So I did a Van de Velde.. story time

[milesgiles]

Slow time of year, especially in the U.K. with courses shut again, so thought I’d share what happened to me about 3 months ago.

I’ve been trying to win my club champs for nearly 30 years, have come second three times before this year. Two rounds gross strokeplay. Usually one day, this time held over two days with a redraw in order for the second round. Thanks to a lot of advice on the instruction forums here, fancied my chances more than usual. 4 players off my handicap and a smattering a little higher.

SS 72 slope 129, scored 75 first day. Tough day, windy, but I’d played as good as I had all year and let my score dribble away last few holes, which are the easiest on the course. Much younger chap, defending champ I played with, played really quite well (won’t go further than that since he’ll probably read this at some point), and shot 70. Everyone else 76 or worse. Ordinarily I’d have taken the 75, but I knew I’d left myself a mountain and wouldn’t get near him if he played like that again.

Golf being what it is, the Sunday was a different day. Paired up again, he struggled from the off and I was in the lead by the 6th. I don’t like to think of the score too much so was only keeping the vaguest track after that, whatever he did wasn’t going to affect my decisions, I knew what I’d need, give or take, allowing for one of other chaps to have a good round. (Don’t think there was anything better than a 68 all year, course conditions etc,).

17th hole, air is getting thin lol. 2 ahead(like i say I didn’t know this), made a safe par, young chap birdies. Last hole, he snaps his tee shot and I’m in the box seat. Best drive I could hit, 190 to go par 5 middle of the fairway. Opponent plays first, gets it pin high but well left of the green and will be struggling for a 4. So im fairly certain 4 wins, and what would have been a nice 70.

So then comes my Van de Velde moment. My rescue club, is a very, very safe club for me. It would have gone well past the flag, but I didn’t need a 3, anything there or there abouts was more than fine.

Wrx, i did not hit that rescue. There was a little crowd around the last green, and my heart over ruled my head. I didn’t want to win with a little baffy shot, I wanted to nail a nice high draw with a 5 iron and win in style.

Wrx, I did not hit a high draw. I whiffed it 40 yards short into a bunker on the right, about the worst result possible. I’m not panicking, but I know I’ve made this a lot harder than it needed to be. Hit a decent bunker shot 30 feet past, oppo chips well past so im still thinking two putts..

Wrx, I did not take two putts. I missed the one back for a par, oppo makes par and it’s a playoff. Long story short, played well in the playoff, eventually 3 putting to lose, once again.

So a couple of points. One, I think anyone who saw it was baffled by what Jean did that day on the last hole. Id never understood it before this chain of events above. I think he just wanted to win in a style he felt was befitting  And two, far more important, was that the playoff gave everyone a bit of entertainment after a rubbish year for all of us with some good quality golf. I’m not beating myself up for one poor decision, especially as it was the poor finish on the Saturday that did for me really. Third, moral is, if you’re game isnt where you’d like it to be, do yourself a favour and get on over to the instruction forum here. Despite the extremely limited competitions we played this year this was by far my best year in a long time. 

Overall, it was great to get up there and has given me a ton of motivation for next year. Just call me Jean.

[MtlJeff]

That's pretty standard club championship stuff at the end of the day. Not to say it isn't disappointing of course, but making a bogey on the final hole, regardless of you do it, happens in our CC almost every year....so don't be too hard on yourself : )

 

This year in our AA club championship a guy 4 putted the final hole from 20 feet to lose by 1. 

 

A couple of years ago a guy in our CC made a 9 on the 17th hole while up 5 strokes. this was in the A flight and the guy was a 0 index.  

[cardoustie]

I'd have skanked a hybrid up there

 

Golf is managing your misses, especially in the situation you were in, par is good, 2 man match effectively

 

I might of even hit a hard 7i up near the front of the green

 

You got unlucky you went in the trap on your 2nd but really flamed out on putting (sorry to be Capt Obvious)

 

I tell you what if I had 190 over water (our 18th) and had to get home in two, I'm pulling my 5 hybrid (205 club) and not taking chances.  A 6i miss under pressure could be a watery grave or a semi-shank off our wooden bridge .. or in your situation I'd even perhaps go SW then SW 

 

There's always next year ,,,, and golf is not about impressing others with results, it's about sticking to your process to produce best results

 

 

[cardoustie]

Want to feel better >>>

 

I watched a 11 cap make a 17 on our 18th one year in rd 3 of our club c's.  I think a 9 wins him B flight (3rd flight after Champ and A)

 

He was in perfect shape in 2 shots, 100 yards out (530 yard par 5) ... 3 in the water, 5 in the water (hitting from 60 yards off a tight lie over a pond ... which was his death move), 7 in the water, 9 in the H20, 11 in the water, 13 finally over the aqua .... and then a 4 putt

 

This with 100 guys on the patio overlooking the green

[MtlJeff]

4 minutes ago, cardoustie said:

I'd have skanked a hybrid up there

 

Golf is managing your misses, especially in the situation you were in, par is good, 2 man match effectively

 

I might of even hit a hard 7i up near the front of the green

 

You got unlucky you went in the trap on your 2nd but really flamed out on putting (sorry to be Capt Obvious)

 

I tell you what if I had 190 over water (our 18th) and had to get home in two, I'm pulling my 5 hybrid (205 club) and not taking chances.  A 6i miss under pressure could be a watery grave or a semi-shank off our wooden bridge .. or in your situation I'd even perhaps go SW then SW 

 

There's always next year ,,,, and golf is not about impressing others with results, it's about sticking to your process to produce best results

 

 

 

right but hitting a 5 iron as a 2.2 UK index you're gonna be pretty confident in that club even if the "technically" smarter play was the hybrid. OP can probably stripe fifty 5 irons in a row before another 140 fan comes into play

 

Club championship always brings out some weird ones LOL. I hadn't hit a hosel shot in roughly 2 years until i did it in this year's CC in the final round. I wasn't really in contention as we had 2 kids who were slaughtering people. But still wanted to finish top 5

[cardoustie]

I have also had el Hoselero visits in club C's.  I've gagged in at least 6 of them in last 15 years and finished second, have only won once

[milesgiles]

53 minutes ago, cardoustie said:

Want to feel better >>>

 

I watched a 11 cap make a 17 on our 18th one year in rd 3 of our club c's.  I think a 9 wins him B flight (3rd flight after Champ and A)

 

He was in perfect shape in 2 shots, 100 yards out (530 yard par 5) ... 3 in the water, 5 in the water (hitting from 60 yards off a tight lie over a pond ... which was his death move), 7 in the water, 9 in the H20, 11 in the water, 13 finally over the aqua .... and then a 4 putt

 

This with 100 guys on the patio overlooking the green

 

Ye gads.. that’s proper tin cup stuff 

[James the Hogan Fan]

 

The top of our leaderboard this year. Look at that 87 in round 3. I had already gone home but I saw his scorecard later on.

 

He made par on 15 and was +7 on the day. He finished with a quintuple-bogey 9, double, bogey to play his last 3 in 8 over. Still won by a shot but it wasn't the pretty way to do it. Club Championships are weird.

 

(you may wonder how the open division of a CC might have a winner at +16 for 3 rounds. That's what playing a 74.5/145 course, set up to be hard(!) will do! Those guys are all legit scratch to +2 range)

[milesgiles]

9 hours ago, James the Hogan Fan said:

 

The top of our leaderboard this year. Look at that 87 in round 3. I had already gone home but I saw his scorecard later on.

 

He made par on 15 and was +7 on the day. He finished with a quintuple-bogey 9, double, bogey to play his last 3 in 8 over. Still won by a shot but it wasn't the pretty way to do it. Club Championships are weird.

 

(you may wonder how the open division of a CC might have a winner at +16 for 3 rounds. That's what playing a 74.5/145 course, set up to be hard(!) will do! Those guys are all legit scratch to +2 range)

 

 

Lols

 

ive seen and played many courses set up set up to max difficulty. Trump Aberdeen, St Mellion, St Andrews Castle course and Harlech come to mind. To my mind, at anything below tour level I don’t see the point at all. Harlech has a very big amateur open, I checked the scores there were 90s and NRs all over. Winner was nowhere near par.

A course local to me is only 122 slope (it’s definitely harder than that btw) but they legitimately had their very severe greens over 14 on the stimp. Their winner was a pair of 77s.. 

Not fun imo.

[James the Hogan Fan]

5 hours ago, milesgiles said:

 

 

Lols

 

ive seen and played many courses set up set up to max difficulty. Trump Aberdeen, St Mellion, St Andrews Castle course and Harlech come to mind. To my mind, at anything below tour level I don’t see the point at all. Harlech has a very big amateur open, I checked the scores there were 90s and NRs all over. Winner was nowhere near par.

A course local to me is only 122 slope (it’s definitely harder than that btw) but they legitimately had their very severe greens over 14 on the stimp. Their winner was a pair of 77s.. 

Not fun imo.

 

I also don't get the point at all.

 

Firstly they play from the tips, which is fine, but some holes they don't even mow the boxes for the tips during the year. Not to mention the membership plays probably 99% of rounds from the yellows (our regular tee) so for the CC, 99% are playing a version of the course they've never played.

 

Then you dry it out, tuck pins, and get the greens rolling in the 11-12 foot range after rolling 8-10 all season. Again it's not really the same course at that point. I get the idea of having the course be tougher because it's a championship, but when 5-10 handicaps are putting into bunkers, something is wrong. 

[hammersia]

6 hours ago, milesgiles said:

 

 

Lols

 

ive seen and played many courses set up set up to max difficulty. Trump Aberdeen, St Mellion, St Andrews Castle course and Harlech come to mind. To my mind, at anything below tour level I don’t see the point at all. Harlech has a very big amateur open, I checked the scores there were 90s and NRs all over. Winner was nowhere near par.

A course local to me is only 122 slope (it’s definitely harder than that btw) but they legitimately had their very severe greens over 14 on the stimp. Their winner was a pair of 77s.. 

Not fun imo.

Trump Aberdeen and the Castle Course are not extreme providing you hit into the green with a decent trajectory and sensible amount of spin. Amateurs who just bumble it up there are gonna find them tricky. 

[milesgiles]

54 minutes ago, hammersia said:

Trump Aberdeen and the Castle Course are not extreme providing you hit into the green with a decent trajectory and sensible amount of spin. Amateurs who just bumble it up there are gonna find them tricky. 

 

What is extreme then?

[cardoustie]

17 hours ago, James the Hogan Fan said:

 

The top of our leaderboard this year. Look at that 87 in round 3. I had already gone home but I saw his scorecard later on.

 

He made par on 15 and was +7 on the day. He finished with a quintuple-bogey 9, double, bogey to play his last 3 in 8 over. Still won by a shot but it wasn't the pretty way to do it. Club Championships are weird.

 

(you may wonder how the open division of a CC might have a winner at +16 for 3 rounds. That's what playing a 74.5/145 course, set up to be hard(!) will do! Those guys are all legit scratch to +2 range)

 

This is exactly like our club C !   People that haven't played it don't understand how scores are so high

 

7,000, 74 / 144.  Woods  / swamps down the sides of most holes, so drive it crooked and you are lateral drop or 3 of the tee

 

Get the greens running 12.5 (they are small and severely sloped), bury the pins, add in some wind and some club C pressure and suddenly 77 or 78 is scratch golf

 

Most recent example of a visitor to my club.  2 Capper from a club 45 mins East of here.  Played college golf 10 years after me, so 2001 - 2003.  Played with this guy in October and he shot 90.   Happens all the time, tight off the tee with hard greens destroys most players 

 

 

[MattCarter]

That's gotta sting, but it sounds like you played great that weekend.  Thanks for sharing.

[jordan2240]

On 11/20/2020 at 11:16 AM, MtlJeff said:

 

right but hitting a 5 iron as a 2.2 UK index you're gonna be pretty confident in that club even if the "technically" smarter play was the hybrid. OP can probably stripe fifty 5 irons in a row before another 140 fan comes into play

 

Club championship always brings out some weird ones LOL. I hadn't hit a hosel shot in roughly 2 years until i did it in this year's CC in the final round. I wasn't really in contention as we had 2 kids who were slaughtering people. But still wanted to finish top 5

That's what I thought as well.   5i was probably a pretty safe shot.  A true 'Van de Velde' would have had you pulling a 3w to draw it over water, or something like that.  Sounds like you just choked.  Been there, done that too many times to count.

[GSDriver]

Happens, but was expecting you to say made a 12 ala McAvoy...it's golf, best club in bag is tween ears....better luck and little wiser next tourney.

[Roody]

Your story reminds me of a decision point I made earlier this season during what is arguably the best round of my life. It wasn't during the club championship, but I think there were some similarities. 

 

I was playing my home course, and when I got to 17 tee I was +1. It's a short-ish par 5, water out in the middle of the fairway about 275 out, OB on the right, and green is heavily guarded by bunkers. I hit a good drive that put me in the fairway, and left me about 210 out. 

 

My first thought was like yours: "I'm hitting the ball great today, let's go for the green in two and see if we can put an eagle on this scorecard. Finish this round in style!". But then I took a step back because I realized where I was on score. Which made me nervous. So I thought better of it, and I pulled my 6-iron. Hit a nice layup to about 30 yards out.

That was when one of my playing partners turned to me and said "why'd you lay up? You haven't missed all day!". My response was "nerves. I'd rather hit an easy layup shot right now".

I ended up birdieing the hole, which got me back to even. A par on 18, and I finished even. 

I guess my point is, I can totally relate to the OP's desire to keep the pedal to the metal when the round is going well. But when there's a lot on the line, the safe shot may not be as sexy, but the end result makes up for it. 

[LeftDaddy]

Not club championship by any means, but I’ve broken 80 only 3x in my life (all 79s) and I’ve had chances at it very late in the round another 4 times. The first time I broke it, though, I birdied 14 to get to 1 over. So I thought to myself “4 bogies and I shoot 77”...then I thought “eff that, 4 pars and I shoot 73...wait, eff that, -1 from here and I shoot even par”. Anyway, I bogey 15 but it was a good bogey. Bogey 16 but was a bad bogey. But no biggie...3 over with 2 to go. I make a ridiculously good bogey on 17 after a completely choked tee ball that just got lucky in where it landed. Still no biggie. I pipe my drive on 18, long and down the middle. That’s when I relaxed and knew I had it in the bag. Well, you guessed it but I dunked the next one in the pond in front of the green and generally choked my way to a 1 foot tap in for a 79 that easily should have been a 75. 
 

It’s amazing to me how fast everything moves when you are in that situation, when all you need to do is slow down, make a good decision and commit, and hit the shot. But you stop thinking clearly. You try to recover with every swing instead of just hitting a shot that gets you in a good position for the next swing. 

[Dr. Block]

You didn't make nearly as many mental errors in a row as poor Jean. In fact, one could say that deciding to hit something hard was a good decision under pressure. Nerves can have a severe effect on the smooth stock swing. My tournament career is nothing more than a distant memory in the rearview, but I do remember that you don't know yourself in those situations until you've $-hit your pants and jumped in the pool once or twice. The next time you get there, you'll do much better. 

 

My only comparison was making a shoot-out in an event this year and having to hit a nine iron approach shot on a Par 4 with about 30 golf carts of contestants and on-lookers as an audience. In those moments, you can always count on your breathing to be a benefit. Big breath in, then out like a leaky tire. I was lucky that I was just shy of the level of drunk that would have robbed me of that bit of my memory. I managed a respectable shot.

Edited December 22, 2020 by Dr. Block