MD/DC/VA Golfers - Twelve Monkeys Mental Divergence

[SullGolf]

I think it was go_time who first pointed it out to me a few weeks ago, but Joy Bonhurst (from Blue Mash) is playing at the Senior LPGA right now. She's in the bottom half of the event, but beating enough people to be respectable. There's no cut, so she's got another 2 rounds (54 holes, not 72). It was on the Golf Channel today, but I only had it on the background and wasn't paying attention. Will try to do so tomorrow.

[Gmen1204]

Ballsy

https://www.golfdigest.com/story/serial-golf-ball-thief-arrested-after-swiping-more-than-dollar10000-worth-of-golf-balls

[endlesswinterco]

Coming soon....talls vs smalls....the match up selection show!

[SullGolf]

Is this gonna be like middle school gym where I got picked last at dodgeball? I just want you guys know that it had no lasting mental effect on me, and that Im just bringing this up 20 years later for absolutely no reason.

[endlesswinterco]

Sully...I already know who I’m pairing against you, if that helps you sleep better at night

[TheCityGame]

Coming soon....talls vs smalls....the match up selection show!

Coming SORT of soon.

 

We already announced this to the people playing, but tonight at 9 PM sharp, Ben and I are going to make our picks here for the matchups for Saturday.

 

We'll do it like this, Ben, if this sounds good. . .

 

You toss a pick out there for Game 1. I'll toss out his opponent in Singles : Big Course, and I'll toss out my next name, and then you toss out his opponent for Singles : Big Course. That will be "Game 1".

 

Then, I'll throw out a name for Game 2. You respond with his opponent, and your next guy. Etc etc. You start Game 3. I start Game 4.

 

Trash-talking and disruptions and interruptions are encouraged.

[FAbb]

It was a great experience playing the WMGA Fourball with PQ yesterday.

 

We didn't get much in the way of a warm-up in. It was raining all morning, right up to when we went off. I got about 6-8 cuts in at the range, drove the cart to pick up PQ, and we'd each get a handful of pitches and putts in before heading to the tee.

 

We started on the 10th tee. The opening stretch was really a bout to survive, and get loose. I pumped a D down the middle, and PQ hit a fairway wood just into the first cut. He successfully laid up. I pulled right out of my layup, thinned it, and didn't carry the hazard. It was real close to the edge, so I thought I'd find it, but I didn't. My drop would've been way the F back where I couldn't reach the green, so I elected to watch PQ hit before deciding whether to walk back and drop. He caught the thins from me, and hit one that donked off the path right of the green. Still playable enough that I didn't make the shame walk. He was in the rough by 11 tee, and hit an outrageously good shot to about a foot, to totally save our Word not allowedes. PQ had to punch out of trees on 11, and hit his 3rd to about 25ft. I missed the fairway right, so my only play was at the center of the green about 200 yards away. I hit my hybrid into the bunker left of the green, and hit a great splash to a green running away from me to about 7ft. PQ left his DFCS, and I ran mine right over the edge. Couple of pars on 12, and we head to the pretty easy 13th hole. I pumped one way left into hay, and PQ thin-heeled one that didn't even clear the pond. I smashed a provisional down the pipe, and PQ wiped another one into the gooch. No luck finding my ball, so I hustled back to the fairway, and wedged one to about 20ft. I drained the putt for a yuge team bogey. It seems silly to say this about a bogey, but that honestly felt like the defining moment of the round. We were staring down double or worse, so to buckle down and limit the damage was just massive for our momentum. I drove it in front of the next green, and had a straightforward pitch to a back pin. I hit a classic dad pitch 20ft short, but then drained the putt for birdie. Inside I'm feeling like

 

 

All the sudden we're turning the tides, and we're starting to get loose.

 

PQ left about an 8-footer DFCS for birdie on the next, and parred with me out of it on 16. We made a couple pars on 17, then pumped a couple good ones down 18. I get in with par, and PQ rolls in about a 12-footer for bird that gets us to even for our first 9. I had to whizz so bad for about the last 3 holes that it hurt. After a (not quick) drain in their fancy locker room, we head to 1 feeling good. We got a couple GIRS, and I rolled in a 20-footer for another team bird.

 

 

PQ is out of it on the next, and I rolled a 12-footer for bird right over the edge. We made a couple pars on the next hole. PQ went right trees off the tee on 4, and I missed the fairway right as well. I was aiming middle of the green, with the pin cut dangerously back-right, over a nasty bunker. I pushed it right at the flag, carried the bunker by a butt hair, and rolled to about 8ft. Drain-O for a tweeter.

 

 

We made a couple pars on 5, while both our playing partners were paid a visit from Mr. 3 Wiggle. PQ went into the hazard on 6, but I hit one down the gut, fringed one pin high, and 2 putted for team par. PQ absolutely roasted one off the tee on 7, and I hit an awful toe-hook into some long, but playable rough left of the bunkers. I hacked one down short of the front-right green side bunker, and he hit a nice approach to about 15ft. I hit another dad pitch that landed at the top of the face, and rolled back down into the bunker. I hopped down into the bunker, and hit a sweet splash. Mini tour burnout looks at me and goes, "it went in." Boom. PQ calls me in to consult on his putt, and after about 20 seconds of debating the very nuanced break in the first and second halves he goes, "if we're jerking off over this thing like this, it's straight." Straight in the cup for another team bird.

 

 

We made a couple pars on 8. We get to 9 and I can't pick a club, so PQ goes first and hits it pin high about 10ft. I go with whatever he played and hit one dead at the flag, and over the green. Crappy pitch to like 10ft, and PQ has a look to get us in at -4. He left it like 2ft short, but we're in with a 67 that totally beats my expectations.

 

Going in to the day, I figured we were likely to fall somewhere between 65 and 75. To end up at damn near the bottom of that range and T7 was just an astounding success in my books. To say we exceeded my expectations is a gross understatement. I did the 2MT not approved thing and looked up the guys ahead of, and around us on that leaderboard last night. Pluses abound, state am event winners, USGA championship participants, former D1 golfers, and mini tour burnouts. 2MT texted me and said the guys that won had posted a combined 240-something rounds this handicap season. You don't see many guys at that level actually post many rounds, so that's a rare look into the amount of golf they're playing. I think PQ and I have probably posted a combined 50'ish lol.

 

I was very happy with my mental game, and approach yesterday. Being a fourball, and having a partner that has played a ton of tournament golf at that level was definitely a mental safety net. If my partner isn't going to be intimidated, why the heck should I be. And despite still feeling like we don't belong anywhere near the top of the leaderboard with those guys, I played my own game confidently. There were more than a few times I had chances to fall into my common mental traps, but I was really focusing on keeping my head right. After pumping that ball in the hay on our 4th hole, it was yuge I composed myself and got my second ball down in 3. I faced another common trap on the next hole, when I went from being in prime birdie position to prime par position by hitting that dad pitch and leaving it 20ft short. Very easy for me to hastily, and frustratedly hit that birdie putt, but I kept my composure and rained the putt in. It didn't really matter with PQ looking good for birdie or par at worst, but holing that bunker shot for par on 7 after playing some army golf was big for me as well. Even if we didn't finish with as good of a result, it was a very good experience for my mental game.

[SullGolf]

I'm playing on the Smalls, and THDC didn't even sign up. Could have been my partner. This feels like a missed cosmic moment.

[Golfer827]

The idea of Fabb going Super Saiyan is comical. He’d shatter a wrist from all the yelling, and his ankle from the transformation.

[TheCityGame]

I had to whizz so bad for about the last 3 holes that it hurt.

wut?

[Sterling_247]

Fabb...the insight into your mental game just destroyed my mental game

[dcmidnight]

I faced another common trap on the next hole, when I went from being in prime birdie position to prime par position by hitting that dad pitch and leaving it 20ft short. Very easy for me to hastily, and frustratedly hit that birdie putt, but I kept my composure and rained the putt in.

 

This is awesome to read.

 

I said in my WM recap my greatest shot was a 20 foot par save after hiting a terrible approach shot and missing the green from 80 yards out. Went on to make two birdies in the last 6 holes.

 

Good stuff Fabb.

[SullGolf]

Sweet recap FAbb.

 

That early 2nd ball birdie was a real momentum changer. Sounds like you guys were struggling a bit the first few holes, then turned it on after that one. Could have easily been a situation where you two turned in a triple and then were completely out of it mentally.

[TheCityGame]

Good playing Fabb. Sounds like a good ham n egger, but 75 for you with two dubs (esc) is pretty solid.

[FAbb]

Total ham-n-egg. Thinking back, I'm pretty sure we had 6 holes each taking PQs score, my score, and both scores being the same. Couldn't really go any better than that. We have the potential to pair up well, but it just depends where the chips fall. Neither of us seem to stay sharp enough to put a full 18 together at this point, so we've got to not both take off on the same holes, and spread our birdies instead of making them on the same holes. Save for the second ball bogey save on 13 where we were both messing our pants, we did both of those things. He picked up when I was out, and I did the same for him. We made 5 birds, all on different holes. The way we each played yesterday, I don't think there was a better score out there for us than what we ended with.

[HighBoomingDraws]

what's a "dad chip"?

[FAbb]

It's when I execute a chip or pitch soundly (good contact, desired traj, etc.), but just woefully miss the mark on the distance I want the shot to travel.

[davechen]

I'm playing on the Smalls, and THDC didn't even sign up. Could have been my partner. This feels like a missed cosmic moment.

 

The reason you're on the smalls is because I can't make it. If I and my boy had signed up, you definitely would have been on the talls. So you get to be on the greatest golf team of all time, The Smalls!. You're welcome.

[HighBoomingDraws]

It's when I execute a chip or pitch soundly (good contact, desired traj, etc.), but just woefully miss the mark on the distance I want the shot to travel.

 

Is it a reference to fathers and their lack of free time to work on short game? Like dads lose their chip distance feel first?

[Golfer827]

I'm playing on the Smalls, and THDC didn't even sign up. Could have been my partner. This feels like a missed cosmic moment.

 

The reason you're on the smalls is because I can't make it. If I and my boy had signed up, you definitely would have been on the talls. So you get to be on the greatest golf team of all time, The Smalls!. You're welcome.

 

Damn, I was hoping to face CJ in singles. Guess I need to wait to figure my opponent.

[FAbb]

Fabb...the insight into your mental game just destroyed my mental game

 

I'm not sure if this is a good thing, or a bad thing.

 

It's when I execute a chip or pitch soundly (good contact, desired traj, etc.), but just woefully miss the mark on the distance I want the shot to travel.

 

Is it a reference to fathers and their lack of free time to work on short game? Like dads lose their chip distance feel first?

 

Yes.

 

Why do you ask? Do you have something to tell us :)

[HighBoomingDraws]

Nope! Further ingraining the double-income-no-kids vibe i'm currently working with.

[Von_Oberhausen]

DINK life is best life.

[SullGolf]

For me, there's no such thing as a dad chip.

 

But that's only because my game stunk in the first place, so there wasn't too much downward movement available.

[Sterling_247]

Fabb...the insight into your mental game just destroyed my mental game

 

I'm not sure if this is a good thing, or a bad thing.

 

It's less a good/bad statement about your mental game (we havent played so i cant rly comment) and more about my distinct lack of one altogether

 

If people knew my thought processes on the course....lets just say that a caddie would shave 4 shots a round off my score just by thinking for me

[TheCityGame]

DINK life is best life.

I'm going to ask Obee about this. Anyway, let me bestow the wisdom of a 46 year old DINK upon you :

 

While undeniably and objectively true, statements like this breed contempt and resentment.

 

Although, maybe less so these days because even a half-gen behind me, you people seem to be staying single more and/or going NK. But, I learned to bury that sentiment in my early 30's. Doesn't play well with people on strapped budgets and kid-vomit on their Dockers.

 

Have you ever seen the screen of an iPad in a house with a kid? There are less boogers under a middle school desk.

[vtnerf]

Decoding email-speak...

Regards: “I’m over 45.” OR “I’m pissed off.”

Kind regards: “I didn’t know it was possible to dislike someone this much.”

Warm regards: “I will finish you.”

[Von_Oberhausen]

Obee is a better father than I would ever be, and Mrs. Obee was a great mom. I like to think I've learned my limitations. But there are also still a few years to make it happen--have to pare down that six-figure law school debt first.

[TheCityGame]

Damn I had no idea how pricey the BG putters were, the only ones I really knew were the older ones.

There's a "Red Dragon" version of that putter.

 

It has a laser-engraved dragon on the bottom of it. I love it. $100 premium for the red dragon version. $575.

 

 

So, back to this temporarily.

 

I've been surfing those BG putters and just a week ago when we were talking about this, the Red Dragon was $575 and the "normal" version was $475, like I said above. . .$575 was a $100 premium.

 

So, I go back the other day and the one I was looking at is $425 and the Red Dragon is now $625.

 

Long story short, I emailed with Grace a little and pulled the trigger on the normal one. Oddly, this turned up on eBay recently. Looks exactly like the one I ordered in red (same length), but it's not the Red Dragon. Just red. So, anyway, that guy wants $395 with $18 shipping ($413). The brand new BG is $425 (plus $20 shipping. Come on, Bobby. rolleyes). I kind of thought of trying to low ball the eBay, but then I decided, "I just want a new putter".

 

I actually don't think I've ever -- in my life -- bought a NEW putter with cash. I have bought plenty of used putters with cash, and I've bought new putters with pro shop credit. I've won new putters.

[ceejay81]

Nope! Further ingraining the double-income-no-kids vibe i'm currently working with.

DINK life is best life.

 

This is why I am happy and able to play so much golf.

 

#DatDINKLifeDoe