Rants and Raves...

[birly-shirly]

I'm sure we've discussed dmd's elsewhere but my thoughts remain the same having seen the drainers who refuse to believe what their technology is telling them and have to scope a yardage several times and the classic of the bloke I played with at a local club on the par three second hole who stood looking at his watch type device for a few minutes until I looked at my wrist and said;"120".

He said "I got 135"

I said "You're 15 minutes fast".

He said "Are you taking the p**s?".

I said "How long have you been a member here?"

He said "Ten years".

I said "They haven't moved the green since you last played....".

The mindset has changed and people increasingly seem to equate a yardage with a specific club,I've heard them chuntering in am-am's "It's 150,so it's a 7-iron",then come up 15 yards short because the device will not compute wind or terrain.

I learned to look at a shot and decide which club I needed to reach the flag or lay up for position.

Numbers never entered into it.

 

Caddies are a different question entirely.

Local caddies are a tradition and part of the golfing economy,caddies on the pro tours should either be banned or told not to speak other than to offer a bottle of water.

Golf is not a team game.

The debates and discussions that currently take place are ridiculous as is the second opinion on the line of a putt.

If a professional golfer needs to have his hand held and morale boosted by his bagman he demonstrates a lack of moral fibre.

 

I live in a flat so don't have a lawn but get off my verge!

 

Well, wind and terrain are entirely different questions from distance. And the rules reflect that.

 

If your thought processes don’t articulate a number, I guess that’s fine. Presumably you don’t know how far, in yards, you hit a 7 iron then.

 

I’ve always thought in numbers. When I was learning, Tommy Armour’s book said that a 9 iron went 110 yards or so. So I learned how far my 9 iron went and decided that must be 110 yards. And 140 was how far my 7 went, and so on.

 

It didn’t really matter how inaccurate my sense of distance was, until I played different courses.

 

That’s all I really see dmds doing. They narrow the gap between distance judgement on your home course, and a strange course.

 

Fundamentally, it’s the same information as you’d get from a map. You could ban maps and yardage charts, but google already has that information at your fingertips and anyone playing for money is going to prepare accordingly.

 

Don’t get me wrong. I like the unpredictability that wind and ground conditions lend to an otherwise simple distance measurement. I’m just not sure what would be accomplished by trying to hide the yardage. If you’re going to have some yardages on the tee box and the scorecard, why withhold others?

[xgolfx]

Yardage is only one part of the decision to choose a club. Height to target, temperature, wind, lie, and player’s mental state are crucial. Golf isn’t played by rote.

 

I played in Nebraska with the state open champion two days before a tornado. On a 360 par 4 , we both hit driver and 3woods short of the green. On a 560 par 5, we both hit good tee shots and irons to the green. This was with persimmon clubs.

 

The money clip that Jack Nicklaus carries to this day is for winning the driving contest at the PGA championship ( with persimmon ) , with a 341 yard drive.

 

In my opinion , any yardage information is ok since it can be easily acquired.

 

CHARLEY PENNA

[stixman]

I'm sure we've discussed dmd's elsewhere but my thoughts remain the same having seen the drainers who refuse to believe what their technology is telling them and have to scope a yardage several times and the classic of the bloke I played with at a local club on the par three second hole who stood looking at his watch type device for a few minutes until I looked at my wrist and said;"120".

He said "I got 135"

I said "You're 15 minutes fast".

He said "Are you taking the p**s?".

I said "How long have you been a member here?"

He said "Ten years".

I said "They haven't moved the green since you last played....".

The mindset has changed and people increasingly seem to equate a yardage with a specific club,I've heard them chuntering in am-am's "It's 150,so it's a 7-iron",then come up 15 yards short because the device will not compute wind or terrain.

I learned to look at a shot and decide which club I needed to reach the flag or lay up for position.

Numbers never entered into it.

 

Caddies are a different question entirely.

Local caddies are a tradition and part of the golfing economy,caddies on the pro tours should either be banned or told not to speak other than to offer a bottle of water.

Golf is not a team game.

The debates and discussions that currently take place are ridiculous as is the second opinion on the line of a putt.

If a professional golfer needs to have his hand held and morale boosted by his bagman he demonstrates a lack of moral fibre.

 

I live in a flat so don't have a lawn but get off my verge!

 

Well, wind and terrain are entirely different questions from distance. And the rules reflect that.

 

If your thought processes don't articulate a number, I guess that's fine. Presumably you don't know how far, in yards, you hit a 7 iron then.

 

I've always thought in numbers. When I was learning, Tommy Armour's book said that a 9 iron went 110 yards or so. So I learned how far my 9 iron went and decided that must be 110 yards. And 140 was how far my 7 went, and so on.

 

It didn't really matter how inaccurate my sense of distance was, until I played different courses.

 

That's all I really see dmds doing. They narrow the gap between distance judgement on your home course, and a strange course.

 

Fundamentally, it's the same information as you'd get from a map. You could ban maps and yardage charts, but google already has that information at your fingertips and anyone playing for money is going to prepare accordingly.

 

Don't get me wrong. I like the unpredictability that wind and ground conditions lend to an otherwise simple distance measurement. I'm just not sure what would be accomplished by trying to hide the yardage. If you're going to have some yardages on the tee box and the scorecard, why withhold others?

 

Because golf is a fluid motion, like water it flows. Just as your golf swing flows so your arrival at the ball, your perception of the target, awareness of your surroundings, all these elements are part of the continuous motion that is the essence of golf. To separate out these elements and reduce them to their individual components is ignore the benefits of the sum of their parts. This is why 'True Golf' is an art form and not science.

[TimV]

Great Thought! I love it and agree. However...

That could be used to make a strange episode of the old TV series 'Kung Fu.' ;)

[stixman]

Great Thought! I love it and agree. However...

That could be used to make a strange episode of the old TV series 'Kung Fu.' ;)

 

Typical closet reductionist comment :taunt:

[Tumbleweed_1968]

Has anyone else noticed how quickly pros of old played? I know some of the film from the 20's is fast, but even when you slow it down on ytube it still shows faster play.

 

We play ready golf and usually have our mind made up by the time we reach the ball. The GPS is used initially, but after a couple rounds is not necessary on the same course. Only used when I'm in a new spot or course. And if I can't reach I can't reach, so just hit it.

 

People emulate what they see on TV. If the pros played faster people would play faster, IMO.

 

Shoot your distance, make a decision, and get on with it. That really shouldn't take longer than 1 minute.

 

As for putting, yeah. We aren't playing for megabucks so I say just line up and hit it.

[BIG STU]

Great Thought! I love it and agree. However...

That could be used to make a strange episode of the old TV series 'Kung Fu.' ;)

Well Touron Golf was in full swing today here a 5 1/2 hour round for us. Had some absolute morons playing in front of us from the mid tees. Took a couple of them 3 or 4 shots to go 200 yards on most holes. We were bombing it today from the gold senior tees. One of those idiots was looking when we bombed a couple close and i told him some people in their 60s could still hit a golf ball. He said we ought not to be playing from the senior tees which Bear snapped back at the guy and told him they ought to be playing from the ladies tees. He shut up.

[TimV]

Great Thought! I love it and agree. However...

That could be used to make a strange episode of the old TV series 'Kung Fu.' ;)

Well Touron Golf was in full swing today here a 5 1/2 hour round for us. Had some absolute morons playing in front of us from the mid tees. Took a couple of them 3 or 4 shots to go 200 yards on most holes. We were bombing it today from the gold senior tees. One of those idiots was looking when we bombed a couple close and i told him some people in their 60s could still hit a golf ball. He said we ought not to be playing from the senior tees which Bear snapped back at the guy and told him they ought to be playing from the ladies tees. He shut up.

 

Don't wind me up about 'players' hitting from an inappropriate tee box again Stu!

The guys I played with the other day at Osprey Point were playing from the Middle set which was normally about 20 yards back or so from the Senior tees I was hitting from. After the first 9 holes of me hitting it 20 or so yards past them they suggested I should join them back there. I just lifted my left eyebrow at them.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

There is simply too much value associated with playing back tees and too much asinine stigma about playing the forward tees.

 

I play the red (a.k.a the ladies tees) because that suits my skills and abilities best. Several rounds below 40 proves that.

 

But when I go to a different course and play with a certain group, the jokes never stop. Nevermind that those bozos cant hit the broadside of a barn from any tee. I guess they'd rather shoot in the triple digits because that is normal for them.

 

I'd rather have a chance to hit more GIR and try to break par, and then move back and try to repeat. I've given in to the pressure this year but no more. Next season I'll stick to my guns.

 

 

[Golfer4Life]

There is simply too much value associated with playing back tees and too much asinine stigma about playing the forward tees.

 

I play the red (a.k.a the ladies tees) because that suits my skills and abilities best. Several rounds below 40 proves that.

 

But when I go to a different course and play with a certain group, the jokes never stop. Nevermind that those bozos cant hit the broadside of a barn from any tee. I guess they'd rather shoot in the triple digits because that is normal for them.

 

I'd rather have a chance to hit more GIR and try to break par, and then move back and try to repeat. I've given in to the pressure this year but no more. Next season I'll stick to my guns.

 

My feelings exactly. Look at my signature, lol...

[BIG STU]

There is simply too much value associated with playing back tees and too much asinine stigma about playing the forward tees.

 

I play the red (a.k.a the ladies tees) because that suits my skills and abilities best. Several rounds below 40 proves that.

 

But when I go to a different course and play with a certain group, the jokes never stop. Nevermind that those bozos cant hit the broadside of a barn from any tee. I guess they'd rather shoot in the triple digits because that is normal for them.

 

I'd rather have a chance to hit more GIR and try to break par, and then move back and try to repeat. I've given in to the pressure this year but no more. Next season I'll stick to my guns.

Yep I moved up to the senior tees about a year ago when I turned 60. Bear's brother that we call Checkers is 68 and kills the ball hits it past us. In one scramble one old fart suggested he go back one set and he was 67 at the time. He basically told the guy where to go and told him he was 67 years old and he was staying on the Gold tees. I have another friend of mine who is 74 and in darn good shape for his age. He has never smoked or drank and still works out on his Nordictrack machine daily. He plays from the red tees. He still hits the driver a respectable 230 or 240 and straight but that is about all he can do maybe make a putt every now and then. But I like having him on a scramble team. Played on his team a couple of years ago with another friend of mine who was the Assistant Pro at a local private club. With him hitting from the red tees all day it left us wedges or 9 irons to par 4s all day and mid irons to par 5s. One thing you do not do is leave that guy or me short irons into par 4s. We killed them that day legit because that tournament was put on by a local big Catholic Church and was well marshalled. But yeah I play the gold tees and do not apologize to anyone about it

[gloucesteroldspot]

I'm sure we've discussed dmd's elsewhere but my thoughts remain the same having seen the drainers who refuse to believe what their technology is telling them and have to scope a yardage several times and the classic of the bloke I played with at a local club on the par three second hole who stood looking at his watch type device for a few minutes until I looked at my wrist and said;"120".

He said "I got 135"

I said "You're 15 minutes fast".

He said "Are you taking the p**s?".

I said "How long have you been a member here?"

He said "Ten years".

I said "They haven't moved the green since you last played....".

The mindset has changed and people increasingly seem to equate a yardage with a specific club,I've heard them chuntering in am-am's "It's 150,so it's a 7-iron",then come up 15 yards short because the device will not compute wind or terrain.

I learned to look at a shot and decide which club I needed to reach the flag or lay up for position.

Numbers never entered into it.

 

Caddies are a different question entirely.

Local caddies are a tradition and part of the golfing economy,caddies on the pro tours should either be banned or told not to speak other than to offer a bottle of water.

Golf is not a team game.

The debates and discussions that currently take place are ridiculous as is the second opinion on the line of a putt.

If a professional golfer needs to have his hand held and morale boosted by his bagman he demonstrates a lack of moral fibre.

 

I live in a flat so don't have a lawn but get off my verge!

 

Well, wind and terrain are entirely different questions from distance. And the rules reflect that.

 

If your thought processes don't articulate a number, I guess that's fine. Presumably you don't know how far, in yards, you hit a 7 iron then.

 

I've always thought in numbers. When I was learning, Tommy Armour's book said that a 9 iron went 110 yards or so. So I learned how far my 9 iron went and decided that must be 110 yards. And 140 was how far my 7 went, and so on.

 

It didn't really matter how inaccurate my sense of distance was, until I played different courses.

 

That's all I really see dmds doing. They narrow the gap between distance judgement on your home course, and a strange course.

 

Fundamentally, it's the same information as you'd get from a map. You could ban maps and yardage charts, but google already has that information at your fingertips and anyone playing for money is going to prepare accordingly.

 

Don't get me wrong. I like the unpredictability that wind and ground conditions lend to an otherwise simple distance measurement. I'm just not sure what would be accomplished by trying to hide the yardage. If you're going to have some yardages on the tee box and the scorecard, why withhold others?

 

Every laser-user I have seen ceases to deploy the thing once they are within 70 yards or so of the flag. This strikes me as odd; surely the nearer to the hole you are, the higher your expectations of hitting the ball close should be and the more important it is to know the exact distance. I wouldn't expect to be able to hit a ball consistently within 5 yards from 180 (though I'll take the flukes as they come) but from 30 yards I'd be very disappointed if I left it 5 yards away. Knowing the exact distance must be more important on short shots than long ones, so why abandon the supposedly vital piece equipment at the very moment it may be most valuable? The answer usually given is that short shots (ones which require less than a full shot with a lofted wedge) are 'feel' shots. If that is so, there are two possible outcomes.

 

The first assumes that hitting by feel is more accurate than simply playing a standard half/quarter shot, so the feel player doesn't need an exact yardage. That pre-supposes an ability to assess distance and shot power without artificial aids, and implies we'd all be better off playing feel shots every time. The laser supporters club won't accept this, so the alternative must be true: that they benefit from exact yardages on all long shots as it enables them to play a standard, pre-rehearsed shot with every club in the bag, and when they get too close for a full shot they choose to make things twice as hard by hitting a ball an unknown distance with an unspecified amount of force.

[scomac2002]

I never really thought about this because I haven't played with that many people who used a laser or even a GPS device for that matter. It does seem counter productive to abandon the tool when you get close assuming that you have standard shots to cover the distance. I even get tricked on a putting green assessing distance when you pace off a putt. It can sometimes be a lot further than you originally anticipated.

 

All of this assumes that you put in adequate practice to call upon a shot of a specific length on demand. That won't apply to most golfers, so then you have to ask, why bother in the first place if you're just going to be guessing anyway? If that's the case then simply advance the ball until you get to a yardage that you know you can hit and save all the time and bother.

[gloucesteroldspot]

I never really thought about this because I haven't played with that many people who used a laser or even a GPS device for that matter. It does seem counter productive to abandon the tool when you get close assuming that you have standard shots to cover the distance. I even get tricked on a putting green assessing distance when you pace off a putt. It can sometimes be a lot further than you originally anticipated.

 

All of this assumes that you put in adequate practice to call upon a shot of a specific length on demand. That won't apply to most golfers, so then you have to ask, why bother in the first place if you're just going to be guessing anyway? If that's the case then simply advance the ball until you get to a yardage that you know you can hit and save all the time and bother.

 

Concisely put. I did suggest elsewhere (with tongue firmly in cheek) that you might as well use a tape measure when on the green. We're all better at judging distance than we realise, and would continue to get better at it if only we didn't get in our own way.

[birly-shirly]

I'm sure we've discussed dmd's elsewhere but my thoughts remain the same having seen the drainers who refuse to believe what their technology is telling them and have to scope a yardage several times and the classic of the bloke I played with at a local club on the par three second hole who stood looking at his watch type device for a few minutes until I looked at my wrist and said;"120".

He said "I got 135"

I said "You're 15 minutes fast".

He said "Are you taking the p**s?".

I said "How long have you been a member here?"

He said "Ten years".

I said "They haven't moved the green since you last played....".

The mindset has changed and people increasingly seem to equate a yardage with a specific club,I've heard them chuntering in am-am's "It's 150,so it's a 7-iron",then come up 15 yards short because the device will not compute wind or terrain.

I learned to look at a shot and decide which club I needed to reach the flag or lay up for position.

Numbers never entered into it.

 

Caddies are a different question entirely.

Local caddies are a tradition and part of the golfing economy,caddies on the pro tours should either be banned or told not to speak other than to offer a bottle of water.

Golf is not a team game.

The debates and discussions that currently take place are ridiculous as is the second opinion on the line of a putt.

If a professional golfer needs to have his hand held and morale boosted by his bagman he demonstrates a lack of moral fibre.

 

I live in a flat so don't have a lawn but get off my verge!

 

Well, wind and terrain are entirely different questions from distance. And the rules reflect that.

 

If your thought processes don't articulate a number, I guess that's fine. Presumably you don't know how far, in yards, you hit a 7 iron then.

 

I've always thought in numbers. When I was learning, Tommy Armour's book said that a 9 iron went 110 yards or so. So I learned how far my 9 iron went and decided that must be 110 yards. And 140 was how far my 7 went, and so on.

 

It didn't really matter how inaccurate my sense of distance was, until I played different courses.

 

That's all I really see dmds doing. They narrow the gap between distance judgement on your home course, and a strange course.

 

Fundamentally, it's the same information as you'd get from a map. You could ban maps and yardage charts, but google already has that information at your fingertips and anyone playing for money is going to prepare accordingly.

 

Don't get me wrong. I like the unpredictability that wind and ground conditions lend to an otherwise simple distance measurement. I'm just not sure what would be accomplished by trying to hide the yardage. If you're going to have some yardages on the tee box and the scorecard, why withhold others?

 

Every laser-user I have seen ceases to deploy the thing once they are within 70 yards or so of the flag. This strikes me as odd; surely the nearer to the hole you are, the higher your expectations of hitting the ball close should be and the more important it is to know the exact distance. I wouldn't expect to be able to hit a ball consistently within 5 yards from 180 (though I'll take the flukes as they come) but from 30 yards I'd be very disappointed if I left it 5 yards away. Knowing the exact distance must be more important on short shots than long ones, so why abandon the supposedly vital piece equipment at the very moment it may be most valuable? The answer usually given is that short shots (ones which require less than a full shot with a lofted wedge) are 'feel' shots. If that is so, there are two possible outcomes.

 

The first assumes that hitting by feel is more accurate than simply playing a standard half/quarter shot, so the feel player doesn't need an exact yardage. That pre-supposes an ability to assess distance and shot power without artificial aids, and implies we'd all be better off playing feel shots every time. The laser supporters club won't accept this, so the alternative must be true: that they benefit from exact yardages on all long shots as it enables them to play a standard, pre-rehearsed shot with every club in the bag, and when they get too close for a full shot they choose to make things twice as hard by hitting a ball an unknown distance with an unspecified amount of force.

 

Broadly, I'd agree with a lot of that.

 

But with the exception that, whatever you're seeing other people do with their lasers, I definitely bought mine with a view to using it in the 90 - 30 yard zone. And the guy I play with most often who also uses a laser does the same.

 

Inside of 25/30 yards, I'd agree that the overall yardage is less of a factor.

 

I would say though that from 30 yards, a 15 foot "leave" is nothing to beat yourself up over. Any short game shot that settles within 10% of your starting distance is a good rule of thumb for a decent shot. 15% is far from disastrous.

[elwhippy]

Friends just come back from a trip to Portugal. Up to six hours...using buggies. Too many hackers trying and failing to justify playing off 7100 yards tees. They enjoyed the holiday but are looking at alternative venues / countries for next year.

[sdandrea]

There is simply too much value associated with playing back tees and too much asinine stigma about playing the forward tees.

 

I play the red (a.k.a the ladies tees) because that suits my skills and abilities best. Several rounds below 40 proves that.

 

But when I go to a different course and play with a certain group, the jokes never stop. Nevermind that those bozos cant hit the broadside of a barn from any tee. I guess they'd rather shoot in the triple digits because that is normal for them.

 

I'd rather have a chance to hit more GIR and try to break par, and then move back and try to repeat. I've given in to the pressure this year but no more. Next season I'll stick to my guns.

 

Yep. Leave the ego in the trunk. I just cannot enjoy the game from 6000+ tees anymore. If it starts with a 6, I move up to the next tees. All of us will get there eventually.

[shotmark]

I had the group from hell in front of me yesterday. It's a public course, so one must expect to have to put up with slow play. This lot were not the slowest by any means, but possessed a degree of rude ignorance that I've not encountered before. To begin with, two of the three were practising on the putting green when I arrived, so I hoped as I was a lone player they might wave me on to the first tee. Not a chance - they hastened off when they saw me coming. Never mind - they were there before me. I putted for a bit and chipped for a bit more, listening to the foul language and arguing that drifted over from the first hole, and let them get two holes in front before I teed off. I caught them up on the fourth and had to wait on the tee while they searched for a ball, or maybe they were just arguing some more - whatever it was, it took a while. Once they moved towards the green I hit my usual two balls (!) and set off up the fairway. They were putting out when I got to them so I waited for them to finish. However, instead of heading for the fifth they went back to the first tee. Another player had arrived and they seemed to know one another. That's handy I thought - if they start again I'll have a clear run. I was putting out when they returned and jumped onto the fifth tee, completely ignoring me walking off the fourth green. I went back to the practice green and chipped for a bit more, muttering dark thoughts. There was no-one in front of them by this time, and the group behind me were just teeing off on two.

 

I caught them again on the seventh tee and waited while some more ball searching/arguing went on. I played two tee shots and then, to kill time, I inspected a clump of trees situated on the left of the fairway. Four balls to the good I came back out and saw they'd cleared the hole so I played up. They were on the ninth tee when I got to the eighth. I played eight, got to the ninth and found that three of them had disappeared, leaving one in the middle of the fairway. Nothing much happened for a while so I jumped over to the tenth green and putted for a bit. When I looked back all four were in the ninth fairway, no further forward. They moved on eventually and I let them clear the green before I teed off. I still had to wait on ten for them to get out of range. One of my tee shots went a bit left and I had to spend a few moments locating it and chipping it out from a clump of trees, which allowed them to clear the green. I played on, got to the par three eleventh tee and found them standing discussing scorecards well to the side of the twelfth tee, directly in line between the eleventh tee and green. I was no more than fifty yards from them, in broad daylight, yet they studiously ignored me and carried on talking, pointing and swearing. I was trying to decide whether to walk up and tell them what I thought or just play over their heads (and maybe take a couple of them out with a low shot) when they finally ambled off to the tee and got out of my way. They must have found some form at that point as by the time I'd holed two par putts and got onto twelve they were out of range.

 

I don't know what it is about this particular course, but for all its charm and peaceful setting it does attract a disproportionate amount of morons.

 

As it's a public course they were probably unaware of the etiquette. Maybe if you'd politely explained that slower groups should allow faster groups to play through they'd have obliged.

 

Quite often I'll get people coming into the shop after their round moaning about being held up but not having asked to play through. You shouldn't have to ask but if it's in your own interest to do so then do it - unless you prefer to stay behind them so you can moan about it afterwards.

[shotmark]

The thing in the rules about a single not having standing was eliminated a few years ago.

 

It's always fun when someone tries to bring it up that a single has no standing and you can tell them that if you're going to quote a rule, you should know what the heck you're talking about.

 

But it's 2018 and not too many people anymore know what they're talking about. Except for this part of GolfWRX, of course... :)

 

Remember when the saying was to never trust anyone over 30? Now it's never trust anyone under 40. :)

 

2005 rules revision gave single players the same standing as groups.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

I just cannot enjoy the game from 6000+ tees anymore. If it starts with a 6, I move up to the next tees. All of us will get there eventually.

 

For years I struggled with the game for just that reason. I knew my drives were not very long, proven by experience and finally by a driver fitting. For whatever reason, no matter which new driver was put in my hands, my drives maxed out at 200. So it was either quit altogether, or move up.

 

There is a course nearby that has a sign on the starting tee that reads something like: "Please play from the tees that leave you a short iron to the green." First time in 40 years I saw that, but sure think it is a good idea.

[gloucesteroldspot]

I had the group from hell in front of me yesterday. It's a public course, so one must expect to have to put up with slow play. This lot were not the slowest by any means, but possessed a degree of rude ignorance that I've not encountered before. To begin with, two of the three were practising on the putting green when I arrived, so I hoped as I was a lone player they might wave me on to the first tee. Not a chance - they hastened off when they saw me coming. Never mind - they were there before me. I putted for a bit and chipped for a bit more, listening to the foul language and arguing that drifted over from the first hole, and let them get two holes in front before I teed off. I caught them up on the fourth and had to wait on the tee while they searched for a ball, or maybe they were just arguing some more - whatever it was, it took a while. Once they moved towards the green I hit my usual two balls (!) and set off up the fairway. They were putting out when I got to them so I waited for them to finish. However, instead of heading for the fifth they went back to the first tee. Another player had arrived and they seemed to know one another. That's handy I thought - if they start again I'll have a clear run. I was putting out when they returned and jumped onto the fifth tee, completely ignoring me walking off the fourth green. I went back to the practice green and chipped for a bit more, muttering dark thoughts. There was no-one in front of them by this time, and the group behind me were just teeing off on two.

 

I caught them again on the seventh tee and waited while some more ball searching/arguing went on. I played two tee shots and then, to kill time, I inspected a clump of trees situated on the left of the fairway. Four balls to the good I came back out and saw they'd cleared the hole so I played up. They were on the ninth tee when I got to the eighth. I played eight, got to the ninth and found that three of them had disappeared, leaving one in the middle of the fairway. Nothing much happened for a while so I jumped over to the tenth green and putted for a bit. When I looked back all four were in the ninth fairway, no further forward. They moved on eventually and I let them clear the green before I teed off. I still had to wait on ten for them to get out of range. One of my tee shots went a bit left and I had to spend a few moments locating it and chipping it out from a clump of trees, which allowed them to clear the green. I played on, got to the par three eleventh tee and found them standing discussing scorecards well to the side of the twelfth tee, directly in line between the eleventh tee and green. I was no more than fifty yards from them, in broad daylight, yet they studiously ignored me and carried on talking, pointing and swearing. I was trying to decide whether to walk up and tell them what I thought or just play over their heads (and maybe take a couple of them out with a low shot) when they finally ambled off to the tee and got out of my way. They must have found some form at that point as by the time I'd holed two par putts and got onto twelve they were out of range.

 

I don't know what it is about this particular course, but for all its charm and peaceful setting it does attract a disproportionate amount of morons.

 

As it's a public course they were probably unaware of the etiquette. Maybe if you'd politely explained that slower groups should allow faster groups to play through they'd have obliged.

 

Quite often I'll get people coming into the shop after their round moaning about being held up but not having asked to play through. You shouldn't have to ask but if it's in your own interest to do so then do it - unless you prefer to stay behind them so you can moan about it afterwards.

 

I make a point of always putting up with idiots and spoiling a good round of golf to justify having a moan. Luckily there's no shortage of suitable candidates; I hardly ever have to wait around for them to arrive, just so I can let them go in front and hold me up.

 

(insert sarcasm smiley here)

 

In truth, I often do get called through, and if not and the delay is sustained beyond a couple of holes I will approach them and ask. 9 times out of 10 they are quite amenable. With this particular group I just knew it wouldn't be profitable. Not being aware of golf course etiquette is one thing; being obnoxious is another. I expect they behave exactly the same wherever they go.

[Jiggered]

I just cannot enjoy the game from 6000+ tees anymore. If it starts with a 6, I move up to the next tees. All of us will get there eventually.

 

For years I struggled with the game for just that reason. I knew my drives were not very long, proven by experience and finally by a driver fitting. For whatever reason, no matter which new driver was put in my hands, my drives maxed out at 200. So it was either quit altogether, or move up.

 

There is a course nearby that has a sign on the starting tee that reads something like: "Please play from the tees that leave you a short iron to the green." First time in 40 years I saw that, but sure think it is a good idea.

 

I like the idea behind this but it does take away a part of the game that I enjoy, trying to find the green on a par 4 with a mid-iron or more.

 

An alternative might be, "Please play from tees that you can reach all par fours in two shots".

[TimV]

Every laser-user I have seen ceases to deploy the thing once they are within 70 yards or so of the flag. This strikes me as odd; surely the nearer to the hole you are, the higher your expectations of hitting the ball close should be and the more important it is to know the exact distance. I wouldn't expect to be able to hit a ball consistently within 5 yards from 180 (though I'll take the flukes as they come) but from 30 yards I'd be very disappointed if I left it 5 yards away. Knowing the exact distance must be more important on short shots than long ones, so why abandon the supposedly vital piece equipment at the very moment it may be most valuable? The answer usually given is that short shots (ones which require less than a full shot with a lofted wedge) are 'feel' shots. If that is so, there are two possible outcomes.

 

The first assumes that hitting by feel is more accurate than simply playing a standard half/quarter shot, so the feel player doesn't need an exact yardage. That pre-supposes an ability to assess distance and shot power without artificial aids, and implies we'd all be better off playing feel shots every time. The laser supporters club won't accept this, so the alternative must be true: that they benefit from exact yardages on all long shots as it enables them to play a standard, pre-rehearsed shot with every club in the bag, and when they get too close for a full shot they choose to make things twice as hard by hitting a ball an unknown distance with an unspecified amount of force.

 

And that's exactly how I see them deployed here 99.9% of the time!

So for all who do this, Burn Baby Burn!

:tongue: :russian_roulette:

[sdandrea]

I just cannot enjoy the game from 6000+ tees anymore. If it starts with a 6, I move up to the next tees. All of us will get there eventually.

 

For years I struggled with the game for just that reason. I knew my drives were not very long, proven by experience and finally by a driver fitting. For whatever reason, no matter which new driver was put in my hands, my drives maxed out at 200. So it was either quit altogether, or move up.

 

There is a course nearby that has a sign on the starting tee that reads something like: "Please play from the tees that leave you a short iron to the green." First time in 40 years I saw that, but sure think it is a good idea.

 

Yep - once the drive constraint hits 200 yards, I'm usually looking at FW metals to advance the ball towards the green. At 5700 yards, all 3 of my home (FL) courses are enjoyable for me.

 

New RANT- I never see senior or forward tees for the ladies. My wife hits her drives about 140 yards and hitting nearly ANY green in reg is not possible for her and most of her peers. Only the top few (single digit cappers) players in her leagues have a chance. Solid Golf for her and many of her peers is hitting the greens in 1 stroke over regulation. When I play golf with her I move back a set of tees and she says "welcome to my world".

[Soloman1]

RANT:

 

Okay, today is my birthday, and I am now officially a “geezer.”

 

It used to be that middle age was defined by the formula: MA = S(ca) + 1 where MA = Middle Age and S(ca) = Soloman1’s (current age)

Today I’m sixty damn five.

 

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I said things like:

 

I’ll never stop carrying my bag when playing on my own.

I’ll never ride in a cart.

I’ll never play from anywhere except the tips.

I’ll never stop using a Tour Balata 100.

 

Lord, forgive me, but I’m moving up to the whites.

[TimV]

More of this everywhere please...

 

https://www.golfadvisor.com/articles/restored-gus-wortham-park-in-houston-a-new-model-for-city-facilities?utm_source=GA&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Emailoct22postup

[sdandrea]

More of this everywhere please...

 

https://www.golfadvisor.com/articles/restored-gus-wortham-park-in-houston-a-new-model-for-city-facilities?utm_source=GA&utm_medium=Newsletter&utm_campaign=Emailoct22postup

 

Amen!

[smashdn]

I never really thought about this because I haven't played with that many people who used a laser or even a GPS device for that matter. It does seem counter productive to abandon the tool when you get close assuming that you have standard shots to cover the distance. I even get tricked on a putting green assessing distance when you pace off a putt. It can sometimes be a lot further than you originally anticipated.

 

I was waiting to tee off on a par five once and watched the group in front of me finish the hole I just played. Gut hit his approach on the green but it bounced through and beyond. I nearly lost my shiz on the next tee when he pulled the laser to check his yardage.

 

Maybe I overestimate the fact that people can eyeball distance. I played stick and ball sports growing up. 60 foot back to the pitchers mound (20 yards), 90 foot to first and third from home (I caught, 30 yards), ~130 foot from home to second (little more than 40 yards). Grew up hunting. 35-40 yard shots were about the limit whether bird hunting or shooting squirrels with a rifle. I guess I grew up estimating distance.

 

Knowing the distance and hitting the shot the correct distance are clearly two separate things. One I am good at, one I suck mightily at.

[Tumbleweed_1968]

I never really thought about this because I haven't played with that many people who used a laser or even a GPS device for that matter. It does seem counter productive to abandon the tool when you get close assuming that you have standard shots to cover the distance. I even get tricked on a putting green assessing distance when you pace off a putt. It can sometimes be a lot further than you originally anticipated.

60 foot back to the pitchers mound (20 yards), 90 foot to first and third from home (I caught, 30 yards), ~130 foot from home to second (little more than 40 yards). Grew up hunting. 35-40 yard shots were about the limit whether bird hunting or shooting squirrels with a rifle. I guess I grew up estimating distance.

The distance from the laundry pole to the burn barrel is 35 yards & I regularly hit wedge shots trying to hit the barrel. Every time I get to that distance on the course I say, out loud, "Burn Barrel".

[Golfer4Life]

Don’t list items on eBay with offer option if you are not going to answer to offers. Thank you and stop wasting my time, lol...