Where are you playing tomorrow - Chicago (Round2)

[preiter20]

Headed up to University Ridge in Madison on Saturday. I would love to put together two good nines and finally post a low score.

[Scratch2Plus]

[quote name='DavePelz4' timestamp='1436997163' post='11955938']
[quote name='Scratch2Plus' timestamp='1436980806' post='11954466']
Excited to tee it up with a couple hacks on Saturday! I Kidd I Kidd
Should be fun Except for the 93* with a 99* heat index. Who am I kidding, I love that weather.
[/quote]

I resemble that remark.

Vnutz at least posts his scores. Lefty, well, he hasn't figured out that whole interweb thing...except when it comes to craft beers, bourbon, etc. Then he's REALLY good.
[/quote]

You guys walking Saturday? Should I bring the IV bag and AED?

[VNutz]

[quote name='Scratch2Plus' timestamp='1437079455' post='11962022']
[quote name='DavePelz4' timestamp='1436997163' post='11955938']
[quote name='Scratch2Plus' timestamp='1436980806' post='11954466']
Excited to tee it up with a couple hacks on Saturday! I Kidd I Kidd
Should be fun Except for the 93* with a 99* heat index. Who am I kidding, I love that weather.
[/quote]

I resemble that remark.

Vnutz at least posts his scores. Lefty, well, he hasn't figured out that whole interweb thing...except when it comes to craft beers, bourbon, etc. Then he's REALLY good.
[/quote]

You guys walking Saturday? Should I bring the IV bag and AED?
[/quote]

Bring the AED, just for fun.

Game time decision for me. Was planning on walking and carrying, but if it's nasty I might cave. Been a couple years and too many pounds since I've carried in 90+. Depends on if it might rain too, earlier in the week it looked like it might. Only thing worse than playing in the rain is walking and playing in the rain.

[Argonne69]

I actually prefer to walk in the rain. With the umbrella on my pushcart I find it easier to keep my clubs and myself dry.

[apprenti23]

[quote name='Argonne69' timestamp='1437085292' post='11962630']
I actually prefer to walk in the rain. With the umbrella on my pushcart I find it easier to keep my clubs and myself dry.
[/quote]

[quote name='Argonne69' timestamp='1437085292' post='11962630']
I actually prefer to walk in the rain. With the umbrella on my pushcart I find it easier to keep my clubs and myself dry.
[/quote]

I've had a clic gear for awhile now, still sealed up in the box! I actually use a Jones bag, remember those from the 80's-90's? Toss em on the ground, pick em up, sling em over the shoulder and go.

[zer0]

[quote name='preiter20' timestamp='1437012192' post='11957296']
Headed up to University Ridge in Madison on Saturday. I would love to put together two good nines and finally post a low score.
[/quote]

Great course, have fun and good luck!

[Argonne69]

[quote name='zer0' timestamp='1437147265' post='11966468']
[quote name='preiter20' timestamp='1437012192' post='11957296']
Headed up to University Ridge in Madison on Saturday. I would love to put together two good nines and finally post a low score.
[/quote]

Great course, have fun and good luck!
[/quote]

Definitely. I played 9 courses in South Central Wisconsin last August, and UR was my 2nd favorite next to Erin Hills.

[B-Man]

Free lunch for anyone that will caddy for moi tomorrow. (Craft beer included.)

[zer0]

No golf today as I have a championship hockey game in the old man over 30 Skokie A league tonight.

Lake Bluff tomorrow with some hockey buddies. Should be fun and quite hot.

Not sure about Sunday's round yet.

Watched Speith putt and decided if his right hand on top grip is good enough for him, its good enough for me so went to Willow HIll today at lunch and practiced it. I like it a lot on shorter putts as it seems to keep my take away on line. Longer putts were a little tougher as I had some that shot way past the hole but I'm gonna give it a try tomorrow and see how it goes.

[Scratch2Plus]

^^^^^ Just play some realllly slow greens. That should help

[Scratch2Plus]

Arrowhead today...CP only, course is in fine shape minus the water from lastnights storms.
Shot my personal BEST 81 today. See G, Im a solid 10hc.

[MountainKing]

[quote name='Scratch2Plus' timestamp='1437168836' post='11968642']
Arrowhead today...CP only, course is in fine shape minus the water from lastnights storms.
Shot my personal BEST 81 today. See G, Im a solid 10hc.
[/quote]

We teed off there at 3pm, only made it two holes before the skies opened up. Tried to wait it out but they ended up closing the course. I haven't played there since the mid 90's so I was pretty excited to see what they've done with the place and well the two holes I got in were nice but they must have left drainage off the list during the upgrade.

Sunday we're going to Shepherds Crook.

[Scratch2Plus]

^^^^ Yeah this weather is something else! Sucks you guys got washed out.
I've only played it 4 times and really enjoy the course, especially the greens.
Hope the weather cooperates wen you redeem your rain checks.

[MountainKing]

[quote name='Scratch2Plus' timestamp='1437181531' post='11969804']
^^^^ Yeah this weather is something else! Sucks you guys got washed out.
I've only played it 4 times and really enjoy the course, especially the greens.
Hope the weather cooperates wen you redeem your rain checks.
[/quote]

The two greens and practice green were both phenomenal, probably the best greens I've seen all season, it's nice hitting puts and only having to worry about the line.

[jimwgt26]

I went back to Pine Meadow today. The greens were actually pretty nice, much better than last weekend.

[B-Man]

36-41. Clinical. Then I felt clinically dead. Damn it got hot!

[mjracer]

I made my way out to Old Orchard today, after a 5 1/2 hour round I remembered why I don't play there often

[apprenti23]

Maiden voyage to Makray Memorial today. This is five minutes from my house and where I like to go to hit balls... Paired up with a random threesome. Played from the 6500 set but wish I played from 7100. Wish they had a 6800 combo set on the card. Course was extremely busy, at least from the parking lot and we played in about 4 hours- 4 hours fifteen minutes. Which was awesome with today's weather.
Layout- hope you like blind tee shots and approaches. Many wetlands and ponds that you don't really know how far they are to reach. Greens are mostly all elevated (even if downhill from tee) and have many slopes and drop offs for interesting up and downs when you miss. Greens are quite complex with hour glass shapes, false fronts, and multiple a bit of slope.
Conditions- wet, very wet. Zero roll off the tee, quite a bit of casual water in the rough. Green speed was fine (they paint the lips of the cups white) but my lord were they bumpy and caked with poorly repaired ball marks and quite a bit of poa. I wasn't in the sand at all but it looked nice, even with all the water.
In conclusion, if I never play here again I won't be upset, but I'll wait until we get some dry weather before I attempt to play it again. Definitely need to play here a couple times before you can actually score. Sight lines off the tee are the main reason.

[Argonne69]

First time visit to Sportsman's CC today. I got to say, I thought this was a fine track, and I'd probably put it in the same category as Glencoe and Wilmette. 'Definitely joining the regular Spring/Fall rotation. After yesterday's heavy rain, the course was quite wet, with standing water in many bunkers. I think I got more mud on me today than the ball, hitting a number of shots fat, which was a big no-no. The greens were surprisingly quick, and I imagine that they'd get quite speedy when cut and dried out.

Other than the par 5 17th hole, I thought the course was a fair test. The 17th hole requires a big drive in order to set up for a reasonable 2nd shot over the water hazard. I hit a very good drive into a headwind, but I was still left with 210 yards to carry the pond. I hit a 5 wood a tad heavy, and kerplunk. If you lay up short of the hazard, you have 175 yards into the green. I wound up hitting a nice 5H to a back pin location, and two putted for a bogey.

My first mistake was not looking at the scorecard carefully. The black tees play just over 6200 yards, but I didn't look to see that it's a par 70 course. With the wet conditions, and several long par 4's, it played quite long. I'm definitely moving up to the maroon tees next time.

I drove the ball well again today, hitting 9/13 fairways, and 8 greens (thanks to a few early fat shots). 'Couldn't get a handle on reading the greens, though. Had the speed right, but there was no break. The highlight of the day was shooting 1 over on the five par 3's. I missed a makeable birdie putt on the long par 3 8th, after hitting a 215 yard five wood to within 8 feet of the back pin location.

Overall, a good day at another new course. I'll probably return in the fall.

[MountainKing]

Our round at Shepherds Crook was a little more successful than Arrowhead. For $35 we paid it was a steal, lots of nice holes. The greens were pretty inconsistent from one to the next but I think they've struggled with all the rain and recent heat. My putting was piss poor partially because it's piss poor but not knowing the speed from one hole to the next didn't help and it led to me taking half of my strokes on the green (40 frickin putts). The course plays on the scorecard at 6600 from the back tees but that had to be one of the longest 6600 yards I've played. Pace of play was quick, we went through in 3:30, we'll be going back again at the end of the year and hopefully the greens will be a bit better by then.

[zer0]

Played Lake Bluff yesterday. Course was in great shape, greens were in fine shape and pretty quick. Truly one of the more underrated muni courses. Personally I put it #1 on the list of the north shore muni's, ahead of Glencoe, Wilmette, Deerfield, etc.

Decided to try something quite radical. Been having trouble with my putting so after watching Spieth putt with his right hand on top interlocked with the left hand I figured what the hell, if its good enough for the best putter in the world its good enough for me. Practiced it Friday at Willow Hill and gave it a run at Lake Bluff. Started the day by rolling in a 15 footer on #1 for par save. On the day I putted better than I have probably ever. 2 3-putts, but they were from very far away and in the fringe. Was lagging every long putt to within a couple feet. And the way I was hitting my irons I had plenty of chances to try the long ones. I've found with this grip that its difficult to take the putter off line on the downstroke. Its also hard to decelerate.

Was 1 over after 6, then scuffed my way to an 84. Playing with some hockey buddies 10 hours after winning our championship...I wasn't expecting high level golf. But it was a great time.

[VNutz]

[quote name='apprenti23' timestamp='1437267893' post='11975508']
Maiden voyage to Makray Memorial today.
[/quote]

Drove past Makray on my way to Foxford Hills Saturday. Only my 2nd time there and out that direction, so it caught my attention yet again. Looks like a pretty nice little course. Might have to try that one out some time.

Played Foxford Hills Saturday, wasn't nearly as nasty hot as it was predicted to be. Fortunately somebody else brought the heat to warm us up on the first tee. Great day, nice and cool for a while, then the furnace kicked on for a few holes on the back nine. Then we sat and drank in the cart basement as tornado warnings went off. All in all a pretty good day, great company, lot of fun.

[Scratch2Plus]

Yeah V, it was fun, the bourbon didn't hurt either. That was a nasty storm going home. I90 was crawling with the heavy downpour.
Hope to tag along with you playas in the near future.
Thanks G and CL for the entertainment.

[zer0]

Played Ravisloe yesterday. A bit of backstory....last September I went there and had the worst round of my horrible season, shot a 103. Much like General Macarthur in the Phillipenes, I vowed I would one day return and get my revenge. That day was yesterday. Felt confident going there as my game this year is unrecognizable compared to last year's debacle of a season. Was excited to try the new cross haned putting technique. Got to the range and realized I was standing too far from the ball on my irons. made an adjustment and noticed immediate dividends.

Got out on the course and hit a great drive on #1 and then had 185 to the pin. Chocked up on a 4 hybrid and landed it pin high 4 feet to the left of the pin, it rolled out to 10 feet. Missed the putt but made par. Next hole rolled in a 10 footer for birdie. On the day was terrible off the tee, but great everywhere else. Hit only 3 fairways all day, but 10 greens. Pretty much all approaches inside 15 feet. New putting led to a personal best 0 3-putts on the round. Got up to the 18th tee needing only a bogey to set my personal best, but of course I shanked the drive and then scuffed my way to the only double on my card for a 77! Ties my lowest score, but this was the first time I did it at a legit course, not a dog track.

Feeling really good about every part of my game except the one big pink elephant in my bag, the driver. This year I gave up on my 2 year pursuit of a draw and have just focused on managing my slice. Been going fine, hitting about 50% FIR, but I know I'll never get to the next level if I can't work the ball right to left. I'm losing 30-50 yards on every drive and putting a ton of pressure on my hybrid game and wedge game whch so has worked out fine, but I know its a tough way to make scores.

Anyone have a good instructor recommendation to work on the driver? Might want some new eyes on the problem.

[Argonne69]

Zer0, have you been fitted for a driver? My fitting this spring has worked wonders.

Are you swinging at 85% tempo? I saw a short clip a few weeks back that said most pros swing at 85% unless they really need to nut one. Ever watch Inbee Park's tempo on the tee? When I get quick the wheels come off. I have to consciously think about swinging a wedge, and I hit the fairway.

[zer0]

[quote name='Argonne69' timestamp='1437410290' post='11984664']
Zer0, have you been fitted for a driver? My fitting this spring has worked wonders.

Are you swinging at 85% tempo? I saw a short clip a few weeks back that said most pros swing at 85% unless they really need to nut one. Ever watch Inbee Park's tempo on the tee? When I get quick the wheels come off. I have to consciously think about swinging a wedge, and I hit the fairway.
[/quote]

Never been fitted. My issue isn't the club, its my inability to take spin off. I can get it up to over 5000 on the spin meter, was told that should be about 2500. My swing now consists of a closed stance and me focusing on hanging back as long as I can and trying to hit the inside back of the ball and swing out to first base. Plus I have the driver adusted to full draw and 9.75 loft. All that and I still slice it 30-50 yards. When I try turning my hands over I often completely mis hit and I pop it up to the left. I also struggle with the hozzle shot with the driver as I tend to dive at the ball.

I like the 85% idea, but in general I dont' think I swing that hard to begin with. I'm also tempted to choke up on my driver, that seems to be working well for all my irons.

I wonder what, if any, my bad back has to do with my slice??? I already have to start with a closed stance so I can cheat on my turn since I struggle to turn my body. Definitely hurts my ability to get through the ball.

[Argonne69]

[quote name='zer0' timestamp='1437411516' post='11984866']
[quote name='Argonne69' timestamp='1437410290' post='11984664']
Zer0, have you been fitted for a driver? My fitting this spring has worked wonders.

Are you swinging at 85% tempo? I saw a short clip a few weeks back that said most pros swing at 85% unless they really need to nut one. Ever watch Inbee Park's tempo on the tee? When I get quick the wheels come off. I have to consciously think about swinging a wedge, and I hit the fairway.
[/quote]

Never been fitted. My issue isn't the club, its my inability to take spin off. I can get it up to over 5000 on the spin meter, was told that should be about 2500. My swing now consists of a closed stance and me focusing on hanging back as long as I can and trying to hit the inside back of the ball and swing out to first base. Plus I have the driver adusted to full draw and 9.75 loft. All that and I still slice it 30-50 yards. When I try turning my hands over I often completely mis hit and I pop it up to the left. I also struggle with the hozzle shot with the driver as I tend to dive at the ball.

I like the 85% idea, but in general I dont' think I swing that hard to begin with. I'm also tempted to choke up on my driver, that seems to be working well for all my irons.

I wonder what, if any, my bad back has to do with my slice??? I already have to start with a closed stance so I can cheat on my turn since I struggle to turn my body. Definitely hurts my ability to get through the ball.
[/quote]

What's the shaft length? My fitter cut me down to 44.5 inches, lopping off 1.5 inches. He also put me in a 12 degree draw-biased model. More loft generally means less side spin. What's your swing speed? Is your driver 10.5 degrees adjusted down to 9.75? If so, that's most likely opening up the club face, which will do more to promote a fade than the weight adjustments.

One of the big side benefits of getting fitted was getting to see the launch monitor data, so I could easily see why I was hitting the ugly smother hooks, i.e. de-lofting the face at impact. Not only did I get the right club head and shaft, I got valuable insight into my swing mechanics.

Have you tried opening your stance? It may be counter-intuitive, but getting through the ball is more important than increasing your shoulder turn. You'll likely lose distance, but it may straighten it out.

[Scratch2Plus]

Booked, TPC Deere Run in Silvis...36 holes for this Sunday. Need to make a bourbon run to Binny's

[geochitown]

[quote name='zer0' timestamp='1437408679' post='11984458']
Played Ravisloe yesterday. A bit of backstory....last September I went there and had the worst round of my horrible season, shot a 103. Much like General Macarthur in the Phillipenes, I vowed I would one day return and get my revenge. That day was yesterday. Felt confident going there as my game this year is unrecognizable compared to last year's debacle of a season. Was excited to try the new cross haned putting technique. Got to the range and realized I was standing too far from the ball on my irons. made an adjustment and noticed immediate dividends.

Got out on the course and hit a great drive on #1 and then had 185 to the pin. Chocked up on a 4 hybrid and landed it pin high 4 feet to the left of the pin, it rolled out to 10 feet. Missed the putt but made par. Next hole rolled in a 10 footer for birdie. On the day was terrible off the tee, but great everywhere else. Hit only 3 fairways all day, but 10 greens. Pretty much all approaches inside 15 feet. New putting led to a personal best 0 3-putts on the round. Got up to the 18th tee needing only a bogey to set my personal best, but of course I shanked the drive and then scuffed my way to the only double on my card for a 77! Ties my lowest score, but this was the first time I did it at a legit course, not a dog track.

Feeling really good about every part of my game except the one big pink elephant in my bag, the driver. This year I gave up on my 2 year pursuit of a draw and have just focused on managing my slice. Been going fine, hitting about 50% FIR, but I know I'll never get to the next level if I can't work the ball right to left. I'm losing 30-50 yards on every drive and putting a ton of pressure on my hybrid game and wedge game whch so has worked out fine, but I know its a tough way to make scores.

Anyone have a good instructor recommendation to work on the driver? Might want some new eyes on the problem.
[/quote]

I like Todd Sones, not cheap, but solid.
He generates a great video summary of each lesson, which is super helpful to work on items highlighted in the lesson.

[zer0]

[quote name='Argonne69' timestamp='1437417502' post='11985996']
What's your swing speed? Is your driver 10.5 degrees adjusted down to 9.75? If so, that's most likely opening up the club face, which will do more to promote a fade than the weight adjustments.


[/quote]

I thought lowering the loft promotes less spin and the slice?

i'm definitely going to try choking up for starters as well as some of the other suggestions. Looking forward to working on it tomorrow.

Also got my 5h in the mail today. Is it too early to call in sick for tomorrow?