MD/DC/VA Golfers - Twelve Monkeys Mental Divergence

[HighBoomingDraws]

Srixon running a BOGO special on their balls if anyone needs to stock up. Just use different email addresses if you want more than 4 doz

[TheCityGame]

Apparently, the triple in round 2. . .he hit a fade "by the cart path" according to first hand accounts and they never found it. That's a BAD BREAK. 2 strokes and he's in.

 

On 18 he needed a par for a playoff and hit an 8 iron from 198 over the green.

[TheCityGame]

> @Sterling_247 said:

> That was a pretty good read City. Seems like the kind of guy it's easy to root for. Given it's only one article, but doesn't seem like a silver spoon kind of kid

 

From that article. . .

 

_Another change was his unique putting method, which combines a mid-length putter, an armbar, a ball position near his back foot and a claw grip. Yeah, there’s a lot going on._

 

I almost forgot about that. He puts the putter grip up his forearm like Kuch, but he also bends that arm so the elbow is sticking out some and takes a claw grip with the back hand, so his elbows are both kind of pointed out, and then he just rocks the baby. It's crazy looking.

[dcmidnight]

If he plays the ball of his backfoot on top of the armlock grip - that putter must be lofted pretty good?

 

The firefighter guy from the Masters made it through, I think he was +2 and made it? Mike Weir made it. Couple other interesting names too.

[TheCityGame]

> @dcmidnight said:

> If he plays the ball of his backfoot on top of the armlock grip - that putter must be lofted pretty good?

>

 

I didn't notice the back foot thing. I just noticed the arm bar, but you'd think it would have to be.

[Sterling_247]

> @TheCityGame said: he also bends that arm so the elbow is sticking out some and takes a claw grip with the back hand, so his elbows are both kind of pointed out, and then he just rocks the baby. It's crazy looking.

 

This is actually very comfortable for me but it's hard to trust it

[FAbb]

> @HighBoomingDraws said:

> Srixon running a BOGO special on their balls if anyone needs to stock up. Just use different email addresses if you want more than 4 doz

 

HBD, when he finds a deal to score some cheap urethanes.

 


 

[dcmidnight]

Around this time of year you always hear a lot of tough talk from the players about the USGA and how they hate the setups and hate this and hate that and blah blah blah. Normally I just find it annoying - and I hate the USGA as much as anyone - but it seems to me that they are even more outspoken this year. At some point, the players are going to be in a put up or shut up spot. Either STFU and dont play the US Open or STFU and play the US Open. No one loves the USGA setups, just quit the constant complaining about it.

[2moreTerps]

DC i'd like that post 100 times if i could

[dcmidnight]

Rory said the USGA is going to be facing "a problem" if they screw up this year. Like what? More whining by the players? More complaining on social media? At the end of the day they are going to put a big trophy on the table next to a big fat check and all those whiners are going to line up to put the tee in the dirt.

 

I can almost guarantee the USGA has some sort of issue this year - and exactly zero players boycott next year.

 

I unfollowed Zac Blair on all his social media stuff but I saw that he made it. Good for him, 67-67 is no joke and he finished birdie birdie. Isnt that Ohio sectional usually the most stacked too because guys will play there from the Memorial if they arent qualified.

[t4t3r]

> @dcmidnight said:

> Rory said the USGA is going to be facing "a problem" if they screw up this year. Like what? More whining by the players? More complaining on social media? At the end of the day they are going to put a big trophy on the table next to a big fat check and all those whiners are going to line up to put the tee in the dirt.

>

> I can almost guarantee the USGA has some sort of issue this year - and exactly zero players boycott next year.

>

> I unfollowed Zac Blair on all his social media stuff but I saw that he made it. Good for him, 67-67 is no joke and he finished birdie birdie. Isnt that Ohio sectional usually the most stacked too because guys will play there from the Memorial if they arent qualified.

 

Brookside is where most of the Tour guys attempted because that site has the most spots available and most were coming off the Memorial. ZB made it through at the Springfield qualifier.

[HighBoomingDraws]

> @FAbb said:

> > @HighBoomingDraws said:

> > Srixon running a BOGO special on their balls if anyone needs to stock up. Just use different email addresses if you want more than 4 doz

>

> HBD, when he finds a deal to score some cheap urethanes.

>

> 

>

 

Not wrong. Global golf has same deal on the yellow ones.

 

[SullGolf]

> Around this time of year you always hear a lot of tough talk from the players about the USGA and how they hate the setups and hate this and hate that and blah blah blah. Normally I just find it annoying - and I hate the USGA as much as anyone - but it seems to me that they are even more outspoken this year. At some point, the players are going to be in a put up or shut up spot. Either STFU and dont play the US Open or STFU and play the US Open. No one loves the USGA setups, just quit the constant complaining about it.

 

During the PGA, I was wondering how many guys would be rioting if that tournament was called the US Open. Long, tough, thick rough. A few guys complained but were written off as whiners.

 

The USGA has gotten a lot of well deserved flak for their handling of the US Open, but most years it is overblown. Last year was a definite disaster, but most of the other issues are manufactured. There seems to be no balance as to what people consider a "good" US Open, except maybe it being at Oakmont. Congressional and Erin Hills and Pinehurst weren't right because people scored too well. Chambers Bay wasn't right because the greens weren't pristine. Merion was too short. People simultaneously want the winner at par and then complain about how its too tough. The USGA can't win at this point.

 

 

[thechief16]

Yup. The tour players, in their attempt at being "edgy" and "authentic" have decided that they can tee off on the USGA. Woof. Has the USGA effed up some really good courses in their inane attempt to "protect par"? Yes. Have they embarrassed some players in the process? Not as much as the players have embarrassed themselves (Phil, Billy Ho).

 

Here's a suggestion PGA Tour Pro. If you don't like the setups, don't show up. Put your money where your mouth is. If not, STFU. You're not edgy. You're a whiny, entitled little brat.

 

 

[top.h]

> @HighBoomingDraws said:

> > @ceejay81 said:

> > Played a lot of ball golf this weekend. On Saturday morning, I teed off at 6:50am with HBD at Woodmore. We got done with that round just before 10. I had way too many penalties on the front 9, but I settled down on the back to finish with a 98. Then we hit up the breakfast/brunch buffet and did work on that for about 45 minutes. Pancakes, omelets, bacon, fried chicken, etc. After that we decided to head on back out for another 18. We started on 10 since the tee sheet was pretty busy and there was an opening for us to jump in there. I shot 48 on the back but then came back with a 44 on the front for a 92. Definitely my best front 9 score at Woodmore and it's my best overall round there, too. The front 9 always gives me fits. I had a strong stretch where I chipped in for birdie on the 4th, got up and down for a par 3 on the 5th, bogey on the par 5 6th, then a 2 putt par on 7. I had my driver working pretty well for most of the day. I was hitting fairways, but more importantly, my misses were just off the fairway and not deep into the junk. Thankfully there weren't very many push fades or pull hooks into the trees. Was just a great, low key day on the course with HBD. We both couldn't believe how "not crowded" the course was. We got done with 36 holes and a big **** brunch by 2pm on a Saturday. We briefly thought about getting 54 in and could have been done by 5pm. Can't beat that.

> >

> > On Sunday I played with the club champ at Woodmore. Was just him and me at 6:50am. Real good dude and hits it super well. Has a sarcastic/smartas$ demeanor that I enjoy, so it was good company. It was another low key round on another gorgeous day. We finished up at about 10:15 before the heat kicked in. I played okay again and shot 94, with a few pars. No triple bogeys either, which is usually a bugaboo for me. I finally have my handicap trending downwards for the first time in, well, forever.

> >

> > Gonna play Royal New Kent and Mattaponi Springs this coming Saturday. Really looking forward to playing these courses for the first time.

>

> This was the peak experience you’d hope for when joining a club. Lots of holes with not a lot of waiting with golfing friends. CJ switched away from his M3 back to ?G30? and it’s definitely helped. He was carrying bunkers and getting to parts of the fairway I haven’t been familiar with in playing so often with him this last few months.

>

> My game is trash. I can’t score at Woodmore. So much trouble. So many unforced errors. Imma keep trying tho. I just carded a 92 today with a 10, a 9 and 2 birdies. Who TF knows.

 

Mentality shift: your game might be trash right now, but we've all played with you enough to know your game isnt trash. Find where you are worst, work on it. It probably isnt off the tee...

[TheCityGame]

> @thechief16 said:

> Yup. The tour players, in their attempt at being "edgy" and "authentic" have decided that they can tee off on the USGA. Woof. Has the USGA effed up some really good courses in their inane attempt to "protect par"? Yes. Have they embarrassed some players in the process? Not as much as the players have embarrassed themselves (Phil, Billy Ho).

>

> Here's a suggestion PGA Tour Pro. If you don't like the setups, don't show up. Put your money where your mouth is. If not, STFU. You're not edgy. You're a whiny, entitled little brat.

>

>

 

Woof.

[therealsneek]

I am riding high after a win in a match last night. I signed up for a net match play event at a local course. The format is a little funky. 24 guys signed up and names were drawn out of a hat. 1 - 16 play in the first round with 17-24 getting a bye to the second round. But they also made it double elimination so there is a loser's bracket in play as well. $700 going to the winner. $200 going to the runner up.

 

Anyway, fast forward to the 14th tee where I am 1 down but don't have to give anymore strokes. I had been hitting the ball pretty well but had not been scoring well. I make par and his par putt slides by to make the match all square.

 

15 is a very short par 5 and we both have eagle putts (him at 20' and mine at 10'). We both miss and the match is still tied.

 

16 is an uphill par 4. He hits one to about 20' and then I hit a great sand wedge to 8'. He misses and I leave my putt hanging on the lip. Still tied and I can't believe that putt didn't go in.

 

17 is a short par 3 over a pond. I go first and hit the green about 20' left of the pin but am going to have a tough putt. He stuffs one 6' short of the pin and has a great uphill look at birdie. I have a left to right slider with the green sloping severely back to front. My putt tracks the entire way and pours in the hole. Fist pump. To his credit he stepped up and made his. Match still tied going to 18.

 

18 is a 270 yard par 4 with ponds all down the right side and the fairway sloping left to right. I still have honors and hit a perfect 3-wood. It lands in the left part of the fairway and bounces up to the fringe of the green. With the pressure on he hits a push into the ponds on the right and we can't find his ball. I win 1 up.

 

Haven't had the juices flowing like that in a while. It was a great match and we even had some guys riding around watching us. I am already looking forward to my next match.

[TheCityGame]

> My game is trash. I can’t score at Woodmore. So much trouble. So many unforced errors. Imma keep trying tho. I just carded a 92 today with a 10, a 9 and 2 birdies. Who TF knows.

 

Belonging there should provide you the opportunity to develop some shots that are going to be useful and travel. I'm looking at your last Woodmore round. Not sure how you're hitting balls OB on 2. seems like you can hit 5 iron to the fat part of the fairway and then a wedge.

 

You might not be able to hit a fade, but there's a smart way to play 6. You should be able to start a 4 iron/Hybrid right at the bunkers and then either cover, or draw to safety.

 

When I was at Hobbits, I would occasionally play a round where I had ONE GOAL : don't make double on any hole. I was always surprised how well I scored.

 

I'm not saying that's an optimal way to play golf -- especially in the long run -- but it can be very instructive.

 

Also, I used to play a big draw, four-knuckle grip. At some point, I realized I was just maxing out my potential with that set up. I had to go to an instructor, make a big grip change, path change. It messed me up for a bit. This was when I was like a 7. But it has paid off in the long run. You have a lot of days of golf left in your life and a janky swing. If you're serious, there's a lot of room for improvement.

 

 

 

[SullGolf]

This is completely the USGA's fault of course, by making the US Open primarily about the course, and secondarily about the competition. They've done it for my entire life to give the event purpose and separate it from other events, but that's a shallow purpose. The players should be upset about taking a back seat to a piece of real estate.

 

Personally, if I were USGA commissioner, here are the two things I'd do to switch the focus of the tournament:

1. Less automatic exemptions, more play-in spots. Maybe no automatic exemptions at all. One of the best parts of the process the local/sectional qualifiers to get in to the big dance. There are probably other interesting things you could do here, like make players qualify at their closest qualifier. I don't get particularly worked up about a bunch of Florida-based tour pros flying charter jets to Ohio to play in a qualifier.

2. Ban all of these super exclusive clubs from hosting. No Oakmont. No Shinnecock. No Olympic Club. No Congressional. No Los Angeles Country Club. No Winged Foot. No Brookline. What good is a people's championship played at a place where the people can't play? How can you have a mission to grow the game and simultaneously do that? If you don't have a certain number of public tee times, you don't get to host.

 

I'm sure that would financially tank the USGA and I'd get quickly fired as comissioner.

 

 

 

 

[dcmidnight]

I still dont understand enough to know how the USGA has bunged some of these things up. Like last year, they practically ran documentaries on all the technology that the USGA was using to ensure nothing bad happened. Some drone - I'm paraphrasing / making it up if I dont remember exactly - would fly over and do a heat map of the moisture content of the holes so they knew where to monitor it. Great. Only one problem - they still somehow screwed it up. They had a whole team of guys out on the greens looking at pin positions and somehow a handful of them still get screwed up.

 

I think the only solution the tour guys would agree with would be something like having the PGA Tour or the players committee come in and help with course setup. But that will never happen.

[2moreTerps]

> @thechief16 said:

> Yup. The tour players, in their attempt at being "edgy" and "authentic" have decided that they can tee off on the USGA. Woof. Has the USGA effed up some really good courses in their inane attempt to "protect par"? Yes. Have they embarrassed some players in the process? Not as much as the players have embarrassed themselves (Phil, Billy Ho).

>

> Here's a suggestion PGA Tour Pro. If you don't like the setups, don't show up. Put your money where your mouth is. If not, STFU. You're not edgy. You're a whiny, entitled little brat.

>

>

eh. i feel like there is SOME truth to that but that's a really one sided view of it. the USGA is supposed to put on a tournament that identifies the best player. These guys work for their whole lives to be the best player and to win the tournament that identifies the best player. The USGA has made mistakes in course setup that means it isn't just a matter of who the best player is. It's arbitrary in a way that is not acceptable. In the Open Championship there can be significant differences due to weather for one side of the draw. That's just the arbitrary nature of golf and acceptable. What happened in the 3rd round last year isn't acceptable. It WAS predictable. They just chose not to listen. If I was a player I would be exceptionally frustrated by that. And reasonably so.

 

I defended it years ago but the choice to host the US OPEN at a course that hadn't even been built was foolish. There is simply not justification for that.

 

The players meander into whiny mode and the USGA deserves criticism. Both are true.

 

[dcmidnight]

So I guess I'm also different from most in that I dont care if -12 wins the US Open. I dont care "how its always been" or "how it used to be" or "that doesnt match the scores from back in the day". Its not back in the day anymore. So if you want to have a long wide open course I really couldn't care less. I actually loved seeing them play Erin Hills like that because it was something completely different.

 

I think theres actually a pretty reasonable chance that there will be a disaster of some kind this year. The greens at Pebble are so tiny it wont take much for them to get completely out of hand.

[2moreTerps]

i'm hoping they know pebble well enough to avoid crazy mistakes but probably not

[XHoop24]

> @TheCityGame said:

> Apparently, the triple in round 2. . .he hit a fade "by the cart path" according to first hand accounts and they never found it. That's a BAD BREAK. 2 strokes and he's in.

>

> On 18 he needed a par for a playoff and hit an 8 iron from 198 over the green.

 

City - can you confirm the spectator experience at the qualifier? Where you able to walk the fairways with the groups? Assume you can walk behind the players and get close the greens?

[FAbb]

> @dcmidnight said:

> I still dont understand enough to know how the USGA has bunged some of these things up. Like last year, they practically ran documentaries on all the technology that the USGA was using to ensure nothing bad happened. Some drone - I'm paraphrasing / making it up if I dont remember exactly - would fly over and do a heat map of the moisture content of the holes so they knew where to monitor it. Great. Only one problem - they still somehow screwed it up.

 

It's because they're using the technology expressly for the purposes of pushing the course as close to the edge of the cliff as possible. Trying to put exactly the bare minimum amount of water to keep things alive, to get the absolute hardest, fastest conditions possible. It's like there's no safety factor built in. Instead of giving a little cushion, they push it right to the bleeding edge, then boom - they get a windy day or whatever happened last year, and things start getting out of hand.

 

It's kind of whatever at this point. I can't get too fired up about the US Open setup. Sometimes it's fun to watch. Sometimes it isn't. I don't really like watching narrow fairway, hack it out of heavy rough with a wedge type golf. But there's no doubt that's maybe the very best way possible to keep scores high.

[t4t3r]

They also don’t listen to the agronomists/supers/consultants whatever SMEs they have to help set up the course. They basically get those folks to get everything the way it SHOULD be, and then tell them to F off so Mike Davis and whoever else is high up the ladder (and their horse) to make terrible decisions in an the exceptionally brainless effort to protect par. Next year, rinse and repeat.

[TheCityGame]

> @XHoop24 said:

> > @TheCityGame said:

> > Apparently, the triple in round 2. . .he hit a fade "by the cart path" according to first hand accounts and they never found it. That's a BAD BREAK. 2 strokes and he's in.

> >

> > On 18 he needed a par for a playoff and hit an 8 iron from 198 over the green.

>

> City - can you confirm the spectator experience at the qualifier? Where you able to walk the fairways with the groups? Assume you can walk behind the players and get close the greens?

 

Yeah, that's pretty much it. I was helping a pro look for a ball at one point. Mostly walking around the cart paths to stay out of their way. After they all hit a second shot, you might cross the fairway to get a vantage point for the next hole. I was standing up near the greens a lot to see putts. Couple of little golf claps here and there.

 

There were a couple 12-15 person groups following around whoever. Maybe Hurley. Maybe McCarthy.

 

 

 

[dcmidnight]

Were most of these guys toting their own bags or for 36 did a lot of them have caddies?

 

Is Woodmont a course that has caddies during general play?

[TheCityGame]

> @dcmidnight said:

> Were most of these guys toting their own bags or for 36 did a lot of them have caddies?

>

> Is Woodmont a course that has caddies during general play?

 

Almost all had a caddie. Woodmont certainly SEEMS like the kind of place that has caddies during general play. It is fancy. I don't know for sure, but I bet it does. And, I bet if you went, you couldn't take your own pushie.

 

One of the weirdest things out there was the exit from the 5th green. It was shaved in the back up to a tee box that looked like the next tee, like 11 to 12 at Augusta or something. There was a path up to it. But, you didn't do that. you crossed the path to the par 3 6th, played 7 and 8 and that tee box off 5 was the tee for 9.

 

Also, they had the tee box for 8 back by the 9th green. It was what any normal person would consider the chipping area for 9 (but there was a plate there). It was 80 yards back from what LOOKS like the tips. 8 was uphill into the wind. My guy hit driver 3-wood. He probably had driver 7 iron coming back down hill down wind similar distance.

 

 

[TheCityGame]

This structure was just the "barn" for the driving range. It had garage doors for bays so you can hit during the winter. I don't know if they had trackman in there, but probably. As part of the pro shop, there was a separate section with a door labelled "Putting Lab" or something like that.