Why do I do this?

[bames]

I was +3 coming in to the 8th hole today (a short par 3) and was really hitting my irons well. I opened the face of my PW slightly to fade it in to a pin tucked right, and even if I didn't fade it I would be center of the green. Sounds simple right . Wrong. I top my PW and it travels so low that it catches the tops of the willows and doesn't clear the wetlands! So I drop and hit another. This time I'm SO bound and determined NOT to catch it thin that I chunk the thing and end up 10-yds shy of the green. I chip up to the pin and almost hit the pin on my way by the hole. I then proceed to miss my double-bogey putt by 1/4" and tap in for a stellar TRIPLE!

I did birdie the par 5 9th to finish with a 42! Breaking 40 today was mine for the taking. (BTW - I purposefully did not look at my scores so it wasn't as though I was nervous.) The fact is that I, with little or no warning, can blow a round with a stupid hole like a 140-yd par-3.

Did I mention I love golf?

[JEFF4i]

Smooth and easy swing every time. Even if you're first wasn't so hot, don't try and over-correct, if you're looking at breaking 40, things should be working on their own anyway.

[HighTopFade]

I truly believe some courses are set up tough at the finishing holes. Sunnyvale Muni in Northern California seems like the easiest course until the 14th. Then that's where the real fun begins. Yeah right!

[Sandpiper3]

I know how ya feel.

My last tourney round i was playing SOOO well, -1 through 12, left bird putt 2" short, outta nowhere make 3 straight bogeys, just couldnt hit the green for my life somehow, last couple holes coming in a par a few, then bird 18... +3 74 for my final tourney round (good round none the less, but coulda been career round for me in the final round...)

I know the scores are a little diff, but the principle is the same.

Dont worry bames, WE ALL LOVE GOLF!!!!

[Augster]

Played a quick 9 today. Started par, birdie, then 4-putt double on a par 3. Hit 8 greens and shot 39. With a birdie.

I also love golf.

[ezra76]

I've gotten better at not blowing it lately. Today I really had nothing special to blow (shot 84) but I'd been having trouble controlling my iron fades all day. The 18th is much like your 9th. 138, downhill over a waste area/stream and the green is sloped to the back. I usually hit the same shot, PW fade, stick it below the hole and putt. Today I decided to just hit a 9iron 3/4 draw. Almost like a long pitch shot. It worked out OK. On the front fringe, hit the stick with my chip and tapped in. I guess my point is I don't try to do things I'm having trouble doing that day. (unfortunately I had to putt today.) lol.

Beats working though.

[bames]

Originally Posted by ezra76

...Beats working though.

That's the truth. As upset as I was at a triple on a par-3, it still doesn't get too much better than fall golf during lunch paid for by your title company!

[emc]

With a wedge you should have been aggressive and gone straight for the flag, or else cutted a 9 iron. I think you may have been trying to hit the ball too hard and you looked up to see how good the shot the shot was

[IrishGolfer]

Originally Posted by bames

I opened the face of my PW slightly to fade it in ...
a 140-yd par-3.

Hey Bames

140 yard faded PW? Was it down wind, down hill? Man that's a big hit with a wedge! What's your normal distance with a wedge? Maybe that was the problem, trying to hit it too hard?

Dunno, just strikes me that a controlled 8/9i may have given you a better chance. Contolling distance with short irons with 3/4 swings is a real way to build up consistency.

[ezra76]

Originally Posted by IrishGolfer

Dunno, just strikes me that a controlled 8/9i may have given you a better chance. Contolling distance with short irons with 3/4 swings is a real way to build up consistency.

Good advice. I've been working at the range on this exact thing. I go to a booth with the 100yd. sign to my left and about a 100yd. green to my right. With an 8i-PW I try to draw it to the left sign and then fade it to the green on the right. It really helps, I used that 3/4 draw shot twice yesterday to make 2 pars. Now if I could make the darn thing check a little harder I'd have a really dangerous little shot.

[JEFF4i]

Originally Posted by emc

With a wedge you should have been aggressive and gone straight for the flag, or else cutted a 9 iron. I think you may have been trying to hit the ball too hard and you looked up to see how good the shot the shot was

No way, not for "70s golf."

Middle of the green is safest bet because even to make it into a 70s score, you're still getting bogies. If you can attack the pin from 140, and be successful most of the time, then you wouldn't have any problem breaking 80.

Middle of the green, 2 putt, and par.

[bames]

Originally Posted by IrishGolfer

Hey Bames

140 yard faded PW? Was it down wind, down hill? Man that's a big hit with a wedge! What's your normal distance with a wedge? Maybe that was the problem, trying to hit it too hard?

Dunno, just strikes me that a controlled 8/9i may have given you a better chance. Contolling distance with short irons with 3/4 swings is a real way to build up consistency.

Your assessment is correct - I normally would play a 9i and I'm completely sold on the idea of not killing your irons (it was actually my best iron day all summer until this little gem of a decision ).

I'll explain the hole a little. The pin was near the front right and on this hole the back is a nasty slope that shoots your ball into more wetlands. The front has a nicely groomed landing area if you come up short, so I figured short was safer than long, problem is I didn't mean THAT short! I also was hitting my irons well all day. Two holes earlier I had a 150-yd bunker shot to a well guarded, slightly elevated green and stuck my 8i to 10-ft. In retrospect I probably played the par-3 overly confident and subconciously swung too hard with the PW which was breaking my rule for the day! Lesson learned and not repeated, hopefully.

[demon]

Originally Posted by stuck@16

I truly believe some courses are set up tough at the finishing holes. Sunnyvale Muni in Northern California seems like the easiest course until the 14th. Then that's where the real fun begins. Yeah right!

LOL, I played that course and it is way too easy and you have to love the runway lights on the course.