Thought from another thread.

[tlhorsh]

This thought came to mind because of the vintage ball thread. I remember in the early 90's when I was in college that finding a Tour Balata or HT in the rough was the best thing that happened that day, and you immediately used that ball on the next tee. The down side being when you gave it a big smiley face from sculling on or a huge scar from drilling the cart path.

[BIG STU]

Yep those were the days my friend. The Maxfli HT-100 balata was my personal holy grail of balls.

[stixman]

Taking 6 of those to Sweden to play in their Hickory Championship. It's a links course (Flommen) with an unusual amount of water,( there is an area of marsh behind the dunes), so I need all the help I can get.

[tlhorsh]

[quote name='BIG STU' timestamp='1437959047' post='12024596']Yep those were the days my friend. The Maxfli HT-100 balata was my personal holy grail of balls.[/quote]

Same here. Loved the HT 10

[NRJyzr]

I still have a 2-3 dozen HT 100s. Haven't been playing the lumber of late, so I don't take them on the course.

Have played a couple here and there, and they're just great fun. I took my LW out of my bag when I was playing them regularly a few years ago. The ball was checking up downhill with my 55° SW. LOL

[BIG STU]

I think I have told this before. We have a little par 3 course down the street here longest hole is about 105 yards. A friend of mine came down a few years back with a couple of his buddies. Now all 3 of these guys are good players all three of them club pros and one had played on the old Tarheel Tour and Web.com tour some. We were eating supper and Danny mentioned about the old par 3 at my Dad's course. We got to talking about spinning those balata balls. Danny had actually just started playing at the end of the balata era. The other guys had never hit a balata ball period. We came over to the house and got a variety including some HTs of course some Slazenger Balatas and some Professional 90s. I said we are doing this lets do vintage wedges also and putters. We got an assortment of wedges all vintage. We ended up playing 5 rounds that night under the lights. We were really doing some spinning and zipping off those hard mats. Had all the hacker tourists looking. One kid asked his dad how we did that. His dad remarked it was easy with illegial grooved wedges. I told him look I am hitting a 1953 Spalding Top Flite wedge that is almost worn out heck they did not know nothing about square grooves then. Never told the idiot about the balls either. The guy that played the Web tour some had 3 or 4 holes in one that night all of them zip backs. We actually had people that stopped playing and were watching us. The course gave us the last 2 rounds free because you can rent carts there and people were renting carts to watch us.In fact they gave us carts for the last 2 rounds. That was one fun night

[CBECH22]

[quote name='BIG STU' timestamp='1438128973' post='12038008']
I think I have told this before. We have a little par 3 course down the street here longest hole is about 105 yards. A friend of mine came down a few years back with a couple of his buddies. Now all 3 of these guys are good players all three of them club pros and one had played on the old Tarheel Tour and Web.com tour some. We were eating supper and Danny mentioned about the old par 3 at my Dad's course. We got to talking about spinning those balata balls. Danny had actually just started playing at the end of the balata era. The other guys had never hit a balata ball period. We came over to the house and got a variety including some HTs of course some Slazenger Balatas and some Professional 90s. I said we are doing this lets do vintage wedges also and putters. We got an assortment of wedges all vintage. We ended up playing 5 rounds that night under the lights. We were really doing some spinning and zipping off those hard mats. Had all the hacker tourists looking. One kid asked his dad how we did that. His dad remarked it was easy with illegial grooved wedges. I told him look I am hitting a 1953 Spalding Top Flite wedge that is almost worn out heck they did not know nothing about square grooves then. Never told the idiot about the balls either. The guy that played the Web tour some had 3 or 4 holes in one that night all of them zip backs. We actually had people that stopped playing and were watching us. The course gave us the last 2 rounds free because you can rent carts there and people were renting carts to watch us.In fact they gave us carts for the last 2 rounds. That was one fun night
[/quote]

That was actually a really fun story to read! I wish I had a good par 3 course to take some wedges too and see what could happen.

[oldschoolrocker]

when the boys were young we had a par 3 course and driving range the next island over that was run by a young long haired pro that gave lessons. He was a jack of all trades there. Cut the grass, picked up the balls, fixed the equipment, sold some clubs..
He had a masters in chemistry and played lead guitar in a heavy metal band.
We were about the same age and hit it off. The greens were tiny and elevated. Man that was some fun times. Thanks for posting Stu and brining back those memories for me.

[Fellaheen51]

Big Stu and OSR, thanks for posting your stories. Your par 3 recollections also brought back fond memories of "playing under the lights". Back in the day, there was this lighted par 3 in my hometown that a bunch of us would go whack balls around once it got dark. As no one I knew at the time actually had their own set of clubs, we would rent them. The owner (and family) of the facility knew us, as we were all involved in HS sports and he was a big booster of same. He'd let us play for as long as we wanted, for the nine hole price. Did that for others as well. Back story learned latter was that he figured if the kids were at his place hitting golf balls around after dark, they "wouldn't be out causing mischief".

At times you'd see a whole bunch of us scattered all over that little par 3. Whacking balls all over the place, laughing, having a great time. He had this loudspeaker on top of the shack and he would have to, on occasion, yell out at us to tone it down a bit, there were other guests (always called everyone guests) playing. Take our girlfriends there as well. Was one of those things one did in those lazy summer evenings when there wasn't much else going on, "let's go to Booker's and hit some balls".

Damn, that was nearly 50 years ago. They sold the place in the early 70's. Made a mint for the property as it was located on prime road frontage. Moved to Florida IIRC. Good for him, he earned it. Don't believe there is one par 3 course around these parts nowadays. Times have changed.

[BIG STU]

[quote name='CBECH22' timestamp='1438131606' post='12038298']
[quote name='BIG STU' timestamp='1438128973' post='12038008']
I think I have told this before. We have a little par 3 course down the street here longest hole is about 105 yards. A friend of mine came down a few years back with a couple of his buddies. Now all 3 of these guys are good players all three of them club pros and one had played on the old Tarheel Tour and Web.com tour some. We were eating supper and Danny mentioned about the old par 3 at my Dad's course. We got to talking about spinning those balata balls. Danny had actually just started playing at the end of the balata era. The other guys had never hit a balata ball period. We came over to the house and got a variety including some HTs of course some Slazenger Balatas and some Professional 90s. I said we are doing this lets do vintage wedges also and putters. We got an assortment of wedges all vintage. We ended up playing 5 rounds that night under the lights. We were really doing some spinning and zipping off those hard mats. Had all the hacker tourists looking. One kid asked his dad how we did that. His dad remarked it was easy with illegial grooved wedges. I told him look I am hitting a 1953 Spalding Top Flite wedge that is almost worn out heck they did not know nothing about square grooves then. Never told the idiot about the balls either. The guy that played the Web tour some had 3 or 4 holes in one that night all of them zip backs. We actually had people that stopped playing and were watching us. The course gave us the last 2 rounds free because you can rent carts there and people were renting carts to watch us.In fact they gave us carts for the last 2 rounds. That was one fun night
[/quote]

That was actually a really fun story to read! I wish I had a good par 3 course to take some wedges too and see what could happen.
[/quote]Sadly IMHO they have ruined the place recently. I know they are "tourist orenated" but they have put in foot golf next to the greens and 8 inch holes and now the place is over run with idiots who have no idea how to act on a golf course. Yeah I know they have to make a buck too like everyone else

[HoganApexBlades]

Stu, Randy & Fella, thanks for the memories of playing a par 3 course "under the lights". Long before Wrigley Field joined the 20th century in 1988 with their version of hitting a ball after the sun went down, a par 3 course in Arlington Heights, IL (near where I grew up), located behind the AH Hilton at Rohlwing and Euclid Roads, was lit up for night golf. I only played there a few times, I couldn't get used to dimly lit tee boxes and man-made shadows! It was definitively an experience that I'll remember during the 70s!

[BIG STU]

Our old par 3 course was lighted. I can remember the hustlers were out there all night the ones trying to win back the money they lost that day. If the old man was playing Stepmom was running the place and I would watch until I got sleepy and then I would lay down and cover up on the big old couch in the corner. By the time I was 13 the lights had been taken down for a reason I will not elaborate on here but it had nothing to do with gambling.
Actually that is well croniciled in a book called Drive For Show Putt For Dough memiors of a golf hustler. Lots of stories in that book that took place where I grew up at and I saw happen first time. I am not in the book but my Old Man is.
There was another fun Par 3 on the other side of town that was a fun place and it was lighted. It was a goat ranch type par 3 and driving range and the clubhouse was a combination of a clubhouse, restaurant (good bar food and steaks) and beer joint. I hung out there quite a bit when I was in town. they had dogfight matches every day and a hole in one pot. there has been a many match played out there after alcohol hours ( 1 AM then) with all the participants slightly intoxicated. Talk about hustling I used to fake being drunk and mouth up a game. Picked up quite a little money that way. Another thing I remember about that place is that they had a jukebox and the most played song was "Coca_Cola Cowboy" by Mel Tillis. Every time I hear that song I think of that place

[Bella Woods]

[quote name='stixman' timestamp='1437984929' post='12025940']
Taking 6 of those to Sweden to play in their Hickory Championship. It's a links course (Flommen) with an unusual amount of water,( there is an area of marsh behind the dunes), so I need all the help I can get.
[/quote]


Hope you come back with all 6 of them Chris........