MD/DC/VA Golfers - This One Goes to Eleven

[Johnny T]

Anybody have a push cart other than a clic that they like?

 

I virtually never walk but am thinking about buying a cheaper cart (like the Caddytek from Costco) to use while I'm at VT for a week in August.

[eagle1997]

The most recent Fried Egg pod is a decent listen if you are into GCA and can tolerate Andy stumbling through the whole thing as a host. He had architect Andrew Green on. I hadn't heard of him before listening to this, but he has done some restoration work on some major venues. They had a discussion on his work at Eisenhower Golf Course in Anne Arundel Co. He is making it bunker-less. It was pretty interesting to hear him talk about how doing this would save tons of money on maintenance costs. He said the challenge of having no bunkers is getting enough definition and hole presentation without the contrast of the sand. I never played there but he said they are going to leave the routing basically the same.

 

i've played eisenhower more than few times back when i was learning how to golf. fun course to my novice golf brain. one terrible par 5 that fabb would hate. i will undoubtedly play there more if they go bunkerless... much like endlesswinterco, i am a flat out disaster when i'm in bunkers. not going to practice it tho. i have many other things to practice (that i don't) before i get to bunker play.

 

 

got to hWC early yesterday. had a full 45 min warmup, including pitches from around the green. i think that explains my strong start... and my gassed finish. sad that i couldn't maintain the momentum... i really had it going. VERY makeable birdie opportunities on 1, 2, 7, 8, 11, 13, 17 and made 2. surprisingly the irons and driver were very good, putting/short game was a huge letdown. golf is very funny like that.

[TheCityGame]

Anybody have a push cart other than a clic that they like?

 

I virtually never walk but am thinking about buying a cheaper cart (like the Caddytek from Costco) to use while I'm at VT for a week in August.

Caddy Tek. I easily have a couple thousand miles on it. Still rolling great. Folds up and unpacks like the day I got it.

 

Foot brake has been broken for a while, but I just park it on a zero gradient (mostly). Comes with more accessories and is cheaper.

[baddomes]

Vump

[thechief16]

Speaking of which, what are y'all's go-to podcasts? I've got the Fried Egg, GolfWRX (though I think all three channels are obnoxious in their own ways), Golf Science Lab, Me and My Golf, and the Golf Digest podcast. All are interesting some of the time, but surely there are more out there too.

 

NLU

Clubhouse with Shane Bacon

Shackhouse

 

Both Golf and Golf Digest have occasional good content, but you have to sort through and pick out what you want. They three above, I will listen to anything they do.

[misplacedtexan83]

Sully..

 

I am not hitting straight today..

 

Resulting in bad drives.

 

Probably should focus hitting straighter drives

[eagle1997]

I am not hitting straight today

 

Resulting in bad drives

 

Probably should focus hitting straighter drives

 

this is a koan, wrapped in a riddle, blanketed by guilelessness and presented as near haiku.

 

#geniustex

[vtnerf]

Anybody have a push cart other than a clic that they like?

 

I virtually never walk but am thinking about buying a cheaper cart (like the Caddytek from Costco) to use while I'm at VT for a week in August.

I've got a Bag Boy Quad that has been solid this year. Hand brake as well. Folds up nice and compact, drink holder can handle a 22oz hydroflask, and has a pouch under the handle for gloves, etc.

[willboyrd]

Anyone trying to play Wednesday morning in MoCo?

[t4t3r]

My Caddytek from Costco has hit a tree head on and taken a dump down a pretty steep hill. Pulls a little to the right but it can probably be adjusted out. Been used weekly for a little over a year and everything on it is still working. Highly recommended.

[top.h]

My Caddytek from Costco has hit a tree head on and taken a dump down a pretty steep hill. Pulls a little to the right but it can probably be adjusted out. Been used weekly for a little over a year and everything on it is still working. Highly recommended.

 

Same here. Only complaint is my battery indicator is kind of funky and went from full to empty over the course of two holes. battery usually lasts about 25-30 rounds.

[thechief16]

wait, what?

[willboyrd]

top.h is talking about the caddytek rangefinder I think.

[ceejay81]

I must own this visor. I'll grab one for HBD, too.

 

[top.h]

top.h is talking about the caddytek rangefinder I think.

 

whoops, yep.

[pigpenblues]

Just moved to Baltimore, MD. Recently I have been joining up with other groups. I use GolfNow to find the best rates and play. No clue about the public courses in Baltimore but I have played Bowie Golf Club, Walden CC, and Timbers at Troy. Always looking to play with other people. So far I am enjoying the style of courses here.

[SullGolf]

THDC can verify: my barber is a quiet (South) Korean woman, but today the news was showing stuff about North Korea. She was fired up and gave a nice 30 minute rant during my cut. We (she) talked more in that haircut than we have in the last several years combined. Good times.

[FAbb]

All I read is that you cut your visor hair. I'm more furious about that than your barber is about North Korea. By a lot.

[SullGolf]

I didn't know you cared so much. Next time I'll save a lock for you to remember it by.

[bandondunes54]

Anybody have a push cart other than a clic that they like?

 

I virtually never walk but am thinking about buying a cheaper cart (like the Caddytek from Costco) to use while I'm at VT for a week in August.

I've got a Bag Boy Quad that has been solid this year. Hand brake as well. Folds up nice and compact, drink holder can handle a 22oz hydroflask, and has a pouch under the handle for gloves, etc.

 

https://Not allowed because of spam.com/best-push-carts-of-2018/

 

Also playing Worthington at 8:30 am on Wednesday morning. Then am hustling to go watch the World Cup with Ash and Reynolds in Columbia, MD.

[Mizzy45]

range finder-tectectec vpro500 or golfbudy LR7. LR7 for $150 and tectectec for $120 are what i can get either one for. which should i get as i know nothing about this tech.

[SullGolf]

I haven't laid eyes on any other carts since I got the ClicGear 3.5, but it is tempting to see that there are others that are 8+ pounds lighter and fold up smaller. Not $300 tempting. But tempting.

[davechen]

THDC can verify: my barber is a quiet (South) Korean woman, but today the news was showing stuff about North Korea. She was fired up and gave a nice 30 minute rant during my cut. We (she) talked more in that haircut than we have in the last several years combined. Good times.

 

Yeah, that's Miss Nancy. She loves the Capitals and hates North Korea. And pretty much the current South Korean government and the younger generation. They suck up too much to the North, in her opinion.

[SullGolf]

THDC can verify: my barber is a quiet (South) Korean woman, but today the news was showing stuff about North Korea. She was fired up and gave a nice 30 minute rant during my cut. We (she) talked more in that haircut than we have in the last several years combined. Good times.

 

Yeah, that's Miss Nancy. She loves the Capitals and hates North Korea. And pretty much the current South Korean government and the younger generation. They suck up too much to the North, in her opinion.

 

Haha yes. Anyone under 40 is a moron selling the country away.

[FAbb]

I sped around Turf Valley with City yesterday afternoon. He had to get home at a reasonable hour, so we went out as 2, and played the ball into the hole in like 2:45 or so. We played stroke play for $1/stroke, and it's a miracle I didn't owe City a fortune at the end of the round.

 

My ball striking started off very suspect, but was mediocre at worst after that. I still hit 9 fairways, and 8 greens when all was said and done. Not good, but I probably ought to have scraped something in the high 70s out of it. Instead, I had maybe one of my worst scoring days inside 50 yards ever. I even managed to 4-putt a green from like 30ft. It was ugly.

 

City did my PayPal account a favor by turning a low-mid 70s ball striking day into a high 70s round. He seems to be hitting the ball further after his lesson. His ball striking has really improved these past 2 years. He fell victim to difficulty judging his full grown man power, and the way the ball was flying from the rough on several holes. He also had a few un-City-like moments around the greens. I don't know why, but it seems like he's just getting the least out of his rounds right now. Something I can relate to, so I feel his frustration.

 

I'm ready to pass along my MP 18 "rental set" now that I tried them for a couple rounds. I really wanted to demo a full iron set with those PX LZ 6.0 shafts on-course, and this turned out to be a great way to do it. I liked the shafts, and think my frail joints could probably survive going back to steel, but they didn't blow me away enough to actually do so. The performance to me was similar to PX, but without the harsh feel. No steel comes close to the feel of graphite, though.

 

I'm also pathetically out of golf, and walking shape. I haven't been walking since I started back to playing this past 4 weeks, and I walked both yesterday and Sunday. I was definitely gassed yesterday, and my body is sore. I felt like I didn't have a lot of energy to swing late in the round yesterday either. I need to get my pansy a$s back into shape so that doesn't happen anymore.

[TheCityGame]

Sully's new haircut.

 

 

[TheCityGame]

Fabb started out with a double bogey and to prove it wasn't a fluke followed it up with 3 more. (stealing lines from "a course called scotland")

 

Mondays are usually outings day at the course and just sort of an all-around golf-blah day, but there were none yesterday so the course was epically uncrowded. On the 5th green, we saw a group on the 9th tee and caught them on 13 so that wasn't too bad. They played quick coming in, but a 2:45 round is always sweet.

 

Wanted to play full stroke play to get ready for CC qual.

 

I only hit 5 or 6 greens, but I was in a lot of fringes (mostly deep). Basically felt like I didn't miss a shot all day (maybe 1 or 2 drives) and put up another ho-hum +7.

 

Had 164 in on 2 to a middle pin and flew the pin with a 7 iron from the rough, wound up long. Was just long on 3, then on 5, I was in the left rough and had like 160 in. Figured the 8 iron would give me a little flyer lie and run out a little, so I swung away, flew the pin by 8 yards, and wound up in the rough over the green. It was like that all day. Flew the pin and green with a 9 iron on 12 and 16 when I had 140 to a back.pin.

 

I'm actually thinking about working my GPS into the rounds a little bit. E.g. I had to cover a bunker on 16 and hit 9 iron, but when I got to the green and saw how deep the pin was, I realized I could have taken "fly the green" risk out of the equation and hit PW. I haven't made a birdie in what feels like about 54 holes even though I'm playing well.

 

Trying not to get into that "pressing" mindset, but it's getting a little annoying.

[Ocgolfrick]

When you've got Member Guest this weekend but there is a hurricane forming off the coast of North Carolina:

 

[vtnerf]

When you've got Member Guest this weekend but there is a hurricane forming off the coast of North Carolina:

 

 

To be fair, one of the greatest moments of MG history (Nicolette) happened during a rain delay...

[FAbb]

When you go back and replay the round, you definitely gave up fractional shots here and there.

 

You gave up a fractional shot hitting the drive into the fairway bunker on 4. Sure it was a pretty stock fairway bunker shot, but 160 yards out in a fairway bunker is probably more often a bogey than a par.

 

You gave up a half stroke hitting a full-grown-man iron over the green on 5, but got it right back with a nice save. You can't miss long on that hole to a back pin though. That's maybe a spot where you recognize the potential for a flyer, and all the green and fairway open in front of that green. Take less club and be ok missing short if it doesn't fly.

 

The chip on 6 wasn't really up to your standards either, but again it's probably a fractional shot. From where you were, to that pin, it's a 50/50 up and down. The drive put you in a tough spot to score from. It's also just a tough hole.

 

You also got down in 2 from some non-trivial spots those first 6 holes to keep your round together, like on the second hole. They were definitely better than 50/50 to get down in 2, but still maybe only 75%.

 

The putt on 8 wasn't exactly straight up the hill, but still probably a full stroke you gave up.

 

You got out with par on 9, but you probably could've picked up a half stroke if you hit a decent second shot.

 

You gave up a half stroke or more with the drive on 11, but got that back with an excellent escape to get your approach on the green.

 

You gave up a half stroke or more hitting another FGM iron over the green on 12, but got it back with a superb save. Another one where the pin was back and you're in a potential flyer situation. You could probably get away with taking less club and being ok with it not flying.

 

The pitch on 13 from where you were was fine, honestly. Most definitely less than 50/50 getting up and down. It was where you left the approach that cost you the hole.

 

The third on 14 was nearly a full stroke loss. Not like you chunked it, or skulled it, but just didn't have the distance right. It's less than 50/50 up and down to that pin from behind the green for sure.

 

Lost a halfer or more on the drive on 15.

 

Lost a halfer with another FGM iron over the green on 16, but weren't able to get it back with a save that time. Another potential flyer where you could be ok taking just enough club to cover the bunker if it doesn't turn out to be a flyer.

 

17 and 18 were uneventful.

 

So overall maybe a few drives that cost you a halfer. We're all going to hit drives that cost us some strokes. You hit plenty of drives that were absolutely A+, and your misses weren't really any worse than B-. Maybe you clean up one or two of those, but wouldn't expect a whole lot better. In retrospect, you could probably have clubbed a little more thoughtfully on a few of those FGM shots over the green. On the other hand, you're maybe not adjusted to the distance you seem to have picked up? The less than ideal chips you hit are more than washed out by some really good saves. Nothing of length went in, and you gave up one shortie, but you'd be crazy to say your putting was anything less than "good" yesterday. There's just not anything you can point at and say, "that's it!" Such can be the difference between a good round and a bad one at your level. One fewer drive off line, a couple better club selections, don't miss a patsy, and you're at maybe 74 instead of 78. Hard to say what gets you there, though. Just keep playing more golf haha.