WRXers Scratch Amateur Tournaments Thread: Commitments, Results, etc....

[GolfWithdrawals]

> @"Ray Jackson" said:

> Frustrating day today - qualifier at Corica Park South for NCGA Mid Am in June. Started badly, 3 putt first green for bogey 6 (par 5), dropped another on no.3 and weak drive leads to bogey on 4, +3 through 5 holes. Then I get it back to even par through 10 holes and I am now feeling ok. Then I get tight, miss a couple of shots by a couple yards either way or some putts lip out and that leads to a steady run of bogeys. To top it off I double bogey the last hole. +7 for last 8 holes and miss qualification by 1 shot. Even worse +4 for last three holes. Pretty much all came down to short game around the greens and first putts not getting to the hole. Short game needs to be better under pressure. What a disaster the back nine was. This is my first season of real tournament golf and what a learning experience.

 

I can definitely relate. I played in my first GSGA Mid Am qualifier last month and had an equally frustrating experience. I feel like I learned a lot though and hopefully won't make the same mistakes again. I was -2 thru the first 6 holes with 5 pars and my first tournament Eagle. Also, I missed a short hard breaking birdie putt on the hole after the eagle which I feel I should have made. Anyway, hole 7 is a par 5 and I knew it was probably a 3 shot hole for me, but I hit driver anyway because I'm usually pretty accurate with it. I didn't hit a horrible drive, but I pushed it a little down the right side towards fairway bunkers. Then I see an official come out and give me the signal that my ball was OB. I thought maybe he was mistaken, but I hit my provisional down the middle. Sure enough, my first ball is OB 5 yards to the right of the cart path. They were doing some construction on houses and had moved the OB stakes closer than normal. I had no idea OB was over there. I was definitely a little rattled/pissed about the unfortunate break and that lead to some bad decisions. I won't go into the bad decisions, but long story short, I made an 8. From the moment that ball went OB, my decision making completely changed. I was playing as if I was trying to win a golf tourny, and it was win it or go down trying. If I would have just played smart, I would have qualified in my sleep. Instead I played way too aggressive, made some unforced errors, and double bogey'd the last hole to shoot 80. 78 Qualified and 79 went to a playoff for alternate spots. I have since diagnosed myself with "Tin Cup Syndrome" or "TCS". Going forward in qualifiers, I will try to be more like David Sims.

[Ty_Webb]

> @GolfWithdrawals said:

> > @"Ray Jackson" said:

> > Frustrating day today - qualifier at Corica Park South for NCGA Mid Am in June. Started badly, 3 putt first green for bogey 6 (par 5), dropped another on no.3 and weak drive leads to bogey on 4, +3 through 5 holes. Then I get it back to even par through 10 holes and I am now feeling ok. Then I get tight, miss a couple of shots by a couple yards either way or some putts lip out and that leads to a steady run of bogeys. To top it off I double bogey the last hole. +7 for last 8 holes and miss qualification by 1 shot. Even worse +4 for last three holes. Pretty much all came down to short game around the greens and first putts not getting to the hole. Short game needs to be better under pressure. What a disaster the back nine was. This is my first season of real tournament golf and what a learning experience.

>

> I can definitely relate. I played in my first GSGA Mid Am qualifier last month and had an equally frustrating experience. I feel like I learned a lot though and hopefully won't make the same mistakes again. I was -2 thru the first 6 holes with 5 pars and my first tournament Eagle. Also, I missed a short hard breaking birdie putt on the hole after the eagle which I feel I should have made. Anyway, hole 7 is a par 5 and I knew it was probably a 3 shot hole for me, but I hit driver anyway because I'm usually pretty accurate with it. I didn't hit a horrible drive, but I pushed it a little down the right side towards fairway bunkers. Then I see an official come out and give me the signal that my ball was OB. I thought maybe he was mistaken, but I hit my provisional down the middle. Sure enough, my first ball is OB 5 yards to the right of the cart path. They were doing some construction on houses and had moved the OB stakes closer than normal. I had no idea OB was over there. I was definitely a little rattled/pissed about the unfortunate break and that lead to some bad decisions. I won't go into the bad decisions, but long story short, I made an 8. From the moment that ball went OB, my decision making completely changed. I was playing as if I was trying to win a golf tourny, and it was win it or go down trying. If I would have just played smart, I would have qualified in my sleep. Instead I played way too aggressive, made some unforced errors, and double bogey'd the last hole to shoot 80. 78 Qualified and 79 went to a playoff for alternate spots. I have since diagnosed myself with "Tin Cup Syndrome" or "TCS". Going forward in qualifiers, I will try to be more like David Sims.

 

Be like Tiger. If you watch the final round of the Masters, something like 15 or 16 of the 17 approach shots where the flag was not in the middle of the green landed on the fat side of the hole. Only way to do that is with conservative targets. And he was trying to win. That's far and away the best way to play the game. Flag hunting is not wise, especially when pins are cut tight. The places to be aggressive are with club choice off the tee and be aggressive towards your conservative targets.

[farmer]

> @Obee said:

> > @farmer said:

> > There was a 16 year old who shot 61 at a US Open qualifier at Oak Creek Golf Club. Obee, isn't that one of your regular stops? Very impressive.

>

> Was this recently? What did everyone else shoot?

 

I read about it yesterday, so very recently. Local qualifier, next step first part of June, sectional qualifier. The next best scores were 3 67's, four 68's, couple of 69's, and up from there. Only two of the 68's got through, the other two are first and second alternates. I'm not familiar at all with what would be considered normal for this level, but shooting 68 and getting washed out seems brutal.

[Ty_Webb]

> @farmer said:

> > @Obee said:

> > > @farmer said:

> > > There was a 16 year old who shot 61 at a US Open qualifier at Oak Creek Golf Club. Obee, isn't that one of your regular stops? Very impressive.

> >

> > Was this recently? What did everyone else shoot?

>

> I read about it yesterday, so very recently. Local qualifier, next step first part of June, sectional qualifier. The next best scores were 3 67's, four 68's, couple of 69's, and up from there. Only two of the 68's got through, the other two are first and second alternates. I'm not familiar at all with what would be considered normal for this level, but shooting 68 and getting washed out seems brutal.

 

Depends on the course and the field. There were 9,000 odd entries this year. Not many people are exempt into the sectionals, so there are a whole lot of very good players playing in it and not very many spots available. If the course is not long then scores can get pretty low. Exhibit A above. 68 not advancing does sound harsh, but it's not wildly different from Monday qualifying for tour events and I think 64s don't make it through that sometimes.

[Obee]

> @Ty_Webb said:

> > @farmer said:

> > > @Obee said:

> > > > @farmer said:

> > > > There was a 16 year old who shot 61 at a US Open qualifier at Oak Creek Golf Club. Obee, isn't that one of your regular stops? Very impressive.

> > >

> > > Was this recently? What did everyone else shoot?

> >

> > I read about it yesterday, so very recently. Local qualifier, next step first part of June, sectional qualifier. The next best scores were 3 67's, four 68's, couple of 69's, and up from there. Only two of the 68's got through, the other two are first and second alternates. I'm not familiar at all with what would be considered normal for this level, but shooting 68 and getting washed out seems brutal.

>

> Depends on the course and the field. There were 9,000 odd entries this year. Not many people are exempt into the sectionals, so there are a whole lot of very good players playing in it and not very many spots available. If the course is not long then scores can get pretty low. Exhibit A above. 68 not advancing does sound harsh, but it's not wildly different from Monday qualifying for tour events and I think 64s don't make it through that sometimes.

 

Yep. There are so, so many phenomenal players out there.

 

I remember one year at US Am Qualifying at Menifee Lakes in the Inland Empire (an easy par 72 track with a rating of about 71.0), Josh Wooding, from USC, shot something like 64, 64. He was second to Brendan Steele who shot 61, 62. LOL

[Ty_Webb]

> @Obee said:

> > @Ty_Webb said:

> > > @farmer said:

> > > > @Obee said:

> > > > > @farmer said:

> > > > > There was a 16 year old who shot 61 at a US Open qualifier at Oak Creek Golf Club. Obee, isn't that one of your regular stops? Very impressive.

> > > >

> > > > Was this recently? What did everyone else shoot?

> > >

> > > I read about it yesterday, so very recently. Local qualifier, next step first part of June, sectional qualifier. The next best scores were 3 67's, four 68's, couple of 69's, and up from there. Only two of the 68's got through, the other two are first and second alternates. I'm not familiar at all with what would be considered normal for this level, but shooting 68 and getting washed out seems brutal.

> >

> > Depends on the course and the field. There were 9,000 odd entries this year. Not many people are exempt into the sectionals, so there are a whole lot of very good players playing in it and not very many spots available. If the course is not long then scores can get pretty low. Exhibit A above. 68 not advancing does sound harsh, but it's not wildly different from Monday qualifying for tour events and I think 64s don't make it through that sometimes.

>

> Yep. There are so, so many phenomenal players out there.

>

> I remember one year at US Am Qualifying at Menifee Lakes in the Inland Empire (an easy par 72 track with a rating of about 71.0), Josh Wooding, from USC, shot something like 64, 64. He was second to Brendan Steele who shot 61, 62. LOL

 

Sectionals can get silly. There's one of them that's played on the Monday after one of the regular PGA Tour events and it's full of all the tour players who aren't fully exempt. That particular one has quite a substantial number of people getting in, but it's pretty tough to be one of them, when 50 guys with PGA Tour cards are playing. Likewise the European one is a who's who of European golf. So many good players and you have to get very hot to get in. You get other venues with 100 people playing for 2 spots. Those might be easier than the ones with all the tour players in mind you.

[lhahn]

Great hearing everyone's tourney stories so far this year! It's getting me pumped!!

 

My first tourney this year is coming up in exactly 3 weeks but unfortunately two weeks ago I tweaked my back. Hasn't been this painful in over a year sadly. Can't even swing a driver. I hope I don't have to withdraw but in the mean time I've been trying to chip and putt every day or every other day. Wish me luck!

Also, my GG lesson is in almost exactly one month! SUPER PUMPED :#

[Shades234]

> @GolfWithdrawals said:

> > @"Ray Jackson" said:

> > Frustrating day today - qualifier at Corica Park South for NCGA Mid Am in June. Started badly, 3 putt first green for bogey 6 (par 5), dropped another on no.3 and weak drive leads to bogey on 4, +3 through 5 holes. Then I get it back to even par through 10 holes and I am now feeling ok. Then I get tight, miss a couple of shots by a couple yards either way or some putts lip out and that leads to a steady run of bogeys. To top it off I double bogey the last hole. +7 for last 8 holes and miss qualification by 1 shot. Even worse +4 for last three holes. Pretty much all came down to short game around the greens and first putts not getting to the hole. Short game needs to be better under pressure. What a disaster the back nine was. This is my first season of real tournament golf and what a learning experience.

>

> I can definitely relate. I played in my first GSGA Mid Am qualifier last month and had an equally frustrating experience. I feel like I learned a lot though and hopefully won't make the same mistakes again. I was -2 thru the first 6 holes with 5 pars and my first tournament Eagle. Also, I missed a short hard breaking birdie putt on the hole after the eagle which I feel I should have made. Anyway, hole 7 is a par 5 and I knew it was probably a 3 shot hole for me, but I hit driver anyway because I'm usually pretty accurate with it. I didn't hit a horrible drive, but I pushed it a little down the right side towards fairway bunkers. Then I see an official come out and give me the signal that my ball was OB. I thought maybe he was mistaken, but I hit my provisional down the middle. Sure enough, my first ball is OB 5 yards to the right of the cart path. They were doing some construction on houses and had moved the OB stakes closer than normal. I had no idea OB was over there. I was definitely a little rattled/pissed about the unfortunate break and that lead to some bad decisions. I won't go into the bad decisions, but long story short, I made an 8. From the moment that ball went OB, my decision making completely changed. I was playing as if I was trying to win a golf tourny, and it was win it or go down trying. If I would have just played smart, I would have qualified in my sleep. Instead I played way too aggressive, made some unforced errors, and double bogey'd the last hole to shoot 80. 78 Qualified and 79 went to a playoff for alternate spots. I have since diagnosed myself with "Tin Cup Syndrome" or "TCS". Going forward in qualifiers, I will try to be more like David Sims.

 

Ouch. Yeah, that stings. Sounds like one of those things that they should've announced on the first tee or have written in the player information sheet. I've had something like this happen to me before so now I always try to play a practice round as close as I can to the tournament date. Sometimes trees fall down, stakes get moved, etc.

 

One thing I will say is that I've noticed that the second I think, "It's over," or conversely, "I need to improve X # of strokes to post Y #," I start making mistakes. That's something I'm trying to change in my mental game. I want to be able to know how I stand relative to par in my round and not have it adversely affect me. Maybe I'm not at a stage in my development yet where I can do that and I just need to forget score all together. I'm sure there's different opinions on each.

 

edit to add: I think the only time I've ever said, "it's over" to myself during a round of golf is late in a qualifier. Like 35th hole of US Am qualifying or 16th hole last week. Hate that I've done that. Just because it's 99% percent going to become the truth doesn't mean that it's something that is helpful for me to think about.

[Shades234]

> @Obee said:

> > @Ty_Webb said:

> > > @farmer said:

> > > > @Obee said:

> > > > > @farmer said:

> > > > > There was a 16 year old who shot 61 at a US Open qualifier at Oak Creek Golf Club. Obee, isn't that one of your regular stops? Very impressive.

> > > >

> > > > Was this recently? What did everyone else shoot?

> > >

> > > I read about it yesterday, so very recently. Local qualifier, next step first part of June, sectional qualifier. The next best scores were 3 67's, four 68's, couple of 69's, and up from there. Only two of the 68's got through, the other two are first and second alternates. I'm not familiar at all with what would be considered normal for this level, but shooting 68 and getting washed out seems brutal.

> >

> > Depends on the course and the field. There were 9,000 odd entries this year. Not many people are exempt into the sectionals, so there are a whole lot of very good players playing in it and not very many spots available. If the course is not long then scores can get pretty low. Exhibit A above. 68 not advancing does sound harsh, but it's not wildly different from Monday qualifying for tour events and I think 64s don't make it through that sometimes.

>

> Yep. There are so, so many phenomenal players out there.

>

> I remember one year at US Am Qualifying at Menifee Lakes in the Inland Empire (an easy par 72 track with a rating of about 71.0), Josh Wooding, from USC, shot something like 64, 64. He was second to Brendan Steele who shot 61, 62. LOL

 

There were a couple of San Diego highschoolers that went deep last year in Bakersfield for their US Am Sectional. -15 and -13.

 

https://scga-2018usamateursectionalqualifyingsev.golfgenius.com/pages/1283830

 

That's not quite Brendan Steele deep, but still...

[Ty_Webb]

I have a couple of events this weekend. One is a small affair tomorrow. Small field. Long course. If it’s wet it will be a slog. Should be good fun though and the weather forecast is good. Then Monday I have the Long Island Open qualifier. Course I haven’t seen before, but it looks like lots of water around. Also should be fun, but the weather forecast is for cold and wet. Lovely. Give my new waterproofs a run though. I just hope it’s not too windy. It’s right on the coast.

[Ray Jackson]

> @Ty_Webb said:

> > @"Ray Jackson" said:

> > Frustrating day today - qualifier at Corica Park South for NCGA Mid Am in June. Started badly, 3 putt first green for bogey 6 (par 5), dropped another on no.3 and weak drive leads to bogey on 4, +3 through 5 holes. Then I get it back to even par through 10 holes and I am now feeling ok. Then I get tight, miss a couple of shots by a couple yards either way or some putts lip out and that leads to a steady run of bogeys. To top it off I double bogey the last hole. +7 for last 8 holes and miss qualification by 1 shot. Even worse +4 for last three holes. Pretty much all came down to short game around the greens and first putts not getting to the hole. Short game needs to be better under pressure. What a disaster the back nine was. This is my first season of real tournament golf and what a learning experience.

>

> That sounds like a rough day. I’d be careful to blame your short game too quickly though. If you’re missing shots by a yard or two and it’s costing you shots, you might want to look into your target choices. Maybe aim a little safer and don’t fall for sucker pins. Similarly, unless you’re flubbing chips it’s unlikely to be completely to blame for +7 in 8 holes. In a typical 8 holes you should likely only be needing to get up and down 3-4 times max. Even if you fail every time you’re only looking at +4.

I hear what your saying -

- one of the misses was an iron tee shot where i aimed too close to a fairway bunker to avoid overhanging trees and didnt have my yardage right and it just trickled in against the side lip.

- there were 2 three putts in the last 8 holes

- 2 where i couldnt get up and down from 3 steps off the green, lots of mounding around the greens

- and then the OB second shot double bogey on 18

So it was a combination of things because i lost focus on the task at hand, the next shot!

 

[mneumann]

> @Obee said:

> > @Ty_Webb said:

> > > @farmer said:

> > > > @Obee said:

> > > > > @farmer said:

> > > > > There was a 16 year old who shot 61 at a US Open qualifier at Oak Creek Golf Club. Obee, isn't that one of your regular stops? Very impressive.

> > > >

> > > > Was this recently? What did everyone else shoot?

> > >

> > > I read about it yesterday, so very recently. Local qualifier, next step first part of June, sectional qualifier. The next best scores were 3 67's, four 68's, couple of 69's, and up from there. Only two of the 68's got through, the other two are first and second alternates. I'm not familiar at all with what would be considered normal for this level, but shooting 68 and getting washed out seems brutal.

> >

> > Depends on the course and the field. There were 9,000 odd entries this year. Not many people are exempt into the sectionals, so there are a whole lot of very good players playing in it and not very many spots available. If the course is not long then scores can get pretty low. Exhibit A above. 68 not advancing does sound harsh, but it's not wildly different from Monday qualifying for tour events and I think 64s don't make it through that sometimes.

>

> Yep. There are so, so many phenomenal players out there.

>

> I remember one year at US Am Qualifying at Menifee Lakes in the Inland Empire (an easy par 72 track with a rating of about 71.0), Josh Wooding, from USC, shot something like 64, 64. He was second to Brendan Steele who shot 61, 62. LOL

 

Man now you are taking me back. My grandparents were some of the first members at menifee, played there all the time. And both Brendan and Josh waxed me all over the place in high school.

[vietnameeh]

Just played the NCGA 4 ball at spyglass

 

Let me just say first spyglass is friggin amazing! We played terrible and didn’t make the cut for the third day (actually we were one of the worst scores) but it was totally worth it for 2 free rounds! Definitely on my top 5 now

 

You definitely need your A game and some course knowledge to go low (i think the low was -12 vs our +10)

 

My only excuse is I got deep into a mental implosion that I couldn’t shake off (I let my partner get in my head). I was playing hot leading up to this weekend, on the range everything was spot on and my putting was great. Played our first hole (10th) and gave us a chance at birdie from 6ft I missed. One thing about spyglass is you can’t miss too far off or you are dead in the trees or blocked off. I missed a few shots because wasn’t sure where to go and it ended up dead. Not sure what my partners deal was. Instead of focusing on our target and/or giving a yardage or an area to hit. He literally started telling me what to work on my swing by our 4th hole (hit down it, you are holding on to it too long, stay back a little etc etc). Even worse is he wouldn’t let me play my game. His strategy was like we were playing a scramble or something. Spyglass is decently long but I’m not a short player my 3 wood and hybrid are quite deadly and keep me in play which is huge for me. Instead he would tell me I need to bang driver and he would tell me take aggressive lines at putts (spyglass greens have lots of subtle breaks) . I would reason with him by the time he caved in and would agree, I was already doubting myself and it showed with my tentative swings. This leaked into my whole game. His back is probably aching from trying to carry me all weekend.

 

lots of lessons learned, maybe I need a partner who’s not so hardheaded and wants to control everything lol, but at the same time I should be mentally tougher and block him out. I actually want to play in a local city tournament next week cause I still feel like my game is right there. Just need to stay focused and grind

[Ty_Webb]

> @Ty_Webb said:

> I have a couple of events this weekend. One is a small affair tomorrow. Small field. Long course. If it’s wet it will be a slog. Should be good fun though and the weather forecast is good. Then Monday I have the Long Island Open qualifier. Course I haven’t seen before, but it looks like lots of water around. Also should be fun, but the weather forecast is for cold and wet. Lovely. Give my new waterproofs a run though. I just hope it’s not too windy. It’s right on the coast.

 

Well yesterday’s event yielded some very good driving from me. Just about the best I can remember driving it in a long time. Long and straight (by my standards). The rest of my game left a lot to be desired. 38 putts - a combination of some poor approach play and poor putting. Shot 80. Not good.

 

Tomorrow just got postponed due to weather. Given the forecast I’m not disappointed.

[FAbb]

I haven't played any real competitive golf since playing tournaments as a junior. I didn't pursue golf in college, as I wasn't good enough to play at the kind of major school I wanted to attend for degree purposes. I'm 31 now, with all the real mid-am attributes - full time job, wife, two kids under 6 years old :)

 

I haven't been playing and practicing as consistently as I'd like for the past 6 years, so I've been using that as an excuse to not get out and compete. I definitely don't have the game to go out and contend for titles in state (Maryland) events, but I've really just been wanting to dip my feet back into competing. Get out there and test myself, and just enjoy it. I'm done making excuses for why I'm not ready, so this year I'm jumping in, for better or worse.

 

I had a Maryland Am qualifier last week. I did not play as well as I needed to, and fired 80, to miss the cut (75). Overall, I was very pleased with the way I controlled my game, and my emotions out there. As it tends to do, getting out there for the tournament round just really exposed the weakest part of my game right now, which is short game. I actually was very happy with how I struck it, but every time I missed a green, I was chipping/pitching to like 10-12ft. Essentially every missed green was a bogey, which sunk me. I also had a rules snafu on my final hole, which revolved around me not realizing I had switched to an unmarked ball during the round, and not noticing. Lesson learned there. Never again.

 

I was mentally exhausted at the end of the day, and thinking I wasn't sure if I was into it. After a boatload of calories to refuel, and a couple hours to reflect, I was dying to sign up for another tournament lol.

 

One of the best things about committing to going out and putting it on the line, is that it's making me want to be a better caretaker of my game. I've been more diligent in the early season this year about getting out to play, and practice (which I've essentially done close to zero of for years) than I have since before kids came along. It's really fueling my desire to get better again, at a level I haven't experienced in a long time. I hope to sign up for at least 2-3 more tournaments this season.

 

In the meantime, it's high time to tidy up that short game!

[bogeypro]

well, i need counseling. i failed the mental game horribly this past weekend. I have been playing extremely well lately and looking forward to this tournament. I had a game plan to play conservative off the tee (tough driving course). Then, I would rely on my iron play the rest of the way. For whatever reason, my brain decided to be scared to swing the club and my conservative plan wound up putting me behind the 8 ball and I got on a bogey train for about 10 holes. I wasn't in huge trouble, but just missing my lines and landing areas. I wasn't having fun so I lost interest after about 13 holes so I left. I feel horrible... not only did I not play confident, but I quit.

[ebrasmus21]

> @bogeypro said:

> well, i need counseling. i failed the mental game horribly this past weekend. I have been playing extremely well lately and looking forward to this tournament. I had a game plan to play conservative off the tee (tough driving course). Then, I would rely on my iron play the rest of the way. For whatever reason, my brain decided to be scared to swing the club and my conservative plan wound up putting me behind the 8 ball and I got on a bogey train for about 10 holes. I wasn't in huge trouble, but just missing my lines and landing areas. I wasn't having fun so I lost interest after about 13 holes so I left. I feel horrible... not only did I not play confident, but I quit.

 

Damn, homie. Time to get back in the saddle and try again?

[Obee]

> @bogeypro said:

> well, i need counseling. i failed the mental game horribly this past weekend. I have been playing extremely well lately and looking forward to this tournament. I had a game plan to play conservative off the tee (tough driving course). Then, I would rely on my iron play the rest of the way. For whatever reason, my brain decided to be scared to swing the club and my conservative plan wound up putting me behind the 8 ball and I got on a bogey train for about 10 holes. I wasn't in huge trouble, but just missing my lines and landing areas. I wasn't having fun so I lost interest after about 13 holes so I left. I feel horrible... not only did I not play confident, but I quit.

 

Well, you quit. But then you owned up to it and TOLD us that you quit, which means you are taking responsibility for your actions.

 

Now it's time to re-dedicate yourself.

 

And remember, the "fun" in competitive golf lies completely and totally in the **challenge** that it presents to us. :-)

[swizbeatz]

Second team play match last weekend, putted like a donkey but still shot 75. Shoulders bugging me a bit, gonna hit the ice hard the next few evenings. Practice round for senior/mid tomorrow, 36 for county tournament of champions Sunday, 36 for Senior/Mid am Monday, state Am qualifier in an absolutely stacked field Wednesday, then a mostly screw around match against another club in the area we always do a home and home with. Definitely hitting the ball better than I ever have, need to hit the putting green hard in the next few days.

[Shades234]

> @vietnameeh said:

> Just played the NCGA 4 ball at spyglass

>

> Let me just say first spyglass is friggin amazing! We played terrible and didn’t make the cut for the third day (actually we were one of the worst scores) but it was totally worth it for 2 free rounds! Definitely on my top 5 now

>

> You definitely need your A game and some course knowledge to go low (i think the low was -12 vs our +10)

>

> My only excuse is I got deep into a mental implosion that I couldn’t shake off (I let my partner get in my head). I was playing hot leading up to this weekend, on the range everything was spot on and my putting was great. Played our first hole (10th) and gave us a chance at birdie from 6ft I missed. One thing about spyglass is you can’t miss too far off or you are dead in the trees or blocked off. I missed a few shots because wasn’t sure where to go and it ended up dead. Not sure what my partners deal was. Instead of focusing on our target and/or giving a yardage or an area to hit. He literally started telling me what to work on my swing by our 4th hole (hit down it, you are holding on to it too long, stay back a little etc etc). Even worse is he wouldn’t let me play my game. His strategy was like we were playing a scramble or something. Spyglass is decently long but I’m not a short player my 3 wood and hybrid are quite deadly and keep me in play which is huge for me. Instead he would tell me I need to bang driver and he would tell me take aggressive lines at putts (spyglass greens have lots of subtle breaks) . I would reason with him by the time he caved in and would agree, I was already doubting myself and it showed with my tentative swings. This leaked into my whole game. His back is probably aching from trying to carry me all weekend.

>

> lots of lessons learned, maybe I need a partner who’s not so hardheaded and wants to control everything lol, but at the same time I should be mentally tougher and block him out. I actually want to play in a local city tournament next week cause I still feel like my game is right there. Just need to stay focused and grind

 

It's easy to look back and say that you could've handled your partner better. But... the guy is your partner. You're supposed to be a team. Sounds like you might not be compatible for this sort of format.

 

Aside from how you played, sounded like it was a good experience. I haven't played Spy in almost 10 years. Definitely a place that requires some local knowledge. If you're going in there blind, all you can ask for is to hang tough in my opinion. Hope you make it back there next year with a new partner or maybe some earplugs. lol

[MattyO1984]

First proper competition of my year this past weekend.

 

Every year our club and four other local clubs has a team matchplay competition - http://www.mngl.co.uk/

It's a pretty tough school. There are Scottish International's playing and typically the worst handicap you will see out there is a 3 or a 4 and that is coming from 5 pretty difficult courses. I had two 18 hole matches on Sunday. I'm a 3 and both guys I played were scratch players. I managed to win my first match 3&2 and then halved my match in the afternoon. For the 34 holes that I played, I was 3 over for the day which I was thrilled by. The only downside was only halving the second match but if I am honest with myself, I just totally run out of steam losing the 15th, 16th and 17th to go from 2 up to 1 down.

 

Excited to get the golf season properly kicked off though and with a few competitions now getting ever closer.

[gioguy21]

> @vietnameeh said:

> Just played the NCGA 4 ball at spyglass

>

> Let me just say first spyglass is friggin amazing! We played terrible and didn’t make the cut for the third day (actually we were one of the worst scores) but it was totally worth it for 2 free rounds! Definitely on my top 5 now

>

> You definitely need your A game and some course knowledge to go low (i think the low was -12 vs our +10)

>

> My only excuse is I got deep into a mental implosion that I couldn’t shake off (I let my partner get in my head). I was playing hot leading up to this weekend, on the range everything was spot on and my putting was great. Played our first hole (10th) and gave us a chance at birdie from 6ft I missed. One thing about spyglass is you can’t miss too far off or you are dead in the trees or blocked off. I missed a few shots because wasn’t sure where to go and it ended up dead. Not sure what my partners deal was. Instead of focusing on our target and/or giving a yardage or an area to hit. He literally started telling me what to work on my swing by our 4th hole (hit down it, you are holding on to it too long, stay back a little etc etc). Even worse is he wouldn’t let me play my game. His strategy was like we were playing a scramble or something. Spyglass is decently long but I’m not a short player my 3 wood and hybrid are quite deadly and keep me in play which is huge for me. Instead he would tell me I need to bang driver and he would tell me take aggressive lines at putts (spyglass greens have lots of subtle breaks) . I would reason with him by the time he caved in and would agree, I was already doubting myself and it showed with my tentative swings. This leaked into my whole game. His back is probably aching from trying to carry me all weekend.

>

> lots of lessons learned, maybe I need a partner who’s not so hardheaded and wants to control everything lol, but at the same time I should be mentally tougher and block him out. I actually want to play in a local city tournament next week cause I still feel like my game is right there. Just need to stay focused and grind

 

it's so hard to find a partner you gel with -- but when you do the game gets that much easier. sorry you had a rough go at it -- been there. at least you got to play a gorgeous course!!

 

I have my state mid-am qualifier tomorrow -- 8:50am. i literally cracked my driver on the range last night so-- i have to go and buy a TM M5 for tomorrow. should be fun dialing it in! lol

[Obee]

Big club tournament this weekend. Playing with a local pro who has qualified for several PGA Tour events. It's a net club tournament, but the pros show up in force, as there is usually quite a bit of $$$ thrown around in bets.

 

First day is better ball, second day is Shamble-Aggregate, which is a GREAT format for me with a pro, as I get to hit my approaches off of his drives all day, which should give us a nice boost on the second, critical day. The pro I'm playing with is 50 to 75 yards longer than I am, and my game from 70 to 150 is still pretty solid, so I'm really looking forward to being able to hit from places I normally don't get to hit from! :-)

[gioguy21]

> @Obee said:

> Big club tournament this weekend. Playing with a local pro who has qualified for several PGA Tour events. It's a net club tournament, but the pros show up in force, as there is usually quite a bit of $$$ thrown around in bets.

>

> First day is better ball, second day is Shamble-Aggregate, which is a GREAT format for me with a pro, as I get to hit my approaches off of his drives all day, which should give us a nice boost on the second, critical day. The pro I'm playing with is 50 to 75 yards longer than I am, and my game from 70 to 150 is still pretty solid, so I'm really looking forward to being able to hit from places I normally don't get to hit from! :-)

 

go get em dood!

[ddetts]

So we're just over 2 weeks away here from our state Mid-Am. This will be only my second competitive event (not counting scrambles, company events, etc.), with my first being out state amateur at the end of last summer. I'd love to hear some of your best tips on preparation, strategy and course management. We have lower participation here, so there's no qualifying round(s). I'm working on deciding what my realistic goals are going to be and what I expect of myself.

 

It will be on my home course, so I'm very familiar with the holes, greens, etc. Only thing I don't know, is how much the course setup will change from normal play to tournament setup. I anticipate faster and firmer greens if the weather allows (we've been quite wet this spring), but don't know if they'll narrow the fairways/landing areas at all.

 

And apologies, I'm not scratch (7.5 trending down) yet but aspiring to be. I'm hoping between more high level competitive play and the continued work on my swing I'll get there.

[gioguy21]

> @ddetts said:

> So we're just over 2 weeks away here from our state Mid-Am. This will be only my second competitive event (not counting scrambles, company events, etc.), with my first being out state amateur at the end of last summer. I'd love to hear some of your best tips on preparation, strategy and course management. We have lower participation here, so there's no qualifying round(s). I'm working on deciding what my realistic goals are going to be and what I expect of myself.

>

> It will be on my home course, so I'm very familiar with the holes, greens, etc. Only thing I don't know, is how much the course setup will change from normal play to tournament setup. I anticipate faster and firmer greens if the weather allows (we've been quite wet this spring), but don't know if they'll narrow the fairways/landing areas at all.

>

> And apologies, I'm not scratch (7.5 trending down) yet but aspiring to be. I'm hoping between more high level competitive play and the continued work on my swing I'll get there.

 

have FUN! pace yourself both in warmup and while playing -- be patient and focused; BUT allow your mind to wander on topics outside of golf while walking -- it will free you up. if its your home course just look for quicker greens -- usually they don't do vast changes like narrowing fairways and whatnot for mid-am quals -- mostly just greens and possibly letting the rough grow a touch.

 

go through your first 3 holes, literally shot for shot in your mind. it will free you up to put a good swing on it b/c you've already 'seen' the results.

[ddetts]

> @gioguy21 said:

> > @ddetts said:

> > So we're just over 2 weeks away here from our state Mid-Am. This will be only my second competitive event (not counting scrambles, company events, etc.), with my first being out state amateur at the end of last summer. I'd love to hear some of your best tips on preparation, strategy and course management. We have lower participation here, so there's no qualifying round(s). I'm working on deciding what my realistic goals are going to be and what I expect of myself.

> >

> > It will be on my home course, so I'm very familiar with the holes, greens, etc. Only thing I don't know, is how much the course setup will change from normal play to tournament setup. I anticipate faster and firmer greens if the weather allows (we've been quite wet this spring), but don't know if they'll narrow the fairways/landing areas at all.

> >

> > And apologies, I'm not scratch (7.5 trending down) yet but aspiring to be. I'm hoping between more high level competitive play and the continued work on my swing I'll get there.

>

> have FUN! pace yourself both in warmup and while playing -- be patient and focused; BUT allow your mind to wander on topics outside of golf while walking -- it will free you up. if its your home course just look for quicker greens -- usually they don't do vast changes like narrowing fairways and whatnot for mid-am quals -- mostly just greens and possibly letting the rough grow a touch.

>

> go through your first 3 holes, literally shot for shot in your mind. it will free you up to put a good swing on it b/c you've already 'seen' the results.

 

Thanks! I think that's one of two things I am missing right now. 1) I used to have a great pre-shot routine that I did before every shot but over the last few years I have somehow gotten away from much of a pre-shot routine at all - likely in an effort to play fast. It wasn't that my "old" routine was slow and I felt a need to abondon it, it just slowly went away. 2) Visualization is something I am not good at and have basically never or rarely done. It's something that every time I read about it, I say to myself I am going to start imagining and visualizing each shot before I hit it. However, I never end up doing it.

[Obee]

Expect to be more nervous than you ever have in playing a round of golf. Then laugh at the nervousness.

Confidently make a bunch of 3-footers when warming up. Nothing worse than playing your own course and missing a bunch of short putts because they greens a bit faster and you feel uncomfortable because you didn't hit enough of them in warm-up.

 

If there is a pin sheet, get there early enough to chart out what section of the green you want to hit to on each hole and where you do not want to be. Maybe a big "YES" in the area where you WANT to be and "X" in the areas you know you do NOT want to be.

 

You will likely see some pin positions you have never seen in this tournament. That always surprises local club members when they host a tournament. Almost all top local and regional golf associations know how to find "tough but fair" pin positions for their top championships.

 

Have a blast, and enjoy the butterflies!!! :-)

[ddetts]

@Obee - I remember how big the nerves were last year playing in the state amateur, which was my first competitive event. My first hole I drove it into a fairway bunker, hit out with a 9i, thinned another 9i but ended up with about 12 feet for birdie. Rocketed the birdie putt by and had about 6-7 feet coming back, which I of course missed for a 3 putt bogey on a par 5. Took a couple holes to settle in, but after that it just felt like playing golf again. I'm expecting some nerves, but hopefully not at the level I was feeling last year!

 

I really like that idea of charting the pin positions along with the good places/sides to miss on. My course definitely has enough areas where you're dead missing on a short side or long. The course has hosted a Symetra Tour event for 3 years now, and they have yardage books made of which they sell the left overs. So I have a pretty detailed yardage book, along with basic green maps that will make that useful.

[Krt22]

> @vietnameeh said:

> Just played the NCGA 4 ball at spyglass

>

> Let me just say first spyglass is friggin amazing! We played terrible and didn’t make the cut for the third day (actually we were one of the worst scores) but it was totally worth it for 2 free rounds! Definitely on my top 5 now

>

> You definitely need your A game and some course knowledge to go low (i think the low was -12 vs our +10)

>

> My only excuse is I got deep into a mental implosion that I couldn’t shake off (I let my partner get in my head). I was playing hot leading up to this weekend, on the range everything was spot on and my putting was great. Played our first hole (10th) and gave us a chance at birdie from 6ft I missed. One thing about spyglass is you can’t miss too far off or you are dead in the trees or blocked off. I missed a few shots because wasn’t sure where to go and it ended up dead. Not sure what my partners deal was. Instead of focusing on our target and/or giving a yardage or an area to hit. He literally started telling me what to work on my swing by our 4th hole (hit down it, you are holding on to it too long, stay back a little etc etc). Even worse is he wouldn’t let me play my game. His strategy was like we were playing a scramble or something. Spyglass is decently long but I’m not a short player my 3 wood and hybrid are quite deadly and keep me in play which is huge for me. Instead he would tell me I need to bang driver and he would tell me take aggressive lines at putts (spyglass greens have lots of subtle breaks) . I would reason with him by the time he caved in and would agree, I was already doubting myself and it showed with my tentative swings. This leaked into my whole game. His back is probably aching from trying to carry me all weekend.

>

> lots of lessons learned, maybe I need a partner who’s not so hardheaded and wants to control everything lol, but at the same time I should be mentally tougher and block him out. I actually want to play in a local city tournament next week cause I still feel like my game is right there. Just need to stay focused and grind

 

dang that sucks. I'm hoping to play Spyglass/Poppy for the NCGA Associate Club Championship!