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Chasing the elusive eagle...


cmdrkean

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I started playing golf at age 40 and 25 years later I have not made an eagle. I have had makeable putts, but as a 17 HCP I am thrilled to know I am likely to get a birdie as long as I don't leave it short or blow it by the hole. Probably not the best thoughts to have since I am trying for a good lag and not focusing on sinking the putt.

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It took me 14 years of playing golf to get my first eagle, which was back in 2009. Since then I've had a total of 6 of them. They were all on par 5's, and with the exception of one of them they were all good second shots that got me within 10-15 feet - make-able putting range.

 

The exception was one where I had a 30-foot side-hiller that broke at least 4-5 feet, and I really had no business making. I was just trying to get it close, but it went in.

 

Unfortunately, the current golf club I belong to has par 5's that are difficult to get on in two because they're tricked-up doglegs. Even from the whites you have to be a big hitter to cut the corners, and if you come up short you're OB. So for a guy like me who isn't the longest hitter in the world, the risk outweighs the reward. There's only one par 5 there, #8, that I've gotten on in two. But even that one has a creek about 20 yards in the front, more water off to the right, and trees/hazard off to the left. So unless I crank driver and get myself to a reason angle/distance, I lay up.

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Quite a few on par 5's over the years, nothing too lengthy all under 560 yards. One holed out from greenside bunker.

Only 1 on par 4's, a 457 yards 179 from the fairway with a 5 iron , saw it bounced once and disappeared, guys I played with wants a drink from me.........

Never had the luck on par 3's, although came within inches quite a few times.

 

The length of tee shots to get you in position to place the approach shot on the favored portion of the green for the pin placement is very important for increase the probability of birdies or eagles.

 

The more chances you get the luckier you will be. Keep trying. It seemed that you have the distance to pocket a few eagles in the future.

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If you were good enough to make eagles every couple of rounds, you would. Not a slam. You really want what you're not really good enough to produce, so you stress and try and hope that somehow stressing and trying will make the odds be even more in your favor. Not likely. When the eagle chance comes along, relax. Read the putt (or chip) and hit it the best you can, not like you're charging or trying, rather like you want a tap in birdie putt. Stop chasing the eagle, and it will finally land:)

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I played golf for a bit over 15 years with one eagle (which was an ace) to show for. During that time almost no eagle opportunities of the kind OP is mostly thinking of, being on a green in one less than regulation strokes then holing a putt.

 

Then about eight years ago I moved up one set of tees. My average Par 4 approach shot is now with a 7-iron (versus 5-iron from the longer tees) and I can drive the ball to within three-wood range of about one Par 5 per round on average.

 

In that eight years I've holed out a third shot for eagle on a Par 5, holed out two second shots on a Par 4 for eagles and made one eagle putt after reaching a Par 5 in two. So from one eagle in 15+ years to about one every other year.

 

I'd never go back to playing the longer tees. Maybe for one round now and then but not for a steady thing. Maybe you should evaluate your own desires about the game and see if the tees you usually play best serve your purposes.

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My favorite eagle that I got was as Palo Alto GC (when they were open). Its usually pretty windy since its right on the coast, but there were days where the wind was just howling. I'm talking driving it into the wind and the ball just seems to hit a wall at about 200 yards and drop. #15 is a 500 yard par 5 with the win behind us. I'm usually at 275-280 with my total distance with my driver, but with the wind, the drive ended up to be in that 320 range. With about about 192 left (pin was in the back), I took a 7 iron (my 165 club) and just pured it. Probably the purest shot I've ever hit. Playing a high cut, it started left and it was coming back right at the pin. I just kept saying BE THE RIGHT CLUB. I honestly didn't see where it landed or if was even on the green because from where I was, there was a bunker in front with the green slightly elevated. I walked up and saw my divot inches from the hole and my ball came to rest about 8 inches for a tap in eagle.

Nice. I have not been back out to Palo Alto after their renovation. Definitely windy that's for sure.

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Nice. I have not been back out to Palo Alto after their renovation. Definitely windy that's for sure.

 

So you know what hole I'm talking about! Nice. I think they made it such a short par 5 because the wind is usually coming off the coast and into your face. Not sure how those little planes take off from that airport. But when that wind is behind you, it becomes and easy hole. I can't wait until Bayland Golf Links opens up in its place. They're saying it should be done by August but I don't see it. Maybe at the end of the year. I'm sick of playing Shoreline whenever I can't get a tee time at Harding.

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  • 9 months later...

I've managed two, but I can't reach par 5s in 2 shots so neither were with a putter. Both were with the flag towards the back of the green and in the middle. Hit the middle of the green and watched them roll in miraculously. It could never happen again, or it could happen again this weekend. Crazy game.

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First year I started golfing I played a men's league. It was ugly because I was probably averaging scores of 110... but man was I having fun! Anyways, hole 18 is 505 yards from the white tees. Had an excellent drive. Pulled out a 4 iron and put it 5 ft behind the green. Used a pitching wedge to pitch it on the green and it went in the hole! I was jumping up and down like a little kid that just got his first bicycle. It was a rare for me to string together 2 good shots in a row, let alone 3 at the time... would rather be lucky than good sometimes!

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I have never had an eagle. I am wondering if I am putting too much pressure on it.

 

Background:

I am 35 and have been golfing for about 25 years. At my peak in my early 20's I was maybe a 7 or 8 handicap. Now I probably would be a 10 but don't play enough to have an official one. Although my rounds per year have dropped to maybe about 8 or 10, I usually find myself one a par 5 in two (maybe on the frindge), occasionally close on short par 4's to have a chance to chip or pitch in.

 

My average game these days is shooting 80-82 with a couple birdies a double bogey or two and the rest of the round par/bogey golf. I drive the ball about 240-250, can hit fairway woods consistently off the fairway so it's not the long game. Putting I would say I'm streaky.

 

The only thing I can point to is that when I have a chance, say on in two on a par 5 with a 10 foot putt, I am thinking "I've never had an eagle, I want to make this". I don't think that's necessarily a bad thought, but maybe if I 'pretend' its for par then I'll have a better shot.

 

I don't track any metrics, but I would say on average from 10 feet I probably can sink them 15-20% of the time. I think when those are eagle putts lifetime I'm 0% in about a dozen attempts. Maybe not even statistically significant lol.

 

Goal:

Although shooting par for 18 holes might be what some people are after (I've been close, shot -1 for a front 9), I'd like to get the monkey off my back and get a bloody 3 on a par 5. Anyone have any general or specific advice. thx Golf WRX nation.

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Play the whole course from the ladies tees. Achieve an eagle or maybe two. Demystify it.

Sounds stupid, but I bet the next time you're looking down at an eagle putt, you'll mentally be a couple feet closer.

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This is an old thread but if you're thinking about wanting to make the putt, or thinking about sticking to your normal routine and stroke and not succumbing to the pressure, you're not concentrating on and thinking about the putt. If you aren't concentrating on the putt, you're very unlikely to make it.

 

Concentrating and thinking about concentrating are two very different things.

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If your long game has good distance to give yourself a chance to make that eagle putt/ chip, keep trying and it'll come.

 

I had eagles on par 5's and par 4's but never on a par 3's, since most of the par 3's I played often are over 170 yards, came close quite a few ties to hole out par 3s but missing that so far. Maybe when I start to play some of the shorter par 3's will give it more chance to let it happen.

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I've been playing golf for 20 years and I have 2, both chip ins on par 5's. I once holed out from the fairway on a par 4 (after sailing my tee shot OB) lol

 

Just keep at it, you'll get there!

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I've been playing golf for 20 years and I have 2, both chip ins on par 5's. I once holed out from the fairway on a par 4 (after sailing my tee shot OB) lol

 

Never quite done that but I holed out three different times for birdies on Par 4's and Par 5's after duffing a shot. Like good driver, duffed shot that doesn't advance the ball at all, hole-out birdie.

 

Oh well, it's better than duffing four in a row and making triple I guess...

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This is an old thread but if you're thinking about wanting to make the putt, or thinking about sticking to your normal routine and stroke and not succumbing to the pressure, you're not concentrating on and thinking about the putt. If you aren't concentrating on the putt, you're very unlikely to make it.

 

Concentrating and thinking about concentrating are two very different things.

This.

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I had quite a few as a junior, mostly because the course I played had a dogleg par 5 that, if you cut the corner properly, ended up with no more than an 8i into the green.

Since taking the game back up 6 years ago, I've had one eagle, which was a hole-out on a par 4.

I've missed two eagle chances from within 6-foot, and three-putted as many as I've two-putted for birdie (I kid you not).

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I have never had an eagle. I am wondering if I am putting too much pressure on it.

 

Background:

I am 35 and have been golfing for about 25 years. At my peak in my early 20's I was maybe a 7 or 8 handicap. Now I probably would be a 10 but don't play enough to have an official one. Although my rounds per year have dropped to maybe about 8 or 10, I usually find myself one a par 5 in two (maybe on the frindge), occasionally close on short par 4's to have a chance to chip or pitch in.

 

My average game these days is shooting 80-82 with a couple birdies a double bogey or two and the rest of the round par/bogey golf. I drive the ball about 240-250, can hit fairway woods consistently off the fairway so it's not the long game. Putting I would say I'm streaky.

 

The only thing I can point to is that when I have a chance, say on in two on a par 5 with a 10 foot putt, I am thinking "I've never had an eagle, I want to make this". I don't think that's necessarily a bad thought, but maybe if I 'pretend' its for par then I'll have a better shot.

 

I don't track any metrics, but I would say on average from 10 feet I probably can sink them 15-20% of the time. I think when those are eagle putts lifetime I'm 0% in about a dozen attempts. Maybe not even statistically significant lol.

 

Goal:

Although shooting par for 18 holes might be what some people are after (I've been close, shot -1 for a front 9), I'd like to get the monkey off my back and get a bloody 3 on a par 5. Anyone have any general or specific advice. thx Golf WRX nation.

Just be patient. It's not quite like getting a hole in one, but you sound like a good enough golfer that it'll come. I've had probably a couple dozen in my lifetime, but I know friends who are barely better than I am who have had way more just by luck. If you play courses where 2 good shots can get you on a par 5 in 2, you're bound to grab one at some point. Just don't pressure yourself.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Change your self talk from I have to make this putt to how do I make this putt. Best guess is that you are taking too aggressive of a line/speed causing you to miss low.

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Best Eagle came on #11 at Tobacco Road in Pinehurst, NC...if anyone has ever seen the hole it's brutal if you are wrong. Great thing was we were playing handicaps as part of a large group and I got to write down a 2 since I got a stroke on the hole...needless to say I got about $50 for it. https://tobaccoroadgolf.com/course/

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Best Eagle came on #11 at Tobacco Road in Pinehurst, NC...if anyone has ever seen the hole it's brutal if you are wrong. Great thing was we were playing handicaps as part of a large group and I got to write down a 2 since I got a stroke on the hole...needless to say I got about $50 for it. https://tobaccoroadgolf.com/course/

 

That green is so shallow from that angle, how did you hold it?

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Like a lot of things in golf for us mere mortals, things have to go your way. The one eagle I've hit (apologies if this comes off as a brag) was on a practice round on a par 5 in the middle of summer (so course was hard and plenty of roll).

 

Dogleg right with the leg at around 220m, fairly wide fairway but large trees on the right side about 150 odd metres ahead and I don't really hit it high enough to fly those trees ... I had a slight tail wind and absolutely stripe it. Went about 240m/250m and managed to cut the corner because I somehow managed to cut it just inside the right tree line and draw it so it just kept running down the wide fairway. Got it to about 200-210 to the pin. Normally I'd PW-PW it and be happy with a GIR and hopefully a shot at birdie but it's a practice round. I had my old boss with me and said something along the lines of "I'd never ever normally do this, but I don't know if I'l ever get another chance to get on a green in 2 on a par 5" then pulled out my 3 wood which is a lottery on the best of days. Smack that and it looked like it would be short and run into the side of the green (there's a bit of a gully in between) but I got lucky in that because it was summer, instead of embedding it popped up and kept running.

 

Had about 10m putt for eagle. My boss comes up to me and said "I don't care if you miss it, whatever you do, DO NOT LEAVE IT SHORT" cos I'd left a few putts short that day. Hit the ball and it snaked around a few times and somehow found the bottom of the hole. I'd hit the ball fairly hard too. I didn't care if I ended up bogeying the hole because it's so unlikely for me to have another shot at it.

 

So things that went right:

  • Tail wind
  • Striped drive
  • Hit a half decent shot with my worst club
  • Summer run when the ball could easily embed/get caught in rough
  • Long snaking putt that tbh, I probably had no right to make
  • The golfing gods smiling down upon me for once

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I may have mentioned this before, but I had 5 Eagles last year. Four of them on par 5's, and one on a par 4 (during the solar eclipse). That was definitely an odd year for me, as I usually only get maybe one. It's sort of like hole in ones in that some people just get them and others who golf their entire life don't get any at all.

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You really need to ask Mikey73. He had five last year you know!

 

He was also a 12 cap last week, since then has improved to 3.

 

He has a special set of skills for sure.

 

I can improve from a 17 t playing like a 3 handicap for seven or eight holes sometimes. Never a full round, though. And not for a whole week. I am no Mikey for sure.

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