Couple milestones today

[ezra76]

I went up to Triggs today after the rain stopped. Little busier than I thought it would be but not bad. I hit a few milestones today even though I really blew a third big one.

I shot a ho hum +7 42 on the front, making a few pretty sad bogies from position A off the tee. Then I get to the back. Made a nice par saving putt on the 10th followed by another par then a bogey. 13 is another par 5 and I hit my drive just into the right rough. Thankfully I took the 22* hybrid with me. Hit it over the left bunker just into the greenside rough from 205. Made a less than spectacular chip and left 8-9feet. In my head I'd already written down the 5, then I said to myself "come on man, don't do that $hit, let's hole this thing"... and I did, for bird. Next hole is a par 3, hit the green, barely and it spun back just onto the fringe. Chipped that in for back to back birds. Actually, that's milestone 3 I guess, I've never made back to back birds that I can recall.

So I par 15, 16 and the hardest hole on the course with a GIR on 17. On 18 I hit my 3W right on the 150 marker. The lie was a little above my feet and I was on guard for a pull... ended up blocking it a bit into the right bunker. Got out but had a 15 footer which I missed an inch outside.

So I had a shot at breaking par for 9 but shot my first even par 9 holes ever on a real course. Also broke 80 with the 79 for the 1st time on a "real" course.

 

[Esox]

Nice work. I get the feeling you should be around 80 or under every round, but your dinking around with club changes and over thinking everything is holding you back.

Just play, man. Make a couple/three damn birdies every round, and you'll break 80 almost every time.

Kevin

Kevin

 

[ezra76]

Well, unfortunately will have yet another club change. Superquad is cracked. I'm probably going to be building a 10.5* 905R using a 757 stiff out of tour 905R Twofast picked up. It's a 9.5* and he let me use it. I nail the thing but ballflight is just a tad too low.

I struck my irons decent today and played conservative/agressive. On the front side I really blew a few oppurtunities. Hit it on top of the 200 marker on a par 5, downhill to the green off a downhill lie and totally chunked the piss out of 5iron. I pulled a few shots out front so was on guard for those the rest of the round. Hit a lot of half-assed cuts that were hung too high and right. I always hit cuts but need to stay down through the shot, coming out of some of them too early today. Happy with the work I've been doing on my pivot though. Feeling like I'm reaching back, away from the target. Must be working because my good shots were very powerful with a pretty smooth swing.

 

[VtDivot]

Well, unfortunately will have yet another club change. Superquad is cracked. I'm probably going to be building a 10.5* 905R using a 757 stiff out of tour 905R Twofast picked up. It's a 9.5* and he let me use it. I nail the thing but ballflight is just a tad too low.

I struck my irons decent today and played conservative/agressive. On the front side I really blew a few oppurtunities. Hit it on top of the 200 marker on a par 5, downhill to the green off a downhill lie and totally chunked the piss out of 5iron. I pulled a few shots out front so was on guard for those the rest of the round. Hit a lot of half-assed cuts that were hung too high and right. I always hit cuts but need to stay down through the shot, coming out of some of them too early today. Happy with the work I've been doing on my pivot though. Feeling like I'm reaching back, away from the target. Must be working because my good shots were very powerful with a pretty smooth swing.

I have a 10.5 905R that I'd love to trade for a 9.5 FYI.

 

[MIKE1218]

Broke 80? Way to go! But have you been playing on fake courses?

 

[ezra76]

Lol. No, I just don't consider it really legit on low slope rating, driver-wedge courses. I broke 80 a few times on a course that was like 116-117 and barely over 6K. Pretty open with flat, slow greens. Not that Triggs is all that hard. I played off the whites, 6300/126. The par 5's aren't all that long so I can reach them all fairly easy. Par 3's and 4's get a little long though. I'd have to say it plays longer than the listed yardage. I've played 7K that I hit shorter clubs into all day long. Difference mainly they'll make 2 par 5's just under 600 then throw in a couple stupid par 3's at like 220-240. I'm not a big fan of par 3's nobody can hit an iron into. I prefer a mid iron par 3 with lots of trouble, forcing you to get the yardage right to hit the GIR or have to make a damn good short game shot to get up and down.

 

[rolltherock]

Lol. No, I just don't consider it really legit on low slope rating, driver-wedge courses. I broke 80 a few times on a course that was like 116-117 and barely over 6K. Pretty open with flat, slow greens. Not that Triggs is all that hard. I played off the whites, 6300/126. The par 5's aren't all that long so I can reach them all fairly easy. Par 3's and 4's get a little long though. I'd have to say it plays longer than the listed yardage. I've played 7K that I hit shorter clubs into all day long. Difference mainly they'll make 2 par 5's just under 600 then throw in a couple stupid par 3's at like 220-240. I'm not a big fan of par 3's nobody can hit an iron into. I prefer a mid iron par 3 with lots of trouble, forcing you to get the yardage right to hit the GIR or have to make a damn good short game shot to get up and down.

I agree with the slope/driver wedge analogy. However, just to be a devil's advocate I have to throw in the 1 exception I know of. There is a course just north of Greenville, SC called The Cliffs at Glassy Mountain. The Cliffs is part of the community where Tiger is building his course just up the road in NC and Gary Player has his world headquarters at one of the other tracks just in case you are in the area and get a chance to play.

The Glassy is a 139 slope of off 6,210 yards which was all recently updated by the USGA....yes you read that correct a 139. I played it for 3 straight days and shot 85,81 and finally a 78. That 78 felt like a sub par round. My game revolves around putting and I consider myself to be an excellent putter. Let's put it this way, I had to put an ice pack on my head after 18 with an average of about 6 three putts a round. The only place I can compare it to is Augusta as far as the greens. Zinger played it about 5 years ago and was unable to break par off the tips for 3 rounds.....tips are about 6,700 and the slope is 148. All you need is about 240 off the tee there. It's a total iron/shot shapers dream and a putting test of epic proportions. To top it off it's the most beautiful track I have ever walked.

 

[ezra76]

Yeah, don't get me wrong, a shorter course with a high slope can be more difficult for sure. That's basically like the course I'm planning to join. There is not one par 4 at 400yds. but the fairways are tight and the greens are the toughest around. Requires pinpoint iron accuracy and hitting fairways. To tell you the truth, this round is what sold me on that course. I was hitting fairways and my iron play was a lot better. I think playing the shorter, tougher course got my focus dialed in for not just hitting fairways and greens but hitting fairways to leave the best angle to attack the correct portion of the green for a realistic birdie attempt. First time I've ever had the thought of "below the hole chipping is better than above it putting".

Distance is not my issue basically. On this 79 round I parred 445 par 4, birdie 462 par 5 and par 412 par 4 well uphill. Driver on all off the tee, 4i, hybrid, 8i in respectively.

 

[rolltherock]

Yeah, don't get me wrong, a shorter course with a high slope can be more difficult for sure. That's basically like the course I'm planning to join. There is not one par 4 at 400yds. but the fairways are tight and the greens are the toughest around. Requires pinpoint iron accuracy and hitting fairways. To tell you the truth, this round is what sold me on that course. I was hitting fairways and my iron play was a lot better. I think playing the shorter, tougher course got my focus dialed in for not just hitting fairways and greens but hitting fairways to leave the best angle to attack the correct portion of the green for a realistic birdie attempt. First time I've ever had the thought of "below the hole chipping is better than above it putting".

I wish I could play The Glassy course every week, but whew my pockets aren't full of money

You will become a more well rounded player for sure. That is why slope is so important for figuring handicaps. A 5 handi on a 115 slope will need mental therapy after shooting 90+ on a course like this. As a matter of fact we had a guy from Jacksonville join our 4some the last day and he said he was a 4......shot like a 92. He was complaining 'this course sucks!, it's too "tricked up". Ok, whatever dude, just pay me the $12 you owe me.

Enjoy it b/c once you get into it you will reap the rewards of a better game!