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who has actually played with a legit scratch golfer/pro level player?


NM44

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For you other old guys that remember the Oldsmobile Scramble, our group won our club event,

won our sectional event and went to Disney Florida for the National event. Going into the last day,

if your group was in the top 20, you made the cut and were paired with a PGA pro. We got Kenny

Knox. 1st. when they hit the ball, it’s a different sound. Hard to describe, but you can tell the difference.

Our club pro was about 30 and had tried to give Mini Tours a try. Didn’t work. Point is, he was past

Knox on most every drive. Sometimes our Pro was in rough or trees, Knox, down the middle every time,

hit all the greens. He didn’t make a lot of putts that day, but he could read a green, which is an art form.

i was hitting balls on the range next to Keith Clearwater. I watched hit about 20 balls with a mid iron, you

could have covered all 20 with a blanket. I don’t think most people have any real idea just how really, really

good these tour guys are.

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I hope not, that’s a level of insecurity I hope to never see or reach. The golf course is a sanctuary, if you’re packing heat to the course please find a new hobby.

Driver: Titleist Tsi3 w/HZRDUS Smoke Yellow TX 6.0 
3 Wood: Cobra King Speedzone/HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70

5 Wood: Callaway Mavrik Subzero/Aldila Rogue White 70
Long Irons (4-6): Wilson D7 Forged/DG120TI
Short Irons (7-P): Wilson Staff Model Blade/DG120TI

Wedges (50/54/58): Callaway Jaws MD5 w/TI S200
Putter: Original Odyssey White Hot XG No. 7
Ball: Titleist Left Dash

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Family member of mine was scratch for a number of years before work took him on the road. I've played with him first hand at a number of nice courses in Monterey, Oregon and Seattle, seemed to just be able to hole birdies 4-5 holes in a row. But at his club he would get his @ss beaten by a little 14 year old, last name Moore... he made a name for himself eventually lol

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Never played with an actual tour player but took lessons in high school from a guy that went thru qualifying and played in 2 U.S. Opens. Caddied for him at a U.S. Senior Open Qualifier in San Antonio and got a reality check. He didn't have the mental game as he blew up after one bogey on the back. The shot I will always remember was a old Ping Eye 2 2 iron he had from 260ish uphill over a ravine to a mounded green surrounded by bunkers. He actually asked me what i thought so i nervously said to lay up. He proceeded to stick it pin high bout 15ft. At 16 I didnt realize that could be done. Also played with Hunter Mahan and Martin Flores a few times in high school tournaments. Hunter was the #1 junior in the world at the time. Well at our home tournament I fired a 78 and was pretty proud as it was a tough course. Hunter and Martin came in both shooting 67's. Martin won in a scorecard playoff. Those 2 won everything around DFW back then.

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I agree with you but.... I know several who have one somewhere in the cart or bag all rounds.

 

i too hope to never be that scared. That and I have poor impulse control. It’s a bad idea.

Callaway epic max LS 9* GD-M9003 7x 

TM Sim2 max tour  16* GD  ADHD 8x 

srixon zx 19* elements 9F5T 

Cobra king SZ 25.5* KBS TD cat 5 70 

TM p7mc 5-pw Mmt125tx 

Mizuno T22 raw 52-56-60 s400

LAB Mezz Max armlock 

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I have legitimately been surrounded by gators on ChampionsGate National while walking and didn’t feel the need for one. I just called the clubhouse and took out my 3 iron and all ended well.

I couldn’t fathom that level of insecurity or mistrust.

Driver: Titleist Tsi3 w/HZRDUS Smoke Yellow TX 6.0 
3 Wood: Cobra King Speedzone/HZRDUS Smoke Yellow 70

5 Wood: Callaway Mavrik Subzero/Aldila Rogue White 70
Long Irons (4-6): Wilson D7 Forged/DG120TI
Short Irons (7-P): Wilson Staff Model Blade/DG120TI

Wedges (50/54/58): Callaway Jaws MD5 w/TI S200
Putter: Original Odyssey White Hot XG No. 7
Ball: Titleist Left Dash

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As a former grounds crew grunt (in my youth ) of a 36 hole private club with no homes , I can totally see the need for that. I once had a bobcat harass me while mowing greens. For 9 holes I heard that damn thing cry. Their sound is similar to a baby crying. Kind of high pitched. It was 6 am and dark. Not fun. Hadn’t really considered wildlife and I haven’t been on a course that wild in years. I didn’t really play the game then ( an employee scramble or two with a rental set doesn’t really count ) , just worked 6 sometimes 7 days a week on one. After I left in 2001 I didn’t return to a course until 2014ish.

Callaway epic max LS 9* GD-M9003 7x 

TM Sim2 max tour  16* GD  ADHD 8x 

srixon zx 19* elements 9F5T 

Cobra king SZ 25.5* KBS TD cat 5 70 

TM p7mc 5-pw Mmt125tx 

Mizuno T22 raw 52-56-60 s400

LAB Mezz Max armlock 

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I work part time at my local public course, so I get to play with our pros. Our head pro is a legit scratch golfer, and the 2 assistant pros are single digit. I always feel bad playing with them since they seem to just be standing around most of the time waiting for us mere mortals to finally make it onto the green. On the plus side playing with them usually results in them giving little mini lessons as we play the round.

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The winning score for my club championship this year was -5 over two rounds, and I think there were 3 or 4 players under par overall. I've never played with a PGA Tour pro, but a guy that I used to work with at a club was grinding mini tours for a while, pretty sure he shot in the 60s every round I played with him, and made it look easy. Unfortunately he had to give up the dream and get a regular job eventually.

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Guy (21 y/o) in my group (median age about 50), is at present a 0.6. Post every round, but that also means he has 10 rounds in the last 20 which his index isn't based on. And I (a 52 y/o 10.7) did beat him last week- congratulations to me, and I will enjoy that for the next few months until the stars align and I might do it again - until then, I can look forward to him crushing me from the back tees week in and week out. Played with this fine young man when he was just starting at 17, where in a few weeks of starting he passed me up (back then a 14) and this past year he went from a 4.5 to 0.6. Only a few lessons - mostly youtube videos, practice, gym time, and playing. (In addition to carrying a full medical load in college).

 

Most amazing round I have witnessed/been a part of - club pro (who was on minis and played in college) joined me for a 2-man scramble. He didn't have his clubs, and he played with my awful set, including a old Burner Draw driver with a regular flex shaft (and his normal was XX-Stiff) - swung the driver a couple times from what I remember and proceeded to drive 2 par 4s. When he didn't, he'd pull a random wedge and put it within 6 feet - about every time. I think we ended 9 under for 9 holes. That was years ago. This year, I almost beat this guy on 9 holes - but at 41 he did move up to the white tees for this round. We had a great walk. I shot a 39 (3 over). He shot 38. I used all 13 clubs and my putter. He didn't want to be bothered carrying all that crap, so he had a 7 iron he pulled from the workshop. Again, he was 2 over with only a 7 iron. Thought I had a chance-- right up to the first green where he stuck one coming over a bunker from 40 yards out. Dude regularly plays in deck shoes or flip flops.

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With tour professionals (+1 to +6 hdcp): A few times. It's really not a big secret--take all skill sets required for golf and put them in the top 1/10 of 1% of each category. They pretty much hit every shot with perfect club-to-ball contact and their definition of a mishit would be lost on most.

They can hit nearly every green in regulation from just about anywhere and unless they completely screw up, every approach inside 175 yards is going to end up ~20' or closer on most setups.

They also can read greens exceptionally well and have all their 'percentage of go' in muscle memory. They know what a 75% 8 iron is, know what it feels like, and know it goes 159 yards and can replicate it with almost perfection time after time after time.

Their bunker play is elite.

We are talking about a level of player here who can feel an extra wrap of masking tape and, while blindfolded, tell you what club you hand them before even taking an address with it.

 

With scratch golfers: Quite a bit. They're missing a few intangibles, mainly green reading, wind reading, and their club-to-ball contact and muscle memory "percentage of go"/distance control is not as refined as a touring professional or +hdcp player.

They may have a distance issue, where some birdie holes are slightly out of reach based on approach angles, or something else like their ability to deal with pressure, or something small and insignificant like a 2 way miss and inability to hit a low stinger fade that is needed on this particular setup.

 

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Takomo IGNIS D1 9° HZRDUS Smoke Blue 60g / Callaway Epic Flash SZ 9° HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g
Callaway Epic Flash SZ 15° HZRDUS Smoke Black 70g
Callaway Apex '19 3H HZRDUS Handcrafted HYB 85g
PXG 0311P Gen 6 Black Label Elite 4-G KBS Tour Lite S / Miura Baby Blades 3-P Steelfiber 110cw / PING ISI Nickel 1-L G Loomis reg flex
Callaway Jaws Raw 54.10S / 58.8Z
PING Anser 2 Jim Wells 36" / Bettinardi BB-1 (2022) 35" / PING Anser 2 1981 35" / Scotty Cameron CT Squareback Proto 35" 375g
 
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