A life lesson from Donald Ross

apodlogar · December 22, 2015

When gambling in golf, make sure you know who you are up against: http://www.pinehurst...om-donald-ross/

coldshank · December 22, 2015

My experience with Donald Ross precipitated a different kind of life lesson....chipping from his closely-mown inverted bowl greens...long Texas wedges from greenside swales....
Before the age of GPS, the greenside bunkers set back from the green were maddening to me...visually I assumed over the bunker and I'd be on the green....nope....

gvogel · December 22, 2015

there are some other great lessons to learn from Ross. I think that he lost a fiancee to an accident, and had other major setbacks. He persevered.

He was a very successful professional golfer early in life, and then became a golf course designer as he grew older.

jimb6golf · December 23, 2015

Ross courses are my favorite in the New England area, although there are limited public courses. You really have to get to know the course to avoid the visual trickery swales, etc. that he typically used in his course designs. They are great to play and make you think instead of smashing away with a driver. Definitely try to get on Ross courses when possible.

caniac6 · December 23, 2015

[quote name='jimb6golf' timestamp='1450891651' post='12756144']
Ross courses are my favorite in the New England area, although there are limited public courses. You really have to get to know the course to avoid the visual trickery swales, etc. that he typically used in his course designs. They are great to play and make you think instead of smashing away with a driver. Definitely try to get on Ross courses when possible.
[/quote]Played the Orchards years ago. Great Ross course.

coldshank · December 23, 2015

[quote name='jimb6golf' timestamp='1450891651' post='12756144']
Ross courses are my favorite in the New England area, although there are limited public courses. You really have to get to know the course to avoid the visual trickery swales, etc. that he typically used in his course designs. They are great to play and make you think instead of smashing away with a driver. Definitely try to get on Ross courses when possible.
[/quote]

Yes, I love Shennecossett in Groton CT.....public....I believe Bass River on the Cape is a Ross course too

elwhippy · December 28, 2015

Gambling is fine. As long you control your stake. The absolute most I will play for in a bounce game is £1, £1 and £1 front, back and whole game. We had an issue last year where one of our "professional" gamblers (a used car salesman would you believe) was taking a of of money out of two juniors by making up the rules as he went along. One of the juniors has mild Autism.....

dlygrisse · December 28, 2015

[quote name='elwhippy' timestamp='1451342071' post='12773046']Gambling is fine. As long you control your stake. The absolute most I will play for in a bounce game is £1, £1 and £1 front, back and whole game. We had an issue last year where one of our "professional" gamblers (a used car salesman would you believe) was taking a of of money out of two juniors by making up the rules as he went along. One of the juniors has mild Autism.....[/quote]well that's boarderline criminal. Totally different than what Ross is referring to.

Tcann32 · January 6, 2016

Gambling is fine. As long you control your stake. The absolute most I will play for in a bounce game is £1, £1 and £1 front, back and whole game. We had an issue last year where one of our "professional" gamblers (a used car salesman would you believe) was taking a of of money out of two juniors by making up the rules as he went along. One of the juniors has mild Autism.....

What a shame.. I'd love to meet the guy. Maybe he'd beat me in golf, but I'd have an excuse to buy a new putter. Ain't no way I'd be retrieving it from where he would find it. (my sis is mentally challenged, that kinda thing is all that really gets my blood boiling).

Outside of that, Donald Ross has a great point. I've told the story here a few times, so I'll shorten it up, but I have a wealthy uncle who made some fairly large sums of money betting on my other uncle (his brother) who hardly looks like he belongs on a golf course. He doesn't even have a permanent residence half the time, sometimes not even a temporary one. Let alone decent equipment, which he stores in my garage usually, but plays once or twice a year with me and that's all he plays, and breaks 80 every time. Can't imagine how good he was when they were frequently doing this.

Big betting is different for different people.. To the wealthy uncle mentioned above, those games were for $5k+. I couldn't imagine doing that, but when you have that kinda money, it doesn't make a difference. It's the same as going to the high stakes room at the casino, there's people there throwing down what I make in a year on one hand of black jack, but they have it, and they have much more where it came from.

The downside is the people who have inflated ego's, but the money was actually needed for a mortgage payment, and they were no where near good enough to win.

I'm not an overly great golfer, but statistically, most of us here on WRX would beat most people we meet on a course any given day, but I've also seen enough random people shoot really low scores to not make any bets with a stranger. Although I'm usually good for $5 on par 3's for closest to the pins or a couple other small wagers.