What Did You Shoot Today? (Continuation)

[Strömsborg]

69!

3 birdies, 15 pars, no bogeys. Hit some bad shots on hole 9 through 12 but got through with equal measures of skill and luck. The other 14 holes were the closest I ever been to perfect golf, save the hooked drive on 18 when I felt the nerves.

Three years since last time shooting under par. The secret is to not practice at all during the winter.

[Mini88]

75 on a windy Sunday at Newport National in RI. First official round of the year, new putter and new ball (B330 and Bettinardi QB #9). Also nabbed my first eagle of the year, was very pleased.

[dieker5]

77 hit the ball like I shot a 67 and putted like I shot a 97 haha

[deadsolid...shank]

Found my putting stroke today!

 

Unfortunately I found it on the end of three straight sideways punch outs (2 left handed and one which went through the fairway and results in another) and three OBs.

 

All leading up to a lovely 81. Yuck.

[nix]

Back on the upswing (For me) shot a 100 (tripled the 18th). But had 2 birdies and 2 pars in the round. I've never had 2 birdies in a round. I also had an eagle putt, would've been the first eagle I've ever had.

 

Would've been nice to add another sub-100 round to my repetoire, but the shots were really good. Again it's the triples that get me. There were 5 today.

[cbrwn425]

Shot 95 this morning. Pretty happy with this overall. Driving and putting are definitely getting better. Was a little off on my approach shots on the back nine and put too many in the sand. Oh well, sure beats a day in the office.

[BKN1964]

Ball striking is improving rapidly.

 

Short game killed me on the front: 15 over including 5 3-putts.

 

Played my best back 9 ever by a long way until the last two holes. Made bogey on 10, then straight pars on 11-16 (never made 6 straight pars before). Skulled my approach shot on 17 with the ball below my feet on a sloped fairway, finally got on in 3 then 3-putted. Pulled my tee shot OB on 18, second ball off the tee okay, missed the approach, finally got on in 5 and 2-putted for a triple. Final damage 6 over on the back.

 

Two weeks ago I would have been really happy with a 6 over on the back. Of course, being 1 over through the first 7 holes sets you up to be really irritated when you blow it that badly at the end.

[jafowler85]

Broke 80 for the first time today with a 78. Looking back at the round, avoiding the three 3putts I had would've gotten me to a 75

[ThinkingPlus]

Broke 80 for the first time today with a 78. Looking back at the round, avoiding the three 3putts I had would've gotten me to a 75

 

Congrats! Always a nice accomplishment. Well done.

[elwhippy]

80.With three double bogeys and a bogey on a par five with 80 yards in. Short game and pitching are dire. Range beckons tomorrow.

[SmiterOfPv1x]

started the year in march with a 98 in a tournament in 30mph wind and temps just below 40.

:bad:

 

 

a couple weeks after that, i shot 83 with temps in the high 50s.

:aggressive:

 

 

yesterday i shot a 74. best round in at least 18 months. 4 birds, 3 bogeys and even had an 8 on a par 5. temps in the mid to upper 60s.

:yahoo:

 

 

according to this statistical trend, i obviously will be scoring in the low 50s sometime in mid summer.

:drag:

 

 

a guy can dream, right?

:superman2:

 

You sound like me. You can shoot a low score but a high one is never off the books. Unlike me I think you've found a reason. Never play below Miami in June type weather. Arizona in August would be even better. Nice!

[chilllwave]

83. My regular foursome decided to play 4 "majors" this year. I won the first Major of the year by 1 shot on the second playoff hole. Best score I've ever shot at the course we played and I wore the green windbreaker home with a huge smile on my face.

[SmiterOfPv1x]

Shot a DNQ last round. Have no idea what I shot since from tee 1 I wasn't mentally into it and since I was playing with my kids, decided right then and there to make it an instructional round. Likely mid to high 90's. Wasn't focused and knew I wasn't going to get there. Despite no one chasing, was very concerned with pace since it was cart path only and the children were out with me. I know if I'm spending more time telling them to "hurry up" than I am concentrating on my own shots, it's gonna be a long day.

 

Last scored round, went with a 73 (in true to form fashion, went 44/29). Very good round overall for me (I break par once or twice a year for 18 and also shoot a 100 a time or two, inconsistency is so frustrating!-knowing you can and failing to do so repeatedly stinks). The back was by far my best nine ever, went with par 4 times (all 4 were the into the wind holes), birdie 3 times, and two eagles. Loved life that 9. Opened with an eagle chip in on a par 4 that I almost drove the green. Then went par on the uphill par 3 into the wind par 3 (only about 120 but played 180) and par on 12 which was another well earned par. It's the hardest hole on the course, 440 and into a stiff breeze most of the time and in particular that day. I'm long and I hit a 4i into it. Hate that hole. Happy as heck with par. The next hole was a par 5 opposite the last, slightly longer but with a breeze at my back. For a high fade hitter, the wind will either help or kill me. It was helping so I went from driver 4i on the par 4 to driver PW on the par 5. I will admit it was a dogleg right and I just totally cut the dogleg out by hitting it over the right side trees. It's probably actually shorter as the crow flies to the previous hole and this hole has never given me any trouble at all. 8ft, rolled it in, eagle. 4 under. Next hole was another longish 4 back into it. Good drive, mid iron, two putts for par.

 

Next another short par 4 down wind. Embarrassed to admit that I waited for a group to clear the green (and at this point a single had caught up to me) and proceeded to skull a driver making it look like I should have hit way before now. Hit another full wedge in to 25 feet or so and drained it. What? Five under so far in this nine with only one hard hole to go?? I'll take it. The next is another playing into the wind. Par 3, about 200 but playing 240 for me and my fade. I hit a full three iron and pushed it high and right. Uh oh. There's a lake there! Luckily end up dry but in a minefield of goose crap. No more than 6ft from being wet and killing this surge. I hit a so-so chip to just outside of automatic range, proceed to drain the putt and at this point I consider what's going on. 5 under through 7 with a downwind par 5 to go and a slightly downwind SHORT par 4. Is this happening? My previous best for nine is a 33 that everything went 100% right. This nine I haven't felt like I've done anything overly well but made putts when needed, etc etc.

 

I split the fairway on 17, although I didn't get all of it. Didn't need to. As I said this course is short and this hole is dead downwind. This hole is hilly and it's a blind second since you're down in a valley and the green is in the next valley. I hit a three iron and get all of it. It looks like it's dead on line with where I want it to go and driving up, I find that it is. Only just over the green leaving about the most straightforward chip you'll ever find. I'm on an upslope and this green is dead flat in all directions. This is the type of shot you try to make. Just miss for a tap in birdie.

 

What I'm now 6 under?? With a less than driver par 4 coming up. Pinch me. Pinch me. I get to the tee and the prior group is still on the green. I'm hitting three wood with it being the exact yardage I would hit this club for. While waiting, single walker dude catches up to me again. In true Smiter fashion, I proceed to hit another shot that showed the I certainly could have hit while the other group was on the green by coming a little under the ball and skying it. I look over to single Walker dude and he just kind of shakes his head. He was probably thinking "this a-hole has held me up twice now??!?" No probs though, when I get a little under it I tend to hit it dead straight. Straight I was, little half wedge in. I hit it clean. I think it's great, but as in any half shot you never truly know until you can see it. The green is way above me at this point so I see it hit on line with the flag but have no clue if I'm dead on it, or 20 yards short or long. I get up and I'm staring at 15 feet directly behind the hole. Make it and I'm in the 20's (and -7) for no doubt the best nine I'll ever shoot. Miss it and it's still going to be the best nine I'll ever shoot. I Drain it. My choke self of 15 years ago has totally disappeared.

 

Now how did I get to 29 after a 44 on the front. Easy. I hit shots and didn't miss a true chance. On the front, I struck the ball about the same (couple miss hits, couple really good shots) but everything broke my way on the back and didn't on the front. I made putts. The front started with a double on easily the easiest hole on the course. Straightforward very short par 4. I hit the same shot on it that I did on 18. I went under it with a three wood and hit what amounts to a pop up. The difference is on one, you have to carry it about 100 yards. My shot would have easily but I clipped an overhead branch and ended up in the drink.

 

On two I hit a wedge on a very short par three. Ended up just off on the back side and chipped on and missed the save. Three I found trees on the left side with my drive. Punched out, three to just off then misread a difficult chip, and two putted. On four, sliced a driver OB and was lucky to walk away with a 7 on this long into the wind par 5. 7 over through 4 with three double bogeys. I've been there before and never recovered. I was headed to a 100+. This time I was able to, not because I'm any better but because I no longer get down on myself. I pay to play this great game. Not the reverse. There's a reason for that and the biggest reason is I'm not very good. So once I resigned myself to maybe just hitting a shot or two, instead of getting upset , I was able to score when opportunity presented itself. The kicker is I didn't really play that great on the back. Scored great, heck yes. But otherwise I struck full shots about the same as the front. Some good. Some bad. I just caught fire and even mishits ended up good and anything struck well ended up great. If I wouldn't have hit any putt over 4 ft, I'd have been even on the back. I've been there many times. This could have happened to anyone if they have a nine where they make every putt that they could/should. I've had better nines from a ball striking standpoint.

 

It's almost a negative to have that good of a nine. Especially when it was as ho-hum as it felt. I've played better before prior to getting to the green. Much better. But when you get there and make it count? It can feel pretty boring. It almost felt like I left some meat on the bone. Topping a tee shot and skying one will do that. They both turned out well but most of the time they won't. I tell my kids all the time "some times good shots turn out bad and bad shots turn out good". It can be an unfriendly game. I've hit the pin before on a par three only to have the ball kick 30 yards away. Good shot turned bad. I've hit a tree that was OB before and had my ball kick into the cup. Bad shot turned good. This is at times just a silly game.

 

Now if I could go 29/29? I'd probably quit the game as I'd never top that. I think it's possible for 9 holes to be lucky like that. I've never seen it for 18. Like I stated, there wasn't much of a difference in the two nines. One, everything went wrong. One, everything went right.

 

Good golf can be almost boring. I usually, for any number of reasons, don't play well when my kids are with me. One day I'm playing a round with my middle son only, I'm keeping the score and I wasn't telling him every hole was going. On the 15th he asks me "dad, when are you ever going to play s good round when I'm with you?" I tell him that I'm even on the day and his jaw just about hits the ground. Doesn't believe me. I show him the card and tell him to tell me where it's wrong. He can't obviously. That was one of those rounds (had one bird and one bogey) that I was either on the green and two putted for par or just off and got up and down all day. Ho hum. Pretty boring to watch, I guess, but not a bad way to play. He must have watched too much lefty golf. That guy, when he plays par golf goes with 6 birds, 6 pars, and 6 bogeys.

[SmiterOfPv1x]

69!

3 birdies, 15 pars, no bogeys. Hit some bad shots on hole 9 through 12 but got through with equal measures of skill and luck. The other 14 holes were the closest I ever been to perfect golf, save the hooked drive on 18 when I felt the nerves.

Three years since last time shooting under par. The secret is to not practice at all during the winter.

 

I concur. Played ALL THE TIME. Until my mid 20's and life happened. Took a 10 ish year hiatus, only playing once or twice a year during that time. My first round back (granted I'd practiced plenty and had a lot of shiny new tech type stuff) I played the best round of my life. Front nine even, back nine -2. Haven't replicated it since. Had a 2x eagle on the par 4 10th that no doubt aided my score. It was a glorified par 3 but is my only ace to date. Only issue was it was an uphill hole and I had no clue it went in. Hit it and remarked that "that has a chance". Didn't believe it when I got up there until I'd searched just about everywhere except the cup. Finally was about to give up (and throw my hands up in frustration at not being able to find it) when I checked the cup. Yup. Just about holes out again on the par 3 16th when my 8i hit one foot directly behind the cup and backed up to 2ft directly in front of it.

 

I practice all the time now and can shoot anywhere from -2 to plus 30. Variety is described as a spice so I guess I like my golf spicy?? I never know what I'm going to do. It can be shockingly good or embarrassingly bad.

[Lesmond]

88 for me.

 

No birdies. But about 5 pairs. Couple of triples. One was after the tee shot over water didn't fade but no straight and right into the water.

 

The other one was from the hardest hole (par 4) on the course. Ball hit the tree, had to punched our twice and 3-putted on the green.

 

Back 9 was better. Had 4 pars in a row. Bogey on a short par 4 (hole 17) then ended the 18th hole with a double.

[Clael415]

76 with a triple in there... Also made a bogey after hitting one OB which I was pretty happy with! Smashed out the cup with my approach on 12 and had a 3" tap in, I'm not sure how it didn't stay in the hole.

[aliikane]

Played army golf. Left right left right. Ball striking was not good. However, managed to go to birdie, birdie on 11-12 just missing a short 5 foot birdie putt for hat trick on 13. Then limped in with a couple bogeys to shoot 76.

[Yanki01]

shot a good 74 this saturday with a Srixon XV in 25MPH winds. great ball in the wind. could have been better without that double on a par 3 but fighting some gust on the back of the course where it opened up a bit and was wrong on club selection. still a good round.

 

[nix]

Regression round this weekend 108 in some of the stiffest winds I've played all season. 25mph sustained. That's not the excuse though, I was hittting poorly off the tee and long iron shots were poor as well. Putting and short game was decent (for me). Overall a very disappointing round.

 

Still my last 2 revisions have dropped my handicap, so things are going in the right direction.

[stekoppite]

+4 gross 75 (par 71), off the competition tees.

 

Was really knackered after being awake a full 24 hrs or more earlier in the weekend due to work.

 

Started bogey bogey. Then missed an 18" par putt on the 3rd.

 

+3 through 3. ??‍♂️

 

Only hit 2 GIR on the front 9, but my short game was on fire.

 

Birdied par 5 5th after sticking an 85 yard pitch stiff to a foot.

 

Holes 4 through to 11, I had 7 1 putts and played the 8 holes in -1 gross, despite only hitting 3 of those 8 GIR!!!

 

Then hit 6 of the last 7 GIR, but played them in +2, largely courtesy of a sloppy 3 putt on 17.

 

Still, +4 gross on a day when I felt physically shatters for a lot of the round and certainly lacked any kind of power for the whole of it. I'll definitely take that.

[SmiterOfPv1x]

Damg. No scorecard pics, sorry folks. But hit them relatively well and short game was "not bad", lol. 70. I'll take it every single day.

[SmiterOfPv1x]

"The Smiter" guy, liar!

 

Grab your pitch forks! Check

 

Torches! Check

 

"Dang we hate that guy!"

 

"Yeah I heard he made a comment that he could actually, you know, drive, a driver?!!" He must scrape barnacles off the nets of a rusty ship for a living or something?!!?

 

Yeah. He's a total a**. Keep treating him like that. I've heard that he'll gladly show anyone a good time on the course and cares very deeply about what he does. Sure, some that can't fathom how a guy can hit it past them might denigrate everything I do, but if we met on the course there'd likely be a different outcome. I don't brag. I do. I played a round after a short day at work today. Got paired up with someone. He Told me I hit the ball the furthest he'd ever seen. I get told that all the time. If my short game could follow suit I wouldn't be typing right now.

 

Bottom line, Smiter as a name, what do you expect? Yes I can rip a cover off the ball. If it wasn't met with cynical skepticism then I'd tell you about the ball that I broke in half. Yes. You read that right. Been 15 years ago. Tech has probably changed. All I know is that the ball was fine. Then it wasn't. Didn't know the correct "rule" then and still don't. Do know that I just hit another. That ball didn't break into two. It was given a warning. It had seen the fate of its family and didn't want that to happen to it. But, phishaw, no one could ever do that. Right?

 

Hint: meet a middle age fat guy in central OH. Don't bet against him. If you're tempted, watch just one shot first.

[ahgilbert1030]

Yesterday, 87. Played the first six holes and the last six holes at a combined +5. Played the middle six holes at +10. Just fell back into some bad habits and took a little while to sort out. Played again today and shot another 87. Both of these rounds were backed up one tee box from where I normally play (puts it at about 7,000 yds usually played around 6,500) and I actually like it better. Just started breaking 90 at the end of last yr and to see that I can do it from these tees, I think I will stay with them.

[adam667220]

Shot an 80 on Saturday, which I was actually pleased with, given the greens had been recently aerated. Short game struggled as expected with the greens (three 3 putts and poor chipping) but got driver and irons back on track after an ugly 91 the weekend before.

[ThinkingPlus]

Same deal for me. Shot 76 from forward tees (ughh) on punched greens Saturday and 83 from white tees (different course) on Sunday with really bad punched greens. Too many putts. Tough time of year to shoot a score.

[usood89]

138. first time playing 18 lol

[ThinkingPlus]

Well you got your money's worth. ;) Welcome to GolfWRX. Your journey has just started. You can look forward to dropping scores and more out of pocket expenses. Enjoy!

[nix]

Had to avenge the terrible weekend round, ended up playin 27 holes, the 9s were like this

 

57

46

46

 

So, I was able to turn it around on the back to post a 103 for me, but I think that I really benefit from loosening up a bit and getting into the grove. That 46/46 would've been a 92 and the best round I'd ever shot by 3 strokes.

 

That last 46 combined with a previously shot 47 on a 9 for a combined score in GHIN which should keep the HC trending downwards.

 

Current HC: 26.4

Trending HC: 26.0

 

Started 2017 with a HC of 28.5

 

only 1 of my oldest 8 revision handicaps counts towards my HC, so again, trend is good.

[nix]

+2 On a nearly unplayable wet sloppy mess.

 

I'm beginning to understand that wet conditions are some of the hardest to play in. Absolutely no forgiveness on a fat shot. I think I'd score better in high winds than in wet conditions.

[Boney]

Still a bit moist in the great Pacific Northwest. Played a hickory round, 86 at North Bellingham Golf Course, which had patchy, slow greens from a recent aeration, but was mostly dry enough with its sandy soil. But still about a third of my shots into the fairway plugged, like this one, a 200-yard drive that was pushed just a bit. Windy for most of the round -- a lot of fun! Only two foozles and a shank, and finished with the ball I started with. Also, played by myself in 2:50, only had to wait say 10 minutes before playing through a couple foursomes.