ago. Of the dozens of times I pulled it out of the bag on the course, only 2 or 3 worked out well. To hell with 2irons, give me an 18* hybrid...

I've been golfing about 9-10 years, but had about 4 years in the middle where I only played once every 6-8 months. For the last 4 months or so I've been playing close to 3 times per week.

Thanks guys! I got a few good breaks and ground out a few pars. It's a beautiful thing!

Saved par on 4/6 missed GIR. Only one 3 putt bogey (from 60+ feet) 8 one-putts overall.

I shot par for the first time today!! (on an 18 hole course) This was at The Bridges in San Ramon, CA. 6,600+ yds/73.5 rating/146 slope Dropped a 20' Birdie putt on 18 and let loose a HUGE fist pump! Hit 11/14 Fairways 12/18 GIR 29 putts 3 Birdies (#1,14,&18), 3 Bogeys (2,7,&13) Feeling so pumped up right now. I wish it wasn't dark so I could go play another 18!

I shot par for the first time today!! (on an 18 hole course) This was at The Bridges in San Ramon, CA. 6,600+ yds/73.5 rating/146 slope Dropped a 20' Birdie putt on 18 and let loose a HUGE fist pump! Hit 11/14 Fairways 12/18 GIR 29 putts 3 Birdies (#1,14,&18), 3 Bogeys (2,7,&13)

I'll go for a green every time from 215 and in with an iron. I won't pull the 3 wood from 260 unless I know there's room to miss the green, as I know it's not a high percentage shot. I'm not a very aggressive player, but lately I've been going for more par 5's in two...